By John Thiel, Second Angel’s Message, study 1, mp3

The second angel’s message is necessary because the first angel’s message was not heeded. In rejecting the first angel’s message, a warning needed to be given in the second angel’s message – Babylon is fallen, is fallen that great city because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.

That message was first proclaimed by the servants of God in the summer of 1844. As a result, many left the fallen churches. In connection with this message the midnight cry. [SEE MATTHEW 25:1-13.] was given: Behold, the Bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet Him. In every part of the land light was given concerning this message and the cry aroused thousands. It went from city to city, from village to village, and into the remote country regions. It reached the learned and talented, as well as the obscure and humble. This was the happiest year of my life. My heart was full of glad expectation; but I felt great pity and anxiety for those who were in discouragement and had no hope in Jesus. We united, as a people, in earnest prayer for a true experience and the unmistakable evidence of our acceptance with God. {CET 51.1}

May we also seek earnestly for a true experience with God in Christ Jesus as we continue to study this second angel’s message and find an answering chord in our heart to come out of her my people.

The study of the first angel’s message was very broad. We studied that the first angel was a people who work in harmony with the universe of Heaven. The facilities of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are effectually the working of God for us in the everlasting gospel, which comprises:

• The Fall Of Man
• The Atonement
• Jesus Being One Of Us
• The Ransom

The sanctuary, the old and new covenant settings, the prophecies centring on the gospel and the discipleship training we go through to become His children and how this impacts on the lives of people on this planet were some of the studies of the first angel’s message.

The Second Angel’s Message

Daniel 7:9 I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment [was] white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne [was like] the fiery flame, [and] his wheels [as] burning fire. 7:10 A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgement was set, and the books were opened. 13 I saw in the night visions, and, behold, [one] like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. 14 And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion [is] an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom [that] which shall not be destroyed.

This is a judgement but not a judgement of the people. God and Jesus are here. Jesus is standing before God, receiving His kingdom. The timing of this judgement is found in;

Daniel 7:20 And of the ten horns that [were] in his head, and [of] the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even [of] that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look [was] more stout than his fellows. 7:21 I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; 7:22 Until the Ancient of days came, and judgement was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.

The European nations and the little horn power (papacy) war against the saints until the Ancient of Days came and the saints possessed the kingdom.

Daniel 7:23 Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces. 7:24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom [are] ten kings [that] shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings. 7:25 And he shall speak [great] words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time. 7:26 But the judgement shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy [it] unto the end.

The fourth beast is the Roman Empire. The 10 horns are the 10 kings. This is an historical representation relating to the fall of the Roman empire, during which the barbaric tribes took over Rome. The Pope continued to rule till 1798 (1260 days).

Daniel 7:26 But the judgement shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy [it] unto the end.

The judgement commences after the Pope was taken prisoner under Napoleon. This points to the judgement which commences at 1798.

Daniel 8:14 And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.

The cleansing of the sanctuary; the records of all the deeds of the people was to be cleansed. The actual date of that was 457BC to 1844AD. This is the prophetic detail pointing out when the first angel’s message was given to identify 1844. The first angel’s message was given in 1833 ten years before the hour of God’s judgement so all had time to be prepared for the hour of judgement. What does the judgement reveal about the people who claim to be Christians?

Revelation 17:1 And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will show unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters: 17:2 With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication. 17:3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. 17:4 And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:

This is the judgement regarding Babylon. In this judgement God’s people are being judged. What does the judgement reveal about the churches who claim to be Christian (the whore)?  This is the judgement which was entered into since 1844.

Revelation 17:5 And upon her forehead [was] a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

Babylon the Mother of Harlots

Revelation 17:9 And here [is] the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.

The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sitteth. It is talking about a woman being a church which sits on seven mountains. This is the papal church of Daniel 7 sitting on the seven hills of Rome.

Revelation 17:5 And upon her forehead [was] a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.Mother of harlots indicates there must be daughters. The word Babylon applies to those who like their mother are harlots. Isaiah 4:1 And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach.

The prophetic understanding comes into focus when we study the seven churches of Revelation 2 and 3. These are seven periods of time. Notice how the churches always became corrupt. They wanted to be called Christian but they were not going to do everything the Lord says: eating their own spiritual food, dressed in their own righteousness. Parallel this with Song of Solomon;

Song of Solomon 6:8 There are threescore queens, and fourscore concubines, and virgins without number. 6:9 My dove, my undefiled is [but] one; she [is] the [only] one of her mother, she [is] the choice [one] of her that bare her. The daughters saw her, and blessed her; [yea], the queens and the concubines, and they praised her. 6:10 Who [is] she [that] looketh forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, [and] terrible as [an army] with banners?

This is a line up of churches that gave birth to churches. Mothers that gave birth to daughters. As each church is born, it becomes corrupt. Who is she that is the one that is undefiled?

Song of Solomon 10 Who [is] she [that] looketh forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, [and] terrible as [an army] with banners?

The second angel’s message follows the first angel’s message as the first angel identifies the judgement. The judgement will unveil or reveal the corrupt women professing to be Christian but are Babylon.

1798-1833

Revelation 3:1 And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.

This speaks of the church that existed as professing to be Christian. The church in 1798 developed. It was given birth by the papal church and it came forth from the dark ages. This is the protestant church. Revelation 3:1 says they were alive but art dead. These are the people that arrive at the judgement hour.

Revelation 3:7 And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; 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;

The people who had the message from 1833-1844 were learning that they were called to come out of the condition of being dead.

Revelation 3:4 Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy.

These are God’s genuine people. The first angel’s message was proclaimed to reach these people. But what did the rest of the people in Sardis do with the three angel’s messages and what was the outcome?

Wherever the cause exists, the same results will follow. He who deliberately stifles his convictions of duty because it interferes with his inclinations will finally lose the power to distinguish between truth and error. The understanding becomes darkened, the conscience callous, the heart hardened, and the soul is separated from God. Where the message of divine truth is spurned or slighted, there the church will be enshrouded in darkness; faith and love grow cold, and estrangement and dissension enter. Church members center their interests and energies in worldly pursuits, and sinners become hardened in their impenitence.  {GC 378.2}

The first angel’s message of Revelation 14, announcing the hour of God’s judgment and calling upon men to fear and worship Him, was designed to separate the professed people of God from the corrupting influences of the world and to arouse them to see their true condition of worldliness and backsliding. In this message, God has sent to the church a warning, which, had it been accepted, would have corrected the evils that were shutting them away from Him. Had they received the message from heaven, humbling their hearts before the Lord and seeking in sincerity a preparation to stand in His presence, the Spirit and power of God would have been manifested among them. The church would again have reached that blessed state of unity, faith, and love which existed in apostolic days, when the believers “were of one heart and of one soul,” and “spake the word of God with boldness,” when “the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.” Acts 4:32, 31; 2:47.  {GC 379.1}

If God’s professed people would receive the light as it shines upon them from His word, they would reach that unity for which Christ prayed, that which the apostle describes, “the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” “There is,” he says, “one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism.” Ephesians 4:3-5.  {GC 379.2}

Such were the blessed results experienced by those who accepted the advent message. They came from different denominations, and their denominational barriers were hurled to the ground; conflicting creeds were shivered to atoms; the unscriptural hope of a temporal millennium was abandoned, false views of the second advent were corrected, pride and conformity to the world were swept away; wrongs were made right; hearts were united in the sweetest fellowship, and love and joy reigned supreme. If this doctrine did this for the few who did receive it, it would have done the same for all if all had received it.  {GC 379.3}

But the churches generally did not accept the warning. Their ministers, who, as watchmen “unto the house of Israel,” should have been the first to discern the tokens of Jesus’ coming, had failed to learn the truth either from the testimony of the prophets or from the signs of the times. As worldly hopes and ambitions filled the heart, love for God and faith in His word had grown cold; and when the advent doctrine was presented, it only aroused their prejudice and unbelief. The fact that the message was, to a great extent, preached by laymen, was urged as an instrument against it. As of old, the plain testimony of God’s word was met with the inquiry: “Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed?” And finding how difficult a task it was to refute the arguments drawn from the prophetic periods, many discouraged the study of the prophecies, teaching that the prophetic books were sealed and were not to be understood. Multitudes, trusting implicitly to their pastors, refused to listen to the warning; and others, though convinced of the truth, dared not confess it, lest they should be “put out of the synagogue.” The message which God had sent for the testing and purification of the church revealed all too surely how great was the number who had set their affections on this world rather than upon Christ. The ties which bound them to earth were stronger than the attractions heavenward. They chose to listen to the voice of worldly wisdom and turned away from the heart-searching message of truth.  {GC 380.1}

We are to come up to this apprenticeship step by step. But what was too strong? The world. The experience of the few could have been experienced by all the church. The consequences of rejecting this message was seen in the Protestant church.

Isaiah 1:18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. 1:19 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: 1:20 But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken [it]. 1:21 How is the faithful city become an harlot! it was full of judgment; righteousness lodged in it; but now murderers.

The everlasting gospel is proclaimed by the first angel’s message – the faithful city has become an harlot.  God reached out to the church that was falling, but they didn’t want it. They refused and rebelled; therefore the once faithful organisations of the Protestant churches became a harlot. If this message is rejected any time since then the consequences are the same. As the papal church had opportunity during the period of Pergamos so down through the generations the same privilege is given and if accepted the result is the same. If rejected, the result is the same.

As the light and life of men was rejected by the ecclesiastical authorities in the days of Christ, so it has been rejected in every succeeding generation. Again and again the history of Christ’s withdrawal from Judea has been repeated. When the Reformers preached the word of God, they had no thought of separating themselves from the established church; but the religious leaders would not tolerate the light, and those that bore it were forced to seek another class, who were longing for the truth. In our day few of the professed followers of the Reformers are actuated by their spirit. Few are listening for the voice of God, and ready to accept truth in whatever guise it may be presented. Often those who follow in the steps of the Reformers are forced to turn away from the churches they love, in order to declare the plain teaching of the word of God. And many times those who are seeking for light are by the same teaching obliged to leave the church of their fathers, that they may render obedience.  DA 232

The Papal Church and Her Daughters

The protestants from 1798 to 1833 (the 1^st angel’s message) did what the papal church did.

The message of Revelation 14 announcing the fall of Babylon, must apply to religious bodies that were once pure and have become corrupt. Since this message follows the warning of the Judgement, it must be given in the last days, therefore it cannot refer to the Romish Church, for that church has been in a fallen condition for many centuries. Furthermore, in the eighteenth chapter of the Revelation , in a message which is yet future, the people of God are called upon to come out of Babylon. According to this scripture, many of God’s people must still be in Babylon. And in what religious bodies are the greater part of the followers of Christ now to be found? Without doubt, in the various churches professing the Protestant faith. At the time of their rise, these churches took a noble stand for God and the truth, and his blessing was with them. Even the unbelieving world was constrained to acknowledge the beneficent results that followed an acceptance of the principles of the gospel. In the words of the prophet to Israel, .Thy renown went forth among the heathen for thy beauty; for it was perfect through my comeliness, which I had put upon thee, saith the Lord God. But they fell by the same desire which was the curse and ruin of Israel,–the desire of imitating the practices and courting the friendship of the ungodly. .Thou didst trust in thine own beauty, and playedst the harlot because of thy renown. GC 383

The judgement of the whore and her daughters is now brought to light, and the daughters are specifically referred to.

Revelation 14:8 And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.

Because they rejected the message of the first angel’s message they were proclaimed as Babylon. People who were once pure have become corrupt. Therefore it cannot refer to the Roman church as she has been in a fallen condition for many centuries.  In what religious bodies are the followers of Christ now to be found? The Protestants but they fell by the same desire which was the curse and ruin of ancient Israel – the practices and courting with the ungodly. Because the people who heard the first angel’s message were attached to the ways of the world, this is why the second angel’s message was given in power. God gave them time to arouse them from their condition but they spurned the opportunity.  It is still relevant for us today. The first angel’s message is a token of precious unity but if we don’t take it history repeats and we fall away.

In the next studies we will look at the fall of the protestant mind and where it was most reactive (especially in America). We will look at the Sunday Laws and the consequences of sun worship enforcing the practices of Babylon and how pagan spiritualism is working within Christian churches. Also how the new age movement has taken root along the same track and that there must be reformation within the church and how the first and second angel’s messages pertain to us.

Amen.