We're back with part three of Those Things Which Have Been Will Be Repeated. The title of this presentation is The Ten Virgins. In this study, we've been emphasizing, among other things, that history and prophecy will be repeated. We get the title for our presentation from Selected Messages, Book Two, page 109, where it says, In history and prophecy, the Word of God portrays the long-continued conflict between truth and error. That conflict is yet in progress. Those things which have been will be repeated. We've been emphasizing that in our last presentation by looking at Matthew 24 and 25, where Jesus pointed to the destruction of Jerusalem as an illustration of the end of the world. We consider how Sister White also spoke of the destruction of Jerusalem as the end of the world, but she also pointed to the abomination of desolation that is symbolized in the book of Ezekiel, chapters 8-12, as an illustration of the church being purified at the end of the world. So, Jerusalem has two ways that it is portrayed in prophecy, as far as being an illustration of the end of the world. It illustrates not only the world at large, but also what takes place within God's church. And of course, this is in agreement with one of the main emphases found in Matthew 24-25, which is the judgment. The parables that Christ told about the faithful and unwise steward, the parable of the den virgins, the sheep and the goats are all emphasizing the judgment time, and the judgment takes place at the end of the world, but it begins with God's church. The test of the judgment, the Sunday Law test, begins in the church, and then it proceeds out through the world. So in this sense, Jerusalem illustrates both these events. Also in Matthew 24, we see the abomination of desolation identified, and Sister White identifies this as the Sunday Law in our day and age. So we see within this story of Matthew 24-25, the Sunday Law illustrated in agreement with the truth that that is the test that the Lord uses to bring judgment to a close. And it's in here that we find the parable of the ten virgins in Matthew 24-25, which is clearly the end time church, and what we want to look at this time is the parable of the ten virgins, but also from the point of view that it is not only a parable and a prophecy, but that it has been fulfilled in the pioneer movement, and will be fulfilled again, and in that sense, we have a parable to look at, but we also have a history to look at to see the illustration of the end of the world. Now our greatest need, according to Selected Messages, Book 1, page 121, is for a revival of true godliness, and she says in that passage that this should be our first work, and in Testimonies to Ministers, page 113, we're told that when we as a people understand what this book, and she's speaking about Daniel and Revelation, what this book means to us, there will be seen among us a great revival. So we know that our greatest need is for a revival, and that this revival will come from an understanding found in prophecy, and this is some of the perspectives that we hope we're seeing in this study, is some of the truths that are designed by God to bring about this final revival, and it's in the parable of the ten virgins that some of these truths become clear for us if we care to study. In the Great Controversy, page 393, it says, The parable of the ten virgins of Matthew 25 also illustrates the experience of the Adventist people. If we're going to understand our experience, then we need to understand the parable of the ten virgins, and also if we want to understand the experience of the pioneer movement, then we need to understand the parable of the ten virgins, because that experience that the pioneers went through was a fulfillment of the parable of the ten virgins. In Review and Herald, August 19, 1890, it says this, I am 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. If the parable of the ten virgins was fulfilled in the 1844 time period, it will be fulfilled again to the very letter. If we're going to understand what's ahead of us as God's people today, then we should attempt to understand what took place in the pioneer movement, because that process will be repeated, and this repetition of this time period is illustrated throughout Bible prophecy. We'll look a little bit more at that in our next presentation, but the Bible took great pains to emphasize that this history, the parable of the ten virgins, would be twice repeated, and it isn't a minor understanding. It isn't something that we should not investigate thoroughly, because this is the history of Adventism. Our experience, our history, are all wrapped up in this parable and in the historical fulfillment that took place in 1844. Now there's many specifications involved with the parable of the ten virgins. We read that as we closed our last study. There's the oil, the lamps, the sleeping, the coming of the bridegroom, the midnight hour. All these things are to be considered, but I want to read a passage here where Sister White emphasizes one particular aspect. This is from Manuscript Releases, Volume 16, page 270. The parable of the ten virgins was given by Christ himself, and every specification should be carefully studied. A time will come when the door will be shut. We are represented either by the wise or the foolish virgins. Sister White here says every specification in the parable should be carefully studied, but then she emphasizes one specification above them all, and that is that a time will come when the door will be shut, and this is one of the emphases that we've been trying to make in our studies. In Matthew 24 and 25, the emphasis by Christ referring to the history and the prophecy of Noah, and identifying that there is a close of probation in this testimony to the last church. The time will come when a door will be shut, and there was a time in the experience of the pioneer movement where there was a door shut, and this aspect of the parable of the ten virgins is an understanding that is designed by God to bring about this final revival, because if we begin to wake up to the truth that we are the last generation, the last church, and that we are in the process of fulfilling the parable of the ten virgins one more time, and that there is a closing of the door, identifying that our probation is about to close. This solemn reality is designed to contribute to this final revival, so we need to consider all these specifications as we look at the parable of the ten virgins, but underline them all as the truth that probation is about to close. Matthew 24, 13 says it this way, Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of Man cometh, In that statement, when you look at what that implies to us in the broadest sense, it means that if we will not pay attention to our own Christian experience, if we will not pay attention to the things that are transpiring around us in the world, identifying that prophecy is fulfilling, then these events will come as a thief in the night. Now the children of the darkness are the ones that have these events take them as a thief in the night, and we don't have to be found in that condition, we can be the children of light, but one of the prevailing themes of the parable of the ten virgins is that we've all slept. Now we find in the history that took place in the pioneer movement some clues for our time period, and one of the things that we need to understand is that when the parable of the ten virgins reached its conclusion in 1844, it was under the outpouring of the spirit, the midnight cry, when Sister White describes that history that unfolded, which she identified as the midnight cry, the fulfillment of the midnight cry, that was clearly a manifestation of the Holy Spirit. It was a revival that took that final message until the great disappointment like wildfire, and that is our greatest need is to reach a condition in our experience and as a church at large that we can be filled with the Holy Spirit and take this message to the world in a powerful way, that's our greatest need. So the revival that is our greatest need of which our first work should be to seek is symbolized, paralleled, illustrated in the revival that took place during the midnight cry of 1844, but prior to that time there were some historical things that took place that built momentum. In 1840, I want to read one that took place that led to this climax in 1844 that is clearly identified in the spirit of prophecy as part of the history, and this comes from the Great Controversy, page 334 to 335. In the year 1840, another remarkable fulfillment of prophecy excited widespread interest. Two years before, Josiah Litch, one of the leading ministers preaching the Second Advent, published an exposition of Revelation 9 predicting the fall of the Ottoman Empire. According to his calculations, this power was to be overthrown in A.D. 1840, sometime in the month of August, and only a few days previous to its accomplishment, he wrote, allowing the first period, 150 years, to have been exactly fulfilled before Diocoses ascended the throne by permission of the Turks, and that the 390 years, 15 days, commenced at the close of the first period, it will end on the 11th of August, 1840, when the Ottoman power in Constantinople may be expected to be broken, and this, I believe, will be found to be the case. At the very time specified, Turkey, through her ambassadors, accepted the protection of the allied powers of Europe, and thus placed herself under the control of Christian nations. The event exactly fulfilled the prediction. When it became known, multitudes were convinced of the correctness of the principles of prophetic interpretation adopted by Miller and his associates, and a wonderful impetus was given to the Advent movement. Men of learning and position united with Miller, both in preaching and in publishing his views, and from 1840 to 1844, the work rapidly extended. Now notice that this event, this prophetic understanding, built a momentum where men joined the movement, people were convicted that William Miller's prophetic interpretation, the rules that he used to address prophecy, were correct, and a wonderful impetus, a power came in the movement, and from 1840 to 1844, the power of the Millerite movement, of the pioneer movement, increased because of this prophecy, but notice what the prophecy was. It was a prediction about the collapse of a great empire in the world, and friends, we know that time prophecy came to an end in 1844, so we should not expect to see a time prophecy identifying the collapse of a great empire in the world here at the end. That's not going to take place. Time prophecy came to its end in 1844, but we're told that the parable of the ten virgins would be fulfilled to the very letter, and in that history, part of the momentum that led to the great disappointment and the conclusion of the parable of the ten virgins in 1844, was the collapse of a great empire, and this collapse was clearly identified in Bible prophecy, and it was understood by the pioneers, and in our day, one of the most important quotes that's identifying that a Sunday Law is imminent, one of the most important prophetic passages, if not quotes, is Daniel 11.40, and correctly understood, Daniel 11.40 describes the collapse of the Soviet Union, which took place in the 1989-91 time period, and the next verse, after verse 40 of Daniel 11, is verse 41, which is describing a Sunday Law in the United States. Now friends, let me talk a little bit about this. If you haven't reviewed the materials that we have on Daniel 11.40-45, either on the written word or an audio tape titled The Final Rise and Fall of the King of the North, those verses describe the collapse of the Soviet Union in verse 40, 1989, and they indicate the next thing to happen in Bible prophecy is a Sunday Law, and it was God's design that we would see that verse 40 was fulfilled in 1989, and that from this understanding, we would recognize that a Sunday Law was imminent in the United States, probation was about to close, and that this information would bring an experience to God's people who recognized that the final movements of end time events was underway, it would bring an experience to those of God's people that recognize that, that would parallel what took place in 1840, when Josiah Litch's prediction came to pass with the fall of the Ottoman Empire. Both these great empires have a specific role in Bible prophecy beyond predicting a historical event. They were designed by God to build a momentum that would lead in to the revival that was just ahead. Now, the difference between that time period and our time period, the time period of Josiah Litch and the pioneers, and our day, is that historically, they were Philadelphians. They were studying the Word of God, they were on fire for the Word of God, they were out presenting the message. Today we're Laodiceans, we're not studying the prophecies, we're not studying the Bible, and where they saw the event and made the prediction in advance of the events, we've seen the event, and even after it's taken place, very few in Adventism are willing to study it and understand it, let alone take the conclusion of that understanding and apply it to their life. Now, that isn't to say that there wasn't some that seen this coming in advance. In the 1950s, an Adventist pastor from Australia who specialized in Bible prophecy, Louis Weir, clearly identified from the passage in Daniel 11, 40-45, that verse 40 was soon to be fulfilled with the collapse of the Soviet Union. So it was known in advance, but our Laodicean attitude prevented us from proclaiming it as Josiah Litch did, and it prevented us from seeing it generally in Adventism after it's come to pass. Nevertheless, this event parallels what took place in the pioneer movement. The revival that we're looking for in our day is paralleled in the Midnight Cry experience, and we want to read some of the passages where Sister White talks about the Midnight Cry so you'll see that it was a revival time. Early Writings, page 238, says it this way. This was the Midnight Cry which was to give power to the second angel's message. Angels were sent from heaven to arouse the discouraged saints and prepare them for the great work before them. The most talented men were not the first to receive this message. Angels were sent to the humble devoted ones and constrained them to raise the cry, Behold the bridegroom cometh, go ye out to meet him. Those entrusted with the cry made haste, and in the power of the Holy Spirit sounded the message and aroused their discouraged brethren. This work did not stand in the wisdom and learning of men, but in the power of God, and His saints who heard the cry could not resist it. The most spiritual received the message first, and those who had formerly led in the work were the last to receive and help swell the cry, Behold the bridegroom cometh, go ye out to meet him. In every part of the land light was given upon the second angel's message, and the cry melted the hearts of thousands. It went from city to city and from village to village until the waiting people of God were fully aroused. In many churches the message was not permitted to be given, and a large company who had the living testimony left these fallen churches. A mighty work was accomplished by the Midnight Cry. The message was heart-searching, leading the believers to seek a living experience for themselves. They knew that they could not lean upon one another. When this experience took place, it's interesting to note that there is a change in the leadership. The leaders that had formerly been in the movement were left behind by those that were the humble and those that were the most spiritual. We looked in an earlier study in this series at the truth that at the Sunday Law, the leadership of God's people is going to change. This is going to be paralleled under the latter rain time period that the Midnight Cry is pointing forward to. I hope that you see that the Midnight Cry was a movement that was empowered by the Holy Spirit. It wasn't a movement that went on human strength, but on the strength of the outpouring of the Spirit. This experience clearly parallels the latter rain time period, which is our greatest need. Our greatest need is for a revival. When this final revival comes to God's people, this will be the latter rain. If we're to understand what takes place at the latter rain in our day and age, then we need to understand what took place in the fulfillment of the Midnight Cry during the Pioneer Movement, because that was the fulfillment of the parable of the Ten Virgins, just as the latter rain will be a fulfillment of the parable of the Ten Virgins in our day. Therefore, we want to look a little bit closer at what actually brought about this experience of the Midnight Cry. The Great Controversy, page 398, says this, While the Bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept, and at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the Bridegroom cometh, go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. Matthew 25, 5-7 In the summer of 1844, midway between the time when it had first been thought that the 2300 days would end, and the autumn of the same year to which it was afterwards found that they extended, the message was proclaimed in the very words of Scripture, Behold, the Bridegroom cometh. That which led to this movement was the discovery that the decree of Artaxerxes for the restoration of Jerusalem, which formed the starting point for the 2300 days, went into effect in the autumn of the year 457 B.C., and not at the beginning of the year, as had been formerly believed. Reckoning from the autumn of 457, the 2300 years terminate in the autumn of 1844. Now Sister White says our greatest need is for a revival. This revival will be the Lateran time period, and that Lateran time period is illustrated in the midnight cry experience of the Pioneer Movement, and she says that when we understand prophecy as we should, there'll be seen among us a great revival, and we see that in the Pioneer Movement, it was an understanding of prophecy that brought about the fulfillment of the midnight cry, which paralleled the Lateran of our day. So let's look a little bit more at this prophecy, this prediction, and its characteristics on how it contributed to the fulfillment of the midnight cry. You see, it was basically what you could call new light. New light never contradicts old light, it agrees with old light, but it puts it in a different perspective, and what they had been preaching since William Miller started in the 1830s was the 2300 day time prophecy of Daniel 8.14. That had been their message, and when it came time for the fulfillment of the midnight cry in history, what brought it about was an understanding of prophecy, but not simply prophecy, it was new understanding from the very prophecy that had been their message. Their message was the 2300 days were going to end, and they found new light in relation to that very prophecy, the starting point that more clearly identified the ending point, and the Lord used this understanding to inspire those people to go out and in the very words of scripture proclaim, Behold, the Bridegroom cometh. Now if this is going to be fulfilled again to the very letter, then what we should expect to see in our day is new light on the very message that we've been proclaiming, light that does not change that message, but just brings it into a clarity. The message in the pioneers, the new light, the understanding of the starting point of the 2300 days, not only brought clarity into their message, but it identified a time period where they should expect to see this prophecy come to pass. Now there is going to be no more prophetic time in our day and age, but there may be time in the sense of an urgency on the nearness without having any dates connected to it. So I would suggest that because this has been clearly illustrated for us, that in our day and age we should expect to see some new information on the very prophecy that we've been proclaiming for the last 150 years. And the message that we have, we have a very diversified message, we have many things that we share, the health message, true education, country living, the sanctuary, but the message that is prophetically identified as our message is the Three Angels message. The Third Angels message specifically is the one that is lifted up as the one that identifies the Advent movement more than any of the others, and that is a warning against receiving the mark of the beast. It's the message of Sabbath and Sunday. And we should expect in our day to see new light that does not change that message but just brings a clarity into it, that arrives into the movement that is designed by God to bring a power to his people, bring about the final revival, inspire them to go out in the very words of scripture and proclaim, Behold the Bridegroom cometh. I would suggest to you that if you haven't looked at the material on Daniel 11, 40-45 that you should because that information from prophecy demonstrates that a Sunday Law is imminent in the United States. And friends, we've been proclaiming a Sunday Law in the United States that it was going to take place for 150 years, but now that truth has become present truth by the fulfillment of prophecy. In our study of Daniel 11, 40-45, we give you specifics how that truth has changed into present truth where it is a present reality that a Sunday Law is imminent in the United States. This type of information is the type of information you would expect to see in fulfillment of the modern midnight cry experience. In a previous presentation in this series, we looked at how now the papacy is beginning to agitate for Sunday enforcement, and we read a passage out of the Great Controversy which is clear that when this begins to happen, a power comes into the movement. There's another clue to this midnight cry message is that we can see that the agitation has begun and this agitation identifies the time period when the latter rain begins sprinkling. We would also like to consider another aspect that may contribute to this, but we have to do it carefully because we don't want to be misunderstood. Much of our ministry, I'm sure if you've been receiving our tapes for the last six months or so, you've heard a couple tapes here recently on time setting. Much of our ministry is spent opposing those in Adventism that seek to reapply the time prophecies of Daniel 12. That's incorrect prophetic understanding. Sister White opposed that throughout her entire ministry, but we need to understand that even though the time prophecies will not be fulfilled, the events of prophecy in the future need to be understood. Many times I have people tell me, we're not going to understand prophecy until after they come to pass, and that's not true. That's not true at all. In Review and Herald, April 4th, 1893, we're told the events of the future will be discerned by prophecy and will be understood. The events of the future will be discerned and understood. Prophecy is designed to do that, so to understand and discern something in the future is our responsibility. It will be something that takes place, but it is different than making predictions about the reapplication of time prophecies. Even though there may be a sense of urgency in this understanding about the time, it doesn't necessarily mean that you're going to have information where you're setting forth dates. Now the Great Controversy 371 on this theme says this, one saying of the Savior must not be made to destroy another. Though no man knoweth the day nor the hour of his coming, we are instructed and required to know when it is near. We are further taught that to disregard his warning and refuse or neglect to know when his advent is near will be as fatal for us as it was for those who lived in the days of Noah, not to know when the flood was coming. We're required and instructed to know when these events are near. Now for us, Sister White here is drawing the parallel with Noah, just as Christ did in Matthew 24. And for us to not know the time that his advent is near in relation to the story of Noah, the story of Noah talks about the close of probation. The close of probation for us is the Sunday Law. It will be just as fatal for us not to know that the Sunday Law is imminent as it was for the antediluvians not to know that the flood was about to come. So friends, we must believe that we will understand and discern the events of the future and know that they're near. Signs of the Time, June 24, 1889 says it this way, we should be awake to discern the signs of the times and to give warning to the people. How can we give warning to the people that a Sunday Law is imminent if we don't know, if we don't believe it's near, if we can't show that it's near, if we don't understand it? That we should be awake to see in the signs of the times that it is near. This is our message. This is the third angel's message and this is the message that we should expect to see information connected to that will bring about this final revival. Now with that in mind, I want to begin this sensitive subject that we're going to go through very delicately. And I want to start with a passage from Maranatha, page 209. I saw our people in great distress, weeping and praying, pleading the sure promises of God while the wicked were all around us, mocking us and threatening to destroy us. They ridiculed our feebleness. They mocked at the smallness of our numbers and taunted us with words calculated to cut deep. They charged us with taking an independent position from all the rest of the world. They had cut off our resources so that we could not buy nor sell and referred to our abject poverty and stricken condition. They could not see how we could live without the world. We were dependent upon the world and we must concede to the laws of the world or go out of it. If we were the only people in the world whom the Lord favored, the appearances were awfully against us. They declared that they had the truth, that miracles were among them, that angels from heaven talked with them and walked with them, that great power and signs and wonders were performed among them. And this was the temporal millennium which they had been expecting so long. The world was converted and in harmony with the Sunday law. And this little feeble people stood out in defiance of the laws of the land and the laws of God and claimed to be the only ones right on the earth. Now there's several things I want you to see here. First off, when they speak about the temporal millennium, this is their perspective of the temporal millennium. They're claiming that this is the temporal millennium which they've been expecting so long. So this isn't identifying the accurate 6,000 years of sin on earth. This isn't describing the millennium of Revelation 20. This is describing what the wicked believe the temporal millennium is. And the wicked, the Protestants and Catholics are getting ready to go to the city of Jerusalem, at least talking about it, to usher in the millennium which begins on January 1st, the year 2000. The people of the world believe that the millennium begins January 1st, the year 2000. You can see this illustrated by all the news reports about Y2K, how the computers are going to crash on January 1st, the year 2000. This date is when the wicked believe the temporal millennium begins. Now at this time period, when this is going on, it says that the whole world, when this vision or dream is being portrayed in the spirit of prophecy for us, it says the wicked are making these claims that already the whole world was converted and in harmony with the Sunday Law. Now what we need to consider here is first the Sunday Law comes to the United States and then the countries of the world follow. So what's taken place by this point is not simply that the United States has passed the Sunday Law, but at this point the whole world has followed the lead of the United States. And I believe the final movements will be rapid ones. The United States will pass the Sunday Law and then shortly thereafter, the whole world will be brought to the test because what's going to accelerate this whole process is that national prophecy will be followed by national ruin. And when the United States passes the Sunday Law, there's going to be crisis after crisis hits that will help provide the environment for the whole world to get drawn into this Sunday issue very rapidly. But nevertheless, when this vision is taking place, it's not simply the Sunday Law in the United States that's here. The whole world was converted and in harmony with the Sunday Law. This is even a little bit farther down the stream of time. And what I would like to point out here is in this passage, the wicked are saying this was the temporal millennium which they had been expecting so long. In the use of the words, the way the wicked are stating it here, the way that Sister White is identifying that they're saying it, when they say this is the temporal millennium which we'd been expecting so long, they're identifying that the temporal millennium has just arrived. If the temporal millennium had already been in process for years and years, you would never say which we had been expecting so long. It would already be a dead issue. There's still an excitement implied in this passage about that they were expecting the millennium and now it's here. So although you can't pick a time out of this passage, you can see by the way that this is phrased that this is shortly after, whether it's weeks or months, shortly after the temporal millennium begins which the wicked believe begins January 1st, the year 2000. And shortly after that time, not only has the Sunday Law come to the United States, but the whole world is involved in it. Now, you notice in this passage that there's angels talking and walking with them and miracles are under them. And in our first presentation, we identified that at the Sunday Law in the United States, that's when Satan's marvelous works begin. And obviously in this passage, the Sunday Law in the United States has already arrived. The whole world's converted to it. And when the Sunday Law comes to the United States, then Satan begins his marvelous work. And that's why there's angels talking with the wicked here. Let's look at this in Revelation 13, 11 through 14. This gives us the sequence. The United States will speak as a dragon, which is identifying the Sunday Law. And then after that, we see Satan portrayed as coming in with his miracles. And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth and he had two horns like a lamb and he spake as a dragon and he exercised all the power of the first beast before him and causeth the earth and them that dwell therein to worship the first beast whose deadly wound was healed. And he doeth great wonders so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on earth inside of men and deceiveth them that dwell on earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do inside of the beast, saying to them that dwell on the earth that they should make an image of the beast which had the wound by the sword and did live. First the United States passes the Sunday Law. Then Satan's marvelous working takes place. Now in Testimonies, Volume 5, Sister White, page 451, Sister White is in agreement with this sequence. She says, By the decree enforcing the institution of the papacy in violation of the law of God, our nation will disconnect herself fully from righteousness, when Protestantism shall stretch her hand across the gulf to grasp the hand of the Roman power, when she shall reach over the abyss to clasp hand with spiritualism, when, under the influence of this threefold union, our country shall repudiate every principle of its constitution as a Protestant and Republican government and shall make provision for the propagation of papal falsehoods and delusions. We may know that the time has come for the marvelous working of Satan and that the end is near. Now in our first study, we emphasize that when the United States clasps hands with Rome, that's the Sunday Law, and she clearly says it here in this passage anyway. So we see the Sunday Law, then the time comes for the marvelous working of Satan. And in this passage that we read from Maranatha, this marvelous working is already taking place. The whole world's converted to the Sunday Law, so this is well after the Sunday Law in the United States. This sequence is clearly identified in Bible prophecy, which brings us to our next passage you want to look at. This is the one that is the most delicate of what we're looking at at this point, and I want to remind you about what we just read from Testimonies, Volume 5, this threefold union that's illustrated by Sister White in this passage. She's going to, in this first paragraph we're going to look at, we're going to look at three paragraphs. In this first paragraph, she's going to talk about this threefold union again, but as soon as she talks about the threefold union in this first paragraph from the Great Controversy, instead of emphasizing the time for Satan's marvelous working has come, then she's going to instead emphasize the persecution begins. But I want you to be able to pull these two passages together because they agree with one another. In Volume 5, she says, Sunday Law at the threefold union, then Satan's marvelous working. Here in Great Controversy, she's going to say, Sunday Law at the threefold union, then persecution begins, and then in the following paragraph, she'll begin talking about the marvelous working of Satan. So this is from Great Controversy, page 588. Through the two great heirs, the immortality of the soul and Sunday sacredness, Satan will bring the people under his deceptions. While the former lays the foundation of spiritualism, the latter creates a bond of sympathy with Rome. The Protestants of the United States will be foremost in stretching their hands across the gulf to grasp the hand of spiritualism. They will reach over the abyss to clasp hands with the Roman power, and under the influence of this threefold union, this country will follow in the steps of Rome and trampling upon the rights of conscience. As spiritualism more closely imitates the nominal Christianity of the day, it has greater power to deceive and ensnare. Satan himself is converted after the modern order of things. He will appear in the character of an angel of light. Through the agency of spiritualism, miracles will be wrought, the sick will be healed, and many undeniable wonders will be performed. And as the spirits will profess faith in the Bible and manifest respect for the institutions of the church, their work will be accepted as a manifestation of divine power. The line of distinction between professed Christians and the ungodly is now hardly distinguishable. Church members love what the world loves and are ready to join with them, and Satan determines to unite them in one body and thus strengthen his cause by sweeping all into the ranks of spiritualism. Papists, who boast of miracles as a certain sign of the true church, will be readily deceived by this wonder-working power, and Protestants, having cast away the shield of truth, will also be deluded. Papists, Protestants, and worldlings alike will accept the form of godliness without the power, and they will see in this union a grand movement for the conversion of the world and the ushering in of the long-expected millennium. Now, let's go discuss this passage. The first paragraph, we looked at three paragraphs here. I hope you have your great controversy open to consider this with us. This is 588. The first paragraph talks about the threefold union. We see the United States clasping hands with Rome, which is clearly the Sunday Law. This is the same threefold union that we looked at from Testimonies, Volume 5, page 451, where in that passage, as soon as the threefold union arrives, Satan's marvelous working begins. As soon as Sister White illustrates the threefold union here in Great Controversy, 588, the next paragraph, she begins to discuss spiritualism. This is in agreement with Testimonies, Volume 5. This is in agreement with Revelation 13. First the Sunday Law, then Satan's marvelous working. Now, after that paragraph, the second paragraph where she speaks about spiritualism and Satan's marvelous working, she drops back into the conditions currently. She says, the line of distinction between professed Christians and the ungodly is now hardly distinguishable. Here she is talking about the conditions prior to this time period, and she begins to tell how Satan seeks to bring them all into agreement with one another. It's emphasized that he's going to do it through spiritualism, but what we want to look at here is this last sentence in this last paragraph. Let me read it to you again, friends. Papists and Protestants, having cast away the shield of truth, papists, Protestants, and worldlings will alike accept the form of godliness without the power, and they will see in this union a grand movement for the conversion of the world and the ushering in of the long-expected millennium. Friends, they're going to see in this union the people of the world, the papists, Protestants, and worldlings, and you can put those three groups of people in the class of the beast, the dragon, and the false prophet. The threefold makeup of modern Babylon, papists, the beast, Protestants, the false prophet, worldlings, spiritualism, these three groups, secularism, false Protestants, Catholics, they are going to see in this union, and remember the word union, they're going to see in this union a grand movement, they're going to see in this union, ah, here's a movement that will convert the world and bring in the millennium. They're going to see a union take place that they think is going to convert the world and usher in the millennium, that will bring in the millennium, so this union that these three groups of people see that they're going to lift up as the key to convert the world, they're going to see it before the millennium begins. Now, they see it as something to usher in the millennium from their perspective. Once again, I want to emphasize that they're seeing this union to usher in the long-expected millennium in their perspective. This is not the true six thousand years of sin of Earth's history, nor the millennium of Revelation 20. This is the millennium that the wicked see, they're seeing something that's going to usher in this millennium, and they believe this millennium begins January 1st, the year 2000, but what they're going to see that's going to be the key that ushers in the millennium and converts the world is this union. What union, friends? The only union that's discussed in this passage is two paragraphs earlier, where it says, the Protestants of the United States will be foremost in stretching their hands across the gulf to grasp the hand of spiritualism. They will reach over the abyss to clasp hands with the Roman power, and under the influence of this threefold union, this country will follow in the steps of Rome and trampling on the rights of conscience. The people of the world are going to see in this threefold union some type of coming together that they believe will convert the world and usher in the millennium. This threefold union is the Sunday Law in the United States. Friends, the great controversy is telling us that before the millennium, the Sunday Law arrives in the United States because the people of the world are going to see in this union that takes place at the Sunday Law a tool to usher in the millennium. And I realize when you look at what's going on in the world today, it's pretty difficult to understand how events can transpire that would bring about the condition so rapidly in the next 13 months that will bring about a Sunday Law in the United States. But please remember, one of the things that we've tried to emphasize in this study and one of the things that is so important to a correct understanding of the Parable of the Ten Virgins is that the crisis comes as an overwhelming surprise. It's something that is clearly emphasized over and over again in the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy. It comes as an overwhelming surprise. And it doesn't matter if the Sunday Law comes next year or if it comes 50 years from now. When it finally comes, it's going to come as an overwhelming surprise. Now the only people that it won't come completely as a surprise to are the children of the light, the people that are studying Bible prophecy, the people that are getting themselves out on a limb, so to speak, with Bible prophecy because they're seeing these things come to pass and they're beginning to raise a warning message that, hey, the Sunday Law is imminent. And during this time period, the prophetic testimony is that the greatest majority of the people in the world and in the church are what? They're scoffers. They're not going to believe that we've reached this point in history. So whenever it does come, this time period, that will be the conditions. It will be difficult to believe. And friends, it's pretty hard to understand how in before the millennium, which begins in the year 2000, the Sunday Law could arrive in the United States, but it's pretty hard to see how we can understand this passage in the Great Controversy in any other way. And this passage has been in Great Controversy for over 100 years. And even if some in Adventism had seen this in the past 100 years, you realize that if 80 years ago you read this passage and had the same conclusion, oh, the Sunday Law is going to come before the millennium, which Catholics teach is the year 2000, that wouldn't have made a great impact on anyone 80 or 90 years ago because it was still 80 or 90 years away. But look at the impact it has today if this is what's being conveyed to us. We only have 13 months. Are we ready for a Sunday Law where the door closes? Now in our next presentation, we're going to begin to look at some other truths that are portrayed in Bible prophecy, some other illustrations that go right over the top. They align with the Parable of the Ten Virgins. And one of them is the Three Angels' Message as historical events. The Three Angels' Message have a fulfillment in history. And as we study that historical fulfillment, we'll see that that historical fulfillment parallels the historical fulfillment of the Parable of the Ten Virgins. And when you bring these two testimonies of prophecy together, they build upon one another and they increase your understanding. And we want to close this presentation off with a passage where this is clearly identified from the Review and Herald, October 31st, 1899. This parable is not a representation of open sinners, but of those who profess Christ. The bride is the church who is waiting for the second appearing of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. In the proclamation of the first and second angels of Revelation 14, a special message has come to our world. Speaking of these messages, John says, I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth and to every nation and every kindred and tongue and people, saying with a loud voice, Fear God and give Him glory, for the hour of His judgment has come. And worship Him that made heaven and earth and the sea and the fountains of waters. And there followed another angel saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. The first and second angels' messages are united and made complete in the third. John says, And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast in his image and receive his mark in his forehead or in his hand, the same shall drink the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation, and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. Under the proclamation of these messages, the cry was made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh. The believers in these messages were compelled to go out from the churches because they preached the second appearing of Christ in the clouds of heaven. The whole world was to hear the message, Behold, the bridegroom cometh, go ye out to meet him. Many who heard these messages thought they would live to see Christ come, but there was a delay in the coming of the bridegroom, in order that all might have an opportunity to hear the last message of mercy to a fallen world. Had those who claimed to believe the truth acted their part as wise virgins, the message would ere this had been given to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, but five were foolish. The truth should have been proclaimed by the ten virgins, but only five had made provisions essential to join the company that walked in the light given to them. The first, second, and third angels' messages are to be repeated. The call is to be given to the church, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and the cage of every unclean and hateful bird. For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. Come out of her, my people, that you may not be partakers of her sins, and that you receive not of her plagues, for her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. Many who went forth to meet the bridegroom under the messages of the first and second angels refused a third, the last testing message to be given to the world, and a similar position will be taken when the last call is made." Now in this passage, Sister White clearly ties together the parable of ten virgins with the proclamation of the three angels' message. She also emphasizes that these messages will be repeated, and she also emphasizes that this third message, the last testing message she speaks about, that many who went forth under the first and second angels' message to meet the bridegroom, they refused a third. The door was closed to them at the third test on October 22nd, 1844. They didn't enter into the Most Holy Place experience, and a similar position will be taken when the last call is made, and the last call is the last call of the third angels' message. When this is repeated, when these three angels' messages are repeated here in our day, once again the door is going to close at that third test, but in our day, that third test is going to be the Sunday Law. That's what it is. It's a warning against receiving the mark of the beast. Now we're emphasizing in this study, we already identified that at the Sunday Law, the latter rain is poured out without measure because the church has been purified by the Sunday test, but prior to the Sunday Law, the sprinkling of the latter rain begins. The midnight cry that took place prior to the Great Disappointment was the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, but at that point, what was being illustrated was the Parable of the Ten Virgins, and there was wise and foolish virgins during the time period of the midnight cry in the 1844 time period because that movement grew until the Great Disappointment, and at the Great Disappointment, the wise and foolish virgins were separated, and that will happen again prior to the three angels' message. The latter rain will begin to be sprinkling out upon the wheat and the tares, and it will swell until the test of the Sunday Law purifies the church, and then it will be poured out without measure upon a purified church, and we've looked at this truth before, but there's a passage in this last reading that I want to consider very carefully. She said, "...had those who claimed to believe the truth acted their part as wise virgins, the message would ere this have been given to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people." It's clearly identified in the Spirit of Prophecy that had there been a complete agreement at the Great Disappointment in 1844, at the Great Disappointment in 1844, that the work would have been finished before this, but there's been a delay. There's been a tearing time, and that aspect of Bible prophecy has to be considered in applying prophecy correctly. I don't know how the end time events could have taken place, the Sunday Law issue shortly after the 1844 time period, but prophecy says it could have took place. It didn't take place. There's been a tearing time, and this experience will be repeated again, but here at the end, there's no prophetic indication that when the church is purified by the Sunday Law just ahead, that there's going to be a repeat of the tearing time. This is the time period where the final call is made, and all these prophecies will come to a complete fulfillment. Ultimately, Michael will stand up, and human probation will close. Now, here's what we've been saying in this particular study. One of the most important understandings of the Parable of Ten Virgins is the closing of the door. Part of the message of the Parable of the Ten Virgins for us today is that probation is about to close, and it closes under this third test that Sister White speaks about. Many who went forth to meet the bridegroom refused the third and last testing message to the world, a similar position we've taken when the last call is made. Any way you look at it in the prophetic testimony, the story of the Ten Virgins is a warning about the truth that the door is about to close. This door closes at the Sunday Law in the United States when the church is purified. What brought about this revival to the virgins in the 1844 time period was information on the very prophecy that they've been proclaiming. They've been proclaiming the 2300-day prophecy. They found the correct starting point, and God used that truth, that new light on that prophecy to bring power into the movement. Well, in our day, the message that we're to proclaim, the message that we are, is the third angel's message, the warning against receiving the mark of the beast, the Sunday Law. The Sunday Law message is our message, and we should expect to see information on this message that God will use to bring about a final revival. Brothers and sisters, Daniel 11, 40-45 clearly identifies the Sunday Law as imminent in the United States. Great Controversy tells us that when the Sunday issue begins to be agitated, there's a power that comes in the third message that heretofore it could not have had. The Sunday observance issue began to be agitated in July of this year. Great Controversy 588 is telling us that the people of the world are going to see in the three-fold union at the Sunday Law in the United States, an issue that will allow them to usher in the millennium. The information, the light that's coming up concerning the Sunday Law issue, the message of Adventism today, is that a Sunday Law is imminent, the probation is about to close, and if we believe and see that truth, we bring our life into agreement with that truth, and should we bring our life into agreement with that truth, should we bring our characters through the power of the Holy Spirit, through the receiving of the early rain moment by moment, should we prepare our character in that sense, there will be seen among us a great revival, and we will be empowered to go out in the very words of Scripture and give the final warning message, which is, Behold, the Bridegroom cometh. Now our next presentation is strictly going to build on this, but it will begin to pull these things together in a little clearer fashion, and help, hopefully, us to see that probationary time is running out, and I hope you'll be back for the next presentation.