In the article entitled Christmas 2.0, Brother John showed how Orion confirms the exact birthdate of Jesus Christ and the very date and time that God breathed the breath of life into the nostrils of Adam on the eve of the first Sabbath. In the article that followed it, Miller's Mistake, I explained how the classic one-year error of William Miller found its counterpart in our experience, and the finally-correct date appointed for Christ’s return was unveiled. Those two articles set forth the beginning and end dates of human history.
In this article, I will show how The Clock of God in Orion—the Book of Seven Seals—applies to the entire span of history just like Ellen G. White said in a passage we will look at momentarily. I will also show how the greatest gem in the first Miller’s “casket” shines ten times brighter in the light of Orion. Without further ado, let’s consider this mind-boggling quote of Sister White:
We ask John what he saw and heard in the vision at Patmos, and he answers: “And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof? And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon.”
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 197.1–2}
Wow. That’s a lot of information to be packed into the book! We know that the Orion clock reaches to the end of history, but can it be that it also reaches back to the beginning of history, not just in giving us the date of creation but even in telling the history of nations from that time to ours?
The White Horse
The opening of the first seal of the book corresponds to the white horse:
And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see. And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer. (Revelation 6:1-2)
It is common knowledge that the white horse represents the pure gospel, and its going forth to conquer represents the spreading of the same as it “conquers” the hearts of men and women who hear it. The riding forth of the pure gospel is rightly interpreted to have begun with Christ, and there are many studies that do an excellent job of explaining how the first six seals met their fulfillment in the Christian era. We call this the “classical” interpretation of the seals. (One such study can be found in Lessons 30-38 in the section titled If I Were Told the Future at Cyberspace Ministry.) This level of understanding has existed since the time of Miller and corresponds to the writing on the outside (or backside) of the book of seven seals. The visible signs of the Great Lisbon Earthquake, the Dark Day, and the Falling Stars (of 1833), which correspond exactly to the sixth seal, woke up the world to the impending judgment and completed the interpretation of the first six seals.
And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. (Revelation 6:12-13)
However, just as the marches of Jericho for six days were all repeated on the seventh day, so the first six (classical) seals are followed by their repetition during the judgment period from 1844 to the end (see History Repeats for the full study). These repeated seals are the subject of the Orion study, and represent the whole cycle from the going forth of the white horse to the close of time. From the Orion study, we know that the white horse began to ride again in the year 1846 when the gospel was restored to purity through the truth of the seventh-day (Saturday) Sabbath.
(Annotation from August 2016: For more information regarding the fulfillment of the classical sixth seal, please see the addendum to History Repeats II. The fulfillment of the repeated sixth seal is explained in the addendum to Signs of the End and slides 101-114 of the Orion Presentation.)
Let’s take it one step further. The end of the clock round is marked by the same white-horse star. The cycle begins with the white horse and ends with the white horse. When the 168-year clock cycle ends in the 2014-2015 Orion year to usher in the plagues, the formation of another pure white gospel will be complete: the 144,000. Just like with the birth of Jesus, by the time the great clock points to that hour, all of the 144,000 will have been born-again into the image of Christ.
There was another point in history when the white horse of the pure gospel rode forth. God created Adam perfectly, without sin. He was pure and clean. The gospel message went forth after the fall, preached by first-hand witnesses who had actually seen and touched the Lord in Eden. The first lessons of the sacrificial system were taught when animals had to be slain to clothe the naked couple, and the gospel promise of that fateful day still exists in the sacred record:
And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. (Genesis 3:15)
Thus, we see that the book of seven seals, which begins with the white horse, applies to three periods delineated by the following events:
- The Creation of Adam (4037 B.C.)
- The Birth of Jesus (5 B.C.)
- The Sabbath-Keepers with the third angel’s message (A.D. 1846)
- The 144,000 (A.D. 2015)
The three periods between those four dates correspond to the ministries of the three members of the Godhead. The period from the creation of Adam to the birth of Jesus represents the work of the Father. Jesus the Son began His phase at His birth up until He moved into the Most Holy Place. The Holy Spirit began His special work of sanctifying God’s people through the investigative judgment, which will continue until the intercession of Jesus ceases in the autumn of 2015.
Figure 1 – Three Dispensations (corresponding to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, respectively)
When viewing the dispensations of each member of the Godhead to-scale on a timeline, it becomes immediately clear that each successive era is shorter than the one before it. This does not imply less activity, but rather testifies to the increasing rate of human activity and knowledge growth. The rate of change experienced by ancient peoples was far less than today. The modes of transportation employed during each era are commonly used to show the drastic acceleration of knowledge within the last hundred and fifty years or so. Travel by foot, by animal, or by an animal-drawn vehicle of some sort was the mode in use for all of ancient history. Within the short span of the “judgment hour” transportation advanced to the point where man can travel around the globe in a matter of hours. More amazing than that is the phenomenal increase in Bible understanding in recent years. The incredible amount of light that is shining from the Bible today glares in stark contrast to bygone times when a single newly-rediscovered Bible truth was enough to justify the creation of a whole new church denomination! It sure seems like time is running faster, doesn’t it—just like we have been told:
The agencies of evil are combining their forces and consolidating. They are strengthening for the last great crisis. Great changes are soon to take place in our world, and the final movements will be rapid ones. {9T 11.2}
A Three-Volume Set
Everyone who understands the Orion clock knows that it is the judgment clock. It spans the Judgment Hour, the 11th hour of the last great two-thousand-year era and is represented symbolically in the throne room scenes of Daniel and Revelation. It is the hidden writing on the inside of the Book of Seven Seals. Moving our attention back to the preceding 11 hours from the birth of Jesus to the Judgment, we see the classical interpretation of the seven seals. Moving our attention back even further to the great four-thousand-year era before Christ, and considering Ellen G. White’s fascinating statement that the Revelator’s book of seven seals contains the history of nations from the beginning of time (and much more), one should ask if the Voice of God coming from Orion has yet more to say. Let’s find out!
The Book of Seven Seals is also called a roll (Zech. 5). You can imagine rolling up a large chart, like the Orion chart, so that the chart would be hidden on the inside of the roll. The writing on the outside would still be readable, but the inside would not be. Now imagine looking through one end of the roll and out the other end like a telescope, as children often like to do. If you were to point this “telescope” roll at Orion, then you would see a circle containing the stars of the Orion constellation, much like the Orion clock we are so accustomed to looking at.
Figure 2 – Seeing the Orion Clock
While we are looking through our imaginary telescope, do you think we might be able to catch a glimpse of the open space in Orion? For that matter, what actually IS the opening of Orion? One of our advent pioneers, Joseph Bates, wrote a worthy essay called The Opening Heavens which is actually very appropriate to our present time. In it, he shows that the coming down of the New Jerusalem out of heaven is a literal event, and he describes the Orion nebula as the vast open hall in the heavens through which it will descend. He is definitely right, but there is more to be understood.
First, notice that the heavens are compared to a roll or scroll in the Bible, similarly to our rolled-up imaginary telescope:
And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; (Revelation 6:14)
And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll: (Isaiah 34:4)
As history experiences the transition from one heavenly period to the next, we see that the heavens are opened in a special way. When Jesus began His dispensation, for example, the heavens were opened as follows:
Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened, And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased. (Luke 3:21-22)
When the Jews had fully rejected Jesus and stubbornly refused to repent, the door of grace for them as a nation closed and the gospel went to the Gentiles. This change was accompanied by the opening of the heavens:
But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God. (Acts 7:55-56)
When the heavens opened, history not only turned a page, but started another volume of the Book of Seven Seals.
When the investigative judgment began in the heavenly sanctuary in 1844, the heavens were opened again. On that very Day of Atonement, Hiram Edson had a vision wherein he saw Jesus entering the Most Holy Place in the heavenly sanctuary:
Heaven seemed opened to my view, and I saw distinctly and clearly that instead of our High Priest coming out of the Most Holy of the heavenly sanctuary to come to this earth on the tenth day of the seventh month, at the end of the 2300 days, He for the first time entered on that day the second apartment of that sanctuary; and that He had a work to perform in the Most Holy Place before coming to the earth. (F. D. Nichol. The Midnight Cry. p. 458. as quoted by Wikipedia)
A couple of years later, Joseph Bates published the work mentioned earlier. It was published in the year 1846, exactly the year of the first seal of the Orion clock.
Is it any surprise that the heavens are opened again today to the minds of those who are under the influence of the Holy Spirit, as the intercession of Jesus in the heavenly sanctuary nears its end? The last message of warning to the world before the literal second coming is introduced as follows:
Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the river of Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God. (Ezekiel 1:1)
Ezekiel begins his testimony by declaring that the heavens were opened to him. It is this very chapter where we find the vision of the Orion clock with its “wheels.”
Let’s unroll our Orion “scroll” and see what it says, shall we?
In order to see how the clock hands point to historical dates, we can put the clock up against the timeline of history, carefully making sure to align the tick marks of the clock to the year marks on the timeline. Then, we can “unroll” the clock, so that we can see how the whole clock aligns with the timeline all at once:
Figure 3 – Unfurling the Record of Sacred History (animation)
As we unroll the clock, notice that the center star, Alnitak, is stretched across the entire span of time. Alnitak is the star of Jesus, and this shows once again that Alnitak, the wounded one, was the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. This is why His new name is written on the foreheads of the saints:
Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name. (Revelation 3:12)
Of this new name, Ellen G. White says:
The 144,000 were all sealed and perfectly united. On their foreheads was written, God, New Jerusalem, and a glorious star containing Jesus’ new name. {EW 15.1}
These short lines are loaded with meaning. Notice that this new name is on their foreheads, and that it is mentioned in connection with the sealing, and that there are three things written on the foreheads of the saints. Just ask any Adventist to explain the seal of God, and they will be quick to explain that it is like the seal of every king, president, or leader. It contains (1) their name, (2) their territory, and (3) their office. They will tell you that God’s seal is in the Fourth Commandment and contains (1) the name of God, (2) all heaven and earth as His territory, and (3) His office as Creator. Unfortunately, they will be stumped if you ask them to explain the seal in Revelation 3:12 unless they understand the full depth of the Orion message.
This article has shown that the book of seven seals is a three-volume set. We could entitle the volumes something like the following:
Vol. 1 – Creation to Christ
Vol. 2 – Christ to Judgment
Vol. 3 – Judgment to Justice
The contents of the volumes are the unfolding of history, as highlighted by the wounds of Jesus as shown in Orion. We already know the contents of volumes 2 and 3 from Christian and Adventist history books, respectively, and how the seven seals delineate the various periods. Let’s venture a peek into volume 1, shall we?
The Great Clock Cycle
As biblical, historical, and archaeological scholarship reaches a higher and higher level of excellence, the biblical account of history is confirmed more and more. Utilizing genealogical and other time information contained in the book of Genesis alone, it is possible to form a chronological account of sacred history from Creation to the death of Joseph in ancient Egypt. Adding chronological information from other various books of the Old Testament brings the chronology to the Exodus and the crossing of Jordan. After that comes the time of the judges, the reigns of the kings, the period of captivity, the rebuilding of Jerusalem, and finally the crucifixion. Secular history confirms a good portion of sacred history, reaching as far back as the kings and in some cases even further back than that.
However, anyone who begins to study Bible chronology immediately recognizes that there are difficulties. There are two important chronologies, a long and a short, which are in use. As the expression of the voice of God, the Orion clock is of special value in establishing the exact biblical chronology. We’ve already seen how it gave the date of Creation and the Birth of Christ, but there is a lot more to learn from the clock. One would expect that the clock would confirm important dates like the year of the Flood, the Exodus, and other very important biblical years.
Indeed, it does:
Figure 4 – The Great Clock and Corresponding Events
The judgment clock, with its 24 “hours” of 7 years each, has a resolution of one year. One whole clock cycle spans 168 years. When the Orion “wheel” is unrolled across the much larger period of time from Creation to Christ, the resolution is 24 years. Whereas one “tick” on the judgment clock indicates a year, on the big clock one “tick” indicates 24 years.
By definition, the clock is aligned so that the “tick mark” of the first star corresponds to 4037 B.C. when God created the first Adam as explained in Christmas 2.0 and one full cycle of the clock runs until the birth of the second Adam, Jesus Christ, in 5 B.C. The start and end of the complete cycle are both represented by the White Horse.
Adam was created perfect but fell away from perfection into sin. God taught him the pure gospel from the outset, how that God would provide a Substitute to die in his stead. As the years went by, the sin introduced into the world by Adam snowballed into ever increasing trouble, beginning with the shedding of the blood of Abel and spreading until the thoughts of men’s hearts were only evil continually.
Figure 5 – Bible History and the Orion Clock
Notice where the second star points! It is visually obvious that it points to the flood, but there is even more that we can learn if we examine it closely. Remember that the clock pointers have a resolution. In fact, the flood is exactly at the end of the “clock tick” indicated by the star. The destruction of the world by water serves as an example for the destruction of the world by plagues and ultimately fire. The flood happening at the very end of the clock tick is a testament to God’s forbearance. It is a confirmation that the plagues indicated by the 2014-2015 Orion year will indeed happen at the very end of that “clock tick” as well, in the autumn of 2015 as we explained in Miller's Mistake.
Noah’s Flood marks the greatest physical change in the history of our planet since creation. World demographics changed very drastically and suddenly when the flood came. The untold number of inhabitants of the antediluvian world all perished at once, save the eight souls of Noah and his family. If the color red of the red horse of the apocalypse represents the slaying of man, there couldn’t have been a more-red day than that. As we face the flood’s antitype just ahead, let us not repeat their mistakes.
Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways, and live? Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel? (Ezekiel 18:23, 33:11)
The biggest reason that the people of the earth did not heed the warnings of Noah was that they thought God would be too “loving” to destroy the whole world. This is a sober reminder for the members of a vast number of today’s churches, where “love” is the only acceptable topic for the pulpit and any mention of the coming destruction is branded as fear-mongering, scare tactics, or alarmism:
The men of that generation were not all, in the fullest acceptation of the term, idolaters. Many professed to be worshipers of God. They claimed that their idols were representations of the Deity, and that through them the people could obtain a clearer conception of the divine Being. This class were foremost in rejecting the preaching of Noah. As they endeavored to represent God by material objects, their minds were blinded to His majesty and power; they ceased to realize the holiness of His character, or the sacred, unchanging nature of His requirements. As sin became general, it appeared less and less sinful, and they finally declared that the divine law was no longer in force; that it was contrary to the character of God to punish transgression; and they denied that His judgments were to be visited upon the earth. Had the men of that generation obeyed the divine law, they would have recognized the voice of God in the warning of His servant; but their minds had become so blinded by rejection of light that they really believed Noah’s message to be a delusion.
It was not multitudes or majorities that were on the side of right. The world was arrayed against God’s justice and His laws, and Noah was regarded as a fanatic. Satan, when tempting Eve to disobey God, said to her, “Ye shall not surely die.” Genesis 3:4. Great men, worldly, honored, and wise men, repeated the same. “The threatenings of God,” they said, “are for the purpose of intimidating, and will never be verified. You need not be alarmed. Such an event as the destruction of the world by the God who made it, and the punishment of the beings He has created, will never take place. Be at peace; fear not. Noah is a wild fanatic.” The world made merry at the folly of the deluded old man. Instead of humbling the heart before God, they continued their disobedience and wickedness, the same as though God had not spoken to them through His servant. {PP 95.3–96.1}
Jacob’s Ladder and the Joyless Jubilee
The next star might not be quite as obvious as the flood, but it still confirms biblical history, and at the same time biblical history confirms the clock through this star. After the flood, the weakened race continued to degrade. God made special promises to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, even though each one of them demonstrated increasing tendencies to lying and deception. At the lowest possible point, Jacob found himself destitute, alone and separated from his family, as he laid his head on a stone at night while running away from the promised retaliation of his brother. The child of promise had fled, and the pioneers of truth seemed all but dead. This aptly marks the period of the black horse of the third seal.
It was at this point that God appeared to Jacob and promised him that He would bring him back home once again. It was here that Jacob saw a ladder (like the HSL) to heaven, and he saw heaven open (Orion) and named the place Bethel, because it was there that he had seen “the House of God.” Jacob knew where heaven was and where God was. Those who study Orion can know where He is too. The belt stars are still sometimes called “Jacob’s Ladder” to this day in memory of his vision. Thus began not only his sojourn in a strange land and service to an oppressive uncle, but the beginning of a new nation of people who would be called God’s chosen. True to His promise, God did bring Jacob back safely to his homeland after his own personal “40-year wandering” experience.
During the period of the black horse, the children of Israel (Jacob) descended into Egypt and multiplied there. God kept the promise that He made to Abraham and delivered them from Egypt exactly 430 years from when he departed out of Haran at the age of 75. Figuring in the 40 years of wandering in the wilderness brings us to the entering of Canaan. Both the Exodus and the entering of Canaan are within one “clock tick” of the throne lines and thus the Orion clock once again confirms sacred history. These dates, especially the entering of Canaan, establish the Jubilee cycle among other things. This is a subject of great interest for many, and I am pleased to share our findings on the matter although it might come as a mixed surprise.
Counting to the 70th Jubilee from the Orion-confirmed entering of Canaan brings us to the year 1890. Yes, this once again shows that it was God’s plan for Jesus to return in 1890. This harmonizes with all our studies, but for those expecting the Jubilee in the near future it is a painful reminder of 1888 and the fact that the stubbornness of men’s hearts can actually prevent the fulfillment of prophecy. God cannot and will not save a person or a people against their will, and the good He promises can only be accomplished with willing cooperation. Oh! Might it be true that we have learned our lessons from the past! The children of Israel couldn’t enter Canaan just any time they wanted; it had to be according to God’s time, yet it had to be with cooperation on their part. Our first opportunity was tragically missed in 1890, now confirmed by the Jubilee clock. Now is the time to prepare for our only second chance in 2016. The typical 70th Jubilee has already passed, and the time for the great antitypical Jubilee in heaven has come. Have you made your decision to fearlessly conquer the “inhabitants of the land” (the sin in your life) in the strength of the Lord by serving Him 100% come what may?
And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. (Joshua 24:15)
(It is really an individual matter; you might not be able to serve God with your whole house like Joshua did.) The dividing of the land among the tribes by Joshua is followed by the history of the judges of Israel. Eventually the children of Israel became so worldly that they wanted a king to rule over them “like all the nations.” Thus began the history of the kings of Israel and Judah, which takes us the rest of the degrading way “downward” through this era.
Ten Times Brighter
The “tick mark” of the fourth star, corresponding to the fourth seal and the pale horse, points to the exact year of 677 B.C.
For those who do not immediately recognize the importance of that year, allow me to introduce you to the largest gem in William Miller’s casket of jewels. It is the longest-running time prophecy in the Bible. It is not the 2300-day prophecy of Daniel that is so well-known among Adventists. That is neither the longest time prophecy in the Bible nor the only time prophecy that terminates in 1844.
The “seven times” in Leviticus 26 (see appendix) represents more than just an increase in the intensity of God’s discipline upon Israel. William Miller recognized that it is a prophetic period of 7 prophetic years or 7 × 360 = 2520 prophetic days, similarly to how “a time, times, and a half” are interpreted as 3½ prophetic years or 1260 prophetic days. Miller recognized that the 2520 prophecy, along with other prophecies, converged in the year 1843, corrected to 1844. As he lectured on these things in the wake of the sixth-seal meteor shower of 1833, many hearts were moved and turned toward God in the light of the overwhelming evidence. I will give Miller himself the honor of explaining the beginning of these seven prophetic years:
These seven years of servitude must include these four kingdoms, Babylon or Nebuchadnezzar’s, which was the head of gold; Media and Persia, Grecia and Rome, which constituted the whole man of sin, from his head to his toes.
When, then, may we not ask, did the bondage of the children of God begin? I answer, when literal Babylon began to exercise authority over them. In the twenty-second year of Manasseh’s reign, in the year before Christ 677, the last of the ten tribes were carried away, and Israel ceased to be a nation, according to the prophecy of Isaiah, vii.8: “For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin: and within three-score and five years shall Ephraim be broken, that it be not a people.” Isaiah prophesied this in the year 742 before Christ, which prophecy was literally fulfilled in sixty-five years afterwards, in the year B. C. 677. Then, too, Manasseh king of Judah was carried a captive into Babylon, and the threatenings of God began upon his people. 2Kings xxi.10-14: “And the Lord spake by his servants the prophets, saying, because Manasseh, king of Judah, hath done these abominations, and hath done wickedly above all that the Amorites did, which were before him, and hath made Judah also to sin with his idols: therefore, thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Behold, I am bringing such evil upon Jerusalem and Judah, that whosoever heareth of it, both his ears shall tingle. And I will stretch over Jerusalem the line of Samaria, and the plummet of the house of Ahab: and I will wipe Jerusalem as a man wipeth a dish, wiping it, and turning it upside down. And I will forsake the remnant of mine inheritance, and deliver them into the hand of their enemies; and they shall become a prey and a spoil to all their enemies.” Also, xxiv.3,4: “Surely at the commandment of the Lord came this upon Judah, to remove them out of his sight, for the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he did; and also for the innocent blood that he shed, (for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood,) which the Lord would not pardon.” {William Miller, A Lecture on the Typical Sabbaths and Great Jubilee, LTSGJ 16.1–18.1}
I was careful to quote not only Miller’s technical statements, but also the fury of God upon a people so favored. The patience of God has a limit. God forsook the remnant of His people back then to remove them out of His sight, and Jesus has similarly promised that He will spew out the “remnant” that proudly call themselves Laodicea today. The wrath of God is no laughing matter, folks.
A plummet (or plumb bob) is a pointed weight on the end of a string. It is used in construction to ensure that a dimension of the structure is truly “plumb” or vertical. There are exactly three verses in the Bible that mention a plummet. Miller quoted the first occurrence above. The second is as follows:
Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste. Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place. (Isaiah 28:16-17)
These verses lie in the middle of a rebuke to the “drunkards of Ephraim” (the leaders of the Seventh-day Adventist Church) who were given the latter rain in the Orion message but refused it:
To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear. (Isaiah 28:12)
The third reference to a plummet again has to do with the laying of a foundation:
The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it; and thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto you. For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the LORD, which run to and fro through the whole earth. (Zechariah 4:9-10)
We know that the foundational corner stone is Jesus Christ, the man who still stands in Orion pleading the blood that flowed from His wounds. His star, Alnitak, is at the center of “those seven” of Orion, which are the “eyes” of Ezekiel’s wheels in the heavenly clock. They continuously run their circuit in the heavens and are visible through the whole earth.
The stars of Orion point like a plummet to the historical events that establish the “sure foundation” of our faith, and the fourth outer star of the clock is no exception in pointing to 677 B.C.
I cannot leave this subject without a word about Jeff Pippenger, who is a well-known proponent of the 2520 prophecy. I met him in person a number of years ago at one of his meetings and asked him a few questions, but I would not expect him to remember me. His answer to one of my questions revealed that he is strictly against time-setting, and he is also reported to assert that belief in the 2520 prophecy is a salvation issue. Brother John has already thoroughly dealt with the time-setting issue in the Day and Hour articles, but I’d like to add my two cents to the following quote as well, since it relates to the topic:
The preaching of a definite time for the judgment, in the giving of the first message, was ordered by God. The computation of the prophetic periods on which that message was based, placing the close of the 2300 days in the autumn of 1844, stands without impeachment. The repeated efforts to find new dates for the beginning and close of the prophetic periods, and the unsound reasoning necessary to sustain these positions, not only lead minds away from the present truth, but throw contempt upon all efforts to explain the prophecies. The more frequently a definite time is set for the second advent, and the more widely it is taught, the better it suits the purposes of Satan. After the time has passed, he excites ridicule and contempt of its advocates, and thus casts reproach upon the great advent movement of 1843 and 1844. Those who persist in this error will at last fix upon a date too far in the future for the coming of Christ. Thus they will be led to rest in a false security, and many will not be undeceived until it is too late. {GC 457.1}
Miller’s preaching was ordered by God—the stars of Orion were also “ordered” by God. The computation of the prophetic periods (plural, including the 2520) stands without impeachment—so does the Orion clock.
The remainder of the paragraph is directed to those who rejected the un-impeached computations that were ordered by God. THEY lead minds away from the present truth. THEY throw contempt upon all efforts to explain the prophecies. THEIR contemptible time-setting attempts cast reproach upon the great advent movement. If THEY persist, THEY will fix upon a date too far in the future.
By contrast, the Orion clock is not mere time-setting of man’s devising. It was ordered by God; it stands without impeachment, and it honors the great advent movement by illuminating its jewels ten times brighter and adding manifold to their grandeur and number.
Now consider this quote which is associated with the 2520 prophecy:
…If ye will not believe, surely ye shall not be established. (from Isaiah 7:9)
My final remark to Jeff Pippenger and his followers, who make the 2520 out to be a salvation issue, is to turn this verse back to them. If YE will not believe the Orion message, YE shall not be established. Brother Jeff, my personal experience with your seminars and videos is that you swim in a prophetic swamp of abstractness and indefiniteness because you don’t see that the ban on time-setting has been lifted. In my opinion, you are like a man who knows that he has an appointment with the president, but neither carries a watch to see what time it currently is, nor makes any effort to know when he is expected!
Other proponents of the 2520 who are more liberal and willing to set time do so without any understanding. They are like children who are delighted to own their first watch, but they don’t know how to set it. It is just a toy for them—something to entertain themselves with. Anyone who would participate in the second midnight cry should study our article that explains what God means when he says Thou Must Prophesy Again...
To conclude the fourth seal, note that the pale horse whose rider is Death is a perfect representation of a nation that had become so worldly that it was even more worldly than the world itself. It was no longer a peculiar people. Its leaders were like corpses bobbling atop a dying horse. The people were eventually all carried away captive, Jerusalem was destroyed, and the temple of Solomon was burned down.
Secular history agrees with the year 677, the remaining years of the kings, the 70-year captivity, the 80 years spanning the decree of Cyrus and the decree of Artaxerxes, and finally the 70 weeks of Daniel to the Crucifixion.
The Authority of the Word of God
The great cycle of the Orion clock confirms the dates from Canaan back to Creation and from the captivity of Manasseh forward to the birth of Christ. Let’s take a brief look at the 865 years between Canaan and the captivity of Manasseh. At first, the following verse seems to be extremely helpful:
And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month Zif, which is the second month, that he began to build the house of the LORD. (1 Kings 6:1)
Taking 480 away from the 865 leaves 385 years for most of Solomon’s reign as well as the kings up to Manasseh’s captivity. It might not be immediately obvious, but in fact there is no way that the reigns of the kings can be stretched over that many years with any harmonious result. On the other side, Paul’s testimony is interesting:
And after that he gave unto them judges about the space of four hundred and fifty years, until Samuel the prophet. And afterward they desired a king: and God gave unto them Saul the son of Cis, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, by the space of forty years. (Acts 13:20-21)
Taking 450 away from the 480 of 1 Kings 6:1 leaves only 30, and we have subtracted neither the 40-year wilderness wandering, nor the 40-year reign of Saul, nor the 40-year reign of David, nor some other smaller time periods! Should we believe Acts 13, or 1 Kings 6:1?
Do you see what is happening? On one side of the temple foundation date there are not enough years, but on the other side there are too many years. The logical conclusion is that the 480 years of 1 Kings 6:1 stands in error. While our own Bible commentary strongly affirms the validity of this text, other commentaries take exception to it for many good reasons. We must tread very carefully if we venture to challenge God’s word.
All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: (2 Timothy 3:16)
Is it possible that God would allow an error in His written word? We know that He used human instruments to record, propagate, and translate His word over the millennia. We also know that there are some minor errors like misplaced punctuation marks and such. This does not shake our faith in the inspired word because we can easily compare other Bible verses to resolve any questions, but why would God allow such a glaring error as these 480 years in His inspired word? Perhaps there is an important lesson in this.
God’s word is the only voice that carries enough authority to interpret and correct itself. The voice of God from Orion is as authoritative as the written word. It is a foundation more solid than the 480 years that Solomon’s temple is built on. It clearly confirms the captivity of Manasseh in 677 B.C., and clearly confirms the timeline from Canaan back to Creation. Thus, it tells us that the 480 years from the Exodus to the temple foundation are definitely erroneous, and that Paul’s summary of the durations of the judges gives a more accurate calculation indeed.
Settling an age-old problem of biblical chronology satisfies more than the curiosity of Bible-history enthusiasts. It shows that the Orion message is as reliable as the same Jesus who stands there interceding for you and me. Let’s continue where we left off in the opening quote of Sister White:
This roll was written within and without. John says: “I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon.” The vision as presented to John made its impression upon his mind. The destiny of every nation was contained in that book. John was distressed at the utter inability of any human being or angelic intelligence to read the words, or even to look thereon. His soul was wrought up to such a point of agony and suspense that one of the strong angels had compassion on him, and laying his hand on him assuringly said, “Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.”
John continues: “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. And He came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.” As the book was unrolled, all who looked upon it were filled with awe. There were no blanks in the book. There was space for no more writing. [Revelation 5:8-14; 6:8, quoted.] {20MR 197.3–4}
The Orion clock contains every man’s destiny. The time shown in the clock bridges the chasm of sin between Eden and the New Jerusalem and provides a foundation that will establish us against the most violent storms mankind has ever known.
Are you facing storms in your life today? Turn your eyes toward Orion and let Alnitak (Jesus), the wounded one, be the center of your affection! As you make your personal journey around the clock, let His lovely character traits make their impression upon your heart.
“And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: and they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, Holy and true, doest Thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given unto every one of them [They were pronounced pure and holy]; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled” [Revelation 6:9-11]. Here were scenes presented to John that were not in reality but that which would be in a period of time in the future. {20MR 197.5}
Friends, the fifth seal is repeating. It will cost a lot to be “pronounced pure and holy” no matter how you calculate it, but I plead with you for the sake of the One who spilled His blood for you, that you will be faithful to Him at any cost. As John the Revelator was “assuringly” comforted by the fact that the book had been opened, we too may be comforted by the now-open book that answers the anguished cry of “how long” we must bear the storm.
You should know that this closing article for the “The Clock of God” section was written and published per divine instruction. God specified the release date through the living Spirit of Prophecy. As human instruments, we are not immune to errors as you well know, but we do know how to listen and obey when God tells us to deliver spiritual food to His people at the right time.
God chose our location here in Paraguay in the southern hemisphere before any of us ever knew there would be such a thing as the Orion message. He is the One who leads and directs us. While you see real, tangible, visible events unfold in fulfillment of prophecy this year, I advise you to take seriously the messages that come to you from the “chambers of the south.”
Appendix A: The 2520 Prophecy
In his preaching, William Miller showed that several great prophetic periods were all coming to a close in 1843 (corrected to 1844). The longest of those prophetic periods was computed to be 2520 prophetic days or 2520 literal years, based upon the “seven times” curse in Leviticus 26 (below). Miller showed from other Bible texts that the carrying-away of Manasseh marked the beginning of the curse, and thus the beginning of this great prophetic period. From historical research, Miller determined that Manasseh was taken captive in 677 B.C. (He repented, and was restored and continued to reign after that, but the curse had already gone into effect.) Miller's computations (see photo of his chart) were as follows:
7 times or years × 12 months/year = 84 months; 84 months × 30 days/month = 2520 days
2520 years - 677 years B.C. = 1843 years A.D.
Correcting Miller's classic error by taking into consideration that there is no zero year between 1 B.C. and A.D. 1, the result becomes 1844 instead of 1843.
For more information on the great time prophecies that William Miller found, see: A Lecture on the Typical Sabbaths and Great Jubilee (by William Miller)
Leviticus 26:
[Review of the Law]
1 Ye shall make you no idols nor graven image, neither rear you up a standing image, neither shall ye set up any image of stone in your land, to bow down unto it: for I am the LORD your God.
2 Ye shall keep my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary: I am the LORD.
[Blessing]
3 If ye walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and do them;
4 Then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.
5 And your threshing shall reach unto the vintage, and the vintage shall reach unto the sowing time: and ye shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land safely.
6 And I will give peace in the land, and ye shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid: and I will rid evil beasts out of the land, neither shall the sword go through your land.
7 And ye shall chase your enemies, and they shall fall before you by the sword.
8 And five of you shall chase an hundred, and an hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight: and your enemies shall fall before you by the sword.
9 For I will have respect unto you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you, and establish my covenant with you.
10 And ye shall eat old store, and bring forth the old because of the new.
11 And I will set my tabernacle among you: and my soul shall not abhor you.
12 And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be my people.
13 I am the LORD your God, which brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, that ye should not be their bondmen; and I have broken the bands of your yoke, and made you go upright.
[Curse]
14 But if ye will not hearken unto me, and will not do all these commandments;
15 And if ye shall despise my statutes, or if your soul abhor my judgments, so that ye will not do all my commandments, but that ye break my covenant:
16 I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart: and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it.
17 And I will set my face against you, and ye shall be slain before your enemies: they that hate you shall reign over you; and ye shall flee when none pursueth you.
18 And if ye will not yet for all this hearken unto me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins.
19 And I will break the pride of your power; and I will make your heaven as iron, and your earth as brass:
20 And your strength shall be spent in vain: for your land shall not yield her increase, neither shall the trees of the land yield their fruits.
21 And if ye walk contrary unto me, and will not hearken unto me; I will bring seven times more plagues upon you according to your sins.
22 I will also send wild beasts among you, which shall rob you of your children, and destroy your cattle, and make you few in number; and your high ways shall be desolate.
23 And if ye will not be reformed by me by these things, but will walk contrary unto me;
24 Then will I also walk contrary unto you, and will punish you yet seven times for your sins.
25 And I will bring a sword upon you, that shall avenge the quarrel of my covenant: and when ye are gathered together within your cities, I will send the pestilence among you; and ye shall be delivered into the hand of the enemy.
26 And when I have broken the staff of your bread, ten women shall bake your bread in one oven, and they shall deliver you your bread again by weight: and ye shall eat, and not be satisfied.
27 And if ye will not for all this hearken unto me, but walk contrary unto me;
28 Then I will walk contrary unto you also in fury; and I, even I, will chastise you seven times for your sins.
29 And ye shall eat the flesh of your sons, and the flesh of your daughters shall ye eat.
30 And I will destroy your high places, and cut down your images, and cast your carcases upon the carcases of your idols, and my soul shall abhor you.
31 And I will make your cities waste, and bring your sanctuaries unto desolation, and I will not smell the savour of your sweet odours.
32 And I will bring the land into desolation: and your enemies which dwell therein shall be astonished at it.
33 And I will scatter you among the heathen, and will draw out a sword after you: and your land shall be desolate, and your cities waste.
34 Then shall the land enjoy her sabbaths, as long as it lieth desolate, and ye be in your enemies' land; even then shall the land rest, and enjoy her sabbaths.
35 As long as it lieth desolate it shall rest; because it did not rest in your sabbaths, when ye dwelt upon it.
36 And upon them that are left alive of you I will send a faintness into their hearts in the lands of their enemies; and the sound of a shaken leaf shall chase them; and they shall flee, as fleeing from a sword; and they shall fall when none pursueth.
37 And they shall fall one upon another, as it were before a sword, when none pursueth: and ye shall have no power to stand before your enemies.
38 And ye shall perish among the heathen, and the land of your enemies shall eat you up.
39 And they that are left of you shall pine away in their iniquity in your enemies' lands; and also in the iniquities of their fathers shall they pine away with them.
[Restoration]
40 If they shall confess their iniquity, and the iniquity of their fathers, with their trespass which they trespassed against me, and that also they have walked contrary unto me;
41 And that I also have walked contrary unto them, and have brought them into the land of their enemies; if then their uncircumcised hearts be humbled, and they then accept of the punishment of their iniquity:
42 Then will I remember my covenant with Jacob, and also my covenant with Isaac, and also my covenant with Abraham will I remember; and I will remember the land.
43 The land also shall be left of them, and shall enjoy her sabbaths, while she lieth desolate without them: and they shall accept of the punishment of their iniquity: because, even because they despised my judgments, and because their soul abhorred my statutes.
44 And yet for all that, when they be in the land of their enemies, I will not cast them away, neither will I abhor them, to destroy them utterly, and to break my covenant with them: for I am the LORD their God.
45 But I will for their sakes remember the covenant of their ancestors, whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the heathen, that I might be their God: I am the LORD.
[Close]
46 These are the statutes and judgments and laws, which the LORD made between him and the children of Israel in mount Sinai by the hand of Moses.
