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Chapter 67.

The Mystery of God Finished

1. FOLLOWING his description of the sixth trumpet, what did John see?

"And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun." Rev. 10:1.

2. What did he have in his hand?

"And he had in his hand a little book open." Verse 2.

NOTE.-The book of Daniel, which was to be "sealed," or closed, till the time of the end, is doubtless referred to here. See Dan. 12:4,9.

3. What solemn announcement did this angel make?

"And the angel which I saw. . . . lifted up his hand to heaven, and sware by Him that liveth forever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, . . . that there should be time no longer." Rev. 10:5,6.

NOTE.-Not literal nor probationary time, but prophetic time. The 2300-day period, which ended in 1844, must be alluded to here. See chapter 53. No prophetic period in the Bible reaches beyond this.

4. What did the angel say was to be finished when the seventh trumpet was about to sound?

"But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as He hath declared to His servants the prophets." Verse 7.

NOTE.-The mystery of God is the gospel. Eph. 3:1-6; Gal. 1:11,12. The gospel, then, is to be finished as the seventh trumpet is about to sound.

5. What was John told to do with the little book?

"Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel . . . and eat it up." Verses 8,9.

6. What was to be the result of the eating of this book?

"It shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey." Verse 9, last part.

7. What does the apostle say of his experience in this matter?

"And I took the little book out of the angel's hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter." Verse 10.

NOTE.-In this is most strikingly foretold the experience of those who proclaimed the advent and judgment-hour message of 1843-44. Joyous in the hope that Christ was coming then, like the early disciples regarding His first advent (Luke 24:21; Acts 1:6,7), they were bitterly disappointed, and found that there was still a work on earth for them to do, as did the early disciples following the crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension of Christ.

8. What words of the angel to John show that both literal and probationary time were to continue yet for a time, and that God had a still further message for the world?

"And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings." Verse 11.

NOTE.-The message of Revelation 10 is the same as that of Rev. 14:6,7; and the later messages of Rev. 14:8-12 answer to the instruction, "Thou must prophesy again," of Rev. 10:11. But all are last-day messages, and indicate that the end of all things is near at hand.

Great Lines of Prophecy

The Great Image of Daniel 2. This prophecy, written over twenty-five hundred years ago, is one of the greatest, briefest, and most comprehensive prophecies in the Bible. Under the symbol of a great metallic image, the rise and fall of nations is outlined till the end of time and the setting up of God's everlasting kingdom. See chapter 48.

The Four Beasts of Daniel 7. This line of-prophecy covers the same ground as that of Daniel 2, but with additional features introduced, especially that concerning the development and work of the "little horn" power of the fourth beast, under which God's people were to be oppressed until delivered and placed in possession of the kingdom "forever and ever." See chapter 50.

The 2300 Days of Daniel 8. This prophecy, after tracing the course of empire down through Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome, introduces the longest prophetic period in the Bible, reaching from the beginning of the movement to restore and build Jerusalem before Christ's first advent, to a similar work to be performed by God's people in the last days preparatory to Christ's second advent. See chapter 53.

The Seventy Weeks of Daniel 9. This prophecy fixes the date of the beginning of the 2300 days, of which the seventy weeks are a part; definitely marks the time of Christ's first advent; and briefly refers to the "consummation" and the overthrow of the last of earthly kingdoms. See chapter 53.

The Standing Up of Michael-Daniel 11 and 12. A literal prophecy tracing the rise and fall of kings and kingdoms from the early rulers of Persia in the sixth century B.C., to the overthrow of Turkey, the "king of the north," and the "standing up," or reign, of Michael, the Great Prince, which is Christ. See chapter 65.

The Prophecies of the Revelation. These are supplemental to the prophecies of Daniel. Under the Seven Churches, the Seven Seals, the Seven Trumpets, the Great Red Dragon, the Leopard Beast, and the Two-Horned Beast, the history and experience of the church and of earthly kingdoms are traced during the Christian era, to the end of the age. See chapter 60.

Christ's Great Prophecy. Christ's claim to being a prophet, and the greatest of all prophets, is fully established by His prophecy recorded in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21. In this He depicts minutely the destruction of Jerusalem, the great tribulation of the Dark Ages, and the signs that were to herald His second coming. See chapters 68 and 69.

 

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