Article

# Future for America and July 18, 2020 - Number Three

Blessed are the Eyes that See and the Ears that Hear

Author

Jeff Pippenger

Published

August 25, 2023

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Key Takeaways

- Seven Thunders and Revelation 10
- Historical Context
- Prophetic Principles
- Reformatory Movements
- Contemporary Application
- Call to Action

The lines of the reformatory movements are a key to understanding the “seven thunders” of Revelation ten. The “seven thunders” represent the history of the empowerment of the first angel’s message on August 11, 1840 until the Great Disappointment on October 22, 1844. Chapter ten provides three internal witnesses within the chapter to support this understanding.

> “The advent movement of 1840–44 was a glorious manifestation of the power of God; the first angel’s message was carried to every missionary station in the world, and in some countries there was the greatest religious interest which has been witnessed in any land since the Reformation of the sixteenth century; but these are to be exceeded by the mighty movement under the last warning of the third angel.” The Great Controversy, 611.

The first angel’s message was carried to the world from 1840 onward. Uriah Smith expresses the pioneer understanding, in agreement with Sister White. Smith recognizes the first angel arrived in 1798 and shows it was the first angel that came down in 1840. Smith and the pioneers had simply not noticed the distinction between the arrival of a message and its empowerment. Smith clearly states that when the angel of Revelation ten placed one foot on the sea and one on the earth it identified the message being carried to the world.

> “In 1798, therefore, the restriction against proclaiming the day of Christ at hand ceased; in 1798, the time of the end commenced, and the seal was taken from the little book. Since that period, therefore, the angel of Revelation 14 has gone forth proclaiming the hour of God’s judgment come; and it is since that time, too, that the angel of chapter 10 has taken his stand on sea and land, and sworn that time shall be no more. Of their identity there can be no question; and all the arguments which go to locate the one, are equally effective in the case of the other. We need not enter into any argument here to show that the present generation is witnessing the fulfillment of these two prophecies. In the preaching of the advent, more especially from 1840 to 1844, began their full and circumstantial accomplishment. The position of this angel, one foot upon the sea and the other on the land, denotes the wide extent of his proclamation by sea and by land. Had this message been designed for only one country, it would have been sufficient for the angel to take his position on the land only. But he has one foot upon the sea, from which we may infer that his message would cross the ocean, and extend to the various nations and divisions of the globe; and this inference is strengthened by the fact that the Advent proclamation, above referred to, did go to every missionary station in the world. More on this under chapter 14.” Uriah Smith, Thoughts on Daniel and the Revelation, 521.

Therefore, verse one of chapter ten is identifying August 11, 1840, for at that time the predicted end of the Ottoman supremacy ceased in agreement with the prediction in Revelation nine. Sister White states:

> “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 . . . 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.” The Great Controversy, 334, 335.

Verse one of chapter ten is 1840 and in verse ten we see John bitterly disappointed on October 22, 1844. John represented those that took the message of the little book to the world, only to suffer the bitter disappointment on October 22, 1844. Verse one to verse ten represents the history of 1840 to 1844. That is one internal witness within chapter ten.

The other witness is John who eats the little book and it is sweet in his mouth, representing his acceptance of the message of August 11, 1840 and then it turned bitter in his stomach at the Great Disappointment of October 22, 1844.

> And I took the little book out of the angel’s hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter. Revelation 10:10.

Verse ten represents the very history of 1840 to 1844 in one verse. That is the second internal witness within the chapter that the “seven thunders” represent that history. Sister White has already identified that the “seven thunders” represent a delineation of events that transpired under the first and second angel’s messages. The second angel’s message ended at the great disappointment, so the “seven thunders” represent the very same history. Three internal witnesses to support the truth that the history of August 11, 1840 through the Great Disappointment on October 22, 1844 is the prophetic history that is being emphasized in Revelation chapter ten.

Then in the last verse, in agreement with the truth connected with the “seven thunders” a command is given for the presentation of the message and that the very history must be repeated.

> And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings. Revelation 10:11.

The seven thunders are identifying that the beginning of Adventism, beginning when the message that was unsealed at the “time of the end” was empowered would illustrate the end of Adventism when the message that was unsealed in 1989 would be empowered by the descent, not of the angel of Revelation ten, but by the descending angel of Revelation eighteen. The angel of Revelation eighteen descended on September 11, 2001 and we are now approaching the conclusion of the historical repetition of 1840 to 1844.

These observations of chapter ten have been in the public domain for years. What was never recognized until recently is that with that sacred history is another sacred history that is embedded within. The history will only be recognized by those who accept the Alpha and Omega principle that identifies the end of a thing with the beginning of a thing. The embedded history within the sacred history begins with a disappointment and ends with the Great Disappointment. The history of 1843 to 1844 is a special line of history within but distinct from the history of 1840 to 1844. Sister White and Christ both address this line of history.

> “All the messages given from 1840–1844 are to be made forcible now, for there are many people who have lost their bearings. The messages are to go to all the churches.

> “Christ said, ‘Blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your ears, for they hear. For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them’ [Matt. 13:16, 17]. Blessed are the eyes which saw the things that were seen in 1843 and 1844.

> “The message was given. And there should be no delay in repeating the message, for the signs of the times are fulfilling; the closing work must be done. A great work will be done in a short time. A message will soon be given by God’s appointment that will swell into a loud cry. Then Daniel will stand in his lot, to give his testimony.” Manuscript Releases, volume 21, 437.

The “prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things” that “were seen in 1843 and 1844.” Jesus referenced this sacred history in two gospels, but each reference was in a different context.

> And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow; And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up: Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them: But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear. For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them. Matthew 13:3–17.

Jesus in Matthew while speaking of the effect of the Word of God, and calling on men to “hear,” identifies that the Laodiceans who reject the message which the prophets desired to see, were represented in Isaiah chapter six. Future for America has repeatedly presented Isaiah six in the context of September 11, 2001, for with the attack of Islam on that date the mighty angel of Revelation eighteen descended and lightened the earth with his glory. The prophets all agree with one another and in verse three of Isaiah six we find the direct reference to that very angel.

> In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. Isaiah 6:1–3.

The earth is lightened with his glory when the angel of Revelation eighteen descends, and Isaiah provides another important key when he informs us that his vision of the sanctuary took place in the year King Uzziah died. King Uzziah had attempted to do the work of a priest within the temple. Eighty priests and the high priest resisted him from doing so until the Lord struck him with leprosy in his forehead. He received the mark of the beast for attempting to combine his state authority with church authority. He did not immediately die, he was removed from the throne and replaced and over a period of time he finally died on September 11, 2001. The Adventist church progressively dies as did the Jewish church in the time of Christ. But September 11, 2001 Adventism who had already rejected the message of the last six verses of Daniel eleven came to an end as the Protestant horn of the United States, and those represented by Isaiah were then called to take the message represented by the first voice of Revelation eighteen.

> And Azariah the priest went in after him, and with him fourscore priests of the Lord, that were valiant men: And they withstood Uzziah the king, and said unto him, It appertaineth not unto thee, Uzziah, to burn incense unto the Lord, but to the priests the sons of Aaron, that are consecrated to burn incense: go out of the sanctuary; for thou hast trespassed; neither shall it be for thine honour from the Lord God. Then Uzziah was wroth, and had a censer in his hand to burn incense: and while he was wroth with the priests, the leprosy even rose up in his forehead before the priests in the house of the Lord, from beside the incense altar. And Azariah the chief priest, and all the priests, looked upon him, and, behold, he was leprous in his forehead, and they thrust him out from thence; yea, himself hasted also to go out, because the Lord had smitten him. And Uzziah the king was a leper unto the day of his death, and dwelt in a several house, being a leper; for he was cut off from the house of the Lord: and Jotham his son was over the kings house, judging the people of the land. 2 Chronicles 26:17–21.

It is important to recognize that the Protestant horn was removed from the Seventh-day Adventist church on September 11, 2001, for there are three primary elements to the unsealing of the message of Revelation in the last days. One is the parallel history of the horn of Republicanism and the horn of Protestantism. The other element that must be recognized is the significance of the seven churches, and of course the third is the “seven thunders.” All three prophetic elements make up the message that is being unsealed, and it is necessary to recognize that just as the Jewish church was passed by in the time of Christ, Adventism is passed by in the “last days.”

Isaiah volunteers to take a message to God’s unfaithful chosen people in his history and Jesus uses the same words to address the same situation in His history. A covenant chosen people are being passed by, and they refuse to “hear” and be healed.

> And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed. Isaiah 6:9, 10.

The work Isaiah takes up is the work that John and Ezekiel took up when they ate the little book. They take a message of rebuke to a covenant chosen people that are in the process of being spewed out of the mouth of the Lord. The second time Jesus refers to the history that prophets and righteous men desired to see is recorded by Luke.

> And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted to heaven, shalt be thrust down to hell. He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me. And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name. And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven. In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight. All things are delivered to me of my Father: and no man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him. And he turned him unto his disciples, and said privately, Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see: For I tell you, that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them. Luke 10:15–24.

Again, the context of a blessing associated with those who have the privilege of seeing what the righteous have desired to see is concerning a covenant chosen people who are being passed by and are unwilling to “hear.” Sister White refers to Christ’s condemnation of Capernaum, which is a symbol of the rejection of great light, and she emphasized Adventism by placing the rebuke against Adventism in [brackets.]

> “Among the professed children of God, how little patience has been manifested, how many bitter words have been spoken, how much denunciation has been uttered against those not of our faith. Many have looked upon those belonging to other churches as great sinners, when the Lord does not thus regard them. Those who look thus upon the members of other churches, have need to humble themselves under the mighty hand of God. Those whom they condemn may have had but little light, few opportunities and privileges. If they had had the light that many of the members of our churches have had, they might have advanced at a far greater rate, and have better represented their faith to the world. Of those who boast of their light, and yet fail to walk in it, Christ says, ‘But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you. And thou, Capernaum [Seventh-day Adventists, who have had great light], which art exalted unto heaven [in point of privilege], shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee.’ At that time Jesus answered and said, ‘I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent [in their own estimation], and hast revealed them unto babes.’

> “‘And now, because ye have done all these works, saith the Lord, and I spake unto you, rising up early and speaking, but ye heard not; and I called you, but ye answered not; therefore will I do unto this house, which is called by my name, wherein ye trust, and unto the place which I gave to you and to your fathers, as I have done to Shiloh. And I will cast you out of my sight, as I have cast out all your brethren, even the whole seed of Ephraim.” Review and Herald, August 1, 1893.

The “mighty works” that had been done in Adventism were the works that righteous men and prophets desired to see and hear. Those mighty works were represented in the history of 1843 and 1844 when the message of the Midnight Cry was proclaimed. Adventism has rejected their history, and especially the history of 1843 and 1844. A history that begins and ends with a disappointment, and also a history that was intended to guide them into the earth made new.

> “They had a bright light set up behind them at the beginning of the path, which an angel told me was the ‘midnight cry.’ This light shone all along the path, and gave light for their feet, so that they might not stumble.

> “If they kept their eyes fixed on Jesus, who was just before them, leading them to the city, they were safe. But soon some grew weary, and said the city was a great way off, and they expected to have entered it before. Then Jesus would encourage them by raising His glorious right arm, and from His arm came a light which waved over the advent band, and they shouted ‘Alleluia!’ Others rashly denied the light behind them, and said that it was not God that had led them out so far. The light behind them went out, leaving their feet in perfect darkness, and they stumbled and lost sight of the mark and of Jesus, and fell off the path down into the dark and wicked world below.” Early Writings, 15.

What the Lion of the tribe of Judah is now unsealing is the history of 1843 and 1844. The “seven thunders” represent 1840 to 1844, but that period contains a very special history that has been typified since the beginning of covenant history. Each of the reformatory movements parallel each other, possessing the identical waymarks. If they were different from one another Satan would create a different plan of attack for each reformatory movement, but he never does.

> “But Satan was not idle. He now attempted what he has attempted in every other reformatory movement—to deceive and destroy the people by palming off upon them a counterfeit in place of the true work. As there were false Christ’s in the first century of the Christian church, so there arose false prophets in the sixteenth century.” The Great Controversy, 186.

The essential point in this passage in terms of the overall message we are sharing is that when Adventism ceased to uphold the mantle of Protestantism and had it fully removed on September 11, 2001, they still insist that they are the remnant movement that proclaims the loud cry of the third angel. Yet they are the counterfeit. If you don’t recognize which movement is now carrying the horn of Protestantism it is virtually impossible to understand the parallel between the two horns in the United States.

The history of 1843 and 1844 is represented in every reform movement and we will now use the beginning of ancient Israel as God’s chosen people and the ending of Israel as God’s chosen people to illustrate the same of modern Israel, with the focus on 1843 and 1844 as represented in each of the lines of reformatory movements.

Moses prophesied that the Lord would raise up a prophet like unto himself, and that prophet was Jesus. Luke in Acts confirms that Jesus fulfilled Moses’ prophecy.

> The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken. Deuteronomy 18:15.

Jesus is the prophet we are to listen to.

> For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people. Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days. Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed. Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities. Acts 3:22–26.

The reform line of Christ begins at the time of the end, as all reform lines do. The “time of the end” in the days of Christ was His birth. Scripture identifies that at His birth there was an increase of knowledge in agreement with the definition of the “time of the end” in the book of Daniel. Whether it was the shepherds, the wise men from the east, angry Herod, or Anna and Simeon in the temple there was an increase of knowledge when He was born. At that point the leadership of the Jewish church was passed by. The divorce was progressive, but began by their rejection of the message that was unsealed at the time of the end.

> “Men know it not, but the tidings fill heaven with rejoicing. With a deeper and more tender interest the holy beings from the world of light are drawn to the earth. The whole world is brighter for His presence. Above the hills of Bethlehem are gathered an innumerable throng of angels. They wait the signal to declare the glad news to the world. Had the leaders in Israel been true to their trust, they might have shared the joy of heralding the birth of Jesus. But now they are passed by.” The Desire of Ages, 47.

The leadership of Adventism was passed by in 1989 when Daniel eleven verse forty was fulfilled. The “time of the end” in the history of Moses, who typified Jesus, was his birth, where his family and thereafter Pharaoh’s daughter received an increase of knowledge about baby Moses. His name of course means “saved out of the water” and Jesus means “Jehovah saves.”

After the “time of the end” all the reform lines demonstrate a point when the knowledge that is increased in that particular history is formalized into a message that can be held up as a witness to the generation who are to be held accountable for the light that was unsealed at the time of the end.

John the Baptist formalized the message of Christ, and Moses’ message was formalized in his fortieth year, when he attempted to deliver Israel from Egypt in his own strength. The message of the deliverance of Egypt was now in the public record.

Forty years later Moses’ message was empowered at the burning bush and was accompanied with two signs of God’s divinity as represented by the rod which turned into a snake and the leprous hand that Moses withdrew from his bosom. Jesus’ message was empowered at His baptism that was accompanied with two signs of divinity, the Father’s voice and the Holy Spirit. The next waymark in both histories represent the first disappointment, the tarrying time, the arrival of the second angel or 1843.

The disappointment in the line of Moses was illustrated by his wife when the angel descended to slay Moses for not circumcising his son. In fear Zipporah performed the rite on their son herself. Moses had forgotten to circumcise his son! The very sign of the covenant that was given to Abraham was forgotten by Moses. Father Abraham had set forth the prediction of the Hebrews captivity and deliverance in and from Egypt, and his prophecy was to be specifically fulfilled through Moses, and Moses forgot to circumcise his son. At that point Moses sent Zipporah back to stay with her father until after the deliverance. She tarried in Midian until Moses led the children of Israel through the water of the Red Sea, which the apostle Paul informs us is typifying baptism, the very rite that replaced circumcision. Do not miss that point. The arrival of the waymark representing the second angel in the history of Moses, the waymark that produces the first disappointment in that history was a rejection of the primary rule of Abraham’s covenant relationship with God.

The first disappointment in the line of Christ was the death of Lazarus, which Martha and Mary were certain would not have happened if Jesus had not tarried until Lazarus had already been dead for four days. The disappointment of Jesus allowing his close friend Lazarus to die and rot in the tomb was immense, for not only the two sisters, but also the disciples. Yet the resurrection of Lazarus became the seal of Christ’s entire ministry.

> “In delaying to come to Lazarus, Christ had a purpose of mercy toward those who had not received Him. He tarried, that by raising Lazarus from the dead He might give to His stubborn, unbelieving people another evidence that He was indeed ‘the resurrection, and the life.’ He was loath to give up all hope of the people, the poor, wandering sheep of the house of Israel. His heart was breaking because of their impenitence. In His mercy He purposed to give them one more evidence that He was the Restorer, the One who alone could bring life and immortality to light. This was to be an evidence that the priests could not misinterpret. This was the reason of His delay in going to Bethany. This crowning miracle, the raising of Lazarus, was to set the seal of God on His work and on His claim to divinity.” The Desire of Ages, 529.

The sealing of God’s one hundred and forty-four thousand is illustrated in the history of 1843 and 1844, for we are informed that it was Lazarus who led Christ into Jerusalem at the triumphal entry. The history of the triumphal entry is the history Sister White uses to illustrate the Midnight Cry of 1843 and 1844. It was a misunderstanding of Christ having the power to resurrect the dead by God’s creative power. Mary and Elizabeth confessed that they knew Jesus had the power to resurrect Lazarus at the final trump, but could not see that He actually had the power to resurrect then and there. They were in denial of the very truth He came to demonstrate at His baptism and death, the beginning and ending of His personal three-and-a-half-year ministry. They could not see until the stone was removed from the tomb, just as His hand would later be removed from a mistake in some of the figures on the 1843 chart.

Moses, after he sent Zipporah away from the upcoming struggle with Pharaoh, was met by his older brother Aaron and the two messengers proceeded to Egypt representing the second angel’s message. Before any plagues were brought upon Egypt Moses warned Pharaoh that if he would not let Israel, God’s firstborn, go out and worship, then God would slay Egypt’s firstborn.

> And the Lord said unto Moses, When thou goest to return into Egypt, see that thou do all those wonders before Pharaoh, which I have put in thine hand: but I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go. And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord, Israel is my son, even my firstborn: And I say unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me: and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn. Exodus 4:21–23.

The Midnight Cry was a prediction that in the future would be fulfilled.

> “In the deliverance of Israel from Egypt, the dedication of the first-born was again commanded. While the children of Israel were in bondage to the Egyptians, the Lord directed Moses to go to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and say, ‘Thus saith the Lord, Israel is My son, even My first-born: and I say unto thee, Let My son go, that he may serve Me: and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy first-born.’ Exodus 4:22, 23.

> “Moses delivered his message; but the proud king’s answer was, ‘Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go.’ Exodus 5:2. The Lord worked for His people by signs and wonders, sending terrible judgments upon Pharaoh. At length the destroying angel was bidden to slay the first-born of man and beast among the Egyptians. That the Israelites might be spared, they were directed to place upon their doorposts the blood of a slain lamb. Every house was to be marked, that when the angel came on his mission of death, he might pass over the homes of the Israelites.” The Desire of Ages, 51.

The Midnight Cry message unto Pharaoh was identifying the death of the firstborn in response to Pharaoh’s rebellion. Once the message was put into the record the plagues, representing the power of the Midnight Cry in the summer of 1844 was brought upon Egypt. The message of the Midnight Cry swept across the land like a tidal wave in the summer of 1844. The plagues swept across Egypt and when the promised death of the firstborn arrived a cry was heard at midnight throughout Egypt.

> And Moses said, Thus saith the Lord, About midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt: And all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his throne, even unto the firstborn of the maidservant that is behind the mill; and all the firstborn of beasts. And there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there was none like it, nor shall be like it any more. Exodus 11:4–6.

The triumphal entry of Christ into Jerusalem led to the cross of Calvary, and the disciples of Christ and his other followers experienced a Great Disappointment.

> “Our disappointment was not so great as that of the disciples. When the Son of man rode triumphantly into Jerusalem, they expected Him to be crowned king. The people flocked from all the region about, and cried: ‘Hosanna to the Son of David.’ And when the priests and elders besought Jesus to still the multitude, He declared that if they should hold their peace even the stones would cry out, for prophecy must be fulfilled. Yet in a few days these very disciples saw their beloved Master, whom they believed would reign on David’s throne, stretched upon the cruel cross above the mocking, taunting Pharisees. Their high hopes were disappointed, and the darkness of death closed about them.” Testimonies, volume 1, 57, 58.

The great disappointment of the disciples and Millerites is also represented by the Hebrews being stuck between Pharaoh’s army and the Red Sea.

> “Upon us is shining the accumulated light of past ages. The record of Israel’s forgetfulness has been preserved for our enlightenment. In this age God has set His hand to gather unto Himself a people from every nation, kindred, and tongue. In the advent movement He has wrought for His heritage, even as He wrought for the Israelites in leading them from Egypt. In the great disappointment of 1844 the faith of His people was tested as was that of the Hebrews at the Red Sea.” Testimonies, volume 8, 115, 116.

It is important to see that when Christ entered Jerusalem the inspiration of the hour produced an outburst of praise, which the Pharisee’s sought to silence. The heart of the chorus of praise was the reference to Jesus being the son of David, the very symbol Christ used to mark the end of his verbal interactions with the quibbling Jews. Most irritating to the Jews was the recognition that when calling Jesus, the Son of David they were by inference referencing King David’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem.

In the history of David’s work of bringing the ark to Jerusalem, the empowerment of the message was represented by David’s empowerment.

> And David went on, and grew great, and the Lord God of hosts was with him. 2 Samuel 5:10.

Thereafter David determined to bring the ark unto Jerusalem. In bringing the ark to the city of David, there was to be a disappointment, as in every reform line. Uzzah, whose name means strength, knowing full well that he was not authorized to touch the ark, did so anyway. The very issue that took the ark into captivity in the first place, was disobedience unto the Lord’s revealed will, and presumption concerning the power associated with the ark of God. Yet Uzzah, a strong man of David disobeyed, just as Moses disobeyed the command of circumcision. Uzzah was struck dead, and the ark tarried outside of Jerusalem until David understood that those watching over where the ark had remained after Uzzah’s death were being blessed. David then set forth again to bring the ark into Jerusalem. As David danced into Jerusalem his wife saw his nakedness and was greatly disappointed.

Three lines of reformatory movements that all address 1843 and 1844, the period of time that righteous men and prophets desired to see and hear. The characteristics of the arrival of the second angel, thus marking a tarrying time and disappointment are all easy to see. The deeper truths identify that the disappointment was not simply a misunderstanding on the part of Moses, or Uzzah or Martha and Mary, but a disappointment that was connected with rejecting a foundational principle connected to the very history where the disappointment was accomplished. For Moses it was the sign of circumcision, for Uzzah it was presumption about God’s commands concerning the ark, for Martha and Mary it was a lack of faith in Christ’s creative power to resurrect.

With Moses the very central theme of his ministry was establishing a covenant relationship with a chosen people, and Moses forgot the sign of that covenant. With Uzzah it was the very principle of the sacredness of God’s law, which was embodied in the ark. With Martha and Mary, it was the very center of Christ’s ministry, beginning with His baptism, and ending with His death, burial and resurrection as typified in the beginning of His ministry. The first disappointment of 1843 was brought about through a mistake in some of the figures upon the chart that was a fulfillment of the prophecy of Habakkuk. The mistake involved the premier principle of the movement of Miller’s—the day for a year principle.

The “seven thunders” represent the Advent movement of 1840 to 1844, but within that movement is the history of 1843 to 1844 which begins and ends with a disappointment, thus placing the signature of Alpha and Omega on that history. And that history is the very history Jesus and Ellen White point to as the sacred history that the righteous have always longed to see.

Those four lines; Moses, David, Christ and the Millerites teach that when the parable of the ten virgins is repeated at the end of the world there will be an empowerment, not of the second, but of the third angel’s message that is followed by a disappointment, that starts a tarrying time.

When the first angel descended on August 11, 1840 it confirmed the premier prophetic rule of the Millerites, and their first disappointment would be specifically connected to that rule. When that disappointment and tarrying time ended at the Midnight Cry, that message would also relate to the day for a year principle, as would the identification that Christ would come on October 22, 1844. All four waymarks of 1840 to 1844 were associated with the day for a year principle.

The Jews were made the depositaries of the law of God, and the issue that is represented in Moses line is the law of God and the statutes. In David’s history it was again the law of God. In Christ’s history it was the law of God, for without the shedding of blood there is no remission of the sin that has been revealed to the sinner by the law of God. But Adventism was made the depositaries of not only the law of God but the prophetic Word.

Therefore, the theme in the line of Millerite history is the prophetic rules of God. At the end of Adventism, it will once again be about the rules of prophetic interpretation, but since 1844 prophetic time is no longer to be applied. The rules at the end are premised on Alpha and Omega illustrating the end from the beginning.

When the Ottoman supremacy ceased in fulfillment of the second woe, representing the prophetic activity of Islam, the three hundred ninety-one year and fifteen-day prophecy of Revelation 9:15 was fulfilled and the “day for a year principle,” which is the very heart of Miller’s work was confirmed.

When Islam struck on September 11, 2001 the arrival of the third woe in fulfillment of Revelation 8:13 was fulfilled, and the principle that was the very heart of the work of Future for America was confirmed; that principle being simply stated as the repetition of history. A prophecy of a woe trumpet representing Islam was confirmed when both the angel of Revelation ten in 1840 and the angel of Revelation eighteen in 2001 was fulfilled. History had repeated. What would be expected next is a disappointment.

The disappointment would usher in a tarrying time. The disappointment would dishearten and scatter those involved with the work. The disappointment would be accomplished by a disregard of a primary law of prophecy, in fact the primary rule of prophecy established in the beginning of Adventism. The empowerment of September 11, 2001 was associated with Islam and the disappointment of July 18, 2020 was about Islam. We are informed that what allowed Samuel Snow and others thereafter to recognize the date of October 22, 1844 was that the Lord removed his hand from a mistake in some of the figures on the 1843 chart. Then Snow and the Millerites saw that the same evidence that had led them to predict the year 1843 for the fulfillment of the twenty-three-hundred-year prophecy was then recognized to be the very same evidence that allowed them to identify October 22, 1844.

> “Jesus and all the heavenly host looked with sympathy and love upon those who had with sweet expectation longed to see Him whom their souls loved. Angels were hovering around them, to sustain them in the hour of their trial. Those who had neglected to receive the heavenly message were left in darkness, and God’s anger was kindled against them, because they would not receive the light which He had sent them from heaven. Those faithful, disappointed ones, who could not understand why their Lord did not come, were not left in darkness. Again they were led to their Bibles to search the prophetic periods. The hand of the Lord was removed from the figures, and the mistake was explained. They saw that the prophetic periods reached to 1844, and that the same evidence which they had presented to show that the prophetic periods closed in 1843, proved that they would terminate in 1844. Light from the Word of God shone upon their position, and they discovered a tarrying time—‘Though it [the vision] tarry, wait for it.’ In their love for Christ’s immediate coming, they had overlooked the tarrying of the vision, which was calculated to manifest the true waiting ones. Again they had a point of time. Yet I saw that many of them could not rise above their severe disappointment to possess that degree of zeal and energy which had marked their faith in 1843.” Early Writings, 236, 237.

We should expect that the evidence that led to a prediction of Islam attacking the United States on July 18, 2020, would confirm that at the soon-coming Sunday law, Islam is the judgment that is brought against the United States, with the element of time no longer associated with the event.

Four primary waymarks in the history of 1840 until 1844. Every waymark is associated with the application of Miller’s primary rule—the day for a year principle.

Four primary waymarks in the history of 2001, until the Sunday law. September 11, 2001 was Islam. The failed prediction of July 18, 2020 was about Islam. Every waymark is associated with the application of Future for America’s primary rule—the repetition of history. The “seven thunders” represent future events that will be disclosed in their order. The first of the four waymarks were September 11, 2001 identifying an attack of the United States by Islam in fulfillment of the third woe. The last waymark, representing the Sunday law in our history must be about Islam for the Alpha and Omega always illustrates the end from the beginning, and the Alpha and Omega is He who sealed up the “seven thunders” for this very history. Islam will attack the United States at the Sunday law.

This is one of three primary elements of the unsealing of the seven thunders that is now being opened up. Once Moses announced the message typifying the Midnight Cry in his line of history the final movements were rapid. Ten supernatural devastating plagues until the prophecy of the firstborn was fulfilled creating the cry at Midnight in Egypt. Once Christ entered Jerusalem the rapid steps to the cross were under way. When the message was announced there was no turning back. From the Exeter camp meeting on August 12, 1844, less than two months later the prediction was fulfilled.

> And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, what is that proverb that ye have in the land of Israel, saying, The days are prolonged, and every vision faileth? Tell them therefore, Thus saith the Lord God; I will make this proverb to cease, and they shall no more use it as a proverb in Israel; but say unto them, The days are at hand, and the effect of every vision. For there shall be no more any vain vision nor flattering divination within the house of Israel. For I am the Lord: I will speak, and the word that I shall speak shall come to pass; it shall be no more prolonged: for in your days, O rebellious house, will I say the word, and will perform it, saith the Lord God. Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying, Son of man, behold, they of the house of Israel say, The vision that he seeth is for many days to come, and he prophesieth of the times that are far off. Therefore say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; There shall none of my words be prolonged any more, but the word which I have spoken shall be done, saith the Lord God. Ezekiel 12:21–28.

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