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Our Mission: Revelation 14:6-12
If I Were Told the Future - Lesson 76
The
Loud Cry
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Welcome to this lesson! Let's pray:
Our Lord,
We thank You again for Your precious promise of the latter rain.
We ask You with conviction to grant us this rain, so that we may fulfill the final mission
You will give us.
As we wait for the latter rain, please enlighten us about the nature of this great final
mission. In Jesus Christ we pray.
Amen.
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Joel 2:23,24,28
Rejoice in the Lord your God; for He has given you the former
rain faithfully, and He will cause the rain to come down for you - the former rain, and
the latter rain in the first month. The threshing floors shall be full of wheat. (...)
I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh.
----------------------------------------------------
In our last lesson, we have seen that the latter rain will soon
give great power to God's people, as never before.
Thus filled with the Holy Spirit, these believers will then have to fulfill a great final
evangelical mission, so that «the threshing floors be full of wheat».
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Revelation 18:1
After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illuminated with his glory.
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Isaiah 60:1-3
Arise, shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the Lord
is risen upon you.
For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the Lord
will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you.
The Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.
----------------------------------------------------
As this world, shaken by great upheavals, is plunged into darkness, this mission will consist in sending out, with power and authority, a final call to salvation to all nations, like a bright light illuminating the earth.
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Here is the great message which will be proclaimed before Jesus' return:
«After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven,
having great authority, and the earth was illuminated with his glory. And he cried
mightily with a loud voice, saying,
"Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a habitation of demons, a
prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird!
For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of
the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become
rich through the abundance of her luxury."
And I heard another voice from heaven saying,
"Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her
plagues. For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her
iniquities."» (REVELATION 18:1-5)
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Revelation 18:2
Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen!
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Revelation 17:3,5
I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of names
of blasphemy. (...)
On her forehead a name was written: «Mystery, Babylon the great, the mother of harlots
and of the abominations of the earth.»
----------------------------------------------------
This powerful message, which makes up the loud cry, first reports
the fall of Babylon.
In a previous lesson, we have seen that Babylon symbolizes the coalition of apostate
churches in the last days.
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Revelation 18:2,3
And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying,
«Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a habitation of demons, a prison
for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird!
For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of
the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become
rich through the abundance of her luxury.»
----------------------------------------------------
Having plunged the nations into confusion, error, and apostasy by the wine of its false doctrines, Babylon must now face its jugdment.
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Revelation 14:6,8
Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having
the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth - to every nation, tribe,
tongue, and people. (...)
And another angel followed, saying,
«Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she has made all nations drink of
the wine of the wrath of her fornication.»
----------------------------------------------------
In fact, since 1844, the fall of Babylon has been announced to
the whole world by the remnant Church preaching the three angels' message.
But the power of the loud cry will be such that, this time, the message will be heard.
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Revelation 18:2,3
Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a
habitation of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and
hated bird!
For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of
the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become
rich through the abundance of her luxury.
----------------------------------------------------
In our next lesson we will study the circumstances surrounding
the fall of Babylon.
For the moment, let's linger over the impact of this loud cry on the nations.
As we can see here, the announcement of the fall of Babylon won't be good news for
everybody...
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Isaiah 30:9-11
This is a rebellious people, lying children, children who will
not hear the law of the Lord; who say to the seers,
«Do not see»,
and to the prophets,
«Do not prophesy to us right things; speak to us smooth things, prophesy deceits. Get out
of the way, turn aside from the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before
us.»
----------------------------------------------------
The loud cry of Revelation chapter 18 will proclaim a very
unpopular message.
Now, the Word of God presents many situations in which men refused to listen to such
messages, sometimes reacting quite aggressively...
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The hard life of God's messengers who bore bad news:
«[Jeremiah said:] "Thus says the Lord: He who remains in
this city shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence." (...) Therefore the
princes said to the king, "Please, let this man be put to death, for thus he weakens
the hands of the men of war who remain in this city, and the hands of all the people, by
speaking such words to them."» (JEREMIAH 38:2,4)
«The Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, who stood above
the people, and said to them, "Thus says God: Why do you transgress the commandments
of the Lord, so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the Lord, He also has
forsaken you." So they conspired against him, and at the commandment of the king they
stoned him with stones in the court of the house of the Lord.» (2 CHRONICLES 24:20,21)
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In the New Testament, things didn't get any better:
«Herod himself had sent and laid hold of John, and bound him in
prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife; for he had married her. For
John had said to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife."
Therefore Herodias held it against him and wanted to kill him.» (MARK 6:17-19)
«And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest
asked them, saying, "Did we not strictly command you not to teach in this name? And
look, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this Man's blood
on us!" Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said: "We ought to obey
God rather than men."» (ACTS 5:27-29)
«Have I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth?» (GALATIANS 4:16)
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Revelation 11:3,6
And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy
(...).
These have power to shut heaven, so that no rain falls in the days of their prophecy; and
they have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to strike the earth with all
plagues.
----------------------------------------------------
What will be the experience of God's people, filled with the Holy
Spirit, at the time of the loud cry proclaiming the fall of Babylon?
The two witnesses of Revelation chapter 11, in addition to symbolizing the work of the
Word of God during the 1260 years of the papal reign (see the lesson «The Two Witnesses»), also give us a good idea of
the experience of God's people in the last days.
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Revelation 11:7,8,10
When [the two witnesses] finish their testimony, the beast that
ascends out of the bottomless pit will make war against them, overcome them, and kill
them. And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city (...).
And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them, make merry, and send gifts to one
another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth.
----------------------------------------------------
Once again, these «killjoys», sent by God, meet a tragic end because they «tormented those who dwell on the earth».
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God knows that He must strengthen His messengers who bear bad news:
«Then Moses said to the Lord, "O my Lord, I am not
eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of
speech and slow of tongue." So the Lord said to him, "Who has made man's mouth?
Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the Lord? Now
therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say."»
(EXODUS 4:10-12)
«Then said I: "Ah, Lord God! Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth." But the
Lord said to me: "Do not say, I am a youth, for you shall go to all to whom I send
you, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of their faces, for I
am with you to deliver you," says the Lord. Then the Lord put forth His hand and
touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me: "Behold, I have put My words in your
mouth."» (JEREMIAH 1:6-9)
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Mark 13:9-11
But watch out for yourselves, for they will deliver you up to
councils, and you will be beaten in the synagogues. And you will be brought before rulers
and kings for My sake, for a testimony to them.
And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations.
But when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry beforehand, or premeditate what
you will speak. But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that; for it is not you who
speak, but the Holy Spirit.
----------------------------------------------------
Therefore, the Lord will strengthen His people with the latter rain, so that they may be able to carry out their final evangelical mission.
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Revelation 18:4,5
And I heard another voice from heaven saying,
«Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her
plagues.
For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.»
----------------------------------------------------
The second part of the message making up the final loud cry is a
general call to come out of Babylon, while there is still time to do so.
God knows that many sincere believers, still within Babylon at that time, will respond to
this call and join His people, and this is why He calls them «My people».
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Genesis 6:12-14
God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all
flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.
And God said to Noah,
«The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through
them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Make yourself an ark of
gopherwood.»
----------------------------------------------------
The Bible presents many situations when God decided to carry out
a mass destruction of unrepentant men.
But, before doing so, He always called His people to protect themselves from this
destruction.
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God warns His people, before the mass destruction of unrepentant men:
«Then the men said to Lot, "Have you anyone else here?
Son-in-law, your sons, your daughters, and whomever you have in the city - take them out
of this place! For we will destroy this place, because the outcry against them has grown
great before the face of the Lord, and the Lord has sent us to destroy it."»
(GENESIS 19:12,13)
«[Moses] spoke to the congregation, saying, "Depart now from the tents of these
wicked men! Touch nothing of theirs, lest you be consumed in all their sins."»
(NUMBERS 16:26)
«Therefore when you see the "abomination of desolation", spoken of by Daniel
the prophet, standing in the holy place (whoever reads, let him understand), then let
those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.» (MATTHEW 24:15,16)
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Isaiah 48:17,20
Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
«I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you by the way you should
go. (...)
Go forth from Babylon! Flee from the Chaldees!
With a voice of singing, declare, proclaim this, utter it even to the end of the earth;
say, "The Lord has redeemed His servant Jacob!"»
----------------------------------------------------
So the mighty call to come out of Babylon, to join the remnant Church, is a final offer of salvation given to all the inhabitants of the earth.
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Isaiah 62:1,2
For Zion's sake I will not hold My peace, and for Jerusalem's
sake I will not rest, until her righteousness goes forth as brightness, and her salvation
as a lamp that burns.
The Gentiles shall see your righteousness, and all kings your glory.
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Matthew 24:14
And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.
----------------------------------------------------
Everyone will hear the loud cry, and will then have to make a choice which will determine his eternal destiny.
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Isaiah 52:7,8,10,11
How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings
good news, who proclaims peace, who brings glad tidings of good things, who proclaims
salvation, who says to Zion, «Your God reigns!»
Your watchmen shall lift up their voices, with their voices they shall sing together; for
they shall see eye to eye when the Lord brings back Zion. (...)
«All the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.
Depart! Depart! Go out from there, touch no unclean thing; go out from the midst of her,
be clean, you who bear the vessels of the Lord.»
----------------------------------------------------
The loud cry will cause everyone to make a choice between these
two alternatives:
- accepting God's final offer of salvation;
- or staying in the apostate system of Babylon.
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Acts 2:40,41
And with many other words [Peter] testified and exhorted them,
saying,
«Be saved from this perverse generation.»
Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand
souls were added to them.
----------------------------------------------------
At the time of the former rain, at Pentecost, people were deeply
moved by the message of the disciples, who were filled with the Holy Spirit. These people
were led to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior and the Lord of their lives.
The Church then experienced a lightning growth.
Will it be the same at the time of the loud cry, following the latter rain?
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Revelation 7:9,10
After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which
no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the
throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands,
and crying out with a loud voice, saying,
«Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!»
----------------------------------------------------
The success of the loud cry will by far exceed that of Pentecost.
A crowd «which no one could number» will come out of Babylon, after hearing the call, as
we have seen in our lesson «The 144,000 and the Great
Multitude».
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John 10:16
And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.
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Romans 8:14
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
----------------------------------------------------
So we must always remember, when we announce the fall of Babylon,
that many sincere believers are still to be found within it.
These believers will respond to the final call and come out of this system, when the loud
cry takes place.
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Zechariah 8:22,23
Yes, many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord
of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the Lord.
Thus says the Lord of hosts:
«In those days ten men from every language of the nations shall grasp the sleeve of a
Jewish man, saying, "Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with
you."»
----------------------------------------------------
So the 144,000 - the Israel of God in the last days - will teach the great multitude, that is, those who, following this loud cry of the 144,000, will respond to God's call shortly before the return of Jesus.
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The loud cry of the 144,000 will lead the great multitude to salvation:
«Surely you shall call a nation you do not know, and nations who
do not know you shall run to you, because of the Lord your God, and the Holy One of
Israel; for He has glorified you.» (ISAIAH 55:5)
«For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the
Lord will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you. The Gentiles shall come to
your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. Lift up your eyes all around, and
see: they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from afar, and our
daughters shall be nursed at your side. Then you shall see and become radiant, and your
heart shall swell with joy.» (ISAIAH 60:2-5)
«And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldeans' pride, will be as when
God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. (...) For the Lord will have mercy on Jacob, and will
still choose Israel, and settle them in their own land. The strangers will be joined with
them, and they will cling to the house of Jacob.» (ISAIAH 13:19; 14:1)
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Joel 2:28,31,32
And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My
Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream
dreams, your young men shall see visions. (...)
The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the
great and terrible day of the Lord.
And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. For
in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, as the Lord has said, among the
remnant whom the Lord calls.
----------------------------------------------------
Joel's prophecy about the latter rain in the last days also reports this mass response to God's final offer of salvation.
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Jeremiah 50:2,4,5,8
«Declare among the nations, proclaim, and set up a standard;
proclaim, and do not conceal it - say, "Babylon is taken." (...)
In those days and in that time,» says the Lord, «the children of Israel shall come, they
and the children of Judah together; with continual weeping they shall come, and seek the
Lord their God.
They shall ask the way to Zion, with their faces toward it, saying,
"Come and let us join ourselves to the Lord in a perpetual covenant that will not be
forgotten. (...) Move from the midst of Babylon, go out of the land of the
Chaldeans."»
----------------------------------------------------
Seeing all these sincere believers leaving Babylon will be a moving spectacle.
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God will watch over the sincere believers who come out of Babylon:
«Behold, I will raise up against Babylon, against those who
dwell in Leb Kamai, a destroying wind. (...) For Israel is not forsaken, nor Judah, by his
God, the Lord of hosts (...). Flee from the midst of Babylon, and every one save his
life!» (JEREMIAH 51:1,5,6)
«My people, go out of the midst of her! And let everyone deliver himself from the fierce
anger of the Lord. (...) You who have escaped the sword, get away! Do not stand still!
Remember the Lord afar off, and let Jerusalem come to your mind.» (JEREMIAH 51:45,50)
«Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: "Behold, I will punish
the king of Babylon and his land, as I have punished the king of Assyria. But I will bring
back Israel to his habitation. (...) In those days and in that time," says the Lord,
"the iniquity of Israel shall be sought, but there shall be none; and the sins of
Judah, but they shall not be found; for I will pardon those whom I preserve."»
(JEREMIAH 50:18-20)
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Revelation 18:1,2
I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great
authority, and the earth was illuminated with his glory.
And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, «Babylon the great is fallen, is
fallen!»
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Proverbs 4:18
The path of the just is like the shining sun, that shines ever brighter unto the perfect day.
----------------------------------------------------
Let's prepare ourselves to proclaim the final call to salvation.
This loud cry will be a bright light, shining in a world that is plunged into deep
darkness.
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2 Corinthians 6:14,17,18; 7:1
Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. (...)
«Come out from among them and be separate», says the Lord. «Do not touch what is
unclean, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and
daughters», says the Lord Almighty.
Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of
the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
----------------------------------------------------
In our preparation for the loud cry, let's make sure that we are entirely free from Babylon, and let's complete our sanctification in Jesus Christ.
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Let's pray:
Father,
The loud cry is an immense evangelical effort which we will soon have to carry out for
You, in very difficult circumstances.
We plead with You for the gift of the latter rain, so that we may fulfill this crucial
work with courage and power.
In Jesus Christ we pray.
Amen.
The test of Lesson 76 is waiting for you!