Untitled article | AdventAI

Publishing Committee · Saratoga Springs, N. Y. · Aug 19, 1851

The Angels of Rev. xiv—No. 1.

There are a number of conflicting views being presented at the present time relative to the first three angels of the fourteenth chapter of Revelation, which are calculated to confuse the minds of some who are honestly seeking for light, unless the truth is clearly stated, and spread out before them. Perhaps there is no portion of the Holy Scriptures of so much importance to the followers of the Lamb at the present time, as the thirteenth and fourteenth chapters of Revelation, from the fact that most of these two chapters apply to the history, trial and final deliverance of those who are looking for Christ, at his appearing.

The present movement relative to the testimony of the third angel will call out opposition to the truth on this subject. The great enemy of truth seems never to slumber, but is ever ready to act his part; and those who are blinded and influenced by him will not see the present truth rising and spreading, without making an effort to arrest its progress; therefore the necessity of having our views plainly stated, and faithfully defended. This we intend to do as far as we have ability.

Before entering upon the subject of the angels of the fourteenth chapter, we will take a brief view of the thirteenth.—This chapter, down to the tenth verse, is a prophetic description of the beast with seven heads and ten horns. The dragon of the twelfth chapter [Pagan Rome] gave this beast his power, seat, and great authority. Power was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them for forty and two months, or 1260 years. During this period this beast had power to lead the saints into captivity, and to kill them with the sword; but at its end, he was to be led into captivity, and be killed with the sword. This beast represents Papal Rome. In 538 he obtained power to lead the saints into captivity, and to kill them with the sword. This power he was to have for 1260 years, which reached down to 1798, when “General Berthier, at the head of the Republican army of France, entered the city of Rome and took it. On the 15th of the same month, the pope and his cardinals were taken prisoners, and shut up in the Vatican. The papal government was abolished, and Rome and Italy, at the request of the people, was erected into the Roman republic. The pope was carried a captive to France, where, in 1799, he died a prisoner and an exile. See Dr. A. Clarke, on Dan. vii, 25. Croley on the Apocalypse. Thiers’ history of the French Revolution.”

The tenth verse of this chapter, which speaks of this beast being led into captivity, brings us down to 1798, at which period John sees another beast “coming up,” as stated in verse 11. “And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb, and spake as a dragon.” This beast was not “up,” or in full strength and power when the Papal beast was led into captivity in 1798, but was “coming up.” The two-horned beast rises to power in a peaceful, lamb-like manner from the earth. The four beasts of the seventh chapter of Daniel rise from the sea by reason of the four winds striving. The Papal beast rose up out of the sea. (Winds denote war, and sea or waters denote “peoples and multitudes, and nations and tongues.”—Rev. xvii, 15.) They arose by subduing the powers which preceded them. But not so with the two-horned beast. He was seen coming up from the earth; growing into power without overturning any preceding beast by means of war. We confess that we know not where to look for this beast with its two lamb-like horns, but in our own country. The rise of our own nation, with its two leading principles, Protestantism and Republicanism, answers the prophetic description of the beast “coming up out of the earth” having “two horns like a lamb.”

The remainder of this chapter, from the twelfth verse, we fully believe to be unfulfilled prophecy. The “wonders” and “miracles,” which are to deceive “them that dwell on the earth,” mentioned in the prophecy of the two-horned beast, are mainly in the future, yet they are evidently beginning to appear in the wonders of the present day, such as Psychology, Biology, &c., and what is commonly called “mysterious rappings.” Already men talk of accounting for all the miracles of our Divine Lord by the wonders of the present day; and thus they are doing away the power of God, and preparing the way for Satan’s last deception.

The deliverance of Israel from Egyptian bondage was certainly typical of the final and glorious deliverance of the saints. Then the sorcerers and magicians of Egypt were permitted, by the power of Satan, to deceive Pharaoh and the Egyptians by their enchantments. So in the saint’s last struggle with the beast and his image, just before their final triumph, we may expect to see manifested all the spiritual deceptions, followed by the wrath of the dragon, that have existed for six thousand years.

But God will not leave his people to perish. He has ever imparted his power, and has wrought deliverances for his people, according to their necessities. Aaron’s rod swallowed up those of the magicians. When darkness was spread over the land of Egypt for three days, so that the Egyptians could not see one another, neither rise out of their places, “all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.”—And when Israel stood in dismay before the Red Sea, being pursued by the Egyptians, said Moses, “fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord,” and the sea went back by a strong east wind, and the people passed over on dry land.

Before us is a “time of trouble such as never was;” and as God reveals his power according to the necessities of his people, we may expect, in the last conflict with the beast and his image, such manifestations of the mercy and power of God as his people have never witnessed. The “latter rain” will come. The refreshing from the presence of the Lord, will enable the saints to triumph gloriously.

The “Advent Herald” of July 5th, 1851, contains an article on “the three angels of Rev. xiv,” by C. Stowe, who commences by quoting the following text: “Take up the stumbling block out of the way of my people.” But instead of removing the stumbling block over which Adventists have been stumbling in denying their own religious experience in the Advent movement, the writer labors hard to “remove the bounds,” and “way marks” to the kingdom of God so clearly marked out in the fourteenth chapter of Revelation. But as it is not our object at this time to remove the stumbling blocks that C. Stowe has thrown in the way of God’s people, we will notice but one remark as follows:

“Neither Protestantism nor Republicanism ever exercised all the power of the first beast; never caused the earth to worship the first beast; never were on friendly terms with him; and above all, never had power to “cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast, should be killed; nor ever made any image that exercised, or possessed that power.”

Here we would say that to our knowledge the view that C. Stowe is opposing does not exist, therefore, in this case the writer really seems to be “as one that beateth the air,” for no one who holds that the two lamb-like horns of the beast that was seen coming up out of the earth represents Republicanism and Protestantism, believes that the deception and oppression of the two-horned beast is in the past. We know that it is in the future, therefore we are looking for “the time of trouble, such as never was.”

The thirteenth chapter of Revelation and the first five verses of the fourteenth chapter present a connected chain of past, present and future events, down to the complete redemption of the 144,000, when they will stand on Mount Zion with the Lamb. Then the sixth verse of the fourteenth chapter introduces another chain of events. Those who live in the time of the fulfillment of much of these chapters can see that the division should be between the fifth and sixth verses of the fourteenth chapter. Let this point be carefully examined, and the difficulty in many minds relative to the prophecy of the 144,000 being introduced at the beginning of the fourteenth chapter, just before the messages of the Advent angels, will be removed.

Different chains of important events, such as the trumpets, seals, churches and angels, beginning at a given point, and leading down the stream of time to a definite period of time, is the order of much of the book of Revelation. This may be seen in the thirteenth and fourteenth chapters. The thirteenth chapter introduces the beast with seven heads and ten horns, who had power to make war, and kill with the sword 1260 years to 1798, when he was led into “captivity.” At this point of time, when the first beast was led into captivity, John saw “another beast coming up out of the earth,” with two lamb-like horns. It had not then grown to its full strength, but was seen rising in a peaceful manner. No language can better describe the rise and growth of our own nation. This two-horned beast is yet to form an image to the Papal beast, according to the prophecy, and a decree is yet to be made that those who will not worship the image of the beast “shall be killed.” In view of this decree the Prophet has said:

“Before the decree bring forth, before the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of the Lord come upon you. Seek ye the Lord all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgments; seek righteousness, seek meekness; it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord’s anger.”—Zeph. ii, 2, 3. Those who really seek meekness and righteousness will be hid in the day of wrath, and although a decree may go forth to kill them, yet not a hair of their heads shall perish. But the view does not stop here with the thirteenth chapter, and leave the saints in the “time of trouble such as never was,” under the oppression of the beast and his image. John looks but a step further, and sees the saints in triumph and victory on Mount Zion with the Lamb, as recorded in the first five verses of the fourteenth chapter.—Thus we see that the thirteenth, and the first five verses of the fourteenth chapter of Rev. are a connected chain, pointing out the tyrannical rule of the beast and image over the saints, also of the saints final triumph on Mount Zion with the Lamb, with palms of victory, singing the new song of victory over the beast and his image. Here the view closes with the fifth verse, and John in vision is taken back, and brought down through the events connected with the proclamation of the coming and kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ, represented by angels following each other with a message. These angels we will notice in our next.

We hope that no one will be kept from writing on this subject, because we have undertaken it. We need “line upon line, precept upon precept.”