7.) The Seven Thunders of Revelation

Many people through the ages have wondered about the meaning of the 7 thunders of Revelation 10:3, 4. The truths contained in these thunders seem to be of great importance, because they come directly from God through a heavenly messenger who is none other than Jesus Christ Himself. (7 BC 971.) It is especially intriguing because although John heard and understood what the thunders said, he was told not to write them down. This presents a mystery that surely needs to be unlocked by God’s people before Jesus comes back again. The urgency of understanding these messages is underscored by the fact that it was given especially to those who would live when the 7th angel was about to sound his trumpet.

“But in the days of the voice of the 7th angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.” Rev. 10:7, KJV.

In other words, the messages contained in the 7 thunders were to be especially important to the final generation of people who would live just before the end of time when the work of grace will be finished, and the sounding of the 7th trumpet prepares the way for Jesus to return to earth and claim His bride, the church.

“I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of His body, which is the church. I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness—the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints. To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Col. 1:24-27.

“Now to Him who is able to establish you by my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all nations might believe and obey Him.” Rom. 16:25, 26.

Paul was living in the beginning of the proclamation of the gospel. Until that time, the finished work of salvation was a hidden mystery, because the Jewish religious rituals which had been set up to provide salvation and connection with God until the coming of Christ “were not able to clear the conscience of the worshiper. They [were] only a matter of food and drink and various ceremonial washings—external regulations applying until the time of the new order.” Heb. 9:9, 10.

But when Jesus became our High Priest in the heavenly sanctuary and offered His precious blood to cleanse our sins, He provided complete recovery from the sin problem:

“He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but He entered the Most Holy Place once for all by His own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. . . .How much more, then, will be blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God.” Heb. 9:12, 14 (emphasis added).

As these texts show us, the goal of Christ’s heavenly ministry is to cleanse our consciences—the internal structure of our brains, our minds, where our thoughts and feelings reside, and our concepts of right and wrong. The goal, according to Paul, is “Christ in you—the hope of glory.” That goal is the gospel in verity. Without that change of heart we are no better off than were the Israelites with their offerings of bulls and goats, but so steeped in their own ritualism that they did not recognize the Lord of glory when He came. What does the finished work of the gospel look like? How can we know that the mysterious change has taken place in our own hearts? Here are some quotes that help to make this clear for us:

“The influence of the Holy Spirit is the life of Christ in the soul.” 6 BC 1112.

“The impartation of the Spirit is the impartation of the life of Christ. It imbues the receiver with the attributes of Christ.” DA 805.

“If His Spirit dwells in the heart, sin cannot dwell there.” RH 3/6/1886.

“By the power of the Holy Spirit the moral image of God is to be perfected in the character. We are to be wholly transformed into the likeness of Christ.” TM 506.

“In all who submit to His power, the Spirit of God will consume sin.” DA 107.

“Through the Scriptures, the Holy Spirit speaks to the mind, and impresses truth upon the heart. Thus, He exposes error and expels it from the soul. It is by the Spirit of truth, working through the Word of God, that Christ subdues His chosen people to Himself.” DA 671.

“It is the Spirit that makes effectual what has been wrought out by the world’s Redeemer. It is by the Spirit that the heart is made pure. Through the Spirit the believer becomes a partaker of the divine nature. Christ has given His Spirit as a divine power to overcome all hereditary and cultivated tendencies to evil, and to impress His own character upon His church.” Ibid.

“To the end of time the presence of the Spirit is to abide with the true church.” AA 55.

It is evident from these quotations that Jesus has sufficient power through the mighty agency of His Spirit to indwell His life in us if we submit to His cleansing, renewing, regenerating power to obliterate every sin in our lives and impress upon us His own character. But many Christians today believe that sin is such an inborn evil that is so deep within our natures that it cannot be rooted out until Jesus comes and changes our natures. In the meantime, they believe, we are covered with God’s grace and accounted as righteous because we have accepted Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and try to represent Him as best as we can until He comes to finish the restoration process.

There is some truth to this for those who have accepted Jesus throughout the ages and have lived up to all the light they had. But for the final generation, God is giving all the light and power needed to be a finished work of His grace. That is why the messages of the 7th angel is so important for us now! Let’s read it again:

“But in the days of the voice of the 7th angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as He hath declared to His servants the prophets.” Rev. 10:7, KJV.

And what is the mystery of God that should be finished in the last generation of God’s people? As we have already seen from Paul’s writings, it is the finished work of grace—Christ in you, the hope of glory!

“By His grace He is able to keep every man from transgression.” ST 2/14/1900.

“Abundant grace has been provided that the believing soul may be kept free from sin, for all heaven, with its limitless resources, has been placed at our command.” 1 SM 394.

“To learn of Christ means to receive His grace which is His character.” COL 271.

Christ’s “life must circulate through us as the blood circulates through the veins.” OHC 60.

“The only power that can create or perpetuate true peace is the grace of Christ. When this is implanted in the heart it will cast out the evil passions.” DA 305.

“The very image of God is to be reproduced in humanity. The honor of God, the honor of Christ, is involved in the perfection of the character of His people.” DA 671.

What a wonderful privilege we have in the last generation to show the finished product of Christ’s grace! This can never be accomplished by trying harder to be good. It is only possible by learning to allow the complete work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, and cooperating fully with Him!

“The remnant of Israel will do no wrong; they will speak no lies, not will deceit be found in their mouths.” Zeph. 3:12.

“’In those days, at that time,’ declares the Lord, ‘search will be made for Israel’s guilt, but there will be none, and for the sins of Judah, but none will be found, for I will forgive the remnant I spare.’” Jer. 50:20.

“But in the Lord all the descendants of Israel will be found righteous and will exult.” Isa. 45:25.

“We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.” Rom. 8:22-25.

“These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.” Heb. 11:39, 40.

Do you see it? Paul and all the great men and women of God throughout history have been waiting, now in their graves, for the final work of grace that is accomplished in the last generation of His people. Think of it. Suppose you were a farmer, and you had waited longingly all season for the harvest when the seed would become mature and perfect and ready for harvest. Then at the time of harvest, a terrible storm comes and destroys your crop. Can you imagine the disappointment? Likewise, Jesus is waiting longingly for the final generation of His people to ripen and become perfect for the harvest. Then He will come immediately and take us home.

“He also said, ‘This is what the kingdom of heaven is like. A man scattered seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.” Mk. 4:26-29.

When the harvest is ripe, there is no more delay on the part of the farmer. So with Jesus. When the harvest of the earth is ripe, He will immediately put in the sickle and reap. This passage in Mark parallels exactly what is said in Revelation about the final generation of God’s people:

“And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on His head a golden crown, and in His hand a sharp sickle. And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to Him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe. And He that sat on the cloud thrust in His sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped.” Rev. 14:14-16. KJV.

Now please notice that this passage of scripture follows directly the announcement of the 144,000, and the introduction of the 3 angels’ messages. This is no coincidence! The 144,000 are the finished product of the work of Jesus throughout the entire history of fallen mankind; and the 3 angels’ messages are the method by which the harvest of the earth is ripened.

“Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with Him 144,000 who had His name and His Father’s name written on their foreheads. And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of rushing waters and like a loud peal of thunder. The sound I heard was like that of harpists playing their harps. And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. No one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. These are those who did not defile themselves with women, for they kept themselves pure. They follow the Lamb wherever He goes. They were purchased from among men and offered as firstfruits to God and the Lamb. No lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless.

“Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal (or everlasting-KJV) gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth—to every nation, tribe, language and people.” Rev. 14:1-6.

Do you see the relationship here of the finished product of the earth’s harvest—the 144,000—and the preaching of the everlasting gospel as it is given in the three angels’ messages? These are the messages which will to bring God’s people into complete harmony with Him at the close of the work of the gospel, thus producing the final remnant who do no wrong, speak no lies, nor have deceit found in their mouths (Jer. 50:20)? Why will these messages bring about the final cleansed remnant? The clue is found in Revelation 14:4:

“These are those who did not defile themselves with women, for they kept themselves pure. They follow the Lamb wherever he goes.”

The three angels’ messages are perfectly designed to separate out a pure people who will not mingle with the doctrines, beliefs and practices of the churches who do not follow Jesus into the second apartment cleansing work of Jesus in the heavenly sanctuary. These messages show the truths that are necessary to bring His people to perfection and ripen the harvest of the earth. It is in the setting of the giving of these messages that the seven thunders are sounded.

I will now go back to Revelation 10 and the biblical scene when the 7 thunders are introduced. Notice these important points: 1. It is Jesus Himself who brings the messages, which underscores their importance. 2. He plants one foot on the land and one on the sea, signifying that these are messages which will go around the world. 3. They are messages which will bring about the finishing of the work of the gospel. 4. These messages will open the understanding of the book of Daniel. 5. The messages at first would bring about both great joy and bitter disappointment. 6. The truths contained in the messages must continue to be preached to the world. 7. The messages will be repeated, or “prophesied again” (vs. 11), with latter rain power by the final people of God, and then Jesus will return.

In searching for clues to the possible meaning of the 7 thunders, I found these quotes from Ellen White:

“The mighty angel who instructed John was no less a personage than Jesus Christ. Setting His right foot on the sea, and His left upon the dry land, shows the part which He is acting in the closing scenes of the great controversy with Satan. . . .

“After these seven thunders uttered their voices, the injunction comes to John as to Daniel in regard to the little book: ‘Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered.’ These relate to future events which would be disclosed in their order. . . .

“The books of Daniel and the Revelation are one. One is a prophecy, the other a revelation; one a book sealed, the other a book opened. John heard the mysteries which the thunders uttered, but he was commanded not to write them.

“The special light given to John which was expressed in the seven thunders was a delineation of events which would transpire under the first and second angels’ messages. It was not best for the people to know these things, for their faith must necessarily be tested. In the order of God most wonderful and advanced truths would be proclaimed. The first and second angels’ messages were to be proclaimed, but no further light was to be revealed before these messages had done their specific work.” 7 BC 971.

Why would God want such important messages from His throne to His people to be sealed up? I believe it to be an acknowledgment that these messages would test the faith of the hearers, and sift out the true believers from those who were unwilling to endure through the bitter experience of their disappointed hopes in Jesus’ immediate return. If they had known the outcome ahead of time, they would not have preached this important message to the world.

In thinking back over the history of our pioneers, I have considered seven distinct times when they were given messages for the people of the world. In the order of their proclamation, this is the list:

1. The preaching of William Miller and others that the 2300-day prophecy of Daniel 8:14 (which was mistakenly believed to be the second coming of Jesus) would be fulfilled on October 22, 1844.

2. Using the year-day principle and combining the 150 years in the 5th trumpet of Revelation 9, and the 391 years, 15 days in the 6th trumpet, Josiah Litch accurately predicted the fall of the Ottoman Empire on August 11, 1840. “When it became known, multitudes were convinced of the correctness of the principles of prophetic interpretation adopted by Miller and his associates, and a wonderful impetus was given to the Advent Movement.” GC 335.

3. The message received by Hiram Edson that the real meaning of the fulfillment of the 2300 day prophecy was the movement of Jesus from the first apartment of the heavenly sanctuary into the second apartment work of cleansing and judging, thus the preaching of the first angel’s message, “The hour of His judgment has come.”

4. Understanding and accepting the Sabbath truth of the 4th commandment, and that this truth must be proclaimed to the ends of the earth as part of the last-day message of God to His true people, and is a sign of His remnant church.

5. Proclaiming the second angel’s message of the fall of Babylon, as a result of the Protestant churches’ rejection of the judgment hour messages which were preached by God’s messengers.

6. Growing understanding and preaching the end-time significance of the Roman Catholic church and its role in changing God’s law, especially the Sabbath, and identified as the beast of the 2nd and 3rd angels’ messages of Revelation 14, and the 4th angel of Revelation 18.

7. A heaven-sent message received in 1888, which was designed to bring the church back to an even greater understanding of the first angel, who had the everlasting gospel to preach to every person who lives on the earth—to every nation, tribe, language and people.

And this brings us back to the necessity of an understanding of the gospel which will prepare a people to live through the end of time, and produce a finished work and a finished people who will be the firstfruits of the earth. When the gospel message has produced these people, Jesus will immediately put in the sickle, and the harvest of the earth will be reaped. This is why these messages must be repeated for the final generation, with even greater light, and a specific emphasis and application for our time. Our forefathers are sleeping, waiting for their work and sacrifice to be rewarded. Will you and I be among the firstfruits of the earth – the 144,000? By the grace of God, we can be among that number!

“’And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.’ In a little while every one who is a child of God will have His seal placed upon him. O that it may be placed upon our foreheads! Who can endure the thought of being passed by when the angel goes forth to seal the servants of God in their foreheads? . . .

“The seal of the living God will be placed upon those only who bear a likeness to Christ in character. . . .As wax takes the impression of the seal, so the soul is to take the impression of the Spirit of God and retain the image of Christ. . . .

“We are to copy no human being. . . .We are to look to the man Christ Jesus, who is complete in the perfection of righteousness and holiness. He is the author and finisher of our faith. He is the pattern man. His experience is the measure of the experience that we are to gain. His character is our model. Let us, then, take our minds off the perplexities and the difficulties of this life, and fix them on Him, that by beholding we may be changed into His likeness. We may behold Christ to good purpose. We may safely look to Him; for He is all-wise. As we look to Him and think of Him, He will be formed within, the hope of glory.

“Let us strive with all the power that God has given us to be among the hundred and forty-four thousand.” 7 BC 969, 970.