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GOD'S TWO STATIONARY THRONES
John said, "And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb." Rev. 22:1. Out of the throne of God and the Lamb flows the living water.
The Apostle Paul visualized this same throne, "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who ... is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." Heb. 12:2. "I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, ..." Dan. 7:9. "I saw the Father rise up from the throne, and in a flaming chariot go into the holy of holies within the veil, and sit down. Then Jesus rose up from the throne... Then the cloudy chariot, with wheels like flaming fire, surrounded by angels, came to where Jesus was. He stepped into the chariot and was borne to the holiest, where the Father sat." E.W. 55.
"And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne ... and before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind ... and the four beasts had each of them six wings about him." Rev. 4:2,6, & 8.
In Rev. 22:1 is God's administrative throne which He and His Son, Jesus, rule the Universe. This throne has been from eternity. From this throne William Miller understood that Jesus would descend to earth to receive his waiting saints at the end of the 2300 days (years) Dan. 8:14.
Though William Miller, through the gift of Inspiration, proclaimed the correct date of the end of the prophecy ofDan. 8:14, God held His hand over the message in such a manner as to keep Miller and his associates from knowing just what was to happen Oct. 22, 1844, and the people were tested.
Why was it that Miller did not read and understand the third angel's message of Rev. 14:9-12 when he was teaching about the first and second angel's messages of Rev. 14:6-8? The answer is obvious. God withholds light and reveals it at the proper time. It was with the Seventh-day Adventists as it was with the First-day Adventists. The Pioneers of this movement understood there are five angel's messages in Rev. 14, but they said "We shall, no doubt, better understand them at the time of their fulfillment." W.L.F. page 11.
In the days of Miller and the Advent movement there was the one stationary throne – Administrative. October 22, 1844, God established His judicial throne (Dan. 7:9-10) and began the investigative judgment of the dead (G.C. 490), and closes with the judgment for the living (G.C. 483), of all whose names are found written in the books in heaven.
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Beginning in 1844-5 Ellen G. Harmon, a girl of seventeen, was endowed with the gift of Prophecy (Rev. 12:17;19:10) and through her, God revealed the prophetic message of the third angel. There are some of Ellen G. (Harmon) White's testimonies that need to be interpreted by Inspiration as many are prophetic.
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Therefore, beginning in 1844, three angels each having two wings, began to sound the hour of God's judgment Day and His righteousness through grace, which is all-sufficient for those who die in the Third Angel's message. Therefore, there are two stationary thrones–one administrative and one judicial.
GOD'S TWO TRAVELING THRONES
After this was to sound the fourth angel's message of Rev. 14:14,15. The Spirit of Prophecy says to study the first and second chapters of Ezekiel. In Rev. 14:14, John saw the Lord with a crown and sickle. Clearly, a crown suggests a throne and the sickle a harvest. Ezekiel saw the Lord above the firmament on His throne (Eze. 1:26) with the four living creatures, each having four wings (verse 6), "And when they went I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of great waters, as the voice of the Almighty, the voice of speech, as the noise of an host." Eze. 1:24.
"And he said unto me, Son of man, I send thee to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that hath rebelled against me." Eze. 2:3.
Ezekiel heard the noise of their wings – the voice of speech, as the noise of an host.
Angels represent messages or messengers and as the angels fly, the truth is borne on their wings. Ezekiel heard the noise of their wings as their speech declared the truth. Therefore, the number of the wings being four on the angels or cherubims (Ezek 10:5), they represent the number of the message to be given. Consequently, the fourth angel's message of Rev. 14:14,15 is the counterpart of the one, God, in His traveling throne, gave Ezekiel to convey to Israel, the church.
Please note, the creatures or cherubims each have four wings, two with which to cover their bodies and two with which to fly. Therefore, the message to Israel in Ezekiel one and two and in Rev. 14:14,15 is pre-harvest, or pre-judgment of the living, since the creatures do not have their faces and their feet covered as do the seraphims with sixwings in Isaiah 6. In fact, you will notice the fourth angel of Rev. 14:15 with the loud voice, or righteousness by faith, comes to warn God's people that the harvest or judgment of the living is about to begin. After the angel delivered his message, "... he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth and the earth was reaped." Rev. 14:16.
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This reaping or investigative judgment for the living is the first-fruit harvest that takes place in the earth. (Rev. 14:16). Says the Spirit of Prophecy, "In the balances of the sanctuary the Seventh-day Adventist church is to be weighed." 8T. 247:2. "Every individual has a soul to save or to lose. Each has a case pending at the bar of God. Each must meet the great Judge face to face ... The sanctuary in heaven is the very center of Christ's work in behalf of man. It concerns every soul living upon the earth." G.C. 488.
The Spirit of Prophecy tells us that "The efficacy of the blood of Christ was to be presented to the people with freshness and power, that their faith might lay hold upon its merits. As the high priest sprinkled the warm blood upon the mercy seat, while the fragrant cloud of incense ascended before God, so while we confess our sins, and plead the efficacy of Christ's atoning blood, our prayers are to ascend to heaven, fragrant with the merits of our Saviour's character. Notwithstanding our unworthiness, we are ever to bear in mind that there is One that can take away sin, and save the sinner. Every sin acknowledged before God with a contrite heart, He will remove. THIS FAITH IS THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH." T.M. 92, 93.
Here we see that as the high priest sprinkled the warm blood of the animal sacrifice on the mercy seat; just so, Jesus our High Priest, sprinkles His own fresh, warm blood that comes forth from His nail-scarred hands as penitential prayer ascends from the contrite heart. "Such prayer will bring before the Lord of hosts the wounds of Jesus, AND THEN WILL FLOW AFRESH THE LIFE-GIVING BLOOD, symbolized by the flowing of the living water for Israel." P.P. 411. "As the life-giving waters flowed from the smitten rock, so from Christ, 'smitten of God,' ... the stream of salvation (even His precious blood) flows for a lost race." P.P. 411.
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"In Hebrews 9 the cleansing of both the earthly and the heavenly sanctuary is plainly taught. 'Almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission. It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these (the blood of animals); but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.' (Hebrews 9:22, 23), even the precious blood of Christ." G.C. 417. (Parenthesis theirs)
"... And what was done in type in the ministration of the earthly sanctuary is done in reality in the ministration of the heavenly sanctuary." G.C. 410.
"As anciently the sins of the people were by faith placed upon the sin offering and through its blood transferred,in figure, to the earthly sanctuary, so in the new covenant the sins of the repentant are by faith placed upon Christ and transferred, in fact, to the heavenly sanctuary." G.C. 421.
"... Jesus was clothed with priestly garments. He gazed in pity on the remnant, then raised His hands, and with a voice
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of deep pity cried, 'My blood, Father, My blood, My blood, My blood!"' E.W. 38.
"In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness." Zech. 13:1.
"... He enters into the presence of His Father. He points to His wounded head, the pierced side, the marred feet; He lifts His hands, bearing the print of nails. He points to the tokens of His triumph; He presents to God the wave-sheaf, those raised with Him as representatives of that great multitude who shall come forth from the grave at His second coming." D.A. page 834.
"Since the Saviour shed his blood for the remission of sins, and ascended to heaven 'to appear in the presence of God for us,' light has been streaming from the cross of Calvary and from the holy places of the sanctuary above. But the clearer light granted us, should not cause us to despise that which in earlier times was received through the types pointing to the coming Saviour. The gospel of Christ sheds light upon the Jewish economy, and gives significance to the ceremonial law. As new truths are revealed, and that which has been known from the beginning is brought into clearer light, the character and purposes of God are made manifest in his dealings with his chosen people. Every additional ray of light that we receive gives us a clearer understanding of the plan of redemption, which is the working out of the divine will in the salvation of man. We see new beauty and force in the inspired word, and we study its pages with a deeper and more absorbing interest." P.P. 367, 368.
As Seventh-day Adventists, who know much about the Bible, do we realize that when we sin, by transgressing God's law, we open again the wounds in our dear Saviours hands, and the blood flows forth afresh when our sins are confessed. Again, the pain is felt by our Redeemer, as the life giving stream flows from a wounded heart. A true realization of this fact is the life of the church. Will we realize this and let the angel touch our lips with the live coal, taken with the tongs from the altar of God?
"Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: And laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away and thy sin purged." Isa. 6:6, 7.
Seeing "the King, the Lord of hosts," caused Isaiah to realize that he was a man of unclean lips and that he dwelt among a people of unclean lips.
The live coal from God's altar placed on the lips of God's servant is symbolical of purification, not only of the speech of the receiver, but also the purging of his sins, and indicating the power with which the messenger was to speak.
(CONTD)
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