Shall we pray? Heavenly Father, we thank you for bringing us together from so many different places. We ask that you would be here with us through the presence of your Holy Spirit and your angels, that you'd guide and direct the subjects that we're studying, and that you would bless us with understanding that would help us to better prepare our characters for your soon return and give us the information that we need to share with those around us about your soon return. We thank you for the travel mercies that you've extended to us and ask that you'd continue to watch over those that may still be on their way here. In Jesus' name, Amen. There are several rules of Bible prophecy that we often refer to, and we're going to touch on some of those here at the beginning, but one of the places I want to start with a principle that we will deal with throughout this weekend is that the Millerite history repeats in the history of the development and work of the 144,000. There are several passages of Scripture where this is illustrated and confirmed by Sister White. We're going to deal with that more than once this weekend, most likely, but I want to put a couple of the references in place so you can remember at least that I referred to them early on. In Great Controversy, page 393, Sister White says, The parable of the ten virgins of Matthew 25 also illustrates the experience of the Adventist people. So Sister White is saying that the parable of the ten virgins is an illustration of Adventism. And then in Review and Herald, August 19, 1890, she says, I'm often referred to the parable of the ten virgins, five of whom were wise and five foolish. This parable has been and will be fulfilled to the very letter, for it has special application to this time and, like the third angel's message, has been fulfilled and will continue to be present truth till the close of time. And I trust that all of us in this room have read The Great Controversy, and if we have, then we know that when Sister White is dealing with the history of the Millerites and The Great Controversy, she always places that history in the context of the fulfillment of the parable of the ten virgins. The parable of the ten virgins was fulfilled to the very letter in the Millerite history, but as we've just read here, it's going to be fulfilled again to the very letter. And this is one place where the principle of the repeat of the Millerite history here at the end is easily identified, Matthew 25. You can also see this principle in Daniel 12. It isn't spelled out quite as clearly as it is with Matthew 25, but in the different terms that you find in Daniel 12, you will find that Sister White applies those terms to the Millerite history, and then she applies them again at the end of the world. You know, in Daniel 12.13, it says—and you don't necessarily have to, you can turn there if you like—Daniel 12.13 says, but go thy way till the end be, for thou shalt rest and stand in thy lot at the end of the days. And I know that there are many ways to identify what Daniel standing in his lot represents, whether it's his resurrection or whether it's the judgment time. But in terms of Daniel as a prophetic message, I like a statement that Sister White has in Manuscript, Volume 6, Manuscript Releases, Volume 6, page 108. She says, when God gives a man a special work to do, he is to stand in his lot and place, as did Daniel, ready to answer the call of God, ready to fulfill his purpose. So I would suggest to you that one definition of Daniel standing in his lot is when Daniel fulfills his purpose. And in Daniel 12.13, it says that at the end of the days, Daniel is going to stand in his lot. And the point I'm making here about the repetition of the Millerite history at the end of the world is Sister White takes this term, Daniel standing in his lot, and applies it to the Millerite history, and then she tells us that Daniel's going to stand in his lot at the end of the world. And as you go through the different terms in Daniel 12, as we're going to do, you'll see that she applies Daniel 12 both to the Millerite history and to the end of the world, and therefore it's another illustration that the Millerite history is repeated at the end of the world. In Testimonies to Ministers, page 115, it says Daniel stood in his lot to bear his testimony, which was sealed until the time of the end, when the first angel's message should be proclaimed to the world. So Daniel stood in his lot, and if we use the definition that I'm suggesting here that I just read, to stand in your lot is to fulfill his purpose. The book of Daniel fulfilled its purpose in the Millerite history when the first angel's message was proclaimed to the world. In Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, volume 7, page 971, speaking of the seven thunders, which we're going to try to get to this evening, she says, these, the seven thunders, these relate to future events which will be disclosed in their order. Daniel shall stand in his lot at the end of the days. So here she's placing Daniel standing in his lot in the future tense, stood in his lot in the Millerite history. Millerite history is repeated. Now we're going to spend some time talking about the unsealing, all right, probably more time than you would have expected that anyone would spend on it, but we know in Seventh-day Adventist that in 1798, the book of Daniel was unsealed, and the time of the end it was unsealed. There was a prophetic truth unsealed in that point in history, and I'm suggesting that the sealing up of the book of Daniel in Daniel 12, and the reference in Daniel 12 saying that at the time of the end, Daniel's book would be unsealed, was fulfilled in the Millerite history, but there is also a prophetic book that was sealed up that will be unsealed at the end of the world, thus showing a parallel history, and of course, the prophetic passage that was sealed up for the end of the world, we're going to look at this evening, that being the seven thunders. In Daniel 12.4, it says, but thou, O Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book even to the time of the end. Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased. I think as Seventh-day Adventists, we pretty much understand that this Hebrew phrase that's translated as running to and fro means running to and fro in God's Word. I don't think it's necessarily incorrect to point to 1798 and speak about an increase of knowledge with the increase of inventions and stuff that you can document began to unfold for mankind at that time, but also, the primary thing that's being referenced here in Daniel 12.4 is that in 1798, men and women would be running to and fro in God's Word, and the prophetic word, the prophetic light in the book of Daniel would be unsealed during that time period. That is the primary reference there. And in Great Controversy 356, Sister White says this, the prophecies present a succession of events leading down to the opening of the judgment. This is especially true of the book of Daniel, but that part of his prophecy, which related to the last days, Daniel was bidden to close up and seal to the time of the end. Not until we reach this time could a message concerning the judgment be proclaimed based upon the fulfillment of these prophecies. But at the time of the end, says the prophet, many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased. Sister White is identifying that the time of the end for the Millerites, 1798, the book of Daniel was unsealed and there was an increase of knowledge. But in Selected Messages, book 2, page 106, it says, the book that was sealed was not the book of Revelation, but that portion of the prophecy which related to the last days. The scripture says, but thou, O Daniel, shut up the word and seal the book, even to the time of the end, many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased. When the book was opened, the proclamation was made, time shall be no longer. See Revelation 10.6. The book of Daniel is now unsealed, and the revelation made by Christ to John is to come to all the inhabitants of the earth. By the increase of knowledge, a people is to be prepared to stand in the latter days. So there was an increase of knowledge in the Millerite history in 1798, but there is going to be an increase of knowledge that prepares God's people to stand in the latter days. So what I'm saying is, is that as you go through and you look at the terms in Daniel 12, you'll find inspiration using those terms as being fulfilled in the Millerite history, and using those terms to point forward to fulfillment at the end of the world. And this is teaching the same thing that Sister White tells us about the parable of the Ten Virgins. It has been fulfilled in the Millerite history to the very letter, and it will be fulfilled again to the very letter at the end of the world. In Daniel 12.10, there is a purification process that took place in the Millerite history. Daniel 12.10 says, many shall be purified and made white and tried, but the wicked shall do wickedly, and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand. The purification process that took place in the Millerite history was accomplished through the increase of knowledge. As the increase of prophetic knowledge was brought to that generation, based upon how that generation related to the increase of knowledge, they either demonstrated they were wise or foolish virgins, and there was a purification process that took place, and this purification process is going to be repeated at the end of the world. This Day with God, page 84, says, the remnant people of God who keep His commandments will understand the words spoken by Daniel, many shall be purified and made white and tried, but the wicked shall do wickedly, and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand. And in the context, and this is, in my mind, important to understand, when we're talking about this purification process, whether it was with the Millerites or it's at the end of the world, the purification process is based upon how you and I relate to the increase of knowledge that is brought forth from the prophetic book that is unsealed. That was the testing process that was accomplished in the Millerites and will be repeated here at the end of the world. You'll notice here that I'm reading a reference about the purification process being repeated at the end of the world, and I didn't read one in the Millerite history. That's because I'm going to spend a lot of time on that, and we're going to look at Early Writings, page 259, fairly closely to demonstrate that there was definitely a purification process in the Millerite history, and it paralleled the purification process in the history of Christ, and it points forward to the purification process during the time period of the 144,000. So in Matthew 25 and in Daniel 12, you can demonstrate that the Millerite history is to be repeated at the end of the world. I won't spend time on Revelation 14, but most of us are familiar that Sister White says the first and second angels' messages will need to be repeated. Those messages came into the Millerite movement at a certain point in history, and they were tests for the Millerites. And when we're told they're going to be repeated, it does not simply mean exclusively that the theological content of those messages are going to be repeated. It means the experience that is associated with those messages is also to be repeated. So correctly understood, you can demonstrate, and there are quotes to go with it, that Revelation 14 also illustrates that the Millerite history is to be repeated at the end of the world. But with that in our minds, that's three references to the principle that the Millerite history is repeated. And a rule that we refer to often is that upon the testimony of two or three things established, and you can find this principle many, many times in God's Word, we've pointed to three places—Matthew 25, Daniel 12, Revelation 14—that teach us that the Millerite history is to be repeated. If you turn to Revelation 10, I want to spend a little bit of time with the Seventh Unders and show that this also is teaching the same principle. If you have an Ellen White Study Bible, underneath Revelation 10 you'll see a comment that can be found in Selected Messages, Book 2, page 104, and it can also be found in Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, page 971. It's Sister White's comments on Revelation 10, and we will no doubt refer to quite a bit of this comment. If you don't have a Study Bible, just to show you how much she says in this one passage, it's here and just a little bit more on the next page. She has a few paragraphs where she's commenting on Revelation 10, and if you will start in verse 1, I'll add in some of the things she says about these verses. Revelation 10, verse 1. And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud, and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire. And he had in his hand a little book open, and he set his right foot upon the sea and his left foot upon the earth, and cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth. And when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices. And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write, and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not. These relate to future events that will be disclosed in their order." Now, I left out a sentence there, but I jumped to Spirit of Prophecy, I got distracted there. Sister White, in the comments on Revelation 10, tells us that the mighty angel that comes down here in Revelation 10 is no less a personage than Jesus Christ. And she tells us that the fact that he put his foot upon the sea and his foot upon the land symbolizes a worldwide message. And she tells us that the little book that he has open in his hand is the book of Daniel. So if we factor that back into this passage, we see that in Revelation 10.1, Christ comes down out of heaven with a little book open in his hand, the book of Daniel, and he's marking a worldwide message. And the reason that I'm putting emphasis on that is that, though William Miller began to proclaim the message in 1831, received his credentials to preach in 1833, it wasn't until 1840 that the first angel's message was empowered and was carried to the world. So the fact that the angel comes down here in Revelation 10.1 is identifying when the first angel's message is carried to every mission station in the world, as Sister White says in The Great Controversy, and that was on August 11, 1840. And as he comes down, this angel, who Sister White tells us is Christ, he cries as a lion roars. And in order to understand that, if you would, go back to Revelation chapter 5 with me. It's not very often that we have opportunity to record these things so we can get them on DVDs, and the purpose of this weekend, one of the purposes that I'm hoping to accomplish is to cover the material that we're suggesting we're going to cover, these 10 presentations. And the reason for that is that there are several follow-up presentations that need to be built upon this. This is like a foundation to a very broad study. And there are some things that I'm going to put in place here, Lord willing, that we may not get to touch on here this weekend, but they need to be in place for the follow-up study. So you'll have to bear with me a little bit. Some of these things we've got to say just for things that we're going to say, Lord willing, down the road. And in chapter 5 of Revelation, in chapter 4, John is seeing God the Father setting up on a throne with a little book sealed with seven seals in his hand. And in verse 1 of chapter 5, it says this, 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 seven seals thereof? And no man in heaven nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon. And I wept much because no one was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon. And one of the elders said unto me, 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. Now, when we look at this passage, this is the one passage in the book of Revelation where Christ is symbolized as the Lion, the Lion of the tribe of Judah. But the reason that we want to mark that is because we're looking at the seven thunders in Revelation 10, and when the angel comes down out of heaven, which Sister White also tells us is Christ, as she tells us the Lion of the tribe of Judah is Christ. We know that these are two symbols for Christ. But when he comes down in Revelation 10, he cries as a lion roareth. So there's obviously some connection between the roaring lion of Revelation 10 and the Lion of the tribe of Judah. So we want to put some of those things in place here. And one of the things is what is the, what it is that seals up this book and what this book is. Now, I think I turned too far on these notes. If you go to the Ellen White, or the Seventh-day Adventist Bible commentary, they suggest that the book that is sealed with seven seals is a divine history book, and that is partially correct in the sense that the Bible is a divine history book. But we're going to suggest that specifically the book that is sealed is the Bible. And Seventh-day Adventists, that's not the one I want. So in Chapter 5 of Revelation, God the Father has a book that's sealed with seven seals in his hand. The Lion of the tribe of Judah, it prevails to open the book. John was weeping because no man could open the book. Now let me read a passage. It has a few points in it that we want to make. I'll read it all the way through, and then I'll try to nail down what the points are that I think that we should consider. The first one is from Spalding McGann, page 58. It says, When Christ came to this earth, the traditions that had been handed down from generation to generation, the human interpretation of the scriptures, hid from men the truth as it is in Jesus. The truth was buried beneath a mass of tradition. The spiritual import of the sacred volumes was lost. For in their unbelief, men locked the door of the heavenly treasure. Darkness covered the earth, and gross darkness the people. Truth looked down from heaven to earth, but nowhere was revealed the divine impress. A gloom like the pall of death overspread the earth. But the Lion of the tribe of Judah prevailed. He opened the seal that closed the book of divine instruction. The book that sealed the seven seals here in Revelation 5, that the Lion of the tribe of Judah opened, is the book of divine instruction. It's the sacred volumes. It's the Bible. And you'll find that the Bible in history, at certain points in history, is sealed up. And Sister White has told us what seals up the Bible at certain points in history. She's talking about the times of the Jews, but it was sealed up in the Dark Ages, and it's sealed up at the end of the world once again. And she's already told us what it is that seals up this book that's sealed with seven seals. She says it's through traditions and human interpretation of scriptures that have been handed down from generation to generation. That's what seals up the Bible. It's not simply a divine mandate that no man can understand the Bible because the Lord says no man can understand the Bible until this point in time. It's the fact that the Lord foresees that as time progresses, the truth that has been established by one generation is going to be lost as generation after generation hands down traditions and customs and teachings of men. Now continuing on with this quote, she says, but the Lion of the tribe of Judah prevailed. He opened the seal that closed the book of divine instruction. The world was permitted to gaze upon pure, unalterated truth. Truth itself descended to roll back the darkness and counteract error. A teacher was sent from heaven with the light that was to light every man that comes into the world. There were men and women who were eagerly seeking for knowledge, the sure word of prophecy. When it came, it was as a light shining in a dark place. So here she's also emphasizing that when Christ, as the Lion of the tribe of Judah, unsealed the book that was sealed with seven seals, that were people looking for knowledge. And knowledge here is defined as the sure word of prophecy. And Sister White says several different ways, several times, that the books of Daniel and Revelation are the same book. They bring each other to perfection. This is the same line of prophecy that's in the book of Daniel that's taken up in the book of Revelation, the same book. So when we see in Daniel 12 that Daniel's book is sealed up to the time of the end, and we see here in Revelation 5 that the Lion of the tribe of Judah has prevailed to unseal the book that is sealed, we're seeing the unsealing of the book of Daniel for the Millerites at the time of the end in 1798. That's what's taking place in chapter 5. And then, of course, we know as Seventh-day Adventists, from this point on, Christ, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, begins to remove the seals of that book. And those seals represent the history that the pioneers of Adventism came to understand as their message that is represented on these two charts up here. And we're going to deal with these charts as we proceed. How many are unfamiliar with these two charts? Everyone knows what these two charts are. The one on the left is the 1843 pioneer chart. The one on the right is Nichols' 1850 chart. Both those charts have divine endorsement as being prepared by the Lord. That's my word, but that's the divine endorsement. And the truths that are on those charts are the truths that the Millerites put together in the time of the end when the book of Daniel was unsealed. The foundational understanding is the histories that are represented by the seals that were being unsealed from chapter 5 onward in the book of Revelation. It's the histories represented by the trumpets. It's the histories of the churches, among other things. In Signs of the Times, May 17, 1905, still dealing with the idea of what it is that seals up the Bible, it says, The scribes and the Pharisees professed to explain the scriptures, but they explained them in accordance with their own ideas and traditions. Their customs and maxims became more and more exacting. In a spiritual sense, the sacred word became to the people as a sealed book, closed to their comprehension. What seals up God's word is traditions and customs and maxims of men that are handed down from generation to generation. But there comes a point in time that Christ, as the Lion of the tribe of Judah, will unseal these spiritual truths. Of course, we know this took place in the Millerite history. And so, one other thing that I want to put in the record that, unfortunately, I don't see that we'll have time to deal with, but please take note here. One of the things that is identified in chapter 5 of Revelation, and if you haven't ever thought about this before, please test it through your own study, because it's sound and it's important to understand. In Daniel 12, Daniel's book is sealed up to the time of the end. But in Revelation 4 and 5, with the testimony of the book that's sealed with seven seals, we're seeing Christ accomplish the work of unsealing the book of Daniel for the Millerites. That's what's going on in chapter 5. Christ prevails to take that book, and he unseals the Bible. It's been sealed up with what? Traditions and customs that have been handed down from generation to generation, all the way through the Dark Ages until 1798. But Jesus, as the Lion of the tribe of Judah, has prevailed to open the prophetic word and bring about the Millerite movement. But put in the back of your mind that before that happens, in verse 4, John weeps much. Before the Lion of the tribe of Judah unseals the book, John weeps much. The reason that I'm putting that in place is because we're going to suggest here this weekend that the Millerite history is repeated. One of the things that takes place in the Millerite history is prophetically, John weeps much, and then the Lion of the tribe of Judah begins to unseal the prophetic word for the Millerites in the time of the end, the 1798 time period. We believe, although I don't know that we have time to get here this weekend, that William Miller's dream is pointing forward to a time in Earth's history when the truths that are to be awakened for the 144,000 are awakened. If you remember William Miller's dream, and the story of the dirt brush man and the scattering of the jewels, and William Miller becomes very distressed that the people have taken the jewels out of the casket and scattered them all over the floor, the casket that he had placed on a table that was full of jewels for everyone to come and see, well we're suggesting that the jewels are the truths that the Lord used to put the foundations of Adventism together. In fact, if you've ever asked yourself, why is it that William Miller in his dream was told the size of the box, it was 10 by 6 square, why do we have to know that? Why do we have to know that the box the jewels were in were 10 by 6 square? Because if you go 10 by 6 by 6, you come to 360, and you're seeing that the year-day principle is represented in that casket, which is the primary rule of prophetic interpretation that William Miller used to assemble those truths. And there was a key attached to that casket, if you remember, James White, when he's commenting on it, said that key represents the rules of prophetic interpretation adopted by William Miller. So that's what William Miller's dream is all about, putting together the foundational truths of Adventism, but over time, people come in and they take the jewels out of the box, and they throw them on the floor, and they bring in false jewels and counterfeit coins, and they cover them up. But there comes a time when the dirt brush man, who Sister White says is Christ, he comes in and he sweeps all the rubbish out the window, but he does not do it until William Miller is so overwhelmed that he begins to weep. So what we're suggesting is that William Miller's weeping is illustrating the same experience of John weeping that's marking a point when Christ, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the dirt brush man, is to unseal the prophetic truth for his people. With John, it was for his people, the Millerites, with William Miller, it's those candidates for the 144,000 at the end of the world. We'll deal with that later on, maybe not this weekend, but go back to Revelation 10 if you would. So in Revelation 10, we read verses 1 through 4, and the reason that I went to chapter 5 is I'm trying to emphasize that when Christ in the book of Revelation is portrayed as the Lion of the tribe of Judah, it is identifying his work as the one that unseals prophetic truth at a certain point in time. And when he comes down and puts his foot upon the land and foot upon the sea, then in verse 3, he cries with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth, which means that we need to bring together with this verse the information we understand from chapter 5, that Christ, when he is portrayed as a lion, is identifying his work in the unsealing of prophetic truth. And when he cries, seven thunders uttered their voices, and then John is told to seal up those things, which the seven thunders uttered. So right here when he's crying as a lion, this lion, we're not seeing him unsealing anything at this point, but we're seeing something sealed up, so we're seeing some kind of connection there. And in this comment by Sister White, that you have in the Nilla White Study Bible if you have it, or in Bible Commentary, Volume 7, page 971, she says something very important, I believe. She says, about the seven thunders, after these seven thunders uttered their voices, the injunction comes to John as to Daniel in regard to the little book. That's her words, that's not my words. She says, after the seven thunders uttered their voices, the injunction, or the command, comes to John the same way as it did to Daniel, to seal up the seven thunders. She's identifying that the sealing up of the seven thunders is a parallel to the sealing up of the book of Daniel. Daniel was commanded to seal up his book until the time of the end, and she's drawing the connection between John and Daniel here. So we're going to use that connection, we believe that. We believe that the seven thunders was sealed up to accomplish the same thing for God's people at the end of the world that the unsealing of the book of Daniel accomplished for the Millerites. At the end of the world, when the seven thunders is unsealed, it'll accomplish the same work in the 144,000 that the unsealing of the book of Daniel accomplished in the Millerites. And Sister White here is pointing this parallel out. She says, after these seven thunders uttered their voices, the injunction comes to John as to Daniel in regard to the little book. Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered. These relate to future events which will be disclosed in their order. Here Sister White is saying that the seven thunders relate to future events, and Sister White wrote this in 1901. So these are events that take place beyond 1901. These relate to future events that will be disclosed in their order. But in the same passage, she's going to say something different. Two paragraphs later, she says, the special light given to John which was expressed in the seven thunders was a delineation of events that would transpire under the first and second angels' messages. So here she's saying that the seven thunders were the events that took place during the first and second angels' messages. In the previous paragraph we read, she says the seven thunders relate to future events that will be disclosed in their order. Whether it's the history of the Millerites or the future events, in both places she's emphasizing events. She says that the seven thunders represent the events that took place under the first and second angels' messages. She did not say the third angels' message. How does this work? So what we're suggesting here is that, and we're going to deal with this Millerite history quite a bit here, I understand that William Miller began to present his message in 1831. But I mark the beginning of his work in 1833. But if you want to say 1831, then you're right and I'm wrong. That isn't something worth fighting over. But I mark 1833 not simply because he received his credentials, but in 1833 you have the falling of the stars. If you understand the biblical reckoning of time that the Millerites were using, they were understanding that the year began on March 22nd and ended on March 21st. So when you're understanding that, you can see that 1833 also includes, biblically, according to the Millerite understanding, and correct according to biblical understanding, includes the first three months of 1834. This year comes ten years before 1844, and therefore you can see by identifying the work of William Miller as beginning in 1833 that you have a parallel to the Feast of Trumpets. The Feast of Trumpets was to be blown ten days before the Day of Atonement, a day for a year. So there's a few reasons that I mark 1833, but they're not anything that I'm going to fight with. If you want to say William Miller began preaching his message in 1831, so be it. But he preaches his message until it is empowered, and it was empowered on August 11th, 1840. You may not accept that as truth, and you may not realize that of the many prophetic truths in Adventism that are fought against, this is probably one of the most warred against truths in Adventism. Was this really a fulfillment of prophecy on August 11th, 1840? Were the pioneers correct on this? We have emails here recently where the Biblical Research Institute says no, that they were incorrect on that. And the problem for me—I don't know why it's a problem for me, I was going to say it's because I'm not a trained theologian, but even if I was, it may still be a problem for me. The problem for me is that if you say that, then you have to throw out Sister White as a prophet, because she endorses this in the Great Controversy. Of course, there's a lot of people that try to twist that passage in the Great Controversy around, and all I'm saying this for is to let you know that this date is warred about in Adventism. And the reason that I'm pointing to this date as the date that William Miller's message was empowered. William Miller began presenting his message in 1833, but on August 11th, 1840, the primary rule of prophetic interpretation that Miller had been using was confirmed before the eyes of the world, and suddenly what Miller had been preaching about the end of the world was confirmed, and a power came into the movement. This is the empowerment of the first angel's message, and I know that Sister White says that the second angel's message was proclaimed in the summer of 1844, I don't have a problem with that, but in Testimonies, Volume 1, page 31, she says that in June of 1842, the denominational churches began to close their doors against the Millerites. So all I'm saying is that even though the Millerites didn't understand it at that point in time, the Millerites did not begin to proclaim that Babylon has fallen in fulfillment of the second angel's message for another year, year and a half, but the second angel's message arrived in June of 1842, according to Testimonies, Volume 1. I said page 31, didn't I? I think it's page 31, but in any case, we'll get to that quote as we move through. I could be off by 10 pages there. Sister White says, the seven thunders represent a delineation of events that would transpire under the first and second angel's messages. She does not say third. The third angel's message arrived on October 22nd, 1844. The Millerites didn't understand that at that point, but on October 22nd, 1844, Christ moved into the most holy place, and from that point on, a person by faith could enter into the most holy place, see the Ark of the Covenant, see the Ten Commandments, and see the Sabbaths and understand the message of the third angel. So the third angel arrived in history on October 22nd, 1844, even if the Millerites did not understand it at that point. So when Sister White says, the seven thunders represent a delineation of events that transpired under the first and second angel's messages, I'm suggesting that she's saying the seven thunders represent this history of 1840 to 1844, and that the events of this history also relate to future events that will be disclosed in their order, they point forward to the history that will parallel the history of the Millerites, and that history is the history when the Lord raises up the 144,000, when the parable of the ten virgins is fulfilled again to the very letter. Now, as Adventists, we know that the book that sealed the seven seals in chapter four and five of Revelation, it's the Bible, and that as it was unsealed, each of these seals represent a portion of history, and it became part of our foundational understanding of prophecy. There is no other passage in the book of Revelation that is sealed up now. The book that sealed the seven seals, then unsealed, the only part of Revelation that is still sealed up is the seven thunders. Verse four says, and when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write, and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not. You can read Revelation from front to back, and the only prophecy that's sealed up is the seven thunders. And if you go to Revelation 22.11, you'll find a very familiar verse. Revelation 22.11 says, he that is unjust, let him be unjust still. What is this verse identifying? Close the probation, right? We're all straight on that one. Look at verse 10. Verse 10 says, and he saith unto me, seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book for the time is at hand. Just before the close of probation, there comes a pronouncement to unseal, seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book, unseal the prophecy of this book that has been sealed up for the time is at hand. There comes a time in Earth's history when the prophecy in Revelation that's been sealed up is unsealed, and the only prophecy in Revelation that's been sealed up is the seven thunders. One of the things I'm suggesting here before we even begin to consider the implications of this is that whatever the seven thunders represents prophetically, whatever it is, when it's unsealed, it will be unsealed to God's people just before the close of probation, and it will parallel the unsealing of the book of Daniel for the Millerites. The Millerite history is going to be repeated again to the very letter. And there are many, many ways to show this, many, many ways to show this, but that's what we're saying is that whatever the seven thunders represent, that when it finally begins to be understood, that among other things, you know that probation is about to close. And of course, you're probably familiar that Sister White tells us that the people of the United States are going to force the legislators of the United States to pass the Sunday Law, and here's her words, in order to return to temporal prosperity. Just before the Sunday Law, the temporal prosperity in the United States is removed. And when the temporal prosperity is being removed, in Testimonies, Volume 9, Sister White has a statement I'm sure you're all familiar with where she says, the leaders of the United States, that's a paraphrase, but then this is her words, are struggling in vain to put business operations on a more secure basis. That's word for word. Brothers and sisters, do you see that going on? They're struggling in vain right now to put business operations on a more secure basis, and when the economy goes under, this time it is preparing the environment for the people of the United States to force the legislators to pass the Sunday Law, and brothers and sisters, we need to be clear, at the Sunday Law in the United States, if you and I are Seventh-day Adventists living in the United States, our probation closes. And I know that there's lots of Seventh-day, probably most Seventh-day Adventists do not understand that, but we know that we're judged by light, and not simply light, we're judged by the light we could have had if we would have availed ourselves of opportunity to receive that light, and we know that Sister White tells us no one receives the Mark of the Beast without understanding the implications of Sabbath and Sunday, and we know that Seventh-day Adventists at the Sunday Law are going to be without excuse to not understand the distinction between Sabbath and Sunday, and when the Sunday Law arrives, we're going to be held accountable for that light, and our probation closes, so what I'm saying, I just gave you one example, just one example, there are many, there are many, just the economy is giving testimony to the fact that the Sunday Law is about to arrive, and our probation is about to close. Therefore, whatever the Seven Thunders represent, we should expect for that truth to be unsealed just about now, because it takes place just before the close of probation. So what I'm suggesting to you, you go back to Revelation 10, is that Revelation 10 is teaching that the Millerite history is to be repeated, and in the comment from Sister White, I'll read a couple passages I've already read once, just to emphasize this again. She says the Seven Thunders represent two things. After these Seven Thunders uttered their voices, the injunction comes to John as to Daniel in regard to the little book, seal up those things which the Seven Thunders uttered. These relate to future events which will be disclosed in their order, and she says the special lie given to John which was expressed in the Seven Thunders was a delineation of events which would transpire under the first and second angels' messages. So she's saying the Seven Thunders represent the history of the Millerites in this history of the first and second angels' message, but it also represents future events that will be disclosed in their order. And after she says this about the first and second angels' message, she says, have a drink of water. The special lie given to John which was expressed in the Seven Thunders was a delineation of events which would transpire under the first and second angels' messages. It was not best for the people to know these things, for their faith must necessarily be tested. Did the Millerites understand this history? No, they didn't understand it. They were fulfilling it, they were accomplishing it, but they weren't allowed to understand it. It wasn't best for them. Do you see that? I mean this is common understanding in Adventism, right? So if you go back to Revelation 10, I'd like to show you something. I'm suggesting that when the mighty angel comes down, and I haven't given you the proof text which we have here in our notes for this, but I'm suggesting that when the mighty angel of Revelation 10 verse 1 comes down and puts his foot upon the land and the sea, Sister White tells us that this represents a worldwide message and that the Millerite message was carried to the world in 1840. There are several quotes that demonstrate this. So that Revelation 10 verse 1 is identifying when Miller's message is empowered. It's empowered by the confirmation of the year-day principle. But in verse 8 of Revelation 10, it says, And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again. Spake unto who? Spake unto John. And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again and said, Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel, which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth. And I went unto the angel and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it and eat it up, and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey. 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'd eaten it, my belly was bitter. Now, brothers and sisters, when John takes the little book and he eats it and it becomes bitter in his stomach, when does it become bitter in his stomach? October 22nd, 1844, correct? That is our understanding, it's Seventh-day Adventist, correct? So we understand John is here representing the Millerite movement, that in 1840 they take the little book, what's the little book? The book of Daniel, and they eat it, they consume it, and the message that's coming from the book of Daniel, it's sweet in their mouth. But when they get to 1844, it's bitter in their stomach. So John, from verses 8 through 10, is representing the Millerites, correct? Secondarily, but primarily, he's not representing the Millerites. He's representing the 144,000. Because it says right here, you just read it, we just read it together. It says in verse 9, and I went unto the angel and said unto him, give me the little book. And he said unto me, take it and eat it up, and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey. John's representing the people that know before they take the little book, that it's going to be sweet in their mouth and become bitter in their stomach. The Millerites, it wasn't best for them to understand this, but there is a people that know this history in advance. And that's why verse 11 says, and he said unto me, thou must prophesy again before many peoples and nations and tongues and kings. John is primarily representing the 144,000 that understand this history, that understand it, and they are going to consume a prophetic message that's going to be sweet in their mouth, and they know there's a bitter disappointment coming before it happens. But they're going to enter into that experience anyway. This truth is the same thing that Sister White is saying about the seven thunders. She's saying the seven thunders represents the history of the Millerites, the time period that they took the little book and ate it, and it became bitter in their stomach. But she's saying it represents future events that will be disclosed in their honor. She's saying the same thing. She's saying the Millerite history is going to be repeated to the very letter at the end of the world. And what we're suggesting here is that it is this truth that brings the prophetic message at the end of the world to life. Once you understand that the Millerite history is going to be repeated to the very letter, there are passages in prophecy that you just couldn't see before that suddenly jump out and take your attention like they never have before. Now I'm not saying, don't leave here thinking that I'm saying that John in verses 8-10 does not represent the Millerites. I'm saying he represents both the Millerites and the 144,000. The brothers and sisters, primarily he represents the 144,000. The Bible, the Spirit of Prophecy both teach very clearly that the prophets were speaking about the end of the world. The very end of the world is when all the prophets want to live. This time period that we're living now in is the focus of end time Bible prophecy. And the demonstration, the history that was recorded of the Millerites is just another testimony for God's people living at the end of the world so that they can be prepared to accomplish the work in their life and in the world that they're going to accomplish during the latter reign. So that's the first thing I would like to put in place and I have but a few minutes left. Let's have a word of prayer here and close this one off. Heavenly Father, we wish to be among those that are identified as the 144,000. We know we've been told to strive to be among them, but we also understand that we are Laodiceans living in a time period when your people think everything's all right when everything's all wrong. We ask that you would accomplish in each of us a work to where we can see our own personal need of preparation, what we need to set aside, turn away from. And then we ask that when this work is accomplished, you would use us as powerful tools to help finish not simply the work in ourselves, but in our families, our church families, our that we might go home with you soon. We thank you for bringing us together this weekend again and ask that you would continue to be with us through your presence, through your Holy Spirit and your angels, in Jesus' name.