time of the end

Bible Study Guides – The Time of Trouble – Part 2

by

December 11, 2004 – December 17, 2004

Memory Verse

“For thus says the Lord: ‘We have heard a voice of trembling, Of fear, and not of peace. Ask now, and see, Whether a man is ever in labor with child? So why do I see every man with his hands on his loins Like a woman in labor, And all faces turned pale? Alas! For that day is great, So that none is like it; And it is the time of Jacob’s trouble. But he shall be saved out of it.’ ” Jeremiah 30:5-7 (NKJV).

Suggested Reading: Great Controversy, 613-621, 626-634.

1 When does the great time of trouble begin? Daniel 12:1.

note: “ ‘At that time shall Michael stand up, the great Prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, everyone that shall be found written in the book.’ Daniel 12:1.

“When the third angel’s message closes, mercy no longer pleads for the guilty inhabitants of the earth. The people of God have accomplished their work. They have received ‘the latter rain,’ ‘the refreshing from the presence of the Lord,’ and they are prepared for the trying hour before them.” Great Controversy, 613.

2 What changes take place in the world at the close of probation (when Michael stands up) and following?

note: “When He leaves the sanctuary, darkness covers the inhabitants of the earth. In that fearful time the righteous must live in the sight of a holy God without an intercessor. The restraint which has been upon the wicked is removed, and Satan has entire control of the finally impenitent. God’s long-suffering has ended. The world has rejected His mercy, despised His love, and trampled upon His law. The wicked have passed the boundary of their probation; the Spirit of God, persistently resisted, has been at last withdrawn. Unsheltered by divine grace, they have no protection from the wicked one. Satan will then plunge the inhabitants of the earth into one great, final trouble. As the angels of God cease to hold in check the fierce winds of human passion, all the elements of strife will be let loose. The whole world will be involved in ruin more terrible than that which came upon Jerusalem of old.” Ibid., 614.

3 What four judgments fall on the earth immediately following the close of probation? Revelation 16:2-9; Great Controversy, 627-629.

note: “Those who honor the law of God have been accused of bringing judgments upon the world, and they will be regarded as the cause of the fearful convulsions of nature and the strife and bloodshed among men that are filling the earth with woe.” Ibid., 614.

4 What will be the effect of these plagues on the world?

note: “A single angel destroyed all the first-born of the Egyptians and filled the land with mourning. When David offended against God by numbering the people, one angel caused that terrible destruction by which his sin was punished. The same destructive power exercised by holy angels when God commands, will be exercised by evil angels when He permits. There are forces now ready, and only waiting the divine permission, to spread desolation everywhere.” Ibid.

“The power attending the last warning has enraged the wicked; their anger is kindled against all who have received the message, and Satan will excite to still greater intensity the spirit of hatred and persecution.” Ibid., 614, 615.

5 What law is passed because of the desolation caused by these judgments? Revelation 13:15-17.

note: “It will be urged that the few who stand in opposition to an institution of the church and a law of the state ought not to be tolerated; that it is better for them to suffer than for whole nations to be thrown into confusion and lawlessness. The same argument eighteen hundred years ago was brought against Christ by the ‘rulers of the people.’ ‘It is expedient for us,’ said the wily Caiaphas, ‘that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not.’ John 11:50. This argument will appear conclusive; and a decree will finally be issued against those who hallow the Sabbath of the fourth commandment, denouncing them as deserving of the severest punishment and giving the people liberty, after a certain time, to put them to death. Romanism in the Old World and apostate Protestantism in the New will pursue a similar course toward those who honor all the divine precepts.” Ibid., 615, 616.

6 What will be brought upon the saints as a result of this death decree? See Jeremiah 30:5-7.

note: “The people of God will then be plunged into those scenes of affliction and distress described by the prophet as the time of Jacob’s trouble. ‘Thus saith the Lord: We have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace. . . . All faces are turned into paleness. Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.’ Jeremiah 30:5-7.” Ibid., 616

7 What will be the experience of the people of God as a result of this death decree? Isaiah 33:14-17.

note: “As the decree issued by the various rulers of Christendom against commandment keepers shall withdraw the protection of government and abandon them to those who desire their destruction, the people of God will flee from the cities and villages and associate together in companies, dwelling in the most desolate and solitary places. Many will find refuge in the strongholds of the mountains. Like the Christians of the Piedmont valleys, they will make the high places of the earth their sanctuaries and will thank God for ‘the munitions of rocks.’ Isaiah 33:16. But many of all nations and of all classes, high and low, rich and poor, black and white, will be cast into the most unjust and cruel bondage.” Ibid., 626.

8 What does the Lord allow Satan to do to the saints during this time?

note: “As Satan accuses the people of God on account of their sins, the Lord permits him to try them to the uttermost. Their confidence in God, their faith and firmness, will be severely tested. As they review the past, their hopes sink; for in their whole lives they can see little good. They are fully conscious of their weakness and unworthiness. Satan endeavors to terrify them with the thought that their cases are hopeless, that the stain of their defilement will never be washed away. He hopes so to destroy their faith that they will yield to his temptations and turn from their allegiance to God.” Ibid., 618, 619.

9 What is the purpose of the time of Jacob’s trouble?

note: “God’s love for His children during the period of their severest trial is as strong and tender as in the days of their sunniest prosperity; but it is needful for them to be placed in the furnace of fire; their earthliness must be consumed, that the image of Christ may be perfectly reflected.” Ibid., 621

“The time of trouble is the crucible that is to bring out Christ-like characters. It is designed to lead the people of God to renounce Satan and his temptations. The last conflict will reveal Satan to them in his true character, that of a cruel tyrant, and it will do for them what nothing else could do, up-root him entirely from their affections. For to love and cherish sin, is to love and cherish its author, that deadly foe of Christ. When they excuse sin and cling to perversity of character, they give Satan a place in their affections, and pay him homage.” Review and Herald, August 12, 1884.

10 What is the greatest concern of God’s people during this time of trouble?

note: “Though God’s people will be surrounded by enemies who are bent upon their destruction, yet the anguish which they suffer is not a dread of persecution for the truth’s sake; they fear that every sin has not been repented of, and that through some fault in themselves they will fail to realize the fulfillment of the Saviour’s promise: I ‘will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world.’ Revelation 3:10. If they could have the assurance of pardon they would not shrink from torture or death; but should they prove unworthy, and lose their lives because of their own defects of character, then God’s holy name would be reproached.” Great Controversy, 619.

11 What special promises of help are for God’s people during this time? Psalm 27:5; Luke 18:7, 8; Psalm 34:7; Isaiah 21:11, 12; 51:11-16, 21-23; Malachi 3:17; Isaiah 26:20, 21.

note: Read Great Controversy, 630-634.

12 What will bring the time of Jacob’s trouble to an end? Daniel 12:1 (last part).

note: “When the protection of human laws shall be withdrawn from those who honor the law of God, there will be, in different lands, a simultaneous movement for their destruction. As the time appointed in the decree draws near, the people will conspire to root out the hated sect.” Ibid., 635

“With shouts of triumph, jeering, and imprecation, throngs of evil men are about to rush upon their prey, when, lo, a dense blackness, deeper than the darkness of the night, falls upon the earth.” Ibid., 635, 636.

“It is at midnight that God manifests His power for the deliverance of His people. The sun appears, shining in its strength. Signs and wonders follow in quick succession. The wicked look with terror and amazement upon the scene, while the righteous behold with solemn joy the tokens of their deliverance. Everything in nature seems turned out of its course. The streams cease to flow. Dark, heavy clouds come up and clash against each other. In the midst of the angry heavens is one clear space of indescribable glory, whence comes the voice of God like the sound of many waters, saying: ‘It is done.’ Revelation 16:17.” Ibid., 636.

“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.” Ibid., 654.

Knowing the Time, Part I

by

In Romans 13:11–14, we read: “And, knowing the time, that already it is the hour for you to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we believed. The night is far gone, the day has drawn near. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us be clothed with the weapons of light. Let us walk becomingly, as in the day, not with carousing and drunkenness and sexual orgies and sensuality, not with strife and jealousy. But clothe yourself with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not make provision for the flesh that you should do its lusts.” That is quite a Scripture!

Paul says that now is the time. It is the hour already for you to awake out of sleep. Do you know the time? Do you know that now is the time? Now is the time to wake up, because we do not have very much time left.

Knowing the Time in the World

I would like for you to consider just two things. The first thing is knowing the time in the world. I will not take the space to prove this, although it can be proven. If we compare Daniel 7 and Daniel 11, we will see that the great time of persecution of God’s saints, which was to last 1,260 years, was to extend until the time of the end. When that period was over, then the world was going to enter the period called, in Daniel’s prophecy, the time of the end. Most Bible writers call it the latter days or the last days.

That period of time (1,260 days) came to an end in 1798. We, then, have been in the last days or in the time of the end for over 200 years. The last days—the time of the end—is the last epochal period of this world’s history. At the end of that time, probation will close, and Jesus will come, and that will be the end of this age, the end of the world, as we know it. We are not at the beginning of the time of the end; we are at the end of the time of the end.

Increased Travel

Daniel said, in Daniel 12:4, that at the time of the end two things would happen.

He said that many are going to travel to and fro. In other words, it is going to be a time of great travel. Are we living in a time of the greatest travel since the beginning of the world? There has never, ever been a time like today. Never!

Society thought we were living in a time of great travel when I was a boy, because we had airplanes. I traveled half way around the world when I was about seven years old. But let me tell you, it was absolutely nothing compared with today.

When I was boy, I used to go with my father to the Stapleton Airport in Denver, Colorado. My father was a businessman, and at times he would need to travel by plane. While waiting for my father to depart, I would look out the airport windows, and would usually see four or five airliners waiting there—DC7s and a few Lockheed Electras. Those planes could hold between 40 and 50 passengers. That was the total number of airplanes generally at Stapleton at any one time, and I was there many times.

How is it today? At the new Denver International Airport, there are between 50 and 100 airplanes at any given time, and those planes do not hold just 40 or 50 passengers, like they did when I was a boy. They hold 100, 200, or more passengers!

We are living in a time when there is more travel. I have done a little traveling myself, and I have been in the airports of London and Paris, New York, Boston, Washington, D.C., Dallas, and Los Angeles. If you go to any one of these places, you will see people from all over the world.

There has never before been a time like this. We are living in the time of the end. In the time of the end, travel is going to be increased.

Increased Knowledge

The second thing mentioned, in Daniel 12:4, is that in the time of the end there is going to be a great increase of knowledge. It says, “Knowledge shall be increased.” Are we living in a time when there has been an explosion of knowledge?

Some of you are too young to remember how things used to be, just a short time ago. Do you realize that just a few years ago, if you had a cataract in your eye and you had it removed, that after the surgery you would be sandbagged? Sandbags would be placed around your head, and you would have to lie in a hospital bed, sometimes for up to two weeks or more. But do you know how it is done today? I recently took a close relative of mine to have a cataract removed, and it was an outpatient procedure. We walked in, got it done, walked out, and went home—pretty much business as usual the rest of the day. That is just one example; there are hundreds of other examples.

A second example of increased knowledge is our cars, our airplanes, and our machines. Computers now monitor these things, indicating to us when service, repairs, or changes are needed. I am old enough to remember when it was not that way. Things were mechanical, and we thought we had a great increase of knowledge then, but now things are electrical, and everything is connected to a computer.

I remember telling people 20 years ago that we were living in an age of an explosion of knowledge—that there would soon come a time when, through the computer, we would be able to access central data banks and find out whatever we wanted that is known to man. We have been doing that now for several years.

Earthquakes

Third, in Matthew 24, Jesus said that in the last days there would come a time when there would be great earthquakes. Have you noticed the increase of earthquakes lately?

We used to live in southern California, and, while residing there, we were always apprehensive of earthquakes. While traveling in southern California recently, I was shown a newspaper that identified the different areas where earthquakes had occurred in the last several weeks—there were over 60 places! We do not even hear about those earthquakes on the news, because the news does not report the little ones.

If you want to do an interesting study, look on the Internet for the web site that is just about earthquakes. Do you know when the incidents of earthquakes started increasing? About 1800. The time of the end is going to be the time of earthquakes. They started increasing at the time of the end. It is interesting to note that the number of earthquakes stayed about the same for many hundreds of years—for over a thousand years—until about 1800; then, for a reason no one can explain, they started increasing. Why? Jesus said that in the time of the end there would be earthquakes. Since 1950, the number of occurrences has skyrocketed. So much so that between 1980 and 1990 there were as many serious major earthquakes as the world had experienced between a.d. 526 and 1797. That is a period of almost 1,300 years. Somebody may challenge that in old times they did not record them all, but they did record them when something major happened. They did not have seismographs, but they recorded the big ones, when buildings started falling down. It is one of the signs that we are living right near the end.

Rumors of War

Another sign, the fourth, which Jesus gave, was that there would be “wars and rumors of wars.” We do not need to expound on this. World War I was going to be the war to end all wars. Did it end all wars? No, the United States was in another world war within 20 years after it ended. Since World War II, there has been a war somewhere in the world all the time—some coup d’état, revolution, or war somewhere in the world.

Peace Movement

The fifth sign of knowing the time in the world you can study out for yourselves. Bible prophecy tells us that in the last days there is going to be a great, international religious peace movement. Predicted both in Isaiah 2 and Micah 4, it is not a true revival or a true religion. Read Micah 4:1–6 carefully, and you will see that is the case. They are going to be preparing for war at the same time they are talking peace.

Hearts Fail for Fear

And, then, number six. In Luke 21, Jesus said that the time of the end will be a time when men’s hearts will fail them for fear. Are we living in a time when men’s hearts are failing them for fear? People are afraid. One thing of which they are afraid is what is happening to the worldwide economy—not just the United States, not just Europe, but the economy of the world. The worldwide economy is shaky today, and economists are scared to death. People are saying that we are out of the recession, but we are deeper in debt than ever before.

We are concerned about the environment. We are destroying our environment. One reason for concern is the natural disasters.

Have you heard on the news of the concern regarding Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming? A certain part of the park has been closed off, because the experts are saying that this area in the park could blow at any time. If it blows, it will be the biggest volcanic explosion in history, and it will be heard hundreds of miles away.

At the huge crater, where the ground is lifting, the temperature is rising and has now risen so much that all the fish are dead and there is nothing living directly around it. Just a few inches under the soil, the temperature is 200 degrees. If it completely blows, the scientists are telling us that the entire United States will be completely covered with five inches of ash, and there will be no living thing within about a 600-mile radius—everything will die. It could bring on a miniature ice age; it could destroy crops all through the Midwest.

I am not saying it will be as bad as predicted; nobody knows. But the people who have studied this phenomenon are scared. Jesus said, “Men’s hearts would be failing them for fear because of the things that are coming on the earth.” Do you realize the economic consequences of something like that? If it occurs, just that one thing alone could cause a worldwide depression.

And then, of course, there is terrorism. Everybody knows about terrorism today—not just the United States. They know about it in Spain. They know about it in London. They know about it in the Middle East. They know about it in South America. Terrorism! And, of course, there is crime, crime, crime.

Pestilences

Number seven. Jesus said that in the last days there would be pestilences. We are experiencing pestilences like never before in world history. One example is cancer. Oh! Somebody may say that cancer has been around for hundreds of years. Of course it has, but in 1945, do you know how many people were getting cancer? One in fifteen. In 1945 (if you read the Spirit of Prophecy), the number getting cancer had skyrocketed from what it had been in the past. Do you know what the numbers are today? One in three. Is that a pestilence? It is a pestilence, friends.

Then we have the new pestilences such as Mad Cow Disease. If you have ever read the book Deadly Feasts (Richard Rhodes, Touchstone, New York, New York, 1998), you know that Mad Cow Disease is a ticking time bomb. It is a disease that, in the future, could absolutely decimate Western Europe, the United States, and many other countries of the world. Some people think this disease is even more dangerous than AIDS. Whether or not it is I do not know. It is one of those illnesses that has a long lapse from the time a person is exposed until symptoms develop. In addition to AIDS, we have the plague or the pestilence of all the old diseases that we thought had been cured.

For example, when I was in graduate school—less than 30 years ago—we were told that the disease of smallpox would be completely eradicated, because it is a disease peculiar only to human beings. We were told that vaccinations would be available to everyone, and this would eliminate it. It would die out and would be known only in the history books. Well, this we did not succeed in doing!

We are discovering that the diseases we were so confident in knowing how to control, we cannot control. For example, have you heard in the news that we now have new bugs or new microorganisms? They are actually the old ones, but they are now resistant to our drugs. This is serious. If an elderly person gets a staph infection that does not respond to drugs, they will be in a very critical situation.

Days of Lot

In Luke 17:27–30, Jesus said that in the last days it is going to be like it was in the days of Lot. You have read the story of Sodom and Gomorrah in the Book of Genesis. You have probably read what Ezekiel said about it in Ezekiel 16:49, 50, what Jude said about it, and what Peter said about it in 11 Peter. Jesus told us that this is the way the world is going to be in the last days when the Son of man is revealed.

I studied this subject a few years ago, and what I found was shocking. Do you realize that never before in the history of the world has homosexuality been accepted worldwide, until our time? It was accepted in Sodom, and it was accepted among the Canaanites. In Leviticus 18, we find that that is one of the reasons why the Canaanites were destroyed. It was accepted in the ten tribes of Israel, and that is one of the reasons why they were destroyed, sent out as wanderers among the nations. At a later time, it was accepted in the city of Rome, and that is one of the reasons why Rome was destroyed. It later was accepted in the nation of France, and that is one of the reasons for the French Revolution. But in the last days, it will not be a country or a city only that accepts it; it will be accepted by the whole world. We do not realize how true prophecy always is. When it says worldwide, it means worldwide.

A few days ago my wife and I were visiting with our nephew who is serving in the United States armed forces. He told me something I did not know. You think you can never get shocked, but then you learn something new. He told me that among the Muslims in Afghanistan, where he served, and throughout the neighboring countries, homosexuality is rampant. He said that they do not want the Christians to find out about it; they try to keep it secret. The United States military has to instruct the soldiers to be careful in certain situations. The prophecy of Jesus has been fulfilled exactly. We are living right at the time of the end.

When homosexuality becomes accepted, study the story of Sodom; study the story of the ten tribes; study the story of the Canaanites; study the story of Rome; study the story of France. God is not going to let that go on, friends. It is going to end.

Great Unbelief

Number nine. In the last days, according to the Book of Revelation, according to the words of Jesus in Matthew 24:24, there will come a time of gross darkness of the greatest deceptions ever to come on the world. We are living in that time.

And, finally, number ten. According to 11 Peter 3:3–7, the last days will be a time of great unbelief. The unbelief will be so great that it says that those living will deny that the heavens came into existence by the Word of God. That is exactly what has happened in the last few years—and all of it has happened since 1798. The theory of evolution to explain how we got here without God has been developed. We want a reason explaining how we got here without God. It says, in 11 Peter 3, that they would say that “since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning.” Do you realize that that is a word-for-word description of the theory of Uniformitarianism on which modern geology is based?

In 1979, my family and I traveled to the East Coast of Pennsylvania to visit my brother who was pastoring there. During Christmas time we went to the Smithsonian Institute, and while we were there, we split up to go to different places, because we could not see it all, and different people wanted to see different things. I decided that I wanted to see the geology building, which is where they tell you that this item is this many millions of years old and that item is that many millions of years old.

I visited every single exhibit to see what evidence they had for the age of each item. Do you know what evidence they had? They had only one piece of evidence for everything. This is the Uniformitarian Theory. Peter predicted the Uniformitarian Theory long before these people believed they invented it. The Bible predicted that it would be in the last days.

To be continued . . .

[Bible texts quoted are literal translation.]

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

The Judgment

by

In the Bible we find that God has, at different times, given life and death warnings. Moses came to Egypt and had a message from God—“Let My people go.” They rejected the message, and Pharaoh replied, “Who is God that He should tell us that?” As a result, they first lost their cattle, then their crops, and eventually their first-born. Finally, they lost their army and Pharaoh himself.

Jeremiah came to Israel with a life and death message, calling them to repent and to return to the true worship of God. They wanted to hear love spoken and thought that his message was too straight; they cast him into a miry pit. Because they rejected Him, God could not protect them; and although they claimed to be worshiping Him, going through the motions of religion, their city was completely destroyed.

Then there was John the Baptist who came with a message of repentance to Israel. They rejected the message, and what happened? Again, Jerusalem was destroyed and lay in ruins for many years. The Jewish people were scattered all over the world.

So at various times, God has had life and death messages that have been given to various groups, individuals, and nations. But twice in this world’s history, He has had a life and death message for the whole world. The first one came through Noah. “Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. So the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping things, and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.” Genesis 6:5–7. Conditions then must have been something like today. The Bible says that every imagination of man’s heart was evil continually.

God said that it had become unbearable to allow this to go on in the universe, and he decided that He was going to put a check on sin. But God is merciful; He did not do it overnight. “And the Lord said, My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.” Verse 3. In I Peter 3, we find that this power that pled with men was the same power that raised Jesus from the dead and that was manifested at Pentecost. It was not just human power; it was the power of the Holy Spirit. The Bible tells us that when God sends a warning message the second time, it will again be as in Noah’s time. There will be many scoffers. “Knowing this first, that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of Creation. For this they willfully forget that by the Word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. But the heavens and the earth which now exist are kept in store by the same Word, reserved for fire until the Day of Judgment and perdition of ungodly men.” II Peter 3:3–7. Notice it says that they willfully forget. In other words, they choose to ignore the evidence by which they might have a knowledge of the flood. The world today is being kept in store by this same power; but this time it is not to be destroyed by water but by fire.

Now there were scoffers in Noah’s day, and there are scoffers today. But scoffers did not change the facts then, nor will they today. God has given evidence by which, if people are interested, they can find that the Bible is true. Even if the whole world disbelieves God’s Word, His Word is still going to come true!

Now, if the judgment has come, and if it is going to be preached, someone must know that it has begun. Somewhere in the Bible there must be a time pointed out as to when the judgment is going to begin. Paul tells us in Acts 17:31, “He has appointed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness.” God has had to put the date for the judgment some place in the Bible, and we want to find it.

Daniel 7 gives us an approximate date for the beginning of the judgment, though it does not give us an exact time.

“I watched until thrones were put in place, and the Ancient of Days was seated; His garment was white as snow, and the hair of His head was like pure wool. His throne was a fiery flame, its wheels a burning fire; a fiery stream issued and came forth from before Him. A thousand thousands ministered to Him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him. The court was seated, and the books were opened.” Daniel 7:9, 10.

Now if you will continue on to verses 11–13, you will see that this is not yet the end of the world. “I watched then [after the court had been seated] because of the sound of the pompous words which the horn was speaking.” We find in Revelation that while the horn reigned for 1,260 years, at which time it received a deadly wound, yet it would be healed and all of the world would wonder after the beast. So Daniel hears the horn speaking after the judgment has set.

There is a principle that every prophecy builds on the one before it. The prophecy of Daniel 8 covers much of the same history as Daniel 7. It begins with the rule of Medo-Persia and relates the fall of that kingdom before Alexander the Great. After giving more details about the rule of Greece, it goes over the reign of the little horn power. When it comes to the end of the little horn power, it also goes into the judgment; but this prophecy gives us something a little more specific. “And he said unto me, For two thousand three hundred days; then the sanctuary shall be cleansed.” Daniel 8:14. The Jews knew what that terminology meant. The cleansing of the sanctuary was a term that had reference to the Day of Atonement, which was a period of judgment for the Jews. Because we are dealing with prophetic time, we know this to be a time period of two thousand three hundred literal years. This places the judgment a great distance into the future.

“Now it happened, when I, Daniel, had seen the vision and was seeking the meaning, that suddenly there stood before me one having the appearance of a man. And I heard a man’s voice between the banks of the Ulai, who called, and said, Gabriel, make this man understand the vision. So he came near where I stood, and when he came I was afraid and fell on my face; but he said to me, Understand, son of man, that the vision refers to the time of the end.” Verses 15–17.

We know that the time period stretches to the time of the end; but without a starting point, this still is not very specific.

Gabriel was told to explain the vision to Daniel, but he was not able to finish because Daniel fainted. Upon his recovery, however, Daniel kept praying and the angel came back.

“Now while I was speaking, praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God for the holy mountain of my God, yes, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, reached me about the time of the evening offering. And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you skill to understand. At the beginning of your supplications the command went out, and I have come to tell you, for you are greatly beloved; therefore consider the matter, and understand the vision.” Daniel 9:20–23.

To what vision is Gabriel referring? The vision in chapter 8! This is the vision which Gabriel started to explain, but Daniel became sick before he finished explaining about the 2,300 days. “Go finish your explanation,” God said. “You did not finish.”

The only part of that vision which had not been explained was the part dealing with time. Naturally, Gabriel does not go back and talk about the powers of Greece and Medo-Persia; he starts right in where he left off, explaining the 2,300 days. “Seventy weeks are determined for your people and for your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy. Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; … Then He shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; but in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering.” Verses 24, 25, 27.

Now there is an unfortunate mistranslation here. The word determined is from the word “chathak”. In Hebrew it literally means “cut off.” The reason the translators did not translate it that way is because, failing to go back to the previous vision, they could not determine from what it was cut off. Seventy weeks must be cut off from some larger period of time. There is only one time period in the vision of the beginning and that is the 2,300 days, or years. Now he said 70 weeks are cut off from this 2,300-day period. Seventy weeks is 490 literal years. If you cut 490 from 2,300, there are 1,810 years left. In other words, of the 2,300 years, 490 were given especially to the Jewish people.

The 490-day period began with the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem. This took place in 457 B.C. It then extended until A.D. 34. At that time, Stephen was stoned and persecution broke out in Jerusalem, scattering the followers of Jesus everywhere. It was then that the gospel began to go to the Gentiles. By the way, as 1844 follows 1798, it also fits the prophecy of Daniel 7.

Other than the prophecy in Daniel 8 and 9, there is no prophecy in all of the Bible that reveals a date for the judgment to begin. Daniel 7 gives the approximate date for the judgment to begin, but Daniel 8 is the only one that gives the time.

“As it was in the days of Noah, so will it be also in the days of the Son of Man.” Luke 17:26. In Noah’s day, those who heeded God’s warning, though very few in number, were saved, while those who scoffed at the message were lost. The Bible says that there is coming a judgment. It also tells us that the judgment message will be preached with a loud voice. I believe, according to Bible prophecy, that the judgment has already begun. When it is ended, the destiny of all mankind will have been decided. When the judgment is over, the pronouncement will be made, ‘He who is unjust let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still.’ And behold, I am coming quickly.” Revelation 22:11, 12.

This has not yet taken place, but the time is rapidly approaching when all decisions relative to salvation will have been irrevocably made. Remember, the flood did not come immediately after Noah entered the ark and the door was closed. There were still seven days, but probation was closed. Everyone had made his final decision.

“As the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away.” Matthew 24:37, 39.

When probation closes, no one is going to know, but their destiny will be fixed. People did not know that their destiny had been fixed when Noah entered the ark, but it had been fixed. In Noah’s day, God gave them 120 years. The final judgment message has already been proclaimed for a longer period than that, but God is still waiting. Do you know why He is waiting? He is waiting for us, because He loves us so much. Not everyone has made a decision yet, and God wants to give us a little more time. “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” II Peter 3:9.

Today, God’s message is going to all the world. Where you and I will be a million years from now depends on what we do with God’s message today. In Noah’s day, every person who was saved had to make a choice to be in the ark. They did not have to make a choice to be outside, as that is where they already were. There is not a man or woman who has to make a decision to be lost; we are already lost. If you would be saved, however, you have to make a decision to follow God. It is not something that just comes naturally. You have to say, “Lord, I am going to follow You all the way.”

Pastor Marshall Grosboll, with his wife Lillian, founded Steps to Life. In July 1991, Pastor Marshall and his family met with tragedy as they were returning home from a camp meeting in Washington state, when the airplane he was piloting went down, killing all on board.