Loading...
Larger font
Smaller font
Copy
Print
Contents
The Story of Daniel the Prophet - Contents
  • Results
  • Related
  • Featured
No results found for: "".
  • Weighted Relevancy
  • Content Sequence
  • Relevancy
  • Earliest First
  • Latest First
    Larger font
    Smaller font
    Copy
    Print
    Contents

    CHAPTER VIII THE PROPHECY OF DANIEL SEVEN

    THE JUDGMENT SCENE

    The first half of the book of Daniel deals with questions pertaining particularly to the kingdom of Babylon as it existed in the days of the prophet. The last six chapters are devoted entirely to the history of the world as a whole, and in visions given at various times, the prophet is shown the great events till the end of time. Looking into the future, he sees, as it were, the mountain peaks lighted with the glory of God, and these striking features are noted with unerring accuracy to serve as guide-posts, not to the Jews only, but to all people, that they may understand the times in which they live, and know what is about to come on the earth.SDP 88.1

    To the student of prophecy, the seventh chapter of Daniel is a most important record. By a continuous chain of events, the prophet gives the history from the days of Babylon to the great investigative judgment, which is the central theme of the chapter.SDP 88.2

    The fact that God could open the future to a heathen king was remarkable. To Nebuchadnezzar the future of earthly governments only was shown, because he himself was earthly, and was incapable of grasping higher things; but to Daniel God opened scenes in heaven. Although the prophet was shown the history of MarginAnd Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees’ excellency.
    Isaiah 13:19.
    Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.
    Amos 3:7.
    But I will show thee that which is noted in the scripture of truth.
    Daniel 10:21.
    Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom: I am understanding; I have strength. By me kings reign, and princes decree justice. By me princes rule, and nobles, even all the judges of the earth.
    Proverbs 8:14-16.
    When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place (whoso readeth, let him understand).
    Matthew 24:15.
    But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days.
    Daniel 2:28.
    Daniel 2:31-35.
    Daniel 7:9-14.
    nations, the angel of revelation touched briefly on those subjects, but lingered on the soul-thrilling description of the investigative judgment.
    SDP 88.3

    The seventh chapter of Daniel reveals the future of God’s people; not only the Hebrew nation, but the true, the spiritual Israel. This vision was given to Daniel in the first year of the reign of Belshazzar, about 540 B. C. The mere giving of this view bears the strongest testimony to the results of Daniel’s education when a youth, to his steadfastness of purpose, and his growth in spiritual things. At the age of eighty-five, after sixty-seven years of court life, with all its allurements, and the natural tendency of human nature to sink to a purely physical existence, his eye of faith was so undimmed that at the bidding of Michael, Gabriel could carry Daniel into heaven itself, there to behold the Father and Son in the final work of the sanctuary above. Moses once saw these things from the top of Mount Horeb when the tabernacle was to be built, and so great was the glory that he veiled his face before the common people could behold him. Daniel’s heart was with God, hence things which eye hath not seen nor ear heard, could be revealed unto him by the Spirit.SDP 89.1

    God said by the prophet Hosea, “I have spoken by the prophets, and I have multiplied visions, and used similitudes, by the ministry of the prophets.” The kingdoms which have ruled the world were represented before Daniel as beasts of prey, which arose when the “four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea.” Winds are, in prophecy, a symbol of war and strife. The after-scenes of war and revolution, by which kingdoms come into power, are represented in MarginGod shall judge the righteous and the wicked: for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.
    Ecclesiastes 3:17.
    The secret things belong unto the Lord our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.
    Deuteronomy 29:29.
    1. In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dream, and told the sum of the matters.
    Daniel 7:1.
    Righteousness keepeth him that is upright in the way: but wickedness overthroweth the sinner.
    Proverbs 13:6.
    And look that thou make them after their pattern, which thou wast caused to see.
    Exodus 25:40, margin.
    And till Moses had done speaking with them, he put a vail on his face.
    Exodus 34:29-33.
    But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
    1 Corinthians 2:9, 10.
    Hosea 12:10.
    2. Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea.
    Daniel 7:2.
    But I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations whom they knew not.
    Zechariah 7:14.
    Daniel seven by the four winds of heaven which strove upon the great sea. Sea or waters denote “peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.” The beasts referred to represent kings or kingdoms.
    SDP 89.2

    Four great beasts came up from the sea; that is, they arose into prominence from the midst of the multitudes of earth. Babylon, the first of these kingdoms, was represented to Nebuchadnezzar as the golden head of the great image. To Daniel the same power appeared as a lion, having eagle’s wings. The strength of the monarch of the forest, to which is added the swiftness of the king of birds, is taken to represent the kingdom of which the city of Babylon was the capital. Before Babylon was known as an independent kingdom, while it was still a subject province of Assyria, Habakkuk, a prophet of Israel, had been given a view of its work which shows the force of the symbol of a lion with eagle’s wings. Speaking to Israel, he tells them of a work so wonderful that they will not believe it when told. “Lo, I raise up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, which shall march through the breadth of the land, to possess the dwelling places that are not theirs. They are terrible and dreadful.... Their horses also are swifter than the leopards, and are more fierce than the evening wolves.... They shall fly as the eagle that hasteth to eat. They shall come all for violence; ...they shall gather the captivity as the sand. And they shall scoff at the kings, and the princes shall be a scorn unto them; they shall deride every stronghold.”SDP 90.1

    This is Babylon as Habakkuk saw it. While Daniel watched the same kingdom in his vision, MarginJeremiah 25:32, 33.
    Isaiah 8:7.
    And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.
    Revelation 17:15.
    Daniel 7:17, 23.
    3. And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.
    Daniel 7:3.
    Thou art this head of gold.
    Daniel 2:38.
    Daniel 2:32, 38.
    4. The first was like a lion, and had eagle’s wings. I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man’s heart was given to it.
    Daniel 7:4.
    Behold the land of the Chaldeans; this people was not, till the Assyrian founded it for them that dwell in the wilderness; they set up the towers thereof, they raised up the palaces thereof.
    Isaiah 23:13.
    Habakkuk 1:6-10.
    I was wroth with my people, I have polluted mine inheritance, and given them into thine hand; thou didst show them no mercy; upon the ancient hast thou very heavily laid thy yoke.
    Isaiah 47:6.
    What time she lifteth up herself on high, she scorneth the horse and his rider.
    Job 39:18.
    For thou hast trusted in thy wickedness: thou hast said, None seeth me. Thy wisdom and thy knowledge, it hath perverted thee; and thou hast said in thine heart, I am, and none else beside me.
    Isaiah 47:10.
    the noble lion with its wings, denoting power and rapidity of conquest, had been lifted up from the earth into an unnatural position and made to stand upon its feet as a man, and a man’s heart was given to it. Man’s heart without Christ is simply sin. The wings were shorn, and then Babylon was represented as it existed at the time of the vision, bereft of its strength, abandoned by God, with Belshazzar standing at the head of the government.
    SDP 90.2

    The prophet Habakkuk gives the reason for this sudden weakening of the mighty power of Babylon. He says, “Then shall his mind change, and he shall pass over, and offend, imputing this his power unto his god.” The history of the kingdom as given in previous chapters shows how and when this was done. Babylon committed the unpardonable sin, imputing the power and Spirit of God to the gods of the heathen, and by this act the lion was shorn of its strength, the wings were plucked, and a man’s heart was given to it. Two years after the vision, in the year 538 B. C., Daniel was a witness to the complete overthrow of the kingdom.SDP 91.1

    The Medo-Persian kingdom was bloodthirsty and cruel in its nature, and is represented by a bear. Darius was a Mede; and Cyrus, the leading general, a Persian. Darius the Mede took the Babylonian kingdom, and ruled for a short time. Cyrus the Persian was the leading spirit in the government after Darius had passed away. The bear, as well as the other beasts which followed the lion, represented kingdoms yet in the future at the time Daniel saw the vision. The bear of Daniel seven symbolizes the same power as the ram of chapter eight, which the angel there MarginThy terribleness hath deceived thee, and the pride of thine heart, O thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, that holdest the height of the hill; though thou shouldest make thy nest as high as the eagle, I will bring thee down from thence, saith the Lord.
    Jeremiah 49:16.
    Job 39:27.
    Romans 14:23.
    Hebrews 12:2.
    The mighty men of Babylon have forborne to fight, they have remained in their holds: their might hath failed; they became as women; they have burned her dwelling-places; her bars are broken.
    Jeremiah 51:30.
    But these two things shall come to thee in a moment in one day, the loss of children, and widowhood; they shall come upon thee in their perfection for the multitude of thy sorceries, and for the great abundance of thine enchantments.
    Isaiah 47:9.
    Habakkuk 1:11.
    Daniel 5:1-4.
    For it is the land of graven images, and they are mad upon their idols.
    Jeremiah 50:38.
    They clothed Daniel with scarlet, and put a chain of gold about his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom. In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain. And Darius the Median took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old.
    Daniel 2:29-31.
    Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them, which shall not regard silver: and as for gold, they shall not delight in it. Their bows also shall dash the young men to pieces; and they shall have no pity on the fruit of the womb; their eye shall not spare children.
    Isaiah 13:17, 18.
    5. And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh.
    Daniel 7:5.
    The ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia.
    Daniel 8:20.
    tells the prophet represents the Medo-Persian empire. The history of this empire given in the eleventh chapter of the book of Daniel, and the study of that chapter together with the thirteenth and twenty-first chapters of Isaiah, will reveal the bear-like character of the nation which arose and devoured much flesh. The history of the second great kingdom covers the years from 538 to 331 B. C.
    SDP 91.2

    After the Medo-Persian kingdom arose and fell, there came forth another entirely different from that represented by the nature of a bear. The Grecian kingdom, which followed the Medo-Persian, is compared to the sprightliness of a leopard in its natural state. This not being sufficient to represent the rapidity of the conquest of Alexander, the first king, the leopard had on its back four wings of a fowl. It also had four heads, which symbolized the division of Alexander’s empire after his death, when his four generals took his kingdom and dominion was given to them. This power is represented by the goat with the notable horn, which stamped all beneath its feet, as described in the eighth chapter of Daniel.SDP 92.1

    The history of the first three kingdoms is but lightly touched upon in this chapter, but when the fourth beast, “dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly,” appeared, Daniel “would know the truth,” and the angel explained that power minutely.SDP 92.2

    The three preceding powers were symbolized by three of the mightiest beasts of the earth, but when the fourth beast was considered, there was no animal with a character to represent its terrible nature; so a beast without name, having MarginA grievous vision is declared unto me; the treacherous dealer dealeth treacherously, and the spoiler spoileth. Go up, O Elam: besiege,
    O Media.
    Isaiah 21:5.
    6. After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it.
    Daniel 7:6.
    And when he shall stand up, his kingdom shall be broken, and shall be divided toward the four winds of heaven; and not to his posterity, nor according to his dominion which he ruled: for his kingdom shall be plucked up, even for others beside those.
    Daniel 11:2-4.
    And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn that is between the eyes is the first king. Now that being broken, whereas four stood up for it, four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not in his power.
    Daniel 8:21, 22.
    For everyone that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
    Luke 11:10.
    7. After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns.
    iron teeth, brass nails, and ten horns, was presented to the prophet.
    SDP 92.3

    The angel had said to Daniel, “As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away; yet their lives were prolonged.” Each one, before being destroyed, was merged into the succeeding one. The same truth was represented in chapter four when the tree representing Babylon was cut down, but the roots remained in the ground. The roots represented the foundation principles upon which Babylon was built, and they have remained in the earth ever since. When Medo-Persia fell, she left her principles of government, education, and religion still alive, transmitting them to her posterity, the nations of earth. Greece did likewise, and with each succeeding empire, those foundation principles which were so clearly portrayed in Babylon, which were placed there by the prince of the power of the air, instead of appearing in a weakened state, sprung into life with renewed vigor. So it was that when the fourth kingdom appeared, those principles of government which were the counterfeit of heaven’s underlying principles were so strong that no natural beast could symbolize even pagan Rome.SDP 93.1

    Rome in religion renewed all the religious errors of Babylon, and in education she followed in the footsteps of her great mother. But as the prophet watched, things still more wonderful appeared. The fourth beast, Rome, which succeeded Greece in 161 B. C., had ten horns, which, said the angel, “are ten kings that shall arise.” This fourth beast is identical with the legs of iron in the image shown to Nebuchadnezzar, and the ten horns correspond to the mixture of iron Margin8. I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots; and, behold in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things.
    Daniel 7:7, 8.
    Hew the tree down, and destroy it; yet leave the stump of the roots thereof in the earth.
    Daniel 4:23.
    Romans 11:18.
    9. I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.
    Daniel 7:9.
    A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.
    Galatians 5:8.
    For there is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch thereof will not cease. Though the root thereof wax old in the earth, and the stock thereof die in the ground; yet through the scent of water it will bud, and bring forth boughs like a plant.
    Job 14:7-9.
    10. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.
    11. I beheld then, because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame.
    12. As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time.
    13. I saw in the night visions, 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 7:10-13.
    and clay in the feet of that image. Each of the preceding kingdoms had fallen into the hands of some strong general who took the rule, but with Rome the case was different. The details of this history are given in the eighth chapter of Revelation under the symbol of the seven trumpets. Barbarian hordes from the north of Europe and Asia swept over the Roman empire between the years 351 and 483 A. D., crushing the government into ten parts.
    SDP 93.2

    There was a time when the Roman empire had a most wonderful opportunity to accept the true God. Rome was the universal kingdom during the life of Christ. To Babylon God sent his people, the Jews, to scatter the truths of his kingdom and lead men to repentance. The Medes and the Persians received the gospel from this same people, and representatives from Greece came to Jerusalem, into the very temple, in touch with the priests, in order that there might be no excuse for their refusing Christ. But to the Roman kingdom, heaven itself was poured out in the person of the Saviour, and it was Rome that nailed him to the cross. It was a Roman seal on his tomb, and a Roman guard at his grave. The early church suffered persecution at the hands of this same power. Judgment came to Rome when these barbarians overran the empire with fire and sword, and the kingdom was divided into ten parts.SDP 94.1

    But Roman history did not end with the division. Daniel watched, “And, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before which there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots.” A new power, a power outside the empire is here represented by the little horn. The MarginDaniel 2:40-42.
    14. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.
    Revelation 8:7-13.
    Luke 2:1-4.
    15. I Daniel was grieved in my spirit in the midst of my body, and the visions of my head troubled me.
    16. I came near unto one of them that stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me, and made me know the interpretation of the things.
    Daniel 7:14-16.
    And there were certain Greeks among them that came up to worship at the feast: the same came, therefore, to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus.
    John 12:20, 21.
    Acts 4:26, 27.
    Pilate said unto them, Ye have a watch: go your way, make it as sure as ye can. So they went and made the sepulcher sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch.
    Matthew 27:62-66.
    Matthew 27:24-26.
    Acts 12:1-3.
    17. These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth.
    18. But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever.
    19. Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast, which was diverse from all the others, exceeding dreadful, whose teeth were of iron, and his nails of brass: which devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet.
    Daniel 7:17-19.
    three divisions which were plucked up were the Heruli in 493, the Vandals in 534, and the Ostrogoths in 538 A. D. Justinian, the emperor, whose seat was at Constantinople, working through the general Belisarius, was the power which overthrew the three kingdoms represented by the three horns, and the reason for their overthrow was their adherence to Arianism in opposition to the orthodox Catholic faith. The details of the overthrow, and the religious controversy which was the root of the trouble, are fully given by Gibbon in the “Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire,” by Mosheim in his church history, and by others.
    SDP 94.2

    The little horn which was in power on the plucking up of the three, was diverse from all the others. It had eyes “like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things;” his look also was more stout than his fellows.SDP 95.1

    Rome was dropping into ruin; her cities had been sacked, her government broken. As from the decaying log of the marsh the mushroom springs up in a night, gaining its life from the decay, so there arose in the Roman Empire a power which was nourished by this national decay. This power was the little horn known as the papacy.SDP 95.2

    It is written that Babylon, the mother of harlots, fell because of imputing her power unto the gods of the heathen. Pagan Rome fell because she presumed to hold authority over the person of Christ and his followers. Then arose the little horn, and it “made war with the saints and prevailed against them.” “He shall speak great words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and think to change times and laws.” MarginHe increaseth the nations, and destroyeth them: he enlargeth the nations, and straiteneth them again.
    Job 12:23.
    20. And of the ten horns that were in his head, and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows.
    21. I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them;
    22. Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the Most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.
    23. Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.
    He leadeth princes away spoiled, and overthroweth the mighty.
    Job 12:19.
    24. And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.
    Daniel 7:20-24.
    Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
    Exodus 20:3.
    25. And he shall speak great words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.
    26. But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end.
    Daniel 7:25, 26.
    Rome in the days of Christ was the center of the world. Paul and others preached the gospel in that city. A church was organized, and for years this church of Rome ranked with the churches of Jerusalem, Constantinople, and others. Gradually but surely, worldliness took the place of the spirit of Christ, and Roman bishops became exalted. The mystery of iniquity of which Paul wrote in his letter to the Thessalonians, was at work in Rome. At the time of the division of the empire the bishops were greedy for civil power, and in the time of national distress the church grasped the reins of government; the little horn had received power. This was A. D. 538, when the last of the three horns was plucked up and the decree Justinian made in 533 went into effect. (See Gibbon, chapter 41.) Paganism on the throne had been cruel enough, but when those pagan principles which had lived since the days of Babylon took the name and outward form of Christianity, the power which bore sway was still more cruel. Not only would the little horn speak stout words against the Most High, but it would “presume to change the appointed times and the law.” (Spurrell’s trans.)
    SDP 95.3

    Unholy hands had been laid in years past upon the temple of God and the consecrated vessels in the temple, and upon God’s people, but the little horn laid hands upon the very law of God, attempting to change the Sabbath of the fourth commandment. The little horn had all the power of Babylon. In government it was an absolute monarchy, holding authority over all the thrones of Europe. Kings rose and fell at the dictates of Rome. From a religious standpoint, it was the ruling power dictating to the consciences of MarginActs 28:16, 30.
    For your obedience is come abroad unto all men.
    Romans 16:19.
    Your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.
    Romans 1:8.
    There shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies.
    2 Peter 2:1-3.
    2 Thessalonians 2:5-7.
    I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet colored beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
    Revelation 17:3.
    And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.
    Revelation 17:6.
    Therefore he brought upon them the king of the Chaldees, who slew their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary. And all the vessels of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king, and of his princes; all these he brought to Babylon. And they burnt the house of God, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem, and burnt all the palaces thereof with fire, and destroyed all the goodly vessels thereof.
    2 Chronicles 36:17-19.
    men, bringing them before her tribunal and peering into their very thoughts. The rack and the inquisition were her instruments, and no man escaped the scrutiny of the man’s eye in the little horn. The means by which this power was maintained was its system of education, which kept Europe in darkness for over one thousand years.
    SDP 96.1

    This was a long-lived kingdom. “They [the saints, the times, and the laws] would be given into his hands for a time and times and the dividing of times.” The reader is referred to chapter 11:13, margin; to the seventh verse of chapter 12, and to Revelation 12:6; 13:5, and Numbers 14:34 for different expressions giving the same time and referring to the same power. This time, three and one half years, or forty-two months, or twelve hundred and sixty years, as it is variously designated, began in 538, when three horns were plucked up to make way for the establishment of this one power, the little horn. It continued until 1798, when his dominion was taken away. His power, however, is not yet destroyed.SDP 97.1

    Daniel in his vision was shown not only earthly kingdoms and powers, but after listening to the voice of the little horn, which spake great words against the Most High, his attention was called to scenes in the heavenly court which would transpire simultaneously with the fulfillment of the prophecy concerning the nations of the earth.SDP 97.2

    It was during the time when the fourth beast had dominion and power that the Saviour was crucified. He was the Lamb slain in the outer court, and on his ascension he entered the holy place of the heavenly sanctuary. There he was seen by John as described in the fourth and fifth MarginAs a roaring lion, and a ranging bear; so is a wicked ruler over the poor people.
    Proverbs 28:15.
    The same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them: until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the Most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.
    Daniel 7:21, 22.
    Revelation 11:2, 3.
    Ezekiel 4:6.
    For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time. no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.
    Matthew 24:21, 22.
    I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool; his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.
    Daniel 7:9, 10.
    For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true: but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us.
    Hebrews 9:24.
    chapters of Revelation. But this work in the holy place was only a part of the Saviour’s ministry for mankind. The time came when he must perform in heaven that service of which the day of atonement in the earthly sanctuary was the type. Spurrell renders the ninth verse: “I beheld till the thrones were pitched [Revised Version, placed], when the Ancient of Days was enthroned [or did sit] in judgment. His raiment was white as snow, the hair of his head like pure wool, his throne was flames of fire, his rolling wheels the ardent flame.”
    SDP 97.3

    Here within the holy of holies is the abiding place of the King of kings, God the Father, where thousands and tens of thousands of angels minister before him. This, the throne of God, is the center of all creation; about it revolve the solar systems throughout the whole extent of space. Worlds circle about their suns, and suns with their attendant planets in turn circle about the throne of God. It is the wheel within a wheel which Ezekiel describes. Daniel said, “A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him,” for there all is life, a living, constantly moving throne.SDP 98.1

    God’s power pervades space in every direction. Like beams of light, there radiates from him a force which holds worlds in their orbits. The power man calls gravity is but a portion of the drawing power of God. It holds the orbs of heaven in their places, it balances the clouds, weighs the mountain, and measures the waters of the sea. The same power notes the fall of every leaf on earth, the death of the tiniest sparrow, and the pulse beats of every man. From him comes all life: “In him we live and move and have our being.” MarginIt was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.
    Hebrews 9:23.
    O that one might plead for a man with God, as a man pleadeth for his neighbor!
    Job 16:21.
    Thou that dwellest between the cherubim, shine forth.
    Psalm 99:1.
    The Lord hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all. Bless the Lord, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word.
    Psalm 103:19-21.
    And their appearance and their work was as it were a wheel in the middle of a wheel.
    Ezekiel 1:16.
    And his brightness was as the light; he had bright beams out of his side, and there was the hiding of his power.
    Habakkuk 3:4 [margin].
    And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
    Colossians 1:17, R. V. [margin].
    Dost thou know the balancings of the clouds, the wondrous works of him which is perfect in knowledge?
    Job 37:16.
    Job 28:24-27.
    Isaiah 40:12-17.
    Matthew 10:29.
    Acts 17:28.
    We are a part of that great center of light that is our God of love, and it is that power which the prophet vainly tried to express in human language that converts the soul. The Son was one with the Father, and it was from this glory that he stepped when he offered himself at the foundation of the world. He was the Lamb slain, and the heart of God was broken in that offering. Every time the knife was plunged into a victim at the altar of the earthly sanctuary, the flowing blood touched afresh the heart of the eternal Father. Every time a broken-hearted man or woman approaches the throne in penitence, the wound in our Father’s heart bursts open and bleeds again. “The broken and the contrite heart thou wilt not despise, O God.” Never, never, through all eternity, will that Son resume his former condition. What he assumed for fallen man he will retain forever. He is a man still in the heavenly court, touched by every human woe. The universe beheld the gift, and bowed in adoration. The temple is filled with the glory. There seraphim and cherubim with their shining glory, as guardians, stretch their wings above his throne, veil their faces in adoration, and bow before him.
    SDP 98.2

    “Oh, instruct us what we shall say of Him; we can not do justice because of our ignorance.... If a man venture to speak, surely he shall be overwhelmed.SDP 99.1

    “We can not even now gaze upon the light of the sun when it shineth forth in the heavens; and the wind passing along hath cleared the sky. But what splendor from the holy of holies shall appear! With God is insufferable majesty! The Almighty! we can not comprehend him!”-Spurrell’s Translation. 88Matthew 5:14.
    I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
    John 8:12.
    And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.
    John 17:5.
    Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
    Revelation 13:8.
    For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
    John 3:16.
    Psalm 57:17.
    Isaiah 49:16.
    And one shall say unto him. What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.
    Zechariah 13:6.
    Ephesians 3:9, 10.
    And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.
    Daniel 7:14.
    Ezekiel 28:14.
    Job 37:19-23.
    Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the Lord of hosts shall reign in Mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously.
    Isaiah 24:23.
    The door into the holy of holies was opened in 1844, 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.”
    SDP 99.2

    No words could be framed which give a more vivid view of the opening of the judgment which occurred at the time of the announcement, “The hour of his judgment is come.” In Daniel seven is the only description found in the Bible of the judgment scene announced by the first angel of Revelation fourteen. The message itself is the only announcement in the Bible that the time had arrived; and the fourteenth verse of the eighth chapter of Daniel is the only prophetic period given in the Bible which marks the time of the beginning of God’s judgment. That period is the twenty-three hundred days or literal years which began in the year 457 B. C., with the decree to build and restore Jerusalem, and expired in 1844, A. D. It was at this latter date that the first angel of Revelation fourteen proclaimed the hour of God’s judgment. The message went to all lands, and the islands of the sea heard it.SDP 100.1

    When God had taken his position over his law in the most holy place in the heavenly sanctuary, then Christ came in to plead before him for his people. This coming could not be when he ascended up on high; for then he ascended to the Father, and the judgment was in the future. It can not refer to his second coming to this earth; for then he comes from the Father: It was his coming before the Father when he took his position in the judgment at the end of the twenty-three hundred days. He came before the Father surrounded by the clouds of heaven; that is, with MarginBehold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it.
    Revelation 3:8.
    I saw in the night visions, 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.
    And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.
    Revelation 14:6, 7.
    Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.
    Daniel 8:14.
    I said in mine heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked: for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.
    Ecclesiastes 3:17.
    Righteousness and judgment are the establishment of his throne.
    Psalm 97:2 [margin].
    He reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come.
    Acts 24:24.
    He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life. But I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.
    Revelation 3:5.
    Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire.
    Psalm 104:4.
    thousands of angels who, as ministering spirits, have watched the lives of men, recording their every word and deed and thought. Characters have been formed, and whether they are good or ill, they have been mirrored in the books of heaven. When Christ came before the Father, the books were opened and the cases of the dead were investigated. The deeds may have been committed in the light of day, or in the darkness of night, yet they are all open and manifest before him with whom we have to do. Heavenly intelligences have witnessed each sin, and have faithfully recorded the same. Sin may be concealed from friends, relatives, and our most intimate associates. None but the guilty actors may have the least knowledge of wrong deeds, but these things are all laid bare before the angels and the inhabitants of other worlds. The darkest of all dark nights, the deepest-laid plot of individuals or nations, can not hide even one thought from the knowledge of the heavenly intelligences. God has a faithful record of every crooked dealing, of every sin and unjust practice. If the inward heart is full of hypocrisy, an outward appearance of uprightness can not deceive him.
    SDP 100.2

    As one by one these names are read, the Saviour holds up his hands, still bearing the imprints of the nails of Calvary, and he cries, “My blood, Father, my blood, my blood.” Above his throne is the rainbow; mercy and justice mingle there. God’s heart is touched by the pleadings of his Son, and pardon is written opposite the name. Then through the arches of heaven, a shout of triumph resounds. The angels cast their crowns before the throne, crying, “Holy, holy, holy.” MarginAre they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?
    Hebrews 1:14.
    Psalm 34:7.
    The books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
    Revelation 20:12.
    Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.
    1 Corinthians 4:5.
    Thine iniquity is marked before me, saith the Lord God.
    Jeremiah 2:22.
    Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.
    Hebrews 4:13.
    Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee.
    Psalm 139:7-12.
    Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
    Matthew 23:28.
    Counting one by one, to find out the account.
    Ecclesiastes 7:27.
    Luke 21:36.
    The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
    1 John 1:7.
    There was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.
    Revelation 4:3.
    If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
    1 John 1:9.
    For nearly sixty years the work of the investigative judgment has been in progress. It is fast drawing to a close. Before it closes, it will settle the case of every living man and woman. Day by day we are making the record which will determine our future for weal or woe. How solemn the thought that words once uttered, actions once performed, can never be changed. The atoning blood of Christ is offered to-day. “To-day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.”
    SDP 101.1

    The life of the fourth beast, especially of the little horn, is prolonged beyond the time of the investigative judgment. Even after the thrones were set and the work in the holy of holies was begun, the great words of the little horn attracted the attention of the prophet. The greatest word ever spoken against God was the decree of infallibility issued by the ecumenical council in 1870. This was an attempt to seat a man on a throne beside the Son of God. While Christ stood as a slain Lamb before the Father, pleading for the salvation of the world, poor, frail man was exalting his throne above the stars of God.SDP 102.1

    Babylon fell because she imputed her power unto the gods. Of the fourth beast Daniel says, “I beheld till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame.” Thus at the end, instead of being conquered by some other power arising on earth, this one goes into the lake of fire. The other beasts which represent kingdoms, had their dominion taken away, yet their lives were prolonged for a time and a season; that is, they were merged into the succeeding kingdom. But not so with the fourth kingdom; its destruction is complete. MarginHe that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.
    Revelation 22:11.
    My witness is in heaven, and my record is on high.
    Job 16:19.
    But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.
    Matthew 12:36, 37.
    Hebrews 3:7, 8.
    I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame.
    Daniel 7:11.
    2 Thessalonians 2:4.
    Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.
    Hebrews 7:25.
    He shall offend, imputing this his power unto his god.
    Habakkuk 1:11.
    Daniel 7:11.
    And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshiped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
    Revelation 19:20.
    Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out which was not in hands: which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces.
    Daniel 2:34 [margin].
    The fifth kingdom, which is the heavenly, the kingdom of God, is not in human hands. God himself establishes it under the whole heaven, and it will exist forever and ever. “And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High.” Those who are accounted worthy in the investigative judgment will come forth in the first resurrection, or will be translated without seeing death, and will reign with Christ forever and ever. Sin, with all who have clung to it, will be forever destroyed. The pride and arrogance of Babylon of old, her iniquity of every form, which has been repeated by all the nations of earth, together with the instigator of all evil, will at last be blotted out. The end of the controversy is reached. The triumph of truth is witnessed by all created beings. The scar which sin has made is gone forever. The discord which for six thousand years has marred the universe will be forgotten. The music of the spheres will be taken up anew, and man will reign with his Creator. “Hitherto is the end of the matter.” What wonder that the vision troubled Daniel, and that his countenance changed! The matchless love of Christ, who can understand? Margin27. And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.
    Daniel 7:27.
    If by any means I may advance into the out-resurrection, that from among [the] dead.
    Philippians 3:11. Young’s trans.
    Revelation 20:4, 6.
    For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
    1 John 3:8.
    That through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil.
    Hebrews 2:14.
    And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him.
    Revelation 22:3.
    28. Hitherto is the end of the matter. As for me Daniel, my cogitations much troubled me, and my countenance changed in me: but I kept the matter in my heart.
    Daniel 7:28.
    SDP 102.2

    Larger font
    Smaller font
    Copy
    Print
    Contents