Originally published on Friday, April 1, 2011, 8:47 am in German at www.letztercountdown.org

In the first part of the “Shadows of the Sacrifices”, I already unveiled the secret a bit on what the offerings of the festivals really mean, namely a certain “provision” of the Holy Spirit for specific emergency periods. In this second part, we will try to find out what kind of emergency it will be that we can expect in our time.

Let us refresh our memory once again as to what the sacrificial animals themselves meant:

Christ Himself was the originator of the Jewish system of worship, in which, by types and symbols, were shadowed forth spiritual and heavenly things. Many forgot the true significance of these offerings; and the great truth that through Christ alone there is forgiveness of sin, was lost to them. The multiplying of sacrificial offerings, the blood of bulls and goats, could not take away sin. . . .

A lesson was embodied in every sacrifice, impressed in every ceremony, solemnly preached by the priest in his holy office, and inculcated by God Himself--that through the blood of Christ alone is there forgiveness of sins. {AG 155.3–4}

Once again, I warn you not to commit the error of believing that we have to introduce these ancient rites again in our time:

That which was type and symbol to the Jews is reality to us. {COL 317.2}

We learn from the Spirit of Prophecy that the Jewish rites are prophecies:

All the ceremonies of the Jewish law were prophetic, typical of mysteries in the plan of redemption. {6BC 1095.5}

Through the teachings of the sacrificial service, Christ was to be uplifted before all nations, and all who would look to Him should live. Christ was the foundation of the Jewish economy. The whole system of types and symbols was a compacted prophecy of the gospel, a presentation in which were bound up the promises of redemption. {AA 14.1}

Ellen G. White also tells us that the fall festivals must fulfill in our time the same way that the spring festivals were fulfilled in the time of Jesus:

Arguments drawn from the Old Testament types also pointed to the autumn as the time when the event represented by the “cleansing of the sanctuary” must take place. This was made very clear as attention was given to the manner in which the types relating to the first advent of Christ had been fulfilled.

The slaying of the Passover lamb was a shadow of the death of Christ. Says Paul: “Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.” 1 Corinthians 5:7. The sheaf of first fruits, which at the time of the Passover was waved before the Lord, was typical of the resurrection of Christ. Paul says, in speaking of the resurrection of the Lord and of all His people: “Christ the first fruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at His coming.” 1 Corinthians 15:23. Like the wave sheaf, which was the first ripe grain gathered before the harvest, Christ is the first fruits of that immortal harvest of redeemed ones that at the future resurrection shall be gathered into the garner of God.

These types were fulfilled, not only as to the event, but as to the time. On the fourteenth day of the first Jewish month, the very day and month on which for fifteen long centuries the Passover lamb had been slain, Christ, having eaten the Passover with His disciples, instituted that feast which was to commemorate His own death as “the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” That same night He was taken by wicked hands to be crucified and slain. And as the antitype of the wave sheaf our Lord was raised from the dead on the third day, “the first fruits of them that slept,” a sample of all the resurrected just, whose “vile body” shall be changed, and “fashioned like unto His glorious body.” Verse 20; Philippians 3:21.

In like manner the types which relate to the second advent must be fulfilled at the time pointed out in the symbolic service. {GC 399.1–4}

Learning in Spring for Autumn

In order to support the theory that the number of sacrifices for the fall festivals represent a special “provision” of the Holy Spirit for the great time of trouble (also called the time of the plagues), we must first examine what history teaches us. Based on the spring festivals, we can identify some characteristics of an “emergency period” that must be similarly repeated in our time:

1. Jesus did not yet begin His ministry in the heavenly sanctuary - in our time, respectively, He will leave the sanctuary.
2. The Holy Spirit had not yet come - in our time, respectively, the Holy Spirit will be withdrawn (from the world).

In Early Writings at the beginning of the chapter entitled The Sealing, we can read the following:

At the commencement of the holy Sabbath, January 5, 1849, we engaged in prayer with Brother Belden’s family at Rocky Hill, Connecticut, and the Holy Ghost fell upon us. I was taken off in vision to the most holy place, where I saw Jesus still interceding for Israel. On the bottom of His garment was a bell and a pomegranate. Then I saw that Jesus would not leave the most holy place until every case was decided either for salvation or destruction, and that the wrath of God could not come until Jesus had finished His work in the most holy place, laid off His priestly attire, and clothed Himself with the garments of vengeance. Then Jesus will step out from between the Father and man, and God will keep silence no longer, but pour out His wrath on those who have rejected His truth. I saw that the anger of the nations, the wrath of God, and the time to judge the dead were separate and distinct, one following the other, also that Michael had not stood up, and that the time of trouble, such as never was, had not yet commenced. The nations are now getting angry, but when our High Priest has finished His work in the sanctuary, He will stand up, put on the garments of vengeance, and then the seven last plagues will be poured out.

I saw that the four angels would hold the four winds until Jesus’ work was done in the sanctuary, and then will come the seven last plagues. {EW 36.1–2}

The corresponding passage of the Bible is:

And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. (Daniel 12:1)

Please note Revelation 19 also:

And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. (Revelation 19:11-15)

In Orion, the white horse represents the year 2014, after which the plagues will begin to fall. This will happen when the clock will have made an entire round from 1846 to the year of 2014, which lasts from autumn 2014 until autumn 2015. Jesus will then leave the heavenly temple and the time will begin when we have to live before the Father without an Intercessor.

He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. (Revelation 22:11)

We refer to this as the time after the closing of the door of mercy (the close of probation), because from that time forward no one else can be saved except those who were previously sealed.

As Jesus moved out of the most holy place, I heard the tinkling of the bells upon His garment; and as He left, a cloud of darkness covered the inhabitants of the earth. There was then no mediator between guilty man and an offended God. While Jesus had been standing between God and guilty man, a restraint was upon the people; but when He stepped out from between man and the Father, the restraint was removed and Satan had entire control of the finally impenitent. It was impossible for the plagues to be poured out while Jesus officiated in the sanctuary; but as His work there is finished, and His intercession closes, there is nothing to stay the wrath of God, and it breaks with fury upon the shelterless head of the guilty sinner, who has slighted salvation and hated reproof. In that fearful time, after the close of Jesus’ mediation, the saints were living in the sight of a holy God without an intercessor. Every case was decided, every jewel numbered. Jesus tarried a moment in the outer apartment of the heavenly sanctuary, and the sins which had been confessed while He was in the most holy place were placed upon Satan, the originator of sin, who must suffer their punishment.

Then I saw Jesus lay off His priestly attire and clothe Himself with His most kingly robes. Upon His head were many crowns, a crown within a crown. Surrounded by the angelic host, He left heaven. The plagues were falling upon the inhabitants of the earth. Some were denouncing God and cursing Him. Others rushed to the people of God and begged to be taught how they might escape His judgments. But the saints had nothing for them. The last tear for sinners had been shed, the last agonizing prayer offered, the last burden borne, the last warning given. The sweet voice of mercy was no more to invite them. When the saints, and all heaven, were interested for their salvation, they had no interest for themselves. Life and death had been set before them. Many desired life, but made no effort to obtain it. They did not choose life, and now there was no atoning blood to cleanse the guilty, no compassionate Saviour to plead for them, and cry, “Spare, spare the sinner a little longer.” All heaven had united with Jesus, as they heard the fearful words, “It is done. It is finished.” The plan of salvation had been accomplished, but few had chosen to accept it. And as mercy’s sweet voice died away, fear and horror seized the wicked. With terrible distinctness they heard the words, “Too late! too late!” {EW 280.2–281.1}

At that time, the Holy Spirit will have withdrawn completely from the earth:

The Great Time of Trouble Begins After Probation’s Close

When Christ shall cease His work as mediator in man’s behalf, then this time of trouble will begin. Then the case of every soul will have been decided, and there will be no atoning blood to cleanse from sin. When Jesus leaves His position as man’s intercessor before God the solemn announcement is made, “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still” (Rev. 22:11). Then the restraining Spirit of God is withdrawn from the earth.--PP 201 (1890). {LDE 253.1}

When He leaves the sanctuary, darkness covers the inhabitants of the earth. In that fearful time the righteous must live in the sight of a holy God without an intercessor. The restraint which has been upon the wicked is removed, and Satan has entire control of the finally impenitent. God’s long-suffering has ended. The world has rejected His mercy, despised His love, and trampled upon His law. The wicked have passed the boundary of their probation; the Spirit of God, persistently resisted, has been at last withdrawn. Unsheltered by divine grace, they have no protection from the wicked one. Satan will then plunge the inhabitants of the earth into one great, final trouble. As the angels of God cease to hold in check the fierce winds of human passion, all the elements of strife will be let loose. The whole world will be involved in ruin more terrible than that which came upon Jerusalem of old. {GC 614.1}

Hence, during this time the saints have to live without a Mediator in a world without the Holy Spirit. But does that mean that they themselves will no longer have the Holy Spirit? No! Indeed, they will have even been sealed with the Holy Spirit:

Soon we heard the voice of God like many waters, which gave us the day and hour of Jesus’ coming. The living saints, 144,000 in number, knew and understood the voice, while the wicked thought it was thunder and an earthquake. When God spoke the time, He poured upon us the Holy Ghost, and our faces began to light up and shine with the glory of God, as Moses’ did when he came down from Mount Sinai.

The 144,000 were all sealed and perfectly united. On their foreheads was written, God, New Jerusalem, and a glorious star containing Jesus’ new name. {EW 14.1–15.1}

In the article The Power of the Father, I have shown that this is the moment at which the 144,000 will receive the latter rain. Only they get this “portion” of Holy Spirit that makes them wise virgins who have enough oil in their lamps to await the Bridegroom. Now, the last and true midnight cry sounds, “The Bridegroom cometh!” The wedding preparations of the Lamb, which began in 1844, will soon be over and the bride will have been purified to be united with her husband. Now is the moment of the outpouring of the emergency provision of the Holy Spirit for the terrible time of the plagues and the wrath of God! Those who do not understand the voice of God from Orion will stay in darkness, without oil for their lamps.

Just Two Weeks of Plagues?

Because this time will be so horrible, of course some will want to know how long it will last. Perhaps I’ll tell you in a later article what the wrath of God and the seven last plagues really are, because even this can be understood now with the knowledge base from all our studies. It is really so terrible that even I was shocked and had to hold strong to my faith in Jesus as I realized that no one can survive without absolutely supernatural protection. Our God is a consuming fire for those who do not have His seal and this emergency provision of the Holy Spirit.

Some brethren have written me that certain leaders in various countries, including Werner Renz of the German “Hope Channel”, say without any true biblical basis that the time of the plagues will last only 15 or 30 days. These can already be classified as “false teachings” because the Bible gives us clear indications of the actual duration of the plagues. We are given the duration in prophetic time in Chapter 18 of Revelation. Regarding the destruction of the New World Order, with the papacy leading it. It says:

Therefore shall her [Babylon the great] plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her. (Revelation 18:8)

Or what about the description of what will come after the sixth seal?

For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand? (Revelation 6:17)

According to the day-year principle, this gives us a clear indication of the duration of the plagues: one year. But then again, the scoffers come who claim that Ellen G. White said that from 1844 on there would be no more prophetic time. But that was only valid for the period between 1844 until the time of the outpouring of the latter rain and the coming of the fourth angel (see The Power of the Father).

Why do we have this same specification several times in the prophetic books of the Old Testament, where prophetic time was certainly valid?

The burden of Babylon, which Isaiah the son of Amoz did see. ... Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty. ... Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. For the stars of heaven and the constellations [= H3285, same word as for Orion] thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine. (Isaiah 13:1;6;9-10)

Please note that Isaiah mentions Orion here again and that it shall not give its light in the time of plagues! A spiritual hunger is in the land that cannot be satisfied, and no one can be saved anymore.

Or what does Zephaniah say?

That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, ... Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD'S wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land. (Zephaniah 1:15;18)

Moses in the book of Job, Jeremiah in his Lamentations, Ezekiel in Chapters 7 and 22—all those great prophets knew about the day of God’s wrath, and that’s one year according to the valid interpretation principle of one day for a year in regard to these books.

Isaiah even says it in clear text:

For it is the day of the LORD'S vengeance, and the year of recompences for the controversy of Zion. (Isaiah 34:8)

The rejection of any study of time prophecy, which already crosses the border into fanaticism, causes us not to understand and correctly interpret the great and important messages that Jesus has for our time. It allows teachers like Werner Renz to come and lull the church members into a false sense of security. The sister who wrote me said that she wouldn’t have to “prepare” very much for such a little time of plagues of only 15 days. She was a diligent listener of Werner Renz. She believed that “it wouldn’t be so bad and that in any case it would only take two weeks”. Far from it, as our study of the sacrifices of the sanctuary will show. If she could have known then just how God will destroy the earth, she probably would not have apostatized to Sascha Stasch and the lunar Sabbath keepers. These false teachers will soon have to answer to Jesus.

Many of the wicked were greatly enraged as they suffered the effects of the plagues. It was a scene of fearful agony. Parents were bitterly reproaching their children, and children their parents, brothers their sisters, and sisters their brothers. Loud, wailing cries were heard in every direction, “It was you who kept me from receiving the truth which would have saved me from this awful hour.” The people turned upon their ministers with bitter hate and reproached them, saying, “You have not warned us. You told us that all the world was to be converted, and cried, Peace, peace, to quiet every fear that was aroused. You have not told us of this hour; and those who warned us of it you declared to be fanatics and evil men, who would ruin us.” But I saw that the ministers did not escape the wrath of God. Their suffering was tenfold greater than that of their people. - {EW 282.1}

Actually, I think it’s not so bad that the brethren believe that the time of the plagues will be only two weeks. Satan’s trick is somewhere else. As Werner Renz announced his “map of the last days” in Austria in front of this lady’s table, he made it clear that it would not fit into the heresy of Orion and, therefore, the Orion message could not be from God. And there we have the real problem! The little light they have is withdrawn from those who study incorrectly, and then they make even greater errors. It is Satan’s will that we reject the true messages of God, which would sustain us through the great time of trouble, and therefore we would perish.

The report of Esther gives us another hint that the plagues will last one year.

And when Haman saw that Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence, then was Haman full of wrath. And he thought scorn to lay hands on Mordecai alone; for they had shewed him the people of Mordecai: wherefore Haman sought to destroy all the Jews that were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus, even the people of Mordecai. In the first month, that is, the month Nisan, in the twelfth year of king Ahasuerus, they cast Pur, that is, the lot, before Haman from day to day, and from month to month, to the twelfth month, that is, the month Adar. (Esther 3:5-7)

The planned extermination of all Jews by Haman represents a type of the death decree that will be issued against the people of God who keep the Sabbath. The period from the decision to the execution is approximately one year. The lot was cast in the first month and fell to the middle of the twelfth month.

Ellen G. White connects this biblical event with the time of the plagues:

On the day appointed for their destruction, “the Jews gathered themselves together in their cities throughout all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus, to lay hand on such as sought their hurt: and no man could withstand them; for the fear of them fell upon all people.” Angels that excel in strength had been commissioned by God to protect His people while they “stood for their lives.” Esther 9:2, 16.

Mordecai was given the position of honor formerly occupied by Haman. He “was next unto King Ahasuerus, and great among the Jews, and accepted of the multitude of his brethren” (Esther 10:3); and he sought to promote the welfare of Israel. Thus did God bring His chosen people once more into favor at the Medo-Persian court, making possible the carrying out of His purpose to restore them to their own land. But it was not until several years later, in the seventh year of Artaxerxes I, the successor of Xerxes the Great, that any considerable number returned to Jerusalem, under Ezra.

The trying experiences that came to God’s people in the days of Esther were not peculiar to that age alone. The revelator, looking down the ages to the close of time, has declared, “The dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” Revelation 12:17. Some who today are living on the earth will see these words fulfilled. The same spirit that in ages past led men to persecute the true church, will in the future lead to the pursuance of a similar course toward those who maintain their loyalty to God. Even now preparations are being made for this last great conflict.

The decree that will finally go forth against the remnant people of God will be very similar to that issued by Ahasuerus against the Jews. Today the enemies of the true church see in the little company keeping the Sabbath commandment, a Mordecai at the gate. The reverence of God’s people for His law is a constant rebuke to those who have cast off the fear of the Lord and are trampling on His Sabbath.

Satan will arouse indignation against the minority who refuse to accept popular customs and traditions. Men of position and reputation will join with the lawless and the vile to take counsel against the people of God. Wealth, genius, education, will combine to cover them with contempt. Persecuting rulers, ministers, and church members will conspire against them. With voice and pen, by boasts, threats, and ridicule, they will seek to overthrow their faith. By false representations and angry appeals, men will stir up the passions of the people. Not having a “Thus saith the Scriptures” to bring against the advocates of the Bible Sabbath, they will resort to oppressive enactments to supply the lack. To secure popularity and patronage, legislators will yield to the demand for Sunday laws. But those who fear God, cannot accept an institution that violates a precept of the Decalogue. On this battlefield will be fought the last great conflict in the controversy between truth and error. And we are not left in doubt as to the issue. Today, as in the days of Esther and Mordecai, the Lord will vindicate His truth and His people. {PK 602.2–605.3}

The plagues come “in one year” and the death decree will be in place for about 12 months before its execution. But what is the indicated “year” exactly in days? The Jewish year had 12 lunar months, and sometimes 13 if a leap month was necessary. That would be 360 or 390 days. Or is it about a solar year? That would be 365 days.

And how do we calculate Jesus’ seven-day journey to us?

The 144,000 shouted, “Alleluia!” as they recognized their friends who had been torn from them by death, and in the same moment we were changed and caught up together with them to meet the Lord in the air.

We all entered the cloud together, and were seven days ascending to the sea of glass, when Jesus brought the crowns, and with His own right hand placed them on our heads. {EW 16.1–2}

If the journey with Jesus going back to the sea of glass takes seven days, then Jesus’ journey with the angelic hosts to come and get us would also take seven days. Do we have to subtract them from the year or add them? How do we know? That’s not in the Bible, right? And who knows, maybe Werner Renz is right anyway? It’s all a bit vague, isn’t it?

Now we will get the biblical proof that Werner Renz is wrong along with many others who have jumped on that bandwagon. I’m not sure what Walter Veith wanted to say in his new lecture series when he talked about the ship to Rome with the apostle Paul, hinting that the 14 nights of Acts 27:27 are probably very “typical” for this very last time. I had a strange feeling that he spoke about the time of the plagues. He didn’t explain the issue in detail. I just hope he does not succumb to the Renz error, because now we will get the answers to all the previous questions and see exactly how many days the year of plagues will have, and whether the seven days are included or excluded.

The Calculation of the Autumn Provision

The fall feasts began on the first day of the seventh month with the Feast of Trumpets. Here, right at the beginning we have a little problem. We must ask ourselves whether the sacrifices of the new moon feast have to be included or not. That is tricky to answer with our present state of knowledge. Once we see the result it is easy to see that the new moon sacrifices do not count this time, and we will also know from the third part of the Shadow Series (where the result will be confirmed once again).

It can also be concluded from the biblical text, however, and from the logic of the feasts. The new moon sacrifices of the first month did not count either. However, they were not on the very same day as is the case with the Feast of Trumpets. According to the Jewish way of thinking, the beginning of the month had to be detected first and then the feast could begin. Therefore, the sacrifice of the new moon logically took place before the first feast of the autumn festivals. The autumn feasts had not yet begun at the new moon, but only with the first offering for the Feast of Trumpets. That is why in the first part of the “Shadows of Sacrifices” I defined the offerings as considered “in the core time” of the feasts.

Also, the biblical text tells us exactly what was part of the festive sacrifices and what was not. Please re-read everything once more. In the spring festivals, we always found what was excluded from the festival offerings in the instructions:

1. The seven days of the feast of unleavened bread: After this manner ye shall offer daily, throughout the seven days, the meat of the sacrifice made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD: it shall be offered beside the continual burnt offering, and his drink offering. (Numbers 28:24)

2. The Feast of Weeks (Pentecost): Ye shall offer them beside the continual burnt offering, and his meat offering, (they shall be unto you without blemish) and their drink offerings. (Numbers 28:31)

3. For the Passover Feast and the Feast of Waving the Firstfruits, it went without saying that the offerings (the Passover lamb and the sheaf of firstfruits) were valid just for these feasts.

The Bible text explains in detail for the Feast of Trumpets (and for all the following autumn festivals), what offerings belong to the festival and what not. For the Feast of Trumpets, we find the only single text, which excludes the new moon sacrifices explicitly:

Beside the burnt offering of the month, and his meat offering, and the daily burnt offering, and his meat offering, and their drink offerings, according unto their manner, for a sweet savour, a sacrifice made by fire unto the LORD. (Numbers 29:6)

The new moon festival within the waiting time for Pentecost, however, fell within the “core period of the spring feasts” and was not excluded by the biblical text and must be counted.

The following charts list of all the festive offerings for the autumn feasts beginning at the Feast of Trumpets, which symbolizes Miller’s midnight cry:

It was followed by the highest holiday of the year, Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, which symbolizes the heavenly judgment day, that plays a special role in our Adventist history. Since the second angel joined the first angel, we know that it began on October 22, 1844. Unfortunately, it is beyond the knowledge of most Adventists that this Judgement Day will now soon come to an end:

The seven days of the Feast of Tabernacles followed. Their meaning, I have described in the first part of the “Shadows of the Sacrifices”: our wandering in the wilderness for 120 years from 1890 to 2010. Suddenly, there is a very high count of bullocks and lambs:

Please note that at each festival day the number of bullocks decreases by one animal, while the numbers of rams and lambs remain constant:

In the seven days of the Feast of Tabernacles, we find a very nice harmony. We find something like a divine countdown. Beginning with 13 bullocks, the number of bullocks decreases at each festival day by one, until the number of perfection is reached: 7. Ellen G. White puts it like this:

Peter, carrying out, as he supposed, the teaching of Christ, thought to extend it to seven, the number signifying perfection. But Christ taught that we are never to become weary of forgiving. Not “Until seven times,” He said, “but, Until seventy times seven.” {COL 243.1}

At the same moment, the total count of sacrificed animals decreases from 30 to 24. 24 is the number of the two covenants that God made with humanity. The 12 tribes of ancient Israel and the 12 tribes of the spiritual Israel, from which the 144,000 will be the remnant (see Revelation 7:4-8).

Isn’t this another reference to the basic formula of God’s Orion clock, “7 times 24”? Could it be that God always wants to point to a specific cleansing phase of His church with 7 periods of 24 years? Is it possible that we overlooked something in Orion, or that there is still something extra in the festival types that we have not discovered yet because the Orion clock doesn’t display time periods of 24 years?

With the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles, “Shemini Atzeret”, the autumn feasts terminate, and we find again the same numbers as before at the Feast of Trumpets and the Day of Atonement:

What is left for us to do, is to sum up all the offerings of the autumn festivals, as we have already done for the spring festivals:

And we get 372 servings of 1/10 ephah of fine flour. With this amount, we could bake 372 provision loaves mingled with “Holy Spirit”. If we would divide this sum as before by a daily ration of 3 bread loaves, we would receive 372 ÷ 3 = 124. Therefore, the “year of the plagues” would just take a little more than 4 months? Can that be right?

Of course not! Again, we have forgotten something crucial.

Let us remember the table of daily rations from the first part of the Shadows of the Sacrifices:

The rations consisted of the sacrifice for the people (2/10 daily) and the sacrifice for the priests (1/10 daily). And that was quite right to apply at the time of the apostles when Jesus had just risen, because the probation for the Jewish people had not yet been closed. The prophecy of the seventy weeks told us that the Messiah would be killed in the middle of the seventieth week:

And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: ... And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease... (Daniel 9:26-27)

It is Adventist common knowledge that the grace period for the Jewish people went on for 3 ½ years, until the Jews also stoned Stephen in AD 34. Therefore, the sum of the daily sacrifice for the people and the priests was the measure of the daily emergency ration of the spring festivals, as the type for the waiting time to Pentecost and the early rain.

But what about the time of the plagues at the end of history? Here—as previously illustrated—probation has already closed. The door to redemption of mankind has shut. Only a small group of God’s “priests”, the 144,000, will survive through this time, sustained by the grace of God and equipped with a priestly emergency supply of the Holy Spirit:

Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel. (Exodus 19:5-6)

As soon as the cleansing of the sanctuary will be completed, God will have a purified people, which is regarded as a priestly people. Only they will be sealed, only for them is this specific portion of the Holy Spirit, and only in them can live the Comforter, because only they will have been pure vessels for the reception of the third Person of the Divine Council. The symbol of the daily ration for this very special people of the 144,000 at the end of history is the 1/10 portion of an ephah, or one loaf of bread per day, 1/20 in the morning, 1/20 in the evening. They do not need more to survive this terrible time, because they will have already achieved a certain level of sanctification.

The formula for the calculation of the total duration for which there is sufficient emergency supply, is therefore:

372 loaves ÷ 1 loaf per day = 372 days

And now it has become very easy to answer our previous questions.

1. How long will the year of the plagues last exactly? Answer: For one solar year according to “And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.” (Genesis 1:14-16)  A solar year lasts an average of 365 days. And this corresponds exactly to the day (for a year) after the last three seals, as indicated by the Orion.

2. If we subtract this year from our total rations of 372 loaves of bread, we come to 372 days - 365 days = 7 days. Before the plagues begin to fall, the door of mercy will be shut according to the model of Noah and his ark, 7 days before the rain starts. Even for those 7 days of waiting for the plagues, the 144,000 will still have enough provision or enough Holy Spirit to also bridge this time of test after probation for the whole mankind will have closed.

Therefore, the sealed 144,000 will have a total stock of 372 units of bread for the year of the plagues. The total duration as specified in the Bible will be ... 365 days after the last three seals, beginning in autumn of 2015, plus seven days for the prophetic waiting days of Noah.

God is perfect and so are His mathematics, and the types that He has given us. And it makes a big difference whether we study these things with or without the Holy Spirit. Before 2010, these wonderful insights were hidden from our eyes, and it is excusable for every Adventist teacher if he was previously in error. Whoever continues to stubbornly refuse these harmonious studies now, however, simply because he does not want to admit that he was wrong, will then receive the tenfold wrath of God justly, for he also seduces others to have doubts and they come to fall because of him.

The Breath of God

As I had briefly indicated in the first part, we still face a specific problem that we should solve now at the end of this second and last part of the “shadows of the sacrifices”. Jesus abolished all the sacrifices with His death on the cross. They were only shadows, types, and prophecies, of course, but still, the logic and the typology should correspond perfectly. Jesus is always exact in all He did and said, and everything is in perfect harmony.

So how was it possible that the apostles would receive their portion of the Holy Spirit that would enable them to persevere until the coming of the Comforter while all the sacrifices had been abolished already on the first day of the spring festivals, the Passover day? The blood of the sacrifices was not valid anymore. And Jesus had not started His service in the heavenly sanctuary. For 1500 years, the sacrifices had pointed to a particular portion of the Holy Spirit that would be needed in AD 31, and right in that year AD 31, the sacrifices were invalidated and the intercessory service had not begun before Pentecost. There had to be something else! But what?

We have read what happens when the Holy Spirit is absent. Despair reigns. And that is exactly what happened to the apostles while Jesus lay in the grave.

Jesus had several times attempted to open the future to His disciples, but they had not cared to think about what He said. Because of this His death had come to them as a surprise; and afterward, as they reviewed the past and saw the result of their unbelief, they were filled with sorrow. When Christ was crucified, they did not believe that He would rise. He had stated plainly that He was to rise on the third day, but they were perplexed to know what He meant. This lack of comprehension left them at the time of His death in utter hopelessness. They were bitterly disappointed. Their faith did not penetrate beyond the shadow that Satan had cast athwart their horizon. All seemed vague and mysterious to them. If they had believed the Saviour’s words, how much sorrow they might have been spared!

Crushed by despondency, grief, and despair , the disciples met together in the upper chamber, and closed and fastened the doors, fearing that the fate of their beloved Teacher might be theirs. It was here that the Saviour, after His resurrection, appeared to them. {AA 25.2–26.1}

If the Comforter is absent, confusion, lack of understanding, and utter hopelessness comes in. Everything seems vague and mysterious. Sorrow, despair, pain, and fear hinder spiritual growth.

The opposite is the case when the Holy Spirit dwells in us. He guides us into all truth, gives clarity, relieves the pain, takes away fear by faith and does not allow us to drown in sorrow, pain, and despair.

This portion was missing to the disciples until the day when Jesus resurrected. But was it just the presence of Jesus, which liberated them from this state of hopelessness? No, there was something else. We must read the biblical account very carefully when we search for the replacement of the emergency ration for the waiting time until the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. In John’s Gospel, we’ll find it. When the Lord had resurrected, He appeared to the disciples in the upper room:

Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. ... Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: (John 20:19,21-22)

Many have never understood the exact meaning of this scene. If the Lord would send the Holy Spirit as the Comforter in 50 more days anyway, why did He breathe on the apostles at His resurrection, and gave them the Holy Ghost? But now, after our study of the emergency rations, this all lies clearly in front of our eyes. It was this lack of supply for the waiting time that Jesus breathed onto the apostles. In the nearly two days since the crucifixion, they had suffered terribly. They hadn’t obtained their “emergency ration”. It was therefore an urgent action on the part of Jesus to breathe His Spirit on them. This was not the Person of the “Holy Spirit” that was to be poured out at Pentecost, as He could not even come until Jesus had begun His service in the heavenly sanctuary, but it was a strengthening by the spirit of Jesus Himself. The anti-Trinitarians in our ranks mix all this up, and there is great confusion among them.

For forty days, Jesus was still together with His disciples, teaching them:

During these days that Christ spent with His disciples, they gained a new experience. As they heard their beloved Master explaining the Scriptures in the light of all that had happened, their faith in Him was fully established. They reached the place where they could say, “I know whom I have believed.” 2 Timothy 1:12. They began to realize the nature and extent of their work, to see that they were to proclaim to the world the truths entrusted to them. The events of Christ’s life, His death and resurrection, the prophecies pointing to these events, the mysteries of the plan of salvation, the power of Jesus for the remission of sins--to all these things they had been witnesses, and they were to make them known to the world. They were to proclaim the gospel of peace and salvation through repentance and the power of the Saviour. {AA 27.1}

These forty days are representative of the time when we will receive our rations of “Holy Spirit” and Jesus prepares us for the loud cry. This time is NOW. It has started in spring 2010 and will end with the announcement of the Sunday laws. Then, anyone who will not have been taught and strengthened by Jesus and the wonderful messages directly from His throne will irrevocably not have received the “refreshment by the presence of God”.

And our Lord left something else for us, so we would be able to know that this moment has come right now. Copying the verses of the scene of the first appearance of Jesus in the Upper Room, I have left out a verse on purpose, in order to present it to you a little later. This sentence shows us exactly where we are in the time flow of prophecy and the types of the shadow sacrifices. Many of you will rejoice when the Holy Spirit makes you understand this teaching, as you will learn that you really have to follow the Lamb wherever he goes, if you want to be among the 144,000 (Revelation 14:4).

It was not the first thing Jesus did when He breathed on the disciples and gave them the refreshment of His spirit. Something happened before that. At His appearance, Jesus wished them peace and then He identified Himself with a special gesture:

Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord. (John 20:19-20)

First of all, before Jesus breathed His spirit on them, He showed the disciples His wounds. Only then were they finally “glad, when they saw their Lord” and had recognized Him, that it was really Him talking to them. Jesus would provide them with His spirit before that. Only those who recognize Jesus by His wounds, will receive the refreshment before the time of tribulation, which will allow them to stand all the tests without despair, confusion, and hopelessness.

And all who read the Orion study and know slides 169 to 178, know from where our Lord Jesus shows us His wounds right at this moment and tells us: “Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. Receive ye the Holy Ghost.”

Do you recognize His voice? Do you know where it comes from?

Soon we heard the voice of God like many waters, which gave us the day and hour of Jesus’ coming. The living saints, 144,000 in number, knew and understood the voice, while the wicked thought it was thunder and an earthquake. When God spoke the time, He poured upon us the Holy Ghost, and our faces began to light up and shine with the glory of God, as Moses’ did when he came down from Mount Sinai. {EW 14.1}

Do your faces light up when you read this, and does the desire burn in you to give this good news of the imminent coming of our Lord to others, that they may also receive their survival rations?

Or do you stand with Thomas, who was a different case?

Many who are given to doubt excuse themselves by saying that if they had the evidence which Thomas had from his companions, they would believe. They do not realize that they have not only that evidence, but much more. Many who, like Thomas, wait for all cause of doubt to be removed, will never realize their desire. They gradually become confirmed in unbelief. Those who educate themselves to look on the dark side, and murmur and complain, know not what they do. They are sowing the seeds of doubt, and they will have a harvest of doubt to reap. At a time when faith and confidence are most essential, many will thus find themselves powerless to hope and believe. {DA 807.5}

The latter rain has been falling since spring 2010. Did you receive it in faith, and did you follow Jesus into the most holy place in the heavenly sanctuary, from which He shows His wounds to all the world, so no one will have an excuse, especially not the Adventists who should have recognized the voice of their Lord coming from Orion?

This is the end of the preparatory studies for probably the last part of these studies. It will once again confirm everything that Orion has shown and even more, because time is running out. The heavenly sanctuary is reflected in His earthly counterpart. The voice of Jesus also sounds from there! But who will listen, so that His true sacrifice, to which all the shadow sacrifices have always pointed, was not in vain?