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The Hour of Decision

 

It was a couple of weeks before the end of the world. Signs had surprisingly fulfilled, but not in the dramatic larger-than-life way that big-screen special effects have been suggesting for years. Prophecies, like those of old, had come to pass in ordinary yet extraordinary ways. With our eyes on heaven’s clock—that same great clock whose striking of the hour had heralded the birth of Christ[1]—we had heard and repeated the mysteries of the ages that had been unfolded to us in the last countdown to the return of Jesus Christ. But few had given heed.

Our little flock, scattered around the globe, was preparing to hold our final Feast of Tabernacles on this earth. In Paraguay, we were preparing a camp site on our own little “mountain-top” where corn fields and pineapples and other crops had been planted at various times, but now it was a barren reflection of the harvest of souls for God. Repairs to the bathroom and to the cabin, which would serve as a kitchen, were complete. It was almost time to set up our tents and start bringing up equipment and supplies.

As far as we knew, we were standing in front of the last weekend of peace, and had to prepare to camp for the last few days on earth amid catastrophic destruction. We did not know exactly how the end would begin, but serious provocations between Russia and the West had brought World War III to the ignition point. Even in the absence of a man-made disaster, however, it would not have taken much in the way of an earthquake to destroy our homes. God created the world in six days, and we didn’t doubt that He could also destroy it in six days.

Danger was not our primary motivation, to be sure. God knows how to protect His own. Even so, we should not test the Lord,[2] but rather be prudent. We recognized that God appointed this special Feast of Tabernacles for us to walk away from our homes—from the world—to focus on Him and on His coming. We don’t normally “keep the feasts” as a matter of religious observance, but the Lord has taught us much through the Jewish economy.[3] We study to understand the importance and meaning of the feasts as well as their timing, and in this particular autumn feast season, we could not help but observe them—in fact, we saw it as our duty to act a part in the fulfillment of the autumn feasts in 2016, similarly to how Jesus fulfilled the spring feasts in the year 31.[4]

The End Begins

The reign of Pope Francis—Satan in the flesh—passed the 1290-day mark a few weeks earlier on September 24,[5] and the plague clock showed that the cup of God’s wrath had been filled to the brim, ready to be poured out in full strength on September 25, 2016, exactly one year after his historic speech before the U.S. Congress and the United Nations General Assembly.[6]

The seventh plague was summarized in our study forum as follows:

The gamma-ray burst[7] didn’t happen on September 25 when the seventh plague began. World War III didn’t cause the earth to erupt in mushroom clouds. From an outsider’s perspective, “nothing happened in the world.” In fact, we even got a letter from a disbeliever to that effect, but we’ll get to that later.

Why was there no great earthly event on the first day of the 7th plague? The text itself tells us:

And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven [or sky], from the throne, saying, It is done. (Revelation 16:17)

In one breath (pun intended), the seventh plague is poured out in the “air” and things happen in the “sky.” Of course it really is speaking about the third heaven where God and angels are, and not the sky where the birds are. That is a hint to help us understand where the vial is actually poured out. It is not talking about a plague in the atmosphere, like mushroom clouds, but something entirely different.

Air can also be “breath” in the sense of respiration, which is a symbol for the spirit.[8] Like birds come and go in the sky, spirits (angels) come and go in heaven. We recently saw a vivid depiction of this very thing in the first scene of Angelica’s[9] dream: the stars were dancing—or let us say fighting, because we know it is about the great controversy.

Satan wants to usurp God’s throne to become not only king of the earth, but also king of heaven.[10] Jesus, as depicted in two of the four faces of the living creatures in the vision of Ezekiel,[11] has a face of a lion because He is king of the earth, and a face of an eagle because He is king of the sky (heaven). Satan wants to replace Him in both realms.

So if the seventh plague is poured out on spirits (or angels) in heaven, it makes sense why we did not see a grand visible plague begin on earth on September 25. There are events in the seventh plague that transpire on the earth, but the plague does not begin on the earth. It begins in heaven!

This has an important meaning, because it shows that the battle of Armageddon is not only a spiritual battle in the ordinary sense, but it is quite literally a battle of spirits. It is the culminating battle of the conflict of the ages between Christ and His angels, and Satan and his angels.[12]

How does the battle play out? Do the good and bad angels carry swords or guns, and literally attack each other? Of course not! The Great Controversy is a court battle. It is fought in terms of legal proceedings to determine the validity of God’s government. Satan is the accuser—not only of the brethren,[13] but of God. Satan fights God by arguing his case against God in the high court of heaven.

Now you have to wonder: what does it mean for a plague to be poured out in heaven!? The first event of the seventh plague is the voice saying “It is done.” Satan’s 1290 days had ended, and Jesus—acting as Supreme Judge in the heavenly court—said “It is done!” “Satan, your time is over!”

And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings... (Revelation 16:18)

Just like in an earthly courtroom, objections can be raised. There were “voices” raised in the courtroom! Satan objected, saying “No, it’s not done!” Understand: the plague was poured out in heaven! This is the dancing (fighting) of the stars in Angelica’s dream, and the Pleiades danced because Satan got the upper hand with his objection.

How did he do it? Now with all you’ve experienced here in the past few days,[14] you should know very well how Satan got the upper hand. Satan accused us all of sin, and on that basis he could object to Jesus ending the judgment in vindication of the Father. Satan said, “Those witnesses are mine! They are sinners!”

Indeed, he was right—and that is how our sins became the ultimate plague to God in heaven, giving the victory over to Satan. Then the court had to examine us—and is still examining us. Is Satan’s accusation sustained by the facts, or overruled? That depends on you. How have you responded, or how are you responding, to the charges of sin laid against you?

If your response is to immediately confess and turn around as soon as the issue comes up, then you show the court that Satan’s accusation is invalid, because even though you have sinned, you did not do it willingly or consciously. You are covered by Christ’s sacrifice;[15] you are fully decided to end all sin in your life, and there is no sin that you will hold on to.

On the other hand, if someone keeps their sin by justifying or excusing it, then they sustain Satan’s accusation. If we do not expel such a person, then Jesus loses the war because everyone on His side in the battle of Armageddon must be blameless. Do you see how closely our experiences here are connected to the court proceedings in the heavenly sanctuary?

The burning question is: how long will this take?

How long will Satan’s objection interfere with the settlement of the case and the vindication of the Father? It is problematic for Jesus, because He wanted to close the case, but He couldn’t because of us—because of our condition. He wanted to end the judgment in heaven, but He couldn’t because He had to contend with the devil who disputed about the body of believers, just like He did in the past with the body of Moses:

Yet Michael the archangel [Jesus], when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee. (Jude 1:9)

The contention and dispute over the body of Moses took some time. The Bible does not indicate how long, but in the description given in the Spirit of Prophecy, you can see that it took time.[16] Likewise, Satan’s objection in the court at the beginning of the 7th plague is taking some time to resolve. His objections have to be answered in a way that satisfies the court and ensures a fair trial—like with his dispute regarding the body of Moses.[17]

Jesus can only win the controversy when certain conditions are met in the heavenly court, and one of them is that we be clean from sin. We are not clean; we saw ourselves! We have to be cleansed and ready for Jesus to be able to say that He won’t need to take the bullet anymore[18]—and that takes some amount of time.

When there is a dispute in the heavenly courtroom, it takes time. It might not take long in heavenly time, but on the earth it can take weeks. It has to be demonstrated that we correct our behavior as soon as we become aware of our errors.[19] It has to be shown that we really are willing. Your confessions here in this forum are the evidence that is being examined in the heavenly court to determine whether Satan’s objections are justified, or whether Jesus—the Supreme Judge—can overrule them.

In the end, Jesus must have some number of clean persons to overrule Satan and for God’s side to win the case. If God has no clean souls on His side, as Satan accuses, then the controversy is lost and ends in Satan’s favor. But if there are enough—we don’t know how many—then He wins and Satan’s realm is destroyed—both in heaven and on earth.

Understand the situation as it is in heaven. On September 25, when the Orion clock came to an end, Jesus gave the command to Gabriel to come to earth and deliver His people.[20] You will recall that we had reasoned that something should happen on that date, because it was the end of the 1290 days! We looked for signs that Pope Francis’ reign came to an end. Did it? We see signs that he is meeting with difficulties, but there was no dramatic end like we expected.[21]

Do you think Satan would just sit back and let Gabriel destroy his kingdom without resistance? Of course not! So Satan made an objection, and God heard his case. “Your people are not without sin, so you can’t take them! They’re mine!” (Recall the counterfeit name “Pleiades” that was under the stars in Angelica’s dream... We—the “wise,” shining like the stars—were named with his name!) Thus, Jesus could not simply ignore Satan’s accusation, because it was a legitimate contention. Satan still claimed ground in every one of our hearts, as the many recent confessions have attested, and it would have been unjust for God to give us a sign that would have falsely affirmed that we were completely faithful to God. Therefore, Gabriel was held back from helping us.

All this happened at the beginning of the seventh plague—Armageddon—but we failed to realize it. We continued in our sinful state for another full week, before we clearly understood the true situation, which came in answer to the prayers for understanding that were offered. Then Jesus showed just how critical the situation really is. It’s like being on the bridge of a space ship when all the red alert lights begin flashing because the life-support system has failed. An emergency decision is made to call all responsible personnel to address the problem immediately, and there is a very limited time to correct it before the lack of life-support will end the lives of all aboard the spaceship!

God’s life-support system failed on September 25, and for a full week, we did not even recognize the urgency! Now we have less than a week remaining to abolish all sin from our lives to restore the breach and prevent the loss of our Commander in Chief, as well as the rest of the Universe, who is dependent on Him! It would make for a dramatic episode of Star Trek, but when you let it sink in that this is REAL, and not just a fictitious TV show or just a dream, it becomes a powerful motivator. We love our Lord, because He first loved us,[22] and gave His life for us, and now, will we not rouse to immediate action, taking hold of the provision of grace that He has given, and return His own love back to Him in His time of need? If we love Him, we will keep His commandments![23]

We will continue in another post as soon as possible, but until then, keep in mind the following:

You have the dates of events given by the autumn feasts. The Day of Trumpets turned out to be a disappointment and warning. When should we be able to see victory, if God wins? Not till after the Day of Atonement...which means the next feast day: the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles. We will not see a sign until then that truly allows us to celebrate God’s victory in the controversy—if we win. Everything hinges on us right now!

The seventh plague gives an idea of what should happen on that day if the plan of prophecy goes as intended. After the events in heaven, it says that there was an earthquake—something visible on the earth—which is the fall and punishment of Babylon and our victory. That corresponds to what we expected at the beginning of the seventh plague: the end of the 1290 days and the end of Satan’s reign.

 

As you can see, life wasn’t a bed of roses. We had many and great perplexities in that last “hour” of Earth’s history—the Hour of Truth, which equated to a month during which we expected many things to happen. Understanding how the seventh plague began in heaven had strengthened our faith, and soon we found the sought-after answer to our question of how long the battle of spirits of the seventh plague would take.

Three Full Weeks

Although we had not yet realized what the full scope of the battle of Armageddon would be, there was no question that the spiritual battle at the start of the seventh plague was part of it. The duration of that spiritual battle brought us from the beginning of the plague to one day before the Feast of Tabernacles. That period of time was explained in another post in our study forum:

In the wake of Satan’s accusation, the heavenly jury decides who is good, and who is not. How long should the process take?

In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a thing was revealed unto Daniel, whose name was called Belteshazzar; and the thing was true, but the time appointed [battle] was long [great]: and he understood the thing, and had understanding of the vision. (Daniel 10:1)

The edits to the verse above are validated by the Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, which also provides other important information:

1. Third year of Cyrus. Counted from the fall of Babylon by either the spring or the fall year, this would be 536/535 B.C. (see on Dan. 10:4; also on Ezra 1:1). Daniel was now apparently near the end of his life (see Dan. 12:13), about 88 years old, considering that he was 18 when he was taken captive (see 4T 570) in 605 B.C. (see on ch. 1:1). Dan. 10:1 introduces the final section of the book, ch. 10 providing the setting in Daniel’s experience for his fourth great prophecy, recorded in chs. 11 and 12. The main body of the prophetic narrative begins with ch. 11:12 and closes with ch. 12:4, the remainder of ch. 12 being a sort of postscript to the prophecy. On the year reckonings from the spring and the fall see Vol. II, pp. 109–111.

King of Persia. This is the only prophecy of Daniel’s dated in terms of Cyrus’ reign. Cyrus is here given the title “king of Persia,” which would seem to imply that the whole empire was ruled by the Persians, as contrasted with the more limited title, “king over the realm of the Chaldeans,” ascribed to Darius in ch. 9:1. Arising from comparative obscurity as prince of the little country of Anshan located in the highlands of Iran, Cyrus overthrew successively within a few years the Median, Lydian, and Babylonian kingdoms, and united them under his rule into the largest empire yet known. It was with such a monarch that Daniel and his people now had to deal, and with whom the powers of heaven are here revealed (ch. 10:13, 20) as striving.

A thing. A unique expression used by Daniel to describe his fourth great prophetic outline (chs. 10–12) which was apparently revealed without a preceding symbolic representation and without any allusion to symbols (cf. chs. 7:16–24; 8:20–26). The word marah, “vision,” of vs. 7, 8, 16 refers simply to the appearance of Daniel’s two celestial visitants, mentioned in vs. 5, 6 and 10–12 respectively. Accordingly, some have considered the fourth prophetic outline a further, more detailed explanation of events pictured symbolically in the “vision” of ch. 8:1–14. On this basis chs. 10–12 would be interpreted in terms of the vision of chs. 8, 9. However, the relationship between chs. 10–12 and 8, 9 is by no means so clear or certain as that between ch. 8 and ch. 9 (see on ch. 9:21).

Belteshazzar. See on ch. 1:7.

Time appointed. Heb. ṣaba’, the exact meaning of which here is doubtful. The phrase translates a single Hebrew word. Ṣaba’ occurs nearly 500 times in the OT in the sense of “army,” “host,” “warfare,” and “service” Its plural form, ṣeba’oth, forms part of the divine title “Lord God of Hosts.” The KJV translates ṣaba’ “appointed time,” or “time appointed,” only three times (Job 7:1; 14:14; and here). Inasmuch as the word everywhere else apparently has to do with an army, or warfare, or hard service, and inasmuch as in these three passages the same ideas of warfare, or hard service, make excellent sense, these definitions probably ought to be retained here. The present text seems to emphasize an intensity of struggle rather than an extended period of time. The passage may be translated, “even a great warfare” (RV), or “it was a great conflict” (RSV).

He understood. In contrast with the three other visions (chs. 2; 7; 8–9), which were couched in highly symbolic terms, this final revelation was given largely in literal language. The angel stated specifically that he had come to make Daniel “understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days” (ch. 10:14). This is the subject matter of chs. 11 and 12. It is not until near the end of this vision (ch. 12:8) that Daniel encounters a revelation concerning which he confesses, “I heard, but I understood not.”

Let us recapitulate the main points from the Bible Commentary in light of what we know:

  1. Daniel 10:1 is the introduction of a connected prophecy that goes through the end of the book, where the 1290 and 1260 timelines are prominent, and therefore has something important to do with those timelines.

  2. The subject matter of Daniel 10-12 is literal, which confirms the validity of, and deals with, our literal interpretation of the 1290 days.

  3. “Time appointed” should have been translated in the meaning of a gathering to (great) battle, which means the gathering together to the great battle of Armageddon at the end of the 1290 days.

  4. The understanding given in these chapters is for “the latter days” (our time).

Now that we understand the importance of this chapter in light of the seventh plague and the battle of Armageddon, we should ask ourselves what part of this chapter has never been deciphered before.

If these chapters begin with Armageddon, how should they end? How do they end? They end with Daniel standing in his lot at the end of days—in other words, the resurrection. These chapters deal especially with how long Armageddon will take, which is our big question at the moment. How long will this fierce battle in the courtroom of heaven take, until the victor comes forth?

The Bible Commentary also shows us that Daniel was mourning like us,[24] and for similar reasons:

2. Mourning. Daniel does not state specifically the cause of mourning, but an indication of the reason may be found in the events that were occurring among the Jews in Palestine at this time. It was evidently a serious crisis that occasioned Daniel’s three weeks of mourning. It was probably about the time when opposition was raised by the Samaritans against the Jews who under Zerubbabel had recently returned from exile (Ezra 4:1–5; see PK 571, 572). Whether the events of this chapter occurred before or after the Jews had actually laid the foundation stone (Ezra 3:8–10) of the Temple depends upon varying interpretations of the chronology of this period (see Vol. III, p. 97), and on a possibility that Daniel might have used a different reckoning in Babylonia from that of the Jews in Palestine in that time of transition. Daniel’s period of mourning seems to have been contemporary with the serious threat that Cyrus’ decree might not be carried to completion after all, because of the false reports sent by the Samaritans to the court of Persia, in an attempt to stop the building operations. The significant fact that during these three weeks the angel was struggling to influence Cyrus (vs. 12, 13) indicates that a vital decision of the king was at stake. While praying for further light on subjects not yet fully explained in earlier visions, the prophet doubtless engaged in another period of intensive intercession (see ch. 9:3–19) that the work of the adversary might be checked and that God’s promises of restoration might be fulfilled to His chosen people.

We can trace our experiences now in the experience of Daniel, and as we do so, we see a “significant fact” that there was a three-week struggle taking place. This is the “battle that was great” (our Armageddon) as stated in verse 1.

In those days I Daniel was mourning three full weeks. (Daniel 10:2)

Daniel’s experience tells us how long the battle will take:[25] three full weeks. What is a “full” week? One full week is seven days, beginning on the first day of the week and ending on the seventh day of the week. That means, from Sunday to Sabbath, Sunday to Sabbath, Sunday to Sabbath. Three full weeks cannot be fulfilled from a Wednesday to a Tuesday, or any other days of the week; it must fulfill from Sunday to Sabbath!

When did the battle of Armageddon begin? On Sunday, September 25, 2016. Three full weeks (21 days) of battle takes us up to Sabbath, October 15, inclusive.

I ate no pleasant bread, neither came flesh nor wine in my mouth, neither did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled. (Daniel 10:3)

That means we, like Daniel, will not have cause to “celebrate” or “rejoice” until three full weeks have passed (fulfilled). The first day we could have reason to celebrate would be Sunday, October 16, but we also have to keep the autumn feasts in mind. Sunday night begins the Feast of Tabernacles. In the third part we will share more light regarding this special Sunday.

We mentioned in the previous post that we cannot know the final decision of the heavenly court until after it is made on the Day of Atonement, and the next possible feast day is in fact the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles. Three full weeks are required for the conflict to be resolved from our perspective.

At the end of the three weeks, the angel Gabriel appeared to Daniel and further explained the cause of the three-week delay:

Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia. Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days: for yet the vision is for many days. (Daniel 10:12-14)

Have you ever wondered what was so important about the three-week period, 21 days, in this experience of Daniel? Many parts of this passage have been understood for a long time, but only now the 21 days shows us what literally is befalling God’s people (us) in these last days!

The Commentary identifies the actors and fills in the interpretation:

12. Fear not. Compare Rev. 1:17. These words doubtless encouraged the prophet personally in the presence of the angel, for he “stood trembling” (v. 11), and also reassured Daniel that even though he had been praying for three weeks without an apparent answer, yet from the very first God had heard his supplication and set Himself to answer it. Daniel needed not to fear for his people; God had heard him, and God was in control.

13. Prince. Heb. śar, a word occurring 420 times in the OT, but apparently never with the meaning “king.” It refers to a king’s chief servants (Gen. 40:2, translated “chief”), to local rulers (1 Kings 22:26, translated “governor”), to Moses’ subordinates (Ex. 18:21, translated “rulers”), to the nobles and officials of Israel (1 Chron. 22:17; Jer. 34:21, translated “princes”), and especially to military commanders (1 Kings 1:25; 1 Chron. 12:21, translated “captains”). In this last sense it appears in the expression śar haṣṣaba’, “commander of the army” (the same expression translated “prince of the host,” Dan. 8:11), on one of the Lachish ostraca, a letter written by a Judean army officer to his superior, probably at the time of Nebuchadnezzar’s conquest of Judah in 588–586 B.C., during the time that Daniel was in Babylon (see Vol. II, pp. 97, 98; see Jer. 34:7).

The heavenly Being who appeared to Joshua at Jericho is termed “the captain [Heb. śar] of the Lord’s host” (Joshua 5:14, 15). Daniel frequently uses this word in reference to supernatural beings (Dan. 8:11, 25; 10:13, 21; 12:1). On the basis of these observations some have conjectured that śar denotes a supernatural being who at that time was standing in opposition to the angels of God, and who was trying to direct the course of the kingdom of Persia against the best interests of God’s people. Satan has ever been eager to declare himself the prince of this world. The basic issue here was the welfare of God’s people as against their heathen neighbors. Inasmuch as Michael is declared to be the “prince [śar] which standeth for the children of thy people” (ch. 12:1), it does not seem unreasonable that the “prince of the kingdom of Persia” would be a self-styled “guardian angel” for that country from among the hosts of the adversary. That the conflict was against the powers of darkness is clear: “For three weeks Gabriel wrestled with the powers of darkness, seeking to counteract the influences at work on the mind of Cyrus. ... All that heaven could do in behalf of the people of God was done. The victory was finally gained; the forces of the enemy were held in check all the days of Cyrus, and all the days of his son Cambyses” (PK 571, 572).

On the other hand, śar may be used in the common sense of “ruler,” and in that sense would refer to Cyrus, king of Persia. So understood, the angels of heaven are seen striving with the king, that he might render a verdict favorable to the Jews.

Withstood me. The prophet provides a glimpse of the mighty struggle going on between the forces of good and the forces of evil. The question may be asked, Why did the Lord allow the powers of evil to struggle for control of Cyrus’ mind for 21 days, while Daniel continued in mourning and supplication? This question must be answered with the truth in mind that these events have to be understood in the light of the “broader and deeper purpose” of the plan of redemption, which “was to vindicate the character of God before the universe. ... Before all the universe it [the death of Christ] would justify God and His Son in their dealing with the rebellion of Satan” (PP 68, 69; cf. DA 625). “Yet Satan was not then destroyed [at the death of Christ]. The angels did not even then understand all that was involved in the great controversy. The principles at stake were to be more fully revealed” (DA 761). See on ch. 4:17.

In order to refute Satan’s claim that God is a tyrant, the heavenly Father has seen fit to withhold His hand and allow the adversary an opportunity to demonstrate his methods and seek to win men to his cause. God does not force men’s wills. He allows Satan a degree of freedom, while through His Spirit and His angels He pleads with men to resist evil and follow the right. Thus God demonstrates to the onlooking universe that He is a God of love, and not the tyrant Satan has accused Him of being. It was for this reason that Daniel’s prayer was not immediately answered. The answer waited until the king of Persia made his choice for good and against evil, by his own free will.

Here is revealed the true philosophy of history. God has set the ultimate goal, which most surely will be reached. By His Spirit He works on the hearts of men to cooperate with Him in attaining that goal. But the question as to which way any individual chooses to go is entirely his own decision to make. Thus the events of history are the product both of supernatural agencies and of human free choice. But the final outcome is God’s. In this chapter, as perhaps nowhere else in Scripture, the veil that separates heaven from earth is drawn aside, and the struggle between the powers of light and darkness is revealed.

Michael. Heb. Mika’el, literally, “who [is] like God?” He is here described as “one of the chief princes [Heb. śarim].” Later He is described as Israel’s particular protector (ch. 12:1). His identity is not definitely stated here, but a comparison with other scriptures identifies Him as Christ. Jude 9 terms Him “the archangel.” According to 1 Thess. 4:16, the “voice of the archangel” is associated with the resurrection of the saints at the coming of Jesus. Christ declared that the dead will come forth from their graves when they hear the voice of the Son of man (John 5:28). It thus seems clear that Michael is none other than the Lord Jesus Himself (see EW 164; cf. DA 421).

The name Michael as the name of a heavenly being appears in the Bible only in apocalyptic passages (Dan. 10:13, 21; 12:1; Jude 9; Rev. 12:7), in instances where Christ is in direct conflict with Satan. The name in Hebrew, signifying “who is like God?” is at once a question and a challenge. In view of the fact that Satan’s rebellion is essentially an attempt to install himself on the throne of God and “be like the most High” (Isa. 14:14), the name Michael is a most fitting one for Him who has undertaken to vindicate the character of God and disprove Satan’s claims.

I remained there. The LXX, followed by Theodotion, reads: “and I left him [Michael] there.” Such a reading has been adopted by several modern versions (Good-speed, Moffatt, RSV), doubtless because it did not seem clear why the angel should state that he was left with the kings of Persia when Michael had come to his aid. Compare with this reading the statement, “But Michael came to his help, and then he remained with the kings of Persia” (EGW, Supplementary Material, on Dan. 10:12, 13).

Some see another possible meaning in the Hebrew text as it stands. The struggle here described was essentially one between the angels of God and “the powers of darkness, seeking to counteract the influences at work on the mind of Cyrus” (see PK 571, 572). With the entrance into the contest of Michael, the Son of God, the powers of heaven gained the victory, and the evil one was forced to retreat. The word translated “remained” is elsewhere used in the sense of “to remain over” when others have left or been taken away. Thus this verb is used of Jacob when he remained behind at the brook Jabbok (Gen. 32:24), and of those heathen whom Israel allowed to remain in the land (1 Kings 9:20, 21). It is also the word applied by Elijah to himself when he believed that everyone else had departed from the true worship of Jehovah: “I, even I only, am left” (1 Kings 19:10, 14). As used by the angel in the present passage, it could mean that with the coming of Michael, the evil angel was forced to leave, and God’s angel “was left remaining there beside the kings of Persia.” “The victory was finally gained; the forces of the enemy were held in check” (PK 572). Two translations that have suggested this same thought are those of Luther, “there I gained the victory with the kings in Persia,” and Knox, “and there, at Persia’s court, I was left master of the field.”

Kings of Persia. Two Hebrew manuscripts read, “kingdom of Persia.” The ancient versions read, “king of Persia.”

14. In the latter days. Heb. be’acharith hayyamim, “in the latter part [or end] of the days.” This is an expression frequently used in Biblical prophecy, pointing to the final part of whatever period of history the prophet has in view. Thus Jacob used the term “last days” in reference to the ultimate fortune of each of the twelve tribes in the land of Canaan (Gen. 49:1); Balaam applied the term to the first advent of Christ (Num. 24:14); Moses used it in a general sense of the distant future, when Israel would suffer tribulation (Deut. 4:30). The expression may, and often does, refer directly to the final events of history. See on Isa. 2:2.

For many days. As indicated by italics, there is no word for “many” in the Hebrew text. The word “days” here seems to have the same meaning as in the clause immediately preceding. The angel came to tell Daniel what would befall the saints throughout the centuries until Christ’s second coming. The emphasis of this final clause of the verse is not so much upon the length of time in prospect, as upon the fact that the Lord has still further truth to be conveyed to Daniel by a vision. Translated literally, this verse reads, “And I have come to cause you to understand that which will happen to your people in the latter part of the days, for still there is a vision for the days.”

No earthly king could have withstood Gabriel. It was Satan that was battling, and who caused the delay of 21 days. In summary, these 21 days of conflict between Christ and Satan were given as a specific piece of information for us here at the end of time—a literal time period for the battle of Armageddon. Now we know how long the battle will take, and when we will be able to see the final outcome.

Important points are scattered throughout the rest of the chapter from the Bible Commentary:

16. Like the similitude. Gabriel veiled his brightness and appeared in human form (see SL 52).

The vision. Some commentators consider that Daniel here refers to the vision of chs. 8 and 9; others believe that it was the present revelation that afflicted the prophet so acutely. In view of the fact that the term “vision” in both vs. 1 and 14 seems to apply to the revelation in chs. 10–12, and also because Daniel’s statement here in ch. 10:16 is a logical continuation of his reaction (v. 15) to the angel’s declaration concerning “the vision” (v. 14), it seems reasonable to conclude that the prophet is here speaking of the vision of divine glory he was witnessing.

19. Greatly beloved. See on v. 11.

20. With the prince. The KJV may be understood as meaning either that the angel was to fight on the side of the prince of Persia, or that he was to fight against him. The Greek versions are likewise ambiguous. The preposition meta, “with,” which it employs, may imply either alliance, as in 1 John 1:3, or hostility, as in Rev. 2:16. The Hebrew of this passage, however, seems to give a clear indication of its meaning. The verb lacham, “to fight,” is used 28 times in the OT, followed, as here, by the preposition ‘im, “with.” In these instances the context clearly indicates that the word is to be taken in the sense of “against” (see Deut. 20:4; 2 Kings 13:12; Jer. 41:12; Dan. 11:11). It seems certain, then, that the angel is here speaking of further conflict between himself and the “prince of Persia.” That this struggle did continue long after the time of Daniel’s vision is shown by Ezra 4:4–24. “The forces of the enemy were held in check all the days of Cyrus, and all the days of his son Cambyses, who reigned about seven and a half years” (PK 572).

Prince of Grecia. The Hebrew word here for “prince,” śar, is the same as that employed previously (see on v. 13). The angel had told Daniel that he was returning to continue the struggle with the powers of darkness that contended for control of the mind of the king of Persia. Then he looked further toward the future and indicated that when he finally would withdraw from the struggle, a revolution would ensue in world affairs. As long as God’s angel held at bay the evil forces seeking to dominate the Persian government, that empire stood. But when divine influence was withdrawn and the control of the leaders of the nation was left entirely to the powers of darkness, ruin for their empire quickly followed. Led by Alexander, the armies of Greece swept over the world and quickly extinguished the Persian Empire.

The truth stated by the angel in this verse throws light on the revelation that follows. The ensuing prophecy, a record of war upon war, assumes greater meaning when understood in the light of what the angel has here observed. While men struggle with one another for earthly power, behind the scenes, and hidden from human eyes, an even greater struggle is going on, of which the ebb and flow of earthly affairs is a reflection (see Ed 173). As God’s people are shown to be preserved throughout their troubled history—recorded prophetically by Daniel—so it is sure that in that greater struggle, the legions of light will have the victory over the powers of darkness.

21. Noted. Heb. rasham, “to inscribe,” “to write down.”

Scripture. Heb. kethab, literally, “a writing,” from the verb kathab, “to write.” The eternal plans and purposes of God are here represented as written down. Compare Ps 139:16; Acts 17:26; see on Dan. 4:17.

None that holdeth. This phrase may also be translated, “there is no one who exerts himself.” This cannot be taken to mean that all were oblivious of the struggle except the two heavenly beings mentioned here. “The controversy was one in which all heaven was interested” (PK 571). The probable meaning of the passage is that Christ and Gabriel assumed the special work of contending with the hosts of Satan who attempted to secure control of the empires of this earth.

Your prince. The fact that Michael is spoken of specifically as your (the Hebrew pronoun is plural) prince, places Him in sharp contrast with the “prince of Persia” (vs. 13, 20) and “the prince of Grecia” (v. 20). Michael was the champion on God’s side of the great controversy.

But now that we know how long the battle will take, it opens another question... Will nothing happen on the Day of Atonement, since it comes before the 21 days have ended? To answer that, we need apply the principle: “Remember the past to understand the future.”

We are fulfilling the autumn feasts. How have we done that so far? On the Day of Trumpets, we experienced a “great disappointment” as we looked for the sign of the coming of the Son of Man (the second coming) in the clouds. Does that remind you of something we remember about the fulfillment of the Day of Trumpets from past history?

According to the Spirit of Prophecy, the Millerite movement fulfilled the feast of Trumpets by giving the warning of the second coming.[26] They were also looking for the coming of the Son of Man. When did William Miller expect Jesus to come? 1844—NO! The Millerite movement preached that the second coming would be in 1843! That was when the real “great” disappointment took place, because that was the date that had been preached for so many years, and had gotten the attention of all the churches. When that time passed, the majority of the people began to fall away, and it was a comparatively smaller number that waited for the Lord on October 22, 1844. The latter became known as the great disappointment because it was deeper and more bitter, as an ultimate finality to the earlier disappointment(s). That very day (the morning of the 23rd), Hiram Edson saw in vision that the investigative judgment had begun in heaven.

The disappointment date was 1843, whereas 1844 was the beginning of the judgment. Yes, 1844 was a disappointment too, but since we are learning from the past to understand the future, we must recognize that the disappointment of 1844 will not be repeated in our time! The second “Miller” will not be disappointed like the first Miller was. Instead, we expect an event corresponding to the true event that happened in 1844: something to do with the judgment. In 1844 the judgment began, so on our Day of Atonement we can expect the corresponding event: the judgment must finally end! Satan must be overruled in the heavenly court, and the case must be closed.[27]

Now look at our present experience in fulfilling the feast days: The Day of Trumpets was our day of disappointment, corresponding to 1843. The next feast day is the Day of Atonement, which is the end of the judgment, which corresponds to the beginning of the judgment 1844. Unlike the experience of the Millerites, who were disappointed and later learned that the judgment began, we know ahead of time that nothing visible will happen on that day. Our potential disappointment for that day is completely disarmed. There will be no gamma-ray burst on that day. It will simply be an invisible heavenly event, when Satan’s objection will be answered and the whole case will be decided.[28] That is how we learn from the past to understand the future.

Even though it is decided on the Day of Atonement, we will not know the outcome of the case for a few more days until Gabriel, the angel of the Lord, returns in the form of the prophesied “earthquake” on the Sunday after the 21 days of the three complete weeks. Then we will see Babylon crumble, but will we know then that God has won the victory? If we do not see anything on that day, then we know for sure that the worst possible scenario at the end of Angelica’s dream has to take place. But even if we see Babylon crumble, we cannot be sure of the outcome (because the nations can self-destruct by their own power) until we see the special resurrection, the glorification, and the sign of the Son of Man ...only then will we know that we won the war.[29]

So a lot has been going on in heaven.[30] Jesus said “It is done.” Satan objected, saying “No! Those are sinners—they are mine!” Jesus had to decide to withhold the sign of the Son of Man from us on the day of Trumpets, because the case could not be closed yet. We still had sin clinging to us. Will we be clean by the Day of Atonement so God can win the war? Then Jesus can travel to the Earth to reveal the sign of victory on the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles. Divine utter destruction will come to the world in six days, just like it was created in six days...and Jesus will come just in time to rescue His people.

These are solemn days, and as the Day of Atonement hastens toward us, we must continue to search our souls in preparation for that fateful day:

And this shall be a statute for ever unto you: that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, ye shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger that sojourneth among you: For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the LORD. It shall be a sabbath of rest unto you, and ye shall afflict your souls, by a statute for ever. (Leviticus 16:29-31)

We have to be completely clean. Michael (Jesus) is bound up because he has to make an impartial judgment. He cannot help us, and the Holy Spirit is desperate with our condition. There was not one in the forum who was clean.

You Asked for It

Now let’s come back to the e-mails we receive from disbelievers—

Date: Wednesday, October 5, 2016 14:05
To: John Scotram
Subject: The Last Countdown: Final Article Needed![31]

This is an enquiry email via www​.lastcountdown​.org/ from:

Xxx Xxxxx <xxxxxxxxxx​@yahoo​.com>

...”Come September 25, if nothing happens, our message will dry out completely. It is sad that we helped Babylon by warning about cataclysms for so long. Like the Euphrates, we supplied Babylon with our message.”[32]

It’s also sad that now future real revelations from God will be harder to accept. Either God was behind this or not... we now know the answer to that! I hope you’re willing to at least leave this page up with an admission of the error! No need to point fingers but just taking this site down, like last time, doesn’t help people who believed this message move on, and hopefully out of Babylon! Good intentions do not matter, Truth matters and clearly this theory was fantasy. Fantasy I wish was true, I wish we could all go home at the end of this month... let’s call this what it is and move on![33]

Compare the bold part with the description of the “two witnesses” of Revelation 11:

And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves. (Revelation 11:8-9)

The author of that e-mail wants our “dead body” (our website) to stay there for all to see. He doesn’t want it to be taken down and buried! The truth is, Satan did overcome us just as it says in the previous verse:

And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. (Revelation 11:7)

And now people like the author of that message above are rejoicing like it says in the next verse:

And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth. (Revelation 11:10)

That is describing the decisive point in the battle, when apparent defeat is about to be turned into victory for the two witnesses. The church appears about to fall, but it must not fall.[34] Our hope and focus must remain on victory over sin, but the judgment ends on Yom Kippur! Time is short!

After the Day of Atonement is the Feast of Tabernacles. Not having a Jewish background, we have to study what the feast means. Those of us with Adventist backgrounds are fairly familiar with the meaning of the Day of Atonement and even the Day of Trumpets, but aside from a casual remark that we would do well to hold the feast of tabernacles,[35] Ellen G. White did not say a whole lot about it.

Here is one summary that explains the meaning of the Feast of Tabernacles in a way that relates very well to us:

God Gathers His people

The Bible speaks of the final judgment as a harvest (Hosea 6:11; Joel 3:13; Matt. 13:39; Rev. 14:15). It is a future Day of Ingathering when God gathers His people unto Himself and burns the wicked like chaff and stubble.

For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and every evildoer will be chaff; and the day that is coming will set them ablaze,” says the Lord of hosts,” so that it will leave them neither root nor branch.” “But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall (Malachi 4:1-2).

When the Messiah sets up His millennial kingdom, He will gather the remnant of Israel back to her land. Isaiah described this event as the harvesting of olives. Tree branches are beaten with rods and the olive berries gathered once they fall to the ground. See Isaiah 27:12-13; 11:11-12; Jeremiah 23:7-8.

The righteous among the Gentiles, too, will be gathered to the Lord. In that day, the Gentiles will pray in Jerusalem. See Zech. 14:16-17.

The Gentile nations that refuse to keep the Feast of Tabernacles in the millennial kingdom will receive no rain upon their lands. This passage provided the biblical basis for the tradition of praying for land during the Feast of Tabernacles (Howard/Rosenthal 145-6).

The Lord will not only gather His people, but He will tabernacle in their midst during the coming messianic kingdom – see Ezek. 37:27-28; cf. Rev. 21:3.

The sign of God’s presence, the Shekinah glory, will be seen in Zion again (Is. 60:1, 19; Zech. 2:5). It will appear as a shining fire over the whole of Mount Zion. It will be like a tabernacle, providing protection and refuge for the nation after centuries of persecution and the time of Jacob’s sore trouble.

“then the Lord will create over the whole area of Mount Zion and over her assemblies a cloud by day, even smoke, and the brightness of a flaming fire by night; for over all the glory will be a canopy. There will be a shelter to give shade from the heat by day, and refuge and protection from the storm and the rain” (Isaiah 4:5-6).

So you see, there are two things that should fulfill at the Feast of Tabernacles. On the one hand, God will gather His people—two armies even[36]—and tabernacle among them in the form of the sign of God’s presence, which we understand as the sign of the Son of Man seven days before the Second Coming. On the other hand, the bundles of the wicked will be burned up. Thus, the meaning of the Feast of Tabernacles itself confirms our understanding that the victory will not become visible on the Day of Atonement, but at the Feast of Tabernacles.

Tying the Knot Between Daniel and the Revelation

Let’s come back to Daniel 10, where we’ll show you one more great confirmation of our completed studies. Chapters 10 through 12 of Daniel form a connected unit, as we learned from the Commentary. As such, we can view those chapters together as a literary chiasm,[37] where the beginning of Daniel 10 stands in relationship to the end of Daniel 12.

Daniel 10 begins with the topic of a great 21-day battle, the Battle of Armageddon. On the other hand, Daniel 12 ends with the 1290 and 1335 timelines, which (prior to the Orion message) have always been quite ambiguous as to their proper alignment. Do the 1290 days begin with the 1335? Do they end with the 1335? Do they float somewhere in the middle of the 1335? Those questions have ever been on the minds of the students of end-time prophecy.

Did we solve the timelines correctly? We fixed the end of the 1335 days based on the second coming date, which we determined from the feast day calendar for this particular year, which we found through the Orion message and the HSL.[38] Then, we fixed the beginning of the 1290 days based on the election of Pope Francis.[39] It worked, but the Bible even specifies it more clearly...[40]

The 21-day-long “great battle” (the Battle of Armageddon) from Daniel 10, plus the 7 days of Jesus’ travel[41] (the sign of the Son of Man) tell us directly that there must be a 28-day “hour”[42] after the 1290 days of the abomination of desolation! Thus, the Bible gives us the arrangement of the 1290- and 1335-day timelines in literal days.

This is not only a confirmation of our timeline arrangement,[43] but also of the year of Jesus’ coming. That arrangement would not fit just any year, because the Last Great Day (the eighth day of the Feast of Tabernacles) does not always fall on the same day. Only this single year, in combination with the election date of Pope Francis, does the 21-day battle + seven days fit! In any other year, the feast days would have been earlier or later.

Once again we see biblical proof of our studies—the Voice of God from heaven and the written Word are saying the same thing. So...let’s finish this battle, fellow soldiers of the cross. And then, O Lord, come at the appointed time!

 

Take note of the principle of chiastic confirmation in the Holy Word, because it will shine very bright in Brother Gerhard’s article!

As we anticipated the Day of Atonement with solemn fear, our situation looked very much like that of Joshua the high priest who was clothed with filthy garments, quoted earlier. Could we stand? Were we too problematic for even the best Divine Attorney to defend us against Satan’s allegations? Worst of all, had we proven to be the weak link in God’s own defense?

Only when you feel the level of tension, apprehension, and culpability that was hanging over our heads, can you imagine what it was like for us when the everlasting covenant was first delivered to us in Paraguay. How true that short sentence of Ellen G. White proved to be:

It was awfully solemn. {EW 34.1}

This was the dreaded moment: the verdict from the Supreme Court of the Universe.

Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel. And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment. And I said, Let them set a fair mitre upon his head. So they set a fair mitre upon his head, and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the LORD stood by. (Zechariah 3:3-5)

We were clothed with the Righteousness of Christ! “Glory! Alleluia!” We had received the everlasting covenant, and eternal life! As a result, God could win the controversy. It was almost too good to be true! Nevertheless, the dread was not over; we still had to look forward to the trying time of the Feast of Tabernacles, knowing that our entrance ticket to the New Jerusalem could still be revoked in that time—which was but just a few days as far as we could see.

And the angel of the LORD protested unto Joshua, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; If thou wilt walk in my ways, and if thou wilt keep my charge, then thou shalt also judge my house, and shalt also keep my courts, and I will give thee places to walk among these that stand by. Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, thou, and thy fellows that sit before thee: for they are men wondered at: for, behold, I will bring forth my servant the BRANCH. For behold the stone that I have laid before Joshua; upon one stone shall be seven eyes: behold, I will engrave the graving thereof, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day. In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, shall ye call every man his neighbour under the vine and under the fig tree. (Zechariah 3:6-10)

Since more time was granted us, those verses have even greater import.

Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. (1 Corinthians 10:12)

But the Lord is gracious, and He showed His love toward us amid our apprehension by giving our group a personal sign on the Day of Atonement.

A Sign: Rising Above the Thorns[44]

The Lord often teaches using natural illustrations. On this Yom Kippur, after our service, we took a look at a potted cactus. It had four beautiful pink trumpet-shaped blooms on it. That in itself may not be so interesting, but when you consider that the cactus had been there for about a decade without ever having produced a flower, you can begin to understand that this was no chance occurrence!

Echinopsis - easter lily cactus in bloom

Furthermore, this particular type of cactus is an Echinopsis, or Easter Lily Cactus, whose blooms open at night, bloom for one day, and then wither away. So we took it as a gift from God that its first blooms in so many years would be exactly on this very significant Yom Kippur Sabbath! (And indeed, by evening, the flowers had already begun to wither, but were at their prime when we saw them.) While there are other flower buds growing, they grow quite slowly, and these may be the only blossoms that it gives before Jesus comes!

So what might the Lord want to tell us with this? A few things came to mind.

First, its name reminds us of Passover (Easter), just as the Tabernacles feast also bears a relationship with the Passover feast. We have seen many parallels between Jesus’ ministry and fulfillment of the spring feasts with our ministry and fulfillment of the autumn feasts. The crown of thorns that Jesus wore is like the thorny cactus plant, and He saw the “travail of His soul” and was satisfied, like the beauty of the flowers that grew from that thorny surface.

We noted that there were exactly four blossoms, which we connected with the four authors in the movement. (The flowers each have both male and female parts, just as our wives are included with us as one flesh.) On this day of judgment, the Lord illustrated that He gives us “beauty for ashes” and “the oil of joy for mourning,” for those who put loyalty to God above every selfish consideration. Cacti are notorious for their prickly thorns that can be quite painful if you aren’t careful. Likewise, the path we tread is often quite lonely and painful, but if you allow it, there will come a large, soft, and beautiful flower that rises high above the thorns, leaving them behind in insignificance by comparison. Jesus calls us to rise above the earthly things, and keep ourselves pure and unspotted from the world below.

The four authors

May your pain be submitted to Jesus and be turned to joy as you overcome! His grace is sufficient for your every need. Just make the decision, and His grace is yours to carry it out!

The Real Battle Begins: Front-Line Report of the Feast of Tabernacles

The Lord takes us by the hand and leads us through this adventure of faith even though we do not always understand where He is taking us. Revelation is progressively revealed in a large part because we can only grasp a little at a time. We were glad to have survived our 21-day spiritual battle of Armageddon, and were determined to stand the last seven days on earth focused on the coming of the Lord, but we did not know what great decision still awaited us.

A kerosene lampThe first night of camping got off to a rough start. The “watchman” who had been guarding the camp had not prepared the kerosene lamps. What is a watchman without a lamp? Were we not gathered at this very time as watchmen awaiting the coming of Jesus?

Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. (Matthew 24:42)

We knew the Lord, and we knew when He was coming, but we still needed light to stay awake.

And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? (Matthew 26:40)

The kerosene lamps were a symbol for the light of God’s Word, which we still needed—even especially needed—during this ultimate enactment of the Feast of Tabernacles. From that night forward, we always had three kerosene lamps set up across the length of our tables, as if we were sitting before the very throne stars of Orion’s belt, to be personally instructed by the Divine Council.

Yes, the message of Orion is verily the Word of God, every bit as much as the written Word. In its essence, it is even more pure because it is written on the celestial sphere—a canvas that no mere man can tamper with.

See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven: (Hebrews 12:25)

Our little movement had received the message from God and believed the report of Jesus’ coming on October 23, 2016.

Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed? (Isaiah 53:1)

We were gathered together for the culmination of all our labors, with only the last—but utterly trying—week ahead of us. We had been through a spiritual and physical marathon, and were beginning our final sprint to the finish line.

I cannot overstate what a trial this was, for each of us in a different way. Imagine a man recently operated for a hip replacement having to bend down and maneuver himself inside a hot tent without damaging his still-healing hip, and almost tripping on nearly-invisible guy lines around the tent, and on the random stumps that lurked around the uneven ground like undiscovered mines in an old minefield. Now imagine compounding those dangers with the intense Paraguayan sun, which regularly robs the life of locals, beating down on us in the exposed camping area. Imagine the stresses of three and a half families living (or figuring out how to live) with more primitive arrangements, in such close quarters, where every clamor disturbs others and every issue is a scene in front of the whole camp. Imagine so many people sharing one bathroom, one kitchen, and one camp space. On top of that backdrop was painted our colorfully different characters—which we each secretly and desperately hoped were adequately sanctified to meet the Lord. If one would provoke another to sin (intentionally or not) the race would be lost.

So there we were, everyone exhausted, gathering for the first night of what we suspected would be our own “passion week” of suffering. We were missing lamps, late, mentally and spiritually unprepared, and basically just all-around not very ready despite our exhausting efforts. On top of that, there was a nameless dread as we all expected the ensuing night and day to be filled with an unknown double destruction that would initiate the last seven days of our life on earth.

How the Lord must have pitied us. We tried so hard, yet always seemed to come short.

But it wasn’t long till the lamps were lit, the table was set, words were spoken, songs were sung, and our morale was revived—at least as much as the somber foreboding of the next day allowed. The theme of our first meeting was how this week would be more of a passion week than a Tabernacles week for us in Paraguay. The next article will solidify the exact reason why that season change, corresponding to life in the southern hemisphere, has always seemed to play a role in our experiences.

The stress that came the next day almost finished us. It wasn’t the heat, although it was extremely intense but mitigated by wind. We had to tie tarps between the scraggly trees just to get reliable shade. The relatively rare gusty wind made that a challenge in itself, because it kept wanting to tear the tarp down, then up, then down, then up. We were very thankful for the wind, however, because it provided some relief from the intense heat, and mitigated the effects of humidity and virtually eliminated mosquito activity for the day.

There in the open nature, we were fully dependent on God to protect us by night and day, and that is one of the important lessons of the Feast of Tabernacles, which commemorates the journeys of the Israelites through the wilderness, and the protection of the Lord’s presence in the form of a pillar of fire by night and cloud for shade by day. Jesus had led us through the wilderness of apostate Adventism, and we were now on the banks of Jordan. We were dipping our feet into the River of Time, ready to cross over into eternity as soon as the Lord would usher the waters back as He did in the time of Joshua.

Despite the physical trials, our chief anguish was our search for the signs of Jesus’ coming. We were watching by night and day with our cows nearby, like the shepherds of Bethlehem. He had led us miraculously up to this point, always encouraging us with spiritual light and signs along the way, but we wanted desperately not to see signs anymore, but to see HIM. We were looking for THE sign—the Sign of the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven seven days before our “rapture.” The tensions between Russia and the West made it look very probable that the prophecy was referring to mushroom clouds of the first heaven.

As we struggled to adapt to our camping arrangements and jury rig an electrical supply to plug in fans and keep our laptops charged, we scoured the news in the hopes of finding some sign that the end had really come.

We were tired. Tired of fighting sin, tired of preaching to others who wanted to stay in sin, and tired of waiting for souls that had a thousand made-up excuses not to believe the Word of God. We didn’t want the world to perish, but we felt we had done all we could in the time allotted, and that the time was up.

When the first piece of news arrived, we quickly commented to our fellow campers around the globe:

Greetings from our camp...

I am writing to share some “apocalyptic” news that happened on this day! Perhaps you have seen the article on Facebook:
Syria conflict: IS 'ousted from symbolic town of Dabiq'

This city of Dabiq is mentioned in an Islamic end-time prophecy, which has existed since their “prophet” wrote it over 1500 years ago. It is something like their equivalent of Armageddon. Of course it is also prophesied in the Bible (through the trumpets, e.g. as we have explained in many articles). Remember the Trojan Horse article, and the 200-million-man army that is waiting for the “fire ant” signal! To Islamists, the capture of this city is highly symbolic!

This also appears to be a confirmation of the seven-year “hour” of temptation (trial) of Revelation 3:10 after the second coming, when Islam will retaliate and take over the world—not just culturally, but forcefully too, persecuting to the ends of the earth the “Christians” who have rejected Christ anew...unfortunately not for salvation anymore, but as the outpouring of the wrath of God.

Blessings!

 

We were not especially looking for something to do with Islam, but this news fit the bill. Europe has been devastated with “weapons of mass migration,” the chosen war tactic for this time. We’d written a lot about how the Islamic immigration crisis in Europe fulfills prophecy, and especially how the refugees are functioning collectively as a Trojan horse, and how they would wait for a universal signal to attack like fire ants.[45]

Our campout was an opportunity to focus our thoughts on the coming of Jesus. It was a spiritual event, and the Holy Spirit was present to guide us in the study of the Word of God. In that sense, it was very much like a camp meeting, or tent meeting, even though we were such a small group. We spent time together talking about the great spiritual themes of the week, allowing the Spirit to guide us in a special way.

You can see in the note quoted above that we had already begun to understand something of an additional seven years of special trial that would unfold upon the earth after the Second Coming. It seemed to fit very well with the idea that Jesus would destroy the world with the brightness of His coming—not necessarily all on one day as we often imagine in our naivety, but triggered by His coming and unfolding in the short period of seven years thereafter. No second chance, no secret to the rapture—just a clearer understanding of the time involved.

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 3:10)

On the Judgment Clock, one hour of heavenly time equates to seven years of earthly time. Many people believe in a seven-year tribulation based on other scriptures (not necessarily applied correctly), but we arrived at that duration from a clear reading of the scripture above in light of the heavenly clock. Even before that, however, we saw in Ezekiel 39 that the prophecy against Gog and Magog—of Armageddon fame—involved a seven-year time in which the enemies of God would be utterly destroyed.

And they that dwell in the cities of Israel shall go forth, and shall set on fire and burn the weapons, both the shields and the bucklers, the bows and the arrows, and the handstaves, and the spears, and they shall burn them with fire seven years: So that they shall take no wood out of the field, neither cut down any out of the forests; for they shall burn the weapons with fire: and they shall spoil those that spoiled them, and rob those that robbed them, saith the Lord GOD. (Ezekiel 39:9-10)

So while we were pondering those things, the news relating to Dabiq was a real-world indication that such a period of seven years on the earth was beginning to take shape, although we still understood them as a strictly literal duration. This article stays with the terminology of seven years (even though we now know that the seven years are actually symbolic of a different period) because that was our understanding all through the Feast of Tabernacles. It is Brother Gerhard’s privilege to expound the meaning of the “seven years” in the next article.

Day 1 – Abraham on Counting the Stars

Our chief concern, however, was to see the Sign of the Son of Man. By the time evening came on, we were getting desperate. Now it was the eve of the first day of the feast, which meant it was now seven days before the Second Coming. Based on a common Adventist understanding, we expected to see the sign to mark the beginning of the last seven days of the saints’ presence on the earth. The mere capture of Dabiq was enough to support the idea of a seven-year tribulation beginning, but not enough to confirm that Jesus would return for us at the end of the week.

We were getting desperately nervous with every passing minute, and our faith was hanging by a thread. The cry was ours, “My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken us!?” It was our passion week, after all.

Back and forth we wrestled, until finally the Scriptures—the lamp unto our feet—lighted the way. Daniel 10 came to the rescue, and as we reviewed how it had fulfilled, it became clearer what the end of the 21 days was all about. We were able to calm down and see things in a proper way, and finally we could get some rest in order to share our findings with our companions in trial the following day. Our seven-day Feast of Tabernacles had begun.

Friends, we received a lot of light today on this ceremonial sabbath day, the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles!!! Please be encouraged with us, as we continue this camping experience...

While we are writing about today’s topics, we want to catch you up on what else we learned regarding the “double day” of destruction that we started to talk about in the post above. It was a day of “double destruction” which means we need two destructive things on that day, and not just one. We also have to understand why the capture of Dabiq was not a big destructive event YET, but just the signal for the fire ants, which will bring destruction later. Let’s tackle these things one at a time...

First of all, it is important to note that the Islamic prophecy of the battle of Dabiq speaks of 80 states attacking. How can that be, when the city was captured by “Turkish-backed Syrian rebels”? The answer is that Turkey is a NATO member, and thus the Turkish-backed rebels were also NATO-backed. That means that every NATO member state was backing this.

NATO, however, is comprised of only 28 member states, not 80. Nevertheless, the list of NATO members includes two powers which are “united” groups of smaller states: the United States, and the United Kingdom. If you expand the US and UK to the number of their individual states, then the prophecy is fulfilled exactly:

28 member states
- 1 take out the US as a whole
+ 50 put in the individual states of the US
- 1 take out the UK as a whole
+ 4 put in the individual states of the UK (England, Scotland, Ireland, Whales)
= 80

Thus you can see that the Islamic prophecy has come to pass very precisely for the fire-ant signal.

Now for the second destructive event... Were you watching the “World War 3” developments? What did you see? The WW3 threat hinges on the Syria crisis, and that was the subject of talks among world leaders on Saturday in Lausanne, Switzerland. Everyone who was looking at the WW3 threat was watching for the outcome of the meeting to see if the two main players (Russia and the US) would go to war or come to an agreement. The news that came out seemed anti-climactic: the significance of the meeting was initially played down, and the US only responded with “more sanctions.”

However, something else is going on behind the scenes. For example, the foreign minister of Germany said that “we can no longer exclude the possibility of an armed conflict with Russia.” That is stated in a very softened way, but if you understand it correctly, it means that previously (before the meeting in Lausanne), Germany did rule out that possibility, but something changed as a result of the meeting, and now an armed conflict is “possible.” That means, the new understanding that was reached at the meeting must have been: Russia won’t back down, and the only way to stop them is by military force. Therefore, military force can no longer be ruled out.

Putin has not been eager to go to war. He has been prepared, but not eager. He has been warning the world for a long time, telling them that WW3 is looming if they continue their policies, but he has not been eager to start the war. Back in June, for example, Putin said he would attack NATO “only in a mad person’s dream.”

Now, however, we are starting to see headlines like this:
Vladimir Putin tells the US ‘If you want a war, you will get one – EVERYWHERE’

What made the change? This reminds us that God sets up kings and removes kings, and He is in their counsels to direct the affairs of men. Putin’s reluctance to start World War 3 is our parallel to the king of Persia withstanding (or resisting) God’s will. But when Michael came at the end of the 21 days, then Satan’s influence on the king of Persia (or on Putin in our case) was overcome. Now Putin has decided (or realized) that he must war against the rest of the Western world (NATO, US, Europe, etc).

So in summary, two destructive events were triggered on Sunday: the Islamic jihad (a religious world war), and WW3 (a political world war). Thus we have a double war, both religious and political, just as the pope is both a religious and political leader, and his state is both religious and political. Babylon will be rewarded double.

Now let’s turn to the issue of why the destruction did not begin yet. Those two wars have been declared, but the bombs have not started falling yet. No bombs flew on Sunday, and none on Monday...that means our idea of the world being destroyed in six days is not coming to pass. That is a good thing, because now we can continue to share the joy of the Feast of Tabernacles with you until Jesus comes. It means we are spared completely from the “hour of temptation” (trial) spoken of in Revelation 3:10. We can praise the Lord for that!

What this means is that the full brunt of the plagues will fall after the Second Coming. The six (or seven) days for the undoing of this earth’s creation are really years—the seven years of tribulation from Ezekiel 39:9, the Orion “hour” from which we are spared.

That concept has big implications. It means that Jesus’ coming will be a total surprise to the world. It will not be a secret (every eye shall see him[46]) but it will be a surprise. The world will not know in advance that Jesus is coming (because they rejected the Orion message). That should make you wonder what the sign of the Son of Man could be...which we expected today on the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles!

I want to emphasize that now, more than ever, it is very important for you to be able to study on your own. You have the same advantage that we have--the same Holy Spirit--to guide you into all truth. We are going through our camping challenges here, and you are each going through your challenges in your locations, and besides the physical challenges, we also have the same spiritual battle with hopes, expectations and disappointments, and we can receive the same comfort and light from God through study with the Holy Spirit. Do not wait on us, but use the tools you have to come through these feast days! We must stay faithful, and the light we receive from God’s word helps us to do that.

Blessings!

 

We had come through the big day of double destruction with a clear understanding of world events, and were free to enjoy the rest of the feast till Jesus’ coming! We sensed the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and we were secure in the knowledge that the Lord was leading us. That double day was foreshadowing the time that would follow.

As we chatted in the morning on the first day of the feast, we began to understand why God led us to observe the feast in the way we did. Although His coming was imminent, there were still important lessons that He wanted us to learn to prepare us for the new life we expected to begin soon in heaven.

This post has some very exciting things in it! We were expecting the sign of the Son of Man on Monday, because it should come seven days before the Second Coming based on Ellen G. White’s famous figure of seven days for travel to/from the Orion nebula. We didn’t see anything that night, but we were at least encouraged with the study of Daniel 10 and the understanding of the double day according to the Bible.

On Monday morning, the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles began (a ceremonial sabbath day), and we were remarking about the fact that we are camping in tents instead of tabernacles (booths) made with tree branches as the Jews do. The Lord leads us in everything we do, and something as simple as camping in tents is no exception. Why tents, and not booths?

The booths were a reminder to the children of Israel that they were dependent for 40 years on the cloud by day and pillar of fire by night that protected them. They were dependent on God for protection from the sun by day and cold by night in the desert conditions of the wilderness. We have also come through a 120-year wilderness experience since the rejection of the light in 1888 in the Adventist Church.

The church has now officially split, by the way. The GC published a paper to be voted at the Annual Council this year which stated that the church needs reconciliation. That is the same as admitting that the church has split, and is no longer a church. The church ship has broken.

That means a lot, because God no longer has an organized church on earth. The church’s mission was to spread the light of truth to the world. Now that the church is broken, it officially admits that it is no longer God’s church, and it is no longer His vocal organ in the world. That is one more sign that Jesus must come now, and it is no coincidence that this admission happened on the day of Yom Kippur. The organized church voted on the document and condemned itself in the judgment.

But God has been leading us through the wilderness through the pillar of fire (giving us the light of truth) and the cloud by day (shielding us from the burning sun, the lies of the sun-god). The Orion message, with the trumpet and plague clocks and everything else that it entails, has brought us through the wilderness and to the borders of the land of Canaan. Remember, the Feast of Tabernacles is about the marches around Jericho. This first day of the feast, we made our first symbolic march and blew our first “shofar” blast. But that is not all that the feast symbolizes.

Setting up camp Why tents instead of tabernacles? When we see our tents here, we think of the stories of the patriarchs like Abraham and Sarah who lived in tents. They had lots of livestock, and lived in tents so they could move with their flocks from time to time as needed. We are living in tents and we even brought some of our cows with us to be near our camping area. The Lord wants us all to recognize that we are like the “shepherds” waiting for his coming. We are also getting to feel a little bit of the hardships of the life of the patriarchs, although we still have many conveniences that they did not have.

Let’s read about the shepherds waiting for the coming of Jesus:

And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. (Luke 2:1-3)

Keep in mind, this taxation was part of a census. They were also counting the people as they paid their taxes. It is also interesting that a particular governor of Syria is mentioned here, because we also have something going on with a particular ruler (Assad) of Syria.

And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. (Luke 2:4-7)

Now comes the part about the shepherds:

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. (Luke 2:8)

We have also been keeping watch by night...watching for the Second Coming of Jesus. This made us wonder: if we are the shepherds, who are the wise men who saw His star in the east? Of course there can be different levels of interpretations in different circumstances, but in this case if we are the shepherds, then we cannot also be the wise men at the same time. So who are the wise men?

And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. (Luke 2:9)

This part reminds us of Sunday night, when we were really struggling without any actual destruction the day before, or any divine sign of a special resurrection or a small black cloud, or anything that would confirm that Jesus is coming when the first day of the feast began. We were “afraid” that Jesus would not come.

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. (Luke 2:10)

Indeed, when we understood who the wise men represent today, we shouted “Glory, hallelujah!”

The wise men were well educated. They were experts in astronomy. They were from the upper classes, and had expensive and valuable gifts to benefit the Lord. The wise men saw the star appear—they saw a sign in the heavens—but they did not understand what it meant in a religious context. They had no idea where the king had been born.

If we are looking for the wise men today, we would think of astronomers. They are people who study the stars. We would think of the leaders of the nations of the earth who invest in telescopes that can conduct a “census” of the stars of heaven. Has the field of astronomy made any new discoveries lately? Have the world’s most powerful telescopes conducted any censuses lately? Yes, indeed! You already know about the “Gaia” project, because it helped us get the exact distances of the stars to discover that Alnitak, and not Betelgeuse, is the star that will explode.

On October 13, the day after the Atonement, another astronomical finding was released, which hit the news with headlines such as: There Are 10 Times More Galaxies in the Universe Than Previously Thought. This time it was from Hubble.

We did not recognize the significance of this news until the first day of Tabernacles, but now we are the first ones to understand what it really means! This is about a census of the stars. It is about counting the stars. Does that remind you of anything!?

And he brought him [Abram] forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. (Genesis 15:5)

God has spoken the day and hour and is delivering the everlasting covenant to us. Part of that covenant is the promise to Abraham, that his offspring would be as numerous as the stars which no man can count! The census of the stars is a big problem for astronomers, because it contradicts their models of how the universe began. They do not have the religious understanding. The kings of the earth do not know what this data means, and the astronomers are trying to figure it out. Now they speak of 2 TRILLION galaxies—GALAXIES—which each have untold BILLIONS of stars, which each potentially have planets with untold BILLIONS of inhabitants! How numerous are the hosts of heaven! And Abraham’s spiritual offspring--the product of his faithful example--is compared to the countless stars of heaven!

Do you understand what God is giving you with the everlasting covenant? You, like Abraham, are destined to be kings, having dominion over an untold number of the stars and their inhabitants! Like Abraham, you are destined to be a father to many nations of unfallen beings! That is what being a shepherd is all about. It is about caring for God’s creation, whether the lower life forms of cows and sheep, or intelligent beings who have never experienced the horror of sin.

The first galaxies that astronomers could see were misidentified as nebulae, because they appear like a cloud of light instead of a sharp pin-point of light. The telescope (or naked eye) cannot resolve the individual stars of a galaxy. In that sense, and knowing that stars support planets with life, the 10 times the number of galaxies that Hubble discovered are in fact “clouds” of “angels”—and not just any clouds, but clouds shining with 10 times the glory previously known!

That reminds us of Miller’s dream, and the treasure of the second Miller, which shone with 10 times the brilliance...

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. (Luke 2:11-14)

See, the astronomical news on the day after the Atonement is about the glorious second coming with the clouds of angels! This is the sign for us! It did not come in the way we expected, but it came, and there is something we can learn from the way it came. The rest of the world does not understand, because they do not have the “religious” understanding of what it means. They do not understand that the universe cannot be counted by finite man, and that it displeases God for men to pretend they can know the size of the universe.

Counting the number of people in God’s kingdom has always been a delicate matter, because God did not want the leaders to trust in the numbers of their soldiers, but in God. According to the Levitical law, when a census was to be conducted, a ransom had to be given for each person to keep the plague away. You remember what happened when King David counted the people...he had to make a sacrifice to atone for his error. So when we look at the starry hosts of heaven, we should remember that we cannot count the size of the kingdom of God with our limited human minds. When we look at the size of our group, as small as it is, we can have confidence in God to help us win our battles, and not be afraid because of our small numbers.

Ellen G. White gives more food for thought regarding this scene in The Desire of Ages, Chapter 4:

In the fields where the boy David had led his flock, shepherds were still keeping watch by night. Through the silent hours they talked together of the promised Saviour, and prayed for the coming of the King to David’s throne [all just like us]. “And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.”

At these words, visions of glory fill the minds of the listening shepherds. The Deliverer has come to Israel! Power, exaltation, triumph, are associated with His coming. But the angel must prepare them to recognize their Saviour in poverty and humiliation. “This shall be a sign unto you,” he says; “Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.”

The heavenly messenger had quieted their fears. He had told them how to find Jesus. With tender regard for their human weakness, he had given them time to become accustomed to the divine radiance. Then the joy and glory could no longer be hidden. The whole plain was lighted up with the bright shining of the hosts of God. Earth was hushed, and heaven stooped to listen to the song,—

“Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace, good will toward men.” {DA 47.3–48.1}

Oh that today the human family could recognize that song! The declaration then made, the note then struck, will swell to the close of time, and resound to the ends of the earth. When the Sun of Righteousness shall arise, with healing in His wings, that song will be re-echoed by the voice of a great multitude, as the voice of many waters, saying, “Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.” Revelation 19:6. {DA 48.2}

And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them. (Luke 2:15-20)

Now comes another very interesting part:

And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called JESUS, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb. (Luke 2:21)

Here we see a period of eight days, which corresponds to the eight days of the Feast of Tabernacles. It is also clear that circumcision has something to do with the everlasting covenant, because it was given to Abraham as a sign. But what could it mean that “Jesus” would be “circumcised” on our eighth day...October 24, 2016?

Circumcision is the removal of the foreskin of the male reproductive organ. It is the removal of tissue (matter) from the part of the body that is responsible for pro-creation. Since the constellation of Orion is a symbolic representation of Jesus, and Jesus Himself is the creative member of the Godhead, then circumcision is a fitting illustration of one very special event: the Alnitak supernova on October 24, the eighth day!

Supernovae are creative acts, because matter is “removed” from the star to recreate or replenish the planets around it with precious heavy elements. Supernovae explosions expand in the shape of a circle (as in circum-cision).

So you see how much we can learn from the first coming of Christ! At that time, He came as a humble baby, but this time He will come as the King of kings, with a realm that is even greater than the 2 trillion galaxies that could be estimated with the help of the Hubble telescope!

Now remember that each day of the Feast of Tabernacles is graced with a visit from a patriarch, and the patriarch for today was Abraham! Like how Moses and Elijah strengthened Jesus at His transfiguration, Abraham came to us (symbolically of course, in our study) to strengthen us and prepare us for the things that are coming, which we can hardly comprehend! That gives us some ideas for how the Lord might continue to teach us (and you) this week, as we study to see what we might learn from the other patriarchs.

Be blessed!

 

Wow, what a grandiose sign of the Kingdom to come, given to our poor little group on this first day! We were elated, to say the least. Abraham, in symbolic form, had visited our camp to teach us lessons that would prepare us for our work throughout the ceaseless expanses of the universe. God reaffirmed the covenant that He gave to Abraham, that He would give him offspring as the stars—and now He was giving us not just a nation like the nation of Israel, but He was giving us dominion over the vast regions of His heavenly kingdom! Even the covenant of circumcision was explained in a beautiful way that confirmed our understanding of the creativity and wrath of God via supernova.

What else could we ask for!? We had seen the Sign of the Son of Man coming with clouds.

None of the people of the world (not even the “wise men”) were recognizing that Jesus was coming, even in those last seven days. However, we believed that on October 23, when He would actually arrive, they would see Him and know that He came and that they had been left behind. It would be a surprise to them, but not a secret.

Our travel to Orion was going to be a bittersweet experience, because we had known many of those who would not be going with us. That bittersweet tinge was from the seeds of love in our heart that had not sprouted.

Oh, how the Lord must have felt too, as He made the expensive journey from heaven to earth for so few souls. How He longed for it! Yet, how bittersweet it must have been as He knew that a vast number of those whom He had set His love upon had rejected and refused Him.

Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world. (John 17:24)

How many cabins in the spaceship—mansions in the New Jerusalem—would remain empty as the ship sailed back to the glassy sea?

But that was only a fleeting concern for us as we relished the idea of reigning over billions of galaxies. To an objective observer, we must have looked as foolish as a bunch of uncouth fishermen jockeying for a seat next to Jesus. And yet, that was exactly the case:

Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore? And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. (Matthew 19:27-28)

However, the first day of the feast was still not completely fulfilled. If you look closely at the photograph of our tents, you will notice three large tents and two small tents. The three large tents were for the three couples/families, and one of the two small tents was for the widower. The other small tent was for our late sister in faith, Gabriela, who died last year. We were prepared for God to resurrect her to experience the joy of seeing His return with us, as Ellen G. White depicted.

It is at midnight that God manifests His power for the deliverance of His people. The sun appears, shining in its strength. Signs and wonders follow in quick succession. The wicked look with terror and amazement upon the scene, while the righteous behold with solemn joy the tokens of their deliverance. Everything in nature seems turned out of its course. The streams cease to flow. Dark, heavy clouds come up and clash against each other. In the midst of the angry heavens is one clear space of indescribable glory, whence comes the voice of God like the sound of many waters, saying: “It is done.” Revelation 16:17.

That voice shakes the heavens and the earth. There is a mighty earthquake, “such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.” Verses 17, 18. The firmament appears to open and shut. The glory from the throne of God seems flashing through. The mountains shake like a reed in the wind, and ragged rocks are scattered on every side. There is a roar as of a coming tempest. The sea is lashed into fury. There is heard the shriek of a hurricane like the voice of demons upon a mission of destruction. The whole earth heaves and swells like the waves of the sea. Its surface is breaking up. Its very foundations seem to be giving way. Mountain chains are sinking. Inhabited islands disappear. The seaports that have become like Sodom for wickedness are swallowed up by the angry waters. Babylon the great has come in remembrance before God, “to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath.” Great hailstones, every one “about the weight of a talent,” are doing their work of destruction. Verses 19, 21. The proudest cities of the earth are laid low. The lordly palaces, upon which the world’s great men have lavished their wealth in order to glorify themselves, are crumbling to ruin before their eyes. Prison walls are rent asunder, and God’s people, who have been held in bondage for their faith, are set free.

Graves are opened, and “many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth ... awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.” Daniel 12:2. All who have died in the faith of the third angel’s message come forth from the tomb glorified, to hear God’s covenant of peace with those who have kept His law. “They also which pierced Him” (Revelation 1:7), those that mocked and derided Christ’s dying agonies, and the most violent opposers of His truth and His people, are raised to behold Him in His glory and to see the honor placed upon the loyal and obedient. {GC 636.2 – 637.1}

That passage from the Great Controversy led us to anticipate something at midnight (which did not happen), an earthquake (which did not happen), and finally the special resurrection (which did not happen). Nevertheless, the experience of God’s leading through the first feast day had been undeniable.

Brother Ray also wrote to comfort and encourage the brethren, and through what he wrote, you can see how we grappled with the issue to bring the Spirit of Prophecy into harmony with the experiential leading of the Holy Spirit thus far.

Dear friends,

We hope that you are weathering the elements well! We have been learning much about this feast week that we did not previously understand. At our (weekly) Sabbath service, we studied about its relationship with Passover and the Passion week. You know that since our work ended on the last high Sabbath on earth (September 3), we recognized that there were 50 days until the Second Coming/Rapture, and we have since been counting the Omer Sabbaths, like the Jews did after the Spring feasts, leading up to Pentecost. This was one indication that there was some significance of the Spring feasts as applied to our current time. (Remember, it is Spring time here in Paraguay!)

But that is not the only relationship! We also recognized that this tabernacles feast would involve suffering. It is not pleasant to be sweating in the heat and humidity all day long, and more than not pleasant, it can even be dangerous for some, such that the local authorities issued an alert that any elderly, or people with abnormal heart conditions (such as brother John) should stay indoors during this heat wave (as our tabernacles feast begins). For some of you, the suffering is on the opposite end of the spectrum, braving the cold in order to be faithful to God, who has called us “up the mountain” to wait for Him. And that is precisely the point: will we be faithful and not fall into sin no matter the stress or provocation that the situation generates? We, as the second Eve, must stand against temptation despite anything the devil tries to do to make us fall--or come back down to comfort?

Does that sound familiar? Who went through such an experience before? Yes! It was our dear Lord, Jesus! When He was going through the scenes of the Passion week culminating in His death on the cross. He went through great suffering, not just physically, but spiritually as well, carrying the weight of the sins of the whole earth. Our suffering, while certainly not so extreme, also comes in both physical and spiritual forms, as we recognize the importance of the second Eve living without sin by the grace of Christ, in these last days for the sake of our Lord and the Universe. The victory of the tabernacles feast week is encapsulated in the victory of the cross, which was on the High Sabbath as Jesus lay in the tomb.

This means that the day before Tabernacles began (Sunday) would correspond to the day when Jesus allowed Himself to experience death for sinners. And as crucifixion Friday began with the Last Supper with His disciples on Thursday evening, and proceeded through Gethsemane until His death shortly before the Sabbath, so for us, as we gathered at our camp site for evening worship after Sabbath under the full moon (like in Gethsemane), it was a solemn time as we considered our mission before us, recognizing that we must suffer with patience, like Jesus.

Then on Sunday, we were seeking to better understand what it meant that Babylon would be rewarded double (as we have reported that to you already). But as the evening of the first day of Tabernacles came, we realized that once again, something has been misunderstood. We felt forsaken, and brother John even cried out to that effect as we felt the burden weighing down on us, that there was no destruction on Sunday, no special resurrection at the beginning of the feast, no midnight deliverance or moon standing still, and no sign of the Son of Man (at least not that we recognized!). What went wrong? Have we just been following an elaborate fable? Did we fail and Jesus can’t return?

Then we came back to the Bible and read what Gabriel came to do for Daniel after the 21 days of resistance were expired:

Daniel 10:14 Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days: for yet the vision is for many days.

Gabriel came to make Daniel understand, and while we expected actions of war, we were given the understanding that there was in reality a decision for war. But in the process, we realized something important, which we have been seeing more and more clearly, the closer we come to the end: When we focus on the Bible, we can understand the fulfillment, but when our expectations are based on Ellen G. White’s visions, we are often disappointed. Why is that? Do we suggest that Ellen G. White was not a true prophet? No! Of course not, but at the same time, we must face the reality that due to the rejection of the church, many of her prophecies need not be fulfilled. Some are, or will be fulfilled, but many may not be fulfilled or only in a very different (symbolic) form. We have had many expectations that are directly or indirectly based on visions of Ellen G. White, and when the prophecies fail (because they weren’t given for our time) we are left in disappointment.[47]

The hope of seeing the sign of the Son of Man and the special resurrection at the beginning of the Tabernacles feast was one such disappointed expectation that came from our application of Ellen G. White’s vision to our time, when it was simply an example of “what could have been” if the church had been faithful. If we limit ourselves to the revelations of present truth, then we find nothing that would clearly suggest that we should expect the special resurrection seven days before the Return, as we had deduced from Ellen G. White! (And as you know, we first expected it at Trumpets, but since we ourselves were not ready, it could not even be fulfilled in that way.) It is difficult at times to recognize what is applicable to our time and what is not.

One thing we know for sure, is that the blessing of Daniel is pronounced on those who wait and come to the 1335 days. We’re almost there, but not quite, so keep waiting!

As for the special resurrection, given the lineup of patriarchs that “visit” during the tabernacles week, which one would make for a good parallel to the special resurrection? There is one good candidate, but we aren’t even sure, yet, whether the patriarchal “visits” will be especially significant every day, or if it was something unique to the day of the holy convocation (the last one on earth). If we discover something in relation to Isaac tomorrow, then it would suggest that there would be a daily significance.

Getting back to the relationship between Passover and Tabernacles, the feast of Unleavened bread was a happy feast, but at the same time, it was restricted. Eating unleavened bread is not generally considered as nice as eating bread baked with leaven. So we see that there was something that was not perfect in the experience. On the one hand, there was no leaven (representing sin), pointing to a time when sin would no longer be a factor, but on the other hand, something was missing. With our tabernacles feast being paralleled by Jesus’ own victory as demonstrated when He lay in the tomb, it suggests that the feast of Unleavened Bread must represent the week following Tabernacles, during our travel to Orion. Sin will not be present, and it is also a bitter-sweet travel, because many of our loved ones will be missing (including some we have gotten to know here in the forum, but who did not avail themselves of the grace of Christ to overcome), and we will not know whether we must give our lives.[48]

Thus, Jesus’ Passion week corresponds to our Tabernacles week, and the week of Unleavened Bread corresponds to our travel to Orion. Incidentally, you may have noticed that the seven days ascending to the sea of glass leaves us at Alnilam for Sabbath, and this is the star system representing the Father, with whom we meet to learn about whether we will continue to live.

It is a bit surreal to write about these things that we’ve been waiting our whole lives to see, and realizing that it is but a few days until our faith will become sight!

Until then (which still seems like a long time), may God be with you all!

 

There is a lot of depth to his words which will be understood by those who are familiar with our entire message, but suffice it to say that we wanted very much to see the special resurrection.

I suppose nobody was as eager to awake the sleeping saints than Jesus Himself. How many dear souls who hung their final breath on the hope of His return has He had to say good-bye to, and gently, tenderly lay in the dust of the earth? The pain of separation is more acute when the relationship is deeper, so how much it must hurt our Lord, every single day that goes by, that He is deprived of the companionship of those who have loved Him! He had lost a whole church—His woman. How He must have been longing for the moment when He could shout “AWAKE!!!” to the lifeless elements of His devoted and beloved friends, long since disintegrated, and see His Word return them to Him whole and healed, glorified and immortal like Himself.

But the day ended, and the other tent remained empty. If only the church had been faithful, Ellen G. White’s visions of the special resurrection could have been reality.

Day 2 – Isaac on Primitive Faith

The defining event in the life of Isaac was when he was called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice. Isaac shared the faith of his father Abraham, and was obedient to the will of God. When Abraham was called upon to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice, Isaac did not resist. He was willing to offer himself to God, whom he loved. He trusted fully in the promises of God and was ready to serve Him wholeheartedly, whether in life or in death.

That is a picture of the 144,000 Jesus-like ones. It is a picture of those who have the faith to step forward and do whatever it takes to honor God. It is a picture of those who are willing to serve God before knowing what the outcome of that special meeting will be, whether they will receive eternal life or eternal non-existence. They are loyal and ready for service. There was no arm-twisting or convincing necessary for Abraham to get his son to cooperate. Out of love for his father and his God, Isaac was ready to do anything, even to lay down his life in the confidence that God could resurrect him.

That describes the hearts of our members. Those who truly understand what the message from Orion is about, are willing to sacrifice—no matter the cost—even an eternal sacrifice as Brother Ray alluded to in his message quoted earlier. Even if it would be determined in the special meeting with the Father in heaven that we would not retain eternal life, we would still serve the Lord with all our heart and abilities. The saying, “every man has his price” just isn’t true.

The greatest want of the world is the want of men—men who will not be bought or sold, men who in their inmost souls are true and honest, men who do not fear to call sin by its right name, men whose conscience is as true to duty as the needle to the pole, men who will stand for the right though the heavens fall. {Ed 57.3}

The simplicity of Isaac’s faith shows that godly love is stronger than self-preservation or self-gratification of any kind, “for love is strong as death.”

Life’s best things—simplicity, honesty, truthfulness, purity, integrity—cannot be bought or sold. They are as free to the ignorant as to the educated, to the humble laborer as to the honored statesman. For everyone God has provided pleasure that may be enjoyed by rich and poor alike—the pleasure found in cultivating pureness of thought and unselfishness of action, the pleasure that comes from speaking sympathizing words and doing kindly deeds. From those who perform such service the light of Christ shines to brighten lives darkened by many shadows. {MH 198.2}

Isaac’s own life was darkened by the shadow of his mother’s death. But the Bible records in great detail and with tender words the story of how Abraham carefully sent his servant to bring a wife for his son. He was not to go backwards, back to the land that God had called him out of, but the woman was to come forwards to where Isaac was. Through the providence of God, the servant found Rebekah ready, and she became the comforting of Isaac’s soul:

And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her: and Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death. (Genesis 24:67)

Like him, we are the remnant of the remnant of a church that has died. Those of us who remember some of her better days still miss her. But like Isaac, we were comforted in the hope of Jesus’ return, comforted in the knowledge that soon we would be united with our Lord and the sorrows of the past would fade away in comparison to the joy that was before us.

We had been faithful like Isaac. We had not gone back to Babylon in spite of our sorrows. We waited on the Lord to provide for all our needs, and we were comforted by His presence with us.

If you love someone, you can’t not think about the one you love. We carefully and longingly thought about the journey of our Lord to come and claim us as His own. We studied the calendar and the itinerary as if we were lovesick:

Brother Ray mentioned Jesus stopping at the star Alnilam... We would like to explain that a little bit more. The understanding we received on the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles caused us to re-think how Jesus is traveling to earth. Originally, we thought we should see Him coming on the first day of Tabernacles, which would mean that He must arrive in our solar system on that day. Now that we are beginning to understand that His arrival will not be visible until October 23 when it happens, that means His travel to earth is different than we thought. Let’s look at it again with what we know now...

At the seventh plague, Jesus left the Most Holy Place. With all that science knows, we have to assume that the Holy City travels from star to star through wormholes, because even light itself cannot travel fast enough to go such great distances in a day. We do not know what the heavenly technology is like, but we have to use the best scientific understanding that we have to at least imagine these things.

So when Jesus left the Most Holy Place (the Orion Nebula), his first stop would be at the star Alnilam, which is the first star on His journey to Earth. Then Satan withstood us, and Jesus had to stop His travel for 21 days until Satan’s accusations could be answered. All during that time, He was at the star system of Alnilam in the Holy City, the star of the Father. That is fitting, because Father and Son are united in all their decisions, especially regarding the creation and destiny of Earth and the human race.

But after the 21 days of resistance from Satan, when our Michael prevailed and the double decisions for religious and political war were made, then Jesus could continue to travel to the Earth. That means He would have continued from Alnilam to Mintaka on the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles. If we follow the route from there, Jesus would come to Earth exactly on the 23rd of October!

Mon Oct 17 1st Tabernacles - travel to Mintaka
Tue Oct 18 2nd Tabernacles - travel to Rigel
Wed Oct 19 3rd Tabernacles - travel to Saiph
Thu Oct 20 4th Tabernacles - travel to Betelgeuse
Fri Oct 21 5th Tabernacles - travel to Bellatrix
Sat Oct 22 6th Tabernacles - Sabbath (rest)
Sun Oct 23 7th Tabernacles - travel to our solar system, gather saints, return to Bellatrix in same day
Mon Oct 24 8th Shemini Atzeret - travel to Betelgeuse
Tue Oct 25 - travel to Saiph
Wed Oct 26 - travel to Rigel
Thu Oct 27 - travel to Mintaka
Fri Oct 28 - travel to Alnilam
Sat Oct 29 - Sabbath (rest)
Sun Oct 30 - travel to Orion Nebula

It is interesting that the Sabbath rest on the return trip, when we are traveling with Jesus to the Orion Nebula, is at Alnilam again. Symbolically, that would be a very fitting location for the special meeting of the 144,000 with the Father to hear whether their sacrifice will indeed be required or not.

Ellen G. White saw the lead-up to the Second Coming and described it as follows (starting the quote with the second time proclamation):

...Then we heard the voice of God which shook the heavens and earth, and gave the 144,000 the day and hour of Jesus’ coming [second time proclamation]. Then the saints were free, united and full of the glory of God, for he had turned their captivity. And I saw a flaming cloud come where Jesus stood and he laid off his priestly garment and put on his kingly robe, took his place on the cloud which carried him to the east where it first appeared to the saints on earth, a small black cloud, which was the sign of the Son of Man [this is the actual visible coming on October 23--in the next sentence she goes back and reviews Jesus’ journey to earth]. While the cloud was passing from the Holiest to the east which took a number of days [Oct 18-23], the Synagogue of Satan worshiped at the saints feet. {DS March 14, 1846, par. 2}

We have seen the glory of Christ’s coming in symbolic form through the discovery of 10 times more galaxies in the universe, but the actual visible coming will be when the wormhole opens in our solar system on October 23. She says that it took “a number of days” for that to happen, and during those days the “synagogue of Satan” worshiped at the saints feet. That happened at the beginning of the Tabernacles feast, when Jesus resumed His travel to Earth. One English report said that the US was “surprised” by all of Russia’s actions, such as the annexation of Crimea, the occupation of eastern Ukraine, etc....all of the things that were mentioned in the Trumpet warnings of the trumpet cycle! In effect, he is now admitting that we were right! The German press even shows it more clearly. Angela Merkel, the most powerful woman in the world, admitted that “tomorrow” Germany could be a different country. Basically, the most powerful woman on Earth admitted that she and her associates have been mistaken and are at the point of losing the country to Russia, not to mention the rest of Europe. In other words, without knowing what the trumpet and plague clocks say, she is admitting “You were right!” For such a strong woman, this is groveling humility--worshiping at the saints’ feet, figuratively, because the saints prophesied what she is now admitting has happened!

Prophecy is truly fulfilling, but in surprising ways!

God be with you all...

 

The themes of the life of Isaac are very clear and did not occupy much study time. The Holy Spirit used the time to prepare us for the next day, because—as we would find out later—Jacob would have an important message for us. As preparation, the topic of the seven years of tribulation was brought to us in the context of Pharaoh’s dream about the seven fat years and seven lean years.

Day 3 – Jacob on Wrestling with Decision

The great decision presented itself to us unexpectedly. We had sometimes joked in the past about the possibility of the Clock of God running beyond its end, but when the lesson of Jacob presented itself to us, it was no light matter. We quickly realized that this was a very important thing, if not the most important thing to win the Great Controversy.

All of the preparation of the days before, including our cleansing from Satan’s accusations that we still did not measure up to the standard of righteousness necessary for heaven, was now being tested.

We carefully relayed Jacob’s lesson to our fellow campers, and explained the decision that we faced:

Brothers and sisters,

We’ve seen that this week has many meanings. It is like the Passion week. It is the Feast of Tabernacles. It is the last 7 days waiting for Jesus to come.

Yesterday, the Spirit led us to read about Pharaoh’s dream (Genesis 41). You know the dream and its interpretation: there were seven fat cows, and seven lean cows after them which ate them up and stayed lean. Then again, seven plentiful stalks of grain, and seven poor stalks after them which ate them up but stayed poor. The dream was doubled: the seven fat cows and fat stalks together represented seven years of plenty. The seven lean cows and poor stalks represented seven years of famine that would come after the seven years of plenty.

That relates very much to our time, because we have experienced the plentiful and abundant seven years of the Orion Message from 2010 to 2016. We have stored up our spiritual food in our websites and books. The people have also had years of physical plenty—no war, no Sunday Law, no tribulation—and therefore they did not want the message. They were too carnally “full” to eat the spiritual food that God provided for them.

Now the seven years of plenty are coming to an end—as of October 24—and the seven years of famine for the Word of God will begin. The literal and physical tribulation will begin, and people will hunger for the truth.

The cows eat the cows, which is not normal behavior for cows. Cows are clean animals that are suitable for sacrifices. That means we are talking about Christians. But these cows are carnivores, so they must represent non-vegetarians—non Adventists—because they do not have the health message.

The grain, on the other hand, eats grain. It represents us, the remnant of Adventism who keep the health message and do not eat flesh foods. That is why the dream was doubled. It represents two groups of people.

Today, the third day of the Feast of Tabernacles, is the day to learn a lesson from Jacob. Jacob also experienced a period of seven years, followed by another period of seven years. He worked for Rachel, but Laban gave him Leah. Then he worked another seven years for Rachel.

Friends, the Lord teaches us the depths of His love, and invites us to partake of His love. In the previous post we shared the new itinerary of the Holy City, and Jesus is on His way to get us on October 23. We have the day of Jesus’ coming. Brother John spoke the day of His coming in his message to you about the everlasting covenant. But what about the “hour?” God spoke the day AND hour.

On the judgment clock, one hour is seven years, because 7 years * 24 “hours” = 168 years, the whole time of the judgment clock. We already recognized that the coming seven years are the hour of temptation from which Philadelphia is kept, in Revelation 3:10. It is the hour of trial and tribulation that is coming.

Now we have the “hour” on the table. We have worked like Jacob for 7 years already, and we got our “Leah”. Leah was more spiritual, but she was not as beautiful as Rachel. Look at us. Look at the followers of this movement. We are small. We are not blessed with the beautiful multitudes that befit the glory of our Husband, Jesus/Alnitak. We always had hopes that this message would lighten the world and BE WELCOMED by many. We have labored for seven years for the woman/church of our dreams, but we only got ugly “Leah” instead of the beautiful Rachel whom we love.

Jesus is ready to come. He is on His way with the Holy City. We know that He will be here on October 23 with His reward in hand. How do you feel about that? Are you happy with Leah? Or should we learn a lesson from Jacob:

And it came to pass, that in the morning [when Jesus is ready to come], behold, it was Leah: and he said to Laban, What is this thou hast done unto me? did not I serve with thee for Rachel? wherefore then hast thou beguiled me? (Genesis 29:25)

Jacob was not satisfied, because he had LOVE for Rachel. How is the love in your heart? Are you ready to check-out of this world and let the rest of the people perish without hope in the hour of their tribulation? The stars in your crown represent the souls you have brought to Christ, and everyone in heaven will have at least one star. Are you happy with the number of stars in your crown (if you even have any)?

The choice is yours. Jesus will be here soon...we know the day. But what about the hour? Do you want to watch “one more hour” of 7 years with Jesus, to get the really beautiful bride?

Our portions of the Holy Spirit will run out on October 23. Would you be happy with the blessing of the 1335 days in the form of additional portions of the Holy Spirit for another 7 years? He is Christ’s representative, and would bless us like the apostles with speaking in tongues, travel, etc. so that we can reach the people. It will be a whole different world. Instead of a desert, it will be green pastures.

The two witnesses (Jesus and us) also have a 7-year ministry, divided into two parts of 3 ½ years. Our first three and a half years ended in 2013 when Pope Francis was elected. Then another 3 ½ years, and we “stand up.” It says that they (the two witnesses, us and Jesus) can hit the world with the plagues “as often as we want.” We have the choice! Together with Jesus, we can decide if we want to hit the world with another round of plagues—one plague per year—to save the great multitude.

We want to hear a decision from each one of you! You have overcome and have received eternal life, but remember: the everlasting covenant was spoken with pauses, and was awfully solemn. Now we are hearing not only of the day, but also of the hour, and it is a solemn moment of decision for you!

 

I don’t think that message really captures the depth of the situation. Wow, do you realize what we had coming—HEAVEN—and what decision was before us!? We were (and still are) sick and tired of this world. We thought we would be lucky to make it through our last week on earth without losing faith—we could not have imagined another seven whole years in this!

The Lord was testing us. The issue was whether we really were selfless or not. Would we put the interests of others who had been late receiving the truth, primarily due to the failure of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, before our own? What about that bittersweet feeling that we would experience as we would look into the rear-view mirror of the Holy City during departure, as we would see this world and its doomed inhabitants diminishing to a spec in the distance? Would we not regret leaving behind lost souls who might have been saved if they only had a little more time to come to the truth?

In the end, it was a question of love. It was not a question of the will of God, because God had already expressed His will to end this world and take His people home. He had given us His schedule; we knew His will. The question was a question of love: would we settle for less than what we had labored for? Or would we, with the nobility of character befitting crowned kings, make our request known to the Father to grant us what we needed to populate His kingdom: TIME, which He alone could grant because that is what HE IS.

We decided to ask God the Father for more time, knowing that it was not in His original plan to begin with, but that as kings and priests unto God we have boldness and confidence to present our case before Him. Of course, the final decision rests with Him; He would decide whether or not to grant our request, and to what degree and in what aspects. It is a two-way interaction, but we had to first introduce the bill to the heavenly Council, so to speak.

We asked our whole group to make the decision, but not everyone immediately understood the full responsibility of initiating the request:

Let it be clear...this is each of your decision to make. (We in Paraguay have already made our decision.) If you so decide, it will be your request to Jesus for you to remain on the earth and for only His Representative (the Holy Spirit) to come now in His stead to help through the coming time. The two witnesses have power “to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will” of their own initiative...so your request to Jesus must be your initiative. We (here in Paraguay) are asking you (in the forum) what you will ask God.

 

We ourselves did not fully understand what the decision would entail. As you could see, we assumed that we would find souls more readily in the coming years than we did in the past, for a number of possible reasons. We had already recognized the 50-day countdown to the Second Coming as if it were a Pentecost of sorts, so it seemed immediately logical that we could receive miraculous gifts that would enable us to minister more effectively. We also supposed that we would be working under the effects of more severe manifestations of the plagues, which would also bolster our cause.

It took some time to get the right perspective, but the big decision had been put on the table, and the rest would have to follow. But here we were, wondering if we could make it through the week, only to make the decision to commit to another seven years!

I want to be clear that we understood that God could grant or not grant as much or as little time as He saw fit. If all possible souls would come to salvation or condemnation before seven years were over, God could certainly shorten the time. Perhaps we could even have asked for more time again if the seven years were not enough. We discussed all of those possibilities with the aim of rescuing souls who would otherwise have been lost, during a time when we would experience a world suffering under the wrath of God.

Since the seven years, which we clearly saw as a reflection of the Hour of Truth, were so clear in so many scriptures and we didn’t have any competing evidence against seven years, we naturally began to refer to the time extension simply as seven years. However, it was never intended to be firmly fixed to that period, and it was expressly left to God to respond to the request we would make, according to His infinite wisdom—which would be revealed to us later as a matter of progressive revelation, after the Feast of Tabernacles. That revelation will be conveyed in the next article.

Day 4 – Moses on Intercessory Prayer

It was a paradigm shift, or perhaps a paradigm shock. It took some time for it to really sink in. As we studied the experience of Moses as our tabernacle guest, the situation became clearer as we wrote to our brethren:

Dear friends,

Today is the 4th day of the Feast of Tabernacles, and we should learn a lesson from Moses. You have God’s will in front of you, but you did not all understand it correctly. God has spoken through His clock, saying that Jesus should come on October 23, 2016. That is God’s expressed will: to send His Son and destroy the wicked now. Let’s compare it with the time of Moses, when God expressed His will as follows:

And the LORD said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves: They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And the LORD said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people: Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation. (Exodus 32:7-10)

God’s will was to destroy the transgressors and bless Moses and Aaron instead. How did Moses respond? Did he say, “Ok, Lord, Thy will be done”? No! It says:

And Moses besought the LORD his God, and said, LORD, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand? Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever. (Exodus 32:11-13)

Moses was bold, and took it upon himself to ask God to change His mind. Moses interceded for the people, as you should know.

Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin--; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written. (Exodus 32:32)

God gave us the time of Jesus’ coming and the destruction of the wicked: October 23, 2016. But we are in a position similar to Moses now, and it is up to us what WE will say to God.

Does an earthly father just dictate to his family? Or can an earthly father be entreated? Of course a father can be entreated by his sons! How much more should we be able to entreat our righteous Father in heaven!

If you would like God to extend His mercy once again, and if you would like Him to allow us to work another 7 more years on earth to bring the message of salvation to the great multitude with the help of a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit as in the time of the apostles, then TODAY you need to offer your prayer in your groups, because today is the day of Moses! If it is your will, then pray today for God not to send His Son Jesus/Alnitak yet, but to send His Representative (the Holy Spirit as described in Revelation 18) to be with us instead, to help us work in these coming 7 years to bring in the great multitude.

Amen!

 

The decisions were made and the prayers ascended. We were a unified group praying to move the hand of Almighty God. In Paraguay, our prayer was carefully submitted to the Father, and we rested in the peace of knowing that we did what we could for the souls of others, including deferring our most cherished hope if it would save some. Now the decision rested with God. We did not know if He would grant our request—not because He is any less caring of souls than we, but because He might have known that no more souls could be saved.

In retrospect, the fact that He granted our request shows that there is yet an opportunity for those who have not yet heard the message. Are you one such soul? Will you take your stand with God, and put the weight of your means and influence to the work of spreading this message to save others? Take advantage of our websites!

Day 5 – Aaron on Rebellion in the Camp

While the responses were coming, however, not everyone had the right perspective. As we studied the situation, we gained new perspectives on what the coming time would be like. The realization began to set in that we were probably not going to get supernatural gifts from the Holy Spirit (we had already been blessed by the Holy Spirit for the past years of the Orion message), but instead the Holy Spirit would be given to others to enable them to receive the truth. We communicated our findings as follows:

Some time ago, Brother Luis had a dream about a chalice with seven marks, which we understood as the seven trumpets or plagues filling up the cup of God’s wrath. Now more than ever, we can see how the plagues have “filled up” the cup, but the full cup is now ready to be poured out in the coming seven years.

It will not be the same everywhere. Some areas will be more affected by atomic war. Other areas by ISIS and Islam. Others by both or neither. Some will have financial problems and famine. All of the terrible prophecies of the Bible that describe the wrath of God are liable to reach their strongest fulfillment in these years.

It will not be easy for us either. Yes, the Lord is with us and will guide and protect us, but we will still have to suffer in the world during this time.

Yesterday, we petitioned God to send the Holy Spirit instead of Jesus. What we want is the fulfillment of Joel 2:28-29:

And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit. (Joel 2:28-29)

We have already finished the harvest of the 144,000, but what we still need is an abundant harvest of the great multitude. For an abundant harvest, the next seven years must be different. The people must have open hearts and ready minds to hear and accept the truth—not so much by argument (as it has been so far) but by deep conviction.

That means the people need the Holy Spirit. “All flesh” needs the Spirit, as it is promised in the verse. Let us keep that in mind as we move forward. Our ministry has already been blessed with the Spirit. We have heard the voice of God for the past seven years and have received it through the Spirit. Now it is time for the others to receive it, and therefore they need the Holy Spirit now.

We should not expect to get instant miracle-working power at the end of the 1335 days. The real miracle will be that the people start to have open hearts, unlike the past seven years. That will truly be a miracle, and the miracle that we need! But the promise to us is that the Lord will be with us and work through us, despite our limitations, so that we can bring in the bountiful harvest.

Today, the Lord has a lesson for us from Aaron. It is found in the book of Numbers, chapter 12.

Numbers 12
1 And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman.
2 And they said, Hath the LORD indeed spoken only by Moses? hath he not spoken also by us? And the LORD heard it.
3 (Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.)
4 And the LORD spake suddenly unto Moses, and unto Aaron, and unto Miriam, Come out ye three unto the tabernacle of the congregation. And they three came out.
5 And the LORD came down in the pillar of the cloud, and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam: and they both came forth.
6 And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the LORD will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream.
7 My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house.
8 With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the LORD shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?
9 And the anger of the LORD was kindled against them; and he departed.
10 And the cloud departed from off the tabernacle; and, behold, Miriam became leprous, white as snow: and Aaron looked upon Miriam, and, behold, she was leprous.
11 And Aaron said unto Moses, Alas, my lord, I beseech thee, lay not the sin upon us, wherein we have done foolishly, and wherein we have sinned.
12 Let her not be as one dead, of whom the flesh is half consumed when he cometh out of his mother’s womb.
13 And Moses cried unto the LORD, saying, Heal her now, O God, I beseech thee.
14 And the LORD said unto Moses, If her father had but spit in her face, should she not be ashamed seven days? let her be shut out from the camp seven days, and after that let her be received in again.
15 And Miriam was shut out from the camp seven days: and the people journeyed not till Miriam was brought in again.
16 And afterward the people removed from Hazeroth, and pitched in the wilderness of Paran.

“All flesh” who will receive the Spirit are promised to receive it in the form of prophecy, dreams, and visions. That is precisely the manner of working that God referred to when He spoke to Aaron:

And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the LORD will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream. (Numbers 12:6)

However, with Moses it was not so.

With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the LORD shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses? (Numbers 12:8)

Moses—because of his faithfulness (v.7)—had higher authority. He was privileged to receive the Word of God directly by hearing His voice and seeing His similitude. That is symbolic of our hearing the voice of God from Orion, and seeing His similitude in the seven stars thereof. When we look at and study Orion, we see Jesus and hear the voice of God, and that means we have the Word of God on higher authority than prophets with dreams and visions.

Yesterday we even entreated God the Father—like Moses did face to face. Other prophets, dreamers and seers do not have that closeness.

But today we are learning from Aaron, not Moses. Aaron and Miriam were insisting that God had also spoken by them. It was a challenge to the authority of Moses.

In the coming seven years, we will have a ready audience in all those who already believe in the seven-year tribulation. They will be happy to listen, because they already believe there will be seven years of tribulation. Our work is not to tell them that Jesus will come after the seven years, but to strengthen them to be faithful to God all the way till death. We will be working for the great multitude—the martyrs—who need to be faithful unto death. They need to be strengthened in the way of the Lord. We have to encourage them to keep standing against LGBT tolerance and all the other things that are against God. We must prepare them to stand fast to the point of death.

As we do that, other prophets and dreamers will come like Miriam and Aaron to say to us that they also have the word of the Lord. But we who have heard from God face to face in Orion have the authority, and if they speak contrary to the Word of God as expressed in the Bible or the two heavenly books (the Book of Seven Seals and the Book of Seven Thunders, Orion and HSL, respectively) then they have to be punished by God.

Miriam is the example for prophets, dreamers, and those who see visions. She got leprosy and was put out of the camp for seven days. Prophets who challenge the authority given to us must also have their flesh touched, which is described in the sores of the first plague. They must also be put out of the camp, not just for seven days, but for the next seven years. After that, they will stand before God for their final judgment.

If you have been led by dreams, take heed. Dreams are not equal in authority to the voice of God.

Aaron, on the other hand, represents those who preach based upon Bible study, not dreams and visions. Aaron did not have the face-to-face contact that Moses had. He had God’s word second-hand, but Moses spoke with God face to face. Ministers who do not have the two heavenly books (Orion and HSL) have not seen God face to face in the stars and heard His voice through the oscillations of the sun and moon. They do not have equal authority to the ministers of the Fourth Angel’s message.

You have all seen and heard with us. When an anti-Trinitarian comes, you can say with authority that his teaching is wrong because you have seen the three stars of Orion’s belt and you know what they signify. When a lunar Sabbath teacher comes along, you can say with authority that they are teaching lies because you have seen the seventh-day Sabbath unlock the ceremonial Sabbaths to produce the HSL. If someone says that Jesus should have come or is going to come at any other time than we have believed, you can say with authority that they are teaching error, because you have seen the “Rosetta stone” triplet of 1888-1890 repeated at the end of the HSL. We know in whom we have believed: the One who architected the heavens.

The false prophets will be punished during the seven years of tribulation, and it says that “the people journeyed not till Miriam was brought in again.” In other words, we will not journey to our heavenly Canaan till after the seven years, when the time of punishment is finished. Whether those false prophets can be saved or not is not the point here. Miriam was healed and brought into the camp, but that does not mean every dreamer who tries to usurp authority over the Fourth Angel’s message will be ultimately saved. Surely many or most will not.

 

Some of our brethren mistakenly asked to hold back the judgments of God in the coming seven years. That was not our prayer; to the contrary, we prayed for the judgments to be let loose, and we wrote to bring everyone into unity on that point:

Friends,

Thank you for your answers to this important and urgent theme. Reading some of your responses, however, we see a need to make something very clear. Do you realize what you are praying for, when you ask the Lord to hold back on sending His judgments and wrath, yet also delay His coming? You are asking for an exact repeat of the previous seven years! If there are no judgments in the earth to make people any more interested to find the truth, there will be no greater success than we have already experienced! There MUST be a great tribulation to bring the great multitude to their knees in suffering and hunger for the truth! Then, and only then, will they feel a need for the Holy Spirit to lead them into all truth, when they will be led to our message with interest and understanding, amidst all the lies and deception in the world.

We must give the message in a time of tribulation, chaos, and destruction, when we won’t have to convince anyone that we are in the time of biblical plagues, because they will clearly see them as they fall more and more over the earth.

I hope that point has been made clear now! We WANT God’s judgments, and we want to hear whether you desire the Father to delay Jesus another hour that we may find the great multitude under these terrible circumstances in the earth!

 

Suffering has purpose. Suffering is what we experience when we are exposed to need. Suffering leads us to seek God, who alone can meet our deepest needs. Nobody in their right mind wants to suffer, or wants others to suffer, but God must allow suffering as a natural consequence of our own choices or the choices of others until the blame rests squarely on Satan and he is completely destroyed. Suffering is the catalyst that turns the soul toward God for help, or away from God in bitterness. It is an individual response. We don’t want judgments and suffering to be visited upon the world just for the sake of it, but so that undecided souls can turn to God and be saved.

In that spirit, we prayed for the plagues to be poured out again—not selfishly, as if we would be shielded in our own climate-controlled mansion in the Holy City with a big-screen TV on the wall to relish the scenes of suffering transpiring on the earth below, but as your companions in tribulation, also suffering under the Paraguayan sun, economic pressures, hate—just to name some existing things and not to mention everything else that will come in the next seven years. We have seen the better world, but we have chosen to stay here on this dark world to suffer with you if by any means we might save some.

So we prayed for the judgments to fall, but we also asked for a little time to regroup before the world falls apart. Many of our followers knew nothing of the fact that Jesus must come on the seventh day of the Feast of Tabernacles, and not on the eighth day. They had October 24 written on their foreheads, which meant that they were sealed for the millennial judgment—for death—and we wanted to share with them the wonderful light that God had recently given us. We wanted to start this new website for this new phase of ministry to harvest the great multitude of Revelation 7. We had a lot of work to do before nuclear bombs should destroy our possibilities.

Some of our members did not have the right heart for the coming seven years. They wanted to squander the time by trying to proselytize their unbelieving spouse or family members, who had had ample opportunities in the past years. Addressing the issue to the group, we wrote:

Dear all,

Please understand very well that our petition for another seven years will begin an entirely new phase of ministry. In the past seven years, the Lord scattered His people, the SDA church, until it finally broke, completely. In the coming seven years, the Lord will gather His people again, BUT NOT THE SAME ONES! Those who have already refused the truth will not get a second chance.

That is partly why those of you with unbelieving families had to leave them for the Feast of Tabernacles. It was a process of separation. Your unbelieving family members have had their opportunity to learn the truth with you, and now that opportunity is past. The next seven years is for those who have not had an opportunity. Your offer to work for the Lord in the coming 7 years is NOT to labor AGAIN for friends and family members who already rejected the truth, but for the sheep of other folds that God has prepared.

The Bible story that applies here is the story of Ezra 9 & 10 and Nehemiah 13. It was the time when the children of Israel were returning from Babylon after the captivity, to re-build Jerusalem. That is like what we are doing now. We will be building up the New Jerusalem in these coming 7 years, because the saved souls are what make up the New Jerusalem. When the children of Israel got to that point, they found that many of them had taken wives of the heathen nations and had children from them. They had to cleanse the nation by sending away the foreign wives and children because they would be a continual snare.

We’ve already talked to some of you about these issues in relation to your personal circumstances. If any of the rest of you are in a situation that is still unclear, please talk to us privately. The point is that we must work for the great multitude of martyrs, and not for our selfish interests of our own flesh (spouse and kids).

--Robert

 

Unfortunately, for some of those who had offended on this point, it turned from a wrong perception of duty to a matter of rebellion against the leadership, as Brother John already covered in the previous article. In speaking with such, using clear and forceful words as the situation called for, the response was criticism of the tone of voice. It is really disgusting how white-washed such people are on the outside, while their heart is far from God. You try to help them see the beam in their own eye, and they not only refuse to see it but are unafraid to pick at the supposed speck in the other person’s eye! And that, after the lesson about rebellion from Aaron.

Day 6 – Joseph on Patience in Tribulation

The sixth day of the feast fell on the seventh day of the week, the weekly Sabbath. We understood from the patriarch Joseph that we needed to be patient in tribulation. His life was one of sorrow and suffering under the yoke of bondage in a foreign land. He was betrayed by his own brethren, like how we have been betrayed by our Adventist brethren. Even less did we expect to be betrayed by our own members like the rebellious ones mentioned earlier!

Our heavenly Father gave us a wonderful coat in the form of the Orion message, but instead of seeing how the Father blessed us and copying our faithfulness, they became jealous. They should have taken the rebuke and tried to become like Jesus to get a beautiful coat too, but instead they went about to kill us like Joseph’s brothers did. When they saw that they couldn’t do that, they tried to bury us alive, until somebody came and they saw that they could sell us. Can you believe some of our members who defected in the wake of the above-mentioned incident eventually decided to turn the parts of the message that suited them into a profit-making venture at the expense of the whole truth!? What happened to Joseph eventually happened to us, but his lesson to us was a message to stay faithful through persecution.

On this special Sabbath day, the anniversary of the beginning of the investigative judgment, we published our official statement on the LastCountdown website in the announcement section. It was a fitting day for such a statement, because the purpose of the investigative judgment—the antitypical Day of Atonement—was to purify a people. Our statement was and is our demonstration of the sacrificial love that Jesus exemplified: love for fellow man in word and deed.

October 22, 2016: LastCountdown Official Statement

Harvest

After all the proof we have given in the past seven years, we have known that Jesus would come now.

During the time of the Feast of Tabernacles this year, Jesus led us through a special “boot camp.” The whole movement was called, not to hold the Feast of Tabernacles, but to live in tents during that time. There, we recognized that Jesus wanted us to think about the biblical patriarchs like the Jews do during the feast and to see ourselves as the shepherds who received the good tidings of His coming.

On every day of the feast, we were taught by the Holy Spirit, and after a few days of very good news and a deeper understanding of our mission, we understood that we could be selfish by ushering in the pre-tribulation rapture. We would have gone to Heaven—but only those who had received the complete seal of God, including a special knowledge that defines the 144,000.

Many people who were not sealed with that knowledge, like those who just copied “October 24, 2016” to their foreheads on their Facebook profile pictures, did not really have that seal. In fact, Jesus showed us that they were sealed for death, because they were missing the part of the seal that would have enabled them to go through the great time of trouble alive. They would have also lost their eternal lives because destruction would have come over the earth without any mercy.

We recognized that that was God’s intent for them and for the world. However, we also realized that we needed to intercede for them like Moses did, asking God to spare them. He explained to us that a great sacrifice was necessary for that to happen—a sacrifice similar to what Jesus did on the cross. We had to show that we had grown to the full stature of Christ by making the sacrifice.

THEREFORE, WE HEREBY OFFICIALLY DECLARE, for all the world to read, THAT ON WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2016, WE PETITIONED FOR JESUS—who had already stopped His intercession, who had already left the Most Holy Place, who was already on His way to Earth—TO REFRAIN FROM COMING YET, AND FOR THE FATHER TO SEND IN HIS STEAD ANOTHER GREAT OUTPOURING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT so the loud cry that the Seventh-day Adventist Church should have sounded could be repeated for one heavenly hour, which is seven earthly years.[49]

In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus asked: “Could ye not watch with me one hour?” We had our Gethsemane that week. We would have loved for the cup of mocking and pain to pass from us, but that would not have been love. “On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets,” and because we love not only God, but also our neighbors, we were ready to offer that sacrifice. We asked Jesus to hold back His coming for another seven years, and we asked Him to let us help others and “turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.”

We do not write these paragraphs for the unbelievers and mockers, who will say no matter what, that we are liars and that we invented these things. In the past seven years (which we thought would be the only seven years of our ministry) we wrote about 1800 pages worth of evidence that Jesus would come now. None of it was wrong. Everything was the pure truth, as taught by the Holy Spirit.

We do this because of the pain of seeing our fellow brothers and sisters, many of whom just started to believe the message, die, hungering for bread that would no longer be available on the earth until the world ends in total destruction according to the seven years of Ezekiel 39. They would have been abandoned without any hope. So we asked the Lord to leave us with them, and to still give them the Bread of Life.

Contrary to what our enemies have always said, we will not end our ministry in defeat. We already ordered six new domain names and six powerful new servers that are ready to find what God has commanded us to find: the great multitude.

Everybody who reads this message is called once again to review with hope what God has taught us in the first seven years, so that he will be ready to die for the truth as a witness and as a martyr for God in the second set of seven years.

The door was closed for mankind. But now Philadelphia has asked Jesus—who has the key of David—to open the door for mankind once more. Now everybody has another chance in these seven years to leave Babylon—meaning to resign from every organized church to which they belong—and come to us, God’s true church.

We want to make it clear that we are open-hearted to every single human being that contacts us, but our hearts are closed by God to our Seventh-day Adventist ex-brethren who already refused the Orion message when it was presented to them. That is the unpardonable sin against the Holy Spirit, because it is His message. We are ready to suffer for all of our enemies—even the enemies of God—for whom the door was previously closed. We are ready to go through the great tribulation with them, through nuclear war, through the real and literal plagues, and to stand with them. We are ready to lend them a hand, help them, counsel them, comfort them—except for that group which was excluded by God Himself.

We look forward to welcoming good-hearted people who are worthy to receive the blessing that we already hold in our hands.

This message was written two days before the date when most of our followers were expecting Jesus’ coming. If Jesus comes in spite of our petition, everyone who reads this will be condemned to eternal death without any hope.

Your friends,

The farmers of the white cloud, the High Sabbath Adventists, and the 144,000 who stood with one foot in the gate of the Holy City.

 

Day 7 – David on the Power of Princes

We made our decision. We made our petition, and it was honored. The Father accommodated our request and altered His plans for Jesus to come on the date He had scheduled, to grant our request. Like Jacob, we wrestled with God and insisted not to let go of Him without a blessing—the blessing of the 1335 days, which was part of our petition.

And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed. (Genesis 32:26-28)

From that day forth, we are the Israel of God. As princes, we have power to move the arm of Omnipotent God—to move the hand of Time.

And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there. (Genesis 32:29)

We have gotten to know the name of God that has been a mystery for ages, and received His blessing. We crossed the River of Time—the date of the Second Coming, as nobody thought possible.

We crossed the proverbial Jordan alive, without tasting death; our faith survived! Everyone thought our faith would die when we finally met the time face-to-face, but we did not let go, and we were blessed instead of having our faith die.

And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved. (Genesis 32:30)

Now you can understand how and why this Feast of Tabernacles was our transfiguration experience. Like Jesus, who was strengthened in the mount for the rest of His sacrificial mission, encouraged by Moses and Elijah who had been like sufferers before Him, so we were also strengthened and taught in the mount by the seven shepherds of Israel who went before us. We had finished a major phase of our mission, but our great intercessory sacrifice lay before us.

The experience we had gone through up to that point was all preparatory for the service we were now to engage in. It was a Joshua, the high priest, who was given change of raiment in the vision of Zechariah. That Joshua cannot be a type for Jesus, who never had filthy garments.

It was also Joshua who led the children of Israel across the Jordan. Like Joshua in his battle with the Amorites,[50] we commanded the sun—the Sun of Righteousness—to stand still till our enemies are destroyed and our victory is complete, for the sake of His kingdom.

And there was no day like that before it or after it, that the LORD hearkened unto the voice of a man: for the LORD fought for Israel. (Joshua 10:14)

The crown of princes and kings is not to lord it over their subjects and reap the rewards of palace life, but to care for the people under their dominion like the seven shepherds of Israel cared for their flocks and herds. It is to feed God’s sheep with spiritual meat in due season. It is to nourish the soul as Mom’s good cooking nourishes the body. It is to give the water of life—like a cool, refreshing drink to the laborer who is sweating under the noonday heat—to those who are blasted by the sun god.

The lesson of the life of David is exactly that: in contrast to King Saul, he was a shepherd boy. He understood how to care for the people like his own flock, nourishing and watering them, and risking life and limb for their sake if necessary by protecting them from the wolves and lions that would devour them.

And when he had removed him [Saul], he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will. (Acts 13:22)

Like shepherd kings, we are here to care for the flocks of God. That is what King David teaches us. We are here to protect and nourish His people even at a time when the world is plunging mercilessly toward perdition. The words of the prophetess still speak today:

A Time for Prevailing Prayer

The Lord is soon to come. Wickedness and rebellion, violence and crime, are filling the world. The cries of the suffering and the oppressed rise to God for justice. In the place of being softened by the patience and forbearance of God, the wicked are growing stronger in stubborn rebellion. The time in which we live is one of marked depravity. Religious restraint is thrown off, and men reject the law of God as unworthy of their attention. A more than common contempt is placed upon this holy law.

A moment of respite has been graciously given us of God. Every power lent us of heaven is to be used in doing the work assigned us by the Lord for those who are perishing in ignorance. The warning message is to be sounded in all parts of the world. There must be no delay. The truth must be proclaimed in the dark places of the earth. Obstacles must be met and surmounted. A great work is to be done, and this work is entrusted to those who know the truth for this time.

Now is the time for us to lay hold of the arm of our strength. The prayer of David should be the prayer of pastors and laymen: “It is time for Thee, Lord, to work, for they have made void Thy law.” Let the servants of God weep between the porch and the altar, crying, “Spare Thy people, O Lord, and give not Thine heritage to reproach.” God has always wrought in behalf of His truth. The designs of wicked men, the enemies of the church, are subject to His power and His overruling providence. He can move upon the hearts of statesmen; the wrath of the haters of His truth and His people can be turned aside, even as the waters of a river could be turned, if thus he ordered it. Prayer moves the arm of Omnipotence. He who marshals the stars in order in the heavens, whose word controls the waves of the great deep-the same infinite Creator will work in behalf of His people, if they will call upon Him in faith. He will restrain all the forces of darkness, until the warning is given to the world, and all who will heed it are prepared for His coming.

Mrs. E. G. White. {RH December 14, 1905, Art. A}

Moving the arm of OmnipotenceAnd,

The rays of heaven shining from human agents will exert a subduing influence upon those whom Christ is drawing to himself. The church is weak before the angels of heaven, unless power is revealed through its members for the conversion of those who are perishing. Unless the church is the light of the world, it is darkness. But of the true followers of Christ it is written: “We are laborers together with God; ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.”

The church may be composed of those who are poor and uneducated; but if they have learned of Christ the science of prayer, the church will have power to move the arm of Omnipotence. The true people of God will have an influence that will tell upon hearts. It is not the wealth or the educated ability which the members of the church may possess that constitutes their efficiency.... {ST September 11, 1893, par. 3 – 4}

And,

...there are many who are pleading with God that they may understand what is truth. In secret places they are weeping and praying that they may see light in the Scriptures; and the Lord of heaven has commissioned his angels to co-operate with human agencies in carrying forward his vast design, that all who desire light may behold the glory of God. We are to follow where God’s providence opens the way; and as we advance, we shall find that Heaven has moved before us, enlarging the field for labor far beyond the proportion of our means and ability to supply. The great want of the field open before us, should appeal to all to whom God has intrusted talents of means or ability, that they may devote themselves and their all to God. We are to be as faithful stewards, not only of our means, but of the grace given unto us, that many souls may be brought under the blood-stained banner of Prince Immanuel. The purposes and ends to be attained by consecrated missionaries are very comprehensive. The field for missionary operation is not limited by caste or nationality. The field is the world, and the light of truth is to go to all the dark places of the earth in a much shorter time than many think possible.

God purposes to set in operation agencies in your own country to aid in this great work of enlightening the world. He designs to employ you and your children as soldiers to act a part in this aggressive warfare against the powers of darkness, and you surely will not ignore God’s blessing, and regard lightly the privilege extended to you! He would have you engage in the conflict, striving together for his glory, not seeking for the supremacy, not striving to exalt self by depreciating others. He would endow you with the true missionary spirit, which elevates, purifies, and ennobles whatever it touches, making pure and good and noble all who voluntarily come under its influence; for every agent who co-operates with the heavenly intelligences will be endued with power from on high, and represent the character of Christ. The missionary spirit enables us to appreciate more fully the words of the Lord’s prayer, when He directs us to pray, “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” The missionary spirit broadens our thoughts, and brings us into union with all who have a comprehension of the expanding influence of the Holy Spirit.

God would disperse the clouds that have gathered about souls...and unite all our brethren in Christ Jesus. He would have us bound in bands of Christian fellowship, filled with love for souls for whom Christ has died. Said Christ, “This is my commandment, that ye love one another, as I have loved you.” He would have us united in heart and plans to do the great work committed to us. Brethren should stand shoulder to shoulder, uniting their prayers at the throne of grace, that they may move the arm of the Omnipotent. Heaven and earth will then be closely connected in the work, and there will be joy and gladness in the presence of the angels of God, when the lost sheep is found and restored.

The Holy Spirit that melts and subdues the human heart will lead men to do the works of Christ. They will heed the injunction, “Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not.” Christ gave Himself for us, and his followers are required to give themselves, with their talents of means and ability, to Him. What more could the Lord do for man than that which He has done? And shall we not render unto Him all that we have and are, practicing self-sacrifice and self-denial? If we are the disciples of Christ, it will be made manifest to the world through our love for those for whom He died.

It was through the spirit of love that the gospel was brought to you, and to all men who have a knowledge of God. We are required not merely to admire men whom God has used, to wish that we had such men now, but to yield ourselves to be used of God as his human agents. It was his Spirit that inspired their efforts, and He can abundantly bestow upon his workers today the same courage, zeal, earnestness, and devotion. It was Jesus who gave these men grace, power, fortitude, and perseverance, and He is willing to do the same for every one who would be a true missionary. {BEcho September 1, 1892, par. 24 – 28}

Remember,

The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit. (from James 5:16-18)

The last day of our “camp meeting” was largely focused on the work ahead of us. No sooner than the families returned down the mountain to their homes, a ferocious lightning storm rushed through the campsite. Lightning cracked and thunder rolled, while relentless winds blew the rain violently in every direction.

Perhaps it was a foreshadowing of the stormy and troublous times that are coming in these next years,[51] and perhaps it was a token of the answer to our prayer for an abundant outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon...well upon you, dear reader!

We are here with all of you who are on the Lord’s side in this tribulation, and our arms are open to you.

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)

Come, before the Seven Lean Years begin!

1.
When the great clock of time pointed to that hour, Jesus was born in Bethlehem. {DA 32.1
2.
Matthew 4:7 – Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. 
3.
We do not half understand the Lord’s plan in taking the children of Israel from Egyptian bondage, and leading them through the wilderness into Canaan. As we gather up the divine rays shining from the gospel, we shall have a clearer insight into the Jewish economy, and a deeper appreciation of its important truths. {3MR 259.1
4.
In like manner the types which relate to the second advent must be fulfilled at the time pointed out in the symbolic service. {GC 399.4
5.
Daniel 12:11 – And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days. 
7.
As in the Wrath of God series 
8.
Job 27:3-4 – All the while my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils; My lips shall not speak wickedness, nor my tongue utter deceit. 
9.
Angelica is a fictitious name; the dream is covered in detail in the previous article
10.
Isaiah 14:14 – I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. 
11.
Ezekiel 1 
12.
Ephesians 6:12 – For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 
13.
Revelation 12:10 
14.
The main issues were discussed in the previous article
15.
1 John 1:9 – If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 
16.
See Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 478. Satan stood, disputed, boasted, declared, reiterated and repeated. It took time in the heavenly courtroom. 
17.
It is not to convince Satan that the issues are examined. The answer to him is simply, “The Lord rebuke thee.” As with Moses, so with us today: And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him. And the LORD said unto Satan, The LORD rebuke thee, O Satan; even the LORD that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire? Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel. (Zechariah 3:1-3) 
18.
As explained in depth in the previous article, the issue would really become about the question of whether we would ultimately demonstrate brotherly love through our decision to ask for more time. And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins. (1 Peter 4:8) This article will explain how that decision developed. 
19.
And that we take initiative toward holiness. 
20.
Figuratively, the Holy Spirit would have brought deliverance to us through an event that would have been an obvious commencement of the end of the world and the coming of Jesus. 
21.
This difficulty will be fully resolved in the next article
22.
1 John 4:19 – We love him, because he first loved us. 
23.
John 15:12 – This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. 
24.
Mourning over sins, and in expectation of deliverance. 
25.
Better said, how long that phase of the battle would take, which was all we could see at that time. Three full weeks would bring us to the beginning of our camping experience, which in turn culminated with our decision to ask the Father for more time. 
26.
Elder S.N. Haskell wrote a particularly nice summary of their understanding: It is quite evident that, like the Passover, the Feast of Trumpets was both commemorative and typical. It came on days before the day of atonement, the type of the great investigative judgment which opened in 1844, at the end of the long, prophetic period of the twenty-three hundred years of Daniel 8:14. In the type the trumpets were blown throughout Israel, warning all of the near approach of the solemn day of atonement. In the antitype we should expect some world-wide message to be given in trumpet tones, announcing the time near when the great antitypical day of atonement, the investigative judgment would convene in the heavens. 16 Beginning with the years 1833-34 and extending down to 1844, such a message was given to the world in trumpet tones, announcing, “The hour of His judgment is come.” 17 {CIS 204
27.
The end of the judgment corresponded to the delivery of the everlasting covenant, as explained in the previous article. 
28.
Certainly an important milestone was reached in the heavenly courtroom on that day, but there was more to the judgment than we realized at that time, as you will see later. 
29.
You can see how our understanding was developing. We did not know that we would receive the everlasting covenant on the Day of Atonement. We also expected certain supernatural events to happen during the Feast of Tabernacles, which factored into the spiritual struggle at the beginning of the feast, described in the “front-line report” section later in this article. 
30.
Because we were connected to what was going on in heaven, those were solemn and sacred experiences for us. 
31.
Bold formatting throughout the e-mail is ours. 
32.
That is a quote from somewhere in the thousands of pages of our website. 
33.
The sad thing is that some people have moved on. Their roots were as shallow as their soul. To set the record straight, however, we emphasize by this present series of articles that we were not in error, nor were we ever in Babylon. Our message has never been mere “theory” but is based on biblical and real-world evidence, and is not “fantasy.” That needs to be clear. I marvel at the low level of critical thinking of a person who quotes one line out of context to argue for rejecting the other far weightier portion of our writing. Nevertheless, the irony is that we are giving that person just what they asked for. We are leaving the old LastCountdown.org website up with a statement—not an admission of error, but a statement (included later in this article) to explain why we are starting a new website and publishing this new series of articles. 
36.
1. The saints raised in the special resurrection who overcame during the judgment, and 2. the living saints. 
37.
The chiasm concept is very important throughout the Bible, and it will be instrumental in the next article, which will have the real “great confirmation of our completed studies,” of which this section is only a taste! 
38.
Those are the revelations which the Book of Revelation is about. 
39.
Also a revelation – see The Beast from the Bottomless Pit 
40.
i.e. in literal terms instead of revelation, according to the literal nature of Daniel 10 covered earlier. 
41.
Based on the well-known vision: “We...were seven days ascending to the sea of glass...” {EW 16.2
44.
This section by Ray Dickinson 
45.
The Day of the Demon, published September 22, 2015 
46.
Revelation 1:7 – 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. 
47.
We have had to grapple hard with many of Ellen G. White’s prophecies, but in light of the time extension, there can be other future fulfilments than we were able to see while under the expectation that Jesus would come in only seven days’ time. 
48.
The question of whether or not our (eternal) lives would need to be relinquished was answered in the wake of the great decision that the Feast of Tabernacles was building up to. Our sacrifice to request a time extension and stay on this planet to save more souls was the key factor upon which our eternal life hung. If we had not decided in accordance with brotherly love, our eternal life would have been required (even before entering the pearly gates) due to the fact that we wouldn’t have demonstrated a Christ-like character in our decision. Having decided sacrificially, an additional sacrifice on our part would not be necessary. In other words, the uncertainty of that special meeting was a placeholder for the decision we would have to make during the Feast of Tabernacles. 
49.
This was not to limit God to a specific period in any way, but simply an expression in the terms that we understood at that time. It was ultimately His choice to define the duration according to His infinite wisdom. 
50.
See Joshua 10 
51.
November 19, a month after our decision: URGENT! Prophetic Dream – America’s Coming Destruction 
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