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# The Revelation of Jesus Christ - Number Two

Kukwambulwa kwa Yesu Kristu - Nambala Iwiri

Covenant Names

Majina ya Agano

Author

Jeff Pippenger

Published

August 10, 2023

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I have placed many things into the previous articles in an attempt to put some basic points of reference out at the beginning. I will now try to be more focused on the subject at hand. Thank you for your patience.

Ndakaisa zvinhu zvizhinji muzvinyorwa zvakapfuura mukuedza kuisa pachena pakutanga mamwe mapoinzi ekutanga ekureverwa. Zvino ndichaedza kunyanya kutarisa pachidzidzo chiripo. Ndinokutendai nokushivirira kwenyu.

From the very beginning God has been trying to increase our understanding of who and what He is. In that work he has employed several techniques to help men understand what has been revealed of Him, and one of those techniques is his use of “names,” both the many names given to God in the Scriptures, and also the names given to His chosen representatives. He chooses representatives of evil and good.

Kubva pakutanga-tanga Mwari anga achiedza kuwedzera kunzwisisa kwedu pamusoro pokuti Iye ndiani uye kuti chii chaari. Mubasa iroro akashandisa nzira dzinoverengeka kuti abatsire vanhu kunzwisisa zvakazarurwa pamusoro pake, uye imwe yenzira idzodzo kushandisa kwake “mazita,” zvose mazita mazhinji akapiwa Mwari muMagwaro, uyewo mazita akapiwa vamiririri vake vaakasarudza. Anosarudza vamiririri vezvakaipa nevakanaka.

He has also used the dispensational changes of His chosen covenant people to magnify the understanding of His character incrementally through history. Therefore, the histories of covenant dispensational changes in a variety of ways, also speak to the magnification of the truth of His character and nature.

Iyeyewo akashandisazve shanduko dzenguva dzekutonga kwaMwari pamusoro pevanhu vake vakasanangurwa vesungano kuti, kubudikidza nenhoroondo, awedzere kuratidza kunzwisiswa kwehunhu hwake zvishoma nezvishoma. Naizvozvo, nhoroondo dzekushanduka-shanduka kwenguva dzezvisungo zvesungano, nenzira dzakasiyana-siyana, dzinotaurawo pamusoro pekukudzwa kwechokwadi chehunhu hwake nechimiro chake.

If we approach Revelation chapter one as an introduction and a key for the following chapters, we find certain truths in the beginning chapter that impact the rest of the book. One of those truths is involved with who Jesus Christ is, and not simply that He is Alpha and Omega. If a truth is set forth in chapter one of Revelation, it is most certainly a testing present truth for the final generation, the final generation being the “chosen generation” identified by Peter.

Kana tikaswedera kuna Zvakazarurwa chitsauko chekutanga sechisumo uye sechinhu chinokosha chokuzarura zvitsauko zvinotevera, tinoona zvimwe zvokwadi muchitsauko chokutanga zvinobata chikamu chasara chebhuku rose. Chimwe chezvokwadi izvozvo chine chokuita nokuti Jesu Kristu ndiani, kwete bedzi kuti ndiye Arufa naOmega. Kana chokwadi chakaiswa pachena muchitsauko chekutanga chaZvakazarurwa, zvirokwazvo ichokwadi chiripo chinoyedza chokupedzisira, chizvarwa chokupedzisira chiri “chizvarwa chakasarudzwa” chakatsanangurwa naPetro.

One of the attributes of Christ’s character which we have been exploring is Christ identifying the beginning from the end. The time when Christ confirmed the covenant with many for one week represents a covenant dispensational change from literal to spiritual Israel. The dispensational changes that are identified in Scriptures which all speak to the increase in knowledge concerning the character and being of Christ was Abram, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Christ, William Miller and the one hundred and forty-four thousand. There is another line of dispensational changes that is laid over the top of that line that identifies seven dispensations of God’s church that are represented by the seven churches of Revelation two and three, but we will not touch those yet. There was a dispensational change with Adam and Eve represented by before their fall and after their fall, and of course a change of dispensations from before the flood to after the flood in the time of Noah. All these lines contribute to the light we are dealing with, but we are focusing now upon the chosen people.

Chimwe chezvinhu zvinoumba chimiro chaKristu chatanga tichiongorora ndechekuti Kristu anozivisa magumo kubva pakutanga. Nguva iyo Kristu akasimbisa sungano nevazhinji kwevhiki imwe inomirira shanduko yesungano yenguva dzekutonga kubva kuna Israeri chaiye kuenda kuna Israeri womweya. Shanduko dzenguva dzekutonga dzinozivikanwa muMagwaro, idzo dzose dzinotaura nezvekuwedzera kwezivo pamusoro pechimiro nokuvapo kwaKristu, ndedzi: Abramu, Isaka, Jakobo, Josefa, Mozisi, Kristu, William Miller, uye vane zana namakumi mana nezvina zvuru. Kune mumwewo mutsetse weshanduko dzenguva dzekutonga wakaiswa pamusoro pomutsetse iwoyo, unozivisa nguva nomwe dzekutonga dzekereke yaMwari dzinomiririrwa nemakereke manomwe eZvakazarurwa zvitsauko zviviri nezvitatu, asi hatizodzibati izvozvi. Pakavawo neshoko reshanduko yenguva dzekutonga naAdamu naEvha, inofananidzirwa nenguva yaiva pamberi pekuwa kwavo uye pashure pekuwa kwavo; uye chokwadika, pakavawo neshoko reshanduko yenguva dzekutonga kubva panguva yaiva pamberi pemafashamo kuenda pashure pemafashamo munguva yaNowa. Mitsetse iyi yose inobatsira pachiedza chatiri kubata nacho, asi zvino tiri kutarisa pavanhu vakasarudzwa.

When Christ began His ministry at the beginning of the covenant week He was baptized.

ምስራቅ ሳምንቱ የቃል ኪዳኑ መጀመሪያ ጊዜ ሲጀምር ክርስቶስ አገልግሎቱን ሲጀምር ተጠመቀ።

> And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Matthew 3:16, 17.

> Uye Jesu, paakabhabhatidzwa, akabva pakarepo mumvura; zvino tarirai, matenga akamuzarurirwa, akaona Mweya waMwari achiburuka senjiva, achiuya pamusoro pake; zvino tarirai, inzwi rakabva kudenga, richiti, Uyu ndiye Mwanakomana wangu anodikamwa, wandinofarira zvikuru maari. Mateo 3:16, 17.

The very first words of God, as Jesus came up out of the water, thus beginning the covenant week, was the announcement by the Father, that Jesus was the Son of God. If we understand the “rule of first mention” that fact is powerful. If we don’t, not so much.

A mashoko ekutanga chaizvo aMwari, Jesu paakabuda mumvura, nokudaro achitanga vhiki yesungano, akava chiziviso chaBaba chokuti Jesu ndiye Mwanakomana waMwari. Kana tikanzwisisa “mutemo wokutanga kutaurwa,” chokwadi ichocho chine simba guru. Kana tisingachinzwisisi, hazvina kunyanya simba.

> In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. Genesis 1:1, 2.

> Pakutanga Mwari akasika denga nenyika. Zvino nyika yakanga isina chimiro, isina chinhu; uye rima rakanga riri pamusoro pechiso chemvura yakadzika. Uye Mweya waMwari wakanga uchifamba pamusoro pechiso chemvura. Genesi 1:1, 2.

As in Genesis, the anointing ceremony has three persons of the godhead identified.

SengakuGenesisi, emkhosini wokugcotjwa kubonakala bantfu labatsatfu beBuNkulunkulu.

The truth that Jesus was the Son of God, the Son of David and the Son of Man regularly agitated the scribes and Pharisees during the next three and a half years. Jesus prophetically changed from Jesus to Jesus Christ at His baptism. When Jesus was baptized, He became the “Christ,” which means “anointed one” and is the word “Messiah” in the Hebrew. And of course, the Hebrews expected a Messiah and they knew he would be the Son of David. When He was “anointed” to begin the most sacred three and a half years of earth’s history, He saw the Holy Spirit descending and heard His Father speak.

ဆက်လက်သော သုံးနှစ်ခွဲကာလတစ်လျှောက်တွင် ယေရှုသည် ဘုရားသခင်၏သားတော်၊ ဒါဝိဒ်၏သား၊ လူသားဖြစ်တော်မူကြောင်းဆိုသော အမှန်တရားသည် ကျမ်းတတ်ဆရာများနှင့် ဖာရိရှဲများ၏ စိတ်ကို မကြာခဏ လှုပ်ရှားအနှောင့်အယှက်ပေးခဲ့သည်။ ယေရှုသည် ဗတ္တိဇံခံတော်မူသောအခါ ပရောဖက်ဆန်စွာဖြင့် Jesus မှ Jesus Christ သို့ ပြောင်းလဲတော်မူခဲ့သည်။ ယေရှုသည် ဗတ္တိဇံခံတော်မူသောအခါ၊ “ခရစ်တော်” ဖြစ်တော်မူခဲ့ပြီး၊ ထိုစကားလုံး၏ အဓိပ္ပာယ်မှာ “ဘိသိက်ခံရသောသူ” ဖြစ်ကာ၊ ဟေဗြဲဘာသာ၌ “မေရှိယ” ဟူသော စကားလုံးပင် ဖြစ်သည်။ ထို့ပြင် ဟေဗြဲလူမျိုးတို့သည် မေရှိယကို မျှော်လင့်နေကြပြီး၊ ထိုသူသည် ဒါဝိဒ်၏သား ဖြစ်မည်ကိုလည်း သိရှိကြသည်။ ကမ္ဘာ့သမိုင်းတစ်လျှောက် အမြင့်မြတ်ဆုံးသော သုံးနှစ်ခွဲကာလကို စတင်ရန် “ဘိသိက်ခံ” တော်မူသောအခါ၊ သန့်ရှင်းသော ဝိညာဉ်တော် ဆင်းသက်လာတော်မူခြင်းကို မြင်တော်မူပြီး၊ ခမည်းတော်၏ မိန့်တော်မူသံကိုလည်း ကြားတော်မူခဲ့သည်။

It was a very profound anointing ceremony at which the message that was proclaimed of Him and His work was that, “He was the Son of God”. More alarming for the Jews, was not only that He was the Son of God, but that He claimed, as the Son of God — He was actually God. The Jews could not abide in what they understood to be such a blasphemous claim as that! The dilemma for the Jews, is the dilemma of Abraham—for Abraham was the father of the Jews, the father of the covenant and also the symbol of the faith required to abide by the terms of the covenant.

Iyo yaive mhemberero yokuzodzwa yakadzama zvikuru, umo shoko rakaparidzirwa pamusoro Pake nebasa Rake raiva rokuti, “Aiva Mwanakomana waMwari.” Chaityisa zvikuru kuvaJudha, hachina kungova chokuti Aiva Mwanakomana waMwari chete, asi chokuti Aiti, saMwanakomana waMwari — Aiva Mwari pachake. VaJudha vakanga vasingagoni kutambira zvavaiona sechirevo chakadai chokumhura Mwari! Dambudziko ravaJudha, ndiro dambudziko raAbrahama—nokuti Abrahama aiva baba vavaJudha, baba vesungano uye zvakare mucherechedzo werutendo runodikanwa kuti munhu arambe achitevera zviga zvesungano.

Abraham’s illustration of the faith necessary to enter into a covenant relationship with God requires that your faith is tested. Abraham’s test, which would prove whether his faith was real or presumption was premised on demonstrating whether he would follow God’s word—even if it appeared to contradict God’s previous word. Abraham knew that human sacrifice was murder and that it represented the idolatrous practices of the idolatrous peoples he was then living among. The scribes and Pharisees knew from their beginning covenant history that God was only one God, and they also knew Jesus was claiming to be a second God. They were being tested with their final test.

Mufananidzo waAbhurahama wokutenda kunodikanwa kuti munhu apinde muukama hwesungano naMwari unoda kuti kutenda kwako kuedzwe. Muedzo waAbhurahama, waizoratidza kana kutenda kwake kwaiva kwechokwadi kana kuti kwaingova kufungidzira kusina hwaro, wakanga wakavakirwa pakuratidza kuti aizotevera here shoko raMwari—kunyange kana raiita sokuti rinopikisa shoko raMwari raakanga ambotaura. Abhurahama aiziva kuti kupa munhu sechibayiro kwaiva kuuraya, uye kuti kwaimiririra miitiro yokunamata zvifananidzo yamarudzi ainamata zvifananidzo aakanga achigara pakati pawo panguva iyoyo. Vanyori navaFarisi vaiziva kubva pakutanga kwenhoroondo yesungano yavo kuti Mwari aiva Mwari mumwe chete bedzi, uye vaizivawo kuti Jesu akanga achizviti Mwari wechipiri. Vakanga vachiedzwa nomuedzo wavo wokupedzisira.

> Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord. Deuteronomy 6:4.

> Zwa, iwe Isiraeri: Jehovha Mwari wedu ndiJehovha mumwe chete. Deuteronomio 6:4.

In the history where Moses recorded the previous verse, God had already told Moses that He was to be known from that point on as Jehovah. No longer was He only to be the Lord God Almighty, but from that point onward he was to be known as Jehovah. In the very history where He is further magnifying the understanding of His character as represented by His names, He is also straitly informing ancient Israel that God is one God. What were the Jews of Christ day-and-age to think?

M'nhoroondo umo Mozisi akanyora ndima yakapfuura, Mwari akanga atotaurira Mozisi kuti kubva panguva iyoyo zvichienda mberi Aizivikanwa saJehovha. Haachazongova chete Ishe Mwari Wamasimba Ose, asi kubva panguva iyoyo zvichienda mberi aizivikanwa saJehovha. Mune iyo nhoroondo chaiyo umo Ari kuwedzera kujekesa kunzwisisa kwechimiro Chake sezvinomiririrwa namazita Ake, Ari zvakare kuzivisa zvakasimba Israeri yekare kuti Mwari ndiMwari mumwe. VaJudha venguva yaKristu vaifanira kufungei?

Later in His ministry as it reached the climax of the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem the Jews are once again flabbergasted that Jesus is allowing the children to sing His praise.

Gare gare mu ushumiri Bwiwe, ubwo bwageraga ku gasongero kabwo mu Kwinjira kw’intsinzi i Yerusalemu, Abayuda bo bongeye gutangara cyane ko Yesu yemeye ko abana baririmba ibisingizo Bye.

> And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest. Matthew 21:9.

> Uye mapoka avanhu mazhinji akanga achitungamira mberi, naavo vaitevera shure, vakadanidzira, vachiti: Hosana kuMwanakomana waDhavhidhi; Akaropafadzwa iye unouya muzita raShe; Hosana kumusoro-soro. Mateo 21:9.

The lyric of the song that drove the Pharisees crazy was the part identifying Jesus as the Son of David and also identifying that the Son of David was the name of the Lord. At the beginning of His ministry, the triumphal entry and of course the cross, the controversy includes agitation over Jesus’ name.

මනුෂ්‍යයෝන් වූ පරිසිවරුන් උන්මාදයට පත් කළ ගීතයේ පදය වූයේ, යේසුස්වහන්සේ දාවිත්ගේ පුත්‍රයා ලෙස හඳුනා දීමත්, දාවිත්ගේ පුත්‍රයා යනු ස්වාමීන්වහන්සේගේ නාමය බවද හඳුනා දීමත්ය. උන්වහන්සේගේ සේවයේ ආරම්භයේදී, ජයග්‍රාහී ප්‍රවේශයේදී, සහ නියත වශයෙන්ම කුරුසියේදී, එම විවාදයට යේසුස්වහන්සේගේ නාමය සම්බන්ධ උද්වේගයද ඇතුළත් වේ.

> Then said the chief priests of the Jews to Pilate, Write not, The King of the Jews; but that he said, I am King of the Jews. John 19:21.

> Basi vaprista vakuru vechiJudha vakati kuna Pirato, Usanyora kuti, Mambo wavaJudha; asi kuti iye akati, Ndini Mambo wavaJudha. Johani 19:21.

Of course, it would have been essentially correct for Pilate to have changed the writing to say, “I am, King of the Jews,” for “I Am” was the name Jesus set forth of Himself repeatedly. Of course, to apply that flawed logic in order to change God’s Word, particularly when it is the story of the cross is something that men would never do, would they? Jesus was the “King of the Jews,” but He was also “I am,” so the statement “I am, King of the Jews” is accurate in a sense, but this is not the point.

Chokwadi, zvainge zvakangonyatsorurama kuti Pirato angadai akachinja zvakanyorwa kuti, “Ndini, Mambo weVaJudha,” nokuti “Ndini” raiva zita rakarondedzerwa naJesu pamusoro paAri pachake kakawanda. Zvirokwazvo, kushandisa kufunga kwakakanganisika ikoko kuti munhu achinje Shoko raMwari, zvikuru sei kana iri nyaya yomuchinjikwa, ndicho chinhu chisingamboitiwe navanhu, handizvo here? Jesu akanga ari “Mambo weVaJudha,” asiwo akanga ari “Ndini,” naizvozvo mashoko okuti “Ndini, Mambo weVaJudha” akarurama mune imwe pfungwa, asi iyi handiyo pfungwa huru.

From the beginning and throughout the middle and to the end of the three and a half years His name was a point of agitation. There are many things to be understood about the line of covenant names, but here I am wanting to show that there was a shaking at the end of ancient Israel in the Jewish church that had to do with the name of Christ. As the Son of David, He possessed the credentials to be the Messiah, as the Son of God, (in the sense of also being God) and as the Son of Man, Jesus presented a tremendous test for the chosen people. How could this man claim to be God and also God’s son, when Moses at the beginning of their covenant history had been so specific about God being one God?

ကနဦးမှစ၍ အလယ်ကာလတစ်လျှောက်လုံးနှင့် သုံးနှစ်ခွဲ၏ အဆုံးတိုင်အောင် ကိုယ်တော်၏ နာမတော်သည် လှုပ်ရှားဆူပူမှုတစ်ရပ်၏ အချက်အချာဖြစ်ခဲ့သည်။ ပဋိညာဉ်ဆိုင်ရာ နာမတော်များ၏ အစဉ်အလာအကြောင်း နားလည်ရမည့် အရာများစွာရှိသော်လည်း၊ ဤနေရာတွင် ကျွန်ုပ် ပြလိုသည်မှာ ယုဒလူမျိုးအသင်းတော်အတွင်းရှိ ရှေးဣသရေလ၏ အဆုံးကာလတွင် ခရစ်တော်၏ နာမတော်နှင့် ဆက်နွှယ်သော တုန်လှုပ်မှုတစ်ရပ် ရှိခဲ့သည်ဟူသော အချက်ဖြစ်သည်။ ဒါဝိဒ်၏ သားတော်အဖြစ် ကိုယ်တော်သည် မေရှိယဖြစ်ရန် လုံလောက်သော အထောက်အထားများကို ပိုင်ဆိုင်တော်မူခဲ့သည်။ ဘုရားသခင်၏ သားတော်အဖြစ် (တစ်နည်းအားဖြင့် ဘုရားသခင်တော်တိုင်လည်း ဖြစ်တော်မူသည်ဟူသော အဓိပ္ပာယ်ဖြင့်) နှင့် လူသား၏ သားတော်အဖြစ် ယေရှုသည် ရွေးချယ်ခံ ပြည်သူတို့အတွက် အလွန်ကြီးမားသော စမ်းသပ်ချက်တစ်ရပ်ကို တင်ပြတော်မူခဲ့သည်။ မောရှေသည် သူတို့၏ ပဋိညာဉ်သမိုင်းအစ၌ “ဘုရားသခင်တစ်ပါးတည်း” ဖြစ်ကြောင်း အလွန်တိကျစွာ ဖော်ပြထားပြီးဖြစ်သော်လည်း၊ ဤသူသည် မည်သို့ဘုရားသခင်လည်း ဖြစ်သည်၊ ထို့ပြင် ဘုရားသခင်၏ သားတော်လည်း ဖြစ်သည်ဟု ဆိုနိုင်မည်နည်း။

Yet that was the purpose of Christ walking among men. God was in Him reconciling men unto Himself, and He was doing so by allowing men to see Jesus, who plainly and directly taught that if you have seen Him—you have seen the Father. This history represents the ending of literal Israel as God’s chosen people and at the beginning there was a controversy marked about who and what God is.

Asi ichicho chali chilato cha Kristu pakwenda pakati pa ŵanthu. Chiuta wakaŵa mwa Iyo, wakayaniska ŵanthu kwa Iyomwene, ndipo wakachita nthena mwa kuzomerezga ŵanthu kuwona Yesu, uyo wakasambizga mwakuwonekera na mwakudunjika kuti usange mwamuwona Iyo—mwamuwona Ŵadada. Mbiri iyi yikwimira umaliro wa Israyeli wa thupi ngati ŵanthu ŵakusankhika ŵa Chiuta, ndipo pa chiyambi pakaŵa mphindano yolembeka pa nkhani ya uyo Chiuta wali na icho Iyo wali.

> And Pharaoh said, 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.

> Farao akati, “Jehova ndianiko, zvandichiteerera izwi rake kuti ndirege Israeri aende? Handizivi Jehova, uye handingaregi Israeri achienda.” Ekisodho 5:2.

Pharaoh is expressing not only the symbol of atheistic defiance against the knowledge of God, but also expressing the Egyptian understanding concerning the God of Abraham. And repeatedly the Lord has said that His wonderous acts in Egypt were to allow mankind to know who He is. The history of the beginning of literal Israel as God’s chosen people typifies the end.

Farao haaratidzi kungoratidza chete chiratidzo chokutsauka kwaMwari nokusaziva Mwari, asiwo ari kuratidza kunzwisisa kwevaIjipiti pamusoro paMwari waAbrahama. Uye kakawanda Ishe vakataura kuti mabasa avo anoshamisa muIjipiti akanga ari kuti vanhu vazive kuti ndivanaani. Nhoroondo yokutanga kwaIsraeri chaiyo savanhu vakasanangurwa naMwari inofananidzira magumo.

In both histories there is a lack of understanding about who and what God is, that is connected to His various names, but more importantly to our consideration is that the history of Christ at the ending of Israel as the chosen people, identifies that a primary reason the Jews stumbled over accepting their Messiah was that they knew that God’s Word at the beginning of their covenant history identified was that He was one God. What a dilemma!

Kokubili ekisolo, kuli kubula kumvwisya pali ani na cintu cakwa Lesa, ico cilekonkana ne menso yakwe ayapusana-pusana; lelo icikankala nganshi ku kulingalila kwesu ni cakuti, imbila yakwe Kristu pa mpela ya Israele nga bantu basankwa, ilelangisha ukuti imulandu mukalamba uwacitikile abaYuda ukucimuna pakusumina Mesiya wabo, ni wakuti baliishibe ukuti Icebo cakwa Lesa ku ntendekelo ya malembe ya cipangano cabo calangishe ukuti Ali Lesa umo. Mwe, ni cilemwa shani!

> And after that they durst not ask him any question at all. And he said unto them, How say they that Christ is David’s son? And David himself saith in the book of Psalms, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, Till I make thine enemies thy footstool. David therefore calleth him Lord, how is he then his son? Luke 20:40–44.

> ចាប់តាំងពីពេលនោះមក ពួកគេមិនហ៊ានសួរព្រះអង្គសូម្បីតែមួយសំណួរទៀតឡើយ។ ហើយព្រះអង្គមានព្រះបន្ទូលទៅកាន់ពួកគេថា៖ «ហេតុដូចម្តេចបានជាពួកគេនិយាយថា ព្រះគ្រីស្ទជាព្រះរាជបុត្រារបស់ដាវីឌ? ដ្បិតដាវីឌផ្ទាល់ក៏បាននិយាយនៅក្នុងព្រះគម្ពីរទំនុកតម្កើងថា “ព្រះអម្ចាស់បានមានព្រះបន្ទូលទៅកាន់ព្រះអម្ចាស់របស់ខ្ញុំថា៖ ចូរអង្គុយនៅខាងស្តាំរបស់ខ្ញុំ ចាំដល់ខ្ញុំធ្វើឲ្យសត្រូវរបស់អ្នកក្លាយជាកំណល់ជើងរបស់អ្នកសិន”។ ដូច្នេះ ដាវីឌហៅព្រះអង្គថា ព្រះអម្ចាស់ ហេតុដូចម្តេចបានជាព្រះអង្គជាព្រះរាជបុត្រារបស់ដាវីឌទៀត?» លូកា 20:40–44។

This is the final question and answer period for the Jews, for after that interaction, “they durst not ask Him any question at all.” He had just answered the final question of his ministry for the lost house (and there is always a lost house in the prophetic narrative), and then He raises the subject of His name as “the Son of David,” and therefore as the Messiah. All through the three and a half years the controversy includes His various names, which represent His character and nature. His name is addressed at the beginning, at His baptism, and then in His final interaction with the lost house at the triumphal entry and at the cross, among other passages in the gospels.

Ichi ndicho kipindi cha mwisho cha maswali na majibu kwa Wayahudi, kwa maana baada ya mawasiliano hayo, “hawakuthubutu tena kumwuliza swali lolote.” Alikuwa ameijibu sasa swali la mwisho la huduma yake kwa nyumba iliyopotea (nayo katika simulizi la kinabii daima huwapo nyumba iliyopotea), kisha akaanzisha hoja ya jina lake kuwa “Mwana wa Daudi,” na kwa hiyo kuwa ndiye Masihi. Katika muda wote wa ile miaka mitatu na nusu, mabishano hayo yanahusisha majina yake mbalimbali, ambayo yanawakilisha tabia na asili yake. Jina lake linatajwa mwanzoni, katika ubatizo wake, na kisha katika mawasiliano yake ya mwisho na nyumba iliyopotea wakati wa kuingia kwake kwa ushindi na msalabani, miongoni mwa vifungu vingine katika Injili.

> “The Pharisees had gathered close about Jesus as He answered the question of the scribe. Now turning He put a question to them: ‘What think ye of Christ? whose son is He?’ This question was designed to test their belief concerning the Messiah,—to show whether they regarded Him simply as a man or as the Son of God. A chorus of voices answered, ‘The Son of David.’ This was the title which prophecy had given to the Messiah. When Jesus revealed His divinity by His mighty miracles, when He healed the sick and raised the dead, the people had inquired among themselves, ‘Is not this the Son of David?’ The Syrophoenician woman, blind Bartimaeus, and many others had cried to Him for help, ‘Have mercy on me, O Lord, Thou Son of David.’ Matthew 15:22. While riding into Jerusalem He had been hailed with the joyful shout, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord.’ Matthew 21:9. And the little children in the temple had that day echoed the glad ascription. But many who called Jesus the Son of David did not recognize His divinity. They did not understand that the Son of David was also the Son of God.

> “VaFarisi vakanga vaungana pedyo naJesu paakapindura mubvunzo womunyori. Ipapo akatendeuka akavabvunza, achiti: ‘Munofungei pamusoro paKristu? Mwanakomana waani?’ Mubvunzo uyu wakanga wakarongwa kuti uedze kutenda kwavo pamusoro paMesia,—kuratidza kana vaimuona semunhu zvake chete kana soMwanakomana waMwari. Inzwi dzakawanda dzakapindura dzichiti, ‘Mwanakomana waDhavhidhi.’ Iri ndiro zita rakanga rapiwa Mesia nechiporofita. Jesu paakaratidza humwari Hwake nezvishamiso zvake zvikuru, paakaporesa vanorwara nokumutsa vakafa, vanhu vakabvunzana vachiti, ‘Uyu haasi iye here Mwanakomana waDhavhidhi?’ Mukadzi weSirofenikea, Bhatimayo bofu, navamwe vazhinji vakadanidzira kwaari vachikumbira rubatsiro, vachiti, ‘Ndinzwirei tsitsi, Ishe, imi Mwanakomana waDhavhidhi.’ Mateo 15:22. Paakanga achipinda muJerusarema akatasva, akakwaziswa nokushevedzera kwomufaro, kuchiti, ‘Hosana kuMwanakomana waDhavhidhi: Akaropafadzwa iye anouya muzita raShe.’ Mateo 21:9. Uye vana vaduku mutemberi vakanga vaitawo musi iwoyo kudzorera kurumbidza uku kwomufaro. Asi vazhinji vaidana Jesu kuti Mwanakomana waDhavhidhi havana kuziva humwari Hwake. Havana kunzwisisa kuti Mwanakomana waDhavhidhi aivawo Mwanakomana waMwari.”

> “In reply to the statement that Christ was the Son of David, Jesus said, ‘How then doth David in Spirit [the Spirit of Inspiration from God] call Him Lord, saying, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit Thou on My right hand, till I make Thine enemies Thy footstool? If David then call Him Lord, how is He his son? And no man was able to answer Him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask Him any more questions.’” The Desire of Ages, 609.

> “Achipindura chirevo chokuti Kristu akanga ari Mwanakomana waDhavhidhi, Jesu akati, ‘Zvino ko Dhavhidhi anomudana sei muna Mweya [Mweya weKurudziro unobva kuna Mwari] achiti, Ishe akati kuna Ishe wangu, Gara iwe kuruoko rwangu rworudyi, kusvikira ndaita vavengi vako chitsiko chetsoka dzako? Naizvozvo kana Dhavhidhi achimudana kuti Ishe, anova sei mwanakomana wake? Uye hakuna munhu akakwanisa kumupindura shoko, uye kubva pazuva iro hakuna munhu akazotsunga kumubvunzazve mimwe mibvunzo.’” The Desire of Ages, 609.

His anointing as Messiah and His last interaction with those He came to save was over His divinity, the symbolism of His names and of course the rule of first mention. Jesus ends His direct work for the Jews by using the history of literal David to teach about spiritual David. Why would David comment on when the Lord tells the Lord to be seated on the throne with Him? Because king David at the beginning represents the spiritual King David at the end. The only way to rightly understand Jesus’ final statement to the lost house was to be able to apply the rule of first mention, which can’t be done if you don’t know the rule.

Kupakwa Kwake mafuta kama Masihi na mawasiliano Yake ya mwisho na wale aliokuja kuwaokoa yalihusu uungu Wake, ishara ya majina Yake, na, bila shaka, kanuni ya kutajwa kwa mara ya kwanza. Yesu anahitimisha kazi Yake ya moja kwa moja kwa Wayahudi kwa kutumia historia ya Daudi halisi kufundisha kuhusu Daudi wa kiroho. Kwa nini Daudi angetoa kauli kuhusu wakati Bwana anamwambia Bwana akae pamoja Naye juu ya kiti cha enzi? Kwa sababu mfalme Daudi hapo mwanzo anamwakilisha Mfalme Daudi wa kiroho hapo mwisho. Njia pekee ya kuelewa kwa usahihi kauli ya mwisho ya Yesu kwa nyumba iliyopotea ilikuwa kuwa na uwezo wa kutumia kanuni ya kutajwa kwa mara ya kwanza, jambo lisilowezekana kufanywa usipoijua kanuni hiyo.

His final statement to the lost house required an understanding of the rule of first mention in order to be understood. Jesus used David and David’s son to present the truth to the lost house for His final statement. They had been the house of David after all. Jesus therefore took the father (David) and turned it to the (Son of David) and He also took the son (of David) and turned him to his father (David). He turned the Father unto the child as Elijah’s message is prophesied to do in the “last days.” That was His final message to ancient literal Israel and it was an Elijah message, for it was based upon the rule of first mention. The rule of first mention therefore, also confirms Jesus’ message as an Elijah message based upon the rule itself. The rule of first mention demands that if the Elijah message of John the Baptist was the first of the last warning message to the lost house of Israel, then the final message given to them would also be the Elijah message. And so it was…

Chirevo chavo chokupedzisira kuimba yakanga yarasika chaida kunzwisiswa kwemutemo wokutanga kutaurwa kuti chinzwisiswe. Jesu akashandisa Dhavhidhi noMwanakomana waDhavhidhi kuisa pachena chokwadi kuimba yakanga yarasika muchirevo Chake chokupedzisira. Nokuti, shure kwezvose, vakanga vari imba yaDhavhidhi. Naizvozvo Jesu akatora baba (Dhavhidhi) akavataridzira ku(Mwanakomana waDhavhidhi), uyewo akatora mwanakomana (waDhavhidhi) akamudzosera kuna baba vake (Dhavhidhi). Akatendeudzira Baba kumwana, sezvinoporofitwa kuti shoko raEria richaita mumazuva okupedzisira. Iri ndiro rakanga riri shoko Rake rokupedzisira kuna Israeri wekare chaiye, uye rakanga riri shoko raEria, nokuti rakanga rakavakirwa pamutemo wokutanga kutaurwa. Naizvozvo mutemo wokutanga kutaurwa unosimbisawo shoko raJesu seshoko raEria, rakavakirwa pamutemo iwoyo pachawo. Mutemo wokutanga kutaurwa unoda kuti kana shoko raEria raJohane Mubhabhatidzi raiva rokutanga ramashoko okuyambira okupedzisira kuimba yakanga yarasika yaIsraeri, ipapo shoko rokupedzisira ravakapiwa raizovawo shoko raEria. Uye ndizvo zvazvakanga zvakaita…

All of this being said, I would now derive a point from it all that is based upon the rule of first mention—the Alpha and Omega. There was a controversy over the understanding of who and what God is at the beginning of ancient Israel that typified the same controversy at the end of ancient Israel. At the end of ancient Israel, the work of Christ included teaching the lost house of Israel who and what God is. In the history of the end there was a resistance against Christ that was premised on an original truth that was established at the beginning. Modern spiritual Israel will possess the same prophetic characteristics in their history.

Zonsezi zitanenedwa, tsopano ndikutulutsa mfundo kuchokera m’zonsezi, yozikidwa pa lamulo la kutchulidwa koyamba—Alpha ndi Omega. Panali mkangano pa kumvetsa kuti Mulungu ndi ndani ndi chiyani pachiyambi cha Israyeli wakale, umene unayimira mkangano womwewo kumapeto kwa Israyeli wakale. Kumapeto kwa Israyeli wakale, ntchito ya Kristu inaphatikizapo kuphunzitsa nyumba yotayika ya Israyeli kuti Mulungu ndi ndani ndi chiyani. M’mbiri ya mapeto munali kukana Kristu kumene kunakhazikitsidwa pa choonadi choyambirira chimene chinakhazikitsidwa pachiyambi. Israyeli wauzimu wa masiku ano adzakhala ndi mikhalidwe yomweyi ya uneneri m’mbiri yake.

At the beginning of Adventism, the historians inform us that the Millerites were primarily made up of two Christian denominations; the Methodist and the Christian Connection. Methodism’s primary beliefs were based upon living the correct Christian lifestyle. They had the “method.” The Christian Connection’s primary belief might be summarized as an opposition to the Catholic doctrine of the trinity.

Pakutanga kweAdventism, vanyori venhoroondo vanotizivisa kuti vaMillerite vainyanya kuumbwa nemasangano maviri echiKristu; Methodist neChristian Connection. Zvitendero zvikuru zveMethodism zvakanga zvakavakirwa pakurarama mararamiro echiKristu akarurama. Vaiva ne“method.” Chitendero chikuru cheChristian Connection chingapfupikiswa sekupikisa dzidziso yeKaturike yeutatu.

As far as my research has gone, virtually all the leadership of the Millerites held to that doctrine of the Christian Connection. There are many branches of the Seventh-day Adventist Reform Movement (SDARM), that still hold to and promote the original Millerite understanding of “anti-trinitarianism.” A dilemma (and current source of controversy) for those who retain the pioneer understanding has and always will be, how to respond to the many and various passages where Sister White directly opposes the doctrinal position they hold to and promote?

उनि मेरो अनुसन्धान जति पुगेको छ, मिलराइटहरूको नेतृत्व प्रायः सबैले क्रिश्चियन कनेक्सनको त्यो सिद्धान्तलाई मानेका थिए। सेभेन्थ-डे एडभेन्टिस्ट रिफर्म मुभमेन्ट (SDARM) का धेरै शाखाहरू अझै पनि “त्रित्व-विरोधी” सम्बन्धी मूल मिलराइट बुझाइलाई अँगालेर त्यसको प्रचार गर्छन्। अग्रजहरूको बुझाइलाई कायम राख्नेहरूका लागि एउटा दुविधा (र वर्तमान विवादको स्रोत) सधैँदेखि यही रहिआएको छ र रहनेछ पनि: सिस्टर ह्वाइटले उनीहरूले मानेर प्रचार गर्ने सिद्धान्तगत धारणा प्रत्यक्ष रूपमा अस्वीकार गर्ने धेरै र विभिन्न अनुच्छेदहरूको सामना गर्दा कसरी प्रतिक्रिया दिने?

> “I am instructed to say, The sentiments of those who are searching for advanced scientific ideas are not to be trusted. Such representations as the following are made: ‘The Father is as the light invisible: the Son is as the light embodied; the Spirit is the light shed abroad.’ ‘The Father is like the dew, invisible vapor; the Son is like the dew gathered in beauteous form; the Spirit is like the dew fallen to the seat of life.’ Another representation: ‘The Father is like the invisible vapor; the Son is like the leaden cloud; the Spirit is rain fallen and working in refreshing power.’

> “Ndinorairwa kuti nditi, Mafungiro avanhu vari kutsvaka pfungwa dzepamusoro dzesayenzi haafaniri kuvimbwa nawo. Mifananidzo yakadai seinotevera inoitwa: ‘Baba vakafanana nechiedza chisingaoneki; Mwanakomana akafanana nechiedza chakaiswa muchimiro chinooneka; Mweya ndiye chiedza chakaparadzirwa kwose.’ ‘Baba vakafanana nedova, mhute isingaoneki; Mwanakomana akafanana nedova rakaunganidzwa muchimiro chinoyevedza; Mweya akafanana nedova rawira pachigaro choupenyu.’ Mumwewo mufananidzo ndeuyu: ‘Baba vakafanana nemhute isingaoneki; Mwanakomana akafanana negore dema rinorema; Mweya imvura yanaya pasi ichishanda nesimba rinozorodza.’”

> “All these spiritualistic representations are simply nothingness. They are imperfect, untrue. They weaken and diminish the Majesty which no earthly likeness can be compared to. God cannot be compared with the things His hands have made. These are mere earthly things, suffering under the curse of God because of the sins of man. The Father cannot be described by the things of earth. The Father is all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and is invisible to mortal sight.

> “Lezi zifaniso hinkwato ta vumoya i swa hava ntsena. A swi hetisekanga, a swi vuli ntiyiso. Swi tsanisa, swi tlhela swi hunguta Vukulukumba lebyi ku nga riki na nchumu wa la misaveni lowu nga fanisiwaka na byona. Xikwembu a xi nge fananisiwi ni swilo leswi mavoko ya xona ma swi endleke. Leswi i swilo ntsena swa la misaveni, leswi xanisekaka ehansi ka ndzhukano wa Xikwembu hikwalaho ka swidyoho swa munhu. Tatana a nga hlamuseriwi hi swilo swa misava. Tatana i ku tala hinkwako ka Vukwembu hi miri, naswona a vonaki ematihlweni ya munhu la faka.”

> “The Son is all the fullness of the Godhead manifested. The Word of God declares Him to be ‘the express image of His person.’ ‘God so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’ Here is shown the personality of the Father.

> “Mwanakomana ndiye kuzara kwose koUmwari kwakaratidzwa. Shoko raMwari rinomuzivisa richiti, ‘mufananidzo chaiwo woupenyu hwake.’ ‘Nokuti Mwari akada nyika zvikuru, zvokuti wakapa Mwanakomana wake mumwe oga wakaberekwa, kuti ani naani anotenda kwaari arege kuparara, asi ave noupenyu husingaperi.’ Pano panoratidzwa humunhu hwaBaba.”

> “The Comforter that Christ promised to send after He ascended to heaven, is the Spirit in all the fullness of the Godhead, making manifest the power of divine grace to all who receive and believe in Christ as a personal Saviour. There are three living persons of the heavenly trio; in the name of these three great powers—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—those who receive Christ by living faith are baptized, and these powers will co-operate with the obedient subjects of heaven in their efforts to live the new life in Christ.” Special Testimonies, Series B, number 7, 62, 63.

> “Umunyaruhuko Kristo yasezeranye kohereza amaze kuzamurwa ajya mu ijuru, ni Umwuka uri mu kuzura kose kw’Ubumana, ugaragaza imbaraga z’ubuntu bw’Imana ku bantu bose bemera kandi bakizera Kristo nk’Umukiza wa bo bwite. Hariho abantu batatu bazima bo mu butatu bwo mu ijuru; mu izina ry’izo mbaraga eshatu zikomeye—Data, Umwana, n’Umwuka Wera—abakira Kristo kubw’ukwizera kuzima barabatizwa, kandi izo mbaraga zizakorana n’abumvira bo mu ijuru mu mihati yabo yo kubaho ubugingo bushya muri Kristo.” Special Testimonies, Series B, number 7, 62, 63.

The passage identifies “sentiments of those” that were defining the Father, the Son and the Spirit with “things of earth.” Then she says, “The Father cannot be described by the things of the earth.” Notice two points that she makes, though one might sound like a contradiction. She is identifying a false description of the Godhead that identifies three gods, if you will. It’s a false description of the Godhead, but she makes no comment about the fact that the false definition of the Godhead is also incorrect because it has the wrong number of gods in the Godhead.

Chidimbu ichi chinonongedzera ku“mafungiro aavo” akanga achitsanangura Baba, Mwanakomana noMweya nezvinhu “zvepanyika.” Zvino anoti, “Baba havagoni kutsanangurwa nezvinhu zvepanyika.” Cherechedzai pfungwa mbiri dzaanotaura, kunyange zvazvo imwe inganzwika sokupesana. Ari kunongedzera kutsananguro yenhema yoUmwari inoratidza vamwari vatatu, kana muchida kudaro. Icho kutsananguro yenhema yoUmwari, asi haatauri chinhu pamusoro pechokwadi chokuti dudziro yenhema yoUmwari iyoyo haina kururamawo nokuti ine huwandu husiri ihwo hwevamwari muUmwari.

Also notice that she says the things of the earth cannot be used to describe the Father. In that very statement, she herself is using the things of the earth. It is human beings that have children and mothers and fathers and aunts and cousins. And Jesus tells us there will be no more marrying in heaven in the earth made new, for we will be like the angels. There are no boy and girl angels. The terms used by human beings that define their relationships with one another have been employed by God to instruct us about His nature and character, but even “the things of the earth” that inspiration has employed to instruct men of God’s character and nature are imperfect.

Taasbuha yii in iyadu tidhaahdo waxyaalaha dhulka lagama adeegsan karo in lagu qeexo Aabbaha. Isla hadalkaas gudaheeda, iyada qudheedu waxay adeegsanaysaa waxyaalaha dhulka. Waa dadka banii’aadamka ah kuwa leh carruur, hooyooyin, aabbayaal, eedooyin, iyo ilma-adeerro. Ciisena wuxuu inoo sheegayaa inaan jannada dhexdeeda, dhulka cusub laga dhigi doono, guur dambe jiri doonin, waayo waxaynu ahaan doonnaa sida malaa’igaha. Ma jiraan malaa’ig wiilal iyo gabdho ah. Ereyada ay banii’aadamku adeegsadaan ee ku qeexa xiriirkooda midba midka kale la leeyahay ayuu Ilaah u adeegsaday inuu inagu baro dabeecaddiisa iyo sifadiisa, hase ahaatee xataa “waxyaalaha dhulka” ee waxyigu adeegsaday si loogu baro dadka dabeecadda iyo sifada Ilaah waa kuwo aan kaamil ahayn.

We have been informed that, “There are three living persons of the heavenly trio” … “the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” It is an abomination to attach earthly spiritualist sentiments to these three persons, but it is not an abomination to attach “the name of these three great powers” to the biblical definition of the Godhead.

Tasvikirwa kuti, “Kune vanhu vatatu vapenyu vehutatu hwekudenga” … “Baba, Mwanakomana, noMweya Mutsvene.” Chinhu chinonyangadza kubatanidza manzwiro ouroyi hwomweya hwapanyika kuvanhu ava vatatu, asi hachisi chinhu chinonyangadza kubatanidza “zita remasimba makuru aya matatu” kutsananguro yeBhaibheri youMwari huMwe.

The prophetess says “the name” of the three great powers who make up the Godhead is the Father, the Son and Holy Spirit. As with every biblical truth, when brought together line upon line, the complete testimony must consist of every waymark that has been revealed. The prophets’ testimonies are to be combined. Daniel gives the name of Palmoni to Christ (among other names, but this is just an example). John calls Him the Alpha and Omega and Moses calls Him Jehovah. According to Ellen White His name is the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Muporofitakadzi anoti “zita” remasimba matatu makuru anoumba Uhumwari ndiBaba, Mwanakomana noMweya Mutsvene. Sezvakaita nechokwadi chose cheBhaibheri, kana chaiswa pamwe chete mutsetse pamusoro pomutsetse, uchapupu hwakakwana hunofanira kusanganisira chiratidzo choga choga chenzira chakazarurwa. Uchapupu hwevaporofita hunofanira kubatanidzwa. Danieri anopa Kristu zita rokuti Palmoni (pakati pemamwe mazita, asi uyu unongova muenzaniso). Johane anomuti Arfa naOmega, uye Mozisi anomuti Jehovha. Maererano naEllen White, zita rake ndiBaba, Mwanakomana noMweya Mutsvene.

> “Satan is . . . constantly pressing in the spurious—to lead away from the truth. The very last deception of Satan will be to make of none effect the testimony of the Spirit of God. ‘Where there is no vision, the people perish’ (Proverbs 29:18). Satan will work ingeniously, in different ways and through different agencies, to unsettle the confidence of God’s remnant people in the true testimony.

> “Setan ari... achigara achisundidzira zvenhema—kuti atsause kubva pachokwadi. Kunyengera chaiko kwekupedzisira kwaSetan kuchava kuita kuti uchapupu hweMweya waMwari husava nesimba. ‘Pasina chiratidzo, vanhu vanoparara’ (Zvirevo 29:18). Setan achashanda noungwaru hukuru, nenzira dzakasiyana-siyana uye kubudikidza nevamiriri vakasiyana, kuti abvise kuvimba kwevanhu vakasara vaMwari muuchapupu hwechokwadi.

> “There will be a hatred kindled against the Testimonies which is satanic. The workings of Satan will be to unsettle the faith of the churches in them, for this reason: Satan cannot have so clear a track to bring in his deceptions and bind up souls in his delusions if the warnings and reproofs and counsels of the Spirit of God are heeded.” Selected Messages, book 1, 48.

> “Pakuva neruvengo kweUchapupu uko kuchava kwehusatani. Mabasa aSatani achava ekuzunungusa kutenda kwemachechi mazviri, nokuda kwechikonzero ichi: Satani haangavi nenzira yakajeka zvakadaro yokupinza manyepo ake nokusunga mweya mukunyengedzwa kwake kana kunyeverwa nokutsiurwa nezano roMweya waMwari zvikateererwa.” Selected Messages, bhuku 1, 48.

A quick side point from this passage. John has been banished to Patmos for the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus. There are two target audiences for the third angel’s message. Those outside of Adventism and those inside of Adventism. John represents an Adventist that is not only being persecuted by the world because of his obedience to the Bible, but he is also being persecuted for his obedience to the writings of the Spirit of Prophecy. The persecution that is levelled against the Spirit of Prophecy comes from within, not from the outside.

Chinhu chimwe chipfupi chinobva mundima iyi. Johani akanga adzingirwa kuPatimosi nokuda kweShoko raMwari uye neuchapupu hwaJesu. Kune mapoka maviri anotarirwa neshoko remutumwa wechitatu. Avo vari kunze kweAdventism uye avo vari mukati meAdventism. Johani anomiririra muAdventist asiri kungotambudzwa chete nenyika nokuda kwekuteerera kwake Bhaibheri, asi ari kutambudzwawo nokuda kwekuteerera kwake zvinyorwa zveMweya weChiporofita. Kutambudzwa kunonangidzirwa kuMweya weChiporofita kunobva mukati, kwete kunze.

At the beginning of ancient Israel, after four hundred years in Egypt, those who were to be the chosen covenant people no longer kept the Sabbath. They did not know Christ’s character or nature. They held to misunderstandings about God that they inculcated while in captivity. The ten plagues; the Red Sea deliverance; the heavenly manna; the sanctuary and all its furnishings; the sacred ceremonies; the courtyard, holy place and Most Holy Place; the law of God; the Rock that followed them; the water that came out of the Rock that followed them and even the serpent on the pole were all intended to increase the knowledge of God in His chosen people. It was a progressive education. That progressive education continued until the scribes “durst ask him no more questions” and He then identified the very last subject they would have in an open discussion with Him, and it had to do with the name of David and who and what Christ is.

Mukutanga kweIsraeri yekare, mushure memakore mazana mana muIjipiti, avo vaizova vanhu vakasanangurwa vesungano vakanga vasisachengeti Sabata. Vakanga vasingazivi chimiro kana hunhu hwaKristu. Vakanga vakabatirira pakusanzwisisa pamusoro paMwari kwavakanga vadyarirwa vari muhusungwa. Matambudziko gumi; kununurwa paGungwa Dzvuku; mana yakabva kudenga; tabhenakeri nezvose zvaiigadzira; mhemberero dzvene; ruvanze, Nzvimbo Tsvene neNzvimbo Tsvene-tsvene; murayiro waMwari; Dombo rakavatevera; mvura yakabuda muDombo rakavatevera uye kunyange nyoka padanda, zvose izvi zvakanga zvakarongwa kuti zviwedzere zivo yaMwari muvanhu Vake vakasanangurwa. Kwaiva kudzidziswa kwaienderera mberi. Kudzidziswa uku kwaienderera mberi kwakapfuurira kusvikira vanyori “vasingachina kutsunga kumubvunza mimwe mibvunzo,” uye ipapo Akazivisa nyaya yokupedzisira chose yavaizova nayo mukukurukurirana pachena Naye, uye yaiva nechokuita nezita raDhavhidhi uye kuti Kristu ndiani uye kuti chii.

At the beginning of modern spiritual Israel, after 1260 years in spiritual Babylon, those who were to be the chosen covenant people no longer kept the Sabbath. They did not know Christ’s character or nature. They held to misunderstandings about God that they inculcated while in captivity. The history of Adventism with all its waymarks, apostasies, compromises and internal struggles reached a point in the 1880’s when The Desire of Ages was published. Enshrined in that book on page 671, is an understanding of the Godhead that has developed far beyond the understanding that came from the eighteenth century.

Pakutanga kweIsiraeri yomudzimu yazvino uno, mushure memakore 1260 muBhabhironi yomudzimu, avo vaifanira kuva vanhu vesungano vakasanangurwa vakanga vasisachengeti Sabata. Vakanga vasingazivi chimiro kana hunhu hwaKristu. Vakanga vakabatirira pakusanzwisisa pamusoro paMwari kwavakadzidzisa vachiri muutapwa. Nhoroondo yeAdventismu, pamwe nezviratidzo zvayo zvose zvenzira, kutsauka, kuwirirana zvisina kufanira, nemakuriro ayo emukati, yakasvika pane imwe nhanho muma1880 apo The Desire of Ages yakabudiswa. Chakachengetedzwa mubhuku iroro papeji 671 kunzwisisa pamusoro peHumwari hwouMwari kwakanga kwatokura zvikuru kupfuura kunzwisisa kwakabva muzana remakore regumi nemasere.

Ancient Israel had a controversy at its ending that was brought about by a limited understanding of the Godhead, that was based upon an understanding from their beginning history. The testimony of Jesus says, whether the Father, the Son or the Holy Spirit they are all “the fulness of the Godhead bodily” (Colossians 2:9). The biblical testimony says, “Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God is one Lord” (Deuteronomy 6:4).

Ancient Israel rakava nokukakavadzana pakuguma kwayo kwakakonzerwa nokunzwisisa kwakaganhurirwa kweHumwari, kwaivakirwa pakunzwisisa kwaibva munhoroondo yokutanga kwavo. Uchapupu hwaJesu hunoti, angava Baba, Mwanakomana, kana Mweya Mutsvene, vose “ndiko kuzara kwose kwoHumwari mumuviri” (VaKorose 2:9). Uchapupu hweBhaibheri hunoti, “Inzwa, iwe Israeri: Jehovha Mwari wedu ndiJehovha mumwe” (Dheuteronomio 6:4).

Modern Israel holds to a variety of ideas about the Godhead, and only one is correct. At the end of modern Israel God will finish the work of revealing His character in terms of doing so while probationary time lingers. That is what He did for the Jews, and He never changes. It is certain we will continue to grow in our understanding of God’s nature and character throughout eternity, but there has been a purposeful prophetic line of the truth demonstrating God’s efforts to educate His people about Himself, and that history is part of the education He is seeking to teach now, and the information found in the prophetic word concerning that educational process identifies an end of the discussion that corresponds to the close of probation.

Israeli ya kisasa inashikilia mawazo mbalimbali kuhusu Uungu, na moja tu ndilo sahihi. Mwishoni mwa Israeli ya kisasa Mungu atakamilisha kazi ya kufunua tabia Yake, katika maana ya kufanya hivyo huku muda wa rehema ukiwa bado ungalipo. Hivyo ndivyo alivyowafanyia Wayahudi, naye habadiliki kamwe. Ni hakika kwamba tutaendelea kukua katika uelewa wetu wa asili na tabia ya Mungu katika umilele wote, lakini kumekuwapo mstari wa kinabii wa kweli ulio na kusudi unaoonyesha juhudi za Mungu za kuwaelimisha watu Wake kuhusu nafsi Yake, na historia hiyo ni sehemu ya elimu anayokusudia kufundisha sasa; nayo taarifa inayopatikana katika neno la unabii kuhusu mchakato huo wa elimu hutambulisha mwisho wa mjadala unaolingana na kufungwa kwa muda wa rehema.

> “Christ is the pre-existent, self-existent Son of God…. In speaking of his pre-existence, Christ carries the mind back through dateless ages. He assures us that there never was a time when He was not in close fellowship with the eternal God. He to whose voice the Jews were then listening had been with God as one brought up with Him.” Signs of the Times, August 29, 1900.

> “Kristo ndi Mwana wa Mulungu wokhalapo asanakhale zonse, wokhalapo mwa Iye yekha…. Polankhula za kukhalapo kwake asanakhale zonse, Kristu amabweretsa malingaliro kumbuyo kudutsa mʼmibadwo yopanda tsiku loyambira. Iye amatitsimikizira kuti panalibe nthawi iliyonse imene Iye sanali mu chiyanjano chapafupi ndi Mulungu wamuyaya. Iye amene Ayuda anali kumvetsera mawu ake pa nthawiyo anali atakhala ndi Mulungu monga wokulitsidwa naye pamodzi.” Signs of the Times, August 29, 1900.

> “He was equal with God, infinite and omnipotent…. He is the eternal, self-existent Son.

> “Aie aali sawa na Mungu, asiye na mwisho na mwenye uweza wote…. Yeye ni Mwana wa milele, aliyepo kwa nafsi yake mwenyewe.

> “While God’s Word speaks of the humanity of Christ when upon this earth, it also speaks decidedly regarding His pre-existence. The Word existed as a divine being, even as the eternal Son of God, in union and oneness with His Father. From everlasting He was the Mediator of the covenant, the one in whom all nations of the earth, both Jews and Gentiles, if they accepted Him, were to be blessed. ‘The Word was with God, and the Word was God.’ Before men or angels were created, the Word was with God, and was God.” Review and Herald, April 5, 1906.

> “Nga khani ya Xikwembu yi vulavula hi vumunhu bya Kreste loko a ha ri emisaveni leyi, yi tlhela yi vulavula hi ku tiyisa swinene malunghana ni ku va kona ka yena emahlweni ka swilo hinkwaswo. Rito a ri ri xivumbiwa xa vukwembu, tanihi N’wana wa Xikwembu wa hilaha ku nga heriki, a ri ri eku hlanganeni ni ku va un’we ni Tata wa yena. Ku sukela eku nga heriki a a ri Muvulaveleri wa ntwanano, loyi matiko hinkwawo ya misava, Vayuda ni Vamatiko, loko va n’wi amukela, a ma fanele ku katekisiwa eka yena. ‘Rito a ri ri na Xikwembu, naswona Rito a ri ri Xikwembu.’ Loko vanhu kumbe tintsumi swi nga si tumbuluxiwa, Rito a ri ri na Xikwembu, naswona a ri ri Xikwembu.” Review and Herald, April 5, 1906.

In the passage she quotes from John’s very first words.

ਉਸ ਹਵਾਲੇ ਵਿੱਚ ਉਹ ਯੂਹੰਨਾ ਦੇ ਸਭ ਤੋਂ ਪਹਿਲੇ ਸ਼ਬਦਾਂ ਵਿਚੋਂ ਉਧਰਣ ਕਰਦੀ ਹੈ।

> In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made. John 1:1–3.

> Pakutanga kwakanga kune Shoko, uye Shoko rakanga riri kuna Mwari, uye Shoko rakanga riri Mwari. Iro rimwe chetero rakanga riri kuna Mwari pakutanga. Zvinhu zvose zvakaitwa naro; uye kunze kwaro hakuna chinhu chipi nechipi chakaitwa pane zvakaitwa. Johane 1:1–3.

In the beginning there was at least two Gods, for John just said, “The Word was God and was with God.” In the first verse of Genesis the Hebrew word “Elohim,” is translated as God. Often in God’s word “Elohim” is placed in a grammatic structure to identify a singular God, but it is a plural, none-the-less. John removes the consideration of “Elohim” in the verse being a singular God with his second witness to the subject. His testimony establishes at least two Gods.

Pakutanga pakanga paine vanamwari vanosvika vaviri, nokuti Johane achangobva kuti, “Shoko rakanga riri Mwari uye rakanga riri kuna Mwari.” Mundima yokutanga yaGenesisi shoko rechiHebheru rokuti “Elohim” rinoshandurwa richinzi Mwari. Kazhinji muShoko raMwari “Elohim” rinoiswa muchimiro chegirama chinoratidza Mwari mumwe chete, asi kunyange zvakadaro izwi racho riri rechizhinji. Johane anobvisa fungidziro yokuti “Elohim” mundima iyi ingava ichireva Mwari mumwe chete neuchapupu hwake hwechipiri pamusoro penyaya iyi. Uchapupu hwake hunosimbisa kuti pakanga paine vanamwari vanosvika vaviri.

More troubling for anti-trinitarians who profess to uphold the Spirit of Prophecy is that in the beginning “the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” Is the “Spirit” that moved upon the water the Father or the Son, or was it the third person of the heavenly trio as Sister White addresses Him? John’s first three verses in his gospel are followed by these words.

Chinhu chinonyanya kunetsa kune vanoramba Utatu asi vachizviti vanotsigira Mweya weChiporofita ndechokuti pakutanga “Mweya waMwari wakanga uchifamba pamusoro pechiso chemvura.” Ko “Mweya” wakanga uchifamba pamusoro pemvura ndiye Baba here kana kuti Mwanakomana, kana kuti aiva munhu wechitatu weboka revatatu vekudenga sezvaAnomudana Hanzvadzi White? Ndima nhatu dzokutanga dzaJohane muvhangeri rake dzinoteverwa namashoko aya.

> In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. John 1:4, 5.

> Ari maari noupenyuina mwari no; na iyo mwari noupenyuina ni utonga wa andu. Na utonga ucio uramurika thĩinĩ wa nduma; na nduma itũrĩmenyire. Johana 1:4, 5.

The reference to light and dark is in complete agreement with the beginning of Genesis which says.

Marejeo ya nuru na giza yanapatana kikamilifu na mwanzo wa Kitabu cha Mwanzo unaosema.

> And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. Genesis 1:3, 4.

> Na Xikwembu a ku: A ku ve ni ku vonakala; kutani ku va ni ku vonakala. Kutani Xikwembu xi vona ku vonakala leswaku i swinene; kutani Xikwembu xi hambanisa ku vonakala ni munyama. Genesa 1:3, 4.

We will return shortly to these two parallel passages of the light that is the subject in the creation story that follows after the introduction of the Godhead. In the beginning the first truth that is addressed is the make-up or the nature of the Godhead. But the passage does not stop until chapter two verse three where we find the final three words in the creation begin with the three Hebrew letters that together create the word translated as “truth.”

Zvinokusingaperi tichadzokera kundima mbiri idzi dzakafanana pamusoro pechiedza ndicho chiri musoro wenyaya munyaya yokusika inotevera pashure pesumo yoUmwari. Pakutanga, chokwadi chokutanga chinobatwa ndicho chimiro kana hunhu hwoUmwari. Asi ndima iyi haimiri kusvikira pachitsauko chechipiri ndima yetatu, apo patinowana kuti mashoko matatu okupedzisira enyaya yokusika anotanga nemavara matatu echiHebheru ayo pamwe chete anoumba shoko rinodudzirwa kuti “chokwadi.”

The beginning of the account of creation introduces the Godhead, then sets forth the creative power of His word, and then ends the passage with a divine signature representing truth, the third angel’s message and the name of God as represented by Alpha and Omega.

Kutanga kwenhau yokusika kunotanga nokuzivisa Uhumwari, kozoti kworatidza simba rokusika riri mushoko Rake, uye pakupedzisira kunopedzisa chikamu ichocho nechisimbiso choumwari chinomiririra chokwadi, shoko romutumwa wechitatu, nezita raMwari sezvarinomiririrwa naArfa naOmega.

> And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made. Genesis 2:2, 3.

> Zvino pazuva rechinomwe Mwari akapedza basa rake raakanga aita; akazorora pazuva rechinomwe kubva pamabasa ake ose aakanga aita. Mwari akaropafadza zuva rechinomwe, akariita dzvene; nokuti mariri ndiye akazorora kubva pamabasa ake ose, ayo Mwari akasika uye akaita. Genesisi 2:2, 3.

The end of the first truths taught in God’s Word are the climax of the passage. It ends with the three words “God,” “created” and “made,” thus emphasizing the beginning of the passage, but just as importantly emphasizing the seventh-day Sabbath. The Sabbath of course is the symbol of creation and the sign between God and His chosen people. “Truth” is represented in the three letters that begin each of those final three words of creation. The testimony is emphasizing how significant and important the Sabbath truth is, but just as profound is that those three letters also represent the three steps of the first, second and third angels’ messages. Thus, in the very first passage of the Bible the Sabbath as the sign of God’s creative power is also identified as the testing issue at the end of time. The last book in the Bible provides a third witness to accompany John’s testimony in his gospel.

Mugumo wezvokwadi zvokutanga zvinodzidziswa muShoko raMwari ndiwo musoro wechikamu ichocho. Chinopera namashoko matatu anoti “Mwari,” “akasika,” uye “akaita,” nokudaro chichisimbisa kutanga kwechikamu ichocho, asiwo, zvakafanana nokukosha kwazvo, chichisimbisa Sabata rezuva rechinomwe. Sabata, chokwadi, chiratidzo chokusika uye mucherechedzo uri pakati paMwari navanhu Vake vakasanangurwa. “Chokwadi” chinomiririrwa mumavara matatu anotanga rimwe nerimwe ramashoko matatu okupedzisira aya ane chekuita nokusika. Uchapupu huri kusimbisa kukosha nokukosheswa kwechokwadi cheSabata, asi chinokatyamadza zvakafanana ndechokuti mavara matatu iwayo anomiririrawo matanho matatu emashoko engirozi yokutanga, yechipiri, neyechitatu. Naizvozvo, muchikamu chokutanga chaizvo cheBhaibheri, Sabata sechiratidzo chesimba raMwari rokusika rinoratidzwawo sechinhu chinoedzwa pakuguma kwenguva. Bhuku rokupedzisira reBhaibheri rinopa chapupu chechitatu chokufambidzana nouchapupu hwaJohane muvhangeri rake.

> John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne; And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

> Johane kumachechi manomwe ari muAsia: Nyasha ngadzive kwamuri, norugare, zvinobva kuna Iye aripo, uye akanga aripo, uye uchazouya; uye zvinobva kuMweya minomwe iri pamberi pechigaro chake choushe; uye zvinobva kuna Jesu Kristu, chapupu chakatendeka, dangwe rakamuka kuvakafa, uye mutongi wamadzimambo enyika. Kuna iye akatida, akatishambidza pazvivi zvedu neropa rake amene, uye akatiita madzimambo navaprista kuna Mwari naBaba vake; ngaave nokubwinya nesimba nokusingaperi-peri. Ameni. Tarirai, unouya namakore; uye ziso rimwe nerimwe richamuona, navayawo vakamubaya; uye marudzi ose enyika achamuchema nokuda kwake. Kunyange zvakadaro, Ameni. Ndini Arfa naOmega, kutanga nokuguma, ndizvo zvinotaura Ishe, aripo, uye akanga aripo, uye uchazouya, Wamasimba Ose.

> I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea. Revelation 1:4–11.

> Ini, Johane, hama dzanguwo, uye shamwari yenyu pakutambudzika, nomuUshe, nomukutsungirira kwaJesu Kristu, ndakanga ndiri pachitsuwa chinonzi Patimo, nokuda kweshoko raMwari, uye nokuda kwouchapupu hwaJesu Kristu. Ndakanga ndiri muMweya pazuva raShe, ndikanzwa shure kwangu inzwi guru, rakaita serehwamanda, richiti, Ndini Arfa naOmega, wokutanga nowokupedzisira; uye, Zvaunoona, zvinyore mubhuku, uzvitumire kumakereke manomwe ari muAsia; kuEfeso, nokuSimina, nokuPegamo, nokuTiatira, nokuSadhisi, nokuFiraderfia, nokuRaodhikia. Zvakazarurwa 1:4–11.

The first three verses of Revelation chapter one identifies the final warning message and how that message is conveyed from God to mankind. It also states that it is the Revelation of Jesus Christ, thus marking a distinction between the book of Revelation and the book of Daniel. One is a prophecy, the other a revelation.

Mavhesi matatu okutanga eZvakazarurwa chitsauko chekutanga anoratidza shoko rokuyambira rokupedzisira uye kuti shoko iroro rinoburitswa sei kubva kuna Mwari richisvika kuvanhu. Anotaurawo kuti iZvakazarurwa zvaJesu Kristu, nokudaro achiisa musiyano pakati pebhuku raZvakazarurwa nebhuku raDanieri. Rimwe chiporofita, rimwe chakazarurwa.

> “In the Revelation all the books of the Bible meet and end. Here is the complement of the book of Daniel. One is a prophecy; the other a revelation. The book that was sealed is not the Revelation, but that portion of the prophecy of Daniel relating to the last days. The angel commanded, ‘But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end.’ Daniel 12:4.” Acts of the Apostles, 585.

> “Mu Bhuku ra Zvakazarurwa mabhuku ose eBhaibheri anosangana ndokupedzisira pano. Pano pane chinozadzisa bhuku raDhanieri. Rimwe chiporofita; rimwe zaruro. Bhuku rakanga rakasimbwa harisi Zvakazarurwa, asi chikamu ichocho chechiporofita chaDhanieri chine chokuita namazuva okupedzisira. Mutumwa akaraira achiti, ‘Asi iwe, Dhanieri, vharira mashoko, usimbise bhuku kusvikira panguva yokuguma.’ Dhanieri 12:4.” Acts of the Apostles, 585.

In the book of Revelation there are lines of prophecy that are to be recognized and brought together line upon line. All those prophetic lines end in the book of Revelation, but the book that was sealed was not the book of Revelation, and it was not simply the book of Daniel that was sealed up, but what was sealed in the book of Daniel was “that portion of the prophecy of Daniel relating to the last days.”

Mu bhuku ra Zvakazarurwa mune mitsetse yechiporofita inofanira kuzivikanwa uye kuunganidzwa, mutsara pamusoro pomutsara. Mitsetse yose iyoyo yechiporofita inoguma mu bhuku ra Zvakazarurwa, asi bhuku rakanga rakasimbiswa nechisimbiso rakanga risiri bhuku ra Zvakazarurwa, uye rakanga risiriwo bhuku ra Dhanieri rose rakangosimbiswa, asi chakanga chakasimbiswa mu bhuku ra Dhanieri chaiva “chikamu ichocho chechiporofita cha Dhanieri chine chokuita namazuva okupedzisira.”

The “last days” can be understood in a general sense, but understanding them as inspired words, (which they are) requires we also evaluate if the expression “last days” has a prophetic symbolism attached to it. The “last days” are a specific period of prophetic history that has many lines of support. I hope to lay out that history in the near future. It is specifically the history of 1798 until the close of probation. One way to recognize this is that in the literal sanctuary service there was one day of the year that represented judgment, and that was the Day of Atonement. That literal ceremony typified what Sister White calls the anti-typical Day of Atonement. The prophetic or spiritual Day of Atonement represents the “last days” of probationary time, it represents the period of the final judgment.

“Mazuva okupedzisira” anogona kunzwisiswa mupfungwa yakazara, asi kuanzwisisa samashoko akafemerwa, (zvavari) kunoda kuti tiongororawo kana chirevo chinoti “mazuva okupedzisira” chine chiratidzo chechiporofita chakabatanidzwa nacho. “Mazuva okupedzisira” inguva yakatarwa munhoroondo yechiporofita ine mitsara mizhinji yekuitsigira. Ndinovimba kuisa pachena nhoroondo iyoyo munguva iri pedyo. Kunyanya, inhoroondo yenguva kubva muna 1798 kusvikira pakuvharwa kwenguva yenyasha. Imwe nzira yokuzviziva nayo ndeyokuti mushumiro chaiyo yoUtiziro kwaiva nezuva rimwe pagore raimiririra kutonga, uye iro raiva Zuva reYananiso. Mhemberero iyoyo chaiyo yaifananidzira izvo Sister White vanodana kuti Zuva reYananiso rinopesana nechifananidzo. Zuva reYananiso rechiporofita kana romweya rinomiririra “mazuva okupedzisira” enguva yenyasha; rinomiririra nguva yokutonga kwokupedzisira.

The prophecy in Daniel that was sealed up was two-fold. There was a prophecy relating to the last days that the Millerites recognized which announced the opening of the judgment. That passage of Daniel is represented by the Ulai River vision of chapters eight and nine. The other prophecy that was sealed up in Daniel announces the close of the judgment, and the end of Adventism, and the end of the United States, and the end of the world. That vision was represented by the Hiddekel River.

Unabii katika Danieli uliotiwa muhuri ulikuwa wa namna mbili. Kulikuwapo unabii unaohusu siku za mwisho ambao Wamilleri waliutambua, uliotangaza kufunguliwa kwa hukumu. Kifungu hicho cha Danieli kinawakilishwa na maono ya Mto Ulai katika sura ya nane na ya tisa. Unabii ule mwingine uliotiwa muhuri katika Danieli unatamka kufungwa kwa hukumu, na mwisho wa Uadventista, na mwisho wa Marekani, na mwisho wa dunia. Maono hayo yaliwakilishwa na Mto Hiddekel.

> “The light that Daniel received from God was given especially for these last days. The visions he saw by the banks of the Ulai and the Hiddekel, the great rivers of Shinar, are now in process of fulfillment, and all the events foretold will soon come to pass.” Testimonies to Ministers, 112, 113.

> “Chiedza chakagamuchirwa naDanieri kubva kuna Mwari chakapiwa zvikurukuru nokuda kwamazuva okupedzisira aya. Zviratidzo zvaakaona pamahombekombe eUlai neHidekeli, iyo nzizi huru dzeShinari, zvino zvava kupinda mukuzadzika, uye zviitiko zvose zvakafanotaurwa zvichakurumidza kuitika.” Testimonies to Ministers, 112, 113.

The Ulai vision was unsealed in 1798 and addresses God’s sanctuary and His people. The Hiddekel vision was unsealed in 1989 when, as described in Daniel eleven, verse forty, the countries representing the former Soviet Union were swept away by the papacy and the United States, and addresses the enemies of God’s people. The two visions function as do the seven churches and seven seals in the book of Revelation. One is the internal history of the church and the other is the external history of the church, and they both run the entirety of and are “especially for” “these last days.”

Chiono cha Ulai kilifunuliwa mwaka 1798 na kinahusu patakatifu pa Mungu na watu Wake. Chiono cha Hiddekel kilifunuliwa mwaka 1989 wakati, kama ilivyoelezwa katika Danieli kumi na moja, aya ya arobaini, nchi zilizowakilisha uliokuwa Muungano wa Kisovieti zilifagiliwa mbali na upapa na Marekani, na kinahusu adui za watu wa Mungu. Chiono hivi viwili hutenda kazi kama yanavyotenda makanisa saba na mihuri saba katika kitabu cha Ufunuo. Kimoja ni historia ya ndani ya kanisa na kingine ni historia ya nje ya kanisa, navyo vyote viwili vinaendelea katika kipindi chote na ni “hasa kwa ajili ya” “siku hizi za mwisho.”

But though we are told the book of Revelation is not the sealed book, we are also told that it is a sealed book.

Lakini ingawa tunaambiwa kwamba kitabu cha Ufunuo si kitabu kilichotiwa muhuri, tunaambiwa pia kwamba ni kitabu kilichotiwa muhuri.

> “Revelation is a sealed book, but it is also an opened book. It records marvelous events that are to take place in the last days of this earth’s history. The teachings of this book are definite, not mystical and unintelligible. In it the same line of prophecy is taken up as in Daniel. Some prophecies God has repeated, thus showing that importance must be given to them. The Lord does not repeat things that are of no great consequence.” Manuscript Releases, volume 9, 8.

> “Chakazarurwa ibhuku rakaiswa chisimbiso, asiwo ibhuku rakazarurwa. Rinonyora zviitiko zvinoshamisa zvichaitika mumazuva okupedzisira enhoroondo yenyika ino. Dzidziso dzebhuku iri dzakajeka, hadzisi dzechakavanzika kana dzisinganzwisisiki. Mariri munotorwazve mutsara mumwe chete wouprofita sezvazviri muna Danieri. Mamwe maprofita Mwari akaadzokorora, nokudaro achiratidza kuti anofanira kupiwa kukosha. Ishe havadzokorori zvinhu zvisina kukosha kukuru.” Manuscript Releases, vhoriyamu 9, 8.

The book of Revelation is unsealed because the prophecies in Daniel are unsealed, and the very lines of prophecies that have been unsealed in Daniel are the same lines that are found in Revelation. What was sealed up in the book of Revelation was a portion of Revelation especially related to God’s people in the “last days.” When Sister White wrote this statement the “seven thunders” was at the time she wrote it sealed up, so she wrote that “it is a sealed book.” She also said the book of Daniel was the “book that was sealed,” in the past tense. For her it had been unsealed in 1798.

Buku ra Zvakazarurwa yakazarurwa nokuti zviporofita zviri muna Dhanieri zvakazarurwa, uye mitsara chaiyo yezviporofita yakazarurwa muna Dhanieri ndiyo mitsara imwe chete inowanikwawo muna Zvakazarurwa. Chakanga chakavharwa mubhuku ra Zvakazarurwa chaiva chikamu chaZvakazarurwa chinonyanya kuenderana navanhu vaMwari mumazuva “okupedzisira.” Apo Hanzvadzi White akanyora mashoko aya, “kutinhira kunomwe” panguva yaakanyora kwakanga kuchakavharwa, naizvozvo akanyora kuti “ibuku rakavharwa.” Akataurawo kuti bhuku ra Dhanieri ndiro “bhuku rakanga rakavharwa,” achishandisa nguva yapfuura. Kwaari, rakanga rakatovhurwa muna 1798.

What was sealed up concerning the seven thunders in her lifetime was not simply the future events represented by the seven thunders, but primarily that the “seven thunders” represent that the beginning of Adventism parallels the end of Adventism. The “seven thunders” is revealing the most important prophetic rule needed to understand the Revelation of Jesus Christ, while also revealing an attribute of God’s nature and character, that He is the beginning and end of all things. Prophecy identifies that there is a purposeful development of the truths connected to God’s nature and character.

Izvo zvakaiswa chisimbiso pamusoro pemitinhiro minomwe munguva yehupenyu hwake hazvina kungova zviitiko zveramangwana zvinomiririrwa nemitinhiro minomwe chete, asi zvikuru-kuru kuti “mitinhiro minomwe” inomirira kuti kutanga kweAdventism kunofananidzana nemagumo eAdventism. “Mitinhiro minomwe” iri kuratidza mutemo wakakosha zvikuru wechiporofita unodiwa kuti munhu anzwisise Zvakazarurwa zvaJesu Kristu, panguva imwe cheteyo ichiratidzawo chimiro chehunhu nehunhu hwaMwari, chokuti Iye ndiye mavambo nemagumo ezvinhu zvose. Chiporofita chinoratidza kuti pane kufambira mberi kwakarongeka nemaune kwechokwadi kwakabatana nehunhu nehunhu hwaMwari.

Jesus, when represented as the “Lion of the tribe of Judah”, is symbolizing the work He accomplishes as He reveals truth in an incremental and systematic way through history. He seals up the prophetic word, until the point in time when it is to be understood. He seals and unseals truth for the purpose of instruction. As Palmoni, Jesus is the Wonderful Numberer, the Master of time controlling His-story. As Alpha and Omega, He is, among other things, the Master of language. As the Lion of the tribe of Judah He is the one who controls when truth is revealed to men.

Yesu, anapowakilishwa kama “Simba wa kabila la Yuda”, anaashiria kazi anayoitimiza anapofunua kweli kwa namna ya hatua kwa hatua na ya utaratibu katika historia. Yeye hulifunga neno la unabii kwa muhuri, hadi wakati ule litakapopaswa kueleweka. Yeye hufunga na kufungua kweli kwa kusudi la mafundisho. Kama Palmoni, Yesu ndiye Mhesabu wa Ajabu, Bwana wa wakati anayeisimamia historia Yake. Kama Alfa na Omega, Yeye ni, miongoni mwa mambo mengine, Bwana wa lugha. Kama Simba wa kabila la Yuda, Yeye ndiye anayedhibiti wakati ambao kweli hufunuliwa kwa wanadamu.

In Revelation chapter one after the first three verses the Godhead is set forth as three distinct entities.

Mu Chivumbulutso chaputala 1, pambuyo pa mavesi atatu oyambirira, Umulungu wa Utatu waikidwa poyera monga zinthu zitatu zosiyana.

> John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace,

> Yoane ku machechi manomwe ari muAsia: Nyasha ngadzive nemi, norugare,

> from him which is, and which was, and which is to come;

> kutoka kwake yeye aliyeko, aliyekuwako, na atakayekuja;

> and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne;

> na kutoka kwa zile Roho saba zilizo mbele ya kiti chake cha enzi;

> And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Revelation 1:4, 5.

> Uye uchibva kuna Jesu Kristu, iye chapupu chakatendeka, nedangwe revakafa, nomuchinda wamadzimambo enyika. Zvakazarurwa 1:4, 5.

The introduction to the last book of the Bible clearly sends a greeting to God’s church which identifies the Father, the Spirit and the Son. The ending of God’s Word is repeating the beginning, and in so doing is emphasizing the significance of the correct understanding of the Godhead. It is doing so for those who will be Philadelphians and make up the one hundred and forty-four thousand. They are the final covenant people, who have been typified throughout the lines of covenant history. Those witnesses, among other truths, establish that God has been incrementally seeking to increase the knowledge of His nature and character throughout prophetic history.

Nhanganyaya yebhuku rekupedzisira reBhaibheri inotumira pachena kwaziso kukereke yaMwari inozivisa Baba, Mweya, neMwanakomana. Kuguma kweShoko raMwari kuri kudzokorora kutanga kwaro, uye mukuita saizvozvo kuri kusimbisa kukosha kwekunzwisisa kwakarurama kweHumwari. Zviri kuita saizvozvo nokuda kwaavo vachava vaFiraderufiya uye vachazadza zana nemakumi mana nezvina ezviuru. Ava ndivo vanhu vesungano vokupedzisira, vakafananidzirwa munhoroondo yose yemitsetse yesungano. Zvapupu izvozvo, pakati pezvimwe zvokwadi, zvinoratidza kuti Mwari anga achitsvaka zvishoma nezvishoma kuwedzera zivo yorudzi rwake nounhu hwake munhoroondo yose yechiporofita.

The greatest symbol in the Bible of man’s lack of the knowledge of God was Pharaoh who represented Egypt, a symbol of the entire world and therefore all of mankind. That waymark begins the process in the beginning of literal Israel where God was seeking to make known His name. At the end of literal Israel, the controversy over God’s name was repeated. At the end of literal Israel Jesus marked His interaction with the Jews by identifying the history of David and using “the rule of first mention” to represent the final statement concerning the Jews’ Laodicean blindness. They could not understand what He was saying, for they did not know the rule of Alpha and Omega, nor did they know the Alpha and Omega standing before them.

चापाक भितरि परमेश्वरक ज्ञानक अभावक सभसँ पैघ प्रतीक फिरौन छल, जे मिस्रक प्रतिनिधित्व करैत छल—मिस्र समस्त संसारक प्रतीक, आ तेँ समस्त मानवजातिक सेहो। ओ मार्गचिह्न प्रारम्भमे शाब्दिक इस्राएलक इतिहासमे ओ प्रक्रिया आरम्भ करैत अछि, जतए परमेश्वर अपन नाम प्रकट करए चाहैत छलाह। शाब्दिक इस्राएलक अन्तमे परमेश्वरक नाम परक विवाद फेर दोहरायल गेल। शाब्दिक इस्राएलक अन्तमे यीशु यहूदीसभक संग अपन व्यवहारक चिह्न एहि प्रकारेँ देलनि जे ओ दाऊदक इतिहासक पहिचान करौलनि आ “प्रथम उल्लेखक नियम”क प्रयोग कए यहूदीसभक लाओदीकियाई अन्धताक विषयमे अन्तिम कथनक प्रतिनिधित्व करौलनि। ओ सभ बुझि नहि सकल जे ओ की कहि रहल छलाह, किएक तँ न ओ सभ अल्फा आ ओमेगाक नियम जनैत छल, आ न ओ अल्फा आ ओमेगाकेँ, जे हुनकासभक सम्मुख ठाढ़ छलाह।

At the beginning of spiritual Israel, the controversy typified in the history of Moses is paralleled. As Adventism has travelled through the history of “the last days,” many opportunities to understand more of Alpha and Omega have been given, just as was the case with ancient Israel. There will be a point where no more questions will be asked at the end of Adventism, as there was in the days of Christ.

Pakutanga kweIsraeri yomweya, gakava rakafananidzirwa munhoroondo yaMosesi rinowiriraniswa. Sezvo Adventismu yakafamba nemunhoroondo ye“mazuva okupedzisira,” mikana mizhinji yokunzwisisa zvakanyanya pamusoro peArfa naOmega yakapiwa, sezvakangoitawo kuvaIsraeri vekare. Pachava nenguva apo pasisazobvunzwi mimwe mibvunzo pakuguma kweAdventismu, sezvazvakanga zvakaita pamazuva aKristu.

Returning to the passage in Revelation chapter one we see that grace and peace are sent from Him which is, and which was, and which is to come, and also from the seven Spirits and also from Jesus. The Godhead is represented as Jesus, the seven Spirits, and Him which is, and which was, and which is to come, thus allowing us to know that it is the Father who possesses the characteristics represented as He who is, was and is to come. These characteristics represent the eternal nature of God. He has always existed, and in verse eight and nine that very attribute is clearly assigned to Jesus.

Tichidzokera kundima iri muna Zvakazarurwa chitsauko chokutanga tinoona kuti nyasha norugare zvinotumirwa zvichibva kuna Iye uripo, akanga aripo, uye achauya, uyewo kubva kuMweya minomwe, uyezve kubva kuna Jesu. Umwari hunomiririrwa saJesu, Mweya minomwe, naIye uripo, akanga aripo, uye achauya, zvichitibvumira kuziva kuti ndiBaba vane unhu hunomiririrwa naIye aripo, akanga aripo, uye achauya. Unhu uhwu hunomiririra chimiro chisingaperi chaMwari. Iye akagara aripo nguva dzose, uye mundima yechisere neyechipfumbamwe hunhu ihwohwo pachahwo hunonyatsoiswa pachena kuna Jesu.

> I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty. I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea. Revelation 1:8–11.

> “Ndzi Alfa na Omega, masungulo ni makumu,” ku vula Hosi Xikwembu, “lo nga kona, ni loyi a a ri kona, ni loyi a taka, wa Matimba Hinkwawo.” Mina Yohane, loyi na mina ndzi nga makwenu, ni nakulorhi enhlomulweni, ni le ka mfumo, ni ku tiyisela ka Yesu Kriste, a ndzi ri exihlaleni lexi vuriwaka Patimosi hikwalaho ka rito ra Xikwembu ni hikwalaho ka vumbhoni bya Yesu Kriste. A ndzi ri eMoyeni hi siku ra Hosi, kutani ndzi twa endzhaku ka mina rito lerikulu, ro fana ni mhalamhala, Ri ku: “Ndzi Alfa na Omega, wo sungula ni wo hetelela”; kutani, “Leswi u swi vonaka swi tsale ebukwini, u swi rhumela eka mavandla ya nkombo lama nga eAsia; eka Efesa, ni le Smirna, ni le Pergamo, ni le Tiyatira, ni le Sarda, ni le Filadelfiya, ni le Lawodikiya.” Nhlavutelo 1:8–11.

Those who have a Bible that writes the words of Jesus in the color red, know that in verses eight and eleven it is Jesus that is speaking. In those verses Jesus identifies that He possesses the identical eternal nature as the Father when He identifies Himself as “the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come,” and Jesus also adds that He is “the Almighty.”

Avo vane Bhaibheri rinonyora mashoko aJesu neruvara rutsvuku, vanoziva kuti mundima yechisere neyechigumi neimwe ndiye Jesu ari kutaura. Mundima idzodzo Jesu anoratidza kuti ane chimiro chimwe chetecho chokusingaperi saBaba paanodzizivisa sa“Ishe, aripo, akanga aripo, uye anouya,” uyezve Jesu anowedzerawo kuti ndiye “Wemasimbaose.”

The very first thing Jesus says in the beginning of the book of Revelation, the book that identifies that it is the Revelation of Jesus Christ; is that He is Alpha and Omega, that He too is eternal as the Father is and that He also is God Almighty. The attributes of God’s nature are the very first words in the book of Revelation from Jesus. Those attributes are direct stumbling blocks for Adventists who still defend the original position of the Godhead. They believe there was a time when the Father brought forth His Son.

Ecaakale nnyo Yesu ky’ayogera ku ntandikwa yennyini ey’ekitabo kya Okubikkulirwa, ekitabo ekyeraga nti kye Kubikkulirwa kwa Yesu Kristo; kwe kuba nti Ye ye Alufa ne Omega, nti era Ye wa lubeerera nga Kitaawe bw’ali, era nti Ye Katonda Omuyinza w’Ebintu Byonna. Ebintu ebiraga obutonde bwa Katonda bye bigambo bya Yesu ebisooka ddala mu kitabo kya Okubikkulirwa. Ebintu ebyo bye bizuula ebikwese era bye bibeera ensittalwaza ezitalambika eri Abadiventi abakyalwanirira endowooza eyasooka ku Katonda ali mu Butuukirivu Obusatu. Bakkiriza nti waaliwo ekiseera Kitaffe lwe yaleeta Omwana we.

The end of the book of Revelation agrees with the beginning of the book of Revelation.

Magumo ebhuku raZvakazarurwa anowirirana nekutanga kwebhuku raZvakazarurwa.

The Second Coming follows the description of the Godhead. In chapter twenty-two we find the end of the book agrees with the beginning of the book and verse twelve parallels verse seven of chapter one by referencing the Second Coming.

Ukubuya Kwesibili kulandela incazelo yoBunkulunkulu. Esahlukweni samashumi amabili nambili sithola ukuthi isiphetho sencwadi siyavumelana nesiqalo sencwadi, futhi ivesi lelishumi nambili lihambisana nevesi lesikhombisa lesahluko sokuqala ngokukhomba ekuBuyeni Kwesibili.

> And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie. I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star. And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. Revelation 22:12–17.

> Zvino, tarirai, ndinouya nokukurumidza; uye mubayiro wangu uneni, kuti ndiripe munhu mumwe nomumwe sezvakaita basa rake. Ndini Arufa naOmega, wokutanga nowokupedzisira, mavambo nomugumo. Vakaropafadzwa avo vanoita mirayiro yake, kuti vave nekodzero kumuti woupenyu, uye vapinde napamasuwo muguta. Nokuti kunze kune imbwa, navaroyi, navafeve, navaurayi, navanonamata zvifananidzo, nounoda nouita nhema yose. Ini Jesu ndatuma mutumwa wangu kuti akupupurirei zvinhu izvi mumakereke. Ndini mudzi norudzi rwaDhavhidhi, nyeredzi inopenya yamangwanani. Zvino Mweya nomwenga vanoti, Uya. Naiye anonzwa ngaati, Uya. Naiye ane nyota ngaauye. Uye ani naani anoda, ngaatore mvura youpenyu pachena. Zvakazarurwa 22:12–17.

After referencing the Second Coming, Jesus, as in Revelation chapter one, identifies Himself as Alpha and Omega. Then he adds the distinction between those who would hear and those who would not hear what the Spirit said unto the churches. He references the communication process illustrated in verses one through three in chapter one, by identifying that he sent Gabriel with the message to John.

Pashure pokureva nezveKuuya kweChipiri, Jesu, sezvakaitwa muna Zvakazarurwa chitsauko chokutanga, anozvizivisa saArfa naOmega. Ipapo anowedzera kusiyanisa pakati peavo vaizonzwa navaya vasingazonzwi zvinotaurwa noMweya kumachechi. Anoreva muitiro wokukurukurirana wakaratidzirwa mundima dzokutanga kusvika dzechitatu dzechitsauko chokutanga, nokuzivisa kuti akatuma Gabhurieri neshoko kuna Johane.

Then He returns to the final statement that He made to the Scribes and Pharisees at the end of ancient Israel. He ties both endings of literal and spiritual Israel together, by answering in Revelation for those in the “last days” what the Jews in their “last days” could not understand. He says that He is the root (beginning) and offspring (ending) of David. The subject of David and his Lord was the last statement Jesus made to the quibbling Jews, and it typifies the final pronouncement for those in the last days that, according to the message to the Philadelphian church, claim to be Jews, but are not.

Wobweranso abwerera ku mazu ŵaumaliro agho wakayowoya ku Ŵalembi na Ŵafarisi paumaliro wa Israyeli wakale. Wakugwirizaniska pamoza umaliro wose wa Israyeli weneco na wauzimu, mwa kuzgora mu Chivumbuzi kwa awo ŵali mu “mazuŵa ghaumaliro” icho Ŵayuda mu “mazuŵa ghawo ghaumaliro” ŵakatondeka kupulikiska. Wakuti Iyo ni muzi (kwamba) na mphapu (umaliro) ya Davide. Nkhani ya Davide na Fumu yake ndiyo yikaŵa mazu ghauzima agho Yesu wakayowoya ku Ŵayuda awo ŵakakangananga, ndipo yikuyimira kupharazga kwaumaliro kwa awo ŵali mu mazuŵa ghaumaliro awo, kwakulingana na uthenga wakuluta ku mpingo wa Filadelfiya, ŵakuti mbayuda, kweni ŵali yayi.

> Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee. Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. Revelation 3:9, 10.

> Tarisa, ndichavaitira vamwe vesinagoge raSatani, avo vanoti maJuda asi vasiri ivo, asi vanoreva nhema; tarisa, ndichavaita kuti vauye vazokupfugamira patsoka dzako, uye vazive kuti ndakakuda. Nokuti wakachengeta shoko rokutsungirira kwangu, neniwo ndichakuchengeta panguva yokuedzwa, ichauya pamusoro penyika yose, kuti iedze vanogara panyika. Zvakazarurwa 3:9, 10.

Those who worship at the feet of the saints are Laodicean Adventists who have been spewed out of the mouth of the Lord.

Avo vanonamata patsoka dzavatsvene ndivo maAdventist eRaodhikia vakarutswa mumuromo waShe.

> “You think, that those who worship before the saint’s feet, (Revelation 3:9), will at last be saved. Here I must differ with you; for God shew me that this class were professed Adventists, who had fallen away, and ‘crucified to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.’ And in the ‘hour of temptation,’ which is yet to come, to show out everyone’s true character, they will know that they are forever lost; and overwhelmed with anguish of spirit, they will bow at the saint’s feet.” Word to the Little Flock, 12.

> “Mwenyesa kuti awo amalambira pamaso pa mapazi a oyera mtima, (Chivumbulutso 3:9), potsiriza adzapulumutsidwa. Pano ndiyenera kusiyana nanu; pakuti Mulungu anandionetsa kuti gulu limeneli linali Adventisti odzinenera, amene anagwa m’chikhulupiriro, ndipo ‘anadzipachikira kwa iwowo Mwana wa Mulungu kachiwiri, namuchititsa manyazi poyera.’ Ndipo mu ‘ola la mayesero,’ limene likadali kubwera, loti liwonetse khalidwe lenileni la aliyense, adzadziwa kuti atayika kwamuyaya; ndipo atagwidwa ndi kupweteka kwakukulu kwa mzimu, adzawerama pa mapazi a oyera mtima.” Word to the Little Flock, 12.

According to the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy those who worship at the saints’ feet, are members of the synagogue of Satan. They claim to be Jews, but they are not. The righteous Adventists are being addressed in the church of Philadelphia. The one hundred and forty-four thousand are Philadelphians, and the Jews who say they are, but are not—are Laodiceans. There are two classes of faithful people in the “last days,” the one hundred and forty-four thousand and those that are martyrs. There are only two churches of the seven that lack any criticism. One is Philadelphia representing those that never die, and the other is Smyrna, representing the faithful martyrs. The martyrs and those that do not die, Smyrna and Philadelphia, are the only churches of the seven with no condemnation attached to the message they were given. Yet, both churches had to deal with those who claimed to be Jews, but were not. This is so, for they are all members of the same church in the “last days” dealing with the same circumstances, one class destined to testify with their blood, represented by Moses at the Mount of Transfiguration, and the other class represented by Elijah who never died.

Maererano neBhaibheri neMweya weChiporofita, avo vanonamata patsoka dzevatsvene inhengo dzesinagoge raSatani. Vanoti maJuda, asi havasi. VaAdventist vakarurama ndivo vari kutaurwa kwavari mukereke yeFiradherfia. Zviuru zana nezvina makumi mana nezvina ndivo vaFiradherfia, uye maJuda vanoti ndivo, asi vasiri—iVaRaodhikia. Kune mapoka maviri avanhu vakatendeka mu“mazuva okupedzisira,” zviuru zana nezvina makumi mana nezvina pamwe chete naavo vari vafiri kutenda. Pamakereke manomwe, pane maviri chete asina kushorwa kupi nokupi. Rimwe iFiradherfia, rinomirira avo vasingazombofi, uye rimwe iSimirina, rinomirira vafiri kutenda vakatendeka. Vafiri kutenda naavo vasingafi, Simirina neFiradherfia, ndiwo chete makereke maviri pamatanhatu namanomwe asina kupomerwa mhaka mumharidzo yavakapiwa. Asiwo, makereke ose ari maviri aya akafanira kubata navaya vaiti maJuda, asi vasiri. Izvi ndizvo, nokuti vose inhengo dzekereke imwe chete mu“mazuva okupedzisira” dziri kutarisana nemamiriro ezvinhu mamwe chetewo, rimwe boka rakagadzirirwa kupupura neropa raro, richimiririrwa naMozisi paGomo reKushandurwa Chiso, uye rimwe boka richimiririrwa naEria asina kumbofa.

> And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive; I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan. Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. Revelation 2:8–10.

> Uye kumutumwa wekereke iri muSimirna nyora kuti: Zvinhu izvi ndizvo zvinotaura Wokutanga naWokupedzisira, iye wakanga akafa, zvino ava mupenyu; Ndinoziva mabasa ako, nokutambudzika, nourombo, (asi iwe uri mupfumi) uye ndinoziva kumhura kunoitwa navaya vanoti ivo vaJudha, asi vasiri, asi vari sinagoge raSatani. Usatya chinhu chipi nechipi chezvauchazotambudzika nacho: tarira, dhiabhori uchakandira vamwe venyu mutorongo, kuti muedzwe; uye muchava nokutambudzika kwemazuva gumi: iva wakatendeka kusvikira parufu, uye ndichakupa korona youpenyu. Zvakazarurwa 2:8–10.

As Jesus describes the dire circumstances of the church of Smyrna, he makes but one positive comment when He says, “but thou art rich,” thus contrasting them with the members of the synagogue of Satan who are not rich. Those in Revelation that are Adventist and think they are rich, and are not, are the Jews that say they are Jews, and are not—for they are Laodicean Seventh-day Adventists.

Kilge Yesu a hlamusela swiyimo swo chavisa swa kereke ya Smirna, u vula rito rin’we ntsena ra ku bumabumela loko a ku, “kambe u fuwe,” hi ndlela leyi a va hambanisaka ni swirho swa sinagoga ya Sathana leswi nga riki leswi fuweke. Lava nga eka Nhlavutelo lava nga Vaadiventa naswona va ehleketa leswaku va fuwe, kasi a va fuwanga, hi vona Vayuda lava vulaka leswaku i Vayuda, kambe a hi vona— hikuva i Vaadiventa va Laodikiya va Siku ra Vunkombo.

In the opening of Revelation, the Godhead is presented as three persons and at the end of the book of Revelation Jesus and the Spirit are directly mentioned, but not the Father. It matters not, because the principle of line upon line combined with the first illustrating the last, demands that the Father be recognized in the last verses of Revelation, for He is already identified as being there in the first verses. It is no different than the gospel of John chapter one, where John does not directly identify the Spirit, but the Spirit is understood to be there, for the Spirit was there the very first time the expression “in the beginning” was written. John’s gospel testimony in chapter one begins with the identical phrase “in the beginning.”

Pakuvamba kweBhuku raZvakazarurwa, Humwari hunoratidzwa sevanhu vatatu, uye pakuguma kwebhuku raZvakazarurwa Jesu noMweya vanotaurwa zvakananga, asi kwete Baba. Hazvina basa, nokuti nheyo yokuti mutsetse pamusoro pomutsetse, ichisanganiswa nechokutanga chichiratidza chokupedzisira, inoda kuti Baba vazivikanwe mumavhesi okupedzisira aZvakazarurwa, nokuti vakatotaurwa vachivapo imomo mumavhesi okutanga. Hazvina kusiyana neEvhangeri yaJohane chitsauko chokutanga, apo Johane asingatauri zvakananga nezvaMweya, asi zvinonzwisiswa kuti Mweya aivapo, nokuti Mweya akanga aripo kekutanga chaiko pakanyorwa mashoko okuti “pakutanga.” Uchapupu hwaJohane hwevhangeri muchitsauko chokutanga hunotanga nomutsara iwoyo iwoyo wokuti “pakutanga.”

The “beginning” is a prophetic symbol and is to be evaluated with prophetic rules, including line upon line. Moses’ beginning, is the gospel of John’s beginning, is the beginning of the book of Revelation and it is also the end of Revelation. Of those four lines twice all three persons of the heavenly trio are identified, and in one line (John’s gospel) the Spirit might be missing and in the fourth line the Father is missing, but when brought together all three Divine Persons are represented in all four lines.

“kutanga” chiratidzo chechiporofita, uye kunofanira kuongororwa nemitemo yechiporofita, kusanganisira mutsara pamusoro pomutsara. Kutanga kwaMozisi, ndiko kutanga kwevhangeri raJohane, ndiko kutanga kwebhuku raZvakazarurwa, uye ndiko zvakare kuguma kwaZvakazarurwa. Pamitsara iyoyo mina, kaviri vanhu vose vatatu vehutatu hwekudenga vanoziviswa; uye mumutsara mumwe (vhangeri raJohane) Mweya ungangove usipo, uye mumutsara wechina Baba havapo, asi kana zvikaunganidzwa pamwe chete, Vanhu vose vatatu vouMwari vanomiririrwa mumitsara yose mina.

Christ came to make known the Father, and the Holy Spirit came to make known the Son. All three made eternal sacrifices. The Father so loved the world that He gave Jesus, Jesus so loved the world that He agreed to take upon Himself, for eternity, the flesh of those He had created. What kind of giving is represented in the act of the Creator choosing to become part of His creation? The third person of the Godhead gave Himself, for He has accepted the position of living within the created entity called mankind—throughout eternity.

Kristu akauya kuzozivisa Baba, uye Mweya Mutsvene akauya kuzozivisa Mwanakomana. Vose vari vatatu vakaita zvibayiro zvisingaperi. Baba vakada nyika zvikuru zvokuti vakapa Jesu, Jesu akada nyika zvikuru zvokuti akabvuma kutakura paAri, nokusingaperi, nyama yevaya vaakanga asika. Rudzii rwokupa runomiririrwa nechiito choMusiki kusarudza kuva chikamu chezvaakasika? Munhu wechitatu woUmwari akazvipa amene, nokuti akagamuchira chinzvimbo chokugara mukati mechisikwa chinonzi vanhu—nokusingaperi.

It is probably for this reason that the Holy Spirit is repeatedly associated with symbols of God’s people. He is the Person of the Godhead that is to abide with the human creation. Therefore, the symbols of the Holy Spirit in the Scriptures are more often than not represented by a symbol that both represents the Holy Spirit or mankind. In the beginning the Spirit moved upon the waters.

Zvichida ndiwo musaka Mweya Mutsvene achidzokororwa achibatanidzwa nezviratidzo zvevanhu vaMwari. Ndiye Munhu woUmwari unofanira kugara pamwe chete nechisikwa chomunhu. Naizvozvo, zviratidzo zvaMweya Mutsvene muMagwaro kazhinji zvinomiririrwa nechiratidzo chinomiririrawo Mweya Mutsvene kana vanhu. Pakutanga Mweya wakafamba pamusoro pemvura.

> And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. Revelation 17:15.

> Ndipo akati kwandiri, Mvura yawakaona, panogara hure, ndidzo marudzi avanhu, namapoka mazhinji, nendudzi, nendimi. Zvakazarurwa 17:15.

The only piece of furniture in the sanctuary erected by Moses that did not have a pattern specifically detailed for the workers to follow was the seven branched candlestick. The candlestick represents the combination of humanity with divinity. For this reason, the candlestick’s design was the only item in the sanctuary left for men to contribute to. The seven candlesticks that Christ walks among are identified as the seven churches, yet the candlestick was fueled with oil, representing the Holy Spirit, and the wicks of the candles that supported the flame for light were made from the used white linen garments of the priests, representing the righteousness of Christ that shines as the light of the world. God’s people are the light of the world, but that light is only fueled by the oil of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is often associated with people in the description of Him in the Scriptures.

គ្រឿងសង្ហារឹមតែមួយគត់នៅក្នុងទីបរិសុទ្ធដែលលោកម៉ូសេសបានសង់ឡើង ហើយមិនមានគំរូណាមួយត្រូវបានពិពណ៌នាយ៉ាងជាក់លាក់សម្រាប់អ្នកធ្វើការឲ្យអនុវត្តតាម នោះគឺជាជើងចង្កៀងមានមែកប្រាំពីរ។ ជើងចង្កៀងនេះតំណាងឲ្យការរួមបញ្ចូលគ្នារវាងមនុស្សជាតិ និងទេវភាព។ ដោយហេតុនេះហើយ ការរចនារបស់ជើងចង្កៀងគឺជាវត្ថុតែមួយគត់នៅក្នុងទីបរិសុទ្ធដែលបានទុកឲ្យមនុស្សមានចំណែកចូលរួម។ ជើងចង្កៀងទាំងប្រាំពីរដែលព្រះគ្រីស្ទយាងនៅកណ្ដាល ត្រូវបានកំណត់ថាជាក្រុមជំនុំទាំងប្រាំពីរ ប៉ុន្តែជើងចង្កៀងនោះត្រូវបានផ្គត់ផ្គង់ដោយប្រេង ដែលតំណាងឲ្យព្រះវិញ្ញាណបរិសុទ្ធ ហើយវត្តីនៃចង្កៀងដែលទ្រទ្រង់អណ្ដាតភ្លើងសម្រាប់បំភ្លឺ ត្រូវបានធ្វើពីសម្លៀកបំពាក់ក្រណាត់ទេសឯកពណ៌សដែលបូជាចារ្យបានប្រើរួច ដែលតំណាងឲ្យសេចក្តីសុចរិតរបស់ព្រះគ្រីស្ទ ដែលភ្លឺចែងចាំងជាពន្លឺនៃលោកិយ។ ប្រជាជនរបស់ព្រះជាម្ចាស់គឺជាពន្លឺនៃលោកិយ ប៉ុន្តែពន្លឺនោះត្រូវបានបញ្ឆេះតែដោយប្រេងនៃព្រះវិញ្ញាណបរិសុទ្ធប៉ុណ្ណោះ។ ព្រះវិញ្ញាណបរិសុទ្ធជាញឹកញាប់ត្រូវបានភ្ជាប់ជាមួយមនុស្សនៅក្នុងសេចក្តីពិពណ៌នាអំពីទ្រង់នៅក្នុងបទគម្ពីរ។

> And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God. Revelation 4:5.

> Na kutoka katika kile kiti cha enzi kulitoka umeme na radi na sauti; na mbele ya kile kiti cha enzi kulikuwa na taa saba za moto zikiwaka, ambazo ndizo Roho saba za Mungu. Ufunuo 4:5.

Seven lamps are here identified as the “seven Spirits of God,” yet we are told the seven candlesticks are the seven churches.

Marambi manomwe pano anozivikanwa se“Midzimu minomwe yaMwari,” asi tinoudzwa kuti zvigadziko zvemarambi zvinomwe ndizvo machechi manomwe.

> The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches. Revelation 1:20.

> Chakavanzika chetsoka nomwe dzenyeredzi dzawakaona muruoko rwangu rworudyi, nezvigadziko zvemwenje zvinomwe zvegoridhe. Nyeredzi nomwe ndidzo vatumwa vekereke nomwe; uye zvigadziko zvemwenje zvinomwe zvawakaona ndidzo kereke nomwe. Zvakazarurwa 1:20.

The seven candlesticks are both the seven Spirits and they are God’s church.

Iziphatho eziyisikhombisa zingomoya abayisikhombisa, futhi ziyibandla likaNkulunkulu.

> And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. Revelation 5:6.

> Ndakaona, zvino tarirai, pakati pechigaro choushe nechepakati pezvisikwa zvina zvipenyu, uye pakati pevakuru, pakanga pamire Gwayana sokunge rakanga rabayiwa, rine nyanga nomwe nameso manomwe, zvinova ndiyo Mweya minomwe yaMwari yakatumwa munyika yose. Zvakazarurwa 5:6.

The seven horns and seven eyes are also the Holy Spirit who is sent forth unto all the earth, and when baptized a Christian is sent forth unto all the earth, for he was baptized in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. In the blessing pronounced upon the martyrs of the Sunday law crisis, and all those who died in the faith in modern spiritual Israel since 1844, it is the Spirit that provides the eulogy for their burials’ when He states, “Yea,” “they may rest from their labors,” for he was there during their labors all the way until they laid down their lives.

Nyanga nomwe nemaziso manomwewo ndiwo Mweya Mutsvene anotumirwa kunyika yose; uye kana muKristu abhabhatidzwa, anotumirwawo kunyika yose, nokuti akabhabhatidzwa muzita raBaba, neroMwanakomana, neroMweya Mutsvene. Muropafadzo unotaurwa pamusoro pevakafira kutenda panguva yenhamo yomutemo weSvondo, pamwe chete navose vakafira mukutenda muIsraeri yomudzimu yazvino kubvira muna 1844, ndiwo Mweya unopa rumbidzo pamariro avo paanoti, “Hongu,” “kuti vazorore pakubata kwavo nesimba,” nokuti akanga aripo panguva yokubata kwavo nesimba kubva pakutanga kusvikira vaipa upenyu hwavo.

> And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them. Revelation 14:13.

> Ipapo ndakanzwa inzwi richibva kudenga richiti kwandiri, Nyora uchiti, Vakaropafadzwa vakafa vanofira munaShe kubva zvino zvichienda mberi: Hongu, ndizvo zvinotaura Mweya, kuti vazorore pamabasa avo; uye mabasa avo anovatevera. Zvakazarurwa 14:13.

When considering the end and beginning of the book of Revelation, the beginning of the Bible and the beginning of the gospel of John we find that all three Persons of the Godhead are represented, though the Father is there, based upon the application of line upon line. The Son is there identifying Himself as Alpha and Omega.

Pakufungisisa nezvekuguma nokutanga kwebhuku raZvakazarurwa, kutanga kweBhaibheri, uye kutanga kwevhangeri raJohane, tinoona kuti Vanhu vatatu voUmwari vose varipo vakamiririrwa, kunyange zvazvo Baba varipo ipapo zvichibva pakushandiswa kwenhevedzano pamusoro penhevedzano. Mwanakomana varipo vachizvizivisa saArfa naOmega.

If we recognize that the combination of humanity with divinity is a combination of the Holy Spirit and mankind, we can then understand why symbols of the Holy Spirit are tied together with symbols of mankind. With this perspective in mind, we return to the two “in the beginnings” we have been addressing so often.

Kana tikaziva kuti kubatanidzwa kwouvanhu noumwari kubatanidzwa kwoMweya Mutsvene navanhu, ipapo tinogona kunzwisisa chikonzero nei zviratidzo zvoMweya Mutsvene zvichibatanidzwa pamwe chete nezviratidzo zvavanhu. Tichifunga nemaonero aya, tinodzokera kune “pakutanga” mbiri dzatagara tichitaura nezvadzo kakawanda.

> In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. Genesis 1:1–4.

> Pambutanga, Xikwembu xi tumbuluxe matilo ni misava. Kutani misava a yi nga ri na xivumbeko, yi ri hava nchumu; naswona munyama a wu ri ehenhla ka xikandza xa xidziva lexikulu. Kutani Moya wa Xikwembu a wu famba ehenhla ka xikandza xa mati. Xikwembu xi ku: A ku ve ni ku vonakala; kutani ku vonakala ku va kona. Xikwembu xi vona ku vonakala leswaku ku swinene; kutani Xikwembu xi hambanisa ku vonakala ni munyama. Genesa 1:1–4.

> In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. John 1:1–5.

> Pakutanga kwaiva neShoko, uye Shoko rakanga riri kuna Mwari, uye Shoko rakanga riri Mwari. Iro ndiro rakanga riri pakutanga kuna Mwari. Zvinhu zvose zvakaitwa naro; uye pasina iro hakuna chakaitwa pane zvakaitwa. Mariri maiva noupenyu; uye upenyu ihwohwo ndihwo hwakanga huri chiedza chavanhu. Uye chiedza chinovhenekera murima; asi rima harina kuchinzwisisa. Johane 1:1–5.

Using these two witnesses of “in the beginning;” God the Word, who made all things, also gave His life, for “in Him was life,” and His life was the “light” of men. The “light” of a created man is the righteousness of the Creator. The righteousness of the Creator is the wick in the candles in the sanctuary.

Achishandisa zvapupu zviviri izvi zve“pakutanga;” Mwari Shoko, uyo akasika zvinhu zvose, akapawo upenyu hwake, nokuti “maAri maiva noupenyu,” uye upenyu hwake ndihwo hwakanga huri “chiedza” chevanhu. “Chiedza” chomunhu akasikwa ndiko kururama kwoMusiki. Kururama kwoMusiki ndiko tambo iri mumakanduru ari munzvimbo tsvene.

> And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. Revelation 19:18.

> A aṋiwa mbilu leswaku a ambala nguvu ya linyu leyinene, leyi tengeke ni ku basa; hikuva nguvu ya linyu leyinene i ku lulama ka vakwetsimi. Nhlavutelo 19:18.

The oil that fuels the wick represents the activity of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer. In the beginning the earth was dark and there was no light. Jesus then gave His life, the life that was in Him, so there could be light for men.

Mafuta yanayolisha utambi yanawakilisha utendaji wa Roho Mtakatifu katika maisha ya mwamini. Hapo mwanzo dunia ilikuwa katika giza, wala hapakuwa na nuru. Kisha Yesu akautoa uhai Wake, ule uhai uliokuwa ndani Yake, ili kuwepo nuru kwa wanadamu.

> And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. Revelation 13:8.

> Abo bonse abikala pa nsi bamupepa, abo amazina yabo yatalembwa mu buku bwa bumi obwa Mwana gw’Endiga eyattibwa okuva ku kutondebwa kw’ensi. Okubikkulirwa 13:8.

When Jesus chose to be a sacrifice for mankind, He gave His life so men would have light. As is the case in these two passages, whenever light is introduced, the light produces two classes of worshippers as represented by light and darkness, the children of the day or the children of the night.

Jesu paakasarudza kuva chibayiro chevanhu, akapa upenyu hwake kuti vanhu vave nechiedza. Sezvazviri muzvikamu zviviri izvi, pose panounzwa chiedza, chiedza ichocho chinobudisa mapoka maviri avanamati, anomiririrwa nechiedza nerima, vana vemasikati kana vana vousiku.

> But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. 1 Thessalonians 5:4, 5.

> Asi imi, hama, hamusi murima, kuti zuva iro rikubatei sembavha. Imi mose muri vana vechiedza, uye vana vemasikati; hatizi vokusiku, kana verima. 1 VaTesaronika 5:4, 5.

When we recognize the close eternal relationship the Holy Spirit has with the children of the day, we can understand why the symbols of both God’s children and the Holy Spirit are so closely related. In the last passage of Revelation, we see Jesus as the Alpha and Omega, we see the Father through the application of line upon line and the Holy Spirit is providing His final symbolic representation of Himself, for holy men of old spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. His first statement of Himself in Genesis identifies Him moving upon the waters, or moving upon mankind and His last reference to Himself is as follows.

Wakati tunapotambua uhusiano wa karibu wa milele alio nao Roho Mtakatifu na watoto wa mchana, tunaweza kuelewa kwa nini alama za watoto wa Mungu na za Roho Mtakatifu zina uhusiano wa karibu sana. Katika kifungu cha mwisho cha Ufunuo, tunamwona Yesu kuwa Alfa na Omega; tunamwona Baba kwa matumizi ya mstari juu ya mstari; na Roho Mtakatifu anatoa uwakilishi Wake wa mwisho wa kiishara kuhusu nafsi Yake, kwa maana watu watakatifu wa kale walinena wakiongozwa na Roho Mtakatifu. Kauli Yake ya kwanza kuhusu nafsi Yake katika Mwanzo inamtambulisha akitenda juu ya maji, yaani, akitenda juu ya wanadamu; na rejeo Lake la mwisho kuhusu nafsi Yake ni kama ifuatavyo.

> And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. Revelation 22:17.

> Na Umoya n’umugeni baravuga bati: Ngwino. Kandi uwumva na we avuge ati: Ngwino. Kandi ufite inyota aze. Kandi ushaka wese nafate amazi y’ubugingo ku buntu. Ibyahishuwe 22:17.

From the beginning to the end the Holy Spirit is identified in association with mankind, for the children of the day represent a combination of divinity and humanity. Paul identifies, as does Isaiah, that men are vessels, and the candlesticks in the sanctuary had vessels where the wick was placed, and oil came down to the vessels to supply the fuel necessary to manifest the light that is the righteousness of Christ. We are the vessels of the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Godhead as identified from the beginning unto the ending of God’s Word, and as straightly identified in the writings of the Spirit of Prophecy.

Kutoka mwanzo hadi mwisho Roho Mtakatifu anatambulishwa kwa uhusiano wake na wanadamu, kwa maana wana wa mchana wanawakilisha muungano wa uungu na ubinadamu. Paulo, kama vile Isaya pia afanyavyo, anatambulisha kwamba wanadamu ni vyombo; na vinara vya taa katika patakatifu palikuwa na vyombo ambamo utambi uliwekwa, na mafuta yalishuka hadi kwenye vyombo hivyo ili kutoa mafuta ya kuchochea mwako yanayohitajika kudhihirisha nuru iliyo haki ya Kristo. Sisi ni vyombo vya Roho Mtakatifu, Nafsi ya Tatu ya Uungu, kama anavyotambulishwa tangu mwanzo hata mwisho wa Neno la Mungu, na kama anavyobainishwa kwa uwazi katika maandiko ya Roho ya Unabii.

In the second angel’s message which was fulfilled in the beginning of Adventism and the end, there are two distinct messages; one for the church and one for the world.

M’uthenga wa mngelo wa ciŵiri, uwo ukafiskika pa chiyambi cha Chiadiventi na pa umaliro, muli mauthenga ghaŵiri ghakupambanapambana: limoza la mpingo ndipo linyake la charu.

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