THE TIME OF THE END: THE EVERLASTING GOSPEL – Discourse 2

Complied by Solomon Tweneboah

“And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.’” (Revelation 21:3, NKJV)

From eternal ages it was God's purpose that every created being, from the bright and holy seraph to man, should be a temple for the indwelling of the Creator. Although sin ruined this relationship, through the incarnation, atonement and saving grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the heart of every repentant man becomes, once again, God’s temple. If we allow God, He will transform our heart and make it His dwelling place, from where He will pour out His love to the world around us.

When God restores all things, when the humble, pure-in-heart people are eternally redeemed, when sin and sinners who reject the mercy and atonement of God are finally and forever eradicated, then the inspired writing will have its complete fulfilment, ‘Behold the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God’ (Revelation 21:3). The great controversy will forever be ended. Sin and sinners will be no more. The entire universe will be clean because sin will not rise a second time. One pulse of harmony and gladness will beat through the vast creation. From Him who created all, will flow life and light and gladness, throughout the realms of illimitable space. From the minutest atom to the greatest world, all things, animate and inanimate, in their unshadowed beauty and perfect joy, will declare that God is love.

This discourse is a continuation of the last discourse dubbed “THE TIME OF THE END: THE EVERLASTING GOSPEL – Discourse 1.” The Feasts of the Lord, given in Leviticus 23 in chronological order by God to His people, explained the coming of Christ, and the role that Christ would play in redeeming mankind back to God following the fall of man. The first 4 feasts, namely Passover, Unleavened bread, Firstfruits, and Pentecost, occurred in the spring season; the first three occurred in the 1^st month of Abib/Nisan (March/April). These first 3 feasts were symbols or types that foreshadowed the crucifixion, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ respectively. The 4^th feast, Pentecost, occurred in 3^rd month of Sivan (May/June). Pentecost also foreshadowed the enthronement and glorification of the Lord Jesus Christ in the heavenly courts after His ascension, when He again received all the glory and power and honour He had with the Father before the world began; taking His seat on the right hand of the Majesty in heaven, making Him Priest and King according to the order of Melchizedek (Hebrews 5:5).

On the occasion of His enthronement and glorification in heaven, Christ received the gift of the Holy Spirit from His Father which He poured out onto the disciples in rich current on the day of Pentecost. The Holy Spirit enabled the disciples to reveal and explain the glorification and enthronement of the Lord Jesus Christ to the multitudes in Jerusalem by speaking in several tongues on that day. “Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:37,38). So also, we too, need to repent and be baptized physically and spiritually in order to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

In the nutshell, the first 4 feasts explained the death, burial, resurrection, and enthronement/glorification of Christ in the heavenly courts; all of which happened exactly on the appointed days of the feasts. The last three feasts, namely Trumpets, Day of Atonement, and Tabernacles occurred in autumn/fall. These last 3 feasts started about 4 months after the end of the spring feasts. All the 3 feasts took place in the month of Tishri (September/October).

5. The Feast of Trumpets

“Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, "Speak to the children of Israel, saying: 'In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a sabbath-rest, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation. You shall do no customary work on it; and you shall offer an offering made by fire to the LORD” (Leviticus 23:23-25).

The feast of Trumpets was the first of the autumn/fall feasts and for some reason, Israelites referred to this feast of Trumpets as New Year Day. The Lord commanded His people to celebrate the feast of Trumpets by sounding trumpets in the Temple and throughout the land of Israel.

The blowing of the ram’s horn, the shofar, began the first day of the Jewish month, Tishri, to the 10^th day. The Day of Atonement was observed on the 10^th day of the same month, and it was the greatest day in the year. Therefore, the feast of trumpets was seen as a reminder to prepare for that impending solemn event. To Israel, the Day of Atonement meant a day of judgment, and those 10 days were a time for them to reflect on their lives and to repent of every sin in preparation for the 10^th day.

To the children of Israel, the feast of Trumpets was a call to repentance since Israel was a nation which accepted the responsibilities to be God’s people. And being in a covenant with God included repenting of all sin and seeking atonement (at-one-ment) with God. We too, in these last days, need to repent of every sin that besets us in order to forge ahead, in faith and prayer, to reach the goal set before us. For Christ, the forerunner of our faith, will not leave or forsake us if we continue to cling to Him. As the day of the Lord draws nearer and nearer, let our resolve to follow Jesus be more resolute through faith, devoid of all iniquity, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad” (2Corinthians 5:10). The Lord has given direct, distinct messages to us, His church, to call us to repentance as the day of His judgement draws nearer and nearer. When we see disasters through natural or man-made causes, we need to consider whether these are judgments of God, and ensure that we who are spared take heed to the trumpet call.

6. The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur)

And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: "Also the tenth day of this seventh month shall be the Day of Atonement. It shall be a holy convocation for you; you shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire to the LORD. And you shall do no work on that same day, for it is the Day of Atonement, to make atonement for you before the LORD your God. For any person who is not afflicted in soul on that same day shall be cut off from his people. And any person who does any work on that same day, that person I will destroy from among his people. You shall do no manner of work; it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. It shall be to you a sabbath of solemn rest, and you shall afflict your souls; on the ninth day of the month at evening, from evening to evening, you shall celebrate your sabbath" (Leviticus 23:26-32).

God commanded the children of Israel to observe the Day of Atonement on the 10^th day of the 7^th month, Tishri. The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) was the highest holy day on the Jewish calendar and the special worship service was so sacred to the Jews (even until today) because it foreshadowed the final day of judgement. An excerpt from the Jewish Encyclopaedia, V.2, page 286 says, “God, seated on His throne to judge the world, at the same time Judge, Pleader, Expert, and Witness, openeth the Book of Records; it is read, every man's signature being found therein. The great trumpet is sounded; a still, small voice is heard; the angels shudder, saying, this is the day of judgment: for His very ministers are not pure before God. As a shepherd mustereth his flock, causing them to pass under his rod, so doth God cause every living soul to pass before Him to fix the limit of every creature's life and to foreordain its destiny. On New-Year's Day the decree is written; on the Day of Atonement, it is sealed who shall live and who are to die, etc. But penitence, prayer, and charity may avert the evil decree" (https://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/9335-kippurim-yom-ha).

‘On the Day of Atonement, it is sealed who shall live and who are to die.’ This statement makes it plain that the day of atonement was literally a day of judgement; either a person would afflict his or her soul before God and live, or would do otherwise and be cut off (die). Thus, the day of Atonement was a shadow of the final day of judgement when we all shall appear before the judgementn seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. Even until today, Jewish congregations spend the eve and the entire day of Atonement in prayer and meditation. Friends ask and accept forgiveness from one another for past offenses on the evening before Yom Kippur, since obtaining forgiveness from one’s fellows signifies God’s forgiveness.

As it is discussed in an earlier discourse (Discourse 2: THE EVERLASTING GOSPEL), the Lord commanded the Israelites to make Him a sanctuary that He might dwell among them (Exodus 25:8,9). That sanctuary was made according to the pattern given by God and day by day, several tens, hundreds or thousands of people came to that sanctuary to confess their sins and to offer sacrifices. On daily basis, priests worked in the outer court and in the holy place of the sanctuary on behalf of the people and sins of all sorts were transferred from the sinner to the sanctuary, which represented Christ (Hebrews 9:6). But the sins did not remain on the sanctuary forever, there was particular day in the year on which all the sins were cleansed and removed from the sanctuary. The day of atonement, the judgement day, was the day on which the sanctuary was cleansed of all the accumulated records of sins transferred to it throughout the year. The purpose of atonement was for cleansing (Num 8:21; Lev 12:8; 14:20).

No other priest but the high priest performed all the sanctuary services on the day of atonement. “But into the second part the high priest went alone once a year, not without blood, which he offered for himself and for the people's sins committed in ignorance;” (Hebrews 9:7).

On this day the high priest wears his holy garments as ordained by God, and as he begins the service, he receives from the congregation of Israel two goats for sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering, and a bullock, all of which he presents before the Lord. Then the high priest casts lots on the two goats: one lot for the LORD and the other lot for the scapegoat (Azazel). The high priest then kills the bullock, and with it he makes atonement for himself and his household. In doing this, he ministers the blood of the bullock by sprinkling it with his finger upon the mercy seat seven times. After making atonement for himself and his house, he takes the goat upon which the lot fell for the Lord, kills it and offers it as a sin offering on behalf of the people of Israel. He enters the most holy place again and sprinkles the blood of the goat with his finger, in the same manner as he had sprinkled the blood of the bullock; upon the mercy seat and before the mercy seat seven times. In this also, he makes atonement for the most holy place, the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar, cleansing all the sanctuary and the people of Israel from all sin.

While this work of intercession is ongoing inside the sanctuary by the high priest on the day of atonement, all the congregation of Israel had a solemn duty to afflict their souls (humble themselves) before the Lord. Afflicting the soul is a voluntary self-denial the people went through on the day of atonement. Their diet, clothing, conversation, thoughts, attitude, etc. all changed on the day of atonement. Their relationship with God had to be perfect because on the Day of Atonement it is sealed who shall live and who are to die. “For whoever is not afflicted on this same day shall be cut off from his people” (Leviticus 23:29). And when the high priest has made an end of atoning for the most holy place, the holy place, and the altar, he shall present the live goat; and he will lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the people of Israel, and all their transgressions, all their sins; and he will put them upon the head of the scapegoat, and then send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a fit man. The scapegoat shall bear all the iniquities upon itself to a solitary land; and the fit man shall let the goat go into the wilderness (Leviticus 16:20-22).

Significance of the Day of Atonement

The day of atonement was a type or symbol showing what would happen in the new covenant church. What does this mean to Christians today? Jesus made it clear that the end of this world would not come unless the gospel is preached in all the world. “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come” (Matthew 24:14). The gospel Jesus referred to would be an end time gospel because it has to go the all the world, then the end would come. In the days of the apostles, through the power of the Holy Spirit, they were able to reach every corner of the world with the gospel, as Jesus told them, "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth" (Acts 1:8). In their generation, the apostles reached the whole world with the gospel (Colossians 1:5,6) but the end of the world did not come in their time. This suggests that the time of the apostles was not the time of the end which Jesus talked about, and that the gospel has to go to all the world again before the end will come.

In Relation 14:6-12, John, the last apostle, was given a revelation of 3 angels going to all the world with the everlasting gospel before the second coming of Jesus, and he writes; “And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, 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.” “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.” “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:”

After seeing these 3 angels and hearing their messages, John sees the return of Jesus to the earth to reap its harvest. “And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of Man, having on His head a golden crown, and in His hand a sharp sickle. And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to Him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe” (Revelation 14:14,15). In Matthew 13:39, Jesus explains that the harvest (reaping time) is the end of the world. So immediately after the messages given by the 3 angels, Jesus returns, making the 3 angels’ messages end time messages.   

The first angel calls all people in the world to “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.” This call indicates that the judgement hour of God would come before Jesus returns, because as it is written, Jesus would return with His reward to give to every man according as his work shall be (Revelation 22:12). As it was indicated on the Day of Atonement, the judgement of God is supposed to seal who shall live and who are to die. The Bible speaks of God’s judgement and describes it as one judgement, but having 3 phases (parts). These 3 phases are (i) Inquiry (investigative) phase, (ii) Sentencing (pronouncement) phase, and (iii) Execution (implementation) phase. God instructed the nation Israel to make judgement using these same 3 phases in order to maintain fairness. In Deuteronomy 17:8-11, the Bible says, “If a matter arises which is too hard for you to judge, between degrees of guilt for bloodshed, between one judgment or another, or between one punishment or another, matters of controversy within your gates, then you shall arise and go up to the place which the LORD your God chooses. And you shall come to the priests, the Levites, and to the judge there in those days, and inquire of them; they shall pronounce upon you the sentence of judgment. You shall do according to the sentence which they pronounce upon you in that place which the LORD chooses. And you shall be careful to do according to all that they order you. According to the sentence of the law in which they instruct you, according to the judgment which they tell you, you shall do; you shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left from the sentence which they pronounce upon you.”

This principle of judgement God gave to Israel is applied in many countries in the world today. Any issue that went into judgement had to be investigated first, then a sentence is given, and then the sentence is executed. This same principle applies to the judgement of God; the first phase – the inquiry/investigative phase is announced by the first angel, “Fear God, and give glory to Him; for the hour of His judgment is come.” This investigative phase occurs before Jesus comes back to give His reward. It makes a lot of sense for Jesus to examine, inquire and investigate the work of every man before He comes to give His reward.

It is important to note that when Jesus lived on earth, He did not preach that the judgement hour of God has come. Jesus preached saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel” (Mark 1:15); He did not preach “the judgement hour of God has come”. The apostles did not preach that the judgement hour of God has come. In Acts 24:24,25, Apostle Paul summarized the message of the apostles, “And after some days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, he sent for Paul and heard him concerning the faith in Christ. Now as he reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and answered, "Go away for now; when I have a convenient time, I will call for you." The apostles preached about the judgement to come but not “the judgement hour of God has come”. In the time of the apostles the judgement hour of God was still in the future.

Then, when does the judgement hour of God begin and does God intend to keep it a secret? No, not at all. “Surely the Lord GOD does nothing, Unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets” (Amos 3:7). In the book of Daniel, God actually revealed to His church the time His judgement hour will begin, and we Christians, must never lose sight of this important information. In chapter 7, Daniel sees a vision 4 beasts.

1. The first beast was like a lion, having eagle's wings (verse 4).

2. The second was like a bear which raised itself up on one side (verse 5).

3. The third was like a leopard, which had on its back four wings of a bird (verse 6).

4. The fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and exceedingly strong, having huge iron teeth (verse 7).

After seeing these 4 beasts, Daniel writes, “I beheld till thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of Days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of His head like the pure wool: His throne was like the fiery flame, and His wheels as burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before Him: thousand thousands ministered unto Him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened” (verses 9,10). After seeing the 4 beasts, Daniel sees thrones set up, and the Ancient of Days siting with millions of angels who ministered to Him. Daniel saw that the judgement was set (the judgement started) and the books were opened. Opening books in this judgement suggests strongly that this judgement has to do with inquiry or investigation. As the judgement started, Daniel sees someone coming, “I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of Man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given Him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.

God the Father, the Ancient of Days, sits down and begins the judgement; then the Son of Man (Jesus) comes to Him and the Father gives the Son dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him. Daniel wanted to know the meaning of the vision and the time of this judgement, so in the vision, he approached someone and asked for the meaning. "I, Daniel, was grieved in my spirit within my body, and the visions of my head troubled me. I came near unto one of them that stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me, and made me know the interpretation of the things. These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth. But the saints of the Most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever” (verse 15-18).

Who were those kings and what were their kingdoms? Knowing these kings is very important because the judgement hour of God begins just after the reign of those 4 kings. The names of those 4 kings were not given in Daniel chapter 7 but they were named in chapters 2 and 8. In Daniel 2, king Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had a dream and his wise men and astrologers could not interpret. As he sought for the dream and its meaning, God showed the same dream and its interpretation to Daniel. In the dream, the king saw a great image; the image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, his legs of iron, and his feet – part of iron and part of clay. In the interpretation Daniel said, king Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon was the head of gold (Daniel 2:38). Daniel, through the Spirit of God, explained that the other 3 kingdoms would come after Babylon, before the Kingdom of Christ (The Stone) would finally come.  

The other 3 kings and their kingdoms were named in Daniel 8 when God revealed another vision to Daniel. In this vision, Daniel saw a ram which had two horns, and the two horns were high; but one was higher than the other, and the higher one came up last. The ram was pushing westward, northward, and southward, so that no animal could withstand him; nor was there any that could deliver from his hand, but he did according to his will and became great. Then suddenly a male goat came from the west, across the surface of the whole earth, without touching the ground; and the goat had a notable horn between his eyes. Then he came to the ram that had two horns, and ran at him with furious power. The goat confronted and attacked the ram; and broke his two horns. There was no power in the ram to withstand him, and the male goat grew very great; but when he became strong, the large horn was broken, and in place of it four notable ones came up. And out of one of them came a little horn which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the Glorious Land.

This little horn committed a lot of atrocities; he exalted himself as high as the Prince of the host; and by him the daily sacrifices were taken away, and the place of His sanctuary was cast down; it cast down the truth to the ground; and it practised, and prospered. As Daniel saw all that the little did, he then hears something, “Then I heard a holy one speaking; and another holy one said to that certain one who was speaking, "How long will the vision be, concerning the daily sacrifices and the transgression of desolation, the giving of both the sanctuary and the host to be trampled under foot? And he said to me, "For two thousand three hundred days; then the sanctuary shall be cleansed"" (Daniel 8:13,14).

When Daniel sought for the meaning of this vision, God instructed angel Gabriel to explain the vision to Daniel. Gabriel explained that the ram which had two horns are the kings of Media and Persia. And the rough male goat is the kingdom of Greece. The large horn that is between its eyes is the first king. As for the broken horn and the four that stood up in its place, four kingdoms shall arise out of that nation, but not with its power. And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors have reached their fullness, a king shall arise, having fierce features, who understands sinister schemes. His power shall be mighty, but not by his own power; he shall destroy fearfully, and shall prosper and thrive; he shall destroy the mighty, and also the holy people. Through his cunning he shall cause deceit to prosper under his rule; and he shall exalt himself in his heart. He shall destroy many in their prosperity. He shall even rise against the Prince of Princes; but he shall be broken without human means (Daniel 8:20-25).

World history records that after the fall of the kingdom of Babylon, the Medians and Persians (Media and Persia) took over and ruled the world. The Medo-Persian kingdom was overthrown by the kingdom of Greece with Alexander the Great being the first king. At the peak of his reign, Alexander the Great, untimely died, and since he had no child to succeed him, his 4 generals divided the kingdom and ruled, exactly as it was explained to Daniel. The 4 generals were Ptolemy, Cassander, Seleucus, and Antigones. Angel Gabriel did not mention the name of the 4^th kingdom which ruled after Greece but He gave all its characteristics. And world history records that the kingdom which conquered Greece and ruled all the world was the Roman empire. The Romans defeated the Greeks at about 168BC and ruled the world for a very long time; first as Pagan Rome and then as Papal Rome. Pagan Rome ruled the world to about AD476 when the empire disintegrated. As the Pagan Roman empire was going down, the leaders of the empire accepted the Christian faith, so Pagan Rome converted to Papal Rome (Papacy) led by Popes. The reign of the Papacy started around AD538 and continued until 1798 when the then Pope of Rome, Pope Pius VI, was arrested in the French Revolution. French troops, commanded by Napoleon Bonaparte, defeated the Papal army and occupied the Papal States in 1796. In 1798, upon his refusal to renounce his power, Pope Pius VI was seized, taken prisoner and transported to France where he died eighteen months later in Valence (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Pius_VI).

The vision of king Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 2 – the great image having a golden head; then the vision of Daniel in Daniel 7 – the lion having eagle's wings, the bear, the leopard-like beast and the fourth dreadful and terrible beast; then the vision of Daniel 8 – the ram, the male goat, the four notable horns, and the little horn which grew exceedingly great from one of them; all were visions which described the same 4 kings and their kingdoms, namely – Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome, in that order.

From one vision to another, God gave more and more vivid description of each king and his kingdom. In the vision of Daniel 2, God named only the first king (Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon). In the next vision of Daniel 7, God described the opening of His judgement after the 4 kingdoms (The Ancient of Days sits, the judgment was set, and the books were opened). In the next vision of Daniel 8, God named two other kings and their kingdoms (Medo-Persia and Greece), and also gave the actual time His judgement hour would begin. And he said to me, "For two thousand three hundred days; then the sanctuary shall be cleansed". It must be noted that in ancient Israel, the cleansing of the sanctuary occurred only on the Day of Atonement. Therefore, after the reign of the 4 kings, the judgement hour of God will begin and the message of the first angel will go forth – Fear God and give glory to Him for the hour of His judgement has come.

Was the message of the first angel given after 1798? Certainly yes, a group of Christians from almost all churches came together around 1833 and in 1834 they started preaching the message “Fear God and give glory to Him for the hour of His judgement has come …” They preached with so much power that they caught the attention of the whole world. Signs and wonders which occurred during that time to give much impetus to the message they preached. For instance, they made reference to the 1755 Lisbon earthquake that had recently happened, the 1833 Leonid meteor shower, etc. as signs Christ mentioned will precede His second advent.

This group of Christians, led by William Miller, thought that the judgement hour of God must definitely be the day Jesus would return to this earth. They thought the judgement of God would happen only at the time Jesus returns, just as most Christians today think. They lost sight of the fact that the inquiry/investigative phase of the judgement needed to occur first before the sentencing phase and then the execution phase. They learned and understood the explanation the vision of Daniel 8, where angel Gabriel said the two thousand three hundred days would start from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem. (Detailed explanation of this time prophecy would be discussed in the next discourse). But in the nutshell, the two thousand three-hundred-day period really began in 547BC and ended in 1844AD. With this understanding, William Miller and his associates actually predicted that Jesus would come back the second time on 22^nd October, 1844, to judge and cleanse the earth of sin. But this prediction did not come true and it is referred to as the Great Disappointment in world history.

William Miller and his associates were able to understand that the judgement hour of God would come after 1798 when the reign of all the 4 kings has ended. They also understood the cleansing of the sanctuary would begin in a particular day in 1844 according to the prophecy. But they made a conclusion that was not based on scripture and they were deeply disappointed. “In summer of 1844, thousands to expect the immediate advent of Jesus. Indeed, at the appointed time the Son of Man came, but not to the earth, as the people expected, but to the Ancient of Days in heaven, to the marriage, the reception of His kingdom” (The Great Controversy, 427.1)

In ancient Israel, a sinner would take an animal to the sanctuary, confess his/her sins on the head of the animal, kill it, collected the blood, and the blood would be sprinkled on the horn of the altar and on the second veil in the sanctuary. When the sinner sincerely went through this process, God forgave the sins of the sinner but the sins still remained on the horn of the altar and on the veil. The sins were forgiven, the sinner was free from the sins but the sins still remained on the sanctuary, which represented the body of Jesus. Therefore, there was a day on which all the accumulated sins on the sanctuary were removed and cleansed. This activity occurred once in the year – on the day of atonement. This act of cleansing the sanctuary really typified the blotting out of sins from the books of records in heaven. Remember that when Daniel saw the setting of the judgement in Daniel 7, books were opened. Anytime a sinner sincerely repents of his/her sins, God forgives him/her, but the record of sins remains in the books of record until the sins are finally blotted out during the final judgement.

Some Christians believe that the ‘forgiveness of sins’ is the same as the ‘blotting out of sins’, but a careful study of scripture does not support that. After the Holy Spirit had descended on the apostles on the day of Pentecost, Peter made this point clear. On the day of Pentecost, Peter said, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission (forgiveness) of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. On another day, when Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, when they saw a lame man at the gate of the temple and healed him, Peter told the people who listened to him: “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began” (Acts 3:19-21). On this other day, Peter clearly pointed out that when sins are blotted out, God will send Jesus whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things. This strongly suggests that blotting out of sin immediately precedes the second coming of Jesus. All the sins of the repentant sinner will first be forgiven when He/she repents, and then blotted out before Jesus returns. So, before Jesus returns, two groups of people will be distinctly identified living on earth – those who know God and those who know Him not. “In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:” (2Thessalomians 1:8).

Because Jesus will return to this earth with His reward to give to every man according as his work shall be, the first phase of His judgement occurs before He comes, and this judgement hour of God began on the Day of Atonement in the year 1844 – at the end of the 2,300 day-prophecy of Daniel 8. “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad” (2Corinthians 5:10). All humans, whether dead or alive, must appear before the judgement seat of Christ. Whether dead or alive, the record of our lives as found in the books will be examined and the name of each individual will either remain or blotted out from the book of life of the Lamb. Those whose names remain are the ones who give all their sins to Jesus, the High Priest, and allowed Him to clean and take away all their sins. This is the antitypical cleansing of the sanctuary or the blotting out of sin. This cleansing of the sanctuary or blotting out of sin was foreshadowed by the 6^th feast called the Day of Atonement. “While the investigative judgment is going forward in heaven, while the sins of penitent believers are being removed from the sanctuary, there is to be a special work of purification, of putting away of sin, among God's people upon earth. This work is more clearly presented in the messages of Revelation 14” (The Great Controversy, 425.1).

The French Revolution and the chaos it brought to the world was foreseen by apostle John in a vision and he wrote, “The nations were angry, and Your wrath has come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that You should reward Your servants the prophets and the saints, and those who fear Your name, small and great, and should destroy those who destroy the earth. Then the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of His covenant was seen in His temple. And there were lightnings, noises, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail” (Revelation 11:18,19). This scripture gives the indication that the judgement hour of God begun with the dead, and it will finish with the living. Also, the temple of God was opened in heaven and the ark of His covenant was seen in His temple. As exemplified by the earthly sanctuary, the ark of God’s covenant was kept only in the Holiest of All (the Most Holy Place), and this Most Holy Place was opened only on the Day of Atonement, and the high priest went in to cleanse the sanctuary only once in a year. So, John saw the ark of God’s covenant in the Most Holy Place of the temple in heaven, and this vision points to the antitypical work of cleansing the heavenly sanctuary (blotting out of sin) commencing in 1844 – at the end of the 2,300 day-prophecy of Daniel 8.

On earth, at the end of the Day of Atonement, the high priest came out of the sanctuary where he was interceding and blessed the people. Then he shall present the live goat; and he shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and he shall confess over the goat all the iniquities of the people of Israel, and all their transgressions, and all their sins; and he shall put them upon the head of the goat, and shall send the goat away into the wilderness by the hand of a fit man. The goat shall bear all the iniquities upon itself to a solitary land (Leviticus 16:20-22). “In the typical service the high priest, having made the atonement for Israel, came forth and blessed the congregation. So Christ, at the close of His work as a mediator, will appear, "without sin unto salvation," (Hebrews 9:28) to bless His waiting people with eternal life. As the priest, in removing the sins from the sanctuary, confessed them upon the head of the scapegoat, so Christ will put all these sins upon Satan, the originator and instigator of sin. The scapegoat, bearing the sins of Israel, was sent away into a land not inhabited; so Satan, bearing the guilt of all the sins which he has caused God's people to commit, will be for a thousand years confined to the earth, which will then be desolate, without inhabitant, and he will at last suffer the full penalty of sin, in the fires that shall destroy all the wicked (Revelation 20:1-3). Thus, the great plan of redemption will reach its accomplishment in the final eradication of sin, and the deliverance of all who have been willing to renounce evil” (The Great Controversy, 485.3).

In the present, we are living in the period of the antitypical Day of Atonement. The judgement hour of God began in 1844. Many are being purified, made white, and refined, but the wicked are doing wickedly; and none of the wicked understands, but the wise understand (Daniel 12:10). Soon, the investigative phase of God’s judgement will end and all people in the world will make up their minds. Soon, this proclamation will go forth, “He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still. And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to everyone according to his work. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last” (Revelation 22:11-13). Soon, the saints of God will be ushered into their heavenly ho0me where they will have the joy of celebrating the antitypical Feast of Tabernacles.

7. The Feast of Tabernacles/ Feast of Ingathering

“Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, Speak to the children of Israel, saying: 'The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days to the LORD” (Leviticus 23:33,34).

The Feast of Tabernacles was the last of seven yearly feasts celebrated by Israel. It was one of the three feasts that were celebrated in the seventh month - Tishri, and was observed for seven days, from the 15^th to 22^nd. The Feast of Tabernacles was a time of great rejoicing before Yahweh – The Almighty God, for seven days” (Leviticus 23:40). The feast commemorated the journey of the Israelites through the wilderness when they had to dwell in booths or tabernacles.  Throughout their journeys the LORD Himself tabernacled with them, provided for their needs, protected them, and, was a source of comfort to them. Upon entering the Promised land, they would be able to build their permanent houses and dwell in them safely. However, they were not to forget how the Lord had led them, and the wonderful manifestations of His providence. They were also to see this as an object lesson of their spiritual journey to the Heavenly homeland. However, as the history of Israel shows, they missed the spiritual lesson. We must ensure that we do not fall into the same rut.

The antitypical fulfilment of the Feast of Tabernacles is yet in the future. Christians today, who constitute Spiritual Israel are likewise passing through a wilderness – the wilderness of trials and afflictions of this world – on their way to their Heavenly home. When, at the second advent of Jesus Christ, this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, not only will the saints be in their eternal home, but the Lord Himself will tabernacle or dwell with His people forever. Sin and sinners will be no more. “And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, ‘the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and He Himself will be with them be their God.’ And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away. Then He who sat on the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new." And He said to me, "Write, for these words are true and faithful." (Revelation 21:3-5).

As the Feast was celebrated in olden times only after the people had gathered in the ‘fruit of the land’, thus will it be in the antitypical celebration. When all of God’s children of all ages shall have been gathered into His kingdom, then we will celebrate the antitypical Feast of Tabernacles/Ingathering.

May God bless you and keep you save as you prepare yourself for the soon appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.