A Shut Door!Part 1

Enoch, the seventh from Adam, was ever prophesying the coming of the Lord. This great event had been revealed to him in vision. Abel, though dead, is ever speaking of the blood of Christ, which alone can make our offerings and gifts perfect. The Bible has accumulated and bound up together its treasures for this last generation. All the great events and solemn transactions of Old Testament history have been, and are, repeating themselves in the church in these last days…

THEIR PROPHESYING IS IN

FORCE FOR US

The prophets are still testifying of the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow. There the whole accumulated truths are presented in force to us, that we may profit by their teachings. We are under the influence of the whole. {Christ Triumphant, p. 357}

THEIR PROPHESYING IS IN

FORCE FOR US

Prophecy has been fulfilling, line upon line. The more firmly we stand under the banner of the third angel's message, the more clearly shall we understand the prophecy of Daniel; for the Revelation is the supplement of Daniel. The more fully we accept the light presented by the Holy Spirit through the consecrated servants of God, the deeper and surer, even as the eternal throne, will appear the truths of ancient prophecy; we shall be assured that men of God spake as they were moved upon by the Holy Ghost. Men must themselves be under the influence of the Holy Spirit in order to understand the Spirit's utterances through the prophets. These messages were given, not for those that uttered the prophecies, but for us who are living amid the scenes of their fulfillment. {Selected Messages, book 2, p.114}

LIVING AMID THE SCENES

Each of the ancient prophets spoke less for their own time than for ours, so that their prophesying is in force for us. "Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come" (1 Corinthians 10:11). "Not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into" (1 Peter 1:12). {Selected Messages, book 3, p.338}

LIVING AMID THE SCENES

THE PROPHETS A TYPEThe vision given to Isaiah represents the

condition of God’s people in the last days. They are privileged to see by faith the work that is going forward in the heavenly sanctuary.… As they look by faith into the holy of holies, and see the work of Christ in the heavenly sanctuary, they perceive that they are a people of unclean lips… But if they, like Isaiah, will receive the impression the Lord designs shall be made upon the heart…there is hope for them. The bow of promise is above the throne, and the work done for Isaiah will be performed in them. {Review and Herald, December 22, 1896.}

It was not long after the passing of the time, in 1844, that my first vision was given me. I was visiting Mrs. Haines at Portland, a dear sister in Christ, whose heart was knit with mine; five of us, all women, were kneeling quietly at the family altar. While we were praying, the power of God came upon me as I had never felt it before. I seemed to be surrounded with light, and to be rising higher and higher from the earth. I turned to look for the advent people in the world, but could not find them, when a voice said to me, "Look again, and look a little higher."

THE PROPHETS A TYPE

At this, I raised my eyes, and saw a straight and narrow path, cast up high above the world. On this path the advent people were traveling to the city which was at the farther end of the path. They had a bright light set up behind them at the beginning of the path, which an angel told me was the "midnight cry." [See Matthew 25:6.] This light shone all along the path, and gave light for their feet, so that they might not stumble. If they kept their eyes fixed on Jesus, who was just before them, leading them to the city, they were safe. But soon some grew weary, and said the city was a great way off, and they expected to have entered it before.

THE PROPHETS A TYPE

Then Jesus would encourage them by raising His glorious right arm, and from His arm came a light which waved over the advent band, and they shouted "Alleluia!" Others rashly denied the light behind them, and said that it was not God that had led them out so far. The light behind them went out, leaving their feet in perfect darkness, and theystumbled and lost sight of the mark and of Jesus, and fell off the path down into the dark and wicked world below.

THE PROPHETS A TYPE

The 144,000 were all sealed, and perfectly united. On their foreheads was written, "God, New Jerusalem," and a glorious star containing Jesus' new name. At our happy, holy state the wicked were enraged, and would rush violently up to lay hands on us to thrust us into prison, when we would stretch forth the hand in the name of the Lord, and they would fall helpless to the ground. Then it was that the synagogue of Satan knew that God had loved us who could wash one another's feet, and salute the brethren with a holy kiss, and they worshiped at our feet.

THE PROPHETS A TYPE

Soon our eyes were drawn to the east, for a small black cloud had appeared, about half as large as a man's hand, which we all knew was the sign of the Son of man. We all in solemn silence gazed on the cloud as it drew nearer, and became lighter, glorious, and still more glorious, till it was a great white cloud. The bottom appeared like fire; a rainbow was over the cloud, while around it were ten thousand angels, singing a most lovely song; and upon it sat the Son of man. {Christian Experience and Teachings, pp. 57, 58.}

THE PROPHETS A TYPE

A Shut Door!Part 2

THE PROPHETS A TYPEThe vision given to Isaiah represents the

condition of God’s people in the last days. They are privileged to see by faith the work that is going forward in the heavenly sanctuary.… As they look by faith into the holy of holies, and see the work of Christ in the heavenly sanctuary, they perceive that they are a people of unclean lips… But if they, like Isaiah, will receive the impression the Lord designs shall be made upon the heart…there is hope for them. The bow of promise is above the throne, and the work done for Isaiah will be performed in them. {Review and Herald, December 22, 1896.}

REVIVAL & REFORMATIONAs Isaiah beheld this revelation of the glory and

majesty of his Lord, he was overwhelmed with a sense of the purity and holiness of God. How sharp the contrast between the matchless perfection of his Creator, and the sinful course of those who, with himself, had long been numbered among the chosen people of Israel and Judah! "Woe is me!" he cried; "for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts." Verse 5. Standing, as it were, in the full light of the divine presence within the inner sanctuary,

REVIVAL & REFORMATIONhe realized that if left to his own imperfection and

inefficiency, he would be utterly unable to accomplish the mission to which he had been called. But a seraph was sent to relieve him of his distress and to fit him for his great mission. A living coal from the altar was laid upon his lips, with the words, "Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged." Then the voice of God was heard saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?" and Isaiah responded, "Here am I; send me." Verses 7, 8. {Prophets and Kings, p. 307}

INTELLECTUALLY & SPIRITUALLY

Just as soon as the people of God are sealed in their foreheads--it is not any seal or mark that can be seen, but a settling into the truth, both intellectually and spiritually, so they cannot be moved--just as soon as God's people are sealed and prepared for the shaking, it will come. Indeed, it has begun already; the judgments of God are now upon the land, to give us warning, that we may know what is coming. {Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 4, p. 1161}

COMPREHENSION & GLAD RECEPTION

The comprehension of truth, the glad reception of the message, is

represented in the eating of the little book.

{Seventh-Day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol.7, p. 971}

A TWOFOLD WORK!• MIND• HEART

• INTELLECTUALLY• SPIRITUALLY

A Shut Door!Part 3

There was a shut door in Noah's day. There was at that time a withdrawal of the Spirit of God from the sinful race that perished in the waters of the Flood. God Himself gave the shut-door message to Noah… There was a shut door in the days of Abraham. Mercy ceased to plead with the inhabitants of Sodom, and all but Lot, with his wife and two daughters, were consumed by the fire sent down from heaven. There was a shut door in Christ's day. The Son of God declared to the unbelieving Jews of that generation, "Your house is left unto you desolate" (Matthew 23:38).

A SHUT DOOR!

Looking down the stream of time to the last days, the same infinite power proclaimed through John: "These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth" (Revelation 3:7). {1SM 63.8} I was shown in vision, and I still believe, that there was a shut door in 1844. All who saw the light of the first and second angels' messages and rejected that light, were left in darkness. And those who accepted it and received the Holy Spirit which attended the proclamation of the message from heaven, and who afterward renounced their faith and pronounced their

A SHUT DOOR!

experience a delusion, thereby rejected the Spirit of God, and it no longer pleaded with them. {1SM 63}

A SHUT DOOR!

While at Loma Linda, California, April 16, 1906, there passed before me a most wonderful representation. During a vision of the night, I stood on an eminence, from which I could see houses shaken like a reed in the wind. Buildings, great and small, were falling to the ground. Pleasure resorts, theaters, hotels, and the homes of the wealthy were shaken and shattered. Many lives were blotted out of existence, and the air was filled with the shrieks of the injured and the terrified.

JUDGMENTS OF GOD ON OUR CITIES

The destroying angels of God were at work. One touch, and buildings, so thoroughly constructed that men regarded them as secure against every danger, quickly became heaps of rubbish. There was no assurance of safety in any place. I did not feel in any special peril, but the awfulness of the scenes that passed before me I cannot find words to describe. It seemed that the forbearance of God was exhausted and that the Judgment day had come. The angel that stood at my side then instructed me that but few have any conception of the wickedness existing in our world today, and especially the wickedness in the large cities.

JUDGMENTS OF GOD ON OUR CITIES

He declared that the Lord has appointed a time when He will visit transgressors in wrath for persistent disregard of His law. Terrible as was the representation that passed before me, that which impressed itself most vividly upon my mind was the instruction given in connection with it. The angel that stood by my side declared that God's supreme rulership and the sacredness of His law must be revealed to those who persistently refused to render obedience to the King of kings. Those who choose to remain disloyal must be visited in mercy with judgments, in order that, if possible, they may be aroused to a realization of the sinfulness of their course.

JUDGMENTS OF GOD ON OUR CITIES

Throughout the following day I pondered the scenes that had passed before me and the instruction that had been given. During the afternoon we journeyed to Glendale, near Los Angeles; and the following night I was again instructed regarding the holiness and binding claims of the Ten Commandments and the supremacy of God above all earthly rulers. Through His prophet Zephaniah the Lord specifies the judgments that He will bring upon evildoers: "I will utterly consume all things from off the land, saith the Lord. I will consume man and beast; I will consume the fowls of the heaven, and the fishes of the sea, and the stumbling blocks with the wicked; and I will cut off man from off the land, saith the Lord." – 9T, pp. 92-95

JUDGMENTS OF GOD ON OUR CITIES

He declared that the Lord has appointed a time when He will visit transgressors in wrath for persistent disregard of His law. Terrible as was the representation that passed before me, that which impressed itself most vividly upon my mind was the instruction given in connection with it. The angel that stood by my side declared that God's supreme rulership and the sacredness of His law must be revealed to those who persistently refused to render obedience to the King of kings. Judgment day had come. The angel that stood at my side then instructed me that but few have any conception of the wickedness existing in our world today, and especially the wickedness in the large cities.

JUDGMENTS OF GOD ON OUR CITIES

HOLY PLACE MOSTHOLY PLACE

Most Holy Place Holy Place

HOLY PLACE

MOSTHOLY PLACE

31 A.D.

184410th Day, 7th Month

October 22

The Parable of the Ten VirginsThe parable of the ten virgins of Matthew 25 also

illustrates the experience of the Adventist people. {Great Controversy, p. 393}

I am often referred to the parable of the ten virgins, five of whom were wise, and five foolish. This parable HAS BEEN and WILL BE fulfilled to the very letter, for it has a special application to this time, and, like the third angel's message, has been fulfilled and will continue to be present truth till the close of time. {Review & Herald, August 19, 1890, par. 3}

Again and again I have been shown that the past

experiences of God's people are not to be

counted as dead facts. We are not to treat the record of these experiences as

we would treat a last year's almanac. The

record is to be kept in mind, for history will repeat itself… {The

Publishing Ministry, p. 175}

The Parable of the Ten VirginsA special message has come to our world in the

messages of the first and second angels. [Rev. 14:6-8, quoted.] Under the proclamation of these messages, the midnight cry was made, and the believers in the messages were compelled to go out from the churches because they preached the second appearing of Christ in the clouds of heaven. The whole world was to hear that message, "Behold, the Bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet Him." Here is the parable of the ten virgins. {Manuscript Releases, vol. 16, p. 267}

THE SEVEN THUNDERS

After these seven thunders uttered their voices, the injunction comes to John as to Daniel in regard to the little book: "Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered." These relate to future events which WILL BE disclosed in their order… The special light given to John which was expressed in the seven thunders WAS a delineation of events which would transpire under the first and second angels' messages. {Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7, p. 971}

TO RUN PARALLELGod has given the messages of Revelation 14 their place in the line of prophecy, and their work is not to cease till the close of this earth's history. The first and second angel's messages are still truth for this time, and are to run parallel with this which follows. The third angel proclaims his warning with a loud voice. "After these things," said John, "I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power, and the earth was lightened with his glory." In this illumination, the light of all the three messages is combined. {The Ellen G. White 1888 Materials, p. 804}

FIRST MESSAGE

SECONDMESSAGE

THIRDMESSAGE

Sin Righteousness Judgment

KNOWLEDGE

INCREASES 7

FOURTHMESSAGE

Sin

Righteousness

Judgment

1 3

2

FIRST MESSAGE

SECONDMESSAGE

THIRDMESSAGE

Sin Righteousness Judgment

KNOWLEDGE

INCREASES 7

Sin

Righteousness

Judgment

1 3

2

TimeOf TheEnd

TimeOf TheEnd

MILLERITES

144,000

THIRDMESSAGE

FOURTHMESSAGE

Michael Stands Up

SECONDCOMING

FIRST MESSAGE

SECONDMESSAGE

THIRDMESSAGE

Sin Righteousness Judgment

KNOWLEDGE

INCREASES 7

FOURTHMESSAGE

Sin

Righteousness

Judgment

1 3

2

FIRST MESSAGE

SECONDMESSAGE

THIRDMESSAGE

Sin Righteousness Judgment

KNOWLEDGE

INCREASES 7

Sin

Righteousness

Judgment

1 3

2

TimeOf TheEnd

TimeOf TheEnd

MILLERITES

144,000

THIRDMESSAGE

FINAL WARNING

Michael Stands Up

SECONDCOMING

The third angel's message, embracing the messages of the first and second angels, is the message for this time. We are to raise aloft the banner on which is inscribed, "The commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus." The world is soon to meet the great Lawgiver over His broken law. This is not the time to put out of sight the great issues before us. God calls upon His people to magnify the law and make it honorable. {Counsels on Health, p. 357}

THE THIRD ANGEL’S MESSAGE

• HISTORICAL EVENTS MARK THE ARRIVAL OF THE THIRD MESSAGE• A FORM OF JUDGMENT TAKES PLACE• THERE IS A SHUT DOOR• THE “GATHERING” IS ACCOMPLISHED• TWO CLASSES ARE DEMONSTRATED• A COVENANT IS ESTABLISHED• FOLLOWED BY A DISAPPOINTMENT• ASSOCIATED WITH THE NUMBER SEVEN - THE PEOPLE OF GOD ARE GIVEN A PARTICULAR WORK - FOLLOWED BY BACKSLIDING OR VACILLATING

A VOICE AROUSING TO

ACTIONWhen God's people are at ease and satisfied with their present enlightenment, we may be sure that He will not favor them. It is His will that they should be ever moving forward to receive the increased and ever-increasing light which is shining for them. The present attitude of the church is not pleasing to God. There has come in a self-confidence that has led them to feel no necessity for more truth and greater light. We are living at a time when Satan is at work on the right hand and on the left, before and behind us; and yet as a people we are asleep. God wills that a voice shall be heard arousing His people to action. {Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, p. 708}

JUSTIFICATION & SANCTIFICATIONJustification means the saving of a soul from

perdition, that he may obtain sanctification, and through sanctification, the life of heaven. Justification means that the conscience, purged from dead works, is placed where it can receive the blessings of sanctification…

Our crucified Lord is pleading for us in the presence of the Father at the throne of grace. His atoning sacrifice we may plead for our pardon, our justification, and our sanctification. The Lamb slain is our only hope. {Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7, pp. 908, 948}

A Shut Door!