New Moon Meeting: August 2005, 3:30 EST
The Seven Thunders

Zahakiel: Now... would someone like to open with a prayer?

Qinael: Okay, I will then...

Our Holy and loving Father, we thank you for all the blessings you have bestowed upon us... We thank you for the blessing of trials, that we may gain more patience, and at the end see that though we may not always see the light at the end, you do, and always guide us faithfully through to the good.

We thank you for this day of examination and growth, that we can come together in spirit to worship you and learn more of your truth as you reveal it to us.

In the name of Yahshua we pray, amen.

Barb: Amen.
Zahakiel: Amen.
Pastor “Chick”: Amen.
Rachel: Amen.
LeaKatheryn: Amen.
Crystle: Amen.

Zahakiel: Today, we are going to talk about the “Seven Thunders.” For those of you not familiar with this term, we can read about it here, and actually I am going to paste all of Revelation, Chapter 10. Let me know when you have read it all.

“And I saw another mighty angel come down from Heaven, clothed with a cloud; and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire. And he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth, and cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth; and when he had cried Seven Thunders uttered their voices.

“And when the Seven Thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write; and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, ‘Seal up those things which the Seven Thunders uttered, and write them not.’ And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven, and sware by Him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer.

“But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as He hath declared to His servants the prophets. And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again, and said, ‘Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth. And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, ‘Give me the little book.’ And he said unto me, ‘Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey.’

“And I took the little book out of the angel's hand, and ate it up, and it was in my mouth sweet as honey; and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter. And he said unto me, ‘Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.’” (Rev 10:1-11)

Crystle: Finished.
Qinael: Finished.
LeaKatheryn: :)
Pastor “Chick”: OK.
Barb: Done.
Rachel: Done.

Zahakiel: Now, let’s see if we can extract some information from this prophetic symbolism.

“And I saw another mighty angel come down from Heaven, clothed with a cloud; and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire.”

From this, we see that this is a divine being – but at the same time, it is coming with a message that is to be “hidden” for a time. You may remember from our previous studies that, in Scripture, a “cloud” is a concealing layer that prevents humans from beholding glory before they are prepared to experience its fullness. And we know there is a fullness to be experienced here, because “his face” which is not covered, is bright like the sun.

If you look in the Old Testament at the descriptions given of the highest angels, those nearest the Throne of Yahweh, you find this said, “In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also Adonai sitting upon a Throne, high and lifted up, and His train filled the Temple. Above it stood the Seraphim; each one had six wings: with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.” (Isaiah 6:1, 2)

Now, here in Revelation, we may finally see more fully why they kept their faces and feet covered; yes, they do so out of respect and adoration for the Most High, but when appearing in vision to human beings there is another reason as well. The Seraphim represent the bright glory of Yahweh, so much so that, should they appear before us without a veil of flesh, we would be consumed.

Now to John a more clear vision of the messenger was revealed, with the face and feet uncovered, and we see that they were shining brightly and had the appearance of fire. At the same time, there was not a full disclosure, because the body continued to be obscured by a cloud.

“And he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth, and cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth; and when he had cried, Seven Thunders uttered their voices.”

Now, this is where we come in. Adventists have long understood this issue of the “little book” to be an unsealing of the prophecies in the Book of Daniel. We read of this prediction, “And I heard, but I understood not. Then said I, ‘O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things?’ And he said, ‘Go thy way, Daniel; for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand.’” (Dan 12:8-10)

Zahakiel: Much of this had to do with the timed prophecies: the 2300 days, the 70 weeks, and all these things. But the full significance was not to be known until after the “lion roareth” and until the Seven Thunders had sounded. But what do these things mean?

From the mention of a roaring lion, I believe we can establish a timeframe for the sounding of the Thunders.

We can read of this, “The king's wrath is as the roaring of a lion; but his favour is as dew upon the grass.” (Pro 19:12)

“They shall walk after Yahweh: He shall roar like a lion; when He shall roar, then the children shall tremble from the west.” (Hos 11:10) This is an important one, and we’ll come back to it.

“Surely Adonai Yahweh will do nothing, but He revealeth His secret unto His servants the prophets. The lion hath roared, who will not fear? Adonai Yahweh hath spoken, who can but prophesy?” (Amos 3:7, 8) Here again, you recall that John was told he would “prophesy again” after hearing the Thunders, which took place after the voice like a lion’s roar.

We know that the Scriptures can speak of lions as evil men, or even as Satan himself, such as when Peter says the Adversary walks around as a "roaring lion," but there is a godly sense in which this symbol can be used. Anyone want to volunteer what that is?

Qinael: King, conquerer... Lion of the tribe of Judah.

Dumah: Lion of the tribe of Judah.

Zahakiel: Right :)

In fact, right in Revelation we see this...

“And one of the elders saith unto me, ‘Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.’” (Revelation 5:5)

It is Christ who will execute the “King’s wrath,” (2Th 1:8) and Christ to whom the “children… from the west” are gathered after His roar. Now, what is His "roaring?" The previous verses that establish how "roaring" is used, to give a hint, speak of the voice of Yahweh as judgment. So what would the roaring of this Lion be?

Gabriel: Rev 18.

Zahakiel: Not yet :) There is something before that. Specifically... what event brought judgment to the world?

Qinael: The crucifixion.

Zahakiel: Right. His Crucifixion. In fact, we are specifically told this. We know that on the cross He began to quote from Psalm 22: “Elohi, Elohi, why hast thou forsaken me?” That is the first part of verse 1. But the entire first verse reads, “Elohi, Elohi, why hast thou forsaken me? Why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?” That word, shagah is often used for the sound a lion makes. In this case, the sound of pain in death was a judgment on the world, for we – by our sins – had crucified the Son of the Almighty.

Now, if the Seven Thunders are heard after a sound like a Lion’s roaring, we have something of a timeframe. And notice: the angel himself is represented as making this sound, so the angel represents Christ in this parable, and for the purpose of helping us to nail down (now that the timing is right) what these Seven Thunders are. We see from this that they take place, in Spiritual history, after the crucifixion of the Messiah. This should be no surprise, really, since Revelation is specifically concerned with the events that take place during the time of the Ekklesia.

Okay, now the next obvious question: What IS a thunder? What does the Bible say about that?

To save a little time, I will only give one or two verses per characteristic, and then I will give you some references for further confirmation if you want to study it through fully on your own.

What does the Bible say about “thunder?” There are a number of things.

1) Thunder represents divine judgments.
We read in 1 Samuel 2:10, “The adversaries of Yahweh shall be broken to pieces; out of heaven shall He thunder upon them. Yahweh shall judge the ends of the earth; and He shall give strength unto His king, and exalt the horn of His Anointed.” For further witnesses, you may see Psalm 18:13, 14; 104:7; the verses in Exodus 9, and several verses in Revelation such as 4:5, 8:5, 16:18.

2) Thunder represents the voice of Yahweh.
“Yahweh thundered from heaven, and the most High uttered His voice.” (2Sam 22:14)

And sometimes that voice is not easy for mortal ears to understand: “Lo, these are parts of His ways; but how little a portion is heard of Him? But the thunder of His power who can understand?” (Job 26:14) And other verses pointing out that it is both the voice of Yah, and difficult for many to understand are these: Job 37:4, 5; 40:9; Psa 29:3, 77:18; Psa 81:7.

3) Thunder represents a message to be heard by the elect.
This is similar to the second characteristic, but we can get more specific about it with some help from the New Testament. Just after Yahshua raised Lazarus from the dead, we read of some people. These were Gentiles who were coming to see Him, to learn about Him having heard the report from many witnesses.

“And there were certain Greeks among them that came up to worship at the Feast; the same came therefore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, ‘Sir, we would see Yahshua.’ Philip cometh and telleth Andrew, and again Andrew and Philip tell Yahshua.

“And Yahshua answered them, saying, ‘The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be; if any man serve me, him will my Father honour. Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour? But for this cause came I unto this hour. Father, glorify thy name.’

“Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, ‘I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.’

“The people therefore, that stood by, and heard it, said that it thundered. Others said, ‘An angel spake to Him.’ Yahshua answered and said, ‘This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes. Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all unto me.’ This He said, signifying what death He should die.” (John 12:21-33)

Let me know when you're finished reading the above.

Qinael: Finished.
Barb: Finished.
Pastor “Chick”: OK.
LeaKatheryn: Done.
Crystle: Finished.

Zahakiel: Now, not everyone today understands what this passage is all about. The significant thing here is that the narrative is the result of some Greeks attempting to see Christ. Philip and Andrew, like the other disciples, did not yet understand the nature of Yahshua’s mission. It was to bring “judgment” to the world, as we have already seen, but also to die for all the world, and thus to bring even Gentiles into covenant relationship with the Almighty. And so, when the disciples came to Him saying, “Some Gentiles want to speak to you,” He in turn answered them, in the full hearing of everyone present, by speaking of His death.

The Father responded to His brief prayer, saying, “I have glorified my name,” meaning in the Son’s life, “and I will glorify it again,” meaning in His death and in the Kingdom of Righteousness to be thereby established. But, and here is where it is relevant to us, not everyone was prepared to hear even the partial information revealed by that encounter, and so they did not hear the words of the voice; to them it merely sounded like thunder. Often a message from Heaven sounds like “thunder” to those whose ears are not attuned to the leading of the Spirit on the matter being presented. Yet the message is given “for our sakes,” as were the Seven Thunders, and so we must learn what these things mean.

Another example is found in the conversion of Paul. We read of that incident: “As [Paul] journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven. And he fell to the earth and heard a voice saying unto him, ‘Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?’

“And he said, ‘Who art thou, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Yahshua whom thou persecutest; it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.’

“And he, trembling and astonished, said, ‘Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?’ And the Lord said unto him, ‘Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.’ And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man.” (Acts 9:3-7)

Okay, remember that… those standing around Paul heard “a voice” but didn’t see anyone speaking.

Now, here is the account in Paul’s own words, to clarify matters further: “And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, ‘Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?’ And I answered, ‘Who art thou, Lord?’ And He said unto me, ‘I am Yahshua of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest.’ And they that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid; but they heard not the voice of Him that spake to me.” (Acts 22:7-9)

Now, Paul is saying they “heard not the voice…” but before we read that they were “hearing a voice.” So which is it?

Well, of course this is not a contradiction. This is exactly the same type of thing that we see in Philippians, where Paul first says, “Not as though I were already perfect,” and a few verses later says, “Let us, therefore, as many as be perfect…”

As in that case, there are two different words used. In Acts 9, the word “voice” is phoneis, which means something like the “sound of speaking,” and can even be used for the noise of musical instruments; whereas in Acts 22 the (related) word is phonein, which means “the sound of speech” with the connotation of the actual words used. So then, in Acts 9, we are told that the men standing near Paul heard the sounds of speech, and in Acts 22, Paul is saying that the men did not hear the words that Christ was saying to Him. These two, of course, are in harmony. If you partially overhear a conversation, as was the case then, you can hear “the sound of speaking” and know that it’s a voice, but not hear what is really being said.

Does everyone see this?

Qinael: <nods.>
Barb: Yes.
LeaKatheryn: Yes.
Pastor “Chick”: :)
Crystle: Yes.

Zahakiel: So, this is the reason why the thunders are indeed “thunders.” They are loud enough to be heard by all, but the message that they impart can only be understood by the elect.

Now, reviewing what we have learned so far:
In the Bible, thunders represent the voice of Yahweh. They are the voice of judgment, and though they will be heard by many, they will only be understood by the elect. They were revealed to John, but he was told not to write them. Notice, John did not seem surprised by what the Thunders said; he went right on, about to record them… the only unusual thing was that he was told not to write them. Daniel saw visions he did not understand; but John heard things that he was told not to write. Indeed, when we look at what “thunders” are, and when we see specifically what these seven are, it will be quite clear why they were no news to John… he had been teaching what these thunders were saying for years.

So, if they were nothing new, why was John told not to write them? Some have assumed that there was some great secret contained in the voice of the thunders, so much so that many might be tempted to be disappointed in how simple the matter actually is. But Christ said, “in secret have I said nothing,” (John 18:20) and this quality did not change after His ascension to Heaven. There are no new commandments, no new doctrines, only a better and more clear understanding of the old. But sometimes people have not been ready for the clarifications, and so John was told, “Not yet.”

The Seven Thunders were (and are) seven judgments uttered on (and by!) the Church down through the ages after the Crucifixion that were heard by all, but understood only by few. So what are we talking about here? Here we go…

1) Here is the First Thunder, and in fact we have already read of it: when Christ spoke of His death in the presence of Greeks, signifying that they too were to be included in the New Covenant. There were many, however, who did not want to hear that! They said, “We are the people. We are the sons of Abraham!” But the message of the Savior was that, “there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free; but Christ is all, and in all.” (Col 3:11)

Zahakiel: The first Thunder was judgment on the fallen Jewish Nation. We read of it here, in Peter’s words: “‘Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that Yahweh hath made that same Yahshua, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.’ And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, ‘Save yourselves from this untoward generation.’” (Acts 2:36, 40)

As a result, “Yahweh added to the Church daily such as should be saved.” (verse 47) Only the elect heard the message and responded in faith. Now, we don’t really want to get into a predestination thing here; we would say that there is indeed an election of grace, (Romans 11:5) yet the elect are not chosen arbitrarily, but based upon who responds with faith to the grace that has been revealed to all men. (Titus 2:11) We are then given the advice, “give diligence to make your calling and election sure – for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall.” (2 Peter 1:10)

In any event, this was the First Thunder; it was the announcement of the fall of the Jewish Nation (not the Jewish individuals) when their leaders rejected the Messiah and joined themselves to the world. To most people, it was just a lot of noisy preaching, (Acts 2:13) to some it was an attack of Satan against the “chosen ones,” (Acts 6:9-13) but for those who had a heart for truth it was the voice of the Almighty, calling them to His Bride.

Now, the reason the voice of the Thunders was not to be written yet was because only the First Thunder had sounded at the time of the writing of Revelation. There would have been no benefit in explaining to John, “The movement you began will fall away entirely, and I will have to keep calling remnants out to finish the work.” Daniel would not have been equipped to handle it, and neither would John… but the actual message that causes the separation is the same in each case, and nothing novel. The second of these judgments took place well after the Bible was written, and after the movement that began with the Apostles went the way of the Jewish Nation, joining itself to Rome to seek protection from its enemies… thus rejecting Christ.

Zahakiel: 2) To hear the Second Thunder, we must go back and look at early Church history. I’m going to quote a few sentences from the historian D’aubigné, with whom those of us with a background in Adventism should be familiar, since Mrs. White makes use of this individual’s work as well. He describes a time here that he calls “the preparations for the great Reform which existed in theology and the Church.” [History of The Reformation, Vol. 1, Ch. 6, p. 28]

Now, I want you to notice something. Thunder may take two main forms. If the flash of light is close to you, it is heard as a loud crack. If it is more distant, you might hear it as a gentle roll that may, for a time, grow in intensity. I would submit to you that this is a perfect analogy. The Apostles, having worked with the Savior Himself during His earthly mission, gave a straight testimony that almost immediately “turned the world upside down.” (Acts 17:6) These of whom we will now speak gave a rolling, sustained witness against the corruption of Rome, to which the Apostolic movement fell, and prepared the way for the next flash of light.

I quote: “This confusion was immense, and the pretended unity was but one wide disorder. At Rome there were doctrines of the court and doctrines of the church […] The Church had fallen, because the great doctrine of justification by faith in the Savior had been taken away from her. It was necessary, therefore, before she could rise again, that this doctrine should be restored to her.” [ibid. pp. 28, 29]

Now, are there any who fail to see how this applies to our own day? I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself here, but that is the state of Christianity in this very age. There is a “pretended unity” within Christendom, which basically means some loose adherence to the “creeds” of the early Church, but it is really just wide disorder, as anyone can see looking out over the various denominations, sects, cults, movements etc. This is the “world” though it looks like the Church. Do you know that in Hebrew the words “world” and “confusion” have the same letters, the same spelling? It’s just a matter of pronunciation that differentiates them.

But again, note the two things that caused the apostolic movement to surrender to the influence of Rome – 1) A union with the state that gave rise to “doctrines of the court,” and 2) the removal of the principle of justification by faith. Now, what is the CSDA Church teaching? Primarily this: 1) the victory message, which is justification by faith restored, 2) that a church devoid of this message is confused and fallen, and (related) a need for the separation of Church and State – and 3) for those involved in such a union to separate from it entirely. What we have here is D’aubigné’s description, primitive as it is, of our own beloved Three Angels! Do not mistake it.

And who gave the witness? Who sounded the Thunder in this time we are observing? Let’s read on. “The Waldenses, far superior to the Mystics in purity of doctrine, compose a long line of witnesses to the truth. Men more unfettered than the rest of the Church seem from the most distant times to have inhabited the summits of the Piedmontese Alps; their number was augmented and their doctrines purified by the disciples of Valdo. […] Pierre Vaud or Valdo, a rich merchant of Lyons (1170), sold all his goods and gave them to the poor. He and his friends appear to have aimed at re-establishing primitive Christianity in the common affairs of life. He therefore began also with the branches and not the roots. Nevertheless his preaching was powerful because he appealed to Scripture, and it shook the Roman hierarchy to its very foundations.” [ibid. pp. 29, 30]

Zahakiel: Now, who were the “Mystics?” The author describes them as men who sought purity of heart, and who “beheld with sorrow and affright the abominations of the Church.” [ibid. pp. 29] Yet while they were sorrowful, they did not sound the thunder! They did not come out from their caves to make a stand for the truth… and so it is in this day. We see some who say, “I don’t agree with what my church is doing, and it makes me sad.” But they do not come forth to sound the thunder. They are not going to be listed among the heroes of faith in the Day of Accounting. We are not called to be Mystics; we are called to be Waldenses in this last age.

So this second Thunder resulted from “a long line of witnesses to the truth,” from an appeal to Scripture, and this rolling voice of judgment (possibly it was not a crack because it went for “the branches and not the roots”) prepared the way for the third great pronouncement from Heaven.

3) We need not undertake to spend a lot of time on this Third Thunder. It should be apparent now that this was the Reformation itself. This, the last voice of judgment in the Old World, against the First Babylon, separated an (initially) organized body of believers from the corruption of Rome.

Since we are all familiar, I hope, with how this went, and why, and when, we can take a look at some principles instead, in the interest of time. We will see in the Fourth Thunder that the Reformation was the last voice of judgment IN the Old World, but not ON it. There is going to be a parallel in the Seventh Thunder as well. But for now, we are going to see that three thunders rang out in the Old World, and three in the New World also.

This was the meaning of the symbol in Revelation where it says, “And [the angel] had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth, and cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth; and when he had cried, Seven Thunders uttered their voices.”

He has one foot in the “sea” and one foot on “earth.” From your study of Bible prophecy... what is the sea, and what is the earth?

Qinael: Multitudes of people, and small groups of people, respectively.

Zahakiel: Right :) And often, also the Old and New worlds. Who knew that already?

Okay... to whom is this news?

Pastor “Chick”: Familiar :)

Barb: I know sea = people.

Zahakiel: Okay :) Well, everyone else: consider yourself educated. Now, this means that the 7 thunders are going to sound in both the Old and New Worlds.

One foot in the sea, one foot on the land. So we have three Thunders in each… and then the Seventh Thunder will be (and is) a very Loud Cry.

The second principle I want us to look at is this one. In a previous study, we have looked at Christ’s parable of the Workers in the Vineyard. We used Scripture to establish this pattern from the symbolism of Matthew 20:

Early Morning Workers: Jewish Nation
Third Hour Workers: Apostolic Church
Sixth Hour Workers: Reformation Churches
Ninth Hour Workers: The Seventh-day Adventist Church
Eleventh Hour Workers: The 144,000

I want us to see an extremely important distinction here, between those that get labeled the “Workers in the Vineyard” and the other protesters such as the Waldenses. These Workers are all “Churches.” They are all organized, basically hierarchical, and united in purpose and doctrine. Organization is not a bad thing! Christ is the Head, but He has indeed “set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.” (1Cor 12:28)

Some in this Ecumenical age say, “Oh, it doesn’t matter what you believe, as long as you believe…” and they give some small subset of (occasionally pure) doctrine. But no, THIS is the confusion that the Thunders Protest! This is why only the “elect” hear the message, because others have their heads buried in the sand, or deep in the traditions of men. Only those who obey the voice of the Spirit and fulfill the prayer of John 17 are accounted Workers in the Vineyard. Now, this is not to say that individual heroes of faith, and their co-workers, like Pierre Vauld, did not do the work of Heaven. They assuredly did; yet we are called to a better thing than merely preparing the way for another flash of light… we are preparing the way for the King of Heaven and Earth. We must be diligent workers… united as one in the faith.

Are there any questions so far? And try as I might, this study will go a little long, because there is so much to mine out here… but I hope you consider this teaching worthy of a little extra time, because we are faced with the breaking of the Dawn even now, and we must know how to sound the warning.

Everyone with me so far?

Pastor “Chick”: OK.
Barb: <nods>
LeaKatheryn: :nods:
Qinael: I'm not sure on the reformation...

Zahakiel: Ah. The Reformation started off united... but then fragmented later; and the reason is because the people failed to advance after the “figurehead” died. Else... all Lutherans would have become Methodist, and all Methodists, eventually, would have become CSDA :)

4) The Reformation was certainly a loud crack of sound, and so now we have another rolling boil. The Fourth Thunder actually served to give birth to the United States of America as we know it today.

Here is some brief background information.

“Puritanism was the belief that the reform [of the Church of England] should be continued, that more abuses remained to be corrected, that practices still survived from the days of Popery which should be renounced, that the Church of England should be restored to the “purity” of the first-century Church as established by Christ Himself.” [The Puritans, A Sourcebook of Their Writings, edited by Perry Miller and Thomas S. Johnson, Harper & Row, Publishers, Inc., 1963, p. 6]

Most of the members of the Church of England had the same opinions as the Puritans on about 90% of doctrinal and cultural questions, according to the same book I cite above. But that ten percent separated by a great gulf the reformers from those who said, “We have done enough.” The message that, “Our work is not finished yet,” rolled off their ears and did not reach the heart. When the divide between the Puritans and the Anglicans became too great the former departed for America, apparently having a strong dislike for both Spain and France.

So then why, with all this talk of reform, do I say it was a rumble and not a peal? Why was the Puritan Church not counted a set of “Workers” in the parable of Matthew 20? A part of the reason may be found in this: “The Puritans always said that they could subscribe the doctrinal articles of the Church of England; even at the height of the controversy, even after they had left England rather than put up with what they considered its abominations, they always took care to insist that the Church of England was a ‘true’ church, not Anti-Christ as was the Church of Rome, that it contained many saints, and that men might find salvation within it.” [ibid. pp. 9, 10]

There was a physical separation between the Puritans and Anglicans, but there was never a true separation in terms of the formation of a separate organization protesting the old. There was not the kind of “coming out” that constitutes every example in the Workers parable… one of the characteristics being a recognition that the previous body has fallen (as with the Apostolic), and that there was a need for a fundamental reform in the doctrinal system (as with the Adventists).

From the Puritan tradition came the Evangelical forms of Christianity… many of the beliefs were changed, some modified, some positions actually reversed, but due to their presence in the New World, and the influx of other cultures and individuals, America soon became the home to many differing belief systems, all under the general banner of Christianity. There was a lot of confusion that came about due to the fact that the followers of the reformers, after the individuals’ deaths, generally failed to progress. We've noted that tendency above; what it did do, however, was set the stage for the next great sound from Heaven.

5) Any guesses what this is? It was a loud one :)

Qinael: The loud cry / great disappointment.

Zahakiel: That's right :) The Millerites. The Great Awakening, which led to a Disappointment that was just as “great.”

The Great Awakening we can read about in the writings of our own pioneers, and other places. When William Miller began to teach that the coming of Christ was “soon, and very soon,” it certainly caused a strong reaction. Some were neutral, yes… but many others were polarized one way or another. This was the way of the Fifth Thunder.

As with the history of Martin Luther and the other reformers, this is a matter that should be well known to each of us, so we need not spend much time here, except to point out that yes, few heard the voice, though many heard the sound. It was a call to separate from the churches that had grown complacent in their teachings, a call to unify into a body of believers who were indeed expecting the return of the Messiah… and they even had a date on which they expected it to occur.

Now, both they and we have learned an important lesson about time-setting from this affair, and although Christ did not, in fact, appear in the year Miller predicted, the Spirit was certainly able to do a work in people from various denominations around the world, and to bring them into one accord for the next message that was to come.

6) The Sixth Thunder is also the same as the Ninth Hour Workers. You notice that although the Millerite movement was arguably the more sudden Thunder (it spread more quickly around the world, and really began in several places at once), it was did not continue long with the new light, and did not form a Church as such. Now, there were staunch Millerites, yes… and there are in fact a few still around – but the Workers in the Matthew 20 list were all according to the pattern of Christ’s plan in terms of following through.

Zahakiel: The Adventist Church, which came out from the Millerites, and became represented by a set of Workers because their doctrines were radically advanced in a very short time, has certainly become a loud roll, but it began small, and stayed small for a number of years.

It restored to Yahweh’s people the importance of the Ten Commandments, the spirit of prophecy, health reform, the Sanctuary doctrine and, for the first time since the days of the Apostles, the idea of a judgment of the living. All the other various ages acknowledged that there would be some alive at the time of Christ’s appearing, and the Millerites under the Fifth Thunder even thought these were them, but Adventists began to teach the important and integral role that Yahshua the High Priest plays in this procedure.

Six…the number of “works.” As the Sixth Thunder, Adventism should have completed the scope of human work, and gathered the Wheat into the Barn. The Three Angels’ Messages should have gone around the world and prepared the way for the Messiah. They had the opportunity, but as it turns out, they remained in “Six,” and did not progress to “Seven.” Their works became their undoing. While they taught of the Seventh Day, and of the proposed rest in Christ, for unbelief they did not enter into it, for as Paul wrote, “he that is entered into His rest [the Sabbath], he also hath ceased from his own works, as Yah did from His.” (Heb 4:10)

Zahakiel: As lightning cometh from the east and shines in the west, so the last Thunder will actually bring a “light” that will encircle the globe, just as we read of the Fourth Angel that, “the earth was lightened with his glory.” (Revelation 18:1) I realize I am tying together a lot of concepts here… the Mat 20 Workers, the Thunders, the Gospel Angels, the various manifestations of Babylon. But, with time so short, I urge each and every one of you to commit these matters to prayer. These things are not difficult to grasp, but we must be alive with the knowledge that comes from the Word, so that we will each, individually, have treasures to share with others.

7) The Seventh Thunder is the last, and during this Thunder we are not concerned with human works, which proved the snare to our predecessors. In this closing work, Yahweh will take the reins Himself, directing our course through His Spirit and His angels in a much more direct way than ever before. We do not merely protest the first Babylon since the Lion’s roar, that being Rome. Nor do we protest only the second Babylon, the confusion of Christendom that has come about in the United States due to the mass of semi-reformed Churches. Our protest is against all these, yes, but we protest not in the Old and New Worlds only, but the World of Images.

We protest a formation of ANY “image” of the Beast. We protest any union of Church and State, forming a child of the papacy and used to infringe upon the religious freedom of individuals and groups. At the same time, we bring forth a message of Victory over sin, to prepare each and every man, woman and child to stand before the Throne of Judgment… and to be confident in so doing.

These things are thunderings in the ears of just about everyone, and no surprise, though the knowledge is sad, for “few there be” that have ears to hear the Seven Thunders. I was explaining to a friend of mine the importance of the letter that was sent to us by the General Conference. Predicting her response, I said, “Now, most people will not see the big deal about this… one religious sect going after a small, nobody group of people.”

She admitted that most people would probably not give it a second look. I said, “And this is what happened two thousand years ago. They nailed a small nobody to a cross – and it changed the course of human history forever.” She thought about that for a while and said, “Yeah, that’s true.” Then she started asking some more questions about the lawsuit.

The time has come for us to open the spiritual eyes and ears of those with whom we are communicating. We must appreciate the fact that the Victory can sound like the message of “any church” to untrained ears, and that our protest of religious corporations may not seem significant to the average person, even the average Christian. But we must study these seven messages to a) learn how to present a life-changing topic and b) be comforted when most do not accept it. This is more important that we realize, and when we see the importance of the reformation’s progress we may have confidence that we are in the channel of truth.

Any questions?

Dumah: Please relist the seven thunders?

Zahakiel: Okay. Let’s do a quick review of what we have seen:

Old World (Under the First Babylon)

1st Thunder – The Apostles
2nd Thunder – The Waldenses
3rd Thunder – The Reformation

New World (Under the Second Babylon)

4th Thunder – The Puritans
5th Thunder – The Millerites
6th Thunder – The Advent Movement

World of Images (Mystery Babylon)

7th Thunder – The CSDA Movement (144,000)

[Transcript note: The 1st, 3rd, 6th and 7th thunders all resulted in distinct Churches, thus becoming the 3rd, 6th, 9th and 11th Hour Workers in the Matthew 20 parable respectively. The Jewish Church, which is represented in that parable by the “Early Morning” Workers, were active before the roaring of the Lion, and thus were not listed among the subsequent Thunders.]

Daniel was told to seal up the writing, because it wasn't yet time for the messenger to understand. John was told not to write what the Seven Thunders sounded, because it was not yet time for the world to understand. But now is the time for an end to the sealings-up. We know what the prophecies of Daniel mean, and now we know what the Seven Thunders represent. The world may not think it is ready to hear these things, but though we know few will be able to hear the words of our voices, we must make sure that they all hear the sounds of our speech.

This is our role, to teach the Victory to a stiff-necked people, to give the warnings against Church/State unions like the SDA-GC Trademark to sleeping nations. But while our message is like thunder, Yahweh is the one bidding us to lift up our voices like that trumpet, and this is what He says to those of us who are called to this particular task, “And, lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument: for they hear thy words, but they do them not.” (Ezekiel 33:32)

“Also I heard the voice of Adonai, saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ Then said I, ‘Here am I; send me.’

“And He said, ‘Go, and tell this people, “Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.” Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.’

“Then said I, ‘Adonai, how long?’ And He answered, ‘Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate, and Yahweh have removed men far away, and there be a great forsaking in the midst of the land. But yet in it shall be a tenth, and it shall return, and shall be eaten; as a teil tree, and as an oak, whose substance is in them, when they cast their leaves, so the holy seed shall be the substance thereof.” (Isa 6:8-13)

Say when you've read.

Qinael: Finished.
Pastor “Chick”: OK.
Barb: Done.
Crystle: Finished.

Zahakiel: Understand: Yahweh desires that no man be made blind, or deaf; but as with Pharaoh, He knows most people will respond to these messages by hardening their hearts… At least they will be made cold, which is preferable to lukewarm. But notice, though most will not hear, there will be a “tenth,” a tithe that belongs to Yahweh, who will listen. There will be a Remnant who hear, and will turn to the Altar for healing. It is for these few, these elect, “the holy seed,” that the Seven Thunders ring; it is for these few that we sacrifice our lives… not only to die for them, but to speak to them, and to live for them – as Yahshua did.

Zahakiel: Are there any questions before we close?

Pastor “Chick”: It appears to me... that the 7th Thunder is the fulfillment and test of the Sabbath.

Zahakiel: Can you expound on that a little? I think I see what you mean.

Pastor “Chick”: The Spiritual REST of Sabbath has never been fully displayed to the world, except in Christ...

Zahakiel: Right.

Pastor “Chick”: SO, in the 144,000 (the 7th Thunder), the perfect character of Christ which IS shown in complete REST, the Sabbath is “recreated”...

Zahakiel: Right :) And that would guard against the very errors D'aubigne noted... for a true Sabbathkeeper would neither lose sight of righteousness/justification by faith, nor join to Rome for protection. So that would fit the pattern perfectly, and be displayed in the messages of the Three Revelation 14 angels.

Pastor “Chick”: What does “World of Images” mean?

Zahakiel: We give a protest, not against a physical beast (old world was first, new world was second) but against the "image" of the beast. The hardest to detect, the most dangerous... the one that most subtly presents the character of Satan.

Jeanie: You hear a lot of people saying, “I just can't see it.”

Zahakiel: And that is exactly the problem.

Any further comments or questions? This is one of those topics that I think is just scratching the surface of something. There is a lot more here :)

All right, then.. let's pray.

Almighty and loving Father in Heaven,

We thank you for this opportunity to gather in your name. We thank you that, although there are trials, and obstacles, you have glorified your name amongst your people. We thank you that nothing in this world can prevent your message... no wall or roof can quiet the voice of thunder.

We know that you do all things well, and in your own good timing, and we give you thanks that you have called us to be a part of your work. We give you thanks and praise for the message, not of our making, but delievered to us from Heaven, and we thank you that... looking back... we see that though it was not always fully understood, it has never changed.

Bless us and keep us always faithful, and preserve us against the snares laid in our path.

Bind your people together as one, that we may stand as faithful workers in your vineyard while we raise our voices to give the loud cry.

In Yahshua's most holy and precious name, Amen.

Qinael: Amen.
Barb: Amen.
Crystle: Amen.
Pastor “Chick”: Thanks to the Father!!