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2ND ANGEL’S MESSAGE

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In today’s devotional, the message of the 2nd angel of Revelation 14 will be our focus… ”And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.” Revelation 14:8

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Here is a message which, while written in veiled allegorical language, yet with a little study can readily be seen to be speaking of the apostate church-world.

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Yes, while the Old Testament reveals that Babylon is a spiritual picture of Old Testament Jerusalem, nevertheless, Galatians 4:25, 26 reveals Jerusalem in the following revelation by Paul… ”For this Agar (Sara’s handmaid) is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. But Jerusalem (represented by Sara) which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.”

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So, Paul here reveals that both Sara and her handmaid, Hagar, were given by God to be spiritual allegories representing both the Church-apostate as well as the Church-faithful. Yes, here we have the two divisions within the church-world: those in the Church who are unsaved, and still in bondage to their sins, and those who have truly become “Born Again” into the kingdom of Heaven, which is, “the Jerusalem above”. And Hagar represents false salvation by useless human works, while Sara represents true Salvation by the promise of God’s grace.

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And so, when the Bible speaks of spiritual Babylon, we need not look any further than the Jerusalem which is still in bondage to sin, i.e., the apostate portion of the Church.

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ABOVE PICTURE – The whore city, Babylon, the apostate church-world – Burgkmair – 1523 AD – Wikimedia – US Public Domain

Sarah & Hagar – Foster Bible Pictures – Wikipedia – US Public Domain

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HAROLD CAMPING

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Now there was one man who warned of these things to the world. His name was Harold Camping. And he faithfully preached that today’s church-world has become apostate, and as a result, has been vomited out of the mouth of Jesus, even as it is written…”So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of My mouth.” Revelation 3:16. Today’s Church, because of a lack of religious persecution, has gone headlong after the vain pleasures and ambitious pursuits of the world. 

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But for over 30 years, Harold Camping faithfully encouraged his radio audience to attend church each week, even though he realized how apostate they were becoming.

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“Do the best you can to find a church which is reasonably faithful to the Bible. Don’t set your expectations too high”, Camping could often be heard advising his nightly callers.

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Harold-Camping – former CEO of Family Radio

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“FOR THE TIME WILL COME WHEN THEY WILL NOT ENDURE SOUND DOCTRINE”

2nd Timothy 4:3

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However, in the last 20 years or so, of his 50-year ministry, Camping finally understood that it was his duty to give the 2nd angel’s message that the churches had surpassed the limits of God’s forbearance.

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And so, after much study and much prayer he eventually reversed his stance by finally giving the message… “And I heard another voice from Heaven, saying, Come out of her, My people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.” Revelation 18:4, 5.

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And being a master mathematician, Camping calculated many biblical time prophecies concerning the time of the end, when the Revelation 18 message was to be given to… ”Come out of her, My people.”

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And no, Harold Camping was not an actual angel, but was merely a fallible human giving a message symbolized by an angel flying in Heaven. 

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James Tissot – The Flight of the Prisoners – Wikipedia – US Public Domain

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ERRORS IN THE CHURCHES

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Even though the Three Angel’s messages was first preached via Ellen G. White, during the last half of the 1800’s, her message went mostly unheeded by the world, and even to a great extent by her own fellow church leaders in the Seventh Day Adventist denomination.

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But God raised up Camping to repeat these errors, plus additional errors which Mrs. White was not enlightened to present.

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Ellen G. White – Wikimedia – Public Domain

Harold-Camping – former CEO of Family Radio

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CAMPING CONSTANTLY UPLIFTED THE BIBLE

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One of Camping’s great teachings was on the infallibility of the Bible. As a matter of fact, Camping oft repeated a daily warning…”Don’t trust me! Study the Bible for your own selves! Check out what I teach against what the Bible says! I too have feet of clay, and am not to be trusted as the Bible is to be trusted. The Bible is the only infallible Word of God! Study, study, study!”

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On Camping’s daily 90-minute question/answer radio talk-show, he could be heard faithfully uttering this disclaimer perhaps a dozen times each night…“Don’t trust me! Trust only the Bible!” 

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Harold Camping – Wikipedia – copyrighted – not-for-free-use

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STUDIED 4 TO 6 HOURS DAILY

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Nevertheless, in spite of his several erroneous beliefs, Camping was a self-taught theologian of the first order!

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Aware of the many other gross errors being promulgated in the modern-day seminaries, Camping studied for his own self, for about an average of 4-6 hours daily. And his daily radio Bible studies thoroughly scoured the Bible, word-by-word, verse-by-verse, often taking several years of individual daily 25-minute audio Bible studies to complete even one particular book of the Bible. For instance, his study into Jeremiah contains well over 600 individual 25-minute audio studies!

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And in those daily studies he thoroughly dissected each verse, often referring to the Hebrew for word analysis, plus much cross-referencing of other related passages found elsewhere in the Bible.

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Prophet Jeremiah Dictates to Baruch – Wikiart.com – US Public Domain

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And so, to read part 26, click here 

October 18 (Noble Bereans, Part 26 – “The Message of the Third Angel of Revelation 14”)