It is reasonable to believe that the three woe angels at least are all of the same nature. The fifth and sixth angels are understood to be symbols. The seventh is a symbol also, and not the literal trump that is to wake up the sleeping saints at the coming of Christ. When the trump of God is heard, the saints then come forth, and the living righteous are changed "in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, and are caught away from the earth." But the seventh angel is to sound for days, evidently years.
"But in the DAYS of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets." Rev. x, 7.
The sounding of the fifth angel occupied 150 years, and the sixth, 391 years and fifteen days. The sounding of the seventh angel is also to occupy a period of years. Under the fifth was a series of events which have transpired according to prophecy, also under the sixth. There is also a series of events, predicted to take place under the sounding of the104seventh angel, which we will now briefly examine. Let the reader turn and read Rev. xi, 15—19, and it will be seen that there are four events to take place under the sounding of the seventh angel, and that three of them are prior to the Second Advent. First, "the great voices in heaven, saying, the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord;" second, the "nations were angry;" third, "thy wrath is come;" and fourth, "the time of the dead that they should be judged," which event is introduced at the coming of Christ. Says the Apostle:
"I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead, at his appearing and kingdom."
The Second Advent introduces the judgment of quick and dead, which is the fourth event under the sounding of the seventh angel. Three events are therefore, then, in the past. The proclamation of the great voices in heaven is a symbol of the voice of the church on earth, the same as the angel with the everlasting gospel, [Rev. xiv, 6, 7.] flying through the midst of heaven, in a symbol of the Advent message, delivered by men. When Christ’s universal kingdom is established, there will be, but one kingdom existing; but there is a sense in which the kingdoms [plural] of this world are to be Christ’s prior to the Second Advent.—"Ask of me," says the Father to his Son Jesus Christ, "and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt rule them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel." Ps. ii, 8, 9. He first asks, second, receives the kingdoms of the world, and third, dashes them in pieces. This will be more clearly seen by the following, from the Prophet:
"I saw in the night visions, and behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages should serve him." Dan. vii, 13, 14.
This text has usually been applied to the coming of Christ to this world, to set up his everlasting kingdom. But let it here be noticed that there is not a word said about his coming to the earth. His coming, in this text, is to the "Ancient of Days," God the Father. This was not fulfilled when Christ ascended to the Father, for these reasons. First, his ascension was not to receive a kingdom: but to be a Minister in the heavenly Sanctuary. Second, the fulfillment of this portion of Dan. vii, comes after the 1260 years of Papal rule have ended. Daniel saw the lion, Babylon, the bear, Media and Persia, the leopard, Grecia, and the beast, dreadful and terrible with ten horns, Rome. He saw three horns plucked up by the little horn, Papacy, which continued 1260 years. This brings us down the track of Prophecy, within fifty-three years of the present time. Daniel then sees one like the Son of man approaching the Ancient of days, to receive a kingdom. It will not do to apply this text to Christ’s coming to this world, unless it can first be shown that this earth is the residence of the person of God the Father, or that he is to come to this world before the second coming of Christ. The Prophets of God have represented Jehovah as dwelling above the cherubim, in the heaven of heavens, and as looking down from between them. This is the position of the "Ancient of days" in the heavenly Sanctuary. Therefore, the symbol presented to Daniel in Chap. vii, 13, 14, must represent our Great High Priest entering the Most Holy Place, at the end of the 2300 days.
Christ’s ascension was that he might be a compassionate priest in the True Tabernacle; his coming to earth again will be to gather his saints to himself, and to dash in pieces. But his coming to the "Ancient of days," at the end of the 2300 days, was to receive dominion, glory and a kingdom. He has asked for the territory of his kingdom, and it is his. He has claimed his long promised right to David’s throne. And were it not for the four angels that were to hold the four winds, until the servants of God should be sealed, the nations would be ruled with a rod of iron, and dashed in pieces like a potter’s vessel.
The voices in heaven, or the testimony of the church on earth, that the kingdoms of this world are Christ’s, may have been fulfilled in part; and it will be wholly fulfilled before the third angel’s message shall be finished. As this message closes, the nations will become angry: for the four winds will then be letting go. This will be immediately followed by the wrath of God, or the seven last plagues, which is the third event under the sounding of the seventh angel. This is the same unmingled cup of wrath mentioned in the solemn testimony of the third angel. The following text shows that it is the seven last plagues.
"And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous: seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God." Rev. xv, 1.
The next event under the sounding of the seventh angel will be the judgment, which will occupy the period of 1000 years. Then the New Heavens and the New Earth will appear, and God’s "servants, the Prophets," and "the saints" will receive their reward. Though the saints are made immortal at the coming of Christ, and reign in judgment with Christ 1000 years, yet they do not receive their full reward until the glories of the earth made new are spread out before them, and given them to possess. Glorious reward indeed. "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth."
"And shouldest destroy them that destroy the earth." This will be accomplished at the end of the 1000 years, when "fire" shall come "down from God, out of heaven," and destroy the whole host of "Gog and Magog." Thus we see the events to occur under the sounding of the seventh angel extending quite through the 1000 years.
The second woe extended down to August 11, 1840, and the third woe immediately followed. "The second woe is past; and behold the third woe cometh quickly." Rev. xi, 14. We see no point from which to date the commencement of the seventh angel, only at the seventh month, 1844. There at the end of the 2300 days, Jesus entered the "Holiest of all" to enter upon the work of cleansing the Sanctuary, and to receive "dominion, glory and a kingdom."