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True ProphetHabakkuk's Two Tables #29
Part Four: DANIEL
Presented by Jeff Pippenger
Invocation by Brother Jeff Pippenger: Heavenly Father, we thank you for a good night's rest, and we thank you for bringing us together this morning to continue our study of the Book of Daniel, applying specifically to our history. We ask that you would grant us an understanding of these things in such a way that it would have an impact upon us personally and better prepare us to share these truths with the people we come in contact with. We ask that you would forgive us of any transgressions that we may have committed, and cleanse us, free us up that we might be open for the influence of your Holy Spirit which we ask for at this time. And we ask that you pour your Latter Rain out upon us by opening our understanding to your Word. Please take the words and thoughts that I am going to share this morning and touch them with a coal from off your altar that they might be pure and holy. We thank you for getting the Pecks to their destination safely, and we ask that you watch over them on their return. In Jesus's name, amen.
BROTHER PIPPENGER: I do not know if the blue comes through on the LiveStream or the DVD, but this is pretty much the same illustration we had yesterday, except yesterday I was calling this "DANIEL ONE." I removed the "ONE."
TIME OF JUDGMENT
THE END
WARNING MESSAGE - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Divine- - - - - - Spirit of Scattering (Nimrod) Pronouncement Prophecy Seven Times (Nebuchadnezzar)
Manifested 2520 (Belshazzar)
DANIEL Appetite Presumption
(1: 1, 2, 3) (2) (3)
Daniel One Daniel Two
True Prophet
(Visual) Manifested
ELIJAH Drought CHOOSE Seven Times
Sight SOP
Manifested
(Visual)
1798 1842 ![C:\Users\Bert\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5\CH7ZSJ66\Estatueta-oscar[1].png](media/image2.png)
43 3/22/1844 1844
Foy Foss White
(Jan) (Sept) (Dec)
MILLER Faith 2520
Figure No. 50.
Now we are going to look at the waymarks.
The first waymark is Daniel, chapter 1.
What we are going to look at today is Daniel, chapter 2, the second waymark.
And this blue line is what we learned previously about the three falls of Babylon, because we are going to deal with the Second Angel's Message, this second waymark, which is "Babylon is fallen, is fallen"; and, that has been illustrated in the fall of Nimrod, Nebuchadnezzar, and Belshazzar. So, I have this blue line running through there, line upon line.
And I have changed some of the things here [with the reform line of Elijah]. In Elijah, in the confrontation between the prophets of Baal and Elijah, there is a visual manifestation of fire coming down out of Heaven. The fire, we read a quote more than once now that represents the Holy Spirit, and the altar represents Christ. Elijah had built that altar out of 12 stones, thus identifying that the 12 tribes, the 144,000 at the end of the world, are going to be illuminated by the Holy Spirit in this time period [at the last waymark].
And this is consistent with what we are seeing, is that here in the story of Daniel the Spirit of Prophecy is manifested; the True Prophet in Elijah, in contrast with the False Prophet is manifested.
And this is the Spirit of Prophecy (S.O.P.) manifested in this history [of the Millerites].
The visual here [the Millerite reform line], what this is all about is we are going to emphasize that this second waymark has a visual component to it. And the reason I have this line up here is the 1843 Chart was published in May of 1842, and it provided a visual test, until March of 1844, until the first disappointment. After they realized that the Lord was not going to return in 1843 and they believed that on March 22, 1844, and 1843 was gone, from this point on until October 22, 1844, they set aside this 1843 Chart.
And in this history here, they were walking by sight; but, according to Habakkuk 2, one of the lessons in Habakkuk 2 when it tells us ". . . though the vision tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry." Then in verse 4, ". . . the just shall live by his faith."
From here, March 22nd to October 22, 1844, they are walking by faith, in terms of the Chart, rather than sight. So, there are some real specifics about this visual test in the Millerite History.
And you all know that I am not an artist. I have put in here the image on the [1843] Chart, which you see here, for the purpose of reminding us that this image that is the predominate illustration on either Chart [the 1843 and 1850 Charts] is Daniel, chapter 2, which is what we are studying today, which is the image test.
Maybe we will go back up and explain some more. I am sure we will.
One of the things that we want to put in place is that�well, we will do that as we proceed.
The Voice of God Echoes
Let us begin with our first quote. We are dealing now with Daniel, chapter 2, from the perspective that Daniel, chapter 2, is the Second Angel's Message and that in the First Angel's Message of Revelation 14:6-7, we know that in verses 6 and 7 the First Angel's Message was the Everlasting Gospel. We have seen that took place in Daniel, chapter 1: two classes were developed and demonstrated.
And, we know that in the First Angel's Message, in verses 6 and 7 you have all three messages: "Fear God," "Give Him Glory," "For the Hour of His Judgment is Come."
So, I have Daniel 1 here. This is chapter 1. This is the first waymark; this is the First Angel's Message, and it has all three (1, 2, 3 messages) in it. That is what I mean by this representation; but, that was not the perfect fulfillment. The perfect fulfillment is at the end of the world when the First Angel's Message is going to arrive again; then, Daniel 2, the Second Angel's Message. And then tomorrow, the Lord willing, we will deal with the Third Angel's Message.
Youth Instructor, December 2, 1903:
"When Nebuchadnezzar's dream of the great image was revealed to Daniel in a night vision, his first act was to thank God for this revelation."�
Do you ever stop and think why we have to know that?
Why do we have to know that this came to Daniel in a night vision?
Why do we even have to know that it came in a vision?
Why could not the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy said, "When Nebuchadnezzar's dream of the great image was revealed to Daniel, his first act was to thank God for this revelation"?
Why do we have to know that it was in a night vision?
Okay. Now, she goes on, and she is going to quote. This is what Daniel says once he understands Nebuchadnezzar's dream.
�"'Blessed be the name of God forever and ever,' he exclaimed; 'for wisdom and might are his: and he changeth the times and the seasons:"�
Where do you find the Lord changing time?
Where do you find the Lord changing seasons, because Daniel just said he does so?
�"he removeth kings, and setteth up kings:"�
We have several illustrations of that of the Lord.
�"he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding: he revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him. I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast made known unto me now what we desired of thee: for thou hast now made known unto us the king's matter.'
"In past ages the Lord God of heaven revealed his secrets to his prophets. The present and the future are equally clear to him. The voice of God echoes down the ages,"�
And you know what an echo is: ECHO, ECHO, Echo, echo, . . . . What is it? It is the line upon line. It is the same history repeated over and over again. It is the echo.
You know, if you say something in a canyon where you can get an echo, it does not come back another word. It comes back the same thing.
�"The voice of God echoes down the ages telling man what is to take place. Kings and princes take their places at their appointed time. They think they are carrying out their own purposes, but in reality they are fulfilling the word that God has spoken."�
Have you been watching the television? Have you been listening to the radio? Have you been watching the internet? Because, what just the standard news places are saying is that Obama is getting ready to sign this United Nations treaty on guns; and, when he does, the Constitution is destroyed.
And when the President makes a treaty with another country, it supersedes and overrules the Constitution of the United States. That is what the Constitution says.
And when the President signs a treaty with another country, it only has to be ratified by the Senate, not the House of Representatives. The House would not ratify anything that Obama did, because he is outnumbered big time, but he still controls the Senate.
With this book here (Screwed! by Morris and McGann) by Dick Morris�and I am not pushing anybody�it speaks about, among other things�and I had this weeks ago�four or five different treaties, world globalist treaties: One is about making the International Criminal Court the court of reference; one is the Offshore Treaty, where all the waters that surround the United States are going to be governed by the laws of the United Nations; another one is gun control; and, another one is littering in space. They are getting ready to sign a treaty about littering in space. They do not want all this space junk there from the different satellites that have been sent up there. But, really, it is just a ploy to take control of the military hardware that the United States has up there. It is all about taking control of the United States. And, another one is about child raising.
And this book goes through and shows that if any of these five treaties gets signed into effect, our Constitution is overturned.
So, to hear now in the past four or five days that Obama is getting ready to sign this gun control treaty tells you that these nations�because, these treaties are speaking about virtually every single country in the world has signed onto them. The only country that has not is the United States. So, when the United States signs onto it, then the Ten Kings are pretty well getting in place. Once they have their kingdom in place, then all they have to do is to agree to give their kingdom unto the Papacy. And when they do, what is that? That is a combination of church and state. That is the image of the beast. That is what we are studying here in Daniel, chapter�2; and, we need to remind ourselves that we are on the verge of this image being set up in the world.
�"Paul declares that the records of God's dealings with mankind in the past 'are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.' Daniel's history is given us for our admonition. 'The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him.' Daniel's God still lives and reigns. He has not closed heaven against his people. As in the Jewish age, so in this age, God reveals his secrets to his servants the prophets.
"The apostle Peter says: 'We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day-star arise in your hearts: knowing this first, that no prophecy of the Scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.'
"The unbelieving and godless do not discern the importance of the signs of the times, foretold in the prophetic word. In ignorance they may refuse to accept the inspired record. But when professed Christians speak sneeringly of the ways and means employed by the great I AM to make his purposes known, they show themselves to be ignorant both of the Scriptures and of the power of God. The Creator knows just what elements he has to deal with in human nature. He knows what means to employ to obtain the desired results.
"Man's word fails. He who makes the assertions of men his dependence, may well tremble; for he will someday be as a shipwrecked vessel."�
Of course, a shipwrecked vessel, this is one of the characteristics, if you are a student of prophecy, of the Alpha Apostasy. Okay? There is a ship going to an iceberg, and the command was, "Meet it!"
�"God's word is infallible, and endures forever. Christ declares, 'Verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.' God's word will endure throughout the ceaseless ages of eternity." Youth Instructor, December 1, 1903.
And we are not going to deal with the Alpha Apostasy this morning, but the Alpha is prefiguring our day and age when the Omega takes place.
Daniel Two
So, Daniel, chapter 2, what we are saying and Sister White here is saying, is that Daniel, chapter 2, has something to say to us at the end of the world through a prophetic message.
So, Daniel, chapter 2, is the Second Angel's Message, which in Revelation�14:8 says,
"8And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication." Revelation 14:8 (KJV).
Now, if you will just analyze this message, and you have spiritual discernment, you can see that this connects with Isaiah 28, "Babylon is fallen, is fallen," is saying that upon the testimony of two a thing is established, line upon line, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line. Those that are going to proclaim the fall of Babylon in fulfillment of the Second Angel's Message are going to do so by identifying the various times that "Babylon is fallen, is fallen." It fell in the time of Nimrod; it fell in the time of Belshazzar." By taking those two histories, "Babylon is fallen, is fallen," you will demonstrate the characteristics of the final fall of modern Babylon at the end of the world.
And, of course, as we have looked in this blue line, at the three falls of Babylon, with Nebuchadnezzar, Nimrod, and Belshazzar, we find that there is a warning message. For Nimrod it was Shem; for Nebuchadnezzar it was his dream interpreted by Daniel; and for Belshazzar it was the warning message of Daniel based upon Nebuchadnezzar's 2520.
Then there comes a Divine Pronouncement as they reject the message, and the Divine Pronouncement corresponds with another theme we have been studying: when the Mystery of Iniquity has reached its full development, there is a falling away that takes place and there is also a Divine Pronouncement saying, "This has happened." And the next thing that is going to happen is the man of sin is going to be revealed.
So, there is a Divine Pronouncement based upon the development of the Mystery of Iniquity in this group of people, and based upon the rejection of a warning message.
And, when it comes to judgment time, with Babylon you have the 2520 three times put in place: the scattering of Nimrod, the seven times of Nebuchadnezzar, and the 2520 of Belshazzar.
And, of course, when it comes to Elijah when you get to this place [the third waymark], how many times did he have to pray for rain?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: Seven times.
BROTHER PIPPENGER: So, associated with the outpouring of the rain with Elijah and with the judgment of the prophets of Baal, you have the seven times.
And, of course, we know that in 1844 the 2520 against the Southern Kingdom of Judah reached its conclusion.
So, you see this marked every time.
Was there a fall of Babylon in the history of the Millerites?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: Yes.
BROTHER PIPPENGER: Yes. If you really get into the nuts and bolts of the 2520, it is the Second Angel's Messages; because, the Second Angel's Message is the call out of Babylon, and the 2520 is the message that gathers people out of Babylon. It is the gathering message. It is the fall of Babylon there. So, you will see this here in this history repeatedly.
Did Babylon fall in the story of Elijah? Yes, with the prophets of Baal. They fell to the ground dead because they could not demonstrate their god was the true God.
So, the Second Angel's Message has to be understood in connection with the other times that Babylon has fallen.
We have read this before, but we need to move through this one more time. This is The Great Controversy, pages 389-390.
"The second angel's message of Revelation 14 was first preached in the summer of 1844, and it then had a more direct application to the churches of the United States, where the warning of the judgment had been most widely proclaimed and most generally rejected, and where the declension in the churches had been most rapid. But the message of the second angel did not reach its complete fulfillment in 1844. The churches then experienced a moral fall, in consequence of their refusal of the light of the advent message; but that fall was not complete. As they have continued to reject the special truths for this time they have fallen lower and lower. Not yet, however, can it be said that 'Babylon is fallen, . . . because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.'"�
This here [holding up the book entitled, Screwed! by Morris and McGann], Anyone that studies God's Word know that these globalist treaties that are bringing all the nations together, the one behind the scenes that is pulling these strings is the Pope, the Papacy. This is Babylon that is doing this, bringing it all together.
So, not yet can it be said that she has made all nations drink of her wine; but, you can see it is almost finished.
Now, her wine is definitely her doctrines; but, she puts the structure in place before she enforces her doctrines. Okay? We will deal with that as we proceed.
�"She has not yet made all nations do this. The spirit of world conforming and indifference to the testing truths for our time exists and has been gaining ground in churches of the Protestant faith in all the countries of Christendom; and these churches are included in the solemn and terrible denunciation of the second angel. But the work of apostasy has not yet reached its culmination.
"The Bible declares that before the coming of the Lord, Satan will work 'with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness;' and they that 'received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved,' will be left to receive 'strong delusion, that they should believe a lie.' 2�Thessalonians 2:9�11. Not until this condition shall be reached, and the union of the church with the world"�
There are two things. There has to be a strong delusion that has set in, and the world and the church have to come together. Both of those items have to be marked in history before the fall of Babylon is actually in place.
�"Not until this condition shall be reached, and the union of the church with the world shall be fully accomplished throughout Christendom, will the fall of Babylon be complete. The change is a progressive one, and the perfect fulfillment of Revelation 14:8 is yet future.
"Notwithstanding the spiritual darkness and alienation from God that exist in the churches which constitute Babylon, the great body of Christ's true followers are still to be found in their communion. There are many of these who have never seen the special truths for this time. Not a few are dissatisfied with their present condition and are longing for clearer light. They look in vain for the image of Christ in the churches with which they are connected."�
Now, they are longing for greater light, and what are they looking for? They are looking for the image of Christ.
And the history that Sister White is putting this all in here is this history right here [referring to the history of Daniel], and this history right here [referring to all three reform lines of Figure No. 50] prophetically, we know this is the time period where it is easy to see in Elijah's line where he is demonstrating who the True Prophet is and who is the False Prophet.
So, understanding this approach to these lines of prophecy, He is demonstrating that whoever has the image of the Beast and who has the image of Christ. And the people that are in Babylon that are desiring light, what they are looking for is the image of Christ.
Okay. And we know that at The Sunday Law, what is the Lord going to do with the 144,000? He is going to lift them up as an ensign while they are in that fiery furnace, and Christ is walking with them, and all the world is going to see them, and they are going to see them perfectly reflecting the image of Christ.
But, at the same time, who is going to be there? Barabbas, the counterfeit Son of God, Satan personating Christ. They have two images to pick from during this history.
So, in this history here [of Elijah] Sister White just said the people that are going to respond to the call of Babylon that are seeking for light, what they are longing for is to see the image of Christ. Right? So, that directly connects with the image of the beast test.
�"They look in vain for the image of Christ in the churches with which they are connected. As these bodies depart further and further from the truth, and ally themselves more closely with the world, the difference between the two classes will widen, and it will finally result in separation. The time will come when those who love God supremely can no longer remain in connection with such as are 'lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof.'
"Revelation 18 points to the time when, as the result of rejecting the threefold warning of Revelation 14:6�12, the church will have fully reached the condition foretold by the second angel, and the people of God still in Babylon will be called upon to separate from her communion. This message is the last that will ever be given to the world; and it will accomplish its work. When those that 'believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness' (2 Thessalonians 2:12), shall be left to receive strong delusion and to believe a lie, then"�when? Then�"then the light of truth will shine upon all whose hearts are open to receive it, and all the children of the Lord that remain in Babylon will heed the call: 'Come out of her, My people' (Revelation 18:4)." The Great Controversy, 389�390.
So, here, this is kind of a, if perfectly true, if perfectly correct but not very often recognized by Adventists, I do not believe, she says that when the church has rejected the threefold warning, we will usually think, "Well, that is the Three Angels' Messages at the end of the world"; but, we will not think that first the Adventist Church is confronted with the threefold testing message, and then the world is also confronted with the threefold testing message. But, once the Adventist Church has been run through the process of this threefold testing message and the two classes are developed, the one class is receiving the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and the other class is receiving the strong delusion, then The Sunday Law arrives because the Falling Away has taken place and now the man of sin is going to be revealed at The Sunday Law, in contrast with the Man of God; and, the image of the beast is going to be revealed, in contrast with the image of God; the ensign is going to be lifted up; and, those of God's children that are still in Babylon are going to choose between Barabbas and Christ.
So, we sometimes miss the sequence in here, but we need to have that in place as we consider Daniel, chapter 2, being the Second Angel's Message.
The Life or Death Test
Now, Daniel, chapter 2, verses 1 through 15, is Nebuchadnezzar's dream.
And which dream is this, by the way?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: His first dream.
BROTHER PIPPENGER: It is his first dream. Okay? It is Nebuchadnezzar's first dream. He only has two dreams.
But, in this dream we all know this story, and if you do not know this story, shame on you. Okay?
He has this dream and he cannot figure out what it is, but he knows he wants to know what it is and he calls the Chaldeans in to explain and they cannot explain it; and, he realizes that they are just trying to con him. So, he makes a decree to gather up the wise men and execute them.
So, those first 15 verses, tell us that Daniel, chapter 2, is a life or death testing message. It has to do with Nebuchadnezzar's dream.
"1And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, wherewith his spirit was troubled, and his sleep brake from him. 2Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, for to shew the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king. 3And the king said unto them, I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled to know the dream. 4Then spake the Chaldeans to the king in Syriack, O king, live for ever: tell thy servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation. 5The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, The thing is gone from me: if ye will not make known unto me the dream, with the interpretation thereof, ye shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made a dunghill. 6But if ye shew the dream, and the interpretation thereof, ye shall receive of me gifts and rewards and great honour: therefore shew me the dream, and the interpretation thereof. 7They answered again and said, Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation of it. 8The king answered and said, I know of certainty that ye would gain the time, because ye see the thing is gone from me. 9But if ye will not make known unto me the dream, there is but one decree for you: for ye have prepared lying and corrupt words to speak before me, till the time be changed: therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that ye can shew me the interpretation thereof.
10The Chaldeans answered before the king, and said, There is not a man upon the earth that can shew the king's matter: therefore there is no king, lord, nor ruler, that asked such things at any magician, or astrologer, or Chaldean. 11And it is a rare thing that the king requireth, and there is none other that can shew it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh. 12For this cause the king was angry and very furious, and commanded to destroy all the wise men of Babylon. 13And the decree went forth that the wise men should be slain; and they sought Daniel and his fellows to be slain.
14Then Daniel answered with counsel and wisdom to Arioch the captain of the king's guard, which was gone forth to slay the wise men of Babylon: 15He answered and said to Arioch the king's captain, Why is the decree so hasty from the king? Then Arioch made the thing known to Daniel." Daniel 2:1-15 (KJV).
And, you might say, "Well, this is about Nebuchadnezzar's dream. Where do you make the connection with this being the image of the beast test; because the Second Angel's Message is the image of the beast test?
And we make that connection when we get down to the toes; because, the toes is where the image of the beast is identified.
But, what the first 15 verses tell us is that there is a life or death testing process underway.
Okay. So, this is Daniel 2. This is the second waymark. This is the image of the beast test. This is the visual test. This is many things, because there are many lines. Right?
A Tarrying Time
But, we know that in this time period [second waymark] with the Millerites, what was there right here? What took place on March 22, 1844? What arrived? The Tarrying Time.
So, after Daniel finds out that all the wise men are going to be killed, in verse 16, which is in your notes, it says,
"16Then Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would give him time, and that he would shew the king the interpretation." Daniel 2:16 (KJV).
There is a Tarrying Time in this history marked, and this is the history of the Tarrying Time, the Second Angel's Message.
Daniel 2:17-18.
And let us read verses 17 and 18, after the Tarrying Time.
When the Tarrying Time arrives in Millerite History, what does it lead to?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: The Midnight Cry.
BROTHER PIPPENGER: And how is the Midnight Cry accomplished? What is the process that produces Samuel Snow's understanding?
I will give you a hint. [Raising his hand over the upper right-hand corner of the 1843 Chart], the Lord removes His hand from the mistake in the figures on the Chart.
So, what accomplishes the Midnight Cry is a prophetic revelation. Right?
All right. Let us read verses 17 and 18 of Daniel 2�well, let us start in verse 15. We read it once, but let us just put it in context.
"15He answered and said to Arioch the king's captain, Why is the decree so hasty from the king? Then Arioch made the thing known to Daniel. 16Then Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would give him time, and that he would shew the king the interpretation."�there is your Tarrying Time�17Then Daniel went to his house, and made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions:"�
We have something to say about that.
�"18That they would desire mercies of the God of heaven concerning this secret; that Daniel and his fellows should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon." Daniel 2:17-18 (KJV).
Now, in this history here of Daniel, in the first waymark, one of the predominant truths of the first waymark is that you have to take the Little Book and eat it.
How do you take the Little Book and eat it? By studying God's Word. For us, by studying the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy. That is how we eat it. Right?
But in the second waymark, there is another characteristic that is marked that is not about studying God's word. What is it? We just read it.
In this time period [of Daniel], in the time period that is emphasizing presumption, what does Daniel do with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: "Let's pray."
BROTHER PIPPENGER: "Let's pray. It's a time for prayer."
The time for Bible study is back here [at Daniel One] and now is the time for prayer [at Daniel Two].
Prayer
Now, notice this next quote.
In the second waymark, this is where the revival takes place. Remember Hosea 6:1-2, "After two days I will revive you, and on the third I will raise you up." The revival takes place in the second waymark, does it not?
But, how is the revival going to take place? Well, Daniel just showed us, by bringing together those that are like-minded and seeking the Lord in prayer.
Selected Messages, book 1, pages 121 � 122, says,
"A revival of true godliness among us is the greatest and most urgent of all our needs. To seek this should be our first work. There must be earnest effort to obtain the blessing of the Lord, not because God is not willing to bestow His blessing upon us, but because we are unprepared to receive it. Our heavenly Father is more willing to give His Holy Spirit to them that ask Him, than are earthly parents to give good gifts to their children. But it is our work, by confession, humiliation, repentance, and earnest prayer, to fulfill the conditions upon which God has promised to grant us His blessing. A revival"�
When does the revival take place? In the second waymark.
�"A revival need be expected only in answer to prayer. While the people are so destitute of God's Holy Spirit, they cannot appreciate the preaching of the Word;"�
And I am not being critical, but how many times have I and others presented this message to a group of Adventists and they come up afterwards and say, "You know, I really don't understand it," or "I can follow it to see that it is serious or that it is important. And I am not saying that you are wrong or anything, but I just can't understand it and I don't think I will ever be able to understand it. It's just too much for me." Those kinds of responses are typical.
But what does Sister White say here,
�"While the people are so destitute of God's Holy Spirit, they cannot appreciate the preaching of the Word;"�
It is not necessarily the messenger's message. It is the listener's lack of the presence of the Holy Spirit.
And how are they going to get the Holy Spirit? They have got to pray. They have got to ask and meet the condition.
�"they cannot appreciate the preaching of the Word; but when the Spirit's power touches their hearts, then the discourses given will not be without effect. Guided by the teachings of God's Word, with the manifestation of His Spirit,"�
Here are the teachings of God's Word [first waymark of Daniel One]. Here are the manifestations of the Spirit in this waymark [second waymark of Daniel Two] because they are praying for it.
�"Guided by the teachings of God's Word, with the manifestation of His Spirit, in the exercise of sound discretion, those who attend our meetings will gain a precious experience, and returning home, will be prepared to exert a healthful influence.
"The old standard bearers knew what it was to wrestle with God in prayer, and to enjoy the outpouring of His Spirit. But these are passing off from the stage of action; and who are coming up to fill their places? How is it with the rising generation?"�
Remember, with the Mystery of Iniquity, one of the characteristics of the Mystery of Iniquity is it waits to makes its move until there is a new generation. Do you remember that?
�"But these are passing off from the stage of action; and who are coming up to fill their places? How is it with the rising generation? Are they converted to God? Are we awake to the work that is going on in the heavenly sanctuary,"�
Most of Adventism has a problem that we are identifying that the Judgment of the Living is underway. Are they awake to that fact or not?
�"Are we awake to the work that is going on in the heavenly sanctuary, or are we waiting for some compelling power to come upon the church before we shall arouse? Are we hoping to see the whole church revived? That time will never come.
"There are persons in the church who are not converted, and who will not unite in earnest, prevailing prayer."�
Did Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego unite in earnest prevailing prayer?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: Yes.
BROTHER PIPPENGER: Right here in this history [second waymark of Daniel], they did.
�"We must enter upon the work individually. We must pray more, and talk less. Iniquity abounds, and the people must be taught not to be satisfied with a form of godliness without the spirit and power. If we are intent upon searching our own hearts, putting away our sins, and correcting our evil tendencies, our souls will not be lifted up unto vanity; we shall be distrustful of ourselves, having an abiding sense that our sufficiency is of God." Selected Messages, book 1, 121�122.
The Midnight Cry
Okay. And then in verse 19 of Daniel 2, after Daniel sets forth the principle of revival comes through prayers, it says,
"19Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven." Daniel 2:19 (KJV).
Why do we have to know it is a night vision? Because, in this history [of Daniel], it is paralleling the Midnight Cry. This is where the revival takes place. It is the vision of the night.
What is the vision of the night in these time prophecies? It is the Midnight Cry in Egypt. It is the Midnight Cry in Esther. It is the Midnight Cry in the Millerite History. It is a night vision.
When what? The secret was revealed.
What produced the Midnight Cry? The secret was revealed [pointing to the upper right-hand corner of the 1843 Chart] to Samuel Snow.
He Changeth the Times and Seasons
Then Daniel blesses the God of Heaven.
In verses 20 to 24 of Daniel 2, look at verse 20.
In this time period, in the nighttime, when He is revealing the secret to Samuel Snow, verse 20 says,
"20Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his:
21And he changeth the times and the seasons:"�
What does that mean? When does God change the times and the seasons?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: From 1843 to 1844.
BROTHER PIPPENGER: From 1843 to 1844. ". . . though the vision tarry, wait for it. It shall not lie."
It does not really lie, but they thought it came in 1843. But, in the Midnight Cry revelation, they realized that He changed the time�He did not really change the time; they were just instructed so they understood the time.
And how did they understand the change of time from 1843 o 1844? How did Samuel Snow arrive at that? He went back to the feasts, and the feasts are based upon the�what?�the seasons.
So, this is a reference to Millerite History.
�"he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding:
22He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him.
23I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast made known unto me now what we desired of thee: for thou hast now made known unto us the king's matter.
"24Therefore Daniel went in unto Arioch, whom the king had ordained to destroy the wise men of Babylon: he went and said thus unto him; Destroy not the wise men of Babylon: bring me in before the king, and I will shew unto the king the interpretation." Daniel 2:20-24 (KJV).
Daniel 2:28-29, if you can see it:
"28But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days."�
And the reason I am putting these two verses in here is to identify that what Daniel says to Nebuchadnezzar is, in Daniel, chapter 2, it is about the end of the world. Okay? We started with a passage from Sister White where she says Daniel, chapter 2, is about the end of the world; but, Daniel himself says, "This is about the end of the world."
�"28But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these; 29As for thee, O king, thy thoughts came into thy mind upon thy bed, what should come to pass hereafter: and he that revealeth secrets maketh known to thee what shall come to pass." Daniel 2:28�29 (KJV).
Daniel, chapter 2, is the secret about what shall come to pass in the latter days, during the history of the Second Angel's Message.
The King was Convinced
Verse 30 of Daniel 2 says,
"30But as for me,"�and this is important to see�But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than any living,"�
Okay. "This message," Daniel is saying, "it wasn't for me."
�"but for their sakes"�
And you will notice that word there is supplied.
�"but for their sakes that shall make known the interpretation to the king, and that thou mightest know the thoughts of thy heart." Daniel 2:30 (KJV).
If you go in and look at your Concordance at the last two parts of this verse, he is saying, what it means, "It is not so much about their. It is for Nebuchadnezzar.
What Daniel is saying is, "The Lord gave me an understanding of what your dream was and what it means, not for me but for you, so that when you recognize that the Lord had ability to take your dream and give it to me and also give me the interpretation thereof for you, after you had forgotten it, that no matter what the dream said, you would come under conviction that Daniel was being led of the Lord and that this message was genuinely from God."
Okay. That is what is going on here. It is Daniel here in this verse that is saying, "This is to convict you of the power of God's prophetic Word," and that the Lord is manifesting that power through Daniel.
Now, my point is this, my argument is this on this point: In these histories, this always takes place. In Elijah it is manifested who is the True Prophet and who is the False Prophet.
In Daniel, chapter 1, the Spirit of Prophecy is manifested down here [at the third waymark].
In Millerite History the Spirit of Prophecy is being manifested down here in this history [between March 22, 1844 and October 22, 1844].
And if you do not let this sink in, you do not get a very important truth. All right? And this is a very important truth, or to me, as I see it. It is this: Right now there are people in Adventism that are being disfellowship from the Seventh-day Adventist Church for no other reason than they are studying these things, which were the truths that the Millerites believed. They are being disfellowshipped for believing and teaching and studying the identical truths that the Millerites believed and studied and proclaimed.
So, as the 15-million-member Seventh-day Adventist Church begins to develop the black list, and begins to remove people from the Seventh-day Adventist Church over this message, humanly it is very easy to think, "Poor me!" But, the reality of it is, is in this history God demonstrates who has the message and who does not. And He has to, not because of the Adventist Church or the people that are being persecuted over this message in the Adventist Church, it is not about that. It is about the fact that when you reach The Sunday Law, when you reach this waymark [the third waymark], when the man of sin is going to be manifested and the ensign is going to be lifted up, the Lord is not going to spend a great deal of time convincing the world which group in Adventism has their head on straight. That will already have been manifested and demonstrated in this history [just prior to the third waymark]. Okay, prior. It gets put in place who is the True Prophet and the False Prophet in Adventism before The Sunday Law.
And that is what Daniel is saying here: "This information about your dream wasn't for me; it was for you, so you can know that I, Daniel, am the True Prophet and the Chaldeans and the soothsayers, they are the False Prophet." Okay? And this is demonstrated in these lines every time.
So, those of us that may be getting persecuted over this message in Adventism right now, we should not be acting like "Poor me!" We should praying about these brothers and sisters that are about to suffer the fate of the prophets of Baal.
Prophets and Kings, page 499:
"The king was convinced of the truth of the interpretation, and in humility and awe he 'fell upon his face, and worshiped,' saying, 'Of a truth it is, that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou couldest reveal this secret.'" Prophets and Kings, 499.
Okay. The secret is revealed in these histories.
Pharaoh's Dream
There is another illustration of this that is easy to see. It is once again a heathen king. It is Pharaoh that has a dream. Sister White comments on this in Patriarchs and Prophets, page�221.
"The interpretation"�Joseph's interpretation of Pharaoh's dream�"The interpretation was so reasonable and consistent, and the policy which it recommended was so sound and shrewd, that its correctness could not be doubted. But who was to be entrusted with the execution of the plan?"�
But Pharaoh was so convinced, the same way Nebuchadnezzar. When Nebuchadnezzar was convinced by Daniel, he falls on the floor and worships Daniel's God. When Pharaoh hears Joseph do the same thing over his dream, he says, "I am going to put you in charge of my kingdom."
�"Upon the wisdom of this choice depended the nation's preservation. The king was troubled. For some time the matter of the appointment was under consideration. Through the chief butler the monarch had learned of the wisdom and prudence displayed by Joseph in the management of the prison; it was evident that he possessed administrative ability in a pre-eminent degree. The cupbearer, now filled with self-reproach, endeavored to atone for his former ingratitude, by the warmest praise of his benefactor; and further inquiry by the king proved the correctness of his report. In all the realm Joseph was the only man gifted with wisdom to point out the danger that threatened the kingdom and the preparation necessary to meet it; and the king was convinced that he was the one best qualified to execute the plans which he had proposed. It was evident that a divine power was with him, and that there were none among the king's officers of state so well qualified to conduct the affairs of the nation at this crisis. The fact that he was a Hebrew and a slave was of little moment when weighed against his evident wisdom and sound judgment. 'Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is?' said the king to his counselors." Patriarchs and Prophets, 221.
I mean, this is being demonstrated in this history here [Figure No. 50]. It is the distinction between the wise and foolish virgins that is taking place, not just they are recognizing it; it is not just the wise and foolish virgins are recognizing who they are and who they are not. The world, Pharaoh, and Nebuchadnezzar are recognizing who they are, in this history.
Do you follow me?
The Millerites
In the Millerite History, from Early Writings, page 237, it says,
"The believers in this message"�
Okay. Now she is speaking about the time period after the Lord removed His hand but before October 22, 1844. Once they had seen the mistake and were understanding that the same evidence that led them to predict 1843 was then found to identify 1844, they began to carry this message, the message of the 2520 and the 2300 to the churches.
She is commenting on this here:
�"The believers in this message were oppressed in the churches. For a time, those who would not receive the message were restrained by fear from acting out the sentiments of their hearts;"�
In this history here [between March 22, 1844 and October 22, 1844], when the Millerites are presenting the truth that the prophecies really end in 1844, the churches are oppressing them. But, what has been going on with the churches? They have been restrained. "He who now letteth will continue to let, until he be taken out of the way that the man of sin might be revealed." And here she is marking this. The churches have been restrained, but they are on the verge of losing their restraint; because, the man of sin is going to be manifested in their character.
�"For a time, those who would not receive the message were restrained by fear from acting out the sentiments of their hearts; but the passing of the time revealed their true feelings. They wished to silence the testimony which the waiting ones felt compelled to bear, that the prophetic periods extended to 1844. With clearness the believers explained their mistake and gave the reasons why they expected their Lord in 1844. Their opposers could bring no arguments against the powerful reasons offered."�
The Millerites here, the people that were persecuting them, they wanted to persecute them before the first disappointment, before the Tarrying Time arrived; but, they had been restrained. "He who now letteth will continue to let, . . ." They had been restrained.
After 1843 falls apart, there is a falling away that takes place. Now they are presenting the reasons it is 1844. But, in this argument, the people that are opposing them cannot refute their message. They see, like Pharaoh and like Nebuchadnezzar, that their message is airtight. And it is.
Go ahead. I am just one example, but I will use me for the example because I am not going to use someone else. Type in "Jeff Pippenger" on a web search. And then go�and I never do this; I have not done this, but I know this without doing it�you go look at all the criticism about what I supposedly present and you will find that there is a good percentage of it that does not really accurately even present what we teach; but, then there is a big body that is about the "Messenger," not the message. Because, the message, the message cannot be taken apart. It is airtight. It is bullet-proof, as it was with the Millerites, as it was when Daniel went in to Nebuchadnezzar and explained the dream and the interpretation thereof, as it was when fire came down out of heaven on Elijah's offering, as it was when Joseph explained Pharaoh's dream. That is a waymark of this history.
�"Yet the anger of the churches was kindled; they were determined not to listen to evidence, and to shut the testimony out of the churches, so the others could not hear it. Those who dared not withhold from others the light which God had given them, were shut out of the churches; but Jesus was with them, and they were joyful in the light of His countenance. They were prepared to receive the message of the second angel." Early Writings, 237.
The Mystery of Iniquity (A Falling Away First)
Daniel 2:43-44:
"43And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay,"�Daniel is explaining this to Nebuchadnezzar�"they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men:"�
Now, we did a lot of advance work for this. What is this in these toes that the iron and clay represents? The Mystery of Iniquity reaching climax�right?�at the end of the world.
�"they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay. And in the days of these kings"�
What kings? The kings that are in existence at the end of the world when the Mystery of Iniquity reaches its fulfillment on Planet Earth.
�"And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever." Daniel 2:43�44.
Setting Up His Kingdom
When does Christ set up His kingdom?
Spalding and Magan, page 3:
"When the four angels let go, Christ will set up His kingdom." Spalding and Magan, 3.
Did the four angels let go on 9/11? No, they were restrained.
When do the four angels let go? When Michael stands up and human probation closes.
And when the four Angels let go, what happens in Daniel, chapter 2? Christ sets up a kingdom, an everlasting kingdom.
He Who Now Lets
Testimonies, volume 6, page 408.
"The restraining Spirit of God is even now being withdrawn from the world."�it is progressive�"Hurricanes, storms, tempests, fire and flood, disasters by sea and land, follow each other in quick succession. Science seeks to explain all these. The signs thickening around us, telling of the near approach of the Son of God, are attributed to any other than the true cause. Men cannot discern the sentinel angels restraining the four winds that they shall not blow until the servants of God are sealed; but when God shall bid His angels loose the winds, there will be such a scene of strife as no pen can picture." Testimonies, volume 6, 408.
When are the four winds let loose? When the last person is sealed.
When does the sealing process begin? When the four winds are restrained.
From the restraining of the winds on 9/11/2001 until Michael stands up is the sealing of God's people.
Do those people come out of Babylon receive the Seal of God? Yes, they do. The 144,000 are sealed, but everyone that stands with the 144,000, they are sealed, too.
And in order to have a kingdom, what has to be determined? The territory, the subjects, who the king is; and, until Christ finishes the Investigative Judgment, the last citizen has not been registered in the Kingdom.
And in the days of these kings, these are the kings that are standing in the time when human probation closes. That is where these toes are, right down here [indicating the toes on the image representing the kingdoms of the world on the 1843 Chart], when Michael stands up.
Is At Hand
Notice Education, page 179. There is a bunch of stuff in here, but we will just do some of it.
"The final overthrow of all earthly dominions is plainly foretold in the word of truth."�
That is down here [the toes], is it not? What is the final overthrow in Daniel 2; how is it explained? The stone.
�"The final overthrow of all earthly dominions is plainly foretold in the word of truth. In the prophecy uttered when sentence from God was pronounced upon the last king of Israel is given the message:
"'Thus saith the Lord God; Remove the diadem, and take off the crown:�.�.�.�, exalt him that is low, and abase him that is high. I will overturn, overturn, overturn, it: and it shall be no more, until He come whose right it is; and I will give it Him.' Ezekiel 21:26, 27.
"The crown removed from Israel passed successively to the kingdoms of Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome. God says, 'It shall be no more, until He come whose right it is; and I will give it Him.'"�
Who came in the time of Rome?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: Christ.
BROTHER PIPPENGER: Shiloh came, and it was His right.
�"That time is at hand."�
We know that Christ came and fulfilled this prophecy; but, now Sister White is saying the time is at hand as it gets fulfilled at the end of the world.
�"That time is at hand. Today the signs of the times declare that we are standing on the threshold of great and solemn events. Everything in our world is in agitation. Before our eyes is fulfilling the Saviour's prophecy of the events to precede His 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.' Matthew 24:6, 7." Education, 179.
In The Desire of Ages, Sister White speaks about this kingdom. She says,
"'The Lord God will do nothing, but He revealeth His secret unto His servants and prophets.' While 'the secret things belong unto the Lord our God,' 'those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children forever.' Amos 3:7; Deuteronomy 29:29. God has given these things to us, and His blessing will attend the reverent, prayerful study of the prophetic scriptures.
"As the message of Christ's first advent announced the kingdom of His grace, so the message of His second advent announces the kingdom of His glory. And the second message, like the first, is based on the prophecies. The words of the angel to Daniel relating to the last days were to be understood in the time of the end. At that time, 'many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.' 'The wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand.' Daniel 12:4, 10. The Saviour Himself has given signs of His coming, and He says, 'When ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.' 'And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.' 'Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.' Luke�21:31, 34, 36.
"We have reached the period foretold in these scriptures."�and she just quoted several Scriptures�"The time of the end is come, the visions of the prophets are unsealed, and their solemn warnings point us to our Lord's coming in glory as near at hand."�
So, He came into His Kingdom in the time of Christ, the Kingdom of Grace, and he comes to His Kingdom at the end, the Kingdom of Glory; and, these two histories are paralleling each other.
And then she comments on His history when He walked among men.
�"The Jews misinterpreted and misapplied the word of God, and they knew not the time of their visitation."�
When Christ walked among men, it was the time of their visitation.
�"The years of the ministry of Christ and His apostles,�the precious last years of grace to the chosen people,�they spent in plotting the destruction of the Lord's messengers. Earthly ambitions absorbed them, and the offer of the spiritual kingdom came to them in vain. So today the kingdom of this world absorbs men's thoughts, and they take no note of the rapidly fulfilling prophecies and the tokens of the swift-coming kingdom of God.
"'But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.' While we are not to know the hour of our Lord's return, we may know when it is near. 'Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.' 1 Thessalonians 5:4-6.' The Desire of Ages, 234�235.
When is it near? It is near when you see the nations of the world coming together, getting ready to come together with the Catholic Church. When the Mystery of Iniquity is fully developed in the clay and in the iron of the toes. You will know at that time probation is about to close.
We Have Come To
Notice what Sister White says, The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, volume�4, page 1168.
"We have come to a time when God's sacred work is represented by the feet of the image in which the iron was mixed with the miry clay. God has a people, a chosen people, whose discernment must be sanctified, who must not become unholy by laying upon the foundation wood, hay, and stubble. Every soul who is loyal to the commandments of God will see that the distinguishing feature of our faith is the seventh-day Sabbath. If the government would honor the Sabbath as God has commanded, it would stand in the strength of God and in defense of the faith once delivered to the saints. But statesmen will uphold the spurious sabbath,"�
BROTHER PIPPENGER: It will what?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: Mingle.
BROTHER PIPPENGER: What does that mean?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: The Mystery of Iniquity.
BROTHER PIPPENGER: The Mystery of Iniquity.
� and will mingle their religious faith with the observance of this child of the papacy, placing it above the Sabbath which the Lord has sanctified and blessed, setting it apart for man to keep holy, as a sign between Him and His people to a thousand generations. The mingling of churchcraft and statecraft is represented by the iron and the clay. This union is weakening all the power of the churches. This investing the church with the power of the state will bring evil results. Men have almost passed the point of God's forbearance. They have invested their strength in politics, and have united with the papacy. But the time will come when God will punish those who have made void His law, and their evil work will recoil upon themselves." The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, volume 4, 1168.
This dream given to Nebuchadnezzar was to show him what was to take place in the last days.
And the message of Daniel, chapter 2, about what is to take place in the last days is the message of the image of the beast, the combination of church and state. It is the second message: "Babylon is fallen, is fallen"; because, Babylon falls when the Mystery of Iniquity reaches its full development.
Daniel, chapter 2, is the second waymark. It is the Second Angel's Message; and, it is a warning message to us today because we can see that this process is almost done, if we want to look [holding up the book, Screwed! by Morris and McGann. Even the world, the very rocks are crying out that this is almost done.
The Stone
Okay. In Daniel 2 we see that this stone comes and what this stone does. We have read this.
"34Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. 35Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth. . . .
"45Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.
"46Then the king Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face, and worshipped Daniel, and commanded that they should offer an oblation and sweet odours unto him. 47The king answered unto Daniel, and said, Of a truth it is, that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou couldest reveal this secret. 48Then the king made Daniel a great man, and gave him many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief of the governors over all the wise men of Babylon. 49Then Daniel requested of the king, and he set Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, over the affairs of the province of Babylon: but Daniel sat in the gate of the king. Daniel 2:34�35, 45�49.
It is going to break in pieces the iron, clay, brass, silver, and gold; and, they are going to become like the chaff on the summer threshingfloors.
When is the summer? The harvest.
When is the harvest? At the end of the world.
They become the chaff at the end of the world. And what happens to them? The wind carries them away.
And this stone that does this was what? What was it? It was cut out of the mountain. This stone that hits the image on its feet is cut out of the mountain, and it is what is going to break in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold.
And then, of course, Nebuchadnezzar, he falls on his face and worships because of this revelation.
A Living Stone
And we want to talk about this stone here in closing. 1 Peter 2:4-10:
"4To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, 5Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house,"�
Christ is the stone. This is the teaching in Adventism, primarily, that Christ is the stone here. But, we know that Christ is the Cornerstone. He builds upon that Cornerstone, those candidates for the Kingdom. He makes them polished stones and puts them on top. And we also are lively stone.
And what does He build up? A spiritual house.
�"an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
"6Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.
"7Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, 8And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed."�
Please take note that right here, the stone that hits the toes, this is a controversy in Adventism; but, that is what it says here. The message of the stone is going to produce two classes of worshippers.
It is a controversy in Adventism: "Are you saying that this stone is the 144,000? This stone is Jesus. We have always been told it was Jesus." There is a controversy.
And there is a controversy here in Peter when he is talking about the stone. He continues on.
�"9But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: 10Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy." 1 Peter 2:4�10 (KJV).
An Holy Nation
And then in Ephesians 2:21-22, it says,
"21All the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: in whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit." Ephesians 2:21�22 (KJV).
This holy temple is built of stones.
Lifted Up as an Ensign
And in Micah 4:1-2, it says,
"1But in the last days"�
That would be these days, right here, where the toes are. Right?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: (Affirmations.)
BROTHER PIPPENGER: �"1But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills;"�
Where does that stone come from in Daniel 2? It is cut out of the mountain. Right?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: (Affirmations.)
BROTHER PIPPENGER: If it is cut out of the mountain, it is part of the mountain. In fact, it is the remnant of the mountain. Right?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: (Affirmations.)
BROTHER PIPPENGER: Okay.
�"the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it. 2And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,"�
To the what?
�"and to the house of the God of Jacob;"�
We have just been identified as stones that are built up as the holy temple, as a spiritual house.
�"and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem." Micah 4:1�2 (KJV).
Stones Cut Out of the Mountain
Notice what Sister White says in Upward Look, page 373.
Where does this stone come from?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: Out of the mountain.
BROTHER PIPPENGER: Out of the mountain, but how is it taken from the mountain?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: It is cut out.
BROTHER PIPPENGER: It is cut out of the mountain.
"The Jewish Temple was built of hewn stones,"�
What is a "hewn stone"?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: Cut.
BROTHER PIPPENGER: Cut, polished, prepared.
�"The Jewish Temple was built of hewn stones, and at great expense of time and money and labor these stones were cut out of the mountain and fitted for their places in the building before they were collected together, so that when the building was completed there was not the sound of an ax or hammer heard in its upbuilding. The stones which are in God's sacred temple are not collected from the mountains of Judea but gathered from the nations, kindreds and tongues and people. They are not lifeless material that must be prepared with hammer and chisel, but living stones which emit light."�
When He builds this spiritual temple at the end of the world, He builds it with living stones. There is Peter, but where do those living stones come from? They were cut out of the mountain.
That living stone that strikes the feet [of the image on the 1843 Chart] is the 144,000. It is God's remnant people that perfectly reflect His character. He is the Cornerstone; they perfectly reflect His character. They are the living stones that are built upon the Cornerstone.
�"The great cleaver of truth has taken them from the quarry of the world and placed them under the hand of the great Master Builder, the Lord of the temple, and He is polishing them in His workshop, which is this world, that all the rough edges and crookedness may be removed and they hammered and chiseled and squared by the truth of God, polished and refined, ready to fill their place in God's spiritual temple, that they may grow up a holy temple for God.
"Now we are in the workshop of God, and the process is going on in these hours of probation to fit us for the glorious temple. We cannot now be indifferent and negligent and careless, and refuse to depart from sin, but we must be dying to our defects of character and expect to become pure and holy and fashioned in character after the similitude of a palace. When Christ shall come, it is then . . . too late to obtain a holy character. Now is the day of preparation; now is the time when we can have our defects removed; now is the time when our sins must go beforehand to judgment, be confessed and repented of and pardon written off against our names." Upward Look, 373.
How does He get them?
Testimonies, volume 5, page 455:
"God has called His church in this day, as He called ancient Israel, to stand as a light in the earth. By the mighty cleaver of truth, the messages of the first, second, and third angels, He has separated them from the churches and from the world to bring them into a sacred nearness to Himself. He has made them the depositaries of His law and has committed to them the great truths of prophecy for this time."�
How does He develop this temple that is made out of stones that are cut out of the mountain? How does He develop them? Through a testing process that we call the Everlasting Gospel, the First, Second, and Third Angels' Messages.
And when you get to this place here [the third waymark], what gets manifested? Who is the True Prophet in contrast with the False Prophet. Who has the Spirit of Prophecy contrasted with the Spirit of Satan. It is always in this history [just prior to the third waymark].
And He brings them out and gives them His Law, and what else? The great truths of prophecy. That is what He gave to Daniel. That is what He gave to Joseph. That is what He gave to the Millerites.
�"Like the holy oracles committed to ancient Israel, these are a sacred trust to be communicated to the world. The three angels of Revelation 14 represent the people who accept the light of God's messages and go forth as His agents to sound the warning throughout the length and breadth of the earth." Testimonies, volume 5, 455.
And what does He make His people?
Isaiah 41:15-16:
"15Behold, I will make thee a new sharp threshing instrument having teeth: thou shalt thresh the mountains, and beat them small, and shalt make the hills as chaff. 16Thou shalt fan them, and the wind shall carry them away, and the whirlwind shall scatter them: and thou shalt rejoice in the Lord, and shalt glory in the Holy One of Israel." Isaiah 41:15�16 (KJV).
This is what God's people are going to do at the end. They are a threshing instrument.
Remember here, what happens to these kingdoms [referring to the image on the 1843 Chart]? They get blown away from the threshing floor.
And we are going to ". . . fan them, and the wind shall carry them away, . . ."
What is the threshing floor?
"33For thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; The daughter of Babylon"�
What is a daughter in prophecy? It is the remnant. The daughter of the son is the last offspring. This is the final manifestation of Babylon.
�"33For thus saith the Lord of Hosts is like a threshingfloor, it is time to thresh her: yet a little while, and the time of her harvest shall come." Jeremiah 51:33 (KJV).
Micah 4:11-13:
"11Now also many nations are gathered against thee, that say, Let her be defiled, and let our eye look upon Zion."�
The whole world is going to turn upon Zion.
�"But they know not the thoughts of the Lord, neither understand they his counsel: for he shall gather them as the sheaves into the floor. Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion: for I will make thine horn iron, and I will make thy hoofs brass: and thou shalt beat in pieces many people: and I will consecrate their gain unto the Lord, and their substance unto the Lord of the whole earth." Micah�4:11�13 (KJV).
He is going to beat them into pieces.
Jeremiah 51:19-24:
The portion of Jacob is not like them; for he is the former of all things: and Israel is the rod of his inheritance: the Lord of hosts is his name.
Thou art my battle ax"�
He is talking about His people.
�"Thou art my battle ax and weapons of war: for with thee will I break in pieces the nations, and with thee will I destroy kingdoms; And with thee will I break in pieces the horse and his rider; and with thee will I break in pieces the chariot and his rider; With thee also will I break in pieces man and woman; and with thee will I break in pieces old and young; and with thee will I break in pieces the young man and the maid; I will also break in pieces with thee the shepherd and his flock; and with thee will I break in pieces the husbandman and his yoke of oxen; and with thee will I break in pieces captains and rulers. And I will render unto Babylon and to all the inhabitants of Chaldea all their evil that they have done in Zion in your sight, saith the Lord." Jeremiah 51:19�24 (KJV).
The stone is the 144,000 that are lifted up as an ensign, that are used by the Lord to make a distinction between Christ and Barabbas; and, this controversy, this is what brings probation to a close. This is the manifestation of God's prophetic Word that calls those people that are looking for the image of Christ out of Babylon to come stand with God's people.
And Daniel, chapter 2, it is talking about the characteristics of the Second Angel's Message. That is what it is identifying. I hope you see that.
Tomorrow I hope you see that Daniel, chapter 3, is the Third Angel's Message.
Shall we pray?
Benediction: Heavenly Father, we want to be one of those stones that is cut out of the mountain, that is polished, that glorifies you, that is ultimately lifted up as an ensign to bring this controversy to a conclusion. We give you permission to do what it takes in each of our individual lives to make this work a complete and thorough work. We pray that you would give us open doors to share this message with those that we come in contact with in our own sphere of influence and that when we do so, your Holy Spirit will accompany it and convict their hearts of their need for preparation. We thank you for the prophetic message that is so precise and so specific to the events that are taking place. We ask that your Holy Spirit would allow this clarity to continue to convict us of our need of drawing close to you and entering into the spirit of prayer that is one of the characteristics of the time in which we live. We set before you this day of work and service that we all have to do. We ask that you would bless our hands, keep us safe, and allow us to do something in such a way that it would glorify you. We thank you for all these things in Jesus's name. Amen.