The lampstand in the Lord’s sanctuary had seven lamps, and stood as a symbol for the church, in whom is the Holy Spirit. This seven-fold nature of the church is seen again in Jesus’ letters to the seven churches in Revelation, wherein He invites anyone with an ear, to hear what the Spirit is saying to them. This is an earnest call to God’s children to listen to what is going on among them and to take the appropriate actions. Do you hear His voice?

Jesus gave the apostle John a message for seven churches in his day that represented the character and condition of the entire body, not just in that time, but throughout the centuries since then, up to the last moments of history. To each church, Jesus gives counsel and frames it in the setting of the Christian’s hope: the return of their Lord. As we explore the letters of Jesus to the seven churches in the setting of the sign of the Son of man, an amazing and important revelation will be uncovered! He that hath an ear, let him hear what the heavens declare from the Spirit of God, that he may be gathered in the harvest for Christ.

Jesus followed a consistent pattern in those letters, beginning by introducing Himself in a unique way relevant to each church and reminding them that He knows their works. Whether we do well or ill, Jesus closely watches His people and is acquainted with all our acts. In the letters, He then gives approval and/or rebuke along with His good counsel, before concluding with a promise to those who overcome, and with the following uniform admonition:

He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. (Revelation 2:29)

Where should we go to understand what the Spirit says to the churches? The answer is written in the Bible, which we will see momentarily. But understand that Jesus generally expressed Himself as though they would see His return. He gave warnings to those who wouldn’t repent, saying, “I will come unto thee quickly,” or, “I will come on thee as a thief; and He gave encouragement to others, saying, “that which ye have already hold fast till I come,” for example.

Thus, being that the sign of the Son of man is the sign of His coming, we are living in that time He referred to, saying, “till I come.” Remember, prophecies are not fulfilled in a mere moment, but speak of processes that take a certain amount of time so that everyone has an opportunity to understand and get their lives in order. Use the times of more symbolic fulfillment to be prepared for the more visible and literal fulfillments when there will be no opportunity to rectify any wrongs. Even now, there is still a short time for some to hear what the Spirit is saying and make a final decision to come on board before the more literal fulfillments consume the earth with those who live on it.

The voice of God from heaven is announcing that the time of earth’s final harvest is here. Jesus declared the time of harvest to be the end of the world, and said His angels would be the harvesters. Through these are difficult times, be encouraged that the seed that Christ sowed is finally ready for the harvest!

He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; the field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. (Matthew 13:37-43)

Notice how Jesus said that He would remove the offensive things from His kingdom. That gives us a time marker, because it means that Jesus has already received the kingdom, and just needs to “clean house” and separate out those who don’t belong there. Thus, this refers to the time of the seventh trumpet, after Jesus receives the kingdoms of the earth.

And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. (Revelation 11:15)

Distributing Spiritual Oil

As we explained in Thy Kingdom Come, we believe that this has just begun to be fulfilled on May 27, 2023. This means that things will begin to change in the world as He exercises His authority, and it will not go well with the wicked. Psalm 97 sheds light on what it means when the Lord reigns:

A fire goeth before him, and burneth up his enemies round about. His lightnings enlightened the world: the earth saw, and trembled. The hills melted like wax at the presence of the Lord, at the presence ofthe Lord of the whole earth. The heavens declare his righteousness, and all the people see his glory. (Psalms 97:3-6)

This passage shows that connected with this time is the declaration of the heavens and the people seeing God’s glory. This is our expectation for the ensuing year as well, as the light of the angel of Revelation 18 is prophesied to lighten the whole earth. This is the time when the two witnesses—the olive trees of the Horologium and Orion clocks—are to give their light. They are described as standing before the God of the earth:

These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. (Revelation 11:4)

A prophecy of Zechariah ties it all together, showing in symbolism exactly what the two olive trees are in relation to the heavens at this time.

And [the angel] 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. … 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. (Zechariah 4:2-3,6)

In this vision, the prophet sees the two olive trees, which Revelation identifies with the two witnesses, and between them is a bowl with olive oil that is connected with the Spirit of God. Do you see this in the heavenly imagery of the sign of the Son of man?

Like Zechariah, however, many do not understand what they are looking at when they see this sign. The angel clarified it for Zechariah when he asked:

And I answered again, and said unto him, What be these two olive branches which through the two golden pipes empty the golden oil out of themselves? And he answered me and said, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord. Then said he, These are the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth. (Zechariah 4:12-14)

Isn’t God amazing in how He describes the sign so specifically!? But understand what this implies. Many look for two fire-breathing men to preach in the literal land of modern Israel, but the Bible shows us these men in the heavens. They are representations of Jesus, giving their spiritual oil for the true Israel of God’s church. The two anointed ones are the two witnesses of time: Orion and the Horologium, but how does the oil flow out of these trees? Do you see the two golden pipes? They are the two heavenly comets that form the sign and deliver the oil for the light from the two olive-tree witnesses.

A definite process is laid out. The two olive trees (witnesses of Time) give their oil (of the Spirit) through two pipes (comets) to the bowl (a holy vessel), which is then delivered to the seven lamps, which Jesus defined in Revelation to be the seven churches:

The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches. (Revelation 1:20)

The sign of the Son of man therefore contains the last urgent messages for the Lord’s servants, when 144,000 holy vessels fully reflecting His character reach many among the seven churches to bring them to repentance, thus turning them to righteousness^[1] and increasing God’s kingdom. As the imagery of Zechariah suggests, each of the seven churches of Revelation must also be portrayed in the sign and the divinely appointed cometary angels deliver an important message as the testimony of the Alpha and Omega that must be heeded in order to overcome.

Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea. (Revelation 1:11)

In a forthcoming article, you will understand what governs the arrangement of the churches as shown in the video, which is a theme worthy of contemplation.

Jesus, depicted in the sign of the Son of man, is sending messages of commendation and admonition, and is calling the churches to repentance through His cometary angels (K2 and E3), urging them to hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches, so that they may overcome and enter into the one sheepfold of safety that He has provided. For those two churches who stand among the others without rebuke, their victory is to overcome every challenge and temptation they face by remaining faithful until the end.

Only one church has nothing praiseworthy for the Lord to commend, yet, there is hope for the remnant from every church—for all who repent and believe the report from the Spirit that they hear in the sign of the Son of man. This is the call to come out of the error of the churches and into the unity of the end-time sheepfold of Jesus. The Lord returns for one church, not a body divided into seven parts! In this sign, we see how the Creator redraws the boundaries of His church body with the comets. As they pass each church constellation, it illustrates that He cuts off the unfaithful portion outside and includes the believing remnant from each church—those who fully commit to the Lord and come out of the falsehood prevailing in their current churches as exposed by the Spirit.

Yet while there is one body, not everyone has the same experience. Many believers will be laid to rest in the turmoil of the times, but others will be sealed with the fulness of Christ’s Spirit of sacrifice. Some will give their sacrifice like Philadelphia, laying their eternal lives on the altar, while others will fall prey to the beast system and give their sacrifice as martyrs like Smyrna.

The church ship is sinking with all its diversity of organized churches. Jump out of it and be swallowed by the great fish of Christ’s protection. Hear His voice and enter into His sheepfold through the door.^[2] Be harvested as good grain for the increase of God’s kingdom! Whichever analogy best applies, heed the admonition of Him who speaks from heaven.

See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven: (Hebrews 12:25)

The Delivery Route

When Jesus sought to reach a large group, He worked with organization. When He fed the multitudes, after blessing and breaking the bread, He first gave it to His disciples, who in turn distributed it to the people who had divided into groups sitting on the grass. Likewise, when Jesus spoke to John in vision and had him write His words for the churches, He did not just choose seven churches at random. John himself had founded six of them, and they were all positioned along a well-traveled circular postal route that messengers regularly utilized.

From the island of Patmos, where John was exiled at the time, a Christian messenger would have traveled to Ephesus by boat and then walked the road clockwise until reaching Laodicea, where he would return to Ephesus to report back. Three churches lay along the first leg going north, while four churches lay along the second leg going south-southeast.

John was given the revelation while he lived in that isolated island, where he could discern messages of instruction and wisdom from the heavenly canvas.

In his isolated home John was able to study more closely than ever before the manifestations of divine power as recorded in the book of nature and in the pages of inspiration. To him it was a delight to meditate on the work of creation and to adore the divine Architect. In former years his eyes had been greeted by the sight of forest-covered hills, green valleys, and fruitful plains; and in the beauties of nature it had ever been his delight to trace the wisdom and skill of the Creator. He was now surrounded by scenes that to many would appear gloomy and uninteresting; but to John it was otherwise. While his surroundings might be desolate and barren, the blue heavens that bent above him were as bright and beautiful as the skies above his loved Jerusalem. In the wild, rugged rocks, in the mysteries of the deep, in the glories of the firmament, he read important lessons. All bore the message of God’s power and glory.{AA 571.2}

How true that important lessons are to be learned from the glories of the heavenly firmament! Thus, Jesus counseled us to look up as the end of the world approaches. The Revelation of Jesus Christ and the fulfillment of the prophecies about His second coming are understood in the setting of the heavenly canvas, especially with respect to the mystery of time, which must be read from God’s heavenly clocks.

And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh. (Luke 21:27-28)

Interestingly, when we look up, we find that not only are the seven churches depicted, but the “circular” layout of the delivery route for those who first received the apocalyptic message of Revelation is neatly reflected in the heavens for this last generation to receive the fullness of the same message! The earthly journey took the messenger clockwise, passing three churches on the first leg before turning and passing through four churches on the return side, concluding with Laodicea. This is reflected in heaven by the counterclockwise journey that starts with comet K2 passing through the area of three churches beginning with Laodicea, before turning to go with comet E3 to pass through the four other churches.

Jesus is ever near His church. In Revelation, the seven personalized letters addressed the state of the church from the days of John until the end of the world. Could it be that this reversed course through the churches represents the return to apostolic simplicity and piety after the long years of degrading faithfulness and doctrinal purity that has led to the church’s present deplorable condition? When that restoration happens through repentance, there will be nothing remaining to prevent Jesus from returning to deliver His people at the end of the journey.

And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, all power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen. (Matthew 28:18-20)

Hear the Voice of the Spirit!

In the sign of the Son of man, the Holy Spirit is represented by Columba, the Dove constellation at the center. This constellation stands above the area where a man is shown in the river symbolizing Jesus’ baptism and the baptism of the believer in Christ. Upon baptism, each believer receives the gift of the Spirit to live a life freed from sin and to grow into the stature of Christ through the process of sanctification.

At the end of the messages for each of the churches, a repeated phrase is used in connection with overcoming:

He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

Note the use of the singular, even though ears come in pairs! Before you assume that this is just a meaningless aspect of a figure of speech, consider that God puts meaning and significance in everything He does, down to the fine details.

When we first recognized an ear in the sign, we thought it merely amusing until we began to see the biblical connections! Do you see how the Holy Spirit whispers in the ear of the churches? Do you hear “his voice as the sound of many waters”? (Revelation 1:15) One may even recognize the engraver’s chisel as the internal “hammer” of the eardrum that imprints, or seals, the message into the mind.

Do you have an ear? Do you have the heavenly ear that is the sign of the Son of man? If so, then…

He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. (Revelation 3:22)

In the context of the churches, Columba the dove represents a united church body that is filled by the Spirit of God and goes forth to proclaim the gospel of Christ, complete with its sacrificial character, into the ears of those who will hear. And what does He expound to them? Note carefully this old prophetic vision that shows the tender regard He has for His people, regardless of their condition:

I saw that God had children who do not see and keep the Sabbath. They have not rejected the light upon it. And at the commencement of the time of trouble, we were filled with the Holy Ghost as we went forth and proclaimed the Sabbath more fully [i.e. for its true significance, as documented in Christ in you, the Gene of Glory rather than as a legalistic requirement]. This enraged the churches and nominal Adventists, as they could not refute the Sabbath truth [the shadows of things to come]. And at this time God’s chosen all saw clearly that we had the truth, and they came out and endured the persecution with us. I saw the sword, famine, pestilence, and great confusion in the land. The wicked thought that we had brought the judgments upon them, and they rose up and took counsel to rid the earth of us, thinking that then the evil would be stayed. {CET 93.2}

God’s people are humble, yet bold and willing to serve Him wholeheartedly and unreservedly, surrendering their prejudices in the light of the truth. It is not now a prejudice against the Sabbath that is a concern, for the day on which one chooses to worship is not a point of test today. Rather, it is the deeply ingrained prejudice against the study of time, as though it were sinful, yet which yields vital instruction, especially in these last days for which it was designed. We have seen how the Lord is giving confirming messages about His truth to many YouTube prophets for when they repent of those prejudices.^[3] 

In revelation, a special group is described in connection with their number, who thus overcome and learn a new song, or experience:

And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads [being sealed in His name, which is included in the Alpha and Omega] . And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps: And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth. These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God. (Revelation 14:1-5)

Many prophets today (and even many ordinary people who have wisdom to anticipate the coming evil), declare that the United States is soon to be utterly destroyed. God’s people who thus prophesy, generally believe that they will be raptured beforehand, but could it be that they will not be thus spared, but rather redeemed (literally, “purchased”) from the fray for a different purpose? Twice they are said to be redeemed from the earth, as though hinting to the two crossing paths of the comets in the hare that mark the spot of destruction.

This group is to serve God during the time when the Holy Spirit has otherwise been withdrawn from the earth and His only influence is through His church who have been sealed with the Spirit. These, in turn, should now give the last call—no longer a warning, but a final, deciding question—and turn many to righteousness who hear what the Spirit says through these 144,000 to the churches.

Let us strive with all the power that God has given us to be among the hundred and forty-four thousand. And let us do all that we can to help others to gain heaven. We are to have an intense interest in Christ Jesus; for he is our Saviour. He came to this world to be tempted in all points as we are, to prove to the universe [through the 144,000] that in this world of sin human beings can live lives that God will approve. {RH March 9, 1905, par. 4}

During the day of the Lord, these 144,000 witnesses have an important role to vindicate the name of the Father written on their foreheads. All believers are encouraged to strive to be among them, to enter fully into the ark of truth, and having done so, to be baptized and sealed, and to stand firm whatever the cost. Some are sealed with the seal of life in Philadelphia, while others are sealed with the seal of martyrdom in Smyrna. These two churches are, amazingly, precisely positioned in the sign on either end of the engraver’s tool, which can be depicted pointing either toward the “forehead” of the golden dorado of Smyrna, or toward the one being baptized into Philadelphia.

To Philadelphia, Jesus said:

Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee [sealed] from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. (Revelation 3:10)

While to Smyrna, He said:

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 [sealed] unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. (Revelation 2:10)

In the coming articles, you will understand much more about the churches, why they are positioned as they are, and learn the end-time counsel God is giving for them. The sign of the Son of man encloses the sole valid baptism that remains in the earth, besides the baptism of blood that martyrs are called to submit to. Being baptized with the fullness of the Lord’s own sacrificial character, the 144,000 stand in the Father’s defense by giving the testimony of a godly life by their faith. Since the departure of the Holy Spirit, those who now seek baptism outside of the authority of one of the 144,000 who have their Father’s name written on their foreheads, cannot be within the ark of safety. But he who hears the testimony of the Spirit of God in His people may enter by belief to be baptized and receive the Holy Spirit in the baptistry of Philadelphia.

This is what the sign reveals, which is consistent with the description given in Revelation 7, when John hears the number of the 144,000 who are sealed, only to suddenly see a great multitude of redeemed:

After this [sealing] I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. (Revelation 7:9-10)

Salvation is ascribed to the Father and the Son, who are the two who are represented in the initials of the sign of the Son of man, the Alpha and the Omega, as described in Sealed in His Name. Thus, the saving power of the Holy Spirit is communicated from the two witnesses to the 144,000, and from them to the multitude among the seven churches. These then lighten the whole earth with the glory of God that shines in their faces, made radiant with the fire of the Spirit that burns in their hearts through their commitment to honor the Father.

And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. (Revelation 18:1-2)

And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people [and into the protection of the great fish], that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. (Revelation 18:4)

Do you desire the Lord to return in glory? Then enter Philadelphia’s open door and let your newfound light shine and lighten the world.

What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops. (Matthew 10:27)