No.17.


Well, its back to chapter 10.  

Our minds must go to 1840, when Josiah Litch predicted the fall of the Ottoman Empire.  At this time, men and women felt excited about the fulfilment of the prophecy, and this is as God would have it.   He wanted their minds to turn to the message of William Miller and his associates.

It is in this setting that the chapter begins.

Miller had been preaching the return of Christ for many years, but in 1840 he was asked by Joshua Himes why he was keeping the message hidden in the rural communities.  He reminded Himes that he was only a farmer and that he had been doing his best.

Joshua Himes, a born crusader said, ‘Brother, get ready for a campaign in the cities’, and he invited Miller to preach in his own church in Boston.   This was the beginning of city evangelism, and from there it went to many large cities, such as New York, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Montreal, Cincinatti, and others.

During the Summer of 1842, public excitement increased, and multitudes of preachers and speakers worked tirelessly.   Miller remarked in his journal that, up to that time, he had given three thousand, two hundred lectures.   Some two hundred ordained ministers and nearly two thousand lay lecturers had by that time joined Miller in presenting the message.

A large tent was constructed in which meetings were held in other large cities.    (A number of large tents were made, capable of holding four thousand and upwards.   It became a popular means of handling the crowds)

“The  word  spread  with  a  power   unparalleled   in  the history of religious movements;  and this, notwith-standing the ridicule and other weapons of opposition wielded against it by almost all the leading religious and secular journalists in the principal cities, whose influence was very great.”  
Our First Century p434.

“Opposing churchmen were very concerned about the ‘uncomfortable Millerite challenge’, for they were preaching a ‘good time coming’, and ‘doomsday sermons’ were quite the opposite to their thinking.   Strong men in high positions tried to stop the effectiveness of Millerism, however, they were not able to quell the rising tide.”    Prophetic Faith of our Fathers. Vol 4. p750.

In early 1843, a comet became visible.  It was “regarded as perhaps, the most marvellous of the present age (19th century) having been observed in the day-time even before it was visible at night – passing very near the sun – exhibiting an enormous length of tail – and arousing an interest in the public mind as universal and deep as it was unprecedented.”   
Our First Century p425.

As with all the heavenly phenomenon during those years, the comet was seen as an omen for the speedy destruction of the world.   Many could not gaze on it without feelings of doubt and fear.

(These were not the only phenomenon.   Many amazing things were seen in the sky, some composed of clouds, others involving the sun.   One appeared to be a great army of soldiers lined up for battle;  another, obvious words of warning.   These were all documented and printed in the papers of the day.  They too alarmed the men and women who saw them)

God had a reason for giving these signs, but few followed on from their fears with a conscious decision to go to the Lord and find out why they were there.   
(There will be signs in the heavens again.    How many will go to the Word for enlightenment?   Again it will be the very few)

Let us now consider chapter 10.

“And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud:  and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire.”  
Revelation 10:1.

Have you guessed who this angel represents?  

If you said JESUS, you would be right.  
(Compare Acts 1:9.10;  26:64;  Revelation 4:3;  Matthew 17:2;  Revelation 1:15)

Continuing the text.    “And he had in his hand a little book open:  and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth,  And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth….   And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer.”  
Revelation 10:2.3.6.

There is only One who can give such an oath and statement of finality before God, and that is Jesus.

If you go back to Daniel 12, you will see similar wording.

“And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever…. All these things shall be finished.”    
Daniel 12:7.

Daniel and John are referring to the same time period.

In the beginning of the book of Revelation we read, “Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein:  for the time is at hand.” 
Revelation 1:3.

As we study the Apocalypse, God wants us to realise that we are at the end of this world’s history, and being over nineteen hundred years from when it was first given, it is very close, “even at the doors”. 
Matthew 24:33.

When the angel cried with a loud voice, “seven thunders uttered their voices”. 
Revelation 10:3.  

Unfortunately we do not know what the seven thunders cried out.   John “was about to write”, but was told, “Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not.” 
Revelation 10:4.

Did you notice what the angel had in his hand?

Yes, “a little book”, and it is “open”.  Revelation 10:2.


This is Daniel’s book, identified by the oath of the angel,
(linking it with Daniel), and the statement that there would be “time no longer”.  This gives us the setting.  (As has already been said, much of Daniel could be understood, but that which was a mystery and sealed, was in relation to time, especially the 2300 years)

Look what John is told to do.

“And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again, and said, Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth.

And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book.  And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up;  and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey.” 
Revelation 10:8.9.

It might seem strange for the angel to tell John to eat the book, but remember, this is symbolic.    And it is not the first time, for the prophet Ezekiel was asked to do the same.

“Moreover he said unto me, son of man, eat that thou findest;  eat this roll (scroll), and go speak unto the house of Israel.  So I opened my mouth, and he caused me to eat the roll.” 
Ezekiel 3:1.2.

Jeremiah wrote, “Thy words were found, and I did eat them;  and thy word was unto me joy and rejoicing of mine heart…”  
Jeremiah 15:16. 

Receiving God’s words must be as enjoyable as the partaking of food.    This is why the Psalmist wrote, “O taste and see that the Lord is good…”  Psalm 34:8.    And again, “How sweet are thy words unto my taste!  yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” 
Psalm 119:103.

When John ate the little book he said, “it was in my mouth sweet as honey:  and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter.” 
Revelation 10:10.

This prophecy relates to the experience of God’s people in 1844.

Their anticipation of seeing Jesus coming in the clouds of glory was as sweet as honey.   They had sought Him with repentance, and the Spirit of God rested upon them.   Their affections were fixed upon Heaven.

“As the evidences of Christ’s soon coming were repeated, vast crowds listened in breathless silence to the solemn words.  Heaven and earth seemed to approach each other…  Men sought their homes with praises upon their lips, and glad sounds rang out upon the still night air.”  
1 Spirit of Prophecy p225.    

But their hopes were dashed to pieces, for Christ did not come.

It was a bitter experience.

Can you imagine what it was like for these faithful men and women?    They had believed with all their hearts that Christ would return to take them home, first on March 21, then on October 22.    

It had been the “blessed hope”, and they had given all to spread the message to those who had no hope.

And now --------

Now they must face the ridicule and scorn of those who had refused to believe.   It was a very bitter pill to swallow.  

Of course, those who had embraced the message through fear, were pleased that Christ did not come.   They were the first to ridicule the sorrowful, disappointed ones.

“The preaching of definite time called forth great opposition from all classes, from the minister in the pulpit, down to the most reckless, heaven-daring sinner.  The false shepherds stepped between the truth and the people, preaching smooth things to lead them from the truth.” 
Prophetic Faith of our Fathers. Vol 4 p762.

“So bitter was the opposition in some places, that offensive missiles were thrown at the public speakers, and their names couple with… imposters.”  
Our First Century p436.

Dear Reader, there are many who today criticise those who believed in these two dates.   ‘Date-setting’ is their cry.   But we must realise that the prophecy predicted it would take place, and for very good reason.

Not only did the disappointments sift those who professed to believe, but it inspired the faithful to go to their Bibles and study the Word for themselves.    God had much more to teach that generation, and He wanted them to be like the Bereans, who “searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.”   
Acts 17:11.

What had gone wrong?

They checked the time periods over and over again.   Yes, these were correct.   

What else did God want them to learn?  

Was the earth the sanctuary as everyone believed?  

Would Jesus really come in power and glory?

It is often through bitter experiences and times of trial that God can teach His people the humility of Jesus.  It is in periods of disappointment that the Spirit drives the humble, penitent one to the Word of God in search of truth as for hidden treasure.

God did not leave His disappointed ones without hope, for the angel said to John, “Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.” 
Revelation 10:11.

They would not go into oblivion as time-setters.   They would recover.    It would not be easy, but one day their message would encompass the globe.

Although the majority turned aside, there was a small group of believers who refused to deny the leading of God.   They had made mistakes, but the joy and blessing experienced between 1840 and 1844 had been undeniable.

They would hold on to Christ.

And they would study the Word until God revealed the truth.

In 1842, Charles Fitch had been inspired by a Scripture verse to devise a prophetic chart of the events being proclaimed.

“And the Lord answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.  For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie:  though it tarry, wait for it, because it will surely come, it will not tarry.”  
 Habakkuk 2:2.3.

His prophetic chart was a blessing in the ministry of the Word, as it helped the people see where they were in history.

However, the verses contained something they did not anticipate – a tarrying time, a wait.   When the believers experienced the disappointment of March 21, they realised the words, “though it tarry”, had been fulfilled.

This “tarrying time” actually fulfilled another prophecy, a parable told by Jesus of the ten virgins.    You will remember that ten virgins “took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom”. 
Matthew 25:1.  (The parable will possibly be enacted again by the last generation)

The “lamps” represent the Word of God.  “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path”. 
Psalm 119:105.   All ten virgins had lamps;  all believed the Lord was coming. 

But not all were prepared for a delay.

The difference between the virgins was that some did not take oil with them.   They lacked the Spirit of God in their lives.   It is true they believed, but they were only professors of religion.  
Matthew 25:3.  

The wise “took oil in their vessels with their lamps.”  
Matthew 25:4.

And “all (ten) slumbered and slept”.  
Matthew 25:5.

Of course, the advent believers were not literally asleep, but they had lost their zeal to share the message with non-believers.    This is understandable, but they did not give up their belief in the coming of the Lord.

Suddenly a cry was made, “Behold, the bridegroom cometh;  go ye out to meet him.”  
Matthew 25:6.

This cry took place midway between the two disappointments, or as the parable says, “at midnight”, halfway through the night.

    March  ____________ June-July ____________ October

Samuel S. Snow had restudied the decree of Artaxerxes and found that it had not been made in the Spring of BC457, but in the Autumn, thus making in October, rather than March of 1844.

The news electrified the believers, and they “arose, and trimmed their lamps”. 
Matthew 25:7.   The foolish virgins were not able to enter into the enthusiasm of their peers, nor could they rejoice in the opening of truth.

(Y
ou will recall that the church of Philadelphia had “an open door” set before them.  In their faithfulness, God gave them truth, little by little.  Revelation 3:8)

During the Summer of 1844, the believers shared Fitch’s revised chart with zeal, and the printing presses ran non-stop.   “From first to last, the power of the press was one of the foremost factors in the success of spreading the message.  Besides books, pamphlets and tracts, periodicals had a combined circulation of 17,000,000. 

Some of the periodicals were temporary, but the majority were weeklies, bi-weeklies, monthlies, quarterlies and even a daily paper for a time.   There was also a special paper for women.  A few magazines were privately printed and controlled, but the great majority were conducted under the auspices of the recognised leadership and the parent journals, with Joshua Himes as the publishing, organising and editorial genius.” 
Prophetic Faith of our Fathers. Leroy Froom. Vol 4 p621-264.

The greatest distribution of all came in the latter part of June, 1844 to October 22.   Then the presses were rolling day and night, and streams of periodical literature were blanketing the eastern part of North America like the ‘leaves of autumn’. 

But once the second disappointment had taken place, 50,000 to 100,000 men and women felt the mistakes in the predicted times proved that God had not been leading them.  Sadly, instead of studying the event, they continued to set dates, every one of which failed.

But a handful of believers, perhaps fifty or so, held on to their belief in the guidance of God.    Between 1844 and 1848, the leading men and women met to study the Scriptures to discover the reason for the disappointments.

One who was in attendance wrote, “Often we remained together until late at night, and sometimes the entire night, praying for light and studying the Word.”  
1 Selected Messages p206.  

Again and again these brethren came together to study the Bible.   “We searched for the truth as for hidden treasure”.  
Ibid.

At the conclusion of these studies, all were certain of God’s leading and determined to share the messages of Daniel
and Revelation with “peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings”.  Revelation 10:11.

How could so few fulfil the prophecy and mission before them?    God is faithful, and this, my friend, is why you are able to hear it today.

Now we must go back to previous verses in more detail.  You will remember that the Angel – Christ – gave an oath to say there would be “time no longer”. 
Revelation 10:6.

This coincides with the close of the 1260 years of papal dominion in 1798, “the time of the end”.

Now the next verse.    “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”. 
Revelation 10:7.

This text confirms the oath and introduces the beginning of the seventh trumpet.

There is another aspect that is important – the character of Christ will be finished (or perfected) in His people under the seventh trumpet.    This is the promise of the Lord to all Christians.  “The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me…” 
Psalm 138:8.    

“Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform (perfect) it until the day of Jesus Christ.” 
Philippians 1:6.

Those who will be ready to meet Jesus are “overcomers” of sin, the world, the devil, and in the future the “beast and his image”.  
(We will study this further on in Revelation)

Now we can return to chapter 11 and continue the seventh trumpet.

“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 for ever and ever.” 
Revelation 11:15.

The seventh trumpet contains the third woe, but the above verses are certainly not that woe.   They are a revelation of Christ receiving His kingdom.

The first mention of the seventh trumpet in chapter 10 was its gentle beginning.   Now, from the commencement of the pre-advent judgment
(when Christ entered the most holy place), it sounds more strongly.

As each name is investigated, Christ receives that one into His kingdom.  Of course the person is not present, for he or she remains in the grave, but with every name vindicated through the blood of Christ, His kingdom is made up.

This is the marriage of God’s Son to His people.

A judgment and investigation of guests at a wedding is taught in the parable of the marriage of the king’s son.     After many refusals, “the wedding was furnished with guests”.  
Matthew 22:10.

In relating the parable, Jesus told of a man in attendance who “had not on a wedding garment”.
Matthew 22:11.

When the king entered, he questioned the man, “And he was speechless”. 
Matthew 22:12.

The parable clearly shows an investigation into the lives of those who claim to be Christians.  If any are found without Christ’s robe of righteousness, their names will be removed from the Book of Life, and they will receive the fate of those who are condemned.

When every name has been examined, Christ’s kingdom is made up, and He will “return from the wedding” to receive them into glory.   
Luke 12:36.

Did you notice that?

At the coming of Christ, the wedding is over!

It is too late then to find salvation.  

There is no second chance.

Oh how important it is for each one of us to have our lives cleansed by the blood of Jesus and to walk according to His Law.  

In Christ we are “made free from sin”, and can be “the servants of righteousness”.   Only then can we be obedient to God’s Law.  
Romans 6:18.

Can you say these words with the prophet? 

“I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God;  for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.” 
Isaiah 61:10.

The garment of salvation is a robe of righteousness.  It is not a cloak to cover sin, but Christ’s unblemished character imputed and imparted to all who receive Him as their personal Saviour.

It is “fine linen, clean and white:  for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.” 
Revelation 19:8.    Yes, it is the righteousness of saints, but it is Christ’s righteousness inwrought in our personal characters.

“He who becomes a partaker of the divine nature will be in harmony with God’s great standard of righteousness, His holy law….  This will be the test of character in the judgment.” 
Christ’s Object Lessons p314.

The wedding garment is provided at infinite cost, and is freely offered to every soul.   Those who do not wear it have refused to put off their garments of earth.   They would not be clothed with the robe of heaven.   They loved the associations of the world more than they loved God.

We need the Spirit of God within us in order to reach heaven, and the work of Christ without us in order to give us a passport to the immortal inheritance.    

Our title to heaven is Jesus – justification.

Our fitness for heaven is Jesus -- sanctification. 

Jesus provides both through faith in His spilt blood.

The evidence that our faith is genuine is the life we live through His empowering grace.

“This robe, woven in the loom of heaven, has in it not one thread of human devising.  Christ in His humanity wrought out a perfect character, and this character He offers to impart to us…. 

When we submit ourselves to Christ, the heart is united with His heart, the will is merged in His will, the mind becomes one with His mind, the thoughts are brought into captivity to Him;  we live His life.  This is what it means to be clothed with the garment of His righteousness.”  
Ibid p311.312.

All whose names are retained in the Book of Life will attend the marriage supper of the Lamb.

“And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb.  And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.”  
Revelation 19:9.

Imagine attending this wedding reception in the New Jerusalem.  Our most exalted thoughts cannot even come close.   It will be a wonderful, holy event.   Let us determine to be there.

So the wedding is taking place at this moment.

As the judgment progresses -- from October 22, 1844, until the close of probation -- Christ is legally receiving His kingdom.  When He returns in power and glory, He will literally receive His people to Himself, and “He shall reign for ever and ever.” 
Revelation 11:15.

In anticipation of the final scenes, the twenty four elders (who are redeemed from the earth) fall on their faces and worship 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.” 
Revelation 11:17.

We too can praise God, for His Word is true.

Let us now review the first verse of this chapter.  “And there was given me a reed like a rod:  and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.”   
Revelation 11:1.

This verse is a command at the beginning of the seventh trumpet to judge the worshippers.  
(The word ‘measure’ relates to judging)

“And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament…”  
Revelation 11:19.

John is now looking into the most holy place of the sanctuary, confirming to us that during the sounding of the seventh trumpet, Christ has entered the second apartment of the sanctuary to begin the judgment, to “measure” God’s people and see if they measure up to the divine standard of His Law.

(When speaking of the moral Law, James said we will “be judged by the law of liberty”.  James 2:12.   Earlier he said that the Ten Commandments are liberty to the man who keeps them, for “whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed”.  James 1:25.   James makes it very clear that faith and works must go together, for “faith without works is dead”.   James 2:26.    “Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone…  I will shew thee my faith by my works”.  James 2: 17.18.)

The prophecy does speak of an actual woe, but very briefly in one verse. “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.”   
Revelation 11:18.

Nations         Wrath         1000 yrs – Judgment of lost       Rewards        Destruction
Angry           of God                                                                 of saints        of destroyers

The seventh trumpet begins after 1798, but it extends all the way to the destruction of the wicked in the second death.

                          Judgment of
1798                God’s people

1840      1844       "     "          CP       SC       1000 years     2nd death

__!________!__________________!______!_________________________!___

                                             
 (CP - Close of Probation.  SC - Second Coming)

     …........………………………. Seventh Trumpet ……………….……….....

Before we finish this study, we must briefly mention the other application of the trumpets.    As has been mentioned, there is a historic and prophetic understanding, although the latter is not so well understood.

When one lists the basics of the trumpets
(apart from one of them), there is an obvious similarity with the seven last plagues.   (We will compare them further on in Revelation)

This means that the trumpets can parallel the plagues.  Or, they can immediately precede them, one by one.   Either way, they will take place after probation has closed.

At the commencement of the trumpets, the angel “took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth, and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake.” 
Revelation 8:5.

The wording in this verse applies to both the historic and the prophetic interpretations, although its meaning is limited in the former.   In the historic context, it speaks of judgment upon the enemies of God in the Roman Empire, but in the prophetic context, it is judgment upon the wicked of the whole earth.

The last verse of the seventh trumpet applies to the historic understanding as it relates to the judgment, but it also applies at the very end of time.  

Notice the similarity of language to the above verse.   “And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.”  
Revelation 11:19.

The latter aspects of the verse apply a short time before the return of Christ. You will recall that the sixth seal, corresponding to Christ’s advent, had “a great earthquake”. 
Revelation 6:12.   This is not just .8 or .9 on the Richter scale;  it is an earthquake that will break up the earth.

Listen to the seventh plague.   “And there were voices, and thunder, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake… and there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven….” 
Revelation 16:18.21.

Both the historic and the prophetic application will end at the same time – with the death of those who destroy the earth.

Historic                                    

1  2  3  4  5  6                                           7    

!__!__!__!__!__!________________________________________!

                   1798               CP                  SC                     SD

                          
(CP – Close Probation.  SC – Second Coming.  SD – Second death)

 In the first application, the seventh trumpet commences in 1798 to the second death.   In the second, it begins just prior to the second coming.   Both end with the second death.

Prophetic

                                    1  2  3  4  5  6                   7

                                    !__!__!__!__!__!______________________!

                                  CP                       SC                             SD

                            
(CP – Close Probation.  SC – Second Coming.  SD – Second death)

When there is a double meaning, some details refer to both applications, while others refer to only one.  And yet there is an intermingling. 

The first application has a minor fulfilment; the second a major one.   The first is a type of the second.    What happens under the first gives us an idea of what will happen in the second.

On the Mount of Olives, Jesus gave a prophecy that had a double application.  
(Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 21 are parallel chapters of this prophecy)

When Jesus left the temple during His last week, the disciples commented on its magnificence.  It was being enhanced at the expense of Rome, and still under construction.   The disciples were impressed and fully expected Jesus to be also.

Jesus replied, “See ye not all these things?  verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.”   
Matthew 24:2.

The disciples were horrified.  They thought Jesus must have been referring to the end of the world.

When comfortably seated on the Mount of Olives, they asked privately, “Tell us, when shall these things be?  and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?”   
Matthew 24:3.

Jesus knew His disciples could not handle knowledge of the destruction of Jerusalem in just thirty-nine years (AD70), so He mingled it with a prophecy of His return.    This made it a double prophecy.   At the time the disciples did not understand this, but after Pentecost, their minds were enlightened, and they knew Jerusalem would be destroyed.

Jesus said, “When you therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place,
(whoso readeth, let him understand): then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains….”   Matthew 24:15.16.  (Brackets in text)

Being obedient to Jesus’ counsel to study the book of Daniel, they were able to warn the Christians in the city that the day would come when they must flee.

As a result of study, Luke was able to write, “And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh.”  
Luke 21:20.

Every Christian obeyed the command to flee, and not one of them died during the siege of Rome.

There was a man who began in AD 63 to publicly cry, ‘Woe, woe to Jerusalem!   Woe to the inhabitants!’   He could be heard day and night as he walked up and down the streets. Many eventually ignored him;  others became annoyed by his proclamation.   At times he was arrested and imprisoned, but even when beaten, he offered no complaint.     He just continued to cry, ‘A voice against Jerusalem!   A voice against the temple!   A voice against the whole people!’   
The History of the Jews. Book 13. Milman.

Sadly, he did not leave the city with the Christians, but remained within its walls.   He perished in the siege.

This is a warning to all.

We can understand the signs of the times.   We can even warn others against events to come.    But unless we obey Jesus, we too will be lost.   

The same information given by Jesus is applicable at the end of the world.   We are also instructed to study Daniel, because there will come a time when we too must flee.

Did you know you will need to flee one day?  

Perhaps soon.

Jesus linked the time of the destruction of Jerusalem (and the temple) with “the abomination of desolation, spoken by Daniel the prophet”, and He linked the time of the “great tribulation” of the Dark Ages with the same “abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet”. 

Jesus used two applications to answer the two questions.

He knew that under divine providence, each of the generations concerned would discover that which applied to their times.   That is why Jesus said, “(whoso readeth, let him understand)”. 
Matthew 24:15.

What we saw under the historic application of the trumpets in death, war, bloodshed, violence, horror – will take place under the prophetic application of the future.   We do not know all the details until the time arrives.

In the meantime, let us praise God that Christ is now receiving His kingdom in the vindication of His saints.   The Father and the Son are going through the heavenly records, and soon they will pass from the dead to the living.

When all is complete, Jesus Christ, our wonderful Saviour, will receive His kingdom in glory.

Jesus told us, “When ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.   Verily, I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away till all be fulfilled.” 
Luke 21:31.32.

You and I are the last generation. 

“Watch and pray”

Do You Want to Know the Future?

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