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True ProphetHabakkuk's Two Tables #30
Part Four: DANIEL
Presented by Jeff Pippenger
Invocation by Brother Jeff Pippenger: (The invocation was not recorded on the DVD at the beginning of this presentation.)
BROTHER PIPPENGER: We are in the long study of Habakkuk's Two Tables, which are behind me; and we begin by looking at the Spirit Prophecy endorsement of the doctrines that are on these 1843 and 1850 Charts.
And then we took up the study of line upon line, looking at how you teach, how you convey the Latter Rain Message by bringing the various reform lines of prophecy together to illustrate the end of the world.
In conjunction with looking line upon line, we took about a week to look at the role of the Mystery of Iniquity as one of the waymarks in these reform lines, and now we are in probably the fourth section of this, where we are looking at the Book of Daniel. We have been looking at Daniel, chapter 1, as typifying the First Angel's Message with the Everlasting Gospel and the three-step testing process of "Fear God," "Give Him Glory," "For the Hour of His Judgment is Come."
Yesterday we looked at Daniel, chapter 2, and identified that as the Second Angel's Message, "Babylon is fallen," the testing of the image.
And today we are going to look at chapter 3 of Daniel and show that this is the third test here at the end of the world. This is the Third Angel's Message; this is The Sunday Law. And the reason why we are doing that is still because of our study of these Charts. When we get to Daniel, chapter 4, we are going to look at Nebuchadnezzar's dream and demonstrate that this dream is prefiguring William Miller's dream, and William Miller's dream is identifying the covering up of these foundational truths, and then the work of the Lion of the tribe of Judah to lead us back to the Old Paths, to these foundational truths at the end of the world.
So, Daniel, chapter 4, is William Miller's dream; and, it has a direct bearing, it is part of the typifications of these Two Tables in Bible prophecy.
And then, of course, in Daniel, chapter 5, we have already looked at Daniel chapters 4 and 5 together as a component identifying that Nebuchadnezzar was the foundational warning message for Babylon, and that Belshazzar represented the end of Babylon when the leadership of Babylon was rejecting the foundational warning message; and, that is what we will illustrate as we proceed that when the Lion of the tribe of Judah, described as the Dirt Brush Man in William Miller's dream, leads His people back to the foundational truths at the end of the seven scatterings, that the leadership by and large of Adventism will fulfill the role of Belshazzar by rejecting the message on the wall.
So, that is why we are spending time here in Daniel, in connection with these two tables.
The Third Angel
We will begin this morning with the Third Angel's Message. We want to show that Daniel�3 is the Third Angel's Message.
And Revelation 14:9-13 says,
"9And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, 10The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: 11And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
"12Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. 13And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them." Revelation 14:9�13 KJV).
Here in the Third Angel's Message you see symbolically represented the Everlasting Gospel, because the Everlasting Gospel is the work of Christ to develop and demonstrate two classes of worshippers. They are both here. The one class is those who have the patience; the other class is those who are going to drink of the wine of God's wrath.
You will notice that the last part of verse 13 says, "Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: . . . ," and as Seventh-day Adventists we know that with Sister White's commentary on this that all those that died in the faith of the Third Angel since 1844 are blessed, and part of their blessing is that they come up in the Special Resurrection of Daniel 2 and 3, where one class is resurrected to see the Second Coming and receive it with wonder and joy; and, another class, those that pierced Him are also resurrected to see the return of the Lord as a punishment.
So, here at the end of the Third Angel's Message is this blessing that we understand is fulfilled within the history of Adventism to all those that are faithful to the Third Angel's Message; but, that is when the Third Angel's Message arrived in 1844. When the Third Angel's Message arrives as present truth at The Sunday Law in the United States, those people that stand faithful for the Sabbath, some of them are going to die and this blessing applies to them as well, "Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: . . . .," the persecution that takes place during The Sunday Law crisis. They also will be resurrected in the Special Resurrection.
But, I have put together a whole series of notes to make this point, and then I realized that it was too long for this presentation; so, I am just dealing with it off the top of my head here and moving past it.
This is the same blessing in Daniel 12:13, "But go thou thy way till the end be: for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days," and the lot there can be understood as a grave. There is a blessing pronounced upon Daniel who died in the Lord, and it can be recognized in here as well; because, the Book of Daniel is the literal presentation in Daniel's experience of the Three Angels' Messages.
Anyway, we are looking at Daniel 3 as The Sunday Law, the Third Angel.
History Repeats
Youth Instructor, July 12, 1904, says,
"The vainglory and oppression seen in the course pursued by the heathen king, Nebuchadnezzar, is being and will continue to be manifested in our day. History will repeat itself."�
So, Sister White is very clear that the history of Daniel 3 will be repeated in our day.
�"In this age the test will be on the point of Sabbath observance. The heavenly universe behold men trampling upon the law of Jehovah, making the memorial of God, the sign between him and his commandment-keeping people, a thing of naught, something to be despised, while a rival sabbath is exalted as was the great golden image in the plain of Dura. Men claiming to be Christians will call upon the world to observe this spurious sabbath that they have made. All who refuse will be placed under oppressive laws. This is the mystery of iniquity, the devising of satanic agencies, carried into effect by the man of sin." The Youth Instructor, July 12, 1904.
So, we know about the Mystery of Iniquity now in this study. This combination of church and state is the Mystery of Iniquity; it is the iron and clay in Daniel, chapter 2. And, she specifically says that this image test on the plain of Dura is The Sunday Law. So, Daniel, chapter 3, it is pretty easy to see is an illustration of the Third Angel's Message, if you are willing to see.
Setting Up the Idol
Okay. Now, in Daniel, chapter 3, the two last two tests, the second test being the image test and the third test being The Sunday Law, they are both marked there. Daniel, chapter�3, is emphasizing the Third Angel's Message, The Sunday Law test; but, in verses 1 and 2, of Daniel�3, it says,
"1Nebuchadnezzar, the king made an image of gold, whose height was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon."�
So, what were its dimensions?
What is threescore?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: 60.
BROTHER PIPPENGER: 60.
And what was its breadth?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: 6.
BROTHER PIPPENGER: 66. The other "6" is not there, but this is definitely the number of the man of sin.
�"he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon."�
How did he set it up? What does it mean, "he set it up"?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: (No response.)
BROTHER PIPPENGER: What had to happen before he set it up?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: It had to be built.
BROTHER PIPPENGER: It had to be built�right?�however they built it. It first has to be built, and then here it is saying they set it up.
�"2Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together the princes, the governors, and the captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counselors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up." Daniel 3:1-2 (KJV).
So, the setting up of the image is something that precedes, goes before, the actual enforcement to worship.
And, so, what is the setting up of the image? It is the image of the beast test. I mean, it does not specifically say it in the Book of Daniel, but you can read into it, if you want to exercise your spiritual discernment.
Among other things, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego represent the Hebrews on the plain of Dura that participated in building the image and setting it up, that participated in bringing the band together to practice the music that was going to mark the enforcement of "Sunday" legislation. They had seen these things happening in advance, and they could have known what is coming. And Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego represent those Hebrews, those "Seventh-day Adventists," that were warned by the setting up of the image of the beast. They recognized the image of the beast test to be the warning that probation was about to close in the very near future. Okay?
So, you can see the image of the beast test, the second test, the Second Angel's Message, here in these first two verses.
Review and Herald, March 8, 1898:
"Satan has taken the world captive. He has introduced an idol sabbath, apparently giving to it great importance. He has stolen the homage of the Christian world away from the Sabbath of the Lord for this idol sabbath. The world bows to a tradition, a man-made commandment. As Nebuchadnezzar set up his golden image on the plain of Dura, and so exalted himself, so Satan exalts himself in this false sabbath, for which he has stolen the livery of heaven." Review and Herald, March 8, 1898.
This setting up of Sunday as the satanic day of worship, it is already here. The Protestant churches have�it has already been set up. The official "setting up" is when the churches of the United States take control of the state of the United States. That is the completion of the setting up, but it is being set up in Ellen White's day and age. She is talking about present tense there.
Manuscript Releases, volume 14, page 91:
"An idol sabbath has been set up, as the golden image was set up in the plains of Dura."�
So, Sister White is talking about the setting up of it that comes before the music plays; and, when the music plays that is The Sunday Law.
�"And as Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, issued a decree that all who would not bow down and worship this image should be killed, so a proclamation will be made"�will be made�"that all who will not reverence the Sunday institution will be punished with imprisonment and death."�
We have read a quote here�and this is Presentation No. 30; so, if you have watched them all and you do not remember this quote, I do not hold it against you. But, we read a quote, maybe two of them because there is more than one where Sister White says this, and I forget exactly how it goes but I could dig it out, that we are going to be scattered. We are going to be scattered.
When does the scattering take place? The Sunday Law. God's people are going to be scattered through persecution at The Sunday Law, are they not?
Okay. Keep that in your mind.
�"Thus the Sabbath of the Lord is trampled underfoot. But the Lord has declared, 'Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees, and write grievousness which they have prescribed' [Isaiah 10:1]. [Zephaniah 1:14�18; 2:1�3, quoted.]" Manuscript Releases, volume 14, 91.
Here, if you are willing to see it, Sister White not only is saying the image on the plain of Dura is a symbol of The Sunday Law, she is saying that Isaiah 10, verse 1, is The Sunday Law.
Gather Together Before the Decree
And she also quotes Zephaniah and identifies that as The Sunday Law issue. Let us go to Zephaniah 1, and she references this, also, Zephaniah 1:14. She is applying this to Daniel, chapter 3, which is the Third Angel's Message, which is The Sunday Law. And verse 14 says,
"Zephaniah 1:14The great day of the Lord is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the Lord: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly. 15That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, 16A day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers. 17And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the Lord: and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung. 18Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the Lord's wrath;"�
When is the day of the Lord's wrath? The Seven Last Plagues.
�"but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land." Zephaniah 1:14-18 (KJV).
"Zephaniah 2:1Gather yourselves together, yea, gather together, O nation not desired;"�
You will find at least two, or maybe it is three but I am going to go with two so I do not get criticized, when the Bible speaks about the Lord lifting up an ensign at The Sunday Law, two of those verses identify the people that are lifted up as an ensign as the Outcasts of Israel. This is just another expression of this. These people are the nation that is not desired.
The Seventh-day Adventists that are faithful at The Sunday Law are the nation that is not desired. They are the nation that the whole world is going to turn against, because Satan is going to lead them to believe that it is because of their obedience to the [seventh-day] Sabbath that the whole world is falling apart around them. They are the nation not desired. They are the Outcasts of Israel.
"Zephaniah 2:1Gather yourselves together, yea, gather together, O nation not desired;"�
When are you supposed to gather to gather?
�"2Before the decree bring forth,"�
You are to gather together BEFORE The Sunday Law.
�"2Before the decree bring forth, before the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of the Lord come upon you, before the day of the Lord's anger come upon you. 3Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord's anger." Zephaniah 1:14-18, 2:1-3 (KJV).
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. 51A.
So, before The Sunday Law�this being The Sunday Law here [waymark 3 of Figure No.�51A]�the nation not desired (that is us, hopefully) has to gather together. We have to come together.
The Sunday Law is simply where you are going to demonstrate the character that you prepared in the previous hours of probation. You are going to demonstrate it; you are not going to develop it. You have to develop this character before the decree; and, it is by developing this character and consuming, eating this message, that you are brought into unity with your brothers and sisters around the world, that you are gathered together.
But, in this time period there are various gatherings going on; because, we know from our previous study that when He is gathering the Outcasts of Israel together in advance of lifting them up as an ensign, in Adventism He is also gathering together the tares. So, there are those two gatherings going on.
But, The Sunday Law is also where He gathers the nations of the world to battle against Jerusalem; but, we know that when the ensign is lifted up, there are going to be those eleventh-hour workers that are still in Babylon that are going to gather with the ensign. So, in this history, prophetically, there are certain gatherings going on that you need to pay attention to and make a distinction of.
And here, Rule No. 1 perhaps, is that the faithful need to gather together. They need to come into unity. They need to settle into the truth before Nebuchadnezzar's music begins to play.
Early Writings, page 68, we have looked at these things before.
"As I saw what we must be in order to inherit glory, and then saw how much Jesus had suffered to obtain for us so rich an inheritance, I prayed that we might be baptized into Christ's sufferings, that we might not shrink at trials, but bear them with patience and joy, knowing what Jesus had suffered that we through His poverty and sufferings might be made rich. Said the angel, 'Deny self; ye must step fast.' Some of us have had time to get the truth and to advance step by step, and every step we have taken has given us strength to take the next. But now time is almost finished, and what we have been years learning, they will have to learn in a few months. They will also have much to unlearn and much to learn again. Those who would not receive the mark of the beast and his image when the decree goes forth, must have decision now to say, Nay, we will not regard the institution of the beast." Early Writings, 68.
If you are going to uphold Sabbath at The Sunday Law time period, before The Sunday Law comes, you have to already have it in your mind that there is no way that you are going to bow to the music of Nebuchadnezzar. It has to take place beforehand. You have to gather together beforehand.
And some of the people that gather into this experience, into this truth, will have been preparing for it for years; but, as the issues come to a conclusion there is going to be some people that are going to stand faithful that get onboard right at the last moment, and they are going to have to learn in a few months what it has taken others years to learn.
But, the point I want to derive from here is that you have to determine before the test, you have to determine when they are building the image there at Dura, getting ready to set it up. You have to determine then that when the music plays you are not bowing down.
Okay. And we have looked at this next quote, too, before, Manuscript Releases, volume�15, page 15.
"The Lord has shown me clearly that the image of the beast will be formed before probation closes;"�
Nebuchadnezzar's image is set up before the music plays.
�"for it is to be the great test for the people of God, by which their eternal destiny will be decided."�
Okay. You see the image getting prepared. The Holy Spirit says, "Hey, what this means is Nebuchadnezzar is going to force you to bow down to that image, and you know that The Ten Commandments say that you are not suppose to worship idols; so, if you are going to bow down when the music plays, you are going to breaking God's Law. You are going to be lost."
Before the event, the Holy Spirit is speaking to your heart, saying, "You better get your head on straight, because there is a test coming." And how you respond to that influence of the Holy Spirit is what you are basing your eternal destiny upon.
If you say, "Well, you know, everyone else is going to do it; and the classic example works even for me is. I can just bend down and tie my shoes when this is going on and I am not really bowing down to the image. I am just tying my shoes."
If you come up with some kind of conclusion like that, you have just failed the image of the beast test because you have to make that decision before the test. That is why your eternal destiny is based upon the image of the beast test, the setting-up test. It is accomplished before the music plays.
�"The Lord has shown me clearly that the image of the beast will be formed before probation closes; for it is to be the great test for the people of God, by which their eternal destiny will be decided."�
Your eternal destiny is decided before your probation closes.
�"Your position"�speaking of Anna Phillips and her promoters�"is such a jumble of inconsistencies that but few will be deceived.
"In Revelation 13 this subject is plainly presented; [Revelation 13:11�17, quoted].
"This is the test that the people of God must have before they are sealed."�
You are sealed at The Sunday Law.
�"All who proved their loyalty to God by observing His law, and refusing to accept a spurious sabbath, will rank under the banner of the Lord God Jehovah, and will receive the seal of the living God. Those who yield the truth of heavenly origin and accept the Sunday sabbath, will receive the mark of the beast" Manuscript Releases, volume 15, 15.
But you have to pass the image of the beast test before you are sealed at The Sunday Law.
And we have looked at this one, too, before, Christ's Object Lessons, page 123.
"Again, these parables teach that there is to be no probation after the judgment. When the work of the gospel is completed, there immediately follows the separation between the good and the evil, and the destiny of each class is forever fixed." Christ's Object Lessons, 123.
It is the third waymark that the characteristic is Judgment. There is no probation after Judgment.
And, at the end of the world, the third waymark is The Sunday Law. It is Nebuchadnezzar playing the music.
Before the third waymark in this image of the beast test, we must have a decision there to say "Nay," when Sunday enforcement comes.
When the Decree Goes Forth
Testimonies, volume 5, page 216, in terms of the close of probation being at The Sunday Law, it says,
"When the decree goes forth and the stamp is impressed, their character will remain pure and spotless for eternity." Testimonies, volume 5, 216.
When the decree goes forth, if you are a sabbathkeeping Seventh-day Adventist and you continue to uphold the Sabbath, your character is pure and spotless for eternity.
If you jump ship at that point and keep Sunday, your character is corrupt for eternity. It is in this sense that your probation closes, then and there.
It can actually close before then. What we are emphasizing is it closes before then, but at The Sunday Law probation closes.
Bible Training School, December 1, 1903�we have looked at all of these previously in this series:
"The work of the Holy Spirit is to convince the world of sin, of righteousness and of judgment."�
That, of course, is the Three Angels' Messages: "Fear God," "Give Him Glory," "The Hour of His Judgment is Come." That is Daniel 12:10, "Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; . . ." That is the Sanctuary: Courtyard, Holy Place, the Most Holy Place.
�"The work of the Holy Spirit is to convince the world of sin, of righteousness and of judgment. The world can only be warned"�
What is the world? People outside of Adventism.
�"The world can only be warned by seeing those who believe the truth"�
Who are the ones that believe the truth? Adventism. The world can only be warned by seeing Adventism.
�"The world can only be warned by seeing those who believe the truth sanctified through the truth, acting upon high and holy principles, showing in a high, elevated sense, the line of demarcation between those who keep the commandments of God, and those who trample them under their feet."�
When are the Commandments trampled under their feet?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: At The Sunday Law.
BROTHER PIPPENGER: At The Sunday Law. Okay? So, she just said here, the only way the world can be warned is by seeing Adventists, those who believe the truth, keeping the Law of God in the time period when The Sunday Law is there, when in the time period when the Law of God is trampled under their feet.
This is not talking about right now. This is talking about the warning of the Third Angel that begins at The Sunday Law. The only way that the world can be warned is by seeing Seventh-day Adventists faithfully keeping the Sabbath when The Sunday Law is being enforced. That is what she is saying there; and, therefore, you are seeing a distinction between the eleventh-hour workers, those people in Babylon, and Adventism in this time period.
But, those people, those Adventists that are sanctified through the truth, that is what the world needs to see, is Adventists that are sanctified through the truth. She is going to define in this very paragraph what "sanctified through the truth" is.
�"The world can only be warned by seeing those who believe the truth sanctified through the truth, acting upon high and holy principles, showing in a high, elevated sense, the line of demarcation between those who keep the commandments of God, and those who trample them under their feet. The sanctification of the Spirit signalizes the difference between those who have the seal of God, and those who keep a spurious rest-day."�
The only way the world can be warned is by seeing people with the Seal of God; and, those people receive the Seal of God at The Sunday Law and their probation ends there (a little bit before, but that is where they demonstrate their character). Therefore, the warning of the world takes place after The Sunday Law arrives and purifies the Adventist Church, separates the wheat and the tares.
�"When the test comes, it will be clearly shown what the mark of the beast is. It is the keeping of Sunday. Those who after having heard the truth,"�
This is the eleventh-hour workers. Now they are being confronted with the issue of Sabbath and Sunday.
�"Those who after having heard the truth, continue to regard this day as holy, bear the signature of the man of sin, who thought to change times and laws." Bible Training School, December 1, 1903.
The only way that the world can be warned is seeing Seventh-day Adventists that receive the Seal of God at The Sunday Law, acting in a�what?�in a high and elevated sense.
What does it mean to be high and elevated?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: Lifted up.
BROTHER PIPPENGER: Lifted up as an ensign for the whole world to see in The Sunday Law crisis.
Before the Decree
The Millerites
Okay. Before the decree; we are still dealing with our work before the decree.
In the history of Miller, before the Judgment waymark, before October 22, 1844, there was a revival; because, after two days He will revive us, and at the third day He will lift us up; and, therefore, in this history that is being marked is the gathering together, the finalizing of character development within Adventism, which will be demonstrated at the third waymark at The Sunday Law.
And in the Millerite History, this finalizing of character development of the two classes was taking place before October 22, 1844, in the revival we call the Midnight Cry.
We have read this before from The Great Controversy, pages 400-401, speaking of the Midnight Cry, Sister White says,
"It was similar in character to those seasons of humiliation and returning unto the Lord which among ancient Israel followed messages of reproof from His servants."�
The messages of reproof came here in the Millerite History [between 1798 and March 22, 1844] and produced revival here [August 15, 1844] a settling in of the truth, so that they would be prepared for October 22, 1844.
�"It bore the characteristics that mark the work of God in every age. There was little ecstatic joy, but rather deep searching of heart, confession of sin, and forsaking of the world. A preparation to meet the Lord was the burden of agonizing spirits. There was persevering prayer and unreserved consecration to God." The Great Controversy, 400�401.
Similar Character
But, Sister White is saying that this revival of the Midnight Cry, it is the same as all the other sacred revivals; and, one of those is, of course, Pentecost.
In Testimonies, volume 7, page 31 and onward, it says,
"On the Day of Pentecost"�
The reason I am reading this is I am saying this gathering together before the decree, Zephaniah�2:1-3, has to take place in the image of the beast test time when Nebuchadnezzar is setting up the image, before The Sunday Law, and that this revival, this gathering together that was typified in the Millerite History by the Midnight Cry, Sister White tells us it is similar in character to the other revivals, and one of those other revivals was Pentecost.
�"On the Day of Pentecost the Infinite One revealed Himself in power to the church. By His Holy Spirit He descended from the heights of heaven as a rushing, mighty wind, to the room in which the disciples were assembled. It was as if for ages this influence had been held in restraint, and now heaven rejoiced in being able to pour upon the church the riches of the Spirit's power. And, under the influence of the Spirit, words of penitence and confession were mingled with songs of praise for sins forgiven. Words of thanksgiving and of prophecy were heard. All heaven bent low to behold and to adore the wisdom of matchless, incomprehensible Love. Lost in wonder, the apostles and disciples exclaimed: 'Herein is love.' 1 John 4:10. They grasped the imparted gift. And what followed? Thousands were converted in a day. The sword of the Spirit, newly edged with power and bathed in the lightnings of heaven, cut its way through unbelief."�
This is similar to the Midnight Cry.
And what followed? What followed this revival? Thousands were converted in a day. This is after The Sunday Law when the eleventh-hour workers are looking at the ensign that is lifted up.
�"The hearts of the disciples were surcharged with a benevolence so full, so deep, so far-reaching, that it impelled them to go to the ends of the earth testifying: God forbid that we should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. They were filled with an intense longing to add to the church of such as should be saved. They called on the believers to arouse and do their part, that all nations might hear the truth and the earth be filled with the glory of the Lord."�
When is the Earth filled with the glory of the Lord? Revelation 18. She is using Pentecost to illustrate what goes on in our day and age. It was the same thing that was typified at the Midnight Cry.
And continuing on:
�"By the grace of Christ the apostles were made what they were. It was sincere devotion and humble, earnest prayer that brought them into close communion with Him."�
We mentioned that yesterday. In the first test, the thing that is emphasized is that we must eat the Little Book; we must study the Word of God.
But, revival of the second test only comes in answer to prayer. What is being emphasized in Step 2 is prayer.
�"earnest prayer that brought them into close communion with Him. They sat together with Him in heavenly places. They realized the greatness of their debt to Him. By earnest, persevering prayer they obtained the endowment of the Holy Spirit, and then they went forth, weighted with the burden of saving souls, filled with zeal to extend the triumphs of the cross. And under their labors many souls were brought from darkness to light, and many churches were raised up.
"Shall we be less earnest than were the apostles? Shall we not by living faith claim the promises that moved them to the depths of their being to call upon the Lord Jesus for the fulfillment of His word: 'Ask, and ye shall receive'? John�16:24. Is not the Spirit of God to come today in answer to earnest, persevering prayer, and fill men with power? Is not God saying today to His praying, trusting, believing workers, who are opening the Scriptures to those ignorant of the precious truth they contain: 'Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world'? Matthew 28:20. Why, then, is the church so weak and spiritless?
"As the disciples, filled with the power of the Spirit, went forth to proclaim the gospel, so God's servants are to go forth today. Filled with an unselfish desire to give the message of mercy to those who are in the darkness of error and unbelief, we are to take up the Lord's work. He gives us our part to do in co-operation with Him, and He will also move on the hearts of unbelievers to carry forward His work in the regions beyond. Already many are receiving the Holy Spirit, and no longer will the way be blocked by listless indifference.
"Why has the history of the work of the disciples, as they labored with holy zeal, animated and vitalized by the Holy Spirit, been recorded,"�
Why do we even know about this history? Why did it get placed in God's Word?
�"if it is not that from this record the Lord's people today are to gain an inspiration to work earnestly for Him? What the Lord did for His people in that time, it is just as essential, and more so, that He do for His people today. All that the apostles did, every church member today is to do. And we are to work with as much more fervor, to be accompanied by the Holy Spirit in as much greater measure, as the increase of wickedness demands a more decided call to repentance." Testimonies, volume 7, 31�33.
The Sunday Law
So, what we have been focusing on is the image of the beast test that is represented in the first couple of verses of Daniel 3, when Nebuchadnezzar sets up the image; but, now we are going to look at The Sunday Law.
If you are still in Zephaniah, if you will, go back to Daniel, chapter 3, verses 3 through 7,
"3Then the princes, the governors, and captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, were gathered together"�
Okay. Now here is the whole world being gathered together; and, Nebuchadnezzar was the kingdom of the Earth at that time, and all the representatives of the whole world are being gathered together. That is one of the gatherings that goes on at the end.
�"were gathered together unto the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 4Then an herald cried aloud, To you it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages, 5That at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up: 6And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace."�
It is only in the Old Testament, the only place that you are going to find this word hour is in the Book of Daniel. And this word hour connects with the "one hour" that the kings of Revelation�17, the ten kings, agree to give their kingdom unto the Papacy and unto the beast for one hour. This is The Sunday Law testing time. And this hour is a prophetic waymark in prophecy.
When Jesus tells us, as an example, that "In the time period of The Sunday Law crisis,"�He does not say it like that but He says�"they are going to bring you before judges and magistrates. Don't worry about what you are going to say when that happens, because in that hour it will be given you what you are to speak."
That hour of Christ is this hour. It is the hour of Revelation 17.
And verse 6:
�"6And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. Therefore at that time, when all the people heard the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and all kinds of musick, all the people, the nations, and the languages, fell down and worshipped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up." Daniel 3:3-7 (KJV).
That is The Sunday Law; that is The Sunday Law.
An Ensign
Manuscript Releases, volume 13, page 71, says,
"When the law of God is being made void, when His name is dishonored, when it is considered disloyal to the laws of the land to keep the seventh day as the Sabbath, when wolves in sheep's clothing, through blindness of mind and hardness of heart, are seeking to compel the conscience, shall we give up our loyalty to God? No, no. The wrongdoer is filled with a Satanic hatred against those who are loyal to the commandments of God, but the value of God's law as a rule of conduct must be made manifest. The zeal of those who obey the Lord will be increased as the world and the church unite in making void the law. They will say with the Psalmist, 'I love thy commandments above gold; yea above fine gold' [Psalms 119:127]. This is what will be sure to occur when the law of God is made void by a national act. When Sunday is exalted and sustained by law, then the principle that actuates the people of God will be made manifest,"�
They are going to be lifted up as an ensign.
�"When Sunday is exalted and sustained by law, then the principle that actuates the people of God will be made manifest, as the principle of the three Hebrews was made manifest when Nebuchadnezzar commanded them to worship the golden image in the plain of Dura. We can see what our duty is when the truth is overborne by falsehood." Manuscript Releases, volume 13, 71.
Isaiah 11:12, it is in your notes:
"12And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth." Isaiah 11:12 (KJV).
At The Sunday Law the Outcasts of Israel�who are the Outcasts of Israel? In our story it is Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
Were they? Had they been cast out of Israel and carried to Babylon? Yes, they were the Outcasts of Israel, and when the music played, they were lifted up as an ensign.
And were they? Did all the world see them?
Did all the world go back to their countries and say, "You won't believe what we've seen. Music played and everybody bowed down but these three guys and they threw them in the fiery furnace and a fourth appeared with them and they did not even smell like smoke. They didn't die."
The whole world saw it. The Outcasts of Israel were lifted up as an ensign before the whole world represented there.
FROM THE AUDIENCE: And who are the Outcasts at the end?
BROTHER PIPPENGER: The 144,000.
Joel 3:1-2, 9-14:
"1For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again [reverse]"�
And when you see the two words "bring again" in the Old Testament, and often you see it, it means reverse. In the English it does not really convey that idea; but, it means reverse."
�"1For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again [reverse] the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem,"�
When you say, "I bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem," in the English it sounds like He is going to take them back into captivity, "I am going to bring the captivity again." But, it means reverse. He is going to take them out of captivity. He is going to free them.
When He is reversing their captivity, because prior to The Sunday Law they have been the nation not desired, they have been the Outcasts of Israel, but He is going to reverse that. He is going to take them out of captivity and lift them up as an ensign.
And at that same time, verse 2 says,
�"2I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat,"�
At The Sunday Law testing time, the whole world is going to be brought down to the valley of Jehoshaphat.
�"and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land. . . ."�
What happens at The Sunday Law? You are going to get scattered. There is a scattering at the third waymark.
And He is going to plead with all nations. He is going to bring the whole world and say, "Okay. Make a decision about Sabbath or Sunday." This is where you are making your decision, in the valley of Jehoshaphat.
Verse 9 says,
�"9Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up: 10Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruninghooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong. 11Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about: thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O Lord. 12Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about. 13Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the vats overflow; for their wickedness is great. 14Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision." Joel 3:1�2, 9�14 (KJV).
The valley of Jehoshaphat is the valley of decision, and they are deciding between the two ensigns that have been lifted up. One is the 144,000 and the satanic ensign is Barabbas. One is the Sabbath; the other is Sunday. The whole world at The Sunday Law is brought to Nebuchadnezzar's celebration. They are in the valley of decision. They are now deciding which way they are going to go.
Micah 4:6-13 says,
"6In that day, saith the Lord, will I assemble her that halteth,"�
So, what I am trying to show you here is there is a gathering of God's people before The Sunday Law, before the decree. At The Sunday Law the whole world is gathered together to make a decision.
�"6In that day, saith the Lord, will I assemble her that halteth, and I will gather her that is driven out, and her that I have afflicted;"�
Who is the one driven out? It is the Outcasts. Right?
�"7And I will make her that halted a remnant,"�
Oh, the remnant is the Outcasts of Israel.
�"and her that was cast far off a strong nation:"�
The nation not desired is not going to become a strong nation.
�"and the Lord shall reign over them in mount Zion from henceforth, even for ever."�
And this nation is Mt. Zion.
�"8And thou, O tower of the flock, the strong hold of the daughter of Zion, unto thee shall it come, even the first dominion; the kingdom shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem."�
What is a daughter in Bible prophecy?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: The remnant.
BROTHER PIPPENGER: The remnant. It is the remnant; it is a woman; it is a church. But, a daughter or son is the last; it is the offspring.
�"the kingdom shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem.
"9Now why dost thou cry out aloud? is there no king in thee? is thy counsellor perished? for pangs have taken thee as a woman in travail. 10Be in pain, and labour to bring forth, O daughter of Zion, like a woman in travail: for now shalt thou go forth out of the city, and thou shalt dwell in the field, and thou shalt go even to Babylon; there shalt thou be delivered; there the Lord shall redeem thee from the hand of thine enemies."�
They are going to be scattered at The Sunday Law.
�"11Now also many nations are gathered against thee,"�here is another gathering�"that say, Let her be defiled,"�
Now, there is one sense that all the nations are gathered to the valley of Jehoshaphat because they are going to make a choice between Sabbath and Sunday; but, there is another gathering where the nations come together because they are going to destroy Zion.
�"11Now also many nations are gathered against thee, that say, Let her be defiled, and let our eye look upon Zion. 12But they know not the thoughts of the Lord, neither understand they his counsel: for he shall gather them as the sheaves into the floor. 13Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion:"�
Who is going to thresh these heathen? The daughter of Zion, the Church.
Who is the Church? Well, in Daniel, chapter 2, it is the stones that were cut out of the mountain that strike the feet of the image and thresh the heathen.
�"13Arise 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 4:6�13 (KJV).
So, in this time period there are gatherings going to gather that are represented when Nebuchadnezzar gathered all the nations to his ceremony.
Daniel 3:8-15: Beginning in verse 8 of Daniel 3, it says,
"8Wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near, and accused the Jews. 9They spake and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live for ever. 10Thou, O king, hast made a decree, that every man that shall hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, shall fall down and worship the golden image: 11And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth, that he should be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. 12There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; these men, O king, have not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
"13Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then they brought these men before the king. 14Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up? 15Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltry, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?" Daniel 3:8-15 (KJV).
Has he already played the music once?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: (Affirmations.)
BROTHER PIPPENGER: Now he is talking about playing the music one more time.
He does not do it, right? He does not do it because they are going to say, "You don't have to play the music again. We are not going to do it."
But, in here there are two Sunday laws that are marked in Bible prophecy. There is The Sunday Law in the United States that begins this one hour, and then there is the World Sunday Law, the death decree, at the end. Okay? So, there will be many Sunday laws, and it is a process; but, in terms of prophetic waymarks, there are two Sunday laws.
This has been prefigured in the history of Rome. The first Sunday law was by Pagan Rome in AD321; Constantine. The second Sunday law in that time period was AD538. When the Papacy takes control of the world, it enforces a Sunday law in AD538.
So, in ancient history you have two Sunday laws that are the subject of prophecy. The first is enforced by Pagan Rome, Pagan Rome being the power that placed the Papacy on the throne of the Earth; and, the second in AD538 identifies when the Papacy captures the Earth.
And at the end of the world there are two Sunday laws that are marked by prophecy. The first is in the United States, and the United States is the power that places the Papacy on the throne of the Earth, and it is being prefigured by Pagan Rome. The Sunday Law in the United States has been prefigured by Constantine's Sunday law in AD321. The second Sunday law at the end of the world that is a subject of Bible prophecy is the World Sunday Law of the death decree, when the Papacy is placed upon the throne of the Earth at the end of time, and that is prefigured by the Sunday law in AD538 when the Papacy was placed upon the throne of the Earth.
So, you have two Sunday laws that are the focus of Bible prophecy, both at the beginning and at the end. And here in Daniel 3, if you are willing to see, you can see both of them inferred. The first is when the music played, and the second is when Nebuchadnezzar gives them opportunity, "I am going to do it one more time."
Of course, they are going to say, "You don't have to, you don't have to."
Did he do it one more time?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: No.
BROTHER PIPPENGER: No, he did not. Before he did it one more time, before that happened, what is going to happen to them? They are going to be killed. They are going to be thrown in the fiery furnace.
And that is what we know about the second Sunday law at the end of the world. They are going to pass the World Sunday Law death decree. And what have we been told in the Spirit of Prophecy?
The Great Controversy, page 590.
"And then the great deceiver will persuade men that those who serve God are causing these evils. The class that have provoked the displeasure of Heaven will charge all their troubles upon those whose obedience to God's commandments is a perpetual reproof to transgressors. It will be declared that men are offending God by the violation of the Sunday sabbath; that this sin has brought calamities which will not cease until Sunday observance shall be strictly enforced; and that those who present the claims of the fourth commandment, thus destroying reverence for Sunday, are troublers of the people, preventing their restoration to divine favor and temporal prosperity. Thus the accusation urged of old against the servant of God will be repeated and upon grounds equally well established: 'And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel? And he answered, I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father's house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the Lord, and thou hast followed Baalim.' 1 Kings 18:17, 18. As the wrath of the people shall be excited by false charges, they will pursue a course toward God's ambassadors very similar to that which apostate Israel pursued toward Elijah." The Great Controversy, 590.
But, before that time, the blood is going to be spilled. That is all inferred here in Daniel�3, if you are willing to see it.
We have already read this quote from Early Writings, page 68, and that is what Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are typifying. We must have a determination to say no to The Sunday Law before it happens.
Now, notice verses 16 through 18 of Daniel 3. Nebuchadnezzar says, "If you are ready, then you need to bow down when the music plays."
"16Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. 17If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will delivery us out of thine hand, O king. 18But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up." Daniel 3:16-18 (KJV).
"Those who would not receive the mark of the beast and his image when the decree goes forth, must have decision now to say, Nay, we will not regard the institution of the beast." Early Writings, 68.
That is Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Daniel 3 is the Third Angel's Message. It is the history of The Sunday Law, and Sister White says so. I mean, the closer you look, the more you see the details are all there.
Daniel 3:19-30:
"19Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; therefore he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated."�
Please know that when it comes to immediately after The Sunday Law, not only do we know that God's people are going to be scattered but we have referenced here a seven times in the sequence of history, which means a scattering.
�"20And he commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. 21Then these men were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their hats, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. 22Therefore because the king's commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flame of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. 23And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. 24Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king. 25He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.
"26Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire. 27And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king's counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them. 28Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God. 29Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill, because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort.
"30Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in the province of Babylon." Daniel 3:19-30 (KJV).
And we know the story, Nebuchadnezzar is amazed because he sees a fourth in the form of the Son of God, the Son of Man, walking with them. This is a 3:1 combination. The 3:1 combination in Scriptures often appears, and it represents Adventism. The first 3 represents the Millerite History when the Three Angels' Messages came into history; and, the fourth is our history, the Fourth Angel's Message.
And there are so many references to the 3:1 combination in the Scriptures that it is just amazing; and, it is amazing that people do not see it, because it is so often. But, once you see it, then you realize that every time you find a 3:1 combination, God is not being redundant. There is a certain lesson that is connected with every 3:1 combination.
For instance, Christ had 12 Disciples; but, when He went to the Mount of Transfiguration, He only took 3 Disciples with Him, 3 Disciples and Himself.
And one of the lessons, one of the primary lessons of the Mount of Transfiguration is who the redeemed are going to be; because, Christ is transfigured, and who is with Him? Moses and Elijah, Moses representing the Christians at the Second Coming that will have died and are resurrected, and Elijah representing the 144,000 that do not taste death.
So, in this 3:1 combination you have a lesson about the redeemed at the Second Coming.
In Numbers 22, when you see Balaam of the children of the East, he is representing Islam at the end of the world; because, Numbers 22 is right before God's people go into the Promised Land. And Balaam comes into the story, and Balaam is associated with the children of the East and Islam is the children of the East. And one of the characteristics that is identified by the Pioneers is they set forth the truth about Islam in the Fifth and Sixth Trumpets; is that it is both a blessing and a curse.
In Revelation 9:4, Islam is commanded to do its work of destruction, but hurt not those that have the Seal of God.
And in the history of the Fifth Trumpet, when Revelation 9:4 is valid, Abu Bakr gave a command to Islam that, "When you go out and do your warfare against the Roman Church, you are going to find two kinds of Christians, Sabbathkeeping Christians and Sundaykeeping Christians. Don't bother the Sabbathkeepers.
In the story of Islam, one of the characteristics that has been identified by the Pioneers and set forth in the Scriptures is that Islam is both a blessing and a curse. Okay? It is a blessing and a curse. Islam is a curse because it is going to bring warfare against mankind. But, it was the Ishmaelite traders that carried Joseph to safety. There is a blessing. It was the wise men from the East that brought the money that Joseph could flee into Egypt so Jesus would not be murdered by Herod. That was a blessing. So, they are a blessing and a curse.
So, in Numbers 22, Balaam, a symbol of Islam at the end of the world, just before God's people go into the Promised Land, is hired by Balak to curse Israel; but, all Balaam could do is give three blessings [Brother Pippenger holds up three fingers on his left hand], and then king Balak is disappointed and sends him home. But, before Balaam goes home, he does one more blessing [holds up one finger with his right hand�completing the 3:1 combination]. He was hired to proclaim a cursing, but he gave a blessing. So, in that 3:1 combination you are seeing the role of Islam.
In the Mount of Transfiguration, you are seeing who the redeemed are.
And in Daniel, chapter 3, you are seeing how the final warning message is carried to the world. God's people (Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego), the Outcasts of Israel, are going to be thrown into The Sunday Law crisis (the burning fiery furnace), and Christ is going to walk with them, and all the world is going to watch this happen. So, Daniel, chapter 3, is teaching a lesson on how the Loud Cry Message is proclaimed to the world.
When you see these 3:1 combinations, they have a different line of truth to be derived from when you bring them together line upon line.
So, that is what is going on when they are in the burning fiery furnace.
The Great Controversy, page 449, it says this:
"But Christians of past generations observed the Sunday, supposing that in so doing they were keeping the Bible Sabbath; and there are now true Christians in every church, not excepting the Roman Catholic communion, who honestly believe that Sunday is the Sabbath of divine appointment. God accepts their sincerity of purpose and their integrity before Him. But when Sunday observance shall be enforced by law, and the world shall be"�what?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: Enlightened.
BROTHER PIPPENGER: Enlightened.
Was the world enlightened when it looked into the furnace and saw Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego walking through the fire?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: (Affirmations.)
BROTHER PIPPENGER: �"and the world shall be enlightened concerning the obligation of the true Sabbath, then whoever shall transgress the command of God, to obey a precept which has no higher authority than that of Rome, will thereby honor popery above God. He is paying homage to Rome and to the power which enforces the institution ordained by Rome. He is worshiping the beast and his image. As men then reject the institution which God has declared to be the sign of His authority, and honor in its stead that which Rome has chosen as the token of her supremacy, they will thereby accept the sign of allegiance to Rome�'the mark of the beast.' And it is not until the issue is thus plainly set before the people, and they are brought to choose between the commandments of God and the commandments of men, that those who continue in transgression will receive 'the mark of the beast.'" The Great Controversy,�449.
When was it brought before the people? When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were thrown in the fiery furnace; when Nebuchadnezzar made the issue plain, "Either you worship my god or you are going to die," the issue was made plain to the whole world, because everyone was represented there; and, then God lifted up His people as an ensign.
The Millerites
Okay. And the next quote is from Spiritual Gifts, volume 1, beginning on page 163, and it speaks about the Millerite History.
Those Millerites that were faithful and entered into the Most Holy Place [on October�22, 1844], they were lifted up.
"After Jesus opened the door of the Most Holy the light of the Sabbath was seen, and the people of God were to be tested and proved, as God proved the children of Israel anciently, to see if they would keep his law."�
When were the Millerites tested and proved on this subject?
They were tested and proved all along, but what she is speaking about here, when was the testing and proving of the Millerites?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: (Indiscernible).
BROTHER PIPPENGER: Do you think the testing was a singular point in time?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: No.
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 43 3/22/1844 1844 1846 1850
Foy Foss White
(Jan) (Sept) (Dec)
MILLER Faith 2520
Figure No. 51B.
BROTHER PIPPENGER: Okay.
When was the testing time? It was from 1844 to 1846. They began to keep the Sabbath in 1846, did they not? They moved into the Most Holy Place.
And these people who are going to be tested as Ancient Israel was tested to see whether they would keep the Law of God, where did they move to by faith? To the Most Holy Place. They were lifted up into the Most Holy Place to see the Law of God, and then they were tested on how they were going to respond to it.
�"I saw the third angel pointing upward, showing the disappointed ones the way to the Holiest of the heavenly Sanctuary. They followed Jesus by faith into the Most Holy. Again they have found Jesus, and joy and hope spring up anew. I saw them looking back reviewing the past, from the proclamation of the second advent of Jesus, down through their travels to the passing of the time in 1844. They see their disappointment explained, and joy and certainty again animate them. The third angel has lighted up the past, present and future, and they know that God has indeed led them by his mysterious providence.
"It was represented to me that the remnant followed Jesus into the Most Holy place, and beheld the ark, and the mercy-seat, and were captivated with their glory. Jesus raised the cover of the ark, and behold! the tables of stone, with the ten commandments written upon them. They trace down the lively oracles; but they start back with trembling when they see the fourth commandment living among the ten holy precepts, while a brighter light shines upon it than upon the other nine, and a halo of glory is all around it. They find nothing there informing them that the Sabbath has been abolished, or changed to the first day of the week. It reads as when spoken by the mouth of God in solemn and awful grandeur upon the mount, while the lightnings flashed and the thunders rolled, and when written with his own holy finger in the tables of stone. Six days shalt thou labor and do all thy work; but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God. They are amazed as they behold the care taken of the ten commandments. They see them placed close by Jehovah, overshadowed and protected by his holiness. They see that they have been trampling upon the fourth commandment of the Decalogue, and have observed a day handed down by the heathen and papists, instead of the day sanctified by Jehovah. They humble themselves before God, and mourn over their past transgressions.
"I saw the incense in the censer smoke as Jesus offered their confessions and prayers to his Father. And as it ascended, a bright light rested upon Jesus, and upon the mercy-seat; and the earnest, praying ones, who were troubled because they had discovered themselves to be transgressors of God's law, were blest, and their countenances lighted up with hope and joy. They joined in the work of the third angel, and raised their voices and proclaimed the solemn warning. But few at first received the message, yet they continued with energy to proclaim the warning. Then I saw many embrace the message of the third angel, and unite their voices with those who had first proclaimed the warning, and they exalted God and magnified him by observing his sanctified Rest-day." Spiritual Gifts, volume 1, 163�165.
So, you see the Millerites being lifted up prophetically here as well in this issue.
And they had to understand the Sanctuary and the Law of God in order to put the Three Angels' Message, the Sanctuary, and the Law of God on this [1850] Chart; because, the Lord was going to remove His hand from this [1843] Chart, and then by Inspiration He was going to make the second Table of Habakkuk and correct that error, and also include on it the Three Angels' Message, and the Sanctuary, the things that we call the "Pillars."
You hear people arguing against this message where they take the passages where Sister White is identifying the Three Angels' Messages, the Sabbath, the Sanctuary, the Law of God, as the Pillars of Adventism, and they are trying to insist that the Pillars of Adventism are the foundations. But, those are two different things. Anyone that has had any kind of [experience in] construction and you do not need to have had any kind of construction [knowledge] to know that the foundation is different than the pillars. You can have nice pillars, but if you put them on the sand, they are not going to hold your house up. In order for your pillars to be effective, you have to have a good foundation.
This [indicating the 1843 Chart] is the foundational truths. These truths [on the 1843 Chart] were understood before 1844; but, these truths [of the Three Angels' Messages, the Sabbath, the Sanctuary, and the Law of God depicted on the 1850 Chart] were understood after 1844, in this history [of the Millerites]. They had to be tested. They had to be lifted up into the Most Holy Place, to be tested there on how they would respond.
And then in 1850, the second Table of Habakkuk is put in place. And that number "50," that is significant. Fifty is Pentecost. It is a covenant number. This is where the Lord has put in place both Tables of the Covenant for modern Israel.
Summary
So, where we are at in this study, what we will begin on Sunday, the Lord willing, is we are going to, the Lord willing, go through and show that Daniel, chapter 1, represents the Millerite History. And in Daniel, chapter 1, we showed that it was the Everlasting Gospel. Two classes were produced, and they went through a three-step testing process. That is the three-step testing process of the Millerites: 1798, "Fear God"; 1842, "Give Him Glory"; 1844, "For the Hour of His Judgment is Come." That is all in Daniel, chapter 1.
Then in Daniel, chapter 2, we have the emphasis on the second test at the end of the world, the Second Angel's Message, "Babylon is fallen," the image of the beast test.
And then we have seen here in Daniel, chapter 3, The Sunday Law, the Third Angel's Message.
But, Daniel, chapters 1, 2, and 3, are the Three Angels' Messages, "in verity."
But, after 1844, after the Lord enters into covenant with them, modern Israel at this point in time, they begin to set aside the foundational truths, just as Ancient Israel did. Ancient Israel's foundational truths took place in the deliverance from Egypt, and they had only been out of Egypt days before they began to forget how the Lord had led them.
So, here [after 1850] they began to set aside the foundational truths that are represented on this [1843] Chart. And William Miller's dream is a dream that describes that aspect of our history; and, William Miller's dream is recorded in Early Writings, and it is the only chapter in Early Writings that Ellen White did not write. William Miller wrote it.
And Daniel, chapter 4, is the only chapter in the Book of Daniel that Daniel did not write. Nebuchadnezzar wrote it; and. Nebuchadnezzar talks about seven times, and William Miller talks about scattering (seven times). And, we are going to show that Daniel, chapter 4, is William Miller's dream that marks that after this history [of the Millerites], there would be a seven times scattering; and, in Daniel, chapter 4, there would be a seven times scattering. And that is where we are going to proceed on Sunday.
So, we will take this study of Daniel and bring it back to these Charts, because William Miller's dream is referencing the truths on these [1843 and 1850] Charts, which are jewels.
We hope to see you back on Sunday morning.
Shall we pray?
Benediction: Heavenly Father, we thank you for opening the Book of Daniel to a deeper place. You are allowing us to see that all the ancient prophets are speaking about our day and age and that their testimony is present truth for us. We want this light. We want this understanding, but we also want this understanding to be turned into an experience by the power of your Holy Spirit. We ask that you will accomplish that for us. And we know that if we are going to continue to receive this golden oil that comes down through the golden pipes that we have to empty our vessels by sharing the golden oil. So, we ask that you would prepare divine appointments for each of us that give us opportunity to share the truth that we have been given, that we might have room for more truth. We set this day before you and ask that you would bless us in our service for you. Let us do things that will glorify and honor you. We have some of our group that are traveling this day. We ask that you bring them home safely, and we pray that you give our Brother discernment as he plans to go and take care of serious, solemn business in California, as well. Thank you for all these things in Jesus's name. Amen.