This article is addressed to my fellow traveler and seeker for truth. It is a journey that for most, is full of winding roads and unwitting detours. But the truth will be found by those who desire it with their whole being, undaunted by previous missteps nor discouraged by the pitfalls that we so readily stumble into. In the world, there is a cacophony of contradictory voices that all claim to express the truth. Whom can we trust? Which voice is the one verifiable voice of Truth on earth?
It is beyond the scope of this article to present the evidences for the existence of God or to objectively lead one from any of the world religions to a belief in Jesus Christ. This has been done before, and if you have doubts about either of these, I would encourage you to read the book of one man’s methodical and painstaking search that led him from his non-Christian belief system in India to a belief in Jesus, simply by considering the evidence in support of and against every religious worldview.[1] The author summarizes his search in a seminar that is available on YouTube as well.[2]
But within Christianity, the voices claiming to have the truth are scarcely less discordant. Where is God’s handwriting, and on what brand of Christian truth does He leave His fingerprints? There must be verifiable evidence that points us in the right direction, just as there is to point us to Christianity. There are many who have presented the evidences that point to the Seventh-day Adventist doctrine as the closest match to sound biblical interpretation,[3] and they will not be repeated here. However, I would like to include a summary from a physics lecturer in India who, like the previously noted author, followed the trail of evidence and arrived at the same result.[4]
As I continued my search for the truth I perceived that the sum total of what the Seventh-day Adventist Church holds is nothing short of a science—consistent, systematic, and organized. Ellen G. White calls it the science of salvation. There are four good reasons why it is a science.
1. There is theoretical logic. In scientific theories, there must be a structure of logic. In the story of the great controversy between God and Satan there is a structure of logic. It is the logic of love. Pure and perfect love operates according to a logic of its own. The problem with most people is that they have a poor grasp of this logic, and then presume there is no logic. But the logic is very much there, and it is the most beautiful logic, if only one can grasp it.
2. There are experimental evidences. Scientific theories are to be tested for their truth in laboratories. The story of the Great Controversy is tested for its truth in human history. That is, the earth is the laboratory. Human history is the great experiment being carried out to decide what is good and what is evil. Many people are deceived from perceiving it that way. But this is the greatest experiment ever.
3. There are predictions. If the predictions turn out to be correct, then the theory is supposed to be valid. In the present case, we have prophecies that are the same as predictions. Many prophecies have turned out to be correct. This speaks for the soundness of what the Seventh-day Adventist Church holds. The greatest of the prediction[s] is: Jesus will come again. I expect this to be verified in human history soon.
4. There is good interaction with other fields of science. A good scientific theory in one area will often throw considerable light on other areas. The Great Controversy theme and the Seventh-day Adventist worldview explain life in its varied complexities.
A Scientific Approach for Non-Scientists
Don’t believe for a moment that a scientific approach to religion means that only educated scientists can follow it and discern the truth. Quite the contrary. Scientists use the scientific method because it is natural. Every child uses the scientific method to learn about the world around them from their infancy. There are several basic steps that are followed, wittingly or unwittingly, which may be illustrated as in Figure 1. Observation is usually considered a step in itself, but in reality, it is done in the background at all times, and not just at one step of the process.
Consider how we go through this process even without thinking about it. A child is constantly observing. They’re making little connections—seeing little relationships—and in this way they learn how life and the things in it work. Those little connections stem from observations that answer their curiosity. For example, a child who grows up in a home where no one is overweight, sees his mother, who is visibly pregnant. He understands that her belly is bigger because there is a baby inside. Then he sees someone outside the family who has a large belly because they are overweight, and asks if they are pregnant as well! He had the “question” or curiosity about the size of bellies, and formed a hypothesis based on his observations at home. His question about the overweight person was the test of his idea, and his parent’s response would give him the results so that he could improve his understanding (and avoid another potentially embarrassing situation!). The next time you have the opportunity to hear children converse with each other when they don’t think an adult is listening, you will find that the communication of their little test results is also a natural (and often humorous) part of life!
The scientific method works because nature operates according to fixed laws. No matter how broad or minute, every natural process has a certain set of applicable laws, and we learn about those laws through observation and measurement. Understanding that the Bible is a written revelation inspired from the same Source that created the nature around us, it should be no surprise to us that there are laws of revelation, just as there are laws of nature. And we learn about the laws of revelation in the same way as any other laws: through our observations and measurements.
For example, consider the Bible’s use of the number seven. It is a very common number in the Bible, and is especially featured in the book of Revelation, with its seven stars, seven churches, seven seals, seven trumpets, seven plagues, and other sevens. This is an observation. A logical question would be, “What is so special about the number seven?” Now we collate our observations, looking for patterns until we get an idea. We might recognize that its first occurrence is in the account of Creation with the six days of creation followed by the Sabbath rest, completing the seven-day week, and suggest that it has something to do with the completion of that which pertains to Creation. This would be our hypothesis, or “educated guess,” which could be tested by evaluating whether other occurrences of the number seven in the Bible consistently fit that idea. We can analyze these additional observations, and share what we learn with others. The more we observe and discover patterns and relationships, the more we understand the details of the subject.
Growth Comes Through Errors
Invariably, regardless of how well we understand something, there is more that we can learn about it, and we may need to refine our understanding based on additional data. For example, Isaac Newton described the law of gravity in mathematical terms that explained his 18th century observations perfectly. There was no problem for several decades, until more precise measurements could be made that showed small deviations from Newton’s law in certain circumstances. No satisfactory explanation for these deviant observations could be provided for several decades more until Albert Einstein postulated his theory of relativity, which refines Newton’s law for those cases where the extra precision is needed.
The same is true of studies of the Scripture. We may think we completely understand something, until our attention is brought to a verse or verses that don’t fit well with our understanding. Then we need to refine our understanding in a way that harmonizes the new data with the old through a unified principle. This process is repeated frequently in every line of scientific study, and if we are honest in our study of the Bible, we will experience it there as well. Invariably, when carried out faithfully, this method will refine our understanding of the truth with every round of the process.
It is sometimes the case, however, that this learning process slows down, or even seems to stop altogether. The natural, childlike curiosity has waned and been replaced with a satisfaction with what is already known. The desire to learn has been supplanted by the desire to appear correct. This is a terrible tragedy, but it is very widespread. Many, by various means, have believed the lie that they cannot learn anymore, or that learning is dangerous (for fear of being wrong). All too often, we settle for the things we think we understand well, so that we don’t have to suffer being wrong. We sacrifice growth for fear of error.
Are you aware that it is those on the cutting edge of their discipline who are most often wrong? Scientists who are breaking ground with new research, make many wrong turns and falsify many of their ideas before they can solidly grasp the true picture from their studies. It is no different with biblical study. In the formative years of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, for example, there were beliefs that needed to be corrected and refined. As William Miller studied the prophecy of 2300 days in Daniel, he mistakenly accounted for the non-existent “year zero,” which led to a little disappointment in 1843. And it was only then, when the disappointed people sought to understand the timeline better, that the error was discovered, and the date was corrected to 1844. And again, only after that refined date passed, did the terribly disappointed believers go back to understand their error.
They were following the scientific method. The result of their test showed that their hypothesis was incorrect, and there could be three possible explanations: either the date was wrong, the event was wrong, or the Bible was wrong. While some may have lost faith in the Bible, most assumed that the date was wrong, and in fact, that the Bible prophecy didn’t actually have relevance to them. Indeed, most Protestants today believe that Daniel’s prophecy of the 2300 days was a literal period of time during the reign of Antiochus Epiphanes, who desecrated the Jewish temple in the 160s BC, near the end of his life. The evidence in support of this view, however, is rather limited in comparison with the evidence that points to a 2300-year application.[5]
For this reason, those who followed the trail of evidence could not deny that the date was valid, so they sought to understand the meaning of the prophecy better, which they had originally interpreted to refer to the Second Coming of Jesus. This is the process of refinement that every researcher is very familiar with as they abandon old ideas in favor of a new, more comprehensive and cohesive truth. A beautiful doctrine of the sanctuary in heaven (after which the earthly sanctuary was patterned[6]), was birthed for those who endured the labor pains of correcting wrong ideas in the face of their mocking acquaintances.
For some reason, although it is normal in Science to make and correct errors, religious researchers are held to an impossible standard, as though they were God, knowing the end from the beginning, when in reality, they are just students, seeking to understand God and His prophecies. Those who allow students of prophecy to take a humbler position will discern that even when the Holy Spirit is leading, human mistakes are still made and corrected, but the developing understanding is the truth that the Light of the Holy Spirit is revealing.
Let me reiterate this important point one more time: Cutting-edge research, whether it is in a field of Science or of prophecy, is necessarily going to be riddled with wrong ideas, misapplications, and will need to be amended and refined regularly, but the true concept will emerge from all of this with a brilliant polish. It has ever been the case. It has been the case with the long-established doctrines of the Seventh-day Adventist church; they have stood the test of time, and they continue to shine with brilliance, despite the mud that naysayers try to throw on them, and despite the wrong ideas that they were born out of.
The truths that we put our trust in as having a solid foundation, were once tentative suppositions with little known support. But the cyclic process of questioning, testing, and observing has refined the ideas and bolstered their support. Now they are no longer fields of fruitful research. It is positively unreasonable to insist that new research should be judged according to the same standard as that which has endured many tests and much refinement. Rather than criticize the failures of the researchers, participate with them in study to refine their ideas!
This has been the case with the LastCountdown Ministry. We have been on the cutting edge of end-time prophetic research, and as should be expected, we have made mistakes and misapplications, and have had to refine our ideas many times. But every time we do, our understanding develops and the truth that the Holy Spirit is revealing becomes clearer and shines with greater brilliance. Wouldn’t it be great, if many more voices would join us in study? Not by offering their own conflicting independent studies (which are often presented to us as being “in perfect harmony” with the message God has been revealing through this ministry), but by taking the many leads from our articles, and studying those things, refining the overall picture. Wouldn’t this be a better approach than calling us false prophets and assuming we’re led by the devil because we believe that God has revealed the time?
When we look back on the past five years of public ministry, and we see what has been revealed—what has stood the test of time and refinement, we are better able to evaluate the message and its source. As for me, I cannot comprehend how it could be all wrong. There is too much evidence in its favor, though it may not always follow the hermeneutic that our theologians like to think is the only safe method of interpretation. Allow me to summarize.
The Orion Connection
The Bible speaks more about Orion than you might at first perceive. There are three obvious[7] references to it, and in each case, it is associated with the “seven stars.” Speaking of God, Job says,
Which maketh Arcturus, Orion, and Pleiades, and the chambers of the south. (Job 9:9)
Later, when God answers Job from the whirlwind, He asks, among other things,
Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion? (Job 38:31)
And Amos directs Israel to
Seek him that maketh the seven stars and Orion, and turneth the shadow of death into the morning, and maketh the day dark with night: that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the earth: The LORD is his name: (Amos 5:8)
Note that the word translated “Pleiades” in the first two verses is the very same Hebrew word that is translated “the seven stars” in the third. The Pleiades is a cluster of several bright stars, but it is difficult to draw a line identifying the seven brightest. Orion, on the other hand, has seven stars that are clearly brighter than the others. These are considered the “main stars” of the constellation,[8] whereas there are about nine ranking stars in the Pleiades: the seven sisters and their two parents, according to the Greek myth.[9] Therefore, it should be clear that the references to the “Pleiades” here is in reality, a reference to the seven stars of Orion.
The seven stars are featured in the beginning of the book of Revelation. They are presented there as being in the right hand of Jesus, and are identified as the angels, or messengers, of the seven churches.[10] Note the words that Ellen G. White uses to describe their application:
“These things saith He that holdeth the seven stars in His right hand.” Revelation 2:1. These words are spoken to the teachers in the church—those entrusted by God with weighty responsibilities. The sweet influences that are to be abundant in the church are bound up with God’s ministers, who are to reveal the love of Christ. The stars of heaven are under His control. He fills them with light. He guides and directs their movements. If He did not do this, they would become fallen stars. So with His ministers. They are but instruments in His hands, and all the good they accomplish is done through His power. Through them His light is to shine forth. The Saviour is to be their efficiency. If they will look to Him as He looked to the Father they will be enabled to do His work. As they make God their dependence, He will give them His brightness to reflect to the world. {AA 586.3}[11]
She makes a clear reference to the sweet influences of Job 38:31 (see above—the only time that phrase occurs in the Bible), being bound up with the seven stars—God’s ministers—which, as we already showed, refer to the stars of Orion. In the next breath, she even speaks of the stars of heaven, indicating that there is a symbolic correlation with the literal stars above. This suggests that there is a character message represented in Orion that should be bound up in God’s ministers—the instruments He has chosen to reflect His brightness to the world.
But the correlation doesn’t end there! Notice that the verse says that there are “bands of Orion” and God asks whether Job can “loose” or release them. Compare this with the sealed book in Revelation 5:
And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book [a scroll] written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals [which are bound with the “bands of Orion”]. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof? (Revelation 5:1-2)
Jesus is represented in the following verses as a slain Lamb, and is alone found worthy to take the book from His Father and loosen its seals.
If we follow the hypothesis that this book is represented in Orion, then we could test this by exploring the other details of the setting of this scene, and compare them to the setting of Orion. If indeed God intended this relationship, then there should be no conflict on any point. It is not only the setting that must match, but as we noted, there must be a character message in it, and there are other descriptions that also must all agree. So let’s take a look!
First of all, we see that the slain Lamb is the key to opening the book, and He is present in the center of the scene:
And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. (Revelation 5:6)
Notice that a distinction is made between the two groups. In the first group, there is the throne and the four beasts, and this is separated literarily from the elders by a second use of “in the midst.” We will come to this momentarily, but first, there is a hint in the remaining part of the verse that this has something to do with the history of the earth, for it specifically mentions the “seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth” like seven eyes, watching over the affairs of the earth. In the previous chapter, these seven Spirits are represented as “seven lamps of fire burning before the throne.”[12]
In the context of Orion, this indicates that its seven stars (fittingly described as burning lamps!) reveal things from the events on earth. Indeed, the stars are the pointers that identify noteworthy events in history. The four beasts and the throne are separated from the twenty-four elders because they are not represented the same way in Orion. In fact, while the throne (the three belt stars) and the four beasts (the four outer stars) are clearly depicted, the twenty-four elders are not visible as stars.
In the center is the Lamb, “as it had been slain.” Understanding that the three belt stars represent the throne, we would expect the star of Jesus to be on the right hand of the Father, as is stated many times in the Bible.[13] And given that they would be facing the earth,[14] His right hand would be at our left. Indeed, the ancient name for the left star of the belt is Alnitak, an Arabic name meaning “The Wounded One,”[15] which is a reference to the wounds of Jesus, the Lamb that was slain.
There is an interesting note in the description of the four beasts and the twenty-four elders:
And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever, [then] The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. (Revelation 4:8-11)
It is describing a relationship between the two groups. When the four beasts give glory to God, then the twenty-four elders worship Him. This indicates a relationship in time. There are certain times when this happens. And notice also that they praise God for His presence in time: past, present, and future! Clearly, then, these beasts and the elders have a special relationship with time and the history of earth.
That they praise Him continually, yet only at certain times give Him special glory, may be understood in the context of Orion, considering that the stars are continually present, but they mark certain specific times in history (past and future), when they give special praise. And this is where the twenty-four elders come in, seated in a circle around the slain Lamb. They serve as markers around this clock of history! Their praise also identifies them with regular time intervals, for in this scene, they praise the Lord both for His creation and in the next chapter, for His redemption:
And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; (Revelation 5:9)
Every seven days, the Sabbath gives special occasion for remembering God’s acts of creation and redemption:
Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work,... For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. (Exodus 20:8-11)
Keep the sabbath day to sanctify it, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee. Six days thou shalt labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work,... And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt [sin], and that the LORD thy God brought thee out thence [redeemed you] through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore the LORD thy God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day. (Deuteronomy 5:12-15)
The throne-room scene was also seen by Daniel, who described it briefly in this way:
I beheld till the thrones were cast down [set], and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened. (Daniel 7:9-10)
In this depiction, we see that it is in the time of judgment. Every Adventist should recognize this as the beginning of the antitypical Day of Atonement, which began in 1844. This date is derived from the 2300-day prophecy of Daniel 8, where the days represent years, as is often the case in biblical prophecy. The clock in Orion, which represents the antitypical Day of Atonement, continues this day-year relationship, so that the 24 elders, representing the weekly Sabbath intervals, in reality represent the seven-year sabbaticals that God had instituted for His people after their wilderness wandering:
But in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of rest unto the land, a sabbath for the LORD: thou shalt neither sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard. (Leviticus 25:4)
Thus, these 24 elders, like the hours around a 24-hour clock, specify the duration of the Day of Atonement: 24 elders x 7 years per elder = 168 years. This period, known as the judgment of the dead, ended on the great High Sabbath of the Day of Atonement, October 27, 2012. Just as the greatest high day in all of Christianity—the day that Jesus lay in the tomb—was a day of mourning for Christ’s followers, so was that day in 2012 a day of sorrow for His remnant, as the death knell tolled for the Seventh-day Adventist Church, when it celebrated the Catholic Day of Creation (calling it a Creation Sabbath, as though it were unique to that Sabbath), in honor of the assumed authority of Rome.
The Pattern
The setting described in Revelation 4 & 5 is the setting of the entire book of Revelation, so if the setting indeed describes Orion, then everything else in the prophecy—the seals, the trumpets, the plagues, etc. must all fit into the Orion framework as well! This is further testing of the hypothesis, and we are not left to guess about it! The Bible gives us clues to direct our study. The people of God are characterized as those who “keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.”[16] In ancient times, it was Israel who were the guardians of the Law of Jehovah.
Their exodus from Egypt and their entrance into the Promised Land of Canaan was symbolic of man’s deliverance from sin (Egypt) and entrance into heaven (Canaan). So when Joshua led the children across the Jordan to conquer Jericho and possess the land, it was symbolic of Jesus saving man from sin and bringing His people to heaven. Thus, knowing His future leading, God gave specific and seemingly arbitrary instructions on how to conquer the city, for they foreshadowed His leading in the future.
They circled about the city six times—once each day for six days—before circling it seven times on the seventh day. The pattern established on the first six days was then repeated with a seventh circling, all in one day.
Adventists are very familiar with the application of the seven churches and seven seals of Revelation to Christian history, but not recognizing the application of the Jericho model, they have assumed that there is only one set. But the model shows us that the first six repeat before the seventh comes. This is true of the churches, the seals, and the trumpets, all of which run simultaneously, just as the army (representing the church) circled around Jericho with the law (representing the seal) while blowing trumpets.
The Trail of Evidence
It would be too much to summarize all of the correlations for each of these events. We have presented all of this before in detail, but I am repeating some in summary form here to show that if we follow the scientific method, we discover that even though questions remain (as they always do no matter how deeply one studies), there is a long trail of evidence that shows that there is a supernatural design in this message, even if some refinement is necessary, due to limited understanding. If you let go of preconceived ideas and prejudices, it will be clear.
What we have been presenting over the last five years are many correlations that all point to the veracity of this message. If you want to discredit this message, it is not enough to simply say that it is wrong because of time-setting or some other reason. You must give a better answer to the many solutions that it provides. For every text that it explains, you should provide a better explanation! This message may not be perfect as we have presented it, but it is the best we have. It devolves upon you to either refine it, or if you don’t like it, then find something better, but don’t just say that it isn’t true!
Do the seven stars of Job and Amos not link Orion to the seven stars of Revelation? Then give a better explanation for why the only occurrences of “seven stars” (even in the original language) outside of Revelation are found in association with Orion! Do the sweet influences not suggest a character message in association with the seven stars? Then give a better explanation for what they mean. Do the bands of Orion not relate to the seals of the book in Revelation? Then offer a better explanation for the literary similarity. Is the description of the four beasts as burning lamps of fire not representative of the stars of Orion? Then what does it suggest? For every correlation that you intend to annul, you must also provide something better if you want a reasonable mind to accept your judgment!
We have provided the reasons for our belief in every article, and there are many more that we never published, but all of this is disregarded because of prejudice against time-setting! If you want to discredit this message, then stand up for yourself like a real man and give a complete argument! All anyone seems capable of doing is throwing a few Ellen G. White quotes at us that are taken to be universal to discredit one point, but they fail to see that there are many other points that also must be addressed in order for the weight of evidence to shift in their favor. Until you can reveal a harmony that exceeds that which attends this message, then you ought to consider that there may be an explanation for your doubts—such as the concept that not everything a prophet says should be taken as a universal statement applicable to all time without possibility of any conditionality! Be advised that an especially important part of the context is its relation to the huge change of plans after 1888!
It was not the will of God that the coming of Christ should be thus delayed. God did not design that His people, Israel, should wander forty years in the wilderness. He promised to lead them directly to the land of Canaan,[17] and establish them there a holy, healthy, happy people. But those to whom it was first preached, went not in “because of unbelief” (Hebrews 3:19). Their hearts were filled with murmuring, rebellion, and hatred, and He could not fulfill His covenant with them. {1SM 68.3}[18]
Our choices make a difference in God’s plans! He may know the end from the beginning, but this doesn’t preclude that He makes plans and changes them according to human choices. The course He desires and the course He is compelled to take on account of our unbelief are two different things!
What I have touched on here is just the tip of the iceberg! I did not even mention the fact that the four outer stars in Orion each point to significant dates within Adventism, and not just any date would suffice. The significance of the clock would be destroyed if any of the dates were as little as one year different! If the 1914 year were 1913 instead, the persecution regarding military service that began with World War I in 1914[19] could not have been identified. The death of former General Conference president, George Irwin in 1913 would not have been substantial enough for God to mark it in the heavens! The same level of precision is demonstrated for each date.
When you include the dates indicated by the throne lines, you should begin to see that this cannot be a chance correlation, but is in fact, the handiwork of the Creator of the stars! But if that weren’t enough, God takes it even further—much further—by including different cycles such that the very same stars point to other dates that cover the entire span of History! Now do you understand Ellen G. White’s statement regarding the scroll with seven seals (representing Orion)?
There in His open hand lay the book, the roll of the history of God’s providences, the prophetic history of nations and the church. Herein was contained the divine utterances, His authority, His commandments, His laws, the whole symbolic counsel of the Eternal, and the history of all ruling powers in the nations. In symbolic language was contained in that roll the influence of every nation, tongue, and people from the beginning of earth’s history to its close. {20MR 197.2}[20]
Fractals of Time
The Orion cycle from which I presented highlights above, spans the Judgment Day, known as the antitypical Day of Atonement. This is the primary manifestation of the Orion Clock, but there are other cycles as well that utilize the same stars, giving a whole new dimension to the phrase, “history repeats!” I liken it to the self-similarity of fractals, the artistic mathematical images made viewable with the advent of computers. A fractal contains repetitions within itself that are recognizably similar, yet noticeably different. In the same way, the timeline of history also demonstrates some self-similar characteristics.
The first angel of Revelation 14 proclaimed that “the hour of his [God’s] judgment is come,” and this is in reference to the great Day of Judgment that began in 1844, which we understand to be the 168-year period of time foreshadowed by the Jews’ annual feast of Yom Kippur. So if this judgment day is represented by an hour (the last), then we may do some simple arithmetic to determine when the Christian day began to dawn.
168 years in the Judgment hour x 12 hours in the Christian day = 2016 years in the Christian day
Knowing that the hour ended in 2012, we may subtract 2016 years and get the result, “–4”. Translating this into a meaningful answer and remembering that there was no zero year, we obtain the year 5 BC. Indeed, as we explained before, the hour when the Light of the world became flesh and dwelt among us that year was signaled by the Orion clock.
But like the stars in the vast circuit of their appointed path, God’s purposes know no haste and no delay.... When the great clock of time pointed to that hour, Jesus was born in Bethlehem. {DA 32.1}[21]
At that time, the Light of the world began to arise upon the darkness that covered the earth.
Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. (Isaiah 60:1-2)
When the sun rises, the stars disappear. The book of seven seals was written on both sides,[22] which means that some of it was visible even before the seals were removed. This represents the daytime hours during the Christian dispensation.
Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world. (John 11:9)
But at the eleventh hour, as the daylight was growing dim, the judgment hour began, and the recordkeeping of the stars of Orion began. But what about the 4000 years before Christ, when the earth was without His light? Should there not be a record in Orion for this period? Don’t underestimate the Creator’s ability! The great clock of time repeats in a self-similar fashion.
The four thousand years of darkness may be mapped nicely onto a single Orion cycle if we double the timeframe of the 2016 years of the Christian era. Going back 4032 years before the birth of Christ brings us to 4037 BC as the year of Creation. This may seem like a stretch, recognizing only a dream of brother Scotram as confirmation,[23] but remember, we’re using the Scientific Method, so let’s look at some additional evidence, and see whether it supports the idea.
Orion, from Creation until Christ
Biblical chronology is a subject that has challenged scholars for centuries, and a consensus has never been reached.
Establishing Bible chronology has long been the Holy Grail of biblical archaeology and scholarship—and like the legendary vessel, it has proven just as elusive.[24]
But God, who knows the end from the beginning, has given a precious gift to His children: a knowledge of time. The Orion clock is the “holy grail” that biblical chronologists have been seeking for generations! Let me illustrate. One thing that the Orion clock is not, is flexible. The dates are fixed. If you can reposition the stars, then you can change the dates! But this rigidity works to our advantage. It gives us a solid time-frame within which to place the events of history. While I can only present a few evidences here, suffice it to say that the pieces of biblical history fit beautifully together in the framework of Orion! What we present to you in this message is an entire field ripe with fruitful study, if only it could be recognized as such!
With the creation date of 4037 BC, we can mark the flood 1656 years later at 2381 BC.[25] This was a type for the end of the world, so if anything is marked in Orion, we would expect the flood to be! And our expectations are not disappointed! This grand 4032-year clock still only has the same 168 units going around, so the stars that point to a single year in the judgment cycle, point to a 24-year span of time in the creation cycle. Interestingly, the flood comes at the very last year of the 24-year span of time marked by Betelgeuse! Not only is it marked by the star that is associated with mass bloodshed and war—the one that is a supernova in the making and could potentially affect life on earth in a very drastic way—but just like God, He puts a little hint to His own character in the date:
The LORD is slow to anger, and [but] great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the LORD hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet. (Nahum 1:3)
It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. (Lamentations 3:22)
The flood could have come 23 years earlier and still fit, but the Lord’s mercy held it back until the last possible moment before it would be in rebellion against the Clock.
Another great event in the history of God’s people is the Exodus. This was a time when God did many great and wondrous works and established His people Israel. The plagues of Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea,[26] the building of the wilderness tabernacle, the grand display when God wrote the Ten Commandments in tables of stone, the 40-year wandering in the wilderness, and the conquest of Jericho, all fell within the throne lines on the creation cycle. Arguably, the most dramatic scene during that time was the thundering of the Decalogue from Sinai. The people heard the voice of God with their own ears and saw the mountain burning with fire. And they had a permanent record of the handwriting of God, from when His finger melted the stone tablets as He wrote the Ten Commandments. That Law is an expression of the character of God. It is a description of God in concise terms.
How fitting, then, that this singular event was marked on His clock, not by just any star, but by one of the stars representing His very throne—His Person! The close relationship that He had with Israel, dwelling among them above the mercy seat, which covered the tables of the Law, speaking with Moses face-to-face, shows His direct and intimate involvement such as was never the case in later years until Jesus Himself walked the earth.
And I will set my tabernacle [wherein was the Law] among you: and my soul shall not abhor you. And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be my people. (Leviticus 26:11-12)
Indeed, it would have been inappropriate if this were marked by any other than the throne stars!
Sadly, however, the ensuing history of Israel did not follow the example that God had set for them. They apostatized, following the example of the surrounding nations instead, serving their gods and defiling themselves with their corrupt practices. Decade after decade saw ever more degradation and departing from God until centuries later, He finally followed through with the separation, and the entire nation of Israel was carried captive—first the northern kingdom, and ultimately Judah was also carried away. Even though Manasseh repented and returned to Jerusalem, and his grandson Josiah made many deep reforms while he was king, the sins of Manasseh were the turning point that prevented God from turning away from His wrath.
And like unto him [Josiah] was there no king before him, that turned to the LORD with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses; neither after him arose there any like him. Notwithstanding the LORD turned not from the fierceness of his great wrath, wherewith his anger was kindled against Judah, because of all the provocations that Manasseh had provoked him withal. And the LORD said, I will remove Judah also out of my sight, as I have removed Israel, and will cast off this city Jerusalem which I have chosen, and the house of which I said, My name shall be there. (2 Kings 23:25-27)
The pivotal year when King Manasseh was taken captive, and the sentence against Judah became irrevocable was 677 BC. This year falls within the 24-year block of time indicated by the fourth outer star in Orion! This is the star beginning Revelation’s pale horse phase, representing complete apostasy.
Coming full-circle back to the white horse star, Saiph, the perfection of Creation at the beginning of the cycle meets the perfection of Redemption at its end. Jesus, the second Adam, was born to save man from sin.
Do you see that these relationships cannot all be merely coincidental? If it is a random correlation, then one would expect to find a similar level of apparent correlation in any other constellation. I have presented some (though far from all!) of the evidences that support the idea that the Orion constellation is indeed used by God as a great Clock that relates intimately with human history. It is not Astrology, where the heavenly bodies are supposed to have influence over human affairs, but they serve as signs, which is a purpose they were given at Creation:
And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: (Genesis 1:14)
So if your hypothesis is that none of these correlations are real, then you should test this hypothesis, just as we have tested ours! If you can find a similar level of correlation from any other constellation, then that would certainly show that there is nothing special about these correlations with Orion that we should regard them as designed by God to give this message. This is my challenge to anyone and everyone. Show us evidence to suggest that these things are not intentional relationships! But you’d be hard pressed, just to find another constellation with seven clear stars that stand out above the rest, much less find any logical and sensible relationships to the biblical record, as we have shown with Orion, not once or twice, but numerous times and in multifaceted ways. Friend, this is the fingerprint of God. How long will you continue to resist Him? Yield to His voice now, while you still may.
Daily Dependence
As though the two cycles did not provide enough evidence, God has given yet more for the diehard skeptics. There is yet another Orion cycle that can be used to test our hypothesis: the Trumpet Cycle. (There is a fourth cycle as well—the Plague Cycle—but that one will begin later this year and cannot be used for validation.)
The Orion Message is associated with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. We are instructed to:
Seek him that maketh the seven stars and Orion, and turneth the shadow of death into the morning, and maketh the day dark with night: that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the earth: The LORD is his name: (Amos 5:8)
The latter rain of the Holy Spirit has already been pouring down in great quantity for five years! There have accumulated in those five years, about 1400 pages of our attempts to put this light into print! We are not that light, but we seek to express that light so that you can understand it and share it with others. The only reason we have been chosen to do this work, is because we first received the light, and believed it enough to live our lives according to it and want to share it! If the light has not shone yet as brightly as it ought, it is not the Spirit who is at fault, but the weakness of those who have made themselves available for His service! If you so desire, the Holy Spirit will use you as well, so don’t accuse us (as some do) of being exclusive “elitists” who claim to be the Voice of God on earth! No, but what we see by the light of the Holy Spirit, we share, even if it points to this ministry as the mouthpiece for God. Or have you forgotten that little principle of the Scriptures:
But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; (1 Corinthians 1:27)
He would not choose the wise men of the church to give the new light of the latter rain, lest the glory be attributed to the men. Rather, He chose us fools, so that no one can mistake that it is not our profound wisdom that we communicate (as though we had any), but God’s. He uses our weakness and propensity to err, so that the glory goes to God, where it belongs, and not to us, even if some claim that giving this message makes us arrogant. Those who are wise will discern the truth, and understand that we are just faulty messengers relaying the best we can, a message that comes from God.
In our Shadows of the Sacrifices series, we show how the flour and oil offerings that attended Israel’s spring and autumn sacrifices, point to special periods of time, when the Holy Spirit (the oil) is given as Jesus’ representative (the flour) in measured quantities, like rations in time of war—enough to sustain one through a time of lack, but nothing extra. The spring offerings point to a time of 51 days, the exact duration between the death of Christ and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the disciples at Pentecost.
The offerings of the autumn sacrifices were much more plenteous, and pointed to a longer duration of 372 days. The spring feasts represented Jesus’ first advent, while the autumn feasts represented His second advent, so this 372-day period must apply at the end. Indeed, Jesus said that it would be as it was in the days of Noah. This is true of the time as well as the condition of society, for as there were seven days when Noah and his family were closed in the ark, which were followed by one year that the flood waters were on the earth, so it is in the end. The 372 days is a span of a week followed by 365 days during which the plagues will be in the earth.
In addition to the spring and autumn feasts and their associated offerings, there are additional specifications for services pertaining to a special temple that Ezekiel saw in vision that was never built. It represents those who worship in Spirit and in Truth, rather than at a particular church. These special instructions have a spring and autumn component as well, and together, the flour and oil “rations” that are included are enough for 1260 days! This is a period of three and a half years and pertains to the ministry of the 144,000, whose temple was seen in vision, but never built.
As the judgment of the dead was coming to a close, the judgment of the living had begun. This is represented in Daniel’s vision, which gives the timeframes:
And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever [168 years[27]] that it shall be for a time [1 year], times [2 years], and an half [a half year]; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished. (Daniel 12:7)
The swearing had two components: a symbolic component for that period of time for which “there should be time no longer”[28] (the 168 years of the judgment of the dead), and a spoken component for the judgment of the living (for whom the restriction was not given).[29] Both components were expressed at the same time, indicating an overlap. These three and a half years of the judgment of the living are the same period of 1260 days, for which special portions of the Holy Spirit are given to the 144,000 to come together and do their work.
The period is included in the judgment cycle of Orion as well. After the conclusion of the judgment of the dead on Yom Kippur, 2012, the clock has one more marker at 2014, representing the Jewish year spanning from Yom Kippur, 2014 to Yom Kippur, 2015. So there are three years of time remaining on the clock after the judgment of the dead is completed, and the half-year overlaps, beginning in the spring. This defines the 1260 days of Ezekiel’s offerings.
Let me pause here momentarily to reiterate that if there were no correlation, the clock would not be expected to stand in perfect harmony with different parts of Scripture, whose themes are all related! Do you believe in the blind Watchmaker[30]?
Lift Up the Trumpets
These 1260 days, or three and a half years, are referenced again at the opening of the seventh seal. This is the seal that doesn’t repeat! Only the first six seals repeat, but the seventh occurs only once, and the Bible indicates a time period:
And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. (Revelation 8:1)
This half an hour has been interpreted in prophetic time to be 7 days,[31] and represents the time taken to travel between heaven and earth, when heaven would be silent, because Jesus and the angels have left it to come to earth. This interpretation is useful with regard to understanding the 7-day lag time that often shows up in the timelines for heavenly events with earthly effects. But it isn’t a perfect fit, because of the following verse:
And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets. (Revelation 8:2)
The problem is that the seven trumpets come after the seventh seal is opened! If the opening of the seventh seal happens just 7 days before Jesus’ appearance, then that leaves no time for any trumpets to sound, which are warnings, mixed with grace! It would leave time only for 7 days of plagues. The Bible has many prophecies that may be understood in different ways, depending on the corporate choices that are made, and the resulting circumstances. As we will see toward the end, a lot changed with regard to interpretation on account of the rejection of the latter rain in 1888.
But with the knowledge of the Orion clock, which is the clock of heaven, we can understand the half hour of silence in heaven in a more complete light. We must have a better grasp of time. There is literal time, prophetic time that follows the day-for-a-year principle, and heavenly time that follows in pace with the Orion clock. Since the seventh seal speaks of silence in heaven for half an hour, we should understand it as a heavenly half hour, corresponding to Orion time! An hour on the judgment clock is seven years, so half an hour is three and a half years.
The seventh seal points to the three and a half years of the judgment of the living. There is silence in heaven not because it is vacant, but because its inhabitants are watching the events of the earth with bated breath because they recognize the gravity of the events of this period. Even the carillons of the Clock are hushed. If only the inhabitants of the earth understood the solemnity of the times in which we live!
During that three-and-a-half-year period of the seventh seal, seven trumpets are given to the seven angels standing before God. The context is Orion—the seven stars in the right hand of Jesus, which He interprets Himself as angels:
The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches. (Revelation 1:20)
So the same stars that highlighted key events in biblical history and Adventist history, are now featured in the seventh seal as angels that receive trumpets! This gives rise to the trumpet cycle of the Orion clock! But how should we know when to apply the cycle?
Earlier I mentioned Ezekiel’s vision of a temple and how the offerings specified in the laws he was given regarding its sacrifices, pointed to 1260 portions of the Holy Spirit. This corresponds with the timeframe for the judgment of the living. But those 1260 days are comprised of a spring period of 636 days, followed by an autumn period of 624 days. Remember, the spring feasts point to Jesus’ first advent, while the autumn feasts point to His second advent. Therefore, only the second period is applicable to the last warning before His return! The 624 days span from February 1st, 2014 until October 17, 2015.
We have already nicely summarized the first five trumpets and what happened in a recent article, so I will not repeat that here, but I want to address the sixth trumpet in more detail. The sixth trumpet date was July 8th, 2015. Remember, the dates cannot be changed! The clock was set at Creation, and has been silently marking these dates for thousands of years. Is it not even a little bit interesting that the Seventh-day Adventist Church had its General Conference World Session spanning over that date? Yet not only that, but that particular date was when the most significant vote in the church’s history since 1888 was held! For thousands of years, God’s clock pointed to that event to the very day! No other vote was scheduled for that day. Do you believe that could be just a chance coincidence?
Apostate until the Door is Closed
The precision of the date was strangely overshadowed by our wrong expectation. Seeing the signs of apostasy in the church and having been warning about the consequences for years, and seeing the push that the leadership was making in favor of women’s ordination, we expected that the church would vote “Yes,” and God would swiftly bring His judgment. But when they voted “No,” the conference finished and the delegates went home in peace, we were not certain as to where it left us. Was everything wrong? Was the church in a better condition as a result of its vote? In our uncertainty, we closed our ministry (making the websites inaccessible) for a week until we had further light.
The church has been in apostasy for a long time. It was in 1986—the year marked by the pale-horse-star, Rigel—when the church began publicly participating in the ecumenical movement and attending the papal “World Day of Prayer for Peace of all Religions” at Assisi.[32] This is when the apostasy in the church began to bear fruit toward unity with Rome! Now, nearly 30 years later, after steadily becoming more and more ecumenical and friendly toward the pope, the TIME has come to draw a line in the sand! With this message becoming public in 2010, God was drawing the line very definitely. By announcing the Day of His Wrath, God gave His deadline for reformation.
As the time approached, and the church showed no signs of turning back or even slowing its momentum toward unity with Rome, the doors began to close as the last opportunities passed for the church to make a formal work of repentance and reformation. First, the judgment of the dead ended on the High Sabbath of October 27, 2012. During this period of time, the Sabbath was the governing theme, and at its end, the Church boldly rejected God’s authority on the point of the Sabbath, in favor of the pope’s claimed authority. As mentioned earlier, this was done by ignoring God’s weekly memorial to Creation every Sabbath, and instead honoring man’s memorial to Creation on only one Sabbath! The Church closed the door on itself at its last opportunity to repent for Sabbath breaking during the time allotted for it. The handwriting was on the wall.
But God is never hasty about executing judgment! According to the parable of the fig tree, Jesus, who had been working with this barren church tree for three years (2010-2012) to get it to produce fruit, pled for another year.[33] But what happened in that additional year of grace? Visible confirmations of our message began to fulfill in 2013, but the church returned no signs of life. Then, in the time of the judgment of the living, when the governing theme transitioned from the Sabbath to its twin institution of marriage and its relationships, they announced their continued rebellion against God’s authority with the election of Sandra Roberts as President of the Southeastern California Conference. When did this official rebellion take place? On October 27, 2013:[34] exactly one year to the day after they sealed their fate at the end of the judgment of the dead! There was no fruit to be found for God’s glory on the barren tree, despite the extra attention that was given to it during that year.
But the judgment of the living was not over yet. It wasn’t clear yet what the issues were, and time was needed so that all could see where this would lead. The third trumpet of the Orion Trumpet Cycle announced with perfect precision, the continued unity of the church with Rome, as it pointed exactly to both the Catholic Extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the Family, and the Adventist Annual Council meeting. God’s eyes are throughout the earth, and see what the leaders of His people do behind closed doors, and time is the tool best suited to expose their motives. This was the last council meeting when a reformation could have been initiated in the church in preparation for the General Conference Session, the only body vested with the authority to vote church-wide initiatives.
The work of the study committee [on the theology of ordination] will be to provide as much complete information on its assigned topic as is possible to be reviewed by General Conference administration in June 2014, and then the complete report provided to the General Conference Executive Committee to be reviewed and discussed at the 2014 Annual Council. The 2014 Annual Council will decide on any items to be referred to the 2015 General Conference Session.[35]
At that meeting, the wording of the trick question was settled that would be voted on at the 2015 General Conference Session in San Antonio. Again, they closed the door on themselves by their stubborn disregard of the warnings of impending judgment that God had been giving the church through this ministry.
The sixth trumpet of the Orion Trumpet Cycle pointed with the same precision, exactly to the day that the church would vote on this trick question. In hind sight, recognizing the trick in the carefully worded question, which Ted Wilson specifically requested that no motions be made to reword, it didn’t matter whether it was a “Yes” or “No” vote, as both would have the same effect.
The trick question was made to appear as though it were about women’s ordination, but was that really the case?
Is it acceptable for division executive committees, as they may deem it appropriate in their territories, to make provision for the ordination of women to the gospel ministry?
The question did not address whether it was appropriate to ordain women, but whether it was acceptable for the church divisions to decide the question themselves. In other words, it was a question of authority. Must each division follow the General Conference, or could they decide for themselves? As one headline aptly put it, “Women’s Ordination: Divisions May Not Decide”. In light of the church’s previous inaction regarding the rebellion of the Southeastern California Conference, which is passive approval, we could restate the question as follows:
Is it acceptable for divisions to disregard God’s authority at their own discretion, [a Yes vote] or must they follow the General Conference’s lead in disregarding God’s authority [a No vote]?
There was no option for reform in the question. Either disregard God’s authority, or accept Ted Wilson’s do-nothing approach to the disregard of God’s authority already taking place. Can an answer to this question really be considered the voice of God? What was needed was a recommendation to reform the practice of reducing the difference between the roles of men and women to merely semantic issues, calling women “commissioned” but men “ordained,” while authorizing them to perform essentially the same responsibilities. And why was this done? For the love of money, the church had previously compromised with the state by accepting to abide by its terms in order to qualify for tax exemption under the 501(c)(3) clause in the US.[36] The use of different terms was a convenient way to camouflage the changes. Now, seeing no real differences between the roles of men and women, it seems silly to make a fuss over applying a different label. The truth is, we already voted “Yes” to women’s ordination years ago by granting women authority to fill roles that were set aside by God for men, even if we didn’t technically “ordain” them for their offices!
The question of what happened on July 8th is best asked in terms of what didn’t happen! God’s clock tells us that it was the last General Conference Session before Jesus returns. That means it was the last opportunity to bring about the needed reforms. Did the vote address that? No! Nothing was done to repent of (reverse) the long-standing error in the church of women in administration. Instead, Ella Simmons was reelected as a vice president and divisions have to accept the authority of the Church, even if it goes against God’s will. Thus, the last opportunity passed for the church to humble itself in submission to God. The church, represented by the wife, has refused to submit to Christ, represented by the husband.[37] And with no further opportunities to change before Jesus returns, the church has once again closed the door of grace on itself, against the warnings of our movement. This was the last door.
Compare the church’s actions with the warnings God was giving it through this movement:
| Date | Seventh-day Adventist Church | The LastCountdown Ministry |
|---|---|---|
| April 7, 2012 Father departed from the Sanctuary. (1st Day of Unleavened Bread High Sabbath.) | March & April: Conducted survey regarding support for Women’s Ordination in southern California.[38] | “Go ye after him through the city, and smite.” (Ezekiel 9:5) “And I will turn your feasts into mourning,... and I will make it as the mourning of an only son, and the end thereof as a bitter day.” (Amos 8:10) |
| May 6, 2012 Beginning of the Judgment of the Living | Published Southern California Conference’s decision to support Women’s Ordination.[39] | Individual call to “give a solid defense of His Character and His Law, no matter the cost.” “Our guess: Fireballs”[40] |
| October 27, 2012 End of the Judgment of the Dead | Favors assumed papal authority over God’s own by celebrating the “Creation Sabbath” instead of acknowledging Creation every Sabbath.41 | “...I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath: their own way have I recompensed upon their heads, saith the Lord GOD. (Ezekiel 22:31)”[41] |
| October 27, 2013 End of the additional year of extra care given to the Seventh-day Adventist Church | God’s authority to establish the order of responsibility in relationships is rejected: Sandra Roberts elected Conference president.34 | “Says the owner of the vineyard: ‘Cut it down!’”[42] |
| October 12, 2014 Third trumpet of Orion Trumpet Cycle | Annual Council votes[43] to forward Women’s Ordination issue to the 2015 GC Session.[44] | “They have dealt treacherously with the Lord, For they have begotten pagan children. Now a New Moon shall devour them and their heritage. (Hosea 5:7, NKJV)”[45] |
| July 8, 2015 Sixth trumpet of Orion Trumpet Cycle | General Conference Session’s vote on whether divisions may decide to allow women’s ordination.[46] | “Cleanse Thou, O Lord, Thy house from the stench of the Jesuits and the apostasy! Let Your consuming fire, according to Ezekiel 9, do its work so that Your church can again shine with the light You chose for her, that it may lighten the whole earth.”[47] |
Do you see how the warnings we gave, which were given for the times pointed out on God’s clocks, reveal that God is trying to tell us something about His displeasure? Or do you think this perfect correlation of timing on numerous points is all a big coincidence? At each date, we expected God to send His judgments swiftly, but God has been very patient. Make no mistake about it—although God’s patience is marked, the warnings still stand: Repent, for the destruction is determined. We are beyond the point where repentance will stay the judgment. There is no more opportunity for corporate repentance, and individual repentance will only protect one’s individual salvation. The judgment on the church that we warned about will come. If not now, it will be in the plagues!
You should ask yourself whether it would be more merciful to put off the cleansing fire or to let it do its work sooner! It may be that God sees fit to push the judgment back to the plagues and leave the people without a sign that they may continue to believe their lies in comfort.
And then shall that Wicked be revealed,... Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. (2 Thessalonians 2:8-12)
Jesus did say that for the evil and adulterous generation (like the Seventh-day Adventist Church today), no sign would be given except the sign of apparent defeat as they had their way in putting out the light that might save them. So don’t wait for a sign, follow the light!
Separating from the Condemned
Hear ye this word which I take up against you, even a lamentation, O house of Israel [the Seventh-day Adventist Church]. The virgin of Israel is fallen; she shall no more rise: she is forsaken upon her land; there is none to raise her up. ... For thus saith the LORD unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me [alone], and ye shall live: But seek not Bethel [literally, “the house of God”], nor enter into Gilgal [the “wheel”], and pass not to Beersheba [the well of Abraham’s oath that he would not deal falsely]: for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Bethel shall come to nought. Seek the LORD [apart from the “house of God”], and ye shall live; lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and devour it, and there be none to quench it in Bethel. Ye who turn judgment to wormwood, and leave off righteousness in the earth, Seek him that maketh the seven stars and Orion, and turneth the shadow of death into the morning, and maketh the day dark with night: that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the earth: The LORD is his name: (Amos 5:1-2,4-8)
Israel is a type for the Seventh-day Adventist Church. But the virgin of Israel has become a whorish daughter of Babylon. Jesus “gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not.”[48] Therefore “she shall no more rise.”
Now, the Lord says to those in the Seventh-day Adventist Church, as He says to those in any other church organization, “Seek the Lord, and ye shall live,” but do not seek your church—your house of God—for every “house of God” shall come to nothing. Don’t go to the well that swears to tell the truth[49] (voting “No” to women’s ordination), but which has no living water. Don’t enter into the hamster wheel of endless rounds of life with no end to sin in sight. Did you hear the warning from God (and not from us) that He will break out like fire, because His people have forsaken Him? Did you hear the answer?: Seek Him who made the seven stars and Orion!
Yes, dear reader, now is the time to worship God in Spirit and in Truth, as Jesus said. When He spoke with the woman at the well, she inquired about the appropriate place to worship, saying,
Our fathers worshipped in this mountain [denomination]; and ye say, that in Jerusalem [the Seventh-day Adventist Church] is the place where men ought to worship. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh [and has now arrived], when ye shall neither in this mountain [denomination], nor yet at Jerusalem [the Seventh-day Adventist Church], worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews [faithful keepers of the Seventh-day Adventist doctrine]. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. (John 4:20-23)
You think you worship the Father, but you do not know that it is not Him, whom you worship! Do not be like those who after 1844 didn’t know who they were worshipping:
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, “Father, give us Thy Spirit.” Satan would then breathe upon 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. {EW 56.1}[50]
It is imperative that you recognize that the Father has left the Seventh-day Adventist Church,[51] for they rejected His authority over them. There is no choice now, but to sever all connection with this and any other church organization, unless you want to receive the plagues with them.
If the church of God becomes lukewarm [can it be denied?], it does not stand in favor with God any more than do the churches that are represented as having fallen and become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and the cage of every unclean and hateful bird [i.e. Babylon]. Those who have had opportunities to hear and receive the truth and who have united with the Seventh-day Adventist church, calling themselves the commandment-keeping people of God, and yet possess no more vitality and consecration to God than do the nominal churches, will receive of the plagues of God just as verily as the churches who oppose the law of God. Only those that are sanctified through the truth will compose the royal family in the heavenly mansions Christ has gone to prepare for those that love Him and keep His commandments. {19MR 176.1}[52]
Indeed, the church has not only become lukewarm, but has fornicated with the world.
Many of the Protestant churches [now including the Seventh-day Adventist Church] are following Rome’s example of iniquitous connection with “the kings of the earth”—the state churches, by their relation to secular governments [the UN]; and other denominations[53] [the ecumenical movement], by seeking the favor of the world. And the term “Babylon”—confusion—may be appropriately applied to these bodies, all professing to derive their doctrines from the Bible, yet divided into almost innumerable sects, with widely conflicting creeds and theories. {GC 383.1}[54]
How long will you continue to think that the organized church is invincible and cannot become Babylon? How long will you speak like the accusers of Jeremiah:
Then spake the priests and the prophets unto the princes and to all the people, saying, This man [Jeremiah] is worthy to die; for he hath prophesied against this city [Jerusalem], as ye have heard with your ears. (Jeremiah 26:11)
Because Ellen G. White rebuked a man for calling the church Babylon at that time, does it mean that it can never be? Of course not! The doctrines of the church are not Babylon. They are pure, but the organization has become corrupt and can no longer be distinguished from Babylon.
The world must not be introduced into the church and married to the church. Through union with the world the church will become corrupt,—“a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.” The customs of the world must not have a place; for they will be open doors through which the prince of darkness will find access, and the line of demarkation will become indistinguishable between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not. {RH February 26, 1895, par. 4}[55]
Satan is the conductor of the train after which all the world religions, including Seventh-day Adventism, have followed.
A train of cars [organizations] was shown me, going with the speed of lightning. The angel bade me look carefully. I fixed my eyes upon the train. It seemed that the whole world was on board. Then he showed me the conductor, a fair, stately person [Pope Francis], whom all the passengers looked up to and reverenced. I was perplexed and asked my attending angel who it was. He said, “It is Satan. He is the conductor, in the form of an angel of light. He has taken the world captive. They are given over to strong delusions, to believe a lie that they may be damned.
I asked the angel if there were none left. He bade me look in the opposite direction, and I saw a little company [no cars/organizations] traveling a narrow pathway. All seemed to be firmly united by the truth. This little company looked careworn, as if they had passed through severe trials and conflicts. And it appeared as if the sun had just arisen from behind a cloud and shone upon their countenances, causing them to look triumphant as if their victories were nearly won.
I saw that the Lord has given the world opportunity to discover the snare. This one thing is evidence enough for the Christian if there were no other; there is no difference made between the precious and the vile. {EW 263.1–3}[56]
Have you discovered the snare? When the president of the church stands smiling with the UN Secretary-General, is there a difference made between the precious and the vile? The Seventh-day Adventist Church is under the direction of Rome, just like all of the other churches. It is just another car in the train following behind the reverenced, stately person, who is Satan, come as an angel of light, to deceive even the very elect! Did you discover that snare? Or will you hold on to the idea that Satan will come as a literal shining angel? Did it ever occur to you that Satan has options, just as God does, and what may have been the plan leading into 1888 is no longer the plan for today? There is more than one way he can claim to be Christ! When the Bible says that “all the world wondered after the beast [papacy],”[57] maybe it really means, all!
Every organization that has allowed the world to be introduced into it is included in “the world.”
Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. (James 4:4)
Only those who are not friends of the world will be able to stand independently of it. The Father is seeking true worshippers who will worship Him without denominational affiliations.
God has a church. It is not the great cathedral, neither is it the national establishment, neither is it the various denominations [including the Seventh-day Adventist Church]; it is the people who love God and keep His commandments. “Where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them.” Where Christ is, even among the humble few, this is Christ’s church, for the presence of the High and Holy One who inhabiteth eternity can alone constitute a church. {17MR 81.4}
Do you understand what it means that the Bible uses the symbolism of women to represent churches, and then says that the 144,000 are not defiled with women?
These are they which were not defiled with women [churches]; for they are virgins [have no church affiliation]. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb. (Revelation 14:4)
It is not just the impure women that they are not defiled with (in case you think there is still a pure church), but it is any woman, for they are virgins! They have no relationship with any church organization!
Discerning the Light of Truth
“For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required.” Like Israel of old, much light has been given to the Seventh-day Adventist Church. This puts them in a position of grave responsibility. Ellen G. White puts it like this:
John came in the spirit and power of Elijah to proclaim the first advent of Jesus. I was pointed down to the last days and saw that John represented those who should go forth in the spirit and power of Elijah to herald the day of wrath and the second advent of Jesus. {EW 155.1}[58]
This was to be the role of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, but they refused the privilege. When God spoke the time, they heard thunder, but they denounced the latter rain as a deception of the devil. But as many of the 144,000 as were among them heard the voice, understood it, and with faces lighted with the Holy Spirit, joined in proclaiming the loud cry.
We have not fully understood the message we have been given. Clearly, God has given an understanding of time with His clocks, but the events they point to have not always been quite as clear. The clearest events that have been associated with a marked time (even the day) are the plagues—the wrath of God—and the second advent of Jesus. This is what the clocks have been clearly identifying from the beginning. We have sought to understand the significance of the many other dates marked on His clocks, and knowing that judgment is imminent for the sins of the church and the world, for their cup of iniquity must be very nearly full, and knowing that one destructive event that has been described in dreams and visions is the fireball event,[59] we ascribed this event to any date for which there were clues pointing potentially to a major calamity.
We always had it in our mind, that with an accurate prediction of an event of that scale, God’s people would finally unmistakably see the light in His message, and the 144,000 could be found and sealed. Later, we understood that this would preclude the faith that is necessary for the 144,000 to demonstrate! But still, it seems that the only message God’s sleeping children can understand is that of pain and suffering.
In hind sight, we have to realize that it was apparently never given to us to predict this sign and wonder. We are told all things beforehand, but this particular wonder has not been given to us to know until now. But this is as it should be, for Jesus Himself told us so:
For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect. But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things. (Mark 13:22-23)
The clocks that God has given us foretell all things. With them, we have solved perplexing riddles of Christendom, shown various warnings, given many reproofs and much instruction, but no great signs and wonders have been shown by us, as much as we have desired it. However, there are hundreds of people proclaiming a coming great disaster, and while they by no means all agree, they all converge on one point: September, 2015! Will they be right? Will Jesus contradict Himself?
Some say an asteroid will hit the earth, some say a comet, “Nibiru,” a worldwide financial collapse, etc. and like us, they see some of the same warning signs that the throne of the beast is set up and the New World Order is established. They are calling people to flee the cities out of common sense (while we have done so because God revealed many decades ago that it was necessary), but these are the false prophets! Notice that the false prophets “shall shew signs and wonders,” while Jesus foretells to His disciples all things. There is no indication that everything He tells them is knowledge to be given to the world! He makes a difference between His disciples and the rest of the people. If you do not believe that Jesus foretells all things, because you think He still doesn’t know the day and the hour, then you cut yourself off from receiving the time knowledge that He wants to give, and the events will take you by surprise.
If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee. (Revelation 3:3)
It is an evil and adulterous generation that demands a sign in order to believe. Jesus wants us to receive a love of the truth, that we might be saved—not a fear of signs! Therefore, the signs He gives have been calm and gentle. And when the big, fearful signs begin, it will be because it is too late for His people to become one of the 144,000. This requires faith that is not dependent on signs. They will be as broken branches, whose places will be filled by those who had no opportunity to learn the truth. Only through repentance may Adventists then be grafted back into their own tree, that they may be saved through martyrdom. Paul’s words to the gentiles apply to those who have had no opportunity to learn the truth today:
Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in. Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear: For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee. Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be graffed in: for God is able to graff them in again. (Romans 11:19-23)
The many who herald a great disaster in September may well be right, but those who love the truth, will be given the discernment to recognize that they are false prophets, for perfect love casts out fear![60] They will have the faith to believe the truth against the testimony of the signs and wonders, while those who demanded signs in order to believe, may well follow those false prophets who gave them their fiendish signs! They all teach one form of error or another that will lead them astray and keep them deceived through their strong delusions.
Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12)
Think about it! What better way for the devil to deceive and seduce God’s children, than to “prove” his prophets by accurately predicting great signs and wonders? The frightened masses will eagerly look to these false prophets and will seek knowledge at their feet, but what will they find? Truth? No. They will find all the errors and false doctrines of Babylon, “proven” by the miraculous signs.
And the one church whose doctrines are pure, they will not seek, because not one Adventist would ever defile themselves with time-setting by predicting a calamity. In their eyes, all of that is mere rubbish and fodder for wide-eyed conspiracy theories. Only the LastCountdown Ministry has dared to venture against the continual tide of criticism and even hate mail from our “brethren” to both set times and warn of the coming calamity, without undermining any of the pillars of the Adventist faith.
Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour [of difficulty]: but for this cause came I unto this hour. Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again. The people therefore, that stood by [uninterested Adventists], and heard it, said that it thundered: others said, An angel spake to him. Jesus answered and said, This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes. Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth [to be seen in Orion], will draw all men unto me. (John 12:27-32)
The voice that came from heaven was not understood by all. Some heard it as earthly thunder, while others recognized that the voice came from the heavenly realm. Compare this with the vision of Ellen G. White:
Soon we heard the voice of God [from Orion] like many waters, which gave us the day and hour of Jesus’ coming. The living saints, 144,000 in number, knew and understood the voice, while the wicked thought it was thunder and an earthquake. When God spoke the time, He poured upon us the Holy Ghost, and our faces began to light up and shine with the glory of God, as Moses’ did when he came down from Mount Sinai. {EW 14.1}[61]
The voice from heaven that some perceive as thunder is the voice of God in Orion, which gives us the day and hour of Jesus’ coming! And as He glorifies His name (character) in the person of His saints, their faces light up and shine with holy joy and peace. If Jesus is lifted up in Orion by His people recognizing the message for the heavenly voice that it is rather than earthly thunder, and letting the Father glorify His name in them, then from Orion, He will draw all men to Himself.
Self-Sacrificial Love
It was at the cross, of course, where Jesus was lifted up, and where all men are drawn toward. But Jesus also said that...
If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross [following the example of Jesus], and follow me [by showing the same self-sacrificial love]. For whosoever will save [preserve] his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. (Matthew 16:24-25)
The love of Jesus for humanity led Him to lay down His own eternal life for them, and He enjoined His disciples to demonstrate the same love for one another.
This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. (John 15:12-14)
In these brief lines, Jesus brilliantly reveals an important principle. He says that the greatest love that a man can have is to offer his life for his friends. Of course, we must understand that life to be their eternal life, because this is what Jesus gave by becoming a man forever, and is obviously a greater love than that of a man who is only willing to offer his earthly life, knowing he will get it back! Yet most would avoid the sacrifice and just help their friends get to heaven with themselves.
But Jesus says that we become His friends when we love one another according to His example toward us. He loved us enough to die for us, and by receiving His love, we can love one another enough to die for each other as well!
Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another; (Romans 12:9-10)
When we are raised into the circle of Jesus’ friends, everyone would give their place in heaven in deference to another, were the sacrifice needed. (This is true even toward the ungrateful world, but it is clearly a closer relationship when the love is reciprocated.)
Considering that Jesus, and of course all of the heavenly host are in this circle of friends, He is also saying that we would be willing to make that sacrifice for God Himself and the entire unfallen Universe!
You might be thinking, “Okay, so what does that mean? It’s not like a sacrifice on our part would merit anything, and even so, they are already safe in heaven, so what could it do for them?!” If this parallels your thoughts, please consider a couple of things. First, it is true that even if we gave our eternal lives, it could not atone for any sin! Only Jesus’ sinless life could do that. But that is not why we would offer our eternal lives!
In the Jewish sacrificial services, there were different types of sacrifices, and not all were for sin. Peace offerings were free will offerings offered as an expression of gratitude or praise. A prominent Adventist biblical scholar of the mid-twentieth century explains their use:
Peace offerings were of three kinds: thank offerings, offerings for a vow, and voluntary offerings. Of these the thank offering, or praise offering, appears the most prominent. It was offered on occasions of joy, of thankfulness for some specific instance of deliverance, or for some signal blessing bestowed. It was offered from a heart filled with praise of God, running over with joy.[62]
The Peace offering was a happy occasion and was eaten at the temple together with the priest, Levites, and extended family, including their servants. It was not offered to obtain peace, but rather as an expression of gratitude for peace that had already been received. Its description contains some revealing symbolism in the meal offering that attended the animal sacrifice.
And this is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings, which he shall offer unto the LORD. If he offer it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer with the sacrifice of thanksgiving unleavened cakes mingled with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil, and cakes mingled with oil, of fine flour, fried. Besides the cakes, he shall offer for his offering leavened bread with the sacrifice of thanksgiving of his peace offerings. (Leviticus 7:11-13)
The combination of leavened bread with unleavened bread is interesting in light of the understanding that leavening in offerings represented contamination with sin.
May it not be, as this is a common meal of which God, priest, and offerer partake, that the unleavened bread represents Him who is without sin and who is our peace; and that the leaven represents the imperfection of man who is nevertheless accepted by God?62
Peace offerings were also offered in connection with vows of consecration, where a person could consecrate themselves wholly to God as a loving response to His graciousness toward them. The peace offering, regardless of the type, was an offering to God expressing love and gratitude, and this is the offering that Jesus says that His closest disciples, whom He called His friends, would make.
Proving the Will of God
Don’t get the idea, however, that because it is a freewill offering of gratitude, it is not important in the plan of Salvation! Indeed, it plays a pivotal role! Jesus made salvation available, but who has chosen it? Are there first-fruits? Yes, the Bible specifically identifies the 144,000 as those first-fruits:
These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb. (Revelation 14:4)
Notice how it says that they were redeemed from among men, almost as though they were the only ones who are redeemed! It is quite clear, however, that these few people are not the only ones saved, even of the last generation of the living, yet they are first-fruits—the fruit from the crop that is the first to become ready to harvest. Their special role in salvation is made clearer in the previous verse:
And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth. (Revelation 14:3)
They are set apart from the rest of humanity by a “song” that they learned, which has something to do with their redemption. A song is a poetic and heartfelt expression of one’s experience. Only they can learn the song, because only they have that special experience in redemption. We are given a clue as to what that experience is, by the fact that it is sung before the throne. Jesus presents the 144,000 to the Father at His throne with great joy as they sing the song:
Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen. (Jude 24-25)
The distinguishing factor is that they are completely redeemed, and by the power of His Spirit in them, fulfill the command of Jesus to those caught in sin, “Go and sin no more.”[63] Jesus presents them faultless—without sin—and they serve as the unarguable demonstration that His redemption is complete and effective!
But how can this be possible? Those who believe we will stop sinning before Jesus comes are often accused of being self-righteous, as though they are able to stop sinning by their own great effort, but nothing could be further from the truth! The passage quoted above clearly gives the glory to our Savior, identifying Him as the One who is able to do this great work!
What the 144,000 do, requires nothing but willingness:
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. (Romans 12:1-2)
For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: (1 Thessalonians 4:2-3)
This is where the peace offering comes in. We simply present ourselves to Him as a vow of consecration—a willingness to be used by Him in whatever way He deems appropriate. It is a full surrender of self, such that our gift is simply our “bodies,” to be renewed in the mind by the indwelling of His Spirit. Surrender is something NOT done. It is what remains, when we STOP applying effort, so it is nothing to boast of in ourselves.
And this vow of consecration—the offering of our bodies as a living sacrifice, which is acceptable to God, despite the leaven of our imperfection—serves to prove God’s will: our sanctification! In this way, the 144,000 prove that complete sanctification is possible by offering themselves entirely to God—including their eternal lives. By their vow, they commit to “follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth,” saying with Job, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him,”[64] and with Jesus, “Not my will, but thine, be done.”[65] They will honor God through perfect obedience, made possible by Jesus’ ability to keep them from falling, and they will do it without expectation of reward. Though He take my eternal life, yet will I serve Him by giving Him my body for His Spirit to possess and to prove that salvation of man from sin is possible.
This offering to God is so important, because it is what will be pointed to as conclusive evidence that Jesus’ sacrifice was 100% sufficient to redeem man from sin, and to show that...
She [wisdom] is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her. (Proverbs 3:15)
The 144,000 trust God to uphold them in the day of God’s wrath, and they answer the vain imagination of those who claim that the Lord cannot keep man from sinning. Because of their testimony for God’s power to make an utter end of sin in their lives, it will never arise to mar the Universe again.
Who can stand before his indignation? and who can abide in the fierceness of his anger? his fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by him. The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him [the 144,000].... What do ye imagine against the LORD? he will make an utter end: affliction [from sin] shall not rise up the second time. (Nahum 1:6-7,9)
Thus, they complete the ministry of Jesus, the Sun of Righteousness, who is worshipped from Sabbath to Sabbath in the new earth. And as the moon reflects the light of the sun, they shine with His reflection, being restored in His image[66] while in their sinful flesh, and are remembered from month to month:
And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD. (Isaiah 66:23)
A Second Witness
The interplay of Sabbaths, new moons, and holy convocations, is a temporal theme that began at the Exodus from Egypt with the institution of the feasts of the Lord and their days of holy convocation. Egypt represents sin, and the Exodus from that nation represents God’s deliverance of His people from sin. We are to be cleansed from the contamination of sin, just as Israel was to separate from the practices of Egypt. God wanted to implant Himself in their midst, but He needed the sanctuary to allow His presence among a sinful people without destroying them.[67] The entire sanctuary service—all of its sacrifices, furniture, feasts, and holy convocations—served to illustrate God’s incredible deliverance from the bondage of sin.
One of the principles of God’s tribunal is that for a death sentence, more than one witness is required before the judgment could be executed.
At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is worthy of death be put to death; but at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death. (Deuteronomy 17:6)
The Orion clock gave the deadline for repentance by specifying the day of God’s wrath. But this, with all of its marked times, counts as only one witness. In order to fulfill the requirement of His own law, God needed at least one more trustworthy witness to validate the sentence. The second witness is another clock, found in a completely different place, derived from a completely different set of studies. It is derived from the Jewish sanctuary services and High Sabbaths instituted at the time of the Exodus. Let’s look very briefly at this second witness to see if the evidence supports the hypothesis that it is indeed a trustworthy witness, or if it is merely a random set of coincidences, containing no trustworthy testimony.
The sanctuary itself, wherein God dwelt, was a type for Jesus Christ, for “the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.”[68] The first piece of furniture that one would meet when they entered the courtyard of the sanctuary was the altar of burnt offering. This represents the cross of Jesus Christ. It is the theme and center-point of Salvation. The Orion clock is centered on the star representing Jesus, the Wounded One, and teaches us about His character. In like manner, the High Sabbath Clock is founded on the cross of Jesus Christ and also teaches us about His character.
It is at the cross that we find the key that unlocks the mystery of God’s true calendar. Daniel’s prophecy of the seventy weeks points directly to the year of Jesus’ crucifixion as AD 31, but most people discredit this date because there was no Friday crucifixion possible during that Passover according to the commonly accepted Jewish calendar. They suggest that the seventy weeks of Daniel’s prophecy started at a different time, or they use some other rationale for Jesus’ death being in a different year. Even Adventists have no solid rebuttal to the argument against AD 31. But in reality, it is this very dilemma that shines light on how God’s true calendar works!
Once that is known, it is possible to determine exactly when every feast day occurs in any year from the institution of the festal services until far in the future. There is just one catch: During the feast of unleavened bread, which was in the first month of the year, some freshly picked stalks of barley from the new harvest were required (the Jewish year began right at the time when the barley began to ripen). This meant that they could not begin the new year before they had ripe barley to use in the Passover services! If none was found in the fields around Jerusalem, they would postpone the year until the following new moon, when there would certainly be usable barley. This is lunar calendar’s equivalent to the leap day that we add every four years in the Gregorian solar calendar.
For this reason, there are always two possible times for every feast in a given year, and this means that the holy convocations—the declared Sabbaths of the feasts—may also occur at different times. God designed it so that He always had the last word regarding the time!
When the earth in its path around the sun crosses the line demarking the spring equinox, the biblical New Year can begin. At the first crescent moon following it, if there is grain available for the wave offering, the first month begins, and the weekdays when the feasts will occur are confirmed.
The Real High Sabbath
The Passover and subsequent spring feasts all pointed to events surrounding Jesus’ first Advent. Indeed, Jesus was lying in the grave over a very special day: Not only was it a weekly Sabbath,[69] but it was also a High Sabbath. John makes a passing reference to this when He comments “for that sabbath day was an high day.”[70] Most Christians believe that every holy convocation of the feasts was considered a high day, but the Bible never refers to them as such.
The feasts of the Lord are defined in Leviticus 23. The chapter begins by defining them as to include the weekly Sabbaths. Then, as though restating the definition, it lists all the yearly feasts, beginning with the Passover. This peculiar repetition tells us something about the relationship between the weekly Sabbath and the annual declared Sabbaths of the feasts.
First of all, they are separate. The weekly Sabbath is in its own self-contained definition, and indeed, it is a feast of the Lord, and a holy convocation, but it is not in the same class as the annual festal Sabbaths, for it is one of the Ten Commandments, written in stone by the finger of God, representing both its permanence (being “set in stone”) and its close relationship to His character (being written with His own finger—just as one’s handwriting gives clues to their personality)! The laws concerning the feasts, however, were spoken to Moses alone, who then wrote them on parchment and related them to the people.
Secondly, although they are separate, both groups (the weekly seventh-day Sabbaths and the annual feast-day Sabbaths) are considered feasts of the Lord, using the very same language. This makes sense considering that the word “feasts” means “appointed times.” The Lord has a weekly appointed time, and annual appointed times. And having two definitions for the feasts means that we must combine them to get a more complete understanding. Thus, there must be significance to those set times that are Sabbaths by being both the seventh day of the week and an appointed annual Sabbath. These are fittingly referred to as “high days” because they are doubly appointed days.
The traditional understanding of most Christians regarding high days does not take into account the full definition. They ignore the fact that the weekly Sabbath is also included as a feast of the Lord in the same passage. This leaves nothing above the ordinary Sabbath to call it a “high” Sabbath. For this reason, the high days are best defined as only those feast days that also fall on the seventh-day Sabbath.
You may ask why this is important. The answer lies in the silent testimony given when the Life-Giver’s body lay lifeless in the tomb. His life-blood, drained from that pale corpse, was poured out as a love offering to atone for you and me, because we broke His law. He could not bend the law, for it was written in stone. Rather, the only means for our salvation was for Jesus, the King of glory, to give His life to become an eternal brother to the little worms called humanity. For One who was equal to the Father—One who possessed the infinite attributes of the Almighty—to humble Himself to the lowly worm of a man—not for an earthly lifetime, but for eternity—is the character that His wounded, lifeless body testified to on that mournful High Sabbath of May 25/26, AD 31.
At Creation, God rested the seventh day and was refreshed. After setting the example, He enjoined it upon His creation to likewise rest on the Sabbath day. On that High Sabbath, Jesus’ resting body set the example of complete consecration and infinite love, and as before, He enjoins it upon His disciples: “This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.”[71]
High Sabbath Genetics
If we wish to be a friend of Jesus and keep His commandment to love one another infinitely, then we will need to understand the message that God has put in the High Sabbaths, for in that message is the provision for His character to be replicated in us. As only the Creator of heaven and earth and all that is in them could do, He has built into the High Sabbaths, a beautiful picture—an analogy to the process of character replication at the cellular level! From the vast distances of interstellar space to the atomic precision of the processes within the human cell, we see the Creator’s handwriting, and it proclaims the everlasting perfection of the character of God.
Every cell of our body is in contact with blood, which brings it the oxygen it needs to sustain its life. They are like little sanctuaries, where oxygen is distributed, nourishment is utilized, energy is generated, and enzymes go to work. Inside this living sanctuary is a protected inner enclosure where the DNA is stored. This is where the law of the cell is written, just like the law of God was stored in the holiest compartment of the sanctuary. This DNA-law contains the manufacturing instructions for every enzyme machine in the cell, and is consulted whenever more are needed to accomplish a particular cellular task. The features that our children receive are passed on to them through the DNA. Not only our physical features, but our character is likewise written in our DNA, as can be seen when a child demonstrates behaviors that are clearly similar to his parents, before he has had opportunity to learn them by observation.
This principle is eluded to in the message of the High Sabbaths. Just as the High Sabbath when Jesus rested in the tomb symbolically encapsulated His character, so do the High Sabbaths throughout time collectively speak of His character. If you think of the High Sabbath List as a long “chromosome” of temporal DNA that stretches from the institution of the feasts at the Exodus until the end of human history, then the timespan of the three angels’ messages of Revelation 14 would be likened to a single “gene” on that chromosome of time. God’s purpose with the judgment hour was to prepare a people who would be willing to receive the gene of life!
This character “gene” that the 144,000 require, is mapped out by the High Sabbaths over the course of the antitypical Day of Atonement—the span of time represented in the judgment cycle of Orion, and foreshadowed by the solemn feast of Yom Kippur, when all the sin of Israel was symbolically blotted out.
For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the LORD. (Leviticus 16:30)
This represented more than forgiveness, for that was obtained at the altar of burnt offering. Forgiveness was granted on a daily basis, but on this special feast day in the seventh month, they were not only forgiven, but cleansed! It was about being clean before God—about receiving the Character of Jesus in their heart. Therefore, it is this period, over which this “gene” is encoded in the High Sabbaths.
A number of allegorical correlations exist between biological DNA and the High Sabbath List.
| Biological DNA | High Sabbath List |
|---|---|
| Consists of a list of different base pairs with no inherent meaning. | Consists of a list of various possible High Sabbaths with no inherent meaning. |
| Contains triplets of base pairs that are interpreted as building blocks for proteins. | Contains triplets of possible High Sabbaths that point to elements of Christ’s character. |
| Some base pair triplets (a.k.a. codons) are start or stop codons that signal transcription to begin or end, respectively. | The period during which the first and second angels’ messages were proclaimed was 1841-1843 and the High Sabbaths of this period represent the start codon, which is not found anywhere else in the sequence. |
| Ribosomes—the cellular components that interpret the triplet codons—identify each codon by matching it to an internal pattern. | “Stop codons” in the High Sabbath List are identified as those matching the pattern of High Sabbaths for the 1888-1890 triplet, when Jesus could have ended history had the 1888 message been accepted.[72] |
Codons are grouped by the first two base pairs of the triplet, such that if they are the same, they generally represent the same building block. | Other “stop codons” in the High Sabbath List are identified as those that have the same pattern in the first two years.[73] |
| While a stop codon may sometimes not actually stop transcription, a double-stop codon (two stop codons in a row) always stops transcription. | Several “stop codons” occur in the sequence, but at the very end, two are in immediate succession, forming a “double-stop codon,” signifying that history will not continue like it did after 1888. |
| DNA is double-stranded. | The possible High Sabbaths are grouped into two “strands” according to whether they derive from the spring or autumn feasts. |
| DNA has a helical structure. | The moon is the key factor setting the dates for the High Sabbaths, and it traces a helical path through space as it circles the earth in its path around the sun. |
If this analogy were just imaginary, then no viable information could be derived from the resulting codes. However, the information the triplets reveal is itself highly structured and correlated with the Orion clock.
During this period of judgment, God trained and sifted His people to separate those who would be used to perform the role of the 144,000. He gave them instruction and reproof and this served as a test for them. It represents the counsel and instruction that He gives to each of us. Those who would be counted wise in the end are those who will humbly receive His instruction and reproof at each step of the process.
Hear counsel, and receive instruction, that thou mayest be wise in thy latter end. (Proverbs 19:20)
These are the ones who will shine in the end, lighting the earth with the fourth angel’s message.
And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever. (Daniel 12:3)
The following list itemizes some of the information that is revealed upon further analysis.
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The start codon occurs immediately before 1844, the beginning of the Orion clock, and represents the first and second angels’ messages.
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The sequence is terminated with the autumn feasts of 2015, the very same time that the Orion clock ends (the last year in Orion is 2014, which extends from autumn 2014 to autumn 2015).
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The entire double-stop codon spans the period during which the last message of warning (the fullness of the fourth angel’s message) is given to the world.
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The exact same codes of the 1888-1890 triplet (not just the first two, but all three) are repeated in the last triplet, 2013-2015. They are related because both triplets signal times when Jesus could return.
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The 1861-1863 triplet points to the formal organization of the church, and the identical codes are repeated in the 2010-2012 triplet, which signals the end of the usefulness of the church organization (whose fate was sealed at the transgression of the Creation Sabbath at the end of the judgment of the dead in October 2012).
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The 1915-1917 triplet points to the death of Ellen G. White in 1915 and the General Conference’s drafting of the first statement of cooperation with other denominations in 1917.[74] The identical codes are repeated in the triplet of 1986-1988, when the church openly joined the ecumenical movement as the last step in the process of unification with the one world religion.
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There are exactly seven periods of about 24 years throughout the list that are a reflection of the 24 periods of 7 years in the Orion clock, just as the earthly sanctuary (upon which the High Sabbath List is based) is a reflection of the heavenly sanctuary in Orion.
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No other triplets occur during this period that have the first two of the three codes exactly the same as the reference triplet (1888-1890). That is, there are no extraneous stop codons.
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The 1935-1937 triplet points to the beginning of the Last Generation Theology. During this time, M.L. Andreasen wrote and published (for the church leadership in 1937[75]) the classic study of The Sanctuary Service, which lays the foundation of this theology. It features prominently in the High Calling that the Fourth Angel’s Message calls us to.
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The 1959-1961 triplet marks the denunciation of M.L. Andreasen by the church and the end of the struggle against a wrong understanding of the human nature of Jesus, the beginning of which is marked in Orion.
These markers in time identify key doctrines that are necessary in order to fulfill the purpose of the 144,000 as explained earlier. They are all expressed in the allegorical setting of DNA transcription, as an illustration of the replication of Jesus’ character for the 144,000 who will complete His ministry on the earth, being vessels cleansed from self and prepared for the Holy Spirit to use. The message itself is derived from the High Sabbaths, which embody this same self-sacrificial character that Jesus demonstrated on the cross.
If you believe these correlations are mere happen-stance, then you should have an explanation for why these “chance occurrences” appear so intentionally correlated. Can you explain the thematic similarities to the Orion clock? Just the fact that its time markers are a reflection of those of the Orion clock, and end at the exact same season, should be evidence enough to remove all doubt as to their relationship! Add to this the thematic parallels with DNA transcription and the cross of Jesus, and there is an abundance of evidence. Only One with infinite knowledge and ability, who knows the end from the beginning, could so organize the movements of the Sun and Moon to harmonize with the history that transpires on Earth. Do you hear the music of the spheres? As the Moon traces its graceful, helical path around the Sun, together with the Earth, they sound their harmonious lines in the celestial orchestra. The accelerating percussion of signs that signal the end, complements the rhythmic bass line of Orion, all in the perfect time of the Creator. Do you hear the voice like many waters? Will you learn the song that the 144,000 sing as they drink of that water and keep time with the choir of stars?
Do you understand now, that God indeed keeps time? With every stroke of His clock, those who keep time with Him hear the heartbeat of His bountiful love and are encouraged to follow in His example. Listen closely to that heartbeat and add your voice to the melodious song for our friends in heaven.
The Third and Fourth Generation
This Vessel of Time—the High Sabbath List—gives us the standard of measurement. We are to lift up the cross by our example in taking hold of God’s promises and learning to overcome self and let the righteousness of Jesus shine through us, so that all may be drawn to Him. Have we ordered our lives accordingly? Do you remember Jesus’ blessing on the wise servant who gave his household food in due season?[76]
God chose the Seventh-day Adventist Church to be ruler over His household; to deliver to the world the bread of life.
Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods. (Matthew 24:45-47)
Has the church been faithful, like the wise servant? Or has it followed the course of the evil servant?
But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming [“He is not coming as soon as Orion indicates”]; And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken [follow the example of the world]; The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of [because he rejected the knowledge of the time], And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 24:48-51)
The evil servant was a hypocrite because he loved darkness rather than light, while professing to be a servant of the Lord. The light of the fourth angel began to come to the church in 1888, but like the evil servant, the church leaders loved their darkness and hated the light.
And this is the condemnation, that light [the Holy Spirit] is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. (John 3:19-20)
By setting up traditional beliefs as the golden standard of truth instead of humbly returning to the Scriptures in study to understand whether the traditional beliefs needed refinement, they just as surely committed idolatry as if they had worshiped a golden image! And what does God say about giving homage to other gods?
Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands [of generations[77]] of them that love me, and keep my commandments. (Exodus 20:5-6)
As the history of Israel poignantly illustrates, the iniquity of the fathers carries on to later generations unless there is decided and consistent reform. But short of the painstaking effort of faith required to do that, the children adopt the sins of their fathers, and they will be visited with the judgment of God.
Collectively, God’s family is represented by the church, so the “fathers” are not just your common dad, but should be understood to be the spiritual fathers in the church. They are the leaders who influence the church in a particular direction. At the time of the Great Disappointment, the “church” was a fledgling group of young people—many in their late teens and twenties—and they earnestly studied with each other about Bible prophecies and doctrines. They understood the logic and instruction of the Scriptures and could reason from cause to effect. They loved Jesus and were eager to see Him come in their lifetime, and this led them to consecrate themselves wholly to Him, forsaking the world, being willing so suffer whatever was necessary for the movement they identified with and the God they loved.
When the church was officially organized, many of these same people, now in their 30s and 40s, were the ones who led in its development. The pictures we have of them were taken when they were older, but in the early years of the church, our “pioneers” were remarkably young! Nevertheless, they had experience studying and teaching unpopular doctrine and knew their Bibles well. Due to the blessing of God on their consecration, they accomplished much with their few resources and low numbers.
The Vessel of Time is divided into seven periods averaging 24-25 years—the accepted length of a generation today.[78] It takes us generation by generation through the history of the church, pointing out key tests that the people went through as each new generation brought their own character and ideas to the work. The test with the most at stake was arguably when the Holy Spirit came to bring them the beautiful truth of righteousness by faith in 1888.
By this time, some of the founders had passed away, and a new generation had taken the primary leadership, who had not gone through many of the trials of faith as had the early pioneers. They had grown more comfortable with the world, less submissive to God, and less willing to suffer for the truth’s sake.[79] These subtle influences led them unconsciously to look on the outward appearances and faults of the messengers, rather than evaluate their message according to the word of God. Their pride refused to acknowledge that great light could come by the hands of such, and they rejected the Holy Spirit as a result.
This was the iniquity, and they were the guilty fathers leading the church. As a result, they lost the opportunity to finish the work and enter heaven. What’s more, the next generation to lead following them, lost the prophetic voice that had done much to keep the church in line. “Where there is no vision, the people perish.”[80] Then they were freed to pursue their course of compromise without the consistent voice of reproof to hinder them. They were the first generation after the guilty fathers.
But just as Joshua and Caleb were faithful in Israel, there were those who yet remained faithful in spite of the prevailing attitudes. Among these were M.L. Andreasen, who arose as a prominent scholar in the church during that era, and to whom the Lord gave another beam of the light of the fourth angel’s message for His people. But the prevailing spirit of this second generation did not welcome the light any more than their church forefathers did in 1888, and they rejected him and the message he gave, even ultimately revoking his ministerial license.
Hope Deferred
An interesting detail about this timing is brought to light by the Jubilee cycle. The Orion clock points to 1540 BC as the year that the children of Israel entered into Canaan, the Promised Land. This was the beginning year for the Jubilee counting, and gives a clear significance to the Jubilee as a time relating to the entrance into the heavenly Promised Land! The Jubilee occurred the year after every seventh sabbatical—every 49 years. Beginning our count from 1540 BC, and counting 70 Jubilee cycles (3430 years), it brings us exactly to AD 1890![81]
This is the very year that Ellen G. White referred to, as when the heavenly Promised Land could have been entered! Exactly two years earlier, the Holy Spirit sought to bring the first rays of the light of the fourth angel. One more Jubilee cycle brings us to 1939, and this is exactly two years after Andreasen published his work for the church leaders, containing additional light from the fourth angel! Had the church repented and welcomed that light, it would have been in a better position now to accept the truth!
Instead, with each successive generation, they sank further and further into the mire of their wrong ideas and ways. These unconsecrated leaders drove the church toward unity with the world with all of their power, neutralizing unique doctrines and publicly joining the ecumenical movement. This is the testimony of the third and fourth generations of their church fathers who showed their hatefulness toward God in 1888.
The fourth generation rose to leadership about the time of the next Jubilee in 1988. This is also marked in the Vessel of Time, but there was no light. It is marked as a dark blot, ending the triplet when the seeds planted in 1917 by “cooperating” with other faiths, had grown into established trees with their first bitter fruit ripening in 1986, when the church publicly joined the ecumenical movement, despite all the efforts of the Holy Spirit to bring reformation. In that empty Jubilee, the church once again rejected all of the effort of the Holy Spirit over the previous generations, and completed the unity with the world through its state-enforcement of legal protections in 1988.[82] In other words, the church grieved away the Holy Spirit. The house was left desolate.
Figure 5 – Visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generation.
God had the two or three witnesses that He required before executing a death sentence. No further Jubilees will occur on this earth. But there is something to be learned from this as well. The Jubilee year was always the year following a sabbatical year, and if we count sabbatical years from the 1987 sabbatical, we find that there are exactly four, where the fourth begins in the autumn of 2015.[83] The total number of sabbatical years since the rejection of the 1888 message is 18. These 18 sabbaticals (which show up in other timelines with characteristic self-similarity) represent a hope deferred: what could have taken place at the beginning has been postponed 18 cycles until its unequivocal fulfillment now.
Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life. (Proverbs 13:12)
The gift of the Holy Spirit is especially associated with the Jubilee cycles. Seven literal weeks every year were counted from the feast of unleavened bread until the Feast of Weeks, or Pentecost, which represented the outpouring of the Holy Spirit that the disciples of Jesus received on that very day. Those seven weeks represent the seven weeks of years (sabbaticals) of the Jubilee, and it was on that very special seventieth Jubilee that the Holy Spirit would have completed His work of lightening the whole world, had He been welcomed and loved!
For 70 long Jubilee cycles—nearly three and a half millennia—the Holy Spirit had been working to make the type of Israel’s entering into the Promised Land become the reality of entering into heaven. But as ancient Israel resisted the faithful witnesses to the grandeur of the Promised Land (Joshua and Caleb) and sought to return to Egypt, so also spiritual Israel (the Seventh-day Adventist Church) resisted the faithful witnesses to righteousness by faith (Jones & Waggoner) in 1888 and sought to return to the darkness from which God had brought them. As the fourth generation began to lead in the 1986-1988 triplet, they had accomplished that goal.
Known By Their Fruits
But at that time, the fourth generation of leadership had just begun, and some time was needed for the fruit of their leadership to be seen. As children are the fruit, or offspring, of the parents and learn the habits and culture of the family, so the church’s youth learn the habits and culture of the church, and are the fruit of its leaders.
Those who had rejected the righteousness of Jesus by faith, were left to produce the fruit of their own character. But all who receive the righteousness of Jesus by faith, have His character replicated in their own lives as they put their faith in His leading through all of the testing points of the Vessel of Time. These become the 144,000 as they are sealed by the Holy Spirit to fully reveal His character at the appointed time.
These two groups have ever been present in the church—the faithful, who are children of Abraham by faith,[84] and the unfaithful, who are the children of the devil through unbelief.[85] And what did Jesus say? “Ye do the deeds of your father.” Jesus said we would recognize the false prophets in the church from the true by looking at their fruit.
Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? (Matthew 7:15-16)
At this time, during the judgment of the living, God is looking upon the fruit of this fourth generation of leadership. The fruit of their leadership may be seen in our youth. And what do we see, generally, if we look at the fruit of the fourth generation? We often speak of the “army of youth,” and how soon they could carry the gospel message to the world, but they must be “rightly trained” in order to qualify:
We have an army of youth today [1893] who can do much if they are properly directed and encouraged. We want our children to believe the truth. We want them to be blessed of God. We want them to act a part in well-organized plans for helping other youth. Let all be so trained that they may rightly represent the truth, giving the reason of the hope that is within them, and honoring God in any branch of the work where they are qualified to labor. {ChS 30.3}[86]
With such an army of workers as our youth, rightly trained, might furnish, how soon the message of a crucified, risen, and soon-coming Saviour might be carried to the whole world! {Ed 271.2}[87]
But we don’t want to judge improperly. Contrary to popular belief, Jesus commanded us to judge, but to do so righteously:
Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment. (John 7:24)
Paul is also clear whom we are to judge—those within the body of faith:
But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat. For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within? (1 Corinthians 5:11-12)
So where should we look, seeing that we cannot directly read the heart? Are there visible signs that we can see that speak to one’s character in their heart? Of course there are! From the very beginning, it was the first association that was made with sin. The moment Adam ate the fruit, they had a startling realization that was forever etched into the mind of man:
And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. (Genesis 3:7)
Why do you suppose they didn’t realize that they were not wearing clothing before? Wouldn’t it be rather obvious, like it is in the artwork depicting them? Or might God have “covered [them] with the robe of righteousness”[88] and they became naked when Adam sinned and lost that righteousness? The immediate effect of sin was the loss of covering—the exposing of the shame of their nakedness.
This is a very sensitive topic, because people immediately feel “judged” when you speak about their clothing. But if we are serious about Jesus, then we will do what is right, even if it means standing out like a sore thumb.
Through Ellen G. White, God gave the Seventh-day Adventist Church much counsel regarding the related concepts of health and dress, and these are represented in Orion by the throne lines of His right hand.
We judge of a person’s character by the style of dress worn. A modest, godly woman will dress modestly. A refined taste, a cultivated mind, will be revealed in the choice of a simple, appropriate attire.... The one who is simple and unpretending in her dress and in her manners shows that she understands that a true woman is characterized by moral worth. How charming, how interesting, is simplicity in dress, which in comeliness can be compared with the flowers of the field. {CG 413.5}[89]
Indeed, the way we dress speaks volumes about who we are and what we want people to notice. The fashions of the day are self-centric, drawing the attention to the people wearing them. Modest simplicity in dress directs the attention to the face, which ought to shine with the glory of God! Neatness, orderliness, and modesty are the way of heaven, and if we are citizens there, then we will seek to adopt those qualities in our dress and lifestyle, and this applies to both men and women. The sweet innocence of little girls is often darkened by mothers who unwittingly dress them in unbecoming clothing. But grown women should preserve their own sweet innocence as well!
Jesus made the principle clear that the seventh commandment is about much more than married people having an affair.
Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. (Matthew 5:27-28)
Of course, the commandment isn’t just for men. The principle is that everyone has a sacred “marriage bed” that God commands us to keep pure. If you are married, then keep it pure by being faithful to your spouse and refraining from degrading practices, even between yourselves. Not every sexual practice is acceptable for a sweet and holy relationship. If you are single, keep your marriage bed pure by preserving the purity of your mind (especially men) and body (especially women). This can be accomplished only by receiving the character of Jesus. It is righteousness by faith; purity by faith.
It is a challenge for women to obtain appropriate clothing with the degenerate condition of the world today. Pants and revealing or tight-fitting clothing, as is quite typical of popular women’s wear, draws attention to the sexual features of the body, which is contradictory to the aim of modesty.
Miniskirts, shorts, tops that are low-cut, cropped, or spaghetti strap, or clothes that have writing or decoration across the sexual parts of the body, all serve to draw the attention to those areas. None of these fashions demonstrate the simple modesty of a daughter of God, and rest assured, none are similar to the garments that will be worn in heaven!
Many women may feel that they must dress in a showy manner in order to feel good about themselves. They have fallen for the media’s lies that a woman’s worth is in her body (and the men who turn their heads agree). But it is not. Your worth is in Jesus, who gave His all to buy you back.
The eyes are designed to focus on elements of contrast and singularity. They automatically locate the tips of arrows or the points of V-necks or the meeting point of pant legs. Clothing with these features is sure to attract the attention of a wandering eye.
You shouldn’t feel restricted because of the dirty old creeps, however. The principle of modesty is not, as many mistakenly present it, about helping men not to be overwhelmed with temptation to lustful thoughts. That would be considerate, but a godly man has the mind of Christ, and the sight of immodestly-dressed, vain, or silly women is unattractive to him, even if they have a good heart. For him, they lack the discretion to cover their nakedness and foolishness, and the proverb applies:
As a jewel of gold in a swine’s snout, so is a fair [beautiful] woman which is without discretion. (Proverbs 11:22)
Modesty and an unpretending deportment is for your own self-respect as a woman, and to honor your Father in heaven! And that is something that a godly man is attracted to. A woman who understands these principles and dresses tastefully with feminine modesty and simplicity is a precious treasure. None should allow culture to convince them that it is okay to compromise by wearing the same (or just a little better) clothing that everyone else wears, or acting the same way everyone else does. If you are a child of God, let it be seen! It will be a positive influence to those around you!
In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works. (1 Timothy 2:9-10)
Marriage is a holy institution that should be taken very seriously, before and after it is entered into. The seventh commandment requires that the intimacy of the marriage relationship must be preserved through modesty and kept solely between the man and his wife. Those who are not married should direct their attention to heavenly things, and discover the higher and richer intimacy of a relationship with God. It is the seventh commandment that is the test of this time, whether you are married or single.
Found Wanting
If we look at the fruit of the current generation—our youth in the church—and we ask whether they have been rightly trained to fear God and give Him glory, we are confronted with a terrible reality. Even in the best of homes, those who have been surrounded with the subtle influences of the unfaithful leaders are in a terrible condition. Are they ready to be sealed by the Holy Spirit? Are they earnestly searching the Scriptures to better understand prophecy and doctrine? Or are their lives characterized by frivolity, vanity, and pleasure-seeking?
Is it “giving the reason of their hope” to play Bible games as we typically see in “Adventist Youth” programs, racing a friend to find a random word in the pages of holy writ? Or to be the first to answer some Bible trivia question correctly? Is this the proper training that they need? Why is it that most are unbearably silent when you ask them why they believe a particular doctrine? There is a form of godliness, but no convicting power.
But which group do we find the most Adventist youth at today? The official, church-sponsored club for youth is the popular Pathfinders club. What do you find if you look at the international camporee of this year? Surely you will find many youths with the consecration that the teenagers had in 1844, when they believed Jesus was about to come. After all, if you asked any one of them, they would certainly tell you that Jesus is coming soon!
But sadly, the reality is far different. We find not the least evidence that a Bible was ever opened. But many pictures are unashamedly posted on the camporee website that show a shocking disregard for any modesty or standard of conduct! One gets the impression that impropriety is honored!
On stage presentation of the girls. Can you discern the dress code? “Nothing longer than 20 cm, please!”
These are our sweet sixteens being exhibited without shame! This never happened in Nineveh!
To be honest, I am embarrassed to even include these pictures, but it is important that you understand what God is subjected to everyday! Do you understand how offensive this is to Him? For many decades, He has invested much effort to train up His children to be like fragrant lilies of the field, but instead, there is a continual stench of rotting flesh that rises to His nose and turns His stomach! Is it a wonder that He will soon vomit them out of His mouth like the whale of the camporee theme story?
One photo from the “water activities” is just too indecent to include here, yet it is posted without a blush on the official camporee website![90] Have we lost all common sense that we put teenage boys with teenage girls in whatever they want to wear—or not wear?! Have we forgotten that these are years that require special care and spiritual protection from the degenerating influences of the world? Have we no concern at all that our children are breaking the seventh commandment? The principle of the seventh commandment is that of preserving the sanctity and purity of the gift of intimacy for the right time—within the confines of a tender, loving, and committed marriage relationship between a man and a woman. But this whole camp was full of young adulterers and adulteresses, who refuse to reserve their bodies for marriage, but will expose just as much as they can get away with. And sadly, that’s just about everything, due to the complete lack of principle in the parents and church leaders to direct their children to keep themselves pure and chaste.
The ladies choir singing for the baptisms. There is clearly no respect for the sacred ceremony of baptism.
Will they perform before God dressed in the same manner?
Parents must govern their children, correct their passions, and subdue them, or God will surely destroy the children in the day of His fierce anger, and the parents who have not controlled their children will not be blameless. Especially should the servants of God govern their own families and have them in good subjection. I saw that they are not prepared to judge or decide in matters of the church, unless they can rule well their own house [this includes having good standards to rule by]. They must first have order at home, and then their judgment and influence will tell in the church. {1T 119.2}[91]
The theme of this camporee was “Surprised by Grace” in the setting of Nineveh’s repentance at Jonah’s warning. It is quite ironic, when you consider the applicability of Jesus’ words:
The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here [the Holy Spirit in the latter rain]. (Matthew 12:41)
Whether or not you want to evaluate this fruit, God does, and He will visit the iniquity of the fathers on the generations alive today, because they walked in the same way, adopting the same errors, and the quality of their offspring proves it. Will you know the time of this visitation?
Yea, the stork in the heaven knoweth her appointed times; and the turtle and the crane and the swallow observe the time of their coming; but my people know not the judgment of the LORD. How do ye say, We are wise, and the law of the LORD is with us? Lo, certainly in vain made he it; the pen of the scribes is in vain.... Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore shall they fall among them that fall: in the time of their visitation they shall be cast down, saith the LORD. (Jeremiah 8:7-8,12)
A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. (Matthew 7:18-20)
The church of God has become lukewarm, not even discerning its own nakedness. It does not stand in favor with God, and its members who do not have the vitality to separate from the condemned organization will receive of its plagues.[92]
So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. (Revelation 3:16-19)
How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge? Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you. Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you.
Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD: They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof. Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices. For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them. But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil. (Proverbs 1:22-33)
To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven. (Ecclesiastes 3:1)
