A People of Prophecy

One of the most exciting things in Bible study is when we first learn to find ourselves in the Good Book!

John the Baptist was able to do this. He said, "I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness... as said by the prophet Esaias." (John 1:23). His heart was fired by an unshakable conviction that God had raised him up in specific fulfillment of this scripture. No wonder his faith was so strong!

Jesus found himself in the Bible. Concerning his own person and mission, he said, "This day is this Scripture fulfilled in your ears." (Luke 4:21), and, "Moses wrote of me." (John 5:46).

How exciting it would be to find ourselves in the prophe- cies as they did! Can it be that in these last days, we might be able to point to the Bible passages and declare, "We have arisen in response to these prophetic words. Our work is prophecy come to life before your eyes. This day are these Scriptures fulfilled in your ears!"

In our last study, we learned that Seventh-day Adventists are reinforced by this same conviction. They point to passages such as Daniel 8:14, Matthew 24:14, and Revelation 14:6-11 and claim them as their own.

In this lesson we will study a further reinforcement of this conviction- Revelation 10. This prophecy is specifically about the birth-hour of the Seventh-day Adventists. Let's open the Bible and read Revelation 10:1 through 11:1.

THE ANGEL WITH AN OPEN BOOK

1. The angel in Revelation is pictured as holding an OPEN book in his hand in the last days. What is this book?

Daniel 12:4,9

Note: The fact that it is pictured as open indicates that it had been closed at some time. The only book described as closed or sealed until the last days is THE BOOK OF DANIEL.

We have already discovered that the keys to many of the riddles of Revelation are found in its twin book—Daniel. These two books are like the two sights on a pair of binoculars. Their mysteries are solved when we get the two books in correct alignment. Read Daniel 12 side by side with Revelation 10, and note the striking parallels:

DANIEL 12	REVELATION 10
"The man clothed in linen (vv 6,7)	"An angel clothed with the sun" (vv 1,5)
"Standing upon the waters" (vv 6,7)	"Standing upon the sea and land" (v 2)
"Lifting his hand and swearing by Him that liveth forever and ever" (v 7)	"Lifted up his hand and sware by Him that liveth for ever and ever" (vv 5,6)
"How long shall it be to the end?" (vv 6,7)	"There shall be time no longer" (v 6)
"All these things shall be finished" (v 7)	"The mystery of God shall be finished" (v 7)
The book of Daniel "closed up and sealed" (vv 4,9)	"In his hand a little book- open" (v 2)

FINDING THE TIME OF REVELATION 10

Let us put Daniel 12:4 into modern language: "Seal the book until the time of the end; at that time, many people shall investigate and knowledge (about the prophecies of this book) shall increase."

When was the book of Daniel "unsealed" and understood? History declares that this occurred in the later years of the 18th century and the early years of the 19th, when a world-wide revival of prophetic study occurred.

The century between 1750 and 1850 was one of the very greatest and richest birth hours of all history. The revival of prophetic study was one of five great religious movements which sprang into full vigour during this period, resulting in untold blessing to the world:

The Wesleyan revival in England.

The great missionary awakening.

The Bible Society movement.

The revival of prophetic study.

The great Second Advent Awakening.

In America, this revival of prophetic study was spear- headed by a man by the name of William Miller. William Miller was a farmer by profession, and had been an agnostic. He decided to embark on a thorough study of the scriptures, verse by verse, not proceeding to the next verse till he was certain of the meaning of the one he was studying.

When he came upon the book of Daniel and its amazing prophecies, he was fascinated. In particular, he was intrigued with the mysterious prophecy of Daniel 8, the cleansing of the Sanctuary. He reasoned, as did many other Bible students the world over, that the Sanctuary must be the earth, and the "cleansing" must indicate its purification by fire at the Lord's second coming. Therefore, all he needed to do was to figure the dates given in the prophecy, and he would know the date of Christ's return!

Through careful and thorough study, he figured the dates correctly, arriving at October 22, 1844. After he was absolutely certain he had it interpreted correctly, he began to teach it to others. He eventually left farming to preach full time.

As a direct result of his ministry and that of others the world over who had come to the same conclusion, the conviction gripped the hearts of multitudes of Christians in many different churches- ministers and laymen alike- that the hour had struck for the fulfillment of Daniel's prophecies, and that the Lord's return was at hand!

The majority of these believers, called "Adventists" and "Millerites" by some, were disfellowshipped from their churches for preaching the second advent message. Lutherans, Methodists, Calvinists, Roman Catholics—all put out of their churches for believing that Jesus was coming soon!

But they did not care. They looked forward to soon meeting their Redeemer face to face!

2. What does the first part of Revelation 10:10 say that John, symbolizing God's people, did with the open book, and what was their initial reaction?

Note: By taking the "little book" from the angel's hand and eating it, the prophet John was dramatizing the joyous experience of thousands of Christian believers who took part in the revival of prophetic study and the great Second Advent Awakening which followed.

Thrilled with the certainty of their Lord's immediate coming, they sacrificed all to proclaim the glad tidings. How great was the rejoicing that last week as men prepared to lay down the toils of this old world to be with Jesus and the resurrected saints in Heaven! How sweet it was in their mouths!

3. What does the second half of the verse say would happen to the rejoicing people?

Note: As the day of October 22nd, 1844 wore away and the 23rd came on, theirs was great disappointment, as bitter as had been the disciples on the Emmaus road on the second morning following the crucifixion of their Lord in 31 A.D. Listen to them sorrowfully lament, "We trusted that it had been He which should have redeemed Israel!" (Luke 24:21). So hear the bitterly sad voices of the disappointed, "We had thought that it would be He that would come at the end of the 2,300 days!" While Mary lamented at the empty tomb, "We don't know where they have laid Him", the disciples in 1844 said, "We don't know where He is."

"I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS"

Crushed and heartbroken, the early Advent believers fled to the promises of God for comfort and enlightenment. The key to an understanding of their disappointment was found in God's sure Word.

4. What message did God send these disappointed ones?

Revelation 10:11

Note: Hear God's loving, understanding voice encourage his children, telling them that they still had a vital message to take to the world!

5. What specific instruction did God send them in explanation of their bitter disappointment?

Revelation 11:1

Note: They were specifically told to "rise and measure the Temple of God". The disappointed Adventists of 1844 were moved by the Spirit of God to make a careful re-examination of the Biblical tabernacle, and the prophecies which related thereto.

6. What was the result of their re-studying the prophecies?

Revelation 11:19

Note: In the course of their study they found the key to their disappointment.

Scores of painstaking checkings and re-checking of the 2,300 days prophecy proved that they had made no mistake respecting the time of its fulfillment. All admitted that there was no fault in their calculation of the time. Their error lay in their mistaken conclusions respecting THE NATURE OF THE EVENT which was to occur at the end of the 2,300 days!

Whereas they had concluded that the "cleansing of the Sanctuary" symbolized Christ's return to earth, they now realized that this "cleansing" was to take place in Heaven, and referred to the opening of the second, or judgment-phase of Christ's ministry in the Heavenly tabernacle, which must be completed before his return to earth. After the 1844 disappointment, God's people understood that it was the investigative judgment—not the executive judgment, which was to begin in 1844 (see lesson 20).

FULFILLING THE GREAT COMMISSION

7. What appears in Heaven after the experience of Revelation 10?

Revelation 14:6-11

Note: Like a sudden shaft of light leaping out of midnight darkness, this new and Scriptural understanding of the "cleansing of the Sanctuary" transfigured their disappointment and kindled their hearts with new hope! Instead of lingering in their minds as a painful embarrassment, the disappointment of 1844 now became a sheet anchor for their faith! In studying Revelation 10, they realized that this very disappointment had been marked beforehand in God's prophetic Word which, by its patent fulfillment, had become an indisputable seal of the Divine character of the 1844 movement. What had seemed their heaviest liability had now become their greatest asset. They were able to find themselves, and their own bitter experience, upon the pages of the open Bible! This conviction fired the hearts of the disappointed Adventists and made their testimony invincible.

In response to the commission "Thou must prophesy again before many peoples and nations and tongues and kings", Seventh-day Adventists have launched a world-wide missionary program and pledged themselves to the completion of the Gospel in this generation!

CONCLUSION

"Now, mortal man, I am making you a watchman for the nation of Israel (God's people). You must pass on to them the warnings I give you." Ezekiel 33:7 GNB

Why do you think God has given US a chance to hear this message? Do you want to join with these people of prophecy and share the wonderful good news with others?

My response to Christ is:_________________________________