Give the Biblical symbol from Daniel 7 for
each of the powers mentioned below: Daniel 7:1-8
Babylon: Medo-Persia: Greece: Pagan Rome: 10 Tribes: Papal Rome:
What takes place after the fall of the little
horn power? Daniel 7:9, 10
The
NOTE: Daniel portrays the panorama of the
nations, each one following the other. The next great scene is none
other than the judgment.
The sequence of empires is repeated again
later in Chapter 7. Name the three powers of the fourth beast he now
mentions: Daniel 7:19, 20
the the the
How long does the little horn power prevail
against the saints? Daniel 7:21, 22
Until the Ancient of Days came and pronounced
NOTE: Here again we find Daniel emphasizing the
fact the the little horn power prevails over the minds of men until the
Ancient of Days (God) began judgment.
Daniel again mentions the fourth beast, the
ten horns, and the little horn for a third time in chapter 7. What
event does Daniel foretell? Daniel 7:23-26
But the
NOTE: Three times in one chapter Daniel has
gone though the sequence of the fourth beast. In each case he ends with
the judgment scene. The judgment scene always follows the reign of the
little horn power.
How long does the little horn power reign? Daniel 7:25
A
NOTE: The time, times and half a time equals
1260 days, or prophetic years (remember lesson 9?) . The 1260
years began with the destruction of the last of three powers that
prevented the papacy from having full supremacy. In A.D. 538 the decree
of Justinian which gave the pope power in the West was finally put into
effect when the pope was established in Rome. In 1798, 1260 years
later, French general Berthier, under orders from Napoleon, took the
pope prisoner, ending the temporal sovereignty of the pope and
fulfilling to the very year the 1260 year prophecy. Daniel 7 predicted
that this little horn power would control and dominate the saints for
this 1260 year period. When this period was over, God would convene the
judgment. That's why Daniel sees the judgment scene coming right after
the reign of this little horn power. From Daniel 7 we learn that the
judgment occurs sometime after 1798. Daniel 8 gives us the final
details which pinpoint exactly when the judgment begins.
THE SEQUENCE
OF DANIEL 8 In Daniel 8 we notice that Daniel gives the
same sequence of kingdoms as Daniel 7. This constant repetition was to
vividly impress upon our minds the importance of the sequence of events
leading up to the judgment.
Give the interpretation for each of the
symbols listed below in Daniel 8. (The interpretation is given in
chapter 8, but if you need extra help, review Lesson 10 ).
The ram: The goat: The Prominent horn: The four horns: The little horn: The grown horn:
NOTE: Daniel has repeated the sequence in
Daniel 7 with a few added details.
According to Daniel 8, what is the next thing
that happens after the reign of the little horn? Daniel 8:13, 14
Then the Sanctuary will be
NOTE: The reconsecrating (or cleansing) of the
Sanctuary is parallel to the judgment; in Daniel 7 the judgment scene
is the event that follows the reign of the little horn; In Daniel 8 the
parallel event is the cleansing of the Sanctuary. From our study of the
ancient Jewish Sanctuary we learned, however, that the cleansing of the
Sanctuary referred to the work of judgment. Whereas Daniel 7 gave us
the approximate time for the beginning of the judgment (sometime after
1798), Daniel 8 gives us the exact details -- it starts at the end of
the 2300 days, in 1844.
Notice in the chart below how these chapters
parallel each other:
Daniel 7 Daniel 8 Interpretation
Lion
Babylon
Bear Ram Medo-Persia
Leopard Goat Greece
4 Heads 4 Horns 4 divisions
Beast Little Horn Pagan Rome
10 Horns
10 Barbaric Tribes
Little Horn Grown Horn Papal Rome
Court Set Cleansing of Sanctuary Judgment
THE GOOD
NEWS This is wonderful news! God's judgment has
already begun in heaven and has been going on there since 1844. To some
people, the judgment is scarry, bad news. But in Scripture, judgment is
always treated as good news for God's people, not bad news.
What is shouted in Heaven when God shows His
judgments? Revelation 19:1-3
!
Salvation, and
NOTE: It seems incredible, but all heaven goes
into the greatest of praises to God because He has shown his judgments.
Revelation 14:6-12 describes a
special message that is to go into all the world as the end time. It is
symbolized by three angels flying in midair, proclaiming this message.
What does the first angel's message say about
the judgment? Revelation 14:7
The hour of his judgment
NOTE: Notice the present tense of this verse.
When this special message is proclaimed, the judgment is not future, it
is not past; it is actually in progress. This message of the judgment
in session could only be proclaimed since 1844.
What three injunctions are given as a result
of the judgment being in session? Revelation 14:7
God
and give him him
who made the heavens, the earth...
NOTE: Again we see praise, honor, and worship
given to God, because He has, at last, convened the judgment.
TWO ASPECTS
OF THE JUDGMENT The First
Aspect of the Judgment:
In order to fully understand what is involved
in this judgment, we must examine why the Sanctuary needed to be
cleansed.
Why does Daniel say the Sanctuary has to be
cleansed? Daniel 8:13, 14
Because the
NOTE: Daniel indicates that the reason why the
Sanctuary needs to be cleansed is because the little horn has trampled
on the Sanctuary.
How has the little horn trampled God's
Sanctuary? Daniel 8:11, 12
Prince of the host. It took away the The place of his Sanctuary was brought And
NOTE: There are four great sins that Daniel
charges to the little horn of Daniel 8 that necessitate the cleansing
of the Sanctuary.
It set itself up to be as great as the
Prince of the host.. This refers to the papacy's claim to be equal the
God. (see Lesson 9). It took away the daily sacrifice. In the Old
Testament Sanctuary service the 'daily' referred to the work of the
courtyard and the holy place --Jesus' work of sacrifice and
intercession. The little horn has destroyed Jesus's work of sacrifice
by instituting the daily sacrifice of the Mass for the once-for-all
sacrifice of Jesus. Instead of Jesus dying once for all on the cross,
the papal system sacrifices Jesus over and over each time the Mass is
conducted. This system also destroys Jesus' work of intercession by
causing people to turn to the confessional box for forgiveness of sin,
instead of pointing them to the intercessory work of Jesus in the
heavenly Sanctuary, where Jesus, as our only mediator, forgives us of
our sins. The place of his Sanctuary was brought low.
The place of God's Sanctuary in New Testament times is the heavenly
Sanctuary. Instead of pointing people to the heavenly Sanctuary where
Jesus is minister, the papal system has pointed them to a earthly
priestly system. And truth was thrown to the ground. The
papacy has taken the great truth of the heavenly Sanctuary and made it
an earthly system. As a result, people are trying to find salvation in
an earthly system instead of seeking to find it in the heavenly
Sanctuary
It is because of these very doctrines that the
little horn system comes under the judgment of God. It is partially
because of this corruption of the Sanctuary truth by the papacy that
Daniel reveals that the Sanctuary must be cleansed, or restored to its
rightful place. Once again, people must be led to see the ministry of
Jesus in the heavenly Sanctuary. The Sanctuary needs to be cleansed
because the little horn has made the work of Jesus a work on earth
instead of a work in the heavenly Sanctuary.
The Second
Aspect of the Judgment:
In the Old Testament Sanctuary service, what
necessitated the cleansing of the Sanctuary? Leviticus 16:16
The
NOTE: The second thing that necessitates the
cleansing of the Sanctuary is that the record of the sins of God's
people have transferred to the Sanctuary through the ministry of Jesus.
This record of sins must be removed through a work of judgment in which
it is shown that Satan, not God, is responsible for sin.
Since there are two things that defile the
Sanctuary, the judgment beginning in 1844 must be a twofold judgment:
It must bring judgment for the saints It must bring judgment against the little
horn.
In other words, there is a positive and a
negative aspect to the judgment. Positively, the judgment will decide
in favor of the saints; negatively, it will decide against the little
horn power.
What message is preached as a part of the
everlasting gospel? Revelation 14:6, 7
The hour of his
NOTE: The gospel is the good news that Jesus
forgives people of sin through His ministry in the heavenly Sanctuary,
and that no man on earth can forgive sins. When people hear the gospel
preached and are pointed to the heavenly Sanctuary where Jesus is
minister, the little horn ceases to have dominion over them. God's
judgment on the little horn is heralded by this special, unique message
of Revelation 14:6-12 that preaches the beginning of the judgment in
1844 and exposes the fallacy of the little horn by pointing people to
the work of Jesus in the heavenly Sanctuary. Remember, this message can
only be preached since 1844, for it proclaims that the judgment is now
in session.
Who else is judged in the judgment? Daniel 7:22
And pronounced judgment in
NOTE: This judgment that began in 1844 not only
decides negatively against the little horn power, but it decides
positively in favor of God's people.
Some may wonder why God has a judgment. God
does not NEED to have a judgment in order to find out who's going to be
saved. God already knows who's going to be saved. God is so fair and
just that He convenes this judgment, so that it will be very clear to
all that He has a right to save every one that He is about to take to
heaven. During this judgment beginning in 1844, God for the first time
unveils the names of the saved, and then shows the whole universe why
He is saving these people.
With whom does Peter say judgment must begin?
1 Peter 4:17
For it is time for judgment to begin with the
NOTE: This judgment is primarily dealing with
the righteous. It is God's vindication of His right to save people who
have fully surrendered themselves to the lordship of Jesus in their
life.
Who is to be my lawyer in the judgment? 1 John 2:1
Jesus
NOTE: Our advocate, or speaker in our defense,
in this judgment is Jesus the Messiah. He will plead our case against
Satan's charges. That's why the saints don't worry. That's why
Christians are not anxious about judgment. They know that Jesus will
never lose any case entrusted to Him. The question that needs to
concern me is: Have I chosen Jesus to plead my case?
Have you engaged Jesus as your lawyer in the
judgment that is now in progress?
Recommended on-line reading:
Good
News and Bad News
(This is the best book I know of about the
Judgment.)
