The week that Christ confirmed the covenant represented the period from His baptism, until Christ in the heavenly sanctuary stood up at the stoning of Stephen.
ሳምንቱ ክርስቶስ ቃል ኪዳኑን ያጸናበትን ዘመን ይወክል ነበር፤ ይህም ከጥምቀቱ ጀምሮ ክርስቶስ በሰማያዊው መቅደስ በእስጢፋኖስ ድንጋይ በተወረወረበት ጊዜ እስኪቆም ድረስ ያለውን ዘመን ያመለክት ነበር።
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. Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord, And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man’s feet, whose name was Saul. And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep. Acts 7:55–60.
እርሱ ግን በመንፈስ ቅዱስ ተሞልቶ ወደ ሰማይ አጥብቆ ተመልክቶ የእግዚአብሔርን ክብርና ኢየሱስንም በእግዚአብሔር ቀኝ ቆሞ አየ፤ እንዲህም አለ፤ እነሆ፥ ሰማያት ተከፍተው የሰው ልጅም በእግዚአብሔር ቀኝ ቆሞ አያለሁ። እነርሱም በታላቅ ድምፅ ጮኹ፥ ጆሮአቸውንም ደፈኑ፥ በአንድ ልብም በእርሱ ላይ ተሯሯጡ፤ ከከተማይቱም ውጭ አውጥተው በድንጋይ ወገሩት፤ ምስክሮቹም ልብሳቸውን ሳውል ተብሎ በሚጠራ አንድ ወጣት እግር አጠገብ አኖሩ። እስጢፋኖስንም እግዚአብሔርን እየጠራ እንዲህ እያለ በድንጋይ ወገሩት፤ ጌታ ኢየሱስ ሆይ፥ መንፈሴን ተቀበል። ተንበርክኮም በታላቅ ድምፅ ጮኸ፤ ጌታ ሆይ፥ ይህን ኃጢአት በእነርሱ ላይ አትቁጠርባቸው። ይህንም ብሎ አንቀላፋ። ሐዋርያት ሥራ 7፥55–60።
When Stephen was stoned and Michael stood up, the gospel went to the Gentiles, for until that time the gospel was restricted to the Jews.
ስቴፋኖስ በድንጋይ በተመታ ጊዜ ሚካኤልም በቆመ ጊዜ፣ ወንጌል ወደ አሕዛብ ሄደ፤ እስከዚያ ጊዜ ድረስ ወንጌል ለአይሁድ ብቻ የተገደበ ነበር።
“Then, said the angel, ‘He shall confirm the covenant with many for one week [seven years].’ For seven years after the Saviour entered on His ministry, the gospel was to be preached especially to the Jews; for three and a half years by Christ Himself; and afterward by the apostles. ‘In the midst of the week He shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease.’ Daniel 9:27. In the spring of A. D. 31, Christ the true sacrifice was offered on Calvary. Then the veil of the temple was rent in twain, showing that the sacredness and significance of the sacrificial service had departed. The time had come for the earthly sacrifice and oblation to cease.
“ከዚያም፥ መልአኩ እንዲህ አለ፤ ‘ከብዙዎች ጋር ለአንድ ሳምንት [ሰባት ዓመት] ቃል ኪዳኑን ያጸናል።’ ከአዳኙ አገልግሎቱን ከጀመረ በኋላ ለሰባት ዓመታት ወንጌሉ በተለይ ለአይሁድ ይሰበክ ነበር፤ ሦስት ዓመት ተኩል በክርስቶስ ራሱ፣ ከዚያም በሐዋርያት። ‘በሳምንቱም መካከል መሥዋዕቱንና ቍርባኑን ያስቆማል።’ ዳንኤል 9፥27። በእ.ኤ.አ. 31 የጸደይ ወቅት፣ ክርስቶስ እውነተኛው መሥዋዕት በቀራንዮ ቀረበ። ከዚያም የቤተ መቅደሱ መጋረጃ ከላይ እስከ ታች ለሁለት ተቀደደ፤ ይህም የመሥዋዕታዊው አገልግሎት ቅድስናውና ትርጉሙ እንደ ተወገዱ አሳየ። ምድራዊው መሥዋዕትና ቍርባን እንዲቆሙ ጊዜው ደርሶ ነበር።”
“The one week—seven years—ended in A. D. 34. Then by the stoning of Stephen the Jews finally sealed their rejection of the gospel; the disciples who were scattered abroad by persecution ‘went everywhere preaching the word’ (Acts 8:4); and shortly after, Saul the persecutor was converted, and became Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles.” The Desire of Ages, 233.
“አንዱ ሳምንት—ሰባት ዓመት—በእ.ኤ.አ. 34 ተፈጸመ። ከዚያም እስጢፋኖስን በድንጋይ መውገራቸው ምክንያት አይሁድ ወንጌልን መቃወማቸውን በመጨረሻ አተሙ፤ በስደት ምክንያት ተበትነው የነበሩት ደቀ መዛሙርትም ‘ቃሉን እየሰበኩ በየስፍራው ሄዱ’ (የሐዋርያት ሥራ 8፥4)፤ ከዚያም ብዙም ሳይቆይ አሳዳጁ ሳውል ተለወጠ፥ ለአሕዛብም ሐዋርያ የሆነው ጳውሎስ ሆነ።” The Desire of Ages, 233.
In the year 34, the sacred week (twenty-five hundred and twenty days), ended and ancient Israel was divorced from God, their probation had fully closed. At that point the retribution against ancient Israel for the rejection of the covenant, and for the crucifixion of the Son of God was subject to God’s executive judgment. God in His longsuffering mercy deferred the destruction of Jerusalem until the siege and destruction in 66 AD through to 70 AD.
በ34 ዓ.ም. ቅዱሱ ሳምንት (ሁለት ሺህ አምስት መቶ ሀያ ቀናት) ተፈጽሞ፣ ጥንታዊ እስራኤል ከእግዚአብሔር ተፈታች፤ የምሕረት ጊዜዋም ፈጽሞ ተዘጋ። በዚያ ጊዜ ጥንታዊ እስራኤል ቃል ኪዳኑን ስለ ናቀች እና የእግዚአብሔርን ልጅ ስለ ሰቀለች፣ በእርስዋ ላይ የሚመጣው ፍዳ ለእግዚአብሔር ፈጻሚ ፍርድ ተገዥ ሆነ። እግዚአብሔርም በትዕግሥቱ ምሕረት የኢየሩሳሌምን ጥፋት እስከ 66 ዓ.ም. ድረስ በተጀመረው ከበባ እና እስከ 70 ዓ.ም. ድረስ በደረሰው ጥፋት ዘገየው።
The verses in Daniel chapter nine, that identified the week Christ confirmed the covenant, also identifies that pagan Rome (the prince that shall come) would destroy the city and sanctuary, but God in His longsuffering mercy, allowed the children of ancient Israel time to hear the gospel and make a decision as their fathers had done during the seven year period of Christ’s and the disciples’ ministry among them.
በዳንኤል ምዕራፍ ዘጠኝ ውስጥ ክርስቶስ ቃል ኪዳኑን ያጸናበትን ሳምንት የሚያመለክቱት ጥቅሶች፣ እንዲሁም አረማዊት ሮም (የሚመጣው መስፍን) ከተማይቱንና መቅደሱን እንደምታጠፋ ያሳያሉ፤ ነገር ግን እግዚአብሔር በትዕግሥቱ ምሕረት፣ የጥንቷ እስራኤል ልጆች ወንጌልን እንዲሰሙና በአባቶቻቸው እንዳደረጉት በክርስቶስና በደቀ መዛሙርቱ በመካከላቸው ባገለገሉበት የሰባት ዓመት ዘመን ውስጥ ውሳኔ እንዲያደርጉ ጊዜ ፈቀደላቸው።
“For nearly forty years after the doom of Jerusalem had been pronounced by Christ Himself, the Lord delayed His judgments upon the city and the nation. Wonderful was the long-suffering of God toward the rejectors of His gospel and the murderers of His Son. The parable of the unfruitful tree represented God’s dealings with the Jewish nation. The command had gone forth, ‘Cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground?’ (Luke 13:7) but divine mercy had spared it yet a little longer. There were still many among the Jews who were ignorant of the character and the work of Christ. And the children had not enjoyed the opportunities or received the light which their parents had spurned. Through the preaching of the apostles and their associates, God would cause light to shine upon them; they would be permitted to see how prophecy had been fulfilled, not only in the birth and life of Christ, but in His death and resurrection. The children were not condemned for the sins of the parents; but when, with a knowledge of all the light given to their parents, the children rejected the additional light granted to themselves, they became partakers of the parents’ sins, and filled up the measure of their iniquity.
ክርስቶስ ራሱ በኢየሩሳሌም ላይ የሚመጣውን ጥፋት ከአስቀድሞ ካወጀ በኋላ ወደ አርባ ዓመት የሚጠጋ ጊዜ፣ ጌታ በከተማይቱና በሕዝቡ ላይ የፍርዱን ፍጻሜ ዘገየ። እግዚአብሔር በወንጌሉ አቃዋሚዎችና በልጁ ገዳዮች ላይ ያሳየው ትዕግሥቱ እጅግ ድንቅ ነበር። የማያፈራው ዛፍ ምሳሌ እግዚአብሔር ከአይሁድ ሕዝብ ጋር ያደረገውን አያያዝ ይወክል ነበር። “ቁረጠው፤ ስፍራውን ለምን ይይዛል?” (ሉቃስ 13፥7) የሚለው ትእዛዝ ተላልፎ ነበር፤ ነገር ግን መለኮታዊ ምሕረት ገና ጥቂት ጊዜ ቆይቶ አድኖታል። ከአይሁድ መካከል ስለ ክርስቶስ ባሕርይና ሥራ የማያውቁ ብዙዎች ገና ነበሩ። ልጆቹም ወላጆቻቸው ንቀው የተዉትን እድሎች አልተጠቀሙባቸውም ነበር፣ ያንም ብርሃን አልተቀበሉም ነበር። እግዚአብሔር በሐዋርያትና በባልንጀሮቻቸው ስብከት አማካይነት ብርሃን በእነርሱ ላይ እንዲበራ ያደርግ ነበር፤ ትንቢት እንዴት እንደተፈጸመ ማየት ይፈቀድላቸው ነበር፥ ይህም በክርስቶስ ልደትና ሕይወት ብቻ ሳይሆን በሞቱና በትንሣኤው ደግሞ ነው። ልጆቹ በወላጆቻቸው ኃጢአት ምክንያት አልተፈረደባቸውም ነበር፤ ነገር ግን ለወላጆቻቸው የተሰጠውን ብርሃን ሁሉ እያወቁ ለራሳቸው የተሰጠውን ተጨማሪ ብርሃን ሲክዱ፣ በወላጆቻቸው ኃጢአት ተካፋዮች ሆኑ፥ የክፋታቸውንም መጠን ሞሉ።
“The long-suffering of God toward Jerusalem only confirmed the Jews in their stubborn impenitence. In their hatred and cruelty toward the disciples of Jesus they rejected the last offer of mercy. Then God withdrew His protection from them and removed His restraining power from Satan and his angels, and the nation was left to the control of the leader she had chosen. Her children had spurned the grace of Christ, which would have enabled them to subdue their evil impulses, and now these became the conquerors. Satan aroused the fiercest and most debased passions of the soul. Men did not reason; they were beyond reason—controlled by impulse and blind rage. They became satanic in their cruelty. In the family and in the nation, among the highest and the lowest classes alike, there was suspicion, envy, hatred, strife, rebellion, murder. There was no safety anywhere. Friends and kindred betrayed one another. Parents slew their children, and children their parents. The rulers of the people had no power to rule themselves. Uncontrolled passions made them tyrants. The Jews had accepted false testimony to condemn the innocent Son of God. Now false accusations made their own lives uncertain. By their actions they had long been saying: ‘Cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us.’ Isaiah 30:11. Now their desire was granted. The fear of God no longer disturbed them. Satan was at the head of the nation, and the highest civil and religious authorities were under his sway.” The Great Controversy, 27, 28.
“እግዚአብሔር በኢየሩሳሌም ላይ ያሳየው ረጅም ትዕግሥት አይሁድን በግትር ያልተነሱ ንስሐ-አልባነታቸው ውስጥ ብቻ አጽንቶአቸው ነበር። በኢየሱስ ደቀ መዛሙርት ላይ ባሳዩት ጥላቻና ጭካኔ የምሕረትን የመጨረሻ ጥሪ እነርሱ አልተቀበሉም። ከዚያም እግዚአብሔር ጥበቃውን ከእነርሱ አነሣ፣ ከሰይጣንና ከመላእክቱም ላይ የሚከለክል ኃይሉን አስወገደ፤ ሕዝቡም የመረጠችው መሪ በቁጥጥር ሥር ተተወች። ልጆቿ የክርስቶስን ጸጋ ንቀው ነበር፤ ይህም ክፉ ዝንባሌዎቻቸውን እንዲገዙ ያስችላቸው ነበር፤ አሁን ግን እነዚህ ድል አድራጊዎቻቸው ሆኑ። ሰይጣን የነፍስን እጅግ ከፍተኛና እጅግ ዝቅተኛ ፍትወቶች አነሳ። ሰዎች በማስተዋል አልሠሩም፤ ከማስተዋል በላይ ሆነው ነበር—በውስጣዊ ግፊትና በዕውር ቁጣ የተቆጣጠሩ። በጭካኔአቸው ሰይጣናዊ ሆኑ። በቤተ ሰብና በሕዝብ ውስጥ፣ በከፍተኛውም ሆነ በዝቅተኛው ክፍል መካከል ሁሉ፣ ጥርጣሬ፣ ቅናት፣ ጥላቻ፣ ግጭት፣ ዓመፅ፣ ግድያ ነበሩ። ደኅንነት በየትኛውም ስፍራ አልነበረም። ወዳጆችና ዘመዶች እርስ በርሳቸው ተላልፈው ይሰጡ ነበር። ወላጆች ልጆቻቸውን ይገድሉ ነበር፣ ልጆችም ወላጆቻቸውን። የሕዝቡ አለቆች ራሳቸውን እንኳ ለመግዛት ኃይል አልነበራቸውም። ያልተቆጣጠሩ ፍትወቶች ግፈኞች አደረጓቸው። አይሁድ ንጹሑን የእግዚአብሔር ልጅ ለመፍረድ የሐሰት ምስክርነትን ተቀብለው ነበር። አሁን ግን የሐሰት ክሶች ራሳቸውን ሕይወት ያልተረጋጋ አደረጉአት። በሥራቸው ረጅም ጊዜ ሲናገሩ የኖሩት፦ ‘የእስራኤልን ቅዱስ ከፊታችን አስወግድ።’ ኢሳይያስ 30፥11። አሁንም ምኞታቸው ተፈጸመ። ፍርሃተ እግዚአብሔር ከእንግዲህ ወዲህ አያስጨንቃቸውም ነበር። ሰይጣን በሕዝቡ ራስ ላይ ነበር፤ ከፍተኛዎቹም የመንግሥትና የሃይማኖት ባለሥልጣኖች በእርሱ ተጽዕኖ ሥር ነበሩ።” ታላቁ ተጋድሎ፣ 27, 28.
As the Messenger of the Covenant, Christ first dealt exclusively with the Jews. In the year 34, at the stoning of Stephen, the gospel then went to the Gentiles, and the time of God’s executive judgment arrived, though God in His mercy deferred that point in time for about forty years.
ክርስቶስ እንደ ኪዳኑ መልእክተኛ በመጀመሪያ ብቻ ከአይሁድ ጋር ተያያዘ። በ34 ዓ.ም. በእስጢፋኖስ መውገር ጊዜ ወንጌል ወደ አሕዛብ ሄደ፤ እንግዲህም የእግዚአብሔር ፈጻሚ ፍርድ ዘመን ደረሰ፤ ነገር ግን እግዚአብሔር በምሕረቱ ያንን ጊዜ ነጥብ ለአርባ ዓመት ያህል አስዘገየው።
As the Messenger of the Covenant, in fulfillment of Malachi chapter three, Christ twice cleansed the temple. He did so in a period that was especially set apart for the covenant people who were then being passed by and divorced, and also for those who would then become the new chosen people. When that period of time concluded, the time of God’s executive judgment began. John the Baptist was the messenger who prepared the way for Christ’s work of raising up a new chosen people that He would enter into covenant with.
እንደ ኪዳኑ መልእክተኛ፣ የሚልክያስ ምዕራፍ ሦስት ፍጻሜ ሆኖ፣ ክርስቶስ ቤተ መቅደሱን ሁለት ጊዜ አነጻ። ይህንም ያደረገው፣ በዚያን ጊዜ ለኪዳኑ ሕዝብ በልዩ ሁኔታ ተለይቶ በተዘጋጀው ዘመን ውስጥ ሲሆን፣ እነርሱም በዚያን ጊዜ እየተተዉና እየተፈቱ ነበር፤ እንዲሁም በዚያን ጊዜ አዲሱ የተመረጠ ሕዝብ ለሚሆኑት ደግሞ ነበር። ያ የጊዜ ወቅት በተፈጸመ ጊዜ፣ የእግዚአብሔር አስፈጻሚ ፍርድ ጊዜ ተጀመረ። ዮሐንስ መጥምቁ ክርስቶስ ከእርሱ ጋር የሚገባበትን አዲስ የተመረጠ ሕዝብ የማቆም ሥራ መንገዱን ያዘጋጀ መልእክተኛ ነበር።
The two temple cleansings were object lessons identifying Christ’s work of cleansing the soul temple. When the Messenger of the Covenant suddenly arrives in Malachi chapter three, He purifies and also purges the sons of Levi, for the purpose of creating an offering, as in days of old.
የቤተ መቅደሱ ሁለቱ ማንጻቶች ክርስቶስ የነፍስን መቅደስ የማንጻት ሥራ የሚለዩ ተምሳሌታዊ ትምህርቶች ነበሩ። የቃል ኪዳኑ መልእክተኛ በሚልክያስ ምዕራፍ ሦስት በድንገት ሲመጣ፣ እንደ ቀድሞው ዘመን መባ ለማቅረብ ዓላማ፣ የሌዊን ልጆች ያነጻል ደግሞም ያጥራል።
But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap: And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness. Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the Lord, as in the days of old, and as in former years. Malachi 3:2–3.
ነገር ግን የመምጣቱን ቀን ማን ሊቋቋም ይችላል? በሚገለጥም ጊዜ ማን ሊቆም ይችላል? እርሱ እንደ አንጥረኛ እሳት፣ እንደ አጣቢዎችም ሳሙና ነውና፤ ብርንም እንደሚያነጥርና እንደሚያጠራ ሰው ተቀምጦ የሌዊን ልጆች ያጠራል፤ እንደ ወርቅና እንደ ብርም ያነጥራቸዋል፥ በጽድቅም መባ ለእግዚአብሔር እንዲያቀርቡ። በዚያን ጊዜም የይሁዳና የኢየሩሳሌም መባ እንደ ቀድሞ ዘመንና እንደ ጥንት ዓመታት ለእግዚአብሔር ደስ የሚያሰኝ ይሆናል። ሚልክያስ 3፥2–3።
Malachi chapter three, and the two temple cleansings represent a perfection of the faith of the sons of Levi that is accomplished by the Messenger of the Covenant. The perfection of the faith of the sons of Levi is represented by the purification of the gold.
ሚልክያስ ምዕራፍ ሦስት፤ ሁለቱ የቤተ መቅደስ ማንጻቶችም በኪዳኑ መልእክተኛ የሚፈጸመውን የሌዊ ልጆች እምነት ፍጹምነት ይወክላሉ። የሌዊ ልጆች እምነት ፍጹምነት በወርቅ መንጻት ይወከላል።
“There must be, with all who have any influence in the sanitarium, a conforming to God’s will, a humiliation of self, an opening of the heart to the precious influence of the Spirit of Christ. The gold tried in the fire represents love and faith. Many are nearly destitute of love. Self-sufficiency blinds their eyes to their great need. There is a positive necessity for a daily conversion to God, a new, deep, and daily experience in the religious life.” Testimonies, volume 4, 558.
“በሳኒታሪየሙ ውስጥ ማንኛውም ተጽእኖ ያላቸው ሁሉ በእግዚአብሔር ፈቃድ መስማማት፣ ራስን ማዋረድ፣ ልብንም ለክርስቶስ መንፈስ ውድ ተጽእኖ መክፈት ያስፈልጋል። በእሳት የተፈተነው ወርቅ ፍቅርንና እምነትን ይወክላል። ብዙዎች ከፍቅር ማለት ይቻላል ባዶ ናቸው። በራስ መተማመን ዓይኖቻቸውን ስለ ታላቅ እጥረታቸው አሳውሮአል። በየቀኑ ወደ እግዚአብሔር መለወጥ፣ በሃይማኖታዊ ሕይወትም አዲስ፣ ጥልቅ፣ ዕለታዊ ልምምድ እጅግ የማይቀር አስፈላጊነት ነው።” Testimonies, volume 4, 558.
Malachi chapter three, and the two temple cleansings represent a perfection of the understanding of the increase of knowledge within the wise, who are the sons of Levi, that is accomplished by the Messenger of the Covenant. The perfection of the sons of Levi’s represented by the purification of the silver.
ሚልክያስ ምዕራፍ ሦስት፤ ሁለቱም የቤተ መቅደስ መንጻቶች በቃል ኪዳኑ መልእክተኛ የሚፈጸመውን በጥበበኞች፣ ይህም የሌዊ ልጆች በሆኑት ውስጥ ያለውን የእውቀት መጨመር አስተውሎት ፍጹምነት ይወክላሉ። የሌዊ ልጆች ፍጹምነት በብሩን መንጻት ይወከላል።
The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Psalm 12:6.
የጌታ ቃላት ንጹሕ ቃላት ናቸው፤ በምድር ምድጃ ውስጥ እንደተፈተነ ብር፥ ሰባት ጊዜ የተነጻ ነው። መዝሙር 12፥6።
The Messenger of the Covenant was to purify the sons of Levi as silver and gold. The Word of God is what purifies, for to be purified is to be justified and sanctified.
መልእክተኛው የቃል ኪዳኑ ልጆችን የሌዊን እንደ ብርና እንደ ወርቅ ሊያነጻቸው ነበር። የሚያነጻው የእግዚአብሔር ቃል ነው፤ ምክንያቱም መንጻት መጽደቅና መቀደስ ማለት ነው።
Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. John 17:17.
በእውነትህ ቀድሳቸው፤ ቃልህ እውነት ነው። ዮሐንስ 17፡17።
John the Baptist was the messenger that prepared the way for the Messenger of the Covenant in the first fulfillment of Malachi chapter three, and his message in that regard was fourfold in nature. His work included the identification of the work of purification that was to be accomplished by the Messenger of the Covenant, and that the work of purification accomplished was represented as an act of sweeping a threshing-floor. He identified that the former chosen people were then in the process of being passed by. He also presented the Laodicean message to God’s people, thus showing them their sins and the sins of their fathers. He placed all these realities in the context of the “wrath to come.” The work of the messenger who prepared the way, represented a work by one who had never received an education in the educational system of the people who were being passed by.
ዮሐንስ መጥምቁ በሚልክያስ ምዕራፍ ሦስት የመጀመሪያ ፍጻሜ ውስጥ ለቃል ኪዳኑ መልእክተኛ መንገዱን ያዘጋጀ መልእክተኛ ነበረ፤ በዚህም ረገድ መልእክቱ በባሕርይው አራት ክፍል ነበረው። ሥራው በቃል ኪዳኑ መልእክተኛ ሊፈጸም የነበረውን የንጽህና ሥራ መለየትን ያካትት ነበር፤ እንዲሁም የተፈጸመው የንጽህና ሥራ አውድማን እንደ መጥረግ ተግባር እንደሚወከል አመለከተ። ከዚያ በፊት የተመረጠው ሕዝብ በዚያን ጊዜ እየተተወ በመሆኑ ሂደት ውስጥ እንዳለ ገለጠ። ደግሞ የላኦዴቅያን መልእክት ለእግዚአብሔር ሕዝብ አቀረበ፤ በዚህም ኃጢአታቸውንና የአባቶቻቸውን ኃጢአት አሳያቸው። እነዚህን እውነታዎች ሁሉ “ሊመጣ ባለው ቁጣ” አውድ ውስጥ አቀመጠ። መንገዱን ያዘጋጀው የመልእክተኛው ሥራ የተተዉት ሕዝብ ትምህርታዊ ሥርዓት ውስጥ ፈጽሞ ትምህርት ያልተቀበለ አንድ ሰው ሥራ መሆኑን ያመለክት ነበር።
“In John the Baptist the Lord raised up for Himself a messenger to prepare the way of the Lord. He was to bear to the world an unflinching testimony in reproving and denouncing sin. Luke, in announcing his mission and work, says, ‘And he shall go before Him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord’ (Luke 1:17).
በመጥምቁ ዮሐንስ ውስጥ ጌታ የጌታን መንገድ ለማዘጋጀት ለራሱ መልእክተኛ አስነሣ። እርሱም ኃጢአትን በመገሠጽና በማውገዝ ለዓለም የማይናወጥ ምስክርነት ሊሸከም ነበር። ሉቃስ ተልእኮውንና ሥራውን ሲያውጅ፣ “የአባቶችን ልብ ወደ ልጆች፣ የማይታዘዙትንም ወደ ጻድቃን ጥበብ ለመመለስ፣ ለጌታም የተዘጋጀ ሕዝብ ለማሰናዳት፣ በኤልያስ መንፈስና ኃይል በፊቱ ይሄዳል” ይላል (ሉቃስ 1፥17)።
“Many of the Pharisees and Sadducees came to the baptism of John, and addressing these, he said, ‘O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: and think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. And now also the ax is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but He that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: whose fan is in His hand, and He will throughly purge His floor, and gather His wheat into the garner; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire’ (Matthew 3:7–12).
ከፈሪሳውያንና ከሰዱቃውያን ብዙዎች ወደ ዮሐንስ ጥምቀት መጡ፤ እርሱም እነርሱን ሲናገራቸው፦ «እናንተ የእፉኝት ትውልድ፥ ከሚመጣው ቁጣ ሽሹ ዘንድ ማን አስጠነቀቃችሁ? እንግዲህ ለንስሐ የሚስማማ ፍሬ አፍሩ፤ በልባችሁም፦ “አብርሃም አባታችን ነው” ለማለት አታስቡ፤ እግዚአብሔር ከእነዚህ ድንጋዮች ለአብርሃም ልጆችን ማስነሣት እንደሚችል እነግራችኋለሁና። አሁንም ደግሞ መጥረቢያው በዛፎቹ ሥር ተቀምጦአል፤ ስለዚህ መልካም ፍሬ የማያፈራ ዛፍ ሁሉ ተቈርጦ ወደ እሳት ይጣላል። እኔስ ለንስሐ በውኃ አጠምቃችኋለሁ፤ ከእኔ በኋላ የሚመጣው ግን ከእኔ ይልቅ ኀያል ነው፥ ጫማውንም እሸከም ዘንድ የማይገባኝ ነኝ፤ እርሱ በመንፈስ ቅዱስና በእሳት ያጠምቃችኋል፤ መንፈሻውም በእጁ ነው፥ አውድማውንም ፈጽሞ ያነጻል፤ ስንዴውንም ወደ ጎተራ ይሰበስባል፤ ገለባውን ግን በማይጠፋ እሳት ያቃጥላል» (ማቴዎስ 3፥7–12)።
“The voice of John was lifted up like a trumpet. His commission was, ‘Shew My people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins’ (Isaiah 58:1). He had obtained no human scholarship. God and nature had been his teachers. But one was needed to prepare the way before Christ who was bold enough to make his voice heard like the prophets of old, summoning the degenerate nation to repentance.” Selected Messages, book 2, 147, 148.
“የዮሐንስ ድምፅ እንደ መለከት ከፍ ብሎ ተሰማ። ተልእኮውም፣ ‘ለሕዝቤ መተላለፋቸውን፣ ለያዕቆብም ቤት ኃጢአታቸውን አሳይ’ (ኢሳይያስ 58:1) የሚል ነበር። ከሰው የሚገኝ ትምህርት አላገኘም ነበር። እግዚአብሔርና ተፈጥሮ መምህራኑ ነበሩ። ነገር ግን ከጥንቱ ነቢያት እንደ አንዱ ድምፁ እንዲሰማ በድፍረት የሚናገር፣ የተበላሸችውን ሕዝብ ወደ ንስሐ የሚጠራ፣ ከክርስቶስ በፊት መንገዱን የሚያዘጋጅ አንድ ሰው ያስፈልግ ነበር።” Selected Messages, መጽሐፍ 2, 147, 148.
William Miller was the second messenger that prepared the way for the Messenger of the Covenant, and Miller’s person and work had been typified by John the Baptist.
ዊልያም ሚለር ለቃል ኪዳኑ መልእክተኛ መንገዱን ያዘጋጀ ሁለተኛው መልእክተኛ ነበር፥ የሚለርም ሰውነትና ሥራ በዮሐንስ መጥምቅ ምሳሌ ተደርጎ ነበር።
“Thousands were led to embrace the truth preached by William Miller, and servants of God were raised up in the spirit and power of Elijah to proclaim the message. Like John, the forerunner of Jesus, those who preached this solemn message felt compelled to lay the ax at the root of the tree, and call upon men to bring forth fruits meet for repentance.” Early Writings, 233.
“በሺህዎች የሚቆጠሩ ሰዎች ዊልያም ሚለር የሰበከውን እውነት እንዲቀበሉ ተመሩ፤ እናም መልእክቱን ለማወጅ በኤልያስ መንፈስና ኃይል የተነሱ የእግዚአብሔር አገልጋዮች ተነሡ። እንደ የኢየሱስ ቀዳሚ የነበረው ዮሐንስ፣ ይህን ከባድ መልእክት የሰበኩት ሰዎች መጥረቢያውን በዛፉ ሥር ላይ እንዲያኖሩ፣ እናም ሰዎች ለንስሐ የሚገባ ፍሬ እንዲያፈሩ እንዲጠሩ ተገደዱ።” Early Writings, 233.
The quibbling Jews in the time of Christ had been led to trust in a false message of the Messiah. “Messiah” is the Hebrew word for the Greek word “Christ” which means “anointed”.
በክርስቶስ ዘመን የነበሩት ክርክር የሚወዱ አይሁድ ስለ መሲሑ በሐሰተኛ መልእክት እንዲታመኑ ተመርተው ነበር። “መሲሕ” ማለት “የተቀባ” ማለት የሆነው የግሪክ ቃል “ክርስቶስ” የሚመጣ ዕብራይስጥ ቃል ነው።
The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (he is Lord of all:) That word, I say, ye know, which was published throughout all Judaea, and began from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached; How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him. Acts 10:36–38.
እግዚአብሔር ለእስራኤል ልጆች የላከው ቃል፥ በኢየሱስ ክርስቶስ ሰላምን እየሰበከ፤ (እርሱ የሁሉ ጌታ ነው፤) ያ ቃል፥ እላለሁ፥ እናንተ ታውቃላችሁ፤ ከዮሐንስ የሰበከው ጥምቀት በኋላ ከገሊላ ጀምሮ በይሁዳ ሁሉ የተነገረውን፤ እግዚአብሔርም ኢየሱስን የናዝሬቱን በመንፈስ ቅዱስና በኃይል እንዴት እንደቀባው፤ እርሱም መልካም እያደረገና በዲያብሎስ የተጨቆኑትን ሁሉ እየፈወሰ ዞረ፤ እግዚአብሔር ከእርሱ ጋር ነበረና። ሐዋርያት ሥራ 10፥36–38።
Both “messiah” and “Christ” mean “the anointed one”. Christ was anointed at His baptism, so technically He was not the Messiah or the Christ until His baptism. His baptism prophetically aligns with the descent of the angel in Revelation chapter ten, that descended on August 11, 1840, and it also aligns with the descent of the mighty angel of Revelation chapter eighteen, who descended on September 11, 2001. The three prophetic waymarks identify the manifestation of the Holy Spirit in the latter rain.
“መሲሕ” እና “ክርስቶስ” ሁለቱም “የተቀባው” ማለት ናቸው። ክርስቶስ በጥምቀቱ ጊዜ ተቀብቶ ነበር፤ ስለዚህ በትክክል ለመናገር እስከ ጥምቀቱ ድረስ መሲሕ ወይም ክርስቶስ አልነበረም። ጥምቀቱ በትንቢታዊ ሁኔታ በራእይ ምዕራፍ አሥር ውስጥ ካለው መልአክ መውረድ ጋር ይስማማል፤ ይህም በነሐሴ 11 ቀን 1840 የወረደው ነው፤ እንዲሁም በራእይ ምዕራፍ አሥራ ስምንት ካለው ከኃያሉ መልአክ መውረድ ጋር ይስማማል፥ እርሱም በመስከረም 11 ቀን 2001 የወረደው ነው። እነዚህ ሦስቱ ትንቢታዊ የመለያ ምልክቶች በኋለኛው ዝናብ ውስጥ የመንፈስ ቅዱስን መገለጥ ይለያያሉ።
The quibbling Jews held to a misconception, a false prophetic message that the Messiah would bring about a literal earthly kingdom where the nation of Israel would govern the world. It was a false message that promised “peace and prosperity”.
ክርክርን የሚወዱ አይሁድ መሲሑ የእስራኤል ሕዝብ ዓለምን የሚገዛበትን በምድር ላይ የሚቋቋም ቃል በቃል መንግሥት እንደሚያመጣ የሚናገር የተሳሳተ ግንዛቤ፣ ሐሰተኛ ትንቢታዊ መልእክት ይዘው ነበር። ይህም “ሰላምና ብልጽግና” የሚል የሐሰት መልእክት ነበር።
William Miller’s message had two major elements. The first was the application of the time prophecies that identified the cleansing of the sanctuary, and the second was his rejection of the Catholic interpretation of the thousand-year millennium that the Protestants were prone to believe. That false view of the millennium identified as a thousand years of peace and prosperity, had been represented by the false view of the Messiah’s kingdom that was held by the quibbling Jews.
የዊልያም ሚለር መልእክት ሁለት ታላላቅ ክፍሎች ነበሩት። የመጀመሪያው መቅደሱን መንጻት የሚያመለክቱትን የዘመን ትንቢቶች መተግበሩ ሲሆን፣ ሁለተኛውም ፕሮቴስታንቶች ለማመን የተዘነበሉበትን የካቶሊክ ሺህ ዓመት ሚሊኒየም ትርጓሜ መቃወሙ ነበር። ያ የሐሰት የሚሊኒየም አመለካከት፣ እንደ ሺህ ዓመት ሰላምና ብልጽግና የሚታወቀው፣ በነቀፋ የተሞሉ አይሁድ ይይዙት ከነበረው ስለ መሲሑ መንግሥት የነበረውን የሐሰት አመለካከት ያንጸባረቀ ነበር።
Those two witnesses identify a counterfeit latter rain message promising “peace and prosperity” in the third and final fulfillment of the history of the messenger who prepares for the Messenger of the Covenant to suddenly come to His temple. That false latter rain message is identified as a “peace and safety” message, in contrast to the message of John the Baptist who identified that “every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire,” when “the wrath to come” arrives. It was also represented by Miller’s identification that there would be no thousand years of peace, as Catholicism teaches, for when the Lord returns, He will destroy the earth with the brightness of His coming.
እነዚያ ሁለት ምስክሮች የሐሰተኛውን የኋለኛው ዝናብ መልእክት ያሳውቃሉ፤ ይህም “የሰላምና የብልጽግና” ተስፋ የሚሰጥ መልእክት ሲሆን፣ ለቃል ኪዳኑ መልእክተኛ ድንገት ወደ ቤተ መቅደሱ እንዲመጣ መንገድ የሚያዘጋጀው መልእክተኛ ታሪክ በሦስተኛውና በመጨረሻው ፍጻሜ ውስጥ ይታያል። ያ ሐሰተኛ የኋለኛው ዝናብ መልእክት፣ “ሊመጣ ያለው ቁጣ” በሚደርስበት ጊዜ “መልካም ፍሬ የማያፈራ ዛፍ ሁሉ ይቈረጣል፥ ወደ እሳትም ይጣላል” ብሎ ከገለጸው ከዮሐንስ መጥምቁ መልእክት በተቃራኒ እንደ “ሰላምና ደኅንነት” መልእክት ይታወቃል። ይህም ደግሞ ጌታ በሚመለስበት ጊዜ ምድርን በመምጣቱ ብርሃን እንደሚያጠፋት ስለሆነ፣ ካቶሊክነት እንደሚያስተምረው ሺህ ዓመት የሰላም ዘመን እንደማይኖር በሚለር መለየት ውስጥ ደግሞ ተመስሏል።
And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power. 2 Thessalonians 1:7–9.
ለእናንተም የተጨነቃችሁ፥ ጌታ ኢየሱስ ከሰማይ ከኃይሉ መላእክት ጋር ሲገለጥ፥ ከእኛ ጋር ዕረፍትን ይሰጣችኋል፤ እግዚአብሔርን በማያውቁትና ለጌታችን ኢየሱስ ክርስቶስ ወንጌል በማይታዘዙት ላይ በነበልባል እሳት በቀልን ሲያደርግ። እነርሱም ከጌታ ፊትና ከኃይሉ ክብር ርቀው የዘላለም ጥፋትን ቅጣት ይቀበላሉ። 2 ተሰሎንቄ 1፥7–9።
The first two messengers who prepared for the Messenger of the Covenant to enter into covenant with a new chosen people, demonstrate that a false “peace and safety” latter rain message, which was formulated in the third generation of Laodicean Adventism, has been designed by Satan to prevent Laodicean Adventism in the fourth generation from recognizing the role of Islam, as represented in the third Woe.
የኪዳኑ መልእክተኛ ከአዲስ የተመረጠ ሕዝብ ጋር ወደ ኪዳን እንዲገባ ያዘጋጁት የመጀመሪያዎቹ ሁለት መልእክተኞች፣ በላኦዲቅያዊ አድቬንቲዝም ሦስተኛ ትውልድ ውስጥ የተቀረጸ የሐሰት “ሰላምና ደኅንነት” የኋለኛው ዝናብ መልእክት፣ በሦስተኛው ወዮ ውስጥ እንደተወከለው የእስልምናን ሚና አራተኛ ትውልድ የላኦዲቅያዊ አድቬንቲዝም እንዳያውቅ ሰይጣን በዕቅድ ያዘጋጀው መሆኑን ያሳያሉ።
In the purification process that is accomplished for those represented by the sons of Levi, the one who comes after John the Baptist was to thoroughly sweep and “purge” His floor, with the fan that is in His hand. That work is accomplished by His Word.
በሌዊ ልጆች የተወከሉት ሰዎች ስለሚፈጸምላቸው የመንጻት ሂደት፣ ከመጥምቁ ዮሐንስ በኋላ የሚመጣው በእጁ ያለችውን መንፈሻ በመጠቀም አውድማውን ፈጽሞ ሊጠርግና “ሊያነጻ” ነበር። ይህ ሥራ በቃሉ ይፈጸማል።
“‘Whose fan is in His hand, and He will throughly purge His floor, and gather His wheat into the garner.’ Matthew 3:12. This was one of the times of purging. By the words of truth, the chaff was being separated from the wheat. Because they were too vain and self-righteous to receive reproof, too world-loving to accept a life of humility, many turned away from Jesus. Many are still doing the same thing. Souls are tested today as were those disciples in the synagogue at Capernaum. When truth is brought home to the heart, they see that their lives are not in accordance with the will of God. They see the need of an entire change in themselves; but they are not willing to take up the self-denying work. Therefore they are angry when their sins are discovered. They go away offended, even as the disciples left Jesus, murmuring, ‘This is an hard saying; who can hear it?’” The Desire of Ages, 392.
“‘መንሽርሹ በእጁ ነው፥ አውድማውንም ፈጽሞ ያነጻል፥ ስንዴውንም ወደ ጎተራ ይሰበስባል።’ ማቴዎስ 3፥12። ይህ ከማጥራት ዘመኖች አንዱ ነበር። በእውነት ቃላት፣ ገለባው ከስንዴው እየተለየ ነበር። ተግሣጽን ለመቀበል እጅግ ከንቱና በራሳቸው ጽድቅ የተሞሉ ስለ ነበሩ፣ የትሕትናንም ሕይወት ለመቀበል ዓለምን እጅግ የወደዱ ስለ ነበሩ፣ ብዙዎች ከኢየሱስ ዘንድ ተመለሱ። ብዙዎች አሁንም ይህንኑ ነገር እያደረጉ ናቸው። ነፍሳት ዛሬ በቅፍርናሆም ምኵራብ ውስጥ ያሉት ደቀ መዛሙርት እንደ ተፈተኑት ሁሉ እየተፈተኑ ናቸው። እውነት ወደ ልብ በሚደርስ ጊዜ፣ ሕይወታቸው ከእግዚአብሔር ፈቃድ ጋር የማይስማማ መሆኑን ያያሉ። በራሳቸው ውስጥ ፍጹም ለውጥ እንዳስፈለጋቸው ያያሉ፤ ነገር ግን ራስን የሚክድ ሥራ ለመሸከም ፈቃደኞች አይደሉም። ስለዚህ ኃጢአታቸው በሚገለጥበት ጊዜ ይቈጣሉ። ‘ይህ ንግግር ከባድ ነው፤ ማንስ ሊሰማው ይችላል?’ እያሉ እያጕረመረሙ ደቀ መዛሙርቱ ኢየሱስን እንደ ተዉት ሁሉ፣ እነርሱም ተሰናክለው ይሄዳሉ።” The Desire of Ages, 392.
The message of the latter rain is the “debate” of Habakkuk chapter two, and it is the words of truth, that separate the chaff from the wheat. That separation is the purging accomplished by the Messenger of the Covenant. In Millerite history, the message of Daniel chapter eight, verse fourteen, produced a purging when it first failed and brought about the tarrying time of Habakkuk chapter two and the parable of the ten virgins in Matthew chapter twenty-five. When the message of the Midnight Cry was ultimately fulfilled on October 22, 1844, it produced an even greater purging. Then it was that the Messenger of the Covenant suddenly arrived and began the final purging and purification. The movement that had passed through the first two of three purifications and purging’s, failed the third and was sent to the wilderness of Laodicea in 1863.
የኋለኛው ዝናብ መልእክት የዕንባቆም ምዕራፍ ሁለት “ክርክር” ነው፤ እርሱም እሸቱን ከስንዴው የሚለይ የእውነት ቃል ነው። ያ መለየት በቃል ኪዳኑ መልእክተኛ የሚፈጸመው ማጥራት ነው። በሚለራውያን ታሪክ፣ የዳንኤል ምዕራፍ ስምንት ቁጥር አሥራ አራት መልእክት መጀመሪያ ጊዜ ሲያልቅ እና የዕንባቆም ምዕራፍ ሁለት የመቆየት ጊዜን እንዲሁም በማቴዎስ ምዕራፍ ሃያ አምስት ያለውን የአሥሩ ደናግል ምሳሌ ሲያመጣ፣ ማጥራት አፈራ። የእኩለ ሌሊት ጩኸት መልእክት በመጨረሻ ጥቅምት 22፣ 1844 ሲፈጸም ከዚያ የበለጠ ትልቅ ማጥራት አመጣ። በዚያን ጊዜ ቃል ኪዳኑ መልእክተኛ ድንገት ደርሶ የመጨረሻውን ማጥራትና ማንጻት ጀመረ። በሦስት ማንጻቶችና ማጥራቶች ውስጥ ከመጀመሪያዎቹ ሁለቱ ያለፈው እንቅስቃሴ፣ ሦስተኛውን ወደቀ፤ በ1863ም ወደ ሎዶቅያ ምድረ በዳ ተልኮ ሄደ።
In the Millerite history the Protestants were first purged by the words of truth, thereafter the movement of the first angel was purged at the arrival of the third testing message. But those who had been the builders of the Millerite temple during the forty-six years from 1798 unto 1844, failed the third test, which arrived on October 22, 1844, though they perfectly fulfilled the parable of the ten virgins.
በሚለራውያን ታሪክ ውስጥ ፕሮቴስታንቶች መጀመሪያ በእውነት ቃላት ነጽተው ተለዩ፤ ከዚያም የመጀመሪያው መልአክ እንቅስቃሴ ሦስተኛው ፈተና መልእክት በመድረሱ ነጽቶ ተለየ። ነገር ግን ከ1798 እስከ 1844 ባሉት አርባ ስድስት ዓመታት ውስጥ የሚለራውያንን ቤተ መቅደስ ሠሪዎች የነበሩት፣ ምንም እንኳ የአሥሩ ደናግል ምሳሌን ፍጹም ቢፈጽሙም፣ በ1844 ኦክቶበር 22 የደረሰውን ሦስተኛ ፈተና አልፉ።
“Many who went forth to meet the Bridegroom under the messages of the first and second angels, refused the third, the last testing message to be given to the world, and a similar position will be taken when the last call is made.
“በመጀመሪያውና በሁለተኛው መላእክት መልእክቶች ተነሥተው ሙሽራውን ሊቀበሉ የወጡ ብዙዎች፣ ለዓለም ሊሰጥ የተዘጋጀውን ሦስተኛውን፣ የመጨረሻውን የፈተና መልእክት እምቢ አሉ፤ የመጨረሻው ጥሪ ሲደረግም ተመሳሳይ አቋም ይወሰዳል።”
“Every specification of this parable should be carefully studied. We are represented either by the wise or by the foolish virgins.” Review and Herald, October 31, 1899.
“የዚህ ምሳሌ እያንዳንዱ ዝርዝር በጥንቃቄ ሊጠና ይገባል። እኛ ወይም በጥበበኞቹ ድንግልናዎች ወይም በሰነፎቹ ድንግልናዎች እንደተወከልን ተቀርበናል።” Review and Herald, October 31, 1899.
The prophetic history that began at the arrival of the third angel on October 22, 1844, was a failure, and it ended with the rebellion of 1863. By 1850 Sister White penned the following message.
በ1844 ዓ.ም. ጥቅምት 22 ቀን ሦስተኛው መልአክ በመጣበት ጊዜ የተጀመረው የትንቢታዊ ታሪክ ውድቀት ነበር፣ እናም በ1863 በዓመፅ ተጠናቀቀ። እስከ 1850 ድረስ እህት ዋይት የሚከተለውን መልእክት ጻፈች።
“The Lord gave me a view, January 26, which I will relate. I saw that some of the people of God were stupid and dormant; and were but half awake, and did not realize the time we were now living in; and that the ‘man’ with the ‘dirt-brush’ had entered, and that some were in danger of being swept away. I begged of Jesus to save them, to spare them a little longer, and let them see their awful danger, that they might get ready before it should be forever too late. The angel said, ‘Destruction is coming like a mighty whirlwind.’ I begged of the angel to pity and to save those who loved this world, and were attached to their possessions, and were not willing to cut loose from them, and sacrifice them to speed the messengers on their way to feed the hungry sheep, who were perishing for want of spiritual food.
ጌታ ጥር 26 ቀን አንድ ራእይ ሰጠኝ፤ እርሱንም እነግራለሁ። ከእግዚአብሔር ሕዝብ አንዳንዶች ደንዝዘውና ዝም ብለው እንዳሉ፣ ግማሽ እንቅልፍ ውስጥ እንዳሉም፣ አሁን የምንኖርበትን ዘመን እንዳልተገነዘቡም አየሁ፤ እንዲሁም “ቆሻሻ መጥረጊያ” ያለው “ሰው” ገብቶ እንደነበር፣ ከእነርሱም አንዳንዶች ተጠርገው እንዲወሰዱ በአደጋ ላይ እንዳሉ አየሁ። ኢየሱስን እንዲያድናቸው፣ ጥቂት ጊዜም እንዲቆጥብላቸው፣ ዘላለም ለዘላለም ከመዘግየቱ በፊት ራሳቸውን እንዲያዘጋጁ ይህን አስፈሪ አደጋቸውን እንዲያዩ ለመንሁት። መልአኩም፣ “ጥፋት እንደ ኃይለኛ ዐውሎ ነፋስ እየመጣ ነው” አለ። ዓለምን የወደዱትን፣ ከንብረታቸውም ጋር የተጣበቁትን፣ ከእነርሱም ለመለየትና በመንገዳቸው ላይ ያሉትን መልእክተኞች ለማፋጠን እነርሱን በመሠዋት ፈቃደኞች ያልሆኑትን—በመንፈሳዊ ምግብ እጥረት እየጠፉ ያሉትን የተራቡ በጎች ይመግቡ ዘንድ—መልአኩን እንዲራራላቸውና እንዲያድናቸው ለመንሁት።
“As I viewed poor souls dying for want of the present truth, and some who professed to believe the truth were letting them die, by withholding the necessary means to carry forward the work of God, the sight was too painful, and I begged of the angel to remove it from me. I saw that when the cause of God called for some of their property, like the young man who came to Jesus, [Matthew 19:16–22.] they went away sorrowful; and that soon the overflowing scourge would pass over and sweep their possessions all away, and then it would be too late to sacrifice earthly goods, and lay up a treasure in heaven.” Review and Herald, April 1, 1850.
“አሁን ያለውን እውነት በማጣት የተነሣ ምስኪን ነፍሳት ሲሞቱ ባየሁ ጊዜ፣ እንዲሁም እውነቱን እንደሚያምኑ የሚናገሩ አንዳንዶች የእግዚአብሔርን ሥራ ለማስቀጠል የሚያስፈልገውን መንገድ በመከልከል እነርሱን እንዲሞቱ ሲያደርጉአቸው ባየሁ ጊዜ፣ ያ ትዕይንት እጅግ የሚያሳዝን ነበር፤ እኔም መልአኩን ከእኔ እንዲያስወግደው ለመንሁት። የእግዚአብሔር ሥራ ከንብረታቸው አንዳንድ ነገር በሚጠይቅበት ጊዜ፣ ወደ ኢየሱስ የመጣው ጕልማሳ እንዳደረገው [ማቴዎስ 19:16–22.] በኀዘን እንደሚሄዱ አየሁ፤ እንዲሁም ብዙም ሳይቆይ የሚፈስ መቅሠፍት በላያቸው እንደሚያልፍና ሀብታቸውን ሁሉ እንደሚጠራርግ አየሁ፤ ከዚያም ምድራዊ ንብረትን ለመሥዋዕት ማቅረብና በሰማይ መዝገብ ለማከማቸት እጅግ ዘግይቶ ይሆናል።” Review and Herald, April 1, 1850.
In 1850, the dirt-brush man had already arrived. On October 22, 1844, the Messenger of the Covenant had suddenly come to His temple, and He began the work of purging and purifying the sons of Levi.
በ1850 ዓ.ም. የትቢያ-መጥረጊያው ሰው አስቀድሞ ደርሶ ነበር። በጥቅምት 22 ቀን 1844 ዓ.ም. የኪዳኑ መልእክተኛ ድንገት ወደ መቅደሱ መጥቶ ነበር፥ እርሱም የሌዊን ልጆች የማንጻትና የማጥራት ሥራ ጀመረ።
We will continue this study in the next article.
በሚቀጥለው ጽሑፍ ይህን ጥናት እንቀጥላለን።
“Today souls are being tested and tried, and many are passing over the same ground trodden by those who forsook Christ. When tested by the Word, they reject the divine Teacher. When rebuked because their lives are not in harmony with truth and righteousness, they turn from the Saviour; and their decision, like that of the offended disciples, is never reversed. They walk no more with Christ. Thus are the words fulfilled, ‘Whose fan is in His hand, and He will throughly purge His floor, and gather His wheat into the garner.’” Signs of the Times, May 15, 1901.
“ዛሬ ነፍሳት እየተፈተኑና እየተፈተኑ ናቸው፤ ብዙዎችም ክርስቶስን ትተው የሄዱት ሰዎች የረገጡትን ያን መንገድ እየደገሙ ናቸው። በቃሉ ሲፈተኑ መለኮታዊውን አስተማሪ ይቃወማሉ። ሕይወታቸው ከእውነትና ከጽድቅ ጋር በስምምነት እንዳልሆነ ስለዚህ ሲገሠጹ ከአዳኙ ይመለሳሉ፤ ውሳኔአቸውም እንደ ተሰናከሉት ደቀ መዛሙርት ውሳኔ ፈጽሞ አይቀለበስም። ከእንግዲህም በክርስቶስ ጋር አይሄዱም። እንዲሁ ነው የተባለው ቃል የሚፈጸመው፦ ‘መንፊያው በእጁ ነው፥ አውድማውንም ፈጽሞ ያነጻል፥ ስንዴውንም ወደ ጎተራው ይሰበስባል።’” Signs of the Times, May 15, 1901.