The angel who ascended from the east

Published in Pasugo, May 2001

July 27, 1914 was a truly significant and memorable day. It was a day that changed the course of world history and affected the lives of so many people in more ways than one. It was on this day that World War I broke out in Europe. It was a war like no other before it in terms of the number of countries involved and in the way it was fought by land, air, and sea.

In the religious scene, July 27, 1914 was also a day of historic proportions. It was on this day that the Church of Christ (Iglesia ni Cristo) was registered with the Philippine government through the instrumentality of a man whom the members of this Church recognize as God’s messenger, Brother Felix Y. Manalo

This belief that Brother Felix Y. Manalo is God’s messenger is these last days is one of the fundamental doctrines the Church upholds. It is based on the words of God written in the Bible.

This study will focus mainly on Revelation 7:2-3, one of the passages of the Holy Scriptures that prove the truthfulness and validity of this doctrine. It reads as follows:

“Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God. And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, saying, ‘Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads’.” (New King James Version)

The meaning of the word ‘angel’

There are key words in Revelation 7:2-3 that must be studied closely in order to acquire a clearer understanding of the prophecy in question. The first word that needs clarification is the term “angel.” When some people think of angel, what immediately comes to their mind is the traditionally portrayed figure of a human-looking being with wings on its back and a halo above its head. In truth, the true angels of heaven are spirit in nature and are sometimes sent by God for specific purposes.

However, the word “angel” does not only refer to spiritual beings but also to human beings sent by God. The word “angel” itself comes from the Greek word aggelos which means messenger. Furthermore, Bible scholars attest that angel can refer to a pastor who is a human being:

“Agg’-el-os: … a messenger; … by impl. a pastor: -angel, messenger.” (Strong’s Dictionary of the Greek Testament, p. 7:32)

To say then that there was “another angel” means that there was another messenger. Thus, in the Young’s Literal Translation of the Bible, the opening sentence of the verse reads:

‘And I saw another messenger going up from the rising sun, having a seal of the living God.” (Rev. 7:2, emphasis ours)

What makes us so certain that this messenger is not spirit in nature? As we can note, this angel or messenger bears the seal of the living God and would seal His servants. What does this mean by biblical terms? In the following verse, we can find the answer:

“And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession – to the praise of his glory.” (Eph. 1:13-14, New International Version)

The seal is the Holy Spirit. The sealing function is the preaching of the gospel. Those who are sealed are the ones who believed in the words of truth that were preached.

Thus, the angel or messenger spoken of in Revelation 7:2-3 is not a being that is spirit in nature, but rather a human being who is a preacher of the gospel. The term “angel” then denotes the office or duty of the one sent by God.

Ascending from the east

Aside from the office and the work of this angel or messenger, there are other factors that must be taken into consideration in order for us to identify the fulfillment of the prophecy. Where, for instance, would this messenger come from and preach the gospel? Apostle John wrote that the angel would ascend from the east or, in other translations of the Bible, from the rising of the sun (Revised English Version). This word may puzzle some people since the east is divided into three regions – near, middle, and far east – not to mention the fact that there are many countries situated there.

From the Smith’s Dictionary of the Bible, we can glean that the Greek word for “east” used in Revelation 7:2 was translated into Hebrew as mizrach (p. 637). The use of mizrach as opposed to kedem (which also means “east”) is explained:

“East. The Hebrew term kedem properly means that which is before or in front of a person and was applied to east…on the other hand mizrach is used of the far east.” (p. 154)

The word “east” that is used in Revelation 7:2 refers to the Far East. One of the countries that lie in the Far East, almost at the geographical center to be exact, is the Philippines (Asia and the Philippines, p. 169). Thus, to say that the true messenger of God in these last days came from the Philippines would not go against any biblical doctrine. It is a statement that is, in fact, supported by both biblical and scholarly references.

The time element

In what period of time would this messenger ascend from the Far East to preach the gospel? Revalation 7:1 provides the answer:

“After these things I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree.” (NKJV)

In biblical symbolic terms, wind means war (Jer. 4:11-13, 19) and the four corners mentioned refer to the four directions of the earth, namely, north, east, south, and west (I Chron. 9:24). In other words, there would be a war of global proportions going on at the time the angel or messenger in question would be ascending. What about the four other angels who had the power to bring the wind or war under control? Does history speak of such kind of four leaders?

“The treaty of Versailles. Of all the treaties made at the close of the First World War, that of Versailles was the most significant. It was drafted by the Versailles Conference composed of the delegates from 32 Allied nations. The defeated nations, neutral nations, and Russia were not represented in the Conference. Four of the greatest political leaders of the world at that time – Woodrow Wilson, President of the United States; Lloyd George, Prime Minister of Great Britain; Clemenceau, Premier of France; and Orlando, Premier of Italy – dominated the Versailles Conference. They were known as the ‘Big Four’.” (World History, p. 860)

History indeed attests that there were four leaders who had the power to stop the wind or war that was occurring in the world at that time. As to the fact that in Revelation 7:2-3 there are four angels being spoken of, government leaders are also considered angels inasmuch as they are sent by God, not as preachers of the gospel, but to punish evildoers or criminals (I Pt. 2:13-14).

When did this world war begin? Written records show that this war broke out on July 27, 1914:

“Austria, backed by Germany, swept aside all the efforts of the other powers of Europe to intervene in behalf of peace and declared war upon Servia on the 27th of July [1914].” (The Nations At War: A Current History, p. 8)

It was in this period of time that the messenger would ascend from the Far East.

The prophecy fulfilled

Was this prophecy mentioned in Revelation 7:1-3 fulfilled? Was there someone who fit the prophetic description of the “other angel” who ascended from the Far East when there was a world war and preached the gospel of salvation? Yes, indeed. That person was Brother Felix Y. Manalo.

Brother Felix Y. Manalo began preaching the true gospel or the words of God at Punta, Sta. Ana, Manila in the Philippines, a country in the Far East. On July 27, 1914, the same exact day that World War I broke out, the Iglesia ni Cristo (Church of Christ) was registered with the Philippine government. This was no coincidence. This is, without doubt, the fulfillment of the prophecy written in Revelation 7:2-3.

Almost eighty-seven years later, this Church continues to grow in number and gain new evangelical footholds at a rapid pace. To date, there are congregations established in over 70 countries and territories throughout the world. Included among these congregations are the ones in Rome, Jerusalem, and Athens.

The success of this work Brother Felix Y. Manalo began in this era is a clear indication that he is a true messenger of God. What he accomplished can only be attributed to the help of the Almighty Father. For who would have ever thought that from an obscure town in a poor and underdeveloped country would emerge a man – lowly and uneducated in the eyes of his own countrymen – who would lead the emergence of a Church that is now steadily spreading worldwide? Who could ever foresee that from one man, a multitudes of true believers of different races, cultures, and social standing would soon follow? As Christ had mentioned long ago with regard to His authority to preach God’s words:

“But I have a witness on my behalf which is even greater than the witness that John gave: what I do, that is, the deeds of my Father gave me to do, these speak on my behalf and show that the Father has sent me.” (Jn. 5:36, Today’s English Version)

References

Abbot, Willis John. The Nations At War: A Current History. New York: Doubleday, Page & Company, 1917.

Boak, Arthur E. R., Preston Slosson, and Howard Anderson. World History, vol. 2. Madison, Wisconsi: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1942.

Costa, Horacio dela. Asia and the Philippines. Manila: Solidaridad Publishing House, 1967.

Hackett, H.B., ed. Smith’s Dictionary of the Bible, vol. 1. Michigan: Baker Book House Company, 1981.

Strong, James. Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1980.