Participants:
Series Code: RST
Program Code: RST000016S
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00:01 [intense music]
00:14 Welcome to our last session this afternoon. 00:18 Tomorrow, we have five, and on Sabbath we have 00:22 three. So, we'll be struggling to try and 00:27 finish what we really need to finish. The 00:29 next several sessions- at least this one, plus 00:33 two more tomorrow-we are going to be dealing 00:36 with Revelation chapter 10, and right now with 00:41 the little book of Daniel chapter 12 and verse 4. 00:44 So, let's go to page 221. 221. Let's take 00:52 a look at the little book of Daniel 12:4. 00:59 Are you there? [Yes!] Raise your hand if you're 01:02 there. All right; everybody's there. A review of the 01:07 chiastic structure of Daniel 1 through 7 01:12 reveals that the book of Daniel actually contains 01:16 two books in one. The first book embraces 01:22 Daniel 1 through 7, and the second book embraces 01:27 Daniel chapter 8 through 12. Now, if you go to the 01:31 next page, you have an illustration of how Daniel 01:37 1-7 is a book in itself. I illustrate it with a 01:43 candelabrum. You notice at the very top of the 01:47 candelabrum, you have Daniel 1-the introduction. 01:52 That is the introduction to the entire book of Daniel. 01:56 Then you'll notice that on the same branch below 01:59 that, you have Daniel 2 on one side and Daniel 02:02 7 on the other side. The reason they're on 02:04 the same branch is because their theme is the same. 02:09 In Daniel chapter 2, you have four metals. 02:13 In Daniel 7, you have four beasts. Chain prophecies- 02:17 that's why they're on the same branch of the 02:20 candelabrum. Then Daniel 3 and Daniel 6 are also 02:24 closely related, because both of them deal with 02:28 stories that are very similar. In Daniel chapter 02:31 3, you have three young men that are thrown 02:34 into a fiery furnace because they refuse 02:37 to practice false worship. In Daniel chapter 6, 02:41 you have Daniel thrown into a lion's den, because 02:45 he insisted on worshiping his God according to the 02:48 dictates of his conscience. And then Daniel 4 and 02:52 5, you have a common theme, as well, because 02:56 in Daniel 4 you have the fall of Nebuchadnezzar 03:01 for being arrogant (the king of Babylon). In 03:04 Daniel chapter 5, you have the definitive fall 03:08 of Belshazzar for his arrogance. So do you 03:12 see the structure of the first half of Daniel, 03:15 or the first book in Daniel? It's self-contained. 03:19 Now, the first book, then - just reviewing 03:22 here at the bottom of page 222 - you have in 03:26 Daniel 7 a sequence of powers. We're gonna go 03:29 now to Daniel chapter 7. These powers lead 03:35 to the moment when the judgment begins. So, 03:38 let's review. We're not gonna do this in 03:40 detail. The lion represents what? Babylon. The bear, 03:44 the Medes and Persians; the leopard, Greece; 03:47 the dragon beast, Rome; the ten horns, the divisions 03:51 of Rome; the little horn, the papacy. Rules how 03:55 long? 1,260 years. When does that period of rule 03:59 end? In 1798...and then you have something that 04:03 very seldom is addressed in evangelism, and that 04:09 is that after the deadly wound, or after the papacy 04:14 ends its period of dominion, what do you have in Daniel 04:18 7? You have the judgment. And we're gonna notice 04:24 that the judgment has three stages. In other words, 04:27 the book of Daniel presents the judgment 04:31 in three stages, just our trails in the United 04:34 States today. First of all, you have the investigation 04:38 of the evidence. Secondly, based on the evidence, 04:42 you have the verdict. And in the third place, 04:46 you have the giving of the reward or the 04:49 execution of the verdict that was uttered based 04:52 on the investigation. Are you following me or 04:54 not? [Yes.] Is that the way our system of 04:57 jurisprudence works in the United States? Yes. 05:00 You have a trial, then based on the trial you 05:02 have a verdict, and then the verdict is implemented. 05:07 So, let's notice the note at the top of pg. 05:12 223. The sequence of powers indicates that 05:16 the judgment would begin sometime after when? 05:20 1798. Why? Well, because the little horn ruled till 05:24 1798, and the next point is the judgment, 05:27 so it has to be after 1798, because you have 05:29 a chain of events here. So, the sequence of powers 05:35 indicates that the judgment would begin sometime 05:37 after 1798 and would conclude with Christ 05:41 receiving the kingdom from His Father. Correct? 05:44 [Yes.] No one before October 23, 1844 understood 05:49 that the judgment would occur in three stages. 05:53 Investigative in heaven, verdict in heaven, and 05:58 the reward on earth. Before October 23, 1844, 06:02 no one understood that, because that was going 06:05 to be understood when? When the little book was 06:08 opened in the time of the end. Now, Daniel 06:12 chapter 7 runs in four cycles. The first cycle 06:17 is verses 9 and 10. The second cycle is verses 06:22 17 and 18. The third cycle is Daniel 7:21 06:28 and 22, and the [fourth] cycle is Daniel 7:25-27. 06:36 Now, let's pursue these four repetitive cycles 06:40 in Daniel chapter 7. We'll begin at verse 9. 06:45 The little horn has just done its work, and the 06:50 next event is in verse 9. [reads text on-screen] 06:59 Who was the "Ancient of Days"? [God.] Where does He live? 07:03 So where is this taking place? In heaven. [continues reading] 07:09 By the way, that means that before He was seated, 07:13 He was not seated there. [continues reading] 07:35 Who are those? Where do the angels live? 07:39 So where is this taking place? Where is the judgment 07:41 seating and the books opening? In heaven. 07:47 Then it says... [continues reading] 07:51 What are the books open for? To examine the evidence - 07:56 to do an investigation - an investigative judgment. 07:59 Now, let's go to verses 13 and 14. This is a 08:04 continuation of this scene. [reads text on-screen] 08:10 Who is that? [Jesus.] Jesus. [continues reading] 08:15 What are the clouds of heaven? [The angels.] 08:17 The angels, so where is this taking place? [Heaven.] 08:20 In heaven. And he came to where? The Ancient 08:24 of Days, where? In heaven! [finishes off verse] 08:30 Who brought whom before whom? The angels, the 08:35 clouds, brought the Son of Man before the Father 08:40 who had seated to begin the judgment. Now, why 08:44 does Jesus go there? Verse 14. "Then to Him," 08:49 to whom? [Jesus.] To Jesus, "was given," 08:53 by whom? By the Father. [continues reading verse] 09:02 What did Jesus go to the Father for? To receive what? To receive 09:06 dominion, glory, and the kingdom. He goes in to receive 09:08 the kingdom. It continues saying... [continues reading] 09:26 Where does the investigation take place? [In heaven.] 09:30 Where does Jesus receive the kingdom? [In heaven.] 09:32 In heaven. Correct? [Yes!] He goes to the Ancient 09:37 of Days to receive what? The kingdom. So, the 09:40 investigation takes place up there, and He receives 09:43 the kingdom up there. The sentence to receive 09:46 the kingdom is up there. Now, let's go to verses 09:50 17 and 18. Now comes the interpretation. The 09:57 vision in Daniel 7 is from verses 1 through 14. Then 10:00 come three cycles that add explanations. Daniel 10:04 wants to know what these beasts represent and what 10:09 the kingdom is all about. So in verse 17, the angel 10:14 comes back and says to Him, "Those great beasts, 10:16 which are four, are four kings," or kingdoms, "which 10:20 arise out of the earth. But the saints of the 10:25 Most High shall receive," what? "The kingdom and 10:29 possess the kingdom." Let me ask you: Is the 10:32 possessing of the kingdom when the verdict is actually 10:34 implemented and the saints actually receive the kingdom? 10:38 Absolutely. So, a short explanation is given here 10:44 of the four beasts - not in a lot of detail. The 10:47 angel simply says, "The four beasts are four 10:49 kings," or kingdoms, and after that, he 10:52 says, "The saints of the Most High will receive 10:54 the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, 10:57 even forever and ever." Short explanation. Daniel 11:01 isn't satisfied. He says, "I need to know more." 11:05 [chuckles] "Especially about the fourth beast 11:08 and the judgment scene." And so in verse 21, we 11:12 find these words: "I was watching, and the 11:15 same horn"... See, he's going back to talk about 11:18 the little horn period, now. What period of history 11:21 is this? From what date to what date? 538 - 1798. 11:26 Which trumpet? Fourth trumpet. So it says, "I 11:30 watching as the same horn was making war 11:32 against the saints and prevailing against them," 11:36 until when? "Until the Ancient of Days came." 11:42 Came to where? To the Father! Right? This is 11:48 amplifying what we find before. "Until the Ancient 11:51 of Days came, and judgment was made," what? "In favor 11:57 of the saints of the Most High." Where was the 11:59 judgment in favor of the saints given? On earth 12:03 or in heaven? In heaven! "Until the Ancient of 12:06 Days came and a judgment was made in favor of the 12:10 saints of the Most High." So, let me ask you, is 12:15 that the verdict? Of course it is! A judgment 12:22 was made in favor of the saints of the Most 12:25 High. Where is the verdict given? In heaven. But 12:30 when is the verdict implemented? Let's 12:32 continue reading. "And the time came for the 12:36 saints to possess the kingdom." Is that the 12:40 implementation of the verdict? [Yes.] Do you 12:42 see the three stages? Investigation, verdict, 12:45 implementation of the verdict. So it says, 12:50 "And the time came for the saints to possess the 12:52 kingdom." Daniel still wants to know more. 12:55 [chuckles] So in verse 25, God- once again, 12:58 the angel once again goes back to talk about 13:01 the little horn. Verse 25. See? Even Daniel runs 13:04 in cycles (circles). [laughter] "The little horn shall 13:09 speak pompous words against the Most High, 13:12 shall persecute the saints of the Most High, 13:15 shall intend to change times and law; then the 13:17 saints shall be given into his hand for a time 13:20 and times and half a time." But then what's 13:24 gonna happen? "But the court shall be seated," 13:28 where? We already noticed that that's in heaven. 13:34 And what happens? The court is seated, and what 13:37 is gonna happen? "And they shall take away his 13:41 dominion." Where? In heaven! "To consume 13:46 and destroy it forever. Then the kingdom and 13:49 the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole 13:51 heaven shall be given to the people, the saints 13:55 of the Most High." So who receives the kingdom 13:58 first? [Jesus.] Jesus. Who receives the kingdom, 14:02 then, as an implementation of the verdict? The saints 14:06 with Jesus! So it says in verse 27, "Then the 14:09 kingdom and dominion and the greatness of the 14:12 kingdoms under the whole heaven shall be given 14:14 to the people, the saints of the Most High. His 14:18 kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions 14:23 shall serve and obey Him." That is, Jesus. Are you 14:27 catching the picture? [Yes.] This could not be understood 14:31 until October 23, 1844. The Millerites did not 14:37 understand it. That's why they were greatly 14:40 disappointed. Now, what does it mean for Jesus 14:45 to receive the kingdom from His Father? What 14:48 is His kingdom? His kingdom are His people. 14:52 How does He determine who are His people? 14:55 Well, He has to examine the cases of all who 14:58 professed His name to see if they really are 15:01 subjects of the kingdom! And when all of the cases 15:04 are examined and it's shown who is truly a 15:07 member of His kingdom, then probation closes 15:10 and Jesus comes to give the kingdom to His people. 15:14 Are you following me or not? [Yes.] Now, 15:17 let's read this statement from Ellen White. Very 15:19 clear. Bottom of page 224. "Every case had been 15:25 decided for life or death. While Jesus had been 15:29 ministering in the sanctuary"-the what 15:32 judgment? I put in brackets, but we know it's-"the 15:34 investigative judgment had been going on for," 15:38 whom? "For the righteous dead," beginning with 15:40 whom? With what person? Adam. Right. "And then 15:46 for the...righteous living." This is at the end of 15:48 time - the sealing of the 144,000. "Christ had 15:52 received His," what? "His kingdom, having 15:56 made the atonement for His people and blotted out 15:58 their sins. The subjects of the kingdom were made 16:02 up." So what is the kingdom? The subjects 16:05 of the kingdom were made up. The marriage of the 16:09 Lamb was consummated, because when probation 16:11 closes, Jesus marries the totality of His people. 16:14 Read the material on the marriage; we're not gonna 16:16 be able to get there in this class at the 16:18 end of these study notes, because you'll understand 16:22 that each individual who receives Jesus truly 16:28 and is truly a child of God is invited to the 16:31 wedding, but the corporate totality is the bride. 16:37 So, the bride of Jesus at the end of time is 16:41 all of the redeemed- His kingdom-but the 16:44 individuals are invited to the wedding. It's 16:48 a strange way of thinking, but that's the way that 16:50 it is. And if you read the material, it'll become 16:52 very, very clear. She continues. By the way, 16:55 taking the kingdom and marrying His kingdom is 16:58 the same thing - two different ways of saying 17:00 the same thing. So, it says, "The subjects of 17:02 the kingdom were made up, the marriage of the 17:04 Lamb was consummated, and the kingdom and the 17:07 greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven 17:10 was given to," whom? To Jesus. And to whom 17:13 else? The heirs of salvation. Is that what 17:17 Daniel 7 said, that the kingdom is given to Jesus 17:19 and then to the heirs? Yes! And Jesus was to 17:23 reign as King of kings and Lord of lords. Let 17:28 me give you an illustration of what happens during 17:30 the investigative judgment. I want you to imagine 17:35 the time when the case of John Huss appears 17:40 before the heavenly court. We don't know when that 17:43 was. It's in chronological order according to when 17:46 a person lived. So, let me ask you: Was the 17:52 judgment against John Huss a travesty in justice? 17:56 [Yes.] Yes! Was he innocent? Yes! And 18:01 yet, the innocent died, and those who were guilty 18:06 lived. How much justice is there in that? There's 18:10 no justice at all. Does God have to rectify that? 18:14 A just God has to rectify that. So, when the case- 18:18 the earthly court pronounced of wrong judgment against 18:21 Huss and killed him. The little horn prevailed. 18:25 It went well for him. The righteous die, and 18:28 the unrighteous live. So in the judgment in 18:31 heaven, God says, "John Huss, present yourself 18:35 before my judgment seat." I'm dramatizing for effect. 18:38 [laughter] And so, an angel brings John Huss' 18:41 DVD - the record of his life! And the record 18:45 of his life is examined. The heavenly jury is 18:50 aghast. The heavenly jury says, "Now, wait 18:52 a minute. Something is wrong here! John Huss 18:56 gave his life to Jesus! He was faithful, and yet 18:59 a wrong judgment was given on earth! We 19:02 need to rectify this." And so, a judgment is 19:06 proclaimed in favor of John Huss. Let me ask 19:09 you: What is the focus here? Is the focus in 19:12 Daniel 7 upon the little horn, the persecutions 19:15 of the little horn? Or is it focused on rectifying 19:20 the earthly judgments, what the little horn did, 19:23 so that God's people can eventually be saved 19:26 in the kingdom? You know, it's a wrong 19:28 question to say, "Is the center of Daniel 19:30 7 the little horn or the sanctuary receiving 19:33 the kingdom?" Because in order for the saints 19:35 that were trampled by the little horn to receive 19:37 the kingdom, it's necessary for the heavenly court 19:40 to rectify the situation! Is this making sense? 19:44 This is a fundamental Seventh-day Adventist 19:46 doctrine. Now, let's go to page 225. The 19:52 second book of the book of Daniel. The second book 19:57 in the book is Daniel 8 through 12. Is Daniel 20:04 7 a book self-contained? Yes! It has everything 20:11 in a chiastic order, but the second book is 20:15 the book that is mentioned in Daniel 12:4. What does 20:19 it say? "But you, Daniel, shut up the words and 20:24 seal the book until," when? "The time of 20:28 the end." Was the book gonna be sealed forever? 20:30 No. The book would be sealed in the times of 20:33 Daniel, and it would be opened when? 20:35 In the time of the end. "Many shall run to and 20:38 fro." When will they run to and fro? In the 20:42 time of the end. "And knowledge shall increase," 20:45 which means that there's gonna be airplanes and 20:47 automobiles and locomotives and nuclear weapons and 20:52 electric toothbrushes. That's not what it's 20:56 saying! Knowledge of what will increase? 20:59 Knowledge of what's in the little book, because 21:02 the little book has been opened! That's 21:05 much more powerful in evangelism when we show 21:07 people that that's exactly what happened, leading up 21:10 to 1844. People were interested in Daniel 8-12. 21:14 The second book in Daniel was closed and sealed 21:17 in the days of the prophet, around 538 B.C., to be 21:22 opened in the time of the end, 1798. This 21:26 verse has nothing to do with the increase of 21:28 science and technology. When God removes the 21:31 seal from the book at the end of time, the 21:34 people will run to and fro, seeking an increased 21:38 knowledge of the contents of the book. This is the 21:42 way that Ellen White invariably understood 21:45 the expression, "Knowledge shall be increased." She 21:47 never refers to that as an increase of technology. 21:52 You know, Amos 8:11 and 12 uses the same idiom. 21:57 Notice Amos 8:11 and 12. "Behold, the days 22:01 are coming," says the Lord, "that I will send 22:03 a famine on the land. Not a famine of 22:05 bread nor a thirst for water, but of hearing 22:08 the words of the Lord. They shall wander from 22:10 sea to sea and from north to east; they shall run 22:13 to and fro." That's the exact expression. Well, 22:17 "Many will run to and fro," that we find in 22:19 Daniel 12:4. But what are people running to 22:22 find? "Many shall"- they say, "They shall run to 22:25 and fro, seeking," what? "The word of the Lord, 22:30 but shall not find it." So the portion-listen 22:34 carefully-the portion of Daniel that was sealed 22:36 is not the total book. It is Daniel 8-12-and 22:44 not even all of Daniel 8-12-the portion that 22:47 has to do with the 2,300 days and the beginning 22:51 of the investigative judgment in 1844. 22:54 That was sealed and could not then be 22:56 understood until the day after. Now, you 23:01 say, "Where do you get that from?" What proof 23:03 do we have of that? Well, let's examine 23:06 five proofs. The Bible says, "And the voice 23:09 of one or two or three witnesses." So let's 23:12 give five, just in case. [laughter] The book of 23:15 Daniel contains two different languages. 23:19 Chapter 1 is the introduction to the entire book. It is 23:22 in Hebrew, but chapters 2-7 are in Aramaic, and 23:29 chapters 8-12 are in Hebrew. Does that 23:32 seem to mark a distinction between the first half 23:35 of the book and the second half of the book? The change 23:38 in language? Absolutely. That's one evidence that 23:41 you're dealing with two books within a book. 23:45 Reason #2: There is clear evidence that most 23:50 of Daniel 1-7 with the exception of the judgment 23:55 scene in Daniel 7 was understood long before 24:00 the time of the end. The Church Father 24:04 Hippolytus, who wrote in the 3rd century A.D., 24:08 understood the sequence of powers in Daniel 7. 24:11 So was Daniel 7 in its totality sealed until 24:14 the time of the end? No, Hippolytus in the 24:16 3rd century understood it just like Adventists! 24:18 Let's read it. "In speaking of a lioness from the sea, 24:22 Daniel meant the rising of the kingdom of Babylon 24:25 and that this was the golden head of the image. 24:28 Then after the lioness, he sees a second beast, 24:30 like a bear, which signified the Persians; 24:33 for after the Babylonians, the Persians obtained 24:35 the power. And in saying that it had three ribs 24:38 in its mouth, he pointed to three nations: Persians, 24:41 Medes, and Babylonians, which were expressed in 24:43 the image by the silver after the gold. Then 24:46 comes a third beast, a leopard, which means 24:48 the Greeks, for after the Persians, Alexander 24:51 of Macedon had the power when Darius was overthrown, 24:54 which was also indicated by the brass in the image. 24:58 And in saying that the beast had four wings 25:00 of a fowl and four heads, he showed most clearly 25:03 how the kingdom of Alexander was parted 25:05 in four divisions." Are we doing well? [Yes.] 25:08 [laughs] Sounds like an Adventist, doesn't he? 25:12 "For in speaking of four heads, he meant the four 25:14 kings that arose out of it, for Alexander, when 25:17 dying, divided his kingdom into four parts." And 25:21 then it continues saying, "Then he says the fourth 25:23 beast was dreadful and terrible. It had iron 25:26 teeth and claws of brass. Who, then, are meant by 25:30 this but the Romans, whose kingdom, the 25:34 kingdom that still stands, is expressed by the iron, 25:38 for says he, 'Its legs are of iron'?" Did he 25:41 understand the four beasts of Daniel chapter 25:43 7? So was that sealed to the time of the end? 25:47 No. Ah, but you say, "Did he understand about 25:50 the little horn and the ten horns?" Well, 25:55 we have another quotation by him. It's at the bottom of 25:59 page 226. "Let us look at what is before us more 26:03 carefully and scan it, as it were, with open 26:06 eye. The golden head of the image is identical 26:09 with the lioness by which the Babylonians 26:11 were represented. The golden shoulders and 26:14 arms of silver are the same with the bear 26:16 by which the Persians and Medes are meant. 26:18 The belly and thighs of brass are the 26:20 leopard by which the Greeks who ruled from 26:22 Alexander onwards are intended. The legs of 26:25 iron are the dreadful and terrible beast by 26:28 which the Romans who hold the empire now are 26:31 meant. The toes of clay and iron are the ten 26:34 horns which are to be," because that hadn't 26:36 happened yet. "The one other little horn, springing 26:40 up in their midst, is the anti-Christ." 26:45 [laughs] Now, there's one thing that Hippolytus 26:49 did not understand. What is that that he 26:52 did not understand? Let's finish reading 26:55 the statement. "The stone that smites the 26:57 image and breaks it in pieces and that 27:00 filled the whole earth is Christ who comes 27:03 from heaven and brings judgment on the world." 27:09 Is that correct? So Jesus comes to this 27:13 earth to judge? [No.] No! Did he understand 27:17 that there was gonna be a heavenly judgment 27:19 before Jesus came in judgment to this world? 27:23 Absolutely! So he understood everything in Daniel 7 27:25 except the judgment in heaven. Now, the 27:31 evidence from these quotations indicates that 27:35 Hippolytus understood everything about Daniel 27:38 7, except one vitally important detail - 27:42 the investigative pre-advent judgment 27:45 in heaven before the Second Coming. According 27:48 to the understanding of Hippolytus, the judgment 27:51 would take place when Jesus comes from heaven 27:54 to earth to judge the world and establish His 27:57 everlasting kingdom. Is that what the Millerites 27:59 believed before October 22? Absolutely! However, 28:05 as we have already noted, in the investigative judgment, 28:09 the verdict takes place where? In heaven, before 28:14 Jesus returns to the earth. We should note 28:19 that people could understand some portions of Daniel 28:23 that found their fulfillment before the time of the 28:25 end. For example, could people understand the 28:29 historical sections of Daniel 1-6 before the 28:32 time of the end? Could they understand the 28:34 arrival of Daniel and his friends in Babylon 28:38 and so on in chapter 1? Could they understand 28:41 to a great degree what's in Daniel 2? Could he understand 28:43 the three young men that were thrown into the 28:45 fiery furnace? Could they understand the 28:49 case of Nebuchadnezzar going insane for seven 28:52 years? Could they understand the fall of Babylon and 28:56 Belshazzar? Could they understand Daniel thrown 28:58 in the lion's den? Yes! And the majority of Daniel 29:01 chapter 7, with the exception of the 29:03 investigative judgment in heaven. Incidentally, 29:08 parts of Daniel 8-12 could also be understood. 29:12 Could people understand the 70 weeks before 29:17 October 22, 1844? Yes! Many people understood 29:20 the 70 weeks, because that had already been 29:22 fulfilled in Christ. Could people understand 29:26 the ram and the he-goat of Daniel chapter 8? 29:30 Sure! You don't need to be a rocket scientist; 29:32 it says that the ram represents the Medes 29:35 and Persians and that the he-goat represents 29:37 Greece, and that the noble horn is the first 29:42 king, and the four horns represent the divisions 29:45 of the kingdom of that first king! So, that could 29:48 be understood. You know, there was once a debate 29:51 between two individuals: the Church Father by 29:54 the name of Tertullian and a pagan philosopher 29:57 called Porphyry. Porphyry said to Tertullian, he 30:01 said, "Listen, Daniel chapter 11 could not 30:04 have been written in the 6th century by 30:07 Daniel. It had to be written in the intertestamental 30:10 period right before the coming of Christ, 30:13 because the details about the history of 30:15 Rome and Greece is so precise that nobody 30:18 could've predicted it beforehand. [laughs] 30:21 So, very clearly- could the first portions of 30:25 Daniel 11 be understood? Absolutely they could 30:28 be understood! But there was one thing that could 30:30 not be understood, and that is that there would 30:33 be an investigative judgment in heaven 30:36 before the coming of Jesus for Jesus to 30:39 examine the cases of those who professed 30:41 His name to establish His kingdom, the members 30:44 of His kingdom, and then He would give 30:46 the kingdom to His people. So, reason 30:51 #2 why the entire book of Daniel was not sealed 30:54 is because many portions of Daniel could be understood 30:57 before the time of the end! The first reason is 30:59 that Daniel is in two languages, which indicates 31:02 that the book is divided into two parts. There's 31:05 a third reason...Ellen White. [laughs] How 31:10 did she know that the book that was sealed 31:11 is only a part of Daniel? Many scholars say, "Well, 31:15 it's Daniel." No, no, she didn't make that 31:17 mistake. Let's read some quotations here. 31:20 They're on page 228. I'm gonna read just 31:23 a few of these statements, because time flies by. 31:27 In the revelation, all the books of the Bible 31:29 meet an end. Here is the complement of the 31:32 book of Daniel. One is a prophecy, the other 31:35 a revelation. The book that was sealed is not 31:39 the revelation, but that portion. What is a portion? 31:45 A part! But that portion of the prophecy of Daniel 31:49 relating to what? To the last days. The 31:53 angel commanded, "But thou, O Daniel, shut up 31:56 the words and sealed the book even to the 31:58 time of the end." So what is it that is sealed? 32:02 A portion of the book, having to do with what? 32:06 With the last days. Notice the next statement. 32:10 Great Controversy, [pg.] 355. The message of 32:13 salvation has been preached in all ages. But this 32:17 message, she's referring to the first angel's 32:19 message, "The hour of His judgment is come." 32:21 But this message is a part of the gospel which 32:24 could be proclaimed only in the last days. Why 32:29 could the first angel's message only be preached 32:32 in the last days? Because before that, the hour 32:35 of His judgment had not come. "For only then 32:39 would it be true that the hour of judgment 32:42 had come." The prophecies present a succession 32:46 of events. This is Daniel 7, right? Lion, 32:49 bear, leopard, dragon, ten horns, little horn- 32:53 that's a succession that she's talking about. The 32:55 prophecies present a succession of events 32:57 leading down to the opening of the judgment. 33:00 Is that Daniel 7? Is the opening of the judgment 33:02 the final stage? Yes. This is especially true 33:07 of the book of Daniel. Now here comes the 33:09 key portion. "However, that part of his prophecy 33:13 that related to the last days, that," what? "Part, 33:20 Daniel was bidden to close up and seal till 33:23 the time of the end." Is all of Daniel sealed 33:26 to the time of the end? No! She says- she wrote, 33:31 "Not till we reach this time could a message 33:34 concerning the judgment be proclaimed based on 33:37 the fulfillment of these prophecies. However, 'at 33:40 the time of the end,' says the prophet, 'many 33:43 shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall 33:46 be,'" what? "'increased.'" Now, let's skip the next 33:49 quotation and go to the one from Manuscript 33:51 Releases. This is very interesting. "The unsealing 33:56 of the little book"- what is the little book? 33:58 The book that was what? Sealed until the time 34:01 of the end. The unsealing of the little book was 34:04 the message in relation to time. Which time? 34:10 The 2,300-day prophecy. So what is the part 34:13 that is sealed? That which has to do with 34:17 the 2,300-day prophecy! So she explicitly says 34:21 the unsealing of the little book was the 34:23 message in relation to time. Now, let's read 34:27 the last statement. I hate to pass it up. 34:30 Time flies by so fast, but this is just a 34:34 powerful statement. "Honored by man with 34:36 the responsibilities of state and with the 34:38 secrets of kingdoms, bearing universal sway, 34:41 Daniel was honored by God as His ambassador 34:45 and was given many revelations of the mysteries 34:47 of ages to come. His wonderful prophecies 34:50 as recorded by him in chapters 7 to 12 of the 34:54 book bearing his name were not fully understood, 34:58 even by the prophet himself. But before 35:01 his life labors closed, he was given the blessed 35:05 assurance that at the end of the days in the 35:08 closing period of this world's history, he would 35:11 again be permitted to stand in his lot and 35:14 place." By the way, this is not in person, 35:16 but through the unsealing of the book that he wrote. 35:20 "It was not given him to understand all that 35:22 God had revealed of the divine purpose. 35:25 'Shut up the words and seal the book,' he was 35:28 directed, concerning his prophetic writings. 35:30 These were to be sealed, even to the time of the 35:33 end. 'Go thy way, Daniel,' the angel once more directed 35:37 the faithful messenger of Jehovah, 'for the words 35:39 are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. 35:43 Go thou thy way till the end be, for thou 35:46 shalt rest and stand in thy lot at the end 35:50 of the days.'" So what is the aspect that was 35:53 not understood, particularly by Daniel? It was the 35:57 event that had to do with time - the prophecy 36:01 of the 2,300 days. So, are you understanding 36:04 Reason #3? Now let's go to Reason #4. The 36:09 internal evidence of Daniel 8-12 proves 36:15 beyond any doubt that these chapters compose 36:18 the little book sealed until the time of the 36:21 end. In other words, when you examine the 36:22 chapters themselves, you discover this. These 36:26 chapters have a central theme that bonds them 36:30 together. The 2,300 days and the beginning 36:34 date for the heavenly investigative judgment. 36:36 That's a central theme of Daniel 8-12. Let us 36:40 consider the content of these chapters 36:42 one-by-one to see how they relate to the 2,300 36:46 days and the heavenly judgment. So, we'll go 36:49 quickly. Daniel 8. You should have this memorized! 36:52 Because it was the Sabbath school lesson 36:54 last Sabbath. [laughter] The vision in this chapter 36:57 describes the historical chain of events that 37:01 precede the beginning of the investigative 37:03 judgment. What do we have first in Daniel 8? 37:06 A ram with two horns. What does that represent? 37:09 Medo-Persia. Then you have a he-goat. What 37:12 kingdom? Greece. Then you have a notable horn 37:15 on the head of the he-goat. What is that? 37:18 It is the first king, Alexander the Great. 37:21 Then four horns come out of the head of the 37:23 scapegoat after the great horn is broken. 37:26 That is the four divisions of what? Of the Grecian 37:28 Empire. Then you have a little horn that first 37:31 extends how? Geographically, horizontally, and then morphs 37:37 into a system that challenges the God of 37:41 heaven, tramples the saints, and messes with 37:45 the sanctuary. And then, when Daniel 8 ends, 37:50 the vision itself ends with two heavenly 37:53 messengers speaking. One heavenly messenger 37:56 asks, "Until when will this vision be?" The 38:00 totality of the vision. And what is the answer 38:03 of the other? Until 2,300 days, the sanctuary 38:10 shall be what? Shall be cleansed. Now, I 38:14 want you to notice something very important 38:16 here. The vision covers what? The question is, 38:22 until when is the vision? The vision covers from 38:25 Medo-Persia to what? To the cleansing of the 38:29 sanctuary, right? Now remember that, because 38:32 we're gonna come back to that. The vision- 38:34 "Until when, the vision". It's the same word 'vision' 38:37 that is used early in the chapter to describe 38:40 Medo-Persia, Greece, the first king, the four 38:42 kings, the little horn geographically, and 38:45 the little horn vertically. So, this covers the 38:48 entire vision that has been given in Daniel 38:53 chapter 8. And then, the interesting thing 38:56 is that Gabriel comes, and he tries to explain 39:02 to Daniel, particularly the time element of 39:07 this prophecy. And what happens with Daniel? 39:12 He just can't get e- the chapter ends by 39:15 saying, "I didn't understand." But do 39:17 you know what he didn't understand? There's two 39:18 words for 'vision' in Daniel 8. Unless you're 39:22 able to go to the Hebrew, you would never know it. 39:27 The first is the word 'châzôn', which describes 39:33 the entire vision from Medo-Persia all the 39:36 way till the cleansing of the sanctuary. The 39:39 second word is 'mar'é', and the word 'mar'é' 39:43 applies only to the 2,300 days of the 39:47 vision. It's specialized in that particular point. 39:51 And at the end of Daniel 8, Daniel doesn't say, 39:54 "I didn't understand the châzôn." Daniel 39:57 says, "I did not understand the mar'é!" "I did not 40:01 understand the 2,300 days." So, in Daniel 8, 40:05 Daniel gets sick, and Gabriel was not able 40:09 to finish the explanation. Did Gabriel give an 40:14 explanation of when the 2,300 days begin in Daniel 40:18 8? No. Did he explain when they end? No! 40:21 He just said 2,300 days. So now, Daniel is confused, 40:26 because God had said that Israel was gonna 40:28 be captive for 70 years, then they would go back 40:30 and they re-established their temple, and they 40:33 would build the walls, they would establish 40:35 their religion. And now, he says, "2,300 40:39 years", [laughs] that means, then, that 40:41 probably, we're so sinful that God has decided 40:45 that He's gonna extend the period from 70 years 40:47 to 2,300 years. So, in Daniel chapter 9, the 40:52 very next chapter, the chapter begins, and 40:55 Daniel is studying the prophecy of the 70 40:57 years. Why is he studying the prophecy of the 70 41:00 years? Well, because he can't make sense of 41:04 70 years verses 2,300 years. And then, after 41:09 he- it says that he's studying the 70 years, 41:12 then the text tells us that Daniel begins the 41:15 prayer. We've sinned. We're wicked. We deserve 41:20 exactly what we got. We broke the covenant. 41:23 But then when he gets to verse 19 in chapter 41:29 9, he says, "Don't delay." That's an important word. 41:36 He's saying to God, "Don't delay." Don't 41:38 delay what? "Don't delay in fulfilling Your prophecy 41:42 of 70 years of captivity!" And then, Gabriel comes 41:46 back at the end of Daniel's prayer, and what does he 41:50 give Daniel? An explanation of what? The 70 weeks, 41:57 from the going forth of the command to restore 42:00 and build Jerusalem. Basically-I'm gonna summarize- 42:03 there's gonna be a period of what? 70 weeks, 42:06 allotted for the Jewish nation, which is 490 42:11 years. The 490 years are the first part of 42:16 which prophecy? The first part of the prophecy 42:20 of the 2,300 days. And it gives us the what? 42:24 The starting point. So is Daniel 9 related to 42:28 the 2,300 days? [Yes.] Yes! Gives us a starting 42:32 point. Does it also give us the ending point? 42:36 Course. If you know the starting point 42:37 and you know it's 2,300 years, you're gonna 42:40 know when it ends! So, the 70 weeks are the 42:44 first part. It gives us a starting point 42:46 for the prophecy that was given in Daniel 42:50 chapter 8. Are you with me so far? Then, in Daniel 42:54 chapter 10, we have an interesting battle. That's 42:57 the lesson for this week. By the way, 43:00 it is a very important chapter. Have you ever 43:05 a sermon in Daniel 10? [laughs] It's not one 43:09 of the chapters that we study, but it is crucially 43:13 important. There's an entire chapter in these 43:15 study notes on Daniel chapter 10, which you 43:18 need to take a look at. But now, I can only 43:20 give you a synthesis of how it's related to 43:23 the 2,300 days. Now let me ask you: In order 43:26 for the 2,300-day prophecy to be fulfilled, was it 43:29 necessary for Israel to go back to their 43:31 land to rebuild the temple? Of course! 43:36 But in order for them to go back to their 43:38 land to rebuild the temple, the Medo-Persian 43:42 king needed to give a what? A decree. So, 43:50 there are two individuals struggling with Cyrus. 43:55 One is called the Prince of Persia, and the other 43:58 one is called Michael. Actually, it's Gabriel 44:01 first, and then Michael. And they're struggling. 44:05 What are they struggling about? They're struggling 44:08 with the mind of Cyrus for Cyrus to give the 44:11 decree for God's people to go back and to rebuild 44:14 the temple, and ? decrees will 44:18 give them permission, also, to establish the 44:19 theocracy so that the prophecy of the 70 44:24 weeks can begin on time. You think Satan was 44:29 able to interpret the prophecy of the 70 44:32 weeks and the 2,300 days? Why do you suppose the 44:35 devil rose up so many counterfeit movements 44:38 around 1844? Marxism! Evolutionism! The Bahá'í, 44:44 the Jehovah's Witnesses, the Mormons, spiritualism... 44:49 You name it! One after another...because the 44:53 devil knew that God was gonna raise up 44:54 a true movement, and he wanted to confuse 44:56 the minds of people. Are you following me 44:59 or not? And so, we find in Daniel chapter 10, 45:04 this battle. Is Daniel 10 related, somehow, 45:07 to the 2,300 days? Of course. The decree has 45:10 to be given so that the 2,300 days can begin 45:13 on time. Let me read this statement from 45:16 Ellen White. It's in your manual here- 45:22 let me see if I can find it. It's on page 45:28 232; it's a little bit later on in what we're 45:33 gonna talk about. It says, "While Satan was 45:35 striving to influence the highest powers in 45:38 the kingdom of Medo-Persia to show disfavor for God's 45:42 people, angels worked in behalf of the exiles. 45:47 The controversy was one in which all heaven 45:49 was interested. Through the prophet Daniel, we 45:53 are given a glimpse of this mighty struggle 45:55 between the forces of good and the forces of 45:57 evil, for three weeks, Gabriel wrestled with 46:01 the powers of darkness, seeking to counteract 46:05 the influences at work on the mind of whom? 46:09 On Cyrus! Do you know that there was opposition 46:13 when they were gonna rebuild the temple? 46:14 Opposition from that point, all the way down 46:17 to the building of the wall! Why? Because 46:21 Satan knew that everything had to be restored in 46:25 order for the 70 weeks to begin and the 2,300 46:28 days to be fulfilled. So, was Gabriel successful 46:32 in fighting against the prince of Persia and 46:35 his hosts? Not by himself, because it says, "And 46:40 before the contest closed, Christ Himself came to 46:44 Gabriel's aid." Did Cyrus give the decree? Yes, 46:49 which would ultimately lead to the decree of 46:51 the 2,300 days. How important is Daniel 46:55 chapter 10? It's crucially important! Does it have 46:59 anything to do with the 2,300-day prophecy? 47:02 Of course it does. Now, unfortunately, our time 47:06 has flown by. So, I'm gonna have to go here 47:13 to Daniel 11, and we'll have to go through 47:16 this very quickly. We've noticed that Daniel 8 47:20 has to do- what is the central theme of Daniel 8? 47:23 The 2,300 days. What is the central theme 47:25 of Daniel 9? The beginning date for the 2,300 days. 47:29 What's the central theme of Daniel 10? 47:32 The struggle for Israel to be re-established so 47:35 that the 2,300 days can begin on time with the 47:37 70 weeks. What about Daniel 11? Do you know 47:41 there's no new vision in Daniel 11? There's 47:44 no new vision; there's just an explanation. 47:47 An explanation of what? Of Daniel 8. Are you 47:53 with me? So now, Gabriel's gonna say, "Okay, Daniel. 47:57 Now I've explained the beginning date and the 47:59 struggle so that the decree could be given. 48:01 Now, I'm gonna take you back to where I 48:03 started Daniel 8, and we're gonna go in the 48:06 course of history; but instead of ending in 1844, 48:08 I'm gonna take you all the way to the close 48:10 of probation and the setting-up of the 48:12 everlasting kingdom." And so, let's notice 48:15 this - are you following me? It's amazing! Let's go 48:20 to page 232. In chapter 11, Gabriel will complete 48:24 the explanation that he suspended in Daniel 8. 48:28 It is important to underline that there 48:29 is no new vision in this chapter, only an explanation. 48:34 What would it be an explanation of? Well, 48:37 it's Daniel 8; it's gonna become very 48:39 clear. This indicates that Daniel 11 is the 48:42 explanation of the vision of Daniel 8, 48:44 because there is no other vision between 48:47 chapter 8 and chapter 11. Gabriel will begin 48:50 the explanation of the vision of Daniel 8 at 48:52 the same starting point. And if you read Daniel 48:55 11, what kingdom does Daniel 11 begin with? 48:59 Persia! What kingdom does it continue with? 49:04 They're given by name- Greece! Does it mention 49:09 the first king in Daniel 11? [Yes.] That's a notable 49:12 horn! Does it then mention the four divisions 49:15 of Alexander's kingdom? Is he starting where 49:19 he started Daniel 8? Absolutely! Then, the 49:23 chapter describes the dominion of pagan Rome 49:27 through verse 30. Then, it describes from verse 49:31 31 through verse 39 papal Rome. Then when 49:39 you get to Daniel 11 verse 40, you have a 49:42 mention of the deadly wound. Remember we 49:45 looked at the King of the South, which represents 49:49 France attacking whom? The King of the North! 49:53 So, is this taking you to 1798 and to the 50:00 French Revolution? Absolutely! But the 50:03 vision takes us well beyond the 1,260 50:06 years of papal oppression to the final persecution 50:10 of God's people when the King of the North's 50:12 wound is healed. Have you noticed in Daniel 50:14 11, after it says that the King of the South 50:16 attacks the King of the North, that suddenly, 50:18 the King of the North overwhelms everything? 50:22 So, is the deadly wound given by the King of 50:27 the South to the King of the North, the last 50:28 end of the story? No, because then the King 50:31 of the North goes out and conquers everything. 50:35 We're on page 233. When the King of the North 50:38 goes out to destroy and annihilate God's 50:41 people and sets up in a strategic point to 50:46 deliver a final death blow, what happens? 50:50 Michael stands up. Do you know what that is? 50:52 That's the end of the judgment that began 50:54 in 1844. It's the close of probation when Jesus 50:58 changes His garments from His High Priestly 51:00 garments to His garments of vengeance. So, does 51:04 Daniel 11 take us far beyond 1844, the beginning 51:09 of the judgment? Yeah. If Daniel hadn't gotten 51:11 sick, probably Gabriel would've given him 51:13 everything. [chuckles]But he got sick, so Gabriel had to 51:16 wait to explain. So, Michael standing up 51:21 represents the close of human probation. 51:23 You say, "How do we know that?" Because 51:25 the same expression, "Stand up," is used in 51:27 verses 2 and 3, and it refers to kings beginning 51:30 to reign. And when will Jesus begin to reign? 51:35 When His kingdom is made up. And when 51:37 will His kingdom be made up? When the 51:40 investigative judgment ends. Now, we continue. 51:45 The vision of Daniel 8 only explained the 51:47 prophetic chain from the kingdom of Persia to the 51:49 beginning of the judgment at the end of the 2,300 51:51 days. The explanation of Daniel 11 begins at 51:57 the same starting point as Daniel 8, but takes 52:01 us beyond the beginning of the judgment at the 52:05 conclusion of the 2,300 days to the close of 52:08 the investigative judgment when Michael 52:11 stands up. After Michael stands up, what's gonna 52:15 happen? Daniel 12:1 says, "Michael will 52:20 stand up. Probation will close." What's 52:24 gonna happen after that? Ohh, it says, "God's 52:27 people will go through," what? "Through the 52:30 worst time of trouble in history." But at 52:33 the moment when it appears like the King 52:35 of the North is going to annihilate them, 52:38 what's gonna happen? At the end of the time 52:41 of trouble, God will what? Deliver His people 52:46 from the wrath of the King of the North, that 52:49 is, all whose names will retain in the book. 52:51 Let's go to Daniel 12:1. This is really interesting. 52:55 Daniel chapter 12 and verse 1 has several 52:59 elements. Daniel 12:1. And let's go, actually, 53:04 to verse 44. It says here when the King 53:11 of the North is overwhelming everything, according 53:13 to the previous verses, "But news from the east 53:16 and the north shall trouble him." So there's 53:19 gonna be news from the east and the north that 53:21 is gonna trouble the King of the North, 53:24 who has overwhelmed everything. What comes 53:26 from the east? The angel that seals comes from the 53:32 rising sun. And the north is where? Up! 53:38 Revelation 18 speaks about an angel that 53:40 He sends from heaven; the whole world is filled 53:42 with His glory. Is that going to really alarm 53:47 the papacy? Absolutely. And what is he gonna 53:50 do as a result? "Therefore, he shall go out with 53:53 great fury to destroy and annihilate many." 53:58 But when he goes out to annihilate many, 54:01 what happens? Verse 1 of chapter 12. "At that 54:03 time, Michael shall stand up." What does 54:07 that mean, "Michael shall stand up"? 54:09 Probation closes. Is that the end of the 54:13 story? No. It says, "The great prince 54:16 who stands watch over the sons of your people," 54:19 and then what comes? "There shall be a time 54:24 of trouble, such as never was since there was a 54:27 nation." So is there a period after the close 54:30 of probation before Jesus comes to give the kingdom 54:34 to His people? Yes. And it says, "At that 54:38 time, your people shall be," what? "Delivered." 54:45 And here's an important detail. "Everyone who is 54:47 found written in the book." How is that 54:52 determined who will be written in the book? 54:55 [chuckles] What determined who would be written 54:59 in the book? The investigative judgment. People say, 55:04 "Well, the investigative judgment, that was Ellen 55:05 White's invention." Was not Ellen White's 55:08 invention; it's all over the Bible. But 55:11 notice that not only does Gabriel take 55:15 Daniel to the close of- the wrath of the 55:17 King of the North of the papacy, setting 55:21 up in a strategic place to deliver a death blow. 55:24 The loud cry of the fourth angel, and the 55:27 sealing, and the close of probation, and the 55:32 time of trouble, and the deliverance of 55:35 God's people-it goes even beyond-and many 55:39 of those who sleep in the dust of the earth 55:41 shall awake. This is what it's called: The 55:43 Special Resurrection. Don't have time to get 55:46 into that. "And many of those who sleep in the 55:49 dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting 55:53 life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt." 55:56 Those who pierced Jesus were resurrected in that 55:58 special resurrection, and those who died 56:01 of the faith of the third angel's message 56:04 will resurrect during that period. It doesn't 56:07 end there, though; it ends with the everlasting 56:09 kingdom. It says, "Those who are wise shall shine 56:16 like the brightness of the firmament and those 56:19 who turn many to righteousness, like 56:23 the stars forever and ever." Are you following 56:30 me? Now, there's a fifth reason: The internal 56:34 evidence shows us that, really, Daniel 8-12 has 56:39 a central theme, right? We notice chapter 8, 56:42 9, 10, 11, and through 12 and verse 3! Now, 56:47 let me ask you this: If Daniel 12:4 says 56:51 that the book is sealed until the time of the 56:53 end, would you expect there to be some place 56:58 in the Bible where it talks about that book 57:01 being opened? [chuckles] And that the book has 57:06 to do with the judgment? And the judgment hour 57:11 message is gonna cause a disappointment? But 57:14 after that, it has to be preached that the temple 57:17 has to be measured- hello!? [laughter] 57:21 Would you expect another place in the Bible to 57:23 describe the moment when the book opens? Do we 57:27 have such a passage in Scripture? Where is it? 57:31 In Revelation chapter 10. Powerful angel 57:35 descends from heaven with an open book in 57:37 his hand, and the entire chapter has to do with 57:43 the judgment. And so, tomorrow in our first 57:48 session, we will study about the opening of the 57:52 little book that was sealed. So as I always 57:55 say, don't miss the next exciting episode! |
Revised 2020-09-18