Ellen G White on the Three Angels Message

ellengwhiteonthethreeangelsmessage

Solusi
University.

Faculty
of Theology and Religious Studies.

The
Ministry and Message Of Ellen G White.

Instructor Dr R Mazibisa.

An
Expository Analysis of Ellen G White's Interpration
of The Three Angel's Message of Revelation 14: 6-12.

Written by Ngwenya
B Lamulani B.A Theology.

BIBLICAL PERSPECTIVE ON
CURRENT AFFAIRS.

BIBLICAL THEOLOGY.

EXTERNAL LINK.

BIBLICAL ARCHEOLOGY.

BIBLE DOCTRINES.

Introduction.

The
most sublime and solemn prophetic message ever recorded by any
prophet in the canonical history is the message of Revelation
14: 6-12. An angel is seen in the sky “having the everlasting
gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every
nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud
voice, 'Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment
is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea,
and the fountains of waters.'^¹

“There followed another angel, saying, 'Babylon is
fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she

made
all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication' ^”².
“The third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, 'If any
man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his
forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the
wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his
indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the
presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb, And the
smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have
no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and
whosoever receives the mark of his name. Here is the patience of the
saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the
faith of Jesus' ”³.

This message was first given in the early years of the
autum of the year 1843. The message is perculiar to a nineteenth
century group of interdenominational believers. They were later known
as the Millerite movement. The name was petantened after their
conspicuous leader and speaker, an indivudual by that name of William
Miller. It is the way of the prophets to give the message that God
has sent to them. The same is true of the Millerites or later known
as Adventist. These group of man and women in their dire anticipation
of the soon coming of thier Lord and savour they saw in prophetic
literature a message that they applied to thier time.

This message was given as a consiquence of the
anticipation of the second Advent of Jesus The Christ. Having thier
hopes dashed, they further studied the prophecies to understand, what
later become known as the “Great dissapointment”, why their Lord
did not come. They like Mary at the sepulcher could say “...Because
they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid
him. ...Sir, if you have borne him hence, tell me where you has laid
him, and I will take him away.

They sought to understand the reason for the non descent
of Jesus. This lead them to study the Bible and in so doing William
Miller with his close associate Charles Fitch came to the conclusion
that Jesus must be coming in the fall of October 22 1844. This
discovery opened the door for them to discover the three angels
mesage and to apply the parable of the ten virgins also to their
time. The second coming of Jesus was the basis upon which the three
angels messages of Revelation 14: 6-12 were initially given. With the
non appearence of Jesus Christ the dissappointed lot made thier way
back to the bible. This the group had increased considerable. The
most part of the inner core of the Millerite movement that remained
had prominetnt figures like James White, Ellen G Harmon (later White)
Uriah Smith, Dr Alonzo Travier Jones, E J Waggoner, Dr O R Crosier,
John Nevin Andrews a profound scholar, Joseph Bates (an eminent bible
student and who helped discover some of the truths that hd been lost
in the dark ages).

Amoung these indiviuals, Ellen G White, James White,
Joseph Bate, Alonzo T Jones, Uriah Smith and J N Andrews are
conspicous as the proponents of the three angels message. This paper
will focus mostly on what Ellen White's theological⁴
approach on the three angels message and how Ellen White interpreted
the messages. The church of Jesus Christ over the edges as had only
one hope and that has been the second coming of their Messiah. The
first advent was an event, though not concispicuous but it had it
it's waiting adherents. Of note is Annah the prophetess who had
waited for the coming of the messiah. John the baptist, in his
sermons had given very eloquent aratory discourse abot the one whom
his “latchets he wasn't able to untie”. Many were looking with
untiring hope for the Christ. The soldiers who attended John's
evengelistical efforts also were proponents of the Messianic kingdom.

“When the great clock of time pointed to that hour,
Jesus was born in Bethlehem. “when the fullness of the time was
come, God sent forth his Son.” Providence had directed the
movements of the nations and the tide of human impulse and influence,
until the world was ripe for the coming of the Deliverer. The nations
were united under one government. One language was widely spoken and
was everywhere recgnized as the language of litureture”⁵.

Characteristics
of the message.

A Threefold Message. Revelation 14:6, 7 foretells the
proclamation of the first angel's

message. Then the prophet continues: "There
followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is

fallen. . . . And the third angel followed them."
The word here rendered "followed" means "to go

along with," "to follow one," "go
with him." See Henry George Liddell and Robert Scott, Greek

English Lexicon (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1940), vol. 1,
p. 52. It also means "to accompany." See

George Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New
Testament (Edinburgh: T. and T.

Clark, 1950), page 17. It is the same word that is used
in mark 5:24, "Jesus went with him; and

much people followed Him, and thronged Him." It is
also used of the redeemed one hundred and

forty-four thousand, Revelation 14:4, where it is said,
"These are they which follow the Lamb

whithersoever He goeth."

In both these places it is evident that the idea
intended to be conveyed is

that of "going together," "in company
with." So in 1 Corinthians 10:4, where we read of the

children of Israel that "they drank of that
spiritual Rock that followed them," the word "followed"
is

translated from the same Greek word, and the margin has
it, "went with them." From this we learn

that the idea in Revelation 14:8, 9 is not simply that
the second and third angels followed the first in

point of time, but that they went with him. The three
messages are but one threefold message. They

are three only in the order of their rise. But having
risen, they go on together and are inseparable. ⁶

The message is a single message that is made up of three
intercollated messages. These message follow each other in that
chronological order. The proclamation of each message augumented by
the suceeding message. Thmessage that follows builds on the previous
message, making them one in theology and source from which they are
distributed. During Nichol's meeting Ellen White had a vision and she
saw “that the truth must be made plain upon the tables, and it
would cause many to decide for the truth by the three angel's
messages, with the two former being the made plain upon tables”⁷.

There are those now living who, in studying the
prophecies of Daniel and John, received

great light from God as they passed over the ground
where special prophecies were in

process of fulfillment in their order. They bore the
message of time to the people. The truth

shone out clearly as the sun at noonday. Historical
events, showing the direct fulfillment of

prophecy, were set before the people, and the prophecy
was seen to be a figurative

delineation of events leading down to the close of this
earth's history. The scenes connected

with the working of the man of sin are the last features
plainly revealed in this earth's

history. The people now have a special message to give
to the world, the third angel's

message. Those who, in their experience, have passed
over the ground, and acted a part in

the proclamation of the first, second, and third angels'
messages, are not so liable to be led

into false paths as are those who have not had an
experimental knowledge of the people of

God. . . . ⁸

First
angel's message.

The coming of Christ, as announced by the first
angel's message, was understood to be represented

by the coming of the bridegroom. The widespread
reformation under the proclamation of His soon coming, answered to
the going forth of the virgins. In this parable, as in that of
Matthew 24, two classes are represented.⁹
All had taken their lamps, the Bible, and by its light had gone forth
to meet the Bridegroom. But while "they that were foolish took
their lamps, and took no oil with them," "the wise took oil
in their vessels with their lamps. The latter class had received the
grace of God, the regenerating, enlightening power of the Holy
Spirit, which renders His word a lamp to the feet and a light to the
path. In the fear of God they had studied the Scriptures to learn the
truth, and had earnestly sought for purity of heart and life. These
had a personal experience, a faith in God and in His word, which
could not be overthrown by disappointment and delay. Others "took
their lamps,

and took no oil with them." They had moved from
impulse. Their fears had been excited by the

solemn message, but they had depended upon the faith of
their brethren, satisfied with the flickering

light of good emotions, without a thorough understanding
of the truth or a genuine work of grace in

the heart. These had gone forth to meet the Lord, full
of hope in the prospect of immediate reward;

but they were not prepared for delay and disappointment.
When trials came, their faith failed, and

their lights burned dim. ¹⁰

The preaching of the first angel's message and of the
"midnight cry" tended directly to repress fanaticism and
dissension. Those who participated in these solemn movements were in
harmony; their hearts were filled with love for one another and for
Jesus, whom they expected soon to see. The one faith, the one blessed
hope, lifted them above the control of any human influence, and
proved a shield against the assaults of Satan. "While the
bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight
there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to
meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps."
Matthew 25:5-7. In the summer of 1844, midway between the time when
it had been first thought that the 2300 days would end, and the
autumn of the same year, to which it was afterward found that they
extended, the message was proclaimed in the very words of Scripture:
"Behold, the Bridegroom cometh!" That which led to this
movement was the discovery that the decree of Artaxerxes for the
restoration of Jerusalem, which formed the starting point for the
period of the 2300 days, went into effect in the autumn of the year
457 B.C., and Page 399 not at the beginning of the year, as had been
formerly believed. Reckoning from the autumn of 457, the 2300 years
terminate in the autumn of 1844. ¹¹

The first angel's message of Revelation 14, announcing
the hour of God's judgment and calling

upon men to fear and worship Him, was designed to
separate the professed people of God from the

corrupting influences of the world and to arouse them to
see their true condition of worldliness and

backsliding. In this message, God has sent to the church
a warning, which, had it been accepted,

would have corrected the evils that were shutting them
away from Him. Had they received the

message from heaven, humbling their hearts before the
Lord and seeking in sincerity a preparation

to stand in His presence, the Spirit and power of God
would have been manifested among them.

The church would again have reached that blessed state
of unity, faith, and love which existed in

apostolic days, when the believers "were of one
heart and of one soul," and "spake the word of God

with boldness," when "the Lord added to the
church daily such as should be saved." Acts 4:32, 31;

2:47 ¹².

Those who had accepted the light concerning the
mediation of Christ and the perpetuity of the law

of God found that these were the truths presented in
Revelation 14. The messages of this chapter

constitute a threefold warning which is to prepare the
inhabitants of the earth for

the Lord's second coming. The announcement, "The
hour of His judgment is come," points to the

closing work of Christ's ministration for the salvation
of men.¹³

It heralds a truth which must be proclaimed until the
Saviour's intercession shall cease and He shall return to the earth
to take His people to Himself. The work of judgment which began in
1844 must continue until the cases of all are decided, both of the
living and the dead; hence it will extend to the close of human
probation. That men may be prepared to stand in the judgment, the
message commands them to "fear God, and give glory to Him,"
"and worship Him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and
the fountains of waters." The result of an acceptance of these
messages is given in the word: "Here are they that keep the
commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus." In order to be
prepared for the judgment, it is necessary that men should keep the
law of God. That law will be the standard of character in the
judgment. The apostle Paul declares: "As many as have sinned in
the law shall be judged by the law, . . . in the day when God shall
judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ." And he says that "the
doers of the law shall be justified." Romans 2:12-16. Faith is
essential in order to the keeping of the law of God; for "without
faith it is impossible to please Him." And "whatsoever is
not of faith is sin." Hebrews 11:6; Romans 14:23. ¹⁴

By the first angel, men are called upon to "fear
God, and give glory to Him" and to worship Him as

the Creator of the heavens and the earth. In order to do
this, they must obey His law. Says the wise

man: "Fear God, and keep His commandments: for this
is the whole duty of man." Ecclesiastes

12:13. Without obedience to His commandments no worship
can be pleasing to God. "This is the

love of God, that we keep His commandments." "He
that turneth away his ear from hearing the law,

even his prayer shall be abomination." 1 John 5:3;
Proverbs 28:9. The duty to worship God is based upon the fact that He
is the Creator and that to Him all other beings owe their existence.
And wherever, in the Bible, His claim to reverence and worship, above
the gods of the heathen, is presented there is cited the evidence of
His creative power. "All the gods of the nations are idols: but
the Lord made the heavens." Psalm 96:5. "To whom then will
ye liken Me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One. Lift up your
eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things." "Thus
saith the Lord that created the heavens; God Himself that formed the
earth and made it: . . . I am the Lord; and there is none else."
Isaiah 40:25, 26; 45:18. Says the psalmist: "Know ye that the
Lord He is God: it is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves."
"O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the
Lord our Maker." Psalms 100:3; 95:6. And the holy beings who
worship God in heaven state, as the reason why their homage is due to
Him: "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and
power: for Thou hast created all things." Revelation 4:11¹⁵.

The churches in general closed their doors against this
message, and a large company of those who received it withdrew from
their connection. In the providence of God this proclamation united
with the second angel's message and gave power to that work ¹⁶.

Thousands were led to embrace the truth preached by

William Miller, and servants of God were raised up in
the

spirit and power of Elijah to proclaim the message. Like

John, the forerunner of Jesus, those who preached this

solemn message felt compelled to lay the ax at the root
of the tree, and call upon men to bring forth fruits meet for
repentance. Their testimony was calculated to arouse and powerfully
affect the churches and manifest their real character. And as the
solemn warning to flee from the wrath

to come was sounded, many who were united with the
churches received the healing message; they saw their backslidings,
and with bitter tears of repentance and deep agony of soul, humbled
themselves before God. And as the Spirit of God rested upon them,
they helped to sound the cry, "Fear God, and give glory to Him;
for the hour of His judgment is come."¹⁷,
Para. 1, [EW].

The
hour of his judgement has come.

God has always given men warning of coming judgements.
Those who had faith in His message for their time and who acted out
their faith in obedience to His commandements, escaped the judgements
that fell upon the discbedientand disbelieving¹⁸.

God will not interfere to protect the property of those
who transgress His law, break His convanent, and trample upon His
Sabbath accepting in it's place a spurious rest day¹⁹.
God has a purpose in permitting these calamities to occur. They are
one of His means of calling men and women to their senses. By unusual
workings through nature God will express to doubting human agencies
that which He clearly reveals in His word²⁰.

The word came to Noah, “come thou and all thy house
into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me”. Noah
obeyed and was saved. The message came to Lot, “Up, get you out of
this place; for the Lord will destroy this city”²¹,
Lot placed himself under the guardianship of the heavenly messenger
and was saved. So Christ's disciples were given warning of the
destruction of Jerusalem. Those who watched for the sign of the
coming ruin, and fled from the city, escaped the destruction. So now
we are given warning of Christ's second coming and of the destruction
to fall upon the world. Those who heed the warning will be saved²².

The events connected with the close of
probation and
the work of preparation for the time of trouble, are clearly
presented. But multitudes have no more understanding of these
important truths than if they had never been revealed. Satan watches
to catch away every impression that would make them wise unto
salvation, and the time of trouble will find them unready²³.

The forth commandement has been trampled upon, therefore
we are called upon to repair the breach in the law and plead for the
desecrated Sabbath. The man of sin, who exalted himself above God,
and thought to change the times and laws, brought about the change of
the Sabbath from the seventh to the first day of the week²⁴.
God's memorial, the seventh-day sabbath, the sign of his work in
creating the world, has been displaced by the man of sin²⁵.
I saw that the holy sabbath is, and will be, the seperating wall
between the true Israel of God and unbelievers; and the sabbath is
the great question to unite the hearts of God's dear, waiting
saints²⁶.
I saw that God had children who do not see and keep the sabbath. They
have not rejected the light upon it. And at the commencement of the
time of trouble, we were filled with the holy spirit as we went forth
and proclaimed the sabbath more fully. This enraged the churches and
nominal Adventist, as they could not refute the sabbath truth. At this
time God's chosen all saw clearly that that ew had the truth,
and they came out and endured persecution with us²⁷.

Those who have had opportunities to hear and receive the
truth, and who have united with the Seventh-day Adventist church,
calling themselves the commandment keeping people of God, and yet
possess no more vitality and consecration to God than do the nominal
churches, will receive the plagues of God just as verily as the
churches who oppose the law of God . Only those that are sanctified
through the truth will compose the royal family in the heavenly
mansions Christ has gone to prepare for those that love Him and keep
his commandments²⁸.

Nominal
Adventists are those who united in the first and second angel's
message but who rejected the third angels message with the sabbath
truth, but nonetheless continued to espouse the Advent hope, are
refered to.... the nominal Adventists²⁹,
or those who “reject the present the truth”³⁰,
also “different parties of professed Advent believers”³¹.
Present truth is defined as being the three angels message of
revelation 14: 6-12³².

It is on the law of God that the last great struggle
between Christ and His angels and Satan and his angels will come and
it will be decisive for all the world³³

The
Second Angel's Message.

And there followed
another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city,
because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her
fornication ³⁴.
As the churches refused to receive the first angel's message, they
rejected the light from heaven and fell from

the favor of God. They trusted to their own strength,
and by opposing the first message placed themselves where they could
not see the light of the second angel's message. But

the beloved of God,
who
were oppressed, accepted the message, "Babylon is fallen,"
and left the churches³⁵.

The second angel's
message, she says she “ saw a great light from heaven shining upon
the people of God. The rays of this light seemed bright as the sun.
And I heard the voices of angels crying, "Behold, the Bridegroom
cometh; go ye out to meet Him!"³⁶.
This was the midnight cry, which was to give power to the second
angel's message. In every part of the land, light was given upon the
second angel's message, and the cry melted the hearts of thousands.
It went from city to city, and from village to village, until the
waiting people of God were fully aroused. In many churches the
message was not permitted to be given, and a large company who had
the living testimony

left these fallen
churches. A mighty work was accomplished by the midnight cry. The
message was heart-searching, leading the believers to seek a living
experience for themselves. They knew that they could not lean upon
one another³⁷.

In the parable all the
ten virgins went out to meet the bridegroom. All had lamps and
vessels for oil. For a time ther was no difference between them. So
with the curch that lives just before Christ's second coming³⁸.
The two classes of watchers represent the two classes who profess to
waiting for their Lord. They are virgins because they profess a pure
faith³⁹.
All have a knowledge of the scriptures. All have heard the message
of Christ's near approach, and confidently expect His appearing. But
as in the parable, so it is now. A time of waititng intervenes, faith
is tried; and when the cry is heard “Behold, the Bridegroom cometh;
go ye out to meet Him,” many are unready. They have no oil in their
vessels with their lamps. They are destitue of the Holy Spirit⁴⁰.

I saw that since the
second angel proclaimed the fall of the churches, they have been
growing more and more corrupt. They bear the name of being Christ's
followers; yet it is impossible to distinguish them from the world.
Ministers take their texts from the Word of God, but preach smooth
things. To this the natural heart feels no objection. It is only the
spirit and power of the truth and the salvation of Christ that are
hateful to the carnal heart. There is nothing in the popular ministry
that stirs the wrath of Satan, makes the sinner tremble, or applies
to the heart and conscience the fearful realities of a judgment soon
to come. Wicked men are generally pleased with a form of piety
without true godliness, and they will aid and support such a
religion⁴¹.

I saw that since Jesus
left the holy place of the heavenly sanctuary and entered within the
second veil⁴²
⁴³,
the churches have been filling up with every unclean and hateful
bird. I saw great iniquity and vileness in the churches; yet their
members profess to be Christians. Their profession, their prayers,
and their exhortations are an abomination in the sight of God. Said
the angel, "God will not dwell in their assemblies. Selfishness,
fraud, and deceit are practiced by them without the reprovings of
conscience .

He [Wm Miller] looked
at the churches and saw that they were corrupt; they had taken their
affections from Jesus and placed them on the world; they were seeking
for worldly honor, instead of that honor which cometh from above;
grasping for worldly riches, instead of laying up their terasure in
heaven. In Revelation 14 the first angel is followed by a second
proclaiming: "Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city,
because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her
fornication." Revelation 14:8. The term "Babylon" is
derived from "Babel," and signifies confusion. It is
employed in Scripture to designate the various forms of false or
apostate religion. In Revelation 17 Babylon is represented as a woman
--a figure which is used in the Bible as the symbol of a church, a
virtuous woman representing a pure church, a vile woman an apostate
church⁴⁴.

The unfaithfulness of the church to Christ in permitting
her confidence and affection to be turned

from Him, and allowing the love of worldly things to
occupy the soul, is likened to the violation of

the marriage vow. The sin of Israel in departing from
the Lord is presented under this figure; and

the wonderful love of God which they thus despised is
touchingly portrayed: "I sware unto thee, and

entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord God,
and thou becamest Mine." "And thou wast

exceeding beautiful and thou didst prosper into a
kingdom. And thy renown went forth among the

heathen for thy beauty: for it was perfect through My
comeliness, which I had put upon thee. . . .

But thou didst trust
in
thine own beauty, and playedst the harlot because of thy renown" ⁴⁵.
"As a wife treacherously departeth from her husband, so have ye
dealt treacherously with Me, O house of Israel, saith the Lord;"
"as a wife that committeth adultery, which taketh strangers
instead of her husband!" Ezekiel 16:8, 13-15, 32; Jeremiah
3:20⁴⁶.

In the New Testament, language very similar is addressed
to professed Christians who seek the

friendship of the world above the favor of God. Says the
apostle James: "Ye adulterers and

adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the
world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore

will be a friend of
the
world is the enemy of God." The woman (Babylon) of Revelation 17
is described as "arrayed in purple and scarlet color, and decked
with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her
hand full of abominations and filthiness:...and upon her forehead was
a name written, Mystery, Babylon the Great, the mother of harlots."
Says the prophet: "I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the
saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus." Babylon is
further declared to be "that great city, which reigneth over the
kings of the earth." Revelation 17:4-6, 18⁴⁷.

The power that for so
many centuries maintained despotic sway over the monarchs of
Christendom is Rome. The purple and scarlet color, the gold and
precious stones and pearls, vividly picture the magnificence and more
than kingly pomp affected by the haughty see of Rome. And no other
power could be so truly declared "drunken with the blood of the
saints" as that church which has so cruelly persecuted the
followers of Christ. Babylon is also charged with the sin of unlawful
connection with "the kings of the earth." It was by
departure from the Lord, and alliance with the heathen, that the
Jewish church became a harlot; and Rome, corrupting herself in like
manner by seeking the support of worldly powers, receives a like
condemnation⁴⁸.

Babylon is said to be "the mother of harlots."
By her daughters must be symbolized churches that

cling to her doctrines
and traditions, and follow her example of sacrificing ⁴⁹
the truth and the approval of God, in order to form an unlawful
alliance with the world. The message of Revelation 14, announcing the
fall of Babylon must apply to religious bodies that were once pure
and have become corrupt. Since this message follows the warning of
the judgment, it must be given in the last days; therefore it cannot
refer to the Roman Church alone, for that church has been in a fallen
condition for many centuries. Furthermore, in the eighteenth chapter
of the Revelation the people of God are called upon to come out of
Babylon.

According to this
scripture, many of God's people must still be in Babylon. And in what
religious bodies are the greater part of the followers of Christ now
to be found? Without doubt, in the various churches professing the
Protestant faith. At the time of their rise these churches took a
noble stand for God and the truth, and His blessing was with them.
Even the unbelieving world was constrained to acknowledge the
beneficent results that followed an acceptance of the principles of
the gospel. In the words of the prophet to Israel: "Thy renown
went forth among the heathen for thy beauty: for it was perfect
through My comeliness, which I had put upon thee, saith the Lord
God." But they fell by the same desire which was the curse and
ruin of Israel--the desire of imitating the practices and courting
the friendship of the ungodly. "Thou didst trust in thine own
beauty, and playedst the harlot because of thy renown." Ezekiel
16:14, 15. Many of the Protestant churches are following Rome's
example of iniquitous connection with "the kings of the
earth"--the state churches, by their relation to secular
governments; and other denominations, by seeking the favor of the
world. And the term "Babylon"--confusion--may be
appropriately applied to these bodies, all professing to derive their
doctrines from the Bible, yet divided into almost innumerable sects,
with widely conflicting creeds and theories. Besides a sinful union
with the world, the churches that separated from Rome present other
of her characteristics⁵⁰.

Has not the same process been repeated in nearly every
church calling itself Protestant? As the

founders, those who possessed the true spirit of reform,
pass away, their descendants come forward

and "new-model the cause." While blindly
clinging to the creed of their fathers and refusing to

accept any truth in advance of what they saw, the
children of the reformers depart widely from their

example of humility, self-denial, and renunciation of
the world. Thus "the first simplicity

disappears." A worldly flood, flowing into the
church, carries "with it its customs, practices, and

idols⁵¹."

A profession of religion has become popular with the
world. Rulers, politicians, lawyers, doctors,

merchants, join the church as a means of securing the
respect and confidence of society, and

advancing their own worldly interests. Thus they seek to
cover all their unrighteous transactions

under a profession of Christianity. The various
religious bodies, re-enforced by the wealth and

influence of these baptized worldlings, make a still
higher bid for popularity and patronage.

Splendid churches, embellished in the most extravagant
manner, are erected on popular avenues.

The worshipers array themselves in costly and
fashionable attire. A high salary is paid for a talented

minister to entertain and attract the people. His
sermons must not touch popular sins, but be made

smooth and pleasing for fashionable ears. Thus
fashionable sinners are enrolled on the church

records, and
fashionable sins are concealed under a pretense of godliness ⁵².

The spirit of worldly conformity in invading the
churches throughout Christendom. Robert Atkins,

in a sermon preached in London, draws a dark picture of
the spiritual declension that prevails in

England: "The truly righteous are diminished from
the earth, and no man layeth it to heart. The

professors of religion of the present day, in every
church, are lovers of the world, conformers to the

world, lovers of creature comfort, and aspirers after
respectability. They are called to suffer with

Christ, but they shrink from even reproach.... Apostasy,
apostasy, apostasy, is engraven on the very

front of every church; and did they know it, and did
they feel it, there might be hope; but, alas! they

cry, 'We are rich, and
increased in goods, and stand in need of nothing”⁵³.

The great sin charged against Babylon is that she "made
all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of

her fornication." This cup of intoxication which
she presents to the world represents the false

doctrines that she has accepted as the result of her
unlawful connection with the great ones of the

earth. Friendship with the world corrupts her faith, and
in her turn she exerts a corrupting influence

upon the world by
teaching doctrines which are opposed to the plainest statements of
Holy Writ ⁵⁴.

My brother, if you are
teaching that the Seventh-Day Adventist Church is Babnylon, you are
wrong⁵⁵.

Rome withheld the Bible from the people and required all
men to accept her teachings in its place. ..but in speaking of the
Prostantant churches... "They shrink from any rude word against
creeds with the same sensitiveness with which those holy fathers
would have shrunk from a rude word against the rising veneration of
saints and martyrs which they were fostering. . . . The Protestant
evangelical denominations have so tied up one another's hands, and
their own, that, between them all, a man cannot become a preacher at
all, anywhere, without accepting some book besides the

Page 389 Bible....
There is nothing imaginary in the statement that the creed power is
now beginning to prohibit the Bible as really as Rome did, though in
a subtler way”⁵⁶.

The second angel's message of Revelation 14 was first
preached in the summer of 1844, and it then

had a more direct application to the churches of the
United States, where the warning of the

judgment had been most widely proclaimed and most
generally rejected, and where the declension

in the churches had been most rapid. But the message of
the second angel did not reach its complete

fulfillment in 1844. The churches then experienced a
moral fall, in consequence of their refusal of

the light of the
advent
message; but that fall was not complete⁵⁷.

As they have continued
to reject the special truths for this time they have fallen lower and
lower. Not yet, however, can it be said that "Babylon is
fallen,... because she made all nations drink of the wine of the
wrath of her fornication." She has not yet made all nations do
this. The spirit of world conforming and indifference to the testing
truths for our time exists and has been gaining ground in churches of
the Protestant faith in all the countries of Christendom; and these
churches are included in the solemn and terrible denunciation of the
second angel. But the work of apostasy has not yet reached its
culmination⁵⁸.

The wide diversity of belief in the Protestant churches
is regarded by many as decisive proof that no

effort to secure a forced uniformity can ever be made.
But there has been for years, in churches of

the Protestant faith, a strong and growing sentiment in
favor of a union based upon common points

of doctrine. To secure such a union, the discussion of
subjects upon which all were not agreed--

however important they might be from a Bible
standpoint--must necessarily be waived.

Charles Beecher, in a sermon in the year 1846, declared
that the ministry of "the evangelical

Protestant denominations" is "not only formed
all the way up under a tremendous pressure of

merely human fear, but they live, and move, and breathe
in a state of things radically corrupt, and

appealing every hour
to
every baser element of their nature to hush up the truth, and bow
the knee to the power of apostasy. Was not this the way things went
with Rome? Are we not living her life over again? And what do we see
just ahead? Another general council! A world's convention!
Evangelical alliance, and universal creed!". When this shall be
gained, then, in the effort to secure complete uniformity, it will be
only a step to the resort to force ⁵⁹.

The
third angels message.

And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud
voice, If any man worship the beast and his

image, and receive his
mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the
wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into
the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and
brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of
the Lamb And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and
ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and
his image, and whosoever receives the mark of his name⁶⁰.

The most fearful threatening ever addressed to mortals
is contained in the third angel's message.

That must be a terrible sin which calls down the wrath
of God unmingled with mercy. Men are not

to be left in darkness concerning this important matter;
the warning against this sin is to be given to

the world before the visitation of God's judgments, that
all may know why they are to be inflicted,

and have opportunity
to
escape them. Prophecy declares that the first angel would make his
announcement to "every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and
people." The warning of the third angel, which forms a part of
the same threefold message, is to be no less widespread. It is
represented in the prophecy as being proclaimed with a loud voice, by
an angel flying in the midst of heaven; and it will command the
attention of the world⁶¹.

The light of the third
angel's message is true light. The mark of the beast is what excatly
what it has been proclaimed to be⁶².
It is a message that will be accomplish a work in our world, to
arouse the churches⁶³.

The line of prophecy in which these symbols are found
begins with Revelation 12, with the dragon

that sought to destroy Christ at His birth. The dragon
is said to be Satan (Revelation 12:9); he it was

that moved upon Herod to put the Saviour to death. But
the chief agent of Satan in making war

upon Christ and His people during the first centuries of
the Christian Era was the Roman Empire, in

which paganism was the prevailing religion. Thus while
the dragon, primarily, represents Satan, it

is, in a secondary
sense, a symbol of pagan Rome⁶⁴.

The prophecy of
Revelation 13 declares that the power represented by the beast with
lamb like horns shall cause “the earth and them which dwell there
in” to worship the papacy⁶⁵.
The United States is the power represented by the beast with the lamb
like horns, this prophecy will be fulfilled when the United States
shall enforce sunday observance, Rome claims as the special
acknowledgement of her supremacy⁶⁶.

The pope has changed
the day of rest from the seventh day to the first day. He has thought
to change the very commandement that was given to cause man to
remember his creator⁶⁷.
will also

have much to unlearn
and much to learn again. Those who would not receive the mark of the
beast and his image when the decree goes forth, must have decision
now to say, Nay, we will not regard the institution of the beast⁶⁸.

When sunday observance
shall be enforced by law, and the world shall be enlightened
concerning the obligation of true Sabbath, then whoever shall
trangress the command of God, to obey a precept which has no higher
authority than that of Rome, will thereby honor popery above God. He
is paying homage to Rome, and to the power which enforces the
institution ordained by Rome. He is worshiping the beast and his
image. As men then reject the institution which God has declared to
be sign of His authority, and honor in it's stead that which Rome has
chosen as the token of her supremecy, they will thereby accept the
sign of allegiance to Rome,- “the mark of the beast”⁶⁹
.

When the issue shall
be
plainly set before the people, and they are brought to choose between
the commandements of men, that those who continue in transgression
will recieve “the mark of the beast”⁷⁰.

The cahnge of Sabbath
is the sign or mark of the authority of the romish church. Those who,
understand the claims of the fourth commandement, choose to observe
the false sabbath in the place of the true, are thereby paying
homage to that power by which alone it is commanded. The mark of the
beast is papal sabbath, which has been accepted by the world in the
place of the day of God's appointment⁷¹
⁷²,
those who continue in trasgression will recieve the mark of the
beast.

In contrast to those who keep the commandments of God
and have the faith of Jesus, the third angel

points to another class, against whose errors a solemn
and fearful warning is uttered: "If any man

worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in
his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall

drink of the wine of the wrath of God." Revelation
14:9, 10. A correct interpretation of the symbols

employed is necessary to an understanding of this
message. What is represented by the beast, the

image, the mark? ⁷³.

Conclusion.

The three angels messages of revelation 14 are given to
validate that the Messiah is coming again. The message presents a
people who will give this message and the symbolism used is that of
“angels flying in the midst of heaven”. This shows that the
message is of divine origin. This use of the term “worship him”
indicates that in the last days ecclesiastical authority is going to
be the main issue. The angel points to the worship of “Him that
made”.... meaning that true worship is due to the creator. Therfore
the sabbath is the sign that points to the true Creator.

The fall of Babylon is proclaimed as the result of
rejecting the first angel's message. The fall of Babylon is not that
of the Papacy but it was shown that is was the fall of the churches
“that were once pure”. The papacy from inception was fallen,
hence the fall of babylon is not refermce to the Papacy but
Protestant churches. The seventh day adventist is not Babylon. The
second Angels message is directed to those churches that be came
corupt in 1844 onwards.

The tird angels message is heard crying allowed. The cry
is of warning to those that are going to accept the mark of the
beast. It has been identified as the Papal authority, hence the cry
that anyone who recieves the mark of the beast is to suffer eternal
torment. Thefore it follows that the third angel's message of solemn
import.

1Revelation 14: 6-7.(KJV)

2Revelation 14: 8.(KJV)

3Revelation 14:9-12.(KJV)

4The term theological is used generically
as a grossary term that encapsulates other aspects like hermeneutical
approach and homilitical exegesis amoung others.

5Ellen White (1999) Christ Trumphant,
Review And Herald, Hagerstown, Maryland(digital edition).

6Ellen White (1911) The Great
Controversy, Review And Herald, Hagerstown,
Maryland(digital edition). See the appendix commentary of page 435.

7Ellen White ()Manuscript Release vol
16[number. 1186-1235 ]Review And Herald, Hagerstown,
Maryland(digital edition). Page 207.

8Ellen White (1958)Selected Messages
Book 2 , Review And Herald, Hagerstown,
Maryland(digital edition). Page 394.

9Matthew 25:1-14

10Ellen White (1911) The Great
Controversy, Review And Herald, Hagerstown,
Maryland(digital edition). Page 394

11Ellen White (1911) The Great
Controversy, Review And Herald, Hagerstown,
Maryland(digital edition). Page 399

12Ellen White (1911) The Great
Controversy, Review And Herald, Hagerstown,
Maryland(digital edition). Page 379

13Ellen White (1911) The Great
Controversy, Review And Herald, Hagerstown,
Maryland(digital edition). Page 435

14Ellen White (1911) The Great
Controversy, Review And Herald, Hagerstown,
Maryland(digital edition). Page 346

15Ellen White (1911) The Great
Controversy, Review And Herald, Hagerstown,
Maryland(digital edition). Page 347

16Ellen White (1911) The Great
Controversy, Review And Herald, Hagerstown,
Maryland(digital edition). Page 402

17Ellen White (1882)Early Writing. Review
And Herald, Hagerstown, Maryland(digital edition). Page
233.

18Ellen White (1992) Last Day
Events, Review And Herald, Hagerstown,
Maryland(digital edition). Page 402

19Ellen White (1992) Last Day
Events, Review And Herald, Hagerstown,
Maryland(digital edition). Page 27

20Ellen White (1902) Manuscript
Releaase 19, Review And Herald, Hagerstown,
Maryland(digital edition).Page 279

21Genesis 7:1; 19:14

22Ellen White (1898) The Desire of
Ages, Review And Herald, Hagerstown,
Maryland(digital edition). Page 402.

23Ellen White (1911) The Great
Controversy, Review And Herald, Hagerstown,
Maryland(digital edition). Page 594.

24Ellen White (1922) Christian
Experiences And Teachings Of Ellen G White,
Review And Herald, Hagerstown, Maryland(digital edition). Page
86.

25Ellen White (1901)Testimonies for
the church vol 6, Review And Herald, Hagerstown,
Maryland(digital edition). Page 265-266.

26Ellen White (1922)Christian
Experiences And Teachings Of Ellen G White,
Review And Herald, Hagerstown, Maryland(digital edition). Page
93.

27Ibidem

28Ellen White (1898) Letter 35,
January 1, Review And Herald, Hagerstown,
Maryland(digital edition). Page 594.

29Ellen White (1882)Early Writing. Review
And Herald, Hagerstown, Maryland(digital edition). Page
299. appendix

30Ellen White (1882)Early Writing. Review
And Herald, Hagerstown, Maryland(digital edition). Page
69.

31Ellen White (1882)Early Writing. Review
And Herald, Hagerstown, Maryland(digital edition). Page
124.

32Ellen White ()Manuscript Release
vol 9[number.664-770]Review And Herald, Hagerstown,
Maryland(digital edition). Page 133.

33Ellen White (1925)Christian
Service. Review And Herald, Hagerstown,
Maryland(digital edition). Page 124.

34Reveleation 14:8

35Ellen White (1882)Early Writing. Review
And Herald, Hagerstown, Maryland(digital edition). Page
237

36Ellen White (1882)Early Writing. Review
And Herald, Hagerstown, Maryland(digital edition). Page
238

37Ibid pg 238

38Ellen White (1900)Christ's Object
Lesson, Review And Herald, Hagerstown,
Maryland(digital edition). Page 406

39Ibid page 406.

40Ibid pg 408.

41Ellen White (1882)Early Writing. Review
And Herald, Hagerstown, Maryland(digital edition). Page
273.

42Jesus entered the second veil in 1844,
what is refered to as the “end of time”, Revelation 10:6

43Ellen White (1958)Selected
Messages Book 2 ,
Review And Herald, Hagerstown, Maryland(digital edition).Page
104.

44Ellen White (1911) The Great
Controversy, Review And Herald, Hagerstown,
Maryland(digital edition). Page 381.

45Ellen White (1911) The Great
Controversy, Review And Herald, Hagerstown,
Maryland(digital edition). Page 381.

46Ellen White (1911) The Great
Controversy, Review And Herald, Hagerstown,
Maryland(digital edition). Page 382.

47Ellen White (1911) The Great
Controversy, Review And Herald, Hagerstown,
Maryland(digital edition). Page 383.

48Ibid

49Ibid page 383

50ibid

51Ellen White (1911) The Great
Controversy, Review And Herald, Hagerstown,
Maryland(digital edition). Page 383.