The Book of Daniel - Number Seventy

When the Lord entered into covenant with ancient Israel, He provided two tables as the foundation and symbol of the covenant relationship. The two tables also identified the responsibility of ancient Israel to present a living testimony of the two tables to the world. When the Lord entered into covenant with modern Israel, He provided two tables as the foundation and symbol of the covenant relationship. The two tables also identified their responsibility to present a living testimony of all four tables to the world.

The two tables were given to literal ancient Israel just after God delivered them out of the literal slavery of Egyptian bondage, and brought them through the disappointment of the Red Sea crossing. The period of time that literal ancient Israel was in bondage had been specifically identified in prophecy as four hundred and thirty years, and while in bondage literal ancient Israel forgot, and ceased to observe, the seventh-day Sabbath.

The two tables were given to spiritual modern Israel just after God delivered them out of the spiritual slavery of Catholic bondage, and brought them through the great disappointment of 1844. The period of time that spiritual modern Israel was in bondage had been specifically identified in prophecy as twelve hundred and sixty years, and while in bondage spiritual modern Israel forgot, and ceased to observe, the seventh-day Sabbath.

In the very history when God provided the two tables to Moses to take to ancient Israel, his brother Aaron was making a golden image of a calf. The two tables of the Ten Commandments identify that God is a jealous God, and His jealousy is especially manifested against idolatry, and as Moses descended the mount, ancient Israel was dancing naked around a golden image that had been produced by the one who had been chosen as God’s spokesman.

The brother of the prophet who led ancient Israel during the covenant history when the two covenant tables were provided was the leader in the rebellion of the image of jealousy. The husband of the prophetess who led modern Israel during the covenant history when the two covenant tables were provided was the leader in the rebellion of 1863, and 1863 marks the first generation of Adventism as being represented as an image of jealousy being placed at the entry of the gate of the altar.

The “altar” is a symbol of Christ.

The “gate” is the church.

In 1863, Laodicean Adventism became a legally registered church and ceased to be a movement. They “entered” into church history at that point. In 1863, the church of Christ entered into a legal association with the government of the United States. In that year they also introduced a counterfeit chart to replace the two sacred tables of Habakkuk. As soon as the second table was prepared, in terms of prophetic history those typified by Aaron were preparing a counterfeit image.

The second Commandment is the most specific warning against idolatry and the worship of images. It is also where God identifies His character as a jealous God. It is also there that He sets forth the principle that He reserves judgment upon the wicked unto the third and fourth generations. The Ten Commandments are a transcript of Christ’s character.

The character of Christ is His image, and it includes that He is a jealous God. God’s jealousy was manifested in Christ when He twice cleansed the temple. In the first temple cleansing the disciples who witnessed the work were then led to remember that the Scriptures referenced God’s jealousy.

In the Scriptures, both the Hebrew and the Greek the word “zealous” is also the word “jealous.” They are the same word. When Christ cleansed the temple, He was manifesting God’s jealousy, which is the attribute of God’s character that is identified in the second commandment, and it is especially manifested against idolatry. When Moses descended the mount with the two tables and understood what Aaron had done and what the people were doing, he broke the two tables. The two tables were the true image of jealously, for they were physical representations that identified God as a jealous God. When Moses broke the two tables, he was manifesting the very jealousy that is identified in the second commandment.

The two tables were the testimony of God’s character. The character of God is the image that is to be formed in men through the righteousness of Christ. The two tables are the true image of jealousy, and Aaron had produced a counterfeit image of jealousy at the very time that the true image of jealousy was being delivered to ancient Israel. Those who have Christ formed within have His image, and the robe of His righteousness, yet Aaron’s celebrants were dancing naked, for they were Laodiceans. Laodiceans are “wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.”

In 1856, seven years before the counterfeit chart was produced, both James and Ellen White identified that the movement had transitioned into the Laodicean condition. In 1863, Adventism was as spiritually “naked” as was ancient Israel literally “naked” as they danced around the counterfeit image of jealousy. The counterfeit that Aaron had made was an idol made of gold, but it was an image of a calf, which is a beast. It was an image of the beast, and also an image to the beast. The golden calf was an image of the beast, but it also had been dedicated to the gods that Aaron unrighteously declared had delivered Israel from Egyptian bondage.

The golden calf was an image of a beast, but it was dedicated to false gods, and so it was also an image (offering) to the beast. The image was made of gold, which is the symbol of Babylon, and it was a calf, which is the highest form of offering in the sanctuary service. It was dedicated to the gods of Egypt. Mystery Babylon (for all the prophetic testimonies identify the end of the world) consists of a woman riding upon a beast. The beast the woman rides is the United Nations (ten kings), and is a symbol of the dragon, atheism and Egypt. The woman herself is a counterfeit of God’s true church. The golden calf that Aaron dedicated to the gods of Egypt typified the great whore of Revelation seventeen, who is Babylon (gold), riding upon a beast (Egypt) and a counterfeit church (calf).

At the same time Aaron built an altar, which, as just defined, represents Christ, the true altar. He then instituted a counterfeit system of worship, for he proclaimed a feast to the Lord on the following day. Aaron’s golden calf was an image “of” and “to” the beast, and it was set up “before” a counterfeit Christ, and a day was set aside to celebrate his false system of worship.

The United States is the power that sets up an image to the beast and then forces the world to follow its example. The United States has power to force that system of worship upon the world, and it does so in sight of the beast “before” it.

The man of sin, who is the papacy, is the sea beast of Revelation thirteen. When the United States speaks as a dragon, at the soon-coming Sunday law, it then begins to force the world to set up an image to the beast “before” it. The beast before the United States (the earth beast), is the papacy (the sea beast). The papacy is a counterfeit Christ, and Aaron had set up his golden image, before a counterfeit Christ, for Christ is the true altar. Aaron then instituted a false system of worship as represented by the proclamation of the feast day that was to take place on the next day. The United States also forces a false system of worship, and it is also associated with a counterfeit day of worship.

When Moses descended the mount, the controversy was between the true and the false image of jealousy—the image of Christ or the image of Satan. The counterfeit consisted of a counterfeit Christ (the altar), a counterfeit experience (Laodicean), a counterfeit day of worship (“tomorrow is a feast of the Lord”). The rebellion of the golden calf represents the rebellion of the soon-coming Sunday law, but it also represents the rebellion of Laodicean Adventism in 1863.

In 1863, a counterfeit table was introduced to cover up the jewels of Miller’s dream as represented upon Habakkuk’s two tables. Those two tables had been typified by the two tables Moses received on the mount. In 1863, a legal connection was made with the government of the United States, thus ending the Millerite movement and legally registering the Laodicean movement as the Seventh-day Adventist church. That relationship was represented by Aaron’s image to the beast, which prophetically is defined as the combination of Church and State, thus typifying the Millerites establishing a Church-State relationship in 1863, and also typifying the United States at the soon-coming Sunday law.

Aaron’s naked dancing fools, representing the counterfeit experience of Laodicea, is just as the Millerite movement had become in 1856. The spiritual experience represented by Aaron’s dancing fools was contrasted with the experience of Moses, who was manifesting the jealousy of God’s character towards idolatry. A “dance” in prophecy is a symbol of deception, and Aaron’s dancing fools, also represented the deception that is brought about by the United States as it forces the world to “dance” to Nebuchadnezzar’s band, while the whore of Tyre sings her songs.

In 1863, the Laodicean Millerite movement transitioned to the legally registered Laodicean Seventh-day Adventist church. As identified in previous articles, in 1863, Jericho was rebuilt, for Jericho is a symbol of the affluence of Laodicea and serves as a counterfeit of the city of Jerusalem. In 1863, the introduction of a counterfeit prophetic chart represented a repetition of the history of Aaron, the golden calf and the dancing fools. The history of the Red Sea deliverance has been repeatedly employed by Sister White to illustrate the history of early Adventism, and this application aligns perfectly with the history of Moses and Aaron in the controversy over the image of jealousy.

In 1863, the first generation of Laodicean Adventism began as an image of jealousy was placed in the gate (church), which was before the altar (Christ). That first generation then “entered” into an escalating history of abominations.

We will continue these considerations in the next article.