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Category: The Sacrifice of Philadelphia
God Is Not Just Love!

 

Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts. I will speak of the glorious honour of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works. (Psalm 145:3-5)

At the end of the day, the wisdom of God always shines brighter. It is man who is limited in his understanding and perceives but little of the greatness of God, but if we wait patiently and consider what He is doing, our understanding grows, and we see the wisdom of His ways. It is necessary, therefore, to exercise patience and humility in our walk with the infinite God.

When we are learning about God, we will never come to a place where we stop learning. There is always more to learn—more wisdom; more depth of insight; more wonder. Before Him, we are like little children, and if one is not accustomed to this humble perspective, they will turn away from His light and love, feeling more comfortable in the darkness, where they can believe themselves to be great.

Good and upright is the LORD: therefore will he teach sinners in the way. The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way. All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies. (Psalms 25:8-10)

In this article series, we present some of the most astounding things we have learned about God and His leading. It is holy ground upon which we venture. Therefore, we approach these themes with great reverence and awe, and we ask that you, too, take the same respectful attitude. It is a high honor, for which I am grateful, but entirely unworthy, to be called to write on so magnificent a subject as is presented herein. I pray that the Holy Spirit may use my feeble words to bring you, dear reader, a taste of the sweetness of the fruit from the heavenly Canaan.

The Fingerprint of Divinity

The first seven years of this ministry have been packed full of guidance and revelation from God. Personally, I first became acquainted with it after it was published online about six months, when my brother Robert shared the website after having come across it “by accident.” I remember that night well, when at the end of a work day, I saw his email and first began to read through the Orion Presentation. I was immediately awe-struck, and recognized the impress of the Creator’s hand. While I didn’t intend to go through all 168 slides[1] in one sitting, I couldn’t stop short of the end!

One among thousands of protein machines

Having a background in Science, I’ve always been fascinated with Creation, and find cause for worship in its incredible complexity, yet delicate simplicity, apparent in every quarter—especially in living organisms. From the time I first began to learn about the minute components of living cells in grade school, I was hooked, and the more I learned, the more I saw a reflection of God’s omniscience in the multitude of labyrinthian biochemical pathways and processes neatly packaged in every microscopic cell of every living thing.

While many scientists vainly try to explain how all of the complexity and order in the universe, both animate and inanimate, developed from chaos and coincidence, the Christian finds reason to give praise and glory to God for the innumerable expressions of His greatness. From the order and arrangement of galaxies to the atomic precision of proteinaceous cellular machinery, the fingerprint of Omniscience may be seen.

So it is with genuine revelations from God—the depth of wisdom that may be gained from them, and the unanticipated perfection with which every piece fits together, reveal their supernatural Source. The Bible is not just a compilation of mere human thought, but of revelations from God, given through human agencies. In the most profound human productions, there is a shallow limit of derived knowledge that can be obtained before numerous fallacies and discrepancies appear, but the depth of the study of God’s revelation, whether natural or written, knows no limit.

When respected friends told me that the revelation from Orion was the product of a man’s own mind, unguided by the Holy Spirit, and as trials and difficulties surrounded me on every side on account of my belief in it, I questioned whether they might be right. Was I misguided and deceived with my belief in this message? The loss of friends and the coldness I felt from them was certainly not pleasant or easy, and giving up my belief would have quickly reversed that condition. Nevertheless, I could not deny that in this message was the fingerprint of the Creator. The arguments I heard against it were not weighty, and did not address how something so profoundly meaningful and pregnant with wisdom and information could have come from a mere human source. I could sooner believe in evolution!

A Revelation of the Father

As God has worked in the earth throughout history, His primary modus operandi has been to commission willing people to carry out His purposes according to His instruction and with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Even the Ten Commandments, which God wrote with His own finger, were written in stone that Moses had hewn from the mountain.[2] The work of God is accomplished as the Holy Spirit moves upon people to write, speak, or do according to His will. In this way, the willing human instrument works in partnership with the divine, and being governed by the Holy Spirit, His divine harmony and wisdom is preserved, even though it comes through vastly inferior human minds and hands.

There is a reason why God chooses particular messengers, and John Scotram is no exception, and although the message is given through his study and effort, we recognize the impress of the Holy Spirit in it, and we understand that it comes from above. Even Brother John himself is taken aback in awe at times by the profound depth of the revelations that God has given this small group through him over the last seven years. There is no question in any of our minds where the light comes from. It is the divine light from heaven, and we praise God and give Him the glory for it, for He alone can author such perfect harmony with the Scriptures.

One of the most profound revelations is the subject and theme of this article. It is something very special, which we received at a special time. It was a time when the current theme of study was the seal of Philadelphia, and it explains an important part of the seal: “I will write upon him the name of my God.”[3] For this reason, we did not want to share it openly before the conclusion of the sealing time, but studied it privately with individuals as the Holy Spirit prepared their minds to receive it. Some came to the understanding with but little prompting, while others required more, and still others could not come to the understanding, giving little more than shots in the dark in response to all our efforts to redirect them. Of course, the knowledge itself is not what seals a person, but the Holy Spirit. Nevertheless, by studying privately, we were able to see more clearly whom the Spirit had prepared to be among the 144,000.

From the beginning with the discovery of the Clock of God in Orion, this ministry has been about time. In our articles, time was a consistently prominent theme. But it was not until Sabbath, January 12, 2013, during the Feast of Lights (Hanukkah)[4] that the revelation that is the theme of this article, was first given. It came one week after another special time-related discovery: “Miller’s mistake,” which refers to the one-year error that revealed that Jesus would not return on October 24, 2015, as we believed until then, but one year later.

The Gift of TimeWhy would God give all of this light regarding time? Time is a subject not often studied in Christian circles, despite the biblical warnings against being ignorant of the time of your visitation.[5] Perhaps because it is too sensational or risky, most people refuse to believe that the Father would ever reveal the secret of time, despite that He is known as the revealer of secrets,[6] and even said that He does nothing without first revealing the secret![7] The secret that God revealed, is that God is not just love, as is so well known and readily accepted, but He is also time! It is not just that He knows the time; He is the time, personified!

This should give cause for reflection, and you will see how the Bible bears this out! We will explore some of the implications of this astounding theme in the remainder of this article. It is sure to give you a new perspective on God’s interaction with man.

The Fountain of Living Waters

O LORD, the hope of Israel, all that forsake thee shall be ashamed, and they that depart from me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the LORD, the fountain of living waters. (Jeremiah 17:13)

The River of LifeWater is the most basic requirement for life. Every living thing depends on water, so it is fitting that our God would describe Himself as the Fountain of living waters. He is the Source and Sustainer of life, and that life is given freely to all of His creation. For the fallen race, who have been cut off from that Fountain through sin, Jesus Christ, having the same Fountain of life in Himself, gave Himself that the ever-flowing waters of life from the Father, could be imparted to us with redemption from sin.

But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:22-23)

All life comes from God. Even the wicked live from Him, though they have not accepted the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ. They will be raised from the dead by the power of God, just like the righteous, but they will not remain alive for long, because the connection to the tree of life, through which flows the fountain of living waters, is established only through Jesus Christ our Lord. No other being can give eternal life! Only He who is one with the Father may give the gift of eternal life.

The AtomWater is not the only basic requirement for life, however. In fact, it is symbolic of something even more fundamental to existence: time. The very atoms from which we are composed, are in continual motion that cannot be stopped. Every particle of matter in existence always retains a certain minimum energy of motion that it is not possible to remove.[8] Thus, existence itself implies motion, and motion is a change in position over time. Nothing can exist without motion, and motion cannot exist without time.

And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. (Revelation 22:1-2)

Like the water of the river of life, time flows in only one direction, and as the water originates with the throne of God, so does time. The tree of life is nourished by that river, as all of Creation is dependent on time, and all life is dependent on the Spirit of God. The Creation of God is not just beautiful, it is instructional. There is a purpose and meaning to everything God does. Why did God choose to use a tree of life? There is a deeper meaning, and we have already begun to come closer to understanding it! The tree of life, while it contains much symbolism as presented in the Revelation, was a real tree that was planted in the Garden of Eden, where God communed with Adam and Eve before their transgression. In The Mystery of Ezekiel, we presented the symbolism of the river that flowed from Eden and branched into four heads. There it is explained how they represent four periods of time during which the living waters from the Spirit of God were committed to four different groups of people whom God had chosen, to disseminate them through the whole earth.

With the understanding that God is the time, the way is opened to decipher the symbolism of the tree and river of life as it is presented in the Revelation. The scene opens with the beautiful river of life coming from the throne.

It brings to mind the river that the prophet Ezekiel saw flowing from the temple in his vision. In Ezekiel’s vision, more details are given that suggest something about this river. Let’s consider first his description of its effect:

And it shall come to pass, that every thing that liveth, which moveth, whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live: and there shall be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters shall come thither: for they shall be healed; and every thing shall live whither the river cometh. (Ezekiel 47:9)

To begin with, we see that the river is a river of life, for everything it touches is healed and lives, like the multitudes of people who have come to Jesus through the ages. Additionally, though, Ezekiel is shown another feature of this river of life. He is taken 1000 cubits out, then 2000, then 3000, and finally 4000 cubits out, and at each stop, the water of the river gets deeper. It rises from his ankles at 1000 cubits, up to his knees, then his waste, until at 4000 cubits, it is too high to cross on foot, but he would have to swim across.[9] The distance from the temple represents the elapsed time from the first sin until the healing river was at its fullest, when Jesus would dwell on earth and give His life for the healing of the world. We explained in In the Shadow of Time, how it was indeed, exactly 4000 years from the first sin until the Savior’s death. (Ezekiel lived and died in the fourth millennium after the Fall, which is why he could not cross at 4000 cubits, the beginning of the fifth millennium.)

Thus, we see that the river of life represents life through the blood of Jesus, which flowed from the first sacrifices that clothed Adam and Eve until the sacrificial service ended with the gift of His own literal blood. Yet in addition, it represents the flow of time, carrying His sacrifice to all generations and covering a multitude of sins!

The incarnation of Jesus as a man shows that He experiences time as we would. His knowledge of the future comes from His Father. It is only the Father, for whom Jesus is as a “lamb slain from the foundation of the world.”[10] We will discuss this aspect later, but we can see that the river of life represents the Father.

The Universe in a Nutshell

Coming back to the imagery of the tree of life, after the scene opens with the depiction of the Father in the river of life flowing from the throne, the tree itself comes to view:

In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. (Revelation 22:2)

With its roots in the river of Time, the two trunks grow upward. This represents a change, and calls to mind Jesus’ words to the proud Pharisees regarding His relationship with the Father:

Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me. (John 8:42)

The Greek word translated “proceeded forth” means “to issue” or to come out of. In the same sentence, Jesus also speaks of being sent to the world, but this is different than “issuing out of” God! He speaks of the time when His roots grew out of Time. We discuss this concept in more detail in Appendix C of Our High Calling.

In the depiction of the tree of life, as we lift our eyes from the flowing river, we see a description of the Godhead. The Father is the river of time and life, the water of which is taken up into the trunks of the tree, which in turn represent the Son and the Holy Spirit. The Fourth Angel’s Message is clear that there are three members of the Godhead, and not just two. There are three supporting components to the tree of life and there are three belt stars in Orion that represent the throne. God gives these symbols to instruct us regarding these matters, so it is unnecessary to enter into argument about it. The Creator has already spoken, and His answer is final.

As we continue to follow the tree upward, we see these three (the water and the two trunks that draw it upwards) seamlessly merge together into one, for it is one tree. This represents Their unity of purpose. There is something that they purposed together to do, and if we want to know what it is, we simply continue to follow the tree upward.

TreetopThe branches, leaves, and fruit of a tree are supported by its trunk. So also the Life-giver supports those who receive life from His hand. That includes the entire universe. A tree is a fitting representation of a dynamic and growing universe. Looking down at a tree, you see a round mass of leaves that expands outward as the tree grows, each leaf receiving of the water drawn up into it. Likewise, every part of the universe is dependent on the flow of time that connects it with the Creator. Together, the three members of the Godhead provide time, life, and sustenance to the universe.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. (John 1:1-4)

The tree of life is one tree, and the Father “created all things by Jesus Christ.”[11]

O LORD, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches. So is this great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts. ... Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth. (Psalms 104:24-25,30)

A GalaxyIt was recently discovered that the observable universe contains more than a trillion galaxies—ten-fold more than had been known before![12] These are the different “branches” of the universe, represented by the branches of the tree of life. On each branch of the tree are innumerable leaves—the part of the tree that by photosynthesis, transforms light into sugars, which ultimately provide energy for every cell of the tree, so that it can produce its flowers, fruit, and seeds. This is analogous to the stars, of which there are many billions within each galaxy. They produce energy in copious quantities to supply warmth and light for the needs of life on some inhabited planet within its reach.

The life on such planets is represented by the fruit of the tree. The fruit is what gives sweetness and joy. It is the return on the investment of effort that the caretaker expends on a tree. God is the Caretaker of the universe, and the inhabitants are the sweet fruits on His tree.

The Numbers of God

And with this illustration, we understand why the number seven is used to represent completeness. There are seven essential parts to the complete tree of life and consequently, the universe. The three members of the Godhead are represented by the water (1) and the two trunks (2, 3), and Their counsel together to create the universe, by the joining of the trunks (4). Then the created universe itself—with its galaxies, individual star systems, and inhabited planets—is represented by the branches (5), leaves (6), and fruit (7).

It is interesting to note that the fourth component of the tree is the divine council, when the Godhead decided to create. It is the point where the Creator meets the created. If you speak about divinity separately from Creation, then there are three relevant components of the tree. Thus, God on His throne is represented by the number three.

Considering God’s relationship to His creation, we include the fourth component: Their counsel together. Their unity of purpose was not just to create, but with Time in the council, it encompassed all that would come to pass as a result. In that communion, God related the sacrifice that Creation would draw from Love. The purpose to create intelligent beings with free will, meant the acceptance of the consequences, when one chooses his own way. It was thus a purpose to build a temple, where the effects of sin could be handled. In that communion, represented by the combined trunks of the tree of life, the plan of salvation was laid out.

...Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD: Even he shall build the temple of the LORD; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both. (Zechariah 6:12-13)

Described in this passage is the result of the implementation of the counsel of peace, referring to Jesus (the Branch), who would build the temple of God. The plan had been laid before Creation, but until sin, there was no need for it.[13] And until the cross, it could not be fully understood by created beings. But for Time, all was comprehended in that counsel of peace.

This is what Creation encompassed from God’s perspective. Creation cannot exist without God, any more than branches, leaves, and fruit can exist without a trunk to supply them with life! But sin is self-destructive, so sin must be eliminated from the universe in order to prevent its self-destruction. The plan of salvation is the key, therefore, to the continued existence of the universe. Thus, if we refer to Creation, we must include not only the branches, leaves, and fruit, but also the counsel of peace that alone may sustain its existence. We find then that the number four represents Creation.

In this world, there is a barrier between us and God. The plan of salvation is the connecting link, and when the plan is fully executed, God and Creation will stand as one united whole. What number, then, would represent that union? It must be the number seven, because all seven parts must be included in the complete tree. Seven represents the complete universe; both God and Creation (3+4), but without sin.

Looking specifically at that central component: the unity of the Godhead in the counsel of peace, we see the cross of Christ. It is no surprise that we should find the cross once again at the center. Indeed, as is represented here, the cross stands at the center of the universe. It is the action of God in the restoration of man from sin. That action of divinity is distributed over all Creation. It stands to reason, therefore, that the action itself is represented by multiplication, just as we saw that union is represented by addition. Thus, the multiplication of divinity (3) over Creation (4) represents the covenant of God with man to restore him from sin. The number twelve represents the covenant to restore the universe to a sinless state. This concept is also addressed in the Orion Presentation.[14]

The Seal of Brotherly Love

With the revelation that God is the time, we began to see various Bible passages in a whole new light. One in particular was the seal of Philadelphia. In Jesus’ letter to this church, He said,

Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name. (Revelation 3:12)

In this passage, three things are written on (the foreheads) of the overcoming Philadelphians, which constitute a seal. First, we understand that “name” refers to the character or nature of the named. So when it says “the name of my God,” it refers not simply to the tetragrammaton[15] or something similar, but to the nature or character of God. It is clear then, based on this revelation, that the name of God in the context of Orion is Time. We will see momentarily what this leads to, but first, let’s look at the other parts of the seal.

Brother John already addressed these at length in his last article, the Hour of Truth, where he described some features of the Holy City, highlighting its qualities as a mobile biosphere for transporting people from one planet to another. The new name of Jesus should be clear to anyone familiar with the basics of the Orion message! Alnitak is the star of Orion representing Jesus, and is therefore the name that describes His new role as the center of the Orion Clock.

The seal of Philadelphia (meaning “brotherly love”), is all about Time. It is about keeping the crown of time[16] by continuing to live victoriously until Jesus returns. That time, when the Father would descend with Alnitak and the Holy City, was specified by the Orion Clock. We understood the time, and even wrote the date on the foreheads of our Facebook profile pictures as a sign of our belief, understanding that the seal related to a specific time: the time of Jesus’ return.

Regardless of what the mockers say, it was indeed the time when He surely would have returned. The clocks were not in error. There is too much evidence in support of their accuracy. But one is not truly sealed by the Holy Spirit into the church of brotherly love unless they have been tested and it is shown that they do, in fact, exhibit sacrificial love for their brethren—and by “brethren,” I refer to all humanity, not just our friends and family! And true to the wisdom of God, He programmed the test into the seal itself, as you will see.

We knew the time and we were increasingly thrilled at the prospect of seeing the blessed hope, but there was a sadness that dampened our joy that Jesus was coming. There were so few who believed! Personally, when I would think about people who seemed like they had a sincere and humble heart, who were waiting expectantly for the rapture, I wondered why they should be disappointed, while I was accepted, for I was no better than them!

Nevertheless, I could not escape the evidence that this message was the lone voice of the pure gospel, and none could live until the end apart from it, for it alone contains the special knowledge necessary for the last generation to stand after Jesus ceases His intercession in order to come. We understood the sign that God had given us the everlasting covenant, as Brother John will explain in the next article of this series, and all had been fulfilled, albeit not in the way we had expected. While symbolic, however, the fulfillments were too clear to be mistaken.

The test came when we understood the applicability of the story of Jacob’s service to Laban for his two daughters, Leah and Rachel. Brother Robert will share more about the study in his article, but suffice it to say here that we realized that we would need to serve another “seven years” on earth, giving time for those whom we expected would come during the first seven years, but who never came! Would we be willing to do that at the height of our hope and expectation of Christ’s return, which was to be within a few days?

We were given a choice: Would we choose to satisfy our own strong desire to be done with our ailing bodies and this dark world now, leaving its inhabitants without hope for “seven years” of plagues and desperate conditions, being satisfied with the few who believed, with whom we had developed a bond of unity? Or would we crucify the greatest longing and hope of our flesh, and submit to seven long years, as we believed, of service more, knowing it would be a time of persecution and great tribulation? In this case, however, it would be during a time when the prophecies would actually fulfill in a readily visible and more literal fashion, such that many would recognize it and seek the truth.

The required choice was clear: it would not be right to choose according to our own selfish desires. So, disappointing as it was to our flesh, our hope was renewed that what was truly the greatest desire of our hearts could yet be fulfilled: that those who have not rejected the time, would recognize the beauty of our Lord in Orion, and join us in giving a sacrificial testimony of their love and commitment to Him.

The seal of Philadelphia is not just about the time of Jesus’ return, but it is about God, who is the Time! And if God is the Time, then He can do with time, what He wants! The Bible contains examples of God’s manipulation of the time, as you are probably aware. (The shortened day of Hezekiah[17] and the double day of Joshua[18] are two that come readily to mind.) With the seal of Time on your forehead, possibilities open, and when there is not enough time to accomplish the work, then we appeal to our God, who can supply our need. Brotherly love is about asking the Time for more time for those who need it, despite the sacrifice we must give in the process. This is the character of one who is sealed.

The clocks have reached their end, and we recognize that the 144,000 must implicitly discern God’s authority with respect to time! They will recognize the message of time as truth and exhibit the brotherly love that would freely sacrifice their own desires in order to ask for time for others, if it were needed. They lift their eyes and look beyond their little family circle, where the efforts of many who lack true brotherly love, are entirely and selfishly consumed—and often wasted—as though there were not another soul on the doomed planet to bring to the knowledge of the time.

Freely Receive, Willingly Give

This message was ever a message of sacrifice. The gospel of salvation is freely given, but how much do you value it? Will you “sell” all you have—even your closest relationships if it must be—in order to “purchase” the field where Jesus, the Pearl of great price, may be found?[19] Will you choose Jesus over your children, your spouse, or your greatest possessions and comfort? If He is not worth more than all of those things to us, then He has hard words that are applicable to us:

He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. (Matthew 10:37-38)

But rest assured, the Lord is well worth all that we can give of this world’s gifts:

And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life. (Matthew 19:29)

Jesus, our great Example, gave all—in both His physical and eternal life, forever remaining in human form.[20] We also have gone through the experience of giving all, pledging that if it were necessary to blot our names from the book of life, it was yet a small price to pay, that the pure gospel, which includes the time, could reach the world and many would have the opportunity to find eternal life in this dark and confusing hour. It is reward enough that you, dear reader, now have the opportunity to read and understand! You are the houses, families, and lands that we receive a hundredfold.

Will you, too, give your all for Jesus, taking up your cross and following Him to Calvary? Your eternal life will be assured, but it will require that your physical life be given.

For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. (Luke 9:24)

Remember that Jesus is our Example. He went before us, and He desires that we partake of His experience. You might think of it as an exercise in bonding. We naturally bond with those who have a similar experience to our own. Will we be close to Jesus, if the attitude of sacrifice that characterized His life is completely foreign to us? On the other hand, if we share His convictions; if we are persecuted like He was; if we give our lives like He did, then we can relate to Him better through our shared experience. We know Him, and He knows us. It is the avoidance of this experiential knowledge of the sufferings of Christ that leads to the deception of many Christians.

Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. (Matthew 7:22-23)

Those who fall in this unfortunate class have a false sense of comfort. They feel comfortable with “Christian” words and acts, but they are not comfortable with Christian character. It is a fundamental problem that has plagued God’s people from the beginning, and God has disciplined His people, and even cast them away as a result of persistent rebellion under the guise of a good name.

While some openly rebel and deny their affiliation with God and His ways, many continue to profess to be His children, when their lives are in total apostasy. By claiming His name and attending religious services or doing religious things, they feel that they are Christians, when in reality, their lives do not reflect the character of Christ, which is what makes a Christian a Christian.

The Character of Time

When we address the nature of God, it is important to remember that we as finite beings cannot hope to comprehend our infinite God. There is always the danger of presenting a narrow view of Him in our effort to explain or understand Him. For God, who is omnipresent, ever-existing, and knowing the end from the beginning, the distinction between cause and effect becomes blurred. Some believe that because God knows the choices we will make from the beginning, no one truly has free will, but that whatever God has in mind for us is what we are destined to do.

We cannot peer into the mind of God, where all time is accessible at once, however, so we are restricted to our own knowledge and perception. Therefore, while God may know how we will choose, we do not know, and God’s knowledge does not limit our freedom. On the contrary, it is God, who is “limited” by His infinite knowledge, for the concept of choice is meaningless if the knowledge of time is not restricted to before the choice is made! This is why God’s law is unchangeable. It is a description of His “choices,” or better stated, His character—the character of Time.

From our perspective, time flows like a river, and we see events happen in sequence, but from the perspective of God, who is the river as a whole, events do not “happen,” but are a state of being. The Bible expresses this with phrases like “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.”[21] From our perspective, Jesus was slain in AD 31, but from God’s perspective, He is simply slain. He is the ever-present I AM. The event of the crucifixion contributes to the state of being that defines who He is, and is highlighted as a fundamental attribute.

The combination of His unchanging law and His infinite love is seen at the cross of Calvary. In that defining time, the nature of God could more clearly be seen than at any other. And when we view our Lord from that perspective and we look into the heart of Time, we stand in silent awe. See Him weeping over His dying Son, yet going through with the unprecedented separation on account of His love for His enemies—all who have sinned—that they might be reconciled to Himself!

Why was such a drastic measure necessary? Did this solemn act change His law, or did it define it in terms of love and unchangeability in time? Clearly, Jesus died because of the broken law, because it could not be changed, for it is a reflection of God, who is the time and does not change. He did not die so that it could be made void, for this is impossible! Let us take care when we say the law was nailed to the cross! No, it was “the handwriting of ordinances that was against us”[22] that was nailed to the cross, not the Ten Commandments, which protect us! If we understood the sacredness of that law, we would be more in harmony with the sublime words of King David’s adoration in the longest chapter of the Bible, Psalm 119.

A Gift of Love

Teach me, O LORD, the way of thy statutes; and I shall keep it unto the end. Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart. Make me to go in the path of thy commandments; for therein do I delight. Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, and not to covetousness. (v.33-36)

I have inclined mine heart to perform thy statutes alway, even unto the end. (v.112)

And I will walk at liberty: for I seek thy precepts. I will speak of thy testimonies also before kings, and will not be ashamed. And I will delight myself in thy commandments, which I have loved. (v.45-47)

Many are my persecutors and mine enemies; yet do I not decline from thy testimonies. I beheld the transgressors, and was grieved; because they kept not thy word. Consider how I love thy precepts: quicken me, O LORD, according to thy lovingkindness. Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever. (v.157-160)

Rivers of waters run down mine eyes, because they keep not thy law. (v.136)

The proud have digged pits for me, which are not after thy law. All thy commandments are faithful: they persecute me wrongfully; help thou me. They had almost consumed me upon earth; but I forsook not thy precepts. (v.85-87)

It is time for thee, LORD, to work: for they have made void thy law. (v.126)

Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them. (v.165)

Do you love God’s law; His character? Do you believe it endures until the end, or do you join those who make it void? And which commandment is it that receives the attack? Is the law discarded because it says, “Thou shalt not commit adultery”? Or is it because of the one that relates to time? Do you see where the source of the attack against the Sabbath must originate? The enemy of Time is Satan, so it is natural that he attacks all things that come from Time. He went a step further and distorted the typical understanding of High Sabbaths[23] as well, which form an important part of the message, to increase people’s resistance to receiving this message.

And now do you see why time-setting has such a bad reputation? The devil has led innumerable people to set false dates without authority from Time, so that the truth would be brought into disrepute simply by association! And do you understand now, why the Advent movement began with a time message and is ending with a time message? God is revealing something about Himself, and the devil is active in trying to discredit it to prevent people from receiving that knowledge. He tempts you to reject the time message, because He knows it is the message of the Holy Spirit, and a rejection of this message is a rejection of the Holy Spirit, which constitutes the unpardonable sin.

And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come. (Matthew 12:32)

Satan has also attacked the law by leading people to believe that it cannot be kept, even with faith in Jesus. On the other hand, he inspires some to believe they can keep it if they just try hard enough—doing it in their own power. These become legalists and are generally unhappy, and turn many away from ever even desiring to keep the law. But few indeed are those who teach that one may have obedience by faith in Christ. Nevertheless, the Bible contains many such promises. One of my favorites is at the end of Jude:

Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen. (Jude 1:24-25)

If you believe this, you may experience it! Only receive it by faith, and do not try to keep yourself from falling, lest you become fanatical or legalistic! Trust that to Jesus and let Him live His life in you.

Repurposed Prophecies

Most Christians take the position that their choices do not make a difference, but that God’s prophecies and promises will be fulfilled just the same, regardless of how they choose. The truth is, however, that the Bible doesn’t bear that out! Indeed, it is not hard to find examples where God changed His plans (speaking from the human perspective, of course!). He expressed His will often to Israel, but they chose otherwise, so God permitted their poor choices, and responded accordingly differently than He would have, had they remained obedient.

Many prophecies were given to Israel that could not be fulfilled to them because of their unbelief and rebellion. Those prophecies then became symbolic of “spiritual Israel” and do not apply in every literal detail (most notably ancient place names), but spiritual discernment and inspiration are needed in order to recognize what parts may yet be fulfilled and in what manner. In the words of the Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary:

Prophecies respecting a future glory of Israel and Jerusalem were primarily conditional on obedience (see Jer. 18:7–10; PK 704). They would have met a literal fulfillment in the centuries following had Israel fully accepted God’s purposes concerning them. The failure of Israel made impossible the fulfillment of these prophecies in their original intent. However, this does not necessarily imply that these prophecies have no further significance. Paul supplies the answer in these words, “Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel” (Rom. 9:6). Hence, these promises have a degree of application to spiritual Israel. But to what extent? This must be left to inspiration to determine...[24]

When God gives a prophecy, it is often in the form of an if-then statement. However, God does not let His word return void,[25] even if the “if” conditions are not met. In such a case, the given prophecy is repurposed for another time when the conditions will be met, though it be in a symbolic form.

Thus, one must be careful in being too insistent that a given prophecy must be fulfilled in a literal form. Conditions of obedience or faithfulness are often implied, and if these are yet lacking in the people to whom the prophecy applies, then this fact may render the prophecy inapplicable to them. Not until the required conditions are met, either in the same people, or in a representative group, will the prophecy fulfill completely. Though we may recognize ourselves in prophecy, we should never feel proud of that, as though God is required to work with us. He will use humble instruments, and none are irreplaceable.

Take Israel as an example. At one point, they treated the Ark of the Covenant as though it were a magic wand that would win them the war when they took it into battle. But God allowed that it be captured by the enemies in a great defeat for Israel.[26] In Jeremiah’s day, the people accused him of speaking against Jerusalem,[27] as though God were locked into blessing it, despite their disobedience and rebellion!

The Growth of the Remnant

The same problem has persisted among each people whom God had chosen to be a repository for His truth. First, it was the Jews. Then, after their rejection of the Father’s gift of His Son, it was the Christians. Like the Jews, they started well, but soon compromise and tolerance of sin crept in as the people looked to the lavish blessings that God had bestowed on them (as He had done with the Jews), and they felt secure, taking that grace as evidence of their superior standing with God. They rejected the reforms that God sought to bring them, and but a very small remnant remained, who accepted the culmination of the Reformation,[28] the gift of the Sabbath, from Jesus.

But that small remnant also grew, and with growth came the decline that is common to every organization and body of people on earth. An increase in numbers necessarily means there is less oversight by those with whom the movement began, who are the most zealous, holding the needs of the group closest to heart. The lack of oversight leads to compromise and inevitable decay. Now, we see an unprecedented catastrophic failure of the Seventh-day Adventist Church,[29] which grew up from the small remnant who accepted the Sabbath. But even if the split in the church is healed, it will only solidify the internal compromise that has been accepted as normal. Then will God say,

They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace. (Jeremiah 6:14)[30]

In such circumstances, it will take great discernment to recognize the deception, for the healing of the church already happened as the faithful church (the people) left behind the apostasy of the church organization (which is not the church, biblically speaking)! The apostasy includes their adherence to unbiblical UN regulations because the organization has been implementing them in order to maintain its tax-exempt status (the threat of the crippling loss of tax exemption led them to submit to the regulations, which include the equal opportunity for women and LGBT people to hold all church offices, and thus, they put the law of man above those of God). The deception lies in whether you look at the healing of the organization, or the healing of the people from sin. God looks at the heart, and His people must also be more concerned with the condition of the heart than with organizational soundness.

But few among them heard and heeded the voice of God in the Orion message. There is no depiction of another movement in the Bible, however. This last remnant is the fourth symbol of the woman of Revelation 12—the stars of her crown. They are represented by the fourth river flowing out of Eden (the Euphrates). And four is the number of Creation, so it would be fitting that the fourth movement is the one that would reach the four “corners” of the earth with the Fourth Angel’s Message[31] during the time after the four angels release and let the four winds blow.[32]

We must ask now, how can we avoid the death phase that inevitably comes to every organization? Satan is the prince of death, and if his principles are followed, as they are with all organizations on the earth, then death is sure to follow. But God is the Prince of life, and only by His governance is it possible to have everlasting life, either individually or as a corporate body. It is ONLY the Holy Spirit who can supply our need. He is omnipresent, so He can be with every individual all at once, and He can inspire them with His own zeal, such that no individual is lacking in the Spirit of uncompromising sacrifice.

Thus, we see that prayer is our dependence going forward. It is time now for the Holy Spirit to work. He is the only One capable of ensuring success. Our role is to recognize the needs and pray accordingly and specifically. This applies to every believing member of the movement!

The church of Philadelphia is cautioned not to lose their crowns.[33] That means that they are already crowned in victory. Jesus was also crowned in victory at the unlikely time of His crucifixion, and as Jesus’ victory was not apparent until time was given to reveal its fruit, so also, time must be given in order for our victory to become apparent.

Our prayer for time has been answered, and we believe that they will be revealed, who are inclined to receive the Holy Spirit in this message, for they receive the knowledge of time gratefully, and do not commit the unpardonable sin against Him by rejecting His message. The majority, however, will meet their fate in the plagues.

It is the destiny of the victorious Church of Philadelphia—the remnant whom the Lord has called—to lead and comfort those who know the Lord, through the time of great tribulation until His enemies are utterly vanquished. The enemies know who they are. With the global climate treaty coming into force, UN secretary Ban Ki-moon affirmed their position, saying, “We remain in a race against time.[34] He also referred to the race against time when the agreement was first opened for signatures on April 22, 2016[35]—a date that was marked in advance on the plague clock of Orion,[36] because Time well knows who is against Him! The leading men of the world, who think they can rescue the planet through their own efforts, know that they have set themselves against Time.

The victory in that race has already been called by the One who knows the end from the beginning. Now that He has a small, but faithful army to work with, He will show what His Spirit is capable of doing against all odds. This movement of the Holy Spirit, which struggled to keep 24 members through the first seven years, will continue to work with Him and watch as He conquers the world in the second “seven years.”

The Lampstand

And the angel that talked with me came again, and waked me, as a man that is wakened out of his sleep, And said unto me, What seest thou? And I said, I have looked, and behold a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which are upon the top thereof: And two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl, and the other upon the left side thereof. So I answered and spake to the angel that talked with me, saying, What are these, my lord? Then the angel that talked with me answered and said unto me, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord. Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts. Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it. (Zechariah 4:1-7)

We are entering a difficult and trying time, but it is not all sorrows. The Lord is visiting us, and great and wonderful things will be happening. The Father has given Himself in the form of additional needed time. The Holy Spirit will give Himself to the people for conviction and zeal, and Jesus Alnitak our Lord has given Himself in Orion, speaking with us face to face, as it were. The 144,000 also give themselves as willing vessels to serve God as lieutenants in His army. They are His guardians of the truth for those who will receive it in the dying world, until His work is complete and the Kings of the East can come in bodily form.

God is love, and love must be shared in order to be complete. So it is with time. God is time, and time must be shared in order to be complete. Will Jesus say to you, “I never knew you,” because you would not allow Him to share Time with you? Or will you receive the gift of Time to partake of the experience of Jesus’s sacrificial life? As you decide, remember that there is an exceedingly glorious reward for your sacrifice. May the Holy Spirit be with you until the end.

Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. (Revelation 2:10)

Let Brother John’s account about The Day of the Witnesses bring near to your heart, the reality and meaning of our experience with Time.

1.
As it was in the version from that time. Additional slides have since been added. 
2.
There was also a set of stones that God hewed (See Exodus 32:16), but when Moses broke them, God commissioned him to hew the replacement: Exodus 34:1 – And the LORD said unto Moses, Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first: and I will write upon these tables the words that were in the first tables, which thou brakest. 
3.
Revelation 3:12 – Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name. 
4.
This was the second possibility, according to the principle of the barley search. 
5.
Ecclesiastes 9:12 – For man also knoweth not his time: as the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare; so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them. Luke 19:44 – And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation. 
6.
Daniel 2:28-29 – But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these; As for thee, O king, thy thoughts came into thy mind upon thy bed, what should come to pass hereafter: and he that revealeth secrets maketh known to thee what shall come to pass. 
7.
Amos 3:7 – Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets. 
8.
In technical terms, this is called the quantum mechanical zero-point energy. 
9.
See Ezekiel 47:1-5. 
10.
Revelation 13:8 – And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. 
11.
Ephesians 3:9 – And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: 
13.
For reference, see the opening paragraphs of the fourth chapter of Patriarchs and Prophets, by Ellen G. White, titled The Plan of Redemption
14.
See slides 65-74. 
15.
The four Hebrew consonants (YHWH) used to write God’s name, which is usually written in pronounceable form as “Yahweh” or “Jehovah.” 
16.
See the section titled, “The Crown of Time” in The Hour of Truth
17.
In the article, In the Shadow of Time, we wrote about the shortening of time in relation to Hezekiah’s experience. 
18.
Brother Robert will relate the significance of that special day in his forthcoming article in this series. 
19.
From Matthew 13:45-46 – Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it. 
20.
21.
Revelation 13:8 – And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. 
22.
Colossians 2:14 – Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; 
23.
A high Sabbath is a holy convocation feast day that also lands on a weekly Sabbath, but the typical understanding is that the high Sabbath is just a feast Sabbath, regardless of what day of the week it lands on. 
24.
From the Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary on Ezekiel 38. 
25.
Isaiah 55:11 – So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. 
26.
Find the story in 1 Samuel 4:3-11. 
27.
Jeremiah 26:11 – Then spake the priests and the prophets unto the princes and to all the people, saying, This man is worthy to die; for he hath prophesied against this city, as ye have heard with your ears. 
28.
This was discussed in our article, In the Shadow of Time
29.
Regarding the church split, where the North American Division is in the process of separating, there is apostasy on both sides of the divide, so it is a lose-lose situation. Additionally, leaders of an Adventist University in Argentina have been arrested on charges of tax-evasive smuggling. See this Spectrum Magazine article
30.
Jeremiah 8:11 repeats the same words, and both texts have relevant context. 
31.
Referring to the angel from heaven that lightens the earth with its glory, as described in Revelation 18, which in reality, is the Last Countdown Ministry. 
32.
Revelation 7:1 – And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. 
33.
Revelation 3:11 – Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. 
36.
This was discussed in the article, The Holy Grail