Conclusion: Present Truth

Those who teach a probationary future age are mostly professed believers in the near approach of the second advent of the Saviour. But solemn as are the scenes connected with that great event, there is nothing in the doctrine that can possibly assist in the work of preparation for that great day. It has been admitted by them that it is not present truth-does not inculcate present duty-does not contain a present test of character. They do not even profess to think that those who hear the gospel in this age can be benefited by the probationary system of that. Therefore, could they prove it to be truth, according to their own admissions, by no possible effort can they benefit any by its proclamation. And if there were any gospel in it, its proclamation would cut off the hope of future probation from all that hear it, as they would thereby receive their test in this age. It is a self-destroying system; a gospel, the efficacy of which is destroyed by the very act of its being preached!RDAC 160.1

But we look beyond these admissions of the uselessness of the doctrine. We consider it injurious. It is not merely a theory devoid of life and power, destitute of the vital principle of present truth, but it is opposed to present truth, and is therefore a most dangerous enemy of souls in these fearful times. Some have endeavored to amalgamate it with the Third Angel’s Message, but this has ever proved a failure. When Eld. Curry, in 1856, undertook to defend it, he was obliged to take positions subversive of his own professed faith. He then said he could harmonize his two positions; but a few months convinced him to the contrary. In the fall of 1858, Eld. Stephenson told me his mistake had been in trying to harmonize the Third Angel’s Message with the Age to Come. He had become convinced it could not be done. But it is worthy of notice that they never try to set aside the Message by any effort to directly meet and disprove our arguments in its favor, but by endeavoring to place it far in the past or in the future age.RDAC 160.2

Those who argue that the Third Angel’s Message was given in the past uniformly locate it in the days of Luther. It needs but little argument to refute this position. The three messages of Revelation 14 must retain their relative order, as well as their relation to other parts of the book. Verse 6 says the first message was given by “another angel.” As the book of Revelation consists of several lines or chains of prophecy, reaching to the same point, to wit, the coming of Christ, by considering the relation of the various links of the chains to that event we may easily discover the parallels in each. The vision of the sounding of the trumpets reaches to the coming of Christ. Chap. 11:15-19. Chap. 14 reaches to the same time and embraces the same events revealed in chap. 11:15-18. John had seen seven angels with trumpets, but he always speaks of them in the numerical order in which they appeared, as “the first angel,” “the second angel,” etc. When “the fourth angel” had sounded, he saw “an angel,” not of that order or number, proclaiming woes upon the earth. The first woe was under the sounding of the fifth angel, commencing in 1299. See Croley and Litch. This continued 150 years, or till 1449. The second woe under the sixth angel continued 391 years, or till 1840. After this, another angel was seen before the seventh angel sounded. This was the second angel not embraced in the seven. In chapters 12, 13, is a series of events covering the same time as the trumpets, and chap. 14 may be called a sequel to these. This chain also reaches down to the coming of Christ. As the word, another, in chap. 14:6, shows that reference is made to one in the past, we turn back to find the preceding relative to this. If the angel of Revelation 8:13, which announces the woes, is the other one intended in the prophecy, then it must be allowed that that of chap. 14:6, is identical with that of chap. 10:1, which would locate the messages after the second woe, and of course not in the Reformation. But if the identity of these be denied, then we must look to chap. 10 for the one next preceding chap. 14:6; but as the chronology of that of chap. 10 is fixed to a certainty, this view would bring the first message still a little later; in either case the messages are brought into the present century.RDAC 161.1

“The hour of his judgment is come,” is the declaration of the first message. That the Judgment comes under the seventh trumpet or third woe, is shown by Revelation 11:15-8. “And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign forever and ever. And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshiped God, saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned. And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.” This Judgment-hour message was not given by the apostles, for they preached that God had appointed a day in which he would judge the world, but they never spoke of it as then present. Neither did Luther, for he said he thought it would be about 300 years in the future from his time. They all preached in harmony with the Saviour’s fulfillment of prophecy. Compare Isaiah 61:1-3, with Luke 4:16-1. “The acceptable year of the Lord,” or “accepted time,” was as far as the Saviour and his disciples or the reformers declared the fulfillment of the prophecy; it was reserved to the angel of Revelation 14 to announce the fulfillment of the remainder in its appointed time. And if Luther and the reformers had not come up to the first message in their day, they certainly did not give the third.RDAC 162.1

Again, the third message is founded on the series of facts in Revelation 13. By comparing the first ten verses of this chapter with Daniel 7, and both with historical facts, we find it to be a symbol of the Roman hierarchy. The wound on this beast refers to a deprivation of power in 1798, at the end of the forty-two months. Verse 5. This shows the work of the two-horned beast to be since 1798, as it causes the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast who had received the deadly wound (and yet lived); and to receive a mark in their foreheads or in their hands. The Third Angel’s Message is founded on these facts, and therefore cannot apply to any past generation.RDAC 163.1

But many of the advocates of the Age to Come profess to believe that the three messages of Revelation 14:6-12, will be given after the second advent. The evidence to disprove this theory is plain and positive.RDAC 164.1

The announcement of Revelation 14:6, 7, “The hour of his judgment is come,” belongs to this dispensation, preceding the advent. To evade this, and place the message in the future, a new rendering of the original has been offered. The words from which the everlasting gospel is translated are euanggelion aionion. A book entitled, “Bible vs. Tradition,” renders it “the gospel of the [millennial] age.” As the author of the book professes to have a critical knowledge of the language, we can but think that he was aware of the fact that euanggelion is the noun, and aionion the adjective; and of course such a rendering is unwarranted. The age-lasting gospel gives a very good idea of the original, but the “gospel of the age” does not. This message was given by the body of Advent believers up to 1844. This was the faith of those engaged in that work. The Advent Shield, published in that year, says:RDAC 164.2

“We look upon the proclamation which has been made, as being the cry of the angel who proclaimed, ‘the hour of his judgment is come.’ Revelation 14:6, 7. It is a sound which is to reach all nations; it is the proclamation of ‘the everlasting gospel,’ or ‘the gospel of the kingdom.’ In one shape or other, this cry has gone abroad through the earth wherever human beings are found, and we have had opportunity to hear of the fact.” Art. Rise and Progress of Adventism, by J. Litch. See also tract entitled, “The Last Hour,” published at the Advent Herald Office.RDAC 164.3

The precise nature of the work announced by this first message we have not time and space here to investigate, but would refer to our published works on the subject of the sanctuary. The difficulty we have to contend with on this point in the minds of opposers is not a difficulty in regard to the facts, but to opinions; the opinions of the majority, on the Judgment, being most vague and indefinite. On this subject we introduce another quotation from the Advent Shield, the sentiment of which is widely different from the common views, but, as far as it goes, fully accords with ours:—RDAC 165.1

“We are inclined to the opinion that the Judgment is after death, and before the resurrection: and that before that event the acts of all men will be adjudicated; so that the resurrection of the righteous is their full acquittal and redemption-their sins being blotted out when the times of refreshing shall have come [Acts 3:19]; while the fact that the wicked are not raised proves that they were previously condemned.” Review of Prof. Bush on the Resurrection, by S. Bliss.RDAC 165.2

There is a third class not referred to in the above extract: the righteous who do not sleep, but are changed at the coming of the Lord. Their judgment must also be prior to the resurrection, as their translation is equivalent to a resurrection; and of course, their judgment takes place while they live upon the earth. To them the announcement of the Judgment come is of the deepest importance, and they alone will be benefited by the subsequent messages.RDAC 165.3

That the second message, “Babylon is fallen,” belongs to a period prior to the advent, is made plain by considering the order of events laid down in the Scripture. In Revelation 14:8, is the simple announcement of the fall of Babylon, with the reason, while in chap. 18:1-5, a mighty angel announces the fall and its consequences. This angel gives the following events and call in order:RDAC 166.1

1. Babylon is fallen.RDAC 166.2

2. She is become the habitation of devils.RDAC 166.3

3. Come out of her, my people.RDAC 166.4

4. In one day shall her plagues come.RDAC 166.5

By this we see that the fall of Babylon is not her destruction as is often claimed, but it is a moral fall; for she becomes the habitation of devils after her fall; God’s people are called out of her after she becomes the habitation of devils; and her destruction is threatened after the people of God are called out of her. The location of the plagues is shown in connection with the third message. This message says, “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,” etc. It is enough here to remind the reader that proof has been given that the powers symbolized by the beast and image will be destroyed at the coming of Christ, and it is therefore absurd to locate a message of warning against their worship after that time, or after they are destroyed.RDAC 166.6

In chap. 16 is given a description of the “seven last plagues,” in which is filled up the wrath of God. That this is identical with the wrath of God threatened in the Third Angel’s Message is evident, as the first plague falls on the very individuals denounced in the message. It says “the first [angel] went and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshiped his image.” Revelation 16:2.RDAC 166.7

Here again we have the date of the advent positively fixed, as coming after the plagues are poured out. By verses 12-15 we learn that six of the plagues will be poured out before the Lord comes. They read: “And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared. And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth, and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.”RDAC 167.1

As the Third Angel’s Message is a warning of the coming of the plagues, and the Lord comes under the pouring out of the last plague, it is impossible that the message should be given after the advent.RDAC 167.2

We have proved that the shaking of heaven and earth, or the powers of the heavens, as the Saviour expresses it, is by the voice of God, and in immediate connection with the advent. But this voice is heard under the pouring out of the seventh-the last-plague. Under this plague the judgment is consummated upon great Babylon. Here is the great battle of the day of the Lord. Here is the complete overthrow of God’s enemies, and the eternal redemption of his people. Here the full separation takes place. While the slain of the Lord are from one end of the earth to the other, ungathered, unburied, unlamented (Jeremiah 25), food for the fowls of heaven who are called to the supper which the great God has prepared for them, to feed on the rich, the proud, the great of this earth (Rev. 193, the servants of God who have stood stiffly for the truth, who have kept the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus, despite the rage of the Beast and False Prophet, are caught away by, their glorious Head to the New Jerusalem, the mansions in Heaven, to sit down at the marriage supper of the Lamb. How different the fates of the two classes! and to be decided by the present truth, the Third Angel’s Message. And this Message is doing its work, calling out a people to attend to present duty, to prepare for the great events impending at the close of the present age, and the setting up of God’s everlasting kingdom.RDAC 167.3

The work of the Third Angel’s Message, though despised by the world, and small in their sight, like that of Noah among the antediluvians, is great in its consequences; and to it may be truly applied the words of the prophet: “Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish; for I work a work in your days, a work which ye shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto you.” Acts 13:41.RDAC 168.1

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FOUR CENT TRACTS: The Second Advent-The law and the Gospel-The Seventh Part of Time-Who changed the Sabbath?—Celestial Railroad-Samuel and the Witch of Endor.-The Ten Commandments not Abolished.RDAC 168.32

THREE-CENTS TRACTS: The Millennium—The Kingdom—Scripture References—Much in Little—The End of the Wicked—Alleged Discrepancies of the Scripture Considered.—Spiritualism a Satanic Delusion.—The Lost Time Question.RDAC 168.33

TWO CENT TRACTS: The Suffering of Christ-Seven Reasons for Sunday-Keeping Examined-Sabbath by Elihu-The Rich Man and Lazarus-Institution of Sabbath-Clerical Slander-Departing and Being with Christ-Fundamental Principles of S. D. Adventists.RDAC 168.34

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Address Review & Herald,
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Another copy of this is in Advent Miscellaneous, Vol. X.RDAC 168.41