Jeff Pippenger Future for America

THE TIME OF THE END Dan. 11:40—12:1 Jeff Pippenger/Ken Ashley 11:40 And at the time of the end 1798 AD shall the king of the south Atheistic France (and later, atheistic Communism) push at him: and Pope taken captive, Catholic states annexed the king of the north Papacy, Rome, Babylon shall come against him Communism (new King of the South) in 1989 like a whirlwind, with to take away fearfully, sweep away chariots, and with horsemen military strength and with many ships; economic strength and he shall enter into the countries, that were under Communist control and shall overflow rush through and wash away, take control of and pass over. cross over and overrun without hinderance v.41

He shall enter into the glorious land, United States is spiritually conquered and many … shall be overthrown: accept the National Sunday law but these shall escape slip through his grasp, former Sunday keepers out of his hand, out of his control even Edom, and Moab, and the those who respond to the call, “Out of Babylon!” chief of the children of Ammon the first fruits of the Loud Cry. v.42

He shall stretch out his hand place his control on also upon the countries: independent lands lose their sovereignty and the land of Egypt the rest of the world (the United Nations) shall not escape. there is no deliverance. v.43 But he shall have the power absolute, total control over the treasures of gold and silver, all the precious metals markets and over all the precious things all the commodities markets of Egypt: all the countries of the United Nations and the Libyans all the poor countries and the Ethiopians all the wealthy countries shall be at his steps. shall march with him in battle. v.44 But tidings the message of Christ’s righteousness out of the East the third angel’s

message, and the Loud Cry and out of the North the dwelling place of Christ shall trouble him: make him afraid therefore he shall go forth to deal with his troublers with great fury to destroy, the Death Decree and utterly make away many. the Sabbath keepers (…does not happen.) v.45 And he shall plant pitch, to shield from the Loud Cry the tabernacles of his palace his war tents, and his satanic throne between the seas [and, not “in”]

the people of the earth (not in Sabbath mount) the glorious holy mountain; God’s people, the Sabbath Church, Jerusalem yet he shall come to his end, the final fall of the King of the North and none shall help him. nothing human can aid, but God brings him down. 12:1 And at that time shall Michael Close of Probation, Christ as Commander of hosts stand up, He leaves the Most Holy Place the great prince which standeth as their Intercessor, Mediator, High Priest for the children of thy people:

God’s worldwide Sabbath-keeping Church And there shall be a time of trouble, God’s judgments on the wicked, with no mercy such as never was worst ever in all earthly history since there was a nation God’s work is not tempered, a strange work even to that same time: the final close of all human probation and at that time thy people after the Close of Probation –no more martyrs shall be delivered, Christ is able to save to the uttermost everyone that shall be found all the loyal and righteous, perfected saints written in the book. the Lamb’s Book of Life Christ comes, we are saved, Amen!

The Time of the End A Prophetic study of the Millerite Movement and Daniel 11:40-45 Nothing Nothing New Under the Sun Nothing Nothing New Under the Sun 2 A Trimmed and Burning Lamp, The very best Credentials we can carry is love for one another. All strife, all dissension is to cease. God will not accept the talents of the smartest, the most eloquent man if the inner lamp of the soul is not trimmed and burning.

There must be consecrated heart and consecrated surrender of the soul. (Letter 119. 1899) 3 Table of Contents The Testimony of the two seeds 5 History in Transition 11 The Third Persecuting Power 18 Pioneer Experience Repeated 23 The Southern and Northern Kings 32 The Time of the End 37 The Modern Glorious Land 43 The Great Escape 48 Edom, Moab and Ammon 53 Returning from the Dead 58 Egypt the Dragon Power 62 Tidings of Trouble 67 The Latter Rain 71 None to Help 75 4

This magazine is revised version of Jeff Pippenger’s Time of the End magazine published by Future for America. For more information on this study or for a monthly newsletter you may contact the following brethren below who are affiliated with this work: Future News PO Box 7 Bonnerdale, AR 71933 Telephone: 888-278-7744 Circulation Manager—Kathryn Pippenger kathrynpippenger@hotmail.com Author & Speaker—Jeff Pippenger jeffpippenger@msn.com

Editor—Bronwyn Peck calica4@hotmail.com Futuro de America—Spanish Al & Lupe Perez PO Box 353 Glenwood, AR 71943 Telephone: 870-356-7049 aperez77@alltel.net Future News—Canada Phyllis Vallieres RR 3, 2552 Cooper Road Madoc, Ontario, K0K 2K0, Canada Telephone: 613-473-5332 FAX 613-473-5630 pvallieres@gmail.com Future is Now—Germany & Portugal Marco Barrios & Wolfgang Blaesing Brahmsweg 15 D 20144 Hamburg, Germany Telephone Germany: 49-40-226-905-90 Telephone Portugal: 351-236-551166 wb@future-is-now.net url: www.future-is-now.net MISSION STATEMENT

The ministry of Future for America is to proclaim the final warning message of Revelation 14 as identified within the prophecies of the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy. The end-time fulfillment of Bible prophecy is no longer future—for it is taking place before our eyes. The historic, prophetic understanding of Seventh-day Adventism is now present truth. We are the final generation. Our emphasis on the prophetic word includes all the counsel of God’s Word. To know what lies ahead is useless if we do not possess the experience to stand during these solemn times.

Through obedience to God’s law, and faith in the promises of God’s Word, we are to receive that experience. Coupled with the prophetic message, Future for America emphasizes all aspects of the medical missionary work. The “entering wedge”—medical missionary work—must be practiced by those who are to finish God’s work in these final hours. During this time period, country living becomes more essential with each passing moment. Future for America upholds and promotes this end-time truth. God’s people must prepare for the coming storm, and that preparation includes the experience of learning how to survive in a simple fashion, away from the great centers of population.

www.AdventTimes.Com www.Future-News.Org 5 The Testimony of the Two Seeds The Testimony of the Two Seeds The message proclaimed by the angel flying in the midst of heaven is the message of the everlasting gospel. It is the same gospel that was declared in Eden when God said to the serpent “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” Genesis 3:15. It is this gospel that has kept the world divided into two classes throughout the whole of earth’s history, the seed of the serpent and the seed of the woman.

The first two representatives are found in the first two children born into the world; Cain and Abel. Cain thought himself righteous and felt no need for the saviour but Abel came with the blood that pointed to the Lamb of God. He came as a sinner, confessing himself lost; his only hope was the unmerited love of God. It is this testimony of the two seeds that has been carried down throughout the ages.

Christ illustrates this theme through many of His parables spoken; the Publican and the Pharisee, the two sons, Lazarus and the rich man, the wise and the foolish virgins, the sheep and the goat, the wheat and the tares and so at the time of the end will the world be divided into two classes: “In the issue of the contest, all Christendom will be divided into two great classes,–those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus, and those who worship the beast and his image and receive his mark.” {Great Controversy 1888. 450.1}

Undeniably it is the Word of God that causes the separation. The purity and holiness of Christ, the spotless righteousness of Him who did no sin, was a perpetual reproach upon all sin in a world of sensuality and sin. But this enmity referred to in the prophecy in Eden was not to be confined merely to Satan and the Prince of life. It was to be universal. Christ declares “As they persecuted me so they will persecute you.” In the closing scenes of His ministry on earth He claims “think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace but a sword” By these words he did not mean that his coming was to produce discord and contention among his followers.

He desired to show the effect that his teaching would have on different minds. One portion of the human family would receive him; the other portion would take sides with Satan, and would oppose Christ and his followers. The Prince of Peace, he was yet the cause of division. He who came to proclaim glad tidings and to create hope and joy in the hearts of the children of men, opened a controversy that burns deep and arouses intense passion in the human heart.

And he warns his followers, “In the world ye shall have tribulation.” “They shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name’s sake. . . . Ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death.” John 16:33;

Luke 21:12, 16. A Special Truth It takes a special truth for each generation which calls for self sacrifice and has battles to fight that distinguishes the true believers from the false. It is this special truth that separates the two classes into the seed of the serpent and the seed of the woman. The special truth for Christ day came from a portion of the book of Daniel which was the seventy week prophecy found in Daniel 9.24- 27.

If the Jews had understood this prophecy in its complete form, they would have understood that Christ was the messiah who was to make an end of sins, bring in everlasting righteousness, seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy. But they rejected Him and were left in the outer court to continue with their useless sacrifices whilst Christ’s ministry had now moved to the Holy Place.

It was the same scenario for those who lived in the time period of the great disap- “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, 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…” Revelation 14:6-7 6 pointment in 1844. If they also had understood the 2300 day prophecy located in Daniel 8:14, this was the ‘marah’ (little view) that Daniel didn’t understand but was further explained in Daniel 9:24-27, [

The Seventy week prophecy being ‘cut of’ from the 2300 days] they would have understood that Christ was moving to the Most Holy apartment to begin the work of judgement but many rejected theses messages and once again crucified Christ in the form of His Word. Ellen White writes: All heaven watched with the deepest interest the reception of the first angel’s message. But many who professed to love Jesus, and who shed tears as they read the story of the cross, derided the good news of His coming. Instead of receiving the message with gladness, they declared it to be a delusion. They hated those who loved His appearing and shut them out of the churches.

Those who rejected the first message could not be benefited by the second; neither were they benefited by the midnight cry, which was to prepare them to enter with Jesus by faith into the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary. And by rejecting the two former messages, they have so darkened their understanding that they can see no light in the third angel’s message, which shows the way into the most holy place.

I saw that as the Jews crucified Jesus, so the nominal churches had crucified these messages, and therefore they have no knowledge of the way into the most holy, and they cannot be benefited by the intercession of Jesus there. Like the Jews, who offered their useless sacrifices, they offer up their useless prayers to the apartment which Jesus has left; and Satan, pleased with the deception, assumes a religious character, and leads the minds of these professed Christians to himself, working with his power, his signs and lying wonders, to fasten them in his snare. {Early Writings p261.1}

These two histories will be repeated for the final generation who are now living in the last moments of this earth’s history. The special truth which we need to understand is also a portion from the book of Daniel and it is the final 6 verses contained in Daniel 11. The vision of Daniel 11 is an expansion of the vision given to Daniel in chapter 9.

At the time of Gabriel’s visit, the prophet Daniel was unable to receive further instruction; but a few years afterward, desiring to know more of subjects not yet fully explained, he again set himself to seek light and wisdom from God. “In those days I Daniel was mourning three full weeks. I ate no pleasant bread, neither came flesh nor wine in my mouth, neither did I anoint myself at all. . . .

Then I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a certain man clothed in linen whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz. His body also was like the beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and his feet like in color to polished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude.” Daniel 10: 2-6. The understanding of the vision was then recorded in Daniel 11. The pioneers understood the fulfilment of Daniel 11 up to the first phase of Daniel 11:40.

The remaining six verses were left unsolved until our time and it’s now our generation that has the responsibility of recognising the fulfilment of these verses in order to prepare us for the Lord’s final coming. It is these last six verses that will cause the separation of the two classes in Adventism. Daniel 11:40-45 is greatly enlarged upon in Revelation, chapters 13-18 and we will endeavour to show that these last 6 verses contain a sequence of events leading down to the close of human probation.

It is these verses that are designed by God to be a catalyst to bring the final promised revival for God’s people. The light that Daniel received from God was given especially for these last days. The visions he saw by the banks of the Ulai and the Hiddekel, the great rivers of Shinar, are now in process of fulfillment, and all the events foretold will soon come to pass. Consider the circumstances of the Jewish nation when the prophecies of Daniel were given. Let us give more time to the study of the Bible.

We do not understand the word as we should. The book of Revelation opens with an injunction to us to understand the instruction that it contains. “Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy,” God declares, “and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.”

When we as a people understand what this book means to us, there will be seen among us a great revival. We do not understand fully the lessons that it teaches, notwithstanding the injunction given us to search and study it. {Testimonies to Ministers 113.} The Setting The Setting As we begin this study we will determine that the time period we are living in is associated with the final movements of Daniel 11 and this time period has arrived.

A passage that clearly set’s this forth is found in the opening chapter of volume 9 of the testimonies: “We are living in the time of the end. The fastfulfilling signs of the times declare that the coming of Christ is near at hand. The days in which we live are solemn and important. The Spirit of God is gradually but surely being withdrawn from the earth. Plagues and judgments are already falling upon the despisers of the grace of God. The calamities by land and sea, the unsettled state of society, the alarms of war, are portentous.

They forecast approaching events of the greatest magnitude. The agencies of evil are combining their forces and consolidating. They are strengthening for the last great crisis. Great changes are soon to take place in our world, and the final movements will be rapid ones. The condition of things in the world shows that troublous times are right upon us. The daily papers are full 7 of indications of a terrible conflict in the near future. Bold robberies are of frequent occurrence.

Strikes are common. Thefts and murders are committed on every hand. Men possessed of demons are taking the lives of men, women, and little children. Men have become infatuated with vice, and every species of evil prevails. . . . There are not many, even among educators and statesmen, who comprehend the causes that underlie the present state of society.

Those who hold the reins of government are not able to solve the problem of moral corruption, poverty, pauperism, and increasing crime. They are struggling in vain to place business operations on a more secure basis. If men would give more heed to the teaching of God’s Word, they would find a solution of the problems that perplex them. . . . The world is stirred with the spirit of war.

The prophecy of the eleventh chapter of Daniel has nearly reached its complete fulfillment. Soon the scenes of trouble spoken of in the prophecies will take place. . . .” Testimonies, vol. 9,11, 13-. Does this passage speak of our day? Notice the setting which is portrayed by Ellen White as she informs us that “the eleventh chapter of Daniel has nearly reached its complete fulfilment.” This is clearly referring to our day, therefore, Daniel 11 is soon to be completed.

The Spirit Withdrawn It is clear to see within the times that we are living in that the Spirit of God is being withdrawn from the earth through the judgments which are upon the land. Surely the events of September 11, 2001, earthquakes, floods, volcanic eruptions, hurricanes, wars, bombings, murders, famines, and diseases all confirm that the restraining influence of God’s Spirit is being removed from this planet and its inhabitants. As this is happening, we are told the agencies of evil in Bible prophecy that are to combine and consolidate are three-fold. They are economic (can’t buy or sell), religious (you have the mark of the beast), and military (the threat of death). We see the religious world through the ecumenical movement. Protestants no longer protest Rome – they follow Rome.

Economically we see big businesses merging into giant corporations. The nations of Europe merging into one country and signing of treaties such as GATT and NAFTA, in order to create economic alliances for a one-world marketplace; while the militaries of the world are consolidating under Nato and the UN. We see mankind’s problems identified in the Press of the world as “global” problems while the united nations ascends as the next power of Bible Prophecy, destined to be propped by the power of the united states.

Certainly the crime of our day fulfils Sister White’s prediction, and the statement that the leaders of this nation “are struggling in vain to place business operations on a more secure basis” aptly describes the present crisis in our nation’s capital. It also sends us a warning that what we must do as a people must be done before our money becomes useless. With this warning though, comes the comfort that God is in control. A clear description is given by Ellen White informing us that the economic predicament which is confronting the leaders of this nation did not take God by surprise.

It is also a certainty that the “spirit of war” can readily be seen at this time. A Two-Fold Story Fold Story “It is impossible to give any idea of the experience of the people of God who shall be alive on the earth when celestial glory and a repetition of the persecutions of the past are blended.” {Last Day Events 266.3}. Two realities are ahead for God’s people; the story of the glory which attends those who demonstrate and defend the truth in this final hour of earth’s history, and the persecution

The archbishop of Canterbury visits Pope John Paul II in 2003 The Times of London reported February 19 2007: “Radical proposals to reunite Anglicans with the Roman Catholic Church under the leadership of the pope are to be published this year, the Times has learned. The proposals have been agreed by senior bishops of both churches. In a 42-page statement prepared by an international commission of both churches, Anglicans and Roman Catholics are urged to explore how they might reunite under the pope.”

The document, titled “Growing Together in Unity and Mission,” is currently being considered by the Vatican and has not yet been made official. A key paragraph in the draft reads: “We urge Anglicans and Roman Catholics to explore together how the ministry of the bishop of Rome might be offered and received in order to assist our Communions to grow toward full, ecclesial communion.” From theTrumpet.com 8 delivered to God’s people by the apostate forces that originate from the seed of the serpent who oppose the truth at the end of the world. Ellen White identifies this two-fold message in another place, while once again pointing us to the eleventh chapter of Daniel:

“The light that Daniel received from God was given especially for these last days. The visions he saw by the banks of the Ulai and the Hiddekel, the great rivers of Shinar, are now in process of fulfillment, and all the events foretold will soon come to pass.” Testimonies to Ministers, 112-113. The vision on the banks of the Ulai is the vision of Daniel eight, and the only part of the vision by the Ulai which had not been fulfilled when Sister White made this statement was Daniel 8:14, though it began its fulfillment in 1844, it was, and still is, “in process of fulfillment.” When the Ulai flows into the sea, it ceases to exist.

Likewise, when Christ finishes His work in the Most Holy Place the message of the everlasting gospel has finished its course. The vision which was “now in the process of fulfillment,” that was given to Daniel by the Hiddekel, is the vision of the last six verses of Daniel eleven-the only part of Daniel eleven which was as yet unfulfilled when Sister White wrote those words. When the Hiddekel flows into the sea it ceases to exist, so too when the king of the north comes “to his end,” and “none shall help,” the message of Daniel eleven has reached its conclusion.

Two rivers flowing to two symbolic bodies of water – the Ulai to the sea of glass; Hiddekel to the lake of fire. Two visions representing both the stories of the redeemed and the story of the lost. As these rivers flow into the sea their messages cross the boundary line of human probation-forever separating the righteous and the wicked. “Oh, who will describe to you the lamentations that will arise when at the boundary line which parts time and eternity the righteous Judge will lift up His voice and declare, ‘It is too late.’ Long have the wide gates of heaven stood open and the heavenly messengers have invited and entreated ‘Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.’

Revelation 22: 17. ‘Today if ye will hear his voice, harden not your heart.’ But at length the mandate goes forth, ‘He 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.” In Heavenly Places, 362. The two-fold theme found in the story of these two rivers is also illustrated in the three angels’ messages of Revelation fourteen.

Not only do these three messages point mankind to the everlasting gospel in connection with the judgment which is taking place in the Most Holy Place of the sanctuary above, but these messages also identify the enemies power which will oppose this message during this final judgment hour. Sister White informs us that the books of Daniel and Revelation complement each other: “In the Revelation all the books of the Bible meet and end. Here is the complement of the book of Daniel.

One is a prophecy; the other a revelation. The book that was sealed is not the Revelation, but that portion of the prophecy of Daniel relating to the last days. The angel commanded, ‘But thou, 0 Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end.’ Daniel 12:4.” Acts of the Apostles, 585. Daniel and Revelation complement one another in many areas, including the messages of the two rivers, which are used to identify the last two-fold message in the book of Daniel. These rivers also find symbolic counterparts in the two rivers of Revelation. There we find the river of life conveying the promise of life to those who accept the everlasting gospel, while we also see the dried up Euphrates illustrating the bankruptcy of the worship of Babylon.

As we partake of the water of life we are to call those who are drinking the foul waters of the Euphrates to flee from the broken cisterns of fallen Babylon. The book of Daniel contains the final message of warning for this last hour of earth’s history. This final message symbolized in the visions on the banks of the Hiddekel and Ulai rivers identify both the false worship of the king of the north and the true worship of the King who is now in the Most Holy Place above.

A Great Revival A Great Revival Sister White puts great emphasis upon the study of Daniel and Revelation in connection with bringing on a revival and we know that our greatest need is for a revival : “When the books of Daniel and Revelation are better un- 9 derstood, believers will have an entirely different religious experience. They will be given such glimpses of the open gates of heaven that heart and mind will be impressed with the character that all must develop in order to realize the blessedness which is to be the reward of the pure in heart. ” The Faith I Live By, 345. “A revival of true godliness among us is the greatest and most urgent of all our needs.

To seek this should be our first work.” Review and Herald, March 22, 1887. Understanding that our greatest need is for a genuine revival and that this revival will be connected with an understanding of the books of Daniel and Revelation is very important. It can easily be recognized, that the vision by the Ulai, addressing the work of Christ in the Most Holy Place, certainly has a connection with this long-awaited revival, for no true revival would be separated from Christ’s work above.

When God’s people enter into the Most Holy Place experience they will see that the connection between themselves and God is as “close and decided” as the connection which Christ maintained while He walked among men. There is no way to be closer to the Father than to have His Spirit living within. But acknowledging that the vision by the Ulai has a relationship to the final revival, does not necessarily mean the vision by the Hiddekel does not have an influence upon this revival.

For it speaks not of the truth of the sanctuary, but of the enemy who casts the truth to the ground. Does the message of this river contribute to our experience in such a way as to bring on a revival? Yes. Just as surely as the warning of the third angel against receiving the mark of the beast is part of the everlasting gospel, so too, is the message of the Hiddekel.

It is through an understanding of this message also that God’s people will be prepared to stand. An Increase of Knowledge An Increase of Knowledge “The book that was sealed was not the book of Revelation, but that portion of the prophecy of Daniel which related to the last days.

The Scripture says, ‘But thou, 0 Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.’ Daniel 12:4. When the book was opened, the proclamation was made, ‘Time shall be no longer.’ See Revelation 10:6.

The book of Daniel is now unsealed, and the revelation made by Christ to John is to come to all the inhabitants of the earth. By the increase of knowledge a people is to be prepared to stand in the latter days.” 2 Selected Messages, book , 105. Notice here that there will be an “increase of knowledge,” and that it is through this “increase of knowledge” that “a people is to be prepared to stand.”

What is this “increase of knowledge” that will prepare us to stand? In the same section, two paragraphs down, we find the answer: “In the first angel’s message men are called upon to worship God, our Creator, who made the world and all things that are therein. They have paid homage to an institution of the Papacy, making of no effect the Law of Jehovah, but there is to be an increase of knowledge on this subject.” 2Selected Messages 106.1

The increase of knowledge which will prepare God’s people to stand is a knowledge concerning the counterfeit Sabbath. This knowledge concerns the message about the entire world being forced to worship the idol Sabbath which is the mark of the Papacy. This knowledge is in agreement with the warning of the three angels’ messages not to worship the beast, and this increase of knowledge is in agreement with the message by the Hiddekel river of Daniel 11 :40-45, for the king of the north is the Papacy.

We are told: “The scenes connected with the working of the man of sin are the last features plainly revealed in this earth’s history.” {2Selected Messages 102.1} We know that the last six verses of Daniel eleven span the final scenes of “this earth’s history,” for in the next verse, Daniel 12:1, is recorded the close of probation.

The “last features” of these “scenes” are connected with “the man of sin,” and his efforts to bring the entire world under his control through the enforcement of a Sunday law. The king of the north is the “man of sin.” “I was then pointed to the flattering things taught by some of these transgressors of God’s Law. I was shown a bright light, given by God to guide all who would walk in the way of salvation, and also to serve as a warning to the sinner to flee from the wrath of God, and yield a willing obedience to His claims.

While this light continued there was hope. But there was a period when this 10 light would cease. When he that is holy will remain holy forever, and when he that is filthy will remain filthy forever. When Jesus stands up; when His work is finished in the Most Holy, then there will be not another ray of light to be imparted to the sinner. But Satan flatters some, through his chosen servants, as he flattered Eve in Eden.

Thou shalt not surely die, and tells them there will be a season for repentance, a time of probation, when the filthy can be made pure. The coworkers with Satan and his angels carry the light into the future age, teaching probation after the advent of Christ, which deludes the sinner, and leads the coldhearted professor to carnal security. He is careless and indifferent, and walks stumblingly over the hours of his probation.

The light is made to reach far ahead, where all is total darkness. Michael stands up. Instead of mercy, the deluded sinner feels wrath unmixed with mercy. And they awake too late to this fatal deception. This plan was studied by Satan, and is carried out by ministers who turn the truth of God into a lie.” Spiritual Gifts, vol. 2, 275-276. Daniel 12: 1 is the close of probation, which takes place after Daniel 11:44-45 is fulfilled.

These lasts six verses are “scenes connected with the working of the man of sin,” and they are the vision by the Hiddekel, which is “now in process of fulfillment.” This vision pictures the final scenes connected with the “man of sin,” concerning which there will be an “increase of knowledge,” and by which, “a people is to be prepared to stand.” The last six verses of Daniel 11 are a sketch of the final scenes of earth’s history.

Primarily, these verses isolate the story of the Papacy, as its deadly wound is healed, and it returns to the throne of the world, and ultimately “comes to his end.” What we must Know? What we must Know? We have been told that Daniel 11 is now in the process of fulfillment and that through the books of Daniel and Revelation will come a catalyst for the long-awaited revival. We have been informed that there would be an increase of knowledge about the Papacy, and the mark of its authority which would help to prepare God’s people to stand.

We have also been admonished that we must know these events: “All that God has in prophetic history specified to be fulfilled in the past has been, and all that is yet to come in its order will be. Daniel, God’s prophet, stands in his place. John stands in his place. In the Revelation the Lion of the tribe of Judah has opened to the students of prophecy the book of Daniel, and thus is Daniel standing in his place. He bears his testimony, that which the Lord revealed to him in vision of the great and solemn events which we must know as we stand on the very threshold of their fulfillment.” Selected Messages, book 2, 109.

All God’s commands are promises, and while He commands that “we must know” these events, He also sets forth promises that we may know them if we will search: “The time has come for Daniel to stand in his lot. The time has come for the light given him to go to the world as never before. If those for whom the Lord has done so much will walk in the light, their knowledge of Christ and the prophecies relating to Him will be greatly increased as they near the close of this earth’s history_’ The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol 4, 1174.

As we continue in this series of studies we should solemnly accept the command to study these prophecies and humbly pray for the promised light which will be found by those who strive to be among the wise. Individually, we need to recognize our responsibility to proclaim the warning message symbolized by the Hiddekel river, which identifies the king of the north as the Papacy.

More importantly, we must recognize and fulfill our responsibility to experience the message which is symbolized by the Ulai river, which points to the final work going on in the heavenly sanctuary. If we are unwilling to enter into the experience symbolized by the Ulai river, the message of the Hiddekel is of little value to us. Without the power received from an experience which enters within the veil of the Most Holy Place, any warning message which we may proclaim will have little effect on those who may hear it, and will avail nothing in our personal salvation.

The story of the two rivers in the book of Daniel is now calling us to an intellectual understanding of Daniel 11:40-45 which is the final movements of the man of sin as well as have an experience with Christ in the Most Holy Place. These testimonies are calling us to finish the work in our lives, in order that we may help finish the work in this world by proclaiming the final warning message in the power of the Holy Spirit.

The signs of the times testify that Christ is ready to close the story on these two rivers. Are we? 11 History in Transition History in Transition “The thing that hath been done, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun” Ecclesiastes 1:9 At least part of the knowledge that will protect us as we approach these final hours in this earth’s history is a knowledge of the past. The prophet Hosea declares: “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: and because thou hast rejected knowledge,

I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing that thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.” Hosea 4:6 The bible in conjunction with the spirit of prophecy strongly councils us to understand our history because much of it will be repeated in particular the rise and the fall of the papacy. “We have no time to lose.

Troublous times are before us. The world is stirred with the spirit of war. Soon the scenes of trouble spoken of in the prophecies will take place. The prophecy in the eleventh chapter of Daniel has nearly reached its complete fulfillment. Much of the history that has taken place in fulfillment of this prophecy will be repeated. In the thirtieth verse a power is spoken of that ‘shall be grieved.’ [ D a n i e l 1 1 : 3 0 – 3 6 quoted.]

”Scenes similar to those described in these words will take place. We see evidence that Satan is fast obtaining the control of human minds who have not the fear of God before them. Let all read and understand the prophecies of this book, for we are now entering upon the time of trouble spoken of: [Daniel 12:1-4 quoted.]” Manuscript Releases, vol. 13, 394.

Sister White identifies the historical fulfilment of Daniel 11 as something which we should expect to see repeated as the “complete fulfilment” of Daniel 11 unfolds. She especially highlights Daniel 11:30-36. The pioneers and Sister White understood that Daniel 11 was fulfilled from verse 1 through the first phrase of verse 40, which brings us up to 1798-“the time of the end.”

Therefore, when Sister White speaks of the complete fulfilment of Daniel 11, she is speaking of verses 40-45. Directing us to “scenes” and “history” which will be repeated, she isolates the history of these verses further by quoting Daniel 12:1-4. Sister White clearly recognized the standing up of Michael in Daniel 12:1 as being the close of probation. The complete fulfilment of verses 40-45 takes us from 1798 to the battle of Armageddon. During the events described in these verses,

Michael stands up, closing His mediation work and human probation: ” ‘And 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, every one that shall be found written in the book.’ Daniel 12:1. When this time of trouble comes, every case is decided; there is no 12 longer probation, no longer mercy for the impenitent. The seal of the living God is upon His people.

This small remnant, unable to defend themselves in the deadly conflict with the powers of earth that are marshalled by the dragon host, make God their defence. The decree has been passed by the highest earthly authority that they shall worship the beast and receive his mark under pain of persecution and death. May God help His people now, for what can they then do in such a fearful conflict without His assistance!” Testimonies, vol. 5, 212-213.

It is within the time frame from 1798 to beyond the close of probation we should expect to see repeated “scenes similar” and “much of the history” prophesied to take place in Daniel 11, especially the scenes and history associated with Daniel 11:30-36. In this chapter we will briefly review the historical fulfilment of Daniel 11 as much of what took place during this time period will be repeated. The vision of Daniel 11 begins with the kingdom of Medo-Persia being defeated by Alexander the Great. In verse four we see Alexander’s kingdom divided into four parts for his four generals. From verse 5 onward, only two of his generals are mentioned.

These two kings were Seleucus and Ptolemy. Their interaction begins a story of the ongoing struggle for world dominion recorded throughout the rest of Daniel 11. This power struggle is prophetically portrayed as the battle between the kings of the north and the king of the south. One important point of this story is how the Scriptures identify the kings of the north and south.

By comparing recorded history with the testimony of Daniel 11, historians and pioneers discovered that the king of the north was the kingdom which controlled the geographical area of Babylon. They discovered also that the king of the south was the kingdom which controlled the geographical area of Egypt. This principle in Daniel 11 brings together the testimony of Scripture with the record of history. This geographical key is the rule which we will apply to Daniel 11:40-45 as we begin to identify who are the kings of the north and south.

This historical truth is, no doubt, one of the clues, which the Spirit of Prophecy intended to direct us to at the time when this prophecy was to come to its “complete fulfilment.” Through the first 13 verses, we find the ebb and flow of history described, as different kingdoms rose and fell. In verse 14, we see the primary subject of all Daniel 11 identified for the first time in the vision by the phrase, “robbers of thy people.” This verse states that these “robbers,” will “establish the vision.”

Uriah Smith addresses this phrase in verse 14 with the following observation: ” ‘To establish the vision.’ The Romans more than any other people are the subject of Daniel’s prophecy. Their first interference in the affairs of these kingdoms is here referred to as being the establishment, or demonstration, of the truth of the vision which predicted the existence of such a power.” Daniel and the Revelation, 244.

From this point on, the vision portrays the history of either pagan or papal Rome. In verse 20 we find pagan Rome summons Joseph to pay taxes in Bethlehem. In verse 22 pagan Rome breaks “the prince of the covenant,” by crucifying Christ. In verse 24 we see pagan Rome’s time of dominion set forth within a biblical time prophecy. The last phrase of this verse sets forth 360 years as the time when pagan Rome would rule the world by the words, “even for a time.” Uriah Smith concurs with other pioneers and historians on the starting and ending point for this time prophecy: “The battle was fought September 2, 31 B.C., at the mouth of the gulf of Ambracia, near the city of Actium. The world was at stake. . . .

This battle doubtless marks the beginning of the ‘time’ mentioned in verse 24. As during this ‘time,’ devices were to be forecast from the stronghold, or Rome, we should conclude that at the end of that period western supremacy would cease, or such a change would take place in the empire that that city would no longer be considered the seat of government. From 31 B.C., a prophetic ‘time,’ or 360 years, would bring us to A.D. 330.

Hence it becomes a noteworthy fact that the seat of empire was removed from Rome to Constantinople by Constantine the Great in that very year.” Daniel and the Revelation., 262-264; see also Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Vol. VII, 3, art., “Constantinople.” Pagan Rome’s 360 years to rule the world had its counterpart with papal Rome’s 1260-year time prophecy. More important to our study, is that the dominance of pagan Rome comes to its end just as the verses especially highlighted by Sister White begin. Verses 30-36 deal with the history covering the transition from pagan to papal Rome.

We will find that the scenes and events within that transition period, parallel the sequence of events found in verses 40-45. As we begin to look at verses 30-36, we again refer to Uriah Smith as he addresses Daniel 11:29: “The time appointed is probably the prophetic time of verse 24, which has been previously mentioned. It closed, as already shown, in A.D. 330. . . . The removal of the seat of empire to Constantinople was the signal for the downfall of the empire. Rome then lost its prestige….” Continuing, but now dealing with verse 30: “

For the ships of Chittim shall come against him: therefore he shall be grieved, and return and have indignation against the holy covenant: so shall he do; he shall even 13 return, and have intelligence with them that forsake the holy covenant. Daniel 11:30 “What were the ships of Chittim that came against this power, and when was this movement made? It was Carthage. See quote below: “Was a naval warfare with Carthage as a base of operations ever waged against the Roman Empire?

We think of the terrible onslaught of the Vandals upon Rome under the fierce Genseric, and answer easily in the affirmative.” Ibid., 266-267. Using Daniel 11:30-36 as a historical outline identified by the Spirit of Prophecy, we note that this past history was a transition time for Rome. Pagan Rome was about to leave the scene of action as the ruler of the earth, and Papal Rome was about to step into the vacuum. Daniel 7:24 addresses this very same transition: “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.” 

 In Daniel 7:23-24 we find that after the “fourth kingdom” arises, “another shall arise.” This is a description of the fall of pagan Rome and then the rise of papal Rome. In the prophecy of Daniel 7 we see that this fifth king “shall subdue three kings,” as he ascends to power. Genseric, king of the Vandals, was one of those three kings. As papal Rome rises to power, it first has to form an alliance in order to uproot three horns, or three kingdoms, to prepare the way. This was in itself a repetition of history, for as pagan Rome came into control of the world, it first had to form an alliance with the Jews in 161 B.C., (See Daniel and the Revelation p258)

and then conquer three geographical areas. In Daniel 8:9 we see the “little horn,” symbolizing pagan Rome waxing “toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant land,” thus illustrating the directions of conquest taken as Rome brought the world under its control. We especially note this history, for the king of the north in Daniel 11:40-45 would also subdue three entities, before he took control of the world. Daniel 11:30-36 describes pagan Rome wanting in power.

When threatened by other powers in the past, Rome prevailed. Not so at this time. As Rome went out to do battle it was “grieved”-by its inability to prevail. At this time period the “three horns,” which were waging war against pagan Rome, were also waging a theological war against Catholicism. The Heruli, the Goths, and the Vandals, symbolized by the three horns, embraced the Arian faith. During this time period Justinian declared the bishop of Rome to be the head of the church, and the corrector of heretics, in an attempt to restrain the Arian faith from dominating Catholic doctrines. Justinian’s efforts to

uphold Catholic doctrines against the Arian onslaught opened the door for the Catholic Church to restrict certain books which threatened their manmade doctrines. This restriction included the Bible, for they began to teach that only the church fathers could safely read it. This attack against the Bible was “the indignation against the holy covenant,” and the appointment of the bishop of Rome to the head of the church was the “intelligence with them that forsake the holy covenant,” of verse 30. Verse 31 records that “arms shall stand on his part.” As history and prophecy move forward to the next step in the sequence to set papal Rome on the throne of the world, we find that Clovis, the king of France, dedicated his sword and his country to the Papacy. France became the first Catholic nation, the first of seven kingPast Histories Will Be Repeated (Maranatha 30.3)

14 doms found in Europe to renounce their pagan beliefs and embrace Catholicism, and also the first to submit the nation to the service of the Papacy. This alliance provided the ways and means to defeat the three Arian horns. Prophecy taught that these three horns would be removed before the Papacy assumed authority over the world. Not only did Clovis and the other horns of Europe bring their finances and arms to bear against the three horns, they also seized (took away) their pagan resistance against Catholicism.

This fact is illustrated as they “take away the daily.” Speaking of the “daily,” Ellen White states: “Then I saw in relation to the ‘daily’ (Daniel 8:12) that the word ‘sacrifice’ was supplied by man’s wisdom, and does not belong to the text, and that the Lord gave the correct view of it to those who gave the judgment hour cry. When union existed, before 1844, nearly all were united on the correct view of the ‘daily,’ but in the confusion since 1844, other views have been embraced, and darkness and confusion have followed.” Early Writings, 74-75. The pioneers viewed the “daily,” as symbolizing the attack against God’s truth through the forces of paganism. William Miller, Uriah Smith and Josiah Linch describe their understanding below. WILLIAM MILLER:

“I read on, and could find no other case in which it [the daily] was found but in Daniel. I then [by the aid of an concordance] took those word which stood in connection with it, ‘take away;’ he shall take away the daily; ‘from the time that the daily shall be taken away’ I read on and thought I would find no light on the text. Finally I came to 2Thessalonians 2:7-8, ‘For the mystery of iniquity does already work; only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way, and then shall that wicked be revealed.’ And when I had come to that text, O how clear and glorious the truth appeared. There it is! That is the daily! Well, now, what does Paul mean by ‘he who now letteth’ or hindereth? By ‘the man of sin,’ and ‘the wicked,’ Popery is meant.

Well what is it that hinders Popery from being revealed? Why it is Paganism. Well, then, ‘the daily’ must mean paganism.” Review and Herald, January, 1858. URIAH SMITH The word sacrifice “should be ‘desolation.’ The expression denotes a desolating power, of which the abomination of desolation is but the counterpart, and to which it succeeds in point of time. It seems clear therefore that the ‘daily’ desolation was paganism, and the ‘abomination of desolation’ is the Papacy. . . .

In the ninth chapter, Daniel speaks of desolations and abominations in the plural. More than one abomination, therefore, treads down the church; that is, as far as the church is concerned, both paganism and the Papacy are abominations. But as distinguished from each other, the language is restricted. One is the ‘daily’ desolation, and the other is pre-eminently the transgression or ‘abomination’ of desolation. “How was the ‘daily’, or paganism, taken away? . . .

The conversion of Clovis [A.D. 496] is said to have been the occasion of bestowing upon the French monarch the titles ‘Most Christian Majesty’ and ‘Eldest Son of the Church.’ Between that time and A.D. 508, [the other horns of Europe] were brought into subjection. “From . . . A.D. 508, the Papacy was triumphant so far as paganism was concerned, . . . When the prominent powers of Europe gave up their attachment to paganism, it was only to perpetuate its abominations in another form; for Christianity as exhibited in the Roman Catholic Church was, and is, only paganism baptized.” Daniel and the Revelation, 270-272. JOSIAH LITCH:

“The daily sacrifice is the present reading of the text; but no such thing as sacrifice is found in the original. This is acknowledged on all hands. It is a gloss or construction put upon it by the translators. The true reading is, ‘the daily and the transgression of desolation;’ daily and transgression being connected together by ‘and;’ the daily and the transgression of desolation. They are two desolating powers which were to desolate the Sanctuary and the host.” Review and Herald, January, 1858.

The Pioneer view on the Daily The Pioneer view on the Daily 15 The history of Daniel 11:31 is a description of the pagan powers of Europe coming to the aid of the Papacy to set it upon the throne of the world. The removing of the “daily,” and the polluting of the “sanctuary of strength,” is a description of their turning from open paganism, which previously was their confessed religion biblically symbolized as their “sanctuary of strength.”

The words “take away” carry a two-fold meaning as they not only teach a removal, but also a secondary definition conveys the idea of-lifting up. When paganism was set aside by the powers of Europe, through their submission to Catholicism, paganism was actually lifted up, for Catholicism is the greatest manifestation of paganism – though clothed in the garb of Christianity. Speaking of the transition of Pagan Rome to Papal Rome, Ellen White writes: “In the twelfth chapter of revelation we have as a symbol a great red dragon. in the ninth verse of that chapter this symbol is explained as follows: “and the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world;

he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” undoubtedly the dragon primarily represents Satan. But Satan does not appear upon the earth in person; he works through agents. It was in the person of wicked men that he sought to destroy Jesus as soon as he was born. Wherever Satan has been able to control a government so fully that it would carry out his designs, that nation became, for the time, Satan’s representative.

This was the case with all the great heathen nations. For instance, see Ezekiel 28, where Satan is represented as actual king of Tyre. This was because he fully controlled that government. in the first centuries of the Christian era, Rome, of all the pagan nations, was Satan’s chief agent in opposing the gospel, and was therefore represented by the dragon. But there came a time when paganism in the Roman Empire fell before the advancing form of Christianity. Then, as is stated on page 54, “paganism had given place to the papacy.

The dragon had given to the beast ‘his power, and his seat, and great authority.’” that is, Satan then began to work through the papacy, just as he had formerly worked through paganism. But the papacy is not represented by the dragon, because it is necessary to introduce another symbol in order to show the change in the form of the opposition to God. Previous to the rise of the papacy, all opposition to the law of God had been in the form of paganism,–God had been openly defied; but from that time the opposition was carried on under the guise of professed allegiance to him.

The papacy, however, was no less the instrument of Satan than was pagan Rome; for all the power, the seat, and the great authority of the papacy, were given it by the dragon. And so, although the pope professes to be the vicegerent of Christ, he is, in reality, the vicegerent of Satan–he is antichrist. {Great Controversy 1888 p680.1} In this time period, we see the seed of the serpent forming another phase in history. The first persecuting power was open alliance against the Levitical system of worship which was God’s word instructed to Moses on the

mount. It was also described as the daily or continuance (see Numbers 29:6, 4:16) as it comes from the same Hebrew word ‘Tamid’ which is the same word used in the book of Daniel when discussing the daily in relation to paganism. Just as Christ taketh away the first to establish the second, Satan also takes away his first system of worship (pagan Rome) to make way for the second abomination that maketh desolate. (Papal Rome). This is the second persecuting power against the seed of the woman which is paganism baptised into Christianity.

Continuing on in Daniel 11: 32-35 we see the persecution of the Dark Ages illustrated, with the final phrase of verse 35 pointing to the end of the 1260 years with the words, “even to the time of the end: because it is yet for a time appointed.” This phrase takes us up to verse 40. But before Daniel gets to verse forty, verses 36-39, present the description of the main subject of Daniel which is the Papacy: “And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.” Daniel 11:36.

This is clearly the Papacy, and Paul paraphrases this passage in his most potent statement of the Papacy: “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.” 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4. Ellen White combines both Daniel’s king which does 16 “according to his will” and Paul’s “man of sin” in describing the Papacy: “

This compromise between paganism and Christianity resulted in the development of ‘the man of sin’ foretold in prophecy as opposing and exalting himself above God. That gigantic system of false religion is a masterpiece of Satan’s power-a monument of his efforts to seat himself upon the throne to rule the earth according to his will.” The Great Controversy, p50.

As we continue the study of Daniel 11:40-45 we will see a historical sequence within these verses which closely parallels the history we have just reviewed. We will set forth evidence to demonstrate that Daniel 11:40 is a description of a spiritual war between the Papacy and atheism which began in 1798. We will also show that verse 40 teaches that initially in the war between the king of the south and the king of the north, the king of the north was grieved in its ability to prevail against the southern kingdom. In fact, the war begins with the king of the north receiving a deadly wound, as his political kingdom was taken away.

When writing on Daniel 11:30, Sister White pointed us to a time when Rome was unable to prevail against its enemy. Revelation 13 describes the Papacy as the head which receives a deadly wound. The deadly wound of papal Rome is a repetition of Pagan Rome being grieved over her ability to maintain control of her former empire. See Daniel 11:30.

The war and the grieving of the Papacy are described when the king of the south would “push” at the king of the north in Daniel 11:40. But verse 40 teaches that a change would take place. In time, the king of the north would return and, through military and economic power, sweep away the king of the south. We will see that economic and military power were supplied to the king of the north in this war, in the same way that Clovis came to the aid of the Papacy in the past. We will see that in fulfillment of this verse the Soviet Union, the modern-day king of the south, was swept away by the Papacy-the northern king.

This sweeping away was accomplished through an alliance with the United States. Not only do these recent scenes parallel the history highlighted by Sister White in Daniel 11:30- 31, but they support the testimony of Revelation 13, which identifies the United States as the beast which comes to the aid of the Papacy at the end of the world. In the next chapter we would demonstrate that after 1798, a second transition was taking place in the seed of the serpent to form the third persecuting power which is the lamb like beast, this is the sixth head that is to carry this mystery religion as described in revelation 17 and not Atheism as many within Adventism teach.

We will also look at the Millerite movement and show that the pioneer experience is being repeated and a thorough understanding of their experience will prepare us for when we can expect the latter rain to be revived. We have already considered the alliance with the glorious land in 161 B.C. which allowed pagan Rome to uproot three geographical areas before it came to the throne of the world. We compared it to the alliance with Clovis in A.D. 508 and then the removal of the three horns preceding the Papacy’s ascension to the throne of the world which began the Dark Ages.

We will see as we proceed with the article that verse 40 is the first of three steps which modern Babylon takes as she returns to the throne of the world in our day. The first step was alliance with America in 1989 which allowed her to implement the fall of the king of the south, the former Soviet Union, and this step is now past history.

The second step is delineated in verse 41, where the king of the north takes control of the glorious land. This is the second obstacle she needs to overthrow as she heads for world dominion. The glorious land of this verse is none other than the second beast of Revelation 13, who has already entered into an unholy alliance with the Vatican in order to bring the demise of the Soviet Union. As Clovis came to the aid of the Papacy by offering military and economic support, along with the acceptance of Catholicism instead of paganism, the United States not only offered military and economic support to bring down the Soviet Union, but the United States also turned away from the definition of Protestantism which, by definition, precludes an alliance with the Papacy.

The third step or the third and final obstacle she overthrows is given in verse 42 in which is the world; as prophetically represented by Egypt, it will come into the grip of the iron fist of Rome. Then in verse 43 the economics of the world come under the power of the king of the north. When the economics of the world come under the control of the king of the north, representing the Papacy, then the Papacy has returned to the position of dominance as a geopolitical power. The Papacy lost this standing in 1798.

When it returns to this position, its deadly wound will have been fully healed and it will once again rule the whole world. Verse 44 speaks of the latter rain and the persecution of 17 God’s people, while verse 45 describes the division of the world into two classes as we approach Armageddon. We will find many items of interest as we continue through the study of these verses. As we continue on in this series, we will not only defend the premises set forth here in greater detail, but we will continue to compare this sequence with the scenes and histories to which Sister White specifically directed us.

It is important for us to recognise that Daniel 11:30-36 is not simply a historical sequence which has been set forth as a pattern to use in order to understand Daniel 11:40-45; it is the very history of the Papacy’s first rise to power at the beginning of the Dark Ages. The Holy Spirit, through Sister White, directs us to the very first time the Papacy came to the throne of the world as the pattern of history to compare against the final rise of the Papacy to the throne of the world. What is just ahead of the church and the world in the healing of the Papacy’s deadly wound?

The wound was the loss of the Papacy’s ability to exercise civil power- not its cessation as a church. “The influence of Rome in the countries that once acknowledged her dominion is still far from being destroyed. And prophecy foretells a restoration of her power. ‘I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.’ Verse 3. The infliction of the deadly wound points to the downfall of the Papacy in 1798. . . . Paul states plainly that the ‘man of sin’ will continue until the second advent. 2 Thessalonians 2:3-8. To the very close of time he will carry forward the work of deception. . . .”

And let it be remembered, it is the boast of Rome that she never changes. The principles of Gregory VII and Innocent III are still the principles of the Roman Catholic Church. And had she but the power, she would put them in practice with as much vigor now as in past centuries. Protestants little know what they are doing when they propose to accept the aid of Rome in the work of Sunday exaltation. While they are bent upon the accomplishment of their purpose, Rome is aiming to re-establish her power, to recover her lost supremacy. Let the principle once be established in the United States

that the church may employ or control the power of the state; that religious observances may be enforced by secular laws; in short, that the authority of church and state is to dominate the conscience, and the triumph of Rome in this country is assured. God’s Word has given warning of the impending danger; let this be unheeded, and the Protestant world will learn what the purposes of Rome really are, only when it is too late to escape the snare. She is silently growing into power. Her doctrines are exerting their influence in legislative halls, in the churches, and in the hearts of men. She is piling up her lofty and massive structures in the secret recesses of which her former persecutions will be repeated.

Stealthily and unsuspectedly she is strengthening her forces to further her own ends when the time shall come for her to strike. All that she desires is vantage ground, and this is already being given her. We shall soon see and shall feel what the purpose of the Roman element is. Whoever shall believe and obey the Word of God will thereby incur reproach and persecution.” The Great Controversy, 579- 581

“Instruction has been given me that the important books containing the light that God has given regarding Satan’s apostasy in heaven should be given a wide circulation just now; for through them the truth will reach many minds. Patriarchs and Prophets, Daniel and the Revelation, and The Great Controversy are needed now as never before. They should be widely circulated because the truths they emphasize will open many blind eyes….

Many of our people have been blind to the importance of the very books that were most needed. Had tact and skill then been shown in the sale of these books, the Sundaylaw movement would not be where it is today”.– Colporteur Ministries p123. {Publishing Ministries p356.3} Everything that can be done should be done to circulate Thoughts on Daniel and Revelation. I know of no other book that can take the place of this one. It is God’s helping hand”.– MS 76, 1901. {Publishing Ministry 356.2}

www.AdventTimes.com/stopshop.html 18 The Third Persecuting Power The Third Persecuting Power The beast which is a symbol of the papacy is introduced in revelation 13; and following it, in the same line of prophecy, “another beast” is seen “coming up,” [rev. 13:11-14.] which exercises “all the power of the first beast before him,” that is, in his sight. this other beast must therefore be a persecuting power also; and this is shown in that

“it spake as a dragon.” the papacy received all its power from Satan, and the two-horned beast exercises the same power; it also becomes the direct agent of Satan. And its satanic character is further shown in that it enforces the worship of the image of the beast, by means of false miracles. “He doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, and deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do {Great Controversy 1888 680.2}

In the last chapter, we demonstrated that the termination of the 1260 day time prophecy is the time of end. In Daniel 11:33-35 the prophet writes: “And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days. Now when they shall fall, they shall be holpen with a little help: but many shall cleave to them with flatteries. And some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make them white, even to the time of the end: because it is yet for a time appointed.” Here Daniel is speaking about the papal persecution which lasted for 1260 years. When the time prophecy ended the books were open:

“But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.” Daniel 12:4. It is from this point in history we can locate the starting point for the 1st angels message, the wedding invitations were out and God was preparing His followers to enter into a new experience with himself in the Most Holy Place. We identify 1798 as the year that paves way for the first angel’s message because of the historical pattern the Bible builds upon.

If we study the story of Elijah, Elijah predicts that there will be no rain for 3 ½ years due to the national apostasy of the children of Israel. After the 3 ½ years had expired Elijah returned and he calls for a mighty reformation amongst the professed people of God. Sister White commenting on this history writes: “with the slaying of the prophets of Baal, the way was opened for carrying forward a mighty spiritual reformation among the ten tribes of the northern Kingdom. Elijah had set before the people their apostasy; he had called them to humble their hearts and turn to the Lord.” Prophets and Kings p155.

So as Elijah returns after the 3 ½ years to bring a reform among the children of Israel so it is after the 3 ½ prophetic years of Papal rule Elijah returns in the personage of the saints to call for a reform among the professed people of God. As in the days of ancient Israel under the rule of Jezebel, Elijah returned after the 3½ years of draught, when God had said there would be no rain. So in the spiritual, Elijah returns at the end of the 3½ prophetic years of spiritual draught under the rule of Jezebel (the papacy) see Rev. 2: 20.

William Miller was the man, the Lord raised up to prepare the world for His coming to the Ancient of Days in 1844. It was in 1833 Miller received his credentials to preach and from that time he and his associates began to boldly proclaim the Lord’s soon coming similar to how John the Baptist fearlessly proclaimed the messiah’s first advent. Notice how Ellen White compares the two in the following passage:

“Thousands were led to embrace the truth preached by William Miller, and servants of God were raised up in the spirit and power of Elijah to proclaim the message. Like John, the forerunner of Jesus, those who preached this solemn message felt compelled to lay the ax at the root of the tree, and call upon men to bring forth fruits meet for repentance. Their testimony was calculated to arouse and powerfully affect the churches and manifest their real character.

And as the solemn warning to flee from the wrath to come was sounded, many who were united with the churches received the healing message; 19 they saw their backslidings, and with bitter tears of repentance and deep agony of soul, humbled themselves before God. And as the Spirit of God rested upon them, they helped to sound the cry, “Fear God, and give glory to Him; for the hour of His judgment is come.” {Early Writings 233.1} The role of Elijah is to come with a message of reform that is designed to turn the hearts of the professed worshippers back to God after years of apostasy, darkness and a backslidden way of worship. The prophet Malachi writes: “Behold I send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord:

And He shall turn the hearts of the father to the children, and the heart of the children to their father, lest I smite the earth with a curse.” Malachi 4:5-6 Elijah comes with a message of reform and this reform message is the first angel’s message, then follows the second and then the third angel. Not only can the three angel’s message be located after 1844 but inspiration tells us that the three angel’s messages can be located throughout scripture:

“The proclamation of the first, second, and third angels’ messages has been located by the word of Inspiration. Not a peg or pin is to be removed.” {2Selected Messages 104.2} “God has given the messages of Revelation 14 their place in the line of prophecy and their work is not to cease” Last Day Events 199. In the Millerites line of prophecy, The first angels message was empowered in 1840 after Josiah Litch successfully predicted the fall of Islam:

“In the year 1840 another remarkable fulfillment of prophecy excited widespread interest. Two years before; Josiah Litch, one of the leading ministers preaching the Second Advent, published’ an exposition of Revelation 9, predicting the fall of the Ottoman Empire. According to his calculations, this power was to be overthrown ‘in A.D. 1840, sometime in the month of August;’ and only a few days previous to its accomplishment he wrote: ‘

Allowing the first period, 150 years, to have been exactly fulfilled before Deacozes ascended the throne by permission of the Turks, and that the 391 years, fifteen days, commenced at the close of the first period, it will end on the 11th of August, 1840, when the Ottoman power in Constantinople may be expected to be broken.

And this, I believe, will be found to be the case… At the very time specified, Turkey, through her ambassadors, accepted the protection of the allied powers of Europe, and thus placed herself under the control of Christian nations. The event exactly fulfilled the prediction. When it became known, multitudes were convinced of the correctness of the principles of prophetic interpretation adopted by Miller and his associates, and a wonderful impetus was given to the Advent movement. Men of learning and position united with Miller, both in preaching and in publishing his views, and from 1840 to 1844 the work rapidly extended.”

The Great Controversy, 334-335. This event is signified in revelation 10 when the angel comes down with one foot on the sea, the other on the land signifying the wide extent of the proclamation of the message. This mighty angel who was to instruct John was no less a personage than Christ. {7Bible Commentaries 20 971.3} “The angel position with one foot on the sea, the other on the land signifies the wide extent of the proclamation of the message. It will cross to the broad waters and be proclaimed in other countries, even to all the world.” Manuscripts 59, 1900. Ellen White also tells us: “The advent movement of 1840-44 was a glorious manifestation of the power of God; the first angel’s message was carried to every missionary station in the world, and in some countries there was the greatest religious interest” GC 611. A great religious awakening took place amongst those who proclaimed this message. (Early Writings p232)

But just as Christ was sending out His wedding invitations, Satan was also doing the same. Between 1798 to 1844 a second transition was taking place with the seed of the serpent. In the last chapter we saw how the first persecuting power is represented by the Dragon itself which was open alliance against God. We see this power manifested in the first four kingdoms described by Daniel which was Babylon, Mede-Persia, Greece and Pagan Rome.

In 508, the first dispensation takes place where paganism is baptized into Christianity, which makes way for the fifth kingdom to arise which is Papal Rome. In 1798, the papacy is grieved after it receives a mortal blow to the head and then the third persecuting power arises which is the lamb like beast with two horns as described in Revelation 13:11, or the sixth head or the ‘one is’ as described in Revelation 17:10. In Great Controversy 1888, p680,

Ellen White writes: “The first persecuting power is represented by the dragon itself; in heathenism there was open alliance with Satan, and open defiance of God. In the second persecuting power, the dragon is masked; but the spirit of Satan actuates it,–the dragon supplies the motive power. In the third persecuting power, all traces of the dragon are absent, and a lamb-like beast appears; but when it speaks, its dragon voice betrays the satanic power concealed under a fair exterior, and shows it to be of the same family as the two preceding powers. In all the opposition to Christ and his pure religion,

“that old serpent, called the devil, and Satan,”–“the god of this world,”–is the moving power; earthly persecuting powers are simply instruments in his hands.” Great Controversy 1888 p680 The Sixth Head not Communism/Atheism There are many today who believe that the next power to carry the mystery religion of the sixth head on the scarlet coloured beast in Revelation 17 is Atheism. But the Bible in conjunction with the spirit of prophecy identifies only three persecuting powers that carry this mystery religion. It was the same year that the pope received a deadly wound, this power was to arise from the earth:

“But the beast with lamblike horns was seen “coming up out of the earth.” Instead of overthrowing other powers to establish itself, the nation thus represented must arise in territory preciously unoccupied and grow up gradually and peacefully. It could not, then, arise among the crowded and struggling nationalities of the Old World– that turbulent sea of “peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.” It must be sought in the Western Continent. What nation of the New World was in 1798 rising into power, giving promise of strength and greatness, and attracting the attention of the world?

The application of the symbol admits of no question. One nation, and only one, meets the specifications of this prophecy; it points unmistakably to the United States of America. Again and again the thought, almost the exact words, of the sacred writer has been unconsciously employed by the orator and the historian in describing the rise and growth of this nation.”

Great Controversy p441. The two horns of the lamb like beast represent Republicanism and Protestantism. It advocated the principles of Christ’s word but the beast with lamblike horns “spake as a dragon. And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed; . . . saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.” Revelation 13:11-14. The lamblike horns and dragon voice of the symbol point to a striking contradiction between the professions and the practice of the nation thus represented. The “speaking” of the nation is the action of its legislative and judicial authorities.

By such action it will give the lie to those liberal and peaceful principles which it has put forth as the foundation of its policy. {Great Controversy p442.1} Another factor that identifies that communism is not the sixth head, is through a careful study of the history in the Bible. It was two nations; the Medes and the Persians 21 that destroyed literal Babylon by drying up the river Euphrates. Though Medo-Persia carries the mystery religion, it being the 2nd head of revelation 17, or the second beast as described in Daniel 7, it also fulfills another role in Bible Prophecy. The Lord speaking through the prophet Isaiah typifies Cyrus as Christ using two key characteristics that Christ uses to identify himself: “That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple,

Thy foundation shall be laid. Thus saith the Lord to His anointed, to Cyrus who’s right hand have I holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of Kings, to open before him the two-leaved gates; and the gates shall not shut”. Isaiah 44:28, 45:1. Now I ask this question; why would the Lord liken Himself to a pagan King that also carries this mystery religion spoken of in Revelation 17? Well it is this portion of history, the Lord expects the diligent student of prophecy to align with the events that took place between 1798 -1844. Though Cyrus was a pagan King, He was used as an instrumental figure to allow the children of Israel to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. Notice what it says in Ezra 1:1-2;

“Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The LORD God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.”

This first decree, where the foundations were laid (Ezra 3:10-13) figuratively pointed forth to the first angel’s message where Miller and his associates laid the foundations of understanding the prophetic Word. The first decree was then followed by the second decree by Darius and then a third by Artaxerxes King of Persia. It is on the third decree that commenced the beginning of the 2300 day prophecy. “In the seventh chapter of Ezra the decree is found. [EZRA 7:12-26.] In its completest form it was issued by Artaxerxes, king of Persia, B. C. 457.

But in Ezra 6:14 the house of the Lord at Jerusalem is said to have been built “according to the commandment [margin, decree] of Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia.” These three kings, in originating, re-affirming, and completing the decree, brought it to the perfection required by the prophecy to mark the beginning of the 2300 years.” Great Controversy p327 This line of prophecy figuratively points forth to the events that transpired from 1798 to 1844. Under the second woe in Revelation 9 and 11 you have Islam spiritually drying up the river Euphrates on the East and atheism drying her up in the west. The power that supported Papal Rome was the armies of Rome. Before the cross everything is literal, after the cross everything is spiritual. In Bible prophecy, water represents, people, multitudes, nations and tongues. (Revelation 17:15) and the river Euphrates typifies the multitudes of people that supported her which was the armies of pagan Rome who converted to Romanism after the conversion of Clovis (See Daniel and the Revelation 271)

This is similar to how the river Euphrates literally supported ancient Babylon until Cyrus dried up the waters. But in Revelation 9:14-15, Islam is permitted to slay the Eastern Roman empire for 391 years and 15 days which ended on August 11 1840: “Saying to the sixth angel loose which had the trumpet, loose the four angels which are bound in the river Euphrates. And the four angels were loosed which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.” Rev 9:14-15 . (Also see p15 to read E.G White’s comments on this time prophecy)

Whilst this was taking place with Eastern Rome; on Western Rome we have the atheistic beast that also descends from the Bottomless pit to give the Papacy a deadly wound in 1798 so she ‘is not’. “And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death.” Revelation 13:3.

This brings us to the time period of 1798. Atheism is not the beast that carries this mystery religion, they hate the whore and aim to make her desolate. However there is one beast power that is on the arise that carries her agenda and that is America. So called Protestant America was still carrying the harlot woman in their hearts. The Reformation with Luther, Huss, Tindle and many others was not complete—the Woman still lived in her daughters, (apostate Protestantism) who held on to Sunday Worship the mark of the Beast’s Power. She was still there and yet they did not know it.

This is why God had to separate a people by the first and second cleansing—that took place in the Millerite movement to prepare a people separated from Rome and complete the reformation. Similar to Cyrus, America is also given a characteristic that symbolises Christ who is the ‘Lamb’. America was the gateway that enabled God to rebuild His church again; Spiritual Israel in the modern day glorious land. The constitution of America was built on the fact the Church and State must remain separate. Ellen White tells us: “The Constitution of the United States guarantees liberty of conscience. Nothing is dearer or more fundamental.” Great Controversy P 565.

But the Bible in conjunction with the Spirit of Prophecy tells us that she forms the third persecuting power, of the seed of the serpent. She will persecute the saints of the Most High and will enforce catholic dogma’s. Another parallel that likens America to fulfilling the same role as Medo-Persia is that it took forty six years to build the literal temple. The Jews speaking to Jesus said: 22 Pope Benedict XVI continues his crusade to return “daughter” churches to the fold Pope Benedict does want unity, but this latest document specifically calls it “Catholic unity,” saying that the elements of truth the other groups have tend toward Catholic unity.

He isn’t looking to peacefully co-exist with other religions. In his view, the daughter churches can only achieve unity by accepting his authority and converting back to Catholicism. In 1995, Pope John Paul II said drawing the Orthodox churches back into the fold is “the great task which the Catholic Church must accomplish.” Benedict shares that view. In order to achieve any meaningful reconciliation, the other churches will have to accept that the only full means of salvation is through the Catholic Church—and specifically through the authority of the pope. From theTrumpet.com July 12 2007 “Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days” John 2:20. This was also the same time period it took to rebuild spiritual Israel. If you add 46 years to 1798 it brings you to 1844. At the end of the 2300 day prophecy, the third angels message began. (See Early Writings p254)

Just as the commencement of the rebuilding of the literal temple began on the third decree, so the 2300 day prophecy ended at the beginning of the third angels message. It was at this time the heavenly sanctuary was cleansed and the Lord married his new church, spiritual Israel in 1844. This is highlighted in the parable of the 10 virgins which was fulfilled in 1844 where there was a separation between the two classes. The Bridegroom went forth to meet his bride (church) and the door was closed to the foolish virgins who were left offering their prayers to the Holy Place where Satan now took his abode. (See Early Writings p55-56)

Vantage Ground Vantage Ground “All that she desires is vantage ground, and this is already being given her. We shall soon see and shall feel what the purpose of the Roman element is. Whoever shall believe and obey the word of God will thereby incur reproach and persecution.” {GC 581.2} It was in 1844, the papacy through the foolish virgins was able to gain vantage ground similar to how Eastern Rome was able to gain vantage ground against Chosroes [2] the King of Persia in AD 628. History describes how Chosroes was able to besiege Constantinople (Eastern Rome) for the first time and demand an annual tribute or ransom from the Roman Empire.

Heraclius who was ruling the Roman Empire described these as ignominious terms; but the time and space which he obtained to collect such treasures from the poverty of the East was industriously employed in the preparation for a bold attack in which he obtained vantage ground over the Persian armies. In the battle of Nineveh, the Persian and the Roman armies exhausted each others strength until Rome had proven triumph. However the Roman Empire was not strengthened by the conquest which he achieved; and a way was prepared for Islam to start attacking the armies of Rome as described under the first woe of the fifth trumpet in Revelation 9. (See Daniel and the Revelation p495 – p496 by

Uriah Smith) Similar to how the Roman Empire at first, lost the battle to Persia but was later able to seek vantage ground and overthrow the Persian monarch, so in the spiritual the papacy after receiving a mortal blow from atheistic France sought vantage ground through the foolish virgins so he could push his agenda in America through Protestantism. Hence why Ellen White’s writings describes the churches experiencing a moral fall in 1844 in consequence of their refusal of the light of the Advent message. Great Controversy p390. As the first angel’s message was proclaimed by the Millerites, the organized churches closed their door to the Millerite movement.

As this took place, they recognized that the churches had now become Babylon and began to call people out of her. But many refused this warning and never came out of Babylon. As mentioned in the previous section, they held onto doctrines of Rome including Sunday sacredness and the immortality of the soul. They were still tied to Babylon and never fully came out of her that is why the book of revelation describes her as apostate Protestantism, the false prophet and the daughters of Rome. It is through her daughters the papacy was able to gain vantage ground and the dispensation to the third persecuting power began. As a result of this vantage ground, the Sunday churches are still holding onto the teachings of Rome. The papacy continues to hold a strong foothold within these churches, this foothold continue to grow until in 1989 when she formed an alliance with America to overthrow communism.

No longer is the protestant nations protesting Rome because it’s impossible to protest Rome if you’re in alliance with her. After Rome through her armies (America) overthrow communism. Islam starts to attack the armies of Rome in 2001 similar to how Islam attacked the armies of Rome after she overthrow Persia in the battle of Nineveh. 23 Pioneer Experience Repeated Pioneer Experience Repeated “I am often referred to the parable of the ten virgins, five of whom were wise, and five foolish.

This parable has been and will be fulfilled to the very letter, for it has a special application to this time, and, like the third angel’s message, has been fulfilled and will continue to be present truth till the close of time.” Review and Herald, August 19, 1890. Sister White clearly states that there will be a repetition of the parable of the ten virgins, which, when first fulfilled in the summer of 1844, was the catalyst of the early rain experience during the pioneer movement.

She also addresses the parallel between the second and fourth angels’ messages: “I saw angels hurrying to and fro in heaven, descending to the earth, and again ascending to heaven, preparing for the fulfillment of some important event. Then I saw another mighty angel commissioned to descend to the earth, to unite his voice with the third angel, and give power and force to his message.

Great power and glory were imparted to the angel, and as he descended, the earth was lightened with his glory. The light which attended this angel penetrated everywhere, as he cried mightily, with a strong voice, ‘Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.’ Revelation 18:2. The message of the fall of Babylon, as given by the second angel, is repeated, with the additional mention of the corruptions which have been entering the churches since 1844.

The work of this angel comes in at the right time to join in the last great work of the third angel’s message as it swells to a loud cry. And the people of God are thus prepared to stand in the hour of temptation, which they are soon to meet. I saw a great light resting upon them, and they united to fearlessly proclaim the third angel’s message. Angels were sent to aid the mighty angel from heaven, and I heard voices which seemed to sound everywhere, ‘Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.’ Verses 4-5.

This message seemed to be an addition to the third message, joining it as the Midnight Cry joined the second angel’s message in 1844. The glory of God rested upon the patient, waiting saints, and they fearlessly gave the last solemn warning, proclaiming the fall of Babylon and calling upon God’s people to come out of her that they might escape her fearful doom.” Early Writings, 277-278. The council to prepare for the future through an understanding of the prophecy of the past in connection with the historical fulfilment of the ‘parable of the 10 virgins’ in 1844 time period, identifies that the revival, which our church has been waiting for will parallel the revival of the pioneer movement. We should expect increased light on every message we have been proclaiming for over 150 years. “The third angel was seen flying in the midst of heaven, heralding the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. The message loses none of its power in its onward flight. John saw the work increasing until the whole earth was filled with the glory of God. With intensified zeal and energy we are to carry forward the work of the L o r d t i l l t h e c l o s e o f time.” {Councils To Parents, Teachers and Students 548.3} 24

The Seven Thunders The Seven Thunders “And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire: and he had in his hand a little book open and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth, and he cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices. And when the seven thunders uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered and write them not.”

Rev 10:1-4 The seven thunders uttered by the mighty angel in revelation 10:4 is another line of prophetic truth that portrays the history that took place between 1798 – 1844 will be repeated again when another portion from the book of Daniel is about to be fulfilled. We are told: “The special light given to John that was expressed in the seven thunders was a delineation of events which would transpire under the first and second angels’ messages.

It was not best for the people to know these things, for their faith must necessarily be tested. In the order of God most wonderful and advanced truths must be proclaimed. The first and second angels messages must be proclaimed, but no further light was to be revealed before these messages had done their specific work” (Manuscript 59, 1900) If the seven thunders represent the historical events that took place during the first and second angels’ messages then from what we have already studied, they represent the Millerite time period as they lived and proclaimed these messages.

But not only do the seven thunders represent the delineation of events that transpired under the first and second angel’s message. Inspiration directly informs us that the seven thunders represent future events that will be disclosed in their order: “After the seven thunders uttered their voices, the injunction came to John as to Daniel in regard to the little book: “seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered.

These relate to future events that will be disclosed in their order” (Manuscript 59 1900) Line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little, there a little must the word of God be studied in order to understand the grand truths of the Bible. If the seven thunders represent the first and second angels messages which transpired from 1798-1844 and they also represent future events that were soon to be disclosed at the time Sister White was writing, then it could only mean that the seven thunders represent events that will happen at a later time in history and will follow in the same order as the events that transpired from 1798 – 1844.

This repetition of history represented by the seven thunders will once again fulfil the parable of the 10 virgins and will posses the identical characteristics represented by the historical arrival of the first and second angel’s messages. Revelation 10 begins at 1840 and ends at 1844. The angel then tells John: “Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, nations, and tongues and kings.” It all gets repeated! Towards the end of the world Christ will descend again and unseal a message in the book of Daniel that will empower his people to stand in the latter day.

The seven thunders were sealed to the Millerites because the angel tells John “Seal up those things the seven thunders uttered and write them not.” But later on in the book of revelation we are told these seven thunders will be unsealed just before the close of probation as John is told: “seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book for the time is at hand. He 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.” Rev 22:10-11. Notice that the angel tell John: “seal not the sayings of this book”

the only portion of scripture sealed in the book of revelation is the seven thunders and we know this unsealing will take place just before the close of probation because the moment Christ proclaims: “He that is unjust let him be unjust still he that…” it is the time when probation close. So we have an understanding from the word of God that just before the close of probation an unsealing will occur. We don’t have a specific date when this will take place as the Millerites did because the angel declares in Revelation 10:6 “time shall be no longer” indicating that after 1844, there will be no prophecy based on time. Ellen white writes: “… This is represented by the angel standing with one foot on the sea, proclaiming with the solemn oath that time should be no longer.

The time, which the angel declares with a solemn oath is not the end of this world’s history, neither of probationary time, but of prophetic time, which should precede the advent of our Lord. That is the people will not have another message upon definite time. After this period of time, reaching from 1842-1844, there can be no definite tracing of prophetic time. The longest reckoning reaches to the autumn 1844.” 7 Bible Commentaries 971 (1900). {Last Day Events 36.2} 25 After 1844, there will not be another message based on time, because the history of how God has led his people in the past will be repeated.

This final message relating to the second coming of Christ is more powerful than any time setting because it is built on the prophets, it is built on history, history will be fulfilled to the letter. The truths which led the people out from 1840-1844 will be repeated! “There is a work of sacred importance for ministers and people to do. They are to study the history of the cause and people of God. They are not to forget the past dealing of God with His people. They are to revive and recount the truths that have come to seem of little value to those who do not know by personal experience of the power and brightness that accompanied them when they were first seen and understood. In all their original freshness and power these truths are to be given to the world.” Selected Messages, book 1, 157.

“Temptations are being brought in by men who have been long in the truth. The truths that we received in 1841, ‘42, ‘43, and ‘44 are now to be studied and proclaimed. The messages of the first, second, and third angels will in the future be proclaimed with a loud voice. They will be given with earnest determination and in the power of the Spirit.” Manuscript Releases, volume 15, 31 The event that took place in 1798 parallel the events that took place in 1989. In 1798 we have three major powers coming into play, Papal Rome (King of the North), Atheism, (King of the South) and America. [

We will defend the fact that the Papacy is the King of the North and France is the King of the South in 1798 in greater detail in the next chapter.] This was repeated in 1989 where we have the same three powers being brought to view. We have the King of the North returning (Papacy) who uses the arms of America to overthrow the King of the South (communism which was in Russia, the atheistic beast that rose from the bottomless pit.). History clearly identifies with this portion of fulfilled history as it was a group known as the Jacobin club in France who were aristocratic terrorists who spearheaded the French revolution –

Karl Marx also became a member of this group under the name “league of the just’ and wrote what is famously known as ‘the communist manifesto’ This atheistic beast from the bottomless pit spread its poison first in Europe during the French revolution and from there to Russia to start the Bolsheviki revolution: “The first Russian Marxist group was formed in 1883 in the very year of Marx’s death by Lenin, who was a Russian Revolutionary exiled in Switzerland. Between 1900 and 1903 Lenin called his revolutionaries the “Bolsheviki, then later renamed themselves” Communists, after Marx’s term in the Communist Manifesto” {The Communist Manifesto, Randall, p.37} {Also see Illuminati 666 by William J Sutton}

Another important point to remember is that after 1798, Papal Rome is ‘grieved’, she wants her power and dominion back and she can only obtain this through the same way she had obtained world dominion in the past and this is by uprooting three obstacles. This history which was soon to be repeated in our time has already begun its complete fulfilment in 1989 when Rome returns, has intelligence with USA to uproot its first obstacle which was the king of the South, atheistic communism. Immediately we can now locate the first angel’s message, in 1989 clearly paralleling it with 1798 which paved the way for the first angel’s message. Remember that sister White tells us that by an increase of knowledge, a people is to be prepared to stand. This increase of knowledge is in connection to the final rise of the papacy. “In the first angels message, men are called upon to worship the creator., who made the world and all that are therein.

They have paid homage to an institution of the papacy, making no effect the law of Jehovah, but there is to be an increase of knowledge on the subject” {2Selected Messages 106.1} The last 6 verses in the book of Daniel are now unsealed and A message of reform and preparation has now already been underway to prepare the professed people of God to make way for the Lords soon appearing but many remain ignorant of these truths: “and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor and blind, and naked”. Rev 3:17 The Catalyst for Prophecy

The Catalyst for Prophecy In the Millerites day, the catalyst for prophecy came when Josiah Litch successfully predicted the full of the Ottoman Empire thus by Islam placing herself under control of the Christian nations. A wonderful impetus was given to the movement. This was highlighted by the angel coming down in Revelation 10. This mighty angel was no less a personage than Jesus Christ {1Manuscript Releases 99.2}

The description of the angel in Revelation 10 is the same description in Daniel Chapter 10. John sees the little book unsealed in relation to the seven thunders, Daniels prophecies then have their place in the first, second and third angels message to be given to the world: “The books of Daniel and the revelation are one. One is a prophecy, the other a revelation; one a book sealed, the other a book opened. John heard the mysteries uttered, but He was commanded not to write them.” 7 Bible commentaries.971.6

The purpose of the angel descending with a little book in his hand is to separate the two classes and prepare A people to enter into the Most Holy Experience with Christ. By an increase of knowledge in regards to the time prophecy given in Daniel 8:14 a people were prepared to stand. But as this was taking place, Satan was also preparing his class of people to hinder the process through the foolish virgins causing many to reject this invitation.

Hence why the churches experienced a moral fall in 1844. This history of the Millerites is being fulfilled in our time. Just as 1840 was the catalyst for the Millerite 26 movement so 2001 is the catalyst for our time as we see all Christian nations getting together to decide the fate of Islam. Just as the Roman Emperor sought vantage ground over the Persian army and managed to defeat them in the battle of Nineveh, Islam starts to attack the armies of Rome suddenly and unexpectedly.

We have the same scenario taking place in 1989. After the papacy managed to seek vantage ground in 1844, to strike back against Communism, the atheistic beast in 1989. Islam then starts to attack the armies of Rome similar to how it managed to attack the armies of Rome after the Battle of Nineveh. Now we see all Christian nations getting together to decide the fate of Islam. This event parallels what took place in 1840 where four Christian nations got together to decide the fate of Islam. (See Daniel and the Revelation 517). As Christ came down with a little book open to shed light on the prophecies so in like manner Christ has come down with a portion of the book of Daniel to prepare his waiting saints for his final coming. Note that Sister White describes the time period from 1840—1844 as a Glorious Manifestation of the Power of God. (Great Controversy 611.3)

We are now living in a time period which is a glorious manifestation of the power of God. The only difference between Josiah Litch’s history and now, has to do with the church that we are symbolically members of. The church of Josiah Litch’s day and age was the church of Philadelphia—but we are Laodiceans, w e are asleep! What it is that demonstrates the God of the Bible is the true God lies not only in His creative ability, but also in His ability to portray the end of the word with the beginning of the world.

The Holy Spirit testifying through the prophet Isaiah tells us: “Remember the former things of old: for I am God and there is none like me. Declaring the end from beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, my council shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure.” Isaiah 46:9-10 Ishmael was also one of the ancient people and concerning Ishmael and his descendents the Lord prophesied: “And he will be a wild man; and his hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him…” Genesis 16:12 .

We see this being fulfilled right down to the close of this earths history. Islam played a role in the Millerites time period and are illustrated in the 1843 pioneer chart as the two white horses. In regards to the 1843 chart, the Lord’s servant tells us: “I have seen that the 1843 chart was directed by the hand of the Lord, and that it should not be altered;” Early Writings p74.

Speaking of the second woe in Revelation 9:13-15 we are told: “And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden alter which is before God saying to the sixth angel, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates. And the four angels were loosed which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month and a year, for to slay the third part of men.” This verse tells us that the angels were loosed for 391 years, this prophetic time period as stated before, ended in 1840. At this time, the angels were held in check in order to allow the sealing of God’s people which was from 1840-1844.

This sealing process is set to typify our sealing process at the end of the world. The seal of God is described as being intellectually and spiritually settled into the truth: “Just as soon as the people of God are sealed in their foreheads–it is not any seal or mark that can be seen, but a settling into the truth, both intellectually and spiritually, so they cannot be moved–just as soon as God’s people are sealed and prepared for the shaking, it will come.” Maranatha 200

Those who were benefited by the increase of knowledge in 1840, and accepted the arrival of the second angels message were able to receive the midnight cry which Ellen White describes as the outpouring of the Holy Spirit which was designed to give power to the second angels message, those who rejected the first two messages could in no wise be benefited by the midnight cry which was to prepare the saints to enter with Jesus into the Most Holy Place.

After the disappointment, which was the shaking testing time for the Millerites, it was only those who had trusted that the Lord had led them in the understanding in the prophecies, 27 and had spiritually settled into these truths could wait on the Lord. They were the ones who were able to understand God work in the most holy apartment. The coming of Christ, as announced by the first angel’s message, was understood to be represented by the coming of the bridegroom.

The widespread reformation under the proclamation of His soon coming, answered to the going forth of the virgins. In this parable, as in that of Matthew 24, two classes are represented. All had taken their lamps, the Bible, and by its light had gone forth to meet the Bridegroom. But while “they that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them,” “the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. The latter class had received the grace of God, the regenerating, enlightening power of the Holy Spirit, which renders His word a lamp to the feet and a light to the path. In the fear of God they had studied the Scriptures to learn the truth, and had earnestly sought for purity of heart and life.

These had a personal experience, a faith in God and in His word, which could not be overthrown by disappointment and delay. Others “took their lamps, and took no oil with them.” They had moved from impulse. Their fears had been excited by the solemn message, but they had depended upon the faith of their brethren, satisfied with the flickering light of good emotions, without a thorough understanding of the truth or a genuine work of grace in the heart. These had gone forth to meet the Lord, full of hope in the prospect of immediate reward; but they were not prepared for delay and disappointment. When trials came, their faith failed, and their lights burned dim.

While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.” By the tarrying of the bridegroom is represented the passing of the time when the Lord was expected, the disappointment, and the seeming delay. In this time of uncertainty, the interest of the superficial and halfhearted soon began to waver, and their efforts to relax; but those whose faith was based on a personal knowledge of the Bible had a rock beneath their feet, which the waves of disappointment could not wash away.

“They all slumbered and slept;” one class in unconcern and abandonment of their faith, the other class patiently waiting till clearer light should be given. Yet in the night of trial the latter seemed to lose, to some extent, their zeal and devotion. The halfhearted and superficial could no longer lean upon the faith of their brethren. Each must stand or fall for himself. {Great Controversy 393- 394}

Now the Bible in conjunction with the spirit of prophecy informs that just before the close of probation, there will be a time when the nations will be angry but once again held in check in order not to prevent the work of the third angel. As Islam was the power that signified when the sealing, testing process was to begin amongst God’s people in 1840 so it was in 2001. In Early Writings page 36 we are told: I saw that the anger of the nations, the wrath of God, and the time to judge the dead were separate and distinct, one following the other, also that Michael had not stood up, and that the time of trouble, such as never was, had not yet commenced. The nations are now getting angry, but when our High Priest has finished His work in the sanctuary,

He will stand up, put on the garments of vengeance, and then the seven last plagues will be poured out. I saw that the four angels would hold the four winds until Jesus’ work was done in the sanctuary, and then will come the seven last plagues. Early Writings 36 In page 85 of Early Writings which is under the chapter called ‘supplement’ she expounds in greater detail on the passage above: “The commencement of that time of trouble,” here mentioned does not refer to the time when the plagues shall begin to be poured out, but to a short period just before they are poured out, while Christ is in the sanctuary.

At that time, while the work of salvation is closing, trouble will be coming on the earth, and the nations will be angry, yet held in check so as not to prevent the work of the third angel. At that time the “latter rain,” or refreshing from the presence of the Lord, will come, to give power to the loud voice of the third angel, and prepare the saints to stand in the period when the seven last plagues shall be poured out.” {Early Writings 85}

This passage identifies that the latter rain arrives when the nations are getting angry, yet held in check in order not to prevent the work of the third angel. The third angel is the sealing angel: “I then saw the third angel. Said my accompanying angel, “Fearful is his work. Awful is his mission. He is the angel that is to select the wheat from the tares, and seal, or bind, the wheat for the heavenly garner. These things should engross the whole mind, the whole attention.” Early Writings 118 I was shown three steps– the first, second, and third angels’ messages. Said my accompanying angel, “Woe to him who shall move a block or stir a pin of these messages. The true understanding of these messages is of vital importance. The destiny of souls hangs upon the manner in which they are received.” Early Writings 259 28

When the angering of the nations arrives, the latter rain arrives. The angering of the nations takes place during the period of time when “the work of salvation is closing” and “trouble is coming upon the earth”. Again speaking about the angels holding back the four winds she tells us: “I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, . . . saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. Rev. 7:2, 3 Four mighty angels are still holding the four winds of the earth. Terrible destruction is forbidden to come in full. The accidents by land and by sea; the loss of life,

steadily increasing, by storm, by tempest, by railroad disaster, by conflagration; the terrible floods, the earthquakes, and the winds will be the stirring up of the nations to one deadly combat, while the angels hold the four winds, forbidding the terrible power of Satan to be exercised in its fury until the servants of God are sealed in their foreheads. Angels are holding the four winds, which are represented as an angry horse seeking to break loose and rush over the face of the whole earth, bearing destruction and death in its path.” {My Life Today 308} It is interesting to note that she likens the four winds to an “angry horse” We know that it is in the 1843 chart, a horse is used to symbolize Islam.

This chart we are told was directed by the hand of the Lord and should not be altered. Why is this? Why did God not want this chart to be altered? Well events on this chart were to be repeated in the future and to follow in the same order as it did with the Millerites, and through an understand of the history of the Millerites history, we will be able to locate where we are at this point in earth’s history and when we can expect the angel of revelation 18 to join the third angel in the loud cry. This loud cry represents increasing power and importance of the third angel’s message. The truth for this time, the third angel’s message, is to be proclaimed with a loud voice, meaning with increasing power, as we approach the great final test.

This test must come to the churches in connection with the true medical missionary work, a work that has the great Physician to dictate and preside in all it comprehends. Under the great Head we are to present God’s word requiring obedience to the system of Bible truth, which is a system of authority and power, convicting and converting the conscience. The demand of the word to obedience is a life and death question. The present truth for this time comprises the messages, the third angel’s message succeeding the first and second. The presentation of this message with all it embraces is our work.

We stand as the remnant people in these last days to promulgate the truth and swell the cry of the third angel’s wonderful distinct message, giving the trumpet a certain sound. Eternal truth, which we have ad- 29 hered to from the beginning is to be maintained in all its increasing importance to the close of probation. The trumpet is to give no uncertain sound. We must devise and plan wisely, practicing simplicity and the strictest economy and manifesting Christ’s likeness of character. Faith, eternal faith in the past and in the present truth is to be talked, is to be prayed, is to be presented with pen and voice. The third angel’s message in its clear, definite terms is to be made the prominent warning; all that it comprehends is to be made intelligible to the reasoning minds of today.

While we bind ourselves to the development of the truth in the past angels’ messages, we are announcing the message of the third angel and of the other angels that follow the third, the second time proclaiming the fall of Babylon. 1888 Materials 1710 Notice that the loud cry represents increasing power as we approach the “great final test” This great final test is the Sunday law. As Christ came down in Revelation 10 to empower the message to prepare for His coming to the Ancient of Days in 1844 so Christ has now come in revelation 18 to empower the people for his second coming. Christ has already begun to allow light to shine on this history through his word. Note there are two parts to the angel of Revelation 18. John first sees the angel which is coming down from heaven: “And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven having great power;” Rev 18:1;

The second is when ‘another voice’ is heard calling the people out of Babylon, this call out of Babylon relates to when the Sunday law is fully enacted and when the third angels message is proclaimed more fully. “When Jesus began His public ministry, He cleansed the Temple from its sacrilegious profanation. Among the last acts of His ministry was the second cleansing of the Temple. So in the last work for the warning of the world, two distinct calls are made to the churches. The second angel’s message is, “Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication” (Rev. 14:8). And in the loud cry of the third angel’s message a voice is heard from heaven saying,

“Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities” (Rev. 18:4, 5).–The Review and Herald, Dec. 6, 1892. Bear in mind that these angels represent a work that the people of God are doing, if they don’t get proclaimed through you and I, the people don’t hear them: “I have had an experience in the first, second, and third angels’ messages.

The angels are represented as flying in the midst of heaven, proclaiming to the world a message of warning, and having a direct bearing upon the people living in the last days of this earth’s history. No one hears the voice of these angels, for they are a symbol to represent the people of God who are working in harmony with the universe of heaven. Men and women, enlightened by the Spirit of God, and sanctified through the truth, proclaim the three messages in their order.” {LS 429.1}

“The third angel is represented as flying in the midst of heaven, symbolizing the work of those who proclaim the first, second, and third angel’s messages; all are linked together. Selected Messages,” book 3, 405 “The angels are represented as flying in the midst of heaven, uttering a solemn proclamation. Their voices are not heard by the inhabitants of earth, save through the people who carry forward the work as the messengers of God. Those who search the Scriptures understand the messages given by the angels, and take up the cry, proclaiming the warning to the world. The three messages for this time are of most solemn import, and it is of the greatest consequence to those who hear whether or not they act upon the light given.” {RH, July 7, 1891 par. 11}

It is this unfolding of prophetic light that will bring the unfolding of the two groups. When the latter rain begins to fall, one group in Adventism will recognise it, the other group will not. In Christ day, one of the reasons why they crucified Him was because of their misapplication of prophecy and it was the same for those living in the Millerite period. Before the latter rain is poured out without measure, their will be a ‘sprinkling’ to prepare for the full outpouring at the Sunday law which will be the cleansing process for Adventism. “Many have in a great measure failed to receive the former rain. They have not obtained all the benefits that God has thus provided for them. They expect that the lack will be supplied by the latter rain.

When the richest abundance of grace shall be bestowed, they intend to open their hearts to receive it. They are making a terrible mistake. The work that God has begun in the human heart in giving His light and knowledge must be continually going forward. Every individual must realize his own necessity. The heart must be emptied of every defilement and cleansed for the indwelling of the Spirit. It was by the confession and forsaking of sin, by earnest prayer and consecration of themselves to God, that the early disciples prepared for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. The same work, only in greater degree, must be done now. Then the human agent had only to ask for the blessing, and wait for the Lord to perfect the work concerning him.

It is God who began the work, and He will finish His work, making man complete in Jesus Christ. But there must be no neglect of the grace represented by the former rain. Only those who are living up to the light they have will receive greater light. Unless we are daily advancing in the exemplification of the active Christian virtues, we shall not recognize the manifestations of the Holy Spirit in the latter rain.

​

It may be falling on hearts all around us, but we shall not discern or receive it” Testimonies to Ministers 507 30 We must not wait for the latter rain. It is coming upon all who will recognize and appropriate the dew and showers of grace that fall upon us. When we gather up the fragments of light, when we appreciate the sure mercies of God, who loves to have us trust Him, then every promise will be fulfilled. [Isa. 61:11 quoted.]

The whole earth is to be filled with the glory of God (Letter 151, 1897). {7BC 984.5} Before the Sunday law light shining from the word of God will once again fulfil the history of the Millerite experience. This history was a glorious manifestation of the power of God and is now in the process of fulfilment again, but many are unable to recognise it. This portion, that is now open is Daniel 11:40-45, which is the third angels message, a warning against receiving the Mark of the Beast. And Christ is now preparing His Bride, the wise virgins for His final coming and Satan through the foolish virgins is once again preparing many to reject this invitation crucifying Christ in the form of his word.

“There is to be in the [Seventh-day Adventist] churches a wonderful manifestation of the power of God, but it will not move upon those who have not humbled themselves before the Lord, and opened the door of the heart by confession and repentance. In the manifestation of that power which lightens the earth with the glory of God, they will see only something which in their blindness they think dangerous, something which will arouse their fears, and they will brace themselves to resist it. Because the Lord does not work according to their ideas and expectations they will oppose the work.

“Why,” they say, “should we not know the Spirit of God, when we have been in the work so many years?”–RH Extra, Dec. 23, 1890. {LDE 209.3} Upon the Testimony of Two or Three Upon the Testimony of Two or Three “The work of God in the earth presents, from age to age, a striking similarity in every great reformation or religious movement. The principles of God’s dealing with men are ever the same. The important movements of the present have their parallel in those of the past, and the experience of the church in former ages has lessons of great value for our own time.” The Great Controversy, 343. The Bible instructs us that upon the testimony of two or three, a thing is established. In the history of Christ, which was a great reformatory movement

, John the Baptist was raised up with a message. We have seen how Sister White compares Miller with John several times. Just as Miller and John presented a message, there came a time when a divine symbol descended to empower the work. With Miller it was the angel of Revelation 10, with John it was the dove that descended upon Christ at His baptism. After the message was empowered, the activities of those who were fighting against the message are identified. With Miller it was the Protestant churches; with John, the Sanhedrin chose that it was expedient for Christ to die that the whole nation not perish.

This marked the second message for Miller and the second waymark for John. The second message was empowered for Miller at the midnight cry, and Sister White uses the triumphal entry of Christ into Jerusalem to illustrate the midnight cry. When judgment opened in 1844 it paralleled the judgment that was accomplished at the cross. The history of Christ is identical to the history of the Millerites, and therefore identical to the history of the loud cry, but only if you identify the distinction between the two angels of Revelation 18. Moses was a type of Christ, and in the history of the deliverance from Egypt we find another great reformatory movement.

Moses was given the message at the burning bush, and before he returned to Egypt Christ came down and confronted him with the fact that he had not circumcised his sons. When Sister White comments on this she points out that if Moses had allowed his sons to skip circumcision it would have weakened the effectiveness of his work. His message was therefore empowered when Christ came down. Pharaoh ordered the Jews to make more bricks and gather their own straw, thus paralleling the Protestant churches resisting Miller, and the Sanhedrin resisting Christ; and then followed the plagues which paralleled the manifestation of power that was illustrated in the triumphal entry and the midnight cry.

The plagues led into the judgment of the firstborn, just as judgment began in 1844 with Miller, and Satan was judged at the cross. Sister White tells us that which follows the first and second angel’s messages is to run parallel to them. The message is the third angel’s message. It parallels Moses, John and Miller. The third message is empowered when the angel comes down in Revelation 18:1– 3, just as the angel of Revelation 10 came down and empowered the first message in 1840, and just as the dove came down and empowered John’s message, and just as Christ came down and empowered Moses’ message. Verse 4 of Revelation 18 marks the Sunday law, where the call is made to ‘come out of her,

My people’ paralleling the Sanhedrin, Pharaoh, and the Protestants of Miller’s day. Then we see the full outpouring of the Holy Spirit paralleling the midnight cry, the triumphal entry and the plagues. When Michael stands up and judgment ends at the close of the third angel’s message we are paralleling the opening of judgment in 1844, the judgment illustrated at the cross and the judgment of the firstborn. One of the facts that have recorded for God’s end time church was where the latter rain was partially illustrated. when the Lord desired to finish his work in 1888 with the righteousness by faith message with Waggoner and A.T

Jones, one of the facts that was recorded for us here at the end of the world. Is that 31 It is true that Spiritualism is now changing its form, and, veiling some of its more objectionable features, is assuming a Christian guise. But its utterances from the platform and the press have been before the public for nearly forty years, and in these its real character stands revealed. These teachings cannot be denied or hidden.

Even in its present form, so far from being more worthy of toleration than formerly, it is really a more dangerous, because a more subtle deception. While it formerly denounced Christ and the Bible, it now professes to accept both. But the Bible is interpreted in a manner that is pleasing to the unrenewed heart, while its solemn and vital truths are made of no effect. Love is dwelt upon as the chief attribute of God, but it is degraded to a weak sentimentalism making little distinction between good and evil. God’s justice, his denunciations of sin, the requirements of his holy law, are all kept out of sight.

The people are taught to regard the decalogue as a dead letter. Pleasing, bewitching fables captivate the senses, and lead men to reject the Bible as the foundation of their faith. Christ is as verily denied as before; but Satan has so blinded the eyes of the people that the deception is not discerned. {Great Controversy 1888 p558.} when the latter rain finally does arrive, men who should have participated with the message and work of that period will fight against it, for it will not meet their preconceived ideas.

There is nothing new under the sun! As it was with Christ and the Millerites so it will be for this generation. “The Jews refused to receive Christ, because He did not come in accordance with their expectations. The ideas of finite men were held as infallible, because hoary with age. This is the danger to which the church is now exposed- -that the inventions of finite men shall mark out the precise way for the Holy Spirit to come. Though they would not care to acknowledge it, some have already done this. And because the Spirit is to come, not to praise men or to build up their erroneous theories, but to reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment, many turn away from it. They are not willing to be deprived of the garments of their own selfrighteousness.

They are not willing to exchange their own righteousness, which is unrighteousness, for the righteousness of Christ, which is pure, unadulterated truth. The Holy Spirit flatters no man, neither does it work according to the devising of any man. Finite, sinful men are not to work the Holy Spirit. When it shall come as a reprover, through any human agent whom God shall choose, it is man’s place to hear and obey its voice.” Testimonies to Ministers 64.3 “At Christ’s first advent the angels broke the silence of the night with acclamations of praise, and proclaimed glory to God in the highest peace on earth; good will toward men.

He is soon to come again with power and great glory. Those who are not wedded to the world will realize that the time demands something more than a weak, faint, methodical discourse. They will see that there must be earnestness and power accompanying the word which will arouse the powers of hell to oppose the warnings God designs to come to the people to awaken men out of their carnal security, that they may prepare themselves for the great event right upon us. The promise is,

“Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you; and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” God will accept no sleepy, tame message at this time. In old time “Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost,” and we may expect such teaching in our day. I know that the Lord has wrought by his own power in Battle Creek. Let no one attempt to deny this; for in so doing they will sin against the Holy Ghost. Because there may be need to warn and caution every one to walk carefully and prayerfully, in order that the deceptive influence of the enemy shall not lead men away from the Bible, let no one suppose that God will not manifest his power among his believing people; for he will work and none can hinder him. His name will be a praise in the earth. “

After these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.” Some souls will see and receive the light; but those who have stood long in resistance of light, because it did not come just in accordance with their ideas, will be in danger of calling light darkness, and darkness light; but the power of God will sweep away the refuge of lies, and his glory will be revealed.

Let not one ray of light be resisted, let no operation of the Spirit of God be interpreted as darkness. God will not leave his people to wrestle with principalities and powers, with the rulers of the darkness of this world, with spiritual wickedness in high places, without the co-operation of heavenly angels. The power of God will be manifested to hold in check the power of the enemy. God will give victory to the truth.” The 1888 Materials, 1254— 1255 32 The Southern and Northern The Southern and Northern Kingdoms Kingdoms “We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts. 2 Peter 1:19

In this chapter, we will now with more evidence identify the two kings in Daniel 11:40-45. It was in chapter 2, we briefly reviewed the complete vision of Daniel 11, and we found that prophetically the northern and southern kings were identified in the historical record by locating which earthly power controlled the area of either Egypt or Babylon. The power which controlled Egypt was recognized in the prophecy of Daniel 11 as the king of the south, while the power which ruled Babylon was understood to be the king of the north.

This rule will allow us to identify those kings throughout Daniel 11. In order to apply this rule to Daniel 11:40-45 we will apply two rules of prophecy which impact the identification of these kings from 1798 onward. Louis F. Were was an Adventist author who focused many of his writings on the understanding of prophecy. Though now deceased, his books are still available. We will consider these two rules as set forth in one of his literary works. The first rule is called “Worldwide Symbolized by the Local.” “All the prophets employed the principle of the worldwide symbolized by the local.” Some examples of its use are as follows: ”

‘His [Zephaniah’s] prophecies of impending judgment upon Judah apply with equal force to the judgments that are to fall upon an impenitent world at the time of the second advent of Christ.’ Prophets and Kings, 389. ‘Christ saw in Jerusalem a symbol of the world . . . hastening on to meet the retributive judgments of God.’ ‘The Saviour’s prophecy concerning the visitation of judgments upon Jerusalem is to have another fulfillment, . . . the doom of a world.’ The Great Controversy, 22, 36.

“Numerous examples could be cited of the use of the local which is employed as a symbol of worldwide occurrences at the end of time–this principle runs throughout the Bible. As stated by Dr. Angus: ‘From the typical character of ancient dispensations arises another peculiarity of prophecy. It not only speaks their language, but it often has a double application.’ Bible Handbook, 285.” Bible Principles of Interpretation, 25. The second important and closely related prophetic rule which we use in order to identify the kings in Daniel 11 is titled,

“The Things of Israel Now Belong to the Church.” This rule draws the dividing line for determining whether we are to understand the names or places of prophecy as literal or symbolic. “This principle is positively fundamental to the understanding of the prophecies of Daniel and the Revelation–it is the foundational principle of God’s last-day message. The Lord gave Paul the special commission of showing how the church became ‘the Israel of God,’ that the promises to literal Israel were to be fulfilled in the experiences of the church:

” ‘They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.’ Romans 9:8. ‘If ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.’ Galatians 3:29 . . . ‘We are numbered with Israel. . . . All the promises of blessing through obedience, are for us.’ The Ministry of Healing, 405. ‘I was shown that those who are trying to obey God . . . are God’s chosen people, His modern Israel.’ Testimonies, vol. 2, 109. . . .

The principle that Israel’s history is typical or prophetical of the experiences of the church is continually employed in the Spirit of Prophecy.” Bible Principles of Interpretation, 11-12. We will now apply the rule previously cited to identify the kings of Daniel 11. The king of the north was the power which controlled Babylon. The king of the south was determined by the power which controlled Egypt. As 1798 was well after the cross, it is spiritual Egypt and spiritual Babylon that we must seek to identify. We must also identify the kingdoms which control them.

We will begin with the king of the south. In the Bible the word south comes from a Hebrew word associated with Egypt. The word means “the south.” “south–5045: from an unused root meaning to be parched; the south (from its drought); specifically the Negeb or southern district of Judah, occasionally, Egypt (as south to Palestine): south (country, side, -ward).” Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. Revelation 11:8 figuratively identifies France as “the great city,” and calls it “spiritually,” “Sodom and Egypt.” ” ‘The great city’ in whose streets the witnesses are slain, and where their dead bodies lie, is ‘spiritually’ Egypt.

Of all nations presented in Bible history, Egypt most boldly denied the existence of the living God and resisted His commands. No monarch ever ventured upon more open and highhanded rebellion against the authority of Heaven than did the king of Egypt. When the message was brought him by Moses, in 33 the name of the Lord, Pharaoh proudly answered: ‘Who is Jehovah, that I should hearken unto His voice to let Israel go? I know not Jehovah, and moreover I will not let Israel go.’ Exodus 5:2, A.R.V. This is atheism; and the nation represented by Egypt would give voice to a similar denial of the claims of the living God and would manifest a like spirit of unbelief and defiance. ‘

The great city’ is also compared, ‘spiritually,’ to Sodom. The corruption of Sodom in breaking the law of God was especially manifested in licentiousness. And this sin was also to be a pre-eminent characteristic of the nation that should fulfill the specifications of this scripture. According to the words of the prophet, then, a little before the year 1798 some power of satanic origin and character would rise to make war upon the Bible. And in the land where the testimony of God’s two witnesses should thus be silenced, there would be manifest the atheism of the Pharaoh and the licentiousness of Sodom.

“This prophecy has received a most exact and striking fulfillment in the history of France. During the Revolution, in 1793, ‘the world for the first time heard an assembly of men, born and educated in civilization, and assuming the right to govern one of the finest of the European nations, uplift their united voice to deny the most solemn truth which man’s soul receives, and renounce unanimously the belief and worship of a Deity.’–

Sir Walter Scott, Life of Napoleon, vol. 1, ch. 17. ‘France is the only nation in the world concerning which the authentic record survives, that as a nation she lifted her hand in open rebellion against the Author of the universe.’ Blackwoods Magazine, November, 1870.” The Great Controversy, 269-270. The identification of the “king of the south” in the prophecy of Daniel

11 is determined by which power controls Egypt. In 1798 the nation which is identified in the Bible as possessing the spiritual characteristics of Egypt is France. France was the king of the south in 1798. Daniel 11:40 states that at the time of the end, the king of the south would push against the king of the north. The word translated push means to war against. “push–5055: to but with the horns; figuratively to war against: gore, push (down, -ing).”

Strong’s. Daniel also uses the word push to describe the military conquests of Medo-Persia. “I saw the ram pushing westward, and northward, and southward; so that no beasts might stand before him, neither was there any that could deliver out of his hand; but he did according to his will, and became great.” Daniel 8:4. In Daniel 11:40, the word push signifies a war which starts at the time of the end–1798. This war would be directed against the king of the north and would be initiated by the king of the south–France. What power controlled the spiritual domain of Babylon in 1798? Just as south is associated with Egypt in the Bible, north is a direction associated with Babylon.

“Behold, I will send and take all the families of the north, saith the Lord, and Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will bring them against this land, and against the inhabitants thereof, and against all these nations round about, and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, and an hissing, and perpetual desolations.”

Jeremiah 25:9.

“For thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will bring upon Tyrus Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, a king of kings, from the north, with horses, and with chariots, and with horsemen, and companies, and much people.” Ezekiel 26:7. Sister White identifies which power controls the domain of spiritual Babylon: “The woman (Babylon) of Revelation 17 is described as ‘arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness . . . and upon her forehead was a name written, Mystery,

Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots.’ Says the prophet ‘I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.’ Babylon is further declared to be ‘that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.’ Revelation 17:4-6, 18. The power that for so many centuries maintained despotic sway over the monarchs of Christendom is Rome.” The Great Controversy, 382. The harlot of Rome is the power which controls modern or spiritual Babylon. Therefore, the Papacy is the king of the north.

When depicting France in Revelation 11:8, John identifies France as “the great city.” Babylon is also set forth as “that great city,” in Revelation 17:18. A city in prophecy represents a kingdom. “The marriage represents the reception by Christ of His kingdom. The Holy City, the New Jerusalem, which is the 34 capital and representative of the kingdom, is called ‘the bride, the Lamb’s wife.’ Said the angel to John:

‘Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife. . . . He carried me away in the spirit,’ says the prophet, ‘and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God.’ Revelation 21:9-10. . . . He will receive the New Jerusalem, the capital of His kingdom, ‘prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.’ Revelation 21:2. See Daniel 7:14.

Having received the kingdom, He will come in His glory, as King of kings and Lord of lords.” The Great Controversy, 426-427. In 1798, France, portrayed in Daniel 11:40 as the king of the south, began a war against the Papacy–portrayed as the king of the north. The Papacy received its deadly wound in 1798 when Napoleon, emperor of France, had the pope taken captive. The Papacy ceased to be a kingdom at this point in time, for it was stripped of its civil and political powers. The Papacy, however, did not cease to be a church. She simply lost her power and authority as a kingdom. The wound she received in 1798 will finally be healed when she regains her former position as the dominant geopolitical kingdom. In the book, The Keys of

This Blood, Malachi Martin sets forth his belief that there is a three-way race between the Papacy, the Soviet Union, and the United States to rule the world. He believes that the Papacy will return to the throne of the world by the end of this century. He states that this race is a battle between these three powers to determine who will control the geopolitical structure which will rule the world. He also defines what the Papacy lost in 1798: “The term ‘geopolitics’ is a relatively recent invention. It is composed of two Greek words, meaning ‘earth’ and ‘political system,’ which the ancient Greeks never combined. . . . “

At the close of two thousand years since Paul expressed the worldview of a genuine georeligion, the 263rd successor to the obscure Great Fisherman reigns and governs in Rome as the titular head of that georeligion housed in a genuinely geopolitical structure. For John Paul II is not only the spiritual head of a worldwide corpus of believers but also the chief executive of a sovereign state that is a recognized member of our late-twentieth-century society of states.

With a political goal and structure? Yes, with a geopolitical goal and structure. For, in the final analysis, John Paul II as the claimant Vicar of Christ does claim to be the ultimate court of judgment on the society of states as a society.” The Keys of This Blood, 371, 374-375. The deadly wound will be healed when the world comes into agreement with Malachi Martin’s point of view. Prophecy says it will happen, and the Papacy is simply biding her time . “And let it be remembered, it is the boast of Rome that she never changes.

The principles of Gregory VII and Innocent III are still the principles of the Roman Catholic Church. And had she but the power, she would put them in practice with as much vigor now as in past centuries. Protestants little know what they are doing when they propose to accept the aid of Rome in the work of Sunday exaltation. While they are bent upon the accomplishment of their purpose, Rome is aiming to reestablish her power, to recover her lost supremacy.

Let the principle once be established in the United States that the church may employ or control the power of the state; that religious observances may be enforced by secular laws; in short, that the authority of church and state is to dominate the conscience, and the triumph of Rome in this country is assured.” The Great Controversy, 581. Another reason to recognize the king of the north as the Papacy is the Bible rule that later prophecies amplify, expand, and confirm former prophecies. This rule is called, “Repeat and Enlarge.”

Louis F. Were addresses this principle: “God selected the Hebrew nation to proclaim His truth, and they expressed themselves by repetition–the repetition being an enlargement of that which preceded it. . . . “The Rev. W. F. Wilkinson, M.A., in his ‘Personal Names in the Bible,’ page 17, says:– ‘According to the genius of Hebrew poetry, when words or phrases of substantially the same import occur in two parallel or antithetical clauses, the variation of the second from the 35 first consists of its being explanatory, or expansive, or augmentative of the notion which the first contains.’ . . .

“The Bible is not only full of enlarging repetitions in individual verses, but it is full of explanatory repetitions in parables, sermons, prophecies, histories, etc. “Bible themes are written upon the crescendo plan. The earlier books lay the foundations for later developments. The details accumulate until, like an artist dipping his brush in different colours, a complete picture is produced.” The Certainty of The Angel’s Message, 110-111. Because of this principle the vision of Daniel 11 should repeat and enlarge Daniel’s previous visions. In the book of Daniel there are four prophecies. Within these four prophecies we find strong evidence that the king of the north is the Papacy. This evidence rests squarely on the rule of repeat and enlarge.

The first prophecy of Daniel 2, describes five successive kingdoms: Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome, and then the final kingdom, which is portrayed as the stone which is cut out of the mountain “without hands,” which destroys all the other kingdoms and fills the whole earth. The final kingdom is the kingdom of God, which is ushered in at the end of the world. The next prophecy of Daniel is found in chapter seven. The same four successive kingdoms are identified, but this prophecy repeats and enlarges upon the previous information. Then in Daniel 8 the third prophecy covers the same history, once again repeating and enlarging. In the vision of Daniel 11, Babylon, the first kingdom, is not mentioned, for it had already left the scene of history.

The prophecy begins with the Medes and Persians, followed by Greece. Would some say that the final kingdom is not Rome? All three of the previous prophecies of Daniel place Rome at the end of the world when she receives her punishment. Two of them refer to her judgment as a supernatural punishment– “without hands” and “broken without hands.” Likewise the final earthly power in Daniel 11 “comes to his end, and none shall help him.”

It would be inconsistent for us to study these four messages and not to see them as complementing, building, and agreeing with one another. Babylon is the head of gold and the lion. Medo-Persia is the breast and arms of silver, the bear, and the ram. Greece is the Belly and thighs of brass, the leopard, the he goat, and the mighty king. Rome is the legs of iron and the feet of iron and clay, the ten-horned beast, and the little horn. And in harmony with the previous prophecies the weight of the evidence is that Rome is also the king of the north of Daniel 11:40-45.

Using the principle of repeat and enlarge, we see papal Rome as the subject of Daniel’s final prophecy. There is yet another way to identify the king of the north as the Papacy. Sister White directs our attention to the Papacy in connection with “the last features plainly revealed in this earth’s history.” “The scenes connected with the working of the man of sin are the last features plainly revealed in this earth’s history.” Selected Messages, book 2, 102.

The sequence of events in Daniel 11:40-45 begins in 1798. But the sequence of events set forth in these verses does not end with verse 45. The scenes portrayed continue on until Daniel 12:4, where Daniel is told to “shut up the words, and seal the book.” Daniel 12:1 is a continuation of the previous verses, for its opening phrase demands that it be included within the previous sequence: “And at that time shall Michael stand up.” What time? The time just described in the preceding verses. “At that time,” points back to the previous events. That time is the close of probation. ” ‘

And 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, every one that shall be found written in the book.’ Daniel 12:1. When this time of trouble comes, every case is decided; there is no longer probation, no longer mercy for the impenitent. The seal of the living God is upon His people.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 212-213. The king of the north “shall come to his end” some time after the close of probation, for “at that time” Michael will stand up, ceasing His mediation in the Most Holy Place. The king of the north is the man of sin, the pope of Rome, the head of the last earthly kingdom portrayed in all of Daniel’s prophecies.

The Papacy is the power which controls spiritual Babylon, which France, represented by the king of the south, pushed at in 1798. The war initiated in 1798 between these kings continued until the fall of the Soviet Union within the recent past. In second chapter we focused on a passage in which Sister White taught that scenes and histories similar to the history which had transpired within the vision of Daniel 11, particularly verses 30-36, would be repeated. We noted also the history of pagan and papal Rome’s rise to power. Both had to overcome three kingdoms in advance of their assuming dominion over the world.

The little horn of pagan Rome had to conquer the south, the east, and the pleasant land. See Daniel 8:9. Papal Rome had to uproot the three horns–the Vandals, Goths, and Heruli. Before the wound preventing the Papacy from exercising civil power over the world will be healed, it must also subdue three entities. These three entities are three walls. As we proceed through our study we will prove with more evidence that when the Soviet Union fell in fulfillment of Daniel 11:40, the symbolic wall of the Iron Curtain was 36 removed. A milestone in its collapse was the destruction of the Berlin Wall. In Daniel 11:41, the next area of conquest is identified as the glorious land.

The glorious land is the United States which bows to the Roman power when its legislators form an image to the beast, through the passage of a national Sunday law. When this happens the symbolic wall of separation between church and state will have been removed. Revelation 13:11-12, teaches that immediately after the United States speaks as a dragon, (which the Spirit of Prophecy identifies as the passage of the national Sunday law), then the United States will force the entire world to do the same.

The world will follow America in erecting an image to the beast. The definition of the image of the beast involves the enforcement of religious laws through civil power. For the world to create an image to the beast, they must have a world government which can create and enforce law. Without this ability, the definition of an image to the beast cannot be accomplished. After the king of the north enters the glorious land in verse 41, he then takes control of Egypt, which represents the entire world. Before the entire world can be controlled by a world government, which will enforce religious laws, the governments of the world will be forced to surrender their rights as individual nations.

When this happens, the symbolic wall of national sovereignty will have been removed. These types of laws are already under development within the United Nations. Just as pagan Rome conquered three kingdoms as it took the world captive, papal Rome also conquered three kingdoms. Pagan Rome used its own military to accomplish its task, whereas papal Rome will use outside military power in order to ascend to the throne of the earth. Both their wars were literal wars fought by literal armies.

The king of the north will also defeat three powers as it returns to the position of dominance which it lost in 1798. The three obstacles which the Papacy will surmount will be confronted in the battlefield of spiritual warfare as opposed to literal warfare. The fight will rage in the realm of ideologies and doctrines. The first symbolic wall in this battle is now past history, as the battle of the ideology of atheism versus Catholicism, which began with the French Revolution, has been reversed. 

​

The next two walls of conquest are also spiritual battles which revolve around true and false doctrines. As the Papacy symbolically stretches forth its hand to the glorious land and then to Egypt, first the United States, and then the world, will fall prey in the final battle for the throne of the world. When these last two walls are removed, the healing of the wound will be complete, as verse 43 describes the king of the north bringing the economic structure of the world under his control.

This represents his full return to the position which he lost in 1798–his position as the dominant geopolitical kingdom. As we continue to study these final movements we should remember that although all three of these symbolic walls will fall, there is also a separating wall given us by the Creator, which will stand, and whereby we may find safety and refuge. “And I saw that if God had changed the Sabbath from the seventh to the first day,

He would have changed the writing of the Sabbath commandment, written on the tables of stone, which are now in the ark in the Most Holy Place of the temple in heaven; and it would read thus: The first day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God. But I saw that it read the same as when written on the tables of stone by the finger of God, and delivered to Moses on Sinai. ‘But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God.’ Exodus 20:10. I saw that the holy Sabbath is, and will be, the separating wall between the true Israel of God and unbelievers; and that the Sabbath is the great question to unite the hearts of God’s dear, waiting saints.” Early Writings, 33.

But if all prophesy, and there come in one that believeth not, or one unlearned, he is convinced of all, he is judged of all: And thus are the secrets of the heart made manifest; and so falling down on his face he will worship God, and report that God is in you of a truth. 1Corintians 14:24-25 37 The Time of The End The Time of The End AND at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.” Daniel 11:40

In the next chapters we will now do an in-depth study of the final 6 verses of Daniel 11. In 1798, we have already identified that the power which controlled the spiritual characteristics of Egypt–according to Revelation 11:7-11 and The Great Controversy, 269-270–was France. And at that same point in history the power which controlled the spiritual characteristics of Babylon was the Papacy, according to Revelation 17:1-6 and The Great Controversy, 382.

We found that the word “push” in the first part of Daniel 11:40 means to “war against.” When Napoleon had the pope of Rome taken captive in 1798, the first clause of verse 40 was fulfilled: “And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him.” We will now take up the rest of this verse. The next portion of the verse predicts that the king of the north will “come against” the king of the south “like a whirlwind,” implying a counterattack at some future point. However, not simply a counterattack, but a mighty reversal of this war is represented, for in the final words of the verse the king of the north “shall overflow and pass over.”

We will see below that the word “whirlwind” means to take away fearfully like a storm. This word is placed with the word “against,” illustrating not only a powerful sweeping away, but also an ascendancy. The final clause of the verse represents that the king of the north will overrun and remove the southern king, for to “overflow” is to conquer, rush, or wash away, and to “pass over”

is to cross over or to overrun. Let us examine Strong’s Hebrew dictionary definitions for some of the key words in Daniel 11:40: “whirlwind–8175: a primary root; to storm; by implication to shiver, i.e. fear:-be (horribly) afraid, fear, hurl as a storm, be tempestuous, come like (take away as with) a whirlwind. “against–5921: same as 5920 used as a preposition (in the singular or plural, often with prefix or as a conjugation with a particle following); above, over, upon, or against. . . . “5920: from 5927. . . . “5927:

Prim. root; to ascend, intransitively (be high) or actively (mount); used in great variety of senses, primary and secondary, literally and figuratively. . . . “overflow–7857: a primary root; to gush; by implication to inundate, cleanse; by analogy to gallop, conquer. . . . “pass–5674: a primary root; to cross over; used very widely of any transition (literal or figurative; transitive, intransitive, intensive, or causative); specifically to cover. . . .” Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance. .

Verse 40 teaches that sometime after 1798 the northern king would sweep away the southern king in a very powerful fashion, while also ascending, in some sense. In previous chapters we have demonstrated that Daniel 11:40-45 is a prophecy which was designed by God to be a catalyst for His people’s awakening at the end of the world. We proposed that as a parallel to the Millerite movement we should expect to see repeated some of the events which transpired under the pioneer movement. We referred specifically to Josiah Litch’s prophecy of the fall of the Ottoman Empire as an illustration of what impact the fulfillment of prophecy has on God’s people and the world.

In connection with that historic event and the prediction that some of the experiences of the pioneer movement will be repeated, we suggested that the recent fall of the Soviet Union was a possible modern counterpart to the fall of the papacy in 1798, with the exception that this prophecy lacked the element of specific prophetic time, and so God’s people were not benefited by an advance public prediction of the event. This proposition raises the question, How did the king of the south begin as France and then become the Soviet Union? Throughout the ebb and flow of history, as marked out in Daniel 11, the kings of the north and south rose and fell as new powers emerged to overthrow the previous kingdoms.

After 1798, the crown of the south also changed hands. France wore the crown of king of the south in 1798 as it manifested the spiritual characteristics of Egypt (atheism). Yet after the French Revolution the philosophy of atheism began to grow and refine, while the government of France moved away from atheism as the fundamental principle of its philosophy of government. Beginning in the seedbed of France, atheism eventually spread across Europe, and even the whole world. Though growing in its intellectual influence, atheism had ceased to have a voice, for to have a voice prophetically requires a government. “The ‘speaking’ of the nation is the action of its legislative and judicial authorities.” The Great Controversy, 442. The king of the south is not seen again until another na- 38 tion fulfills the qualifications necessary to assume the crown, through exalting and incorporating the characteristics of atheism into their government.

It is interesting to note that one characteristic of atheism’s work as a force in the history of nations is that it was always accompanied by revolution. Beginning with the French Revolution, atheism placed the palace of the king of the south in France; however, by 1917, atheism moved the palace of the southern king to Russia in the wake of the Bolshevik Revolution. In 1917, the king of the south came out of exile and continued its ongoing battle against the forces of Catholicism. Sister White

implies that these principles of atheism would continue and reach a higher state of importance than simply the French Revolution: “The centralizing of wealth and power; the vast combinations for the enriching of the few at the expense of the many; the combinations of the poorer classes for the defense of their interests and claims; the spirit of unrest, of riot and bloodshed; the worldwide dissemination of the same teachings that led to the French Revolution–all are tending to involve the whole world in a struggle similar to that which convulsed France.” Education, 228.

All emphasis supplied unless otherwise noted. Tracing the history of the Soviet Union’s conquests through the following years is enlightening in many ways. First is the fact that as country after country came under the control of this kingdom, the primary mode to accomplish such a feat was revolution. The design of Communism was to infiltrate, indoctrinate, and bring about a revolution. Another aspect of this growth is that almost all the countries which were eventually brought under the umbrella of the Soviet Union had previously been Catholic-dominated nations. One by one, Catholicism was losing its power base. As communism’s revolutions spread throughout the world, the Papacy was provided with a tool to identify the Soviet Union as a common enemy of themselves and the United States. This common enemy ploy prepared the way for the alliance described in verse forty, which is also the alliance more broadly addressed in Revelation 13.

Verse 40 teaches that the king of the north would eventually sweep the king of the south away–“with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships.” Identifying these prophetic symbols points to the role of the United States in this war. We understand that “chariots” and “horsemen” are symbolic of military power in Bible prophecy: “Then Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, I will be king: and he prepared him chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him.” 1 Kings 1:5. “And Benhadad the king of Syria gathered all his host together: and there were thirty and two kings with him, and horses, and chariots: and he went up and besieged Samaria, and warred against it.” 1 Kings 20:1. “Ships” are often associated with economic strength in Bible prophecy: “

They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters.” Psalm 107:23. “For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off, and cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city! And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas, that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.” Revelation 18:17-19. In Daniel 11:30, the emperors of the Roman Empire had been grieved by their inability to hold their kingdom together as they had previously done. In time France became the first catholic nation when its King Clovis, dedicated his nation to the papacy and began the work of removing the three horns.

The recent historical records describing the fall of the soviet union echoes the history of Clovis as it identifies the Military and economic pressure supplied by the United Sates coming to the aid of the Papacy to sweep away the southern King, while beginning the prophetic role outlined for the United States in Revelation 13. What had been truth to Adventism for 150 years has become “present truth”. Daniel 11:40 states that when the king of the north sweeps away the southern kingdom, “he shall enter into the countries.” This clause pinpoints that the kingdom of the south would be a confederacy of countries. That was certainly true of the former Soviet Union and its many satellite countries.

Prophecy Fulfills Prophecy Fulfills Sister White makes a statement which will allow us to test the scenario we have just set forth against the testimony of the historical record. “Historical events, showing the direct fulfillment of prophecy, were set before the people, and the prophecy was seen to be a figurative delineation of events leading down to the close of this earth’s history. The scenes connected with the working of the man of sin are the last features plainly revealed in this earth’s history.” Selected Messages, book 2, 102. As the “historical events” associated with the collapse of the Soviet Union were recorded by the secular press, we find the history of the ongoing war between atheism and Catholicism described.

The alliance between the United States and the Papacy is addressed, including the military and economic role played by the United States. Incredibly, we find the authors of these secular articles were frequently led to choose words in illustrating their stories which are the same words found in the biblical description of verse 40. God intends for His people to see that these “historical events” are a “direct fulfillment of prophecy.” God would have us recognize this sequence of events as a wake-up call to Laodicea. 39 Confirmation in the Secular Press Confirmation in the Secular Press “Gorby’s Bow To The Roman Legions”–Title in the U.S. News & World Report.

“When the Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV decided to seek pardon of Pope Gregory VII in 1077, he stood barefoot for three days in the snow outside the papal quarters in Canossa, Italy. Gorbachev’s concordat with the church was no less significant in its way.” Time, December 11, 1989. “The Soviet president’s session Friday with Pope John Paul II is the latest development of a revolution in the Communist world that the pope helped spark and Gorbachev has allowed to happen.” U.S.A. Today, cover story, 1989. “Until recently, the battalions of Marxism seemed to have the upper hand over the soldiers of the Cross. In the wake of the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917, Lenin had pledged toleration but delivered terror.

‘Russia turned crimson with the blood of martyrs,’ says Father Gleb Yakunin, Russian Orthodoxy’s bravest agitator for religious freedom. In the Bolsheviks’ first five years in power, 28 bishops and 1,200 priests were cut down by the red sickle. Stalin greatly accelerated the terror, and by the end of Khrushchev’s rule, liquidation of the clergy reached an estimated 50,000. After World War II, fierce but generally less bloody persecution spread into the Ukraine and the new Soviet bloc, affecting millions of Roman Catholics and Protestants as well as Orthodox.” Time, December 4, 1989. “In private meetings with heads of state, back room consultations with dissident groups and persistent propagandizing for his crusade against tyranny, he [John Paul II] has helped bring about the greatest policy change since the Russian Revolution.” Life, December 1989.

“His [Pope John Paul II] triumphant tour of Poland in 1979, says Polish bishop, altered the ‘mentality of fear, the fear of police and tanks, of losing your job, of not getting promoted, of being thrown out of school, of failing to get a passport. People learned that if they ceased to fear the system, the system was helpless.’ Thus was born Solidarity, backed by the church and led by such friends of the pope as Lech Walesa and Tadeusz Mazowieke, who subsequently became the Soviet bloc’s first Christian Prime Minister.” Time, December 4, 1989.

“In 1935 Josef Stalin, absolute ruler of the Soviet Union, was given some unsolicited advice. Make a propitiatory gesture to the Vatican, he was told. Pushed too far, his country’s Catholics might become counterrevolutionary. Stalin’s great mustache amplified his sneer. ‘The Pope. And how many divisions has he?’ The answer then was that he has none. The answer now is that he needs none. The structures of Communism are crumbling to the touch.” Life, December 1989. “The rush to freedom in Eastern Europe is a sweet victory for John Paul II.” Life, December 1989. The word “rush” is the verb used to describe the spread of this freedom. He “shall overflow [rush] and pass through.”

The word “pushed” was chosen by this author to describe the war that Communism was waging against Catholicism. “Of all the events that have shaken the Soviet bloc in 1989, none is more fraught with history–or more implausible–than the polite encounter to take place this week in Vatican City. There, in the spacious ceremonial library of the 16th century Apostolic Palace, the czar of world atheism, Mikhail Gorbachev, will visit the Vicar of Christ, Pope John Paul II”.

“The moment will be electric, not only because John Paul helped inflame the fervor for freedom in his Polish homeland that swept like brush fire across Eastern Europe. Beyond that, the meeting of the two men symbolizes the end of the 20th century’s most dramatic spiritual war, a conflict in which the seemingly irresistible force of Communism battered against the immovable object of Christian- 40 ity.” Time, December 4, 1989. “While Gorbachev’s hands-off policy was the immediate cause of the chain reaction of liberty that has swept through Eastern Europe in the past few months, John Paul deserves much of the longer-range credit.” Time, December 4, 1989.

Here the word “swept” is used, and to sweep away is the definition for “come against like a whirlwind.” This event is described as the twentieth century’s most dramatic spiritual war, while identifying Gorbachev as the czar of world atheism as synonymous with being the czar of world Communism. Secular authors recognize Communism as–atheism. “The Triumph Of John Paul II–The tide of freedom washing over Eastern Europe answers his most fervent prayer.” Life, December, 1989. The word “overflow” means to “wash away,” as with water. Who was choosing the words for these secular reporters? “Days of the Whirlwind” Title in Newsweek, December 25, 1989, for an article that is a chronology of the fall of Communism. The author thought the best title for the article was the same word Daniel twice used–to prophetically describe the very same event.

Chariots and Horsemen Chariots and Horsemen “In 1981, the Communist bloc got another shock. A new American President, Ronald Reagan, began fulfilling his promise to challenge the Soviets, not placate them. Over the next few years, he accelerated the military buildup and announced the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), a space-based system for protecting against missile attack. He backed anti-Communist rebels in Nicaragua, Angola, Cambodia, and Afghanistan. And with American troops, he liberated the island of Grenada from Communist thugs. “The Soviets’ confidence was shaken. . . . “The Western Europeans also pressured the Soviets. NATO forged ahead with military modernization. German voters spurned Soviet ‘peace overtures’ and elected a government that voted to deploy new intermediaterange missiles. . . . “Military pressure from America and its Western allies had caused the Soviets to flinch.” Reader’s Digest, March 1990.

With Many Ships With Many Ships “Gorbachev has also grasped the fact that political and economic survival depends upon the goodwill of the Soviet people, among whom Christians have always outnumbered Communists. Gorbachev, moreover, needs the cooperation of the West, observes Father Mark, a reform-minded Orthodox priest in Moscow, who considers Gorbachev’s program within the U.S.S.R. ‘a result of foreign policy necessity.’ ” Time, December 4, 1989. “In the 1980s, communist economies, always inefficient, went belly up. Before, they had lacked consumer and luxury goods. Now perennial shortages of staples worsened as well. When Soviet miners went on strike in 1989, their demands included soap, toilet paper, and sugar.” Reader’s Digest, March 1990.

“For Gorbachev, the ferment in the Baltics is shaking not just a small corner of the empire built by Lenin and Stalin, but the foundations of the empire itself. The nationalities question is a potent distillation of many other signs, from a crumbling economy to violent ethnic clashes, that the breathtaking disintegration of the Soviet empire in Eastern Europe may not stop at the Soviet border. As the economy deteriorates and shortages grow, public disillusionment with Communism and with Gorbachev himself is rising, and hostile republics, nationalities and interests groups are competing more fiercely for political power and for shares in the shrinking economy. Corruption and crime are rampant; miners and railway workers threaten to cut off fuel supplies during the bitter winter; Azerbaijanis cut the rail line to an Armenian enclave in their midst; farmers hoard food, leaving city shelves bare.” U.S. News and World Report, January 15, 1990.

The Whirlwind Begins The Whirlwind Begins “In Poland the freedom movement was born almost three decades ago when the bishop of Krakow sought approval to build a new church. When Communist authorities denied his application, the bishop had a giant cross erected and celebrated open-air masses. The Communists tore it down. The church members replaced it over and over until finally the Communists gave up.” Jubilee, April 1990. Who was that bishop of Krakow? None other than Pope John Paul II. “With the Pope’s support,

Solidarity (Polish Labor Union) was formed, and John Paul II sent word to Moscow that if Soviet forces crushed Solidarity, he would go to Poland and stand with his people.” Reader’s Digest, March 1990. ” When Tadeusz Mazowiecki took over in August 1989 as Poland’s first non-Communist prime minister in forty-five years, he was asked if he was a socialist. ‘I am a Catholic,’ he answered tersely.” U.S. News and World Report, May 21, 1990. “Three new catholic bishops have recently been named in Czechosovakia. And this month Gorbachev meets Pope John Paul II during a visit to Italy—the first face-to-face encounter

between the leaders of the Kremlin and the Vatican. The sessions may lead to legalization of the longbanned Ukrainian Catholic Church in the USSR.” Life December, 1989 41 “Last year Lithuania’s two leading bishops were returned to head dioceses after a combined 53 years of internal exile, and the cathedral in Vilnius, previously used as an art museum, was restored for worship. This year the Belorussian republic got its first bishop in 63 years. That paved the way for Archbishop Angelo Sodano, who oversees the Vatican’s foreign relations, to make the arrangements for Gorbachev’s historic visit to the Holy See.

“These concessions to Catholicism are only part of Gorbachev’s religious liberalization.” Time, December 4, 1989. “Three new Catholic bishops have recently been named in Czechoslovakia. And this month Gorbachev meets Pope John Paul II during a visit to Italy–the first face-to-face encounter between leaders of the Kremlin and the Vatican. The sessions may lead to legalization of the longbanned Ukrainian Catholic Church in the U.S.S.R.” Life, December, 1989.

“The revival of religious freedom is expected to include lifting of an official ban on the five-million-member Ukraine Catholic Church, which has survived underground since 1946 when Stalin ordered it absorbed into the Russian Orthodox Church. Winning legalization for the Ukrainian Church has been a primary aim of the pope’s. Officials in the Soviet Union say they will clear the way for legalization by permitting Ukrainian Catholics to register, as other religious groups are now required to do under Soviet law.” U.S.

News and World Report, December 11, 1989. World news presents that Catholicism allied itself with the United States, using economic, social, religious, political, and military pressure to bring about the collapse of Communism. In spite of the wonderful stories of evangelistic triumphs in Eastern Europe we can rest assured that the Catholic Church is rapidly moving to reclaim its former stranglehold upon those countries. Our window of opportunity is indeed very short, for this verse teaches that Catholicism will overrun and cross over these countries as she “overflows and passes through.”

Time magazine, February 24, 1992, chose the title, “Holy Alliance,” to discuss this coming together of the United States and the Vatican as they sought to bring down Communism. The magazine elaborates on the secret nature of this alliance, and the closeness of the Vatican and the leadership of the United States. It draws the connection between the Vatican and the labor unions, identifying Solidarity as one of the main players in this intrigue. It also labels the use of our military, the CIA, labor unions, and finance, as key tools in this collaboration. “Only President Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II were present in the Vatican Library on Monday, June 7, 1982. It was the first time the two had met, and they talked for fifty minutes. . . .

“In that meeting, Reagan and the pope agreed to undertake a clandestine campaign to hasten the dissolution of the Communist empire. Declares Richard Allen, Reagan’s first National Security Adviser: ‘This was one of the great secret alliances of all time.’ . . . ” ‘Reagan came in with very simple and strongly held views,’ says Admiral Bobby Inman, former deputy director of the CIA. ‘It is a valid point of view that he saw the collapse (of Communism) coming and he pushed it– hard.’ During the first half of 1982, a five-part strategy emerged that was aimed at bringing about the collapse of the Soviet economy. . . . “[1]

The U.S. defense buildup already under way, aimed at making it too costly for the Soviets to compete militarily with the U.S. Reagan’s Strategic Defense Initiative– Star Wars–became a centerpiece of the strategy. “[2] Covert operations aimed at encouraging reform movements in Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and Poland. “[3] Financial aid to Warsaw Pact nations calibrated to their willingness to protect human rights and undertake political and free-market reforms. “[4]

Economic isolation of the Soviet Union and the withholding of Western and Japanese technology from Moscow. The Administration focused on denying the U.S.S.R. what it had hoped would be its principal source of hard currency in the twenty-first century: profits from a transcontinental pipeline to supply natural gas to West- 42 ern Europe. “[5] Increased use of Radio Liberty, Voice of America and Radio Free Europe to transmit the Administration’s messages to the peoples of Eastern Europe. ” ‘

Like all great and lucky leaders, the Pope and President exploited the forces of history to their own ends.’ ” Time, February 4, 1992, 29-30. An incredible part of this history is that God, through Daniel, concisely described these events in just one verse, containing only fifty words. In his book, Keys of This Blood, Malachi Martin, a Vatican insider, goes to great pains to illustrate that the attempted assassination of the pope was viewed by John Paul II as divine evidence that he should be the pope to ascend to the throne of the world.

The pope saw his attempted assassination as a sign from Mary, confirming the message sent to the Catholic Church and to the world– through the supernatural manifestation of the so-called “virgin” of Fatima, Portugal. This miracle, and the messages connected to it, are the guiding force for Catholicism as it prepares for the next millennium of peace. The Fatima miracle has specific information concerning Communism, Russia, and the conversion of the world. Strangely enough, this miracle occurred in 1917–the very year of the Bolshevic Revolution. The healing of the deadly wound identifies the restoration of power unto the Papacy as a geopolitical power. The Vatican lost its throne in 1798, when the king of the south began a war against the king of the north.

It is also noteworthy that the 1981 assassination attempt against the Pope–the king of the north–was apparently ordered by the king of the south–the Soviet Union. In a caption connected with two photographs showing the assassination attempts of both the pope and of Ronald Reagan, the following statement was made: “A Common Brush With Death–At their first meeting, Reagan and John Paul II discussed something else they had in common: both had survived assassination attempts that occurred only six weeks apart in 1981, and both believed God had saved them for a special mission.

And both referred to the ‘miraculous’ fact that they had ‘survived.’ In May 1981, before a vast audience in St. Peter’s Square, Pope John Paul was shot and severely wounded by Mehmet Ali Agea. There was immediate speculation that the Turkish gunman had been sent by East bloc plotters from Bulgaria, sponsored by the Soviet secret police. Their aim: to silence the one man capable of shaking the foundations of international Communism.” Life, December 1989. “With the Pope’s support, Solidarity (Polish Labor Union) was formed, and John Paul II sent word to Moscow that if Soviet forces crushed Solidarity, he would go to Poland and stand with his people. The Soviets were so alarmed that they hatched a plot to kill him. . . . The Pope cautioned Solidarity leaders, particularly his friend Lech Walesa, to proceed slowly. They did. In 1988 General Wojciech Jaruzelski, the Polish Communist leader, went to them offering a deal. Solidarity insisted on an election, which it carried with some 80 percent of the vote.

When the Communist government fell, the impact on Eastern Europe was electrifying.” Reader’s Digest, March 1990. The final movements in the healing of the deadly wound of the Papacy have begun, and ironically, the reigning pope himself received a deadly physical wound during this time period. The fulfillment of Daniel 11:40 is the first step of three steps which are necessary for the complete healing of the Papacy’s deadly wound. The first step is now past history. The historical record of the war between these two kingdoms confirms that it continued to the very end.

The next area of conquest for the Vatican is the glorious land of the United States. Possibly the most significant point of verse 40 is that the United States has already formed an alliance with the enemy which is preparing to bring her under his control. This is an echo of how the Papacy originally came into the control of the world, for just as Clovis surrendered his pagan beliefs when he came to the aid of the Papacy,

likewise the United States surrendered its Protestant beliefs when it came to the aid of the Papacy. This is true because to meet the definition of Protestant, one must protest popery, and maintain a firm denial of any type of alliance with Catholicism. Then said he unto me prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord God ; come from the four winds , O breath and breathe upon those slain that they may live. Ezekiel 37:9 43 The Modern Glorious Land The Modern Glorious Land HE shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon.” Daniel 11:41. Daniel 11:41 identifies the next spiritual area of conquest for the king of the north as the “glorious land.”

The word translated as “glorious” is defined in Strong’s Concordance as, “in the sense of prominence; splendor (as conspicuous), beautiful, goodly.” In agreement with the above definition this word is sometimes translated as “goodly.” At times it is used to describe ancient Palestine, ancient Israel’s Land of Promise that “flowed with milk and honey.” This was the land which Moses so ardently longed to enter–yet was forbidden. “I pray thee, let me go over, and see the good land that is beyond Jordan, that goodly mountain, and Lebanon.” Deuteronomy 3:25.

“The great Ruler of nations had declared that Moses was not to lead the congregation of Israel into the goodly land, and the earnest pleading of God’s servant could not secure a reversing of His sentence. He knew that he must die. Yet he had not for a moment faltered in his care for Israel. He had faithfully sought to prepare the congregation to enter upon the promised inheritance.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 469. The goodly land was a “promised inheritance,” designed to fulfill a specific purpose for ancient Israel. “

In Egypt their taste had become perverted. God designed to restore their appetite to a pure, healthy state, in order that they might enjoy the simple fruits that were given to Adam and Eve in Eden. He was about to establish them in a second Eden, a goodly land, where they might enjoy the fruits and grains that He would provide for them. He purposed to remove the feverish diet upon which they had subsisted in Egypt; for He wished them to be in perfect health and soundness when they entered the goodly land to which He was leading them, so that the surrounding heathen nations might be constrained to glorify the God of Israel, the God who had done so wonderful a work for His people. Unless the people who acknowledged Him as the God of heaven were in perfect soundness of health,

His name could not be glorified.” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 1, 1102. “God’s law must be exalted, His authority maintained; and to the house of Israel was given this great and noble work. God separated them from the world, that He might commit to them a sacred trust. He made them the depositories of His law, and He purposed through them to preserve among men the knowledge of Himself. Thus the light of Heaven was to shine out to a world enshrouded in darkness, and a voice was to be heard appealing to all peoples to turn from idolatry to serve the living God

Jeff Pippenger Time of the end 5
2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9

​

FUTURE FOR AMERICA

​

” ‘With great power, and with a mighty hand,’ (Exodus 32:11) God brought His chosen people out of the land of Egypt. ‘He sent Moses his servant; and Aaron whom he had chosen. They shewed his signs among them, and wonders in the land of Ham.’ ‘He rebuked the Red sea also, and it was dried up: so he led them through the depths.’ Psalms 105:26-27; 106:9. He rescued them from their servile state, that He might bring them to a good land, a land which in His providence He had prepared for them as a refuge from their enemies. He would bring them to Himself and encircle them in His everlasting arms; and in return for His goodness and mercy they were to exalt His name and make it glorious in the earth.

‘The Lord’s portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance. He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; he led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye. As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings: so the Lord alone did lead him, and there was no strange god with him.’ Deuteronomy 32:9-12. Thus He brought the Israelites unto Himself, that they might dwell as under the shadow of the Most High. Miraculously preserved from the perils of the wilderness wandering, they were finally established in the Land of Promise as a favored nation.” Prophets and 44 Kings, 16-17. Palestine was “designed” by the Lord as a fertile and prosperous land, capable of easily supplying all the temporal needs of ancient Israel. The Lord included in His providential design Palestine’s location at the crossroads of the ancient world. This central location facilitated Israel’s ease of interaction with mankind as they sought to “preserve among men the knowledge of Himself.” God “purposed” to raise up a “favored nation,” who would be the “depositories of His law.” If they would have upheld the terms of the “sacred trust,” they would have exalted “His name” and made “it glorious in the earth.” To accommodate this holy purpose,

He designed a special land of prosperity, divinely located on center stage in the theater of the world. The definition of the word “glorious” aptly describes Palestine and its purpose, in the sense of its prominence and beauty. Daniel and the Glorious Land Daniel and the Glorious Land Daniel speaks of “the glorious land” twice in chapter 11. He first mentions this land in Daniel 11:16: “But he that cometh against him shall do according to his own will, and none shall stand before him: and he shall stand in the glorious land, which by his hand shall be consumed.” Uriah Smith,

commenting on this verse states, “After putting an end to the war, Pompey demolished the walls of Jerusalem, transferred several cities from the jurisdiction of Judea to that of Syria, and imposed tribute on the Jews. For the first time Jerusalem was by conquest placed in the hands of Rome, that power which was to hold the ‘glorious land’ in its iron grasp till it had utterly consumed it.” Daniel and the Revelation, 247. Uriah Smith, and other Adventist pioneers, correctly viewed Daniel 11:16 as describing pagan Rome’s conquest of “the glorious land” of ancient Palestine. Pagan Rome’s invasion and victory is prophetically illustrated by the symbolic use of the word “hand.”

The “hand” is used prophetically to identify forced subjection. This symbol of subjection can describe either a literal or spiritual subjection, depending upon the context. Understanding the symbolic meaning of “hand” as force, identifies how the mark of the beast will be applied. In Daniel 11:41, we see papal Rome spiritually conquering the glorious land of the United States in connection with a description of those who escape his “hand.” We will look more closely at the prophetic use of the word “hand” in the next chapter. Daniel 11:16 portrays ancient Palestine being literally invaded, as ancient Israel was literally conquered by pagan Rome. Daniel portrays pagan Rome as “standing” in Palestine, for pagan Rome literally conquered the land. In Daniel 11:41 papal Rome spiritually conquers the modern glorious land, and as it does so, it is portrayed as “entering” that land–not standing in it.

The glorious land of ancient Israel was literally conquered by pagan Rome, but the glorious land for modern Israel will be spiritually conquered by papal Rome. Sister White counsels that “all the experience” of ancient Israel has important lessons which modern Israel should “carefully consider.” Ancient and Modern Ancient and Modern “

All the experience of Israel has a lesson for us, who are living in the last hours of time. We should carefully consider their course of action and the dealings of God with them, and then imitate their virtues, while we shun those acts which brought upon them His displeasure. This mighty God of Israel is our God. In Him we may trust, and if we obey His requirements He will work for us in as signal a manner as He did for His ancient people. It should be the most earnest study and continual effort of modern Israel to bring themselves into close and intimate relationship with God.”

The Signs of the Times, November 11, 1880. “I was pointed back to ancient Israel. But two of the adults of the vast army that left Egypt entered the land of Canaan. Their dead bodies were strewn in the wilderness because of their transgressions. Modern Israel are in greater danger of forgetting God and being led into idolatry than were His ancient people.” Testimonies, vol. 1, 609. “Unmistakable evidence is given that God is a jealous God, and that He will require of modern Israel as He did of ancient Israel, that they obey His law. For all who live upon the earth is this sacred history traced by the pen of Inspiration.” The Signs of the Times, May 27, 1880.

“For forty years did unbelief, murmuring, and rebellion shut out ancient Israel from the land of Canaan. The same sins have delayed the entrance of modern Israel into the heavenly Canaan. In neither case were the promises of God at fault. It is the unbelief, the worldliness, unconsecration, and strife among the Lord’s professed people that have kept us in this world of sin and sorrow so many years.” Selected Messages, book 1, 69. When Sister White states, “the experience of Israel has a lesson for us,” and that “this sacred history” has been “traced” for “all who live upon the earth,” she recognizes the Land of Promise as an important part of the parallel between ancient and modern Israel. Carefully consider the next quotation.

While primarily addressing the United States, Sister White first quotes Jeremiah 3:18-19. This verse specifically refers to ancient Palestine as “the land” which Israel had been “given for an inheritance.” Sister White then identifies a specific favored land which has been divinely provided–for modern Israel: ” In those days the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of 45 the north to the land that I have given for an inheritance unto your fathers. But I said, How shall I put thee among the children, and give thee a pleasant land, a goodly heritage of the hosts of nations? and I said, Thou shalt call me, My father; and shalt not turn away from me.’ Jeremiah 3:18-19.

“When the land which the Lord provided as an asylum for His people, that they might worship Him according to the dictates of their own consciences, the land over which for long years the shield of Omnipotence has been spread, the land which God has favored by making it the depository of the pure religion of Christ–when that land shall, through its legislators, abjure the principles of Protestantism, and give countenance to Romish apostasy in tampering with God’s law–it is then that the final work of the man of sin will be revealed.” Signs of the Times, June 12, 1893. We noticed earlier that God’s promise to ancient Israel was “that they might dwell as under the shadow of the Most High” as He “encircled them in His everlasting arms.” For modern Israel, the United States is “the land” which was provided as an “asylum for His people.” It is “the land” which has been “favored” by “the shield of Omnipotence.” Sister White specifies “the land” four times in this passage, accentuating the geographical aspect of the United States. The United States was “designed” by God to accomplish the same purpose for modern Israel as did Palestine for ancient Israel, providing God’s people with many spiritual and secular advantages in order to accomplish God’s mission on earth.

“The Lord has done more for the United States than for any other country upon which the sun shines. Here He provided an asylum for His people, where they could worship Him according to the dictates of conscience. Here Christianity has progressed in its purity. The life-giving doctrine of the one Mediator between God and man has been freely taught. God designed that this country should ever remain free for all people to worship Him in accordance with the dictates of conscience. He designed that its civil institutions, in their expansive productions, should represent the freedom of gospel privileges.” Maranatha, 193.

“The United States is a land that has been under the special shield of the Omnipotent One. God has done great things for this country, but in the transgression of His law, men have been doing a work originated by the man of sin. Satan is working out his designs to involve the human family in disloyalty.” The Seventhday Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7, 975. The United States was designed to be a modern-day land of milk and honey in order that God’s people could proclaim the final warning message to the world. Its prosperity, principles of government, and position as the great melting pot for the different nationalities of the world were “designed” to provide the same evangelistic advantages that were provided to ancient Israel through the glorious land of ancient Palestine.

At this point, we have failed to take full advantage of this providential favor, just as ancient Israel failed. Time is rapidly running out! “Is it in vain that the declaration of eternal truth has been given to this nation to be carried to all the nations of the world? God has chosen a people and made them the repositories of truth weighty with eternal results. To them has been given the light that must illuminate the world. Has God made a mistake? Are we indeed His chosen instrumentalities? Are we the men and women who are to bear to the world the messages of Revelation fourteen, to proclaim the message of salvation to those who are standing on the brink of ruin? Do we act as if we were?” Selected Messages, book 1, 92.

The war between the southern and northern kings in Daniel 11:40 establishes 1798 as the starting point for the conflict between the forces of Catholicism and atheism. The war portrayed in that verse is not resolved until the “chariots, and ships,” symbolizing the economic and military power of the United States, are brought into alliance with Catholicism. The United States and the Papacy formed an alliance as they recognized the USSR, the modern king of the south, as a common enemy. This alliance was formed not only to secure the freedom of the nations which were enslaved and dominated by the USSR, but also to battle against the philosophy of atheism.

This alliance parallels the activities of Clovis, king of France, who turned away from the predominant religious profession of his nation in order to come to the aid of Catholicism in its battle against Arianism. The alliance between Clovis and Catholicism resulted in the assault against the Ostrogoths, Vandals, and Heruli, which consisted not only of a war against the three nations, but also a war against the religious philosophy of Arianism which was held by these three nations. Once the alliance was formed, Clovis and other nations of Europe, which had formerly been pagan, began the military conquest which placed the Papacy on the throne of the world. The work of plucking up the three horns of Daniel 7, was carried on from ad A.D.508 until the last of the three horns was removed in A.D.538. At that point the abominable desolating power of the Papacy was set up.

The alliance between Clovis and the Vatican led to the 1260- year rule of the Papacy, ending with the infliction of “the deadly wound” in 1798. Clovis’ France empowered the Papacy at the beginning of the 1260 years, and Napoleon’s France used its power to bring an end to the same 1260 years. What began with an alliance, ended with war and captivity. The finishing of the first epoch of papal rule in 1798, is followed by retaliation against the king of the south which initiates the final epoch of papal rule. This ending is historically located in 1798, and with the future retaliation, is symbolically identified in Daniel 11:40. In 46 this verse, describing the final outcome of the alliance of Clovis, we see the United States symbolized as “ships, and chariots” as it begins to repeat the infamous historical record of the alliance of Clovis.

The tyrannical authority of Rome was brought to an end in this verse, and yet, in this same verse, we see the beginning of Rome’s eventual return to the power of her former position. In the historical setting of 1798, Sister White also addresses the United States: “What nation of the New World was in 1798 rising into power, giving promise of strength and greatness, and attracting the attention of the world? The application of the symbol admits of no question. One nation, and only one, meets the specifications of this prophecy; it points unmistakably to the United States of America. Again and again the thought, almost the exact words, of the sacred writer has been unconsciously employed by the orator and the historian in describing the rise and growth of this nation. The beast was seen ‘coming up out of the earth;’ and, according to the translators, the word here rendered ‘coming up’ literally signifies ‘to grow or spring up as a plant. . . .’ ” ‘And he had two horns like a lamb.’ Revelation 13:11.

The lamblike horns indicate youth, innocence, and gentleness, fitly representing the character of the United States when presented to the prophet as ‘coming up’ in 1798. Among the Christian exiles who first fled to America and sought an asylum from royal oppression and priestly intolerance were many who determined to establish a government upon the broad foundation of civil and religious liberty. Their views found place in the Declaration of Independence, which sets forth the great truth that ‘all men are created equal’ and endowed with the inalienable right to ‘life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.’

And the Constitution guarantees to the people the right of self-government, providing that representatives elected by the popular vote shall enact and administer the laws. Freedom of religious faith was also granted, every man being permitted to worship God according to the dictates of his conscience. Republicanism and Protestantism became the fundamental principles of the nation. These principles are the secret of its power and prosperity. The oppressed and downtrodden throughout Christendom have turned to this land with interest and hope. Millions have sought its shores, and the United States has risen to a place among the most powerful nations of the earth.” The Great Controversy, 440-441. It is worthy to note here that Sister White sets forth the books of Daniel and Revelation as books which complement each other. When we recognize the United States prophetically in Daniel 11:40-41, we line up this testimony with Revelation 13, like “a hand in a glove.”

We know verse forty is placing us historically at the time of the “deadly wound.” Revelation 13 is the testimony about the beast with the deadly wound and the beast which uses its power to heal the head of the beast which had received the deadly wound. These verses in Daniel project themselves perfectly into Revelation 13; they also squarely line up with the Spirit of Prophecy testimony concerning this time period in history.

In 1798 atheism established its capital within the realm of France, ultimately migrating to Russia, and eventually growing into the empire of the USSR. In 1798 Catholicism became a slain beast, removed from its geopolitical position as king of the earth, and yet ultimately destined to return to that very position which she had lost. Atheism and Catholicism are both portrayed as being in the process of change. So, too, is the United States–for in 1798 the United States was still the young lamblike beast of Revelation 13.

In its youth the United States has been sustained by the purity of its Protestant doctrine, but given time, it will eventually cease to be a lamb, as it will begin to speak as a dragon. These three entities are tied together in Daniel 11:40, and by verse 41 the United States, through the passage of a national Sunday law, will complete the metamorphosis of Revelation 13:11: “And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.” Inspiration portrays three specific powers in Daniel 11:40, as well as identifying a historical starting point. The three powers are placed within a setting in which their relationship is seen to be that of three political powers which are striving for the mastery of the world. But underlying the hunger for temporal power, we also find three conflicting spiritual and philosophical perspectives.

Beginning with the counterattack against the atheistic power of the king of the south, the sequence of events, which will unfold through the following verses, describes the growth of the spiritual power of Catholicism which prevails through the support of the forces of apostate Protestantism. The spiritual victories represented have a literal counterpart as the nations of the world are step by step brought under the dominion and ultimate control of the Papacy, as sustained and supported by the United States. The glorious land of the United States is the next target for spiritual conquest by the papal king of the north: “The greatest and most favored nation upon the earth is the United States. A gracious Providence has shielded this country, and poured upon her the choicest of Heaven’s blessings. Here the persecuted and oppressed have found refuge. Here the Christian faith in its purity has been taught. This people have been the recipients of great light and unrivaled mercies.

But these gifts have been repaid by ingratitude and forgetfulness of God. The Infinite One keeps a reckoning with the nations, and their guilt is proportioned to the light rejected. A fearful record now stands in the register of heaven against our land; but the crime which shall fill up the measure of her iniquity is that of 47 making void the law of God. Between the laws of men and the precepts of Jehovah will come the last great conflict of the controversy between truth and error. Upon this battle we are now entering–a battle not between rival churches contending for the supremacy, but between the religion of the Bible and the religion of fable and tradition. The agencies which will unite against truth and righteousness in this contest are now actively at work.” The Signs of the Times, July 4, 1899.

“America, . . . where the greatest light from heaven has been shining upon the people, can become the place of greatest peril and darkness because the people do not continue to practice the truth and walk in the light.” Selected Messages, book 3, 387. “The people of the United States have been a favored people; but when they restrict religious liberty, surrender Protestantism, and give countenance to popery, the measure of their guilt will be full, and ‘national apostasy’ will be registered in the books of heaven. The result of this apostasy will be national ruin.” Review and Herald, May 2, 1893. “Our land is in jeopardy.

The time is drawing on when its legislators shall so abjure the principles of Protestantism as to give countenance to Romish apostasy. The people for whom God has so marvelously wrought, strengthening them to throw off the galling yoke of popery, will by a national act give vigor to the corrupt faith of Rome, and thus arouse the tyranny which only waits for a touch to start again into cruelty and despotism. With rapid steps are we already approaching this period.” The Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 4, 410.

The previous passages in the Spirit of Prophecy which set forth the purpose of the United States contain another important insight which we passed by until now. In those previous nine passages we sought to identify the modern glorious land as the United States. Review these once more and you will find that all of these passages address not simply the United States, but they also address t

he national Sunday law. Both references to “the glorious land” in Daniel 11, identify the entrance of Rome into the land that serves as a haven or refuge for Israel. In agreement with Daniel, Sister White also places her information of the modern-day glorious land in connection with the papal king of the north entering into it through the passage of a national Sunday law. The history of ancient Israel presents an important parallel that modern Israel must prayerfully consider. One lesson, of utmost importance in this series, is the recognition that, just as God provided “the glorious land” of Palestine for ancient Israel, He has also provided “the glorious land” of the United States for the Seventh-day Adventist people–

His modern Israel. We have been assigned the task of proclaiming the final warning message to a world which is fearfully ignorant of the issues involved, and of the impending catastrophes connected with these final moments of probation. Ancient Israel was given a similar assignment and failed. The signs of the times, in connection with the unfolding light of prophecy, demand that we as a people begin to remove any obstacles from our personal experience which might prevent us from being among those who loudly proclaim this final message. The books of Daniel and Revelation are of great consequence to us, and should be studied with great earnestness. {Review and Herald, June 21, 1898 par. 38} 48 The Great Escape

The Great Escape HE shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon.” Daniel 11:41. In Daniel 11:40-42, there is symbolized within each verse a specific area of conquest for the Papacy. In previous articles we have noted that in verse 40 the Soviet Union is symbolized as the king of the south, and in verse 41, the United States is symbolized as the glorious land. In verse 42,

the entire world is symbolized as Egypt, which we will discuss in a future chapter. The word countries is found in each of these verses, but in 41, it is italicized, thus identifying a word which has been supplied by the translators. In verse 40, the Papacy sweeps away the many countries which made up the former Soviet Union, and in verse 42, the Papacy brings all the countries of the world under its dominion. But in verse 41, when the Papacy enters the glorious land of the United States, many (people) are overthrown–but not many countries.

Inadvertently, the translators of the King James Version minimized an important distinction within these verses by their addition of the word countries in verse forty-one. First, the Papacy enters into the countries of the former Soviet Union; then, he enters the United States; then, every country on the globe is brought into subjection. The Onward March The Onward March In Daniel 11:40-45 we see the Papacy marching as it ascends to the throne of the world, and ultimately to its final destruction.

These verses portray the king of the north moving through a progression of events. First he comes against the king of the south; then he enters the countries; and then, he passes over. In verse 41 he enters the glorious land; then in verse 42 he moves into Egypt, and by verse 43 all the countries are marching with him. In verse 44 he goes forth to destroy, and, eventually, he plants his tent in verse 45, where he is identified as coming to his end. These unfolding events provide a setting which illustrates that the information symbolized within these verses is a progression. The events associated with the approaching Sunday-law test, symbolized in verse 41, are also a progressive series of events.

The Twofold Division The Twofold Division As the Papacy spiritually enters the glorious land at the passage of a national Sunday law, those who “escape out of his hand” are contrasted by those who are “overthrown.” The division between those who are overthrown and those who escape first takes place among God’s people, and then progresses into the world. The Sunday-law test is the ending of the process of separating of God’s people, and the beginning of the process of separating the people of the world. This first separation occurs within God’s church and determines those who will receive the latter rain from those who will give heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils: “The great issue so near at hand

[the Sabbath test]

​

will weed out those whom God has not appointed and He will have a pure, true, sanctified ministry prepared for the latter rain.” Selected Messages, book 3, 385. “I saw that none could share the ‘refreshing’ unless they obtain the victory over every besetment, over pride, selfishness, love of the world, and over every wrong word and action. We should, therefore, be drawing nearer and nearer to the Lord and be earnestly seeking that preparation necessary to enable us to stand in the battle in the day of the Lord. Let all remember that God is holy and that none but holy beings can ever dwell in His presence.” Early Writings, 71.

“When the law of God is made void the church will be sifted by fiery trials, and a larger portion than we now anticipate, will give heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils.” Selected Messages, book 2, 368. The second separation begins when 49 God’s purified bride begins to call His “other sheep” out of Babylon. “When those that ‘believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness’ (2 Thessalonians 2:12), shall be left to receive strong delusion and to believe a lie, then the light of truth will shine upon all whose hearts are open to receive it, and all the children of the Lord that remain in Babylon will heed the call: ‘

Come out of her, my people.’ Revelation 18:4.” Maranatha, 173. The persecution accompanying the Sunday-law test divides God’s people into those who “receive strong delusions,” and those who are “prepared for the latter rain.” “In the absence of the persecution there have drifted into our ranks men who appear sound and their Christianity unquestionable, but who, if persecution should arise, would go out from us.” Evangelism, 360. “As the storm approaches, a large class who have professed faith in the third angel’s message, but have not been sanctified through obedience to the truth, abandon their position and join the ranks of the opposition.” The Great Controversy, 608.

A Change for the Worse A Change for the Worse As the United States will form an alliance with Catholicism in Daniel 11:40, it will cease to uphold the definition and the principles of Protestantism. This change will be a progressive growth leading to a national Sunday law, symbolized by the joining of hands. Beyond the Sunday law, this alliance continues to develop to the point where the United States will force the whole world to make an image to the beast, and then ultimately be instrumental in issuing the worldwide death decree. “How the Roman Church can clear herself from the charge of idolatry we cannot see. . . .

And this is the religion which Protestants are beginning to look upon with so much favor, and which will eventually be united with Protestantism. This union will not, however, be effected by a change in Catholicism; for Rome never changes. She claims infallibility. It is Protestantism that will change. The adoption of liberal ideas on its part will bring it where it can clasp the hand of Catholicism.” Review and Herald, June 1, 1886. Before the Sunday law is “strictly enforced,” as the United States moves closer to Catholicism and farther from her Protestant heritage, the divine protection, which the principles of Protestantism have secured for this nation, will begin to be withdrawn. This withdrawal of divine favor brings calamities and troubles in proportion to the lessening distance between the United States and Catholicism.

These troubles contribute to the initial persecution, which in turn, contributes to the division of God’s people. “It will be declared that men are offending God by the violation of the Sunday-sabbath; that this sin has brought calamities which will not cease until Sunday observance shall be strictly enforced; and that those who present the claims of the fourth commandment, thus destroying reverence for Sunday, are troublers of the people, preventing their restoration to divine favor and temporal prosperity. Thus the accusation urged of old against the servant of God will be repeated and upon grounds equally well established.” The Great Controversy, 590.

The people of this land will desire a “restoration to divine favor and temporal prosperity.” Their desire for a return to “prosperity” indicates that economic distress precedes the Sunday law. “The very means that is now so sparingly invested in the cause of God, and that is selfishly retained, will, in a little while, be cast with all idols to the moles and to the bats. Money will soon depreciate in value very suddenly when the reality of eternal scenes opens to the senses of man.” Welfare Ministry, 266.

Increasing economic instability with escalating calamities will contribute to the demand for Sunday observance, while also accelerating the persecution of God’s people, thus further dividing God’s people. Our work of warning will then be restricted by persecution, economic trials, increasing calamities, and apostasy from our ranks: “The work which the church has failed to do in a time of peace and prosperity she will have to do in a terrible crisis under most discouraging, forbidding circumstances.

The warnings that worldly conformity has silenced or withheld must be given under the fiercest opposition from enemies of the faith. And at that time the superficial, conservative class, whose influence has steadily retarded the progress of the work, will renounce the faith and take their stand with its avowed enemies, toward whom their sympathies have long been tending.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 463. The Shaking The Shaking This separation process is called “the shaking.” The shaking finishes its work for God’s people soon after the passage of the national Sunday law in the United States, and then it proceeds to the inhabitants of the world.

The Sunday law is the finish line for those who profess to be Seventh-day Adventists, but it is also the starting line for the shaking to move from Adventism to the world. The issue of Sabbath/Sunday sacredness will form the final dividing line between the obedient and the disobedient in this world: “The Sabbath will be the great test of loyalty, for it is the point of truth especially controverted. When the final test shall be brought to bear upon men, then the line of distinction will be drawn between those who serve God and those who serve Him not.

While the observance of the false sabbath in compliance with the law of the state, con- 50 trary to the fourth commandment, will be an avowal of allegiance to a power that is in opposition to God, the keeping of the true Sabbath, in obedience to God’s law, is an evidence of loyalty to the Creator. While one class, by accepting the sign of submission to earthly powers, receive the mark of the beast, the other choosing the token of allegiance to divine authority, receive the seal of God.” The Great Controversy, 605. Rising to the Occasion Rising to the Occasion As persecution increases, those who have only professed the truth, yet not experienced it, will continue to flee the ranks of Adventism.

At that time those who have not only professed but also experienced the truth will become more zealous in proportion to the apostasy in the world and in the church: “When the law of God is being made void, when His name is dishonored, when it is considered disloyal to the laws of the land to keep the seventh day as the Sabbath, when wolves in sheep’s clothing, through blindness of mind and hardness of heart, are seeking to compel the conscience, shall we give up our loyalty to God? No, no.

The wrongdoer is filled with a Satanic hatred against those who are loyal to the commandments of God, but the value of God’s law as a rule of conduct must be made manifest. The zeal of those who obey the Lord will be increased as the world and the church unite in making void the law. They will say with the Psalmist, ‘I love thy commandments above gold; yea, above fine gold.’ Psalm 119:127. This is what will be sure to occur when the law of God is made void by a national act. When Sunday is exalted and sustained by law, then the principle that actuates the people of God will be made manifest, as the principle of the three Hebrews was made manifest when Nebuchadnezzar commanded them to worship the golden image in the plain of Dura. We can see what our duty is when the truth is overborne by falsehood.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 13, 71.

The Time of Destructive Judgments The Time of Destructive Judgments The division of God’s people who “escape” the king of the north and those who are “overthrown” by him, reaches its climax when the law of God is made void “in a special sense.” This act of national apostasy is followed by national ruin, as God’s destructive judgments are poured out: “A time is coming when the law of God is, in a special sense, to be made void in our land.

The rulers of our nation will, by legislative enactments, enforce the Sunday law, and thus God’s people be brought into great peril. When our nation, in its legislative councils, shall enact laws to bind the consciences of men in regard to their religious privileges, enforcing Sunday observance, and bringing oppressive power to bear against those who keep the seventh-day Sabbath, the law of God will, to all intents and purposes, be made void in our land; and national apostasy will speedily be followed by national ruin.” Review and Herald, December 18, 1888.

“Protestants will work upon the rulers of the land to make laws to restore the lost ascendancy of the man of sin, who sits in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. Roman Catholic principles will be taken under the care and protection of the state. This national apostasy will speedily be followed by national ruin. 

 The protest of Bible truth will be no longer tolerated by those who have not made the law of God their rule of life.” Review and Herald, June 15, 1897. The Closed Door The Closed Door When the Sunday law is enforced, “national ruin” will follow “speedily” upon its heels. This time of “destructive judgments” will be the time when probation will close for Seventh-day Adventists in the United States. “Many who have known the truth have corrupted their way before God and have departed from the faith. The broken ranks will be filled up by those represented by Christ as coming in at the eleventh hour. There are many with whom the Spirit of God is striving. The time of God’s destructive judgments is the time of mercy for those who have no opportunity to learn what is truth. Tenderly will the Lord look upon them. His heart of mercy is touched; His hand is still stretched out to save, while the door is closed to those who would not enter. Large numbers will be admitted who in these last days hear the truth for the first time.” This Day With God, 163.

Those in Babylon “with whom the Spirit of God is striving,” will respond to the loud cry message and replace the Adventists who “corrupted their way before God.” For those who have corrupted their way, the time of “national ruin” will be the “time of God’s destructive judgments,” while for those who have had “no opportunity to learn what is truth,” it will be a “time of mercy.” The time of mercy and time of judgment are determined by our personal response to the light which has been made available to us.

What They Might Have Done What They Might Have Done Seventh-day Adventists, more than any other people, will have no excuse for not upholding the Sabbath when the Sunday law is enforced, for we are not simply judged by what we know but also by what we could have known had we availed ourselves of every opportunity for enlightenment: “The punishment of those who have had abundant opportunity to know the truth, but who in blindness and unbelief have contended against God and His messengers, will be proportionate to the light they have rejected. God greatly favored them, giving them peculiar advantages and gifts, 51 that they might let their light shine forth to others.

But in their perversity they led others astray. God will judge them for the good they might have done, but did not. He will call them to account for their misused opportunities. They turned from God’s way to their own way, and they will be judged according to their works. By walking contrary to the principles of the truth, they greatly dishonored God. They became fools in His sight by turning His truth into a lie. As they have been distinguished by the mercies bestowed on them, so they will be distinguished by the severity of their punishment.” Review and Herald, June 25, 1901.

As the issue moves through Adventism into the world the same testing requirements will be used upon those in the world as was used upon Adventists. The test will be determined on how we respond to truth once we are informed of the issues. The reception of the “mark of the beast” requires an informed choice regarding God’s Sabbath. See The Great Controversy, 449.

None will receive “the mark of the beast,” until “the issue is thus plainly set before them.” This issue had been plainly set before Seventh-day Adventists long before the Sunday law. They have been “enlightened concerning the obligation of the true Sabbath,” and for them to then “transgress the command of God,” and “obey a precept which has no higher authority than that of Rome,” is to “acknowledge the supremacy” of the Papacy, receive the mark of the beast, and close their probationary time. The Great Escape

The Great Escape In verse 41, we see those who “escape out of his hand.” In this phrase the word “hand” is a prophetic symbol which portrays the power and authority exercised by a conqueror. “Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I will give Pharaohhophra king of Egypt into the hand of his enemies, and into the hand of them that seek his life; as I gave Zedekiah king of Judah into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, his enemy, and that sought his life.” Jeremiah 44:30. See also Zechariah 11:6.

When the king of the north enters the glorious land there are some who escape his hand and some who are overthrown. The word “hand,” is used to represent the power and authority exercised by the Papacy when it enters the United States and overthrows many. The authority of the Papacy is Sunday observance: “As the sign of the authority of the Catholic Church, papist writers cite ‘the very act of changing the Sabbath into Sunday, which Protestants allow of; . . . because by keeping Sunday, they acknowledge the church’s power to ordain feasts, and to command them under sin.’–Henry Tuberville, An Abridgment of the Christian Doctrine, page 58. What then is the change of the Sabbath, but the sign, or mark, of the authority of the Roman Church–‘the mark of the beast’?”

The Great Controversy, 448. “The sign, or seal, of God is revealed in the observance of the seventh-day Sabbath, the Lord’s memorial of Creation. . . . The mark of the beast is the opposite of this–the observance of the first day of the week. This mark distinguishes those who acknowledge the supremacy of the papal authority from those who acknowledge the authority of God.” Testimonies, vol. 8, 117. When Daniel 11:41 is understood in this context, Daniel’s use of the word “hand,” represents the assumption of spiritual authority in the United States by the Papacy at the passage of the Sunday law. John’s testimony in Revelation 13:16

that “all” should receive a mark in their “right hand” also uses the hand to identify the mark of the Papacy’s authority. The enforcement of the Sunday law is symbolized by the United States coming into the “hand” of the Papacy in Daniel 11:41. It is at the passage of the Sunday law that those who escape will escape his grasp, for until then, it is not a legal issue. When Protestantism clasps hands with Catholicism it is in reality a subjugation to the spiritual authority of the Papacy.

The symbolic use of the word hand and the movement or march of the king of the north are also used by the Spirit of Prophecy when addressing these identical issues and time periods. Notice how the word “hand” is used: “When our nation shall so abjure the principles of its gov- 52 ernment as to enact a Sunday law, Protestantism will in this act join hands with popery.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 712. “By the decree enforcing the institution of the Papacy in violation of the law of God, our nation will disconnect herself fully from righteousness.

When Protestantism shall stretch her hand across the gulf to grasp the hand of the Roman power, when she shall reach over the abyss to clasp hands with spiritualism, when, under the influence of this threefold union, our country shall repudiate every principle of its Constitution as a Protestant and republican government, and shall make provision for the propagation of papal falsehoods and delusions, then we may know that the time has come for the marvelous working of Satan and that the end is near.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 451.

“It is Protestantism that will change. The adoption of liberal ideas on its part will bring it where it can clasp the hand of Catholicism.” Review and Herald, June 1, 1886. “The Protestants of the United States will be foremost in stretching their hands across the gulf to grasp the hand of spiritualism; they will reach over the abyss to clasp hands with the Roman power; and under the influence of this threefold union, this country will follow in the steps of Rome in trampling on the rights of conscience.” The Great Controversy, 588. “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” Amos 3:3.

Not only does Sister White apply the “hand” as a symbol of when the authority of Rome is sustained in the United States by the enforcement of the national Sunday law but she also portrays the Papacy at this time in history as on a spiritual conquest. Daniel describes the king of the north marching through the Soviet Union, then into the United States, and then into the entire world. Sister White also portrays these scenes as a march when she states, “this country will follow in the steps of Rome in trampling on the rights of conscience.” Whatever may be man’s intellectual advancement, let him not for a moment think that there is no need of thorough and continuous searching of the Scriptures for greater light.

As a people we are called individually to be students of prophecy. We must watch with earnestness that we may discern any ray of light which God shall present to us. We are to catch the first gleamings of truth; and through prayerful study clearer light may be obtained, which can be brought before others. {5Testimonies 708.2} 53 In the previous two chapters of this series we identified the glorious land of Daniel 11:41 as being the United States, while also noting that when the Papacy, symbolized as the king of the north, enters into the United States, many people will be overthrown as others escape out of “his hand.”

Those who are overthrown clasp hands with the Papacy, symbolizing an agreement with the spiritual authority of the papal power, which occurs when the king of the north “enters” the glorious land by means of the passage of a national Sunday law in the United States. The Onward March The Onward March In the last chapter we described this verse as illustrating a progression of events which unfold as the Sunday-law issue approaches and is increasingly enforced in the United States. As these events and issues proceed through time, they intensify, while accelerating “the shaking.” The shaking for Adventism culminates with the final purification of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

The purification is brought about by the apostasy of Adventists who never brought “truth” into their own personal experience, and therefore they were unprepared to stand against the increasing persecution brought against God’s people over the Sabbath issue. At this time the influence and authority of the Papacy continues to increase as it carries on its spiritual conquest of the world before ending in perdition. During this time period God’s people will be purified, thus allowing for the full outpouring of the latter rain, which will empower God’s people to stand during the time of trouble, as well as to proclaim the final warning message.

The final warning message is the “loud-cry” message, and it also progressively increases as it moves through the world. “The Word of God in His law is binding upon every intelligent mind. The truth for this time, the third angel’s message, is to be proclaimed with a loud voice, meaning with increasing power, as we approach the great final test.” Ellen G. White 1888 Materials, 1710. Edom Moab Amon Edom Moab Amon HE shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon.” Daniel 11:41. Escaping Their Homeland Escaping Their Homeland In recent history many nationalities have become refugees from repressive governments in their homeland.

Whether we are thinking of the Vietnamese boat people, or the recent Cuban or Haitian citizens who attempted to flee their respective countries, we see that they not only escaped their homeland, but that they still reflected their particular nationality. The Vietnamese boat people were refugees, but they were still Vietnamese. Likewise, we will see that Edom, Moab, and Ammon represent those “refugees” who leave Babylon during the loud-cry message, thus reflecting the threefold division of modern Babylon. As we begin the discussion of Edom, Moab, and Ammon we must recognize that their location in the sequence of events is at the very beginning of the loud-cry time period, when the Sunday law has just been enforced in the United States.

At that time, the shaking is moving through Adventism and into the world, and we then see Edom, Moab, and Ammon described as those who “escape” the hand of the Papacy. The word here translated as “escape,” means to escape “as if by slipperiness,” as well as “to release or rescue.” This definition implies that previous to their escape, these three tribes were in the hand of the Papacy. The message which God’s people proclaim at this time period is a call to flee out of Babylon, and Edom, Moab, and Ammon symbolize 54 those people who begin to respond to the final message of Revelation 18:4, to “Come out of her, my people.” “Of Babylon at this time it is declared, ‘

Her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.’ Revelation 18:5. She has filled up the measure of her guilt, and destruction is about to fall upon her. But God still has a people in Babylon; and before the visitation of His judgments, these faithful ones must be called out, that they ‘partake not of her sins, and receive not of her plagues.’ Hence the movement symbolized by the angel coming down from Heaven, lightening the earth with his glory, and crying mightily with a strong voice, announcing the sins of Babylon. In connection with his message the call is heard, ‘Come out of her, my people.’ As these warnings join the third angel’s message, it swells to a loud cry.”

The Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 4, 422. These three symbolic tribes that respond to the call to come out of Babylon and thus escape the hand of the Papacy, are also represented as the “other sheep” whom Christ promised to call: “And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.” John 10:16. Christ’s illustration of “the day when the Son of man is revealed,” contains an inference to these tribes: “But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.” Luke 17:29-30.

Sister White adds further light to this passage when describing the loud-cry time period: “Servants of God, endowed with power from on high with their faces lighted up, and shining with holy consecration, went forth to proclaim the message from Heaven. Souls that were scattered all through the religious bodies answered to the call, and the precious were hurried out of the doomed churches, as Lot was hurried out of Sodom before her destruction.” Early Writings, 278-279. Christ referred to Sodom and Lot’s escape as an illustration of the end of the world, and Sister White further identifies Lot as a symbol of those who leave “the religious bodies” during the loud-cry time period. We see Christ and Sister White

using the descendants of Lot as examples of the “other sheep” who respond to the final warning message. In agreement with these passages, Daniel 11:41 uses the same tribes when identifying Moab and Ammon, for these tribes are the descendants of Lot. Sister White states that she saw “company after company from the Lord’s army joined the foe,” and then “tribe after tribe from the ranks of the enemy united with the commandment-keeping people of God.” These three tribes come from “the doomed churches,” as well as from “the ranks of the enemy.” “In vision I saw two armies in terrible conflict. One army was led by banners bearing the world’s insignia; the other was led by the bloodstained banner of Prince Immanuel.

Standard after standard was left to trail in the dust as company after company from the Lord’s army joined the foe and tribe after tribe from the ranks of the enemy united with the commandment-keeping people of God.” Testimonies, vol. 8, 41. We see illustrated in these three tribes those members who respond to the loud-cry message. These tribes are those which flee from Babylon. These tribes had formerly been in the symbolic grasp of modern Babylon, but as the issues are clarified they respond to the call to depart. These are the “other sheep,” or the other “children of the Lord that remain in Babylon,” whom the Lord will call out during the latter-rain time period. “When those that ‘believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness’ (2 Thessalonians 2:12), s

hall be left to receive strong delusion and to believe a lie, then the light of truth will shine upon all whose hearts are open to receive it, and all the children of the Lord that remain in Babylon will heed the call: ‘Come out of her, my people.’ Revelation 18:4.” Maranatha, 173. A History of Hatred and Opposition A History of Hatred and Opposition In order to recognize who and what these three tribes symbolize, we must apply the prophetic rule which we have used previously in this series, which requires that we seek to understand Edom, Moab, and Ammon as spiritual, not literal tribes. In prophecy, to understand a modern spiritual application we must first understand the ancient literal counterpart, and, in so doing, develop the foundation of information which establishes the modern spiritual application. Edom means “red,”

and is another name for Esau and his descendants: 55 “And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom. And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright. And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me? And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright.” Genesis 25:30-34. “Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.”

Hebrews 12:16-17. The tribe of Edom was a brother to Israel. Esau was a profane fornicator who had rejected his birthright for the pleasures of this world. Moab means, “from father,” and is the tribe which descended from the incestuous relationship between Lot and his oldest daughter. Ammon means, “paternal uncle,” and is the tribe which descended from the incestuous relationship between Lot and his youngest daughter. “Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father. And the firstborn bare a son, and called his name Moab: the same is the father of the Moabites unto this day. And the younger, she also bare a son, and called his name Benammi: the same is the father of the children of Ammon unto this day.” Genesis 19:36-38. We see that the three tribes of Daniel 11:41 are close spiritual relatives of spiritual Israel, and are characterized with fornication or incest, thus identifying their involvement with unlawful relationships–a prime characteristic of modern Babylon.

The history of these ancient tribes shows an ancient hatred and resistance to the work of God’s people, illustrating that these modern spiritual tribes would spiritually oppose the work of God’s modern-day people. “Thus saith the Lord God; Because that Edom hath dealt against the house of Judah by taking vengeance, and hath greatly offended, and revenged himself upon them.” Ezekiel 25:12. ” I have heard the reproach of Moab, and the revilings of the children of Ammon, whereby they have reproached my people, and magnified themselves against their border. Therefore as I live, saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Surely Moab shall be as Sodom, and the children of Ammon as Gomorrah, even the breeding of nettles, and saltpits, and a perpetual desolation: the residue of my people shall spoil them, and the remnant of my people shall possess them.

This shall they have for their pride, because they have reproached and magnified themselves against the people of the Lord of hosts.” Zephaniah 2:8-10. Notice that it was prophesied that God’s remnant people would not only spoil them but also possess them. In ancient times these three tribes opposed God’s people, and their false worship was a continual snare. Anciently, Edom, Moab, and Ammon, though close relatives of ancient Israel, were enemies of God’s people, practicing false worship in opposition to the true worship of God. Their relationship and their opposition to ancient Israel brought forth a special distinction by God in regard to their acceptance into the true worship of God. See 1 Kings 11:5, 7; 2 Chronicles 25:14.

“An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter into the congregation of the Lord; even to their tenth generation shall they not enter into the congregation of the Lord for ever: because they met you not with bread and with water in the way, when ye came forth out of Egypt; and because they hired against thee Balaam the son of Beor of Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse thee. Nevertheless the Lord thy God would not hearken unto Balaam; but the Lord thy God turned the curse into a blessing unto thee, because the Lord thy God loved thee. Thou shalt not seek their peace nor their prosperity all thy days for ever. Thou shalt not abhor an Edomite; for he is thy brother: thou shalt not abhor an Egyptian; because thou wast a stranger in his land.

The children that are begotten of them shall enter into the congregation of the Lord in their third generation.” Deuteronomy 23:3-8. Sister White informs us that Daniel and Revelation “complement” each other. When viewed as a single symbolic entity, the three tribes reflect the threefold division of modern Babylon, complementing the description of modern Babylon described in the book of Revelation. Babylon and the Threefold Union Babylon and the Threefold Union “And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.” Revelation 17:18. In prophecy “a great city” represents a kingdom. See Revelation 11:8; 21:10. The second angel’s message is a call out of the kingdom of Babylon, for it is there identified as “that great city.” “And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.”

Revelation 14:8. Revelation identifies the threefold nature of “the great city” (kingdom of Babylon): “And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.” Revelation 16:19. 56 “And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.” Revelation 16:13. The threefold makeup of modern Babylon consists of the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet.

This threefold confederacy is brought together between spiritualism, symbolized by the dragon; Catholicism, symbolized by the beast; and apostate Protestantism, symbolized by the false prophet. “By the decree enforcing the institution of the Papacy in violation of the law of God, our nation will disconnect herself fully from righteousness. When Protestantism shall stretch her hand across the gulf to grasp the hand of the Roman power, when she shall reach over the abyss to clasp hands with spiritualism, when, under the influence of this threefold union, our country shall repudiate every principle of its Constitution as a Protestant and republican government, and shall make provision for the propagation of papal falsehoods and delusions, then we may know that the time has come for the marvelous working of Satan and that the end is near.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 451. As these three spiritual powers unite against God’s law and His people, they demonstrate the same hatred and resistance that their ancient counterparts portrayed in the history of Edom, Ammon, and Moab.

These three tribes therefore reflect both the threefold division of modern Babylon, as well as representing those people who flee from modern Babylon. The threefold union between the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet, which constitutes the great city of Babylon, is officially consummated at the time of the Sunday law, which is precisely when Edom, Moab, and Ammon are portrayed as escaping the hand of the Papacy. Confirmation of the Prophets Confirmation of the Prophets In agreement with Daniel and Revelation, many prophecies in the Bible which illustrate the end-time scenario portray three enemies opposing God’s work and His people. In Numbers 22, we find a clear parallel to the latter-rain time period as the children of Israel were about to enter into the Promised Land.

Then Moab, Midian, and Balaam were raised up to resist God’s purposes and His people. In the story of Nehemiah’s time, a history which Sister White identifies as “symbolic” of the work which God’s people today must accomplish, we find Sanballat, a Moabite; Tobiah, an Ammonite; and Geshem, the Arabian, raised up to resist God’s work and His people. In the history of Jehoshaphat’s triumph, found in 2 Chronicles 20, we find an illustration of the final triumph of God’s people as Jehoshaphat goes into battle against Edom, Moab, and Ammon, with his singers leading the march. In the history of Gideon, found in Judges 6-8, we find a powerful illustration of the final movements of earth’s history, as Gideon wars against Midian, a descendant of Abraham; Amalek, a descendant of Esau; and the children of the East. But one of the most important prophetic passages identifying the three enemies is found in Isaiah 11:10-15. Sister White comments on the first three verses of this passage: ” ‘

The Lord God which gathereth the outcasts of Israel saith, Yet will I gather others to him, besides those that are gathered unto him.’ Isaiah 56:8. “‘Seek ye out of the book of the Lord, and read.’ Isaiah 34:16. ‘In that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.’ Isaiah 11:10-12.

“These words outline our work. This scripture is to be received by our people as a message for today. The glad tidings of salvation are to be carried to those who have not heard them.” Review and Herald, June 23, 1904. This passage in Isaiah is identifying our work in relation to the Sabbath issue, for an ensign is defined as a flag or banner: “ensign–5251: from 5264; a flag; also a sail; by implication a flagstaff; generally a signal; figuratively a token:– banner, pole, sail, (en-)sign, standard. “5264: to gleam from afar, i.e. to be conspicuous as a signal; to raise a beacon:-lift up as an ensign, standard bearer.” Strong’s. 57 The standard or ensign which is associated with “the book of the law,” and which will be “set up,” is the Sabbath: “It is at this time that the true Sabbath must be brought before the people both by pen and by voice.

As the fourth commandment of the Decalogue and those who observe it are ignored and despised, the faithful few know that it is the time not to hide their face but to exalt the law of Jehovah by unfurling the banner on which is inscribed the message of the third angel, ‘Here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.’ Revelation 14:12.” Evangelism, 281; see also Testimonies, vol. 6, 352- 353; and Early Writings, 74.

Sister White also comments on the next verse in Isaiah’s prophecy: “The envy also of Ephraim shall depart, and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off: Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim.” Isaiah 11:13. “The cross of Christ is the pledge of our fellowship and union. The time must come when the watchmen shall see eye to eye; when the trumpet shall give a certain sound; when ‘Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim’ any more.” Review and Herald, January 3, 1899.

We therefore understand that this passage is identifying our work in connection with the Sabbath issue. It also is identifying the time period when God’s people come into unity and bring “the glad tidings of salvation” “to those who have not heard them.” The next verse in Isaiah’s prophecy identifies the three tribes which escape the hand of the king of the north in Daniel’s prophecy: “But they shall fly upon the shoulders of the Philistines toward the west; they shall spoil them of the east together: they shall lay their hand upon Edom and Moab; and the children of Ammon shall obey them. “And the Lord shall utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea; and with his mighty wind shall he shake his hand over the river, and shall smite it in the seven streams, and make men go over dryshod.

And there shall be an highway for the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria; like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt.” Isaiah 11:14-16. The issue confronting the world at this time is God’s law, and we see God’s unified people “lay their hand upon Edom, Moab; and the children of Ammon.” The three tribes which have escaped the hand of the Papacy in Daniel’s prophecy, come under the hand or dominion of God’s people and “obey them,” symbolizing their agreement to the power and authority which actuate the people of God.

Thus these three tribes are not only spoiled but possessed in fulfillment of the prophecy of Zephaniah 2:8-10, which we quoted earlier. “Yea, many people and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the Lord. Thus saith the Lord of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying,

We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you.” Zechariah 8:22-23. This passage finishes with the illustration of the final deliverance as the remnant follow the “highway” which has been prepared for them “as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt.” We see Edom, Moab, and Ammon here portrayed at the very end of the latter rain, for the final deliverance is the next scene in the passage of Isaiah. Isaiah is using Edom, Moab, and Ammon in describing the closing up of the loud-cry message, whereas these three tribes in Daniel 11:41 are describing the beginning of the loudcry message. There is only one difference between these three tribes in Isaiah and Daniel. That difference is that in Daniel we see the “chief of the children of Ammon,” while in Isaiah,

it is simply “the children of Ammon.” The word chief in Daniel 11:41 means firstfruits, and it comes from the root word which means shaking. Edom, Moab, and Ammon in Daniel are the firstfruits of the loud-cry message which begin to join God’s people at the time of the passage of the Sunday law in the United States, which is also when the shaking moves through Adventism into the world. When the latter rain is illustrated coming to an end by Isaiah, the three tribes are no longer the firstfruits, and therefore, they are no longer the “chief” of the children of Ammon.

When we understand these three tribes as a reflection in Daniel of the threefold division of Babylon which is identified in Revelation, we recognize a powerful connection between these two prophetic books. This agreement is what we have been told we should expect when we come to understand these prophetic books “as we should.” Daniel 11:41 provides information concerning events which are progressively moving ahead. Events such as the shaking, persecution, the purification of God’s people, the Sunday law, and the latter rain.

If this understanding of events is accurate, does it not demand that our own personal experience must progress in proportion to the times in which we are presently living? One great strength to this understanding of Daniel 11:40-45 is the events which are taking place in our world today. Certainly we can see the signs of the times unfolding which testify that the issues described in these last three chapters concerning Daniel 11:41 are increasingly imminent with every passing day. 58

Returning From the Dead Returning From the Dead HE shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape. But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps.” Daniel 11:42-43 Previously we identified the prophetic use of the word “hand” as illustrative of a power which brings another power under its dominion, influence, or control. As the sequence of events illustrated in Daniel 11:40-45 began in verse 40, we saw the king of the north sweep away the king of the south. He then passes through the countries which make up the King of the south’s domain.

We identified the message in verse 40 as the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1989, through the combined efforts of the Papacy and the United States. Verse 40 identifies a tremendous historical event, which was used by the Lord to identify the starting point for the final verses of Daniel eleven. In Daniel 11:41 we see the United States brought under the spiritual control of the Papacy by the symbols used within the verse. We previously discussed Sister White’s teaching, “that much of the history” of Daniel 11 would be “repeated” as the final verses of that chapter come to pass.

Some of those histories were the events connected with the rise to power of the Papacy which marked the beginning of the Dark Ages. The rise of the Papacy to control the world was itself a repetition of history, for pagan Rome conquered three geographical areas in order to come to rule the world, and, likewise, the Papacy had to pluck up three horns before it ascended to the control of the earth. Modern Rome is first presented as retaliating and sweeping away the southern kingdom–the “kingdom” of atheism which brought about its deadly wound in 1798.

Then its second obstacle is the glorious land of the United States. Following the United States, we see the third hindrance illustrated as it brings “Egypt,” or the rest of the world, under its spiritual control, thus returning it to its former position as ruler of the world. Pagan Rome, papal Rome of the Dark Ages, and the Papacy of today each overcome three obstacles in order to take the throne of the earth. Though these histories parallel each other in the sense of three obstacles, they are different in some respects. Pagan Rome literally conquered the world using its own military prowess. Papal Rome of the Dark Ages took the throne of the earth by the literal conquest of three horns, though they did so without their own army, using instead the armed forces of their sympathetic allies. After the three horns were literally subdued, then the spiritual bondage was enforced.

The Papacy of today will first spiritually conquer the glorious land and Egypt, and then the literal consequences will follow. In Daniel 11:41 the United States will come under the spiritual control of the Papacy when it (the United States) legislates a national Sunday law–the mark of papal authority. In verse 41 the subjection of the United States represented by the “hand” is alluded to by the identification of those who escape the hand of the Papacy. The Final Obstacle The Final Obstacle In Daniel 11:42 we see the king of the north once more “stretching forth his hand.” This time it is against her final obstacle, which is identified as “the countries” and the “land of Egypt.”

The “land of Egypt” symbolizes the world with all its countries. “Why is it so hard to lead a self-denying, humble life? Because professed Christians are not dead to the world. It is easy living after we are dead. But many are longing for the leeks and onions of Egypt. They have a disposition to dress and act as much like the world as possible and yet go to heaven. Such climb up some other way. They do not enter through the strait gate and narrow way.” Testimonies, vol. 1, 131.

“I am filled with sadness when I think of our condition as a people. The Lord has not closed heaven to us, but our own course of continual backsliding has separated us from God. Pride, covetousness, and love of the world have lived in the heart without fear of banishment or condemnation. . . . The church has turned back from following Christ her Leader and is steadily retreating toward Egypt. . . .

Have we not been seeking the friendship and applause of the world rather than the presence of 59 Christ and a deeper knowledge of His will?” 5Testimonies 217.2 “Many are not growing strong, because they do not take God at His Word. They are conforming to the world. Every day they pitch their tents nearer to Egypt, when they should encamp a day’s march nearer the heavenly Canaan.” Signs of The Times, March 6, 1884.

“The plagues upon Egypt when God was about to deliver Israel were similar in character to those more terrible and extensive judgments which are to fall upon the world just before the final deliverance of God’s people.” The Great Controversy, 627-628. “The Lord God of Israel is to execute judgment upon the gods of this world, as upon the gods of Egypt.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 10, 240.

The context of the passage under consideration points out that the next step for the Papacy, after passage of the Sunday law in the United States, is to move against the rest of the countries of the world. This is also the sequence of events which the Spirit of Prophecy identifies: “As America, the land of religious liberty, shall unite with the Papacy in forcing the conscience and compelling men to honour the false Sabbath, the people of every country on the globe will be led to follow her example.” Testimonies, vol. 6, 18.

 “Foreign nations will follow the example of the United States. Though she leads out, yet the same crisis will come upon our people in all parts of the world.” Maranatha 214.6 Not only does Sister White uphold this sequence of the conquest of the world by the Papacy but this is also the order of events in Revelation 13. First, through the passage of a national Sunday law, the United States speaks as a dragon, as well as forming an image to the beast: “And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.” Revelation 13:11. The word “spake” describes the action of a government: “The ‘speaking’ of the nation is the action of its legislative and judicial authorities.” The Great Controversy, 442. The “image of the beast” is a description of the use of secular power to enforce religious dogma:

“When the churches of our land, uniting upon such points of faith as are held by them in common, shall influence the State to enforce their decrees and sustain their institutions, then will Protestant America have formed an image of the Roman hierarchy.” The Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 4, 278. Both the speaking as a dragon and the making of an image to the beast officially will take place at the time of the national Sunday law. There are, no doubt, many events which lead up to this climactic act of apostasy, but it is after the event in Revelation 13:11, when the United States will force the world also to set up an image to the beast:

“Saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.” Revelation 13:14, last part. The world will make their own image to the beast, and the United States will empower it. By definition, in order for the world to set up an image to the beast, and thus “enforce” and “sustain” the “decrees” of the “churches,” it must have a world system, such as the United Nations, in place: “And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.” Revelation 13:15. Deceived Through Spiritualism When the United States passes the national Sunday law, it not only speaks as a dragon but also erects an image to the beast.

After this action, the glorious land of the United States will deceive the whole world through the spiritualistic powers that were so profoundly associated with the history of Egypt: “I was pointed back to the children of Israel in Egypt. I saw [that] when God worked through Moses before Pharaoh, the magicians came up and said they could do the same. I saw the same work was now going on in the world and among the professed churches similar to the work of the magicians anciently.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 19, 129-130.

Through these deceptions the whole world will be brought to worship the Papacy: “And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast.” Revelation 13:14, first part. The spiritual bondage portrayed by John is represented by Daniel in verse 42 when the king of the north stretches forth his “hand” upon the “countries” of “Egypt.” When the United States “causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed,” (Revelation 13:12) the world in reality will be worshiping Satan, for to worship “the beast,” is to “worship the dragon which gave power unto the beast.”

“Satan, in his pride and arrogance, had declared himself to be the rightful and permanent ruler of the world, the possessor of all its riches and glory, claiming homage of all who lived in it, as though he had created the world and all things that were therein.” Review and Herald, September 1, 1874. “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the 60 morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.” Isaiah 14:12-14. “Ever since his fall, Satan has been at work to establish himself as ruler of this earth.” Review and Herald, March 9, 1886. The Two Classes of the World The Two Classes of the World After John identifies “them that dwell on the earth” making “an image to the beast,” he states in Revelation 13:16 that “all” people will be affected by this image.

The whole world will follow the United States, but as John describes the “all” who will be affected by this action, he then divides this group into two classes– “both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond.” Daniel also divides the world up into “rich and poor.” Ancient Egypt had two neighbors who had interesting histories: The Libyans, to the west of Egypt, lived on the fringe of the desert, which prevented them from attaining to any measure of prosperity. Throughout their history they had cast a longing eye toward Egypt and the fertile

Nile valley. They attempted to invade Egypt several times, but were always repulsed. Egypt symbolizes the entire world, while Libya represents what is labeled today as the Third World. Libya symbolizes the poor, underprivileged, and downtrodden countries which long to move up to the prosperity of the affluent Western World. Ancient Ethiopia included not only Nubia but also the part of Western Arabia bordering the Red Sea. The Egyptians coveted Ethiopia because of the gold mines in its mountains and its wealth in cattle, ivory, hides, and ebony, and because products from Central Africa entered Egypt through Ethiopian traders.

The wealth of Egypt first passed through the hands of the shrewd Ethiopian traders. As modern Egypt represents the world, and Libya the poor, third-world countries, so Ethiopia represents the most affluent countries of the world. Daniel links up with John’s testimony when identifying that the Papacy will control the entire world, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond–Libya and Ethiopia. See Daniel 11:43; Revelation 13:16. “As we near the close of this world’s history, the prophecies recorded by Daniel demand our special attention, as they relate to the very time in which we are living. With them should be linked the teachings of the last book of the New Testament Scriptures.” Prophets and Kings, 547.

Daniel adds that the Libyans and Ethiopians shall be at his steps. See Daniel 11:43. “steps–4703: from 6805; a step; figuratively companionship:–going, step. “6805: a primative root; to pace, i.e. step regularly; (upward) to mount; (along) to march; (down and causative) to hurl:– bring, go, march (through), run over.” Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance. To be at the steps of the king of the north is to march with him as he runs over the whole world. John states that the second beast causes “the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast.” Revelation 13:12.

In the book, Keys of This Blood, written by Malachi Martin, we find an interesting passage. Martin is a Vatican insider who has written many books concerning Catholicism. In Keys of This Blood, Martin elaborates on why he believes that within this century the pope will be enthroned over the whole world. As Malachi Martin addresses the structure of the countries of the world, he describes in depth how the pope views them. Here are quotations from Keys of This Blood, showing how a “contemporary map” of the world would be drawn by the pope:

“In short, that contemporary map of shame would be the graphic expression of the atrocity we have come to describe so blandly as the division of the world into North and South, which is to say, in plainer terms, the division of nations, and of populations within nations, into rich and poor. . . . It is just such a map of shame that Pope John Paul does hold up to the world in his moral assessment of the geopolitical arrangements that are setting up our future for us. . . .

“On the modern map of world shame that is the subject of so much of John Paul’s attention, North and South do not figure as precise geographical terms. Instead, they are global frontiers where wealth and poverty divide not only nations, but societies within nations. . . . Whether it is applied in the confines of the United States, or in the world at large, John Paul’s moral assessment of North and South is simple and clear. In a morally adjusted economy, he insists, the rich should not get richer if the poor get poorer.”

Keys of This Blood, Malachi Martin, 163-164, 171. Egypt Shall Not Escape Egypt Shall Not Escape In Daniel 11:42 the land of Egypt represents the entire world, which has many countries that, according to Daniel, will not escape. The word translated as “escape” in this verse is different from the word translated as “escape” in the last verse. The last verse conveyed an idea of being saved by slipping out of a hand which had previously been clasped. The word escape in this verse conveys the meaning of not finding any deliverance from Rome’s iron fist. “escape–6413: feminine of 6412; deliverance; concretely an 61 escaped portion:–deliverance, (that is) escape (-d), remnant. “6412: a refugee:–(that have) escape (-d, -th), fugitive.” Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance. In verse 41 when the United States passes the national Sunday law, speaks as a dragon, and erects an image to the beast, many people will be overthrown–not many countries.

Then the world will follow the United States, and many countries, in fact, all the countries of the earth will be overthrown as they march in step with the Papacy. Verse 42 introduces us to the pope in the process of bringing the world into harmony with the Papacy. There we see the third obstacle overcome, which allows the Papacy to ascend to the throne of the world. At this point the king of the north ceases to be simply a church, and returns to the position of the ruling geopolitical power in the world.

This position of authority was taken away in Daniel 11:40 when the king of the south “pushed” at him in 1798. The deadly wound will be fully healed when the Papacy stretches forth his hand upon the world and its countries, and is subsequently given “control” of the economies of the world. We know he will assume control of the economy of the world, for John tells us “that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.” Revelation 13:17.

Daniel links his testimony with John’s as he states in verse 43 that at this time the king of the north “shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt.” Daniel 11:43. Daniel uses Egypt to provide the scenario to identify these end-time scenes. He uses Egypt to symbolize the world, as well as using Egypt’s ancient neighbors to divide the world into both rich and poor, free and bond. The history of Egypt allows us to see the spiritualistic influence which will mislead and entrap the world into accepting this deception as we remember the role of the Egyptian magicians in resisting the plagues of God.

The story of Egypt also provides the perfect scenario to help us recognize the final deliverance of God’s people as represented by the Red Sea crossing. However, recognizing Egypt as illustrating the world provides even more information which impacts this time period. Apostasy Leads to Ruin We see the Papacy receiving “power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt.” Daniel 11:43.

In Daniel 11:41 the United States legislates a national Sunday law as it begins to march with the Papacy. At this point, the laws of cause and effect begin to increasingly impact the world environment: “With rapid steps we are approaching this period. When the Protestant churches shall unite with the secular power to sustain a false religion, for opposing which their ancestors endured the fiercest persecution: when the state shall use its power to enforce the decrees and sustain the institutions of the church–then will Protestant America have formed an image to the Papacy, and there will be a national apostasy which will end only in national ruin.” Signs of the Times, March 22, 1910.

As the United States, and then the world, legislates and enforces apostasy against God, each step away from truth is followed by more and increasingly destructive judgments: “Roman Catholic principles will be taken under the care and protection of the state. This national apostasy will speedily be followed by national ruin.” Last Day Events, 134. Each step in apostasy will bring more devastation upon the world. When Daniel identifies the king of the north as stretching forth his hand upon Egypt and the countries of the world in Daniel 11:42, the apostasy will have nearly reached its ultimate climax.

At that time the world will be racked with the judgments of God as the Spirit of God is withdrawn and man’s rebellion is almost fully developed. In this condition, the people of the world will surely be looking for a Saviour to promise them a return to temporal prosperity. We see in this scenario a perfect ploy for the pope of Rome to make promises of peace to a devastated population. This crisis situation has a parallel to the history of the Egyptian plagues:

“But Egypt was desolated by plagues before Pharaoh would consent to listen to the great I AM. He persisted in his stubbornness till Egypt was ruined, and the Egyptians, from the lowest serf to the king upon his throne, looked upon the dead bodies of their firstborn.” Review and Herald, April 23, 1901. In this devastated condition the population of Egypt was terrified and quite willing to surrender their “treasures of gold and of silver, and all the precious things.” “

The Egyptians had been enriched by the labor unjustly exacted from the Israelites, and as the latter were to start on the journey to their new home, it was right for them to claim the reward of their years of toil. They were to ask for articles of value, such as could be easily transported, and God would give them favor in the sight of the Egyptians. The mighty miracles wrought for their deliverance would strike terror to the oppressors, so that the requests of the bondsmen would be granted.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 253. As the time of destructive judgments confronts humanity, when world apostasy has given control over to the Papacy, conditions in the world will have brought such terror upon mankind that the people will easily trade their economic privileges for false promises of peace.

Clearly, the history of Egypt provides powerful insights into Daniel 11:42-43. 62 In the last chapter, we described how Egypt is a symbol of the world. As, the Lord called ancient Israel to come out of Egypt which was marked with unbelief and self exaltation so they could be a separate people and freely worship Him in Canaan. So today, the Lord call’s His people to come out of Egypt in their minds and hearts so they can worship Him in the heavenly Canaan. “Many are not growing strong, because they do not take God at his word. They are conforming to the world. Every day they pitch their tents nearer to Egypt, when they should encamp a day’s march nearer the heavenly Canaan.” Signs of the Times March 6, 1884 But not only is Egypt a symbol of the world, it is also represented as the dragon power.

The Prophet Ezekiel writes “Speak, and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great dragon that lieth in the midst of his rivers, which hath said, My river is mine own, and I have made it for myself.” Ezekiel 29:3. As described in earlier chapters, the dragon is the power that persecutes God’s church. Primarily, the dragon is Satan as it is in the twelfth chapter of revelation we have as a symbol the great red dragon. In the ninth verse of that chapter this symbol is explained as follows: “and the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world; he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” undoubtedly the dragon primarily represents Satan. But Satan does not appear upon the earth in person; he works through agents.

It was in the person of wicked men that he sought to destroy Jesus as soon as he was born. Wherever Satan has been able to control a government so fully that it would carry out his designs, that nation became, for the time, Satan’s representative and is described as the Dragon Power. Paganism was the first persecuting power the dragon used to carry out his agenda, then followed the Papacy, John the Revelator writes the dragon gave him his seat and power and authority: i.e. pagan Rome gave papal Rome its seat power and authority, then followed the next power to arise which was America which speaks as a dragon, identifying itself as the same family of the two preceding powers.

The speaking of the dragon is its legislative and judicial authority. America will be first to give their power unto the beast and then the whole world will follow. This whole world is described in Daniel 11:42 as Egypt which is the one world order represented by the united nations. We are told: “Kings and rulers and governors have placed upon themselves the brand of antichrist, and are represented as the dragon who goes to make war with the saints–with those who keep the commandments of God and who have the faith of Jesus. In their enmity against the people of God, they show themselves guilty also of the choice of Barabbas instead of Christ”. {Testimonies to Ministers 38.2} Egypt The Dragon Power Egypt The Dragon Power

HE shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape. But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps.” Daniel 11:42-43 63 These rulers, kings and governors are a confederacy that will unite together and give their power unto the beast. John the revelator writes: “And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.

These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.” This confederacy of 10 is the United Nations which is the 7th head to ride the beast of revelation 17 and carry the mystery religion. Research has demonstrated that the Club of Rome already has the world divided into 10 kingdoms. (See image below) The Club of Rome in its September 17, 1973, report, Regionalized and Adaptive Model of the Global World System presented a model of this very system.

The Club of Rome is an organization composed of scientists, industrialists, and international government officials who plan world government strategy and send reports to the wealthy “power elite” for implementation. (Information regarding the Club of Rome can be easily accessed at their website, www.clubofrome.org ). This particular report, which reads as if it were taken directly from the writings of Daniel, establishes a plan of world government based on dividing the entire world into 10 “Kingdoms” controlled by a world dictator

Sequence of Revelation 17 Sequence of Revelation 17 There are many who misunderstand the 7 heads of revelation 17 applying it to protestant reformers and other things, but a careful analysis of revelation 17 shows that John is specifically talking about the kingdoms that carry the mystery religion of the Dragon’s agenda. In the following section, we will do a step by step study of revelation 17, demonstrating that Daniel and John are telling the same story. “

And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters: With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication. So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.” Revelation 17:1-3 The Wilderness is the 1260 year time prophecy, John describes this in Revelation 12:6: “And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two h u n d r e d a n d t h r e e s c o r e d a y s . ” and revelation 12:14:

And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent” John then informs us that he is at the end of the 1260 64 year time period: “And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: And upon her forehead was a name written,

MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.” Revelation 17:4-5 Notice that she is already described as being the mother of harlots; indicating that she now has daughters. The Protestant reformation began when the Protestants such as Huss, Calvin, Luther and others began separating themselves from the Church of Rome but the protestant reformation was not complete before God. Many of the followers stayed with their founders and never continued with the advancing light, which is why we have the Lutherans, Calvinist, Baptists, Presbyterians etc.

They came to a place where they stopped: “The Reformation did not, as many suppose, end with Luther. It is to be continued to the close of this world’s history. Luther had a great work to do in reflecting to others the light which God had permitted to shine upon him; yet he did not receive all the light which was to be given to the world. From that time to this, new light has been continually shining upon the Scriptures, and new truths have been constantly unfolding. {Great Controversy 148.4} Because the majority of the church did not continue with the advancing light they became harlots, still retaining some of the doctrines of Rome so at this point she is the mother of harlots. She wasn’t the mother of harlots at the beginning of this period, it was towards the end, as the churches began to separate but they never fully came out of her. Verse 6 also supports this: “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.”

Here John sees this mother of harlots and she is drunken with the blood of the saints. It was during that time period she was persecuting the saints, and we know that it is not just one drink that makes one drunken, it is a binge of drinking and then at the end you become drunken. So it is not at the beginning of the 1260 years, or at the middle, but it is towards the end. Christ said that He would cut these days short for the sake of the righteous, so it is at the end of this time period that John brings us. It is at the time period of 1798. So John’s vision here is a vision of the 1798 time period. Revelation 7-8 “And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.

The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.” Notice: ‘That thou sawest’—past tense It ‘was’—past tense It ‘Is not’—present tense it ‘is not’ in 1798 It ‘Shall ascend’—future It ‘Shall go into perdition’—future finality Ascend out of the bottomless pit—will come up again out of its circumstances. There is only one ‘Beast Power’ that fits this description and that is the Papacy. It is the ‘Mother of Harlots’, ‘Great Babylon’. “and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world” here is another key point. The Bible gives us so much information that we can understand its message.

Compare with Revelation 13:8 “And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” Now notice the end of verse 8— and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder. When they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.” First John says “Was” and “is not”— then “and yet is”. This “and yet is” repetition tells us something more here. In the period that the Beast Power was not; 1798-1840s, Protestant America was still carrying the woman in their hearts. The Reformation was not complete—the Woman still lived in her daughters, who held on to Sunday Worship the mark of the Beast’s Power. She was still there and yet they did not know it. This is why God had to separate a people and this is the whole cleansing period—first and second cleansing—that took place in the Millerite movement to prepare a people separated from Rome to complete the reformation. Revelation 17:9 -11; and here is the mind which hath wisdom.

The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth. And there are seven kings five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space. And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition. Five Kingdoms have already fallen when John sees this vision. 1. Babylon 65 2. Medo-Persia 3. Greece 4. Pagan Rome 5. Papal Rome The Fifth one here is the Papacy as it is finished also at the time of 1798. Notice these five agree perfectly with the prophecies in Daniel 2, 7, and 8. This is important because the spirit of the prophets are subject to the prophets for God is not the author of confusion. {1Corintians 14:32-33} and prophecy is all one whole, no part is to be interpreted in a way that does not agree with the rest. All of these five had fallen by 1798.

Which kingdom was now on the stage of action in 1798? We saw in the earlier chapters of this magazine that it is the United States of America. 6. USA 7. United Nations (N.W.O) 8. Papacy (resurrected) At this time we are told the “other is not yet come”, and when he would come he “must continue a short space”, a short period of time. Notice verse 11: Verse 11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition. This is the Papacy that ‘was and is not’, and it goes on to say he will come back as the eight and is of the seven and go into perdition. So we know that there are seven and there is an eighth one that comes and it is the Papacy again. Notice that there are seven heads on this beast, there is not an eight head on this beast, so we know the number eight is symbolic.

The number eight in prophecy is symbolic of resurrection, and the Papacy always appears as a number eight. Notice these examples: Daniel 7:7, 8 – Rome divided into 10 kingdoms, the papal horn was a separate power, it (the papal horn) uprooted 3 of the first horns leaving 7 with itself being the 8th but of the 7 (it was in Italy one of the remaining horns). Daniel 8:3, 5, 8, 9 – 2 horns on ram, 1 horn on the goat, and 4 horns divided to the four winds, the little horn is the 8th Revelation 13:1, 3 – 7 heads on the beast, 1 receives a deadly wound and then is resurrected as the 8th but of the 7. Other factors in the Bible that point to the fact that eight is a symbol of resurrection is that:

The first day of the week is mentioned 8 times in the New Testament; reminding us of the resurrection of Christ (see Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:2, 9; Luke 24:1; John 20:1, 19; Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 16:2). Circumcision was to be performed on the 8th day a symbol of baptism or the new birth (see Leviticus 12:1-3; Luke 1:59; Acts 7:8; Philippians 3:5; Colossians 2:11-13; Romans 6:3, 4). Verse 12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. This ‘one who has not yet come’ is a kingdom made up of a confederacy of ten kings. So the ten horns match with the ten toes in Daniel 2 which represents the United Nations of the world also known as the ‘New World Order’ (NWO) which will have one mind and will give their power and strength unto the beast.

Note that there are many who believe that the 10 toes of Daniel 2 is the same as the 10 horns in Daniel 7.7 there for apply to when Rome disintegrated into 10 kingdoms. However it is not wise to apply this prophecy there because we know that 3 horns were up rooted before 538 leaving only seven. Therefore the 10 horns should not apply to the 10 horns of Daniel 7:7 but to the 10 divisions of the world unPope Benedict XVI will make his first visit to the United States, and plans to visit the White House, ground zero and speak at the United Nations.

Benedict will travel to Washington and New York from April 15-20, speak at the United Nations on April 18 and visit ground zero on the final day of his trip. The pope will visit the site of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in New York to show “solidarity with those who have died, with their families and with all those who wish an end of violence and in the search of peace,” said Sambi, the Vatican’s ambassador to the U.S. The visit will take place on the third anniversary of Benedict’s election to succeed Pope John Paul II, who died in April 2005. An official welcome reception for Benedict will be held at the White House on April 16, Sambi said.

The pontiff will celebrate two public Masses, first at the new Nationals Park in Washington on April 17, and again at Yankee Stadium on April 20. ABC NEWS 12th November 2007 66 Dragon Beast False Prophet RELIGIOUS ASPECT Spiritualism Catholicism Apostate Protestantism CIVIL ASPECT United Nations Papacy USA der the UN. Incidentally the stone that was cut out not by human hand hit the statue of Daniel 2 in the feet and toes made with iron and clay (church and state) denoting the end of the world when God would set up his kingdom.

The Seven Mountains of Rome The Seven Mountains of Rome Revelation 17:9 “And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.” “At last he beheld in the distance the seven-hilled city. ‘With deep emotion he [Luther] prostrated himself upon the earth, exclaiming: ‘Holy Rome, I salute thee!’” The Great Controversy, 124 The Vatican, the city of Rome is on seven hills, seven mountains. That is where she sits; she literally sits in a city on seven mountains. But there is more that she sits upon. What She Sits Upon A ‘woman’ in Bible Prophecy represents a church, a religious entity. (See Jeremiah 6:2, Revelation 17: :3-7). The heads of verse 9 are civil powers, or kingdoms. The woman sits on these civil powers and is the one who is pulling the strings behind the scenes. “

A woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast.” She sits here on a symbol of world civil power, and she is in control. If you are riding a horse, you are the one in control. She has the reigns and the beast has the muscle power. “I will show unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters.” Vs. 1 Here she sits upon many waters, which stand for peoples, nations, and multitudes. “The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.” Revelation 17:15. Prophecies of Old Prophecies of Old All the ancient prophets spoke more for our day than the times they were living illustrating that they were telling same story pointing to the end of the world.

This final three fold union that is to unite against God’s people can also be illustrated many times in the Bible. God’s children have always been opposed by a three fold union. In Elijah’s time Ahab was in an unholy union with Jezebel illustrating the unholy union of Church and state being joined at the time of the end which is contrary to God’s law. It’s also interesting to note that it was the false prophets that were doing Jezebel’s dirty work on Mount Carmel whilst she was pulling the strings behind the scenes. We have the same scene being repeated at the time of John the Baptist who came in the spirit and power of Elijah. Herod was in an unholy union with Herodias. Herodias is pulling the strings behind the scenes whilst her daughter is doing the dance of deception. After this dance of deception the spirit of the dragon is revealed when she requests her daughter to ask for the head of John the Baptist. And so in the final scenario we have the same scene repeated.

At the moment, its apostate Protestantism, who is described as the false prophet or the daughter of Rome who is doing the dance of deception with her music and false doctrine alluring God’s servant to sleep whist the Papacy is pulling the strings in the Vatican and preparing to enter into an unholy union with the United Nations to once again persecute the saints of the Most High and as with the previous Elijah’s many will be put to death but some will also be translated to be with our Great God and saviour Jesus Christ. Dragon Beast False Prophet Elijah King Ahab (Ruler over 10 Tribes) Jezebel False Prophets of Baal Elijah (John Baptist) King Herod Herodias Salomie Elijah (End of the world) United Nations (10 Kings) Papacy (Mother of Harlots Apostate Protestantism Note:

In Bible Prophecy a woman represents a church, and in this application, the women (Jezebel and Herodias) are typifying the papacy who is also described as woman (Mother Of Harlots) who commits fornication, in other words have illicit relations with the Kings of the earth 67 Tidings of Trouble Tidings of Trouble But tidings out of the east and out of the North shall trouble him: therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy and utterly to make away many. Daniel 11:44 The word translated as trouble in verse 44 is used also in Daniel 5:6, 9: “Then the king’s countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another. . . .

Then was king Belshazzar greatly troubled, and his countenance was changed in him, and his lords were astonied.” In Strong’s Concordance the definition primarily conveyed is to tremble inwardly, or to be suddenly alarmed, agitated, afraid, or dismayed. The king of the north in Daniel 11:44 recognizes a message which brings forth a reaction within himself, which parallels Belshazzar’s reaction when the mysterious writing appeared upon the wall. “Tidings” represent a message which will greatly disturb the king of the north. The key to the message which alarms and infuriates him is identified in the prophetic symbolism of east and north.

These directions are associated with Christ. East symbolizes Christ’s coming, and north is the direction from which the enemies of God’s people launched their attacks, as they were used by God to deliver His retributive judgments against Israel’s apostasy. North symbolizes a judgment message. See the following quotations below: “Soon there appears in the east a small black cloud, about half the size of a man’s hand. It is the cloud which surrounds the Saviour and which seems in the distance to be shrouded in darkness.

​ The people of God know this to be the sign of the Son of man.” The Great Controversy, 640. “The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, that was the first year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; The which Jeremiah the prophet spake unto all the people of Judah, and to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, . . . Behold, I will send and take all the families of the north, saith the Lord, and Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will bring them against this land, and against the inhabitants thereof, and against all these nations round about, and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, and an hissing, and perpetual desolations.” Jeremiah 25:1-2, 9.

“He who presides over His church and the destinies of nations is carrying forward the last work to be accomplished for this world. To His angels He gives the commission to execute His judgments. Let the ministers awake, let them take in the situation. The work of judgment begins at the sanctuary. ‘And, behold, six men came from the way of the higher gate, which lieth toward the north, which lieth toward the north and every man a slaughter weapon in his hand; and one man among them was clothed with linen, with a writer’s inkhorn by his side: and they went in, and stood beside the brazen altar.’ Read Ezekiel 9:2-10.

The command is, ‘Slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient men which were before the house.’ Saith God. ‘I will recompense their way upon their head.’ ” Testimonies to Ministers, 431-432. 68 North also identifies the controversy between Satan and Christ which began in heaven, for Satan has longed to take God’s position in the heavenly courts: “For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven,

I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north.” Isaiah 14:13. The “sides of the north” is God’s church, or His holy mountain: “Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King.” Psalm 48:2. The king of the north’s reaction to a message from the north is an allusion to Satan’s attempt to usurp God’s position. Not only do east and north represent a message of judgment and the return of Christ, but they identify Christ Himself: “Who raised up the righteous man from the east, called him to his foot, gave the nations before him, and made him rule over kings? he gave them as the dust to his sword, and as driven stubble to his bow. . . .

I have raised up one from the north, and he shall come: from the rising of the sun shall he call upon my name: and he shall come upon princes as upon mortar, and as the potter treadeth clay. Who hath declared from the beginning, that we may know? and beforetime, that we may say, He is righteous? yea, there is none that sheweth, yea, there is none that declareth, yea, there is none that heareth your words. The first shall say to Zion, Behold, behold them: and I will give to Jerusalem one that bringeth good tidings.” Isaiah 41:2, 25-27.

This passage of Isaiah identifies Christ as the One who would be raised up from the east and the north. It is the message of Christ’s righteousness, which is the last message of mercy to a dying world–the message of Christ’s character. See Christ’s Object Lessons, 415. In Daniel 11:44 is found the same “good tidings” of Isaiah 41, as well as the “good tidings” which Christ announced at the beginning of His ministry: “The spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn.” Isaiah 61:1-2.

The difference with the “tidings” of Daniel 11:44 and the message of Christ while He was on earth is that it was not then “the day of vengeance of our God.” It is the recognition of the “vengeance” connected with the tidings of Daniel 11:44, which makes the king of the north tremble and fear. The “good tidings” of Christ’s righteousness is always accompanied with an outpouring of His Spirit: “What was the result of the outpouring of the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost? The glad tidings of a risen Saviour were carried to the uttermost parts of the inhabited world.” The Acts of the Apostles, 48. This message of glad tidings will soon be proclaimed once again. This time it will not be in the context of the “risen Saviour,” but in the context of the return of Christ and the close of judgment which precedes “the day of the Lord’s vengeance.” Isaiah 34:8.

This message will bring a response of fear and retaliation from the forces associated with the king of the north. Daniel 11:40-43 portrays the infliction of the deadly wound upon the Papacy in 1798, followed by a three-step returning of the Papacy to its former position of power. It first retaliates against the forces of the king of the south, and then enters the glorious land of the United States. Then all the nations of the world, as symbolized by the land of Egypt, are brought into captivity. After these three obstacles are overcome, we see the king of the north controlling all the finances of the earth, identifying that the Papacy has fully returned to the position which it possessed during the 1260 years of Papal supremacy.

After this, in verse 44, Daniel switches our attention to the final battle between the Papacy and God. The sealing of God’s people begins in verse 41as the Sunday law is enacted in the United States, but verse 44 more directly identifies the sealing message, while also illustrating the Satanic reaction to that message. The sealing message is the message from the east: “And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.” Revelation 7:2-3. The message of the sealing angel is the third angel’s message: “I then saw the third angel. Said my accompanying angel, ‘

Fearful is his work. Awful is his mission. He is the angel that is to select the wheat from the tares, and seal, or bind, the wheat for the heavenly garner. These things should engross the whole mind, the whole attention.’ ” Early Writings, 118. Through the third angel’s message the church, and then the world–will be tested. It is the message which enrages the king of the north: “When the third angel’s message closes, mercy no longer pleads for the guilty inhabitants of the earth. The people 69 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. Angels are hastening to and fro in heaven. An angel returning from the earth announces that his work is done; the final test has been brought upon the world, and all who have proved themselves loyal to the divine precepts have received ‘the seal of the living God.’ Revelation 7:2. Then Jesus ceases His intercession in the sanctuary above. He lifts His hands and with a loud voice says, ‘It is done;’ (Revelation 21:6) and all the angelic host lay off their crowns as

He makes the solemn announcement: ‘He 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. Every case has been decided for life or death. Christ has made the atonement for His people and blotted out their sins. The number of His subjects is made up; ‘the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven,’ (Daniel 7:27) is about to be given to the heirs of salvation, and Jesus is to reign as King of kings and Lord of lords. 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.

“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. 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.

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. When God’s presence was finally withdrawn from the Jewish nation, priests and people knew it not.

Though under the control of Satan, and swayed by the most horrible and malignant passions, they still regarded themselves as the chosen of God. The ministration in the temple continued; sacrifices were offered upon its polluted altars, and daily the divine blessing was invoked upon a people guilty of the blood of God’s dear Son and seeking to slay His ministers and apostles. So when the irrevocable decision of the sanctuary has been pronounced and the destiny of the world has been forever fixed, the inhabitants of the earth will know it not.

The forms of religion will be continued by a people from whom the Spirit of God has been finally withdrawn; and the satanic zeal with which the prince of evil will inspire them for the accomplishment of his malignant designs, will bear the semblance of zeal for God. As the Sabbath has become the special point of controversy throughout Christendom, and religious and secular authorities have combined to enforce the observance of the Sunday, the persistent refusal of a small minority to yield to the popular demand will make them objects of universal execration.

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 confu- 70 sion and lawlessness. The same argument eighteen hundred years ago was brought against Christ by the ‘rulers of the people.’ See Acts 4:8. ‘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. “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.” The Great Controversy, 613-616. The loud-cry message begins to be proclaimed in earnest at the passage of a national Sunday law. Persecution increases from that point forward–eventually including martyrdom: “When this grand work is to take place in the battle, prior to the last closing conflict, many will be imprisoned, many will flee for their lives from cities and towns, and many will be martyrs for Christ’s sake in standing in defense of the truth.” Maranatha, 199.

“The whole world is to be stirred with enmity against Seventh-day Adventists, because they will not yield homage to the Papacy, by honoring Sunday, the institution of this anti-Christian power. It is the purpose of Satan to cause them to be blotted from the earth, in order that his supremacy of the world may not be disputed.” Review and Herald, August 22, 1893. “The season of distress and anguish before us will require a faith that can endure weariness, delay, and hunger–a faith that will not faint though severely tried. . . .

The ‘time of trouble, such as never was,’ (Daniel 12:1) is soon to open upon us; and we shall need an experience which we do not now possess and which many are too indolent to obtain. It is often the case that trouble is greater in anticipation than in reality; but this is not true of the crisis before us. The most vivid presentation cannot reach the magnitude of the ordeal.” The Great Controversy, 621-622.

It is in verse 44 the pope and his allies go out “to destroy and utterly make away many.” The message from the east and north, the third angels message comes to a close as probation for the world closes, and the enemies of God’s people are totally brought under the control of Satan but God’s people are not to fear for power on high will granted to his people in order for them to stand during the crisis. The message from the east and the north, the third angel’s message, comes to a close as probation for the world closes, and the enemies of God’s people are totally brought under the control of the spirit of Satan:

“I was pointed down to the time when the third angel’s message was closing. The power of God had rested upon His people; they had accomplished their work and were prepared for the trying hour before them. They had received the latter rain, or refreshing from the presence of the Lord, and the living testimony had been revived. The last great warning had sounded everywhere, and it had stirred up and enraged the inhabitants of the earth who would not receive the message.”

Early Writings, 279. Visit us at: www.adventtimes.com to access various present truth information and order books, CD’s and DVD’s from our new Advent Stop Shop bookstore Sales@adventtimes.com 71 The Latter Rain The Latter Rain But tidings out of the east and out of the North shall trouble him: therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy and utterly to make away many. Daniel 11:44 In the previous chapter, we identified that the ‘tidings out of the east’ is the message that will anger the King of the North and cause him to make away many.

What causes God’s people to fearlessly proclaim this message with boldness will be the outpouring of the latter rain, the refreshing from the presence of the Lord. “I heard those clothed with the armor speak forth the truth with great power. It had effect. . . . I asked what had made this great change. An angel answered, “It is the latter rain, the refreshing from the presence of the Lord, the loud cry of the third angel.”–Early Writings 271 (1858). {Last Day Events 186.5} The question of what the latter rain is might strike some people as odd. Though many correctly understand it to be the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, many lack understanding of what will cause the full outpouring that will enable God’s people to stand. Interestingly enough, the Bible likens the latter rain to the Harvest Season, the harvest is used as a type to symbolise the end of the world.

The Holy Spirit speaking through the apostle James tells us: “Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.” James 5:7 The Lord teaches us heavenly things through nature, the unknown being illustrated by the known, divine truths by earthly things with which people are most familiar. Prior to the fall of the latter rain which ripens the harvest and ushers in the coming of the Lord it is necessary for the early rain to fall. Without one experiencing the former rain, there will be no place for the latter rain to fall. The Lords servant tells us:

“He will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain.” In the East the former rain falls at the sowing time. It is necessary in order that the seed may germinate. Under the influence of the fertilizing showers the tender shoot springs up. The latter rain, falling near the close of the season, ripens the grain and prepares it for the sickle. The Lord employs these operations of nature to represent the work of the Holy Spirit. [SEE ZECHARIAH 10:1; HOSEA 6:3; JOEL 2:23, 28.]

As the dew and the rain are given first to cause the seed to germinate, and then to ripen the harvest, so the Holy Spirit is given to carry forward, from one stage to another, the process of spiritual growth. The ripening of the grain represents the completion of the work of God’s grace in the soul. By the power of the Holy Spirit the moral image of God is to be perfected in the character. We are to be wholly transformed into the likeness of Christ. The latter rain, ripening earth’s harvest, represents the spiritual grace that prepares the church for the coming of the Son of man. But unless the former rain has fallen, there will be no life; the green blade will not spring up. Unless the early showers have done their work, the latter rain can bring no seed to perfection.– Testimonies to Ministers 506 (1897). {Last Day Events 183.3}

In this Chapter, not only will we investigate what constitutes to the people of God receiving the latter rain, but we will also explain that through the harvest system, the Lord was demonstrating two separations that will take place between the two classes; and the development of the 144000 who will be the ‘firstfruits’ unto the Lord that will produce the loud cry message through the power of the Holy Spirit. Budding Trees of Spring Budding Trees of Spring “And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and 72 all the trees; When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand. So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand. Verily I say unto you,

This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled.” Luke 21:29-32 To answer the disciples last and most important question regarding the sign of his coming. Christ gave them the parable in Luke 21:29-30 pointing them to the budding trees of spring. In order to understand this parable and the message Christ was getting across to his people we must analyse is components. In the Bible, Summer is identifies as the harvest:

“He that gathereth in summer is a wise son: but he that sleepeth in harvest is a son that causeth shame” Proverbs 10:5 “The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved” Jeremiah 8:20 And the harvest which is the gathering of the fruit takes place at the end of the world: “The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.” Matthew 13:39-40 Summer is the harvest time however it is important to understand that summertime is progressive in nature. During the harvest time, the “first fruits” are first gathered out of the field, these are the sweetest and best of the crop, then at the end of the season, the planter will gather the rest of the crops.

The Bible also employs this concept. “For afore the harvest, when the bud is perfect, and the sour grape is ripening in the flower, he shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks, and take away and cut down the branches” Isaiah 18:5 “And the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown in the field: and the feast of ingathering, which is in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the field.” Exodus 23:16 So the Bible clearly demonstrate that before the full harvest is gathered in, the first fruits are drawn out first. Bible prophecy is also built on this platform relating it to the separation of the two classes in two parts. First we have the harvest of the first fruits which is the 144000 who will play an important role in giving the final message to the world: “

And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps: And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth. These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.”

Revelation 14:1- 4 It is the 144000 that will play a prominent role in preaching the 3rd angels messages to gather the rest of the harvest. They have an experience with God based upon their understanding in the prophetic word and a spiritually settling in the truth, therefore they are harvested as the first fruits. At the Sunday law, the nominal Adventists who never brought truth to their heart will be weeded out leaving those that are left to proclaim the warning message to the rest of the world. This is the message that will trouble the King of the North as he sees many converting to Christ’s fold. Notice how the chapter of revelation 14 is structured. Revelation 14:1-5, describes 144000 as the firstfruits of God who are redeemed from the earth. Revelation 14:6-12 describes the 3 angels message being proclaimed with a loud voice and then Revelation 14:14-19, describes the complete harvest at the end of the world after the 3rd angel has done its work. “And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud,

Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe. And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped. And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle. And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe.

And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God Revelation 14:15-19 The Advent Harvest comes first and then harvest of the rest of the world: “When Jesus began His public ministry, He cleansed the Temple from its sacrilegious profanation. Among the last acts of His ministry was the second cleansing of the Temple. So in the last work for the warning of the world, two distinct calls are made to the churches.

The second angel’s message is, “Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication” (Rev. 14:8). And in the loud cry of the third angel’s message a voice is heard from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, that 73 ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities” (Rev. 18:4, 5)”.– The Review and Herald, Dec. 6, 1892. The message of the angel following the third is now to be given to all parts of the world. It is to be the harvest message, and the whole earth will be lighted with the glory of God.—Letter 86, 1900. Last Day Events p208 The Latter Rain The Latter Rain “Repent ye therefore, and be converted that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord” Acts 3:!9

“The great work of the gospel is not to close with less manifestation of the power of God than marked its opening. The prophecies which were fulfilled in the outpouring of the former rain at the opening of the gospel are again to be fulfilled in the latter rain at its close. Here are “the times of refreshing” to which the apostle Peter looked forward when he said: “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; and He shall send Jesus.” Acts 3:19, 20. {The Great Controversy 611.3} The term ‘refreshing’ from the Greek is ‘anapsuxis’ which means revival: 403. a recovery of breath, i.e. (fig) revival: – revival (Strong Concordance) We are told that a revival should be our first work and that it comes from an increase of knowledge of prophetic light. Notice what Ellen White writes in the following passages: A revival of true godliness among us is the greatest and most urgent of all our needs.

To seek this should be our first work 1 Selected Messages, vol 1, 121 “Let us give more time to the study of the Bible. We do not understand the Word as we should. The book of Revelation opens with an injunction to us to understand the instruction that it contains. . . . When we . . . understand what this book means to us, there will be seen among us a great revival.” {Faith I Live By 345.4} Moses likens rain to doctrine: “My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass.” Deuteronomy 32:2 Whilst Isaiah likens the refreshing to doctrine and knowledge. “Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.

For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little: For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people. To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.…” Isaiah 28:9-12

We are further told that John the Revelator records the messages that are to ripen the harvest. “ To John were opened scenes of deep and thrilling interest in the experience of the church. He saw the position, dangers, conflicts, and final deliverance of the people of God. He records the closing messages which are to ripen the harvest of the earth, either as sheaves for the heavenly garner or as fagots for the fires of destruction. Subjects of vast importance were revealed to him, especially for the last church, that those who should turn from error to truth might be instructed concerning the perils and conflicts before them.

None need be in darkness in regard to what is coming upon the earth. Why, then, this widespread ignorance concerning an important part of Holy Writ? Why this general reluctance to investigate its teachings? It is the result of a studied effort of the prince of darkness to conceal from men that which reveals his deceptions. For this reason, Christ the Revelator, foreseeing the warfare that would be waged against the study of the Revelation, pronounced a blessing upon all who should read, hear, and observe the words of the prophecy.” {Great Controversy 341}

It is the third angels message that will produce the effect of the latter rain which results in the Holy Spirit being poured out. The latter rain is an increase of knowledge: “By the increase of knowledge a people is to be prepared to stand in the latter days.” Selected Messages, book 2, 105 As mentioned in previous chapters, this increase of knowledge is in regards to the ‘man of sin’ and his final movements on earth which is explained in Daniel 11:40- 74 45 “In the first angel’s message men are called upon to worship God, our Creator, who made the world and all things that are therein. They have paid homage to an institution of the Papacy, making of no effect the Law of Jehovah, but there is to be an increase of knowledge on this subject.”

{2Selected Messages 106.1}. “The scenes connected with the working of the man of sin are the last features plainly revealed in this earth’s history.” The people now have a special message to give to the world, the third angel’s message. Those who, in their experience, have passed over the ground, and acted a part in the proclamation of the first, second, and third angels’ messages, are not so liable to be led into false paths as are those who have not had an experimental knowledge of the people of God. . . {2Selected Messages 102.1} Those who reject this new light will find themselves destitute of the latter rain, Christ reveals himself by his word. . “Many have in a great measure failed to receive the former rain. They have not obtained all the benefits that God has thus provided for them.

They expect that the lack will be supplied by the latter rain. When the richest abundance of grace shall be bestowed, they intend to open their hearts to receive it. They are making a terrible mistake. The work that God has begun in the human heart in giving His light and knowledge must be continually going forward. Every individual must realize his own necessity. The heart must be emptied of every defilement and cleansed for the indwelling of the Spirit. It was by the confession and forsaking of sin, by earnest prayer and consecration of themselves to God, that the early disciples prepared for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. The same work, only in greater degree, must be done now. Then the human agent had only to ask for the blessing, and wait for the Lord to perfect the work concerning him.

It is God who began the work, and He will finish His work, making man complete in Jesus Christ. But there must be no neglect of the grace represented by the former rain. Only those who are living up to the light they have will receive greater light. Unless we are daily advancing in the exemplification of the active Christian virtues, we shall not recognize the manifestations of the Holy Spirit in the latter rain. It may be falling on hearts all around us, but we shall not discern or receive it. At no point in our experience can we dispense with the assistance of that which enables us to make the first start. The blessings received under the former rain are needful to us to the end. Yet these alone will not suffice.

While we cherish the blessing of the early rain, we must not, on the other hand, lose sight of the fact that without the latter rain, to fill out the ears and ripen the grain, the harvest will not be ready for the sickle, and the labor of the sower will have been in vain. Divine grace is needed at the beginning, divine grace at every step of advance, and divine grace alone can complete the work. There is no place for us to rest in a careless attitude. We must never forget the warnings of Christ, “Watch unto prayer,” “Watch, . . . and pray always.”

A connection with the divine agency every moment is essential to our progress. We may have had a measure of the Spirit of God, but by prayer and faith we are continually to seek more of the Spirit. It will never do to cease our efforts. If we do not progress, if we do not place ourselves in an attitude to receive both the former and the latter rain, we shall lose our souls, and the responsibility will lie at our own door.” {TM 507.2}

This generation This generation shall not pass shall not pass We are the generation that will see Christ come in the clouds with His glory and the glory of His father. “This generation shall not pass away till all these things be fulfilled.” Luke 21:32. As the budding trees of spring opened to the Jews for their time from the portion of the book of Daniel. (Daniel 9:24- 27)

They were the ones to witness Christ’s ministry be fulfilled in its entirety on earth beginning with the baptism of John till He be taken to the holy place after the separation of the two classes, leaving the Jews to continue with their useless scarifies. As the budding trees of spring opened to the Millerites after the prophecy of the 2300 days from the book of Daniel was empowered in 1840, they were the ones to witness Christ ministry through faith move from the holy to the most holy place, once again separating the wise virgins from the foolish virgins. And so at the time of the end, the budding trees of spring have now begun, Daniel 11:40-45 is opened to Adventism receiving additional empowerment in 2001. The generation to witness these things will see Christ come with the clouds of heaven. Oh that Adventism may recognise the time of their visitation.

My heart is grieved! “If the truth for this time, if the signs that are thickening on every hand, that testify that the end of all things is at hand, are not sufficient to arouse the sleeping energy of those who profess to know the truth, then darkness proportionate to the light which has been shining will overtake these souls. There is not the semblance of an excuse for their indifference that they will be able to present to God in the great day of final reckoning. There will be no reason to offer as to why they did not live and walk and work in the light of the sacred truth of the Word of God, and thus reveal to a sin-darkened world, through their conduct, their sympathy, and their zeal, that the power and reality of the gospel could not be controverted.” {Ye shall Receive Power. p310.2} 75

Daniel 11 verse 45 describes when the king of the north comes to his end after planting the ‘tabernacles of his palace’ (war tents) between the seas in the glorious holy mountain. The “glorious holy mountain,” is God’s church, according to the following verses: “And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.” Isaiah 2:2-3.

The “seas” are the people of the world: “And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.” Revelation 17:15. One of the questions most often raised about Daniel 11:40-45, is whether or not the glorious, holy mountain of verse 45 is the same as the glorious land of verse 41. Let us compare them. Both symbols contain the adjective translated as “glorious,” but, if we drop the word “glorious” from both phrases, we see a distinction made between a land and a mountain. A land and a mountain are two different entities even though they are both glorious. The land of verse 41 is where God’s people and truth were placed in order to facilitate the proclamation of the final message of warning. The church which was raised up to proclaim this message is the holy mountain of verse 45.

Both are “glorious,” in their own way, but a church and the country where the church was raised up are two different entities, though they are closely related. Daniel 11:45 is describing when humanity will finally be divided into two groups. The Papacy is portrayed as being in the middle ground between these two groups of people, for the Papacy has been the primary object used by Satan to prevent the people of the world from hearing the last message of warning.

With the Papacy’s position in the middle, the people who reject the last message of warning are on one side while God’s people stand on the other: “There are only two classes in the world today, and only two classes will be recognized in the judgment– those who violate God’s law, and those who keep His law. Two great opposing powers are revealed in the last great battle. On one side stands the Creator of heaven and earth. All on His side bear His signet.

They are obedient to His commands. On the other side stands the prince of darkness, with those who have chosen apostasy and rebellion.” Review and Herald, May 7, 1901. In the Glorious Holy Mountain In the Glorious Holy Mountain There are many other translations that suggest that verse 45 should be translated as the papacy placing his tabernacles ‘between the seas and the glorious holy mountain’ instead of ‘in the glorious holy mountain.’ But a careful study of Ancient Israel’s history and the circumstances surrounding its final destruction suggests that the Kings James Version is correct and the papacy does stand in the glorious Holy Mountain in attempt to block the loud cry message of the third angel; but he does not breach the walls of the third angel’s message, which is to establish Christianity upon an eternal basis. (This will be discussed as you continue

None to Help None to Help And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him. Daniel 11:45. 76 through the chapter) He will meet his final destruction with none to help him. In order to fully understand what is meant by the Papacy placing his tabernacles in the glorious holy mountain we need to understand the history of Israel. In Exodus 3:1 When Moses was by the ‘mountain of God even to Horeb’ the Lord appeared to Moses and told him to take of his shoes from his feet for the ground is holy, indicating that wherever the presence of the Lord dwells, the place is Holy. The presence of the Lord then moves to Mount Sinai where the Lord was to manifest his presence.

Moses was to tell the people that if anybody should touch the mount the penalty was instant death: “…And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned or thrust with a dart.” Hebrews 12:20. Ellen White commenting on this episode writes: “The preparations were made according to the command; and in obedience a further injunction, Moses directed that a barrier be placed about the mount, that neither man nor beast might intrude upon the sacred precinct. If any ventured so much as to touch it, the penalty was instant death.” Patriarchs and Prophets p304. So it was not only the actual mount that was holy but the barrier surrounded the mount was also the Lord’s jurisdiction whereas if anyone should touch it the penalty was death. After the Lord’s descent on Mount Sinai, Moses was commanded to make a sanctuary that the Lord may dwell among them. (Exodus 25:8).

The presence of the Lord moves from Mount Sinai to the sanctuary in the wilderness where the Lord manifested his presence (Exodus 40:34-35) and then into the city of Jerusalem where a more permanent structure was built. (1Kings 8:10-11). Note that it was not the whole of Palestine that was holy, only the temple where the Lord’s presence dwelt and a few furlongs outside the city walls. Ellen White makes the distinction clear in the following passage: “And the Saviour warned his followers: “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), then let them which be in Judea flee into the mountains.”[MATT. 24:15, 16; LUKE21:20.]

When the idolatrous standards of the Romans should be set up in the holy ground, which extended some furlongs outside the city walls, then the followers of Christ were to find safety in flight.” Great Controversy P27 It was only when pagan Rome planted its idolatrous standards on the holy ground outside the city walls it was deemed as the ‘abomination that maketh desolate’. Though Rome had been in the land of Palestine for a number of years after conquering Jerusalem in 63BC they still had not ventured into God’s jurisdiction.

It was only when Rome stood on the holy ground which extended outside the city walls, they had entered into God’s jurisdiction and desolations were determined. The second application after the cross is when Rome returns in the form of Papalism. We have Satan working through the Papacy to place his idolatrous standards in God’s church, the Holy City as described in Revelation 11:2: “And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.

But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.” Revelation 11:1-2 This treading down of the city which is without the temple came as a result of the compromise between paganism and Christianity leading to the development of the “man of sin” foretold in prophecy as opposing and exalting himself above God. That gigantic system of false religion is a masterpiece of Satan’s power,–a monument of his efforts to seat himself upon the throne to rule the earth according to his will.

The papacy had now placed his idolatrous standards in the church by banning the Bible and setting up its idol Sabbath. We have no literal temple standing; but we have the body of believers that constitute to the temple of God which is a habitation for the spirit: “And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.” Ephesians 2:20-22

As explained in previous chapters, we proved that it was in 1844, the church experienced a moral fall in consequence of their refusals of the first and second angel’s messages. The idolatrous standards of papal Rome had now been placed in the minds of the foolish virgins who held onto Sunday sacredness, immortality of the soul and other unscriptural doctrines. Satan had now gained vantage ground through the foolish virgins and the abomination of desolation had now been set up in their sanctuary. Describing Christ’s movement from the holy to the most holy place, Ellen White writes:

“I turned to look at the company who were still bowed before the throne; they did not know that Jesus had left it. Satan appeared to be by the throne, trying to carry on the work of 77 God. I saw them look up to the throne, and pray, “Father, give us Thy Spirit.” Satan would then breathe upon them an unholy influence; in it there was light and much power, but no sweet love, joy, and peace. Satan’s object was to keep them deceived and to draw back and deceive God’s children.” Early Writings p56

The third application is when the Papacy now enters into the modern day glorious land which we have already proven to be the United States of America. As the Barrier surrounded the mount was holy, and the furlong outside the city walls was holy, so in the spiritual sense, the constitution that was originally set up in America is the barrier that surrounds and protects the temple of God whom giving us the freedom to worship God as he requires.

The constitution of America was founded on the fact that Church and state must remain separate. It is the furlong outside the city wall that protects the Church giving them the freedom to worship the Lord as He requires: “In that grand old document which our forefathers set forth as their bill of rights–the Declaration of Independence– they declared: “We hold these truths to be selfevident, that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” And the Constitution guarantees, in the most explicit terms, the inviolability of conscience:”

No religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office of public trust under the United States.” “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”” {GC295.2} “The framers of the Constitution recognized the eternal principle that man’s relation with his God is above human legislation, and his rights of conscience inalienable. Reasoning was not necessary to establish this truth; we are conscious of it in our own bosoms. It is this consciousness which, in defiance of human laws, has sustained so many martyrs in tortures and flames. They felt that their duty to God was superior to human enactments, and that man could exercise no authority over their consciences. It is an inborn principle which nothing can eradicate.”–Congressional documents (U.S.A.), serial No. 200, document No. 271.

As the tidings spread through the countries of Europe, of a land where every man might enjoy the fruit of his own labor and obey the convictions of his own conscience, thousands flocked to the shores of the New World. Colonies rapidly multiplied . “Massachusetts, by special law, offered free welcome and aid, at the public cost, to Christians of any nationality who might fly beyond the Atlantic ‘to escape from wars or famine, or the oppression of their persecutors.’ Thus the fugitive and the downtrodden were, by statute, made the guests of the commonwealth.”– Martyn, vol. 5, p. 417. “In our own country there are thousands of all nations, and tongues, and peoples who are ignorant and superstitious, having no knowledge of the Bible or its sacred teachings. God’s hand was in their coming to America, that they might be brought under the enlightening influence of the truth revealed in His Word, and become partakers of His saving faith.–Review and Herald, March 1, 1887.”

The constitution was set up by the Lord regarding freedom to worship God without the civil power getting involved. This is based on God’s 10 commandment law, the first tablet dealing with Love for God which is the first four commandments, the second tablet dealing with the last six commandments which deal with love for their fellow neighbour.

In Matt 22:15-22, the Pharisees alongside the Herodians attempt to ‘entangle Jesus in his talk.’ They asked is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar or not? Jesus perceived their wickedness and gives what it seems to be an ambiguous answer “render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesars and unto God the things that are God’s.” Matt 22:21. This indicates that there is a certain allegiance we hold to God which is the first four commandments this is man’s first duty and the second duty we hold to Caesar, i.e. civil government.

The second table of the law is the table that the civil government can use to preserve the harmony of society but they must never enforce the first table of the law into the civil code. When Church and state unite, the consequences are always disastrous, we only need to look at the times of Jesus; it was the Church that united with the civil powers to have him crucified. The same church and state amalgamation happened in the dark ages during the 1260 years of papal rule. Historians estimate over fifty million families were put to the death for the crime of heresy.

It is when the papacy once again makes void the law of God through the union of church and state, it is when Satan through the papacy enters into God’s jurisdiction that is the furlongs that surround the mountain, i.e. the constitution that protects the church. God’s hand was in the setting up of the constitution as it was built on God’s moral law and that is the fact that church and state 78 must remain separate.

This is the land were God’s denominated church was raised as its principles, republicism and Protestantism was the hedge that protected the church and gave them the freedom to worship God as He required. Though the papacy places its tabernacles in the Glorious Holy Mountain, they are not permitted to breach the walls as Pagan Rome did with literal Israel in 70AD. This wall is third angels message which is repaired by the repairers of the breach as described in Isaiah 58:8-14.

Ellen White states this in numerous passages: “Here are given the characteristics of those who shall be reformers, who will bear the banner of the third angel’s message, those who avow themselves God’s commandment- keeping people, and who honor God, and are earnestly engaged, in the sight of all the universe, in building up the old waste places.

Who is it that calls them, The repairers of the breach, The restorers of paths to dwell in? It is God. Their names are registered in heaven as reformers, restorers, as raising the foundations of many generations” Review and Herald Oct. 13, 1891 “Isa. 58:8-14 quoted.] Where do we find the people who are thus addressed? Who is it that shall build the old waste places, and raise up the foundation of many generations? Where are the people who have had light from heaven to see that a breach has been made in the law of God? In the Revelation, John says,

“The temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament.” Rev. 11:19. John saw in vision the Lord’s people looking for His coming and searching for truth. As the temple of God was opened unto His people, the light of the law of God, which was in the ark, shone forth. Those who receive this light are brought to view in the proclamation of the third angel’s message.This angel is seen flying in the midst of heaven, “saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb. . . . Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.”

This is the people that are repairing the breach in the law of God. They see that the Sabbath of the fourth commandment has been supplanted by a spurious sabbath, a day that has no sanction in the Word of God. Amid great opposition they become loyal to their God, and take their position under the standard of the third angel. As the end approaches, the testimonies of God’s servants will become more decided and more powerful, flashing the light of truth upon the systems of error and oppression that have so long held the supremacy.

The Lord has sent us messages for this time to establish Christianity upon an eternal basis, and all who believe present truth must stand, not in their own wisdom, but in God; and raise up the foundation of many generations. These will be registered in the books of heaven as repairers of the breach, the restorers of paths to dwell in. We are to maintain the truth because it is truth, in the face of the bitterest opposition. God is at work upon human minds; it is not man alone that is working. The great illuminating power is from Christ; the brightness of His example is to be kept before the people in every discourse” {4Bible Commentaries 1152.}

“The Lord’s people are seeking to heal the breach which has been made in the law of God. “And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in. If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on My holy day; and call the Sabbath a delight,

the holy of the Lord, honorable; and shalt honor Him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.” This disturbs the enemies of our faith, and every means is employed to hinder us in our work.

And yet the broken-down wall is going steadily up. The world is being warned, and many are turning away from trampling under their feet the Sabbath of Jehovah. God is in this work, and man cannot stop it. Angels of God are working with the efforts of His faithful servants, and the work steadily advances. We shall meet with opposition of every description, as did the builders of the walls of Jerusalem; but if we watch and pray and work, as they did, God will fight our battles for us and give us precious victories. {3Testomonies p573}

Notice how she compares the work of God’s people who proclaim the third angels message as building the walls of Jerusalem as Nehemiah did; they build up the old waste places and they raise up the foundations of many generations. Though the Papacy stands in the Glorious Holy Mountain: i.e. the furlong outside the city walls, the bounds outside the mountain – by destroying the constitution and entering into a church state union in order to make void the law of God.

He is not permitted to breach the walls of the third angel, for God’s work would have been completed in the heart of the believer and the Lord God Jehovah, the true King of the North will stand up for his people. “Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King. Psalm 48.2 A Wake up Call A Wake up Call We also have seen that the sequence of conquests by the Papacy as it returns to its “former position of power,” is the same sequence set forth in the book of Revelation.

We also identified this sequence as an accurate repetition 79 of the “history” portrayed in Daniel 11:30-35, which Sister White identified as a pattern by which to compare the final events recorded in Daniel eleven. While noting that the last scenes of prophecy would address the man of sin, we also identified that within the books of Daniel and the Revelation there would be “an increase of knowledge” which would “prepare God’s people to stand”

in these last days, and that this increase of knowledge would include a knowledge about “the man of sin.” Not only did we establish some of the connections between these verses with the book of Revelation, but the prevailing theme of these verses can easily be verified by the events which are transpiring in the world today. We considered that our greatest need as God’s people is for revival and reformation, and we noted that Sister White said this needed revival would come from an understanding found in the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation.

We began this study by comparing the events set forth in the first chapter of Testimonies, volume 9, and found there that Sister White identified these final events with the fulfillment of Daniel 11. More sobering though is that as Sister White pointed to these final events of Daniel 11, she then stated that “the final movements will be rapid ones.” Brothers and Sisters, the final, rapid events portrayed in Daniel 11:40-45 began in 1989 with the collapse of the Soviet Union.

It is high time that we awaken to the signs of the times! “But there is a day that God hath appointed for the close of this world’s history. ‘This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.’ Matthew 24:14. 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. While the watchmen cry, ‘Peace and safety,’ ‘sudden destruction cometh upon them,’ ‘and they shall not escape’ (1 Thessalonians 5:3);’for as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.’ Luke 21:35. 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.’ Matthew 24:44. People are now settling to rest, imagining themselves secure under the popular churches; but let all beware, lest there is a place left open for the enemy to gain an entrance. Great pains should be taken to keep this subject before the people.

The solemn fact is to be kept not only before the people of the world, but before our own churches also, that the day of the Lord will come suddenly, unexpectedly. The fearful warning of the prophecy is addressed to every soul. 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. God calls upon all who minister in word and doctrine to give the trumpet a certain sound.

All who have received Christ, ministers and lay members, are to arise and shine; for great peril is right upon us. Satan is stirring up the powers of earth. Everything in this world is in confusion. God calls upon His people to hold aloft the banner bearing the message of the third angel. . . . {Gospel Workers p395.2} 80 Pioneers and Daniel Eleven Pioneers and Daniel Eleven The “Glorious Land” is the United States It is in this America land that the great body of the church has chiefly shared her glorious triumph and prosperity since 1798.

It is here that the wilderness and the solitary place have been made glad for them, and the desert has rejoiced and blossomed as the rose. It is here that the loud voice of preparation, “prepare ye the way of the Lord” has been chiefly given. From this America land the Advent message has sounded forth to every, nation, kindred and tongue. This land and people are recognised by the name Zion, and Jerusalem’ . This is now being literally fulfilled in the proclamation of the third angels message, [Revelation 14:9-12] advocating the perpetuity and obligation of God’s ten moral precepts, the constitution and foundation of his moral government…

“We have reached the appointed time that the great body of God’s living, professed people are to be found in such a land as the above described; and there is no people or country on the habitable globe at this time that will answer the above description, but the people and country of this America land. “This America land so far as the ancient history of the world is concerned, has been always waste and desolate; an uncultivated, desolate, waste, howling wilderness, unknown to the civilised world until the time of the promise drew nigh, when God was about to fulfil his word, and set his hand a second time to recover the remnant of his people from the land of their captivity, and bring them into the wilderness of preparation.

It was in due time that God permitted this America continent to be discovered and without a doubt the Lord sent his angel to stir up the spirit of Columbus to engage in the enterprise and guided his bark across the trackless deep to the discovery of the new world. “The dreadful and terrible beast, [Daniel 7:7,19] which devoured, break in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet, thought also to cause this America land to feel his iron stamp; but in due time God removed his brazen hoof by bringing back these United States from the sword in the America revolution as predicted Ezekiel 38:8, and thus opened here just in due time that God an asylum of Civil and Religious liberty for the remnant of his people to be gathered into.

“From the foregoing considerations we learn the important truth that God does literally gather the remnant of his people out of the countries wherein they have been scattered, and does literally bring them from the land of their captivity into a literal wilderness of woods, a place of preparation prior to their entering the land of Israel, the promised eternal inheritance of the earth made new. “It is after Jerusalem’s appointed time which was accomplished A.D. 1798, that in the wilderness the voice of preparation is heard sounding…

“Insomuch as the remnant were to be gathered out of all placed and countries wherein they were scattered, and were to be brought from the land of their captivity into the wilderness of preparation, the question arises, How much territory does the land of their captivity embrace? Answer: it embraces the ancient Assyrian or Babylonian, the medo-persian, the Grecian, and Roman empires: it embraces all territory over which the seven heads of gentile rule have exercised their supremacy,

the land of Canaan not excerpted; hence we are driven entirely from the eastern continent to find the wilderness of preparation into which the remnant are gathered to prepare the way of the Lord, and make strait in the desert a highway for our God; and hence we are unavoidably confined to this American Continent… From the above it is clear that this wilderness of preparation is the pleasant land brought to view Daniel 8:9. it is called in chapter 11:41,45, the glorious land, and the glorious holy mountain, or goodly land, land of delight or ornament.” Hiram Edson, Review and Herald, February 28, 1856 The Glorious Land is

Not the Holy Mountain “We have found that the earth is not the sanctuary, but simply the territory where it will be finally located; that the church is not the sanctuary, but simply the worshippers connected with the sanctuary; and that the land of Canaan is not the sanctuary but it is the place where the typical sanctuary is located.” JN Andrews, The sanctuary and the 2300 days, 33-45. The Papacy is the King of the North

“There is a line of historic prophecy in chapter eleven, where the symbols are thrown off, beginning with the Kings of Persia, and reaching down past Grecia and Rome, to the time when that power shall come to his end, and none shall help him. It the feet of ten toes of the metallic image are Roman, if the beast with ten horns that was given to the burning flames of the great day be the Roman Beast, if the little horn which stood up against the Prince of princes be Rome, and if the same field and distance are covered by these four prophetic chains, then the last power of the eleventh chapter, which is to ‘come to his end and none shall help him,’ is Rome.” James White’s sermon at the General Conference around 1878, Review and Herald, October 3, 1878