Habakkuk's Two Tables #27
Part Four: DANIEL
Presented by Jeff Pippenger
Invocation by Brother Jeff Pippenger: Heavenly Father, we thank you for giving us a good night's rest, and we thank you for bringing some rain to this part of the country that we so desperately needed. And as we take up our worship this morning, we ask for the Latter Rain that we so desperately need. And we know to receive the Latter Rain the way that we should, we have to have vessels that are fit for it, and we ask that you forgive us of our sins, our transgressions that are preventing us from fully understanding the Word that you are giving to us at this time. We ask for the presence of your Holy Spirit in this presentation, that you would take control. Take the words and thoughts that I attempt to convey and touch them with coals from off your altar that they may be purified and that they might edify and strengthen your people and prepare the hearts and minds of those that hear these things. I ask in Jesus's name, amen.
The First Angel's Message
BROTHER PIPPENGER: This study here we have done a couple of times publicly in the past but never in depth; and, I want to go through it kind of slowly here. And I thought I would talk a little bit about Providence before we got into this study.
When I was 25 years old, I was working in a natural park, a nature park in California. It was fairly close to Los Angeles. It is where, if you have ever watched television or the movies, you have seen this park. There have been more movies, more television shows, more commercials filmed in this park than any other place in the world by far, no question about it. It is outside Los Angeles, but even though it is just outside Los Angeles, it is out in the wilderness. It is a very distinctive rock formation.
Since the beginning of movies, since Hop-A-Long Cassidy, which was before my time, was getting filmed out there in those rocks; and, they are still out there doing it today.
FROM THE AUDIENCE: (Inquiry as to the name of the rock formation.)
BROTHER PIPPENGER: It is called Vasquez's Rocks, named after a Mexican bandito in the beginning of California. When Los Angeles was a little town, he would rob Los Angeles and then he would escape to Vasquez's Rocks. I forget his first name.
Anyway, when I was 25 years old and totally in the world, I had all the keys to the buildings in that place because I was the one of a team that maintained it. And I came across a Bible.
I started reading the Bible and, for the first time in my life, came to understand the voice of the Lord. It was not an audible voice, but I knew the influence that was in this Bible I was reading at work (because I was hiding up in the rocks) was a genuine influence. And I knew I had to move from where I lived because no one was teaching me how to be a Christian. I determined that I wanted to be a Christian, whatever that was. And the town I lived in I had lived in all my life and I figured my lifestyle was of such a nature that in order to serve as a Christian, I needed to get out of that lifestyle.
So, I moved up an hour and a half above there, further out in the desert where my dad had a business going and I went to work with my dad.
We found a place to rent, a trailer in a trailer court. My daughter was three years old. She is 37 now. That is how long ago it was.
SISTER PIPPENGER: She was two.
BROTHER PIPPENGER: She was two years old. Okay.
And we are moving into this trailer that we just rented, and these two elderly people that happened to have a trailer right next to that trailer, they came out and asked if we were Christians; and, although I did not know what a Christian was, I said yes.
And they asked if we wanted to study the Bible.
"Sure."
They were in their seventies.
SISTER PIPPENGER: They were almost in their eighties.
BROTHER PIPPENGER: I was going to say eighties. They were seventy-something or eighty-something. That is how old they were.
And so we agreed to study the Bible, because we were Christians.
And Luther said, "Well, what do you want to study?"
And I said, "I don't care."
So, he took us through Daniel and Revelation, from beginning to end.
And he did not live in that town. They had moved down there to take some chelation treatments because of their age. He lived in another state. He lived in Nevada and this was in California.
When he got done with those Bible studies, the Lord told him and his wife, "The reason that you came here was to give these people Bible studies, not for these chelation treatments." So, they moved back to Nevada and they sold us their trailer; and, that was the first home that we owned in our young marriage.
But, I am trying to get to a point to tell you something about Providence. I mean, there are three primary ways the Lord speaks to you—right?—through His Word, through an audible voice which never happens to me, and through Providence. And in that time period the Lord was speaking loud and clear through Providence.
One time we were at a Bible study at Luther's, and he began at Daniel 1 and he went all the way through and began at Revelation 1 and went all the way through. And we were in the part of Revelation where he was discussing the Seven Churches. If you have not ever looked at it, each of the Seven Churches has an historical figure associated with them, and he was teaching us that.
And we got to where we were studying the Church of Philadelphia, and for some reason or other I looked up into his bookcase and I saw all these books—White, White, White, White, White, that was on the binder of them.
So, I said, "What is this. Are these books published by White Publishing Company?"
I do not know why I asked that question, and I saw that he was nervous. "What is this guy squirming over this for?" So, I started pursuing what he was trying to keep from me.
By the end of that evening, we found out that these Seventh-day Adventist people, they believed this woman Ellen White was something close to a Biblical prophet. But for me, I was making the connection that probably they thought that this was the personality of Philadelphia. Okay? Because, he taught us enough of that.
So, I asked him when the Bible study was over, "Can I take a look at a couple of those books?" And then at random I took two of the Testimonies for the Church.
I went home. We lived next door. We just walked home. And I sat down with that Testimonies for the Church, and I just opened it up and here is a testimony. It did not say, "J," but it pretty much said, "Dear Brother J," and then it gave a testimony that was speaking directly to me, with the identical influence that I had been receiving from the Bible that I had been studying out in this natural park. I knew right then and there, without any Bible study on the Spirit of Prophecy, that these books written by this woman had the same inspiration as the Bible. And, of course, it was so overwhelming to me that I was in tears; and, I looked over at my wife and she had opened up the other Testimonies we had brought home, and it was, "Dear Sister K," and she was having the identical experience.
The next day, my sister who had lived in Ohio, we lived in California, had heard that I had gotten out of my world lifestyle and became a Christian. So, she remembered years before that she had bought some books and she put them in the mail, and the next day the books arrived. They had to have been sent days before from Ohio to get to our home the next day.
And the next day we get a box of The Conflict of the Ages series, plus Bible Readings for the Home, the big colporteur ones, the big ones. So, providentially, we have this experience with the Testimonies, and the next day we receive our first Spirit of Prophecy books, The Conflict of the Ages series.
So, for me, I never had a Bible study on the Spirit of Prophecy. The Lord told me the Spirit of Prophecy was valid through His Providence; and, I had not read any of it at that point.
And within a day or so, I had a dream; and, I do not ever have spiritual dreams. But, my dream was that I was climbing up this mountain, and it was not a mountain that had any vegetation on it. It was almost a solid rock mountain, and there was this path, a narrow path, and it was going up the edge of this mountain, and it was going up and it was getting narrower, and it was nighttime and you could not see the path. The only time you could really see the path is there was a storm going on, and there was lightning, and occasionally when it was lightning (the light would flash) the path would light up and you would have kind of an idea where the path was; because, it was winding, and it was going up this way [gesturing], and you could see down the side of this gigantic cliff.
But in this dream—and this was at the same time period—there is this elderly woman walking in front of me and she has a walking stick in her hand. And every time I get close to the edge where I am about to go over, she turns around and she taps me on the back.
In that time period the Lord was teaching us things providentially. There were other things going on during that time, like when we determined that we needed to return tithe to the Lord. We never knew what tithe was when we came under conviction while we were studying with these people that we needed to return tithe. So, I would calculate since I had been a Christian what I needed to return to the Lord. And I guess I was very pharisaical about it: I would calculate it down to the very penny.
And I do not remember what it was. It was something like $217.47, and my wife and I discussed it and we both agreed. We wrote out a check, even though we—well, we ultimately both agreed. It took some laboring with my better half, but we ultimately agreed. We wrote out that check that evening, even though we were broke. In those days we were poor. We quit the job we had and moved away. We were poor, so to speak; but, we agreed to do it.
The next day we got an Income Tax Refund from the IRS, on their own initiation, from a couple of years before for the identical amount, to the very penny, for what we had written out on tithe.
So, the Lord was leading us providentially.
And in that time period, as Luther—and I trust if Luther was here, he could understand this message; because Luther's presentation of Daniel and Revelation, it was straight. The only thing I wonder about, because I do not remember anymore, is what he taught about the Daily in the Book of Daniel. I just do not—even if he taught it, I do not remember it any longer, and at that time I was not focused on it.
But, he taught me something early on, and I kept it with me. For 19 years we went into—I guess "worldly" is the most accurate word—a worldly church, and it still is. And when we got there, once we joined that church, an Adventist church, the leaders there asked if I wanted to be the Lay Activities Director.
I did not know what Lay Activities even meant. What is Lay Activities? But, I figured if someone is asking you to do something and you are a Christian, you say yes. So, I took it.
They gave me a box of literally hundreds—not tens but hundreds—of requests from It is Written, Voice of Prophecy, all these various ministries, where people had written in asking for Bible studies and that church had never followed up on them. So, I was given hundreds of names in that local area. It was not a big population there.
So, right from the start, I started giving Bible studies, even though I did not know anything. We were doing two and three Bible studies a week for weeks and weeks and weeks. And you would go out to the address where the Bible study was: "Well, those people haven't lived here for ten years," or "Yeah, this is me. That is my handwriting, but I don't ever remember making this request." They were so old.
So, we worked on cleaning up that file and started doing Bible studies on a regular basis.
And one thing I had learned right from the start from Luther that always stuck with me—and here is where I am going to—is he told us about in Daniel that the prophecies of Daniel tell us what is going to take place at the end of the world; but, the stories of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, those tell us how we have to live at the end of the world.
So, from that point on, as I was giving Bible studies—and we gave Bible studies to non-Adventists for many years, and then we had studies with our Adventist friends for many years—I always retained, not on purpose but it was just natural because it was the first thing I learned, the concept that the prophecies of Daniel are telling us what happens at the end of the world, but the stories of Daniel and the three worthies are telling us how we are to live at the end of the world.
And most Adventists believe that. In fact, this becomes an argument against the truth. One of the arguments that you hear against the truth is, "Oh, yes, I believe in 1 Corinthians 10:11, 'Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: . . . ,' but what I believe is they are teaching moral lessons that we need to understand before the end of the world; but, I certainly do not believe that history is going to be repeated in those illustrations. We are supposed to understand the moral lessons, but not expect for that history to be repeated."
So, that concept that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego illustrate how we are supposed to live, it is true but it gets perverted; because, the reality of it is, it is that all the ancient prophets spoke more for our times than the days in which they lived. Therefore, those stories are illustrating the end of the world, those stories of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
And that is what this particular study over the next few days is going to focus on, is that. Sure, the prophecies of Daniel 2, 7, 8, 9, and 11 are illustrating the nuts and bolts about what is going to take place at the end of the world; but, so are the stories of 1, 3, 4, 5, and 6. They are not simply teaching us moral lessons; they are actually illustrating the end of the world.
The Prophetic Chain
And we will begin now. I am going to go slowly on this. As I was looking at it this morning, I do not think we will get all the way through these notes. We will take them up tomorrow. But, this is an important enough study in my mind to take some time with.
Ellen White tells us that William Miller—William Miller tells us; he says this, too—recognized the chain of truth, beginning in Genesis, going to the Second Coming of Christ. Both Miller and Sister White will tell us that.
And Sister White tells us that William Miller was given the commencement point for the chain of truth, and William Williams tells us the three commencement points that he was given was 677BC, the commencement of the seven times; AD508, the commencement of the 1335 and the 1290; and, 457BC, the commencement of the 2300. Ellen White says he was given the commencement of the chain of truth.
What the Lord has done for Adventism at the end of the world is He has given us the links in the chain of truth.
LINKS IN THE CHAIN OF TRUTH
ADAM
●
(Disappointment)
NOAH SAUL ZEDEKIAH CYRUS MILLER
● ● ● ● ●
ABRAHAM 2300
●
MOSES
●
TIME OF
SAMUEL THE END
●
SAUL
1 2 3 4
●
ZEDEKIAH ( 1 ) ( 2 ) ( 3 )
●
CYRUS
●
1 2 3 4
Figure No. 46.
These are the links in the chain of truth [Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Samuel, Saul, Zedekiah, and Cyrus as depicted in Figure No. 46]. Now, this is not all of them.
When we are dealing with line upon line, we are using The Great Controversy, page 342, I believe, which says that God's dealings with men are ever the same. So, I am giving certain histories here to make a point; but, the histories between these histories, His dealings with those other histories are always the same.
And generally when we look upon the line upon line, if you have been following this worship presentation, generally when we look upon the line upon line, we are looking at how God deals with God's people in a revival and reformation. But we have seen here recently that He deals the same way even with the foolish virgins in that history. Judas went through the same process. Belshazzar went through the same process. God's dealings with men are ever the same. It is how they respond that makes the difference in the outcome.
So, what I am saying is these histories here, they are all links; and, in a chain, every link is the same. And the structure of the link of Bible prophecy is the 3:1 combination. All right? All these are 3:1 combinations, and the 3:1 combination for us is the Three Angels' Messages that came into history in the Millerite History, and the Fourth Angel's Message of Revelation 18. And that is the 3:1 combination.
And there are many characteristics, as we have already looked at, in this worship, of reform lines. But, at its simplest level, it is a 3:1 combination with a disappointment. A disappointment makes it easy to make a break between the 3 and the 1.
So, I want to show you these links that begin in Eden and go all the way to the end of the world, to show you that they are the same, even though they change as they go through history; and, they are the same, even though they change.
That is an oxymoron, right?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: A dichotomy.
BROTHER PIPPENGER: A dichotomy. Okay.
So, with Adam you have the Father of Mankind. You have Christ, Adam, and Eve, all in the garden; but, then they [Adam and Eve] sin—that is the three: Christ, Adam, and Eve.
And they are all the Father of Mankind, one way or another.
Then Adam and Eve sin and they are driven out of the Garden. There is your disappointment.
And after that you have the fourth, and the fourth is Abel, talking about the Everlasting Gospel.
And in each of these links of the chain that I have up here, you will see a change in dispensation; because, when they leave the Garden here, before that time they were worshipping face to face with God. But, when they are driven out of the Garden, where are they going to worship now?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: At the gates of Eden.
BROTHER PIPPENGER: At the gates of the Garden.
And they do that until this history, the history of Noah. In the history of Noah, you have Shem, Japheth, and Ham.
The disappointment is the destruction of the Earth by the Flood.
And Noah is the fourth.
Now, notice, in this link [of Adam]—these people here [Figure No. 46]—the Father of Mankind; in this link [of Noah], the Father of Mankind. You always see some kind of connection between one line and the other link, but the structure of every link is always the same. It is a 3:1 combination, with a disappointment after the third. There are lots of other characteristics, too.
From Noah, we go to the time of Abraham; and, Abraham was visited by three heavenly visitors, was he not? Two angels and Christ; and, the disappointment was the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Correct?
From Abraham, we go to Moses; and, for Moses we have Moses, Miriam, and Aaron, leadership. The disappointment by the Red Sea, we have looked at in this study. And the fourth is a new leader. The three are all family members, but this new leader is not a family member; it is Joshua.
From Adam, we have the transition from face-to-face worship to worshipping at the gates of the Garden; and, to Moses, it is transitioning to worshipping at altars. When Noah gets off the ark, he initiates altars; and from Moses it is from altars to the earthly sanctuary.
And then from Moses, the earthly sanctuary is moved to Shiloh. We have the story of Moses, Miriam, and Aaron, all family members, with a non-family member being the fourth, Joshua.
In this link of Samuel, we have three family members, Eli, Hophni, and Phinehas; and, the disappointment is the ark being captured by the Philistines; and the non-family member is Samuel. Okay?
So, there is a change of dispensation going on here. The sanctuary has been in Shiloh up to this point, and now it is moving to Jerusalem. The focus of worship is moving from Shiloh to Jerusalem.
And here in the link of Saul, they are not really family members but three leaders.
These all so far as been leaders, leaders, leaders [Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Samuel].
In the history of Saul, when it moved to Jerusalem, we have the first three kings: Saul, David, and Solomon. The disappointment: the kingdom is divided into North and South after Solomon's death. And the fourth is Solomon's son, Rehoboam.
Here in the link of Samuel, in the story of Eli, Hophni, and Phinehas, the Lord is setting aside Shiloh where the sanctuary has been, and He is choosing Jerusalem.
But in the history of Saul, now He is choosing Judah in relation to the Northern Kingdom. What did Jeroboam do at the disappointment? He went and started false worship at Bethel and Dan. The Lord was choosing Judah as the place for true worship, and this is the motivation for Jeroboam in raising up those golden calves. He did not want the people from Israel [the Northern Kingdom] going down to Jerusalem [the Southern Kingdom of Judah] to worship.
So, there is a choice. There is a change in dispensation going on here in the history of Saul.
And what the link of Saul is, this is the first king, the second king, and the third king [three kings]; and, here [the fourth] is Rehoboam, the first king of Israel [the Southern Kingdom].
But down, here this next link of Zedekiah, you have the last three kings of Judah. You have Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah. The disappointment is the destruction of Jerusalem.
Jerusalem has been chosen here [during the history of Saul]. It took three kings, and the third king the temple is built.
Did Solomon build the temple?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: (Affirmations.)
BROTHER PIPPENGER: Here at the end, Zedekiah, the last king, the last of three kings, all three of these kings were attacked by Nebuchadnezzar. The last of these three kings, the temple was destroyed. Jesus illustrates the end from the beginning. The disappointment: carried into captivity. The fourth king is Nebuchadnezzar [a Pagan king].
And what I am saying is—and I am leaving off lots of little details—is that at the beginning of Adventism, the Lord gave us the commencement points for the chain of truth which began in Eden and goes to the Second Coming. And here at the end of Adventism, He has given us the links.
And what are the links? Well, the links are the wheels within the wheels in Ezekiel's vision. If you take time to look at it, that is what they are. Sister White says of those wheels in Ezekiel's vision, they are the complex interplay of human events.
And that is what these reform movements are. They are the complex interplay of human events. They are the wheels within the wheels.
Is a link in a chain hooked to another link? Yes. It is a wheel within a wheel.
These links are Ezekiel's wheel within a wheel. These links are the reform lines that we have been dealing with, line upon line.
So, after Zedekiah is blinded, after he watches his children get executed, they are carried into captivity by Nebuchadnezzar, and they stay in captivity until what? Until three [Pagan] kings, but they are Three Decrees now: Cyrus [issues the First Decree], Darius [issues the Second Decree], and Artaxerxes [issues the Third Decree]. And Artaxerxes gives the Fourth Decree, too.
There, do you see the connection? They are still kings, but they are Decrees.
And this is it up here [referring to the reform line showing the links of Saul, Zedekiah, Cyrus, and Miller in Figure No. 46]. This is the first three kings: Saul; David; and, Solomon, he builds the temple. Kingdom divided [disappointment]; and Rehoboam [the fourth].
[The next link, of Zedekiah]: Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah [last three kings of Judah]. Jerusalem destroyed, temple destroyed [disappointment]; and [the fourth], Nebuchadnezzar [a Pagan king]. There is 70 years of captivity in this history.
And then we come to three more kings [in the link of Cyrus]: Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes, with Three Decrees; and, the Three Decrees begin the 2300-year prophecy; and, the 2300-year prophecy ends upon the Third Message.
These Decrees now—is the Decree a Message? See, there is a connection. There is always an inference that allows you to see the connection.
The disappointment we have already studied in this worship series. Ezra is disappointed on how few come out of Babylon.
The disappointment after the Third Angel's Message arrives in 1844 is the Great Disappointment; and, we are now living in the time of the Fourth Angel's Message.
So, once you have these links, once you have identified them, your work as a student of prophecy, according to Isaiah 28, is to bring them together, line upon line.
Because, what is that word line? What is it? It is a cord—actually, it says "cord upon cord." And if you have one piece of string, it is pretty easy to break; but, you mix it with a second piece of string, and a third piece of string, and pretty soon it is a rope. It does not break. Okay? You are to bring them line upon line; because, upon the testimony of two a thing is established. You are going to strengthen your understanding of the illustration of the end of the world.
And once you do that, you realize that all these links are prefiguring each other. They are prefiguring each other.
So, here in the time of Cyrus, we have the First Decree, the Second Decree, and the Third Decree; but, all the prophets are speaking about the end of the world, more than the days in which they live. All the prophetic testimony is about the end of the world.
So, what are these three Decrees prefiguring? What are they typifying? The Three Angels' Messages.
Every time [indicating the links of Adam through Cyrus in Figure No. 46], they appear; this is a type of the Three Angels' Messages.
And one of the places that this study really produces light, the kind of light that you need to put sunglasses on if you are going to look it (it is that bright), is when you line them up like this and you tell yourself, "Okay. I'm going to look at the history of all of the fourth waymarks. I am going to just look at them and combine them." Because, if I do, it is going to be telling me the characteristics of the time period of the Latter Rain in a special way, because the Fourth Angel's Message is the Latter Rain Message.
So, when you get to this level of understanding, you can begin to generate truth in a very profound way.
But, what I want you to see here this morning, if you will, is that all these "3" combinations, all the 3's [the first three waymarks before the disappointment] in these links, in these Ezekiel's wheels, are prefiguring the Three Angels' Message, every one of them.
It is okay to call Cyrus the First Angel's Message, because that is what he is prefiguring. It is okay to call king Saul the First Angel's Message, because that is what he is prefiguring.
Some of them might be a little more difficult. I mean, where do you put Shem, Ham, and Japheth [in the link of Noah], in what order do you put them? Some of them may be a little more difficult to say, "This is the First Angel's Message." But, in any case, it can be done correctly with confidence.
So, I want to go to a different level with you.
Go to your notes. Maybe we have prepared the way so you can see this.
Jehoiakim Jehoiachin Zedekiah
1AM 2AM 3AM
Daniel Ezekiel Jeremiah
Figure No. 47.
This is the First Angel's Message, and this is the Second Angel's Message, and this is the Third Angel's Message, as typified in the links in the chain.
Are you with me?
You will have to test this out, but I guarantee it is valid.
If these last three kings [in the link of Zedekiah], the first waymark is Jehoiakim, the second waymark is Jehoiachin, and the third waymark is Zedekiah. These are the three kings that all suffer the wrath of Nebuchadnezzar that leads to the destruction of Jerusalem, in that order.
And in the Bible, there is only one prophet that is specifically associated with the first king, Jehoiakim. There is only one prophet that is specifically associated with the second king, Jehoiachin. And, there is one prophet that is associated with the third king, Zedekiah.
Now, there may have been prophets living in their time period, but what I am saying is that is marked in God's Word; and, what I am saying is this: The one prophet that is associated with Jehoiakim is Daniel; the one prophet that is associated with Jehoiachin is Ezekiel; the one prophet that is associated with Zedekiah is Jeremiah.
So, what I am saying is, Daniel represents the First Angel's Message; Ezekiel, the Second Angel's Message; and, Jeremiah, the Third Angel's Message.
Jehoiakim—Daniel (one verse)
Now, notice this in your notes, Daniel 1:1.
"1In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and besieged it." Daniel 1:1 (KJV).
Associating Daniel with Jehoiakim takes one verse, because Jehoiakim is the First Angel's Message, and Daniel is the First Angel's Message.
Jehoiachin—Ezekiel (two verses)
Associating Ezekiel with the Second Angel's Message, with Jehoiachin, it takes two verses, Ezekiel 1:1-2.
"1Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the river Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God. 2In the fifth day of the month, which was the fifth year of king Jehoiachin's captivity." Ezekiel 1:1-2 (KJV).
That is Ezekiel.
Zedekiah—Jeremiah (three verses) (Jehoahaz and Jehoiachin not mentioned.)
Then in Jeremiah, the first three verses say this:
"1The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests that were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin: 2To whom the word of the Lord came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign. 3It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, unto the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah the son of Josiah king of Judah, unto the carrying away of Jerusalem captive in the fifth month." Jeremiah 1:1–3 (KJV).
Jeremiah is the only one associated with Zedekiah, specifically. It takes three verses to do it, because Jeremiah represents the Third Angel's Message.
But, Jeremiah, he also references other kings; and, if you are a student of prophecy, you know that Sister White repeatedly says in a variety of ways, when it comes to the Third Angel's Message, all the messages are to be combined. So, one of the characteristics of the Third Angel's Message is a combination of the messages. So, Jeremiah is marked in more than one king, unlike Daniel and Ezekiel.
Am I losing you? Probably?
Okay. This is probably a new thought for some; so, it may be a little bit difficult to follow. But, I am saying Daniel's book, the Book of Daniel, is primarily a revelation of the First Angel's Message, "Fear God. and give glory to him; for the hour of His judgment is come: . . ."
And one of the things that happens in the Second Angel's Message, if you have been studying with us in worship: Does the temple get built in the First Decree or does the temple get built in the Second Decree? It gets built in the history of the Second Decree. The temple is built before the Third Decree.
One of the characteristics of the Second Degree, the second waymark, is the destruction of the temple. Are there any passages in Ezekiel where he talks about the temple?
And one of the characteristics of the second waymark is the manifestation of the power of God. Is that not where it takes place?
Have you ever read Ezekiel's visions of the Most Holy Place? They are so profound about the manifestation of the power of God that is one of the hardest passages in Scripture to wrap your mind around.
So, Ezekiel, his book is about the very characteristics of the second waymark.
Daniel's is about the characteristics of the first waymark.
And Jeremiah, Jeremiah is about Jerusalem being destroyed; and, Jerusalem being destroyed is a symbol of The Sunday Law. It is a symbol of Judgment; and the third waymark is about judgment.
Jehoiakim—Daniel: The Everlasting Gospel
DANIEL: Strong's Concordance, H1840—Judge or judgment of God
So, I am saying that Daniel is specifically associated with Jehoiakim. And you can see the definition of the word Daniel. This is my expression of the definitions that you can find for it. Daniel means judge. Dan means judge; El is God. It is the Judgment of God. Okay? Daniel's name means the Judgment of God.
Are you with me?
And what did the First Angel's Message do? It announced the judgment was opening, "Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: . . ." That is the First Angel's Message. That is Daniel.
Jehoiachin—Ezekiel: Manifestation of God's Glory
EZEKIEl: Strong's Concordance, H3168—God will strengthen.
Ezekiel means God will strengthen.
It is here [at the second waymark of Figure No. 47] that you get strengthened; because, this three-step process is to convict of sin and of righteousness. This is the manifestation of righteousness. God's people are going to manifest righteousness in the time period of the second waymark through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
And what does the Holy Spirit do for you? It strengthens you to stand.
Zedekiah—Jeremiah: Judgment
Jeremiah: H3414—God will rise or raise.
Jeremiah means God will raise or God will rise.
And what happens at this third waymark? Well, the Lord is going to lift up an ensign. The third waymark in the time of Christ, Christ is lifted up between Heaven and Earth on a cross.
Jeremiah is identifying the characteristics in his name in the third waymark, just as Ezekiel is identifying the characteristics of the second waymark, just as Daniel is identifying the characteristics of the first waymark.
Testimony of Two
Now, the other night we had evening worship here, and I was looking for something; and, this is what I brought up in church.
And you said, "Are you going to tell us about it?"
And he [pointing to a member in the audience] asked me a question.
You can see in your notes, "Testimony of Two." The very last of Daniel, chapter 1, says,
"1In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and besieged it. . . . 21And Daniel continued even unto the first year of king Cyrus." Daniel 1:1, 21 (KJV).
And Austin says, "That is kind of an odd verse. What does that mean?"
And I said, "Well, it means that Daniel was there at the first waymark in his history, and he lived until the first waymark of the history of Cyrus."
Daniel is associated with [the prophetic links of] Cyrus and Zedekiah. That is the testimony of two. He is associated with two first waymarks, Jehoiakim and Cyrus. Do you think that is an accident?
So, what I am saying is, I am trying to prepare the structure where we can see the Book of Daniel is about the First Angel's Message.
The First Angel's Message
Here is the First Angel's Message in your notes, Revelation 14:6-7. And, we are at a point where most of us in this room may understand what I am going to say here about these verses; but, some that are watching on LiveStream or on a DVD may not. But, it does not matter if you understand it or not, what we are going to say is correct. Okay?
Let us read the First Angel's Message.
"6And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, 7Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters." Revelation 14:6–7 (KJV).
Now, that is the First Angel's Message; but, that was fulfilled in Millerite History. And in the First Angel's Message, you have all the messages. You do, whether you understand it or not.
LINKS IN THE CHAIN OF TRUTH
ADAM
●
(Disappointment)
NOAH SAUL ZEDEKIAH CYRUS MILLER
● ● ● ● ●
ABRAHAM 2300
●
MOSES
●
TIME OF
SAMUEL THE END
Dec 1844
●
Hezekiah increase M/C
SAUL of knowledge
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 5
●
D A R K N E S S
ZEDEKIAH ( 1 ) ( 2 ) ( 3 )
Manasseh
● Amon 1798 1842 1844 1846
JOSIAH
CYRUS Jehoahaz William Foy Hazen Foss
Jehoiakim
●
1 2 3 4
Figure No. 48.
"Fear God," that is the message that came in 1798.
"Give him Glory," that is the Second Angel's Message, where righteousness is manifested.
"For the hour of His judgment is come," that was 1844.
"And worship Him, worship the Creator God"; when was it that James and Ellen White accepted the Sabbath?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: 1846.
BROTHER PIPPENGER: 1846.
The First Angel's Message is the history of the Millerites. Okay? So, when you see the First Angel's Message in the Book of Daniel, you should expect to see a similar representation of all three messages in the First Angel's Message; and, you do.
And Sister White is clear. We have studied this already in this worship. She says the Protestant churches in this time period [of the second waymark, Figure No. 48], 1842 to 1844, they suffered a moral fall, but the fall of Babylon was not complete. It was the progressive fall. She said the perfect fulfillment of Revelation 14:8, which is the Second Angel's Message is yet future. This here [the second waymark] was prefiguring the Second Angel's Message at the end of the world.
And we have read a quote a couple of times in here where you cannot have a third message without a first and a second; therefore, if this imperfect fulfillment of the Second Angel's Message took place in 1842, then the First Angel's Message of 1798 was imperfect and the Third Message of 1844 was imperfect, and they are imperfect in the sense that they were typifying the perfect repetition of the Three Angels' Messages at the end of the world.
The Everlasting Gospel
Two Classes
So, the First Angel's Message is the Everlasting Gospel. We have studied this in this worship. The Everlasting Gospel is the work of Christ in producing two classes of worshippers, based upon the introduction of a testing prophetic message.
In your notes, Selected Messages, book 2, page 106, says,
"The message proclaimed by the angel flying in the midst of heaven is the everlasting gospel, the same gospel that was declared in Eden when God said to the serpent, '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.'" Selected Messages, book 2, 106.
We are going to look at Daniel, chapter 1, and we are going to say that Daniel, chapter 1, is the First Angel's Message. Then we are going to look at Daniel, chapter 2, and show you that Daniel, chapter 2, is the Second Angel's Message; Daniel, chapter 3, is the Third Angel's Message; Daniel, chapter 4, is William Miller's dream; Daniel, chapter 5, is their rejection of the foundational truths by the leadership of Adventism and most of its members; and, in Daniel, chapter 6, is The Sunday Law crisis.
A Prophetic Testing Message (Two Tests)
We are beginning with Daniel, chapter 1.
The first characteristics of the First Angel's Message are that it is the Everlasting Gospel that produces two classes of worshippers.
Prophets and Kings, page 428, says,
"When, early in the reign of Jehoiakim, Nebuchadnezzar for the first time besieged and captured Jerusalem, and carried away Daniel and his companions, with others specially chosen for service in the court of Babylon, the faith of the Hebrew captives was tried to the utmost."—
What does tried mean?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: Tested.
BROTHER PIPPENGER: They are going to Babylon to be tested.
—"But those who had learned to place their trust in the promises of God found these all-sufficient in every experience through which they were called to pass during their sojourn in a strange land. The Scriptures proved to them a guide and a stay." Prophets and Kings, 428.
Now, I hope I am not giving you too much information; but, you know, sometimes it is just good to die. You know, Hezekiah, he should have just died—maybe! I do not know, you know. Maybe! The Lord might have allowed them to live. I do not want to argue with the Lord.
Why do I say that? One of the reasons I say that is: How long did Hezekiah get to live? Fifteen years.
And 12 years later, who was born? Manasseh. If Hezekiah had died 15 years before, Manasseh would have never been born.
Okay. The Lord would have to fulfill prophecy some other way. I understand that. But, what I want you to see, in the time of Hezekiah there is a prophecy—and we have already studied it here that the Time of the End is a fulfillment of a prophecy. We are dealing with Daniel, chapter 1, here. There is a prophecy that is going to be fulfilled that marks the Time of the End, whenever there is a Time of the End in every reform line—and in the time of Hezekiah there is a prophecy set forth that is going to get fulfilled right here at the beginning of Daniel, chapter 1.
Darkness
But, what precedes the Time of the End? Darkness.
So, what I am saying is, back here in the time of Hezekiah, there is a prophecy that will be fulfilled here [at the Time of the End]. And in between here we should see darkness, and we do. The darkness begins with Manasseh, from Manasseh to Jehoiakim.
Manasseh was a wicked king, and he had Amon, his son, who became a wicked king.
And then you had Josiah, who was a righteous king.
Does that break the mold? I am trying to say that from Hezekiah to the Time of the End we have five kings: one, two, three, four, and then the fifth here, Jehoiakim; and, that these five kings represent Darkness.
But this king here [No. 3 king of the 5], Josiah, he is not Darkness. So, is the mold broke?
Let us read on.
After Josiah, you have Jehoahaz (wicked; taken captive to Egypt), and then Jehoiakim (wicked).
JOSIAH: Strong's Concordance, H2977—From the same root as H803 and H3050. H803—to found; foundation:—foundation. H3050—Jah, the sacred name.
Okay. Now, Josiah, the righteous king, what does his name mean?
Put this in our memory bank: The foundation of God.
Oh, that is a pretty good name, especially when we are dealing about raising up the foundations of many generations.
Jah is God. Josi is foundation. He is talking about the foundations of God. He is symbolizing that, his name.
Luther
Now, notice, we have already read this quote earlier in our studies from Signs of the Times, July 19, 1884. This is talking about Martin Luther, Martin Luther's work.
When does Martin Luther's work take place? In the Dark Ages. There is a light in the Dark Ages, and it is Martin Luther.
But, what was Martin Luther's work?
Here it says, and we have read this in the past:
"It was his [Luther's] work to build in the temple of the Lord. There were living stones buried from sight amid the papal rubbish of false doctrines, forms, and ceremonies, and he must search them out, and lay them on"—what?—"the true foundation. The followers of Christ were not then united as a peculiar and holy people separate from the world. They were mingled with the sons of Belial, and must be separated by the power of divine truth." Signs of the Times, July 19, 1883.
So, we have a foundation here, a foundational work with Josiah that is paralleling the foundational work of Martin Luther, in the Dark Ages that preceded 1798.
Do you follow the logic?
From Hezekiah, who gives a prophecy that we are going to look at, until Jehoiakim, there is darkness, but there is a light in there, in Josiah; and, Josiah's work has to do with the foundation.
And from AD538, when the Papacy is placed upon the throne of the Earth, would Manasseh be someone you could use as a symbol of the Papacy? I think so. From AD538 to 1798 in the Dark Ages, you do have a bright spot with the Protestant Reformation, represented by Luther, parallel darknesses if you are willing to see it.
A Prophecy
Notice 2 Kings 20:17-19. Here is the prophecy from back here.
"17Behold, the days come,"—
Isaiah is speaking to Hezekiah here that has just let the Babylonians see all of his riches.
—"17Behold, the days come, that all that is in thine house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store unto this day, shall be carried into Babylon: nothing shall be left, saith the Lord. 18And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they take away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.
"19Then said Hezekiah unto Isaiah, Good is the word of the Lord which thou hast spoken. And he said, Is it not good, if peace and truth be in my days?" 2 Kings 20:17–19 (KJV).
This is a prophecy given to Hezekiah that Daniel is going to be carried into captivity by Jehoiakim. This is the prophecy that is fulfilled that marks the Time of the End, in Daniel, chapter 1.
Do you see it?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: (Affirmations.)
BROTHER PIPPENGER: It is scary that you see it. It is scary that we can see this; because, 99.9 percent of the people in Adventism would have gotten up and walked out already. But, we are seeing it.
This last phrase, I should not say anything. Sometimes you see something and it is better that you go see if Sister White comments on it before you put your human thoughts on it. But, I think Hezekiah was really out in left field for this last statement. I do not know what Sister White says about it, but he has just been told, "Due to your foolishness, the wealth of Jerusalem is going to be carried to Babylon, and your children are going to be made eunuch slaves in Babylon," and he says, "Good is the word of the Lord which thou hast spoken. . . . Is it not good, if peace and truth be in my days?"
All he is worried about is in his days. Okay. That seems a little bit—
FROM THE AUDIENCE: (Indiscernible).
BROTHER PIPPENGER: Yeah. He should have been saying, "Oh, what can I do to reverse this curse that I have brought upon my people? Why don't you lay me to rest and then Manasseh will not be born?" But, he did not do that.
The Time of the End
Okay. "The Time of the End," Daniel 1, verses 1 and 2:
"1In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and besieged it. 2And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with part of the vessels of the house of God: which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god; and he brought the vessels into the treasure house of his god." Daniel 1:1–2 (KJV).
An Increase of Knowledge
Now, the purpose of Daniel and the eunuchs was to bring light to Babylon.
Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, volume 4, page 1169:
"Through the Hebrew captives the Lord was made known to the heathen in Babylon. This idolatrous nation was given a knowledge"—
What was it given?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: A knowledge.
BROTHER PIPPENGER: See, right here, you expect to see an increase of knowledge [see first waymark, Figure No. 48].
—"was given a knowledge of the kingdom the Lord was to establish, and through His power maintain against all the power and craft of Satan."—
And when it says, through God's power they were to maintain themselves against all the power and craft of Satan, what does that mean? That means that the Mystery of Iniquity doth already work. When they go into Babylon, it is already there waiting for them; the power and the craft of Satan is already there, because the Mystery of Iniquity precedes the Time of the End.
—"Daniel and his fellow-companions, Ezra and Nehemiah, and many others were witnesses for God in their captivity. The Lord scattered them among the kingdoms of the earth that their light might shine brightly amid the black darkness of heathenism and idolatry."—it was darkness—"To Daniel God revealed the light of His purposes,"—
Now, notice this statement.
—"To Daniel God revealed the light of His purposes, which had been hidden for many generations."—
Daniel especially; it is opened up to Daniel, especially, prophetic truths that have been dark to God's people. Okay?
—"He chose that Daniel should see in vision the light of His truth, and reflect this light on the proud kingdom of Babylon. On the despot king was permitted to flash light from the throne of God. Nebuchadnezzar was shown that the God of heaven was ruler over all the monarchs and kings of earth. His name was to go forth as the God over all gods. God desired Nebuchadnezzar to understand that the rulers of earthly kingdoms had a ruler in the heavens. God's faithfulness in rescuing the three captives from the flames and vindicating their course of action showed His wonderful power.
"Great light shone forth from Daniel and his companions. Glorious things were spoken of Zion, the city of the Lord. Thus the Lord designs that spiritual light shall shine from His faithful watchmen in these last days."—
Now Sister White is making a comparison to the work of Daniel with you and me here at the last days.
—"If the saints in the Old Testament bore such a decided testimony of loyalty, how should God's people today, having the accumulated light of centuries, shine forth, when the prophecies of the Old Testament shed their veiled glory into the future!" Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, volume 4, 1169.
What is the accumulated light that we have that Daniel did not have?
This light right here [referencing the links in the chain of truth displayed in Figures Nos. 46 and 48], this light right here.
Now, notice this next quote; because, what I am saying is this history of Daniel, chapter 1, is the history of the First Angel's Message.
And what is the history of the First Angel's Message? It is the history of the Millerites, is it not?
Then note what she says about William Miller.
"God sent His angel"—
And by definition in the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy, His angel is Gabriel.
—"God sent His angel to move upon the heart of a farmer who had not believed the Bible, to lead him to search the prophecies. Angels of God repeatedly visited that chosen one, to guide his mind and"—what?—"open to his understanding prophecies which had ever been dark to God's people."—
Well, that is exactly what happened for Daniel.
So, Daniel here, who is he prefiguring?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: William Miller?
BROTHER PIPPENGER: William Miller; same history.
—"The commencement of the chain of truth was given to him, and he was led on to search for link after link, until he looked with wonder and admiration upon the Word of God. He saw there a perfect chain of truth. That Word which he had regarded as uninspired now opened before his vision in its beauty and glory. He saw that one portion of Scripture explains another, and when one passage was closed to his understanding, he found in another part of the Word that which explained it. He regarded the sacred Word of God with joy and with the deepest respect and awe." Early Writings, 229.
What did she immediately associate with William Miller? Proof-texting, line upon line.
The Great Controversy, page 368:
"To William Miller and his colaborers"—
In that previous quote about Daniel, it says Daniel and his companions shed light.
—"it was given to preach the warning in America. This country became the center of the great advent movement. It was here that the prophecy of the first angel's message had its most direct fulfillment. The writings of Miller and his associates were carried to distant lands. Wherever missionaries had penetrated in all the world, were sent the glad tidings of Christ's speedy return. Far and wide spread the message of the everlasting gospel: 'Fear God, and give glory to Him; for the hour of His judgment is come.'" The Great Controversy, 368.
So, I am hoping that you are seeing the same characteristics in Daniel, chapter 1, as in the Millerite History.
The Mystery of Iniquity
Daniel: Judge of God—Judgment of God
Daniel means Judge of God, or the Judgment of God; and, the First Angel's Message is "for the hour of His judgment is come."
"To William Miller and his colaborers it was given to . . . the everlasting gospel: 'Fear God, and give glory to Him; for the hour of His judgment is come.'" The Great Controversy, 368.
Hananiah: God has favored.
Mishael: Who is like unto God?
Azariah: God Protects.
And you can go into the various dictionaries and you can get slight variations on this. I am not arguing that this is the absolute, perfect definition of all these.
But, their names get changed, do they not?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: (Affirmations.)
Belteshazzar: Beltis protects the king.
Belteshazzar, that is Daniel: Beltis, protects the king; some pagan god protects the king.
Shadrach: Aku's command.
Shadrach, Aku's command; Aku is a pagan god.
Meshach: A Chaldean god.
Abednego: Servant of Nebo.
When their names get changed, what is that telling us? The Mystery of Iniquity is working to destroy them, by combining light and darkness. In this history in Daniel, they are being confronted with kind of like brain-washing. Right?
And at the prophetic level, it is trying to change their character from worshippers of God to worshippers of Satan. So, they are in a testing time. They are in a struggle in Daniel, chapter 1. It is a testing time.
Fear God—not Man (he would not defile himself)
Daniel 1:3-10.
"Fear God" is the First Message.
Remember, the First Angel's Message has all three messages: "Fear God," the First Angel's Message; "Give Him Glory," the Second Angel's Message; "The Hour of His Judgment is Come," Third Angel's Message; and, that is all the First Angel's Message. Right?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: (Affirmations.)
BROTHER PIPPENGER: So, in Daniel 1, verses 3 through 10, I am suggesting that we are going to see the fear of God, the First Message.
Beginning in verse 3:
"3And the king spake unto Ashpenaz the master of his eunuchs, that he should bring certain of the children of Israel, and of the king's seed, and of the princes; 4Children in whom was no blemish, but well favoured, and skilful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability in them to stand in the king's palace, and whom they might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans. 5And the king appointed them a daily provision of the king's meat, and of the wine which he drank: so nourishing them three years, that at the end thereof they might stand before the king. 6Now among these were of the children of Judah, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: 7Unto whom the prince of the eunuchs gave names: for he gave unto Daniel the name of Belteshazzar; and to Hananiah, of Shadrach; and to Mishael, of Meshach; and to Azariah, of Abednego.
"8But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat,"—
Why? Why did he do that? Because, he feared God more than he did the king of Babylon.
—"nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. 9Now God had brought Daniel into favour and tender love with the prince of the eunuchs. 10And the prince of the eunuchs said unto Daniel, I fear my lord the king, who hath appointed your meat and your drink: for why should he see your faces worse liking than the children which are of your sort? then shall ye make me endanger my head to the king." Daniel 1:3-10 (KJV).
The First Test: Appetite
Okay. The first test in the time of Christ was Appetite. You have it in your notes there, Matthew 4:3-4: ". . . Man shall not live by bread alone, . . . ."
3And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. 4But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." Matthew 4:3–4 KJV).
The test here for Daniel is appetite, and it is here where he identifies his fear of the Lord. It is more important to be in agreement with the Lord than to accept the food of Babylon. It is about food.
Okay. But, what does this do? This first test creates a problem with the enemies of hat time period. Okay? Although Ashpenaz is a friend of his, he is afraid if he does something that the king finds out about that he is not supposed to do, his head is going to come off.
So, this first test leads to the second test, and what is the second test?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: (Indiscernible).
BROTHER PIPPENGER: What did you say?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: He looked upon their countenance.
BROTHER PIPPENGER: Investigate their countenance? The second test is always a visual test. At the end of the test, you are going to look and see what their countenances are like.
What closes the door on the Millerite History? A visual test [pointing to the 1843 Chart].
What preceded the closing of the door on the ark? A visual test.
So, we have got Daniel fearing God, and then the test leads into a testing process, and at the conclusion of that test there is going to be a visual examination.
Give Him Glory (let our countenances be looked upon)
Daniel 1:11-15
"1 Then said Daniel to Melzar, whom the prince of the eunuchs had set over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, 12Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days; and let them give us pulse to eat, and water to drink. 13Then let our countenances be looked upon before thee, and the countenance of the children that eat of the portion of the king's meat: and as thou seest, deal with thy servants. 14So he consented to them in this matter, and proved them ten days. 15And at the end of ten days their countenances appeared fairer and fatter in flesh than all the children which did eat the portion of the king's meat." Daniel 1:11-15 (KJV).
At the end of the tests, does Shadrach's, Meshach's, and Abednego's countenances give God glory?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: (Affirmations).
BROTHER PIPPENGER: Yes.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20:
"19What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." 1 Corinthians 6:19–20 (KJV).
That is the second test here, in comparing their what? Their diet with the other diet.
What are we seeing here? Two classes being produced by this prophetic testing message.
The Second Test: Presumption
The second test for Christ was presumption. Matthew 4:5-7:
5Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, 6And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. 7Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God." Matthew 4: 5-7 (KJV).
Presumption.
So, here you are, here you are—we are going to use Mexico again. Mexico invades the United States. They surround this house. They take all the adults in this house, in front of Autumn, the youngest one here. They execute all of us, and they haul her off to Mexico City.
And when she gets to Mexico City, she determines that she is going to be faithful to God; but, you know, even though she never has liked carnitas—you know, pork tacos—that is all they are serving them, and she has the option of saying, "You know, my family just got killed. They drug me all the way down here to Mexico City. And I have to eat. I need food. The Lord wouldn't mind if I go ahead and eat this food. After all, lots of people eat Mexican carnitas."
Is that what Daniel did?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: (Negative affirmations.)
BROTHER PIPPENGER: If he would have done that, what would it have been?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: Presumption.
BROTHER PIPPENGER: Presumption. It would have been putting his Word over God's Word. The second test there for Daniel was about presumption, and he stood on God's Word, just as Christ did in His second test.
Right? Do you see it?
The Sanctified Life, pages 22-23:
"At the end of the ten days the result was found to be quite the opposite of Melzar's expectations. Not only in personal appearance,"—a visual test—"but in physical activity and mental vigor, those who had been temperate in their habits exhibited a marked superiority over their companions who had indulged appetite."—two classes—"As a result of this trial, Daniel and his associates were permitted to continue their simple diet during the whole course of their training for the duties of the kingdom. . . .
"The life of Daniel is an inspired illustration of what constitutes a sanctified character. . . .
"God has said, 'Them that honour me I will honour' (1 Samuel 2:30)."—
So, he has passed this second now, and now the Lord is going to honor him.
—"While Daniel clung to his God with unwavering trust, the Spirit of prophetic power came upon him."—
In the Millerite History, where is the Spirit of Prophecy come in?
Now, Sister White receives her first vision in December of 1844; but, where does the Spirit of Prophecy enter?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: Before.
BROTHER PIPPENGER: Beforehand, back here with William Foy and Hazen Foss, before the third test; and, that is what is being marked here. Due to Daniel's faithfulness, the Spirit of Prophecy is established.
—"While he was instructed of man in the duties of court life, he was taught of God to read the mysteries of future ages and to present to coming generations, through figures and similitudes, the wonderful things that would come to pass in the last days." The Sanctified Life, 22–23.
Opening of the Scriptures
Daniel 1:16-17 says,
"16Thus Melzar took away the portion of their meat, and the wine that they should drink; and gave them pulse."—a vegetarian diet—"17As for these four children, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom: and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams." Daniel 1:16-17 (KJV).
What does He do right in here to them? He opened their understanding to the Scriptures.
Right here at the Midnight Cry (M/C) was the opening of the Scriptures evident in the Millerite History? That was the Midnight Cry.
Was that paralleled by the opening of the Scriptures to the Disciples, leading to Pentecost? Yes, the Road to Emmaus.
And here He is opening the Scriptures to Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
The Hour of His Judgment is Come (the end of the days)
Daniel 1:18-20.
What is going to happen at verse 18? He is going to go in before Nebuchadnezzar.
And what is Nebuchadnezzar going to do? He is going to judge him: third waymark, judgment.
"18Now at the end of the days that the king had said he should bring them in, then the prince of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. 19And the king communed with them; and among them all was found none like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: therefore stood they before the king. 20And in all matters of wisdom and understanding, that the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm." Daniel 1:18–20 (KJV).
What did Nebuchadnezzar find? They were ten times better.
And what is the number 10? It is a test. They were tested ten days.
The Smyrna church was tested for ten days.
Are The Ten Commandments a test?
The number 10 is a test. It can be other things, but the number 10 is a test.
Here [at the first waymark identified as 1798 in Millerite History] Daniel feared God. He was purified.
Here [at the second waymark identified as 1892 in Millerite History] in this test Daniel was made white.
And here [at the third waymark identified as 1844 in Millerite History] Daniel was tried.
"Fear God, . . . give glory to him; . . . the hour of his judgment is come: . . . ," Nebuchadnezzar is judging him.
Now, we are going to stop here, but I want to put this in the record, Daniel 1:18, "Now at the end of the days that the king had said he should bring them in, then the prince of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar."
As we are looking at this history as topology, right here [at the third waymark] Daniel is at the end of the days; because, in the Millerite History you can show that Daniel is at the end of the days in 1798, in 1844, even 1840 because the Book of Daniel was the book that was in the Angel's hand when He came down out of Heaven. And Daniel stands in his lot at the end of the days; and, Sister White tells us "to stand in your lot" means to fulfill your purpose. The Book of Daniel fulfilled its purpose at the end of the days, at the end of the 391 years and 15 days [1842], at the end of the 2520 days [1844], at the end of the 1260 days [1798].
And here in this Millerite History, at the end of the days, how long were the days? How long was Daniel being tested for? Three years.
Now, at the end of the days, he is brought in to judgment, the third test; and, we will take this aspect up tomorrow.
What we are saying is, is that Daniel, chapter 1, is typifying the history of the Millerites, to the very letter; and, there is more to say about it before we move into Daniel, chapter 2, which is the Second Angel's Message.
And the Second Angel's Message for us is the image of the beast test. We looked at that yesterday.
Is there an image test in Daniel, chapter 2? Right here [pointing to the feet of the prophetic statue of Nebuchadnezzar's dream depicted on the 1843 Chart] there is an image test.
The Third Test: Worship
And what is the third chapter of Daniel? According to Sister White, repeatedly, it is The Sunday Law, where judgment takes place.
"8Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and showeth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; 9And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. 10Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve." Matthew 4:8–10 (KJV).
Shall we pray?
Benediction: Heavenly Father, we wish to be Daniels. We wish to be those that determine that we would rather die than to defile ourselves. We need that conviction in our hearts, and our hearts are deceitful. We need you to change our hearts. We ask that you would do whatever it takes to make that a reality in each of our lives. We know that we are repeating the Millerite History, and the Millerite History was repeating Daniel's history, and we want to be in the class represented by these faithful men. We thank you for this worship this morning. We ask your blessing upon the day of service that we will perform. We ask a blessing upon the LiveStreaming and the DVD production. In Jesus's name, amen.