THE CLOSE OF
PROBATION
Lesson
21
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Review
A testing time is
coming upon the whole world.
Everyone will have his faith
thoroughly tested. Everyone
living on planet Earth will hear
that salvation comes by faith.
The test will center on
obedience. Those submitting to
the lamb-like beast will put
their faith in him and those
worshiping the Lamb of God will
put their faith in Him. The
point is clearly made in
Revelation that all
inhabitants of the earth
will worship one of the two
lambs.
The promise of
salvation
We have studied
the Two Witnesses of Revelation
11. They are identified as
the Bible and the Holy Spirit.
These two powers work together
for the salvation of man. The
Bible is the testimony of God.
The Holy Spirit is the power of
God. Together, they testify
of salvation and its
requirements. Everyone on
earth will hear their message
before the end comes. The
clarion message of salvation will
cause a great controversy upon
earth. The preaching of the
gospel truth will cause great
anger and resistance from those
who love evil, for those
who love evil hate the
light.
Every person on
earth will be reached during the
short time-period of the
trumpets. The powerful
struggle against the gospel will
only give the gospel greater
attention! Like a great
forest fire, the gospel will
first spread through populated
cities and then to distant places
of the world. Persecution
will force people to flee for
safety and as they flee, the
gospel will be carried with them.
This is how the gospel will go to
every nation, kindred, tongue and
people. The 144,000 expose
Babylons doctrine as lies
and in return, Babylon seeks to
destroy them as their followers.
There is a
historical parallel to the
scenario in the paragraph above.
After Jesus ascended to heaven,
the apostles preached the gospel
of Jesus and the promise of His
return with great power and 3,000
were baptized at Pentecost!
The religious leaders and civil
authorities could not tolerate
such interest in the truth.
So, the fires of persecution were
kindled and as the saints
scattered to the four corners of
the earth, they carried the
gospel with them!
Jesus warned his
disciples, There will be
great earthquakes, famines and
pestilences in various places,
and fearful events and great
signs from heaven. But
before all this, they will lay
hands on you and persecute you.
They will deliver you to
synagogues and prisons, and you
will be brought before kings and
governors, and all account of my
name. This will result in
your being witnesses to them.
But make up your mind not to
worry beforehand how you will
defend yourselves. For I
will give you words and wisdom
that none of your adversaries
will be able to resist or
contradict. Parents will
betray you; brothers, relatives
and friends, and they will put
some of you to death. All
men will hate you because of me.
But not a hair of your head will
perish. By standing firm
you will save yourselves.
Luke 21:11-19 Two points should
be emphasized from these verses:
- Jesus has
promised to give his
followers the words to
say when challenged for
their faith!
- Even
though the world will
hate you, Jesus says,
You will save
yourself by standing
firm.
It must be
emphasized that Jesus has
promised to be with each one of
his children during this time of
trial. He said, And
surely I will be with you always,
to the very end of the age.
Matthew 28:20
The Spirit of
Prophecy
We have seen
earlier that the remnant is
identified as keeping the
commandments of God and holding
to the testimony of Jesus. Revelation
12:17, 14:12 We know what the
commandments are, but what is the
testimony of Jesus?
Toward the end of
Johns vision, he was so
grateful to the attending angel
that he bowed at his feet to
worship him. But the angel
said, Do not do it! I
am a fellow servant with you and
with your brothers who hold to
the testimony of Jesus. Worship
God! For the testimony of
Jesus is the spirit of
prophecy. Revelation
19:10
The angel said the
testimony of Jesus is the spirit
of prophecy. What does
this mean? It means that
the remnant have prophetic
understanding through the
ministry of the Holy Spirit.
In other words, they will
understand what God is going to
do and why? The remnant
will anticipate the fulfillment
of each event and be prepared for
it! Daniel was told,
Many (of the remnant) will
be purified, made spotless and
refined, but the wicked will
continue to be wicked. None
of the wicked will understand,
but those who are wise will
understand. Daniel
12:10
The remnant will
not be caught by surprise. They
will be prepared through careful
Bible study and prayer. Perhaps
one of the clearest evidences of
this point is found in Revelation
17:8 Notice, The beast,
which you saw, will come up out
of the Abyss and go to his
destruction. The
inhabitants of the earth whose
names have not been written in
the book of life from the
creation of the world will be
astonished when they see the
beast. In
other words, John says the world
will be astonished when Satan
appears, while studying the
prophecies will be prepared!
Three groups of
remnant people
The apostles were
a select group of men. They
were given a special opportunity
to learn about Jesus and the
kingdom of heaven that others did
not have. For three a half
years they walked with Jesus and
learned from Him. He was
preparing them for the great work
they must do after He returned to
the Father.
After the
ascension of Jesus, the apostles
received the power of the Holy
Spirit. It was quite an
experience. It happened at
the Feast of Pentecost, which is
50 days after the Passover.
Attendance at the feast was
required according to ceremonial
law, so Jews from all over Asia
were in Jerusalem at the time.
To expedite the gospel, the Holy
Spirit created a great noise
a sound like a violent
wind came from heaven and what
appeared to be tongues of flames
of fire appeared on the heads of
the apostles.
This interruption
of the Pentecost service gained
immediate attention, for those
with flames of fire upon them
began to speak in the native
languages of the Jews present.
The author of Acts says, Now
there were staying in Jerusalem
God fearing Jews from every
nation under heaven. When
they heard the sound, a crowd
came together in bewilderment,
because each heard them speaking
in his own language. Utterly
amazed, they asked; Are
not all these men who are
speaking Galileans? Then
how is it that each of us hears
them in his own native language?
Parathions, Medes and Elamites;
residents of Mesopotamia, Pontus
and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia,
Egypt and the parts of Libya near
Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both
Jews and converts to Judaism);
Cretans and Arabs we hear
them declaring the wonders of God
in our own tongue! Acts
2:5-11 This demonstration by the
Holy Spirit caused three things
to happen:
- The gospel
immediately transcended
the language barrier, for
everyone heard the gospel
in his own tongue.
- The number
of Jews receiving Jesus
Christ and His gospel
increased thirty-fold
that day.
- Those
accepting the gospel
carried their newfound
faith to distant lands
where the apostles would
never be able to go.
Notice the
process: Jesus started His
ministry with only 12 disciples.
When the Holy Spirit was given to
them at the Pentecost ceremony,
Jesus reached 3,000 more Jewish
people! These new converts
went home and told even more
Jewish people about Jesus.
About three and half years later,
Jesus sent the disciples to the
Gentiles to gather an even larger
harvest of believers! (Remember
34 A.D. the commission of
Peter and the conversion of
Saul?) This is how the
gospel went throughout the world
in ancient times and this is a
sample of how the gospel will go
throughout the world in our day.
In Revelation, we
have a process almost identical
to Pentecost. First, Jesus
selects and seals 144,000 people
as spark plugs.
These people know the testimony
of the Bible. They have
studied themselves full, thought
themselves straight and prayed
for power to give the message.
Jesus then grants the request of
these people for power by giving
them the power of the Holy
Spirits latter
rain.
Note: The
term latter rain refers to the
second or large rain that fell in
Palestine in the autumn of each
year just before harvest time.
The first (a small or early rain)
usually occurred in the spring of
the year and winter crops were
harvested and presented before
the Lord at the Feast of
Pentecost. The analogy is
that both rains brought the crops
to maturity. The larger and
most bountiful harvest occurred
at the Feast of Tabernacles in
the autumn because the
latter rain brought
the summer crops to maturity.
See Deuteronomy 11:14, Jeremiah
3:3, Joel 2:23 and Hosea 6:3
God is now
unfolding Revelations
mysterious story because the time
of fulfillment has come. Jesus
is now selecting and preparing
those who will constitute the
144,000 from among those who
understand Revelations
story. These in turn, will
explain to the world the actions
of Jesus when he opens the fourth
seal.
As people hear the
gospel message, many will see its
harmony and through faith, accept
its truthfulness. Some will
join the Revelation movement and
become part of the first remnant.
In effect, the first remnant is a
support group for the 144,000.
When the trumpets begin to sound,
the combined army of the 144,000
and the first remnant are
prepared for their work. They
fearlessly march into Babylon to
gather the rest of Gods
people who havent heard the
everlasting gospel! Jesus
calls to those in Babylon,
Come out of her, (Babylon)
my people, so that you will not
share in her sins, so that you
will not receive any of her
plagues; for her sins are piled
up to heaven, and God has
remembered her crimes.
Revelation 18:4,5 the gathering
of the final harvest consists of
three steps:
- The
selection and sealing of
the 144,000
- The
gathering of an early
remnant to support the
144,000
- The
gathering of the latter
remnant out of Babylon
The close of mercy
Jesus does not sneak upon people
and close the door of mercy
without warning. On the
other hand, the devil delights to
snuff out life and thus abruptly
end their opportunity to receive
salvation. The apostle Paul
understood this quite clearly.
He said, Today, if you hear
his voice, do not harden your
hearts! Hebrews 4:7
Jesus is tenderly calling. He
is about to conclude His work in
the heavenly sanctuary. Are you
ready to live by faith? Are
you obedient to His call? If
you are, you can be one of the
early remnants. This
opportunity comes as a result of
receiving the gospel!
The closing of
mercy during the time period of
the trumpets consists of four
steps. They are:
1.
Each person on earth must hear
the everlasting gospel
2.
Each person will be required to
make a decision about the gospel
3.
Each person is tested on the
decision
4.
Each person is sealed in his or
her decision
Mercy closes for
an individual as the four steps
occur. Since people in
different lands hear the warning
message of Revelation at
different times during the
trumpets, the sealing of some
occurs before others during the
judgment of the living. When
all have heard the final
invitation, made in their
decision and are sealed in their
decision, probation is ended.
The Ancient of Days then
dismisses the court.
The proclamation
From our study on
the trumpets, we learned that
corporate probation ends with the
throwing down of the censer.
The sins of the earth have
reached a point of no return.
The judgment review of the books
of heaven is completed at this
time and the judgment of the
living is necessary. This
means that each person will now
be judged. In other words,
the trumpet time period is the
hour of Gods
judgment. It is a
time of judgment for the living
and the 7th trumpet
marks the end of the judgment
process. Notice how John
describes the close of mercy in
Revelation 14:14-20: I
looked, and theyre before
Me was a white
cloud, and seated on the cloud
was one like a son of a
man with a crown of gold on
his head and a sharp sickle in
his hand. Then another angel came
out of the temple and called in a
loud voice to him who was sitting
on the cloud, Take your
sickle and reap, because the time
to reap has come, for the harvest
of the earth is ripe.
So he that was seated on the
cloud swung his sickle over the
earth, and the earth was
harvested.
Another angel came
out of the temple in heaven, and
he too had a sharp sickle. Still
another angel, who had charge of
the fire, came from the alter and
called in a loud voice to him who
had the sharp sickle, Take
your sharp sickle and gather the
clusters of grapes from the
earths vine, because its
grapes are ripe. The angel
swung his sickle on the earth,
gathered its grapes and threw
them into the great winepress of
Gods wrath. They were
trampled in the winepress outside
the city, and blood flowed as the
horses bridles for a
distance of 1,600 stadia (180
miles). Several
points need to be made from these
verses.
- There are
two gatherings
Jesus, the Son of
Man, is seated on the white cloud
and is told by the angel coming
from the temple that the time for
harvest has come. The
action of swinging the sickle
over the earth symbolizes the
gathering of Gods children
into safety. Everyone has
made his or her decision, so the
harvest is ripe, and mercy is
ended.
Later, another
angel comes from the temple with
a sharp sickle and is told to
gather the wicked and put them
into the winepress of Gods
wrath. This action
symbolizes the gathering or
bundling of the wicked to receive
the wrath of God the seven
last plagues
(Note: John
comments that the amount of
wicked people (grapes) thrown
into the winepress of Gods
wrath is incredible! Remember
the third angels message
mentions the winepress.)
Compare these
Revelation 14:14-20 with Matthew
13:24-43. In Matthew 13,
Jesus told a parable of a man who
sowed good seed in his field, but
the mans enemy sowed weeds
to ruin his crop. The
mans servants asked if they
should pull up the weeds, but the
owner said, No. Because
while you are pulling up the
weeds, you may root up the wheat
with them. Let them grow
together until the harvest.
At that time I will tell the
harvesters: First collect
the weeds and tie them in bundles
to be burned, then gather the
wheat and bring it into my
barn. Matthew
13:29,30
At first, the
parable in Matthew may appear
just the opposite of Johns
account from Revelation because
the wicked are first bundled
together and the wheat is
gathered in the barn. The
problem, though, is quite simple.
The good and the bad grow
together until the time of
the harvest. The wicked
will be gathered together or
bundled first. The
confederation of Babylon happens
first! The coalition or
global union of the world
literally happens before the
wheat is gathered into the
barn: at the close of probation.
The Father holds
the door of mercy open as long as
there is one person who has not
heard the invitation. Remember,
Jesus came to save to the utmost.
This is the mystery of God.
No one will perish without first
having an opportunity to be
saved. The gospel offers
salvation full and free to those
willing to live by faith! It
is because everyone has made his
or her decision that Jesus is
told to swing his sickle over the
earth. The harvest is ripe
and ready for the picking. The
wheat has been gathered in and
the door of mercy is closed.
Then an angel
gathers the wicked that have been
bundled together by receiving the
mark of the beast. These
have refused the gospel
invitation. Even worse,
these have allied themselves with
Satan to destroy Gods
people and this makes God angry.
Therefore, He visits them in
wrath without mercy to avenge the
cruel suffering inflicted upon
His innocent children.
- Jesus
doesnt know when
probation is to close
Jesus is told when
to close probation by the angel
coming from the heavenly temple.
The decision to close probation
is not made by Jesus. The
Father decides when enough is
enough! Notice what Jesus
said about this: No
one knows about that day or hour,
not even the angels in heaven,
nor the Son, but only the Father.
As it was in the days of Noah, so
it will be at the coming of the
Son of Man. For in the days
before the flood, people were
eating and drinking, marrying and
giving in marriage, up to the day
Noah entered the ark; and they
knew nothing about what would
happen until the flood came and
took them all away. That is
how it will be at the coming of
the Son of Man. Two men
will be in the field; one will be
taken and the other left. Two
women will be grinding with a
hand mill; one will be taken and
the other left. Matthew
24:36-41 These verses bring out
two points we must understand:
- Only the
Father knows when mercy
ends. Some believe
this applies to the
second coming, but a
close investigation shows
this is not possible.
The key to understanding
these verses is found in
a comparison with
Noahs experience.
Jesus said that in the
days before the flood,
people were eating and
drinking and marrying.
Nothing is inherently
wrong with any of these
things if we put God
first in our lives.
Noah preached of the
coming flood for 120
years and the people were
well aware of Noah and
his message. They
also saw the giant boat.
What they didnt
know about was the close
of mercy! The day
Noah entered the ark the
door was closed. The
closing of the arks
door sealed 8 people
inside and the world
outside. The closing of
the door of mercy in
heaven is the issue
this is the moment
in time that matters
most.
- Matthew
clearly points out that
men and women can work
side by side, yet when
the door of mercy closes
in heaven, one will be
found safe inside and the
other locked outside
forever. The most
serious moment in all of
Revelation is found in
Revelation 14: 14-16.
This, as far as salvation
is concerned, is the end.
When Jesus comes in the
clouds of glory, he
brings His reward with
him for the eternal
reward of each person has
already been decided!
See Revelation 22:12.
The seventh
trumpet reviewed
It might be
helpful to refresh our minds with
the contents of the 7th
trumpet to make sure all the
elements of the close of
probation come into focus. At
this point in time, Satan is at
maximum power. He appeared on
earth during the 5th
trumpet and deceived many, and
during the 6th
trumpet, he takes control of the
world through force. The
effectiveness of the Bible and
the Holy Spirit is either
destroyed by the dazzling
miracles of Satan or the threat
of death and everyone upon earth
has made their decision.
John writes, The seventh
angel sounded his trumpet, and
there were loud voices in heaven,
which said:
The kingdom
of the world has become the
kingdom of our Lord and of his
Christ, and he will reign for
ever and ever
And the
twenty-four elders, who were
seated on their thrones before
God, fell on their faces and
worshipped God: saying,
We give thanks to you, Lord
God Almighty, who is and who was,
because you have taken your great
power and have begun to reign.
The nations were angry; and your
wrath has come. The time
has come for judging the dead,
and for rewarding your servants
the prophets and your saints and
those who reverence your name,
both small and great and
for destroying those who destroy
the earth.
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