In our study we shall look at some very revolutionary concepts. While this presentation may not be political correct, while it may ruffle some feathers, I plead to the Lord that those who read this will be objective and allow the evidence to speak for itself. I believe this is truth and we must present this message.

We are not trying to offend anyone but to bring out some critical truths for these last days. God has a controversy of worship with man. If anything you read is painful to anyone, please pray to the Lord for understanding and study it out with a clear mind. We present it out of the spirit of love not wanting anyone to fail the Lord in this world's most important hour when He comes again.

We begin by quoting a well known author who we very often disagree with, but on this issue he is right. We read,

"I believe that these seven churches were selected and arranged by our omniscient Lord because they had problems and characteristics that would prophesy seven stages of history through which the Church Universal would pass." [200]

What he is saying is, that the seven churches of Asia Minor are actually symbolic of seven successive stages of church history. That must mean that the first church is dealing with apostolic times because that is where the Christian Church begins - and it must mean that churches #6 and 7 would come towards the end of church history because they are the last two churches.

There is another author who agrees with Hal Lindsay. We read,

"The names of the seven churches are symbolic of the church in different periods of the Christian Era. The number 7 indicates completeness, and is symbolic of the fact that the messages extend to the end of time, while the symbols used reveal the condition of the church at different periods in the history of the world. ..." [260]

The author states in agreement with Hal Lindsay that the seven churches represent seven periods of church history and that it represents the `complete' or continuous history since apostolic times. She also points out that the symbols used reveal the condition of the church at any given stage as they are mentioned in the sequence of the churches.

There are three conclusions we can reach on this subject:

1. the seven churches represent seven successive stages in the history of the Christian church from the days of the apostles till the end of time, indicated by the use of the number seven.
   
2. it must mean that the sixth church, the Church of Philadelphia (means "brotherly love"), must come close to the end of the history of the church age, because it is church #6 and comes near the very end of the age.
   
3. it must mean that church #7 is the last church of the church age history, as Hal Lindsay calls it. It is the church whose starting date we know from scripture to begin 2300 years after "the going forth of the command to restore and to rebuild Jerusalem" (Dan. 9:25).

So let us read about the message to the sixth church.

"And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things says he that is holy, he that is true, he that has the key of David, he that opens, and no man shutts; and shutts, and no man opens." Rev. 3:7.

We read about a key and the one who has the key is Jesus, Isa. 22:22f, and that with this key a door will be opened and another door will be shut and no one can reverse that once it has taken place. But we are not told exactly which door is being opened and which door will be shut. Where do these doors lead to?

We read,

"I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name." Rev. 3:8.

How was this door opened? According to Rev. 3:7 in fulfillment of Isaiah 22:22, it was opened with "the key of David." At this point we notice that the Church of Philadelphia does not enter this newly opened door, for it says, "it was set before them." (Rev. 3:8), which must mean they didn't quite reach to that moment to walk through it. Even here we are not yet being told about where these doors are and where they lead to.[317]

In the next verse we read,

"Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee." Rev. 3:9.[318]

We know that the key of David, representing the kingdom of God, opens a door - and in the same context of the opening of this door mentioned in the sixth church - we find a group being spoken of as the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews but they are not - that must mean, they are Christians.[320]

On the subject of the `key of David' opening and shutting doors study, we seek the answer to, `which door was opened and which door was closed.'

"and the key of the house of David will I lay upon his (the Messaih's) shoulder; so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open. And I will fasten him as a nail in a secure place; and he (the Messiah) shall be for a glorious throne to his father's house." Isaiah 22:22,23.

We may ask, `Does this person who has the key open a door?' Yes. - `Can anyone shut it?' No. We also may ask, what the key represents. Normally we do not carry keys on our shoulder, so this must be a special key. We detect here the idea of kingship - because we have a reference to the throne of David and to a glorious throne, and the key is upon the Messiah's shoulder. The next text will explain it even better.

We read in the next very well known text,

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6.

This well known text is a Messianic prophecy and we learn that the `key' which opens a door allows the Messiah to begin His government, His rulership. The relationship of the key as the means to commence His government is stressed here because at first the key was on His shoulder and now we find that also the government is on His shoulder. That must mean that `the key' opened a door which constitutes the beginning of `the government' the Messiah was to be in charge of.

Let us read verse 7 about how His government will be increased ...

"Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this." Isa. 9:7.

His government will increase. He sits on the throne of David which allows him to rule.

So, Christ established His kingdom with judgment and with justice. - The opening and shutting and no one can undo what has been opened and shut - theologically speaking. - He begins his rulership by performing a `work of judgment.' These scriptures are the source of Revelation chapters 3 to 7 or 8. - It is very important for us to understand and remember this.

Question: Where does this door of Rev. 3:8 lead to, and which door was shut?

Answer: Revelation mentions two doors and gives us parameters which let us know where they lead to.

Revelation's First Door

We read,

"After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will show thee things which must be hereafter. And immediately I was in the spirit; and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne." Rev. 4:1,2.

Is there a throne in heaven? Where? Inside the open door? Yes?

We notice there sits only one on that particular throne and those who sit on the 24 thrones are the representatives of the worlds that never sinned - while the four living creatures represent the cherubim and the seraphim.

But we also notice that some elements are missing.

Jesus is not there

That is a significant point and we are reminded of the words we find earlier in Revelation. We read,

"To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne." Rev. 3:21.

Where did Jesus sit when He ascended to heaven?

He sat on His Father's throne, Acts 2:32-34; 7:55; Eph. 1:20.

That should mean that after the ascension there would be two sitting on the throne. However, according to Rev. 4:2, only `one' sits on the throne.

That must mean that in Rev. 4, the second person has not yet arrived.

Chapter 4 describes the heavenly throne room prepared for the arrival of Jesus, described in chapter 5. -- We know that, because when Jesus ascended, He said, that He would sit on His Father's throne, (Mk. 16:19; Acts 2:33-35; Ps. 110:1). - - Therefore, there should be two on the throne.

So, the missing elements in chapter 4 are,

there is only one on the throne

there are no references to angels - the angelic hosts

there is no reference to redemption

all the songs sung by the elders praise the Father because He is the Creator, the Ancient of Days - not the Redeemer.

Why is Jesus and the angelic host not there? Because the Savior is being escorted by the angels, by the clouds of angels as He left the disciples, while the heavenly court is being prepared to receive him.

Where is this scene taking place? Where is this door through which Jesus will enter as He ascends to heaven?

There is no doubt that this reception is taking place in the Holy Place in the sanctuary.

We find two explicit reasons to confirm this. Notice ...

"And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God." Rev. 4:5.

We ask, where in the Hebrew sanctuary were the seven lamps of fire located?

Of course they were in the Holy Place. Therefore,

(1) the throne room in chapter four (and five) is located where the seven branch candlestand would be located - in the Holy apartment or place.

The second location indicator reads as follows,

"And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours (or incence), which are the prayers of saints." Rev. 5:8.

We ask, where in the Hebrew sanctuary was incence offered?

(2) It was offered in the bowls or vials on the altar of incence in the Holy Place. (Rev. 8:3,4 confirms this when it is speaking of the golden altar of incence).[500]

"And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand." Rev. 8:3,4.

No, it cannot, because the door in chapter 4 was opened when Jesus ascended to heaven (31 A.D. 40 days after His resurrection, Acts 1:3) and the `open door' of the church of Philadelphia is opened way down in time of the church age, just before the end time church of Laodicea some 1800 years later.[520]

The Second Door

Let us go on to read about the second door. We read,

"And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail." Rev. 11:19.[600]

We know already that the first door, when it was opened, led into the `Holy Place' and the second door led into the `Most Holy Place' as we just read.

Verse 19 then says that the door to the innermost shrine was opened. What was it opened with?

With the key of David. ("... great voices in heaven ... the kingdoms ... are ... kingdoms of our Lord ..." Rev. 11:15).

And what was the reason why Jesus was going to go in there?

To perform a work of judgment in order to establish His kingdom.

Revelation 11:19 says, the door into the Most Holy was opened, and what was seen?

The `Ark of the Covenant' was seen in the innermost `Most Holy Place' in the heavenly sanctuary.

So, the key that opens doors, opens how many doors?

It opens two doors.

The first door was opened when Jesus ascended to heaven - as shown by the 7 branched candlestick and the altar of incence - that is where Jesus entered to appear before His Father in the Holy apartment.

Then, later, in the era of the Church of Philadelphia [610], and according to Revelation 11:19, another door is opened in heaven allowing entry into the inner naos shrine, the Most Holy Apartment. When that door is opened, the `Ark of the Covenant' is seen inside the naos shrine.

What then is the answer to the question, `Must the first door have been closed, when the second door was opened?'

Obviously Yes! Because the whole heavenly host is actually leaving the first apartment and they are moving to the second apartment of the sanctuary. Therefore, the changing of `apartments' is Biblical.

Well, some may say, This is all academic.

We may say, Yes, but academics are very important.

Why?

If we do not understand this, we will be caught in the wrong apartment soon after the period of the Church of Philadelphia.

Before we go to the next scripture we ask, `Was the `Most Holy Place' the location where the judgment took place on the great day of Atonement?'

Yes. That is where the separation described in Leviticus 16:16,17 took place.

"And he shall make an atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions in all their sins: and so shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation, that remaineth among them in the midst of their uncleanness.
And there shall be no man in the tabernacle of the congregation when he goeth in to make an atonement in the holy place, until he come out, and have made an atonement for himself, and for his household, and for all the congregation of Israel." Lev. 16:16,17[625]

It tells us there that only those who made an atonement for themselves could be in or before the tabernacle. That means, those who did not see the need for following these instructions were on the outside.

But that is not all. The good thing is that God explains in His Word more for us. We read about this scene of `the opening of the temple' also in the Book of Daniel.

From Revelation to Daniel

We read now in the Book of Daniel about the judgment scene and how Jesus is receiving the keys to the kingdom, he `was given dominion and glory,' Dan. 7:14. In the Book of Daniel, chapter 7, we have the following history explained to us. We have the four kingdoms represented by animals. Babylon was represented by a lion; Medo-Persia by a bear; Greece by a leopard, and Rome by a terrible dragon beast with teeth of iron and ten horns [660] and a little horn which destroys 3 of the 10 horns and reigns 1260 years.

Let us read it.

"I beheld till the 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." Daniel 7:9,10.

From Daniel we learn that the judgment takes place after the little horn has ruled for 1260 years. When did that rule of the little horn power come to an end? The date is 1798 when the little horn was wounded and for a time lost its former power. That means the judgment scene we read about in Daniel 7:9,10 comes after the little horn power lost its influence.

At this point we may ask, is this very similar to the period of the Church of Philadelphia, does this come about at the end of the Christian age?

Obviously, Yes!

Let us continue with Daniel 7, verses 9 and 10, how many thrones were cast down?

"I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit .... his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. ..... thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened." Daniel 7:9,10.

From Revelation 4 we know that the throne of God the Father and the 24 thrones of the elders were "cast down" or `set up' or `set in place' to receive Jesus as He ascended, Acts 1:9.

In Revelation 4 we are still in the time when the Holy apartment was open. In order to scripturally document the opening of the second apartment and the transition of God the Father arriving in the Most Holy as well as Jesus, we examine these scriptures for how it is worded and presented.

The detail we should note in Daniel 7 is that "the Father did sit" which must mean that He was standing up before, that He was in another place from which the throne was moved (it has wheels) through the second door into the Most Holy. We find this detail mentioned again when it says, "... Until the ancient of days came", (Dan. 7:22), which underscores that He was at another place before.

In other words, we are trying to clarify that there was a `going from the first apartment into the second in the heavenly sanctuary' taking place which was already spoken of by the prophet Daniel. We stress this a bit because many did not see this.

The scene of the movement from one place to another in Daniel 7 takes place way later in time after the dominion of the little horn, long after the time Jesus ascended to heaven - at least in our human understanding of time which God does not violate. We find now that there are (24) thrones for the elders (plural) and there is a throne for God the `Ancient Father' which has "wheels of burning fire" (Dan. 7:9). This must indicate that the throne of God, and all other thrones in its train are moving from the Holy Place into where?

They must have moved into the other place, the second apartment, because in the earthly sanctuary that is where the judgment took place on the `Day of Atonement.'

Therefore the entire set in this scene moves from the Holy Place to the Most Holy Place upon opening the doors: First the door to the Holy and then secondly to the Most Holy after the end of the 1260 prophetic year-days. The time this `changing of location' happened in was close to the end of the Christian church age, way after the ascension of Christ. It means that the Father and all the beings that were in the first part of the sanctuary are now moving from the first apartment to the second apartment.

Revelation 4 and 5 described first the Holy Place where all are present. But now, long after the initial ascension of Christ, in the time of the Church of Philadelphia, the scene described in Daniel chapter 7 is that of the casting down or setting up of the thrones in the particular room of the heavenly sanctuary where the judgment was going to take place - the books were opened - that is now, according to the earthly sanctuary type of the atonement, referring to the scene in the Most Holy Place, Daniel 7:9,10.

That is why it says, `I beheld', `I watched' how thrones were put up in that place. It means the thrones had not been there before; they were set up in that location at a particular point in history. Then it says, "And the ancient of days was seated."

Is that the same sort of expression as the "Lord God Almighty" of Revelation 4?

Does He move now?

Sure, this is the same person who moves now. - Notice, His garment was white as snow. His throne had wheels which is Daniel's way of saying it could move about, it was `cast down', or as other translations say it, it was `placed' there. It was therefore not always just in one spot. The angelic hosts are then described similarly between Daniel 7:9,10 and Revelation 4 and 5.

No doubt. To be consistent in biblical interpretation, there is no doubt on this.

Because it was in the Most Holy were the (Day of Atonement) judgment took place and the law of God is the standard, the law book, in the judgment. Therefore Daniel chapter 7 and Revelation 11:19 speak of the same event.[705]

Still, there is something else of interest. So far we have read no reference to Jesus in these passages cited. Where is He?

To find out let us read these scriptures,

"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." Daniel 7:13,14.

Revelation 5 described Jesus as just coming from dying on the cross, - He came as a Lamb, (v. 6).

But here in Daniel 7 Jesus comes as the Son of man, which is a different historical context. He comes `with the clouds of heaven' - with the hosts of angels accompanying Him. That is also described in Revelation chapter 5:11ff.

Once again: Daniel says that Jesus was brought before the ancient of Days. [715]

Who then was seated there first? God Father.

Who came later? Jesus.

In Revelation chapter 4, was the ancient of days seated there first? And then who came? Jesus.

Two Different Apartments

Are the Holy and the Most Holy two different apartments? Yes, they are two different apartments because it has to do with different periods in history. The first comes into the picture sometime soon after Christ's ascension (Rev. 5), and the second (Dan. 7) in the time of the sixth Church of Philadelphia.

Christ, the Lamb, came to the ancient of days and the angels brought him near before Him.

And what does he come for? Obviously He came to lead out in the judgment for it says the judgment was set and the books were opened.

What is the end result of the judgment?

Notice what it says. This is very important.

"Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom .." Dan. 7:14 paraphrased.

Is there any relationship with Isaiah chapter 9:6,7 here in Daniel 7?

We notice that in context the one with the key of David receives his dominion, while the offending party loses his dominion, because it was judged. That helps us to remember that in the Word of God, nothing happens randomly or by accident.

But we want to know, how was the kingdom established in Isaiah chapter 9:7. - With judgment and with justice.

And what was the key of Isaiah 22:22 ("the key of the house of David ... upon his shoulder") used for? With the key He went to open a door to do what? -- To establish the throne and the kingdom.

This judgment process, will that take place in the Church of Philadelphia period?

Yes. Because the quotation in Rev. 3:8 on the Church of Philadelphia comes from Isaiah 22:22. At this point, let us also read Daniel 7 verse 14 again:

"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." Dan. 7:14.

We notice the bold phrases complement each other evidencing the relationship.

Isaiah 9 also mentioned that His dominion was an everlasting dominion with the key of government on his shoulder, a kingdom which shall not pass away or be destroyed.

Let us go to our next scripture which repeats the same scene but with additional detail.

We read,

"But the judgment shall sit ..." Daniel 7:26.

When it says, `and the judgment shall sit' ... is that a court scene? Yes, it is.

Which apartment does that take place in?

In the Most Holy.

Is that the same location as in Revelation 11:19, and `the temple was opened and there was seen the Ark of the Covenant' where the law is found?

Is that the same open door that is placed before the Church of Philadelphia to enter into toward the end of the period under the sixth church? Yes. Because the next church is called `Judging the People,' Laodicea.

Question: At what time in history then must the judgment begin? - It must begin after the 1260 years days came to their end in 1798, when the little, yet notable horn, that had uprooted three horns in its past, lost its power for a time, for one of the purposes of the judgment is to judge the little horn. However, God would not judge the little horn until after it did its work and received the deadly wound.

Another question we must answer is this, `Does the judgment begin before the Second Coming of Jesus?

Yes. And where does the judgment take place according to the Book of Daniel? - It takes place in heaven.

Let us review the connection beween Daniel 7 and Revelation. Hal Lindsay says that the 4th church (Thyatira) in Revelation represents papal Rome. He says that Sardis represents the Reformation period. Can we agree to that? That also must mean that Philadelphia comes after the Reformation and must be in place around 1798. But Philadelphia is not the end of the churches, Laodicea is the final historical church period. We found that Philadelphia sees the open door but does not actually go through it. The open door is placed before it, the door is open. But the church which actually goes through that open door is Laodicea because `Laodicea' means "judging the people" and this judging must take place before the Second Coming of Jesus

(1) because Laodicea is the final church and probation has not yet closed
(2) because the door is still open as Laodicea is being judged,
(3) because Jesus invites Laodicea to repent.

Conclusion: This judgment takes place after 1798 and before the close of probation, i.e. before the Second Coming of Jesus in might and power.

Let us read the rest in Daniel 7 for it means to say that Jesus went through that second open door to receive His kingdom,

"... and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end. And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him." Daniel 7:26,27.

Allow us to read a statement at this point since we have established the biblical foundation. It says.

"I saw a throne, and on it sat the Father and the Son. I gazed on Jesus' countenance and admired His lovely person. The Father's person I could not behold, for a cloud of glorious light covered Him. I asked Jesus if His Father had a form like Himself. He said He had, but I could not behold it, for said He, "If you should once behold the glory of His person, you would cease to exist." Before the throne I saw the Advent people--the church and the world."

Of course this is taking place in heaven and they are not actually there in person. The scene took place on earth during the 1844 experience and they are represented in heaven only by their records.

"I saw two companies, one bowed down before the throne, deeply interested, while the other stood uninterested and careless. Those who were bowed before the throne would offer up their prayers and look to Jesus; then He would look to His Father, and appear to be pleading with Him. A light would come from the Father to the Son and from the Son to the praying company. Then I saw an exceeding bright light come from the Father to the Son, and from the Son it waved over the people before the throne."

Is this description about the intercessory work of Christ in the heavenly sanctuary? Are this the prayers we read about in Revelation chapters 5 and 8? -- Yes, of course. It goes on,

"But few would receive this great light. Many came out from under it and immediately resisted it; others were careless and did not cherish the light, and it moved off from them. Some cherished it, and went and bowed down with the little praying company. This company all received the light and rejoiced in it, and their countenances shone with its glory." {EW 54.2; Ellen White saw this when she was very young, less than 20 years of age. She had no preconceived ideas, she just relates truthfully what she experienced.}

This is a word picture of the `interested' company with Jesus in the first apartment. They are presenting their prayers to Jesus; and Jesus is presenting their prayers to the Father; and the Father blesses the people with the assurance of forgiveness and with every spiritual blessing in high places. This is the work of the Holy Place.

It goes on,

"I saw the Father rise from the throne, and in a flaming chariot go into the holy of holies within the veil, and sit down."

Now, you can readily deduce from this, that when the Father got up from the throne and He went into the Holy of Holies and sat down, the throne He was sitting on before must have been in the Holy Place.

She continous saying, notice it carefully

"Then Jesus rose up from the throne, and the most of those who were bowed down arose with Him. I did not see one ray of light pass from Jesus to the careless multitude after He arose, and they were left in perfect darkness."

Only those who followed Jesus by faith into the Most Holy Place arose. Who were these that arose? They were members of the church of Philadelphia.

"Those who arose when Jesus did, kept their eyes fixed on Him as He left the throne and led them out a little way. Then He raised His right arm, and we heard His lovely voice saying, "Wait here; I am going to My Father to receive the kingdom; ..." [767]

But that moving to the second door is not in the Bible, is it? -- Is it in Daniel 7? Is it in Revelation 11? Is it in the message to the Church of Philadelphia, Revelation 3? -- Yes, it is the open door, the second open door in heaven.

She continues saying,

"... keep your garments spotless, and in a little while I will return from the wedding and receive you to Myself." [770] Then a 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."

What chapter in the Bible is she commenting on here? ... Daniel chapter 7:9-14.

"There I beheld Jesus, a great High Priest, standing before the Father. On the hem of His garment was a bell and a pomegranate, a bell and a pomegranate.[780] Those who rose up with Jesus would send up their faith to Him in the holiest, and pray, "My Father, give us Thy Spirit."[781] Then Jesus would breathe upon them the Holy Ghost. (Jh. 20:22) In that breath was light, power, and much love, joy, and peace." (Gal. 5:22)

Who were the only one's who would receive the breath of Jesus which is the Holy Ghost? -- Those who kept their eyes fixed on Jesus and when Jesus got up and moved into the Holy of Holies, they by faith moved into the Holy of Holies with Him.

Left Behind

But you ask, `What happened to all those people who were bowed before the throne that did not keep their eyes fixed on Jesus and stayed in the Holy Place?

That is explained in a chilling statement by Ellen White.[785]

"I turned to look at the company who were still bowed before the throne; ..."

Those brought into focus now who did not follow Jesus into the Most Holy, they did not align themselves with their fellows of the church of Philadelphia. They are shown being separated out. These must be the counterfeit Jews which are bowed before Satan. They rejected to go through that second open door into the Most Holy. They are also Babylon which rejects the first angel's message that `the hour of the judgment has come.' Rev. 14:7.

"... they did not know that Jesus had left it."

Why not? Because they did not follow when Jesus went into the Most Holy by means of studying the Bible after the 1844 disappointment or for that matter, also today they don't study and preach about these issues.

"... Satan appeared to be by the throne, trying to carry on the work of God. I saw them look up to the throne, ..."

Question: Did these claim to be Christians? Are they bowed before the throne? Do they claim to be Christians? -- But whose followers are they?

Wow. That is amazing. So whoever stays in the Holy Place and does not follow Jesus into the Holy of Holies, is in danger of worshipping who?[787]

Satan!

In other words, before the Church of Philadelphia is an open door, Jesus has the key to the door, He goes in and performs a work of judgment and takes over the kingdom ... In Philadelphia there are those who follow Jesus through the open door, but there is another group referred to as the `Synagogue of Satan,' - they say they are Jews but they are not. We come to that a little later again.

"... and (they) pray, "Father, give us Thy Spirit." (Rev. 3:9 implied) Satan would then breathe upon them an unholy influence; in it there was light and much power, ..."

Obviously Christ breathed the Holy Spirit on his disciples. But then this instance is also used on what is taking place in the Holy Place where those are who did not follow Christ into the Most Holy and the door was shut. They were left alone in the apartment where Jesus no longer was present and Satan is pictured as using that opportunity to pretend to breathe on them his spirit, his light, his interpretation. Light in the sense the devil would give light, not in the sense that God gives light.

There was much light "... but no sweet love, joy, and peace. Satan's object was to keep them deceived and to draw back and deceive God's children." {EW 56.1}

He kept whom deceived? Those who were bowed before his throne in the Holy.

But not only that, Satan was also trying to draw back and deceive God's children who had gone into the Most Holy by studying these scriptures ... cause them to become backsliders, - to forsake their faith that they once believed.

Connecting with the Most Holy

Let us pause here and ask this question:

When the Most Holy Place was opened in 1844, those who had their eyes fixed on Jesus went into the `Most Holy Place,' but those who did not, stayed where? -- They stayed in the `Holy Place.'

That means they continued looking upon the scenes at calvary, the crucifixion of Jesus, where He gave His blood for the sins of the world. While that is important and we must study and understand that, eventually God wants to draw people's spiritual eye to the fact that He will come again to make salvation a reality and take the redeemed of the ages into heaven. -- God wants to let all believers know, before He comes again, they must be spotless. They must be a pure and holy people, keep all His commandments and live all scripture admonitions in their daily life.

In the long run, however, only those who went into the Most Holy Place, when prophecy had pointed to it, were benefited by the intercession of Jesus, those who stayed in the Holy Place were now under the delusive power of Satan.[805]

When you go into the Most Holy Place of the sanctuary what do you see?

You see the `Ark of the Covenant.'

So we ask, `What is in the `Ark of the Covenant?'

The Law of God, the Ten Commandments.

When you look at the Ten Commandments what do they tell you, that you are a what?

You are a sinner, right?

You say, I am a sinner. I am undone!.

But then, `What does Jesus say?'

If we repent, and confess our sins, He will be faithful and just to forgive our sins.

And we repent and confess our sins, and send our sins to whom?

We send them to Jesus into the Most Holy Place. And what is Jesus doing? He puts them in His sanctuary covered by His blood![820]

And what is going to happen with all those sins that have been repented of and confessed on the Day of Atonement?

What is going to happen to those sins that have entered through the blood of Jesus?

They are going to be taken out and cleansed and not held against God's people.

That is the message of the Most Holy Place.

But there is also this.

There is a law. What is at the center of the law?

The Sabbath!.

Is the idea of healthful living part of it too?

The 1st angel's message says, `Fear God and give glory to Him.'

Doesn't the Apostle Paul say we are supposed to glorify God with our body and our spirit with our thoughts? (1.Cor. 6:20)

Yes! That is an aspect of glorifying God.

We ask, `When you go into the Holy Place, do you grasp and understand the idea of the judgment? That Jesus is now interceding and cleansing you when you go in there?

Yes! Absolutely!

And so you have a cluster of ideas. - You have a law, the Sabbath, healthful living, that we are now since 1844 in the period of the judgment and we are supposed to put our lives in harmony with the law of God, .. we even have the doctrine of the state of the dead involved in these considerations. Because, if Jesus began His work of judgment - separating the righteous from the unrighteous since 1844 - then they did not go to heaven or hell before they were judged by the perfect "law of liberty.", James 2:12. That means that they have been where all along? They have been in their grave. They did not go to heaven or hell, else they would have received their reward before they were judged.

And so the idea of the judgment also contains within it the idea that the dead know not anything.

Question: Are these the distinctive teachings of the Seventh day Adventist church?

Yes! They are.

What does much of the Christian world say?

They say, the law was nailed to the cross. They are concerned about legalism instead of their illegalism.[836]

We are not under the law! they say.

They say, We are under grace.

But why can they not see the importance of the law?

Because they are still in the Holy Place.

What day of the week do they keep?

They keep the first day of the week.

Why?

Because if they would have gone with Jesus in the Most Holy Place they would have seen that at the center of the 10 commandments it says to keep the seventh day Sabbath holy.

What do they say about healthful principles and taking care of our body temple?

They say, anything goes.

They say, it is not what you eat that defiles a man. -- God has made everything clean. -- Just pray, and to pray will cleanse the pork.

Is that in harmony with the message of the Most Holy Place?

No! Because we are to glorify God with our body and with our spirit.

Give glory to Him, the first angel's message says.

We ask, `What do the churches say about the idea that there is a judgment going on and the sins are in the sanctuary and only those sins which have entered by the blood of Jesus will be cleansed and placed upon the scape goat .... what do they say about that?

They say, that idea of the Adventists is totally wacky and of course, they cannot understand the importance of preparing our character for heaven because they do not realize that Jesus will cleanse only those sins from the sanctuary which we have placed in the sanctuary.

What do they teach about death?

They teach that the dead know everything - that they are in heaven and can watch their loved ones or think of them.

In other words, when a person dies they go to heaven if they were good, or they go to hell, if they were bad.

One church teaches that they go to purgatory if they were half good - or half bad.

But when you go to the Most Holy Place suddenly you grasp this cluster of truth that is sustained in the Bible and by the Adventist church. For those who did not follow Christ into the Most Holy the following truths lose their importance:

1. the law
   
2. the Sabbath
   
3. the state of the dead
   
4. the truth that we need to prepare our character because we are in the period of the investigative pre-advent judgment
   
5. healthful living

It is all in there - the distinctive teachings of the Adventist church - and the Christian world cannot see it because they are in the wrong apartment. Jesus has distinctive truths which relate to true worship to present to the world in these last days. God's redeemed people will represent God as a God of outflowing love; they learn to live as if they are already in heaven while still on earth just before He comes in glory. Any question?

Here we find the true picture of what is happening in the Christian world today.

By the way, did you know that the first angel's message has the same elements as the Most Holy Place?

The first angel's message says, `Fear God.'

Do you know that this expression `fear God' is in the Bible constantly (from Genesis to Revelation) linked to keeping God's commandments? [847]

For example, Ecclesiastes 12 says,

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

So when the first angel's message says, `Fear God,' it says, `keep His commandments.' It says `Give glory to Him.' - It is the same expression that Paul uses that we are supposed to glorify God with our body, and with our spirit. Our spirit means with our mind.

Does that mean we have to be careful to what we allow to come through our mind? - Through television and other means? - We are supposed to keep our body temple, mind, and our physical nature fit! That is the message from the Most Holy Place.

No wonder many Christians have no problem going to the movie theater - and seeing violence and illicit sex, because they don't understand the first angel's message that says, that Jesus is coming soon and we need to prepare our character fit for heaven.[850]

Our mind and our body needs to be sanctified and cleansed ... and prepared to living with Jesus!

"Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God." Mt. 5:8.

"Anyone who has this hope in him purifies himself even as He is pure." 1. John 3:3.

Jesus will come and He will receive a church without spot or wrinkle or any such thing. Eph. 5:27.

That is what the Bible teaches.

And that is what `going into the Most Holy Place' teaches.

Does the first angel's message also tell us that we are in the hour of the judgment?

"Fear God and give glory to Him for the hour of His judgment is come."

Does the first angel's message point out the Sabbath?

"Worship Him who made the heavens and the earth and the seas and the fountains of waters." Rev. 14:7; Ex. 20:8-11.

Do we have in the Most Holy the same elements as we have them in the first angel's message?

Yes! Absolutely!

And these are the distinctive teachings which the Christian world rejects.

The Church of Philadelphia

By the way, do you know why the Church of Philadelphia was placed at the door to the Most Holy Place? So that they could see how Jesus is going in for the judgment to receive the kingdom - which is composed of them, those who were faithful.

Did you notice that here in the Church of Philadelphia there is a group addressed as the `Synagogue of Satan?'

Question: `By what name are those called who reject the first angel's message?

The second angel's message says, `Babylon is fallen, is fallen.' That means they are called `Babylon.' [872]

Why did Babylon fall?

It is because Babylon has given all nations to drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.

What does the wine represent? False doctrines? Yes!

False doctrines in contrast to the true doctrines which are found in which message?

In the first angel's message in the Most Holy Place.

Ideas such as, the law was nailed to the cross, Christians cannot keep the law. Jesus had a different nature than we have. He had the nature of Adam before the fall, what hope is there for us to overcome. We cannot do it. Jesus knows that we continue sinning until he comes, but he will just cover it with His grace and love us anyway.

And what about the Sabbath?

Oh, no. You don't need to keep the Sabbath, today it is the resurrection day, the Lord's day - its Sunday.

Of course, they don't care that the same author who wrote Revelation 1 verse 10, also wrote the gospel of John where he says in chapter 20 verse 1, that it was the first day of the week when Jesus rose and therefore the `first day' is not the Lord's day; John should have known and would have called it Lord's day if that was God's intention.

They also do not care that Matthew says that Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath (Mt. 12:8) and therefore the Sabbath is the Lord's day.

And what do they say about the judgment? - No, the judgment takes place when you die, you go either to heaven or to hell, that's it.

In their view no judgment is taking place in heaven.

What do they say about the state of the dead? Well, the dead, when they die, go to heaven or to hell.

Does the Christian world reject the distinctive message of the SdA church? Yes!

And that is the reason why they became Babylon for they rejected the distinctive message to follow Jesus into the Most Holy Place of the heavenly sanctuary. Instead they gave their people then and now the wine of false doctrines.

That means Babylon is the same as the `Synagogue of Satan.'

The Synagogue of Satan

What about the `Synagogue of Satan?'

Babylon of the second angel's message is the same as the `Synagogue of Satan' in the message of the Church of Philadelphia, do you see that?[877]

We read,

"Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee." Rev. 3:9.

So there is a group of the `Synagogue of Satan' and they say they are Jews but they are not.[878]

Is this talking about literal Jews?

This is an example of a contradictory aspect of theologians like Hal Lindsay. He says, there is a church age and then there is the age for the Jews after the rapture. He says, the messages to the churches apply to the church before the rapture.

But everything else, starting with Revelation 4 till the end, they say, applies to the literal Jews after the rapture.

He also says that you are to take everything up to Revelation 4 literally, but then you are supposed to take everything what is in the churches symbolically ...

So, why do we then have in the third church a reference to Balaam? Is that literal Balaam or is that symbolic Balaam?

The 4th church has a reference to Jezebel, is that literal Jezebel or a symbol?

So what type of biblical gymnastics can we use to say that with the churches, Jewish terminology is to be understood symbolically, whereas in the later parts of Revelation it is to be understood literally?

But notice, What a Jew is according to scripture. Those who say they are Jews, but they are not. Here are the texts: Rom. 2:28,29; 9:6-8; Gal. 3:28,29.[880]

Therefore, according to the Apostle Paul, a Jew is one who has been converted and who has received the Holy Spirit - he now lives out present truth since he decided to become a follower of Jesus Christ.

So in the church of Philadelphia those who claim to be Jews but are not, what must they be? They must claim to be Christians but are not true Christians -- even though they claim to be Christians, as they are bowed before the throne, the throne, which we saw, was in the holy apartment which Jesus had left at the end of the Church of Philadelphia period in Church History. They unconsciously worship God within the confines of a stunted gospel which leaves out vital aspects of God's truths.

The First Angel's Message

When it says in Revelation 14:8, "... the hour of his judgment is come", is that the same judgment we read about in Daniel chapter 7?

Does Revelation 14:7 take place in heaven? Yes. Does it take place before the Second Coming? Yes. Is this the time after the little horn has done its work?

Well, we know the empires are enumerated in the chapter before, in Revelation 13. There we have a lion, a bear, a leopard and a dragon beast - the dragon beast has ten horns, and then the ten horned dragon beast gives his power to the beast which then rules for 1260 years also referred to as 42 months and then in Revelation 14 we have the judgment taking place. - So we see that the order of the beasts followed by the judgment is the same as we found them in Daniel.

Conclusion: The judgment of Daniel 7 is the same as the judgment in Revelation 14. From this we can say that Revelation 14 represents Jesus opening the door to the Most Holy apartment of the sanctuary where the `Ark of the Covenant' is located inside which are the tables of the Ten Commandments which we find referenced in Rev. 14:7 by the words, worship him that "made heaven and earth, and the sea ..." which is a quote right out of the fourth commandment.

The heavenly judgment then deals with these issues by separating those who honor the Creator God and the Ten Commandments, which are the foundation of His government, from those who disrespect God's law by trampling on His holy Sabbath. This is what the `Synagogue of Satan' does. The early Adventists had constantly to confront the idea that the law of God was nailed to the Cross. But their recognition of `seeing' the tables of the law of God inside the ark in the most holy, led them to realize that God's Ten Laws were still binding and not nailed to the Cross. - That is why shortly after 1844 they learned to keep the Sabbath day holy. That was not a coincident.

Here is one statement by Ellen White on what the `Synagogue of Satan' is.

"Satan has a large confederacy, his church. Christ calls them the synagogue of Satan because the members are the children of sin." [Ex. 34:7; Lev. 4:2ff]

Why are they the children of sin? Because, if you do not go into the Most Holy Place sin looses its importance because the law is disregarded by them. Also those teachings we enumerated are neglected, not taught, and not considered. So we endeavor to bring this message to make them aware and show the path to salvation. The Bible says that only looking upon Jesus dying for the sinner on the Cross will convict of sin and lead people to become changed, John 1:29.

"The members of Satan's church have been constantly working to cast off the divine law, and confuse the distinction between good and evil. Satan is working with great power in and through the children of disobedience to exalt treason and apostasy as truth and loyalty."

Did you catch that?

Satan is working to do what in the children of disobedience?

`... to exalt treason and apostasy as truth and loyalty.'

Is this claiming to be a Jew, but not being one?

Yes!

"And at this time the power of his satanic inspiration is moving the living agencies to carry out the great rebellion against God that commenced in heaven." {TM 16.1}

Now we can understand why the Christian world is in the condition it is in.

In Revelation 14:8 the equivalent of the `Synagogue of Satan' is spoken of as Babylon and Babylon is composed of three parts:

1. the dragon - which are the civil powers of the world
   
2. the beast - which is the RCC papacy, and
   
3. the image to the beast - which is apostate Protestantism

Those are the one's who stayed bowed before the throne in the first apartment.

And those are the one's some Adventists want to copy now in their message in some churches.

Do you think it is safe to adopt messages or methods from systems which are called Babylon or the synagogue of Satan?

May God have mercy on us.

We need to reevaluate what we are doing in our worship services.

Notice what it says,

"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." Rev. 14:8.

Instead of preaching the first angel's message which leads into the Most Holy Place, what does she give to the nations?

She gives to the nations her wine, which is false, counterfeit doctrines.

Those doctrines we already enumerated. You can click on it and then come back.

We also find that Revelation chapter 18 repeats this second angel's message and adds some details.

We read here a chilling and sobering message. It says,

"And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory." Rev. 18:1

By the way, this is the message which the final church, the faithful remnants, will give the world.

"And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen ... " Rev. 18:2.

What is Babylon? Revelation 16 says that Babylon is the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet, Rev. 16:13.

How can such a message creep into a church, our church?

It does it by trying to shut the door to the Most Holy Place and open the door to the Holy - by rejecting the distinctive message of the SdA church. (For a thorough review of that click here)

It goes on,

"... and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird." Rev. 18:1,2.

Does that sound like a system you would like to obtain your message, believes and worship styles from?

We don't think so. And yet, many (but not all) SdA churches are opening the doors to all of these ideas that are coming from Babylon and from the synagogue of Satan.

I go back to churches I used to know, and they have not grown in maturity of faith but have adopted these Babylonian practices and I get up and flee from it.

We find that Ellen White had other messages which address this situation.

"This door (to the Most Holy) was not opened until the mediation of Jesus was finished in the holy place of the sanctuary in 1844. Then Jesus rose up and shut the door of the holy place, and opened the door into the most holy ..."

Is that biblical? Yes. It is very, very biblical as we showed above and in the links like this one provided.

"... and passed within the second veil, where He now stands by the ark, and where the faith of Israel now reaches." {EW 42.1}

We find here how she defines true Israel.

True Israel are those who go into the Most Holy Place like they did on the day of atonement judgment day.

What is counterfeit Israel? Those who are left behind, they did not follow Jesus.

She goes on,

"I saw that Jesus had shut the door of the holy place, and no man can open it; and that He had opened the door into the most holy, and no man can shut it (Rev. 3:7,8); and that since Jesus has opened the door into the most holy place, which contains the ark, the commandments have been shining out to God's people, and they are being tested on the Sabbath question." {EW 42.2}

In the Bible, were God's people tested if they were faithful to God? The history of Israel is filled with such testing.

Do you think it is a coincident that our pioneers went into the Most Holy place shortly before 1844 and shortly after and discovered these truths which led them to conclude ...

... we better take care of our bodies as the temple of the Holy Spirit.

... the dead are really dead

... we are supposed to worship God on His Sabbath day and keep it

... the law of God is still binding

... the hour of God's judgment is taking place now in God's Most Holy Place

Yes, they certainly did because they had gone into the Most Holy and when you go in there you see all of these truths logically come together as a chain of truth from the `Ark of the Covenant.' Our pioneers studied the Most Holy and the `Ark of the Covenant,' they perceived these messages emanating from there and began practicing what God had revealed to them through the study of the Bible.

How can anyone think, that such testing is not taking place today?

Ellen White continued by saying,

"The enemies of the present truth have been trying to open the door of the holy place, that Jesus has shut, and to close the door of the most holy place, which He opened in 1844, where the ark is, containing the two tables of stone on which are written the ten commandments by the finger of Jehovah." {EW 43.1}

Sadly, today we can find numerous former members, who have done just that. Some have chosen to attack exactly those, our distinctive teachings. They must be drunk with the wine of Babylon for they try to shut the door to the Most Holy and bring people back into the Holy.

That is why our greatest enemies are not those who are on the outside, but they are those who have been on the inside and have left.

These individuals are living fulfillments as to what Ellen White wrote about by way of warning the church. - We knew it was coming.

Now notice what happens as a result of trying to open the Holy Place and shut the door to the Most Holy Place. Here is the result as she amplifies that statement that Satan was breathing his breath over those staying in the Holy apartment when Jesus entered the Most Holy.

She amplifies that little statement of breathing that unholy influence and discerning what was the power of God and what was the power of Satan ... notice what she says,

"Satan is now using every device in this sealing time to keep the minds of God's people from the present truth and to cause them to waver. I saw a covering that God was drawing over His people to protect them in the time of trouble; and every soul that was decided on the truth and was pure in heart was to be covered with the covering of the Almighty." {EW 43.2}

Satan knew this, she says, and he was at work in mighty power to keep the minds of as many people as he possibly could wavering and unsettled on the truth.

Notice, now she amplifies what it means the power of Satan being manifested among those who claim to be Christians. She says,

"Satan knew this, and he was at work in mighty power to keep the minds of as many people as he possibly could wavering and unsettled on the truth. I saw that the mysterious knocking in New York and other places was the power of Satan, and that such things would be more and more common, clothed in a religious garb so as to lull the deceived to greater security and to draw the minds of God's people, if possible, to those things and cause them to doubt the teachings and power of the Holy Ghost." {EW 43.3}

This tells us that God's commandment keeping people and those who believe the sanctuary message, we are the target of Satan. It tells us that Satan is trying to disguise something which is led by him in religious garb, to make it look good, when it is evil.

How does he do this?

"I saw that Satan was working through agents in a number of ways. He was at work through ministers who have rejected the truth and are given over to strong delusions to believe a lie that they might be damned. While they were preaching or praying, some would fall prostrate and helpless, not by the power of the Holy Ghost, but by the power of Satan breathed upon these agents, and through them to the people."

Remember that little paragraph? Is she commenting on it? She is here greatly amplifying what that means.

"While preaching, praying, or conversing, some professed Adventists who had rejected present truth used mesmerism to gain adherents..."

By the way, today it would be NLP, Neuro-Linguistic Programming (in the 90's) or even more sophisticated methods, perhaps renamed again. You can find it rampant in other denominations. It is characterized by leaving out much cross referencing of scripture - explain scripture with scripture - as we have shown it.

"... and the people would rejoice in this influence, for they thought it was the Holy Ghost. Some even that used it were so far in the darkness and deception of the devil that they thought it was the power of God, given them to exercise. They had made God altogether such a one as themselves and had valued His power as a thing of nought. ... I saw that the mysterious signs and wonders and false reformations would increase and spread. The reformations that were shown me were not reformations from error to truth."

Here she tells us that true reformation will bring people from error to truth. What truth is she talking about? She is talking about present truth. And where is present truth found? In the Most Holy Place.

"My accompanying angel bade me look for the travail of soul for sinners as used to be. I looked, but could not see it; for the time for their salvation is past." {EW 43.4}

If you want to know what present truth is, its very simple - find out where Jesus is today.

If you are in the court and you ignore the truth of the Most Holy Place, you can be listening or preaching truth, but you are not preaching present truth -- because Jesus is no longer in the court of the sanctuary complex.

You may preach that Jesus is our intercessor, which is true, but it is not present truth. In order to preach present truth, you must preach the truth where Jesus is, and if Jesus is in the Most Holy Place that message is present truth.

The Millerite church before 1844 was such a church. They represented the Church of Philadelphia. God placed before them the open door into the Most Holy Place, they anticipated the Second Coming of Christ by 1844; while Laodicea actually is the church of the judgment, the period in church history we still live in today. The name of the seventh church is the church which exists immediately before the heavenly judgment begins.

Notice what she says, for she began her calling while being part of the Church of Philadelphia, which means `brotherly love.' She then, with all others, entered by October 1844 the age of the Church of Laodicea which means `judging the people.'

"I saw that God has honest children among the nominal Adventists and the fallen churches .." {EW 261} And this is the good news. Are we saying that all these fallen churches are apostates and there is nothing good in them?

No! We are saying, `as denominations' they have fallen. The door has been shut for the papacy and Protestantism. It has been shut for the organization, not for individuals within its sphere of influence. In fact, most of God's people, we are told, are still inside these organizations and when they come, when they are confronted with the message of the Most Holy Place, - what are they going to say?

They say,

Wow, the law of God is still binding; the Sabbath is the day we are supposed to keep; that the dead know nothing; that we are supposed to care for our mind and body by living a healthy life; now is the time, the hour of the judgment; I must prepare a character through the power of the Holy Spirit that is fit for heaven - and people will love to embrace these truths when they go into the Most Holy Place.

Then they understand what present truth is all about.

Ellen White continued, saying,

"... and before the plagues shall be poured out, ministers and people will be called out from these churches and will gladly receive the truth. Satan knows this; and before the loud cry of the third angel is given (Rev. 18:2), he raises an excitement in these religious bodies, that those who have rejected the truth may think that God is with them."

Is she commenting on `they say they are Jews but they are not?'

Yes. That is exactly what she comments on here.

So what does the devil substitute in the place of present truth?

She calls it `excitement' in these religious bodies.

`... that those who have rejected the truth may think that God is with them. "He hopes to deceive the honest and lead them to think that God is still working for the churches. But the light will shine, and all who are honest will leave the fallen churches, and take their stand with the remnant." {EW 261.1}

All we can say at this point is `Praise the Lord.'

On reflection we say this. That little passage of two pages (EW 54-56) she amplifies in her book, the `Great Controversy', pages 409-562. These are the chapters titled (Newer editions may have different titles)

(a) `What is the sanctuary,' in which she talks about the OT sanctuary in order to show that there is an NT sanctuary of which that OT sanctuary was a shadow. Then the next chapter,
(b) `In the Holy of Holies.' Here she zeroes in on the message of the holy of holies. In her book `Early Writings' that occupies just one page.
(c) `God's Law Immutable.' Why would she have a chapter on that subject after she has one on the holy of holies? Because when you look into the heavenly holy of holies (Rev. 11:19) you see that God's law is still there and that it is still binding.
(d) `A Work of Reform.' This is a whole chapter on the importance of the Sabbath and how other churches keep Sunday - a tradition - and how God wants us to preach the Sabbath more fully so that the Christian world can understand the binding nature of the Sabbath. This topic is natural at this point because the Sabbath is part of the Law of God in the Most Holy and which is being disregarded today.
(e) `Modern Revival.' What is she commenting on in this chapter? She is commenting on the last little paragraph of EW, p. 56. Does the following passage illustrate what is happening today in the churches and in the SdA church?

"But many of the revivals of modern times have presented a marked contrast to those manifestations of divine grace which in earlier days followed the labors of God's servants. It is true that a widespread interest is kindled, many profess conversion, and there are large accessions to the churches; nevertheless the results are not such as to warrant the belief that there has been a corresponding increase of real spiritual life. The light which flames up for a time soon dies out, leaving the darkness more dense than before.
Popular revivals are too often carried by appeals to the imagination, by exciting the emotions, by gratifying the love for what is new and startling. Converts thus gained have little desire to listen to Bible truth ..."

They say, we want to get out of church at noon. We want a sermonette. We want to hear music and have entertainment.

Converts thus gained have little desire to listen to Bible truth ... "... little interest in the testimony of prophets and apostles. Unless a religious service has something of a sensational character, it has no attractions for them. A message which appeals to unimpassioned reason, awakens no response. The plain warnings of God's Word, relating directly to their eternal interests, are unheeded." {GC88 463.1}

That is why some members do not come to churches where ministers preach present truth. It is totally unattractive to them, because it is centered on what brings true revival and reformation. It is centered on the word of God, not emotions and appealing things.

She says,

"A message which appeals to unimpassioned reason, awakens no response. "

People say, `Turn me on.' `Make me cry.' `Excite me.'

Ellen White says,

`A message which appeals to unimpassioned reason, awakens no response.'

"The plain warnings of God's Word, relating directly to their eternal interests, are unheeded. With every truly converted soul the relation to God and to eternal things will be the great topic of life. But where, in the popular churches of today, is the spirit of consecration to God?"

She says, `where is the spirit of consecration to God?'

"The converts do not renounce their pride, and love of the world. They are no more willing to deny self, to take up the cross, and follow the meek and lowly Jesus, than before their conversion. Religion has become the sport of infidels and skeptics because so many who bear its name are ignorant of its principles. The power of godliness has well-nigh departed from many of the churches. Picnics, church theatricals, church fairs, fine houses, personal display, have banished thoughts of God. Lands and goods and worldly occupations engross the mind, and things of eternal interest receive hardly a passing notice. Notwithstanding the widespread declension of faith and piety, there are true followers of Christ in these churches."

This is the good news.

"Before the final visitation of God's judgments upon the earth, there will be, among the people of the Lord, such a revival of primitive godliness as has not been witnessed since apostolic times. The Spirit and power of God will be poured out upon his children. At that time many will separate themselves from those churches in which the love of this world has supplanted love for God and his Word. Many, both of ministers and people, will gladly accept those great truths which God has caused to be proclaimed at this time, to prepare a people for the Lord's second coming."

This is the great, final message that is coming.

"The enemy of souls desires to hinder this work; and before the time for such a movement shall come, he will endeavor to prevent it, by introducing a counterfeit."

We are now living in the time of the counterfeit. Just consider all these new television and radio ministries springing up. When you listen many things sound good.

That is the message she brings in short paragraphs in Early Writings.

"In those churches which he can bring under his deceptive power, he will make it appear that God's special blessing is poured out; there will be manifest what is thought to be great religious interest. Multitudes will exult that God is working marvelously for them, when the work is that of another spirit. Under a religious guise, Satan will seek to extend his influence over the Christian world." {GC88 464.1}

Which means that presenting God's final message of truth loudly is just around the corner. And we are reminded of these mega and giga churches and we read their mission statements and you say, `God help us.'

They love to teach about "peoples felt needs", which is really about "peoples felt wants", not their felt needs.

They say, `Receive Jesus just as you are.'

In their mission statement you find nothing about the law of God; the need for repentance; for having your life changed; what ever they say about the Ten Commandments is very general and nebulous.

And so we have this new order of books being marketed which seek to close the door to the Most Holy Place and open it to the Holy Place.

They fight our distinctive beliefs.

Flee from them.

God's holy place requires keeping God's law; the Sabbath because we love Jesus; sending our sins to Jesus with true repentance shown in a corresponding change in our life; sorrow for sin - know that only sins that entered through repentance will be brought out by Jesus.

Why would we seek to adopt the church growth message of these popular churches?

Why would we want to learn how to plant those kinds of churches which openly reject and disdain the present truth messages for these last days?

Why would we want to adopt their music?

Or their clapping and dancing and entertaining worship styles?

Why would we want to adopt their idea on cheap grace at the exclusion of God's holy law?

Don't people know that all nations have laws which shows that they are based on the expectation that people can keep laws?

So too it is with the law of God.

Why should we cater to those who are watering down our doctrines so we can reach the unchurched?

Why would we want to dress as they do and wear jewelry the world of fashion advertises?

And watch what they watch, and listen to what they listen too?

Obviously a great blindness has fallen upon God's people.

And the reason is, we have not entered the Most Holy Place with Jesus.

Delusions of Satan

So we must say, what we study here is a matter of eternal life or death. We know that only those who understand and obey the three angels messages will be kept from the many delusions of Satan in these last days.

What are these delusions? The idea that

These are the final delusions of Satan. If you do not go into the Most Holy Place in cooperative obedience to all these you will be deluded.

Let us remember, the three angels messages are an anchor to God's people. An anchor is something that cannot be separated from what it secures.

An anchor that cannot be moved if we go into the Most Holy and we understand the practice of these messages.

The following happened at a camp meeting in the year 1900. The issue is music.

You see, the people thought they could reach the unchurched a little better by playing the music that really entertained and turned people on.

Let us read what happened according to some pastor eyewitnesses at this camp meeting.

"The things you have described as taking place in Indiana, the Lord has shown me would take place just before the close of probation. Every uncouth thing will be demonstrated. There will be shouting, with drums, music, and dancing."

We are seeing that now, at many SdA churches and sadly also many SdA camp meetings.

"The senses of rational beings will become so confused that they cannot be trusted to make right decisions. And this is called the moving of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit never reveals itself in such methods, in such a bedlam of noise. This is an invention of Satan to cover up his ingenious methods for making of none effect the pure, sincere, elevating, ennobling, sanctifying truth for this time. Better never have the worship of God blended with music than to use musical instruments to do the work which last January was represented to me would be brought into our camp meetings. The truth for this time needs nothing of this kind in its work of converting souls. A bedlam of noise shocks the senses and perverts that which if conducted aright might be a blessing. The powers of satanic agencies blend with the din and noise, to have a carnival, and this is termed the Holy Spirit's working.
I will not go into all the painful history; it is too much. But last January the Lord showed me that erroneous theories and methods would be brought into our camp meetings, and that the history of the past would be repeated. I felt greatly distressed. I was instructed to say that at these demonstrations demons in the form of men are present, working with all the ingenuity that Satan can employ to make the truth disgusting to sensible people ..."

Then there are those who say, O, I don't come to your meetings because there is no fun, no excitement, you have no healings and tongues, people don't clap their hands and have a good time ... your churches are boring.

Have you heard that before? Yes, because they do not want to hear the truth which appeals to reason.

She continues,

"... that the enemy was trying to arrange matters so that the camp meetings, which have been the means of bringing the truth of the third angel's message before multitudes, should lose their force and influence."

What is the purpose of our camp meetings and convocations? To bring truth and in the former meetings, to bring the truth to the multitudes. It is not to entertain people, to give small, soft, smooth seminars to make people feel good. The purpose is to present the truth of the three angels messages undiluted.

She continues,

"The third angel's message is to be given in straight lines. It is to be kept free from every thread of the cheap, miserable inventions of men's theories, prepared by the father of lies, and disguised as was the brilliant serpent used by Satan as a medium of deceiving our first parents. Thus Satan tries to put his stamp upon the work God would have stand forth in purity."

That is again what we read in Early Writings, that Satan would carry on the work in the Holy Place which Christ had left.

"The Holy Spirit has nothing to do with such a confusion of noise and multitude of sounds as passed before me last January. Satan works amid the din and confusion of such music, which, properly conducted, would be a praise and glory to God. He makes its effect like the poison sting of the serpent.
Those things which have been in the past will be in the future. Satan will make music a snare by the way in which it is conducted. God calls upon His people, who have the light before them in the Word and in the Testimonies, to read and consider, and to take heed. Clear and definite instruction has been given in order that all may understand. But the itching desire to originate something new results in strange doctrines, and largely destroys the influence of those who would be a power for good if they held firm the beginning of their confidence in the truth the Lord had given them." {2SM 37-38}

Friends, it is time for a great revival among God's people. It is time to enter the Most Holy Place of the sanctuary and to discern present truth. If we do not, spiritualism will become the end result.

Just briefly let us finish the subtitles in GC.

(f) `Facing Life's Record.' pp. 479-491.
(g) `The Origin of Evil.' pp. 491-504.
(h) `Enmity between Man and Satan.' pp. 505-510.
(i) `The Agency of the Holy Spirit.' pp. 511-517.
(j) `The Snares of Satan.' pp. 518-530.
(k) `The First Great Deception.' pp. 531-550.
(l) `Can Our Dead Speak to Us?' pp. 551-562.

From this we see that she deals with all the doctrines of the SdA church when she talks about the ministry of Jesus in the sanctuary.

We hope that our people will see the importance of the message presented and accept present truth for it is a matter of life and death. Hopefully people will follow Jesus into the Most Holy of the sanctuary by faith so that they become anchored in these solid, present truths and be kept from being swept away by the many delusions of Satan.

Amen to this needed message!

[200] Hal Lindsay, `Vanished into Thin Air", p. 276.

[260] AA, 585.; The Church History Periods are as follows: 1. Ephesus, `don't leave your first love' (34-100); 2. Smyrna `be faithful unto death', (100-313); 3. Pergamun `do not follow the world', (313-538); 4. Thyatira `proof every spirit', (538-1517); 5. Sardis `escaping from darkness', (1517-1755); 6. Philadelphia `brotherly love', (1755-1844); 7. Laodicea `judging the people', (1844 to the end).

[310] Laodicea in Greek is made up of `lao' which means "people" and `dicea' comes from the Greek word `dike' (Strong's #1349) and/or `dikas' which means `judge, right, justice, a decision or execution, determine, judgment. While some may say that Laodicea means lukewarm that adjective describes more what its condition, its characteristic is according to Revelation 3:14-22. However, the Greek meaning of the word is `judging the people.' - In a spelling contest the young lady, Kavia S., who was able to spell `L-a-o-d-i-c-e-a-n', won the contest; albeit she was taught that `Laodicean' means lukewarm (Heard in the news May 29, 2009).

[317] What do Protestants say about this opening of the door in Rev. 3:8? They may say, `Christ opens the door for effective work, citing 1.Cor. 16:8,9. As we know, Paul's age was the period of the church age of Ephesus, whose report in Revelation 2:1-7 does not mention a door. Paul is not talking about a prophetic door but about opportunities and successes to preach the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ in all the world.

[318] Long ago a ca. 4th century AD, damaged stone lintel was found at Corinth which showed the remaining older style Greek letters reading, "gge Ebr" or shown this way, `Synagog(u)e (of the) (H)ebrews'. See BAR, Vol. XV, May 1988, p. 26.

[320] They must be Christians because the appellation "Christians" for followers of Jesus Christ did not come about until the gospel was preached in the city of Antioch in Asia Minor during the mission efforts of Barnabas and Paul, Acts 11:26. However, how widespread the use of that name was by the time when John wrote Revelation we don't know except to say that the gospel of Christ had spread like wild fire and in time covered the whole known world of that time. Jamieson, Faucet and Brown interprete, "None but God are absolutely holy, separate from evil and perfectly hating it. In contrast to `the synagogue of Satan'." Adam Clarke wrote, "I will make them, show them to be, of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews, pretending thereby to be of the synagogue of God, and consequently His true and peculiar children." - Seems like the last statement muddles what he said before - perhaps he may have hit on the idea that they must be Christians who pretend to be Christians?

[500] Exodus 29:38; 40:26.; DA 333-335.

[520] The period of the Church of Philadelphia was marked in a number of ways by a revival in powerful gospel preaching by men like George Whitefield (1714-1770) and William Miller (1782-1849) in America, John (1703-1791) and Charles (1707-1788) Wesley in England, and Graf von Zinzendorf (1700-1760) in Germany who was the organiser behind a new missionary movement in his days. Though it was a short lived church, its effects were heaven sent which made America a nation where the gospel of Jesus Christ formed the character of many to live the Christian life. Though not perfect, they did have brotherly love until the devil succeeded again to draw a shadow over its days of innocence and joy.

[600] In the Greek there are two words used for temple. One is the word `hiero', the whole building, the other is `naos', the inner shrine, often meaning the Most Holy place - the word we find in Rev. 11:19 (red underlined).[The cross references are: Rev. 15:5; 1Kings 8:1,6; 2.Maccabees 2:4-8; Rev. 7:15!; Rev. 4:5; Exodus 19:16; 9:24.] 2. Maccabees says: "The document also described how the prophet, warned by an oracle, gave orders for the tabernacle and the ark to go with him when he set out for the mountain which Moses had climbed to survey God's heritage. On his arrival Jeremiah found a cave dwelling, into which he brought the tabernacle, the ark and the altar of incense, afterward blocking up the entrance. Some of his companions came up to mark out the way, but were unable to find it. When Jeremiah learned this, he reproached them: `The place is to remain unknown,' he said, `until God gathers his people together again and shows them his mercy. Then the Lord will bring these things once more to light, and the glory of the Lord will be seen, and so will the cloud, as it was revealed in the time of Moses and when Solomon prayed that the Holy Place might be gloriously hallowed.'" 2. Maccabess 2:4-8. Comment: The apogryphical books are not part of the canon of holy scriptures and we must not use them to proof Bible doctrines. However, they were written long ago and may be of some historical value. -- We remember that the mountain on which Moses stood on when he died was called Mt. Nebo (Deut. 34:1) in the area of Pisgah from which he could see the land of Gilead unto Dan. (On the map that would be Mt. Nebo).
Another study on Rev. 11:19 may revolve around the terms, `there were lightenings, voices, thunder, a great earthquake and great hail.' - - Lightening usually means speed, velocity; perhaps meaning that the `voices', the preaching of the gospel is to be done with speed for the end is near with its judgments spoken of as thunderings, like wars, an earthquake like the one in 1755 at Lisbon, and great hail, which is part of the seven last plagues but may mean, together with thunderings and an earthquake, the sweeping away of lies and untruths about God and salvation. Well, perhaps the thunderings and the earthquake could also have the extended meaning of sort of shaking people up when they all of a sudden find out that they were not following God and that they must change to come in line with God's plan.

[610] The city of Philadelphia is located 28.3 miles (45.5 km) SE of Sardis, on a main geological fault line, and was subject to frequent earthquakes, so the city was destroyed and rebuilt on several occasions. While the Turks and Muslims flooded across Asia Minor, Philadelphia was the last Christian outpost in that part of Asia until it fell in 1390. The city still stands today as a modern Turkish town called Alashehir, meaning `City of God.'

[625] First an Explanation on some of the Terminology of the Israelite Sanctuary
There is some confusing, or shall we say for our day and age unusual terminology, even in the Bible, about the Sanctuary. A difference between the holy and most holy is addressed in Ex. 26:33,34. We find that the same word does not always mean the same thing. If you look back in the writings of Moses, then go forward in the Bible and study what it says about the Sanctuary, you will find something interesting. There are two different terminologies in the Old Testament for the two different apartments of the Sanctuary.
I) In one terminology the tent is called the Tabernacle of the Congregation. In the Bible, that is a name for the first, the Holy Place or apartment, Ex. 29:30.
II) When the first is called the Tabernacle of the Congregation, then the second apartment is called the Holy Place, Lev. 16:15-17, 20, 23, 33; 1.Chr. 23:32.
But there is also another terminology;
1) ... in which the first apartment is called the Holy Place and
2) ... the second apartment is called either the Holy of Holies or the Most Holy Place, Ex. 26:33,34.
So when you are reading in the Bible about the Sanctuary, you have to pay attention to which set of terms is being used:
a) the Tabernacle of the Congregation and the Holy Place or
b) the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place.

[660] The 10 horns were all established in the area of the Roman Empire by the year 476 A.D. They are the following nations:

1. the Ostrogoths under Alaric (396 AD)
   
2. the Vandals
   
3. the Heruli
   
4. the Anglo-Saxons (Britain)
   
5. the Alamani (Germany)
   
6. the Visigoths (Spain)
   
7. the Lombards (Austria)
   
8. the Suevi (Portugal)
   
9. the Franks (France)
   
10. the Burgundians (Switzerland).

[695] Such an attending angelic host is also described to have been present when God published His Ten Commandment Law on Mt. Sinai. Please read Deuteronomy 33:2; Hebrews 12:1,2,18-22.
Consider also this: God's Law was proclaimed from Mt. Sinai in the presence of His heavenly Host - ("m'rebabah kadesh", `from holy myriads', (where the Hebr. letter `M' serves as a multiplier of thousands, namely myriads), that is `Myriads of holy angels' or as we read (v.2), "ten thousands of saints"(KJV), "myriads of holy ones" (NEB). This seems to be a play on words with Dt. 32:51 where the Hebrew is slightly different, reading , `Meribah-Kadesh, a physical location name in the Sinai area. Therefore, let us not be mistaken about a place name and a reference to the angels of the Lord, for the glory of God is a consuming fire to anything of sin but a benevolent light to His saints. Note: The Septuagint verifies the word `myriad' in Dt. 33:2 by using, "myriasin kadesh".

[705] Some visitors see red when Adventists mention the law of God. Why? When these `red seers' read that, they think of the poison they hear preached in some churches that those are `legalists.' Let me just mention that you are safe around legalists, people who keep laws; it is illegalists you have to fear because they do not keep the law. Besides, we are long past the age of Pharisaism, the sticklers for endless numbers of man made additions to God's law, too many to enumerate. But we have the books (the Talmud for example) to show of what nature those many laws of the Pharisees and Jewish rabbis are. The Bible admonishes Christians over and over again to keep God's Ten laws, just those ten, not thousands of other laws. Hence, Adventists are far from being legalists in the sense of how a Jew would think of it. But we know that God's Ten Commandment law is still binding today. Those who try to weasel their way out to keep all ten are illegalists - and God calls them back to come into line with His government.

[715] At this point let us remember that the movements in the sanctuary are taking place in heaven. None of these have to do with coming down to earth. This is the innocent mistake of the Millerites who taught that Christ's Second Coming to the earth was spoken of even though it does not say that. They were not mistaken about the timing, but about the event that was to take place. Up to 1844 they did not realize, that, when Rev. 14:7 the hour of his judgment has come, that couldn't mean that Christ would come then, for the 2nd and 3rd angels messages must still be proclaimed. Instead we find that the `coming' takes place between the two apartments of the heavenly sanctuary. While the Millerites misunderstood this, so did the clergy of all other churches at the time from which all Millerites came. At that time there were no Seventh day Adventists anywhere.

[767] For the scriptures see here,
"Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more." John 16:10
"He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself (myself) a kingdom, and to return." Luke 19:12. -- The `nobleman' has always been interpreted to be Jesus himself.

[770] Acts 1:4; Rev. 12:10; 19:6; Matt. 22:1-14; Matt. 5:8; Eph. 5:26; Titus 2:14; 1.Joh. 1:9.

[780] Ex. 28:34,35; Hebr. 8:1ff.

[781] See John 6:65; 20:21,22; Acts 10:43,44.

[785] On the subject of Ellen White we have numerous articles. Please read here and here for example. As to her earliest book entitled `Early Writings,' she wrote that in 1846, two years after she was called as a prophet at age 17.

[787] The situation in the churches in those days anywhere between 1800 to 1850 is multifaceted but one aspect we cite where Charles Beecher, a Protestant himself, said, ". . . 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 Bible. . ." [C. Beecher in a sermon on `The Bible a Sufficient Creed,' Fort Wayne, Indiana, Febr. 22, 1846.] -- This sort of building of faith may be seen in contrast to the method used by William Miller who studied the prophecies in the Bible without overreaching to human opinions.

[805] The dilemma some of these churches find themselves in came across strongly today (8-25-09) in a well known area radio talk show. Even though I hesitate to bring this up, it may help someone to stop and think for themselves. But its not only these churches, Sabbath keepers can be also that way. It is scary at times to think about how far we have fallen. A caller from Oregon grew up in one of these churches in the southern central states. She said, `On Sundays they all go to church and are holy, during the week they sin like hell.' Obviously she had left church altogether. - Let us remember, it does not have to be this way. We try to present a way out of this situation, a way out of Babylon.

[820] See Ex. 29:16; Lev. 16:15; Col. 1:14. We do have to worry if they are not in there covered by His blood. That is why the Bible says, ".. he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for us." Hebr. 7:25.

[836] Is `illegal' a word? Yes, of course, just like legitimate is a well known word, so is also the word illegitimate.

[847] Here are the texts:
"And Joseph said unto them the third day, This do, and live; for I fear God." Genesis 42:18; Joseph is telling them that he lives according to the will of God.
"Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens." Exodus 18:21; Men who fear God hate covetousness forbidden by the 10th commandment.
" Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought?" Job 1:9; Even Satan knew Job kept all of God's requirements.
"Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul. . . . If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me." Psalm 66:16,18 (iniquity, is known sin);
"Though a sinner do evil an hundred times, and his days be prolonged, yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, which fear before him. . . . Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man." Eccl. 8:12; 12:13;
"But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation?" Luke 23:40; The thief on the cross knew what it means.
Here are some more texts: Acts 13:16,26,42,44 (keeping the Sabbath); 1Peter 2:17; Rev. 14:7.

[850] Dear reader, since I gave my heart to the purposes of God, I was still a tv watcher watching news and nature channel 6, only having a small set with an antenna. When the change over to digital tv was made I took that as my cue to set aside even the little tv I saw during news items - for even these are contaminated with blips of sin - to separate myself from all that idol I still had given some space. I would like to encourage you too, to remove all these besetting things if you believe Jesus comes soon. I find I can live better without the flickering screens.

[872] Other Bible verses containing such repeating phrases are 2.Samuel 19:4 where David laments the death of his son Absalom. The connection between this event and Babylon is
(a) David cried, "my son, my son", for Absalom tried to take the kingdom by force which is the intention of those in Babylon who will not come out.
(b) Another example of such a repetition factor is when Jesus looked upon Jerusalem and he saw the city and cried out, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem." Jesus longed for Jerusalem to hear his voice but they would not. So too with those in Babylon.
(c) The first city of Babylon which built that tower would not believe God that He would not send another flood. That is typical Babylon today too. They do not believe the plain words of God.

[877] Comparing these messages we observe the following: Like Babylon (the popular view), the `Synagogue of Satan' does not accept the profound message of Christ's Righteousness by Faith whereas the 1888 messengers began to preach it.

[878] Speaking of the synagogue of Satan, we find this phrase also in chapter 2 on the subject of the 2nd church of Smyrna where we read, "I know thy works and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan." Rev. 2:9. The Greek word for `blasphemy' is blasphemia, which can also be translated as `evil speaking' or `slander.' Here again it applies that the early church of which the Apostle John was a member, had not yet the name `Christians' attached to their faith and congregations. That term `Christian', as we recall, came first into use in Antioch (Acts 11:26). We find the word `Christian' also spoken by King Agrippa when he listened to Paul preaching, Acts 26:28. The other time we find the word is in 1.Peter 4:16. So we know the term came into use in the days of the Apostles, probably in the latter days of their ministry, after the hatred of man directed itself against the followers of Christ. Before they were called Christians, the were known as those who had been with Jesus Christ, Acts 4:13. Thus, many thought still of them as Jews. It was the Apostle Paul who tells us that converts, especially those of the Gentile nations, are to consider themselves to be spiritual Israel or Jews, Rom. 2:28,29; 9:6,7; Gal. 3:28,29; 1. Peter 2:9. - The Book of Acts shows that Jews made many of the slanderous accusations against the converts of the disciples, Acts 13:45; 14:2,19; 17:5,13; 18:5,6,12; 21:27. - Apparently this was true also in Smyrna. In the 2nd century Jews were said to have brought about the martyrdom of Polycarb, a bishop of Smyrna. During this time Tertullian speaks of the synagogues as "fountains of persecution". [Tertullian, Scorpiace 10; ANF, vol. 3, p. 643.] The phrase `synagogue of Satan' has also been compared to `generation (brood) of vipers' (Mat. 3:7). As a center of Jewish communal life revolving around the annual feast days the synagogue was doubtless the place where many evil plots were hatched against the followers of Jesus Christ. Thus the synagogues became "synagogues of the accuser", since Satan is the accuser, Zech. 3:1; Rev. 12:10. By the time of the 6th church of Philadelphia, some 1700 years later, the phrase assumes a different meaning. - Question: Does Rev. 2:9 want to say, calling yourself a Jew today is blasphemy? Answer: We must see this together with the scriptures given above where followers of Christ are spoken of as the spiritual Israel after literal Israel rejected Christ. Christians are not Jews by birth, but by accepting Christ as their Savior, the same Christ, the "Word", who made the world, led Israel out of Egypt, gave Israel the Tables of the Ten Commandments, told them to build a sanctuary and nurtured them for centuries through his faithful servants - because of all this history, having espoused Christ as our Savior and His entire message, Christians promulgate what before was to be preached by the Jews who failed to discern the meaning of their own religion. Thus, the answer to the question ought to be yes within the limits of what we explained.

[880] Rom. 2:28,29: "For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.";
Romans 9:6-8: "Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.";
Gal. 3:29: "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female; for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise."