In our previous study, we saw that the blessing declared in Revelation 14:13 includes a resurrection and that it is the resurrection of those who die having faith in Christ. We closed by noting that to them which have part in the first resurrection, a blessing is declared in the sixth verse of Revelation 20 which begged the question, is there a twofold blessing upon those who have part in the first resurrection? Or one of the two blessings is declared upon a specific people of God? In this discourse, we shall seek to answer this question by delving into the second part of our study which deals with the time aspect of the second beatitude.
It is written:
And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them. KJV Revelation 14:13
As we saw, some translations render it as, “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on” ISV, “from this moment on” NET, “from this time” EEV.
What time is this that John pens down when tracing the words of this precious beatitude?
To answer this question, we will need to look at the context of the beatitude. What comes before and after verse 13? The fourteenth chapter of Revelation is a very profound chapter. In the first five verses, it speaks of a group of people referred to as the one hundred and forty and four thousand. Then, verse six to verse twelve speaks of three angels with messages to be given to the world. The first, the second and the third angel’s message. Then verse thirteen comes the beatitude. In the remaining portion, verse fourteen to twenty, we see the second coming of Christ presented as Christ coming to harvest the earth. Let us narrow down to the three angels’ messages and the second coming of Christ for it is between these two that the beatitude comes. Reading of the first angel in the sixth verse, we are told he bears the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth. Then verse 8 shows that the second angel follows the first, meaning they go together with the first angel. And then the third angel, looking at verse 9, he follows the first and the second. This means, the three angels rise at different times but after a while, they go together. We therefore can conclude that it is a threefold message. In a summary, here is a threefold message which is the everlasting gospel and it is to be preached to the world and then comes a blessing followed by the second coming of Christ. Of course the gospel is not preached by literal angels, but these are messengers.
The work of preaching the gospel has not been committed to angels, but has been entrusted to men. Holy angels have been employed in directing this work, they have in charge the great movements for the salvation of men; but the actual proclamation of the gospel is performed by the servants of Christ upon the earth.
We see Paul referring to Himself as an angel. Read Galatians 4:14.
This, the threefold message, is exactly what Christ referred to when He said, “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.” KJV Matthew 24:14 For we read, “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,” and then in verse 14 the Son of man comes to reap for the harvest of the earth is ripe, see verse 15. And Matthew testifies that “the harvest is the end of the world.” KJV Matthew 13:39. Therefore the gospel of the kingdom is the threefold message.
Now look at the verse that immediately precedes the beatitude, it says, “Here is the patience of the saints (that is, God’s people): here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” KJV Revelation 14:12 This refers to those who bear, preach and live the threefold message rightly. Of those bearing the threefold message and yet die from a certain time, to them is the blessing declared. So in order for us to know what time this is, we simply need to search from the Scriptures when the threefold message began to be preached and from there we can know who are included in this beatitude.
The first angel’s message has an aspect of time in it. It says, “Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour (the time) of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.” KJV Revelation 14:7 When did the hour of God’s judgment come? That is the missing piece to the whole puzzle.
Where in the Bible do we find a pointer to when God was to judge them that dwell on the earth? Let us have a look at Daniel 7 and 8.
In Daniel 7, we have the four great kingdoms of this world, Babylon (605 - 539 BC), Medo-Persia (539 - 331 BC), Greece (331 - 168 BC) and Rome (168 BC - 476 AD) represented by a lion beast, a bear, a leopard beast and a dreadful and terrible beast respectively. Rome had two phases, Pagan Rome which was divided (476 – 538 AD) represented by the ten horns and then the other phase represented by the little horn which is a symbol of Papal Rome (538 – 1798 AD). For more on this, check a study on The Man of Sin.
From these we know that the little horn, the Papacy, which is the Papal Rome, ruled from AD 538 to AD 1798 when it received its mortal wound. After the little horn scene, we see in the ninth verse of Daniel 7, the Ancient of Days who is God the Father, sitting on the throne and we are told “the judgment was set, and the books were opened.” KJV Daniel 7:10. Then we see the second coming of Christ to establish His kingdom presented in verse 14 of the same chapter. Therefore, the judgment begins sometime after AD 1798, that is after the reign of the Papacy. To get the exact year, we will look at Daniel 8. Here, we have two main kingdoms brought to view; Medo-Persia and Greece under different symbolism, a ram and he-goat respectively. Read Daniel 8:20, 21. After Greece we expect to see the Roman empire in which the Papacy is to be found. To our searching, we actually see the little horn introduced in verse 9, this time standing as a symbol for both Pagan and Papal Rome. It is in verse 11 that the little horn parallel to that of Daniel 7:8 is to be found for we are told, “he magnified himself even to the prince of the host.”
In Daniel 7, we saw the judgment scene coming immediately after the reign of the Papacy, the little horn power. Likewise, immediately after the little horn in verse 11 and 12 of Daniel 8, we read in the thirteenth verse a “saint” asking a “certain saint”, “How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden underfoot?” And the “certain saint” answers, “Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.” KJV Daniel 8:14. Therefore, the cleansing of the sanctuary, must have something to do with the judgment.
A look into the Jewish economy, you find out that the cleansing of the sanctuary, which took place on the day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), was and still is regarded as a day of judgment. This is seen in Leviticus 16:1-34. From a Jewish paper published in San Francisco, California, called The Jewish Exponent, the organ of the orthodox Jews west of the Rocky Mountains. In the issue for September, 1892, was the announcement that before the issuing of the next number, the seventh month and day of atonement would come. Their name for the seventh month is Tishree, and that of the sixth is Ellul; so the paper stated, “The month of Ellul is here, and the monitory sounds of Shofar of the trumpet that was to be blown from the first to the tenth day of the seventh month are to be heard every morning in the orthodox synagogues, advising preparation for the day of memorial, and the final judgment of Yom Kippur.”
If we can therefore determine the termination of the “2300 days” mentioned in Daniel 8:14, we will have the hour or time of judgment brought to view in Revelation 14:7. First thing to note, these 2300 days are not literal but symbolic. This is because symbols are applied in the same chapter. They are therefore 2300 prophetic days. Applying Ezekiel 4:6, a day for a year principle, we have 2300 literal years of 360 days each, which is the Biblical reckoning of a year. We now have to look for the starting point of this timeline.
You will notice that the starting point of the 2300 days and the 70 weeks/490 days prophecy mentioned in Daniel 9 is the same. This is because the 70 weeks/490 days prophetic days of Daniel 9 are determined or cut off from the 2300 days. Read Daniel 9:24. Considering this fact, we therefore have the starting point presented in Daniel 9:25, “Know therefore, and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and build Jerusalem”. The command or decree that brought into effect the restoration of Jerusalem is presented in Ezra 7. It was the decree given by King Artaxerxes of Persia in the fall of 457 BC.
Having the starting point, 457 BC, let us then take into account the 2300 prophetic days. Adding 2300 literal years to 457 BC, it takes us to the fall of the year AD 1844. Since the cleansing of the sanctuary would take place on the day of atonement which was the 10th day of the 7th month of the Hebrew calendar, Leviticus 16:9, we have to look for the equivalent of that time in the Gregorian calendar. We had this day of atonement in the year 1844 falling on the 22nd of October, 1844. This is when the time or hour of God’s judgment came. It is from this time that the blessing in verse 13 refers to. All who died or die in faith under the threefold message, from 22nd October, 1844, a blessing is declared upon them.
Remember, we saw the blessing includes a resurrection. Our last burden in this series of the second beatitude in the Revelation will be to ascertain which resurrection it is. Until then, the Lord keep you safe.
Maranatha.
Dying With Christ