Who represents the Other Angels in Revelation 14? The Fourth Angel's Message
"Are there other angels mentioned in the Book of Revelation besides the three angels of Revelation 14? If so, what is their purpose, and how and when will they fulfill their roles?"
When the Angels speaks
God’s Messages for His True Church
Prayer Thought:
The words from heaven,” this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased “( Matt. 3 :17) were still ringing in the ears of Satan. But he was determined to make Christ disbelieve this testimony. The word of God was Christ assurance of His divine mission. He had come to live as a man among men, and it was the word that declared His connection with heaven. It was Satan’s purpose to cause Him to doubt that word. If Christ’s confidence in God could be shaken, Satan knew that the victory in the whole controversy would be his. He hoped that under the force of despondency and extreme hunger, Christ would lose faith in His Father, and work a miracle in His own behalf. Had He done this, the plan of salvation would be have been broken. “ DA 120:3 (chap 12).
PURPOSE
To reveal the last message God had sent through His messengers appointed in time. “The Other Two Reaping Angels!”
THE INTRODUCTION
The 3 Angels’ messages are recorded in Rev. 14:6-11. But before that, we notice that the Bible starts with the record of the 144 000 in Rev.14:1-5. Therefore, there must be a special relationship between the 144 000 and the Angels’ messages, we shall refer to this later in this study.
THE 3 ANGELS’ MESSAGES + PLUS 2 Angels in the Harvest
7 BC 798
“The fourteenth chapter of Revelation of the deepest interest. This scripture will soon be understood in all its bearings and the messages given to John the Revelator will be repeated with distinct utterance.”
Are these Angels literal or symbolic?
Letter 79, 1900 (7BC 979) – “These angels represent those who receive the truth, and with power open the Gospel to the world.”
How many SPEAKING Angels are recorded in Revelation 14?
A Word to the Little Flock, 10-11 “…all five of the Angels brought to view in this chapter, represent five distinct messages, prior to the advent, or we are left without a rule to interpret this chapter…It is plain that we live in the time of the third angel’s message. The last two Angels are messages of prayer. We shall no doubt, better understand them at the time of their fulfillment…”
WHEN DID THESE ANGELS COME ?
CWE 26-27
“The first and second messages were given in 1843 and 1844, and we are now (1896) under the proclamation of the third (i.e. 1845 onward), but all three of the messages are still to be proclaimed. It is just as essential now as ever before that they shall be repeated to those who are seeking for the Truth.”
GW 251.2 “We talk about the first angel's message and the second angel's message, and we think we have some understanding of the third angel's message. But as long as we are content with a limited knowledge, we shall be disqualified to obtain clearer views of truth.
ANGEL 1 SPEAKS, REV. 14 : 6 – 7
14:6 “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,”
14:7 “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.’”
“Fear God” = Respect, obey, believe His prophetic Word, trust in His prophetic promises, that what He said because:
Isa. 34:16 - “Seek ye out of the book of the LORD, and read: no one of these shall fail …for my mouth it has commanded, and His Spirit it has gathered them…”
Therefore, we need to investigate the Word for ourselves, not entrusting others to do it for you.
7BC 978 - “…give glory to God is to reveal His character in our own, then make Him known.”
“The hour of His judgment” points to the Judgment of the Dead which started in 1844. But:
GC 490 – “The judgment is now passing in the sanctuary above. For many years this work has been in progress. Soon--none know how soon--it will pass to the cases of the living.”
Therefore, this angel’s message which began in 1843, is to be repeated now – to announce the Judgment of the Living. It is today when God is to make known the Judgment of the living through the repetition of the 1st Angel’s message. Therefore if this time is ripe, we should expect to see a people proclaiming this message of the Judgment of the Living.
ANGEL 2 SPEAKS – REV. 14 : 8
“And there followed another angel, saying, ‘Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.’”
When did this angel begin to preach?
GC 390 “…in the summer of 1844, the change is a progressive one, and the direct fulfillment of Rev. 14:8 is yet future.”
That is, at the time Babylon will make all nations drink of the wine (false doctrines) of her fornication – the Sunday law. Then she will completely fall, and the 2nd Angel’s message will be repeated to announce the fall of Babylon and the calling of God’s people to come out of her domain.
ANGEL 3 SPEAKS, REV. 14:9-11
14:9 “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…”
IS SUNDAY THE MARK OF THE BEAST TODAY?
7BC 977.9 - “Mark of Beast Not Yet Applied.—Sunday-keeping is not yet the mark of the beast, and will not be until the decree goes forth causing men to worship this idol sabbath. The time will come when this day will be the test, but that time has not come yet” (MS 118, 1899).
6T. 17 - “The light we have received upon the third angel's message is the true light. The mark of the beast is exactly what it has been proclaimed to be. Not all in regard to this matter is yet understood, nor will it be understood until the unrolling of the scroll; but a most solemn work is to be accomplished in our world….
GC 447
“In the Catholic Catechism of Christian Religion, in answer to a question as to the day to be observed in obedience to the fourth commandment, this statement is made: ‘During the old law, Saturday was the day sanctified; but the church, instructed by Jesus Christ, and directed by the Spirit of God, has substituted Sunday for Saturday; so now we sanctify the first, not the seventh day. Sunday means, and now is, the day of the Lord.’ As the sign of the authority of the Catholic Church, papist writers cite ‘the very act of changing the Sabbath into Sunday, which Protestants allow of; . . . because by keeping Sunday, they acknowledge the church's power to ordain feasts, and to command them under sin.’ ”
7BC 980-981
“The first day of the week has not one particle of sanctity. It is the production of the man of sin, who strives in this way to counterwork God's purposes….God has designated the seventh day as His Sabbath. [Exodus 31:13, 17, 16 quoted.]
The Last Act in the Drama.--The substitution of the false for the true is the last act in the drama. When this substitution becomes universal, God will reveal Himself. When the laws of men are exalted above the laws of God, when the powers of this earth try to force men to keep the first day of the week, know that the time has come for God to work. He will arise in His majesty, and will shake terribly the earth. He will come out of His place to punish the inhabitants of the world for their iniquity” (RH April 23, 1901).
HOW NEAR ARE THESE DEVELOPMENTS?
GC 443, 445
“It was apostasy that led the early church to seek the aid of the civil government, and this prepared the way for the development of the papacy--the beast….So apostasy in the church will prepare the way for the image to the beast…When the leading churches of the United States, uniting upon such points of doctrine as are held by them in common, shall influence the state to enforce their decrees and to sustain their institutions, then Protestant America will have formed an image of the Roman hierarchy, and the infliction of civil penalties upon dissenters will inevitably result…. The "image to the beast" represents that form of apostate Protestantism which will be developed when the Protestant churches shall seek the aid of the civil power for the enforcement of their dogmas.”
NOTE:
The 3rd Angel’s Message is the Sanctuary and Sabbath Truth. It began to be preached in 1844-1845. Messenger – E.G. White. But as the pattern shows it is also to be repeated at the time the Sunday law will be decreed. Therefore, the SDA Church now cannot fully comprehend the sacredness and importance of the Sanctuary and Sabbath, until it shall be repeated in the 4th Angel’s Message.
Maranatha 245.
“…Sabbath we had a sweet, glorious time. . . . We were made to rejoice and glorify God for His exceeding goodness unto us. . . . I was taken off in vision… I saw that we sensed and realized but little of the importance of the Sabbath, to what we yet should realize and know of its importance and glory. I saw we knew not what it was yet to ride upon the high places of the earth and to be fed with the heritage of Jacob. But when the refreshing and latter rain shall come from the presence of the Lord and the glory of His power we shall know what it is to be fed with the heritage of Jacob and ride upon the high places of the earth. Then shall we see the Sabbath more in its importance and glory….”
Rev. 14:12
“Here is the patience of the saints: here [are] they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.”
V.12 shows us the people or church which has been put together by the 3 Angel’s Messages – the SDA Church.
7BC 979
“Apparently the whole world is guilty of receiving the mark of the beast. But the prophet sees a company who are not worshiping the beast, and who have not received his mark in their foreheads or in their hands. "Here is the patience of the saints," he declares; "here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus" (MS 92, 1904).”
Rev. 14:13 – “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.”
It just talks about the Special Resurrection of the group in Rev. 14:12, the SDAs. (Dan. 12:1/GC 637): Therefore –
7T. 17 – “The battle cry is sounding along the line. Let every soldier of the cross push to the front, not in self-sufficiency, but in meekness and lowliness, and with firm faith in God. Your work, my work, will not cease with this life. For a little while we may rest in the grave, but, when the call comes, we shall, in the kingdom of God, take up our work once more.”
ANGEL 4 SPEAKS, REV. 14:14-15
14:14 “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.
14:15 “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.’
14:16 “And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped.”
The one on the cloud is Jesus, but is this at His 2nd Coming? Note that here, He has on His head a crown – that is, one crown. But at His 2nd Coming, He will not have one crown. Let’s read:
Rev. 19:11 - 12
“And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him [was] called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war…..
“…His eyes [were] as a flame of fire, and on his head [were] many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.”
EW 281
“Then I saw Jesus lay off His priestly attire and clothe Himself with His most kingly robes. Upon His head were many crowns, a crown within a crown. Surrounded by the angelic host, He left heaven. The plagues were falling upon the inhabitants of the earth.”
In the coming of Rev. 14:14, Jesus does a harvest, and the role of the other Angel’s message (4th Angel’s) is to prepare the people and the way for Jesus to harvest – which is the Judgment of the Living that is “to begin in the House of God” (1Pet. 4:17) – the SDA Church. This is the first harvest which gives Jesus the 1st fruits – the 144 000. Let’s read it again:
Rev. 14:15 “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…”
This is a speaking angel, and he speaks even louder than the first 3, because he is “crying with a lound voice.” He comes from the Temple, i.e. the SDA Church. These are the SDAs who are to accept the 4th Angel’s Message and are sounding the warning in the Church, then the world in the Loud Cry period.
THE 4TH ANGEL’S MESSAGE
Rev. 18:1 – “And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.”
6T 60 – “The third angel's message is to be given with power. The power of the proclamation of the first and second messages is to be intensified in the third. In the Revelation John says of the heavenly messenger who unites with the third angel (Rev 18:1 quoted).”
EW 277 – “Then I saw another mighty angel commissioned to descend to the earth, to unite his voice with the third angel, and give power and force to his message. Great power and glory were imparted to the angel, and as he descended, the earth was lightened with his glory…The work of this angel comes in at the right time to join in the last great work of the third angel's message as it swells to a loud cry…This message seemed to be an addition to the third message, joining it as the midnight cry joined the second angel's message in 1844.”
Malachi 4:5
“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD”
TM 475
“Prophecy must be fulfilled. The Lord says: ‘Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord." Somebody is to come in the spirit and power of Elijah, and when he appears, men may say: "You are too earnest, you do not interpret the Scriptures in the proper way. Let me tell you how to teach your message’."
NOTE: In the previous studies, we learnt that the 4th Angel’s Message first came with Elders Jones and Waggoner (1888-1992), but was rejected by the SDA Church leadership of that time. Only few, including Elder Haskell and E. G. White, accepted it. She was sent to Australia for 9 years, to separate her from the messengers. While there, she wrote:
G.C.B. MAY 9, 1892 (E G W – Melbourne, Australia)
“I saw that Jones and Waggoner had their counterpart in Joshua and Caleb. As the Children of Israel stoned the spies with literal stones, you have stoned these brethren with stones of sarcasm and ridicule…. I saw that if you had accepted their message, we would have been in the Kingdom two years from that date, but now we have to go back into the wilderness and there stay 40 years.”
THE 5TH” ANGEL SPEAKS, REV. 14 : 17 - 18
“And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle.
“And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, ‘Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe.’ ”
NOTE : Since another angel comes to harvest after Jesus has harvested, is a further proof that the coming in Rev. 14:14 is not the 2nd coming. The Angel cries with a loud cry, represents the message of the Loud cry, and the Angel who harvests the CLUSTERS or GRAPES represents the work of the 144000 in the world: We read
Isa. 66:15-17 – “For, behold, the LORD will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire. For by fire and by his sword will the LORD plead with all flesh: and the slain of the LORD shall be many. They that sanctify themselves, and purify themselves in the gardens behind one [tree] in the midst, eating swine's flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse, shall be consumed together, saith the LORD….
Isa. 66:19-20 – “And I will set a sign among them, and I will send those that escape of them unto the nations, [to] Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, that draw the bow, [to] Tubal, and Javan, [to] the isles afar off, that have not heard my fame, neither have seen my glory; and they shall declare my glory among the Gentiles. And they shall bring all your brethren [for] an offering unto the LORD out of all nations upon horses, and in chariots, and in litters, and upon mules, and upon swift beasts, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, saith the LORD, as the children of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel into the house of the LORD.”
3SM 385 – “The great issue so near at hand will weed out those whom God has not appointed and He will have a pure, true, sanctified ministry prepared for the latter rain.”
Isa. 41:14-15 – “Fear not, thou worm Jacob, [and] ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith the LORD, and thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.
Behold, I will make thee a new sharp threshing instrument having teeth: thou shalt thresh the mountains, and beat [them] small, and shalt make the hills as chaff.”
Jer. 51:20 – “Thou [art] my battle ax [and] weapons of war: for with thee will I break in pieces the nations, and with thee will I destroy kingdoms.”
NOTES
The angel is to come from the ALTAR – domain of the Ministry, i.e. the 144000 will be the future leaders of the SDA Church in the time of the Loud Cry. They shall have power over fire – i.e. they shall be given the Power of the Holy Spirit – the 2nd Pentecost, during the Loud Cry in the world.
This Angel is the last speaking Angel and the loudest of all the angels, for, he “cried with a loud cry” – The Loud Cry of the 144,000 in the world.
Now we can understand why the 144,000 are first recorded in Rev. 14:1, before the 3 Angels; it is because they are the ones to preach all the angels’ messages to the World, when they shall be repeated and concluded in the Loud Cry period
Rev. 14:19 “And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast [it] into the great winepress of the wrath of God.
14:20 “And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand [and] six hundred furlongs.”
What is now harvested by this angel is the fruitless VINE of the earth (those who remain with the Mark of the Beast), after the clusters or grapes (the Great Multitude) had been gathered.
Rev. 15:1
“And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God.”
The Angel who harvested the clusters of the grapes, is now told to throw the remaining empty vines or creepers, into the wine-press of God’s wrath – the 7 plagues. That is, those who do not accept the message of the Loud cry of the 144000 in the world, but choose to remain with the Mark of the Beast, will receive the wrath of God – the 7 Plagues, which are to fall out-side the City (the purified SDA Church). This will happen after the Loud cry, and after the final Close of world probation.
The Three Angel’s messages are the foundation and messages which God Himself gave the SDA Church to preach in the world. These messages are to be repeated in / by the 4th Angel’s Message in the SDA Church, then in the world during the Loud Cry time.
RH, November 19, 1908 par. 9
“The third angel's message is to lighten the earth with its glory; but only those who have withstood temptation in the strength of the Mighty One will be permitted to act a part in proclaiming it when it shall have swelled into the loud cry.”
5T. 729
“It is to the thirsting soul that the fountain of living waters is open. God declares: "I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground." To souls that are earnestly seeking for light and that accept with gladness every ray of divine illumination from His holy word, to such alone light will be given. It is through these souls that God will reveal that light and power which will lighten the whole earth with His glory.”
To God be the Glory!