Bible Study Guides

Bible Study Guides – The Message of the Sanctuary and Its Cleansing

by

September 4, 2004 – September 10, 2004

Memory Verse

“And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward [is] with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.” Revelation 22:12.

Suggested Reading: The Great Controversy, 49–56; 428–434.

Introduction

“As a people, we should be earnest students of prophecy; we should not rest until we become intelligent in regard to the subject of the sanctuary, which is brought out in the visions of Daniel and John. This subject sheds great light on our present position and work, and gives us unmistakable proof that God has led us in our past experience. It explains our disappointment in 1844, showing us that the sanctuary to be cleansed was not the earth, as we had supposed, but that Christ then entered into the most holy apartment of the heavenly sanctuary, and is there performing the closing work of His priestly office.” Evangelism, 222, 223.

1 In the year that Babylon fell, what appeared to Daniel? Daniel 8:1, 2.

note: “Shortly before the fall of Babylon, when Daniel was meditating on these prophecies and seeking God for an understanding of the times, a series of visions was given him concerning the rise and fall of kingdoms. With the first vision, as recorded in the seventh chapter of the book of Daniel, an interpretation was given; yet not all was made clear to the prophet. ‘My cogitations much troubled me,’ he wrote of his experience at the time, ‘and my countenance changed in me: but I kept the matter in my heart.’ Daniel 7:28.

“Through another vision further light was thrown upon the events of the future.” Prophets and Kings, 553, 554.

2 What do the ram and the he-goat symbolize? Daniel 8:3–8, 20, 21.

note: “The angel . . . identifies this symbol [ram] as representing the kings of Media and Persia. . . .

“[The goat is] identified as representing Greece, . . . that is, the Macedonian Empire of Alexander.” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 4, 840.

3 In what form was the Grecian Empire to exist for a time? Daniel 8:8, 22.

note: “Prophecy predicted that Alexander would fall while his empire was at the height of its power. At the age of 32, still in the prime of life, the great leader died of a fever aggravated, no doubt, by his own intemperance.” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 4, 840.

“Alexander left no heir capable of ruling the kingdom, and in less than twenty years of strife, his four leading generals succeeded in dividing the empire among themselves.

“Ptolemy had Egypt to the south; Seleucus took Syria and the eastern division; Lysimachus had Asia Minor and territory to the north; while Cassander had Greece or the western division. These four had not the power of Alexander.” Stephen N. Haskell, Story of Daniel the Prophet (1904), TEACH Services, Inc., Brushton, New York, 1995, 109.

4 What power was represented by the other horn of Daniel 8:9, 23, 24?

note: “In the division under consideration, the prophet sees a little horn coming forth from one of these divisions. Here is brought to his view the power symbolized by the fourth beast of Daniel seven. In his first vision the fourth beast was so terrible and had such a strange appearance that Daniel asked for a clearer explanation of its work. . . . The little horn is not named, but its work as a kingdom is still further portrayed. One feels when reading both the vision and the interpretation that he is coming into the presence of a power greater and more terrible than any which had hitherto existed. The accumulated force of the evil of past ages is concentrated in this rising power, which waxed exceeding great. It is in truth the masterpiece from Satan’s workshop.” Haskell, op. cit.

“ ‘The interpretation already given to this vision shows plainly that the power represented by the little horn is the successor of Medo-Persia and Grecia. In the vision of the seventh chapter of Daniel, which is closely related to this vision, the fourth beast represented the fourth kingdom, or Rome, in its entirety, special attention, however, being given to the “little horn” phase of its history. As shown by the work attributed to it, this little horn, which arose among the ten kingdoms into which Rome was divided, was to be a religio-political power, which was to change the times and law of God, and persecute the people of God. In the vision of the eighth chapter, the ecclesiastical features of this fourth world power are especially noticed and emphasized, and hence the only symbol there used to represent it is the “little horn” which waxed “exceeding great.” . . . The little horn of the eighth chapter represents Rome, both pagan and papal, in its ecclesiastical aspect, with its union of paganism, and later of apostate Christianity, with the secular power; with its antichristian persecutions of the saints of God; with its perversion of the priesthood of Christ; and with its assertion of both temporal and spiritual power over all the world. It is evident . . . that the emphasis is to be placed upon the fulfillment of the prophecy in the work of papal Rome. A careful comparison of Daniel 7:21, 25, with Daniel 8:10–12, R.V., and 11 Thessalonians 2:3, 4, will amply justify this conclusion.’ Bible Readings, edition of 1916, page 227.” Sabbath School Lesson Quarterly, Pacific Press Publishing Association, Mountain View, California, April 1918, 27.

5 What could this power do to God’s faithful people? Daniel 8:10, 24.

note: “The Scriptural ordinance of the Lord’s Supper had been supplanted by the idolatrous sacrifice of the mass. Papal priests pretended, by their senseless mummery, to convert the simple bread and wine into the actual ‘body and blood of Christ.’—Cardinal Wiseman, The Real Presence of the Body and Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Blessed Eucharist, Proved From Scripture, lecture 8, sec. 3, par. 26. With blasphemous presumption, they openly claimed the power of creating God, the Creator of all things. Christians were required, on pain of death, to avow their faith in this horrible, Heaven-insulting heresy. Multitudes who refused were given to the flames. . . . In their secret councils, Satan and his angels controlled the minds of evil men, while unseen in the midst stood an angel of God, taking the fearful record of their iniquitous decrees, and writing the history of deeds too horrible to appear to human eyes. ‘Babylon the great’ was ‘drunken with the blood of the saints.’ The mangled forms of millions of martyrs cried to God for vengeance upon that apostate power.” The Great Controversy, 59, 60.

6 What would this power do to Christ and His heavenly sanctuary service? Daniel 8:11. Compare Revelation 13:6.

note: “Rome first deprived the Jews of the right to worship, grinding that nation beneath the heel of oppression. Then Christ came, when the oppression was the most severe, that Rome might see God in human flesh. He came to identify himself with that downtrodden people, and to show to men that God is always with the oppressed and enslaved. He came to illustrate the workings of the Spirit in the human heart, and to prove that it is possible to have a heaven within, although outward circumstances are to the contrary.

“But Rome crucified him whom Heaven sent.” Haskell, op. cit., 111.

7 To what time would this power be allowed to continue to desecrate the Holy Place? Daniel 8:13, 14.

note: “As Jesus died on Calvary, He cried, ‘It is finished,’ and the veil of the temple was rent in twain, from the top to the bottom. This was to show that the services of the earthly sanctuary were forever finished, and that God would no more meet with the priests in their earthly temple, to accept their sacrifices. The blood of Jesus was then shed, which was to be offered by Himself in the heavenly sanctuary. As the priest entered the most holy once a year to cleanse the earthly sanctuary, so Jesus entered the most holy of the heavenly, at the end of the 2300 days of Daniel 8, in 1844, to make a final atonement for all who could be benefited by His mediation, and thus to cleanse the sanctuary.” Early Writings, 253.

8 By what event would God’s people and law be freed from the domination of the papacy? Daniel 7:26. What, then, must constitute the cleansing of the sanctuary?

note: “God will most assuredly call the world to judgment to avenge the death of His only-begotten Son, the One who stood at the bar of Pilate and Herod. That One is now in the heavenly courts making intercession for the people who refused Him.” Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 139.

“In the great day of final award, the dead are to be ‘judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.’ Revelation 20:12. Then by virtue of the atoning blood of Christ, the sins of all the truly penitent will be blotted from the books of heaven. Thus the sanctuary will be freed, or cleansed, from the record of sin. In the type, this great work of atonement, or blotting out of sins, was represented by the services of the Day of Atonement—the cleansing of the earthly sanctuary, which was accomplished by the removal, by virtue of the blood of the sin offering, of the sins by which it had been polluted.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 357, 358.

9 At the time of the Judgment, what change in ministration did Jesus, our great High Priest, make? Revelation 11:18, 19.

note: “ ‘The temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in His temple the ark of His testament.’ Revelation 11:19. The ark of God’s testament is in the holy of holies, the second apartment of the sanctuary. . . . Those who by faith followed their great High Priest as He entered upon His ministry in the most holy place, beheld the ark of His testament. As they had studied the subject of the sanctuary they had come to understand the Saviour’s change of ministration, and they saw that He was now officiating before the ark of God, pleading His blood in behalf of sinners.” The Great Controversy, 433.

10 At the conclusion of the Judgment, what will be given to God’s faithful children? Revelation 11:18.

note: “In the account of the judgment scene, when the reward is given to the righteous, and sentence is passed on the wicked, the righteous are represented as wondering what they have done that they should receive such reward. But they cherished an abiding faith in Christ. They were imbued with His Spirit, and, without conscious effort, they performed for Christ, in the person of His saints, those services that bring a sure reward. But their motive in working was not to receive compensation. They regarded it as the highest honor to be allowed to work as Christ worked. What they did was done from love to Christ and to their fellowmen, and He who has identified Himself with suffering humanity accredited these acts of compassion and love as tho done to Himself.” The Signs of the Times, August 9, 1899.

11 What incentive is held out to those who, by a study of the priestly work of Christ, are being drawn near to Him? Revelation 22:12.

note: “Not all who profess to be Christians are true disciples. Before the final reward is given, it must be decided who are fitted to share the inheritance of the righteous. This decision must be made prior to the second coming of Christ in the clouds of heaven; for when He comes, His reward is with Him, ‘to give every man according as his work shall be.’ Revelation 22:12. Before His coming, then, the character of every man’s work will have been determined, and to every one of Christ’s followers the reward will have been apportioned according to his deeds.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 310.

12 What is the crowning blessing that is to come to those who are delivered from the deceptions and bondage in modern Babylon? Revelation 22:3–5.

note: “Is your name written in the book of life? Only by looking to Jesus, the Lamb of God, and following in his steps, can you prepare to meet God. Follow him, and you will one day walk the golden streets of the city of God,—you will see him who laid aside his royal garments and his kingly crown, and, disguising himself with humanity, came to our world and bore our sins, that he might lift us up, and give us a revelation of his glory and majesty. We shall see him face to face if we now give ourselves up to be molded and fashioned by him, and prepared for a place in the kingdom of God.

“Those who consecrate their lives to the service of God will live with him through the ceaseless ages of eternity.” The Youth’s Instructor, August 20, 1896.

These lessons are adapted from Sabbath School Lesson Quarterly, Pacific Press Publishing Association, Mountain View, California, 1918.

Bible Study Guides – The Time of the Domination of Modern Babylon

by

August 28, 2004 – September 3, 2004

Memory Verse

“These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him [are] called, and chosen, and faithful.” Revelation 17:14.

Suggested Reading: The Great Controversy, 438, 439; Uriah Smith, Daniel and the Revelation, Southern Publishing Association, Nashville, Tennessee, 1944, 270–299.

Introduction

“The accession of the Roman Church to power marked the beginning of the Dark Ages. As her power increased, the darkness deepened. Faith was transferred from Christ, the true foundation, to the pope of Rome. . . . They [the people] were taught that the pope was their earthly mediator and that none could approach God except through him; and, further, that he stood in the place of God to them and was therefore to be implicitly obeyed. A deviation from his requirements was sufficient cause for the severest punishment to be visited upon the bodies and souls of the offenders.” The Great Controversy, 55.

1 For how long would modern Babylon exercise dominion over God’s people and law? Daniel 7:25.

note: “ ‘Power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.’ And, says the prophet, ‘I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death.’ [Revelation 13:5, 3.] And again: ‘He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword.’ The forty and two months are the same as the ‘time and times and the dividing of time,’ three years and a half, or 1260 days, of Daniel 7—the time during which the papal power was to oppress God’s people. This period, as stated in preceding chapters, began with the supremacy of the papacy,
a.d. 538, and terminated in 1798. At that time the pope was made captive by the French army, the papal power received its deadly wound, and the prediction was fulfilled, ‘He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity.’ ” The Great Controversy, 439.

2 In prophetic time, what is the scale of measurement? Numbers 14:34; Ezekiel 4:6.

note: “A day in prophecy stands for a year.” The Desire of Ages, 233.

3 How is this same period of affliction for the church expressed in Revelation 12:14, 6?

note: “In the sixth century the papacy had become firmly established. Its seat of power was fixed in the imperial city, and the bishop of Rome was declared to be the head over the entire church. Paganism had given place to the papacy. The dragon had given to the beast ‘his power, and his seat, and great authority.’ Revelation 13:2. And now began the 1260 years of papal oppression foretold in the prophecies of Daniel and the Revelation. Daniel 7:25; Revelation 13:5–7. Christians were forced to choose either to yield their integrity and accept the papal ceremonies and worship, or to wear away their lives in dungeons or suffer death by the rack, the fagot, or the headsman’s ax. . . . Persecution opened upon the faithful with greater fury than ever before, and the world became a vast battlefield. For hundreds of years the church of Christ found refuge in seclusion and obscurity.” The Great Controversy, 54, 55.

4 What events mark the beginning of the period when the saints were “given into his hand” (Daniel 7:25)?

note: “ ‘The decree of the emperor Justinian, issued in a.d. 533, recognized the pope as “head of all the holy churches.” (Justinian’s code, book 1, title 1, Baronius’s Annals, a.d. 533.) The overwhelming defeat of the Ostrogoths in the siege of Rome, five years later,
a.d. 538, was a deathblow to the independence of the Arian power then ruling Italy, and was therefore a notable date in the development of papal supremacy. With the period 533–538, then, commences the twelve hundred and sixty years of this prophecy, which would extend to the period 1793–1798. The year 1793 was the year of the Reign of Terror in the French Revolution, and the year when the Roman Catholic religion was set aside in France, and the worship of reason was established in its stead.’ Bible Readings, edition of 1916, page 223.” Sabbath School Lesson Quarterly, Pacific Press Publishing Association, Mountain View, California, April 1918, 25.

5 What events mark the close of this prophetic period? Revelation 13:10.

note: “ ‘As a direct result of the revolt against papal authority in the French Revolution, the French army, under Berthier, entered Rome, and the pope was taken prisoner February 10, 1798, dying in exile at Valence, France, the following year.’ Bible Readings, edition of 1916, page 223.” Sabbath School Lesson Quarterly, Pacific Press Publishing Association, Mountain View, California, April 1918, 25.

6 What does the Revelator say concerning the power of this system over God’s people? Revelation 13:7.

note: “The Roman Church now presents a fair front to the world, covering with apologies her record of horrible cruelties. She has clothed herself in Christlike garments; but she is unchanged. Every principle of the papacy that existed in past ages exists today. The doctrines devised in the darkest ages are still held. Let none deceive themselves. The papacy that Protestants are now so ready to honor is the same that ruled the world in the days of the Reformation, when men of God stood up, at the peril of their lives, to expose her iniquity. She possesses the same pride and arrogant assumption that lorded it over kings and princes, and claimed the prerogatives of God. Her spirit is no less cruel and despotic now than when she crushed out human liberty and slew the saints of the Most High.

“The papacy is just what prophecy declared that she would be, the apostasy of the latter times. 11 Thessalonians 2:3, 4. It is a part of her policy to assume the character which will best accomplish her purpose; but beneath the variable appearance of the chameleon she conceals the invariable venom of the serpent. ‘Faith ought not to be kept with heretics, nor persons suspected of heresy’ (Lenfant, volume 1, page 516), she declares. Shall this power, whose record for a thousand years is written in the blood of the saints, be now acknowledged as a part of the church of Christ?

“It is not without reason that the claim has been put forth in Protestant countries that Catholicism differs less widely from Protestantism than in former times. There has been a change; but the change is not in the papacy. Catholicism indeed resembles much of the Protestantism that now exists, because Protestantism has so greatly degenerated since the days of the Reformers.” The Great Controversy, 571.

7 In the final and full destruction of mystic Babylon, who will be the conqueror? Revelation 17:14, first part.

note: “Today, Satan has great power in the world. He has been permitted to have proprietorship of this earth for an appointed time. During this period, when iniquity prevails, men and women are given a chance to take sides. In every possible way, Satan tries to make the broad road attractive and the narrow road grievous, humiliating, and objectionable. He lays ingenious plans to allure men and women to indulge appetite. Cheap, unsatisfying pleasures are made all and in all in this degenerate age. Satan throws his glamour about these amusements, which eclipse eternal things. Many will sell their birthright, as did Esau, for trifling consideration by the indulgence of appetite. Worldly pleasure will appear more desirable to them than the heavenly birthright.

“But Christ has overcome in our behalf. He was the only one who could be a competent Saviour. He had divine wisdom, ability, and power. He could stand before the world as a wonderful Counsellor, the mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.” The Upward Look, 39.

8 What qualifications have they who share in the victory? Revelation 17:14, last part.

note: “In all ages the Lord has had a people who, while holding communion with God, have by word and character called the attention of their fellow-men to the grand themes that are of eternal interest to humanity. Saints and martyrs of former ages, and the disciples who were privileged to hear the lessons from the lips of Jesus, were holy and self-denying. They were beloved and honoured of God above many who in our day profess to be disciples of Christ and teachers of the people,—not because God is a respecter of persons; not because a clearer, brighter light shone upon them, but because they steadfastly believed the truth, and practiced it in the daily life. These men faithfully improved their talents, and God registered them among His profitable servants. They were acknowledged and honoured by God because they were faithful to the light which shone upon them. To those around them they reflected that light received from the Light of the world. By their close connection with heaven, their pure and holy conversation, they became channels of light and blessing to the world. They walked humbly with their God, rejoicing, not in the favour and praise of men, but in the light of truth. They did not seek ways, nor fashion excuses, whereby they might evade obedience to the commandments of Jehovah. The chosen of God believed His word, rested on His promises, and their steadfast confidence and strong faith made them willing and able to suffer the loss of all things for His dear sake.” The Bible Echo, January 4, 1897.

9 Who is called to rejoice over the downfall of modern Babylon? Revelation 18:20.

note: “The summary desolation of Babylon brings victory and joy to all righteous beings throughout the universe. . . . The inhabitants of heaven are first to rejoice in the triumph of Christ and His church. . . . She had decreed the death of God’s people . . . but now suffers the very fate to which she had consigned them.” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7, 865, 866.

“The world see the very class whom they have mocked and derided, and desired to exterminate, pass unharmed through pestilence, tempest, and earthquake. He who is to the transgressors of His law a devouring fire, is to His people a safe pavilion.” The Great Controversy, 654.

10 How complete will be the destruction of this system? Revelation 18:21–23. Compare Jeremiah 51:64.

note: “When the voice of God turns the captivity of His people, there is a terrible awakening of those who have lost all in the great conflict of life. While probation continued they were blinded by Satan’s deceptions, and they justified their course of sin. The rich prided themselves upon their superiority to those who were less favored; but they had obtained their riches by violation of the law of God. They had neglected to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, to deal justly, and to love mercy. They had sought to exalt themselves and to obtain the homage of their fellow creatures. Now they are stripped of all that made them great and are left destitute and defenseless. They look with terror upon the destruction of the idols which they preferred before their Maker. They have sold their souls for earthly riches and enjoyments, and have not sought to become rich toward God. The result is, their lives are a failure; their pleasures are now turned to gall, their treasures to corruption. The gain of a lifetime is swept away in a moment. The rich bemoan the destruction of their grand houses, the scattering of their gold and silver. But their lamentations are silenced by the fear that they themselves are to perish with their idols.

“The wicked are filled with regret, not because of their sinful neglect of God and their fellow men, but because God has conquered. They lament that the result is what it is; but they do not repent of their wickedness. They would leave no means untried to conquer if they could.” The Great Controversy, 654.

11 What does this judgment discover in her? Revelation 18:24.

note: “Those who have once been convicted of the truth, but have resisted the Holy Spirit’s influence, walk and work in co-partnership with Satan, the first apostate. Blinded by the sophistry of him who was once found in the heavenly courts, they join his ranks. The apostle Paul, speaking of this says, ‘Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron.’ [1 Timothy 4:1, 2.] Those who have turned away from a plain, ‘Thus saith the Lord,’ will be blinded in a superstitious faith in every kind of apostasy, and will be led into that terrible iniquity which God’s word represents as being drunken with the blood of the saints.” Review and Herald, August 31, 1897.

12 Describe the heavenly rejoicing over Babylon’s downfall. Revelation 19:1–6.

note: “Satan’s work of ruin is forever ended. For six thousand years he has wrought his will, filling the earth with woe and causing grief throughout the universe. The whole creation has groaned and travailed together in pain. Now God’s creatures are forever delivered from his presence and temptations. ‘The whole earth is at rest, and is quiet: they [the righteous] break forth into singing.’ Isaiah 14:7. And a shout of praise and triumph ascends from the whole loyal universe. ‘The voice of a great multitude,’ ‘as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings,’ is heard, saying: ‘Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.’ Revelation 19:6.” The Great Controversy, 673.

These lessons are adapted from Sabbath School Lesson Quarterly, Pacific Press Publishing Association, Mountain View, California, 1918.

Bible Study Guides – The 2300 Days

by

October 23, 2004 – October 29, 2004

Memory Verse

“And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.” Daniel 8:14.

Suggested Reading: Prophets and Kings, 697–699; The Great Controversy, 324–328.

Introduction

“As Jesus died on Calvary, He cried, ‘It is finished,’ and the veil of the temple was rent in twain, from the top to the bottom. This was to show that the services of the earthly sanctuary were forever finished, and that God would no more meet with the priests in their earthly temple, to accept their sacrifices. The blood of Jesus was then shed, which was to be offered by Himself in the heavenly sanctuary. As the priest entered the most holy once a year to cleanse the earthly sanctuary, so Jesus entered the most holy of the heavenly, at the end of the 2300 days of Daniel 8, in 1844, to make a final atonement for all who could be benefited by His mediation, and thus to cleanse the sanctuary.” Early Writings, 253.

1 At the conclusion of Daniel’s prayer, in the ninth chapter of Daniel, who again appeared to him? Daniel 9:20, 21. For what reason does Gabriel tell Daniel he has returned? Verse 22.

note: “God had bidden His messenger: ‘Make this man to understand the vision.’ That commission must be fulfilled. In obedience to it, the angel, some time afterward, returned to Daniel, saying: ‘I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding;’ ‘therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision.’ Daniel 8:27, 16; 9:22, 23, 25-27.” The Great Controversy, 325.

2 When does Gabriel tell Daniel he had received the commandment to come to his assistance? Daniel 9:23. For what does he again say he has now come? What vision does he tell Daniel to consider? Daniel 8:26.

note: “There was one important point in the vision of chapter 8 which had been left unexplained, namely, that relating to time—the period of the 2300 days; therefore the angel, in resuming his explanation, dwells chiefly upon the subject of time.” The Great Controversy, 325.

3 How much of the 2300 days does Gabriel say was to be allotted to Daniel’s people, the Jews? Daniel 9:24, first part.

note: “The word here translated ‘determined’ literally signifies ‘cut off.’ Seventy weeks, representing 490 years, are declared by the angel to be cut off, as specially pertaining to the Jews. But from what were they cut off? As the 2300 days was the only period of time mentioned in chapter 8, it must be the period from which the seventy weeks were cut off; the seventy weeks must therefore be a part of the 2300 days, and the two periods must begin together. The seventy weeks were declared by the angel to date from the going forth of the commandment to restore and build Jerusalem.” The Great Controversy, 326.

4 What event does the angel say would mark the beginning of this great prophetic period? Daniel 9:25.

note: “The 2300 days had been found to begin when the commandment of Artaxerxes for the restoration and building of Jerusalem went into effect, in the autumn of b.c. 457. Taking this as the starting point, there was perfect harmony in the application of all the events foretold in the explanation of that period in Daniel 9:25–27.” The Faith I Live By, 208.

5 How many years from that event does the angel say would reach to Messiah, the Prince? Daniel 9:25.

note: “The commandment to restore and build Jerusalem, as completed by the decree of Artaxerxes Longimanus (see Ezra 6:14; 7:1, 9, margin), went into effect in the autumn of b.c. 457. From this time four hundred and eighty-three years extend to the autumn of a.d. 27. According to the prophecy, this period was to reach to the Messiah, the Anointed One. In a.d. 27, Jesus at His baptism received the anointing of the Holy Spirit, and soon afterward began His ministry.” The Desire of Ages, 233.

6 What three decrees constitute “the command to restore and to build Jerusalem”? Ezra 6:14.

note: “Since it takes the commandments of Cyrus (b.c. 536—
Ezra 1), of Darius (b.c. 519—Ezra 6), and of Artaxerxes (b.c. 457—Ezra 7) to constitute ‘the commandment to restore and build Jerusalem,’ it is apparent that we must date from the last one, since the ‘commandment’ was not complete until Artaxerxes’ decree was issued.” International Sabbath School Quarterly, Pacific Press Publishing Company, Oakland, California, January 1, 1904, 16.

7 Read carefully Ezra 7:11–28. What is the date of this royal commandment to restore and build Jerusalem?

note: “In the seventh chapter of Ezra the decree is found. Verses 12–26. In its completest form it was issued by Artaxerxes, king of Persia, 457 b.c.” The Great Controversy, 326.

8 Beginning in the autumn b.c. 457, 483 years extend to the baptism or anointing of Messiah the Prince, in the autumn of a.d. 27 (Mark 1:10). How much remained, then, of the period allotted to the Jewish people? What was to take place during that remaining time? Daniel 9:26, 27.

note: “In the midst of this last seven-year period, or week, just three and a half years from the autumn of a.d. 27, when Jesus was anointed the Christ at His baptism, He was crucified (the spring of a.d. 31), thus causing the sacrifices to cease.” International Sabbath School Quarterly, Pacific Press Publishing Company, Oakland, California, January 1, 1904, 16.

9 In what year did the 70 weeks, or 490 years, allotted to the Jews end, and when did the gospel go to the Gentiles? Acts 8:1–5, 25.

note: “The seventy weeks, or 490 years, were to pertain especially to the Jews. At the expiration of this period, the nation sealed its rejection of Christ by the persecution of His disciples, and the apostles turned to the Gentiles, a.d. 34.” The Faith I Live By, 208.

10 Beginning in the autumn of b.c. 457, when must the whole period of 2300 years terminate?

note: “Thus far every specification of the prophecies is strikingly fulfilled, and the beginning of the seventy weeks is fixed beyond question at 457 b.c., and their expiration in a.d. 34. From this data there is no difficulty in finding the termination of the 2300 days. The seventy weeks—490 days—having been cut off from the 2300, there were 1810 days remaining. After the end of 490 days, the 1810 days were still to be fulfilled. From a.d. 34, 1810 years extend to 1844. Consequently the 2300 days of Daniel 8:14 terminate in 1844.” The Great Controversy, 328.

11 What event was looked for in the autumn of 1844? Daniel 8:14.

note: “Under the Mosaic system the cleansing of the sanctuary, or the great Day of Atonement, occurred on the tenth day of the seventh Jewish month (Leviticus 16:29–34), when the high priest, having made an atonement for all Israel, and thus removed their sins from the sanctuary, came forth and blessed the people. So it was believed that Christ, our great High Priest, would appear to purify the earth by the destruction of sin and sinners, and to bless His waiting people with immortality. The tenth day of the seventh month, the great Day of Atonement, the time of the cleansing of the sanctuary, which in the year 1844 fell upon the twenty-second of October, was regarded as the time of the Lord’s coming. This was in harmony with the proofs already presented that the 2300 days would terminate in the autumn, and the conclusion seemed irresistible.” The Great Controversy, 400.

“The scripture which above all others had been both the foundation and the central pillar of the advent faith was the declaration: ‘Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.’ Daniel 8:14. These had been familiar words to all believers in the Lord’s soon coming. By the lips of thousands was this prophecy repeated as the watchword of their faith. All felt that upon the events therein foretold depended their brightest expectations and most cherished hopes. These prophetic days had been shown to terminate in the autumn of 1844. In common with the rest of the Christian world, Adventists then held that the earth, or some portion of it, was the sanctuary. They understood that the cleansing of the sanctuary was the purification of the earth by the fires of the last great day, and that this would take place at the second advent. Hence the conclusion that Christ would return to the earth in 1844.

“But the appointed time had passed, and the Lord had not appeared. The believers knew that God’s word could not fail; their interpretation of the prophecy must be at fault; but where was the mistake?” Ibid., 409.

12 What two events had they confused?

note: “Those who followed in the light of the prophetic word saw that, instead of coming to the earth at the termination of the 2300 days in 1844, Christ then entered the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary, to perform the closing work of atonement, preparatory to His coming. . . .” The Faith I Live By, 284.

“ ‘And, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.’ Daniel 7:13. . . . The coming of Christ here described is not His second coming to the earth. He comes to the Ancient of days in heaven to receive dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, which will be given Him at the close of His work as a mediator. It is this coming, and not His second advent to the earth, that was foretold in prophecy to take place at the termination of the 2300 days in 1844. Attended by heavenly angels, our great High Priest enters the holy of holies, and there appears in the presence of God . . . to perform the work of investigative judgment, and to make an atonement for all who are shown to be entitled to its benefits.” Ibid., 209.

These lessons are adapted from International Sabbath School Quarterly, Pacific Press Publishing Company, Oakland, California, January 1, 1904.

Bible Study Guides – The Vision of Daniel 8

by

October 16, 2004 – October 22, 2004

Memory Verse

“Behold, I will make thee know what shall be in the last end of the indignation: for at the time appointed the end [shall be].” Daniel 8:19.

Suggested Reading: Prophets and Kings, 547.

Introduction

“The light that Daniel received from God was given especially for these last days. The visions he saw by the banks of the Ulai and the Hiddekel, the great rivers of Shinar, are now in process of fulfillment, and all the events foretold will soon come to pass.” Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 112, 113.

1 When did Daniel have the vision that is recorded in Daniel 8:1?

note: “This vision was given to Daniel in the third year of the reign of Belshazzar, that being the year when Babylon was overthrown.” International Sabbath School Quarterly, Pacific Press Publishing Company, Oakland, California, January 1, 1904, 13.

2 To what place was Daniel taken in this vision? Daniel 8:2.

note: “Prophets in heavenly vision are often taken to places where the scenes opened up to them are to occur, so that they are living amid the very events predicted by them, even though those events may be thousands of years in the future.” International Sabbath School Quarterly, Pacific Press Publishing Company, Oakland, California, January 1, 1904, 13.

3 What did the ram symbolize? What was symbolized by the two horns and by the higher one coming up last? Daniel 8:3, 20.

note: “In his previous vision the second kingdom had been represented by a bear which raised itself on one side and had three ribs in its mouth. Both symbols apply to the double nature of the kingdom of the Medes and Persians, but the uneven horns of the ram give a more specific description; for while the Median kingdom was the older of the two, the Persian excelled it in strength.” Stephen N. Haskell, Story of Daniel the Prophet (1904), TEACH Services, Inc., Brushton, New York, 1995, 105.

4 In what direction was the Medo-Persian Empire to extend its conquests? To what position did the ram attain? Daniel 8:4.

note: “The Medo-Persian Empire covered much more territory than its predecessor, Babylon. So successful were Persian arms that in the days of Ahasuerus (Esther 1:1) the empire extended from India to Ethiopia, the eastern and southern extremities of the then-known world. A frequent title of the Persian monarch was ‘king of kings’ or ‘king of the countries.’ ” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 4, 840.

5 Of what was the goat a symbol? What was symbolized by the great horn between his eyes? Daniel 8:5, 21.

note: “[The goat is] identified as representing Greece.” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 4, 840.

“[The great horn is] a symbol of Alexander the Great, the ‘first king’ of the Greco-Macedonian world empire that was destined to replace the Persian Empire.” Ibid., 845.

6 What was the attitude of this goat toward the ram? What did he do to the two horns of the ram? Daniel 8:7. (Choler means irritation or anger.)

note: “Alexander stands without a rival for the rapidity of his conquests. He was but a young man of twenty when, by the death of his father, Philip of Macedon, he fell heir to a small dominion. He united the Greek states, placed himself at the head of affairs, and led her armies in a series of wonderful victories. In the space of a few short years he was the recognized master of the world.” Haskell, 108.

7 To what position did the goat attain as compared to that of the ram? What happened to the great horn between the eyes of the goat? Daniel 8:8. What came up after this notable horn was broken? What was symbolized by the breaking of the great horn and four others coming up in its place? Verse 22.

note: “It is a fact noted in history that Alexander died in a drunken debauch, at the age of thirty-two years, and at a time when his kingdom was in the very height of its glory and greatness. Thus the kingdom represented by this horn was broken ‘when he was strong.’

“While Alexander lived he made no provision as to who would succeed him in his kingdom. About twenty years after his death it was divided among his four strongest generals. . . . Lysimachus had that portion lying to the north of Palestine, including Thrace, Bithynia, and some smaller provinces of Asia Minor. Ptolemy took that portion to the south, including Egypt, Libya, Arabia, and Palestine. Seleucus took the east,—Syria and all the country to the river Indus. Cassander had Macedon and Greece, lying to the west.” International Sabbath School Quarterly, Pacific Press Publishing Company, Oakland, California, January 1, 1904, 13, 14.

8 What did the prophet behold as coming forth from one of the four horns of the goat? To what position did this little horn power attain? In what directions were the conquests of the little horn power? Daniel 8:9.

note: “In the division under consideration, the prophet sees a little horn coming forth from one of these divisions. Here is brought to his view the power symbolized by the fourth beast of Daniel seven. In his first vision the fourth beast was so terrible and had such a strange appearance that Daniel asked for a clearer explanation of its work. In this second vision the little horn is not named, but its work as a kingdom is still further portrayed. . . . The accumulated forces of the evil of past ages is concentrated in this rising power, which waxed exceeding great.” Haskell, 109.

9 What characteristics are given of this little horn power by which it may be identified? Daniel 8:9, 24, 25.

note: “Rome extended her territory around the Mediterranean; there was no place where her arms were not victorious. Some of the greatest battles which history records were fought by the Roman armies. . . . Cities which dared resist the power of Rome were blotted out of existence. . . . But aside from the strong central government which was built up by Rome, which brought every other nation to her feet, and made slaves of the noblest of races . . . the great arrogance of Rome was displayed when the nation magnified itself against the host of heaven.” Haskell, 110.

10 What power, in the person of its rulers, stood up against “the Prince of princes,” Jesus Christ? Acts 4:27.

note: “Pilate, Herod, the Roman soldiers, were ignorant of Jesus. They knew not that he was the sent of God. They thought by abusing him to please the priests and rulers. They had not the light so abundantly given to the Jewish nation. They were unacquainted with Old-Testament history. Had they known what the Jews knew, they would not have treated Jesus as cruelly as they did.” The Youth’s Instructor, June 14, 1900.

“In the judgment hall of Pilate, the Roman governor, Christ stands bound as a prisoner. About Him are the guard of soldiers, and the hall is fast filling with spectators.” The Desire of Ages, 723.

“When he [Pilate] heard that Christ was from Galilee, he decided to send Him to Herod, the ruler of that province, who was then in Jerusalem. By this course, Pilate thought to shift the responsibility of the trial from himself to Herod. He also thought this a good opportunity to heal an old quarrel between himself and Herod. And so it proved. The two magistrates made friends over the trial of the Saviour.” Ibid., 728.

11 What subject is introduced in this vision, in addition to the ram, he goat, and little horn? Daniel 8:14.

note: “Such subjects as the sanctuary, in connection with the 2300 days, the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus, are perfectly calculated to explain the past Advent movement and show what our present position is, establish the faith of the doubting, and give certainty to the glorious future. These, I [Ellen White] have frequently seen, were the principal subjects on which the messengers should dwell.” Early Writings, 63.

12 As Daniel sought for the meaning of this vision, who appeared to him and what did he say? Daniel 8:15, 19. Why was Gabriel not able to complete his commission to make Daniel understand the vision? Verse 27.

note: “The angel Gabriel, though commanded to make Daniel understand the vision, gave him only a partial explanation. As the terrible persecution to befall the church was unfolded to the prophet’s vision, physical strength gave way. He could endure no more, and the angel left him for a time. Daniel ‘fainted, and was sick certain days.’ ‘And I was astonished at the vision,’ he says, ‘but none understood it.’ [Daniel 8:27.]” The Great Controversy, 325.

These lessons are adapted from International Sabbath School Quarterly, Pacific Press Publishing Company, Oakland, California, January 1, 1904.

Bible Study Guides – The Papacy and Its Work

by

October 9, 2004 – October 15, 2004

Memory Verse

“And he shall speak [great] words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.” Daniel 7:25.

Suggested Reading: The Great Controversy, 51–54, 446; The Story of Redemption, 328–331.

Introduction

“To the very close of time he [little horn of the fourth beast] will carry forward the work of deception. And the revelator declares, also referring to the papacy: ‘All that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life.’ Revelation 13:8. In both the Old and the New World, the papacy will receive homage in the honor paid to the Sunday institution, that rests solely upon the authority of the Roman Church.” The Great Controversy, 579.

1 What was to arise after the ten horns on the fourth beast of Daniel 7? Daniel 7:24, first part.

note: “Judgment came to Rome when these [Germanic] barbarians overran the empire with fire and sword, and the kingdom was divided into ten parts.

“But Roman history did not end with the division. . . . A new power, a power outside the empire is here represented by the little horn.” Stephen N. Haskell, Story of Daniel the Prophet (1904), TEACH Services, Inc., Brushton, New York, 1995, 94.

2 What was this little horn first to subdue? Daniel 7:24, last part.

note: “The three divisions which were plucked up were the Heruli in 493, the Vandals in 534, and the Ostrogoths in 538 a.d. . . . The reason for their overthrow was their adherence to Arianism in opposition to the orthodox Catholic faith.” Haskell, 94, 95.

3 What attitude was this power to assume toward the Most High? Daniel 7:25. What New Testament description do we have of this same power? 11 Thessalonians 2:4.

note: “The papacy has indeed spoken great words against the Most High, by assuming titles and prerogatives which belong only to God. The following are samples of many quotations that might be given:

“ ‘The most holy and most happy, who is the arbiter of heaven and the Lord of the earth, the successor of St. Peter, the anointed of the Lord, the master of the universe, the father of kings, the light of the world.’—Titles assumed by Pope Martin V, in dispatches to his ambassador to Constantinople.

“ ‘The pope is all in all, and above all, so that God Himself and the pope, the vicar of God, are but one consistory.’—Hostiensis Cap., etc.

“ ‘Given in Rome from our palace, the 10th of February, 1817, the xiv jurisdiction of the most holy pontiff and father in Christ, and Lord our God the pope, Leo xii,’ etc.—Conclusion of Dr. Giustianni’s ordination letter.” International Sabbath School Quarterly, Pacific Press Publishing Company, Oakland, California, January 1, 1904, 10.

4 How were the saints of the Most High to be treated by this power? Daniel 7:25.

note “In the sixth century the papacy had become firmly established. . . . Christians were forced to choose either to yield their integrity and accept the papal ceremonies and worship, or to wear away their lives in dungeons or suffer death by the rack, the fagot, or the headsman’s ax. . . . Persecution opened upon the faithful with greater fury than ever before, and the world became a vast battlefield. For hundreds of years the church of Christ found refuge in seclusion and obscurity.” The Great Controversy, 54, 55.

5 What blasphemous attempt was to be made by this power against the Law of God? Daniel 7:25.

note: “Q. What is the Third Commandment? [The Douay Version of the Bible has reordered the Ten Commandments, deleting the second and dividing the tenth.]

“A. The Third Commandment is: Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath Day.

“Q. Which is the Sabbath Day?

“A. Saturday is the Sabbath Day.

“Q. Why do we observe Sunday instead of Saturday?

“A. We observe Sunday instead of Saturday because the Catholic Church transferred the solemnity from Saturday to Sunday.

“Q. Why did the Catholic Church substitute Sunday for Saturday?

“A. The Church substituted Sunday for Saturday, because Christ rose from the dead on a Sunday, and the Holy Ghost descended upon the Apostles on a Sunday.

“Q. By what authority did the Church substitute Sunday for Saturday?

“A. The Church substituted Sunday for Saturday by the plenitude of that divine power which Jesus Christ bestowed upon her.

“Q. What does the Third Commandment command?

“A. The Third Commandment commands us to sanctify Sunday as the Lord’s Day. . . .

“Q. What is the Fourth Commandment?

“A. The Fourth Commandment is: Honor thy father and thy mother.” Rev. Peter Geiermann, C. SS. R., The Convert’s Catechism of Catholic Doctrine, B. Herder Book Co., St. Louis, Missouri, 1946, 50, 51.

“The pope has changed the day of rest from the seventh to the first day. He has thought to change the very commandment that was given to cause man to remember his Creator. He has thought to change the greatest commandment in the decalogue and thus make himself equal with God, or even exalt himself above God. The Lord is unchangeable, therefore His law is immutable; but the pope has exalted himself above God, in seeking to change His immutable precepts of holiness, justice, and goodness. He has trampled underfoot God’s sanctified day, and, on his own authority, put in its place one of the six laboring days. The whole nation has followed after the beast, and every week they rob God of His holy time.” Early Writings, 65.

6 How many of the Christian world acknowledge the apparent change in the Law of God? Revelation 13:3.

note: “Protestants now urge that the resurrection of Christ on Sunday made it the Christian Sabbath. But Scripture evidence is lacking. No such honor was given to the day by Christ or His apostles. The observance of Sunday as a Christian institution has its origin in that ‘mystery of lawlessness’ which, even in Paul’s day, had begun its work. Where and when did the Lord adopt this child of the Papacy? What valid reason can be given for a change concerning which the Scriptures are silent?” The Story of Redemption, 330.

“The Lord has clearly defined the road to the city of God; but the great apostate has changed the signpost, setting up a false one—a spurious sabbath. . . . ‘I will exalt myself. The first day shall be extolled, and the Protestant world shall receive this spurious sabbath as genuine. Through the non-observance of the Sabbath God instituted, I will bring His law into contempt. The words, “A sign between me and you throughout your generations,” I will make to serve on the side of my sabbath. Thus the world will become mine. I will be ruler of the earth, prince of the world. I will so control the minds under my power that God’s Sabbath shall be an object of contempt. A sign? I will make the observance of the seventh day a sign of disloyalty to the authorities of earth. Human laws shall be made so stringent that men and women will not dare to observe the seventh-day Sabbath. For fear of wanting food and clothing, they will join with the world in transgressing God’s law; and the earth will be wholly under my dominion.’

“The man of sin has instituted a false sabbath, and the professed Christian world has adopted this child of the papacy, refusing to obey God. Thus Satan leads men and women in a direction opposite to the city of refuge; and by the multitudes who follow him, it is demonstrated that Adam and Eve are not the only ones who have accepted the words of the wily foe.

“The enemy of all good has turned the signpost round, so that it points to the path of disobedience as the path of happiness. He has insulted Jehovah by refusing to obey a ‘Thus saith the Lord.’ He has thought to change times and laws.” Review and Herald, April 17, 1900.

7 For what time would the little horn power have dominion over the saints, times, and laws of the Most High? Daniel 7:25, last part.

note: “The periods . . . ‘forty and two months,’ and ‘a thousand two hundred and threescore days’—are the same, alike representing the time in which the church of Christ was to suffer oppression from Rome. The 1260 years of papal supremacy began in a.d. 538, and would therefore terminate in 1798. At that time a French army entered Rome and made the pope a prisoner, and he died in exile. Though a new pope was soon afterward elected, the papal hierarchy has never since been able to wield the power which it before possessed.” The Great Controversy, 266.

8 How long will it be before this power will be consumed? Daniel 7:26. Compare 11 Thessalonians 2:8.

note: “Babylon fell because she imputed her power unto the gods. Of the fourth beast Daniel says, ‘I beheld till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame.’ [Daniel 7:11.] Thus at the end, instead of being conquered by some other power arising on earth, this one goes into the lake of fire. [Revelation 19:20.]” Haskell, 102.

9 How will the fate of this fourth beast differ from that of the three that preceded it? Daniel 7:11, 12.

note: “The other beasts which represent kingdoms, had their dominion taken away, yet their lives were prolonged for a time and a season; that is, they were merged into the succeeding kingdom. But not so with the fourth kingdom; its destruction is complete.” Haskell, 102.

10 Who will then appear upon the scene as the rightful ruler of the kingdom that for a time had been usurped by Satan? Daniel 7:27.

note: “My brother, my sister, I urge you to prepare for the coming of Christ in the clouds of heaven. Day by day cast the love of the world out of your hearts. Understand by experience what it means to have fellowship with Christ. Prepare for the judgment, that when Christ shall come, to be admired in all them that believe, you may be among those who will meet him in peace. In that day the redeemed will shine forth in the glory of the Father and the Son. The angels, touching their golden harps, will welcome the King and his trophies of victory—those who have been washed and made white in the blood of the Lamb. A song of triumph will peal forth, filling all heaven. Christ has conquered. He enters the heavenly courts, accompanied by his redeemed ones, the witnesses that his mission of suffering and sacrifice has not been in vain.” Review and Herald, November 23, 1905.

These lessons are adapted from International Sabbath School Quarterly, Pacific Press Publishing Company, Oakland, California, January 1, 1904.

Bible Study Guides – The History of Nations Foretold

by

October 2, 2004 – October 8, 2004

Memory Verse

“And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom [is] an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.” Daniel 7:27.

Suggested Reading: Prophets and Kings, 547.

Introduction

“As Daniel clung to God with unwavering trust, the spirit of prophetic power came upon him. While receiving instruction from man in the duties of court life, he was being taught by God to read the mysteries of the future and to record for coming generations, through figures and symbols, events covering the history of this world till the close of time.” Prophets and Kings, 485.

1 When did Daniel have the vision that is recorded in the seventh chapter of Daniel? Daniel 7:1.

note: “This vision was given to Daniel in the first year of the reign of Belshazzar, about 540 b.c. The mere giving of this view bears the strongest testimony to the results of Daniel’s education when a youth, to his steadfastness of purpose, and his growth in spiritual things.” Stephen N. Haskell, Story of Daniel the Prophet (1904), TEACH Services, Inc., Brushton, New York, 1995, 89.

2 What two symbols are used in Daniel 7:2? In prophecy, what do winds symbolize? Isaiah 21:1, 2; Jeremiah 25:32, 33. What are symbolized by the sea or waters? Isaiah 8:7; 17:12, 13; Revelation 17:15; Jeremiah 51:42.

note: “The great kingdoms that have ruled the world were presented to the prophet Daniel as beasts of prey, rising when ‘the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea.’ Daniel 7:2. In Revelation 17 an angel explained that waters represent ‘peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.’ Revelation 17:15. Winds are a symbol of strife. The four winds of heaven striving upon the great sea represent the terrible scenes of conquest and revolution by which kingdoms have attained to power.” The Great Controversy, 439, 440.

3 What did Daniel behold, as the result of strife and commotion among the nations and peoples of earth? Daniel 7:3.

note: “To Daniel was given a vision of fierce beasts, representing the powers of the earth. But the ensign of the Messiah’s kingdom is a lamb. While earthly kingdoms rule by the ascendancy of physical power, Christ is to banish every carnal weapon, every instrument of coercion. His kingdom was to be established to uplift and ennoble fallen humanity (Letter 32, 1899).” “Ellen G. White Comments,” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 4, 1171.

4 What was symbolized by these four great beasts? Daniel 7:17.

note: “The great kingdoms that have ruled the world obtained their dominion by conquest and revolution, and they were presented to the prophet Daniel as beasts of prey, rising when the ‘four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea.’ [Daniel 7:2.]” The Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 4, 277.

5 What was the first kingdom? Daniel 7:4.

note: “Babylon, the first of these kingdoms, was represented to Nebuchadnezzar as the golden head of the great image. To Daniel the same power appeared as a lion, having eagle’s wings.” Haskell, 90.

6 How does the lion compare with the other beasts of prey? Proverbs 30:30. How does Babylon compare with other nations? Isaiah 13:19. Compare Habakkuk 1:6–10. What other characteristic of Babylon was symbolized by “eagle’s wings”? Deuteronomy 28:49; 11 Samuel 1:23.

note: “Instead of being a protector of men, Babylon became a proud and cruel oppressor. The words of Inspiration picturing the cruelty and greed of rulers in Israel reveal the secret of Babylon’s fall and of the fall of many another kingdom since the world began.” Education, 176.

“The gratification of unnatural appetite led to the sins that caused the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. God ascribes the fall of Babylon to her gluttony and drunkenness. Indulgence of appetite and passion was the foundation of all their sins.” Counsels on Health, 110.

“Before Babylon was known as an independent kingdom, while it was still a subject province of Assyria, Habakkuk, a prophet of Israel, had been given a view of its work which shows the force of the symbol of a lion with eagle’s wings.” Haskell, 90.

7 What change did the prophet see come over this symbol? Daniel 7:4. What change in the kingdom of Babylon was thus indicated? Jeremiah 51:30; Isaiah 21:3, 4.

note: “Toward the close of Daniel’s life great changes were taking place in the land to which, over threescore years before, he and his Hebrew companions had been carried captive. Nebuchadnezzar, ‘the terrible of the nations’ (Ezekiel 28:7), had died, and Babylon, ‘the praise of the whole earth’ (Jeremiah 51:41), had passed under the unwise rule of his successors, and gradual but sure dissolution was resulting.” Prophets and Kings, 522.

8 What two kingdoms united in the conquest and overthrow of Babylon? Isaiah 21:2. [Elam is but another name for Persia.] What was symbolized by the bear raising itself up on one side? What was symbolized by the three ribs in the mouth of the bear? Daniel 7:5.

note: “The marginal reading of verse 5 says, ‘raised up one dominion.’ Darius, the Mede, and Cyrus, the Persian, were associated together in the conquest and overthrow of Babylon. As an act of courtesy on the part of Cyrus, the rulership of the newly-formed kingdom was given to his uncle, Darius. But in a short time the Persian became the ruling element in the kingdom. Thus the dual kingdom represented by the bear is said to have exalted one branch above the other.

“The bear is a bloodthirsty animal, and that bloodthirsty disposition of the Medes and Persians is supposed to have been further stimulated by the overthrow of the three provinces of Babylon, Lydia, and Egypt.” International Sabbath School Quarterly, Pacific Press Publishing Company, Oakland, California, January 1, 1904, 8.

9 What special characteristic does the leopard possess? Daniel 7:6. What then would be symbolized by four wings added to this swift-footed beast? What is symbolized by the four heads upon the leopard?

note: “The Grecian kingdom, which followed the Medo-Persian, is compared to the sprightliness of a leopard in its natural state. This not being sufficient to represent the rapidity of the conquest of Alexander, the first king, the leopard had on its back four wings of a fowl. It also had four heads, which symbolized the division of Alexander’s empire after his death, when his four generals took his kingdom and dominion was given to them.” Haskell, 92.

10 What is symbolized by the fourth beast? Daniel 7:7, 23, 24, first part. Concerning what did Daniel especially desire further information? Verses 19, 20. What information did he receive? Verse 24.

note: “It is clear from history that the world power succeeding the third prophetic empire was Rome. However, the transition was gradual so that it is impossible to point to a specific event as marking the change.” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 4, 823.

“The successive invasions of the Roman Empire by numerous Germanic tribes, and the replacement of the empire by a number of separate states or monarchies, are well established facts of history. . . . The following list is representative: Ostrogoths, Visigoths, Franks, Vandals, Suevi, Alamanni, Anglo-Saxons, Heruli, Lombards, Burgundians. ” Ibid., 826.

11 What did Daniel behold on the part of the power symbolized by the little horn? Daniel 7:21. How long was the oppression of this power to be felt by the saints? Verse 22.

note: “The little horn of Daniel 7, unquestionably points to the papacy.” The Great Controversy, 439.

“ ‘Power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.’ [Revelation 13:5.] . . . The forty and two months are the same as the ‘time and times and the dividing of time,’ three years and a half, or 1260 days, of Daniel 7,—the time during which the papal power was to oppress God’s people. This period . . . began with the establishment of the papacy, a. d. 538, and terminated in 1798.” Ibid.

12 What will certainly follow the kingdoms represented by these four beasts? Daniel 7:26, 27.

note: “The kingdom of God’s grace is now being established, as day by day hearts that have been full of sin and rebellion yield to the sovereignty of His love. But the full establishment of the kingdom of His glory will not take place until the second coming of Christ to this world. ‘The kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven,’ is to be given to ‘the people of the saints of the Most High.’ Daniel 7:27. They shall inherit the kingdom prepared for them ‘from the foundation of the world.’ Matthew 25:34. And Christ will take to Himself His great power and will reign.” Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, 108.

These lessons are adapted from International Sabbath School Quarterly, Pacific Press Publishing Company, Oakland, California, January 1, 1904.

Bible Study Guides – Prophecy Illustrated by Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream

by

September 25, 2004 – October 1, 2004

“There is need of a much closer study of the Word of God; especially should Daniel and the Revelation have attention as never before. . . . The light that Daniel received from God was given especially for these last days.” Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 112, 113. With this counsel, we continue our study of the Book of Daniel.

Memory Verse

“The secret [things belong] unto the Lord our God: but those [things which are] revealed [belong] unto us and to our children for ever, that [we] may do all the words of this law.” Deuteronomy 29:29.

Suggested Reading: Fundamentals of Christian Education, 410–413.

Introduction

“The historic events related in the king’s dream were of consequence to him; but the dream was taken from him, that the wise men by their claimed understanding of mysteries, should not place upon it a false interpretation. The lessons taught in it were given by God for those who live in our day. The inability of the wise men to tell the dream, is a representation of the wise men of the present day, who have not discernment and learning and knowledge from the Most High, and therefore are unable to understand the prophecies. The most learned in the world’s lore, who are not watching to hear what God says in His word, and opening their hearts to receive that word and give it to others, are not representatives of His. It is not the great and learned men of the earth, kings and nobles, who will receive the truth unto eternal life, though it will be brought to them.” Fundamentals of Christian Education, 412.

1 What things belong unto God? To whom do those things belong which have been revealed? What is a revelation? Deuteronomy 29:29.

note: “It is presumption to indulge in suppositions and theories regarding matters that God has not made known to us in His Word. . . .

“Christ withheld no truths essential to our salvation. Those things that are revealed are for us and our children, but we are not to allow our imagination to frame doctrines concerning things not revealed.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 173.

2 Through whom does the Lord promise to reveal His secrets? Amos 3:7.

note: “Christ urged upon His disciples the importance of prophetic study. Referring to the prophecy given to Daniel in regard to their time, He said, ‘Whoso readeth, let him understand.’ Matthew 24:15. After His resurrection He explained to the disciples in ‘all the prophets’ ‘the things concerning Himself.’ Luke 24:27. The Saviour had spoken through all the prophets. ‘The Spirit of Christ which was in them’ ‘testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.’ 1 Peter 1:11.” The Desire of Ages, 234.

3 Through whom does the Lord say He has spoken? Has He given more than one vision? What has He made use of in thus giving light through the prophets? What word might be used in place of “similitudes”? Hosea 12:10.

note: “Even the disciples failed of understanding all that Jesus desired to reveal to them; but from time to time, as they surrendered themselves to the Holy Spirit’s power, their minds were illuminated. They realized that the mighty God, clad in the garb of humanity, was among them. Jesus rejoiced that though this knowledge was not possessed by the wise and prudent, it had been revealed to these humble men. Often as He had presented the Old Testament Scriptures, and showed their application to Himself and His work of atonement, they had been awakened by His Spirit, and lifted into a heavenly atmosphere. Of the spiritual truths spoken by the prophets they had a clearer understanding than had the original writers themselves. Hereafter they would read the Old Testament Scriptures, not as the doctrines of the scribes and Pharisees, not as the utterances of wise men who were dead, but as a new revelation from God.” The Desire of Ages, 494.

4 By what symbol was the future revealed in Daniel 2? Daniel 2:1, 31.

note: “The dream of the great image, opening before Nebuchadnezzar events reaching to the close of time, had been given that he might understand the part he was to act in the world’s history, and the relation that his kingdom should sustain to the kingdom of heaven.” Prophets and Kings, 503.

5 Describe the experience of the king in seeking an interpretation of his dream. Daniel 2:2–10. What confession was wrung from the wise men of Babylon? Verse 11.

note: “Nebuchadnezzar demanded not only the interpretation of the dream, but the relation of the dream itself. . . . They [the wise men] declared that the request of the king was . . . beyond that which had ever been required of any man. The king became furious, and acted like all men who have great power and uncontrollable passions. He decided that every one of them should be put to death, and as Daniel and his fellows were numbered with the wise men, they also were to share this fate.” Conflict and Courage, 251.

6 Who in Babylon had knowledge of a God able to make known His ways in human flesh? Relate their experience. Daniel 2:13–23. What bold request did Daniel make of the chief captain, and with what result? Verses 24–30.

note: “Daniel was in close connection with God. When the decree went forth from an angry, furious king, commanding that all the wise men of Babylon should be destroyed, Daniel and his fellows were sought for to be slain. Then Daniel answered, not with retaliation, but ‘with counsel and wisdom,’ the captain of the king’s guard, who was gone forth to slay the wise men of Babylon. Daniel asked, ‘Why is the decree so hasty from the king?’ He presented himself before the king, requesting that time be given him, and his faith in the God he served prompted him to say that he would show the king the interpretation.” Fundamentals of Christian Education, 374.

7 What was the dream of the king? Daniel 2:31–35.

note: “The dream of the great image, opening before Nebuchadnezzar events reaching to the close of time, had been given that he might understand the part he was to act in the world’s history, and the relation that his kingdom should sustain to the kingdom of heaven. In the interpretation of the dream, he had been plainly instructed regarding the establishment of God’s everlasting kingdom.” Prophets and Kings, 503.

8 What kingdom was symbolized by the head of gold? Daniel 2:37, 38.

note: “In the word of God only is this clearly set forth. Here it is shown that the strength of nations, as of individuals, is not found in the opportunities or facilities that appear to make them invincible; it is not found in their boasted greatness. It is measured by the fidelity with which they fulfill God’s purpose.

“An illustration of this truth is found in the history of ancient Babylon. To Nebuchadnezzar the king the true object of national government was represented under the figure of a great tree, whose height ‘reached unto heaven, and the sight thereof to the end of all the earth: the leaves thereof were fair, and the fruit thereof much, and in it was meat for all;’ under its shadow the beasts of the field dwelt, and among its branches the birds of the air had their habitation. Daniel 4:11, 12. This representation shows the character of a government that fulfills God’s purpose—a government that protects and upbuilds the nation.

“God exalted Babylon that it might fulfill this purpose. Prosperity attended the nation until it reached a height of wealth and power that has never since been equaled—fitly represented in the Scriptures by the inspired symbol, a ‘head of gold.’ Daniel 2:38.” Education, 175.

9 What metal represents the second universal kingdom, and what is said of that power? Daniel 2:39, first part. What power followed Babylon? Daniel 5:28.

note: “God gave Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, much ‘majesty, and glory, and honor.’ ‘All people, nations, and languages, trembled and feared before him: whom he would he slew; and whom he would he kept alive; and whom he would he set up; and whom he would he put down.’

“This same universal sway was exercised by Nebuchadnezzar’s descendants until, nearly seventy years later, in the days of Belshazzar, because of the wickedness of the nation, the kingdom was ‘divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.’ Thus arose the second universal monarchy, Medo-Persia.” Review and Herald, January 23, 1908.

10 What did the brazen portion represent? Daniel 2:39. What kingdom followed Media and Persia? Daniel 8:20, 21. What metal represented the kingdom symbolized by the legs and feet of the image? Daniel 2:40–42. What power answers to the symbol?

note: “The image shown to Nebuchadnezzar in the visions of the night represents the kingdoms of the world. The metals in the image, symbolizing the different kingdoms, became less and less pure and valuable, from the head down. The head of the image was of gold, the breast and arms of silver, the sides of brass, and the feet and toes iron mingled with clay. So the kingdoms represented by them deteriorated in value.” Review and Herald, February 6, 1900.

“Every nation that has come upon the stage of action has been permitted to occupy its place on the earth, that it might be seen whether it would fulfill the purpose of ‘the Watcher and the Holy One.’ Prophecy has traced the rise and fall of the world’s great empires—Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome. With each of these, as with nations of less power, history repeated itself. Each had its period of test, each failed, its glory faded, its power departed, and its place was occupied by another.” Education, 176, 177.

11 Will the smaller kingdoms that have risen out of the fourth monarchy of Rome ever be joined as one again? Daniel 2:43.

note: “We are waiting for our Lord from heaven to come to earth to put down all authority and power, and set up His everlasting kingdom. Earthly powers are shaken. We need not, and cannot, expect union among the nations of the earth. Our position in the image of Nebuchadnezzar is represented by the toes, in a divided state, and of a crumbling material, that will not hold together. Prophecy shows us that the great day of God is right upon us. It hasteth greatly.” Testimonies, vol. 1, 360, 361.

12 What will be the next step in the prophecy? Daniel 2:44. Is there any doubt about it? Verse 45. How sure is prophecy declared to be? 11 Peter 1:16–21.

note: “A great warfare is before God’s servants in the closing work of this earth’s history. The God of heaven is soon, very soon, to set up his kingdom,—a kingdom which shall never be destroyed. Every worker is to be an earnest, valiant soldier, fighting under the banner of Prince Emmanuel. Mighty victories are to be gained by the people who bear the banner of truth. We are slow to realize what will be the results of a faithful presentation of the message of the third angel. When they are obedient to the word, when self is hid with Christ in God, and they labor with God’s glory alone in view, ministers of Christ will accomplish a work as wonderful as it is far-reaching.” Review and Herald, May 6, 1909.

These lessons are adapted from International Sabbath School Quarterly, Pacific Press Publishing Company, Oakland, California, January 1, 1904.

Bible Study Guides – The Eastern Question

by

November 20, 2004 – November 26, 2004

Memory Verse

“And now will I shew thee the truth . . . .” Daniel 11:2.

Suggested Reading: Stephen N. Haskell, Story of Daniel the Prophet, (1904), TEACH Services, Inc., Brushton, New York, 1995, 179–217.

Introduction

“Who reads the warnings given by the fast-fulfilling signs of the times? What impression is made upon worldlings? What change is seen in their attitude? No more than was seen in the attitude of the inhabitants of the Noachian world. Absorbed in worldly business and pleasure, the antediluvians ‘knew not until the Flood came, and took them all away.’ Matthew 24:39. They had heaven-sent warnings, but they refused to listen. And today the world, utterly regardless of the warning voice of God, is hurrying on to eternal ruin.

“The world is stirred with the spirit of war. The prophecy of the eleventh chapter of Daniel has nearly reached its complete fulfillment. Soon the scenes of trouble spoken of in the prophecies will take place.” Testimonies, vol. 9, 14.

1 Whom does Gabriel say he stood to confirm and strengthen? When? Daniel 11:1.

note: “The first two verses of the eleventh chapter of Daniel outline the history of the second kingdom, Medo-Persia. That portion of the chapter included in verses three to thirteen records the history of the third kingdom, Greece. Those things which are ‘noted in the Scripture of truth’ concerning Greece are the things which Gabriel made known to Daniel. The prophet had found it difficult to grasp the full significance of the symbols used in previous visions to represent the kingdoms of the world, and so in this last interview between the servant of God and the angel of prophecy, symbols are laid aside, and the history is repeated in plain language.” Stephen N. Haskell, Story of Daniel the Prophet (1904), TEACH Services, Inc., Brushton, New York, 1995, 179.

2 What did Gabriel say he would show Daniel? How many kings did he say would yet reign in Persia? How did he say the fourth king would compare with the others? What did he say this fourth king would accomplish? Daniel 11:2.

note: “Cyrus died in the year b.c. 529, and was succeeded by his son, Cambyses, who reigned seven years. Cambyses was succeeded by Smerdis, an impostor, who reigned but eight months, being succeeded in b.c. 521 by Darius Hystaspes. Darius Hystaspes reigned thirty-six years, and was succeeded by Xerxes in the year b.c. 485. Xerxes, by his strength and through his riches, did stir up all against the realm of Grecia. He collected the most numerous army ever marshaled for war, estimated by careful historians to have numbered 2,641,610 fighting men, with an equal number of attendants, making a total of 5,283,220. This army was seven days and seven nights crossing the Dardanelles, on two immense bridges of boats built for the purpose. Xerxes was the last of the Persian monarchs who invaded Grecia; therefore the prophecy takes no note of his eight successors, but passes, as we shall see, in the third verse to the empire of Grecia.” International Sabbath School Quarterly, Pacific Press Publishing Company, Oakland, California, January 1, 1904, 25, 26.

3 What is the character of the king brought to view? How was this king to rule? What king of Grecia fulfilled these specifications? Daniel 11:3.

note: “Truly it may be said of Alexander the Great that he did according to his will. His entire reign was one of unparalleled conquest, and at the age of thirty-two years he is said to have conquered the whole of the then known world, and to have wept because there was not another world to conquer.” Quarterly, 26.

“As God brought Nebuchadnezzar and Cyrus in direct contact with his people, that they might know the God of heaven, so he permitted Alexander to learn of him. While that conqueror was passing from Tyre, after its surrender, toward Gaza, which guards the entrance into Egypt, he stopped at Jerusalem. . . . The high priest, Juddas, had a dream in which he was bidden to go out to meet Alexander, arrayed in his priestly garments . . . .

“[Alexander] accompanied the priest to the temple at Jerusalem, where the sacrifices were explained. Moreover, the prophecies of Daniel concerning the rise and fall of Babylon and conquests of Medo-Persia, and its subsequent fall and the rise of a third empire were explained. . . . The mighty conqueror was in the presence of the Spirit of God . . . . Would he bow in submission, and let God conquer him?

“Alexander acknowledged God, but left Jerusalem and pushed forward in battle. Gaza fell. . . . [In Egypt], to gratify a selfish pride, he had himself proclaimed son of Jupiter Ammon. He who might have become a son of God chose rather to be called the son of Jupiter.” Haskell, 186, 187.

4 What was to happen to Alexander’s kingdom? How was it to be divided? Was the kingdom to fall into the hands of Alexander’s posterity? How was this fulfilled? Daniel 11:4.

note: “Within twenty years of Alexander’s death it is said that there was not one of his posterity left, and his kingdom was divided toward the four winds, between his four leading generals.” Quarterly, 26.

“Four notable horns were to come up toward the four winds of heaven in place of the great horn that was broken. These were Cassander, who had Greece and the neighboring countries; Lysimachus, who had Asia Minor; Seleucus, who had Syria and Babylon, and from whom came the line of kings known as the ‘Seleucidæ,’ so famous in history; and Ptolemy, son of Lagus, who had Egypt, and from whom sprang the ‘Lagidæ.’ These held dominion toward the four winds of heaven. Cassander had the western parts, Lysimachus the northern regions, Seleucus the eastern countries, and Ptolemy the southern portion of the empire.” Uriah Smith, The Prophecies of Daniel and the Revelation, Southern Publishing Association, Nashville, Tennessee, 1944, 155.

5 Of these four divisions of Alexander’s kingdom, which one was the kingdom of the south? What is said of the king of the south? What is said of one of Alexander’s princes? Which one of Alexander’s princes soon became so strong as to possess three out of the four original divisions of the empire? Daniel 11:5.

note: “In b.c. 281, Lysimachus was slain in battle, and Seleucus annexed all of his dominion; and as Lysimachus had previously conquered the territory assigned to Cassander, this left Seleucus ruler of three of the four portions of the original division of Alexander’s kingdom.” Quarterly, 26.

6 What two powers then became “the king of the south” and the “king of the north”?

note: “From this point [verse 5] on through much of the chapter [Daniel 11], the prophecy focuses on the two kingdoms emerging from Alexander’s empire . . . . These were Syria, ruled by the Seleucids, and Egypt, ruled by the Ptolemies. From the geographical standpoint of Palestine, the former was north, and the latter, south. The original Greek translation, in fact, has ‘king of Egypt’ for ‘king of the south’; also verse 8 points to Egypt as king of the south. A similar designation can be demonstrated from historical sources.” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 4, 866.

“The successive rulers of that territory of the north, which fell under the dominion of Seleucus, are referred to in this prophecy as “the king of the north,” while Egypt is called “the king of the south.” Quarterly, 26.

7 Read Daniel 11:6–14. In those times, about b.c. 200, who were to stand up against Egypt, the king of the south? What new power is introduced in this line of prophecy? Verse 14.

note: “ ‘And in those times [about b.c. 203] there shall many [Antiochus Magnus, king of Syria; Philip, king of Macedon; and many of the provinces which had revolted from Egypt] stand up against the king of the south [Egypt]; also the robbers [breakers] of thy people [Rome] shall exalt themselves [rear her head among the nations of earth] to establish the vision [destined to exert a mighty influence among the nations of earth in fulfilment of the prophecy till the end of time]; but they shall fall [be broken up into many kingdoms], and finally be “destroyed and given to the burning flame.” Daniel 7:11’ ” Quarterly, 26.

8 Where was this rising power of Rome to stand, and what destruction was to be accomplished by his hand? Daniel 11:16.

note: “In b.c. 63, Pompey, the Roman general, demolished the walls of Jerusalem, transferred several cities from the jurisdiction of Judea to that of Coel-Syria, and imposed tribute upon the Jews. Thus was Jerusalem placed by conquest in the hands of that power which was to hold ‘the glorious land’ in its iron grasp till it had utterly consumed it.” Quarterly, 26.

9 The history of what Roman ruler fulfilled the events of Daniel 11:19?

note: “ ‘Then he [Julius Cæsar] shall turn his face toward the fort of his own land [Rome]; but he shall stumble and fall [assassinated by Brutus and Cassius and other conspirators, b.c. 44], and not be found.’ ” Quarterly, 26.

“Cæsar as a general stood in a position to accomplish for the fourth kingdom what Nebuchadnezzar, Cyrus, and Alexander had done for the former three, but we have no record that he even acknowledged God as a ruler of nations. He was fascinated and corrupted by the queen of Egypt.” Haskell, 212.

10 Who succeeded Julius Cæsar? How is he designated in Daniel 11:20? What Roman emperor justly earned the title of “a raiser of taxes”? Luke 2:1. How is the death of Augustus referred to in the prophecy?

note: “ ‘Then shall stand up [reign] in his [Julius Cæsar’s] estate a raiser of taxes [Augustus Cæsar, see Luke 2:1] in the glory of the kingdom [the ‘Augustan Age,’ an expression commonly used to denote the golden age of Roman history]; but within few days he shall be destroyed, neither in anger, nor in battle.’ Eighteen years after the taxing brought to view, seeming but a ‘few days’ to the distant view of the prophet, Augustus Cæsar died peacefully in his own bed at Nola, whither he had gone to seek repose and health, a.d. 14, in the seventy-sixth year of his age.” Quarterly, 26.

“All that the sacred record gives concerning Augustus, the man who held universal sway, is that he was a raiser of taxes when the kingdom was at the height of its glory, and that after a reign of a few days, or years, he should end his career in peace. He had unconsciously been instrumental in preparing the way for the Prince of peace, and having done that, he passed from the scene.” Haskell, 215.

11 Who succeeded Augustus Cæsar as emperor of Rome? How were his character and reign foretold in Daniel 11:21?

note: “ ‘And in his [Augustus Cæsar’s] estate shall stand up [reign] a vile person [Tiberius Cæsar], to whom they [the people of Rome] shall not give the honor of the kingdom; but he shall come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries.’

“It was through the flatteries of his mother, Livia, that Tiberius reached the throne. But the citizens of Rome never gave to him the respect and ‘honor of the kingdom,’ due to an upright and faithful sovereign.

“ ‘Augustus rested his last hopes on Tiberius. It is almost superfluous to enumerate the unworthy successors of Augustus. Their unparalleled vices, and the splendid theater upon which they were acted, have saved them from oblivion. The dark, unrelenting Tiberius, the furious Caligula, the feeble Claudius, the profligate and cruel Nero, the beastly Vitellius, and the timid, inhuman Domitian, are condemned to everlasting infamy. Rome groaned beneath an unremitting tyranny, which exterminated the ancient families of the republic, and was fatal to almost every virtue and every talent that arose in that unhappy period. Under the reign of these monsters the slavery of the Romans was accomplished with peculiar circumstances.’—Gibbon.” Quarterly, 26.

12 What note does the prophecy in Daniel 11:22 make of the death of Tiberius Cæsar? Who else was to be cut off during the period of the reign of Tiberius? Daniel 11:22.

note: “Most of the life of the Saviour was spent during the reign of Tiberius, the successor of Augustus, whom Gabriel described to Daniel as a ‘vile person.’ History substantiates the description. He was not a direct heir to the throne, and he was never honored by his subjects. . . . The Jews were bitterly oppressed, and as they knew the time was near for the appearance of a Saviour, they placed all their hopes upon a temporal king, one who should break the yoke of Rome and establish for them a separate kingdom. A few, perhaps, but only a few divined the spiritual nature of the promise of a Messiah.” Haskell, 216.

“It was when Tiberius reigned (a.d. 14–37), and upon the order of his procurator of Judea, Pontius Pilate, that Jesus was crucified, in the year a.d. 31.” Commentary, vol. 4, 870.

These lessons are adapted from International Sabbath School Quarterly, Pacific Press Publishing Company, Oakland, California, January 1, 1904.

Bible Study Guides – The Judgment

by

November 13, 2004 – November 19, 2004

Memory Verse

“Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.” Revelation 14:7.

Suggested Reading: The Faith I Live By, 207; The Great Controversy, 352.

Introduction

“[Jude 14, 15; Ecclesiastes 12:13, 14 quoted in part.] God places every action in the scale. What a scene it will be! What impressions will be made regarding the holy character of God and the terrible enormity of sin, when the judgment, based on the law, is carried forward in the presence of all the worlds. Then before the mind of the unrepentant sinner there will be opened all the sins that he has committed, and he will see and understand the aggregate of sin and his own guilt.

“When the loyal overcomers are crowned, God would have present all who have transgressed His law and broken their covenant with Him. And not one of the righteous will be absent. They see in the Judge, Christ Jesus, the One whom every sinner has crucified. The Son of man shall come in His glory, and before Him shall be gathered all nations. The Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment to the Son.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7, 953.

1 What does Acts 17:31 tell us has been appointed? In the days of the apostles, was this event past, present, or future? Acts 24:25, first part.

note: “Mark the words of Paul: [Acts 17:31 quoted]. Here the apostle plainly stated that a specified time, then future, had been fixed upon for the Judgment of the world.” The Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 4, 367, 368.

“The ambition of every soul should be to make straight his paths, that the feet of others may not be led astray. But the care and anxiety with many is to shape their course to be admired by men. The highest effort of their mental powers is directed to this end. They speak and act that they may float upon the tide of popularity. There is no dependence to be placed upon this class; for they will betray sacred trusts, if by so doing they can serve their own interests. They study their own purposes so intently that they have no time for the study of God’s word. The day of retributive judgment is coming on apace, and it will find them unprepared.” Review and Herald, December 29, 1896. [Emphasis supplied.]

2 What work have we found to be synonymous with the judgment? When did the angel tell Daniel that event would begin? Daniel 8:14; 9:24.

note: “As the 2300 days was the only period of time mentioned in chapter 8, it must be the period from which the seventy weeks were cut off; the seventy weeks must therefore be a part of the 2300 days, and the two periods must begin together. The seventy weeks were declared by the angel to date from the going forth of the commandment to restore and build Jerusalem. If the date of this commandment could be found, then the starting point for the great period of the 2300 days would be ascertained.

“In the seventh chapter of Ezra the decree is found. Verses 12–26. In its completest form it was issued by Artaxerxes, king of Persia, 457 b.c.” The Great Controversy, 326.

3 When did the 2300 days end? Since a.d. 1844, what has been the message of “present truth”? Revelation 14:7.

note: “The preaching of a definite time for the judgment, in the giving of the first message, was ordered by God. The computation of the prophetic periods on which that message was based, placing the close of the 2300 days in the autumn of 1844, stands without impeachment. The repeated efforts to find new dates for the beginning and close of the prophetic periods, and the unsound reasoning necessary to sustain these positions, not only lead minds away from the present truth, but throw contempt upon all efforts to explain the prophecies. The more frequently a definite time is set for the second advent, and the more widely it is taught, the better it suits the purposes of Satan. After the time has passed, he excites ridicule and contempt of its advocates, and thus casts reproach upon the great advent movement of 1843 and 1844. Those who persist in this error will at last fix upon a date too far in the future for the coming of Christ. Thus they will be led to rest in a false security, and many will not be undeceived until it is too late.” The Great Controversy, 457.

4 For what has God prepared His throne? Who will be judged? Psalm 9:7, 8.

note: “I [Ellen White] appeal to every man and woman who shall read these words, to remember that a reckoning is to be made by the One whom God hath appointed to judge the world. Every one must then give account of the talents intrusted to him.” Review and Herald, October 6, 1891.

5 To whom has the Father committed the work of judgment? John 5:22. Why? Verse 27.

note: “To His Son the Father has committed all judgment. Christ will declare the reward of loyalty. [John 5:22, 27 quoted.] Christ accepted humanity and lived on this earth a pure, sanctified life. For this reason He has received the appointment of judge. He who occupies the position of judge is God manifest in the flesh.” Review and Herald, June 18, 1901.

6 How many of us will be brought into the judgment? What reward will each one receive? 11 Corinthians 5:10.

note: “The whole world stands condemned before the great moral standard of righteousness. In the great day of judgment every soul that has lived on the earth will receive sentence in accordance as to whether his deeds have been good or evil in the light of the law of God. Every mouth will be stopped as the cross with its dying Victim shall be presented, and its real bearing shall be seen by every mind that has been sin blinded and corrupted. Sinners will stand condemned before the cross, with its mysterious Victim bowing beneath the infinite burden of human transgression. How quickly will be swept away every subterfuge, every lying excuse! Human apostasy will appear in its heinous character. Men will see what their choice has been. They will then understand that they have chosen Barabbas instead of Christ, the Prince of Peace.” The Signs of the Times, March 7, 1895.

7 What reason is given why we should not judge one another? To whom must every knee bow and tongue confess? Of whom will each one be called to give an account? In view of this, what should we not do any more? Romans 14:10–13.

note: “ ‘Judge not, that ye be not judged.’ [Matthew 7:1.] Do not think yourself better than other men, and set yourself up as their judge. Since you cannot discern motive, you are incapable of judging another. In criticizing him, you are passing sentence upon yourself; for you show that you are a participant with Satan, the accuser of the brethren. The Lord says, ‘Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves.’ This is our work. ‘If we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.’ 11 Corinthians 13:5; 1 Corinthians 11:31.” The Desire of Ages, 314.

8 Who besides man are reserved to judgment? 11 Peter 2:4, 9. See also Jude 6.

note: “Satan has been blessed with great advantages. There can be no one greater or more talented, none more wise and good, than was Satan before he apostatized. But he allowed a spirit of selfishness to take possession of him, and he fell through self-exaltation. Angels fell with him because they placed themselves on the side of the great rebel instead of on the side of Christ. We read in Jude [6]: ‘And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.’ ” Review and Herald, July 6, 1897.

9 Has time been established for the judgment? Ecclesiastes 3:17. What are those doing who judge one another now? When will be the time for judgment? What will then be brought to light? What will every man then have? 1 Corinthians 4:5. When will the living and the dead be judged? 11 Timothy 4:1.

note: “To hate and reprove sin, and at the same time to show pity and tenderness for the sinner, is a difficult attainment. The more earnest our own efforts to attain to holiness of heart and life, the more acute will be our perception of sin and the more decided our disapproval of any deviation from the right. We must guard against undue severity toward the wrongdoer, but we must also be careful not to lose sight of the exceeding sinfulness of sin. There is need of showing Christlike patience and love for the erring one, but there is also danger of showing so great toleration for his error that he will look upon himself as undeserving of reproof. . . .” Conflict and Courage, 347.

10 How many events are associated with the judgment? Revelation 11:18.

note: “I [Ellen White] 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.” Maranatha, 258.

“We are standing upon the threshold of great and solemn events. Prophecies are fulfilling. Strange, eventful history is being recorded in the books of heaven. Everything in our world is in agitation. There are wars, and rumors of wars. The nations are angry, and the time of the dead has come, that they should be judged. Events are changing to bring about the day of God, which hasteth greatly. Only a moment of time, as it were, yet remains. But while already nation is rising against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, there is not now a general engagement. As yet the four winds are held until the servants of God shall be sealed in their foreheads. Then the powers of earth will marshal their forces for the last great battle.” Testimonies, vol. 6, 14.

11 According to what will men be judged? Romans 2:16.

note: “Those whom Christ commends in the judgment may have known little of theology, but they have cherished His principles. Through the influence of the divine Spirit they have been a blessing to those about them. Even among the heathen are those who have cherished the spirit of kindness; before the words of life had fallen upon their ears, they have befriended the missionaries, even ministering to them at the peril of their own lives. Among the heathen are those who worship God ignorantly, those to whom the light is never brought by human instrumentality, yet they will not perish. Though ignorant of the written law of God, they have heard His voice speaking to them in nature, and have done the things that the law required. Their works are evidence that the Holy Spirit has touched their hearts, and they are recognized as the children of God.” The Desire of Ages, 638.

12 What is the conclusion of the whole matter? What is declared to be the whole duty of man? What will God bring into judgment? Ecclesiastes 12:13, 14.

note: “In the book of God’s remembrance every deed of righteousness is immortalized. There every temptation resisted, every evil overcome, every word of tender pity expressed, is faithfully chronicled. And every act of sacrifice, every suffering and sorrow endured for Christ’s sake, is recorded. Says the psalmist: ‘Thou tellest my wanderings: put Thou my tears into Thy bottle: are they not in Thy book?’ Psalm 56:8.

“There is a record also of the sins of men. ‘For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.’ ‘Every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.’ Says the Saviour: ‘By thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.’ Ecclesiastes 12:14; Matthew 12:36, 37. The secret purposes and motives appear in the unerring register; for God ‘will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts.’ 1 Corinthians 4:5. ‘Behold, it is written before Me, . . . your iniquities, and the iniquities of your fathers together, saith the Lord.’ Isaiah 65:6, 7.” The Great Controversy, 481.

These lessons are adapted from International Sabbath School Quarterly, Pacific Press Publishing Company, Oakland, California, January 1, 1904.

Bible Study Guides – The Sanctuary and Its Cleansing—in Antitype

by

November 6, 2004 – November 12, 2004

Memory Verse

“Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.” Acts 3:19.

Suggested Reading: The Great Controversy, 430, 431; Selected Messages, Book 1, 124–126.

Introduction

“We are now living in the great day of atonement. In the typical service, while the high priest was making the atonement for Israel, all were required to afflict their souls by repentance of sin and humiliation before the Lord, lest they be cut off from among the people. In like manner, all who would have their names retained in the book of life should now, in the few remaining days of their probation, afflict their souls before God by sorrow for sin and true repentance. There must be deep, faithful searching of heart. The light, frivolous spirit indulged by so many professed Christians must be put away. There is earnest warfare before all who would subdue the evil tendencies that strive for the mastery. The work of preparation is an individual work. We are not saved in groups. The purity and devotion of one will not offset the want of these qualities in another. Though all nations are to pass in judgment before God, yet He will examine the case of each individual with as close and searching scrutiny as if there were not another being upon the earth. Everyone must be tested and found without spot or wrinkle or any such thing.” The Great Controversy, 489, 490.

1 Outline as fully as you can the ceremony of the cleansing of the typical sanctuary, as studied in last week’s lesson.

note: “Important truths concerning the atonement are taught by the typical service. A substitute was accepted in the sinner’s stead; but the sin was not canceled by the blood of the victim. A means was thus provided by which it was transferred to the sanctuary. By the offering of blood the sinner acknowledged the authority of the law, confessed his guilt in transgression, and expressed his desire for pardon through faith in a Redeemer to come; but he was not yet entirely released from the condemnation of the law. On the Day of Atonement the high priest, having taken an offering from the congregation, went into the most holy place with the blood of this offering, and sprinkled it upon the mercy seat, directly over the law, to make satisfaction for its claims. Then, in his character of mediator, he took the sins upon himself and bore them from the sanctuary. Placing his hands upon the head of the scapegoat, he confessed over him all these sins, thus in figure transferring them from himself to the goat. The goat then bore them away, and they were regarded as forever separated from the people.” The Great Controversy, 420.

2 Of what was each year’s round of service in the earthly sanctuary a complete type? Hebrews 8:4, 5.

note: “Each year’s round of services in the earthly sanctuary was a complete type of the entire priesthood of our Saviour.” International Sabbath School Quarterly, Pacific Press Publishing Company, Oakland, California, January 1, 1904, 21.

“I [Ellen White] was also shown a sanctuary upon the earth containing two apartments. It resembled the one in heaven, and I was told that it was a figure of the heavenly. The furniture of the first apartment of the earthly sanctuary was like that in the first apartment of the heavenly. The veil was lifted, and I looked into the holy of holies and saw that the furniture was the same as in the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary. The priest ministered in both apartments of the earthly. He went daily into the first apartment, but entered the most holy only once a year, to cleanse it from the sins which had been conveyed there. I saw that Jesus ministered in both apartments of the heavenly sanctuary. The priests entered into the earthly with the blood of an animal as an offering for sin. Christ entered into the heavenly sanctuary by the offering of His own blood. The earthly priests were removed by death; therefore they could not continue long; but Jesus was a priest forever. Through the sacrifices and offerings brought to the earthly sanctuary, the children of Israel were to lay hold of the merits of a Saviour to come. And in the wisdom of God the particulars of this work were given us that we might, by looking to them, understand the work of Jesus in the heavenly sanctuary.” Early Writings, 252, 253.

3 How often will those services, which in the type were performed once every year, be performed in the antitype? Hebrews 9:25, 26.

note: “Behold the apostle [Paul] preaching in the synagogue at Corinth, reasoning from the writings of Moses and the prophets, and bringing his hearers down to the advent of the promised Messiah. Listen as he makes plain the work of the Redeemer as the great high priest of mankind—the One who through the sacrifice of His own life was to make atonement for sin once for all, and was then to take up His ministry in the heavenly sanctuary. Paul’s hearers were made to understand that the Messiah for whose advent they had been longing, had already come; that His death was the antitype of all the sacrificial offerings, and that His ministry in the sanctuary in heaven was the great object that cast its shadow backward and made clear the ministry of the Jewish priesthood.” The Acts of the Apostles, 246.

4 What was the last solemn act performed in each year’s round of service in the type? Leviticus 23:27.

note: “Once a year, on the great Day of Atonement, the priest entered the most holy place for the cleansing of the sanctuary. The work there performed completed the yearly round of ministration.” The Great Controversy, 419.

5 What consequence followed indifference on the part of any person on that solemn Day of Atonement? What solemn event was typified each year by the ceremony that was performed on the Day of Atonement? Leviticus 23:28, 29.

note: “In 1844 our great High Priest entered the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary, to begin the work of the investigative judgment. The cases of the righteous dead have been passing in review before God. When that work shall be completed, judgment is to be pronounced upon the living. How precious, how important are these solemn moments! Each of us has a case pending in the court of heaven. We are individually to be judged according to the deeds done in the body. In the typical service, when the work of atonement was performed by the high priest in the most holy place of the earthly sanctuary, the people were required to afflict their souls before God, and confess their sins, that they might be atoned for and blotted out. Will any less be required of us in this antitypical day of atonement, when Christ in the sanctuary above is pleading in behalf of His people, and the final, irrevocable decision is to be pronounced upon every case?” Selected Messages, Book 1, 125.

6 Has the time for judgment been appointed? What assurance has been given that the judgment will take place? Acts 17:31.

note: “Before any can enter the mansions of the blessed, their cases must be investigated, and their characters and their deeds must pass in review before God. All are to be judged according to the things written in the books and to be rewarded as their works have been. This judgment does not take place at death. . . . [In Acts 17:31], the apostle plainly stated that a specified time, then future, had been fixed upon for the judgment of the world.” The Great Controversy, 548.

7 Of what were the two holy places in the typical sanctuary figures? Then how many apartments or holy places are there in the heavenly sanctuary? Exodus 25:8, 9, 40; 26:30, 33; Hebrews 8:5; 9:1–3.

note: “As the sanctuary on earth had two apartments, the holy and the most holy, so there are two holy places in the sanctuary in Heaven.” The Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 4, 261.

8 How often did the priests minister in the first apartment or holy place? How often in the second or most holy? Numbers 28:3; Leviticus 16:29–34.

note: “The ministration of the earthly sanctuary consisted of two divisions; the priests ministered daily in the holy place, while once a year the high priest performed a special work of atonement in the most holy, for the cleansing of the sanctuary. Day by day the repentant sinner brought his offering to the door of the tabernacle and, placing his hand upon the victim’s head, confessed his sins, thus in figure transferring them from himself to the innocent sacrifice. The animal was then slain. ‘Without shedding of blood,’ says the apostle, there is no remission of sin. ‘The life of the flesh is in the blood.’ Leviticus 17:11. The broken law of God demanded the life of the transgressor. The blood, representing the forfeited life of the sinner, whose guilt the victim bore, was carried by the priest into the holy place and sprinkled before the veil, behind which was the ark containing the law that the sinner had transgressed. By this ceremony the sin was, through the blood, transferred in figure to the sanctuary. In some cases the blood was not taken into the holy place; but the flesh was then to be eaten by the priest, as Moses directed the sons of Aaron, saying: ‘God hath given it you to bear the iniquity of the congregation.’ Leviticus 10:17. Both ceremonies alike symbolized the transfer of the sin from the penitent to the sanctuary.” The Great Controversy, 418.

9 What in the antitype answers to the “cutting off” of those who, in the typical service, did not afflict their souls on the Day of Atonement? Psalm 37:22, 38.

note: “All of us, as beings blessed of God with reasoning powers, with intellect and judgment, should acknowledge our accountability to God. The life He has given us is a sacred responsibility, and no moment of it is to be trifled with; for we shall have to meet it again in the record of the Judgment. In the books of heaven our lives are as accurately traced as in the picture on the plate of the photographer. Not only are we held accountable for what we have done, but for what we have left undone. We are held to account for our undeveloped characters, our unimproved opportunities.” Review and Herald, September 22, 1891.

“God judges every man according to his work. Not only does He judge, but He sums up, day by day and hour by hour, our progress in well-doing.” Ibid., May 16, 1899.

10 What in the antitype answers to the removal of sins once every year from the typical sanctuary? Acts 3:19.

note: “In the time of trouble, if the people of God had unconfessed sins to appear before them while tortured with fear and anguish, they would be overwhelmed; despair would cut off their faith, and they could not have confidence to plead with God for deliverance. But while they have a deep sense of their unworthiness, they will have no concealed wrongs to reveal. Their sins will have been blotted out by the atoning blood of Christ, and they cannot bring them to remembrance. . . .” Conflict and Courage, 69.

11 What will be the last solemn act of our Great High Priest as He closes His priestly work?

note: “He [Christ, our Great High Priest] will bear the sins of believers out of the sanctuary.” Quarterly, 21.

“It was seen, also, that while the sin offering pointed to Christ as a sacrifice, and the high priest represented Christ as a mediator, the scapegoat typified Satan, the author of sin, upon whom the sins of the truly penitent will finally be placed. When the high priest, by virtue of the blood of the sin offering, removed the sins from the sanctuary, he placed them upon the scapegoat. When Christ, by virtue of His own blood, removes the sins of His people from the heavenly sanctuary at the close of His ministration, He will place them upon Satan, who, in the execution of the judgment, must bear the final penalty. The scapegoat was sent away into a land not inhabited, never to come again into the congregation of Israel. So will Satan be forever banished from the presence of God and His people, and he will be blotted from existence in the final destruction of sin and sinners.” The Great Controversy, 422.

12 When Christ bears the sins of the overcomers from the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary, upon whom will he place them?

note: “When our High Priest, in His own person, bears our sins from the sanctuary, those sins will then be rolled back upon the head of the antitypical scapegoat, the originator of sin.” Quarterly, 21.

“When the work of atonement in the heavenly sanctuary has been completed, then in the presence of God and heavenly angels and the host of the redeemed the sins of God’s people will be placed upon Satan; he will be declared guilty of all the evil which he has caused them to commit. And as the scapegoat was sent away into a land not inhabited, so Satan will be banished to the desolate earth, an uninhabited and dreary wilderness.” The Great Controversy, 658.

These lessons are adapted from International Sabbath School Quarterly, Pacific Press Publishing Company, Oakland, California, January 1, 1904.