20 . The Awakening
A great religious awakening under the proclamation of Christ ' s soon coming is foretold in the prophecy of the first angel ' s message of Revelation 14 . An angel is seen flying " in the midst of heaven , having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth , and to every nation , and kindred , and tongue , and people ." " With a loud voice " he proclaims the message : " Fear God , and give glory to Him ; for the hour of His judgment is come : and worship Him that made heaven , and earth , and the sea , and the fountains of waters ." Verses 6 , 7 .
The fact that an angel is said to be the herald of this warning is significant . By the purity , the glory , and the power of the heavenly messenger , divine wisdom has been pleased to represent the exalted character of the work to be accomplished by the message and the power and glory that were to attend it . And the angel ' s flight " in the midst of heaven ," the " loud voice " with which the warning is uttered , and its promulgation to all " that dwell on the earth ," --" to every nation , and kindred , and tongue , and people ," --give evidence of the rapidity and worldwide extent of the movement .
The message itself sheds light as to the time when this movement is to take place . It is declared to be a part of the " everlasting gospel ;" and it announces the opening of the judgment . The message of salvation has been preached in all ages ; but this message is a part of the gospel which could be proclaimed only in the last days , for only then would it be true that the hour of judgment had come . The prophecies present a succession of events leading down to the opening of the judgment . This is especially true of the book of Daniel . But that part of his prophecy which related to the last days , Daniel was bidden to close up and seal " to the time of the end ." Not till we reach this time could a message concerning the judgment be proclaimed , based on the fulfillment of these prophecies . But at the time of the end , says the prophet , " many shall run to and fro , and knowledge shall be increased ." Daniel 12:4 .
The apostle Paul warned the church not to look for the coming of Christ in his day . " That day shall not come ," he says , " except there come a falling away first , and that man of sin be revealed ." 2 Thessalonians 2:3 . Not till after the great apostasy , and the long period of the reign of the " man of sin ," can we look for the advent of our Lord . The " man of sin ," which is also styled " the mystery of iniquity ," " the son of perdition ," and " that wicked ," represents the papacy , which , as foretold in prophecy , was to maintain its supremacy for 1260 years . This period ended in 1798 . The coming of Christ could not take place before that time . Paul covers
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