“And the angel’s flight ‘in the midst of heaven,’ the ‘loud voice’ with which the warning is uttered, and its promulgation to all ‘that dwell on the earth’—’to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people’—give evidence of the rapidity and world-wide extent of the movement.”1

“Hence the movement symbolized by the angel coming down from heaven, lightening the earth with his glory and crying mightily with a strong voice, announcing the sins of Babylon.”2

“The three angels of Revelation 14 represent the people who accept the light of God’s messages and go forth as His agents to sound the warning throughout the length and breadth of the earth.”3

“The angels are represented as flying in the midst of heaven, proclaiming to the world a message of warning, and having a direct bearing upon the people living in the last days of this earth’s history. No one hears the voice of these angels, for they are a symbol to represent the people of God who are working in harmony with the universe of heaven.”4

“The third angel’s message must go over the land, and awaken the people, and call their attention to the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. Another angel unites his voice with the third angel, and the earth is lighted with its glory. The light increases, and it shines out to all the nations of the earth. It is to go forth as a light that burneth. It will be attended with great power, until its golden beams have fallen upon every tongue, every people, and every nation upon the face of the whole earth. Let me ask you, What you are doing to prepare for this work? Are you building for eternity? You must remember that this angel represents the people that have this message to give to the world. Are you among that people? Do you really believe that this work in which we are engaged is truly the third angel’s message? If so, then you understand that we have a mighty work to do, and that we ought to be about it.”5

Where should we join the angel of Revelation 18:1–4? If we read the preceding chapter, Revelation 17, we find there a description of Babylon, and the various forms of its government. In chapter 16, we read about the outpouring of the seven last plagues. That other angel must come before the plagues are poured out. In chapter 15 we read in the first few verses about the saints already on the sea of glass. In chapter 14 verse 14 we read about Jesus’ coming in the clouds of heaven. Therefore, we must connect the coming of the angel of Revelation 18 to the third angel of Revelation 14. The Spirit of Prophecy confirms this, as we can read:

“In the Revelation John says of the heavenly messenger who unites with the third angel: ‘I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. And he cried mightily with a strong voice.’ Revelation 18:1, 2.”6

“I saw another mighty angel commissioned to descend to the earth, to unite his voice with the third angel, and give power and force to his message.”7

That “other angel” of Revelation 18 is NOT the third angel, because he “unites with the third angel,” and unites “his voice with the third angel.” The third angel cannot just unite with himself and still be called “another angel.”

The angel of Revelation 18 comes down from heaven during the proclamation of the third angel’s message, not when it is already closing:

“The prophecies in the eighteenth of Revelation will soon be fulfilled. During the proclamation of the third angel’s message, ‘another angel’ is to ‘come down from heaven, having great power,’ and the earth is to be ‘lightened with his glory.’ ”8

We need to understand clearly that the angel of Revelation 18 does not have a new message. He gives power to the third angel’s message. This is the first work of that other angel. The Spirit of Prophecy tells us:

“Then I saw another mighty angel commissioned to descend to the earth, to unite his voice with the third angel, and give power and force to his message.”9

“The work of this angel comes in at the right time to join in the last great work of the third angel’s message as it swells to a loud cry.”10

Notice carefully that the message swells to a loud cry.

The message of the third angel which should be proclaimed “with a loud voice” by the people who represented the third angel, became “tame and voiceless.” We read:

“So many other interests are brought in that the very message which should be proclaimed with power becomes tame and voiceless. At our camp meetings a mistake has been made. The Sabbath question has been touched upon, but has not been presented as the great test for this time.”11

“As foretold in the eighteenth of Revelation, the third angel’s message is to be proclaimed with great power by those who give the final warning against the beast and his image: (Revelation 18:1-6 is quoted).

“This is the message given by God to be sounded forth in the loud cry of the third angel. . . .

“It is a solemn and terrible truth that many who have been zealous in proclaiming the third angel’s message are now becoming listless and indifferent! The line of demarcation between worldlings and many professed Christians is almost indistinguishable. Many who once were earnest Adventists are conforming to the world—to its practices, its customs, its selfishness. Instead of leading the world to render obedience to God’s law, the church is uniting more and more closely with the world in transgression. Daily the church is becoming converted to the world. How many professing Christians are slaves of mammon! Their indulgence of appetite, their extravagant expenditure of money for selfish gratification, greatly dishonors God.”12

“I am filled with sadness when I think of our condition as a people. The Lord has not closed heaven to us, but our own course of continual backsliding has separated us from God. Pride, covetousness, and love of the world have lived in the heart without fear of banishment or condemnation. Grievous and presumptuous sins have dwelt among us. And yet the general opinion is that the church is flourishing and that peace and spiritual prosperity are in all her borders.

“The church has turned back from following Christ her Leader and is steadily retreating toward Egypt. Yet few are alarmed or astonished at their want of spiritual power. Doubt, and even disbelief of the testimonies of the Spirit of God, is leavening our churches everywhere. Satan would have it thus. Ministers who preach self instead of Christ would have it thus. The testimonies are unread and unappreciated. God has spoken to you. Light has been shining from His word and from the testimonies, and both have been slighted and disregarded. The result is apparent in the lack of purity and devotion and earnest faith among us.”13

“We are as a people in danger of giving the third angel’s message in such an indefinite manner that it does not impress the people. . . . Our message is a life-and-death message, and we must let this message appear as it is—the great power of God. Then the Lord will make it effectual. We are to present it in all its telling force.

“Satan has devised a state of things whereby the proclamation of the third angel’s message shall be bound about. We must beware of his plans and methods. There must be no toning down of the truth, no muffling of the message for this time. The third angel’s message must be strengthened and confirmed. The eighteenth chapter of Revelation reveals the importance of presenting the truth in no measured terms but with boldness and power. . . . There has been too much beating about the bush in the proclamation of the third angel’s message. The message has not been given as clearly and distinctly as it should have been.”14

These conditions mentioned in the Testimonies above required the coming of that other angel to give power to the third angel’s message.

The angel of Revelation 18, which is a movement, and also represent a people, has to do a special work in behalf of God’s people. This is his first work. The work of this angel has two phases: The first phase is to give the message to Laodicea, and prepare a people for the latter rain. The message of Christ Our Righteousness is the message to Laodicea (See Revelation 3:18) where the counsel is given to buy white raiment. This message to Laodicea must be given. Who will give this message, and to whom? We read about this as follows:

“What disposition will these make of the message of the True Witness to the Laodiceans? There can be no deception here. This message must be borne to a lukewarm church by God’s servants. It must arouse His people from their security and dangerous deception in regard to their real standing before God.”15

“God’s servants” mentioned above cannot be the leadership of the lukewarm church. These “God’s servants” are in fact the representatives of that other angel. The Spirit of Prophecy says that the leading men of the lukewarm church need more light to unite with God’s messengers:

“A great work is to be done, and God sees that our leading men have need of more light, that they may unite with the messengers whom He sends to accomplish the work that He designs shall be done.”16

The message to Laodicea must be given to the lukewarm church for a specific purpose:

“I was shown that the testimony to the Laodiceans applies to God’s people at the present time, and the reason it has not accomplished a greater work is because of the hardness of their hearts. But God has given the message time to do its work. The heart must be purified from sins which have so long shut out Jesus. This fearful message will do its work. When it was first presented, it led to close examination of heart. Sins were confessed, and the people of God were stirred everywhere. Nearly all believed that this message would end in the loud cry of the third angel. But as they failed to see the powerful work accomplished in a short time, many lost the effect of the message. I saw that this message would not accomplish its work in a few short months. It is designed to arouse the people of God, to discover to them their backslidings, and to lead to zealous repentance, that they may be favored with the presence of Jesus, and be fitted for the loud cry of the third angel. . . . If the message had been of as short duration as many of us supposed, there would have been no time for them to develop character.”17

The light of the angel of Revelation 18 already began in 1888 at the time of the General Conference held at Minneapolis, in the presentation of the message of Christ Our Righteousness. We read about this in the Spirit of Prophecy:

“The time of test is just upon us, for the loud cry of the third angel has already begun in the revelation of the righteousness of Christ, the sin-pardoning Redeemer. This is the beginning of the light of the angel whose glory shall fill the whole earth.”18

How could the light of the angel of Revelation 18 be present, if the angel had not come? The following year, in 1889, this is what the servant of the Lord has written:

“We thank the Lord with all the heart that we have precious light to present before the people, and we rejoice that we have a message for this time which is present truth. The tidings that Christ is our righteousness has brought relief to many, many souls, and God says to his people, ‘Go forward.’ The message to the Laodicean church is applicable to our condition. How plainly is pictured the position of those who think they have all the truth, who take pride in their knowledge of the word of God, while its sanctifying power has not been felt in their lives. The fervor of the love of God is wanting in their hearts, but it is this very fervor of love that makes God’s people the light of the world. . . .

“In every meeting since the General Conference, souls have eagerly accepted the precious message of the righteousness of Christ. We thank God that there are souls who realize that they are in need of something which they do not possess—gold of faith and love, white raiment of Christ’s righteousness, eyesalve of spiritual discernment. If you possess these precious gifts, the temple of the human soul will not be like a desecrated shrine. Brethren and sisters, I call upon you in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, to work where God works. Now is the day of gracious opportunity and privilege.”19

A few years later, in 1896, it was stated that the light of the angel was already lightening the earth:

“All who are laborers together with God will contend most earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints. They will not be turned from the present message, which is already lightening the earth with its glory.”20

When the message to Laodicea, (the counsel to buy white raiment, which is the righteousness of Christ), was presented to the church in 1888, there was resistence against the message:

“An unwillingness to yield up preconceived opinions, and to accept this truth, lay at the foundation of a large share of the opposition manifested at Minneapolis against the Lord’s message through Brethren [E. J.] Waggoner and [A. T.] Jones. By exciting that opposition Satan succeeded in shutting away from our people, in a great measure, the special power of the Holy Spirit that God longed to impart to them. The enemy prevented them from obtaining that efficiency which might have been theirs in carrying the truth to the world, as the apostles proclaimed it after the day of Pentecost. The light that is to lighten the whole earth with its glory was resisted, and by the action of our own brethren has been in a great degree kept away from the world.”21 (To be concluded in next issue.)