According to the pioneers of our faith, they under-stood the 1260, 1290, and 1335 to terminate in 1798 and 1844. They also understood that the seven trumpets were a description of events to take place in the world during the Christian era, between the time of Christ’s first advent and His second, and that the seven seals covered the same time period, only depicting the history of the church instead of the world. They also understood the seven thunders to be a detailed account of events that transpired under the 1st & 2nd angels’ messages in 1843 and 1844.
“The special light given to John which was expressed in the seven thunders was a delineation of events which would transpire under the first and second angels’ messages. It was not best for the people to know these things. For their faith must necessarily be tested. In the order of God most wonderful and advanced truths would be proclaimed. The first and second angels’ messages were to be proclaimed, but no further light was to be revealed before these messages had done their specific work. This is represented by the Angel standing with one foot on the sea, proclaiming with a most solemn oath that time {prophetic time} should be no longer.” Unpublished Manuscripts, Vol. 6, pg. 16. {emphasis supplied}
The following pioneers all believed the same thing regarding the seven trumpets of Revelation. Josiah Litch, William Miller, James White, Ellen White (GC 334, 335), Stephen Haskell, J. N. Andrews, Uriah Smith, Joseph Bates, Joshua V. Himes, Charles Fitch, and A. T. Jones—-and I’m sure there are some I missed.
Are we to now disregard what these scholarly men taught, what they agreed upon, and what the Holy Spirit put His stamp of approval upon? I don’t think so.
Those who think they have a new revelation are placing many past events in the future, after probation closes.
There are slight variations of what some are now teaching, but make no mistake: the bottom line is a removing of the old landmarks. Some are very subtly implying that the leading men in our movement back in the 1830s and 1840s didn’t know what they were talking about and that we shouldn’t allow them to do our studying for us. Some are also saying that there is a dual application of the time prophecies, applying a day for a day principle rather than a day for a year as we have always understood and as the Bible teaches.
I have tried to follow their reasoning and have found that these deluded souls use very ambiguous statements from the Spirit of Prophecy or out of context. They say, “Inspiration says history is to be repeated” meaning that the time prophecies are to be repeated. But is that what the messenger of the Lord meant when she spoke of history being repeated?
I looked up every statement I could find in the Spirit of Prophecy about history being repeated and most of the time it had a negative connotation. Here is what I found:
That’s it—-nothing at all about the time prophecies being repeated or reinterpreted, nothing about a dual application. There is one statement I found, however, that seems to fit this situation perfectly: it’s found in Review and Herald, Feb. 5, 1901. “In the days of the apostles the most foolish heresies were presented as truth. History has been and will be repeated. There will always be those who, though apparently conscientious, will grasp at the shadow, preferring it to the substance. They take error in the place of truth, because error is clothed with a new garment, which they think covers something wonderful. But let the covering be removed, and nothingness appears.”
Perhaps this next statement is the most important and clearly stated of all that I found. “The Lord has declared that the history of the past shall be rehearsed as we enter upon the closing work. Every truth that He has given for these last days is to be proclaimed to the world. Every pillar that He has established is to be strengthened. We cannot now step off the foundation that God has established. . . There is need now to rehearse the experience of the men who acted a part in the establishment of our work at the beginning.” Ms. 129, 1905.
Did you get it? The same wonderful truths that the pioneers of our faith proclaimed at the beginning of our movement are to be repeated in these last days! Not some futuristic theory!
“The great waymarks of truth, showing us our bearings in prophetic history, are to be carefully guarded, lest they be torn down, and replaced with theories that would bring confusion rather than genuine light.” Selected Messages, Book 2, pg 101.
We know all too well that new light never contradicts old. And yet this is exactly what we find happening with these fanciful notions regarding the time prophecies of Daniel 12. But what should we do about it?
“Listen not a moment to the interpretations that would loosen one pin, remove one pillar, from the platform of truth. Human interpretations, the reception of fables, will spoil your faith, confuse your understanding, and make of none effect your faith in Jesus Christ.” Letter 230, July 5, 1906.
Do you see the progression here? The end result will be that your faith in Jesus will be destroyed. That’s what the devil wants and he doesn’t care how he achieves his goal.
“When the power of God testifies as to what is truth, that truth is to stand forever as the truth. No after suppositions contrary to the light God has given are to be entertained. Men will arise with interpretations of Scripture which are to them truth, but which are not truth. The truth for this time God has given us as a foundation for our faith. He Himself has taught us what is truth. One will arise, and still another, with new light, which contradicts the light that God has given under the demonstration of His Holy Spirit. A few are still alive who passed through the experience gained in the establishment of this truth. God has graciously spared their lives to repeat, and repeat till the close of their lives, the experience through which they passed even as did John the apostle till the very close of his life. And the standard bearers who have fallen in death are to speak through the reprinting of their writings. I am instructed that thus their voices are to be heard. They are to bear their testimony as to what constitutes the truth for this time.” Selected Messages, Book 1, pg 161. Clearly, the things to be repeated are the truths of our advent pioneers.
“Satan hopes to involve the remnant people of God in the general ruin that is coming upon the earth. As the coming of Christ draws nigh, he will be more determined and decisive in his efforts to overthrow them. Men and women will arise professing to have some new light or some new revelation whose tendency is to unsettle faith in the old landmarks. Their doctrines will not bear the test of God’s word, yet souls will be deceived.” Testimonies, Vol. 5, pg. 295, 296
“We have nothing to fear for the future, except as we shall forget the way the Lord has led us, and His teaching in our past history.” Selected Messages, Book 3, pg. 162.
“Ever since 1844 I have borne my testimony that we were now in a period of time in which we are to take heed to ourselves lest our hearts be overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon us unawares. Our position has been one of waiting and watching, with no time proclamation to intervene between the close of the prophetic periods in 1844 and the time of our Lord’s coming.” Letter 38, Aug. 11, 1888. {emphasis supplied}
The way some of these false teachers try to get around the previous statement is by saying that, “Yes! Prophetic time ended in 1844, but she didn’t say anything about literal time (day for a day).” Oh friend, don’t let them twist things around on you. Any time prophecy, whether day for a day or day for a year, if placed in the future (as they do) is prophetic.
“God has given me light regarding our periodicals. What is it?-—He has said that the dead are to speak. How?—-Their works shall follow them. We are to repeat the words of the pioneers in our work, who knew what it cost to search for the truth as for hidden treasure, and who labored to lay the foundation of our work. They moved forward step by step under the influence of the Spirit of God. One by one these pioneers are passing away. The word given me is, Let that which these men have written in the past be reproduced.” Counsels to Writers and Editors, pg. 28.
If you are familiar with the 1843 chart, you know that the trumpets are mostly past and that we are currently living under the seventh. Listen to what inspiration says in Early Writings, pg. 74. “I have seen that the 1843 chart was directed by the hand of the Lord, and that it should not be altered; that the figures were as He wanted them; that His hand was over and hid a mistake in some of the figures, so that none could see it, until His hand was removed.” Notice, the mistake was in some of the figures. The date of 1843 was what was wrong, not the way the trumpets were explained on the chart.
Well, what else can I say? We are living in the last days. Everything that can be shaken will be shaken, but that which cannot be shaken will remain.
May God help us not to be among those who are making the testimonies of the Spirit of God of none effect in these last remnants of time. Let’s not get caught up in “time excitement” as we’ve been warned, or be found putting off till the future what God has already declared to be in the past, or at least in the final movements now, while probation lingers.
If you would like to read about a parallel experience that Ellen White had to deal with in her day, read Selected Messages, Book 2, pg. 101-104-—talk about history being repeated! As Solomon said, “There’s no new thing under the sun.”
There are several ideas on how these tapes can be used.
Should you desire to try this program in your area, you can obtain a set of these tapes, six copies of each tape, along with a fishbowl. We can make this set available to you for $25 post paid.
Carol is also sharing these tapes with another lady, Vivian, in her 80’s, who is enjoying them very much. Vivian has received the Steps to Christ book that is offered. Carol has also given her Christ’s Object Lessons and The Great Controversy. Vivian has always wondered about the Sabbath.
An LPN took a fishbowl to the nursing home where she works. A little nurse has been taking the tapes. She mentioned to the LPN that she would really like to have the book that is being offered (Steps to Christ). So our LPN friend took her one. She says she sees her nurse friend reading from her book and Bible every evening as she sits with one of her patients.
Lenore has placed four fishbowls and some have been empty when she returns a week later. A fishbowl she placed in a health food store was placed in an obscure corner and she noticed no tapes were being taken. She went home and began to pray that the storeowner would place the fishbowl in a more prominent location. A few days later she called the store to ask how the tape supply was. She was told that no one was taking any and he thought maybe he should move the bowl to a more prominent location in the store. Her prayer was answered. She actually has a fishbowl in two health food stores.
There are more fishbowl experiences to share, but we’ll do that next time.
If you have not been receiving it but would like to, please let us know and we would be glad to add you to the list. For the next couple months we will be sending out sermons dealing with the prophecies of Daniel.
In His Service,
Jack and Cindy Jones
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