Antiochus Epiphanes

Parallel Prophecies of Daniel, Part I

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In this article, I want to study with you some of the most critical, serious items having to do with the Adventist faith; items in which we are under attack by our theological opponents; items in which former Seventh-day Adventist ministers, who have left the Adventist faith, think that they can destroy our faith and make us look like we are foolish and do not even believe what the Bible teaches.

That is by way of introduction. We, unfortunately, cannot cover everything in the limited space of this article. Since we can cover just a few things, you need to study and know thoroughly this subject for yourself. I hope that you are on a Bible study program of your own. Do not think that you will be able to go to the end of time and be ready for the Second Coming of Christ just by attending church and studying whatever is studied there. You cannot do it. You have to study the Bible at your own home every day. I would rather see a Christian that studies the Bible every day for 20 minutes than to see a Christian that only studies the Bible for 3 hours on Sabbath. You will get more good out of it if you study it every day. A few points will be covered briefly in this article. Hopefully, they will stimulate your thinking so that you can study them out more in detail.

Ellen White says that we are all called to be students of prophecy. (Testimonies, vol. 5, 708.) You do not have to have the Spirit of Prophecy to know that, because Jesus said to His disciples, “When you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet standing in the Holy Place, whoever reads, let him understand.” Matthew 24:15. We have a Divine command that we are to understand prophecy. Particularly are we to understand the prophecy of Daniel. That is a Divine injunction. Jesus is the Son of God, the Majesty of heaven. When He says, “You are to study and you are to understand,” we should take that to heart and really study to understand. The early Adventists took that to heart. They began to study prophecy. Adventism is a result of those Protestant Christians. There were even some Roman Catholic Christians that engaged in the study of prophecy in the late 1800s and the early 1900s. Adventism is the result of the study of prophecy—particularly the prophecies of Daniel, as Jesus commanded us that we were to do.

Dismantling Adventism

Ellen White wrote, “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.” The Great Controversy, 409. The devil today has not only attacked Adventism, but he is trying to dismantle Adventism by destroying its very foundation. The devil started this demolition work hundreds of years ago. It was well under way by the Council of Trent, which was the Roman Catholic Council that met between 1545 and 1563. Adventists today are specifically under attack concerning Daniel 8:14.

The controversy over the six things that we will study did not begin in the last ten years with these new attacks by former Seventh-day Adventist ministers who are trying to destroy the Adventist faith. It began a long time ago and really erupted in Adventism nearly 25 years ago, in October 1979, at Pacific Union College [Angwin, California]. A teacher there by the name of Desmond Ford presented a lecture in which he said that he was going to debunk the whole idea of 1844 as a mistake. All of the attacks now are actually reruns of attacks made in 1979 and 1980.

The leadership of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists gave Desmond Ford several months to outline his views, and then the top scholars of the Seventh-day Adventist Church met together at Glacier View Camp in Colorado during the summer of 1980, and they reviewed with Desmond Ford these different things. If Desmond Ford was correct with these different charges, there would be no reason for a Seventh-day Adventist Church.

My wife and I were living in Texas when those meetings took place. I was teaching at Southwestern Adventist College in Keene, Texas. I remember the discussions that were taking place among the faculty during this time. Some people used to say, “If you really knew what the Greek language says in Hebrews 6 and if you really knew what the Hebrew words mean in Daniel 8, then you would know that the Adventists are wrong.” I was hearing things like this, and such thoughts were even being published. A leading Seventh-day Adventist theologian published as fact the idea that a two-apartment sanctuary is not taught in the Book of Hebrews.

Others were saying, “If you could read the texts in the Greek or in the Hebrew, you would find they do not say exactly what we have thought they said,” and I thought to myself, “If that is so, I am going to find out.” I was an ordained Seventh-day Adventist minister at that time, and I decided to find out for myself what these Scriptures say.

Study of the Original

I happened to have studied Greek between three and four years at Walla Walla College [Walla Walla, Washington] and at the Adventist Seminary [Berrien Springs, Michigan]. I also studied Hebrew at the Adventist Seminary. I got my books, and I obtained more lexicons, additional analytical materials, and interlinear Bibles, and I bought a new Hebrew Bible. I wanted to find out if I had been confused my whole life. I now have a Hebrew Bible and a Greek Bible, which I use regularly. If it had not been for the Ford controversy, maybe I would not know Hebrew and Greek as well as I do today.

Do Not Stumble

The Adventist faith is anchored in the Greek and Hebrew texts of the Old and New Testaments. Do not let someone tell you that, because you have to read the Bible in English, you do not know what it says. There are a few mistakes in the best English translations. Ellen White acknowledges that in Selected Messages, Book 1, 16: “Some look to us gravely and say, ‘Don’t you think there might have been some mistake in the copyist or in the translators?’ This is all probable, and the mind that is so narrow that it will hesitate and stumble over this possibility or probability would be just as ready to stumble over the mysteries of the Inspired Word, because their feeble minds cannot see through the purposes of God. . . . All the mistakes will not cause trouble to one soul, or cause any feet to stumble, that would not manufacture difficulties from the plainest revealed truth.” Notice that she says those few mistakes will not cause one soul to be lost! If we take the Bible, read it, and study it, there is no mistake in the translations of the Bible that will cause us to be lost.

Nobody will be able, in the Day of Judgment, to say, “Lord, I am lost because I read the King James Version of the Bible, and there was a transcription error in Romans 14:6, and because of that transcription error, I did not know that the seventh day was the Sabbath, so now I am lost.” There is a bad mistake in Romans 14:6 in the King James Version, but that will not cause any honest soul to be lost. Why? Because there are hundreds of texts in the King James Version that point out what the true Sabbath is. Even if there is a mistake in the translation in Romans 14, nobody will be lost over that, if they look at the whole Bible.

No one will be able to come to the Lord in the Day of Judgment and say, “Oh, Lord, I read the New American Standard Bible and now I am lost, because it translated from a different text or manuscript in Revelation 22:14.” (The two different texts or readings in the Greek manuscripts for Revelation 22:14 are almost certainly the result of a scribal hearing error since they rhyme.) Why cannot anyone use that as an excuse to the Lord in the Day of Judgment? Because in the New American Standard Bible or in the New International Version, there are many other texts that show exactly what the commandments are, what the Sabbath is, and that we should keep them.

The fact that there is a mistake in translation here or there will not cause anyone to be lost, unless they choose to base all their doubts on that one mistake. We are to look at the whole Bible, and if we take the evidence of the whole Bible, there is no mistake in the King James Version, there is no mistake in the New King James Version, there is no mistake in the New American Standard Bible, and there is no mistake in the New International Version that will cause us to be lost—if we look at the whole Bible.

Back to Basics

My faith was challenged in 1979 and 1980. I was told, “If you knew what the Greek and Hebrew said, you would know that we are wrong.” I decided that if that was so, I would find out. I found out! I read the whole Bible in the original languages—Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic. Let me tell you, friends, the Adventist faith is anchored in exactly what the prophets wrote.

It is true that in the Book of Daniel there are a few translation difficulties. Daniel is one of the most difficult books of the Old Testament to translate, because the translators did not understand what they were translating. If you have ever translated from one language to another, you know that sometimes you could translate something more than one way. When that occurs, you look at the context to determine whether the word should be translated this way or that way. That is true with all translation. If you do not know the meaning of what you are translating, it makes the translation much more difficult.

The translators did not know the meaning of what they were translating in the Book of Daniel, so they made a few mistakes. Ellen White refers to that. She talks about the fact that the word sacrifice was added in Daniel 8 and also in Daniel 11 and 12. She says that was added by human wisdom and that it is not part of the Word of God. She makes that very clear. (See Early Writings, 74, 75.) That is a critical point to our understanding of the Book of Daniel.

Pioneers Understood

When I went through the Book of Daniel in Hebrew and Aramaic, I found something very interesting. This will give you encouragement. Every time that I found a mistake in translation and I went back to the Hebrew text, I found that the Hebrew text agreed exactly with what the Adventist pioneers worked out! The Hebrew text agrees exactly with what the Adventist pioneers worked out about what the Book of Daniel means. Now that is just astounding and amazing, because most of our pioneers did not know Hebrew and Greek. Surely the Lord led them to understand the truth.

The Attack

Now, let me tell you what the attack is about. Former Seventh-day Adventist ministers, through their web sites, videos, and published books, are spearheading this attack. As a result of their teachings, Adventists that are following them are becoming Sunday worshippers or Sunday-keepers. This is where the attack is focused.

These former ministers say that Adventists are a cult. I do not mind being called a cult, because Christians have been called a cult since the days of the apostle Paul. Act 28:22 talks about the Christians being a sect. We are going to be called a sect at the end of time, so I am not worried about being called a cult or a sect. All I want to know is, “Am I living according to the Word of God?”

Given here are six points upon which the attack centers:

  1. These former ministers say that the sanctuary of Daniel 8:14 is referring to the earthly sanctuary; we believe it is talking about the heavenly sanctuary.
  2. We are attacked over the 2300 days. First of all, the former ministers say that these 2300 days were fulfilled in the time of Antiochus Epiphanes, 200 years before Christ. He is the one that defiled the sanctuary; then it had to be restored after his defiling it.
  3. We are attacked on the day-for-a-year principle.
  4. This is one of the big ones! We are attacked on the identity of the little horn. These former Seventh-day Adventist ministers, along with many liberal Protest-ant theologians today, say that the little horn in Daniel 8 is Antiochus Epiphanes, who was a Greek and king of the Seleucid (Syrian) Empire. Do you remember, in Daniel 7, it says that the Greek Empire would have four heads and out of those four heads two would become predominant? In Daniel 11, reference is made to the king of the north and the king of the south. The king of the north was the Seleucid (Syrian) Empire, which was a division of Alexander’s empire. The eighth Seleucid king (there were 12 after him) was Antiochus Epiphanes. These former ministers say that Antiochus Epiphanes is the little horn power and that the Adventists are wrong in their belief. If Antiochus Epiphanes is the little horn, we are about as deluded as any people could be, and Ellen White would have to be a false prophet. So we need to under-stand this.
  5. We say that the timing of Daniel 8:14 has to do with the time of the end of the world. These former ministers say the timing has to do with the Second Century before Christ.
  6. We say that the meaning of the cleansing of the sanctuary is the investigative judgment. They say that just means the cleaning up of the temple after Antiochus Epiphanes defiled it.

Those are some of the main items that are under attack. We need to know what we believe about all of those things.

In this study, we will look at a few things in regard to context and then take an overview of the prophetic parts of Daniel—chapters 2, 7, 8, 11 and 12. We will skip chapter 9.

End of . . .

Let us first look at the end of Daniel 8:17. I will give this text a word for word translation from the Hebrew Bible, so if it does not agree exactly with the Bible version you are using, do not get upset. What is given here is very accurate. In Daniel 8:17, the angel says to Daniel, “Consider then, O son of man, that to the time of the end is the vision.” This is a critical point. End of what—end of Antiochus Epiph-anes? End of what? “To the time of the end is the vision.” We need to understand something about the time. The angel repeats this fact—that this vision has to do with the time of the end—in verse 19. So, this vision has to do with the time of the end.

Prophecies Built on Each Other

We are now going to look at the whole Book of Daniel, because I want you to see that, in the Book of Daniel, the prophecies are built on each other. Prophecy is first given in Daniel 2; then the same thing is given with more detail in Daniel 7; then the prophecy, with much more detail, is recorded in Daniel 8; then the same prophecy is given, with much, much more detail, in Daniel 11 and 12. The prophecies in Daniel are parallel. However you interpret these prophecies, remember they are parallel prophecies, and everything has to fit. Daniel 2 has to fit; Daniel 7 has to fit; Daniel 8 has to fit; and Daniel 11 and 12 have to fit. You cannot pull out Daniel 8:14 and apply it to something unless you also have made it fit with everything else.

Daniel 2

Let us look at how it works. Open your Bible to Daniel 2:36, 37: “This [is] the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king. Thou, O king, [art] a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory.” Notice three points in Daniel 2: 1) There are earthly powers. (See verses 37–43.) But these earthly powers come to an end. 2) There is a Divine intervention, and 3) All earthly powers come to an end. (See verses 44, 45.)

We learn that there are earthly powers, several earthly powers, but then there is a Divine intervention. How long do the earthly powers exist? Verse 44 says, “In the days of these kings.” “These kings” are the division of the fourth world empire, and “these kings” rule until a “stone is cut out without hands.” Verse 45. This is a stone that is cut out with-out hands. This is not a human intervention; this is a Divine inter-vention. This is a Divine intervention in human affairs, and the result is that all earthly powers come to an end. That should be simple enough that we could all figure it out.

Do you have the three points figured out in Daniel 2? You have earthly powers. These earthly powers continue until there is a Divine intervention, and the result of the Divine intervention is that all the earthly powers come to an end.

Daniel 7

Now look at Daniel 7. There you will see the very same thing that you saw in chapter 2, with some more detail added. In verses 17–25 of Daniel 7, you are going to see various earthly powers. Then, in verses 26 and 27, the specifics of the Divine intervention are given in more detail. As a result of the Divine intervention, all of the earthly powers are going to come to an end, and the saints of the most high are going to receive the kingdom.

So you see here in Daniel 7 the very same thing that is in Daniel 2. In Daniel 7:17–25 you have: 1) earthly powers with 2) Divine intervention in verses 26 and 27. As a result of that, 3) all of the earthly powers come to an end.

Daniel 8

In Daniel 8 we could go either to the first part of the vision or to the last of the vision where the vision is interpreted. The interpretation of the vision is given in verses 20 to 25. In these verses, you have the very same thing. 1) There is a series of earthly powers. 2) There are earthly powers, but then there is a Divine intervention.

Verse 25 says, “And by cunning, he shall cause deceit to prosper in his hand, and in his heart he shall magnify himself. And by peace he will destroy many, and against the Prince of princes he will stand up, but without hand he is going to be broken.” At the end, there are earthly powers, and then, as explained in the last part of verse 25, there is a Divine intervention. “Without hand,” he is going to come to an end. He does not come to his end because of something that human beings do. Did you see that in Daniel 2? In Daniel 2 there is a stone cut out without hand. In Daniel 8, there is intervention “without hand.” In other words, it is a Divine intervention. He is going to be destroyed. The Hebrew word shalvah means to be broken or destroyed. So without hand he is going to be broken or without hand he is going to be shattered or without hand he is going to be destroyed. All three translations are correct. What is the result? 3) The result is that all earthly powers come to an end.

To be continued . . .

[Bible texts quoted are literal translation.]

Pastor John J. Grosboll is Director of Steps to Life and pastors the Prairie Meadows Church in Wichita, Kansas. He may be contacted by e-mail at: historic@stepstolife.org or by telephone at: 316-788-5559.

Parallel Prophecies of Daniel, Part II

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Daniel 8 and Daniel 11 do not deal with Babylon, because Babylon has already come to an end. Daniel 2 and Daniel 7 deal with Babylon. Daniel 11 deals with Medo-Persia, then Greece, and then Rome. There is a tremendous amount of detail in Daniel 11 and 12.

Daniel 11

I love to study Daniel 11 and 12. Understanding of these chapters provides historical anchors for everything that Adventists believe. Daniel 11 has some amazing detail. For instance, in just a few words in Daniel 11 is an amazingly detailed history of the life of Julius Caesar. It is astonishing! I have taken a history book and followed down each point. Each point was fulfilled in the life of Julius Caesar in detail, exactly the way it was written.

The people who are opponents of Adventism—the liberal theologians—say that Daniel was written in the second century b.c. The Bible says it was written in the sixth century b.c. If it was written in the second century b.c., how did Daniel know, over a hundred years in advance, the detail? If he was a liar and a fraud, how did he know, over a hundred years in advance, the exact description of the life history of Julius Caesar? What is even more, after Julius Caesar, Daniel points out in detail the life history of Augustus Caesar. Every single thing mentioned there exactly came to pass. From the manuscript written in Daniel, I can point out from the history book how it was fulfilled exactly, on every detail. Even more amazing is that it points out in detail the life history and the career of Tiberius Caesar. It tells, in verse 22, that at the time of Tiberius Caesar the prince of the covenant would be broken. Who was the Caesar when Jesus was crucified? Tiberius Caesar. Amazing!

Messiah Timeline

Daniel 11 shows in great detail the history of these earthly powers. It points out the history of three of the most well-known Caesars. The reason that is done is so we have an historical anchor with the Messiah.

We know exactly when the Messiah was to be crucified from both Daniel 9 and Daniel 11. If the Jews had studied Bible prophecy, they would have known—as soon as Tiberius Caesar became the Caesar—that during the reign of this Caesar the Messiah would be crucified. If they had studied Daniel 9 carefully, they would have known the exact year when Jesus would be crucified! They would have known the exact month and the exact day, because the Messiah was to die as our sacrifice on the Passover Day in the middle of the seventieth week. Not only that, if they had really studied carefully, they would have known the exact hour of the day when Jesus would die on the cross. They would have been right, because He died at the time of the evening sacrifice. They would have known the Caesar that would be reigning. They would have known the year. They would have known the month and the day. They would have known the hour of the day when the Messiah would be crucified. That is how specific Old Testament prophecy was about the Messiah.

Does it ever alarm you when you read that Ellen White said that the history has been pointed out to us just as clearly as it was pointed out to them? “The students of God’s word may, then, confidently expect to find the most stupendous event to take place in human history clearly pointed out in the Scriptures of truth.” The Great Controversy, 324.

Have you ever prayed, “Lord, help me to understand prophecy so that I will not be taken by surprise”? We need to be students of prophecy, and when we read these prophecies, we need to pray and ask the Lord to help us to understand what we read.

One Prophecy

Daniel 11 and 12 are all one prophecy. There is not even a sentence break at the end of Daniel 11. In Daniel 11, there are given the earthly powers. Then, in Daniel 11 and 12, there is a Divine intervention. Daniel 11:44–12:2 says, “Reports from the east will cause him to tremble, and from the north. And he will go out with great fury to destroy and to kill many, and he will plant the tents of his citadel [or his palaces] between the seas and the glorious holy mountain. But he shall come to his end and no one will be helping him, and in that time Michael will stand up, the great Prince who stands for the sons of your people, and there will be a time of distress [a time of trouble], which has not been since there was a nation, even to that same time. And in that time your people shall be delivered; all who shall be found written in the book. And many who sleep in the dust of the ground will wake up, these to life everlasting and these to reproach and abhorrence everlasting.”

Did that happen during the days of Antiochus Epiphanes? Of course not! Here in the last part of Daniel 11 and the first part of Daniel 12, are the very same things as were given in the earlier prophecies, only with greater detail. There are 1) earthly powers. Then 2) there is a Divine intervention. Michael stands up and the result is that 3) all the earthly powers come to an end. And then Daniel is going to stand in his inheritance; he is going to stand in his lot.

Let us go into a little bit more detail. We went through the whole book of Daniel with a real simple outline. Now, we will amplify our outline. It is good to start simple. It helps us to understand what we are talking about. There are accusations that Seventh-day Adventists do not know who the little horn is, so we will go into a little bit more detail.

Babylon

Is Babylon the first world kingdom that is given to us in Daniel 2? Oh, you cannot mistake it. Daniel 2, remember, is the image, and it starts with the head of gold, then the breasts and arms of silver, the belly and thighs of brass, and the legs of iron. Then there are feet. The feet, clear down to the toes, are partly iron. The iron goes clear to the ends of the toes, but at the bottom there is some clay with it. That is important to remember.

People say Babylon meant this or it meant that, but when you are studying Daniel 2, how many things could Babylon mean? Have you ever thought about that? Can you say you could interpret it this way or that way? Can you really say that? I cannot. When I read, in verse 38, that Daniel declares, “You [Nebuchadnezzar] are this head of gold,” I do not know any other way to interpret that except that this head of gold refers to Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar’s empire. So, Babylon is the first kingdom.

In verse 39, Daniel continues with the interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, saying, “After you, there is going to arise another kingdom inferior to you.” What kingdom overthrew Babylon? The Medes and the Persians.

Then Daniel said, “As you saw the belly and the thighs of brass, after the second kingdom there is going to be still a third kingdom that rules over all the earth.” Who was that kingdom? Greece.

Please do not get upset if we are going through some rather elementary points. You will soon see that every single point we are looking at now is going to become very, very important in understanding Daniel 7 and 8.

Fourth Kingdom Unnamed

After the third kingdom, Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar, in verse 40, that there was going to be a fourth kingdom! Babylon, Medo-Persia, and Greece are all mentioned by name in Daniel. The fourth kingdom is never mentioned by name in Daniel. Because this fourth kingdom is never mentioned by name, there has been argument about it for 2,000 years. Our theological opponents are always mixed up about this.

Let me ask you a question. If Babylon is clearly defined as the first kingdom, should you know who Babylon is? Yes. If you next have Medo-Persia, should you know who that kingdom is? Then you have the worldwide kingdom of Greece. This kingdom had such an influence on the ancient world that the whole world spoke Greek in the time of Christ. The New Testament was not written in Hebrew and Aramaic like the Old Testament. The New Testament was written in Greek, because of the influence of this nation on the world.

Then, if you say that after this and this and this, there is going to be a fourth kingdom that will rule over all the world, do you think that a person should be able to figure out who this kingdom might be? This nation is called an iron kingdom.

Identifying Features

Notice five things about this fourth kingdom. These five things will be true whether studying in Daniel 2, 7, 8, or 11. They will be true every single time, but we will stay in Daniel 2 right now. Five things about the fourth kingdom are identified in Daniel 2. The reason we need to concentrate on this is because in Daniel 2, 7, 8, and 11 there is more time spent on the fourth kingdom than on the other three kingdoms put together.

If a writer spends more time on this one kingdom than on all the other three kingdoms put together, do you think we should spend more time studying this one, even if it is not named? Everything that God does is intelligent, not arbitrary. There is a very intelligent reason why this fourth kingdom was not named, but we will not go into that now. You can begin trying to figure that out. Let us look at a few details about this fourth kingdom.

First, were the first three kingdoms worldwide empires? Yes. Is the fourth kingdom a worldwide empire? Yes, it is a worldwide empire. You cannot say that about Antiochus Epiphanes.

Second, this fourth power will be a powerful, violent kingdom or entity. (See verse 40.)

Third—this should be so obvious, but we have to point it out—does the fourth kingdom arise after the third kingdom in Daniel 2? Yes, it does. We have to point this out since our theological opponents, in an attempt to reinterpret prophecy, have confused the time sequence.

Fourth, look at Daniel 2 carefully now, because many Seventh-day Adventists are confused since they have not understood this. This fourth kingdom extends until the end of time. Do not let anyone confuse you about that. This fourth kingdom arises after the third kingdom. That locks it into a specific time of arising, and it is going to extend until the end of time. At the last, there is going to be some clay mixed with the iron, but the iron goes to the end of time. That is very important to understand.

Fifth, this fourth kingdom, at the end of time, will be destroyed without hand. In other words, there will be a Divine intervention that will destroy this fourth kingdom. Now, if the fourth kingdom arose after the Greek kingdom and if the iron is going to go clear down until it gets struck with a rock, has this image been struck by the rock yet? No. When it is struck by the rock, all earthly kingdoms are going to come to their end. (Verses 44, 45.) Has the rock struck yet? No, because we still have earthly kingdoms.

What we have just reviewed proves that this fourth kingdom still has to be in existence, because this fourth kingdom is going to go on until it is struck on the feet. It is going to change. Daniel 7 will give you some more detail about this so that it will be clear to you. If all we had was Daniel 2, we would have a difficult time figuring that all out, but in Daniel 7, we have the very same sequence with much more added detail.

Daniel 7

In Daniel 7, there is the first kingdom, Babylon, again—a lion this time. We have the second kingdom again—a bear this time. We have the third kingdom again—a leopard this time. And we have the fourth kingdom again—a great and terrible beast, so awful that there is nothing in the natural world with which to compare it.

If you look carefully in Daniel 7, you will see something very interesting. This fourth beast has a latter-day development that is very intriguing. Out of this fourth beast, eventually grow ten horns. Where are the ten horns? They are on the fourth beast; do not ever forget that. And the fourth beast goes until it is destroyed without hand. There is a Divine intervention that destroys the fourth beast. But this fourth beast, in time, has some interesting developments. Ten horns grow out of it. After the ten horns grow out of it, we are told, another horn comes up—an eleventh horn, a little horn—and as it comes up, it destroys three of the first horns.

As you read Daniel 7, you see that this fourth kingdom has several phases. There is the beast; then there are the horns that grow up out of it, and eventually there is one little horn that becomes greater than all the rest of them. Where does the little horn come up? What does it come out of? It comes out of the fourth beast.

Rome

This fourth beast was called Rome. Have you heard of any entity in the world today that is still called by that name? It is called Roman; that is the first word of its name. It is the Roman kingdom, and it is going to go right on until the end of time, and then it is going to be destroyed without hand. No human being is going to destroy it. Human beings have tried to destroy this power many times. They cannot.

Remember that the little horn comes out of the Roman kingdom. It grows out of that kingdom, and it is that kingdom. It is still Roman today. Do you know the official title of the leading personage of the Roman kingdom? Pontifex Maximus. They refer to his rule as his pontificate, and he makes pontifical announcements.

Daniel 8

By the time of Daniel 8, we are not dealing with the nation of Babylon anymore, just as with Daniel 11. We start with Medo-Persia followed by Greece. That is the ram and the he-goat. There are some details about the first horn that was broken into four horns and the little horn that developed out of one of them.

Let us look at seven facts about the little horn in Daniel 8. 1) This is the same symbol as is used in Daniel 7. 2) The little horn in Daniel 7 and the little horn in Daniel 8 engage in similar actions. 3) In Daniel 7 and in Daniel 8, the very same thing happens. When this horn comes up, it is little, but it becomes greater than everybody else. 4) In both Daniel 7 and Daniel 8, this little horn power is a blasphemous power. 5) In both Daniel 7 and Daniel 8, the little horn persecutes the saints. 6) In both Daniel 7 and Daniel 8, the little horn power endures for a protracted period of time—a long time. 7) In both Daniel 7 and Daniel 8, the little horn power suffers the same fate. It is destroyed without hand.

Now concentrate on this little horn power. In Daniel 8, Persia, which is the ram, is called great. Let us be sure we understand what we are talking about. How large a nation was Persia? It was vaster than Nebuchadnezzar’s empire. It was a worldwide empire. Although Nebuchadnezzar’s empire was a worldwide empire, he did not control as much territory. He had worldwide influence, but he did not physically rule over every city. They all paid allegiance to him; they sent tribute to him. But Persia was even bigger than Babylon.

Greece, the he-goat with the horn, is exceedingly great. Greece had more territory than did Medo-Persia. It had a greater effect on the world. The whole world adopted the Greek language, as a result of the influence of Alexander the Great and the Greek Empire.

Little Horn

But then we come to this little horn. Remember what opponents of Adventism say. They say that the little horn is Antiochus Epiphanes and that Seventh-day Adventists are confused and deluded. I have done a lot of studying on this subject, because I wanted to be sure I knew what the Hebrew said. Daniel uses the same word, great, but then adds another word, the Hebrew word yether. There are various ways to translate that word. In this context, it would be translated above and beyond, or some lexicons would say beyond measure.

It is like the apostle Paul. The apostle Paul uses such superlative terms that you cannot translate them. You have to use a number of superlative words to try to explain how it is something that is far beyond super abounding. How do you express something like that? That is the situation relating to the little horn. First there is Medo-Persia, and it is great, but then there is the he-goat, and it is great exceedingly. Then there is the little horn, and it is great beyond measure. It is so great that Daniel cannot find a word to describe it so he uses the word yether, which means above and beyond.

The prophecy said that after Alexander the Great died, his kingdom would be divided into four parts. The prophecy in Daniel 11 reveals that those four parts would be divided so that there were just two parts, and there would be the king of the north and the king of the south. Antiochus Epiphanes was one of those kings of the north. He was the eighth of about twenty Seleucid kings.

The little horn is great beyond measure. It is greater than Greece; it is far greater than Persia; . . . and some people want us to believe it refers to Antiochus Epiphanes? Wait a minute! I am not willing to lay my reason aside at the door. This could not possibly be Antiochus Epiphanes. Whoever or whatever this is has to be somebody or something that is greater than Persia, and it has to be greater than Alexander the Great.

Think this through. The world at large—everyone who has studied the most basic ancient history available—will tell you about the neo-Babylonian Empire and about Persia and about Greece and about Alexander the Great. Look, I just want to be sure you understand this. You should not have to have a high school education to figure out who the little horn represents, because whoever it is has to be greater than Persia and greater than Alexander the Great.

How many people walking down the street today, if asked, would know who Antiochus Epiphanes was? Was Antiochus Epiphanes greater than Alexander the Great? That is ludicrous! That is insane, as people would say, and it is a form of insanity. That is what opponents of Adventism want us to believe. Think this through.

No Gaps

There is one basic point that I want to be sure you understand so thoroughly that you will never forget it, even if you live to be 100 years old. This is important. It is important to understand the prophecies of Daniel and to understand where we live in the stream of time and what is about to happen.

There is Babylon; there is Medo-Persia; there is Greece; there is the fourth kingdom. This fourth kingdom has two phases. There is Divine intervention, and all earthly powers come to an end. Here is what I want you to think through. If you have never studied this before, go through Daniel 2 and then Daniel 7 and then Daniel 8 and then Daniel 11 and 12, and you will see it every single time. This is very important to understand, because the people who believe in the rapture are confused on this point. This is not complicated. It is so simple that if we did not have theological opposition, we would think that we were insulting each other’s intelligence by even bringing this up, but we need to make this clear because of what people believe.

People have been told, regarding the time prophecy of Daniel 8:14, that between week 69 and week 70 there is a gap of about 2,000 years. Some people believe the little horn power is Antiochus Epiphanes. Other people say that the little horn power is the antichrist power that is going to come at the end of time. It may be someone who is born right now. It may be some atheist dictator that is born in Israel—a Jewish, atheist dictator that will take control of the whole world at the end of time when there will be seven years of tribulation. Where do they get all of this?

Notice, from the study of Daniel, that whether you are reading Daniel 2, 7, 8, or 11 and 12, it will come out the same every single time. There is Babylon, then Medo-Persia, then Greece, and then a fourth kingdom. The fourth kingdom, in its later history, becomes divided, but remember that the iron goes all the way to the end. Then there is a Divine intervention, and all earthly powers are destroyed. This is something that goes from Babylon, from Nebuchadnezzar’s time, until the end of the world, and there are no gaps.

You cannot find a gap in the Book of Daniel. Can you find a gap in Daniel 2 between Babylon and when the stone is cut out? Can you find a gap anywhere? There is no gap. It is continuous. You will find the same thing in Daniel 7. In Daniel 7, the fourth kingdom arises after Greece, and this fourth kingdom has a further development into a different phase, but it goes all the way to the end, and then it is destroyed without hand. There are no gaps. It is continuous. The same is true in Daniel 8. In Daniel 8, there is Medo-Persia, Greece, and the development of a little horn power, and the little horn power goes all the way to the end. Then, in verse 25, we read that it will be destroyed without hand. The same thing is found in Daniel 11. Starting with Medo-Persia, there is then Greece, and more detail is given about Greece and how it would be divided. Then it tells about this fourth power developing, and describes a further development of this fourth power. It goes all the way to the end. Then there is the Divine intervention (Daniel 11:45; 12:1, 2), and all the earthly powers come to their end, and there is no gap.

There is no gap. That is very important to understand, because people today have been taught that there was a gap of about 2,000 years. They have been told that the prophets can only see certain high points and there were 2,000 years in between called the “church age,” and they could not understand that. Well, wait a minute. Do you believe that God means what He says and says what He means? In the Book of Daniel, there are no gaps. The fourth kingdom is the final earthly kingdom.

That final earthly kingdom is still here, and it is still all over the world. I have seen it everywhere I have traveled in the world, and I have traveled over a good share of this world. Do not ever think that you or I will ever destroy this final earthly kingdom of which we are now in the final stages. No human being is going to destroy it. God is going to destroy it when He comes. “And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming.” 11 Thessalonians 2:8.

It is my hope that this brief look at Daniel will stimulate you to study. I hope you will study these things and that you will know why you believe what you believe and know what the Bible says about it. Every single word in the prophecy of Daniel is important. If you do not know Greek or Hebrew and you are having trouble with some verses, get an interlinear Bible and some appropriate books and study it out. Know what the Bible says.

[Bible texts quoted are literal translation.]

Pastor John Grosboll is Director of Steps to Life and pastors the Prairie Meadows Church in Wichita, Kansas. He may be contacted by e-mail at: historic@stepstolife.org or by telephone at: 316-788-5559.

Editorial – 1843, Part II

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The 1843 (eventually corrected to 1844) date of William Miller’s message was derived from the study of prophecy, especially the prophecy in Daniel 8:13, 14. The critics of Adventism have taken advantage of the average person’s lack of knowledge about several terms to introduce confusion, instead of understanding, concerning the fulfillment of this prophecy. We will look at several basic points: 1) Who and what is the little horn in Daniel 8? 2) Daniel 8:12 and 13 speak of two separate rebellions, first the continuance in rebellion and second the desolating or depopulating rebellion. These rebellions are sometimes called “transgression(s),” but a look into any Hebrew lexicon, or just a casual reading of the Hebrew Bible, easily shows that the common word used refers to a deliberate or willful transgression or more accurately a revolt or rebellion. I have found only a few places in the entire Hebrew Bible where the word could not be more helpfully translated “rebellion.” What are these two separate rebellions of Daniel 8:12 and 13? 3) It would seem almost embarrassing to have to mention this elementary fact but, because of the tricky reasoning of our opponents, we will. This is a time prophecy. 4) This is a time prophecy having to do with end-time events, because the angel said to Daniel, in regard to the 2300 days, that the vision dealt with the time of the end. This is an important enough point that it is mentioned twice (verses 17 and 19).

We will begin with point #4. This point by itself makes it completely impossible for this vision to have anything to do with Antiochus Epiphanes iv. Antiochus was one of approximately 20 Seleucid kings who ruled the northern territory of Alexander the Great’s empire, called in Daniel 11 “the king of the north.” None of these kings were as great as Alexander the Great. (See Daniel 11:4.) A minor king of a division of Alexander’s kingdom who lived in the second century b.c. could not be described as fulfilling a prophecy clearly stated as having to do with the time of the end.

Next we come to point #3. Every imaginable device has been attempted in an effort to demonstrate a 2300-day period during the time of Antiochus Epiphanes. Any fulfillment of this time prophecy would have to involve a time period of 2300 days. There has been an effort to say that, since the wording in Daniel 8:14 is “evening and morning,” it refers to 1150 days. This interpretation will not stand up to any candid investigation of the Scriptures. (See Genesis 1.) (The literal wording of Daniel 8:14 in the Hebrew text is “and he said to me unto evening, morning, two thousand and three hundred and [or ‘the’] it shall be cleansed [or ‘restored to its rightful state’ or ‘made right’] the sanctuary [or ‘holy place’].) No period of 2300 days can be shown for Antiochus Epiphanes. Any real fulfillment of this prophecy must demonstrate a beginning event and a closing event which are separated by 2300 days. This fact destroys the possibility of Antiochus having anything to do with the fulfillment of this prophecy a second time.

Then we come to point #2. Daniel 8:13, 14 are not the only places in the Book of Daniel where these two rebellions are mentioned. Any interpretation of these two rebellions in Daniel 8:13, 14 must also fit contextually with their identity and historical position when also described in Daniel 11:31 and Daniel 12:11. Daniel 11:31 shows us that a future power will cause the continuance in rebellion to be removed and then the desolating rebellion will be set up in its place. This is an extremely important point, because it shows that these two rebellions are consecutive events, the one following the other.

Editorial – 1843, Pt. III

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In the September 2004 issue, four points were presented regarding the interpretation of prophecy given in Daniel 8:13, 14:

  1. Who and what is the little horn in Daniel 8?
  2. Daniel 8:12, 13 speak of two separate rebellions, first the continuance in rebellion and second the desolating or depopulating rebellion.
  3. This is a time prophecy.
  4. This is a time prophecy having to do with end-time events, because the angel said to Daniel, in regard to the 2300 days, that the vision dealt with the time of the end.

Discussion was given on points 4 and 3 and started on point 2. We continue with point #2.

In Daniel 12:11, we see that after the continuance in rebellion is removed and the desolating rebellion is set up in its place, another time period of 1290 days will follow. Any interpretation of the two rebellions in Daniel 8:13, 14 must, in addition to explaining a 2300-day interval between a beginning and a closing event, also be able to explain a 1290-day interval between the time that the continuance in rebellion is removed and the desolating rebellion is set up. When we look at the context of this time prophecy in Daniel 12:4–13, we see that this time prophecy extends until the time of the end. (See especially Daniel 12:4, 6–9, 13.) Thus, for a third time, we see facts from the Scriptures that make it completely impossible for the prophecy to refer to Antiochus Epiphanes in the second century b.c. Incidentally, the services in the Jewish sanctuary could never be truly called the “continuance in rebellion,” which is the way the “daily” is described in Daniel 8:12.

Finally, we will look at point #1. Who is the little horn in Daniel 8? Our critics have proclaimed that this little horn is Antiochus Epiphanes, one of about 20 kings of a division of Alexander’s empire in the second century b.c. We will give the characteristics of this little horn from the book of Daniel and let our readers decide if Antiochus Epiphanes fits any of these or not. This little horn is not only greater than the Medo-Persian empire but it is even greater than Alexander the Great! Notice Daniel 8:4, which says literally that the ram (Medo-Persia) was great (or magnified himself), and then Daniel 8:5–8, which shows that the goat (the empire of Alexander the Great) became exceeding great. This is talking about a worldwide power—“the whole earth.” Verse 5. In describing the little horn, the prophet said that it became great beyond measure. (Verse 9.) But this is just the beginning. This little horn power (2) was victorious against some of the army of heaven and cast some of them to the ground. (3) It fought against the commander of the army of heaven. (Verse 11.) (4) It was the power responsible for removing the continuance in rebellion and setting up the desolating rebellion in its place. (Verses 11, 12.) (5) He will destroy many while they are at ease. (Verse 25.) (6) He will be broken or shattered or destroyed without hand, that is without human agency. (Verse 25.)

Was Antiochus Epiphanes destroyed without human hand, that is without human agency, or in other words, by divine intervention? The historical record simply states that he died while on an expedition against the Parthians in 164 b.c.

However, if we look at the Roman power, it fits every single specification of the prophecy.

  1. It was greater than Alexander the Great and the empire he set up.
  2. It was victorious against some of the army of heaven. (God’s people are described as His army. See Exodus 12:41.)
  3. It fought against the Commander of the army of heaven—it was the Roman power, for example, who crucified Jesus.
  4. The Roman power was responsible later for removing the continuance in rebellion and setting up the desolating rebellion.
  5. The Roman power has not yet come to its end, but according to Bible prophecy, it will come to its end by divine intervention and not by any human hand.

Purified and Refined

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One of the mysteries of the Bible that is interesting to study is when God swears. The highest form of taking an oath or judicial swearing is when a man swears by God. He swears that God is his witness, and that what he is saying is the truth. There are many instances in the scriptures where holy men swore by God concerning an important issue. (See Genesis 24:3; II Chronicles 36:13; Nehemiah 13:25; Psalm 15:4.)

Although it is awesome when a human being takes an oath with God as his witness, it is much more awesome when the Creator of the heavens and the earth decides to say something under oath. When God swears, He swears by Himself. (See Jeremiah 22:5 and Exodus 32:13.)

Any time God swears, something exceedingly important is being communicated, and especially important when it is recorded that God swore not to a human being, but to another member of the Godhead.

In the latter part of the book of Daniel, God the Son swore something in the name of His Father. This is recorded in Daniel 10:6: “I lifted my eyes and looked and behold a certain man clothed in linen whose waist was girded with gold of Uphaz. His body was like beryl, his face like the appearance of lightning, his eyes like torches of fire, his arms and feet like burnished bronze in color, and the sound of his words like the voice of a multitude.” Ellen White says in The Sanctified Life, 49, 50, after she quotes Daniel 10:2–6: “This description is similar to that given by John when Christ was revealed to him upon the isle of Patmos. No less a personage than the Son of God appeared to Daniel.”

Daniel received this great vision which describes and predicts what would happen from the time in which he received the vision up until the time of the end, and even beyond. Daniel 11:32–34 describes the great Papal persecution. In verse 35, he says, “And some of those of understanding shall fall, to refine them, purify them, and make them white, until the time of the end.” This Papal persecution was to go on until the time of the end—the last epochal period in earth’s history. Daniel is told in Daniel 12:4: “Shut up the words and seal the book until the time of the end.” Until the time of the end, these prophecies were not going to be comprehended, especially the prophecy in regard to time.

Let us look at this vision more deeply starting with Daniel 12:5, 6: “Then I, Daniel, looked. And there stood two others, one on this riverbank and the other on that riverbank. And one said to the man clothed in linen [Jesus Christ], who was above the waters of the river, ‘How long shall the fulfillment of these wonders be?’ ” What wonders is he talking about? He is talking about all that has been described in this vision that started clear back in chapter 10 and goes all the way through chapter 11. He wants to know how long it is going to be until the time of the end.

This is an important enough question that the Son of God answered it by taking an oath. “Then I heard the man clothed in linen [Jesus Christ], who was above the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand to heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever, that it shall be for a time, times, and half a time, and when the power of the holy people has been completely shattered, all these things shall be finished.” Daniel 12:7.

Notice what Daniel then says in Daniel 12:8, 9: “Although I heard, I did not understand. Then I said, ‘My lord, what shall be the end of these things?’ And He said, ‘Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.’ ”

Daniel understood chapters 10 and 11, but he did not understand about the three and a half times or three and a half years. But this period of time was important enough in the plan of salvation and in working out the mystery of God that the Lord Jesus swore in the name of His Father.

If it was that important, then we need to understand this time period, the 1260-day prophecy. In the Jewish calendar, a month had 30 days, and a year had 12 months. So a year was 360 days. Three and a half years would be 1260 days.

This 1260-day period of time is so important that it is mentioned over and over again in the books of Daniel and Revelation. It is even referred to by Jesus Christ himself in Matthew 24 and in Mark 13. Without this time period, many of the prophecies in Daniel and Revelation would be impossible to comprehend or interpret. It is extremely important!

We are going to go over a number of facts concerning the 1260-day prophecy. First of all, this prophecy is in prophetic time because it was to extend until the time of the end. It could not possibly be literal days. This period of time anchors the events in Bible prophecy, and it forces only one type of interpretation of Bible prophecy, the historical interpretation. If you understand the 1260-day prophecy, you cannot be led astray by futurism or by any of these other interpretations of Bible prophecy.

In Daniel 7, Daniel has been enumerating and explaining the characteristics of the little horn power which makes war against the people of God. He says: “He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, shall persecute the saints of the Most High, and shall intend to change times and law. Then the saints shall be given into his hand for a time and times and half a time.” Daniel 7:25.

Notice, this little horn power is going to have the power to persecute for three and a half times, or 1260 literal years. For that period of time, the little horn power is going to have the power to persecute the saints. Other characteristics of the little horn power can be seen in the prophecy of Daniel 7. Daniel has been describing the four world empires in the beginning of the prophecy—Babylon was represented by a lion, Medo-Persia by a bear, Greece by a leopard, and the Pagan Roman Empire by a great and dreadful beast.

These were the four great empires of the world, and the Bible teaches all the way through the Book of Daniel that there is not going to be another world empire. It teaches that the fourth kingdom would be divided or broken up. This is exactly what it teaches in Daniel 7, where this dreadful beast has ten horns. Notice what it says in verse 8: “I was considering the horns, and there was another horn, a little one, coming up among them, before whom three of the first horns were plucked out by the roots. And there, in this horn, were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking pompous words.”

What does a horn represent? It represents a king or a kingdom. (Daniel 7:17, 24.) So the Western Roman Empire was to be divided up into ten kingdoms. This happened between A.D. 351 and A.D. 476. The Bible also predicted that a little horn was to arise that would uproot three of these ten kingdoms.

This little horn power could not arise until the ten kingdoms were in place, which was not until A.D. 476. It is interesting to note that the little horn power could not possibly be Antiochus Epiphanes, as many believe. He existed 600 years before that time.

Somebody may question, how then do you understand this power applying to the papacy, because it existed long before the sixth century, or long before A.D. 476? That is not hard to explain. What is a horn? A horn is a king, someone who has civil, governmental authority. The papacy existed before these ten horns existed, but it did not exist as a horn; it did not have a civil government.

In the days of the apostle Paul, the bishop of Rome did not have a kingdom. Caesar was the king, and anyone else who claimed to be king would be crucified. The apostle Paul talks about this very thing in II Thessalonians where he talks about the papal power, the man of sin. Notice what he says in II Thessalonians 2:6: “And now you know what is restraining, that he [the papacy] may be revealed in his own time.” What was then restraining? The Pagan Roman Empire. The papacy could not develop its real power until the Caesar was taken out of the way. You see, II Thessalonians 2 agrees perfectly with Daniel 7. The mystery of lawlessness already existed, the antichrist power was already there, but Paul says that he could not really be revealed yet.

Even when the Roman Empire was divided up, and there were no more Caesars, there was still someone who had civil authority in Rome. His name was Odoacer, and he ruled the kingdom of the Heruli, who were Arians. They controlled the whole country of Italy. No one could even be chosen as Pope without his permission. This power kept the papacy in check.

Something had to be done to get Odoacer out of the way. So an alliance was made, and Theodoric, king of the Ostrogoths, came down with his army and defeated Odoacer in A.D. 493. Actually though, that did not help very much, because Theodoric and the Ostrogoths were Arians too. The Pope still could not have his way, because he was still under the control of the Ostrogoth’s power right there in Rome.

One Down, Two to Go

Now the Ostrogoths were in control. They had enemies in northern Africa called the Vandals. These people built great ships, and every year they would go to one of the port cities in the Roman Empire and loot the city, taking its wealth. One year they looted the city of Rome for 14 days and took all the wealth that they could find and many prisoners. Understandably, this made the people in Rome very unhappy.

The papacy could never exert its power as long as the Vandals and the Ostrogoths were in control of Italy. Something had to be done. The papacy contacted Justinian, the head of the Eastern Roman Empire in Constantinople. They needed help. Justinian sent the armies of the Eastern Roman Empire, and the Vandals were destroyed around A.D. 534.

There was still one kingdom left, and that was the Ostrogoths. They were driven from the city of Rome in A.D. 538. That was the earliest time that the papacy could exert civil power and authority and be called a little horn power. It now had become the little horn that would persecute the saints for 1260 years.

From A.D. 538, if you extend the 1260-year period, you come to 1798. A few decades before that, John Wesley was preaching the gospel, both in America and in England. He realized that something important was about to happen, and he wrote and taught that the time of papal persecution was about to end.

Persecuted and Broken

We learned from Daniel 12:6, 7, that during this period of time, the power of the holy people would be broken, or graphically translated, shattered and destroyed.

This is a mystery that I cannot explain and do not understand. Why would God allow His people to be persecuted, and broken? We will not fully understand this until we get to heaven, but we have been given a few hints in the Spirit of Prophecy as to why and how God allowed this to happen. In The Desire of Ages, in the chapter “It Is Finished,” Ellen White says that Satan was not then (at the cross) totally destroyed. She said that both for the sake of angels and for men the devil must be allowed to live to more fully develop his principles so that both angels and men could understand what his character was like.

That is an incredible statement. The devil must be allowed to develop the true principles of his government, of his character. The 1260-year period of persecution was the period of time when that happened. The Bible says in Nahum 1:9, “What do you imagine against the Lord? affliction will not rise up the second time.” Why will affliction not rise up a second time? Because all humanity will have seen the consequences of sin, and it will be abhorrent to them.

We also cannot explain why it took so long. Daniel could not understand it, neither could Adam and Eve. They thought that the Messiah would come quickly. They did not realize that it was going to take thousands of years. God knew that the people of past ages could not bear to comprehend all of this, so He said, “The words are going to be sealed until the time of the end.”

Measuring the Temple

There is an amazing prophecy in Revelation 11 which some people think is still in the future. Notice, right in the middle of the prophecy, we are given some specifications. “Then I was given a reed like a measuring rod. And the angel stood, saying, ‘Rise and measure the temple of God.’ ” Revelation 11:1.

What is the temple of God? Paul said over and over that it is the church. You can see that clearly if you study the following chapters: Ephesians 1, 2, 4, and I Corinthians 3, 6.

“Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there.” What altar is this? You remember Paul said in Hebrews 13:10: “We have an altar from which those who minister in the temple [that is, in the earthly sanctuary] have no right to eat.” This is the altar of the New Covenant.

“But leave out the court.” Revelation 11:2. In the New Covenant, where is the court? The court is this world, in the New Covenant. The altar was where the sacrifice was slain. Where was the sacrifice slain in the New Covenant? It was slain in this world. And then, after you come to the altar, before you come into the sanctuary, you come to the laver, and the laver is where people are washed and purified.

If you are going to be purified at all, you must be purified in this world. You are not going to be taken up to heaven and be purified there, like some people think. If you are ever going to be purified, you are going to be purified right here. The laver is in the court. Only the pure will see God. (Matthew 5:8.) Only the sanctified, only the holy, will dwell in His presence. (Hebrews 12:14.)

You must be washed, you must be purified. “Everyone who has this hope in him must be purified even as He is pure.” I John 3:3. Friend, do not let anyone talk you out of your birthright. Jesus died on the cross so that you could have eternal life, but He cannot give it to you unless you are purified.

“Leave out the court which is outside the temple and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles.” Who are the Gentiles? It is not talking about Jews and Gentiles by blood; it is talking about spiritual Israel versus those who are not part of spiritual Israel.

These Gentiles are professed Christians. They are professed Jews. Remember, a curse is pronounced twice, in Revelation 2:9 and 3:9, against those who say that they are Jews, but they really are not.

“It has been given to the Gentiles. And they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months.” Here again you have the 1260-day period. What is the holy city? If you belong to Jesus, if you have given your heart to Him, your name is written down there already. The holy city is a representation of the church. They will tread it down, persecute it, for forty-two months.

“And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.” Revelation 11:3. This is a mystery. I cannot tell you why God determined that it was going to take this period of time in order for the whole universe to see the full development of the character of Satan.

This is the period of time also when the woman would have to flee into the wilderness for 1260 days, prophesied in Revelation 12. We cannot explain the mystery of the 1260 days; it is one of the great mysteries of Bible prophecy.

In Daniel 12:9, 10, we are told something about this mystery: “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. Many shall be purified, made white, and refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand.” None of the wicked shall understand these things that we are studying. However, there will also be many people who, despite the persecution and tribulation and the treading down of the city, will be purified and made white and tried. Many people will have washed their garments in the blood of the Lamb.

This is a number so great that the Bible says that it will be like the sands of the sea, like the stars of heaven. That number is not yet made up. God wants to use the young people of the present generation to help make up this number that will be as the sand of the sea and as the stars of heaven.

God wants to use you. Do you want to be a part of that group that will be purified and made white and tried? Do you want to receive an eternal inheritance, a birthright where there will not be anymore tribulation or pain? Do you want to be part of that?

[Emphasis supplied.]

Pastor John Grosboll is Director of Steps to Life and pastors the Prairie Meadows Church in Wichita, Kansas. He may be contacted by e-mail at: historic@stepstolife.org, or by telephone at: 316-788-5559.