The Revelation of Jesus Christ - Number Eighteen

In 1856, formerly Philadelphian Millerite Adventism was identified by James and Ellen White as Laodicean. James White then began to promote the message of Laodicea to the movement through the Review and Herald. In the same publication, in the same year, increased light concerning the “seven times” of Leviticus twenty-six was also presented in a series of eight articles by Hiram Edson whom the Whites’ regarded so highly that they named their first son after him. The series ended with the promise that it would be completed in the future, but it never again surfaced. At the transition point of the movement of the first angel, from Philadelphia to Laodicea, the movement stumbled over the “seven times” of Leviticus twenty-six, representing the very first ‘time prophecy’ which the angels of God had led William Miller to recognize and proclaim.

The “seven times” was the chief corner-stone of the Millerite temple foundation. Every prophetic illustration of a sacred foundation is an illustration of Christ, for no other foundation can be laid than Christ.

Not only is Christ the foundation, He is also the foundation stone which the builders rejected and thereafter stumbled over. He is the stone that ultimately becomes the head of the corner. In Millerite history the “seven times” was the symbol of that corner stone.

Christ confirmed the covenant with many for one week. The structure of the prophecy of “seven times” against the northern kingdom of Israel (that Hiram Edson had identified in the eight unfinished articles) reproduced the identical structure of the prophetic week that Christ confirmed the covenant in fulfillment of Daniel chapter nine, and verse twenty seven. The week that Christ was gathering Israel is the identical structure of the week that Christ scattered Israel. The scattering of ancient Israel was twenty-five hundred and twenty years, and the gathering of spiritual Israel was twenty-five hundred and twenty days. He gathered Israel to confirm the covenant and He scattered Israel, due to the quarrel of His covenant. To identify the “seven times” as the foundation stone of the Millerite temple is in perfect agreement with identifying Christ as the foundation stone. To reject that stone, is to reject Christ.

When Christ, in 1856, for the very first time in Christian history, stood knocking at the door of Laodicea, He was seeking to produce an increase of knowledge upon the stone of stumbling that the builders were about to set aside. Seven years later, or you might say, twenty-five hundred and twenty symbolic days later, Laodicean Adventism closed the door. Sadly, Adventism refused to see the increase of knowledge. A stone that you stumble over is a stone that you do not see, but it is still there.

The curse of the “seven times,” against the southern kingdom of Judah began in 677 BC and ended on October 22, 1844, along with the twenty-three hundred years of Daniel chapter eight, verse fourteen. The “seven times” is part of the very prophecy that has been identified as the “foundation and central pillar” of the Advent movement. The foundation and central pillar of Adventism was fulfilled at the very same time as several other prophecies. The “seven times,” the twenty-three hundred days, Malachi chapter three, Daniel chapter seven, verse thirteen, and the Matthew twenty-five parable of the ten virgins all were fulfilled on October 22, 1844. The date of October 22, 1844, is the foundational date of the Advent movement, and connected with that date, there is only one command that was identified.

Sister White identifies the angel of Revelation chapter ten, that stood upon the earth and sea, as Jesus Christ.

Christ took the position of standing upon the sea and earth to represent His supreme authority. He then lifted up His hand and commanded that “there should be time no longer.” Christ was entering into covenant with the Millerites and He gave them one command, just as He gave Abraham when he entered into covenant with him. He commanded Abraham to circumcise the male children. When he entered into covenant with a chosen people in the history of Moses, He gave many commands, and those commands included the direction that only the priests could touch the ark. He raised His hand and swore on October 22, 1844, that prophetic time should no longer be incorporated into biblical prophecies. Jesus had addressed the subject of “times and seasons” when He ascended to heaven in a cloud of angels, thus typifying the ascension of the two witnesses as the ensign. What He commanded then was about “times and seasons.”

Jesus did not say that there were no times and seasons, for speaking through Solomon he had confirmed that there are “times and seasons.”

There are “times and seasons” within the biblical record that are testimonies to Palmoni, the “Wonderful Numberer”, but as of October 22, 1844, God’s people have been commanded to never again present a prophetic message that is hung upon time. The counsel of Jesus to the disciples just before He ascended represents the history just before His purified people are lifted up as an ensign in Revelation chapter eleven, and it agrees with the command He gave on October 22, 1844. At the foundational date of Adventism, Christ commanded that there were to be no more prophetic messages based upon time, and at His ascension which typified the ascension of the two witnesses in Revelation eleven he repeated that command.

Sister White was clear that we will never have a message of time identifying anything of special significance, not simply His Second Coming. Time prophecy, which was the theme of the Millerite movement, ended on October 22, 1844, and the only command associated with that foundational date was that time should never be used in the presentation of God’s message again.

In the beginning movement of the first angel, at the very point of the transition from Philadelphia to Laodicea, increased light was given upon the foundational truth of the Millerite movement. Seven years later, or twenty-five hundred and twenty symbolic days later, or a “wilderness” later, in 1863, the foundational stone of the “seven times” was set aside by the builders.

In the ending movement of the third angel, at the very point of transition from Laodicea to Philadelphia a test that includes a confession of the sins of the fathers is given. The test of the foundation for the fathers was the “seven times,” which was their foundation stone. Would the ending movement disregard the only command associated with the foundational date, as their father’s disregarded their foundational stone?

Yes. They most certainly did that very thing. They repeated the sins of their fathers.

Their fathers did not sin in the foundational date, for among other things they were still Philadelphians at that foundational date. Their fathers failed their foundational test when they transformed into Laodicea and rejected the “seven times” along with its increasing light.

Their foundational failure in 1863, was preceded by seven years of Christ knocking on the door of their Laodicean hearts. Seven years is symbolic of the “seven times” and of the “wilderness.” After the “wilderness” from 1856 to 1863, they failed their foundational test.

In the first disappointment of the movement of the third angel God’s people sinned, by rejecting the only command directly associated with the foundational date. They chose to incorporate time prediction into the prophetic message, when they knew better. In so doing they repeated the sin of Moses, neglecting to circumcise his son and the sin of Uzzah touching the ark, which he knew he was forbidden to do. The movement of the third angel did what they knew was not right! If anyone wishes to paint over that fact, then use the rest of the can of paint, to cover the truth that Moses, and Uzzah both sinned and manifested rebellion against God’s will as they typified the first disappointment of the very last of all the reform lines—the reform line that every reform line pointed forward to. The illustrations of the first disappointment in the reform lines bear the signature of Alpha and Omega, and the record therein is for the benefit of God’s people, even if God’s people refuse to be benefited thereby.

The movement of the first angel was given a period of seven years, which is a symbol of the wilderness of the “seven times,” to accept the Laodicean message along with the light of the “seven times.” The curse of the “seven times” is the curse of being spewed out of the mouth of the Lord. In 1863, they repeated the work of rebuilding Jericho, a work that contained a “curse.” The seven years from 1856, to 1863, are a miniature illustration of the rebellion of the fathers of ancient Israel’s sin that brought upon them the curse of “seven times.” Modern Israel repeated the sins of their fathers in 1863.

The movement of the third angel failed the test of the first disappointment as surely as did Moses and Uzzah. They were then slain in the streets for a “wilderness” period of three and a half days. They are now being formed into bodies by the sound of the Comforter. The sound of the Comforter is being given through the “voice” in the wilderness, and they are now being confronted with the test, not of time setting, but of the “seven times.” They already failed the test of time setting.

They are not being tested as to whether they believe the “seven times” is a valid truth, for they have previously given testimony that they accept the “seven times” as a valid prophecy. They have confessed to believe the prophecy of twenty-five hundred and twenty years of scattering. But they may be unaware that there is a new testing light of the “seven times.” They are standing where their fathers stood in 1856. The new light is that the three and a half days of Revelation eleven, is not simply identifying the French Revolution, but it is now a present truth reality.

Is the opening up of the hidden history of the seven thunders, and opening of the seventh seal actually two witnesses that identify that the Revelation of Jesus Christ is now being unsealed? If it is, is it actually true that the entire book of Revelation is speaking of the last days? If that is true, then does the three and a half days represent the tarrying time in the virgin’s parable? If it does, then does the remedy of the “seven times” actually represent a command that must be met by those who participated in the Nashville prediction of July 18, 2020?

Wow! There is a test for you! Do those that wake up and realize they are in the tarrying time, actually have to repent for their sins, and their father’s sins at the end of the three and a half days? Was it really a sin to disregard the command not to employ time in a prediction?

For those who took the position that the failed prediction of Nashville was somehow God’s intended purpose, and who thereafter have attempted to uphold that claim, I would add another observation, beyond the sin of employing time in God’s prophecies. What happened with the false prediction of Nashville was not simply a manifestation of rebellion to Christ’s command in 1844, it was an action that told those outside of Adventism that the predictions found in the Spirit of Prophecy are faulty. It was a reproach upon the writings of the Spirit of Prophecy. It provides evidence for those in the world that the writings of Ellen White are as important as the writings of Joseph Smith, or of Nostradamus. The precious words of Ellen White were corrupted with the vile words of our rebellion. It wasn’t only a rebellion against Christ, who is the Word of God, it was simultaneously a rebellion against the Spirit of Prophecy. John was being persecuted in the isle that is called Patmos, not because he placed his human opinion above the Bible and Spirit of Prophecy, but because he obeyed those two witnesses.

We repeated the sins of our father Moses at our first disappointment, and we need to confess this. We need to confess this for we are now at 1856. There is now new light about the “seven times,” just as there was then. We are now at the transition from Laodicea to Philadelphia as the beginning movement was at the transition of Philadelphia to Laodicea in 1856. In 1856, our fathers stopped the publication of the increase of knowledge concerning the “seven times.” We might not be able to stop the publication of that light, but we certainly can close the doors of our hearts against this light. We can pretend, as the original Seventh-day Adventist builders did, that the stone was not actually there, and continue to stumble over it. Our problem is that we don’t have over a century to put our heads in the sand, for the judgments are already beginning.

If we allow the Alpha and Omega to teach us with the principle that the end of a thing is illustrated by the beginning of a thing, we can easily see that Alpha and Omega is demonstrating that the prediction of Nashville was typified by our fathers. When we acknowledge this truth, we then will be confronted with the reality that since the prediction every effort to produce some type of human logic to justify the failed prediction was nothing more than a fig leaf. Then we will see that God has not been walking with us while we have been in the enemy’s land. He has been there, but only in the sense that He has been knocking on the doors of hearts, seeking entrance. If the fig leaf of human logic is removed, then we might also see that the denial, or the flawed human logic we have employed to justify the Nashville prediction, is evidence that we have been walking contrary to Christ.

In 1856, Philadelphian Adventism transformed into Laodicea, and they knew it. The Lord confirmed it through the words of the prophetess and her husband. Standing at the doors of those Laodicean hearts Christ offered to come in and sup with them. The food that He brought to dine upon was the foundation stone of the “seven times.” They refused.

In 2023, the last movement is now transcending from Laodicea unto Philadelphia, for the eighth church is of the seven churches. The Lord Alpha and Omega has confirmed it through His word of “truth.” Christ is now standing at the door of those recently dead dry bones offering to come in and dine with them, and the meal He wishes to share with them is the identical meal He attempted to share with their fathers in 1856. It is not simply the nuts and bolts of the doctrine of the “seven times,” as it was for their fathers in 1856. No, it’s the bitter remedy of the “seven times,” and the remedy requires the type of humility that is often hard to swallow.

Perhaps those of us that participated in the Nashville prediction are wiser than Daniel?