The fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah 26:20-21, is not far off here in the year 2007.  This is a study from the Spirit of Prophecy on this subject, so that we can know the “signs” and be prepared for the very last “work” of the Third Angel joined by the Fourth Angel at the soon coming Sunday Law, the time after which we “enter thou into thy chambers.”  First some background!

“The golden altar stood in the first apartment of the sanctuary, i.e., in the same room with the candlestick on which were the seven lamps. Exodus 40:24-26.  The place of God's throne at the time when the book with the seven seals was delivered to Christ, and also when the seven trumpets were given to the seven angels, is the first apartment of the heavenly sanctuary.  But when the seven vials are delivered into the hands of the seven angels who have the duty of pouring them out, the second apartment of the heavenly temple is opened, and they come out from thence to execute the wrath of God upon men.  This opening of the holiest takes place under the seventh trumpet.” The Judgment, J.N. Andrews.

The above quote informs us of the events under the “first apartment” when the  “Seven seals, seven trumpets” were delivered to Christ.  But the “seven vials” or the plagues are delivered from the “second apartment of the heavenly temple.”  This event is after the closing of human probation, which would be after the test of the Sunday Law.  The “time of the end” began on Yom Kippur of 1988, then the Seventh Trumpet began to sound, and will continue until the end of the 1000 years, and final destruction of the wicked after they have been judged by the saints. [ 1Corinthians 6:3.  “Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?”] 

“God the Father is in his own right the supreme Judge of men and of angels.  He proposes to bring all mankind into judgment.  Yet this work is only done in part by himself in person.  It is by Jesus Christ that God is to perform the larger part of his immense work. . .”  Ibid. Daniel 7:9-14.  God the Father sits in Judgment, and  crowns His Son King, and gives him the authority to and commits the judgment to him, in the pouring out of the seven last plagues on the beast at this time without mercy.  Since 1988 the plagues have been pouring out on this planet, but they are mingled with mercy, but after the planet takes the side of Satan, and worships him on his day Sun-day via a world-wide Law, then they will be directed without mercy, on those who reject their Creator. 

“Daniel describes the opening scene of the final judgment.  The Father presides as judge.  The angels of God are present as ministers and witnesses.  At this tribunal the Son of man presents himself to receive the dominion of the world.  Here he is crowned King of kings and Lord of lords.  But men are not present to witness this part of the judgment, or to behold the coronation of Christ.  It is the Father and the Son and the holy angels who compose this grand assembly.  Our Lord cannot act as judge so long as he ministers as high priest to make intercession for them that come to God through him.  Hebrews 7:24,25.  Nor can he act as judge until he is clothed with kingly power; for it is by virtue of his authority as king that he pronounces the decision of the judgment. Matthew 25:34,40.  The coronation of our Lord at the judgment-seat of his Father marks the termination of his priesthood, and invests him with that sovereign authority by which he shall judge the world.” The Judgment, J.N. Andrews.

This describes very well the work of the Father as Judge, also the fact that the Father is in charge of when the ministry of our High Priest is finished, and His work of Judgment begins, which work he completes before the Second Coming which is the last event with Christ as King of kings, LORD of Lords.

“The coronation of Christ at the judgment-seat of the Father is the same event as the standing up of Michael (compare Daniel 7:13,14; 12:1); for Michael is Christ, and his standing up is his beginning to reign.  Michael is the name borne by our Lord as the ruler of the angelic host.  It signifies, “He who is like God.”  This must be our Lord. See Hebrews 1:3.  He is called the archangel.  Jude 9.  This term signifies prince of angels, or chief of the angelic host.  But this is the very office of our divine Lord.  Hebrews 1.  Michael is the great prince that standeth for the children of God.  Also he is called our prince.  See Daniel 10:21; 12:1.  But this can be no other than Christ.  Acts 5:31. 

The standing up of Michael is his assumption of kingly power.  See the use of this term in Daniel 11:2,3,4,7,20,21.  But it is Jesus [The Angel of the Lord], and not an angel, who takes the throne of the kingdom.  Daniel 7:13,14; Psalm 2:6-12.  Our Lord receives his dominion at his Father's judgment-seat.  Daniel 7.  A great time of trouble follows, at which Christ delivers everyone found written in the book.  This is a plain reference to the examination of the books shown in the previous vision.  Compare Dan.12:1; 7:9,10.  This shows that the judgment scene of Daniel 7 relates to the righteous, and that it precedes their final deliverance at the advent of Christ.  The thrones of Dan. 7:9 will be noticed hereafter.”   The Judgement, J.N. Andrews.

It is during this time when Christ assumes Kingly Power, that he draws his protective hand over his people, and they go into their homes and shut the door.  They will be protected during the judgment of the Beast, and all the false religions of the New World Order, led by the Papacy in the gathering together of all the world’s religions for the last great battle.  The world’s religions are represented by this graph.

“How to Prepare for Future Protection.--When tempted to sin, let us remember that Jesus is pleading for us in the heavenly sanctuary. When we put away our sins and come to Him in faith, He takes our names on His lips, and presents them to His Father, saying, “I have graven them upon the palms of my hands; I know them by name.” And the command goes forth to the angels to protect them. Then in the day of fierce trial He will say, “Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast.” What are the chambers in which they are to hide?-- They are the protection of Christ and holy angels. The people of God are not at this time all in one place. They are in different companies, and in all parts of the earth; and they will be tried singly, not in groups. Every one must stand the test for himself (RH Nov. 19, 1908).”  {4BC 1143.6}

When this time of the shut door is past and they are then gathered together into places prepared for them by the Angels, where protection and food will be provided during the destruction of the wicked.  “And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.” Mark 13:27.  Then the fulfillment of Revelation 11:18.  “. . . and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.” This will be the time of worldwide nuclear war, during which our Lord Jesus will send his angels, and again provide protection of his people during the last plague.

“The Last Act in the Drama.--The substitution of the false for the true is the last act in the drama. When this substitution becomes universal, God will reveal Himself. When the laws of men are exalted above the laws of God, when the powers of this earth try to force men to keep the first day of the week, know that the time has come for God to work. He will arise in His majesty, and will shake terribly the earth. He will come out of His place to punish the inhabitants of the world for their iniquity (RH April 23, 1901).  {7BC 980.10}. . .Says the psalmist: “In the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion: in the secret of His tabernacle shall He hide me.”  Psalm 27:5. 

“He shall dwell on high: his place of defense shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure.”  Isaiah 33:16. 

“Never since man was created had there been witnessed such a manifestation of divine power as when the law was proclaimed from Sinai. "The earth shook, the heavens also dropped at the presence of God: even Sinai itself was moved at the presence of God, the God of Israel." Psalm 68:8.  Amid the most terrific convulsions of nature the voice of God, like a trumpet, was heard from the cloud. The mountain was shaken from base to summit, and the hosts of Israel, pale and trembling with terror, lay upon their faces upon the earth. He whose voice then shook the earth has declared, "Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven." Hebrews 12:26. Says the Scripture, "The Lord shall roar from on high, and utter His voice from His holy habitation;" "and the heavens and the earth shall shake." Jeremiah 25:30; Joel 3:16. In that great coming day, the heaven itself shall depart "as a scroll when it is rolled together." Revelation 6:14. And every mountain and island shall be moved out of its place. "The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again.” Isaiah 24:20. p. 340, Para. 1, [PP].

“God keeps a reckoning with the nations. Not a sparrow falls to the ground without His notice. Those who work evil toward their fellow men, saying, How doth God know? will one day be called upon to meet long-deferred vengeance. In this age a more than common contempt is shown to God. Men have reached a point in insolence and disobedience which shows that their cup of iniquity is almost full. Many have well-nigh passed the boundary of mercy. Soon God will show that He is indeed the living God. He will say to the angels, “No longer combat Satan in his efforts to destroy. Let him work out his malignity upon the children of disobedience; for the cup of their iniquity is full. They have advanced from one degree of wickedness to another, adding daily to their lawlessness. I will no longer interfere to prevent the destroyer from doing his work.” [RH 09-17-01 para. 8] p. 427, Para. 3, [1901MS].  (Note: Already it is seen that the angels are no longer preventing the destroyer from his work of destruction here in 2007, and will continue until Jesus Comes.)

Never did this message apply with greater force than it applies today.  More and more the world is setting at nought the claims of God. Men have become bold in transgression. The wickedness of the inhabitants of the world has almost filled up the measure of their iniquity. This earth has almost reached the place where God will permit the destroyer to work his will upon it. The substitution of the laws of men for the law of God, the exaltation, by merely human authority, of Sunday in place of the Bible Sabbath, is the last act in the drama. When this substitution becomes universal, God will reveal Himself. He will arise in His majesty to shake terribly the earth. He will come out of His place to punish the inhabitants of the world for their iniquity, and the earth shall disclose her blood and shall no more cover her slain. p. 141, Para. 1, [7T]. 

“The eye of God, looking down the ages, was fixed upon the crisis which his people are to meet, when earthly powers shall be arrayed against them. Like the captive exile, they will be in fear of death by starvation or by violence. But the Holy One who divided the Red Sea before Israel, will manifest his mighty power and turn their captivity. "They shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him." Malachi 3:17. If the blood of Christ's faithful witnesses were shed at this time, it would not, like the blood of the martyrs, be as seed sown to yield a harvest for God. Their fidelity would not be a testimony to convince others of the truth; for the obdurate heart has beaten back the waves of mercy until they return no more. If the righteous were now left to fall a prey to their enemies it would be a triumph for the prince of darkness. Says the psalmist, “In the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion; in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me.” Psalms 27:5.  Christ has spoken: “Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee; hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. For, behold, the Lord cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity.”  Isaiah 26:20, 21.  Glorious will be the deliverance of those who have patiently waited for his coming, and whose names are written in the book of life.”  Great Controversy,  p. 634.

“In the presence of the assembled inhabitants of earth and Heaven the final coronation of the Son of God takes place. And now, invested with supreme majesty and power, the King of kings pronounces sentence upon the rebels against his government, and executes justice upon those who have transgressed his law and oppressed his people. Says the prophet of God: "I saw a great white throne, and Him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.”  Revelation 2 0:11, 12. p. 666, The Great Controversy. 

Some of the end time events have happened different than we thought in the past, and as we now watch the plagues falling and see the Mark of the Beast waiting to be fulfilled.  It is time to rethink the end time events, and put them in their proper order.  We have run some events all together, which now we need to separate as they are fulfilling over a longer time period.  Each event having its own time period, and then some running separately but sharing time.

The prophecy of the Shut Door is one that may have duel application, as it can be applied to two separate events as we get closer to the Second Coming.  God’s people at the end will walk through the events, as stated in Psalms 91:7:  “A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.”   The Saints will be protected, but during part of the Shut Door, they will be in their homes and have the protection of Mighty Angels.

The promotion of the Sunday Law and the enforcement of a One World Government with its Religion, will end up with the death decree on all who refuse to go along with the masses.  At this same time Satan will come claiming to be The Cosmic Christ, after which he will tell the people that he changed the laws.  He will pronounce a death decree against those who keep the Ten Commandments.

When Jesus died on the cross and a spear was thrust into his side, there is now evidence that His  blood actually ran down the crack caused by the earthquake that took place when Jesus died.  It ran down that crack and right onto the Mercy Seat of the Ark of the Covenant, placed there some 600 years previously by the Prophet Jeremiah.  The Blood ratified the covenant (the Ten Commandments), which were in the Ark.  At some point during the Sunday Law Decree, these facts will be brought to the world’s attention, and the Four Angels who are guarding the Ark will choose who bring forth the Tables of Stone for the world to see.  Many self-appointed and deluded people have already been laid in a early grave, trying to presumptuously to get the Ark and its contents.

At the very end Judgment will be passed on those who worship the Sun-god on his day, and Jesus Christ, Sun of Righteousness will come to save His people.