In the passage from Testimonies, volume five, which we have been considering for a few articles now, we are informed of the vision of the temple given to Ezekiel, Isaiah and John:
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“These lessons are for our benefit. We need to stay our faith upon God, for there is just before us a time that will try men’s souls. Christ, upon the Mount of Olives, rehearsed the fearful judgments that were to precede His second coming: ‘Ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars.’ ‘Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.’ While these prophecies received a partial fulfillment at the destruction of Jerusalem, they have a more direct application to the last days.”
”Dessa lärdomar är till för vår nytta. Vi behöver förankra vår tro i Gud, ty alldeles framför oss ligger en tid som skall pröva människors själar. Kristus återgav på Olivberget de fruktansvärda domar som skulle föregå hans andra ankomst: ’Ni kommer att få höra om krig och rykten om krig.’ ’Folk skall resa sig mot folk och rike mot rike, och det skall bli hungersnöd och pest och jordbävningar på många platser. Men allt detta är början till födslovåndorna.’ Fastän dessa profetior fick en partiell uppfyllelse vid Jerusalems förstöring, har de en mer direkt tillämpning på de sista dagarna.”
The Ninth of Av
Den nionde av Av
Tisha B’Av, which means “the Ninth of Av” in Hebrew, is the Jewish day that commemorates the destruction of both the First Temple by the Babylonians in 586 BC and the Second Temple by Titus in the year 70. Both destructions occurred on the same calendar date—the 9th day of the Hebrew month of Av (usually falling in July or August on the Gregorian calendar). When Sister White aligns the destruction of Jerusalem to the “time that will try men’s souls” in the last days, she is identifying two destructions which both illustrate the soon-coming Sunday law.
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Verse sixteen of Daniel eleven represents that Sunday law, and aligns with verse forty-one. In Ezekiel the destruction of Jerusalem is used to illustrate the separation of the wise and foolish virgins at the Sunday law. Ezekiel was a captive in Babylon when he was miraculously transported to Jerusalem to view that very separation in chapters eight through eleven.
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And it came to pass in the sixth year, in the sixth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I sat in mine house, and the elders of Judah sat before me, that the hand of the Lord God fell there upon me. Then I beheld, and lo a likeness as the appearance of fire: from the appearance of his loins even downward, fire; and from his loins even upward, as the appearance of brightness, as the colour of amber. And he put forth the form of an hand, and took me by a lock of mine head; and the spirit lifted me up between the earth and the heaven, and brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem, to the door of the inner gate that looketh toward the north; where was the seat of the image of jealousy, which provoketh to jealousy. Ezekiel 8:1–3.
Och det skedde i det sjätte året, i sjätte månaden, på femte dagen i månaden, medan jag satt i mitt hus och Juda äldste satt framför mig, att Herren Guds hand föll över mig där. Då såg jag, och se, en gestalt med eldens anlete: från det som syntes vara hans höfter och nedåt var det eld, och från hans höfter och uppåt något som syntes vara strålglans, till färgen såsom bärnsten. Och han räckte ut något som liknade en hand och tog mig i en hårlock på mitt huvud; och Anden lyfte mig upp mellan jorden och himlen och förde mig i Guds syner till Jerusalem, till dörren till den inre port som vetter mot norr, där avgudabildens plats var, den som väcker nitälskan. Hesekiel 8:1–3.
The four chapters of eight through eleven are a description of the separation, and Sister White, when commenting on Ezekiel nine, identifies not only that it was the same sealing as Revelation chapter seven, but that Jerusalem represents the Laodicean Seventh-day Adventist church in the latter days.
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“The class who do not feel grieved over their own spiritual declension, nor mourn over the sins of others, will be left without the seal of God. The Lord commissions His messengers, the men with slaughtering weapons in their hands: ‘Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity: 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.’
”Den grupp som inte känner sorg över sitt eget andliga förfall, och inte heller sörjer över andras synder, kommer att lämnas utan Guds sigill. Herren ger sina budbärare, männen med slaktvapen i sina händer, denna befallning: ’Gån efter honom genom staden och slå: skonen inte med ert öga och haven ingen förbarmelse; döden fullständigt gamla och unga, både jungfrur och små barn och kvinnor; men kom inte nära någon man på vilken tecknet är; och begynnen vid Min helgedom. Då begynte de med de gamla männen som voro framför huset.’”
“Here we see that the church—the Lord’s sanctuary—was the first to feel the stroke of the wrath of God. The ancient men, those to whom God had given great light and who had stood as guardians of the spiritual interests of the people, had betrayed their trust. They had taken the position that we need not look for miracles and the marked manifestation of God’s power as in former days. Times have changed. These words strengthen their unbelief, and they say: The Lord will not do good, neither will He do evil. He is too merciful to visit His people in judgment. Thus ‘Peace and safety’ is the cry from men who will never again lift up their voice like a trumpet to show God’s people their transgressions and the house of Jacob their sins. These dumb dogs that would not bark are the ones who feel the just vengeance of an offended God. Men, maidens, and little children all perish together.
”Här ser vi att församlingen — Herrens helgedom — var den första att känna slaget av Guds vrede. De gamla männen, de åt vilka Gud hade gett stort ljus och som hade stått såsom väktare över folkets andliga intressen, hade svikit sitt förtroende. De hade intagit den ståndpunkten att vi inte behöver vänta oss mirakler och den tydliga uppenbarelsen av Guds kraft såsom i forna dagar. Tiderna har förändrats. Dessa ord stärker deras otro, och de säger: Herren skall varken göra gott eller göra ont. Han är alltför barmhärtig för att hemsöka sitt folk med dom. Så är ”Frid och trygghet” ropet från män som aldrig mer skall höja sin röst såsom en basun för att visa Guds folk deras överträdelser och Jakobs hus deras synder. Dessa stumma hundar som inte ville skälla är de som får känna den rättfärdiga hämnden från en förtörnad Gud. Män, unga kvinnor och små barn går alla under tillsammans.
“The abominations for which the faithful ones were sighing and crying were all that could be discerned by finite eyes, but by far the worst sins, those which provoked the jealousy of the pure and holy God, were unrevealed. The great Searcher of hearts knoweth every sin committed in secret by the workers of iniquity. These persons come to feel secure in their deceptions and, because of His long-suffering, say that the Lord seeth not, and then act as though He had forsaken the earth. But He will detect their hypocrisy and will open before others those sins which they were so careful to hide.
”De styggelser för vilka de trogna suckade och ropade var allt som kunde urskiljas av ändliga ögon, men de vida värsta synderna, de som väckte den rene och helige Gudens nitälskan, var ouppenbarade. Den store Hjärtats rannsakare känner varje synd som i hemlighet begås av dem som verkar orättfärdighet. Dessa människor kommer att känna sig trygga i sina bedrägerier och säger, på grund av Hans långmodighet, att Herren inte ser, och handlar sedan som om Han hade övergivit jorden. Men Han skall avslöja deras skrymteri och inför andra blotta de synder som de så omsorgsfullt dolde.
“No superiority of rank, dignity, or worldly wisdom, no position in sacred office, will preserve men from sacrificing principle when left to their own deceitful hearts. Those who have been regarded as worthy and righteous prove to be ring-leaders in apostasy and examples in indifference and in the abuse of God’s mercies. Their wicked course He will tolerate no longer, and in His wrath He deals with them without mercy.
Ingen överlägsenhet i rang, värdighet eller världslig visdom, ingen ställning i heligt ämbete, kommer att bevara människor från att offra principen, när de lämnas åt sina egna bedrägliga hjärtan. De som har betraktats som värdiga och rättfärdiga visar sig vara anförare i avfall och föredömen i likgiltighet och i missbruket av Guds barmhärtighet. Deras ogudaktiga bana skall han inte längre tolerera, och i sin vrede handlar han med dem utan barmhärtighet.
“It is with reluctance that the Lord withdraws His presence from those who have been blessed with great light and who have felt the power of the word in ministering to others. They were once His faithful servants, favored with His presence and guidance; but they departed from Him and led others into error, and therefore are brought under the divine displeasure.” Testimonies, volume 5, 211, 212.
”Det är med motvilja som Herren drar tillbaka sin närvaro från dem som har välsignats med stort ljus och som har känt ordets kraft i sin tjänst för andra. De var en gång Hans trogna tjänare, gynnade med Hans närvaro och ledning; men de avföll från Honom och ledde andra in i villfarelse, och därför kommer de under det gudomliga misshag.” Testimonies, band 5, 211, 212.
The entire book of Ezekiel is set within the context of the destruction of Jerusalem. In Ezekiel’s testimony the siege of Nebuchadnezzar that lasted a year and a half is specifically marked, but the “more direct application” of Jesus' warning in Matthew twenty-four is in the latter days. In Ezekiel that line of truth is found in chapter twenty-four.
Hela Hesekiels bok är förlagd inom ramen för Jerusalems förstörelse. I Hesekiels vittnesbörd markeras särskilt Nebukadnessars belägring, som varade i ett och ett halvt år, men den ”mer direkta tillämpningen” av Jesu varning i Matteus tjugofyra hör till de yttersta dagarna. Hos Hesekiel återfinns denna sanningens linje i kapitel tjugofyra.
587 BC
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Again in the ninth year, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, write thee the name of the day, even of this same day: the king of Babylon set himself against Jerusalem this same day. Ezekiel 24:1, 2.
Åter, i det nionde året, i den tionde månaden, på tionde dagen i månaden, kom Herrens ord till mig och sade: Du människobarn, skriv upp dagens namn, just denna dag; Babels kung har på denna dag dragit ut mot Jerusalem. Hesekiel 24:1, 2.
On this date, which is also established on other biblical witnesses, a siege of eighteen months began. The word of the Lord that came to Ezekiel on that date consisted of the parable of the bloody city that is illustrated with a boiling pot followed by a great fire. The parable clearly is representing the judgment upon Jerusalem, and it is followed in the same chapter with Ezekiel’s wife being laid to rest by a stroke as a symbol that the siege that would ultimately destroy the sanctuary had begun.
På detta datum, vilket även är fastställt genom andra bibliska vittnesbörd, började en belägring som varade i arton månader. Herrens ord som kom till Hesekiel på detta datum bestod av liknelsen om blodsstaden, framställd genom en kokande gryta följd av en stor eld. Liknelsen representerar tydligt domen över Jerusalem, och i samma kapitel följs den av att Hesekiels hustru rycks bort genom ett slag som ett tecken på att den belägring som slutligen skulle förgöra helgedomen hade börjat.
Also the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, behold, I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes with a stroke: yet neither shalt thou mourn nor weep, neither shall thy tears run down. Forbear to cry, make no mourning for the dead, bind the tire of thine head upon thee, and put on thy shoes upon thy feet, and cover not thy lips, and eat not the bread of men. So I spake unto the people in the morning: and at even my wife died; and I did in the morning as I was commanded. Ezekiel 24:15–18.
Och Herrens ord kom till mig och sade: Du människobarn, se, jag tar ifrån dig dina ögons lust med ett slag; men du skall varken sörja eller gråta, och dina tårar skall inte rinna ned. Undertryck ditt klagorop, håll ingen dödsklagan; bind din huvudbonad om dig och sätt dina skor på dina fötter, och täck inte över dina läppar och ät inte människors bröd. Så talade jag till folket på morgonen; och om aftonen dog min hustru; och jag gjorde på morgonen såsom jag hade blivit befalld. Hesekiel 24:15–18.
Then the people around Ezekiel asked the meaning of the parable and his wife’s death.
Då frågade folket omkring Hesekiel vad liknelsen och hans hustrus död betydde.
And the people said unto me, Wilt thou not tell us what these things are to us, that thou doest so? Then I answered them, The word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Speak unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will profane my sanctuary, the excellency of your strength, the desire of your eyes, and that which your soul pitieth; and your sons and your daughters whom ye have left shall fall by the sword. Ezekiel 24:19–21.
Och folket sade till mig: »Vill du inte tala om för oss vad detta betyder för oss, att du handlar så?» Då svarade jag dem: »Herrens ord kom till mig; han sade: Tala till Israels hus: Så säger Herren Gud: Se, jag skall ohelga min helgedom, er styrkas härlighet, era ögons lust och det som er själ ömmar för; och era söner och era döttrar, som ni har lämnat kvar, skall falla för svärd.» Hesekiel 24:19–21.
Ezekiel’s wife and the sanctuary are both identified as the “desire of your eyes” in the passage. Biblical historians identify that the siege lasted eighteen months, whereas the sieges of Cestius and Titus lasted four years from the year 66 unto the year 70. A close count of the time from the first siege of Cestius unto the destruction is three and a half years, but when applying “inclusive reckoning,” which is the most often employed application in the Bible, it is four years. Knowing that both reckonings are valid allows us to see both three and a half years from Cestius to Titus and also four years.
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We have two witnesses of the Sunday law in the two destructions of Jerusalem, and the details of both histories are to be applied to the soon-coming Sunday law—where Laodicea is spewed out of the mouth of the Lord. The beginning of the siege of Nebuchadnezzar is marked by the death of Ezekiel’s wife. At her death, Ezekiel was commanded not to openly mourn, for he was the sign of the Jews being carried away into captivity.
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The beginning of the four-year period of 66 to 70 is marked by the sign of the abomination of desolation, which was the sign for the Christians in Jerusalem to flee.
Början av den fyraårsperiod som sträcker sig från 66 till 70 markeras av tecknet på förödelsens styggelse, vilket var tecknet för de kristna i Jerusalem att fly.
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 Judaea flee into the mountains. Matthew 24:15,16.
När ni därför får se förödelsens styggelse, som omtalats genom profeten Daniel, stå på helig plats — den som läser må förstå — då må de som är i Judeen fly till bergen. Matteus 24:15, 16.
Two sieges clearly align with each other, and both sieges contain a “sign” at the beginning of the siege. When Ezekiel explained what was meant by the death of his wife and the lack of mourning on his part, he explained and then recorded:
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Thus Ezekiel is unto you a sign: according to all that he hath done shall ye do: and when this cometh, ye shall know that I am the Lord God. Ezekiel 24:24.
Så skall Hesekiel vara ett tecken för er: efter allt det som han har gjort skall ni göra; och när detta sker, skall ni inse att jag är Herren Gud. Hesekiel 24:24.
The sign of the death of Ezekiel’s wife was an identification of the soon-coming destruction of Jerusalem and the temple and the following captivity in Babylon. The sign of the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel was a warning to escape the destruction, but both sieges have a sign at the beginning.
Tecknet i Hesekiels hustrus död var en identifiering av den snart annalkande förstörelsen av Jerusalem och templet samt den därpå följande fångenskapen i Babylon. Tecknet om förödelsens styggelse, som omtalades av Daniel, var en varning att undkomma förstörelsen, men båda belägringarna har ett tecken i början.
There will be a prophetic siege before the soon-coming Sunday law, and Ezekiel’s wife’s death is the symbol that the Laodicean Seventh-day Adventist church has been fully passed by, whereas Ezekiel is a symbol of the one hundred and forty-four thousand, and is the symbol of the ensign that is lifted up at the beginning of the siege. Ezekiel is the ensign of the one hundred and forty-four thousand at the beginning of the siege of Babylon, and the sign of the abomination of desolation at the beginning is the “sign” of Rome. One sign speaks to an internal warning and the other to an external warning. There was certainly a warning to the Christians in the year 66, but the warning sign was Rome. The sign in the destruction by Babylon of Jerusalem was Ezekiel’s wife. Rome is the class who receive the mark of the beast and Ezekiel the sign of those who receive the seal of God.
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Two Ending Periods
Två avslutande perioder
The first siege lasted eighteen months and the second siege lasted four years. Both sieges find their “more direct” fulfillment in the latter days, and both sieges are directly connected with the prophecy of three hundred and ninety-one years and fifteen days located in Revelation nine verse fifteen.
Den första belägringen varade i arton månader och den andra belägringen varade i fyra år. Båda belägringarna finner sin ”mer direkta” uppfyllelse i de yttersta dagarna, och båda belägringarna är direkt förbundna med profetian om trehundranittioen år och femton dagar som återfinns i Uppenbarelseboken 9:15.
The beginning of the five months of Revelation nine, verse ten included a history that marks a thirty-eight-year period that culminates in a four-year siege, that is associated with the number thirty-eight, and identified the rising up of Islam. That four-year siege finds its counterpart in the history that began when the (five months) one hundred and fifty years concluded and the three hundred and ninety-one years and fifteen days began. It began on July 27, 1449, and four years later, Islam brought a siege of fifty-five days against Constantinople that concluded on May 29, 1453.
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When the time prophecy that began on July 27, 1449, concluded on August 11, 1840, the four years of the movement of the first and second angels from 1840 unto 1844 aligned with the four-year siege of 1333 unto 1337, and also the four-year period from 1449 unto 1453. Those three witnesses, which are all directly part of the same prophetic line, represent a symbolic four-year period when the first and second angels’ movement of 1840 unto 1844 is repeated in the history of the movement of the third angel. Those three witnesses typify a four-year siege in the history of the one hundred and forty-four thousand. That four-year period is also illustrated by the sieges of Jerusalem in 66 and 70.
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The beginning of the four-year siege by Cestius in 66 and then the ending by Titus in 70 produce an alpha symbol and an omega symbol to a period of four years. That same period is also represented by three and a half years, which in turn aligns with the three and a half prophetic years that papal Rome trampled down the sanctuary.
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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. And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. Revelation 11: 2, 3.
Men förgården som är utanför templet skall du lämna därhän och inte mäta; ty den är given åt hedningarna, och den heliga staden skall de trampa under sina fötter i fyrtiotvå månader. Och jag skall ge makt åt mina två vittnen, och de skall profetera i ett tusen två hundra sextio dagar, klädda i säcktyg. Uppenbarelseboken 11: 2, 3.
And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. Luke 21:24.
Och de skall falla för svärdsegg och föras bort i fångenskap till alla nationer; och Jerusalem skall bli nedtrampat av hedningarna, till dess att hedningarnas tider har fullbordats. Lukas 21:24.
It is essential to note that I am employing both “inclusive” and “exclusive” reckoning to the period represented by the alpha symbol of Cestius unto the omega symbol of Titus. This identifies that two applications of time are represented with one history. We have already dealt with this biblical principle when we considered (many articles ago) the time between Jesus’ visit to Caesarea-Philippi (Panium) and His trip to the Mount of Transfiguration. Two biblical authors record six days and one eight days.
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And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart. Matthew 17:1.
Och efter sex dagar tog Jesus med sig Petrus och Jakob och Johannes, hans broder, och förde dem upp på ett högt berg, där de var för sig själva. Matteus 17:1.
And after six days Jesus taketh with him Peter, and James, and John, and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by themselves: and he was transfigured before them. Mark 9:2.
Och efter sex dagar tog Jesus med sig Petrus och Jakob och Johannes och förde dem upp på ett högt berg, där de var för sig själva; och han förvandlades inför dem. Markus 9:2.
And it came to pass about an eight days after these sayings, he took Peter and John and James, and went up into a mountain to pray. Luke 9:28.
Och det hände sig, omkring åtta dagar efter dessa ord, att han tog med sig Petrus och Johannes och Jakob och gick upp på ett berg för att be. Luk. 9:28.
The destruction of Jerusalem has a “more direct” application to the latter days, and that destruction is two witnesses represented by Babylon and Rome. The two witnesses align with one another but provide different and essential prophetic characteristics in order to amplify the truth. The siege by Rome (66 to 70) was four years that also represents three and a half years. The three and a half years connects with the trampling down of the sanctuary and host accomplished by both paganism and papalism. The trampling down by papalism was for three and a half symbolic years as typified by a literal three and a half years in the siege by Rome.
Jerusalems förstöring har en ”mer direkt” tillämpning på de yttersta dagarna, och den förstöringen utgörs av två vittnen representerade av Babylon och Rom. De två vittnena står i samklang med varandra men förmedlar skilda och väsentliga profetiska kännetecken för att förstärka sanningen. Belägringen av Rom (66 till 70) var fyra år, vilka också representerar tre och ett halvt år. De tre och ett halvt åren har samband med nedtrampandet av helgedomen och härskarans, vilket fullbordades av både hedendomen och påvedömet. Nedtrampandet genom påvedömet varade i tre och ett halvt symboliska år, såsom förebildat genom bokstavliga tre och ett halvt år i belägringen av Rom.
That four-year siege also connects with the four-year periods associated with the prophetic line that identifies the lifting up of Islam and thereafter the lifting up of the movement of both the first and second and then the third angels. Cestius to Titus intersects with the wheel of papal Rome and also the wheel of Islam. The wheel of Rome and the three and a half years of Cestius and Titus intersect with papal Rome’s three and a half symbolic years, thus identifying the two entities of pagan and papal Rome. The wheel of Islam is connected by the same history as understood as four years, but just as with the wheel of Rome in that history, Islam is associated with a second power subject to the wheel of Islam—that being Adventism. The period of three and a half years represents Rome in both its phases, and the four-year period represents Islam and Adventism. Pagan and papal Rome cannot be separated prophetically and neither can Islam and Adventism.
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This demands prophetically that when we consider the siege of Babylon, two understandings of time should be seen in the illustration of the eighteen-month siege. Two representations of time in the siege brought by Rome prophetically demand two representations of time in the siege brought by Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuchadnezzar’s siege of eighteen months also can be understood as a symbol of one and a half years. Eighteen months is one and a half years, and one and a half can be expressed as 1.5 years. The siege of Nebuchadnezzar was both eighteen months and one point five (1.5) years.
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The eighteen months addresses the power that was to trample down Jerusalem and the 1.5 years addresses Islam. The prophetic wheel of reckoning that identifies eighteen months identifies Babylon and the other prophetic wheel of reckoning identifies Islam. We have not yet set forth an explanation of how we arrive at the application of the 1.5 years in connection with Islam, but it should be noted that the two reckonings of time in the destruction brought by Rome connected with the prophetic wheel of Rome (both pagan and papal), and the other reckoning connected with the prophetic wheel of Islam. These characteristics are found in both the alpha and omega destructions of Jerusalem.
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The four-year siege of Jerusalem with Cestius and Titus represents the ending of a prophetic line that began with a thirty-eight-year period that concluded with a four-year siege symbolizing the lifting up of Islam, and the final four-year period in that very same line represents the lifting up of the ensign of the one hundred and forty-four thousand.
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We will continue these things in the next article.
Vi kommer att fortsätta med detta i nästa artikel.