Daniel

Bible Study Guides – The Establishment of the Everlasting Kingdom Foretold

by

July 3, 2004 – July 9, 2004

Memory Verse

“And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, [but] it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.” Daniel 2:44.

Suggested Reading: Prophets and Kings, 491–502.

Introduction

“Hundreds of years before certain nations came upon the stage of action, the Omniscient One looked down the ages, and predicted through His servants the prophets the rise and fall of the universal kingdoms. The prophet Daniel, when interpreting to the king of Babylon the dream of the great image,—an image symbolic of the kingdoms of the world,—declared to Nebuchadnezzar that his kingdom should be superseded. His greatness and power in God’s world would have their day, and a second kingdom would arise, which also would have its period of trial as to whether it would exalt the one Ruler, the only true God. Not doing this, its glory would fade away, and a third kingdom would occupy its place. Proved by obedience or disobedience, this also would pass away; and a fourth, strong as iron, would subdue the nations of the world. These predictions of the Infinite One, recorded on the prophetic page and traced on the pages of history, were given to demonstrate that God is the ruling power in the affairs of this world. He changes the times and the seasons, He removes kings and sets up kings, to fulfill His own purpose. . . .” Manuscript Releases, vol. 1, 49.

1 Over whose kingdom had Solomon and his descendants reigned? 1 Chronicles 28:5; 29:23.

Note: “When he felt that death was approaching, the burden of David’s heart was still for Solomon and for the kingdom of Israel, whose prosperity must so largely depend upon the fidelity of her king. [1 Kings 2:1–4 quoted.]” Patriarchs and Prophets, 753.

2 Upon what condition was the house of David to continue to rule over the kingdom of the Lord? 1 Chronicles 28:6, 7.

Note: “God promised that as He had been with David, so He would be with Solomon. If the king would walk before the Lord in uprightness, if he would do what God had commanded him, his throne would be established and his reign would be the means of exalting Israel as ‘a wise and understanding people,’ the light of the surrounding nations. Deuteronomy 4:6.” Prophets and Kings, 30.

3 Why did God permit Babylon to swallow up His own kingdom? 1 Chronicles 9:1.

Note: “Because Israel had been chosen to preserve the knowledge of God in the earth, they had been, from their first existence as a nation, the special objects of Satan’s enmity, and he had determined to cause their destruction. He could do them no harm while they were obedient to God; therefore he had bent all his power and cunning to enticing them into sin. Ensnared by his temptations they had transgressed the law of God and thus separated from the Source of their strength, and had been left to become the prey of their heathen enemies. They were carried into captivity to Babylon, and there remained for many years.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 468.

4 Because of the Israelites taken captive and of the items confiscated from the temple, at what conclusion did the Babylonians arrive? 11 Chronicles 36:18; 11 Kings 25:13–15.

Note: “The fact that these men, worshipers of Jehovah, were captives in Babylon, and that the vessels of God’s house had been placed in the temple of the Babylonish gods, was boastfully cited by the victors as evidence that their religion and customs were superior to the religion and customs of the Hebrews. Yet through the very humiliations that Israel’s departure from Him had invited, God gave Babylon evidence of His supremacy, of the holiness of His requirements, and of the sure results of obedience. And this testimony He gave, as alone it could be given, through those who were loyal to Him.” Prophets and Kings, 479, 480.

5 Amid these seemingly hopeless conditions, what truth was vividly set forth by means of the king’s dream interpreted by Daniel? Daniel 2:44.

Note: “Exalted to the pinnacle of worldly honor, and acknowledged even by Inspiration as ‘a king of kings’ (Ezekiel 26:7), Nebuchadnezzar nevertheless at times had ascribed to the favor of Jehovah the glory of his kingdom and the splendor of his reign. Such had been the case after his dream of the great image. His mind had been profoundly influenced by this vision and by the thought that the Babylonian Empire, universal though it was, was finally to fall, and other kingdoms were to bear sway, until at last all earthly powers were to be superseded by a kingdom set up by the God of heaven, which kingdom was never to be destroyed.” Prophets and Kings, 514.

“The prophecy of Daniel pictured the glory of His [the Messiah’s] reign over an empire which should succeed all earthly kingdoms; and, said the prophet, ‘It shall stand forever.’ Daniel 2:44. While few understood the nature of Christ’s mission, there was a widespread expectation of a mighty prince who should establish his kingdom in Israel, and who should come as a deliverer to the nations.” The Desire of Ages, 34.

6 In the interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, what is symbolized by the golden head? Daniel 2:37, 38.

Note: “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.

7 By what kingdom was Babylon succeeded, and why? Daniel 2:39, first part; 5:28.

Note: “God declared to Nebuchadnezzar that the kingdom of Babylon should fall, and a second kingdom would arise, which also would have its period of trial. Failing to exalt the true God, its glory would fade.” Prophets and Kings, 501.

“Babylon passed away because in her prosperity she forgot God, and ascribed the glory of her prosperity to human achievement.

“The Medo-Persian kingdom was visited by the wrath of heaven because in this kingdom God’s law was trampled under foot. The fear of the Lord found no place in the hearts of the people. The prevailing influences in Medo-Persia were wickedness, blasphemy, and corruption.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 4, 1168.

“Babylonia was succeeded by Medo-Persia under Cyrus the Great. For about two hundred years Persia, symbolized by the silver of the image, sat on the throne of world empire.” The Publishers, Prophets and Kings, 496.

8 What is represented by the brass? Daniel 2:39, last part.

Note: “In 331 b.c., Darius 111 (Codomannus) fought the issue of power with Alexander the Great at the battle of Arbela, and Alexander of Greece became the world’s ruler. Grecia’s symbol is the brass. Alexander died in 323 b.c.; and in a few years his kingdom was divided between warring factions and the century following hopelessly weakened and left a prey to the rising power of the emperor on the Tiber River.” The Publishers, Prophets and Kings, 496.

9 What do the legs of iron symbolize? Daniel 2:40. What was to befall that empire? Verses 41, 42.

Note: “Persia was subdued in 331 b.c. by the Grecian or Macedonian empire. This, after its time of testing, was followed by Rome, the mighty empire of the Csars, which, between the years 168 and 30 b.c., absorbed all the parts of the Macedonian empire. Rome, in turn, was divided by the barbarians into lesser kingdoms, out of which have grown the nations of western Europe.” Sabbath School Lesson Quarterly, Pacific Press Publishing Association, Mountain View, California, April 1918, 8.

“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.

“While the nations rejected God’s principles, and in this rejection wrought their own ruin, it was still manifest that the divine, overruling purpose was working through all their movements.” Education, 177.

“Rome conquered the Syrian division of that formerly powerful Greek Empire in 190 b.c., the Macedonian division of that empire in 168 b.c., while Egypt acknowledged the authority of the iron monarchy of Rome in the same year. Rome was united in her beginning, although a republic. Later she became an empire.” The Publishers, Prophets and Kings, 496.

10 What does the mingling of iron and clay signify? Daniel 2:43.

Note: “We have come to a time when God’s sacred work is represented by the feet of the image in which the iron was mixed with the miry clay. God has a people, a chosen people, whose discernment must be sanctified, who must not become unholy by laying upon the foundation wood, hay, and stubble. Every soul who is loyal to the commandments of God will see that the distinguishing feature of our faith is the seventh-day Sabbath. If the government would honor the Sabbath as God has commanded, it would stand in the strength of God and in defense of the faith once delivered to the saints. But statesmen will uphold the spurious sabbath, and will mingle their religious faith with the observance of this child of the papacy, placing it above the Sabbath which the Lord has sanctified and blessed, setting it apart for man to keep holy, as a sign between Him and His people to a thousand generations. The mingling of churchcraft and statecraft is represented by the iron and the clay. This union is weakening all the power of the churches. This investing the church with the power of the state will bring evil results. Men have almost passed the point of God’s forbearance. They have invested their strength in politics, and have united with the papacy. But the time will come when God will punish those who have made void His law, and their evil work will recoil upon themselves.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 4, 1168, 1169.

11 By whom will the empire represented by the stone be established, and how long will it continue? Daniel 2:44, 45. Compare Matthew 21:43, 44.

Note: “The people whom God had called to be the pillar and ground of the truth had become representatives of Satan. They were doing the work that he desired them to do, taking a course to misrepresent the character of God, and cause the world to look upon Him as a tyrant. The very priests who ministered in the temple had lost sight of the significance of the service they performed. They had ceased to look beyond the symbol to the thing signified. In presenting the sacrificial offerings they were as actors in a play. The ordinances which God Himself had appointed were made the means of blinding the mind and hardening the heart. God could do no more for man through these channels. The whole system must be swept away.” The Desire of Ages, 36.

“Satan was exulting that he had succeeded in debasing the image of God in humanity. Then Jesus came to restore in man the image of his Maker. None but Christ can fashion anew the character that has been ruined by sin. He came to expel the demons that had controlled the will. He came to lift us up from the dust, to reshape the marred character after the pattern of His divine character, and to make it beautiful with His own glory.” Ibid., 37, 38.

12 In view of such a kingdom, what exhortations are given us? Hebrews 12:28; 11 Peter 3:11–14.

Note: “There are many who profess to be Christ’s followers and yet are not doers of His Word. They do not relish this Word because it presents service which is not agreeable to them. They do not relish the wholesome reproofs and close, earnest appeals. They do not love righteousness, but are mastered and tyrannized over by their own erratic, human impulses.

“It makes every difference how we do service for God. . . .

“When the love of Christ enters the heart we strive to imitate the character of Christ. . . . The more we study the life of Christ with a heart to learn, the more Christlike we become. Into the heart of every true doer of the Word the Holy Spirit infuses clear understanding. The more we crucify selfish practices by imparting our blessings to others and by exercising our God-given ability, the more the heavenly graces will be strengthened and increased in us. We will grow in spirituality, in patience, in fortitude, in meekness, in gentleness. . . .” That I May Know Him, 118.

Bible Study Guides – The Fulfilling of God’s Purpose for the Nations

by

June 26, 2004 – July 2, 2004

Memory Verse

“Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his: And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding: He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what [is] in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him.” Daniel 2:20–22.

Suggested Reading: Prophets and Kings, 340–348; 367–378; 479–490.

Introduction

“It was in order that the Israelites might be a blessing to the nations, and that God’s name might be made known ‘throughout all the earth’ (Exodus 9:16), that they were delivered from Egyptian bondage. If obedient to His requirements, they were to be placed far in advance of other peoples in wisdom and understanding; but this supremacy was to be reached and maintained only in order that through them the purpose of God for ‘all nations of the earth’ might be fulfilled.” Prophets and Kings, 368, 369.

“In the years that followed the occupation of the Promised Land, the beneficent designs of Jehovah for the salvation of the heathen were almost wholly lost sight of, and it became necessary for Him to set forth His plan anew.” Ibid., 370.

1 What was God’s purpose for the nations in the separation of Israel as announced to Abraham? Genesis 12:2, 3; 22:17, 18.

Note: “It was for the purpose of bringing the best gifts of Heaven to all the peoples of earth that God called Abraham out from his idolatrous kindred and bade him dwell in the land of Canaan. ‘I will make of thee a great nation,’ He said, ‘and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing.’ Genesis 12:2. It was a high honor to which Abraham was called—that of being the father of the people who for centuries were to be the guardians and preservers of the truth of God to the world, the people through whom all the nations of the earth should be blessed in the advent of the promised Messiah.

“Men had well-nigh lost the knowledge of the true God. Their minds were darkened by idolatry. For the divine statutes, which are ‘holy, and just, and good’ (Romans 7: 12), men were endeavoring to substitute laws in harmony with the purposes of their own cruel, selfish hearts. Yet God in His mercy did not blot them out of existence. He purposed to give them opportunity for becoming acquainted with Him through His church. He designed that the principles revealed through His people should be the means of restoring the moral image of God in man.” Prophets and Kings, 15, 16.

2 When Israel was slow in extending the gospel blessings to the surrounding nations, how was she reminded of this purpose? Psalm 102:15, 18–22.

Note: “Had Israel been true to her trust, all the nations of earth would have shared in her blessings. But the hearts of those to whom had been entrusted a knowledge of saving truth, were untouched by the needs of those around them. As God’s purpose was lost sight of, the heathen came to be looked upon as beyond the pale of His mercy. The light of truth was withheld, and darkness prevailed. The nations were overspread with a veil of ignorance; the love of God was little known; error and superstition flourished.” Prophets and Kings, 371.

3 After the recovery of Hezekiah, what opportunity came to him to make known the goodness and power of God? Isaiah 39:1, 2. How did he fail to discern God’s providential call? 11 Chronicles 32:31, 24–26.

Note: “The visit of these messengers from the ruler of a far-away land gave Hezekiah an opportunity to extol the living God. How easy it would have been for him to tell them of God, the upholder of all created things, through whose favor his own life had been spared when all other hope had fled! What momentous transformations might have taken place had these seekers after truth from the plains of Chaldea been led to acknowledge the supreme sovereignty of the living God!

“But pride and vanity took possession of Hezekiah’s heart, and in self-exaltation he laid open to covetous eyes the treasures with which God had enriched His people. [Isaiah 39:2 quoted.] Not to glorify God did he do this, but to exalt himself in the eyes of the foreign princes. He did not stop to consider that these men were representatives of a powerful nation that had not the fear nor the love of God in their hearts, and that it was imprudent to make them his confidants concerning the temporal riches of the nation.” Prophets and Kings, 344–346.

4 Because of Hezekiah’s failure, what change in the Lord’s plan was announced to him through Isaiah the prophet? Isaiah 39:5–7.

Note: “Filled with remorse, ‘Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart, both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of the Lord came not upon them in the days of Hezekiah.’ 11 Chronicles 32:26. But the evil seed had been sown and in time was to spring up and yield a harvest of desolation and woe. During his remaining years the king of Judah was to have much prosperity because of his steadfast purpose to redeem the past and to bring honor to the name of the God whom he served; yet his faith was to be severely tried, and he was to learn that only by putting his trust fully in Jehovah could he hope to triumph over the powers of darkness that were plotting his ruin and the utter destruction of his people.” Prophets and Kings, 347.

5 Who of the royal descendants are named among those whom God allowed to be carried to Babylon to proclaim His gospel? Daniel 1:3, 6, 7. Whose resources did the Lord employ in giving training to these young men? Verses 3–5.

Note: “Among the children of Israel who were carried captive to Babylon at the beginning of the seventy years’ captivity were Christian patriots, men who were as true as steel to principle, who would not be corrupted by selfishness, but who would honor God at the loss of all things. In the land of their captivity these men were to carry out God’s purpose by giving to heathen nations the blessings that come through a knowledge of Jehovah. They were to be His representatives. Never were they to compromise with idolaters; their faith and their name as worshipers of the living God they were to bear as a high honor. And this they did. In prosperity and adversity they honored God, and God honored them.” Prophets and Kings, 479.

6 How did Daniel manifest his heart’s purpose to be loyal to the God of his fathers? Daniel 1:8–13.

Note: “At the very outset of their [Daniel (Belteshazzar), Hananiah (Shadrach), Mishael (Meshach), and Azariah (Abednego)] career there came to them a decisive test of character. It was provided that they should eat of the food and drink of the wine that came from the king’s table. In this the king thought to give them an expression of his favor and of his solicitude for their welfare. But a portion having been offered to idols, the food from the king’s table was consecrated to idolatry; and one partaking of it would be regarded as offering homage to the gods of Babylon. In such homage, loyalty to Jehovah forbade Daniel and his companions to join. Even a mere pretense of eating the food or drinking the wine would be a denial of their faith. To do this would be to array themselves with heathenism and to dishonor the principles of the law of God.” Prophets and Kings, 481.

7 What was God’s response to the faith of His servants? Daniel 1:14–16. In what way did God show that these young witnesses had communion with Him? Verses 17–20.

Note: “As the Lord co-operated with Daniel and his fellows, so He will co-operate with all who strive to do His will. And by the impartation of His Spirit He will strengthen every true purpose, every noble resolution. Those who walk in the path of obedience will encounter many hindrances. Strong, subtle influences may bind them to the world; but the Lord is able to render futile every agency that works for the defeat of His chosen ones; in His strength they may overcome every temptation, conquer every difficulty.” Prophets and Kings, 487.

8 In the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, what occurred that showed to the Babylonians the worthlessness of their religion? Daniel 2:1–11.

Note: “The king knew that if they [his astrologers and magicians] could really tell the interpretation, they could tell the dream as well. The Lord had in His providence given Nebuchadnezzar this dream, and had caused the particulars to be forgotten, while the fearful impression was left upon his mind, in order to expose the pretensions of the wise men of Babylon. The monarch was very angry, and threatened that they should all be slain if, in a given time, the dream was not made known. Daniel and his companions were to perish with the false prophets; but, taking his life in his hand, Daniel ventures to enter the presence of the king, begging that time may be granted that he may show the dream and the interpretation.” The Sanctified Life, 34, 35.

9 Where did Daniel instinctively turn for help? Daniel 2:17–19.

Note: “Daniel sought the Lord when the decree went forth to slay all the wise men of the kingdom of Babylon because they could not relate or interpret a dream which had gone from the king’s mind. Nebuchadnezzar demanded not only the interpretation of the dream, but the relation of the dream itself. . . .

“Daniel came before the king, and pleaded for time to bring this matter before the supreme court of the universe, from whose decision there could be no appeal. When his request was granted, Daniel laid the whole matter before his companions, who were united with him in worshiping the true God. The matter was fully considered, and on their bended knees they pleaded that God would give them the power and wisdom that would alone avail them in their great necessity. They asked God that he would so arrange matters that they need not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.” The Youth’s Instructor, November 22, 1894.

10 How was Daniel’s consciousness of his dependence on God shown? Daniel 2:19–23.

Note: “Daniel called together his companions, and thanked God that their prayers had been heard and answered, and they presented to God an offering of praise and thanksgiving, that was wholly acceptable to the Ruler of the universe. [Daniel 2:20–22 quoted.] Daniel and his fellows had a praise meeting, and all the universe of heaven united with them in thanksgiving.” The Youth’s Instructor, November 22, 1894.

11 By what answer did Daniel magnify Jehovah? Daniel 2:27–30.

Note: “The Jewish captive stands before the monarch of the most powerful empire the sun had ever shone upon. The king is in great distress amid all his riches and glory; but the youthful exile is peaceful and happy in his God. Now, if ever, is the time for Daniel to exalt himself,—to make prominent his own goodness and superior wisdom. But his first effort is to disclaim all honor for himself, and to exalt God as the Source of wisdom.” Review and Herald, February 1, 1881.

12 What testimony was borne by the king concerning the power and wisdom of the God of Israel? Daniel 2:47.

Note: “While honored by men with the responsibilities of the court and the secrets of the kingdom, he [Daniel] was honored by God as His ambassador, and taught to read the mysteries of ages to come. Heathen monarchs, through association with Heaven’s representative, were constrained to acknowledge the God of Daniel.” Education, 56.

“At the court of Babylon were gathered representatives from all lands, men of the choicest talents, men the most richly endowed with natural gifts and possessed of the highest culture this world could bestow; yet amid them all the Hebrew captives were without a peer. In physical strength and beauty, in mental vigor and literary attainments, and in spiritual power and insight they stood unrivaled. ‘In all matters of wisdom and understanding, that the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm.’ Daniel 1:20. While faithful to his duties in the king’s court, Daniel so faithfully maintained his loyalty to God that God could honor him as His messenger to the Babylonian monarch. Through him the mysteries of the future were unfolded, and Nebuchadnezzar himself was constrained to acknowledge the God of Daniel ‘as a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets.’ Daniel 2:47.” Testimonies, vol. 6, 220.

Bible Study Guides – The Message of Deliverance from Babylon

by

August 14, 2004 – August 20, 2004

Memory Verse

“The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.” Isaiah 40:8.

Suggested Reading: Prophets and Kings, 547–553.

Introduction

“Daniel was cast into the lion’s den because of his firm adherence to principle and his loyalty to God, but he triumphed in the end, and God was glorified through His servant whom He permitted to be humbled. . . . In God’s time He showed He had not forsaken His servant. . . .” In Heavenly Places, 271. [Emphasis added.]

“It sometimes seems hard to wait patiently till God’s time comes to vindicate the right. But I [Ellen White] have been shown that if we become impatient, we lose a rich reward. As faithful husbandmen in God’s great field, we must sow with tears, and be patient and hopeful. We must meet troubles and sorrows. Temptations and wearisome toil will afflict the soul, but we must patiently wait in faith to reap with joy. . . . Those who stand like faithful soldiers to battle against wrong, and to vindicate the right, warring against principalities and powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places, will each receive the commendation from the Master, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant, . . . enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.’ [Matthew 25:23.]” Gospel Workers (1892), 206, 207. [Emphasis added.]

1 What led to the Babylonian captivity? 1 Chronicles 9:1.

note: “Because men have received great light, because they have, like the princes of Israel, ascended to the mount, and been privileged to have communion with God, and to dwell in the light of His glory, let them not flatter themselves that they can afterward sin with impunity, that because they have been thus honored, God will not be strict to punish their iniquity. This is a fatal deception. The great light and privileges bestowed require returns of virtue and holiness corresponding to the light given. Anything short of this, God cannot accept. Great blessings or privileges should never lull to security or carelessness. They should never give license to sin or cause the recipients to feel that God will not be exact with them. All the advantages which God has given are His means to throw ardor into the spirit, zeal into effort, and vigor into the carrying out of His holy will.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 359.

2 To what source did the prophet say he would look for an explanation of the strange providence that placed God’s people under the power of Babylon? Habakkuk 2:1. Compare Psalm 85:8.

note: “We are living in an important period of this world’s history, and we need now to have a constant connection with God. The watchmen upon the walls of Zion need to be vigilant and faithful. Those who claim to be giving the words of the Lord to the people, should reach the highest standard of spiritual elevation; then they will not give to the people their own words. Christ says to us, ‘Learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart.’ [Matthew 11:29.] Learners in the school of Christ will watch and pray. They will have faith that God will imbue them with his Holy Spirit, that they shall not speak their own words to the people, but the words the Lord shall give them. The men who are laboring to win souls to Christ will have an intense interest to be successful in this work.” Review and Herald, February 22, 1887.

3 How certain was the vision of God’s judgment upon proud Babylon, and deliverance of His people? What would produce lives fit for deliverance? Habakkuk 2:2–4.

note: “Living the natural life that proceeded from the carnal heart had led to sinful, self-centered lives, which were so useless for God’s purpose of winning the world to Himself through Israel, that He had to give the experience of the captivity to correct Israel. (Hosea 10:12, 13.) In the prophecy of deliverance, the call to live lives of trust and surrender, ‘live by faith,’ which makes man a sharer of the unselfish, loving nature of God, was emphasized. Note the application of this same passage to the remnant church. (Hebrews 10:37–39.)” Sabbath School Lesson Quarterly, Pacific Press Publishing Association, Mountain View, California, 1918, 21.

4 How definite was the time for deliverance? Jeremiah 25:12.

note: “The reign of Darius was honored of God. . . . Upon his death, within about two years of the fall of Babylon, Cyrus succeeded to the throne, and the beginning of his reign marked the completion of the seventy years since the first company of Hebrews had been taken by Nebuchadnezzar from their Judean home to Babylon.” Prophets and Kings, 556, 557.

5 What encouragement to the captives was contained in this prophecy? Jeremiah 29:10, 11. What condition for being heard of God is pointed out? Verses 12–14.

note: “Often had Daniel and his companions gone over these and similar prophecies outlining God’s purpose for His people. And now, as the rapid course of events betokened the mighty hand of God at work among the nations, Daniel gave special thought to the promises made to Israel.” Prophets and Kings, 553.

6 What is the burden of the message sent through Isaiah? Isaiah 40:1, 2.

note: “Many were the messages of comfort given the church by the prophets of old. ‘Comfort ye, comfort ye My people’ (Isaiah 40:1.), was Isaiah’s commission from God; and with the commission were given wonderful visions that have been the believers’ hope and joy through all the centuries that have followed. Despised of men, persecuted, forsaken, God’s children in every age have nevertheless been sustained by His sure promises. By faith they have looked forward to the time when He will fulfill to His church the assurance, ‘I will make thee an eternal excellency, a joy of many generations.’ Isaiah 60:15.” Prophets and Kings, 722, 723.

7 What assurance of God’s delivering power did the prophecy give? Isaiah 40:3–5.

note: “John [the Baptist] was called to do a special work; he was to prepare the way of the Lord, to make straight His paths. The Lord did not send him to the school of the prophets and rabbis. He took him away from the assemblies of men to the desert, that he might learn of nature and nature’s God. God did not desire him to have the mold of the priests and rulers. He was called to do a special work. The Lord gave him his message. Did he go to the priests and rulers and ask if he might proclaim this message?—No, God put him away from them that he might not be influenced by their spirit and teaching. He was the voice of one crying in the wilderness, [Isaiah 40:3–5 quoted]. This is the very message that must be given to our people; we are near the end of time, and the message is, Clear the King’s highway; gather out the stones; raise up a standard for the people. The people must be awakened. It is no time now to cry peace and safety. We are exhorted to ‘cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins’ (Isaiah 58:1).” Selected Messages, Book 1, 410.

8 By what figure is human weakness pointed out? Isaiah 40:6, 7.

note: “From the rise and fall of nations as made plain in the pages of Holy Writ, they need to learn how worthless is mere outward and worldly glory. Babylon, with all its power and its magnificence, the like of which our world has never since beheld,—power and magnificence which to the people of that day seemed so stable and enduring, —how completely has it passed away! As ‘the flower of the grass’ it has perished. [James 1:10.] So perishes all that has not God for its foundation. Only that which is bound up with His purpose and expresses His character can endure. His principles are the only steadfast things our world knows.” Education, 183.

9 In contrast with the weakness and frailty of man, what source of abiding strength is set forth? Isaiah 40:7, 8.

note: “High upon the hills were houses built upon the rock. In some parts of the land were dwellings built wholly of rock, and many of them had withstood the tempests of a thousand years. These houses were reared with toil and difficulty. They were not easy of access, and their location appeared less inviting than the grassy plain. But they were founded upon the rock, and wind and flood and tempest beat upon them in vain.

“Like the builders of these houses on the rock, said Jesus, is he who shall receive the words that I have spoken to you, and make them the foundation of his character and life. Centuries before, the prophet Isaiah had written, ‘The word of our God shall stand forever’ (Isaiah 40:8); and Peter, long after the Sermon on the Mount was given, quoting these words of Isaiah added, ‘This is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you’ (1 Peter 1:25). The word of God is the only steadfast thing our world knows. It is the sure foundation. ‘Heaven and earth shall pass away,’ said Jesus, ‘but My words shall not pass away.’ Matthew 24:35.

“The great principles of the law, of the very nature of God, are embodied in the words of Christ on the mount. Whoever builds upon them is building upon Christ, the Rock of Ages. In receiving the word, we receive Christ. And only those who thus receive His words are building upon Him. ‘Other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.’ 1 Corinthians 3:11. ‘There is none other name under heaven, given among men, whereby we must be saved.’ Acts 4:12. Christ, the Word, the revelation of God,—the manifestation of His character, His law, His love, His life,—is the only foundation upon which we can build a character that will endure.” Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, 148, 149.

10 What message was sent to the desolate cities of Judah? Isaiah 40:9–11.

note: “The gospel is to be presented, not as a lifeless theory, but as a living force to change the life. God desires that the receivers of His grace shall be witnesses to its power. Those whose course has been most offensive to Him He freely accepts; when they repent, He imparts to them His divine Spirit, places them in the highest positions of trust, and sends them forth into the camp of the disloyal to proclaim His boundless mercy. He would have His servants bear testimony to the fact that through His grace men may possess Christlikeness of character, and may rejoice in the assurance of His great love. He would have us bear testimony to the fact that He cannot be satisfied until the human race are reclaimed and reinstated in their holy privileges as His sons and daughters.

“In Christ is the tenderness of the shepherd, the affection of the parent, and the matchless grace of the compassionate Saviour. His blessings He presents in the most alluring terms. He is not content merely to announce these blessings; He presents them in the most attractive way, to excite a desire to possess them. So His servants are to present the riches of the glory of the unspeakable Gift. The wonderful love of Christ will melt and subdue hearts, when the mere reiteration of doctrines would accomplish nothing. [Isaiah 40:1, 9-11 quoted.]” The Desire of Ages, 826.

11 What attribute of God is made prominent in Isaiah 40:12, 22, 25–27? Why?

note: “Neither by searching the recesses of the earth nor in vain endeavors to penetrate the mysteries of God’s being, is wisdom found. It is found, rather, in humbly receiving the revelation that He has been pleased to give, and in conforming the life to His will. . . .

“Skeptics refuse to believe in God because they cannot comprehend the infinite power by which He reveals Himself. But God is to be acknowledged as much from what He does not reveal of Himself, as from that which is open to our limited comprehension. Both in divine revelation and in nature, God has given mysteries to command our faith. This must be so. We may be ever searching, ever inquiring, ever learning, and yet there is an infinity beyond. [Isaiah 40:12–28, A.R.V. quoted.]

“From the representations given by the Holy Spirit to His prophets, let us learn the greatness of our God.” The Ministry of Healing, 431, 432.

12 Who is proclaimed as the deliverer? Isaiah 44:24, 28. What dominion did the Lord promise Cyrus because of his kindness to Israel? Isaiah 45:1, 2, 13, 14.

note: “The advent of the army of Cyrus before the walls of Babylon was to the Jews a sign that their deliverance from captivity was drawing nigh. More than a century before the birth of Cyrus, Inspiration had mentioned him by name, and had caused a record to be made of the actual work he should do in taking the city of Babylon unawares, and in preparing the way for the release of the children of the captivity. Through Isaiah the word had been spoken: [Isaiah 45:1–3 quoted].” Prophets and Kings, 551.

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

Bible Study Guides – The Review

by

September 18, 2004 – September 24, 2004

Memory Verse

“And I heard a man’s voice between [the banks of] Ulai, which called, and said, Gabriel, make this [man] to understand the vision.” Daniel 8:16.

Suggested Reading: Stephen N. Haskell, Story of Daniel the Prophet (1904), TEACH Services Inc., Brushton, New York, 1995, 88–133.

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, in fulfillment of the words of the angel to the prophet Daniel, ‘Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.’

“Our faith in reference to the messages of the first, second, and third angels was correct. The great way-marks we have passed are immovable. Although the hosts of hell may try to tear them from their foundation, and triumph in the thought that they have succeeded, yet they do not succeed. These pillars of truth stand firm as the eternal hills, unmoved by all the efforts of men combined with those of Satan and his host. We can learn much, and should be constantly searching the Scriptures to see if these things are so. God’s people are now to have their eyes fixed on the heavenly sanctuary, where the final ministration of our great High Priest in the work of the judgment is going forward,—where He is interceding for His people.” Review and Herald, November 27, 1883.

1 Why had special blessings been bestowed upon Israel? When the majority of the people failed, how did God accomplish His purpose? What enabled God to reveal Himself through the young men in Babylon? See Genesis 12:2, 3; Isaiah 39:5–7; Daniel 1, 2:1–30.

2 What had become of God’s material kingdom on the earth? At this time, what purpose did God announce? What was the reason for outlining the course of earthly empires? What will fit us for a home in the abiding kingdom? See 1 Chronicles 9:1; Daniel 2:37–49; Hebrews 12:28; 11 Peter 3:11–14.

3 What is the “gospel of the kingdom”? Why was it preached at all times? What is the “mystery of the kingdom”? How personal does the “mystery” become? For what does it prepare? See Matthew 4:23; Genesis 12:1–3; Galatians 3:8; Luke 1:31, 33; Colossians 1:26–28; Matthew 25:31–34.

4 How did Babylon’s king seek to reverse God’s plan? What purpose had the evil one in this? How fully was the “mystery of the kingdom” demonstrated by the young Hebrews? What result came to the king and to the young men? See Daniel 2:32, 37, 38; 3.

5 Give the substance of the three messages that resulted in the conversion of the king of Babylon. What was Daniel’s advice? What could have come from heeding it? What was the result of rejecting it? How fully did the king at last recognize Jehovah? See Daniel 2:47; 3:28; 4.

6 What would have come to Babylon if she had heeded God’s messages? Why was Daniel called? What was pronounced? Why could God do nothing else for her? How has this history been repeated? See Jeremiah 51:9; Daniel 5.

7 How was Satan still plotting under the reign of Darius? What enabled Daniel to remain steadfast? What was the result? What were the consequences for Daniel and his people? See Daniel 6.

8 What would prepare God’s people for deliverance from Babylon? What would keep them steadfast? How early had Cyrus been called for this work? What results had been promised him? See Isaiah 40:1–12, 22, 25–27; 44:24, 28; 45:1, 2, 13, 14.

9 Name the four universal empires. Give, as far as possible, dates for them. How did the little horn differ from the others? How was it like them? What was its work against God and His people? What was this power called by the Revelator? What will God give to those who overcome this power? See Daniel 7; Revelation 17:5, 6.

10 When do the 1260 days begin and end? Who will survive the domination of the little horn? Who will finally overcome it? How is heaven affected by its downfall? See Daniel 7:25; Revelation 12:14, 6; 13:7–10; 17:14; 18:20–24; 19:1–6.

11 What does the little horn of Daniel 8 represent in addition to what was represented by the little horn of Daniel 7? How will this power obscure the priestly work in the sanctuary? By what event will the sanctuary work be restored to its rightful importance? See Daniel 8; 7:26; Revelation 11:18, 19; 22:3–5, 12.

12 Why did righteous Daniel confess sin? What blessing came as a result? When does the time period of Daniel 8:14 begin? Therefore when will it end? What preparation is demanded of us who are living in such times? See Daniel 9; Malachi 3:1–3.

note: Regarding Daniel 7:25: “We must now consider that we are in the midst of symbolic prophecy; hence in this measurement the time is not literal, but symbolic. The inquiry then arises, How long a period is denoted by the three years and a half of prophetic time? The principle given us in the Bible is, that when a day is used in symbolic prophecy, it stands for a year. (Ezekiel 4: 6; Numbers 14: 34.) . . .

“Bible students have recognized this principle through the ages. The following quotations reveal the agreement of various authorities on this point. Joachim, abbot of Calabria, one of the great ecclesiastical figures of the twelfth century, applied the year-day principle to the 1260-year period. ‘The woman, clothed with the sun, who signifies the church, remained hidden in the wilderness from the face of the serpent, a day without doubt being accepted for a year and a thousand two hundred and sixty days for the same number of years.’ [Joachim of Floris, Concordantia, book 2, chapter 16, 12b.]

“ ‘Three times and an half; that is, for 1260 solar years, reckoning a time for a calendar year of 360 days, and a day for a solar year. After which “the judgment is to sit, and they shall take away his dominion,” not at once, but by degrees, to consume, and to destroy it unto the end.’ [Sir Isaac Newton, Observations Upon the Prophecies of Daniel, 127, 128.]

“The Bible year, which must be used as the basis of reckoning, contained three hundred and sixty days. . . . Three years and a half contained twelve hundred and sixty days. As each day stands for a year, we have twelve hundred and sixty years for the continuation of the supremacy of this horn. Did the papacy possess dominion that length of time? The answer again is, Yes. The edict of the emperor Justinian, dated a.d. 533, made the bishop of Rome the head of all the churches. But this edict could not go into effect until the Arian Ostrogoths, the last of the three horns that were plucked up to make room for the papacy, were driven from Rome; and this was not accomplished . . . until a.d. 538. . . . The edict would have been of no effect had this latter event not been accomplished; hence from this latter year we are to reckon, as this was the earliest point where the saints were in reality in the hands of this power. From this point did the papacy hold supremacy for twelve hundred and sixty years?—Exactly. For 538 + 1260 = 1798; and in the year 1798, Berthier, with a French army, entered Rome, proclaimed a republic, took the pope prisoner, and inflicted a deadly wound upon the papacy. Though it has never since enjoyed all the privileges and immunities which it possessed before, we are seeing a gradual restoration of its former strength.

“After describing the terrible career of the little horn, and stating that the saints should be given into his hand for 1260 years, bringing us down to 1798, verse 26 declares: ‘But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end.’ In verse 10 of the same chapter we have substantially the same expression regarding the judgment: ‘The judgment was set.’ It would seem consistent to suppose that the same judgment is referred to in both instances. But the sublime scene described in verse 10 is the opening of the investigative judgment in the sanctuary in heaven . . . Daniel 8: 14 and 9: 25–27. The opening of this judgment scene is located by the prophecy at the close of the great prophetic period of 2300 years, which terminated in 1844.” Uriah Smith, Daniel and the Revelation, Southern Publishing Association, Nashville, Tennessee, 1944, 144, 145.

Regarding Daniel 8:14: “It is thus evident that the decree granted to Ezra in the seventh year of Artaxerxes, 457 b.c., is the point from which to date the seventy weeks. [Daniel 9:24.] That was the going forth of the decree in the sense of the prophecy. The two previous decrees [Ezra 1:1–4; 6:1–12] were preparatory and preliminary to this. Indeed they are regarded by Ezra as parts of it. . . .

“Our starting point then is 457 b.c. Forty-nine years are allotted to the building of the city and the wall. On this point, Prideaux says: ‘In the fifteenth year of Darius Nothus ended the first seven weeks of the seventy weeks of Daniel’s prophecy. For then the restoration of the church and state of the Jews in Jerusalem and Judea was fully finished, in that last act of reformation, which is recorded in the thirteenth chapter of Nehemiah, from the twenty-third verse to the end of the chapter, just forty-nine years after it had been first begun by Ezra in the seventh year of Artaxerxes Longimanus.’ [Humphrey Prideaux, The Old and New Testament Connected in the History of the Jews, Vol. 1, 322.] This was 408 b.c. . . .

“Let us apply the measuring rod of the prophecy still further. Sixty-nine weeks, or 483 years, were to extend to Messiah the Prince. Dating from 457 b.c., they end in a.d. 27. What event then occurred? Luke thus informs us: [Luke 3: 21, 22 quoted]. After this, Jesus came ‘preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, The time is fulfilled.’ Mark 1: 14, 15. . . .

“Further, the Messiah was to confirm the covenant with many for one week. This would be the last week of the seventy, or the last seven years of the 490. In the midst of the week, the prophecy informs us, He should cause the sacrifice and oblation to cease. These Jewish ordinances, pointing to the death of Christ, could cease only at the cross. There they did virtually come to an end when the veil of the temple was rent at the crucifixion of Christ. . . .

“We see that, reckoning the seventy weeks from the decree given to Ezra in the seventh year of Artaxerxes, 457 b.c., there is perfect harmony throughout. The important and definite events of the manifestation of the Messiah at His baptism, the commencement of His public ministry, the crucifixion, and the rejection of the Jews and the preaching of the gospel to the Gentiles, with the proclamation of the new covenant—all come in in their exact place, sealing the prophecy and making it sure. . . .

“The seventy weeks are but the first 490 years of the 2300-year period. Take 490 from 2300, and there remains 1810. The 490, as we have seen, ended in the autumn of a.d. 34. If to this date we now add the remaining 1810 years, we shall have the termination of the whole period. So to a.d. 34, autumn, add 1810, and we have the autumn of a.d. 1844. Thus speedily and surely do we find the termination of the 2300 days, when once the seventy weeks have been located. . . .

“The momentous declaration made by the angel to Daniel, ‘Unto two thousand and three hundred days: then shall the sanctuary be cleansed,’ is now explained. In our search for the meaning of the sanctuary and its cleansing, and the application of the time, we have found not only that this subject can be easily understood, but lo, the event is even now in process of accomplishment. . . .

“We have seen (and this is what brings the solemnities of the judgment to our own door) that that long prophetic period which was to mark the beginning of this final work in the heavenly sanctuary, has met its termination. In 1844 the days ended. Since that time the final work for man’s salvation has been going forward. This work involves an examination of every man’s character, for it consists in the remission of the sins of those who shall be found worthy to have them remitted, and determines who among the dead shall be raised. It also decides who among the living shall be changed at the coming of the Lord, and who of both dead and living shall be left to have their part in the fearful scenes of the second death. All can see that such a decision as this must be rendered before the Lord appears.

“Every man’s destiny is to be determined by deeds done in the body, and each one is to be rewarded according to his works. (11 Corinthians 5: 10; Revelation 22: 12.)” Ibid., 211–220.

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

Bible Study Guides – Daniel’s Prayer and the Explanation of the 2300 Days

by

September 11, 2004 – September 17, 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: The Great Controversy, 409–422.

Introduction

“The subject of the sanctuary was the key which unlocked the mystery of the disappointment of 1844. It opened to view a complete system of truth, connected and harmonious, showing that God’s hand had directed the great advent movement, and revealing present duty as it brought to light the position and work of His people.” The Great Controversy (1888), 423.

“These pillars of truth [the Three Angels’ Messages] stand firm as the eternal hills, unmoved by all the efforts of men combined with those of Satan and his host. We can learn much, and should be constantly searching the Scriptures to see if these things are so. God’s people are now to have their eyes fixed on the heavenly sanctuary, where the final ministration of our great High Priest in the work of the judgment is going forward,—where He is interceding for His people.” Review and Herald, November 27, 1883.

1 What definite promise as to time was given in Daniel 8:14?

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 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 first 490 years of the 2300 having then ended, 1810 years would remain. From a.d. 34, 1810 years extend to 1844. ‘Then,’ said the angel, ‘shall the sanctuary be cleansed.’ ” Maranatha, 247.

2 What physical condition prevented Daniel from receiving full explanation of the beginning and ending of the time period? Daniel 8:27.

note: “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.” The Great Controversy, 325.

3 Where did the prophet turn for light after his recovery? Daniel 9:1–3.

note: “Still burdened in behalf of Israel, Daniel studied anew the prophecies of Jeremiah. They were very plain—so plain that he understood by these testimonies recorded in books ‘the number of the years, whereof the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet, that He would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.’ Daniel 9:2.

“With faith founded on the sure word of prophecy, Daniel pleaded with the Lord for the speedy fulfillment of these promises. He pleaded for the honor of God to be preserved. In his petition he identified himself fully with those who had fallen short of the divine purpose, confessing their sins as his own.” Prophets and Kings, 554, 555.

4 What did Daniel confess as the causes for the trouble that had come upon Israel? Daniel 9:5–12. What requests did he make? Verses 16–19.

note: “Daniel did not seek to excuse himself or his people before God; but in humility and contrition of soul he confessed the full extent and demerit of their transgressions, and vindicated God’s dealings as just toward a nation that had set at nought His requirements and would not profit by His entreaties.

“There is great need today of just such sincere, heartfelt repentance and confession. Those who have not humbled their souls before God in acknowledging their guilt have not yet fulfilled the first condition of acceptance. If we have not experienced that repentance which is not to be repented of, and have not confessed our sin with true humiliation of soul and brokenness of spirit, abhorring our iniquity, we have never sought truly for the forgiveness of sin.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 636.

5 What answer was given to his supplication? What had the angel come to bestow upon him? To what was he asked to give consideration? Daniel 9:21–23.

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. 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.

6 How much was to be cut off from the period of the vision for Daniel’s people? Daniel 9:24.

note: “The word rendered ‘determined’ means also ‘cut off.’ The period of seventy weeks, or 490 years, could be cut off only from the longer period of 2,300 years, the part of the vision which the angel had not before explained.” Sabbath School Lesson Quarterly, Pacific Press Publishing Association, Mountain View, California, April 1918, 30.

7 From what was Daniel to begin the calculation of the time periods, both the seventy weeks for the Jews, and the remainder of the 2300 days? 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 457 b.c.” The Great Controversy, 410.

8 Who was the Persian king that gave the last installment of the commandment to restore and rebuild Jerusalem? Ezra 6:14. What year did the proclamation go forth? Ezra 7:7, 11–13.

note: “Ezra’s faith that God would do a mighty work for His people, led him to tell Artaxerxes of his desire to return to Jerusalem to revive an interest in the study of God’s word and to assist his brethren in restoring the holy city. As Ezra declared his perfect trust in the God of Israel as one abundantly able to protect and care for His people, the king was deeply impressed. . . . He made him a special representative of the Medo-Persian kingdom, and conferred on him extensive powers for the carrying out of the purposes that were in his heart. . . .” Conflict and Courage, 261.

9 By what event was the period of seventy weeks terminated? Acts 8:4, 5; 22:21. Compare Matthew 10:5, 6.

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. Then the message was proclaimed. ‘The time is fulfilled.’ [Mark 1:15.]

“Then, said the angel, ‘He shall confirm the covenant with many for one week [seven years].’ [Daniel 9:27.] For seven years after the Saviour entered on His ministry, the gospel was to be preached especially to the Jews; for three and a half years by Christ Himself; and afterward by the apostles. ‘In the midst of the week He shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease.’ Daniel 9:27. In the spring of a.d. 31, Christ the true sacrifice was offered on Calvary. Then the veil of the temple was rent in twain, showing that the sacredness and significance of the sacrificial service had departed. The time had come for the earthly sacrifice and oblation to cease.

“The one week—seven years—ended in a.d. 34. Then by the stoning of Stephen the Jews finally sealed their rejection of the gospel; the disciples who were scattered abroad by persecution ‘went everywhere preaching the word’ (Acts 8:4); and shortly after, Saul the persecutor was converted, and became Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles.” The Desire of Ages, 233.

10 In what year did the remaining 1810 years expire?

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 first 490 years of the 2300 having then ended, 1810 years would remain. From a.d. 34, 1810 years extend to 1844. ‘Then,’ said the angel, ‘shall the sanctuary be cleansed.’ [Daniel 8:14.] All the preceding specifications of the prophecy had been unquestionably fulfilled at the time appointed.” The Great Controversy, 410.

11 What searching question comes to each one who expects deliverance from sin while the Judgment work is going on? Malachi 3:1–3.

note: “Those who are living upon the earth when the intercession of Christ shall cease in the sanctuary above are to stand in the sight of a holy God without a mediator. Their robes must be spotless, their characters must be purified from sin by the blood of sprinkling. Through the grace of God and their own diligent effort they must be conquerors in the battle with evil. While the investigative judgment is going forward in heaven, while the sins of penitent believers are being removed from the sanctuary, there is to be a special work of purification, of putting away of sin, among God’s people upon earth. This work is more clearly presented in the messages of Revelation 14.” The Great Controversy, 425.

12 What is the basis of confidence in our great High Priest? Hebrews 7:25, 26.

note: “God is approached through Jesus Christ, the Mediator, the only way through which He forgives sins. God cannot forgive sins at the expense of His justice, His holiness, and His truth. But He does forgive sins and that fully. There are no sins He will not forgive in and through the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the sinner’s only hope, and if he rests here in sincere faith, he is sure of pardon and that full and free. There is only one channel and that is accessible to all, and through that channel a rich and abundant forgiveness awaits the penitent, contrite soul and the darkest sins are forgiven.

“These lessons were taught to the chosen people of God thousands of years ago, and repeated in various symbols and figures, that the work of truth might be riveted in every heart, that without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins. The great lesson embodied in the sacrifice of every bleeding victim, impressed in every ceremony, inculcated by God Himself, was that through the blood of Christ alone is forgiveness of sins; yet how many carry the galling yoke and how few feel the force of this truth and act upon it personally, and derive the blessings they might receive through a perfect faith in the blood of the Lamb of God. . . .

“Justice demanded the sufferings of man; but Christ rendered the sufferings of a God. He needed no atonement of suffering for Himself; all His sufferings were for us; all His merits and holiness were open to fallen man, presented as a gift.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7, 912, 913.

“For eighteen centuries this work of ministration continued in the first apartment of the sanctuary. The blood of Christ, pleaded in behalf of penitent believers, secured their pardon and acceptance with the Father, yet their sins still remained upon the books of record. As in the typical service there was a work of atonement at the close of the year, so before Christ’s work for the redemption of men is completed, there is a work of atonement for the removal of sin from the sanctuary. This is the service which began when the 2300 days ended. At that time . . . our High Priest entered the most holy, to perform the last division of His solemn work—to cleanse the sanctuary. . . .” The Faith I Live By, 207.

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

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.

Parallel Prophecies of Daniel, Part I

by

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.

Editorial – 1843, Part I

by

In this column last month, the attack by former Seventh-day Adventist ministers on the 1843 (later corrected to 1844) message of William Miller was introduced. We there briefly discussed the meaning of prophetic endorsement. Since Ellen White endorsed William Miller and his message, these attackers think if Miller’s exegesis or methodology of Scripture study can be proved wrong, then Ellen White is a false prophet for endorsing him and historic Adventism is no longer credible. It will take several months to address these unfounded attacks.

We are living in a time of the greatest religious confusion and delusion. Our theological opponents have believed that they can overthrow our faith by pointing out certain mistakes in the thinking of William Miller or other early Adventist pioneers. The fact that many mistakes were made by the pioneers is not anything of which to be ashamed. In the First Century, the pioneers of the first advent were more badly mistaken about some bigger issues than were the pioneers of the second advent movement. For example, John the Baptist and the apostles did not understand the nature of the kingdom to be set up, and worse than this, they did not even understand that the kingdom could only be established by the death of the Messiah! They did not understand the Old Testament prophecies about either the resurrection or the ascension! Yet the movement was inspired of the Holy Spirit and led by God! Ellen White describes the inspiration of these people who were deluded concerning some of the most major events of the Great Controversy in The Desire of Ages, 578, 579.

In the same way, the second advent movement was and is a movement inspired by God and led by the Holy Spirit, even though the pioneers made mistakes in their understanding of some Scriptures. If your faith in the historical fulfillment of prophecy can be destroyed because someone made mistakes in their understanding of some Bible texts, then it is absolutely for certain that you will not be among those who “endure to the end.” Matthew 24:13.

We must today study the prophecies like never before. The prophecies of Daniel and Revelation are being fulfilled right in front of our eyes. Soon the world is going to be faced with the most overwhelming surprise of all time. While people are waiting for what they believe is yet to be fulfilled in the future, prophecy will be fulfilled in a way they did not expect, and the world will come to an end.

“Prophecy is fast fulfilling. More, much more, should be said about these tremendously important subjects. The day is at hand when the destiny of every soul will be fixed forever. This day of the Lord hastens on apace. The false watchmen are raising the cry, ‘All is well’; but the day of God is rapidly approaching. Its footsteps are so muffled that it does not arouse the world from the deathlike slumber into which it has fallen. . . . It overtakes the pleasure-lover and the sinful man as a thief in the night. When all is apparently secure, and men retire to contented rest, then the prowling, stealthy, midnight thief steals upon his prey. When it is too late to prevent the evil, it is discovered that some door or window was not secured. ‘Be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.’ . . . Let no one feel that he is secure from the danger of being surprised. Let no one’s interpretation of prophecy rob you of the conviction of the knowledge of events which show that this great event is near at hand.” Fundamentals of Christian Education, 335, 336.

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.