The Third Angel’s Message
By W. H. Blaisdell
The Third Angel’s Message
“And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone, in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: and the smoke of their torment ascendeth up forever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” This message contains the last, solemn note of warning which is to fall upon the ears of the human family. It is this message which ripens the harvest of the earth. When its work has been accomplished, the Son of man is then seen on the great white cloud, “having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle.” Verse 15. The work of Christ in the heavenly sanctuary is then finished. He has laid aside186his priestly garments and comes forth with his kingly crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle, to reap the harvest of the earth which has been ripened by the message of the third angel. Thus it is evident that Christ’s intercession for sinners and the time of their probation close with the work of the third message. While Christ is thus upon the white cloud, another angel comes out of the temple crying, “Thrust in thy sickle, and reap; for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe.” Verse 15. It will be seen that this angel raises no prayer for the salvation of sinners, and utters no note of warning in their behalf; but the petition is,—“Thrust in thy sickle,” &c. This angel is a representation of the people of God, after their labors for the salvation of those around them are all ended. As human probation is brought to a close, and the burden and anxiety of God’s people in behalf of sinners is taken away, then will they raise one urgent, united prayer to the Son of man to thrust in his sickle and reap the harvest of the earth. As we have shown that the first and second messages have been fulfilled in the present generation, and that the third message is that which ripens the harvest of the earth and reaches to the close of human probation, and have also shown in previous articles that we are now in close proximity to the second coming of Christ, it is very evident that we are now living in the very period of time to which the third angel’s message applies, and when, according to the prophecy, its fulfillment should be going forward in the world. Is this so? Is there any class of people that are now giving the third angel’s message, and are engaged in the very work necessary to a perfect fulfillment of the prophecy? Let us see! How were the first and second messages fulfilled? It was done by a class of people who went forth teaching and proclaiming to the world, orally and by publications, the very language and ideas contained in those messages. The first message was fulfilled by a class of people who taught that the hour of God’s judgment was at hand, and who showed, from Scripture and facts, that such must be the case. The second message was fulfilled by a class of people who showed from the Scriptures to what Babylon applied, and they proclaimed and showed that Babylon had fallen. How, then, shall we expect that the third message will be fulfilled? Of course it must be done by a class of people who will preach and publish to the world the ideas, facts, and language contained in that message. The third message is the last one to be given before probation closes. It contains a solemn warning against the worshiping of the beast and his image, and the receiving of his mark, verse 9—the very sins which the two-horned beast of chapter 13:11–18 is to undertake to enforce. It portrays before our minds the unmingled wine of the wrath of God, as it is to be poured out without mixture of mercy upon those who do not heed the warning contained in the message. Verses 10, 11. It also contains “the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus,” and brings to view a class called the saints, who keep them, thereby showing that those who do not heed the warning contained in the message, and become keepers of the commandments of God and of the faith of Jesus before the message closes, will be found among the class that worship the beast or his image, or receive his mark. Therefore we can see that those who give the third angel’s message must show by the prophecies that the end is very near, and that this message is the last one to be given before probation closes; they must show what government is symbolized by the two-horned beast, which is to make an image to the papal beast, and what will constitute the worship of the beast and his image, and the reception of his mark. They must arraign the minds of men before the terrors of the day of God’s wrath, and show from the Scriptures how that wrath will be poured out; they must keep the commandments of God (the Father) and the faith of Jesus (his Son), while they also must make it a special object to preach to the world the same commandments and faith which they themselves keep as the only safeguard against the worship of the beast and his image, and the reception of his mark. Is there a class of people in the world engaged in such a work? If so, that must be the class that are giving the third angel’s message. There is one such class, and only one—and that is the class known as Seventh-day Adventists. For more than twenty years they have been engaged in this very work. They earnestly set forth and promulgate the truths which grow out of, and are connected with, the message of the third angel. They show from the prophecies that the second coming of Christ will take place in the present generation; they make it an important object to show what government is symbolized by the two-horned beast (which is to make an image to the papal beast and enforce his mark) against whose work the third angel utters a special voice of warning; they show what will constitute the worship of the beast and his image, and the reception of his mark. In doing this they give an appropriate and necessary warning that all may be prepared to shun and avoid those sins when the time (which is not far distant) comes that they are to be enforced. They show how the wrath of God—the penalty for not obeying the voice of warning contained in the message—is to be poured out. Rev. 15:1, 2, 8; 16:1–21; Isa. 24:1–6; 28:17, 22; 29:6; 30:30; Jer. 4:23–29; Zeph. 1:2, 3, 14–18. They keep not only the faith of Jesus, but also the law of God, as set forth in the ten commandments which were proclaimed by the voice of Jehovah amid the thunders and lightnings of Mount Sinai, and written by his own finger on tables of stone. Exodus, chapters 19 and 20; 31:18; Deut. 4:13. It is by the commandments of God that they have been led to become observers of the seventh day, the Sabbath which the fourth commandment plainly enjoins, and which is the only weekly Sabbath anywhere recognized in the Bible. They make it a special object to preach and teach the commandments of God in connection with the faith of Jesus. While they show that one of the commandments of God requires the observance of the seventh-day Sabbath, they also show that the establishment of the first-day (Sunday) Sabbath in the Christian church was the work of the Catholic church which is called by Paul the man of sin, 2 Thess. 2:3, 4, and which we have shown to be the power symbolized by the leopard beast of Rev. 13, and to which an image is to be made in our own country. All that have ever heard their lectures, or read their publications to any considerable degree, must admit that they do have much to say about the very ideas here referred to, all of which are found in, and connected with, the third angel’s message; and in fact this message might truly be said to form a text and basis for the burden of their work and labor. Thus it is evident that they are giving the third angel’s message, and that they are the only class on earth that are giving that message. For a more extended view of the subject contained in this article, and also for further proof that Seventh-day Adventists are giving the third angel’s message, we invite attention to the following publications, issued at the REVIEW AND HERALD Office, Battle Creek, Mich., and also to many other works mentioned in the publication list found from time to time in the columns of this paper. “The Three Messages of Rev. 14 and the Two-Horned Beast;” “The Sanctuary and Twenty-three Hundred Days;” “Our Faith and Hope;” “Thoughts on Daniel;” “Thoughts on the Revelation;” “The Signs of the Times;” “The United States in Prophecy;” “The Mark of the Beast;” “The Perfection of the Ten Commandments;” “The Ten Commandments not Abolished;” “The History of the Sabbath and First Day of the Week;” “The Prophetic and Law of God Charts.” We now inquire where we are living in the history of this line of prophecy, as brought to view in the three angels’ messages? The answer is easily given. We are even now far along in the history of the third and last message. Yes! about a quarter of a century has passed since this message began to be very distinctly heard in the world, and now we are so near to its close that we can already witness the rapid progress of a movement which is to result in the rigid enforcement in our own country of those sins against which the third angel has been, and is now, giving his warning proclamation. Thus does the light of the sure word of prophecy show us where in this world’s history we are living, and point out like a light which shineth in a dark place, the dangers which still lie in our future pathway. Many are the lines of prophecy and various the predictions, not examined in these articles, which point out with equal certainty the solemn and important fact that the close of human probation and the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ are just at hand! But though the evidences are so many and so clear, yet the minds of the great mass of mankind are still shrouded in darkness on the subject. They do not give heed to the sure word of prophecy. The flood-gates of crime and wickedness are wide open, iniquity prevails on every hand, and the love of worldly honor, pleasure, and gain, still engages the attention of both the worldling and the proud and popular professor of Christianity. Solemn indeed are the times in which we live; fearful are the responsibilities now resting upon the people of God; terrible will be the time of trouble and day of wrath which are just ahead; Dan. 12:1, 2; Zeph. 1:2, 3, 14–18; but joyous will be the deliverance of the saints, and bright the crown of glory which will soon be given to all the people of God. “The storm cloud of vengeance is gathering fast,
The harvest is ripening and soon will be past;
The last final conflict of earth soon will come,
And the warfare be ended the victory be won.”