3.
What solemn announcement did this angel make?
"And the angel which I saw. . . . lifted up his hand to
heaven, and sware by Him that liveth forever and ever,
who created heaven, and the things that therein are,
. . . that there should be time no longer." Rev.
10:5,6.
NOTE.-Not literal nor probationary time, but
prophetic time. The 2300-day period, which ended in
1844, must be alluded to here. See chapter 53. No
prophetic period in the Bible reaches beyond this.
4.
What did the angel say was to be finished when the
seventh trumpet was about to sound?
"But in
the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he
shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should
be finished, as He hath declared to His servants the
prophets." Verse 7.
NOTE.-The mystery of God is the gospel. Eph. 3:1-6;
Gal. 1:11,12. The gospel, then, is to be finished as
the seventh trumpet is about to sound.
5.
What was John told to do with the little book?
"Go and
take the little book which is open in the hand of the
angel . . . and eat it up." Verses 8,9.
6.
What was to be the result of the eating of this book?
"It shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be
in thy mouth sweet as honey." Verse 9, last part.
7. What does the apostle say of
his experience in this matter?
"And I took the little book out of the
angel's hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth
sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my
belly was bitter." Verse 10.
NOTE.-In this is most strikingly foretold the
experience of those who proclaimed the advent and
judgment-hour message of 1843-44. Joyous in the hope
that Christ was coming then, like the early
disciples regarding His first advent (Luke 24:21;
Acts 1:6,7), they were bitterly disappointed, and
found that there was still a work on earth for them
to do, as did the early disciples following the
crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension of Christ.
8.
What words of the angel to John show that both literal
and probationary time were to continue yet for a time,
and that God had a still further message for the world?
"And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again
before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and
kings." Verse 11.
NOTE.-The message of Revelation 10 is the same as
that of Rev. 14:6,7; and the later messages of Rev.
14:8-12 answer to the instruction, "Thou must
prophesy again," of Rev. 10:11. But all are
last-day messages, and indicate that the end of all
things is near at hand.
How
long, O Lord our Saviour,
Wilt Thou remain away?
Our hearts are growing weary
Of Thy so long delay.
O when shall come the moment
When, brighter far than morn,
The sunshine of Thy glory
Shall on Thy people dawn?
How
long, O gracious Master,
Wilt Thou Thy household leave?
So long hast Thou now tarried,
Few Thy return believe.
Immersed in sloth and folly,
Thy servants, Lord, we see;
And few of us stand ready
With joy to welcome Thee.
O,
wake Thy slumbering people;
Send forth the solemn cry;
Let all the saints repeat it,-
"The Saviour draweth nigh!"
Mayan our lamps be burning,
Our loins well girded be,
Each longing heart preparing
With joy Thy face to see.
Great Lines of Prophecy
The Great Image of Daniel 2.
This prophecy, written over twenty-five hundred years
ago, is one of the greatest, briefest, and most
comprehensive prophecies in the Bible. Under the symbol
of a great metallic image, the rise and fall of nations
is outlined till the end of time and the setting up of
God's everlasting kingdom. See chapter 48.
The Four Beasts of Daniel 7.
This line of-prophecy covers the same ground as that of
Daniel 2, but with additional features introduced,
especially that concerning the development and work of
the "little horn" power of the fourth beast, under which
God's people were to be oppressed until delivered and
placed in possession of the kingdom "forever and ever."
See chapter 50.
The 2300 Days of Daniel 8.
This prophecy, after tracing the course of empire down
through Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome, introduces the
longest prophetic period in the Bible, reaching from the
beginning of the movement to restore and build Jerusalem
before Christ's first advent, to a similar work to be
performed by God's people in the last days preparatory
to Christ's second advent. See chapter 53.
The Seventy Weeks of Daniel 9.
This prophecy fixes the date of the beginning of the
2300 days, of which the seventy weeks are a part;
definitely marks the time of Christ's first advent; and
briefly refers to the "consummation" and the overthrow
of the last of earthly kingdoms. See chapter 53.
The Standing Up of Michael-Daniel
11 and 12. A literal prophecy tracing the
rise and fall of kings and kingdoms from the early
rulers of Persia in the sixth century B.C., to the
overthrow of Turkey, the "king of the north," and the
"standing up," or reign, of Michael, the Great Prince,
which is Christ. See chapter 65.
The Prophecies of the Revelation.
These are supplemental to the prophecies of Daniel.
Under the Seven Churches, the Seven Seals, the Seven
Trumpets, the Great Red Dragon, the Leopard Beast, and
the Two-Horned Beast, the history and experience of the
church and of earthly kingdoms are traced during the
Christian era, to the end of the age. See chapter 60.
Christ's Great Prophecy.
Christ's claim to being a prophet, and the greatest of
all prophets, is fully established by His prophecy
recorded in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21. In this He
depicts minutely the destruction of Jerusalem, the great
tribulation of the Dark Ages, and the signs that were to
herald His second coming. See chapters 68 and 69.