The Finalizing (Eschatological) Phase of the Pre-Advent Judgement
Note: The following blog post is related to the discussion in this post about what is to prophetically transpire starting at Dan 7:22ff.
Article Title: Letter from Sister Harmon Falmouth Mass., Feb., 15, 1846
March 14, 1846 Letter from Sister Harmon.
Falmouth Mass., Feb., 15, 1846.
Bro. Jacobs:--
My vision which you published in the Day-Star was written under a deep sense of duty, to you, not expecting you would publish it. Had I for once thought it was to be spread before the many readers of your paper, I should have been more particular and stated some things which I left out. As the readers of the Day-Star have seen a part of what God has revealed to me, and as the part which I have not written is of vast importance to the Saints; I humbly request you to publish this also in your paper.
God showed me the following, one year ago this month:
In February, 1845, I had a vision of events commencing with the Midnight Cry.
--I saw a throne, and on it sat the Father and his/the Son (Jesus Christ). I gazed on Jesus' countenance and admired his lovely person. The Fathers person I could not behold for a cloud of glorious light covered him. I asked Jesus if his Father had a form like himself; He said he had, but I could not behold it; for, said he, if you should for once see the glory of his person, you would cease to exist. Before the throne was the Advent people, the Church, and the world. I saw a company bowed down before the throne, deeply interested while most of them stood up disinterested and careless. Those who were bowed before the throne would offer up their prayers and look to Jesus, then he would look to his Father and appeared to be pleading with him. Then a light came/would come from the Father to his Son and from him to the praying company. Then I saw an exceeding bright light come from the Father to the Son and from the Son it waved over the people before the throne. But few would receive this great light. Many came out from under it and immediately resisted it. Others were careless and did not cherish the light and it moved off from them. Some cherished it and went and bowed down before the throne with the little praying company. This company all received the light, and rejoiced in it as their countenances shone with its glory. Then I saw the Father rise from the throne and in a flaming chariot go into the Holy of Holies within the vail, and did sit.
There I saw thrones which I had not seen before.
Then Jesus rose up from the throne, and most of those who were bowed down rose up with him. And I did not see one ray of light pass from Jesus to the careless multitude after he rose up, and they were left in perfect darkness. Those who rose up when Jesus did, kept their eyes fixed on him as he left the throne, and led them out a little way, then he raised his right arm and we heard his lovely voice saying, wait ye, I am going to my Father to receive the Kingdom. Keep your garments spotless and in a little while I will return from the wedding, and receive you to myself. And I saw a cloudy chariot with wheels like flaming fire. Angels were all about the chariot as it came where Jesus was; he stepped into it/(the chariot) and was borne to the Holiest where the Father sat. Then I beheld Jesus as he was before the Father a great High Priest. On the hem of his garment was a bell and a pomegranate, a bell and a pomegranate.
Then Jesus shewed me the difference between faith and feeling.
And I saw those who rose up with Jesus send up their faith to Jesus in the Holiest, and praying, Father give us thy spirit. Then Jesus would breathe on them the Holy Ghost. In the breath was light, power and much love, joy and peace. Then I turned to look at the company who were still bowed before the throne. They did not know that Jesus had left it. Satan appeared to be by the throne trying to carry on the work of God. I saw them look up to the throne and pray, My Father give us thy spirit. Then Satan would breathe on them an unholy influence. In it there was light and much power, but no sweet love, joy and peace. Satan's object was to keep them deceived and to draw back and deceive God's children.
I saw one after another leave the company who were praying to Jesus in the Holiest, go and join those before the throne and they at once received the unholy influence of Satan.
{DS, March 14, 1846 par. 1}
{DS, March 14, 1846 par. 1}
March 14, 1846 Letter from Sister Harmon.
Falmouth Mass., Feb., 15, 1846.
#1 DS 1.1a - Bro. Jacobs:--
This is Enoch Jacobs, the, then 36-year old, sole editor and publisher, of this Millerite/Adventist paper (i.e. the “Day-Star”), -based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Prior to February 18, 1845 this publication was known as “The Western Midnight Cry!!!”. -[those 3 exclamation points were eventually reduced to 1 after the 1844 Great Disappointment]. Jacobs later (in 1846 or 1847) converted to the Charismatic form of the Quakers, = the Shaker faith/movement.
#3 DS 1.1b - My vision which you published in the Day-Star was written under a deep sense of duty, to you, not expecting you would publish it.
My vision - As expounded on in here, EGW technically had, in ca. June 1842, two prior revelations, namely two (quasi-personal, yet divinely, even prophetically, significant) “dreams” (See EW 12, 79-81), but her, -as she self-titles it: “First Vision” was in ca. late December 1844.
published in the Day-Star - Her letter was published, -manifestly exactly&fully as written/submitted, in their January 24, 1846 [Original Publishing pp.7-8] issue.
not expecting you would publish it - Given that EGW (then Ellen G. Harmon) had quite clearly stated, with an “N.B. (=“Note Well”)” entry at the very end of that December 20, 1845 Letter , which was EGW’s first ever published writing),that she did not want that correspondence of this vision of hers to be published, you’d think that Enoch Jacobs would have first asked her for her permission to publish it. It was however odd that EGW wanted that letter/vision to be “for the encouragement of all who may see it”, but yet did not want/intend for it to be published = “spread before the many readers of your paper”. (As cited&delineated in this SDA Seminary class outline), by then, in late 1845, EGW had already received direct Divine ‘command’ to write certain visions that she received. E.g. one in the late spring or early summer 1845 =2SG 60.1; and also, as she later addingly states in 1T 73.2, about/during her “First Vision”. So manifestly EGW did not take these as a blanket command to write or publish every vision/revelation that she would henceforth receive.
But, manifestly, Enoch Jacobs thought that this vision was both valid and significant enough to be shared with other, like himself, still shaken Millerite/Adventist believers out there. Likely EGW thought then that if she ever was to have a vision of hers written out, or distinctly shared via wide/broad publishing, she would be given explicit instruction to do so in the/a vision. So here, she would have still seen/felt that such a revelation would indeed “encourage” fellow Millerites/Adventist like Enoch Jacob, and those who he would privately share that letter/message/vision with, and so decided to write to him to share it with him/them.
#5 DS 1.1c - Had I for once thought it was to be spread before the many readers of your paper, I should have been more particular and stated some things which I left out.
I should have been more particular - This, as well as the next one, is/are (an) interesting statement(s) by EGW as the automatic question that comes to my mind here is “how being more particular” would have affected her telling of what she had seen in her “First Vision” vision. That question is actually answered by how EGW went on to later retell this account of her First Vision in subsequent publications which she then knew in advance was for (even more wide/broad, and formal) publication.
The following is a chronological listing of where (and when) EGW made such subsequent official, and in-full, publications of her “First Vision”, and during her own lifetime [date of death: July 16, 1915], i.e. when she then would have been aware & able to make any such content changes if applicable. Throughout these (7+) accounts, it is clearly seen that, apart from a few punctuational/grammar/syntactical-stylistic edits, there is very little change content-wise between these accounts:
WLF 14.1-17.2 (1847)
ExV 9.4-15.1 (July 1851)
1T 58.4-61.2, 73.2 (1855)
2SG 30.2-34.1 (1860)
EW 13.3-19.1 (1882)
Cf.
[LS 64.1-68.1, 104 (1915)]
[CET 57.1-64.3 (1922)]
As this “First Vision” account is not actually substantively pertinent to the present subject matter of the “End of the 2300 Days” vision, and as there has not been seen any substantively major difference between these 7+ accounts, then an analysis for, and of, any slight/minor content difference in these account, -manifestly EGW’s ‘particulars’, is not being done here. This will be done with the subsequent vision instead.
and stated some things which I left out - However what can be seen from the much-more-than-less common exactitude of all of those First Vision accounts is that: when EGW implied here that she had left some things out, it actually was not within the context of the First Vision account itself, but rather to the other vision, -the “End of the 2300 Days” Vision, that she had not then also recounted.
And this observation is concretized by the fact that (1) here, in this subsequent, February 15, 1846 correspondence with the Day-Star paper, EGW goes on to state that this, -thus “left out”, additional vision; and then (2) in later, different, publication on April 6, 1846, -so less than 2 weeks after the Day-Star paper had published her submitted additional vision back on March 14, 1846, James White, (then still not yet married to Ellen), printed the first
account of Ellen’s visions as a “broadside” {=“a large single-page publication” // “an advertisement (usually printed on a page or in a leaflet) intended for wide distribution”} of 250 copies which was entitled according to the target readers it intended to inform: “To the Remnant Scattered Abroad” (=Broadside1, April 6, 1846 par. 1-6)*
* -Which was expanded into a 64-page pamphlet in 1851 called: A Sketch of the Christian Experience and Views of Ellen G. White (=ExV) -(Cf. EGW Encyclopedia p. 873)
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| Side-by-Side Listing of 4 "End of 2300 Days" Vision Accounts |
As it is seen in the above side-by-side listing of the four written/published accounts of this Second Vision of EGW, there are mainly very little differences between most parallel lines of these accounts, and all of which are not actually substantive. That however highlights even more the 3 major line differences which do occur [i.e at Line # 45; 69 & 91+93], and which all involve entire line, -thus whole prophetic statements, from the two 1846 publishings, being completely removed in the 1851 & 1882 publishings.
These key changes will be examined in detail as they come up later in the commentary of this Second Vision, but what is now key to highlight and discuss, is the actual oddness, -from a subject-matter & external circumstances context point of view, of this Vision being EGW’s ‘Second’ Vision, and her renown & so titled: “First Vision” actually being the first one given to her. Really her “First Vision” should have been her Second one given, and her Second Vision should have been given first.
That is because this Second Vision actually deals with what the Advent People were then still struggling to understand: namely why their Second Coming expectation on October 22, 1844 had not been realized. It is this subsequent vision which shows the movement of Jesus through the Heavenly Sanctuary, to now an intercession and judgement in the Most Holy Place (as also depicted in Dan 7:9-10, 13) Indeed that Second Vision itself could not be more explicitly, self-explanatorily titled (in the 1851 pamphlet publishings) as: “A View of Events Occurring at the End of the 2300 Days” (shortened to: “End of the 2300 Days” in 1882).
Indeed/In fact EGW prefaces her 1846 Daystar account by stating that this Second Vision was “of events commencing with the Midnight Cry”. Of course, -[as related in detail by Second Advent Movement historian J.N. Loughborough (1905 JNL, GSAM 160.1-170.1)], the “Midnight Cry Message & Movement then was when, (as summarized in here):
“In August 1844 at a camp-meeting in Exeter, New Hampshire, everything changed when Samuel S. Snow presented a message of earth-shattering proportions—what became known as the "seventh-month" message or the "true midnight cry."[27] In a complex discussion based on scriptural typology, Snow presented his conclusion (still based on the 2300 day prophecy in Daniel 8:14), that Christ would return on, "the tenth day of the seventh month of the present year, 1844."[28]” [1]1
[27] Snow had previously presented this idea, it was published on February 22, 1844 in the Midnight Cry, and republished in the Advent Herald on April 3, 1844. Both times however, a cautionary note was appended by the magazines’ editors, indicating that they disagreed with Snow’s conclusions. Samuel S. Snow, The Midnight Cry, February 22, 1844., Samuel S. Snow, "Prophetic Time," The Advent Herald and Signs of the Times Reporter, April 3, 1844.
[28] Samuel S. Snow, The Advent Herald, August 21, 1844, 20. See also Samuel S. Snow, True Midnight Cry, August 22, 1844, 4.
EGW’s “First Vision” itself, the vision does not begin with what immediately happened at the Midnight Cry (i.e. August 1844) but with a depiction of the people who remained faithful to the Midnight Cry message sometime following the October 22, 1844 Great Disappointment as they were making their way towards the Holy City ‘which as at the farthest end of their world-elevated path’ (see in EW 14.1). So really, in strict chronological development and subject matter content, it can be easily seen that it is the Second Vision which should have been given first...but it was not.....and the Heavenly Intelligence reason seems to be the very same as why the Rev 10 prophecy, -which, as expound in here, had a fulfillment in that 1840's Millerite Great Second Advent Movement is chronologically followed by the Rev 11 prophecy which, historically, spoke about the events transpiring during the events of the late 1790's French Revolution. So it would seem that Rev 11 should have been given before Rev 10, however that seeming conflict is resolve when it is understood that the Heavenly did foresee that the Protestant Reformation should have culminated, surely by the late 1790's, in a Second Advent like movement...but it did not, and so Rev 11 was indeed historically fulfilled, without Rev 10 having found a, at least full, fulfillment by the European Reformers....But around the 1840 an “American Reformer” (=GC 317-342) did come on the scene, i.e. William Miller, and his careful Bible study did launch the movement which would forge the fuller way out of Babylon towards the Remnant Church of Rev 12:17. But the Heavenly Intelligence did fore-envision that eventually that imperfect (Militant) Remnant Church too would have to be likewise “shaken” (as in Rev 11:13) so that only the truly faithful can remain, and go on to found Christ’s (relatively) perfect(ed)/completed Triumphant Remnant Church. So Rev 11 has indeed gone on to also have, -as proclaimed since June 2000, an Eschatological Judgement Application duly upon the doomed SDA Remnant Church.
In prophetically parallel manner, EGW’s Advent People Travel “First Vision” is thematic equivalent to the Rev 10 prophecy, while her End of 2300 Days (=Judgement Start) Second Vision thematically reflects Rev 11. And likewise, that EGW Second Vision was not duly given as her first vision, as it substantively and chronologically should have been, because of that fore-envisioned ‘ensuing judgement of the (SDA) Remnant Church’ element. In other words EGW’s End of the 2300 days Second Vision would have another, eschatological, fulfillment, now upon the SDA Church itself, therefore in nowadays, as pointedly ‘betrayed’ by the last statement that EGW had originally made in the Second Vision (namely Line #91+93) but that she subsequently excised in her 1851 & 1882 publishings. That is a line that indeed makes reference to the future, -now present, “Shaking” Judgement of the SDA Church.
#7 DS 1.1d - As the readers of the Day-Star have seen a part of what God has revealed to me, and as the part which I have not written is of vast importance to the Saints; I humbly request you to publish this also in your paper.
what God has revealed to me - To be technically accurate EGW herself considered her “Second Vision” as the one she had “about a week after the first”, thus around Jan 1, 1845, in which she says:
“the Lord gave me a view of the trials through which I must pass, and told me that I must go and relate to others what He had revealed to me. It was shown me that my labors would meet with great opposition, and that my heart would be rent with anguish; but that the grace of God would be sufficient to sustain me through all.” {CET 65.1}
EGW only gives a summary of that vision, and it also is manifest that she considered this a private vision, i.e. not intended to be New Light for the wider Advent Movement people then. As such, -as stated earlier, just like, as discussed here, EGW had actually had, in 1842, two prior prophetic revelation experiences prior to her “First Vision”, in/as two Dreams (see EW 12, 78-81). So, likewise, only her revelations which were intended to apply to a broader group of people, i.e. other than herself, can be reckoned for Public Vision counts. Whatever the preferred case, it still applies that, as argued above at Line #7 DS 1.1d her “First” Vision should substantively have come after her “Second” (Public) Vision. Indeed when EGW herself is speaking of a vision that she had failed to also disclosed at the same time she published her “First Vision”, she makes reference to the Vision she had in February 1845 (see dating below at Line #9 DS 1.2a) and not the ca. Jan 1, 1845 one. It is that February 1845 one which she here considers to be “of vast importance to the Saints”.
#9 DS 1.2a - God showed me the following, one year ago this month
In February, 1845, I had a vision of events commencing with the Midnight Cry.
one year ago this month//In February, 1845 - Thus, since EGW was writing this letter in February of 1846, this was a vision given in Feb. 1845, as EGW herself later specifically states in Broadside1, April 6, 1846 par. 7.
From the EGW Topical Index, where the ‘visions of EGW’ are chronologically listed, it is seen that this would have been one of ca. 20 visions that she received that month. (Oddly enough, -manifestly from an oversight of the compilers, this present vision, which is quite significant in its prophetic content, is not cited in that Index Listing.)
commencing with the Midnight Cry - This key vision-setting indicator was discussed above at #5 DS 1.1c.
#11 DS 1.2b - --I saw a throne, and on it sat the Father and his/the Son (Jesus Christ).
his/the Son Jesus Christ - It is odd that there would be an editing of the initial/original expression here in Daystar as: “his Son Jesus Christ” to merely “the Son” in the ensuing 3 publishings of this vision’s account. There really isn’t any substantive, or even Theological, difference between the two framings. It cannot even be ascribed to a change by EGW from and earlier Arian view of Jesus Christ[2]2 as that is a view that EGW and some other Early Adventist Pioneer only abandoned their Arian views in the 1890's, (with the pivotal turning point being the 1888 General Conference & its Righteousness by Faith Message), so clearly not before any of these editorial changes had been made in those Apr-1846, 1851 & 1882 publishings of this vision account.
Nonetheless/Notwithstanding, a Theological call is going to be made here, and that is the same that was made about EGW deeming of the identity of the angelic “personage” of Dan 10:5-6 & “one like unto a Son of Man” Rev 1:13ff which EGW oddly circuitously concluded ‘could be no other person than Jesus Christ. In other words, it has become the understood Theological understanding of this Blog that EGW actually did not have a direct indication/confirmation that these beings were actually, especially only, representative of Jesus Christ. It is rather the Biblical case that, -and as with, as discussed elsewhere, the “Little Lamb” symbolism throughout the Book of Revelation, -and the ministering/interceding, pre-Seven Trumpets sounding, Head Angel of Rev 8:2, 3-5, 6, the Heavenly Intelligence has allowed for these Christlike figures to also be typologically fulfilled by an “overcoming” human being. That “Overcomer” would likewise come to be known as a “son” (Rev 21:7), and most pertinently to this EGW Vision, Jesus Christ said that such an Overcomer (=Son), -pointedly from/out of the Laodicean Era Church, would share His own throne, which He shares with His Father (Rev 3:21). So in an anti-typological application, the “son” in this vision of EGW applies indeed to Jesus Christ, but in the also applicable typological fulfillment, this character applies to such a Laodicean Overcomer, and as it will be discussed later, by paralleling prophetic application, the same also goes for the “one like unto a son of man” of Dan 7:13-14.
So in this vision, EGW would have actually seen a, generic to her, “Son-like” figure at the start of the vision, and, as an anti-typological understanding was most pertinent to her, -given that the antitypological “Second-Coming” End could have occurred during her day, she was permitted to see and understand that this Son-like figure was Jesus Christ. So, it is being seen that originally had first thought it proper when initially/originally writing out this vision to just substitute the identity “Jesus Christ” from/in the opening scene/line of this vision, but later saw that it would be more faithful to what she had actually/candidly seen/perceived when having the vision to express that first line in reflection an actually more generic son-like figure that she had initially seen/been shown. Hence that, otherwise odd, “de-escalating” editing for/in her other 3 subsequent publishings.
Of course such a prophetic understanding is “blasphemy” to many out there, including SDAs (ala. John 10:33), but all that can be said here is that, proper Bible/Prophetic studies show that the Heavenly Intelligence did not intend for this “(Overcoming) Son”; “like unto Son of Man”, “Sealing/Ministering/Interceding Angel” issue to be a simplistic one (cf also Christ’s rebuttal in John 10:34-36). It is not that a human (or (incarnated) angel (cf. Rev 19:10; 22:8-9)) becomes God here, but rather, -as God Himself represented to Moses (Exod 4:16; 7:1), God can, -also due to the tangible reason of vitally necessary Divine Energy Economy, delegatingly authorize a (worthy = overcoming) human being to have/exercise Godlike (e.g Priestly) authority for a given situation (cf. Matt 18:15-18; John 20:22-23), with the proof of validity being that this person continues to remain faithful to the actual will of God.
Indeed it is most Divine-Energy Economic for God to have humans themselves resolve the issues of the Great Controversy amongst themselves, -culminating in the volitional establishment of the Biblical Kingdom of God in this World, by the resources which He has already provided, and so not be requiring any additional Divine Energy Expenditure from Him towards this mandated/required end, and so, in the process, certain “overcoming” human beings will indeed “naturally” end up having the functions/authority that He/Jesus would have. But by these Triumphing Humans instead having taken upon themselves to do such works which they indeed could do when they dedicate themselves and their lives to wholly doing the Will of God in this World, it indeed comes to spare the Heavenly Intelligence from “wastefully” expending this vital energy themselves.
So in God’s “Emergency Resuce Plan B” possibility for Prophetic Fulfillments, which was applicable in EGW’s day from the Midnight Cry of ca. August 1844 through 1908, Where/when the Glorious (=Antitypological) Second Coming of Jesus Christ would have been done, any such Son-like characters in prophecy sequiturly find their (antitypological) fulfillment in Jesus Christ Himself, but according to the also applicable Plan A scenario of God, where God actually finds (enough) Triumphing/Overcoming humans who fully execute His Redemptive/Evangelizing Will, those son-like characters in prophecy indeed then variously apply to these qualifying “overcoming sons”.
As due, and as customary/typical with/for the presentation of prophecies throughout this blog {See e.g. here vs. here for Rev 11}, in the following commenting on this SOP Prophetic Vision, and also, later, its paralleling parts in Dan 7:9ff, both the Plan B (=Historical) and (then) the Plan A (=Eschatological) will be presented, -which will also show how the two application are Spiritually/Thematically in tune with each other, -thus same overarching Spirit/Spiritual Purpose, different applicational/fulfillment context. The Plan B (=Historical) fulfillment applies to the era of the Advent Movement/SDA Church as the qualifying Remnant Movement/Church (i.e. 1844-1863-1908-1996) before it was, due to its resolute systemic deficiency, replaced by the NJK entity’s FSZC Remnant Church, hence the Plan A (=Eschatological) applications.
#13 DS 1.2c - I gazed on Jesus' countenance and admired his lovely person.
#15 DS 1.2d - The Father’s person I could not behold for a cloud of glorious light covered him.
cloud of glorious light - The Bible refers to this covering light as being “unapproachable” (1 Tim 6:16). In the light of what was summarily Theologically stated in Note #2 below, this “glorious/unapproachable light” of the Father alone is the same Light = Divine Energy which Jesus bestowed for conversion into matter necessary for the Creation of all things. Also, this light appears to be tangibly dangerous to be approached, even seen, and may tangibly be of/from an ongoing nuclear reaction nature, if not of another even more powerful energy source than at the (humanly-known) “atomic” level. Like the Sun, God the Father, in His maintained energy shrouded form, is the vital life source for the entire Universe, so it is vital for Him to remain thus protected, even unseen (thus not fully figured out), by this unapproachable & blinding Light.
So this is how, as related by EGW in #13 DS 1.2c the countenance (=physical features) and person of Jesus Christ Himself could be seen.
Relatedly the Belief in the Bible’s God is indeed a most wonderful and awesome understanding: There is this Eternally Existing Being who decided to literally, -like with a married couple, give and sacrifice of themselves in order to bring (Free-Willed) children into existence. It is indeed God’s Universe, and He has allowed us to exist and live in it.
#17 DS 1.2e1 - I asked Jesus if his Father had a form like himself; He said he had,
form like himself...he had - In the later, 1882, publishing of this vision in EW 92.1-2, EGW appended some, manifestly respondingly, clarifying/explaining comments about a couple of statements she had in this vision, namely (1) the statement above at: #15 DS 1.2d (at EW 92.1) and (2) below/later at #75 DS 1.4c (at EW 92.2). It however has always struck me that no one brought up an objection here to her statement that “the Father had a [physical] form like the (human-form) Jesus’ in the Biblical light of Jesus’ statement in John 4:24 where He communicated that “God is Spirit”. Is there a contradiction here??
In John 4:24, Jesus was trying to emphasize to the Samaritan woman that trying to have a concrete Earthly Temple structure for God was futile because, at the very best, God would merely be manifesting Himself in this (Fallen) World as a merely Spirit Force (and visible as a Light Glory) (cf. Acts 7:48). So the most important thing to be acceptable to God was indeed to make sure that one is “Spiritually” in tune/harmony with His Spirit. However that all does not preclude the Father from indeed having a physical form, it is just that it is not His most determinative aspect, just like the most important aspect of the incarnated Jesus was not His ‘outward appearance’ (=Isa 53:2)
#19 DS 1.2e2 - but I could not behold it; for, said he, if you should for once see the glory of his person, you would cease to exist.
see the glory of his person - This reference to ‘the impossibility of seeing “the glory of God’s person”’ is exactly similar to the prohibition that God had informed Moses of when Moses likewise wanted to see God’s glory (Exod 33:18-23). That pointedly is because God eventually went on to show Moses the glory of His Character, and also His back, but not His Face. So God’s “Face” there & His “Form/Person” Here are manifestly similar references....Unless God had actually given Moses a unique favor by having actually allowed him to see the “form” of his back, a fvor that was not, probably because, unlike Moses, it (now) could not be, granted to EGW.
Comically enough that distinction would come to substantiate a prior brainstorming thetical claim here, then here, that I {username: “NJK Project”} had (fed up-ly) made during a forum discussion in response to the insulting claim made by another user {named: “Cephalopod”} who had claimed that Ellen White was the Greatest Prophet ever...even greater than Moses’...Well manifestly not, as Moses was manifestly actually permitted to see some (hind/back) part of God’s (physical/bodily) form whereas EGW was not.
In another passage EGW states how people in her time, and thus even more so today, are much more homelier and less noble, even in mere appearance, than people who lived in earlier Bible times who she describes, -from what she has witnessed in vision, as being ‘more resembling of angels in form, comeliness, and strength’. (See EW 184.2). That humbling may also revolve around the degeneration of character as has been also witnessed over the centuries.[3]3 So that may be an additional, here directly tangible, reason why God could actually show His back part to Moses, but no part of Him at all to EGW.
Vision’s Allusive Prelude
So what follows from now on is the actual core content of this Second (Public) Vision of EGW. But I couldn’t help but Spiritually notice/perceive (as per 1SM 25.4) that this whole above prelude of EGW seeing the glory of God the Father and inquiring about His physical/bodily form, is, or at least, was made to be allusive to the experience of Moses in Exod 33, by the extent of the response given by Jesus to her inquiry. To me, from the fundamental prophetic principle that God’s Prophecies, including the ones given to EGW, do use the symbol-encrypting method of making such “loaded” allusions to prior Biblical episodes. This is especially seen throughout the book of Revelation, and even in the Book of Daniel, as seen, as discussed above, in the symbolism interpretations for just the 4 Beasts in Daniel 7. And given how my prior overview examination of this vision given to EGW ends up turning out, I can easily see that this allusion is being made to reflect the similar crisis context in which Moses was finding himself in when he made that “comforting/reassuring” request. It was made when God informed him that he himself, (i.e. versus the rest of the Israelite People who God had wanted to all destroy then (Exod 32:9-10ff)), had found favor in God’s eyes (Exod 33:12-13, 16-18ff)
This allusive prelude is all pertinent to the core content of this EGW Vision because, by its end, EGW goes on to relate something shocking which she later excised from the republishings of this vision, and that is, at Line #91+93 DS 1.4h1-2, that: ‘even of those who had followed after Jesus into the Holy Place (HP) and were reverentially and prayerfully waiting for Him while He was doing His Day of Atonement High Priestly, Judgement and Kingdom Receiving Ministry before the Father in the Most Holy Place (MHP), ‘one after another of these people began to get up and go out of the Holy Place and join with the scoffing, Satan-influenced, mob outside’. That shocking development will be discussed in detail later on when it is cited in the vision, but having “experienced” (i.e. as per 1SM 25.4) such a development, I can indeed now perceive and see how this all relates to the experience of Moses in Exod 32 & 33 when the Heavenly Intelligence reckoned that Moses was the only faithful one left from Israel and the Wisdom of God saw it as best to just go ahead and start this Israel Nation thing all over with just Moses.
That all in turn is, as it will also be presented later, prophetically parallel and allusive to what occurs with the Sealing Angel (EW 254.1+279.1-2) = [Incarnated] Man In (Priestly) Linen (Ezek 9/) with a writing kit at his loins who, as per his Divine commission, had tried to place a seal in the forehead=mind/psyche of {3T 266.2: “144,000” of} those in God’s Judah~Israel then, but ended up, at that instance, likewise being all alone (Ezek 9:8-11), and likewise God would then have to work from scratch with another or innocently younger, generation. (=Num 14:20-24, 26-35)
#21 DS 1.2f - Before the throne was the Advent people, the Church, and the world.
the Advent people, the Church, and the world - Originally I had assumed that EGW was here making a collective and expigetical statement by explaining that a single larger grouping of the “Advent People” consisted of two sub-groups: “the Church together with the world”, based on the premise that the Advent Movement’s Message then had effectively (miraculously; see 1905 JNL GSAM 140.1-147.2) reached the entire world then. However I now see that she was instead referring to three distinct groups, indeed namely: (1) the Advent people, (2) the Church, and (3) the world. And upon further identifying thought of these 3 distinct groups it can indeed be understood that EGW manifestly had the following identifications in mind:
(1) “the Advent people” specifically were the “Adventist” people who had accepted the Millerite Message, especially now those who had accepted Samuel Snow’s August 1844 midnight cry message as this vision ‘commences with the Midnight Cry’.
(2) “the Church” - This represent the mainline, especially Protestant, Chuurch/denominations from which those who now composed the (Millerite) Advent People had left and/or been disfellowshipped from due to their Millerism beliefs. By then in August 1844, the Millerite group had come to understand (especially starting around the Spring of 1844) that the Second Angel’s message about a Fall of Babylon had come to pass upon these Protestant Churches/Denominations which had rejected the Second Advent Movement’s Message (See 1905 JNL, GSAM 171.1-180.1ff). The Millerite thus/then considered this “Church” to be fallen and to be, in the Protestant Denominations, the ‘daughter churches of the mystic Babylon (i.e. the Roman Catholic Church)’
(3) “the world” of course is the rest of the non-Christian & secular world.
-The “Church” and the “world” were effectively united in scoffing at the Advent people and their hopes for the soon (Fall of 1844) Return of Jesus Christ.
Before the throne - having first introduced the 3 distinct groups here, this “before the throne” detail of the vision is actually quite striking given the Spiritual difference of these groupings.
As it was remarked at a prior instance here within a post on Ezek 8, the position/location of this throne of God & the Son is not, -as many (SDA) expositors have assumed: in the Most Holy Place, despite that being representative of the Throne Room proper of God, but rather God evidently, accommodatingly, momentarily moved His, actually mobile, throne from the Most Holy Place, through/passed the Holy Place, and right in the open, publicly-accessible, courtyard of the Sanctuary Complex. So as the throne was then accessible to the public, which then jointly included the (Millerite) Advent people, the (Babylonian Church) and the (secular) world, indeed as no one had not yet learned of God’s Heavenly Sanctuary Message then, so they would not even know to have to enter into the HP place to be before God’s Throne in the MHP, then that is indeed how all of these 3 groups would come to be “before the throne”.
#23 DS 1.2g - I saw a company bowed down before the throne, deeply interested while most of them stood up disinterested and careless.
a company - In the last publishing of this vision in 1882, this segment was edited to read: ‘I saw two companies ... one bowed...one standing’ (EW 54.2).
bowed down vs. standing - As it was the First Angel’s Message (Rev 14:6) which had then begun to be proclaimed, and this was a call to “fear God” and “worship” God the Creator as the “hour of his judgment had come” = the ending of the 2300 day prophetic period of Dan 8:14, then it is most fitting to see that those who had embraced the Millerite message of the 2300 days indeed found themselves to be the ones who were ‘fearfully’ bowing down in effective worship before the throne of God, while those who rejected the message, both in “Babylon” and the secular world, indeed did no so humble themselves, but were indeed “disinterested and careless”.
deeply interested vs. disinterested and careless - It is ‘interesting’ to see the line of demarcation between those who are acceptable and righteous before God and those who are not...It pointedly is whether they are “interested” or not, and with a “disinterest” either producing or being cause by “carelessness”. The mention of “interest” as the pivotal point, instead of e.g.: one group being “convinced” versus the other who were “unconvinced”, is indeed reflective of the fact that while the Millerite Adventist did not have it all figured out in their prophetic interpretations then, and having had made a couple of key (chronological) mistakes before (e.g. claiming fulfilment dates of the Spring of 1843, then the Spring of 1844; -let alone not having yet arrived at the fullest Theological/Spiritual meaning and interpretation of the 2300 day prophecy), they were nonetheless “interested” to both know more & know better about the Bible, indeed now its prophecies, than what they had known when part of mainline (Protestant) Churches, but they were also willing/“interested” in following after the greater Biblical light that they were discovering, especially this ‘“bright light” of the Midnight Cry message’ (=EW 14.1).
So it was their “interest” in such Biblical/Spiritual things that was making the difference. They thus were not being “careless” about not finding out more about/from the Bible. And indeed these are the ones who are prophetically spoken of in the Bible, in Dan 12:9-10 who, in the Time of the End, would be “seeking to advance” [=the e.g. N/KJV & NASB mistranslation of, respectively: “run to and fro” & “go back and forth”] and would thus, recompensingly, have their ‘knowledge about the (sealed) prophecies of the Bible be increased.’
Today, in the Plan A (=Eschatological) application of this SOP vision, the same principle for, and line of, demarcation is, indeed has already been, re-executed, with indeed the difference being made by those who were interested to “seek to advance”, or as the SOP exhortingly put it: ‘improve the Light arrived at by our predecessor (“in order to reveal the truth”)’ in the work that has been done since ca. 1998 by WBSC and the NJK Project, as documented in this Theological Views Blog. As related in this bio/ministry post, the initiating motivating impetus which has led by now to this greater works was all borne from the simple desire to be able to share the SDA message with non-SDAs, especially Christians in other Denominations. At that time, upon having attended all of the presentations of Mark Finley’s Net’96 Discoveries in Prophecy, it was naturally assumed that the SDA message was oh so clear cut that it was impossible for other Christians to not see its truth, and the only reason why they were not seeing should surely be because they simply had not had it presented to them. So I then decided to be that conduit which would facilitate this presenting of this message to them (i.e. in sharing video tapes of SDA prophecy presentation and books), and then I decided to, concisely, present, as an introductory wedge, the message of the (easily Christian-agreeable) 70 Week Prophecy. So I then set out to write a summary 3-4 page pamphlet which would just present the factual proofs for the interpretation of this prophecy. It is then that I startling discovered that, as with other teachings of the SDA Church, the message was not actually as “clear cut” as I had been “evangelistically” led to believe. Non-SDA Christians had various, actually plausible, interpretations of certain passages which led them to wholly reject the teachings and prophetic interpretations of SDA. So I then took it upon myself to, pointedly in regards to the Seventy Week Prophecy, find out concrete the historical/chronological/theological/Spiritual proofs which substantiated the SDA interpretation. Long story, and much efforts, made short here, that led to the +440-manuscript pages of the “Biblical Interpretation of Daniel’s 70 Weeks” book, and then my studies in various other aspects of SDA teachings, prophetic interpretation and the SOP writings has further come to lead me to their included “greater light”.
SDAs, as “good Laodiceans”, had indeed become complacently “careless” in regards to their Biblical understandings and had actually not bothered to “seek to advance” and improve their light. Indeed by having actually/effectively become indifferent to try to convince other people of Biblical Truths, clearly deeming people who did not accept their (deficient) explanations as being dishonest, they have just been repeating the same shoddy and deficient explanations and “proofs” for their understandings and interpretations. What has repeatedly kept on shocking me is, every time I decide to no longer rely on an SDA exposition for a prophetic interpretation or doctrinal understanding, but instead set out to do an original study of the topic, it is not that I then, more so than less, would come up with an entirely knew/different conclusion on the subject, but that I would then discover those (exegetically and historically) “concrete” proofs which would then make that interpretation immovably valid. One can see such things for themselves from the Bible Studies index for this Blog. And if SDAs now would just recognize their systemic, shameful deficiency, dysfunction and failing and present these concrete proofs when presenting these doctrines and prophecies, the sought for Latter Rain Revival that they are themselves futilely/vacuously seeking after would long have come and the Finalizing Work would long have been started. But they are so Pharisaically, smugly and selfishly, Capitalistically, full of themselves, they much more, knowingly, prefer to let their ship sink, rather than humbly admit their wrongfulness and take hold of the remedy. (=EGW’s first ever revelation (i.e. a dream) EW 78.3-79.3; discussed here [cf. here]).
These indeed are the ones who, as later shown/seen in this vision of EGW, would leave their arrived at move after Jesus into the Holy Place, in order to witlessly join themselves in Satan-inspired spirit with the disinterested and careless ones outside.
#25 DS 1.2h1 - Those who were bowed before the throne would offer up their prayers and look to Jesus,
Those who were bowed.... - So here, at this point, the Advent/ist People are theses ones here who are bowed before the throne, and offering prayers, and looking, to Jesus. At this point, they are all sincerely interested and careless...but this prophecy later showed that many of them who had actually later come to see and accept the message of the Heavenly Sanctuary and had actually made their way into the Holy Place following after Jesus, would “one after another” renege on this position and go back outside to join the scoffing and disinterested world.
look to Jesus - As seen from in Heb , a Christian indeed cannot go wrong if they ‘look to Jesus who indeed is the Author and Finisher of their faith’. It indeed is when people will start to no longer look to Jesus, by not heeding all that He has said about True Christian Living and Practices (e.g. the Matt 25 directives -presented here), that they do go “off the rails, and indeed, as the ending of this prophetic warning shows, actually follow after Satan, witlessly thinking that it is (still) Jesus who is leading them....Or worse, for those who, as also later discussed, had seen/known that Jesus had left that Courtyard Throne and gone into the Holy Place, these who would end up going out from the Holy Place and back into the Courtyard, before that throne there knowing that it was not Jesus but Satan who was “taking charge of the work there”, these would be making an indifferent/careless decision to be influenced by Satan instead of Jesus. This is presently fulfilled by SDAs who prefer to conduct the work of God according to various worldy, i.e. Capitalistic customs and principles, rather than by the principles and mandate of Jesus Christ. With them having knowingly chosen to follow the “Babylonian” ways of (Capitalistic) Protestants and also of the secular/atheistic, and also Capitalistic World, these have indeed become of one (Satanic) mind and spirit with that company of “the (Babylonian) Church and the Secular (World) outside. That is them having also taken the (Eschatological) “(Fuller) Mark of the Beast”
#27 DS 1.2h2 - then he would look to his Father and appeared to be pleading with him.
pleading with him - We later see/discover from a Revelation in the SOP that when Jesus was pleading with the Father, it was a plea for added probationary time as His People were not all sealed then (=EW 37.2-38.2 = Rev 7:1-3ff). So this pleading here is evidently Jesus asking His Father, around October 22, 1844, for more time before God bring about the end, all so that those who were here interested and worshipful, and even especially those in both the “Church and the world” who did not care to know that they should also be so, could perceive the truth and heed it, and thus become sealed as the 144,000.
The fact that God had had to move His Throne from the Most Holy Place to the more “publicly-accessible) Courtyard Area could, indeed -as stated above at Line #21 DS 1.2f, be in order to facilitate access by anyone who then wanted to heed this coming judgement warning, and/or it could be demonstrative of God approaching this world in Judgement then...And so it would only be Jesus’s “pleading” intercession here which would have convinced the Father to change His mind about bring about the end then around October 22, 1844, but rather to postpone it. The Father would then, upon this change of plans, have gotten up and gone back into the Sanctuary to the Most Holy Place which is His Throne Room.
#29 DS 1.2i - Then a light came(/would come) from the Father to his Son and from him(/the Son) to the praying company.
[Then] a light came(/would) come.... - As the different font coloring/highlighting reflects, EGW went on to make changes to this expression in her vision account from having have initially said “Then a light came....” in her very first account publishing, to “A light would come...” for her other 3 publishings. This editing does make a key difference as saying “then a light came” implies only a single instance of this taking place, while “a light would come” implies something that repeatedly occurred, and “would” continue to so occur whenever prayers necessitating such a response were made.
a light - It is easy to jump to the conclusion that the use of the term “light” here refers to a new Biblical understanding, but it is beneficial to consider the inner workings of this understanding. Psa 119:105 shows that the “Word of God” is a “lamp unto one’s feet” and a “light unto one’s path”. So the “Word of God” clearly here is a lighted/shining lamp = light.
Relatedly, Jesus Christ is known as “the Word of God” (John 1:1-2), with His Life, which did all what the Father required (e.g. John 1:14, 15:15b), being “the light of men...shining in darkness” (John 1:4-5, 7-9), indeed “the Light of the World” (John 8:12; 9:5; cf. Matt 5:14-16). So it is to be expected that this “(new) light” revelation will have something to do with the Word of God and Jesus Christ. And as Jesus’ pointed contribution to the revelations of God was to bring to view “grace/kindness/favor and truth” (John 1:14, 17) to God’s Law, then this “new light” likewise is to, pun intended, make Light in God’s Law....That was the “Light” of Righteousness, i.e. Right-Doing (cf. Matt 5:17-20ff), which include the righteous application of the punishments in that Law (e.g. John 8:7-9ff)....and Jesus’ Messianic Right-Doing campaign included actually also following the parts of God’s Law which applied to taking care of those in need (e.g. Deut 15:1-11 = Luke 3:10-14ff), with Jesus special element of “grace/kindness/(unmerited) favor” = mercy, i.e. in regards to non-Jews/Israelites (=Luke 10:25-37).
So, just as with the OT vs. NT full and “perfected/completed|merciful” (Matt 5:48|Luke 6:36) Law+Righteousness, it is to be expected to see that this Father-to/through-Son New Light is to also contain these foundational elements for reflecting God’s True and Full Character. That is indeed why this New Light is made to pass through the “filter” of the Son, as, since He too is now, and since the Cross, eternally, of a purely human nature (see Hvn 74.1), he would tangibly know
how best to formulate and communicate this New Light (faith-based) message to (fallen) people.
Father to his Son and from him(/the Son) to... - Confirmingly enough, we see a similar “Chain of Transmission” for the “Revelation from [i.e. not actually “about” or “of”] Jesus Christ” (Rev 1:1). Likewise the Additional (added time’s) New Light here originates with God the Father and then goes through the Som who encryptingly “signified” it into symbols that He knows best that (righteous) fallen human will be able to get (=Dan 12:4, 9-10) and the only difference here is that the new prophetic light message of Revelation was then communicated to (a human prophet) John through a (“fellow-prophet”) angel (cf. Rev 22:8-9).
and from him(/the Son) to the praying company - For the prophetic message of the book of Revelation, the initial message, namely the Letters to the 7 Churches, was intended to apply immediately to those Christian Church centers in Asia Minor. In each of those letters, special instruction was given to help these congregations to “overcome”. I theologically believe that, had they done so, God would have injunctively acted to effectuate the Second Coming in their Day. But, as anticipated by the Heavenly Intelligence, they failed to heed and properly/fully apply these corrective messages and so time had to be prolonged. We see that pivotal crisis in Rev 5. That actually was its Prophetic “Local” application . Interestingly enough, its Prophetic “Historical” application/fulfilment occured with, as it was revealed to EGW as her very first prophetic revelation, with the decision about accepting or rejecting the Millerite Message (See EW 78.3-79.3). And its now Prophetic “Eschatological”, present-day, application/fulfillment has been presented in the “Unrolling of the Scroll” post).
In each of these fulfillments, the issue was that an attempt to perfect the present people, including bringing in a full harvest of converts, had not fully done its work and a crisis point occurred. The Godhead had to make a dilemmic decision. Whether to step in and end all things, i.e. with the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, or in mercy (=Rev 5:6) for those who had not made themselves ready, prolong time. However that latter option would literally require a “going back to the (prophetic) drawing board” in the light of the history would have to be extended in which Satan would devise new ways to attack the people of God and pervert the Truth. As it was at the very beginning of the Fall, when Jesus then likewise had to plead (“3 times”) with the Father to allow for a merciful alternative (see EW 149-153 -discussed from: here), in each of these, no doubt reflectingly: “3 times”, Jesus had to plead for mercy so that the Father would allow for a probationary time, and extension of time, for these failing people. A way of Mercy was indeed allowed, but New Light to navigate this extended historical time when further “darkness” would befall mankind, also had to be brought forth and revealed to God’s People.
So as with the Local Era’s Further/New Light Message which started in Rev 4:1ff; the Historical Era’s New Light Message of the Heavenly Sanctuary which was revealed to the Advent People upon the failing of the Millerite Movement, and starting on the day after its punctuating “Great Disappointment” of October 22, 1844 was also a “prolonged time message”. And just like the prophecies in rest of the book of Revelation from Rev 4 forward served, in key time, to confirm the Righteous (the Protestant Reforming) People of God in their Biblical Movement, and would eventually lead those who continued in it to God’s Remnant Church entity, the Message of the Heavenly Sanctuary also served to confirm the Advent People who remained faithful after October 22 1844.
And now, there similarly is an Eschatological Era message which serves to confirm God’s Faithful People into the presently fulfilling Church Triumphant = 144,000 Kingdom Message. As it will later be seen, this Kingdom Message is the “hidden truth” that had been encryptedly embedded in this Dan 7:9ff-vision paralleling revelation to EGW.
#31 DS 1.2j - Then I saw an exceeding bright light come from the Father to the Son and from the Son it waved over the people before the throne.
exceeding bright light - So the (new) light spoken of above in #29 DS 1.2i actually pointedly focused on the various correcting revelations which came to the Millerite people leading up to October 22, 1844. Such as the gradual accurate understandings of Samuel Snow’s “Midnight Cry” Message. If/As indeed EGW says that her vision commenced with/at the Midnight Cry (=August 1844), then this “exceeding bright light” cannot also be the Midnight Cry Message’s Light, though it was indeed a bright light, indeed one which, as depicted to EGW in her First Vision, ‘lighted the path of the Advent people to the Holy City’ (EW 14.1). So it certainly was an initiating and lasting light, but an even brighter light was to be given to God’s People, which is one which would, for those who would accept it, further enlighten their path. And, Historically, that was the Light of the Heavenly Sanctuary which indeed made the path of the Advent People who accepted it brighter. As later confirmingly seen, it is this exceeding bright light which leads those who accept “a little way” manifestly into, or at the very least, at the doorsteps, of the Holy Place of the Heavenly Sanctuary.
Eschatologically, this “exceeding bright light” is the “Loud Cry of the Third Angel’s Message”. The SOP would later go on to see that this Message, which actually stems from ‘the exhortation to Laodiceans to exalt the standard’ (LDE 175.3) would indeed cause a “Shaking” demarcation in/of the Remnant People (see LDE 209.3-210.4), duly separating the Church Militant from the Church Triumphant. (=LDE 59.1-61.2-62.2).
It is no wonder that this message is “fearfully” rejected by a large part of the Church Militant because, as the Rev 18:1ff message, it literally calls them to take up Spiritual arms against, (now Neo-)Babylon, i.e. also its spurious/false-Righteousness Capitalism system, let alone also calling them to “(physically) come out of her” to move into the opposing (True) Bride of Christ, New Jerusalem Kingdom of God. (Cf. EW 277.2)
And as expounded on in the related “Third Prophetic Shut Door” post, the accepting of this Church Triumphant message, -which sows up the union between Heaven and Earth for God’s faithful people, further leads these people into the very presence of God in the Most Holy Place Throne Room where they literally “Millennially reign on their share of the throne” with Christ. (=Rev 20:4)
come from the Father to the Son... - This chain of transmission is much more than a technical formality. It actually represents God the Father, in consideration of the Son’s mercy pleadings, deciding to forge a new way, and then/now communicating that new plan to the Son, who in turn prophetically inform&instructs His followers on Earth about it.
With, -as stated earlier in the latter part of #5 DS 1.1c, this “Second-ordered” vision of EGW (compared to her “First Vision”) indeed being parallel to the Second-ordered vision of Rev 11 (i.e. compared to Rev 10), this imparting of light upon these faithful followers is, -as exegetically presented in this post, and as it was for the Bible-restoring Reformers during the Church Age: God ‘keeping on giving (new understandings) to his interceding witnesses’ (Rev 11:3)
#33 DS 1.2k - But few would receive this great light.
But few.... - As discussed just above at #31 DS 1.2j indeed “few would receive this great light”.
Whether it is for these prolonged time’s great light: for the Local Era, the Historicist Message of Revelation which correctly exposed the Roman Catholic Church as Babylon and its Papacy as the (Dan 7) AntiChrist/Little Horn; or, for the Historical Era, the Remnant Church forming Heavenly Sanctuary Message, or now, in the Eschatological Era, the Loud Cry’s Church Triumphant Message and resulting 144,000 Kingdom,
#35 DS 1.2l - Many came out from under it and immediately resisted it.
...came out...resisted it - See why above in #31 DS 1.2j
#37 DS 1.2m - Others were careless and did not cherish the light and it moved off from them.
others were careless ...did not cherish - Notice that these are “others”...So other ones than those who had knee-jerkedly “came out from under it” and “immediately resisted it”. So these are people who professed to accept this greater light, but merely in vacuous profession only indeed. When it can to actually act upon its mandate, they did nothing...And so the light “moved off from them” and left them in the same darkness as those who had knee-jerkedly rejected it.
In the Eschatological Fulfilment, the NJK Project Message has thus far been rejected by most who have been exposed to it. That far from make it untrue. It rather shows that it is presenting a level of Biblical/Christ-like Righteousness that even Christians, and SDA Christians, care to arise to. As with the Historical Era message of the Heavenly Sanctuary, this too is a message that is to further “sanctify” God’s people from even their arrived at Church Militant level into truly the ‘readied Bride of Jesus Christ’ (=Rev 19:7-9). (See this expounding post).
#39 DS 1.2n - Some cherished it and went and bowed down before the throne with the little praying company.
Some cherished it and went... - These are some new converts from: ‘the Church Babylon and/or “the (non-Christian/unbelieving) world”.
The Militant Remnant Church, i.e. the SDA Church, from 1844-1863-1996ff, has had, in the Historical Era fulfilment of this EGW vision, the task of making these converts from Babylon and the rest of the World to the Remnant Church pivotally through the various Christocentric doctrines and prophetic understanding which radially emanate from message of the Heavenly Sanctuary. The Church Triumphant takes up where the Church Militant chooses to end its advance, after this group of Church Militant converts have followed Jesus into the Holy Place. The way into the Most Holy Place is led by the message and work of that Church Triumphant.
Nonetheless, in the Eschatological Era fulfilment, a new level of conversion is being involved, it is a conversion under/to the Latter Rain’s Outpouring’s, and so when this EGW Vision is here refulfilled, starting with the “Eschatological Midnight Cry Message” (see in Note #1 below), this whole process of leading people from Babylon (=“the Church”) , the World and also from the fallen SDA Church (=“the Advent People”) has to be restarted from the beginning, starting with the first application of the Midnight Cry in the Biblical Interpretation of Daniel’s 70 Weeks (=the very first posting of this Theological Views Blog of the NJK Project). From there people are led by God’s advancing endtime New Light which guides them through the sanctifying parts of God’s Sanctuary.
Ironically enough, with, as related above at #23 DS 1.2g, most of the NJK Project/WBSC’s work having been, as seen throughout this Blog, to establish the understandings, teachings and work of the Initial/Militant Remnant Church realization, i.e. the SDA Denomination, on an immovable Biblical foundation, which inherently is upon, the Word of God: Jesus Christ (=Luke 6:46-49), then it shouldn’t confound anyone that when the way into the Holy Place of the Sanctuary has again been made, now under such more solid Biblical understandings, that the things then seem to be much like the SDA Church. However that now more solid foundation leads people to easily see the further Biblical Truth, Light and Work of/in the Most Holy Place, something that the insufficient level of, moreover deficient understandings of SDA could/can never do. Indeed it instead leads people to brace against, resist and reject this “exceeding, greater, new (prophetic) light” from God, through Jesus Christ.
... with the little praying company - In the Historical Fulfilment, i.e with the Millerites/Adventists, with this repenting joining of this company by those who had previously neglected or rejected the message, and with this joining occurring then after the “exceeding bright light” to the Advent people who remained faithful about the Heavenly Sanctuary revelation starting on October 23, 1844, then this joining up with the Advent people speaks of repenting people who join the remaining Advent people after the ‘shaking’ Great Disappointment, and that increasing group went on to formally form the Remnant “Seventh-day Adventist” Church in 1863.
In the present-day Eschatological Era, with the “exceeding bright light” being the Latter Rain’s (merely ‘Thunderous’) Judgement-Effectuating, Sealing & (“Whirlwind”) Shaking, Sabbatical Loud Cry of the Third Angel’s Message’s, “Fuller”, (New/Added) SOP Light, I have yet to see a similar, swelling up of the rank to form God’s Triumphant “144,000” New&True Remnant Church & Mission-Ministry....
#41 DS 1.2o - This company all received the light, and rejoiced in it as their countenances shone with its glory.
This company - That is, of course, the prior faithful ones, plus now, those who repentingly joined themselves to this bowed down/worshiping & praying company...
Eschatologically, together, this company constitutes the 144,000, (=Rev 7:4-8) with the ones who had remained faithful throughout being representative of the first tribe sealed: Judah. Those who join themselves to them are those who surrender in the (Spiritual) Israel Civil Warring (=Dan 11) and join themselves from all of the 11 other tribes of God’s Israel.
as their countenances shone with its glory - As seen in EW 285.2, this “countenance shining with glory” is allusive to what happened with Moses [Exod 34:33ff] when he, (as Paul points out in 2 Cor 2:6-13 and the SOP likewise specifies in PP 330.2-3), was able to see and understand the Righteousness of Jesus Christ in/for God’s Law, i.e. (the “sacred, exalted character of His law, [e.g. Matt 5-7] and the glory of the gospel revealed through Christ” [e.g. Matt 22:34-40|Gal 5:13-14; Luke 10:25-35]).
So Historically, this occurred with the post-October 22, 1844, -(who, pertinently, through December 1846 were still not observing the Seventh day as Sabbath), when/as they came to understand the message of the NT’s book of Hebrews, and saw the typological fulfillment by Jesus Christ of the OT Levitical/Ceremonial Laws...and later discovered the binding requirements of the Sabbath in/and the Ten Commandment...and then around 1888, they came to better balance the issue of Law & Grace/Faith and Works by discovering the fullness of Jesus Christ.
Eschatologically, a similar, and furthering, discovery also takes place, by now, the Christocentric revelation of Jesus’ Social-Righteousness Gospel’s Message//Mandated Works//Justice, and how all this is part of His Finishing Sabbatical Message (=Isa 58). So here likewise, Jesus Christ’s True Righteousness is what makes the validating difference.
#43 DS 1.2p - Then I saw the Father rise from the throne and in a flaming chariot go into the Holy of Holies within the vail, and did sit.
Then|And|[—] I saw the Father rise.... - An intriguing editorial development occurs with this opening word of this statement. EGW goes from saying: “Then I saw...” (03/1846) to instead: “And I saw...” (04/1846&1851) to simply: “I saw...” (1882). Logically saying “then” implies a consecutive sequencing. Saying “And” instead can also have a consecutive meaning, but it rather implies a mere concurrent development, -especially if it is being used instead of saying “then”, which can actually be something that takes places either “concurrently” (shortly) before or after another event. Then not saying either “then” or “and” actually implies something which took place, but the time/sequence when it took place is a little bit fuzzy.
It would seem natural, indeed logical, to assume that the Father got up an left only when the People had received the exceeding bright light which He had just given to the Son for Him to relay to the praying company, but then it actually is odd that EGW would change the word “then” which would mostly clearly indicate this. I am instead going to go with the understanding that the Father did get up and leave after He had given that bright light to the Son (at #31 DS 1.2j), but before that Light had completed its potential effect upon the gathered 3 groups before the throne. (Related in: #35 DS 1.2l-#41 DS 1.2o) So the Father would have left in the writing space when EGW had said at #33 DS 1.2k: “But few would receive this great light.” The phrasing of this expression is itself odd, in the sense of “loaded”. Clearly it is EGW speaking forward about what would end up resulting from the shining of that bright exceeding light upon those people gathered. So she here looks forward, having already seen as she is relating this vision what the end result here would be. But it very well could be that she here so “speaks forward” because she had noticed an odd time shifting at this point of the vision. Indeed just by saying “..few would receive...” instead of simply “...few received...” does emphasize that she here was deliberately jumping forward before she would go back and relate the specific details of how it came to be that “few people received this light”.
Of course there now is no (natural) way of knowing all of this for sure here, but I think there is enough such “loaded phrasings” and “intriguing edits” to understand that God the Father indeed had gotten up to leave at this point, thus before this bright light had brought its full results. I see this understanding as Theologically significant because once God the Father allowed Himself to be swayed by the “pleadings” of the Son in behalf of the unworthy peoples gathered before the throne, and once the Father had then done His part in, manifestly, formulating the prophetic plan/template for this newly forged added/prolonged time period, and relayed it to the Son, there either (1) was not anything more left for Him to do now, having thus already given over the directing mandate to the Son, and manifestly with full executive discretion (cf. John 5:22, 26-27) and/or (2) the Father had now, -given that sudden/injunctive change of plans, to hurry back to His Throne room to either (3) oversee what was going to take place from now on under this prolonged time’s message and/or (4) start as soon as possible the needed adjustments for this new, continued Earth history, development. This is probably reflected in the Dan 7:12 statement mentioning an ‘extension of life to the beasts, while their prior dominion was nonetheless ended then’.
Also with the Bible pertinently revealing about this development in Dan 7:10 that God keeps a tangible record of all that takes place during this Great Controversy played out in this Earthly theater, God manifestly would then have to go back to his throne room to accommodate such added required resources for this development. Indeed/In fact, it is at exactly October 22, 1844 that the Historical Wave of Fulfillments for (esp. timed) Bible Prophecies came to an end. So if, as it indeed is the Theologically observed/studied out case, Bible Prophecies can, and would, from then on have an Eschatological Wave of Fulfillments, then there indeed could be a tangible need to “go back to the drawing board” and go to Heaven’s “Situation Room” = in God’s Throne Room (see Rev 4), -which is the Most Holy Place, to (foreplanningly) hash out with the Heavenly Intelligence how this prophetic history will now be taking place.
This understanding harmonizes perfectly with my theologically fundamental, even Theodicy-necessary, Divine Energy Economy where God, out of vital necessity, only expends Divine Energy to Spernaturally repairingly/redemtively deal with the various deficiencies of this Fallen World, only when He actually or really has to...So that “economy” would also include not priorly making the expense of Divine Resources and Energy to deal with this Fallen World’s History being extended beyond the End of the 2300 Day Prophecy, thus beyond October 22, 1844. And so now, since Jesus had successful interceded for the merciful extension of redemptive time upon this world, it was now justified/warranted time to only now make the required disbursements of needed Divine Energy and Resources.
Similarly enough, as the earlier cited (within #29 DS 1.2i) revelation to EGW in EW 149-153 (discussed here) clearly reveals, God had not even already made and/or hashed the Plan of Salvation for this World until both (chronologically) after Adam and Eve had Fallen, and also (Theologically) only when Jesus was successful in His pleading for having mercy for this Fallen Creation.
Also, with the Theological/Prophetic time being that in now this Eschatological Era of Bible Prophecy, the Second Coming can actually injunctively occur at any warranting time, and with there also being guiding/guarding Final/Prophetic Events to be applicably fulfilled, there therefore now is a more intensive and complex requirement upon the Heavenly Intelligence in overseeing, influencing, directing the affairs of men so that the Prophetic Template and Plan will be fulfilled, as that is the only (objective) resources that the righteous people of God then will have to turn to in order to make saving light of the multi-faceted darkness that Satan will bring down upon the world for this last gasp development. So there indeed was a tangible need for God to go back to His Throne/“Situation” Room as soon as possible, in order for Him and the Heavely Intelligence to be in perfect position to deal with this any-warranting-time ending.
Based on all of this, I now can come to make sense of something which mildly puzzled me about immediate post-Great Disappointment Developments. That of course occurred on October 22, 1844. And as concluded above at #29 DS 1.2i the “exceeding bright light” which shone on the people before the throne, was the prophetic light given to Hiram Edson on October 23, 1844 (related in 1905 JNL GSAM 193.1; see also this Lineage episode) revealing that there was a Heavenly Sanctuary, and that is where Jesus had, (or actually: was soon going to) instead now enter in this now prolonged history/time. I had always wondered, with moreover EGW actually, -as discussed here, having be anticipatively “prophetically primed/prepped” since ca. 1842, why she only was given her “First Vision” (EW 13-20), -(which dealt with the travel of the Advent People from the Great Disappointment to, and into, the Holy City...-all in the “light” of the August 1844 “Midnight Cry”), ca. 2 months after the Great Disappointment. –Especially as that “First Vision” served as a tremendous rallying message for the Disappointed Millerite {See the ([substantively&production-wise] excellent) cinematographic Depiction of this Adventist history episode here [at 01:04:41-01:07:32-01:08:17-01:09:50ff]}
So based on all of this, I (=WBSC) am/(is) now Theologically concluding that the Heavenly Intelligence first had to fully hash out these Eschatological “prolonged time” details before beginning to give any (esp. detailing) revelations about it. So that work in Heaven would have taken 2 months....and so, in order to help prevent as many defections as possible from the Advent People group following the October 22, 1844 disappointment, God the Father had as soon as possible, gone back to Throne/“Situation” Room to begin to engage in this Prophecy ForePlanning Work from which He would then be able to communicate, through Jesus Christ’s Testimony/SOP (Rev 12:17; 19:10), visions/revelations to the otherwise in darkness” Advent band on Earth.
Eschatologically, I am seeing (i.e. sequiturly perceiving) that the fulfillment of the Father getting up from the Courtyard location Throne to go back into His Throne/“Situation Room” to now work out the tangible details of what is to take place in this now likewise “prolonged time” of World history, upon the confirmed failure of the Militant Remnant Church, the SDA Church, occurred around, or right at, the time of my (own) “First (SOP Vision” which was in June of 1999. Likewise then, the SDA Church, through the binding actions of its representatives at its flagship Seminary at Andrews University, chose to, as related here, refuse to further pursue a “Midnight Cry’ like enlightenment on/for the evangelistically-pivotal Seventy Weeks Prophecy....And in their pompous smug Pharisaical mindset, and or, -(as it will later be confirmingly seen from the details of this here, indeed now-also-applying, vision of EGW, their deluding from the “draw back” influence of Satan himself who they are unwittingly, but fittingly/naturally worshiping), they are now choosing to continue in this jealousy-blinding rejection.
Fittingly enough, that “First Vision” of mine involve a scene&imagery which immediately and directly reminded me of the ‘opened door in Heaven’ of Rev 4:1ff which led into the Throne Room of God for the crisis scene of Rev 5, which as expound in this post, deals with God having to now redraw the prophetic roadmap&template for the, now in effect, prolonged future world history&time.
...rise from the throne - Of course this ‘rising/standing up from’ statement could simply be relating the change of physical posture for the Father, and moreover for the pragmatic purpose having to go back to the Most Holy Place...But given that we have a throne here, plus the “Judge of all the Earth” (Gen 18:25) initially having had, as discussed earlier at #21 DS 1.2f: “facilitiatingly” moved His throne from the Most Holy Place to the “publicly more accessible” Courtyard area of the Sanctuary were the 3 existing groups of people on the Earth then: -the Advent People, the (Babylonian) Church adherents and the (Secular) World, had gathered, then this scene here is surely a judgement scene, even one which had intended to be the Final (=Second Coming) Judgement Event of the Earth when Jesus the would be dealing out already adjudged rewards (Rev 22:12).
This possibility here technically is because, as presented in here, the “sanctuary cleansing” 2300 day prophecy of Dan 8:14 had actually come to its (historically allotted) chronological end on October 12, 1844, as that typologically was the day of the Jewish Feast of Trumpets and the 2300 day prophecy had begun with the 70 Weeks (Dan 9:24-27) which had begun precisely on the Feast of Trumpets in 457 B.C. (=the rightly untransposed Neh 8:1-2ff). So God would have actually had done his Investigative Judgement of His own professing people then, =the Advent People, in those 10 (judgement) days between that 1844 Feast of Trumpets and the Day of Atonement (October 22, 1844).
He would also have judged the rest of the world i.e. the Babylon Church and the Secular/Non-Christian World, during that time, and actually without really an “investigation”, but just on those clear outward demonstrations of whose side these people, particularly those in Babylon, have knowingly chosen to side on. For the secular and non-Christian world, God would have, also easily, judged them by the actions they had done based on how they responded to their innate sense/knowledge of right vs. wrong. (=Rom 1:18-2:16). He then would have manifest the ‘revelation of His righteous judgment” (Rom 2:5; cf. Act 17:31), i.e. His already determined judgment, separating, based on right-doing (cf. Isa 45:7), the “Sheep from the Goats” Matt 25:31-46, and indeed would have judged the world in “righteousness and uprightness” (Psa 96:13; 98:9), indeed so “cutting His work short in righteousness” (Rom 9:28 KJV) = which actually accurately reads as: “completing/accomplishing/finishing it and cutting it in pieces” (=“thoroughly & quickly” Rom 9:28 NASB). So it as was shown here, God would have dichotomized His judgement-passing requirements into 3 main levels in order to execute due and full fair judgement on every so that He can effectuate the Second Coming then.
So the scene here in this Vision, and at this precise point, which Historically transpired on October 22-23, 1844 was a judgment process, even set up to be the Final Judgement of this World until Jesus pleadingly intervened seeing all of the people who would otherwise have been lost. So then, as this is a judgement, when God the Father stood up, it meant/reflected, as it does in Dan 12:1-2, that the Judgement session has been ended, but not here/now for the rendering of Sentencing from the Judgement (cf. Psa 94:2), but because the decision for World History Continuance had been made between the Father and the Son....and as it will be seen later, this “Continuance” is now to be made to include an added, manifestly now necessary, -in order to deal with the further multi-layered shade of darkness that would befall on the Earth during this time/history extension, (i.e. when indeed the World/Society would transition/transform itself from, -at that time in the mid-19th Century, what can be termed: the (predominant, but tail end of the Reformation’s waning: “(Protestant) Age of Faith” [1517-1839] into Modernism’s ‘Age of Decisions’ [1839-1939] where/when the camps of Faith vs. Secularism began to increasingly diverge, and coalesce into their respective camps, producing a dichotomy of competing Faith-based vs. Secular-based institutions, into an ensuing Postmodern “Age of Reason” [ca. 1939-2001], to actually now a “just because” ‘Age of Unreason’ (=Post-Postmodernism” [ca.2001+])), temporal dimension of/in a temporally realized 144,000 Kingdom of God during an also temporal Jubilee Millennium period, all to try to aid the world savingly see and heed His Light and Truth (cf. Psa 67:4 = Rev 19:11-16; 21:24-27).
So here, an interrupted Final Judgement was ended, and so God the Father got up to leave, and here leaving the Son to administer upon the peoples of the Earth the prolonged time new message/light that He had just communicated to him.
and in a flaming chariot - This description here may be commonly assumed to be mere flowery speech for some heavenly thing, i.e. that it does not have any tangible, let alone pragmatic meaning. But given my foundational theological premise that “God has a tangible/reality-based meaning for everything which He says and does” which is a premise which opens up the full Theological and Prophetic revelation of Scripture, I can only be seeing here the if God is having to use a “flaming chariot”, it is because it is for a tangible/reality-based reason and purpose. And succinctly stated here, that reason manifestly is because, -with, as stated at the opening of this vision at #17 DS 1.2e1, God having also a physical/bodily form just like the (human-bodied) Son, and with no “wings” having been said to be possessed by God, unlike for angels, and which are realistically for the purpose of making them fly (cf. Isa 6:2), God then manifestly does tangibly need to have His chariot be “mechanically” powered for it, and him when on, to move about. (See for the Son in Acts 1:9; Rev 14:14, see below at #59 DS 1.3b-#63 DS 1.3c2) And such a powering means here is what we today would understand as rocket propulsion. That propulsing flame/fire seems to be the same mechanism/system described in Ezek 1:4, 13 -discussed in here. So manifestly God uses ‘flaming propulsion’ to move the chariot that He transports Himself about on.
Elsewhere in the Bible, God’s throne is said to be moved about by angels who seem to be like wind & fire (Psa 104:4/Heb 1:7). I would deduce that God’s Chariot is engineeredly exactly like the one described in Ezek 1&10 (see esp. Ezek 1:4, 13-21ff) -discussed in here), including with retractable wheels which only deploy, like an airplane’s landing gear, when it is about to touch down on solid ground. And as seen from Ezek 1:4 manifestly God has to use wind to laterally move this chariot. So the flaming fire aspect of it. could pointedly be for vertical lift & movement. And in this sense, it can be seen that Psa 104:4/Heb 1:7 is indeed making reference to two distinct set of God’s creation which attend to Him, the first are Angels, who have wings, and they are the ones who, when surrounding God’s chariot, produce with their flapping wings, the “wind” needed for lateral movement, including when the chariot has touched down on ground and is then rolling about; and the “ministers/servants” also mentioned in that passage would be, fire-propelled Angels, who are thus “caused to fly (more) swiftly”, who, as with the Chariot containing the Four Living Creatures, produce the vertical rocket propulsion lift for God’s Chariot.
So with that understanding in mind, it indeed can be seen that God had actually here, in this vision to EGW, had approachingly transported Himself on a tangibly-powered chariot to/towards this Earth, =the more accessible Courtyard area of His vast Heavenly Sanctuary Complex, thus, mercifully, virtually “meeting this World half/part way”, and the reason why the “flaming propulsion” = for “vertically lifting” aspect of/for this transportation chariot of His was here mentioned/emphasized, and so rather than the “(winged-angels-produced) winds” = for “lateral movement” was because God had indeed then transported Himself “downward” from Heaven to/towards/near to this World in endeavored Final Judgement. (Cf. the Gen 18:1-2 Divine Inspection Committee). So then God going back onto this flame propelled chariot would indicate Him going back “upwards” back fully into His Heavenly Realm. Perhaps once He has directly vertically ascended through Earth’s Outer Space (=the ‘Second Heaven’) and back into His Heavenly realm (=the “Third Heaven”/“Paradise” = 2 Cor 12:2),* angels with wings will then take over in order to laterally move Him and His Chariot to the actual place where His Throne Room is located once He/it re-entered His Heavenly Realm.
* So then God’s approaching in Judgement to/toward/near to this Earth would have been only to the extent of the just beyond the “First Heaven” i.e. to just beyond the “Blue Skies” Atmosphere that we see with the naked eye. So God would have “approached” as far as some humanly unseeable part of the Second Heaven (=within (dark) Outer Space).
This all would indeed show/reflect, or if not merely symbolizingly depict, just how close the Second Coming came to actually be effectuated in 1844.
go into the Holy of Holies within the vail - With the understanding above of God tangibly moving about Three Heavens, could the Sanctuary Complex “veils”, which were also three: One for/surrounding the Courtyard; one for the Sanctuary’s Holy Place and One for the Most Holy Place be tangible representations of the separations between God’s Three Heavenly Realms. The Courtyard area would be this Earth “Blue Skies” and Space Atmosphere = First & Second Heaven. The Holy Place would be in the “Third Heaven”; with the Most Holy Place being a further restricted = “veiled off” area within the Third Heaven itself in order to serve as God’s access-restricted Throne Room.
and did sit. - Now, even for mid 19th century styled English, saying here “did sit” instead of sat down, also involves, -as relatedly seen for the “would receive” expression of #33 DS 1.2k, a more proleptic way of relating something than a present tense way. So such a way of expressing this would indeed be here ‘anticipatingly mentioning in advance something which is known/sure to take place later’. So I am seeing here that EGW was not then shown God actually already seated on His Most Holy Place Throne. She had probably been shown Him having entered back into the Third Heaven, and then go back into His Throne Room, but that veil closed before she saw him sit down. She only knew He had sat down, because she later in her vision did see Him seated on His Throne there.
#45 DS 1.2q - There I saw thrones which I had not seen before.
There I saw thrones... - That is a pretty straightforward statement. When EGW saw God enter into the Most Holy Place,* she had not seen the thrones that she now was seeing. From the description in Rev 4 about God’s Throne Room, manifestly those “thrones” (i.e. plural) (=Rev 4:4a) are those upon which the 24 elders are shown to be seated themselves upon (Rev 4:4b) as they engage, along with the 4 Living Creatures, in a judgement/ruling session with God, evidently in relation to pivotal the History Continuance Crisis of Revelation 5. As discussed within another post, it has come to be the studied out understanding of WBSC that those 24 thrones are indeed for 24 elders, but the 24 elders themselves is not just one set of people, but rather a rotating group/set of 24 “senior” “sons of God” (=Job 1:5, 6; 2:1) representatives of various levels of God’s Creation throughout His Universe.[4]4 As seen in Rev 21:7, the term “son of God” is only reserved to those in God’s Creation who have chosen to align themselves with the rule of God, including Adam (=Luke 3:38), who of course repented of his disobedient straying. So, as discussed here, the (controversial) “sons of God” in Gen 6:1-2ff are not else than humans who had been faithful to God, i.e. descendants of Adam’s faithful son Seth, before they here strayed away from God’s prohibition to mix with the (female) descendants of the unfaithful and earth banished Cain.
So the 24 elders are various representative groups from various Creation realm, and for this Earth, it seems like those 24 representatives are those, or from those, people who had been resurrected and ascended at Christ’s own death&resurrection (Matt 27:51-53) and ensuing ascension. (Eph 4:8). My further view here are that those 24 representatives for this planet are people who had suffered either actual or effective martyrdom during the OT Era right up to, and including, John the Baptist himself (or even leaving room for later (leading) martyrs such as Stephen, Peter and Paul).
So these thrones in God’s Throne Room are indeed likely those thrones for a group of 24 Worthy (e.g. from martyrdom) Senior/Elder Representative. What is interesting now/next is that EGW said that ‘she had not seen them before’.
* Probably, as per the deductive observation&conclusion in the section just above (#43 DS 1.2p): from just its veiled being pulled apart to let His flaming chariot through, due to the veil likely being closed before she could see God the Father get up/off from the chariot and re-seat Himself on His throne.#
# So either God had moved His original throne to the courtyard, then left it there, for God the Son to continue on it, (and then, as seen later, the Son also left it there when He left, where then Satan was shown standing by it), and so God had to have another throne built or a back up throne set up in its place in His Throne Room for when He returned; or God had originally moved a second/back up throne to the Courtyard Area for the end of the 2300 days pre-empted (Final) Judgement Session.
which I had not seen before - It is important to note here that this entire phrase is one of the three which were introductorily mentioned in #5 DS 1.1c as the phrases which EGW went on to completely take out of her later (i.e. 1851 & 1882) publishings of the account of this Second (public) Vision. Why did she do such editing?? Was it because she was wrongly remembering or because it was too controversial??
Well taking into consideration all of those 3 statements which she only mentions in her two 1846 accounts, I would rather see that she may have gotten a secreted Dan 12:4, 9-10 or Rev 10:3-like instruction from the Heavenly Intelligence about those statements because, by 1851, with a part of the Advent People having now more strongly regrouped, themselves, -with the aid of the Spirit of Prophecy, into an establish Church Movement, and would later be formally organized into the SDA Church Denomination in 1863, God was manifestly going to grantingly allow for a candid testing of these people, and according to an extension of the Emergency Plan B Rescue Plan Scenario Covenant, and so such statements which, as later discussed, included indications of an eventual covenant breaking/annulling by of this movement, which indeed became the case by 1908, were made to be, (along with the Plan A Temporal Jubilee Millennium one in EW 286.1), concealingly removed, so as to allow for this faith-based candid testing.
Pertinently enough, the Adventist, later SDAs had already begun to see themselves as the Seventh Church of Revelation, (see the October 16, 1856 article by James White; and/then Letter #2, 1851 or Letter #15, 1857 (=18MR 252.1=7BC 966.5) “graduating” from the Millerite Era Philadelphian Church, but of course, that 7th Church was indeed the self-oblivious and/or indifferent Laodicean Church, which as its name dually allowed for in its Greek rendering, would either be a “judged people” or a “righteous people”. As they collectively did not overcome (Rev 3:21), that (final) Church Militant did not pass their judgement and so were not instead a “righteous people” but rather a duly adjudged “condemned/doomed people”.
Now, working from this premise that EGW did see/hear these things which she later removed from her latter publishings, likely at the strategic instruction of the Heavenly Intelligence, when EGW mentions here that ‘she had not seen these thrones before’, the logical question to ask is “when would she have been able to see them before”. Clearly, it, substantively, was not from what she was seeing in this vision. As she manifestly had not had any view of inside the Heavenly Throne Room of God. So she would not have seen whether or not there were other thrones in there. So the only logical claim that can be made here is that she is referring to the scenes of God’s Throne Room that she had in her “First Vision”, and that is pointedly at EW 17.1, where she clearly is only/solely seeing the throne of God.
Now it can be argued/claimed that EGW did not see other thrones in EW 17.1 because that scene takes place in a post-Second Coming context, so when all judging of this Earth would have been done. Well the Bible reveals that there is a Millennial Judgement Period (Rev 20) before the Heavenly Jerusalem is transposed to this Earth (Rev 21), where also thrones are set up in Heaven (Rev 20:4), likely within God’s Throne Room, for that Judgement Session (by ‘martyred people’, by the way). (Relatedly EW 17.1 also closely echoes what is described in Dan 7:10.) So even in her first vision, EGW should have seen other thrones, as a (Millennial) Judgement session had to be done, but the entire period of the Millennium is not presented in that First Vision. My view is that is because it was the (Plan A) Temporal Jubilee Millennial Period of EW 286.1 which was instead being, albeit anti-typologically, alluded to here....and that likewise involved the temporal establishing of God’s 144,000 New Jerusalem Kingdom in the Present World.
So my deduction here is that EGW later on omitted to publish this, and two other, parts of this vision directly because she was (secretedly) instruction by God to conceal it, because the SDA Church would, now that it had “graduated” to become the Laodicean Church, be candidly tested to see if it can overcome. And so, such statements which either explicitly or implicitly alluded to her planned for failing, would impair this candid testing....although such details would always be retrievable from EGW’s ‘earlier writings’...
To appreciate how important this ‘content sealing’ move by the Heavenly Intelligence is, I look at the SDA Church today, who, at the very least, claim to believe that ‘Jesus is coming tomorrow’, and yet their works, pointedly evangelistic work, though comparatively being better than any other Christian Denomination out there, is still, when graded by the Church’s “Light” and actual collective potential (=LDE 59.3), quite pathetically anemic, even as a factor of ~10x less than what it could, and should, be.
So such “Plan A” statements were made to not be of influence to the Church Militant, but they were nonetheless share with EGW as they would apply to the Church Triumphant, which actually could be formed by Laodicea-overcoming (=Rev 3:21) SDAs at anytime....but that time never came...until starting in ca. 1996 [=Dan 11:5ff]...and the one who then would have had the needed, proper, “Laodicea-overcoming” experience, would be able to easily make Theological, Biblical & Prophetic Light of such concealed pointers in the SOP (cf. Dan 12:9-10), as well as in Bible Prophecies. This “unsealing” (=“scroll unrolling”) time has indeed (now fully) come:
So this entire detailed examination of this Second (public) Vision was actually launched from, the exegetical commenting on/at Dan 7:9 in this post. Well it was there exegetically seen that Dan 7:9 literally/accurately speaks of “thrones which were cast out/down”. The deduced understanding was that these thrones were “randomly” cast down to this Earth, in a, pun-intended, “dice casting”-like proceeding which may or may not produce then the intended expectation of being able to effectuate the Temporal Kingdom of God then. The reason why EGW did not see those thrones in God’s throne Room before, in her “First Vision”, is manifestly because these thrones for the 24 Elder representatives for this Fallen World and its Great Controversy Affairs because they had then been cast out of God’s Throne Room and down to this Earth in God’s attempt to see if He then could set up His Temporal, Jubilee Millennial, Kingdom, -and, confirmingly, in indeed actually 24 Realm subdivisions. God Himself had approachingly moved and set up a Throne of His nearest to this World in an attempt to closely oversee this development. But neither the constituency quota, nor the constitution content needed to have this Temporal Kingdom of God set up then had been met. The Protestant Reformation had just not made all of the need “out-of-Babylon” progress. And so, in answer to Christ’s plea for mercy (=prolonged time), this entire Kingdom endeavor was halted and postponed, and reported to another, future time.
So when EGW now sees these thrones, being not set up in Heaven, (back) in God’s Throne Room, it actually is a shift of focus and development from the “Plan A” intent of Dan 7:9ff. Now that Kingdom-arising Judgement Session would (first) take place in Heaven, in God’s Throne Room, instead of directly setting things up on this Earth. The Bible also allows for “God’s Temple/Sanctuary” to indeed be God’s NT Church on this Earth (2 Thes 2:4) ‘made up of’ (=Eph 2:21) the component-individual Church Members who worship in it (1 Cor 3:16, 17; 6:19; 2 Cor 6:16) [cf. Rev 11:1], and so, the “sanctuary” that could/should also have been “cleansed/set aright” at the ending of the 2300 Days on October 12|13, 1844 would have been a faithful Church/People of God on the Earth then, and that cleansing would have fitted them to now have a part in this Temporal Kingdom Establishing work of God. But the Advent People then had actually come up short of the needed reforming and sanctifying progress, and also this “cleansing” action would cause a judgement to befall on those, esp. Christians still in “Babylon”, who were not even close to being acceptable to God. So Jesus caused this development to mercifully be interrupted.
Interestingly enough a similar Temporal Kingdom interruption and postponing had priorly taken place during the First Advent of Christ. Jesus expected the Kingdom to be established then (Mark 1:15; cf. Luke 1:32), but as God’s Israel then was not ready, it was halted and resettingly postponed to another, future time.
So for the “Plan A” scenario about this development which is revealed in the Bible at Dan 7:9ff, those thrones are to be set up on the Earth. In the revelation to EGW, which combines and Plan A and Plan B scenario those thrones are only shown to be in God’s Throne Room. And as the end goal of the Heavenly Intelligence is to see ‘God’s Kingdom Will being done in Earth just as it is in Heaven’ (Matt 6:10 = Rev 11:15-18), it is fitting to see that those thrones be equally valid if they are set up in the very Throne Room of God and/or upon this Earth.
#47 DS 1.2r - Then Jesus rose up from the throne, and most of those who were bowed down rose up with him.
Then Jesus rose up from the throne - So this is manifestly after Jesus has seen through the work of convincing and conversion that the light, the new, prophetic light, that the Father had given Him to share with whosoever from all of those gathered before this Throne who wanted to become subject to it.
and most of those who were bowed down rose - It is odd to find out that this is referring specifically to all of those who had already allowed themselves to become attracted to the New Prophetic Light from Jesus, as these are the only ones who are then/now “bowed down” before the throne (See #39 DS 1.2n). These people had “cherished” this New Light....so they then “received” it... Then they had “rejoiced” in it. They had joined the worshipful & praying company before the throne, so they likely were likewise also doing the same. Their countenance had begun to shine from their comprehension of this New Light. They had even seen the Father rise up from next to Jesus on the throne and make His was back into His Heavenly Throne Room. So then it is indeed “odd” to read here that not all of the people from this company rose up with Jesus.
Does this ‘not rising up’ indicate some sort of refusal to further continue in this light’s path...or were they remaining bowed down in order to continue worshiping and praying....Either way this still certainly sound that they were not acting in proper response to Jesus having stood up. Jesus Himself now also standing up form this Judgement Throne/Seat is an indication, and a final one at that, that this Judgement Session itself is now over, as in “adjourned”. The Heavenly Intelligence had made its injunctive decision about how things will be unfolding now after the ending of the 2300 days, and they had already imparted the prolonged time’s Present Truth and Light to any who wanted to hear and heed it. So what then was actually up with some of these people who did not also rise up.
My view is that this is representative of people who had indeed heard and understood that New Light, but were actually ashamed of it. And so they continued in their supplication process to try to get another message and light from Jesus..But Jesus was done here. His will for these prolonged times had been revealed...So it was now: take it or leave it.
Historically, I am seeing this as having been fulfilled by a manifestly not explicitly reported individuals who had indeed seen Biblical Light in the Great Disappointment resolving message of the Heavenly Sanctuary, and Christ newly begun ministry therein. But then, when it came to act on that New Light, they did not enjoin the rest of the Advent people who had ascribed to it, but instead remained apart...praying to Jesus for another message/light. Perhaps they were ashamed to share that message with others, and so wanted some other, perhaps more striking/tangible explanation. But they would continue in the sanctimonious endeavor for nothing as Jesus had indeed already arisen. The number of such still reticent people was likely very small when compared to the ca. 5000 or so which heeded this Heavenly Sanctuary Present Truth Message. So the relative number of those who heeded this New Light was indeed “most”.
Eschatologically the New Light Message was indeed, as stated at #31 DS 1.2j, the Loud Cry of the Third Angel’s Message (=Rev 18)...And this New Light actually builds upon the Historical application’s New Light as it involves an advance into the Heavenly Sanctuary for those who had back then on ascribed to this Message. The Heavenly Sanctuary’s message was to begin to purify the Remnant Church People to now/here receive the further and fuller Light from God’s Law, and they should now have been in a Spiritually favorable position to be able to readily perceive, receive and proclaim this “Fuller Sabbath” Light (cf. EW 33.2*).
* With Jesus having patently stood up (~Dan 12:1-2), and seeing the conjoined opposition that those who received this New Light message would be subjected to, a certain/typological “(Little) time of Trouble” had indeed begun upon those who had ascribed to this message.
Those who continued in the Historical Sanctuary message Light, namely SDA’s, would, starting in EGW’s day, begin to see the glimmer of the Eschatological Loud Cry’s Light. (See the SDA History sermons of Dave Fielder for more on this development). They began to see, as Jesus Ministry had shown, that it was not sufficient to only preach about the continuity of the Moral/Ten Commandment Law, nor even was it enough to merely preach about the Gospel, but that God had always expected that His Law and Gospel Truth would produce a complete work of conversion so that, people would then truly become like Jesus Christ and go about “doing good” towards others in need. (cf. Mar 202.3) It is this Light, when it has brightened to its Full capacity, that will temporally produce the “bride of the Lamb” (Rev 19:7-9) Kingdom of God (Rev 21:9-11ff) which foundationally exists to do such good works and be, in fulfillment to the Israel Promise to Abraham, ‘a blessing to all of the families of this Earth’ (Gen 12:2-3) (See this post for more)
Now, it is because the Full” Loud Cry Light involves this tangible, temporal, Kingdom aspect, -moreover one which unabashedly stand up to, and opposes (Neo-)Babylon (i.e. the United States of America), that many, even of those who Biblically see that God/Jesus calls for His followers to be also engaged in doing good works towards all those in need (Matt 25:31-46), that many will inherently, immediately, and/or gradually/eventually “draw back” from advancing in it (advancing) light.
Those who “inherently” rejected it, are those who had, through indifference and/or careless, even refused to heed the begin of this light. So they had never even begun to follow after Jesus by ever ascribing to this New Light.
Those who “immediately” reject it are those who have seen the Light here, but still refuse to actually engage, in doing Christlike good works. They instead see this as cheapening and even insulting their religion, and so they sanctimoniously (=Pharisaically) continue their worshiping and praying, hoping/thinking that Jesus has another, indeed better, way of Finishing the Work than this “Social Gospel” Work. Many (fringe/ultra conservative) SDAs fall into this category, however, -only since around, (mainstreamly), merely 2012, “most” actually do not. Most of these have, (finally!!) begun to be engaged in health ministry and care, and so, for them, they feel that they already are fully engaged in the work of “the right arm of the Gospel”. What they do not realize is that God’s Loud Cry call mandates much more than what they are now doing...Which actually is artificially limited by the whimsical demands of doing such work according to spurious Capitalistic principles, policies and means. The “True” Latter Rain’s Loud Cry message also involves doing completely away with a Capitalism model for doing God’s Work.
Those who “gradually/eventually” reject this work are those who, for various excuses, abandon doing such works, pointedly when it comes to require a sacrificing on their part. They are presented at the controversial & startling/shocking ending of this vision (at #91+93 DS 1.4h1-2 ). They seem/seemed to be willing to sacrifice...but indeed: not really..More on that/them later...
#49 DS 1.2s - And I did not see one ray of light pass from Jesus to the careless multitude after he rose up, and they were left in perfect darkness.
...perfect darkness - Historically it has always baffled me why the message of Jesus Christ’s Heavenly Sanctuary clearly taught in the book of Hebrews is not most prominently, even at all, proclaimed by Non-SDA Christians....For one thing, it clearly begins to answer the question of “What has Jesus been doing in Heaven since His ascension ca. 2000 years ago. And speaking of “perfect darkness”, it is as if these non-SDA Christians are afraid to ever say anything which will begin to validate the experience and message of the 1844+ Advent People who had gone on to become the SDA Church. So these Churches not only do not have such present truth light, they also cannot make heads or tails of Bible Prophecy, which is why they have been duped by the Preterist and Futurism Counter-Reformation Canard by Jesuits. So in terms of Bible Prophecy, they are there also in “perfect darkness”.
Eschatologically, though the details of this Loud Cry Light is fully and freely available on the internet via this Theological Views Blog SDAs refuse to engage it. And speaking of being in perfect darkness, as many posts in this blog actually present what SDA’s teach and prophetically interpret, but in concretely proven and accurate Biblical Light, as SDAs continue to prefer/choose to preach their deficient views on such things, then they likewise virtually are in perfect darkness, especially as their present, maintained, off course, way will indeed lead them into anything else but God’s Light. That is indeed what happens when you’ve failed the Shaking (EW 270.1; 271.1).
They are left in the “darkness” of Satan’s Capitalistic world order (=EW 269.2), and that is indeed what they seek to harass, pressure and crush the faithful people of God with (EW 272.1 =Rev 13:17)....But the Heavenly Intelligence has other, “brighter”, plans (=COL 414.1-418.4ff)
#51 DS 1.3a1 - Those who rose up when Jesus did, kept their eyes fixed on him as he left the throne,
rose up when Jesus did - Clearly “rising up when Jesus does” is a key and pivotal demarcating response here.... As discussed above at #47 DS 1.2r that is because this is Spiritually involves a demonstration of being in agreement with the Judgement decision of Jesus here, including its actually halting implication here. Jesus had just managed to plead for mercy for those who were not sealed, and the Father had granted it. So the attempted Final Judgement that was suppose to transpire here was actually halted. And Jesus instead was now going to engage in more/further sanctifying work with, pointedly, the Remnant of People who had accepted His New Light here.
So getting up with Jesus indicates the acceptance of this “fate”. It is deemed a fate because it “disappointedly” meant that the expected Second Coming event was going to necessarily be delayed so that this permitted (indefinitely) prolonged time. So those who have instead chosen to remain bowed and in prayer to supposedly Jesus are those who think that they know more and better than Jesus and are here praying to Him to instead go by His Second Coming promise rather than this New Light’s message. (cf. Matt 23:14)
You be surprised today to see that many do have this same defiant stance towards Jesus. They refuse to heed His Full Gospel Mandate not accept His own directive that this is what will be determinative for both the Finishing of the Work in order to allow for the Second Coming, as well as the testing point in the Final Judgment. (Matt 25:31-46)...Indeed His Church is actually suppose to set the standard of what will be acceptable “good works” in the Final Judgement, pointedly as Satan will be working to set up and supernaturally validate his own false temporal millennium movement. (See in here at Ezek 39:24).
So those who sanctimoniously think, like the smug religious leaders/people of His own day, that they know better than God|Jesus about what the Heavenly Intelligence considers to be acceptable fulfilling good works of the Law...better read Isa 58|Matt 25 (See WM 28-51ff). Indeed later on an allusion is made to Luke 12:36 which, as discussed in great exegetical & Spiritual detail in this dedicate post, is the introductory basis and premise for Christ’s Pivotal Prophetic Parables of Matt 25.
kept their eyes fixed on him - Indeed keep looking unto Jesus, the “author and finisher of our Faith” (Heb 12:2). I.e. he is the one, and the only one, who can, and does, tell us what we are suppose to be doing in order to fulfill His Gospel will. It is frankly eerie to witness, as I have, people who resolutely decide to make an idol of the level of comprehension they have about God/Jesus’s Truth and Will and refuse to even accept anything more that the Heavenly Intelligence has revealed to them to also be doing. (=Luke 11:42|Matt 23:23)...And these are the most sanctimonious of people...but “woe”-fully so...
Clearly these people are trusting in their own achievements, and anything else/more which will require them to stretch what they have been able to do in following Christ, they reject, as this will destroy the “perfect” score that they have, inevitably through some type/degree of selfishness (=4T 384.3) already achieved (e.g. Luke 10:25-29ff|COL 376-389)...
...Seriously, what kind of, -as Jesus Himself put it (in the Greek): “morons” (e.g. Matt 23:17; 25:2,3,8) can think like that???!....Certainly not an actually “just” person (Pro 4:18)....
Jesus gets to “sit down” on the throne of His Father because He did ‘endure the cross, though despising its shame’ (Heb 12:2), and indeed invites His (Laodicean) followers to do the same, in order to “overcome” (=Rev 3:21), by self-sacrificing of themselves for His Cause...by indeed (Heb 12:2) ‘keeping their eyes fixed on Him’!! (See 1T 170.4ff)...
as he left the throne - As with the failed Jewish people of Christ’s day, those who also today likewise oppose His Full Gospel Will and Way likewise care more about the throne, than about the one who is seated on that throne (cf. Matt 23:16-22; Jer 7)...Which is why/how they later come to be so easily duped by Satan who is merely just standing besides that throne which they evidently are still idolatrously worshiping.
In fact, just consider how much of an inconsequential throw away is this throne here...both God and Jesus just leave it behind, no caring to take it back with them on the flaming chariot that came to pick them up. It is indeed such a throwaway that Satan later unobstructedly takes possession of it....
#53 DS 1.3a2 - and led them out a little way,
a little way - Elsewhere, I have “surmisingly” allowed for this statement in this EGW vision to be meaning that these faithful followers after Jesus were led into the Sanctuary’s Holy Place. Well as EGW does not make this specification, at the very least, they are merely Spiritually following Jesus in Heavenly Places. So while He Himself would enter into the Sanctuary Complex, these people merely Spiritually did so. So in this sense also, they can be considered to have had access into the Holy Place of the (Heavenly) Sanctuary, even while they still remain on the Earth.
The whole set up here indeed is unmistakenly an allusion to the Sanctuary Complex. So with the first part of this vision having taken place in the context of the Cross Judgement (cf. John 12:31), therefore in the part of the Complex where the Altar of Sacrifice & Laver were. So Jesus “leading these people a little way” is logically towards the standing Sanctuary Tent/Edifice located just behind these first two elements, and so, at the very least, these faithful people have been led to the entrance doorway for the Holy Place. Jesus Himself would go through it and ensuingly through to the door of the Most Holy Place to go meet up with His Father.
One significant argument that can be made against the claim that those faithful followers of Jesus here were led inside the Holy Place Apartment of the Sanctuary was that, unlike for courtyard, this area, area was off limits to the general public. Only Israelite Priests could enter into this area. So these followers would instead only have been led to the doorway of the HP.
But again the “little way” statement favors more the wider understanding that God had set up a throne by the Bronze Altar of Sacrifice in the Courtyard Area and God had mercifully allowed for people to freely enter the courtyard to come under the light of the initial Millerite Message and have a chance to be saved.
The other option would be that God had set up that throne just beyond the door of the Courtyard, therefore completely outside of the Sanctuary Complex. If this wasn’t the case and this throne had been set up in the courtyard, then it would be only professing Christians who would have been allowed to enter through the Courtyard’s Door and gathered before that throne. But given the fact that God has said that “He will be cutting His Final Work short in Righteousness”, which as indeed seen in Christ’s Final Judgement (Matt 25:31-46), allows for even non-Christians to have accepted the right-doing works that they had done outside of any Christian motivation, then it seems applicable here to claim that God had caused the wall of separation between the world in general [=Outside of the Courtyard] and the Church itself [the Courtyard Area] to be removed. And so adherents to the (Babylonian) Christian Church in general and the Secular/Non-Christian World, as well as the more faithful Advent People, could, and indeed were, all gathered in the Courtyard Area, by the Altar of Sacrifice, -which of course was representative of Christ and His Sacrifice.
And with, as later discussed, Satan “credibly” standing next to the throne after it has been vacated and left behind by the Father and the Son, it would be if this all was taken place within the area of the Sanctuary Complex’s Courtyard. It therefore would have the “trappings” of being a Christian Institution, but actually some False, =Babylonian Christian thing that is being run by Satan himself...And that indeed is what is at the heart of Satan’s Final AntiChrist Deception. (See 2 Thess 2:3-4ff).
Confirming the understanding here that the area in focus here was within the Temple Courtyard itself, which had been allowed, in righteousness, to become one with the “world/camp” area beyond its walling and door, EGW, in 1842, had a dream, her very first prophetic revelation, (recorded in EW 78.3-79.3), which was a depiction of the work of William Miller during the Second Advent Movement. Well there, William Miller is typologically, allusively depicted as potentially being a mangled Lamb (=Rev 5:6) tied to a pillar of a temple where all of the people are expected to go before and confess their sins. The ultimate Lamb of course is Jesus Christ, but here He was being tangibly represented by his faithful servant William Miller, in the Second Advent Proclamation work that he was doing.
Well there that “temple” could easily be understood as the Israelite Sanctuary Complex, and with the Lamb Sacrifices taking place at its Bronze Altar, then the people who would have to go before this Lamb, would have to find their way before that Altar.
So the present conclusion/understanding is that the Temple Complex was indeed the Israelite Sanctuary Complex, and in the times leading up to October 22, 1844, God had allowed, in Righteousness, the wall line of demarcation to become effaced, and so, all people could freely assemble around this Temple, within its now expanded Courtyard Area. As depicted in EGW’s dream, the more faithful ones pressed their way closer to where the mangled lamb tied to a large pillar was. So although, all people had free access to this Temple Courtyard, only the most sincere and faithful ones pressed their way as close as possible to the focal area of the Altar, even taking a seat in the “elevated seats” which were set up around that Lamb and the large pillar.
However once the testing time had passed, the Courtyard’s walling and demarcation came back into effect. And so, as EGW explains in 1SM 62-64, a “Shut Door”, -from the Door into the Courtyard, Spiritually occurred where those who had had a chance to see the light but rejected it, found themselves on the outside of it, while those that had had such a chance, could still find their way into this Courtyard. However this is a Spiritual Shut Door, i.e. it does not produce a clear/visible separation between those who are beyond the convicting and converting reach of the Spirit of God and those who are not...And so the “Wheat and the Tares” are actually intertwined together in that Courtyard Area, thus all still either being Christians, or having a deceptive “form of Godliness”, but only a part of this mass gathering can actually still be reached by the Spirit of God. The rest are unwittingly behind a Shut Door, as if they effectively were physically outside of the Walls and Doors of this Sanctuary Complex. But with Satan about to take control through his AntiChrist Deception of even this seemingly Christian Courtyard Area, only those who indeed have been keeping their eyes on Jesus and following after Him as He, since October 22, 1844, has indeed progressed within God’s Sanctuary Complex, will not be deceived by this “Overmastering Delusion”. (See EW 263-266)....
...And in these Eschatological Times, Satan also has specially prepared a parallel deception for the SDAs who also find themselves within this group of deceived ones in this abandoned Temple Courtyard Area: “Covetousness” (See EW 266-269) i.e. a love a the world and its goods to the point where they do not mind ascribing to the Capitalistic customs & policies which allow them to “buy&sell” (=Rev 13:17) for these riches. This “Mark of the Beast Test” Failing all leads into the “Shaking” of the Church (See EW 269-273) and indeed leads these failed SDAs to seamlessly take the (Fuller) Mark of the Beast.
#55 DS 1.3a3 - then he raised his right arm and we heard his lovely voice saying,
raised his right arm - This, rightly, is pertinently allusive to what the “angelic personage of Rev 10 pivotally does at Rev 10:5. With, -as discussed here, the prophecy of Rev 10 having, Historically, had an application in the Second Advent Movement, it is indeed “pertinent”/fitting that this vision of EGW, which also has a Historical application in that Movement, also contains similar imagery. In Rev 10:5 that patent, (Elijah-likewise-made =1 Kgs 17:1|PK 121.1), “oathmaking”, is used to vow that ‘there will be delay no longer’. The longest and furthest reaching time prophecy in the Bible, the 2300 days of Dan 8:14, had just run out, but the people of God had not made themselves ready to bring about a possible end then...So/Yet this Personage is, like the “Son” in this vision of EGW, vowing that, the sought for ending, i.e. Kingdom of God, will be brought about (=Rev 10:7 = Rev 11:15-18).
So that Personage is vowing that they will endeavor to do all that they could in order to now bring about this finalizing phase of God’s Redemptive Work on/for this Earth. Indeed it is now due time for this “hidden truth” = “mystery” (Rev 10:6) of God, which is this Temporal Kingdom of God, to be manifested, which itself will serve to bring about the full revelation about God Himself.
heard his lovely voice - Manifestly this is the very first time that, apart from EGW (at #17 DS 1.2e1+2), these faithful people were actually hearing the voice of the personage who, up to then, they still had been faithfully following after.
Identity of this Pivotal “Personage” - It is important to comprehend that, yes, Jesus is indeed the antitypological fulfillment of this Angelic Personage in Revelation 10.....as He is for the parallel one of Dan 10:5-6....and likewise for Rev 1:12-20 and, as discussed later, the “son of man” of Dan 7:13, and also all of the “little lamb” symbolism throughout the book of Revelation. And in this vision here, EGW is likewise seeing, -as discussed at #11 DS 1.2b, the character she originally amended to initially refer to genericly as “the Son” as also being Jesus Christ. But in all of these prophetic revelations, that “Angelic/One Like Unto A Son of Man” character also has a typological application in order to fulfill the multi-faceted Ezek 9 Sabbatically-Sealing Angel’s role and, as Biblical/SOP studies have shown, that Christ-type ‘Angel/Son of Man’ figure/personage is an incarnated Angel Gabriel. Because, as it was for the Redemption achievable only by Christ, the Final Events would be so precarious, given the subtle and sly deception and delusions of Satan, that God took it upon Himself to provide, through such a granted Heavenly Intelligence incarnation, the best possible way out and through these darkest of times.
That does not mean that God would have this human-incarnated angel be downloaded with all of the Heavenly Intelligence required to figure out the True Path of Truth and Righteousness in these end times, but instead that God would then be warranted to so favor and lead that human-incarnated being in such a way that it would most likely produce the desired end goal of that, then fully grown up being to accomplish these tasks of/for His actual Truth & Righteousness.
#57 DS 1.3a4 - wait ye, I am going to my Father to receive the Kingdom. Keep your garments spotless and in a little while I will return from the wedding, and receive you to myself.
going to my Father - As the people then were not ready for this promise to be fulfilled with them, it is now going to take so special (priestly) intercession by Jesus before the Father to have the Kingdom promises be mercifully fulfilled with this people.
to receive the Kingdom - This is parallely cited at Dan 7:18. It also echoes the statement in Luke 19:12 from the prophetic parable of Luke 19:11-27 which was later restated by Jesus in Matt 25:14-30. These pivotal prophetic parables were discussed I detail in this dedicated post.
So indeed, all of these Kingdom passages are related to one and the same event: this culminating temporal Kingdom of God establishment whose ‘Global Kingdom testimony’ (Matt 24:14) serves to satisfactorily wrap up this Great Controversy.
Keep your garments spotless - ...including by also doing good/righteous works (Rev 19:7-9)
return from the wedding - Again, another deliberate allusion to a key aspect of Christ’s Prophetic Parables: namely at Luke 12:36 discussed here.
receive you to myself - =John 14:3. So in the pertinent context of the Promise of “many rooms in God’s House” of John 14:1-3.
#59 DS 1.3b - And|Then I saw a cloudy chariot with wheels like flaming fire.
cloudy chariot - Again the realism & tangibility of what is used to serve as transportation of the still human-form Jesus, and also God the Father (see above at #43 DS 1.2p) is quite interesting. Both Jesus and the Father use a chariot to be moved about. Perhaps the only difference between those two chariot is that EGW saw a “cloudy chariot” for Jesus, but a “flaming chariot” for the Father. When it was discussed earlier, that “flaming chariot” was deemed to be operating according to some sort of rocket propulsion.
In this post (browser search for: “50 feet” to go to precise section) the revelatory evidence seems to point to God the Father being about 50 feet in height. Using the factor for an ideal body mass index of 21.7, that would mean that God the Father would weigh ca. 11,250 lbs. But I surmise that God the Father’s “form” is made up of more endurable, (even radio-active), material” than “flesh&bones”...Whatever the tangible case, it is likely that He has a concrete, and larger weighty, mass...So that still would mean that some powerful propulsion would be required to provide the lift and displacement force to move God the Father about throughout Space on this chariot.
As seen in EGW vision of the Final Resurrection in GC 644.3a, (cf. 2SP 39.2) it is manifest that Jesus has grown up to a full potential human stature and is now slightly taller than Adam was, which was ‘more than twice the height of humans today’ (=3SG 33.2) (so ca. 15-20 feet); -with, as seen with Commanding Angels (see EW 168.1), height manifestly being used by God to represent/mark superiority of “rank”. So Jesus being ‘slightly taller than Adam’, He could now be as tall as 20+ ft, which would mean that Jesus Himself, being “still”, of human “flesh&bones”, could weigh as much as ca. 1000 lbs.
All this to deduce that this less weighty Jesus, -possibly almost +10x less than God the Father, would indeed require less lift & propulsion force to be moved about. And so Jesus would not need an (entirely) “flaming chariot” like needed for the Father, but merely a cloud (which itself can provides sufficient lift) with merely wheels which are inflamed, which technically can pointedly be for lateral displacement on airborne. Perhaps those “wheels like flaming fire” are functioning like high powered jet engine, and so EGW saw its turbine twirling and assumed they were wheels.
Of course non of this here, presumably, is significant, other than to highlight a manifest tangible “form” difference between the Father and the Son, which further highlight the Sacrifice that God the Son, Jesus, made to Redeem mankind...But/nonetheless, towards the Eschatological application/fulfillment of this SOP vision, I am able to perceive that God included such “techn(olog)ical” details that He knew that those would live in the times when He foreplanned that the “fullness of time” (cf. DA 32.3ff) would then come to have this pivotal Eschatological fulfilment take place, (thus in our Jet Engine and Rocket Air&Space Travel Age versus the days of EGW when this was then not yet discovered/invented), would then be able to pick up on these details and what they technologically involve. So, if not also for the here mentioned Theological insight, this detailing can indeed be providing the expected timing for the Eschatological fulfillment of this vision.
Again, my personal Biblical/theological studies principal principle has been, and it has marvelously been rewarding thus far, is not to consider ‘any word that has proceeded from the mouth of God’ (=Deut 8:3|Matt 4:4), i.e. in such direct/prophetic revelations, to be mere dicta or vacuous word fill. So I rather see that there is a significant, many times hidden/concealed, meaning and importance to everything that God directly reveals, particularly as God vitally is actually also most “Divine Energy Economical” when it comes to prophetic communications, so He would indeed be making every thought, word, expression and/or imagery that proceeds directly from Him count
#61 DS 1.3c1 - Angels were all about the chariot as it came where Jesus was;
Angels were all about - This statement corrects people who that the statement in Rev 1:7 which says that ‘Jesus will come with clouds’ synonymously means that ‘Jesus will come with angels’. Here, the “angels” and the “cloud”, for the “cloudy chariot” are two distinct things...as is the “flaming/fire” which some also assume means “angels”. So why are there angels all about here. Well, it could tangibly be as a ‘body guarding’ escort detail for the (still in human form) God the Son. Surely Satan and his fallen angels wouldn’t mind taking a physical shot at Jesus as He is tangibly commuting through Space between Heaven and Earth. So the angelic escort would serve as a “frontline” deterrence and protection, i.e. with no doubt the remaining vast host of other Unfallen Angels ready to at once leave their present posting to go to the defense/rescue of Jesus in the unwise case of such a “thuggish” assault by Satan. (When Jesus ascended to Heaven after His Resurrection, on a cloud (Acts 1:9), He was, as revealed in SOP vision (see e.g. 1SG 73.1-74.1//3SP 202.1 {-cf. a related discussion here}), soon, “surprisingly” enjoined by virtually all of the Heavenly host. Manifestly the two angels which soon after appeared to the disciples looking at that ascending cloud transport (Acts 1:10ff), had always, but unseenly, been there, along perhaps with many others, who themselves went back up with Jesus. (See 3SP 251.1-2//DA 830.3 = “cloud of glory” =“cloudy chariot of angels”)
These angels also can serve to properly steer this cloudy chariot through open Space to its destinations, especially (for) when it was unoccupied in its journey from Heaven towards Earth.
Technically, for the Eschatological application, the tangible need of also angels here for a jet/rocket powered transport, would reflect that the assistance of the Heavenly Intelligence is still needed despite then, the technological advances/capabilities of men at that time. Indeed, for one (Spiritual) thing, technological advancement of men surely does not mean Spiritual Advancement. Only the resolute endeavor of Faithful Believers to make use of new technologies to facilitate Biblical Studies and the Preaching/Spread of Christ’s Gospel Message manage to “salvage” the increase in knowledge of human beings.
#63 DS 1.3c2 - he stepped into it and was borne to the Holiest where the Father sat.
borne to the Holiest - It is noteworthy to see that Jesus entirely by passes, or perhaps technically rather here passes/flies straight through the Heavenly Sanctuary’s Holy Place section in order to go right to the Most Holy Place where the Father sat (in His Throne Room). With thrones having been set up there (#45 DS 1.2q), all was indeed set to begin a Special, Judgement Session, one upon the issue of providing a Kingdom for Christ. The working, -and it is indeed thus far “working”, Theological Thesis of WBSC is that this is “the Son” making the Special, Injunctive/Interceding” Request to His Father to be able to now, (in Historically: post 2300-day times; and currently: in these Eschatological times), set up a temporal, typological Kingdom of God on Earth...With the pointed “Special” aspect of this Intervention being: “with/through whom?” I.e. with/through which, actually worthy, human being alive on Earth then. That is what Jesus advocacy intervention before the Father is going to try to determine.
That is what, -as presented in detail in this post, the intriguingly odd, variously restated, encryptedly ‘symbolic’ (cf. Matt 13:10-13ff), prophetic: ‘Master going to a wedding to receive a kingdom’ theme/motif, (see e.g. Luke 12:36; Matt 25:1-13; Matt 22:1-14ff; Rev 19:7-9 = Luke 19:11ff=Matt 25:14ff) -as also cited in this SOP vision (see above at #57 DS 1.3a4) is all about.
My wider Theological View and Prophetic Understanding is that this heavenly wedding is indeed an intercessory judging process to try to determine which persons alive on Earth then are worthy to receive the needed Latter Rain’s Outpouring, (which actually is, -as literally expressed in Rev 20:4 for/at the start of the Plan A Jubilee Millennium: the imparting, as a “doubling portion”, of the Spirit (=”psyche”) of (up to 200,000,000 =Rev 9:16) supremely faithful=martyred people who therefore (self-sacrificially) had ‘not loved their life (in this world/age) to death’ (Rev 12:11; Mark 8:35)). And if no such, or not enough of such, “receptive” individuals can actually be found on Earth, then Rev 19:11ff “armies” ( ‘of ascended martyrs = “witnesses”’ (=Rev 11:12)) would then be originating literally from the location of the Heaven, rather than Spiritually/typologically from ‘an arrived at’, (=established), kingdom place on Earth where God’s Will is being done “as in Heaven” (Matt 6:10).
Of course, all of this, and what ensues below, had been summarily revealed in the parallel prophecy of the Bible at Dan 7:13-14 -discussed in here.
#65 DS 1.3d - Then I beheld Jesus as he was before the Father a great High Priest.
...a great High Priest - This imagery, especially from what will ensuingly be said here, comes to be allusive to the imagery of the (linearly) prolonged time’s segment (“linearly” following Rev 8:1...Namely Rev 8:2,3-5,6 which is the setting up of the Seven Trumpets which is, as discussed here then here, serves as a “dry run” warning of what will transpire under the matching Seven Last Plagues. The Seven Trumpets end with the successful setting up of God’s Temporal Kingdom amidst the other Worldly kingdoms (Rev 11:15-19), and the Seven Plagues end with, -surely through the ministry, influence and spread of this Kingdom of God, the eradication of Babylon’s “footprint” and influence from this Earth. (Rev 16:17-21).
High Priest - What is taking place in this Sanctuary sanctifying is that, as it was involved, and implied in DA 790.3: the Son now, furthermore, has to ‘guarantee to His Father that he will make the already bookmarked “jewels” (see Mal 3:3, 16-18; cf. Dan 12:3) who are now to be constituents of His (Temporal) Kingdom, to become: "more precious than fine gold, even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir." (Isa 13:12)...lest (cf. Dan 2:44) this ‘Finalizing Kingdom’ again devolve into that Earth-seducing&corrupting Harlot Babylon (Rev 17+18)...
#67 DS 1.3e - On the hem of his garment was a bell and a pomegranate, a bell and a pomegranate.
a bell and a pomegranate - To get the full/loaded meaning of this, otherwise seemingly mere depiction fluff, prophetic statement/detail, one has to see the meaning of this bell-ringing system from the Biblical text. =Exod 28:33-35; cf. 39:24-26. From what I have commonly heard or read, people have assumed that this system was used to hear the High Priest ministering in the Most Holy Place, even to be alerted if he would perhaps be struck dead and so the bells would stop ringing. Place...But the Biblical text is clear as to what the actual primary, if not lone, purpose of this notification system is for:
“its sound shall be heard when he [Aaron the ministering High Priest] enters and comes out from the holy place before the LORD [=MHP]” (Exod 28:35)
So rather than being a “real-time” alert system to see if the High Priest has not dropped dead, -though that could be an incidental/secondary application, but rather to indicate when the High Priest would “enter” and then “come out” from the Most Holy Place. It could very well be that given the (thick/heavy) curtain that separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place, the sound of these golden bells being struck by the (“blue, purple and scarlet”) pomegranates, would be rather faint and so would not be heard through this partitioner.
So it would only be hearable when the High Priest came from behind that curtain, or when he would go through the curtain and into the MHP, -thus causing the hearing of the sound of these bells to stopped being hearable/heard from outside of the Holy Place. As EGW later recounts in an enjoined vision “4 months later” (at DS, March 14, 1846 par. 2):
“we cried to God for deliverance day and night till we began to hear the bells on Jesus' garment. And I saw Jesus rise up in the Holiest, and as he came out we heard the tinkling of bells, and knew our High Priest was coming out.”
So with a Judgement Session being done on that Day of Atonement ministering by the High Priest in the Most Holy Place, this bell system was pointedly to notify those endeavoring to hear its sound of when that Judgement Session began (=High Priest enters MHP) and when it had ended (High Priest comes out).
Given that EGW was shown in that subsequent vision that the Great Time of Trouble would transpire before these sounding bells were heard, it would seem to be a mere pro forma warning, pointedly on the “coming out” part, but as it is that Jesus only receives “rewards” after probation has closed, and so after a judgement session has been done (See Rev 22:11-15), the this notification that ‘their High Priest has come out’, actually serves to warn these righteous people to ‘stand firm where they now stand’ as probation has now closed and a Kingly Son is now returning.
So the ending of sounding when the High Priest enters the MHP, itself does overtly serve as a notification that the Judgement Session has begun. Interestingly enough, it is when one no longer hears the sounding of these bells, thus indicating that the High Priest has moved from the HP to the MHP, that they should then solemnly understand that their Investigative Judgement, to see if they qualify to be constituents of God’s Kingdom, has begun.
‘blue, purple and scarlet’ - Exod 28:33 reveals that the pomegranates were to be (painted) “blue, purple and scarlet”. Succinctly said, these are, respectively, the color for: God’s Law (cf. Num 15:37-41; -which serves to prevent Israel ‘from playing the (Babylonian) Harlot’ (Num 15:39); Kingly Vestments and Blood (i.e. of (Christ’s) Sacrifice). So that can serve as a hint of the three main elements under consideration during this Sanctuary ministering. As shown to EGW in her subsequent vision, ‘Christ changes from His Priestly garment to Kingly Vestments (of vengeance -8T 315.1)’ after He comes out for the last time from the MHP (thus while He is then in the HP).
So achieving/arriving at/obtaining the Earth-overruling, Kingdom power that Fallen-Israel Babylon sought to obtain by “changing God’s time and laws” (Dan 7:25) “playing the harlot” (cf. e.g. Rev 17:2, 18; 18:3), is actually obtained by God’s Faithful People through remaining faithful to the Law of God and allowing Christ Himself, -{and not a usurping system of Earthly priests (=Dan 8:10-14 -discussed in here)}, to plead from, and apply to/towards, them the merits of the Blood from His Sacrifice. (cf. Matt 5:3-12)
Eschatologically speaking/applying, the SDA Church as a time-spanning Denominational whole had “heard”, from the Historical application of this SOP vision, when their High Priest had entered into the MHP in 1844. However, with the June 2000 Eschatological Judgement message from Rev 11, SDAs going their initial warning that their High Priest had, actually since around 1999, left His Intercessory functions in the Judgement and has since then, while now in His Kingly Vestments in order to establish the Plan A Kingdom, that He has managed to secure, been heard being in the Holy Place.
Spiritually-Fittingly enough, the soundings of notifications with every new blog post of this “Theological Views Blog” serve as the pomegranate sounding to each indicate just how the Final Judgement of the failed Remnant SDA Church has transpired....but as later seen, that Capitalism-ridden, “Synagogue of Satan”, continue to ‘pray to Satan at the God-vacated throne’, and while not having a clue that they are merely “worshiping at the feet” of God’s actual “choice” (Matt 22:14) =chosen one(s). (Rev 3:7-13). I.e.: So no matter how much these SDAs thrash about to try to make Church Militant progress with their deficient resources, they won’t be making any advance until they heed and proclaim the more/most advance Biblical/Prophetic messages and perform the missions for these prolonged times of this NJK Project!!!
#69 DS 1.3f - Then Jesus shewed me the difference between faith and feeling.
...Jesus showed me... - For a statement which is clearly being heightened from the rest of what was also being shown in this “testimony of/from Jesus” [Rev 12:17; 19:10], it is oddly/strikingly quite terse, i.e. not going into any details...and to add to the perplexity here, after a second mention less than a month later, in her April 1846 re-publishing of this vision, this statement is the second of 3 which are never again repeated in the other 2 publishings of this vision (i.e. ExV1851 & EW1882).
As already stated at #5 DS 1.1c upon my ‘experienced impression’ (=1SM 25.4), the (increasingly) manifest reason for the withdrawals of this and those other 2 statements by EGW in post-1846 publishings is that they collectively were part of testing truths for the Advent People then, pointedly the ensuing, Laodicean, SDA (Militant) Remnant Church. So manifestly the Heavenly Intelligence later instructed EGW not to make explicit mention, or as it will be seen here, explicit referral to this/these aspects of this key, Remnant Era-sweeping, vision.
the difference between faith and feeling - Now while EGW does not go into any detail about the “difference between faith and feeling” that Jesus had showed her right here, it is interesting and striking to see that for both her 1851&1882 publishing of this vision in ExV 59.1-60.2 and EW 72.1-73.2 while she did remove the explicit mention of this statement there, she actually devoted an entire section to relate in certain detail what manifestly Jesus had had shown her about “faith and feelings”. She also seems to have conflated elements and insights about the topic of prayer from a distinct vision she then recently had had in ca. July 29, 1850 (=Ms5 1850) in Oswego NY. My first impression here is that she manifestly did both this distinct relating, as well as the conflating, at the direct instruction of the Heavenly Intelligence, even making related statements later on in a curtailed 1860 publishing of this faith vs. feeling insight.
But first of all, here is a full, posting of her initial (i.e. 1851) detailing of Faith vs. Feeling insight. (ExV 59.1-60.2) [Similarly, see her later, 1907, protracted exposition on this topic in RH, Feb 28, 1907 Art. A par. 1-11]. It is variously, “cosmetically” marked up at points which come up in later discussion:
Prayer and Faith
I have frequently seen that the children of the Lord neglected prayer altogether too much, especially in secret; and that many do not exercise that faith which is their privilege and duty, and often wait for that feeling which faith alone can bring. Feeling is not faith, but the two are distinct. Faith is ours to exercise, but joyful feelings, and the blessing, is God's to give. The grace of God comes to the soul through the channel of living faith, and that faith it is our power to exercise. {ExV 59.1}
True faith lays hold of and claims the promised blessing before it is realized and felt. I have seen that we must send up our petitions in faith within the second vail, and have our faith take hold of the promised blessing, and claim it as ours. And we are then to believe that the blessing is ours, and that we receive it, because our faith has hold of it, and according to the Word it is ours. “What things soever ye desire when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” Here is faith, naked faith, to believe that we receive the blessing, even before we realize it. When the promised blessing is realized and enjoyed, faith is swallowed up. But many suppose they have much faith when sharing largely of the Holy Spirit, and that they cannot have faith unless they feel the power of the Spirit. Such confound faith with the blessing that comes through faith. The very time to exercise faith is when we feel destitute of the Spirit. When thick clouds of darkness seem to hover over the mind, then is the time to let living faith pierce the darkness, and scatter the clouds. True faith rests on the promises contained in the word of God, and those only who obey the Word, can claim the glorious promises contained in it. “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” John 15:7. “Whatsoever we ask we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.” 1 John 3:22. {ExV 59.2}
I have seen that we should be much in secret prayer. Christ is the Vine, we are the branches. And if we would grow and flourish in the Vine, we must continually draw sap and nourishment from the Living Vine, for without the Vine we have no strength. {ExV 60.1}
I asked the angel why there was no more faith and power in Israel. Said he, “Ye let go of the arm of the Lord too soon. Press your petitions to the throne, and hold on by strong faith. The promises are sure. Believe ye receive the things ye ask for, and ye shall have them.” I was then pointed to Elijah. He was subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly. His faith endured the trial. Seven times he prayed before the Lord, and at last the cloud was seen. I saw that we had doubted the sure promises, and wounded the Saviour by our lack of faith. Said the angel, gird the armor about thee, and above all take the shield of faith, for that will guard the heart, the very life from the fiery darts of the wicked. If the Enemy can get the desponding to take their eyes off from Jesus, to look to themselves, to dwell upon their own unworthiness, instead of dwelling upon the worthiness of Jesus, his love, his merits, and his great mercy, he will get away their shield of faith and gain his object, and they will be exposed to his fiery temptations. Therefore, the weak should look to Jesus, and believe that they have faith, then they can exercise faith. {ExV 60.2}
Then following a (documented) mention of this faith vs. feeling topic in 1857* EGW went on to, -in a subsequent (documented) mention a couple of years later in 1859**, prefacingly state that she had “had great freedom in talking upon faith, that faith and feeling should not be confounded together.” She makes a similar “great freedom” preface when just before mention her husband given his 5 sermons that week-end, saying that he had “had good liberty in preaching”. And then she follows that mention of her own “great freedom” preaching by saying of a certain two other preachers. She says: “Brother Pierce talked with great freedom and power, also Brother Phillips”.***
Now it is from her subsequent 1860 re-publishing of her detailing about her “Faith vs. Freedom” insight (in 2SG 291.1-293.2) that it is seen what exactly she meant these “great freedom” qualifiers, and manifestly also in regards to other people. She says in 2SG 292.2:
“At times I am carried far ahead into the future and shown what is to take place. Then again I am shown things as they have occurred in the past. After I come out of vision I do not at once remember all that I have seen, and the matter is not so clear before me until I write, then the scene rises before me as was presented in vision, and I can write with freedom. Sometimes the things which I have seen are hid from me after I come out of vision, and I cannot call them to mind until I am brought before a company where that vision applies, then the things which I have seen come to my mind with force. I am just as dependent upon the Spirit of the Lord in relating or writing a vision, as in having the vision. It is impossible for me to call up things which have been shown me unless the Lord brings them before me at the time that he is pleased to have me relate or write them.”
So it would seem sequitur to think/deem that what she understood by her saying that: ‘she (or others) had had {some degree of:) freedom’ what that, at that very time that she/others were speaking, or shortly leading up to it, and/or in direct preparation for this speech, she/they had experienced this (Biblical) power of the Holy Spirit to bring back to her/their minds what they should say to this audience. (=Matt 10:19|Mark 13:11|Luke 12:11-12; cf. John 14:26). So they would indeed have been given “liberty/freedom” to speak on these revealed things pointedly in the light of the fact that she says she, perhaps likewise also with others, could/did not remember/think before this about these things.
* In a July 24, 1857 ‘Testimony for the Church’ (in Central New York) publishing, based on a vision that she had received at Ulysses, Pennsylvania ca. 3 weeks earlier on July 6, 1857. [=1T 164.1-167.3 (=Ms.2 1857). The ‘Faith vs. Feeling’ mention is at 1T 167.2),
** In an October 12, 1859 letter (=Lt 30, 1859; -priorly erroneously dated&filed by the EGW Estate as a Letter of 1854 when partly published in 5MR 206.3; 231.1). Insight mention is at Lt30-1859.5.
*** -Likewise, in a Diary Entry a week later on October 19, 1859 (Ms.8 1859.8) [=3MR 144.3] EGW similarly writes about how she, in a subsequent meeting at a little meetinghouse in Bucksbridge, NY, again had “had freedom talking of faith, showing the difference between faith and feeling.”
Now what is pivotally significant in all of these mentions is that, while it can be surfacely argued/defended that EGW had omitted to mention that “faith vs. feeling” statement, along with those two other statements, in those 1851 & 1882 republishings of it, it was because she would be instead expounding on it in greater detail later in the book in this dedicated “Prayer and Faith” sections. For one thing, while this claim can be plausibly be made about this statement, it actually cannot be made about the other two statements that she likewise omits to re-mention. And the striking thing that still remains in regards to even this later expounded on statement, is that EGW makes absolutely no linking referral about this being what she had been shown in her Second (Public) Vision. In fact, in a “Supplement” section, starting on page 86, that was written by EGW herself in the 1882 Early Writing’s book, she goes on to make several annotations about various things that she had said earlier in the 1851 book. This would have been a pertinent opportunity to also note/mention that her section on “Prayer and Faith” contained the content of what she had been shown by Jesus in the Second Vision....But she doesn’t, -in my view, deliberately so, make any such explicit linking mention.
So all things considered here, I am not seeing this omitting and selective relocating as a discretionary Editorial type of decision by EGW, but rather one that is at the direct, and secreted, instruction of the Heavenly Intelligence. And that is because this “Faith vs. Feeling” issue was going to serve as a testing truth for the Advent People, to weed out the “moronic”, i.e. merely-surface = shallow-grounded Believers, -who came to decision merely based upon ‘how they felt’, versus those who were diligent to exercise (true/Biblical) faith (cf. Heb 11:6ff). This whole Abrahamic movement is one which was founded on Faith (Heb 11:8-19), and as made prominent in the New Covenant, it is one which requires a people who have this type/degree of trust in/adherence to God in order to (finally) produce a truly/reliably righteous people that God can work with. Not people who are blown about by every whim of feeling, but people who adhere to, and act on, Godly principles.
Fact is, when one thinks about it, e.g. by pondering on every “fork in the road” episode of the Bible...starting with Adam & Eve and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (Gen 3), “Faith vs. Feeling” is at the root of every consequential decision made by people in the Bible, and in Biblical History. And as later seen, even the surfacely seemingly good kind of feeling can lead on astray if their substance is a deviation from the True Faith.
Confirming this above deduction, in a much later (September 22) 1902 letter (=Lt146-1902.2 = 10MR 141.1|3SM 75.2|5MR 146.1) EGW, in relation to this “faith vs. feeling” issue, states:
“I am again and again reminded that I am not to try to clear away the confusion and contradiction of faith and feeling and unbelief that is expressed.”
As she goes on to state, -as quoted next, that was all because God had taken upon Himself to deal with the outcome of those who would reject her prophetic ministry and message:
“I am not to be depressed, but am to speak the words of the Lord with authority, and then leave with Him all the consequences. I am instructed by the great Physician to speak the word that the Lord gives me, whether men will hear or whether they will forbear. I am told that I have nothing to do with the consequences, that God, even the Lord Jehovah, will keep me in perfect peace if I will rest in His love and do the work He has given me. {10MR 141.1}
So God was indeed intending to fully allow people to freely choose which side they candidly would prefer to stand on, all based on how they of themselves, discerned and managed their faith vs. their feelings. People will always freely do what they actually want to do, so no special intervention would be done by God to prevent this candid choice and decision. So that was all clearly being done as a testing means/measure.
A similar approach was seen/done by Jesus Himself during His Earthly ministry as He repeatedly, strategically did keep certain things hidden from certain people (e.g. Matt 13:10-13; 17:9; 16:20) even if that resulted in their, free-will pursued, loss. (Isa 6:8-13|Matt 13:14-15)
Also, such a partial-restriction circumstance would be just like God has “dichotomicly” presented Apocalyptic prophecy: They way to properly interpreting these prophecies, i.e. in Daniel and Revelation, is to perceive that the key to decoding the “signs/symbolism” used (cf. Rev 1:1) is from the fundamental principle that these are various types of allusions and references to other similarly figurative/symbolic usages in the Bible. The Heavenly Intelligence does not explicitly state this key fact, but it can be rightly figured out by the careful Bible/Prophecy student.
So this all is why EGW would have been told to, do go ahead and expand on that initial prophetic mention of this “Faith vs. Feeling” factor, but do not make any explicit linking mention to what it is originatingly referring to. Only the careful/faithful/diligent/righteous (cf. Dan 12:4, 9-10) reader/student of God’s revelations in the SOP would be understanding this key link here and so would also be seeing how pivotal this “faith vs. feeling” understanding is to being able to overcome in Laodicea.
In other words: as with encrypted Bible Prophecy, both the prophetic revelation and its decoding key would, -starting from then on, be in the “public domain” of SDAs, but only those who will come to be on route to “overcome” from that Laodicean Church would ever come to rightly, confirmingly and savingly, couple the two together.
So even the then faithful ones in that original EGW vision, those who, -as presented in #53 DS 1.3a2, had “risen with Jesus and followed Him as He led them a little way, (manifestly to the doorway of the Sanctuary’s Holy Place)’, would be subjected to a secondary testing (=Isa 6:13), and that would indeed come to by now fully be the present: SDA’s Shaking/Sifting; confirmed by their Mark of the Beast Testing; and culminating in their (Whirlwind) Judgement!
With the answer key for this Testing actually having been allowed to be supplied in the writing of EGW, that is actually, in theory, not that hard of a test to pass...But, as manifested today by all those who are failing it, it indeed is one that is trying in its practical implication.
Some Subsequent [Mentions]&Applications - Now, while EGW’s above-quoted expandings on what she was shown about this “faith vs. feeling” principle is quite clear in itself, the way/ways in which EGW went on to further apply it in certain of her subsequent spoken/written counsels* is quite significant and pertinent here as it does “flesh/hash out” the specific ways in which SDAs would practically fail to either: not be properly guided/sustained/maintained by faith and/or allowing spurious feelings (i.e. not ‘feelings produced by realized faith’) to overrule due faith. Indeed, as EGW involves, not all “feelings” are wrong...conversely just like not all miracles are proofs of Truth (Deut 13:1-5), but it is only as these concrete manifestations continue to be in full harmony with the truths of the Faith. (Cf. Isa 8:16, 19-20). And as it will be seen later, Satan will indeed deceive many people, including SDAs, by providing them the mere “feelings” that they prefer, i.e. peripheral emotions that are actually devoid/divorced of a “Faith of Jesus” (Rev 14:12) substance.
* FYI: I have personally found ca. 23 original times[5]5 in which EGW (herself) made mention of this Faith vs. Feelings issue in her writings. And, by the way, it is fundamentally crucial to see and understand that this Faith vs. Feeling point is similar to the “Christian Sojourning (=Walk)” (=2 Cor 5:1-10) principle stated by Paul in 2 Cor 5:7.
-In a lengthy/protracted Testimony in regards to “The Laodicean Church” published in 3T 252-304 (=RH Sept 16-Oct 7, 1873), EGW ends up going over in certain detail on the experience of the prophet Elijah revolving around his Mount Carmel showdown. At 3T 290.3 (=RH Oct 7, 1873 par. 14), she makes a seemingly allusion/application to her “faith and feeling” insight which may on the surface not seem to be so at all as she says “He was exalted to Pisgah's top, to be humiliated in the lowliest valley in faith and feeling.” But the wider context does show that she had in mind a conflicting of Elijah’s faith (+“high hopes”) versus the feelings he experienced when he saw the actual disappointing results from/despite his efforts:
“How did God look upon his suffering servant? Did he forsake him because despondency and despair had seized him? Oh! no. Elijah was prostrated with discouragement. All day had he toiled without food. When he guided the chariot of Ahab, running before it to the gate of the city, he was strong of courage. He had high hopes of Israel, that, as a nation, they would return to their allegiance to God, and again be reinstated in his favor. But the reaction which frequently follows elevation of faith, marked and glorious success, was pressing upon Elijah. He was exalted to Pisgah's top, to be humiliated in the lowliest valley in faith and feeling. But God's eye is still upon his servant. He loves him no less while he is feeling broken-hearted and forsaken of God and man, than when, in answer to his prayer, the fire flashed from Heaven, illuminating Carmel.” {RH, October 7, 1873 par. 14}
So clearly it is the “faith” versus the “feelings” of Elijah, as he considered the, results-wise, failed “consequences” of his efforts, which are being contrasted. As the wider application, for a Remnant Church movement which, applicably, considers itself to be the (actually, -given their failure, merely an) end time fulfillment of the “Elijah Advent” of Mal 4:4-6, this experience of Elijah is indeed pertinent to the (Militant) “Laodicean Church”, and also to the (more) Faithful Remnant which will “Triumphantly” come forth upon its Shaking. So understanding the difference between one’s faith versus one’s feeling is, as it proved to be for Elijah, what will help them make proper light of what transpires before them. As God had told EGW herself in regards to this, she has “nothing to do with the consequences”. All that she had to concern herself with, and do, was to make sure she was faithful in properly giving the testimonies that God had revealed to her to share, and exactly just as He wanted them to be given....even if it involved, (just as in my on “First Vision”), concealing certain elements, or the whole, of these revelations. (=Isa 6:8-13|Matt 13:10-17).
As it was in Isaiah’s, Elijah’s, Jesus’s, EGW’s and my own day, if people in God’s Church are either not fully, or not at all, doing God’s clear revealed will, it is not because they do not know of it...It is rather because, as expressed in Ezek 14:1-3, they willfully prefer to idolatrously cherish another god, -in our day: Capitalism, instead of (fully) obeying what God has already clearly instructed them to be doing instead. So at the very best, God will only be sending such defiantly rebellious people a “half-prophet” whose main task will actually be to, seamlessly, remonstratingly expose the various false/idolatrous belief & practices that they cherish/espouse (=Ezek 14:4-8), so that they will, if they are at all interested in doing the Truth, self-correct their erroneous ways.
But as amply seen by now, all that these deluded people will do is, vexatiously oppose and reject these prophets who actually mainly say and proclaim what they themselves either believe, preach and practice...or claim to believe, preach and practice. So clearly their problem has never been ‘the lack/absent of a (new) prophetic voice.’
Indeed here, with Elijah, he had just revealed that the Creator God was the only True and Living God, and there is this Jezebel who still wants to kill him for having killed her false prophets...and actually, there also are the people who sheepishly are not revolting against this, now evident, evil leadership. Indeed they are ‘tolerating Jezebel, that false prophetess’ (Rev 2:20). It should be Ahab and Jezebel who should be running for their lives, not Elijah. But they were not because the people, despite their, even relatively valid, claims/beliefs of piety in certain areas of what God requires (Rev 2:19), were tacitly in harmony with the “Babylonian” falsities of Jezebel....such as, today, with Neo-Babylon: Capitalism...So at best, these half-baked, Lukewarm worshipers could only make up: the Synagogue of Satan.
-At 3T 292.2-293.1 of the above discussed Testimony EGW extends her Elijah application to her own husband because she had been shown that he “has erred in giving way to despondency and distrust of God” pointedly by, like Elijah, having had let the resolute opposition of others to the works which God had led James White to do make him get discouraged. So, contrary to what EGW had been explained about this faith vs. feeling matter, James had unduly concerned himself with the “consequences” of the work he was Divinely-instructed to do. Really all he was supposed to do, was to make sure he did it properly and ‘let the consequences, i.e. whether people appreciate and accepted them or not, be the concern of God Himself’. God was indeed testing the genuineness and substance of the professing Believers through these works, and most turned out to be nothing better than base metal.
Similarly, in the SDA Church, the predominant, moronic, thinking is that, if God is really leading someone to do or teach something, then if many people in the Church respond positively to it, then it must be from God...If they do not, then it just wasn’t a move of God....But it can sensically be easily seen that that has never been the determinative criteria in any movement of God before. Most people, including amongst God’s professing people, usually only gravitate to people who say and do what they themselves prefer doing, without a due regard as to whether the teaching or action is actually in full agreement with the Bible.
So, as due, only a proper Biblical test will determine what is truly a Divine message for Faith and Practice. (Cf. 2 Thess 5:19-22) As EGW relatedly says:
“Genuine faith is founded on the Scriptures; but Satan uses so many devices to wrest the Scriptures and bring in error, that great care is needed if one would know what they really do teach. It is one of the great delusions of this time to dwell much upon feeling, and to claim honesty while ignoring the plain utterances of the word of God because that word does not coincide with feeling. Many have no foundation for their faith but emotion. Their religion consists in excitement; when that ceases, their faith is gone. Feeling may be chaff, but the word of God is the wheat. And "what," says the prophet, "is the chaff to the wheat?" {RH, November 25, 1884 par. 26}
So, this “Faith vs. Feeling” admonition goes both ways: it condemns those who reject Biblical Truth & Prophetic Light because they prefer to go by their insubstantive and spurious feelings of truth & light, but, as with Elijah, it encourages God’s messengers who have become discouraged because people are ignoring and/or opposing the Biblical Truth and Prophetic Light that they are presenting to them....And God accomplishes this “encouraging” by forthrightly instructing His Messenger to just don’t tax or burden themselves with trying to make those opposers heed the messages of Truth....They’ll have to incur the consequences of that rejection for themselves before God.
-In HS 232.2 (1886) EGW makes a related application of this “Faith vs. Feeling” matter in regards to a marriage that has become “unequally yoked”. Where the wife has accepts further, present Truth, while the husband refuses to do so. Ellen White terms this “the trial of separation in faith and feeling”. The counsel is that the wife (or any similarly “trialed” husband or child) should neither abandon her feeling towards her husband nor her faith towards God and His Truth, and by doing so, she may become a converting light tot he unbelieving husband. But there too, the “consequences” are left with God...or with the choice that the husband may have to make.
Adam experienced a similar “trial of separation in faith and feeling” when he found out that Eve had disobeyed God and sinned. (~HS 232.1) And, as related in PP 56.2ff, rather than choosing to keep His Faith in God and let Him resolve this issue of difference, he instead preferred/allowed his feeling towards Eve to “overborne” His Faith in God...and we all have since suffer those consequences. Eve would probably have suffered the consequence of death for her high handed sin, but God surely would have replaced her with another woman who’s Faithfulness alone towards God could have consoled Adam...but clearly Adam did not already have such a high-er level of Faith in/towards God.
Now, as it will be later seen, Satan knows that His deception of Believers in such matters of Faith and Feeling won’t work unless he can provide a plausible substitute for the various faith-confirming feelings that they think they will/should get from having acted upon what they think is Biblical Faith.
#71 DS 1.3g - And I saw those who rose up with Jesus send up their faith to Jesus in the Holiest, and praying, Father give us thy spirit.
Those who rose up with Jesus - It is fundamental to emphasize that these are the most faithful ones from all those, believers or non-believers, who had been found before the throne. Because even among this most faithful group, many “tares” and spurious Believers are still present. So God is here further testing/sifting/refining this group in order to come out with the true 144,000 “jewel” constituents for His then resolutely endeavored temporal Kingdom.
God accepts people on merely their profession of faith, but these people end up proving of themselves if they are actually genuine believers by how they fare when their professed faith is tested.
their faith...and praying - By this presence of “faith” and “prayer” as the two key elements of this following after the Pleading Jesus in the Holiest, it can be seen and understood why EGW dedicated and termed the, above-discussed at #69 DS 1.3f, related entire section on “Prayer and Faith”. Indeed EGW had seen, since the instance that she had received this Second (Public) Vision, that the welfare and fate of those who could come out of this ordeal as the most faithful ones, all revolved around their “Faith & Prayer”, and that versus their ‘Feeling and Neglect’.
‘Father give us thy spirit’ - So, these people are praying to have the Spirit = mind-set of God the Father. That of course is conveyed to worthy human recipients through the Holy Spirit, who is merely bringing to remembrance (=John 14:26) the perfect demonstration and representation of the Father that Jesus Christ had emulated and modeled when on Earth. (=John 12:45; 14:9; Heb 1:3) And so this all is really a pleading for, -as confirmed next, the Latter Rain Holy Spirit Outpouring of God, which leads, strengthens and confirms people into doing the Full Gospel Works that Jesus Christ did and most clearly mandated (e.g. Matt 25:31-46).
The people who receive this Spirit of God the Father are sealed with the Philadelphian Seal. =Rev 3:12 They have: the character of God; His New Jerusalem Kingdom; and Jesus’ (exalting) New Name (=Phil 2:8-11; Heb 1:3-4) in their (Volitional) Mind (=“forehead”)..
#73 DS 1.3h - Then Jesus would breathe on them the Holy Ghost.
Breathe on them the Holy Ghost - This, indeed, Latter Rain Outpouring is a double portion, as it also includes the Early Rain’s blessing. And, through the similar terminology and action as done by Jesus in John 20:21-22 also includes the Spiritual discernment needed in regards to dealing/disciplining resolutely offending people (=Matt 18:15-18) which are situations which are indeed sure to amply manifestly themselves in this conflicting of Faith vs. Feeling. These apostasizing people need to be removed from the fellowship of those who are striving in Faith and Prayer towards Jesus Christ Kingdom Will here and left to go join those resolute apostates out there. (=Matt 18:17; e.g. 1 Cor 5:3-5).
#75 DS 1.3i - In the breath was light, power and much love, joy and peace.
In that breath = So in that Spirit impartation. And as the spirit is to affect the mindset, then this is substantively an intellectual understanding about the following, various components of this impartation. This Spirit impartation on these things is to settle and seal the receiver into the concrete and immovable Truth on these key components. It is indeed what is involved in God’s Sealing. (=LDE 219.4).
So this sealed receiver is here being given the (Full) Biblical Truth as to what determines Biblical: light, power, love, joy and peace....which, not surprisingly, -as seen next, all revolve around Christ’s Full Gospel Mandate (See LDE 218.3-219.3)
light - Jesus is the “Light of the world” (e.g. John 1:4; 8:12; 9:5; 12:46) =the “Light of Life” (DA 463-475); so it is to be expected than any Light which comes from/through Him will be in full Harmony with the Light that He has already manifested. So new prophetic light will indeed be in furtherance/completion of that already established Gospel Light. Any thing that draws away from that fullest Light is just a deception of Satan.
Not surprisingly, Satan has already caused his counterfeiting “dark light” to shine and deceive, even professing Believers (=EW 263-266); -with a special version for SDAs (=EW 266-269). It is all part of His Angel of Light Deception which aims to present a false ministry of righteousness (=2 Cor 11:13-15; 1T 341.1; ST, April 12, 1883 par. 1-9ff) This ensnaring light is manifested in Capitalism, which even most Christians and SDAs see as God’s very will for the Economic Ordering of this World, and SDAs themselves also do not have any qualm in incorporating the principles of at selfishness&covetousness-enshrining system as the fundamental operating policy to conducting God’s work, as seen in their default individualism and competition approach to doing various tasks of the Church. The Light from Jesus Christ calls for, and leads to, a default cooperation model and not a “who is/will be the Greatest” template.
power = Jesus Christ has received “All Authority in Heaven and on Earth” (Matt 28:19-20), and He is willing to use this key to unlock and impart any required Divine Power needed by those who are setting out to accomplish His Full Gospel Mandate in this World (cf. Acts 1:8)
Satan himself has the trickster power to manufacture seemingly genuine miracles, and so, like a magician, he so deceives people who are merely looking at the externals of things to determine if there is any substance, and a Biblical one, undergirding these manifestations.
much love - As many passages in the Bible state and show: God is Love (1 John 4:7-16), God’s Law is based on Love (Matt 22:34-40) God aids (Luke 10:25-37; James 2:8-14ff) and even sacrifices because He Loves (John 3:16; 15:13)...So it is to be expected that a genuine manifestation of love will be one which involves these elements....And the Apostle Paul went on to give the perfect encapsulation of this True/Biblical/God-like Love in 1 Corinthians 13. Love that indeed incorporates Truth and Righteousness, -thus having the courage to tell the Truth and do what it Right no matter the cost, along with all of those other components enounce by Paul here, is indeed “much love”, i.e. much more than the patent self-serving/seeking demonstration which is popular in the world today.
joy - As with Love, the actual Biblical definition of, now, “joy” is also not how the fallen world would define it, but how Jesus has defined it (=John 15:10-11)....and succinctly said, this “joy” revolves around being in, and doing, the (Full, Biblical) Will of God (cf. John 16:24; 17:13-17; e.g. Matt 25:19-23), no matter the cost or obstacles. (Heb 12:2-3). The fallen world would define love according to a surface/external “flight of feelings” (see ST, May 22, 1884 par. 4), but the Heavenly Intelligence knows that True Joy is only found in knowing that one is at the very center of God’s Will as that is the only feeling that will pan out and endure.
peace - Well here too, there is no better definer of True/Biblical/Godly “Peace” than from the Prince of Peace” Himself (Isa 9:6)...But here too, neither the substance, nor the arriving-at means, of this Peace are like what, and how, this fallen world believe and practices. The clarion call to this stark difference was indeed expressed by Jesus, and clearly so in Matt 10:34-36/Luke 12:51-53. The Peace that Jesus came to establish is not one which, as this world does, agrees to compromise and “coexist” with untruth, unrighteousness, sin and evil. Jesus knows that the only true and lasting peace is one which is wholly built on, and operated in, Truth and Righteousness. The world may expediently prefer to tolerate things that God does not tolerate, including ungodly things which they themselves prefer, all in order to have a semblance of peace, but God knows that that is not a lasting peace, and even that it is only through the rich & powerful getting away with committing unrighteousness that they thus forge their spurious and whitewashing “peace”.
And so, -as it was addressed here, we see in Rev 6:3-4 (cf. Rev 19:15) that the True Movement of Christ is one which, as it sets out to do God’s will, removes this sham of (false) “peace” from the Earth. Of course then God’s Righteous one’s are vexatiously, vitriolically blamed for: “upsetting the world” by ‘turning it’s ungodly order upside down’ (Acts 17:4-6). But as the SOP preludingly says (at GC 46.3-48.3) about Christ’s ‘seemingly contradictory’ statements in Matt 10:34-36/Luke 12:51-53:
“If unity could be secured only by the compromise of truth and righteousness, then let there be difference, and even war. ” (GC 45.3)
A “peace” secured by “the compromise of truth and righteousness” may be enthusiastically deemed a so-called “truce” by the world, but God repugnantly views it as nauseating Lukewarmness (cf. Rev 3:15-17ff) which indeed is unsustainable with Him. People professing Godliness, even Direct Divine (i.e. prophetic) Messages may come along claiming to know what constitutes, and what contributes, to peace, but if it being done by whitewashing unrighteousness and plastering over defects with lies, then that indeed is a False Peace. (Ezek 13:10-16).
Arriving at Christ’s Peace in this Fallen World which is naturally and resolutely unsympathetic to it involves the soldier of Christ to lawfully take on evil in order to defeat, and eradicate it.* That is, using the freedoms and laws of the land in question, the Biblical Christian is to do all that is permitted in order to try to proclaim the truth and spread righteousness. Of course, as patently “reactionarily” seen throughout history, the vexatious World can then take legal, or even illegal, means to oppose this sure triumph of Truth and Righteousness... -(because people literally have to fight against, and even do searing violence to, their God-planted conscience to reject Truth and hate Righteousness), and so, as in the Final Mark of the Beast showdown enact laws to hinder and curtail such allowances, or just outrightly take unlawful violent actions against the Righteous...But God then assures those who do His will that any such unlawful acts against them will not go unpunished...if not (outwardly) in this life, but surely in/for the Eternal age to come. (Cf. Isa 54:15-17) So it is by true Faith in this promise of God that the Righteous set out to accomplish His Peace Plan.
This “Peace amidst the Storm” assurance to those who “obey God rather then men” (Acts 5:27-29) is indeed the Peace that Jesus gives. (John 14:27; 16:33)
* In the OT, Phinehas was approved of, and reward by, God with His “Covenant of Peace” (Num 25:12) for having taken decided action to end and eradicate evil in the midst of Israel (Num 25:1-11), which some may deem as evil, but that was actually perfectly lawful in God’s Israel where the Capital Penalty/Punishment for adultery was indeed death...Plus the way Phinehas executed this (extra-judicial) Punishment objectively “cemented” the proof that the two people here were indeed guilty.
Similar decisive action is likewise called for in the New Covenant (See 1 Cor 5:1-11) but all within the legal limits of any overruling temporal jurisdiction/power (cf. Rom 13:1-6-; 1 Cor 5:12)
#77 DS 1.4a - Then I turned to look at the company who were still bowed before the throne.
Then - For some reason this word “then” was dropped from the fourth=final (=EW 1882) relating of this Second Vision. That may surfacely seem as inconsequential, -and potentially it is, but as “then” introduces a sequential development, and as it seems most logical that EGW had seen what she goes on to relate here about those “still bowed before the Jesus-vacated throne’ ‘after’ having been shown what was going on with those who had ‘arisen with Jesus and followed Him a little way out’, then the dropping of this otherwise pertinent/fitting sequential marker may have been done to reflect the manifest, and sensical, fact that while EGW was being shown what was going on with the faithful ones, what she is now next shown is what had actually been going on during that time, through then, with the group that had remained back.
So it was a sequential development, but it would be key to reflect that these two scenes of this vision were going on at the same time.
still bowed before the throne - This company is already more faithful than the careless and indifferent ones who were just standing around that throne =the unBelieving World. So these still bowed company are clearly Believers, i.e. Christians. But they are Christians who have rejected the Heavenly Sanctuary Message and Jesus’ High Priestly and now Cleansing/Final Atonement/Judgement ministry in it. (=Dan 8:14). So they are still effective going by the eclipsing view of this Truth that was religiously effectuated by the Little Horn Power (=the Roman Catholic Church) during earlier Church History. (=Dan 8:10-13).
So this company are Christians who are still in Babylon. They have rejected the Second Angel’s Message to “come out of her” (Rev 14:8). They have also rejected the First Angel’s Message about God’s (Investigative) Judgement Hour and its key call to ‘worship the Creator’, i.e. by ‘remember to keep His (Seventh Day) Sabbath Holy’ (=Exod 20:8-11). And so they are well on track to fail to heed the most solemn message of all the Third Angel’s Message. (Rev 14:9-11)
So this company pointedly represents a Protestant group. They constitute the “Daughter”=Neo-Babylon Church, Headquartered in, -as next depicted in this vision, Satan’s assumed throne location =Headquarters, on this Earth, the patently and systematically sin-compromising, Protestant-founded: United States of America (=Rev 13:11ff).
#79 DS 1.4b - They did not know that Jesus had left it.
did not know.... - So these Christians do not know that Jesus had vacated this thronal establishment. It so fittingly is the case that many, if not most, Christians in America have this belief that “America is a Christian Nation”...Well succinctly said: it used to be, pointedly around the time of its founding...and only because most of its people then were sincere followers of Christ...But from the time that it chose to reject the Reformation-completing messages of God, as it was begun to be done by the U.S. sweeping Second Advent Movement, Jesus has indeed moved away from that potentially feasible “Christian Nation” throne establishment, to instead seek to establish His temporal Kingdom of God through that faithful Remnant group that has continued to “keep their eyes fixed on Him” (=Heb 12:2) and followed after Him (=Rev 14:4-5ff).
...us had left it - It has come to be (traumatically) inculcated in the Remnant’s psyche that the Union of Church and State is anathema to the Will of God....But as stated in the SOP in 1MR 51.1 in the context of the rise and fall of World Hegemonic/Order Powers prophetically depicted in Dan 2, God actually does not mind a Theocratic Kingdom, if, -as required for Israel, He is the only God of that Nation, and that the People are choosing to fully do His (Biblical) Will. What God is opposed to, is a Church+State form of government that instead upholds the Truth-counterfeits, principles and practices of Satan. And that is indeed what Satan has been seeking to Nationally and Hegemonically establish in this World. That is his best end game for his Great Controversy stance.
So any nation which God (alone=Dan 2:21) allows to accede to the Hegemonic rule of this World have been given a perfect opportunity to choose if they will give up their paganistic/evil/lying ways and instead humbly bow before the Creator God and obey/do His Will. Cases in point:
1-Babylon, through its first, hegemony-founding leader Nebuchadnezzar, began to humble itself before God (Dan 2:46-49), and even after Nebuchadnezar relapsed (Dan 3), God gave him a powerful chance to see and heed Him as the only God (Dan 4). But Babylon went on to choose to reject God (Dan 5).
2-Medo-Persia likewise was given several powerful chances, especially with its hegemony-founding leader Cyrus (=Darius the Mede) (e.g. Isa 44-28-45:3||Ezra 1:1-4ff (cf. Josephus, Antiquity of the Jews 11:1.1 [#1-#6]); Ezra 7:11-26; Neh 1-2), but it too went on to choose to remain in its paganistic ways.
3-When the hegemonic-founding leader of Greece, Alexander the Great, was presented with the proof of Divine Prophecy when about to assault Jerusalem, he allowed himself to be humbled and spared the city and also not tax it (See Ant. 11:8.5 [#337-#339]). But Greece did not go on to capitulate to the rule of God in their own lives and nation.
4-The Roman Empire had its best opportunity to Nationally see and heed the Truth and Will of God through the founding and explosion of Christianity right in its midst...And who knows what could have “alternatively” transpired with the Roman Empire if some of its official leaders had allowed themselves to be converted when they encountered the leading proponents of the Gospel, namely: when Pilate (whose wife had received a clear Divine ‘tormenting’ warning -Matt 27:19), and then Felix (Acts 24:24-27) and Agrippa (Acts 26:27-28ff) being confronted by, respectively, Jesus Christ, and then the Apostle Paul...And indeed yet, tellingly enough, after centuries of persecutively opposing this powerful Faith, it, starting at 313 A.D. began to tolerate and even embrace Christianity as more and more of its people converted to it...and the expected did happen: Christianity completely took over the Empire. Satan panicked as he realized that trying to reverse this grassroots development was futile, and so he then began to engage in his present GC endgame tactic: Letting Christianity take over his priorly unbelieving Earthly Powers, but leading the religious and governmental leaders of such Christian Nation to adopt, spread and even enforce a spurious and/or outrightly apostate version of Christianity....
5-...And that is what it came to be able to do with the World’s Fifth Hegemonic/Ordering Power: the Papal Roman Empire (=Dan 7||Rev 13:1-10)
6-As it is discussed in detail in here (at Dan 2:33b, 41-43), the World’s Sixth Hegemonic/Ordering Power came in the reactionary development of separating the Church from the State. This was ordained by God in order to allow for His Truth Faith to be reseeded in this world and freely grow, i.e. in/as/through the Protestant Reformation.
7-But then/now God has always planned a Seventh and Final Hegemonic/Ordering Power, and that is His Dan 7:9ff endeavored Temporal Kingdom of God entity (=Rev 11:15-18; 19:11-16).
So this is what Jesus has begun to do with/through that most faithful company that kept of following after Him to/into the pivotal Sanctuary Theology.
#81 DS 1.4c - Satan appeared to be by the throne trying to carry on the work of God.
Satan appeared to be - Putting aside the shocking substance of this statement...i.e. ‘SDA is by a (vacated) throne of God’, the fact that this is expressed in somewhat of a figurative sense, i.e. “appeared to be” is itself also striking. So did EGW actually see Satan there by God’s vacated throne or did it only “seem to be” as if that was the tangible case?? If she had straightly said: “Satan was by the throne”, or even “Satan appeared to be by the throne” then the first understanding would be sequiturly seen; but she did, manifestly deliberately/purposefully, instead “figuratively” express it.
So the understanding that ‘it merely seemed as if Satan was there by that vacated throne of God’ is most accurate here....And I can only ascribe this manifest lingering reticence of a full take over by Satan here, i.e. “Satan actually seated on the throne”, that this is because those who are bowed before that throne and praying, but ‘not knowing that Jesus had left it’ are actually still sincere...though sincerely wrong....So Satan does not .... yet... have the full green light to take over that throne there and fully, but deceptively, manifest himself to these misguided worshipers as the one who they are actually serving....Such a full manifestation of Satan is, i.e. would be, his Final “Angel of Light” (2 Cor 11:13-14) “Overmastering Delusion” (=GC 624.2) Deception. This is the completed fulfilment of Paul’s prophecy in 2 Thess 2:4, 8-10. So Satan is only here “encroaching” into this worshiping group, probably only moving as slowly as they allow him to as they gradually and increasingly continue to allow their incomplete theology and implicated lawlessness worship lead them further and further away from Christ’s Truth and Will. (cf. Matt 7:21-23).
trying to carry on the work of God - Satan is here taking full advantage of this permitted foothold in the Church of Christ, here pointedly, the Protestant Church. He dares not fully reveal himself, as himself, nor, as seen below, manifest his evil ways, but instead is using spurious righteousness ways, trying to pass these as the actually work of God that his ministers should be proclaiming and doing. (=2 Cor 11:13-14).
But Jesus has actually long departed from this worship group, just like God had desolated the Jewish Temple upon the rejection of Christ (Matt 23:37-38)...and the only time this became known by these left behind worshipers, was when the Judgement of God was tangibly manifested on them at the Destruction of their also long-desolate Jerusalem. (=Dan 9:26b, 27b presented in here & in here).
Succinctly said, as it has already been amply cited before, this spurious/counterfeit Christian work that Satan is attempted to deceptively have done by people who still think that they are doing Christ’s very work is the deception of Capitalism. As seen here, this deception alone is the “Swiss-army knife” of deceptions for Satan, hence why it is the fullest fulfillment of the Mark of the Beast as warn against by the Third Angel’s Message. This is self-evidencingly seen by the following Spiritual/Biblical facts:
-Capitalism requires/Conditions/Forces people, even Christian, to foster and favor their base and evil traits of selfishness (Phil 2:3), greed (Luke 12:15), covetousness (Eph 5:5), materialism (Luke 12:16-21) and jealousy (e.g. James 3:14-16), all of which are clearly forbidden in the Bible.
-Capitalism “woefully” makes these above cited evil traits be claimed and deemed as good...even God’s own good (=Isa 5:20)...
-Capitalism also comes to make evil actions such as (effective and/or actually) hate (cf. 1 John 3:13-18), strife (James 4:1-4ff), war and murder, also be deemed to be God’s very will and goodness.
-So Capitalism simultaneously serves as a principle which slanders (=blasphemes) the name/character of God,
-Capitalism violates the Socialistic Sabbatical principles and mandate of God as found throughout the Bible. (-contra: Isa 58; cf. Deut 15:1-11)
-And so Capitalism makes violence to the Spirit and Letter of God’s Law.
-So Capitalism endorses and is conducive to sin, thus making of non-effect the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
-Capitalism hinders and perverts the evangelistic mandate of Christ by presenting an ensnaring Gospel, one which leads the receiver of this American Christianity to become a Son of Hell. (Cf. Matt 23:15). Indeed, as clearly stipulated by Jesus Himself in Matt 25:31-46: non-believers who ascribe to an unselfish and socialistic life, which seeks to self-sacrificingly help others in need have a much better chance of being saved than if they ascribe to the Protestant American Capitalistic Christianity Ethos which has all of these violation of God’s Law and Will.
-So this is all how Capitalism is the Fullest Mark of the Beast, and just looking at how it has indeed manage to find and hold a foothold within Protestant American Christianity, is indeed reflective of how Satan has stepped up beside a throne which still seems to be one which is occupied by God the Father and Jesus...
...the throne - That throne, which is the seat for a temporal ruler and not a Spiritual minister -and which oddly, even seemingly carelessly, has been left behind by the departing Godhead*, is representative of the United State’s seat of Power. As stated earlier, it potentially could have been occupied by Jesus Christ is the American People had chosen to remain in His Full Will for this newly forming nation, but they instead gradually gave themselves over to the “Babylonian” will and practices of Satan, pointedly economically, but also doctrinally&theologically. So as prophesied in Rev 13:11-18, Satan is now seeking to, and that by “seeming like a lamb”, take control of this seat of power and thus misdirect Americans, Christians and non-Christians, and then likewise peoples throughout the world, to adopt this Mark of the Beast deception.
* Leaving this throne behind by the Godhead, to the uncaring point that Satan would seek to overtake it, and be deceptively validated merely by its lingering presence, would seem like God inviting Satan to so deceive the former, yet still sincerely-believing-to-be-so, people of God.....Well that is exactly what the Bible prophesied that God would act to test and judge these lukewarm people: See 2 Thess 2:11-12; cf. John 13:21-29 ~2 Thess 2:3)
Supplemental Explanation: (EW 92.2)
Manifestly by 1882, a strident criticism of EGW was being widely circulated, and manifestly deemed as valid by some, about her statement here of: "Satan appeared to be by the throne, trying to carry on the work of God.". Clearly that criticism was bothersome enough that EGW here pointedly responded to it in an appended supplemental explanation (=EW 92.2) when republishing this vision in EW 1882. Here, first, is her full defense statement:
“I also stated that "Satan appeared [italics hers] to be by the throne, trying to carry on the work of God." I will give another sentence from the same page: "I turned to look at the company who were still bowed before the throne." Now this praying company was in this mortal state, on the earth, yet represented to me as bowed before the throne. I never had the idea that these individuals were actually in the New Jerusalem. Neither did I ever think that any mortal could suppose that I believed that Satan was actually in the New Jerusalem. But did not John see the great red dragon in heaven? Certainly. "And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns." Revelation 12:3. What a monster to be in heaven! Here seems to be as good a chance for ridicule as in the interpretation which some have placed upon my statements. {EW 92.2}
Now, upon reading this response of EGW, I found it to be rather, and uncharacteristically so, defensive in both argument and tone, even resorting to snippy, hyperbolic, sarcasm.* Then I also found her Biblical analogy to be substantively weak, even invalid. It therefore seemed to me that she had not been given any special light to counter this criticism and so had sought one out for/by herself.
* I.e. “Neither did I ever think that any mortal could suppose that I believed ...”
and: “Here seems to be as good a chance for ridicule as in the interpretation which some have placed upon my statements”
Saying that ‘John had seen the great red dragon in heaven”, is actually, to me, an incorrect interpretation here. “In heaven” rather seems to me to mean “in the sky” and not “within the heavenly realm of God” So this is seen to appear in the First Heaven (=the Earth’s Skies) and not the Third Heaven (Paradise). Plus this is merely a “great sign” an not anything substantive...Just as the pure woman was also a “great sign” which manifested itself in that same sky. (Rev 12:1).
However, I can see that since this great red dragon segment is making allusion to the fall, rebellion and warring of Satan (Rev 12:4a; cf. Rev 12:7-9), and it did begin when he was physically in Heaven, then this symbolic representation, i.e. sign, could be trying to make this link that this development has some inceptive link to Heaven itself, i.e. God’ Realm. Just like the woman, representing the “mystery of the (Gentile) NT Church”, was indeed a strategically hidden truth of God which was only to be later tangibly revealed upon the Earth (see Col 1:24-26; Eph 3:8-11), Satan’s own Great Controversy rebellion, which had begun in Heaven, was likewise kept from being revealed upon the Earth until the appropriate time.
Nonetheless, this all does not have to mean that these “signs” were actually physical things then fully taking place in Heaven, but, at best, that they did have an inceptively link to Heaven....and it is only those who Spiritually “look towards the heavens”, i.e. pray to Christ in His Heavenly Sanctuary who will be able to perceive and understand such hidden truths. (cf. Dan 12:4, 9-10)
So, these things were all transpiring according to God’s permitting will, and even (prophetic) plan....And as presented above, this taking over of this “company who were still bowed before the throne” (=Sanctuary Light/Message-rejecting Protestants) by Satan of that God&Jesus-vacated&left behind throne (=U.S. temporal power/government) was indeed all according to God’s prophetic purposes, setting up Satan’s allowed finalized (AntiChrist//Mark of the Beast) delusion (=2 Thess 2:3-12).
So this was indeed actually taking place in an almost realized temporal Heavenly realm. But as these people in 1844 failed to fully qualify to have this Dan 7:9ff temporal Kingdom of God plan then realized, and were only mercifully spared from judgement being carried out on them then. Jesus has since abandoned these plans for this long hidden, and now newly discover temporal land and jurisdiction, to instead start over and seek to fulfill these temporal New Jerusalem Kingdom purposes (=Dan 11:45) with merely a more faithful Remnant of that larger company...But/Yet Satan is allowed to try to: “Make American a (Democratic and False) Christian Nation” (=Rev 13:11ff)
#83 DS 1.4d - I saw them look up to the throne and pray, My Father give us thy spirit.
look up to the throne - How can these people still be looking at this throne and not see/realize that it is empty??...Jesus has left it.....Nor are they seeing that Satan is now the one who is standing by it and being their leader....The short/sequitur answer is that they are clearly putting all of their attention and interest on merely that physical throne....even more than on Jesus Himself. They clearly had not “kept their eyes on Jesus” and so did not see when He had left. So, as per Heb 12:2, He is not actually the “author and finisher/perfecter of their faith”. They therefore have a spurious “Christian” Faith. One which has its focal point in merely a throne, i.e. temporal power, which they are seeing/hoping is a ‘Christian temporal power’.
This is all like it was during Jesus’ Earthly ministry. Many times Jesus saw that most of the people who were following after him were doing so for other reasons than His person or His message. They merely took from Jesus what satisfied their personal, unholy/fleshly desires. (e.g. John 6:26-27)...And that included them wanting to have a powerful king who would defeat the rule of the Romans over them. So when Jesus went to the cross instead of the throne, they could not begin to see/understand this, and so jeeringly rejected Him, even pledging allegiance to the hated Roman Power (John 19:15).
“Christians” today are doing the very same thing, pointedly Protestant-American Christians, i.e. those in Neo-Babylon, many of whom are trying to have the seat of American power be a branch of the Christian Church. As discussed in the section above, this is Satan’s Endgame objective, -hence why he is here trying to lead this work towards this prophesied end (Rev 13:11-18). Satan has always sought to control a powerful temporal power which he could then use to forcefully stamp out the Flame of Truth, i.e. Biblical Christianity, in this world and so plunge it into complete and chaotic darkness.
As discussed here, this is what the recurring and adapted symbol of a “Dragon” (=the OT Leviathan = that beast which has 7 Heads and 10 horns) is all about. With the literalistic beast having been preemptively made extinct by God (Isa 27:1), Satan sought to find figurative “beasts” in the Hegemonic Kingdom/Empires of the world which exerted similar powerful influence on the Earth. So he tried it with Pagan (Ancient) Roman (=Rev 12:3; Dan 7:7,19,23-24a)...Then, when Christianity defeated Pagan Rome, he adapted his deception to delude Papal Rome (=Rev 12:13-15; 13:1-10; Dan 7:8,20-21,24b-25)...and with that religio-kingly Holy Roman Empire having be surpassed in temporal world influence by socio-economics of Protestant Christianity, pointedly as centered in the effective Global (Democracy) Empire of the United State of America (=Rev 13:11-18; 12:16-17), through its Satanic base/sinful culture and capitalistic economics.
So by having been looking to someone and something else than the person and teaching of Christ, having sought to serve ‘Mammon rather than God’ (Luke 16:12), -because Christ’ message of self-sacrificing service did not interest them, then these “Christians” are now indeed the perfect, witless, pawns of Satan himself, as he seeks to make them do his Evil, “Anti-Christ”, Will.
My Father... - These False Christians had also not even seen that the Father had long left the throne. And since God the Father had gone back to the Most Holy Place to begin a work of Final Judgement, then these false Christian are completely unaware that they are instead being judged by God. Telling that, as stated above in #71 DS 1.3g the more faithful Christian actually send their prayers to Jesus who then intercessorily relays their petition to the Father. So these Christians are actually “praying in Jesus’ name” while those who are still bowed before that vacant throne manifestly are trying to directly petition God the Father, without going through Jesus. This is because they have no knowledge of the Priestly Ministry that Jesus is doing for them. It also speaks of a certain arrogance in regards to their sinfulness. They do not feel unworthy and so don’t seek to pray to their Intercessor.
But, in its present day application/demonstration, it has always struck me that American Christians who are seeking to make America a Christian Nation, always resort to some OT template when they actually otherwise claim preach that it is done away with. In fact, they will normally claim that the Ten Commandment Law is done away with, but then claim that the U.S. must be ruled by the Ten Commandments. Of course, the only problem that they have with the 10 Commandments is the one about the Seventh Day Sabbath. So they will seek to have Sunday enforced instead of Saturday...Hence the Historical Mark of the Beast.
But these False/Babylonian Christians also have a issue with the message and model of Jesus Christ. It does not begin to support nor harmonize with their Capitalism ambitions..So that is why they ignore Jesus in their pursuit of temporal power.
give us thy spirit - God cannot begin to honor than. His Spirit cannot “seal” (2 Cor 1:21-22; Eph 1:13; 4:30) those who are disobedient to His Will (Acts 5:32; 16MR 34.3). That would be validatingly “sealing” them in sin. So they will have to instead unwittingly turn to someone else who will provide the mere “feelings” that they seek to validate their Satan-inspired cause.
On the flip side, those who are Biblically looking to and praying to Jesus are sealed with the pivotal “Philadelphian Seal” of Rev 3:12. This concretizes in the minds and understanding of these sealed 144,000 what the Godhead is calling and leading them to do in this time...i.e. establish Their redemptively-purposeful Temporal New Jerusalem Kingdom.
#85 DS 1.4e - Then Satan would breathe on them an unholy influence.
an unholy influence - With this being an “influence”, this is pointedly an ideology which will “influence” these people to do the wrong thing. An “influence” is only effective if the receiver is susceptible to being sway by it. So Satan is only giving them what they want to believe and do.
E.g. these Christians, albeit false Christians, could be against abortion, so Satan won’t be breathing an influence on them which seeks to ‘not reverse Roe vs. Wade’. That would readily unmask him to them. So he instead plays/preys on their assumption that “Capitalism, and its Individualism are the Will of God”, and so he breathes on them an influence which reinforces this unbiblical belief by e.g. leading them to oppose any social program which would serve to abort-abortion, thus continuing to make it seem that abortion is principally an economic relief to those who have one, including with (hypocritical) Conservatives. And so it is unlikely that it will ever be democratically abolished...A majority of (Conservative/Republican) Supreme Court Judges may be able to strike down Roe vs. Wade, but a Democrats-led Congress (i.e. House of Representative with (a veto-proof) Senate, or simply with a supporting Democrat President) can easily, and lawfully, democratically make Abortion the Law of the Land, even a Constitutional Right...And so, not even a Supreme Court of 9 Super-Conservative Judges would be able to undo that enactment.
The necessary “key” for Satan to accomplish his deceptions has always been, -from the very outbreak of this Great Controversy (see PP 33-43 & DA 758-763), to make sure to not reveal his true, hateful, lying and murderous intentions (=John 8:44). So here too, he does not dare manifest his true self and purposes with these Christians, even if they are deluded, because the last thing they actually want to do is to actually be serving Satan....So Satan settles with them effectively serving him by ascribing to the UnBiblical ways and teachings which naturally still accomplish his evil intentions and plans.
The “anti-Christ” entity indeed does not seek to “(openly) oppose Christ”. It instead seeks to “(corruptingly) take the place of Christ”, by teaching and doing what Christ has actually not said nor mandated, hence keeping people from heeding the only absolute “Way, Truth and Life” which can save them. Satan is out to destroy people by any effecting means available, and this Anti-Christ entity offers him his very best means.
#87 DS 1.4f - In it there was light and much power, but no sweet love, joy and peace.
-These counterfeits here of Satan to what Jesus’ Truth is on these elements was simultaneously cited when Jesus’ Truths were earlier discussed above at #75 DS 1.3i. So these points will not be repeated here, only furthering observations will be made now.
light - Yes Satan can take on a semblance of light, as in an “angel of light” That is how he initially visually sought to deceive and overthrow a weakened Jesus in the wilderness (See DA 118.2-3, 124.3; Matt 4:1-11//Luke 4:1-13 -cf here). So “light”, i.e. vs. darkness alone is not the determiner of Truth. That light must have as its source Jesus Christ (John 3:17-21).
much power - Likewise the manifestation of “power”, even miraculous power (Deut 13:1-5) does not determine what is Jesus’s Truth. (Zech 4:6; Rev 16:13-14ff) But Satan knows that many, including Christians are cowardly swayed by a “might makes right” ethos, and so he does lay on the powerful demonstrations here. Instead of the “much love” manifested by Jesus Christ (see above at #75 DS 1.3i), he instead works to manifest “much power”. (=Rev 13:13-17)
no sweet love, joy and peace - Satan effectively completely gives up on producing either (sweet) love, joy and peace..Because he knows his ways do not lead to that...so why even try to achieve this. He does however allow for a “cotton-candy” facade of these things, on that is just plausible enough to trap the ascriber into a dooming ditch. Whether this is psychologically damaging relations; conjured sickness, epidemic diseases, pent-up conflicts, premature death, “justified” murdering, destructive wars; vicious cycle of revenge and so on...
Satan cannot produce a sweet love, so instead various manifestations of orgies. He cannot produce a joy which stand up to reality. And he cannot forge a peace where no one is being put down by force.
And it is not at all surprising to see that “the love of money is at the root of all of these evils” (1 Tim 6:10 cf. Heb 13:5; James 3:14-18; 4:1-4ff). Remove this money-making incentive and most of these problems either do not arise at all, or are not deemed to be worth while to variously seek to make them be passably viable. So here again fundamentally comes into play the Capitalistic mindset, where “making money/profit” is the guiding and warranting “light”.
peace - As stated above at #75 DS 1.3i, “peace” is indeed the sought after end game of this Great Controversy Warring...i.e. “Peace on Earth” (Luke 2:14). The world’s end time Hegemonic Power, the U.S.A. has sought to revive the Pax Romana ways of the ultimately failed Ancient Rome. There and now, militarism is deemed to be a way to establish such a peace. And as most wars are fundamentally cause by economic strife & competition, then the U.S. deems that Capitalism is the best way to settle such inceptive differences so that things don’t escalate to a physical warring confrontation.
But that is like my former High School’s policy of not breaking up started/ongoing fights in school so that they belligerents can “get it out of their system” and not confront each other outside of school. They hope that the loser will accept this “fair fight” loss and end things there....As if such a beaten, and also publicly humiliated person, -(as this “permitted hockey fights” policy instantly attracted a bunch of cheering on onlooking students), then will not seek to get their revenge after school hours, and then with any advantaging “weapon” they could get their hands on. War and Military Force is never the perfect and lasting solution to any Conflict...There always has to come to be a meeting of the minds, and satisfactory settling of differences instead.
And that is what God’s temporal New Jerusalem Kingdom is endeavoring to do (=Rev 19:11-16), pointedly in the two areas which have been the main source of war: religion and economics by establishing God’s Biblical and Factual Truth (=e.g. Isa 60; Micah 4). The false, Capitalistic “peace” of this world needs to be overturned (=Rev 6:3-4)
Indeed this New Jerusalem Kingdom if God’s entity of “peace” (cf. Heb 7:2)...A peace which flows forth from “righteousness/right-doing” (Isa 60:17; cf. Psa 85:10).
#89 DS 1.4g - Satan's object was to keep them deceived and to draw back and deceive God's children.
keep them deceived - That is why Satan does not openly manifest himself to this deceived group, which has as its nucleus Protestant-Capitalistic Americans. If he did they not only would readily recognize him, but would straightway flee from his presence and surely not worship him....So again, these people may be sincerely wanting to be Faithful Christians, but by having, (through a worshipful attitude towards Capitalism and also towards their American Nation, i.e. actually valuing these more than the Gospel Message and Mandate of Jesus Christ), allowed Satan have to thus have a foothold right in their worship gatherings, the people are indeed in that Whore Church of Babylon (Rev 17) headquartered in its Neo-Babylon Nation (Rev 18). And so they are incontrovertibly worshiping Satan and being misled by him and his demon angels. (Rev 18:2)...
So...if they people are genuinely deceived and actually want to be serious/sincere Christians, then why does not Jesus clearly tell them that they are on the wrong path and worshiping on demonically-enchanted grounds...Well Jesus is calling out to them...In the Three Angels (Rev 14:5-7,8,9-11) plus the Loud Cry of the Fourth Angels (Rev 18:1ff) Messages...These people have the Bible to self-discover the error of their present course and stance...Plus in our technologically advanced day and age, they have the ease&freedom of widespread travel, computer technology and the internet to be able to access any pertinent (Biblical) information they need to get from anywhere it may be located in the world in order to ascertain what the Truth of God is. And now this present group of people also have the testimony of History combined with how it has fulfilled the prophecies of the Bible. So all of the needed resources and information are there for the actual sincere Christian to self-correct themselves.
My simple advice, deal with the non-sensicalness of:
-not objecting to one choosing any day of Worship except if that choice is the Seventh Day,
-and likewise, not being against keeping the Ten Commandment until the Sabbath Commandment is mentioned,
-then consider the testimony of history about the actual, post-Apostolic, change (for convenience sake) of the Sabbath to Sunday
-and also then honestly deal with the cognitive dissonance of the Bible clearly speaking of the Final judgement and resurrection versus the unBiblical claim that people are, upon their death, actually alive in Heaven or Hell before then...
- plus also the linguistic fact that neither the Hebrew (olam) or Greek (aion = “eon”) terms for “eternal/forever” actually mean “inherently without end”, but rather inherently look to the entity that they are characterize to determine how long that “age” will last....Only with God is this inherently limitless....
So this comes to also resolves the logical dissonance with the fact that the Bible clearly states that “Hell” will actually be right on this Earth’s surface, in a God -fire-rained-down “lake” (Rev 19:20; 20:9-14), but before God then recreates this Earth to perfection (Rev 21)
-read and heed the clear, “Heavenly Sanctuary and Lone High Priestly Ministry of Jesus Christ” message of the book of Hebrews...I twas not intended for merely Jewish Christians...
-then just follow the clear New Testament understanding and principle, (instead of the sly Jesuit Counter-Reformation canard) that the Christian Church is the Spiritual continuation of God’s Israel and the unbelieving Jewish nation and people have “de-branched” themselves from that Israel Tree. (Rom 9-11). There is no two Israels, the Church vs. Ethnic Jews. This understanding alone makes perfect and Biblical sense of all Bible prophecies.
-and finally allow the Bible and the Gospel Mandate of Jesus Christ to self-expose the deeply-rooted evil foundation of Capitalism...
=...and you will easily become undeceived...One you stop drinking this “Wine of Babylon” (Rev 17:2; 18:3) you can’t but help but “sober up” (cf. 1 Thess 5:8-9)....
And if you do diligently heed these core Biblical Truths, you will indeed have become like those who in this vision kept their eyes on Jesus and followed Him, and as next seen, also remained faithful, as He moved into and is ministering in the Heavenly Most Holy Place...
to draw back - This is a most significant result of this deception as it is the pivotal action that these deceived people do, and so also deceive others. They “draw back” from advancing...i.e. into God’s Word, Way and Will. Unlike the 144,000, they do not follow the Lamb wherever He goes (Rev 14:1-5) and are satisfied with a basic, -but crucially deficiently so, form of Christianity. (=Heb 5:11-6:3) The Will and Work of God demands a complete break from all of the sinful principles, customs and policies of this fallen World and Age. Those who make this break will naturally perceive and heed the replacing Kingdom of God mandate that Jesus is here & now endeavoring to have fulfilled through most faithful Christians who keep following after Him.
deceive God’s Children - Satan is perfectly comfortable with these deceived Protestant Capitalist Christians claiming themselves to be Christians, because he uses that to deceive others into also ascribing to that spurious form of Christianity.
#91 DS 1.4h1 - I saw one after another leave the company who were praying to Jesus in the Holiest,
-This statement is quite shocking....and it is more shocking that EGW was manifestly instructed by the Heavenly Intelligence to not make explicit mention of it again in her two post-1846 republishing of this vision.
one after another - From even those who had shown themselves to be most faithful and followed after Jesus as He made His way into and through Heavenly Sanctuary Ministration, thus this pointedly is speaking of Seventh-Day Adventist Believers, the Heavenly Intelligence fore-envisioned that there would be a further “Shaking” of this group so that “only what cannot be shaken out remains” (Heb 12:27; Amos 9:8-10), and that towards Christ’s establishment of His 144,000 Remnant Church Triumphant Jubilee Millennial Temporal Kingdom. (=Amos 9:11-15). (See a recap of this Second Vision, culminating in Christ’s Kingly/Kingdom effectuation, in Early Writings 251.1-2)
This is not a mass exodus...it is rather a one by one defection...That is because it is each individual members privately making their choice to not fully follow after the Gospel Mandate will of Jesus Christ whenever they themselves are confronted with that choice.
As SDAs have long been informed about this ‘solemn’ (cf. LDE 172.1) development: this “Shaking of the Church” occurs when all those who ‘can be sealed’ (16MR 34.3), are sealed (cf. LDE 219.4ff), and that with the “Fuller Sabbatical Seal (EW 33.2). These are the ones who pass the “Mark of the Beast Test”. (5T 81.1)
leave the company... - Those who aren’t “Fuller Sabbatically sealed” naturally leave those who are remaining most faithful to Jesus and His End game/goal GC Will for these times, and go back to join those who actually share their same “drawing back”, Capitalism-deferential/reverential deluded spirit... These fittingly and deservingly, doomingly, get/have the (Fuller) Mark of the Beast.
The question here is, does this become a virtually total defection. In other words, is there anyone who remains faithful to Jesus here....Well from the several solemn warnings in the Bible and SOP, one can expect that, even as with Jesus Christ when facing the Cross, very few, if anyone else than the leader of this movement, will remain faithful...
Ezek 9 which depicts this Shaking, shows that ‘seemingly no one in Judah (=the SDA Church) were sealed so as to escape this Judgement. (Ezek 9:8-10). The SOP vision in 4T 384-387 shows that SDAs do fail the Great White Throne Judgement of Matt 25:31-46. EGW was also given in 1908 a likewise secreted vision about a Whirlwind destruction of the SDA Church which resulted in ‘not one Seventh Day Adventist being seen’, especially their false shepherding leadership. (Ezek 34:1-20 =EW 36.2)....and yet still a symbolic “12,000" will be spared/salvaged from this first/leading tribe of Israel. (Rev 7:4a)
#93 DS 1.4h2 - go and join those before the throne and they at once received the unholy influence of Satan.
Seeing today how the SDA Church is systemically, indifferently deficient, i.e. when compare to what they could, should and would have done (see LDE 59.3ff) if they were not individualistically selfish, covetous, jealous and greedy are their deluded core, it is easy to see that they have indeed fulfilled this failed Shaking prophecy. They all squarely have the Mark of the Beast to the point that they now indeed have become the effective, and leading, ministers of Satan....at best leading others to become the spurious Christians that they are. (Matt 23:15)
I have never seen such a level of smug systemic ‘moronic ‘stupidity’’ (e.g. EW 48.2; 111.2; 2SG 279.1) in my life, but I can easily see how it has come about through their similar individual and corporate deference and reverence of Capitalistic ways. Just their touted Healthcare system is their most emblematic example, where, rather than being a Medical Missionary resource of the Church, merely serves to provide healthcare to only those who can afford their capitalistic prices. (=John 2:16)...and like “good Capitalists” they will of course throw the crumbs of their gluttonous feasting at those who cannot afford such services in e.g. medically vacuous, cosmetic health clinic...principally to the (Western) wealthy of course.... Just pathetic....They do deserve to burn in Hell (=Rev 14:9-11)
Notes
1. [1] In short/general the Midnight Cry event, which is rightly linked to the Matt 25:6 ‘cry at midnight’ in the Ten Virgins prophetic parable is actually any valid signal prophetic message/event which indicates a determinative occurrence which can potentially bring about the unraveling of Final Events. So in the days of the Second Advent Movement, it indeed was that most precise understanding of the timing of the 70 Weeks/2300 Days Prophecy by Samuel Snow. Jesus indeed could have returned on October 22, 1844, with, as summarily shown in here, a 10-day judgement period having been done before from October 12, 1844, =The Jewish Feast of Trumpets, -which was the actual date/day when the 2300 Day Prophecy came to an end, following its start on the Feast of Trumpets in 457 B.C. (=1st Day of Tenth Jewish Month: Neh 8:1-2).
Likewise an applicable, now eschatological, Midnight Cry signaling message&event occurred around late 1999 when the research studies for the “Biblical Interpretation of Daniel’s 70 Weeks” book became ca. 95% concretely completed as this established the above mentioned much more precise and Biblical Chronology and Interpretation of the 70 Weeks (+2300 Days) Prophecy, which, if/when heralded by those who should know to do so, contains the potential to produce a Movement much larger, wider and more firm than the 1840's Second Advent movement, as this exact understanding of the key prophecy jointly is the Spiritual antidote to overturn the opposing stances of Atheists//Agnostics//Scoffers//Skeptics; Futurists//Dispensationalists and (SDA) Laodiceans to such a message.....
That however was a the peaceful Midnight Cry... As that message and overture has been, and is still being stupidly and indifferently rejected, and those who proclaim it shunned, then, as discussed here, the Eschatological Midnight Cry has now come to revolve around the signal event “at Midnight” which comes to overturn this “captivity” of those who have come together under that first Midnight Cry message. But since you actually don’t get to the Eschatological Matt 25:6 Midnight Cry message understanding without first accepting the Biblical Interpretation of the 70 Weeks Midnight Cry, those two midnight cries are intrinsically linked to one another.
2. [2] See here for the studied and thought through view of this Theological Views Blog//WBSC about this ‘begotten Sonship of Jesus Christ” issue. Succinctly summarized here, the arrived at understanding which is seen to be the best Biblical/Theological explanation of all of the Scriptural factors involved is that: at some point in Eternity, before the creation of any thing/being, God decided to equally split Himself into 3 distinct Divine Beings/Entities: I.e The Father, The Son and The Spirit, all for the proper tangible ownership and administering of the Creation He/they were about to do. In this “cloning” each being fully possessed all of the substance of God.
I would argue that in terms of memory, perhaps the Father had a distinct mind, i.e. one which included knowledge and memories dating before this cloning took place. And for that tangible reason the God the “Father” had an “wiser” hierarchal supremacy over God the “Son”...and the Holy Spirit would only have a mind/spirit which directly, and only reflected what God the Father and/or the Son has thought/expressed. (Cf. John 16:13; 14:26).
Through this, effectively compartmentalizing, arrangement before Creation, that is how it was possible for God to die to redeem those who in His Creation had fallen through, “Wisely”, this now distinct but equal Divine Entity of God the Son.
3. [3] E.g. just the exponential multiplication of laws, including merely in one’s own present lifetime, -all in order to keep closing legal loopholes that people otherwise would take, reflects this degeneration of character in people. Whereas, e.g., even in just the days of EGW, a “person’s word was their bond”, and many people were trusted to fulfill what they had merely verbally agreed to do, now it takes a pack of lawyers and voluminous contract forms to enter into similar binding agreements with someone else...even close friends and relatives...As people today, as (documentedly) seen with the present POTUS Dognald Jerk Drumpf don’t mind boldly lying to your face because such scoundrels now go by an “ethos” that ‘they only have to tell the truth “when they can”’...I.e. Only when it won’t be detrimental to them, and especially when not under oath.
4. [4] Sort of God’s constituents-representative "Senatorial" body. The (present) term: “Senate” comes from the word senex which means: “old man”. As such, initially a Roman Senate was actually composed of representative Senior Head of Family in the Roman Empire. Similarly, France’s Senate itself was a “Council of Ancients[=Elders]”. A Senate was indeed basically an “Assembly of Elders”
...And the Nation of Israel itself likewise, in fact, perhaps prior to any other nation/government, had its own ‘Senatorial Body’ in its own “Council of (70) Elders” (Exod 24:1, 9; Num 11:16), which indeed tangibly were the Senior (=wisdom-prone) Heads of the (Familial) “Clans” of Israel, which is the familial constituency just under a “Tribe” unit.
As seen in the Scriptural references above, the number of “70” Elders to comprise Israel’s Council of Elders (a.k.a. Senate) was to be from a selection of 70 elders from a large pool of such family heads. While the number 70 itself is a compose of 7x10, thus, as seen in the symbolic meaning of Bible numerology, a: perfect representation (=7) x of a complete whole (=10), -which makes its product of 70 a proper number of/for fair&comprehensive Judgement (e.g. the 70 Weeks of final probation granted to OT Israel -Dan 9:24ff), it very well may be that this number of 70 people to comprise a council of elders in Israel was in order to match the number of (male) people who had founded this Family-Nation of Israel when they moved to Egypt (=Gen 46:8-26, 27).
5. [5] Listing of SOP's Original “Faith & Feeling” Citations:
1851
1857
Ms2-1857.12 [=1T 167.2; Pr 54.2]
1859
Lt30-1859.5 [=5MR 206.3; 231.1]
1860
1873
1881
1882
1884
1886
1892
Lt7-1892.10 [=6BC 1073.10]
1893
Ms75-1893.11 [=2MCP 537.1; OHC 120.3]
ST, Jan 2, 1893 par. 1 [=OHC 77.2]
1894
1895
1902
Lt146-1902.2 [=3SM 75.2; 5MR 146.1; 10MR 141.1; UL 279.2]
1905
Lt159-1905 [=4MR 410.3; UL 176.5]
1907
1908
(The other ca. 23 occurrences of statement by EGW on this “Faith vs. Feeling” matter are repeat mentions from later, post-her-lifetime, publishing by the EGW Estate (E.g. in “Manuscript Releases”, topical compilations and devotionals).
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