Habakkuk's Two Tables #45
PART SIX: 1989
Presented by Jeff Pippenger
Invocation by Brother Jeff Pippenger: Heavenly Father, we thank you for bringing us here this morning to consider the truth of your Word. We ask that you would resolve the problem that we have with the LiveStreaming today, after we finish here that we can continue on with this work. And as we take up the study of Daniel 11, verse 40, this morning, we ask that you grant us the presence of your Holy Spirit, that you would help us to understand the relevance and significance of the history of this verse, that the Holy Spirit might use it to further perfect our character that we might more fully represent you. I would ask that you take charge of this presentation and overrule my humanity, hide me behind your cross. Forgive me in any way that I have prevented you from speaking through me, and prepare the hearts and minds of those that are listening to these things to receive it as you intend. In Jesus's name, amen.
BROTHER PIPPENGER: We had a rough start yesterday for a few minutes getting the LiveStream going; and, so I was a little bit anxious as we were going through.
And what we were looking at yesterday was the basic rundown of Daniel 11, verse 40, that in 1798, atheistic France began a war against the Papacy, but that the verse then describes when the Papacy will return and sweep away the king of Atheism, who at that in history is the Soviet Union.
And then we looked at a quote where in Selected Messages, book 2, page 102, where we were told historical events showing the direct fulfillment of prophecy were set before the people, and prophecy was seen to be a figurative delineation of events leading down to the close of this Earth's history.
So, we then began to look at the historical record of the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1989, and that is where I was kind of moving quickly. If you have those notes, one of the things that you want to look at as you go through is how often these secular authors would pull words right out of the 51 words that are in verse 40 to describe this history of verse 40. It is not an accident that this took place.
And to summarize down the relationship of the Papacy and the United States, we said that the United States was represented by the chariots, ships, and horsemen, and that in 1992 Time magazine wanted to go back and cover this history, and they got Carl Bernstein to do an article in here covering the history, just as we describe it, the history of the underground behind the scenes being accomplished by the operatives of the Catholic Church and the Soviet Union, and that the United States was supplying the financial pressure and the military pressure.
And when Bernstein wrote this article, he understood that this was the biggest story that he had ever covered; so, he went ahead and wrote this book, His Holiness John Paul II and the Hidden History of Our Time.
And I have not watched this Larry King interview for quite some time, but in it one of the things that always amazes me is that when he is going to interview Carl Bernstein about this book and tell some of the history that will confirm the history that we are identifying, there is a point�I forget exactly what it is, but we will find out in a moment�where he identifies that when this book was released, it was released in 11 languages, simultaneously. I think it was 11; maybe it was 6. My mind is foggy on that. But, if you have ever worked in publishing a book, to publish a book is one thing but to have it translated simultaneously into several languages and get them all published at the same time, for me that was always significant; because, it is this history that Seventh-day Adventists are going to be held accountable for understanding in terms of the Time of the End, the increase of knowledge, the Dirt Brush Man coming and beginning His work. So, you can see when the historians began to elaborate on this history, this perhaps was one of the most significant books. When it was released, it was released where Adventists in several different languages could get a hold of it.
So, we are going to look at this [video]. We cut it off short, because towards the end of the interview, it gets into areas we do not need to look at.
(At DVD 04:40 the Larry King Live interview of Carl Bernstein is shown to the audience.)
Announcer: Now from New York, here is Larry King!
Larry King: Good evening. A good show tonight: Valentino, Marla Maples, and Trump later. We are going to spend the first half hour with one of the best in the business, Carl Bernstein, the award winning journalist who, along with his former partner, Bob Woodward, changed the face of America in journalism, with "All the President's Men" and their coverage of Watergate.
We now have his new book, His Holiness, from Doubleday. There you see its cover. It was co-written with Mr. Politi, an Italian journalist.
How did that come about?
Carl Bernstein: Marco Politi.
Larry King: Marco Politi.
Carl Bernstein: Well, this is a book that is really a biography, and at the same time it is history, the secret history of the end of the Cold War and the Pope's role in it. And because I do not have a Catholic or widely known Christian background, I thought that I really needed a collaborator who could put context to information that I was getting.
Larry King: So, this was your baby, and you went to him?
Carl Bernstein: Exactly.
Larry King: And the two of you�is that hard? Well, you are used to it�right?� collaborating.
Carl Bernstein: I am used to it. It was a wonderful experience in the sense that Marco brings a dimension to this book, a European sensibility and understanding of the history of the Papacy and the Vatican that I just don't have.
Larry King: Who did what writing? How did that work?
Carl Bernstein: I ended up sewing it all together, but he drafted some sections. The last part of the book, he is largely responsible for, in which you see the Pope in isolation in the declining years of his life.
Larry King: Well, maybe I am stupid, but is this your first major biography of this Pope?
Carl Bernstein: It is the first biography that really tells you what he has done and how he has been the great leader of our time.
Larry King: How did you, who are associated with other things, come to do a biography of the Pope, which Bob Woodward said on this program that it is one of the best books he has ever read?
Carl Bernstein: Well, First of all, it is about the power, and all of my books and work have been about power and the exercise of power.
I wrote a cover story for Time magazine saying that Pope John Paul II and Ronald Reagan had collaborated secretly to keep Solidarity�the Solidarity Labor Movement alive in Poland after the imposition of martial law, and this was the turning point and the great event at the end of the Cold War.
To my amazement, Gorbachev wrote a response to my piece in the New York Times, saying, "Yes, and without this Pope none of the events in Eastern Europe would have occurred."
And at that point I said that my intuitive sense of this man is one thing, but this is really the great story of our time.
Larry King: But did you attempt an interview?
Carl Bernstein: Yes. I did not get it, but we traveled with him. Marco has traveled with the Pope for 15 years, which is another dimension that Marco brings to this book. But, I really talked to the people closest to him and had access to remarkable secret documents, particularly in Washington, detailing the secret relationship, the visits made by CIA Director Casey to the Pope. Special Ambassador Vernon Walters, the one that took visits every six months that were totally secret, one of the biggest secrets that we had, to see the Pope.
Larry King: You got the cables?
Carl Bernstein: I got the cables.
Larry King: Are they in the book?
Carl Bernstein: Yes. Some of them. It talks about how the Pope examined satellite photos, Soviet troop deployments. We shared all of our most important intelligence with the Pope, particularly about Poland, which was the lynch pin to the end of Communism and the Soviet Union.
Larry King: Maybe Marco may be better to answer this, but I will ask of you: Why don't Popes do interviews?
Carl Bernstein: I think they feel that they are above it. I think that is a good enough reason.
Larry King: They do talk occasionally to a Cardinal�yes?�to do a Q&A.
Carl Bernstein: This Pope is the most media conscious Pope that there has ever been. He has written a book. He puts out a version of events that he wants to be put out.
And he has done interviews. He does interviews in which he has the questions submitted to him, and then he brings it out as a book later.
Larry King; (Laughter).
Carl Bernstein: Which we should all be able to do interviews like that.
Larry King: Like Bob Hope.
Carl Bernstein: Yes, exactly!
Larry King: Not a bad move (laughter).
Carl Bernstein: Yeah.
Larry King: But he is though, is he not, a great study in contradiction, that we can make the case that inside the Church he is one of the most conservative prelates; outside he is a Socialist. He is anti-capitalism. He is against big money. He thinks we should share the wealth, et cetera. Is he two people?
Carl Bernstein: He is more, than anything, a man of contradiction. He feels very close to women, and at the same time he has a tormented relationship, obviously, with all of womankind. He has got huge problems with the women in his church; they are leaving. The nuns are angry at him for not giving them an increased role in the Church. He is a dogmatic conservative and a liberal humanist.
Larry King: We can find very few of them in the United States, very few of them anywhere. How do you explain it? You must go back and explain this.
Carl Bernstein: Well, I think you have to look at his Polishness. He grew up under the Nazi occupation and then under the Communists in Catholic Poland, which was an area of Catholicism that was untouched by Western Catholicism.
But, I think the important thing to understand about this man is that he believes that he is divinely inspired. He is a mystic. That is the other key thing about him. He is a true mystic. He prays six to eight hours a day, lying down on the floor, his arms prone, as if he were on the cross.
Larry King: Hmm.
Carl Bernstein: He believes in apparitions of the Virgin. He believes he is the own life has been saved by the Virgin of Fatima. So, he seeks and acts on what he believes is divine inspiration, and this was particularly true in his struggle with the Communists, and particularly true in deciding that he and Ronald Reagan could work together.
Larry King: That is where the Humanism came from�right?�the struggle against oppressors?
Carl Bernstein: Well, I think the Humanism comes from his interpretation of God's will. I think it is more than just oppressors. He is someone who believes. He is a great champion of human rights and universal values, although there are women who would say that�
Larry King: In the area of human rights, abortion aside, maybe the number one spokesman in the world.
Carl Bernstein: Absolutely, he and Mandela. He and Nelson Mandela are the only great spokesmen in the world for universal principles.
Larry King: Our guest has been Carl Bernstein. The book has been published in about�what?�15 countries, simultaneously.
Carl Bernstein: Twelve countries.
Larry King: Twelve countries; that may be a first.
The book is His Holiness. The publisher in the West is Doubleday.
We will be back with Carl Bernstein on Larry King Live right after this.
(Break in program, and video resumes with President Ronald Reagan speaking)
President Ronald Reagan (presentation in progress, opening with camera shot of Pope John Paul II): In Poland you experienced Nazism and Communism. As Pope you suffered a terrorist attack that nearly claimed your life. Still you proclaim that the central message of our own time, that the central message of all time is not hatred but love.
(Applause)
Larry King: Tonight's show is the Road to Rome. Valentino later.
Our guest is Carl Bernstein. His book, His Holiness, from Doubleday, written with Marco Politi.
Right?
Carl Bernstein: Right.
Larry King: And published in 12 countries, simultaneously.
Carl Bernstein has always been very good at unearthing secrets. He finds a big one in this book, which is . . . ?
Carl Bernstein: Well, the United States' greatest secret of the end of the Cold War was that it spent $50 million for the CIA to keep Solidarity alive underground after martial law had been imposed by the Communists.
And I went to Bob Gates, who had been Bill Casey's Assistant Director and later Director of the CIA, and I said, "How did this secret keep?"
Because, had it been blown, it would have been devastating and the whole Cold War might have turned out differently.
And he looked at me and he said, "Good secrets keep. Bad secrets leak."
And this was our great secret.
Larry King: And the Pope is involved.
Carl Bernstein: The Pope was aware of it. He was told by President Reagan, by Casey during his visits, and by Walters of this support for Solidarity. He gave his own financial support to Solidarity.
But, what really happened, is Casey and the Pope engaged in what Casey called a geostrategic dialogue. He would come to Rome first on his visits when he would go around the world and come to see the Pope, and they would discuss particularly what was happening with the Soviet Union and what was happening with Soviet leadership, what was going on in Central America where the Pope and the Reagan Administration were very much in alliance. In fact, Oliver North gave money illegally to priests in Nicaragua. So, this was an alliance quite unlike anything that had ever happened.
Larry King: Was it a tough story to work?
Carl Bernstein: Yes, because it was an institution that I was unfamiliar with and, at the same time�you know, I believe people tell the truth. People want to tell the truth. And if you are a good listener and you go to see them and they know you have no preconceived notions about what it is that you are going to write, except what you find out to be the truth, you learn great things.
Larry King: What surprised you the most about the Pope?
Carl Bernstein: The greatest�well, the greatest surprise about this secret alliance to me�the greatest surprise about the Pope was his mysticism.
But, the greatest surprise about the secret alliance, I think, was the fact that the Pope was a crucial factor in our introducing cruise missiles into Europe. As a Deputy Secretary of State told me, the American Bishops, the European Bishops were all against the deployment of those missiles, which were the crucial aspect of American strategy in the Reagan defense buildup. And as the Deputy told me, he said if the Pope had gotten up one Sunday and said, "We don't want cruise missiles in one of the Catholic countries in Europe," this would have been the end of the deployment of cruise missiles.
So, what these secret cables from Walters show is almost every visit that Walters made to visit the Pope, you see the reference it says, "I showed the Pope the overhead photography," which means the satellite photos.
And then he says, "I gave him the SS-20 briefing," which is to brief him on American nuclear strategy and why the United States felt that those missiles were so important in Western Europe.
Larry King: Therefore, he is not just one of the more important Popes.
Carl Bernstein: Oh, no.
Larry King: He is one of the more important people.
Carl Bernstein: He is one of the great political figures of this century; and, certainly with Gorbachev and Reagan, these are the three men that have dominated the last part of our century.
Larry King: Why didn't Gorbachev and Reagan discuss this more?
Why didn't they give him credit?
Carl Bernstein: They do.
Larry King: They probably made speeches where�
Carl Bernstein: I went to see Ronald Reagan in 1991 when I first worked on this story. And I said, "Mr. President, how did this happen?"
And he said, "It was easy. I wanted to make them an ally," he said of the Vatican. And that is what he proceeded to do.
Larry King: But we didn't read this daily in our newspapers.
Carl Bernstein: Of course not. It was a great secret. It was our great secret. Here was a strategic super power and a spiritual super power combining their intelligence capabilities.
Remember, this is not a formal signed alliance. This is a convergence of interests, parallel interests.
Larry King: Can one say maybe religion shouldn't have been involved in this kind of story, that another Pope might have said, "Leave me out!"?
Carl Bernstein: Well, I think there are more serious questions about the separation of church and state in America.
Larry King: Yeah, sure.
Carl Bernstein: I mean, we certainly don't show satellite photos to the Dalai Lama; and, the Pope is in great competition�
Larry King: Or to the head of the Greek Orthodox Church?
Carl Bernstein: Well, exactly. And he is in competition with souls with the Protestant Fundamentalist Sects, with the Muslims. And each time the Pope would go to a country that he would visit�and this is the most peripatetic Pope, of course, that has ever been. He has traveled, you know, to a hundred countries in the world. We would brief him on the country he was about to go to. He would receive the CIA briefing materials on that country. So, it raises some serious questions about�
Larry King: Extraordinarily bright?
Carl Bernstein: Very bright, extraordinarily bright. He is a poet. He is a philosopher.
Larry King: A playwright?
Carl Bernstein: He is a playwright, an extraordinary man; one of the great men of our time.
Larry King: More about this fascinating gentleman by this fascinating author, Carl Bernstein. The book, His Holiness, from Doubleday. Don't go away.
(Break in program)
Larry King: Back a little, this book, His Holiness�back a little: How did Pope John Paul II get to be Pope?
Carl Bernstein: Well, his predecessor died after 33 days.
Larry King: He has been Pope for how long now?
Carl Bernstein: He has now been Pope since 1978. So, he has been Pope longer than any other Pope in this century, except one. And although he is very ill and infirm, he wants to be alive for the Millennium. And I wouldn't count him out.
Larry King: You would not?
Carl Bernstein: I would not.
Larry King: He looks so frail.
Carl Bernstein: He is frail. He has got Parkinson's. He may have another tumor. He is undergoing what they say is an appendectomy this week, which I think will also involve some exploratory surgery.
Larry King: He has been shocked.
Carl Bernstein: And he has been shocked.
The assassination is fascinating.
Larry King: Well, how did he get to be Pope?
Carl Bernstein: He got to be Pope because the Cardinals were looking (1) for someone who was tough on doctrine, which he is; (2) who was a humanist, who could be a force at the same time against the trends towards materialism in the West, back towards more spirituality; and (3) above all, his experience with the Communists. They were finally ready for a non-Italian Pope, the first non-Italian Pope in 450 years.
Larry King: And they chose someone that nobody could say, "I totally dislike," or "I totally love."
Carl Bernstein: Exactly.
(End of video interview)
BROTHER PIPPENGER: So, what we are saying is, historical events are set before the people, and prophecy is confirmed. And what we are suggesting is represented in Daniel 11, verse 40, has been confirmed loud and clear by the historians of our time period.
About three weeks ago, four weeks ago, they dedicated a couple of statues in Poland, one of the Pope and one of Reagan. You just cannot get away from the fact that this was the biggest history of the last century, and that this is a fulfillment of the Book of Daniel, and it is from the Book of Daniel that God marks the Time of the End and the increase of knowledge.
So, we are going to switch gears here now, still dealing Daniel 11, verse 40, and we are going to start on page 1 of our notes.
Oh, before, I knew there was something that I wanted to say. Somewhere in the past worship service we have mentioned Daniel 11, verse 30. We dealt with it a little bit. And in verse 30 of Daniel 11 is the end of the story of Pagan Rome and the transition to Papal Rome, and we have looked at what Uriah Smith said about it.
And Pagan Rome is coming to a conclusion in Daniel 11, verse 30. And what marks the end of Pagan Rome being the primary subject in this passage is when it has intelligence with them that forsook the holy covenant, them that forsook the holy covenant being the Papacy.
And I hope you saw that the way this secret alliance was carried out is by the Central Intelligence Agency, and they were having intelligence with the man that has forsook the holy covenant; and, from this point on in the passage, then, the Pope becomes the point of reference, the Papacy.
This is worth noting because as we proceed through this study, Sister White is going to quote verses 30 through 36 of Daniel 11, in connection with the final fulfillment of Daniel 11, and saying, "Similar to those described in these words, verses 30 to 36 will be repeated in verses 40 to 45. So, this confirmation of the intelligence between the United States and the Vatican, it even uses the same word: intelligence, Central Intelligence Agency.
So, now to our notes. We will get to this repetition of history somewhere down the line in the future.
The Rise of the Great Controversy
Education, page 391 says,
"The Bible is its own expositor. Scripture is to be compared with scripture. The student should learn to view the word as a whole, and to see the relation of its parts. He should gain a knowledge of its grand central theme, of God's original purpose for the world, of the rise of the great controversy,"�
There are people that fight against what we are teaching, and one of the arguments is that their prophetic understanding is based upon the book, The Great Controversy. And if it is not specifically marked in the book, The Great Controversy, then it is just speculation on these men's parts about what they are saying.
But, the book, The Great Controversy, is absolutely the present truth book for the hour. I am not downplaying that; but, the book, The Great Controversy, is based upon the principle that the Great Controversy began in Heaven with Lucifer's rebellion, and it continues until the end of the issue; and, the Great Controversy is much broader than simply the book, The Great Controversy.
�"He [the student] should gain a knowledge of its grand central theme [of the Bible], of God's original purpose for the world, of the rise of the great controversy, and of the work of redemption. He should understand the nature of the two principles that are contending for supremacy, and should learn to trace their working through the records of history and prophecy, to the great consummation. He should see how this controversy enters into every phase of human experience; how in every act of life he himself reveals the one or the other of the two antagonistic motives; and how, whether he will or not, he is even now deciding upon which side of the controversy he will be found." Education, 191.
So, we want to add a component to our consideration of Daniel 11, verse 40 to 45, and that being that this is the climax of the Great Controversy. And because this is the climax of the Great Controversy, these verses, at least on Planet Earth; because, when you get to Daniel 12:1, Michael stands up and human probation closes. This is the climax of the Great Controversy in terms of probationary time for human beings.
Michael: "Who is like God?"
Revelation 12:7-9
Daniel's last vision, chapters 10 through 12, is placed in the context of the Great Controversy; and, it is done so by the term "Michael."
You see in your notes, "Michael," and it means Who is like God? So, when you see Christ represented as Michael, that means Who is like God?, and it is telling you that when Christ is set forth in the Scriptures as Michael, there is a controversy going on about Who is like God?. And you are only going to find "Michael" mentioned three times in the Scriptures; but, upon the testimony of two or three a thing is established. So, every time you see "Michael" in the Scriptures, you see Him in direct confrontation with Satan.
Okay. So, when it comes to the King of the North, the King of the North is the Pope of Rome, but the Pope of Rome is the representative of Satan upon Earth.
And the true King of the North is Christ. And this Great Controversy that is symbolically represented by Michael is giving us another line to understand who the King of the North and what the King of the North in Daniel 11 is all about.
In Revelation 12, verses 7 through 9, it is familiar to all of us. It says,
"7And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, 8And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. 9And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him." Revelation 12:7-9 (KJV).
Here we see Michael at the very beginning of the Great Controversy in war with Satan, and Satan is cast out with the angels to Planet Earth.
In Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, volume 7, page 973:
"In so deceptive a way did he [Lucifer] work that the sentiments that he inculcated could not be dealt with until they had developed in the minds of those who received them.
"The influence of mind on mind, so strong a power for good when sanctified, is equally strong for evil in the hands of those opposed to God. This power Satan used in his work of instilling evil into the minds of the angels, and he made it appear that he was seeking the good of the universe. As the anointed cherub, Lucifer had been highly exalted; he was greatly loved by the heavenly beings, and his influence over them was strong. Many of them listened to his suggestions and believed his words. 'And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.'
"Cast out of heaven, Satan set up his kingdom in this world, and ever since, he has been untiringly striving to seduce human beings from their allegiance to God. He uses the same power that he used in heaven�the influence of mind on mind. Men become tempters of their fellow men. The strong, corrupting sentiments of Satan are cherished, and they exert a masterly, compelling power. Under the influence of these sentiments, men bind up with one another in confederacies." The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, volume�7, 973.
So, one of the things about the Great Controversy, when you see Michael illustrated, is that the way that Satan works is mind upon mind; and, we need to understand that in our own sphere of influence and interaction, who is it that is going to deceive us? Well, it is going to be another mind, and it is going to be another mind that we have respect for, someone that has been exalted in religious things.
We are not going to be deceived by the drug addict on the street. We are going to be deceived by this wonderful flowery pastor or preacher, and he is going to work upon our mind and give us errors that we do not even realize that we are receiving, until they have already developed their fruit in our own minds. At least, that is sometimes part of the story.
Michael the Archangel
Jude 1:5-9
Jude 1, beginning at verse 5:
"5I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not. 6And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day. 7Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. 8Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities. 9Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee." Jude 1:5-9 (KJV).
So, here we see Michael in confrontation once again with Satan over the resurrection of Moses.
Now, these are the three points in the story of Michael: (1) the war in Heaven; (2) whether Christ has the power and authority to resurrect; and, then, of course, (3) we know in Daniel�12:1 Michael stands up. And now He is demonstrating His power to save a group of people that do not need to be resurrected; because, when He stands up, everyone that has the Seal of God, they are going to live without dying until Christ returns.
So, the story of Michael is the story of the rebellion in Heaven, and the story of Christ's authority to resurrect the righteous, and His authority to save those that we call the 144,000 that do not die.
And, there is more to what went on in that interaction between Satan and Michael at the resurrection of Moses. Sister White says this in The Spirit of Prophecy, volume 1, pages 342 � 343:
"Satan exulted that he had succeeded in causing Moses to sin against God. For this transgression, Moses came under the dominion of death. If he had continued faithful, and his life had not been marred with that one transgression, in failing to give to God the glory of bringing water from the rock, he would have entered the Promised Land, and would have been translated to Heaven without seeing death. Michael, or Christ, with the angels that buried Moses, came down from Heaven, after he had remained in the grave a short time, and resurrected him, and took him to Heaven."�
I wonder how long he was in the grave. I have no idea. I get criticized for speculation, but I bet you he was resurrected on the third day.
FROM THE AUDIENCE: (Laughter).
BROTHER PIPPENGER: �"As Christ and the angels approached the grave, Satan and his angels appeared at the grave, and were guarding the body of Moses, lest it should be removed. As Christ and his angels drew nigh, Satan resisted their approach, but was compelled, by the glory and power of Christ and his angels, to fall back. Satan claimed the body of Moses, because of his one transgression; but Christ meekly referred him to his Father, saying, 'The Lord rebuke thee.' Christ told Satan that he knew Moses had humbly repented of this one wrong, that no stain rested upon his character, and that his name in the heavenly book of records stood untarnished. Then Christ resurrected the body of Moses, which Satan had claimed." The Spirit of Prophecy, volume 1, 342�343.
So, when we see Michael in the Scriptures�"Michael," meaning Who is like God?�He is always in confrontation with Satan.
Daniel's Last Vision
This is the Great Controversy. It is the issue of Christ or Satan. And the climax of this story is in Daniel's last vision, and Daniel's last vision reaches its climax in the last six verses of Daniel�11. So, this truth about the Great Controversy about Michael, it has to be one of the components that you factor in to your understanding of the last six verses of Daniel 11.
SAR: Strong's Concordance H8269�a head person (of any rank or class):�captain (that had rule), chief (captain), general, governor, keeper, lord, ([-task-]) master, prince (-ipal), ruler, steward.
And Daniel's last vision, which is chapters 10 through 12, you are going to see in chapter�10 a confrontation between "Michael your prince," and "the prince of Persia."
And this word PRINCE is sar. It means a military commander. You see it defined there: a head person, a captain, a chief (captain), a governor, a keeper, lord, master, prince, ruler, steward.
When you see Michael in a confrontation with Satan, it is a war. It is a controversy. It is a struggle.
These princes in Daniel, chapter 10, the prince of Persia and Michael your prince, are representing the warfare that is going on in this time period.
And this word sar, occurs 420 times in the Old Testament, and it refers especially to military commanders.
In Joshua 5:15, it says,
"15And the captain [sar] of the Lord's host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so." Joshua 5:15 (KJV).
So, the prince of Persia and Michael your prince in Daniel 10, it is representing this Great Controversy, this argument about Who is like God?, and it is representing a spiritual warfare.
Sister White comments on Daniel 10 in this truth found in The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, volume 4, page 1173. She quotes verses 12 and 13 of Daniel�10. Let us read that. Daniel 10: 12-13:
"[Daniel 10:12�13 quoted.] 12Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words. 13But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days; but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia."�
Okay. Gabriel was trying to convince Cyrus to follow through on his willingness to allow the children of Israel to go back and rebuild Jerusalem. Cyrus is the king of Persia.
But, in Gabriel's attempt to direct the mind of Cyrus, Satan is there, the prince of Persia; and, he is having to deal with the prince of Persia, Satan, and he cannot prevail. So, Michael your prince comes in.
But, you will notice in those verses 12 and 13 that you have the prince of Persia and the king of Persia. Sister White quotes those two verses, and then she says this:
�"By this we see that heavenly agencies have to contend with hindrances before the purpose of God is fulfilled in its time. The king of Persia was controlled by the highest of all evil angels."�
Who is the highest of all evil angels?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: Satan.
BROTHER PIPPENGER: Satan.
�"He refused, as did Pharaoh, to obey the word of the Lord. Gabriel declared, He withstood me twenty-one days by his representations against the Jews. But Michael came to his help, and then he remained with the kings of Persia, holding the powers in check, giving right counsel against evil counsel. Good and evil angels are taking a part in the planning of God in His earthly kingdom. It is God's purpose to carry forward His work in correct lines, in ways that will advance His glory. But Satan is ever trying to counterwork God's purpose. Only by humbling themselves before God can God's servants advance His work. Never are they to depend on their own efforts or on outward display for success.
"We have before us in the Word of God instances of heavenly agencies working on the minds of kings and rulers, while at the same time satanic agencies were also at work on their minds. No human eloquence, in strongly set forth human opinions, can change the working of satanic agencies. Satan seeks continually to block the way, so that the truth shall be bound about by human devising; and those who have light and knowledge are in the greatest danger unless they constantly consecrate themselves to God, humiliating self, and realizing the peril of the times." The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, volume 4, 1173.
Okay. In our studies here, and this might challenge some people's understanding of what we teach or how you are to teach the message, but we are going to get to the point where we are going to look at Ezekiel 37. In Ezekiel 37 you have two messages. You have the First and Second Angels' Messages marked in Ezekiel 37. And the First Message causes a noise and a shaking. So, we are going to get to a point in time where we look at Ezekiel 37's First Angel's Message, and it causes a noise and a shaking. And this word noise is translated that way, but it can be translated as the voice. Okay. The First Message is the voice crying in the wilderness.
And this voice, this First Message in Ezekiel 37, it causes a shaking, but it also brings the body together, the bones, the sinews, the flesh. It brings them together, but they are not alive until the Second Message comes, the Message of the Four Winds.
So, when we get to that point in our study, we are going to put that into the mix, because the shaking, the shaking, is part of the prophetic message.
Okay. When the First Message comes, in 1989 when the Dirt Brush Man begins to sweep away the rubbish, the customs and traditions in Adventism that are preventing some of God's people from seeing that Daniel 11, verse 40, was fulfilled and that the Lord is now bringing His people together to finish the work, there is a shaking that goes on in Adventism. And the shaking is caused by those people that are resisting this message.
So, once this message came into history, there have been certain personalities in this history that have opposed it and have caused some people grief uf you name those men and say, "This man did this," or "This man did that." But, it is part of the prophetic record and it needs to be addressed; because, there are some of their arguments that were brought against this message that was what the Lord used to further open up light.
Okay. I will give you an example. We will deal with it in detail later, but I will give you an example. There was an argument that the glorious land was the Seventh-day Adventist Church, but the glorious land is the United States of America. So, this argument went on a great deal. And the Lord in seeking to be clear about the glorious land being the United States of America, He opened up the fact that Pagan Rome, when it took control of the world, they had to conquer three geographical areas; and, when Papal Rome took control of the world, they had to remove three geographical areas. Therefore, when modern Rome in Daniel 11:40-45 is taking control of the world, those obstacles have to be geographical areas. This truth would not have been recognized if there had not been anybody saying, "Hey, the glorious land is the Seventh-day Adventist Church." But, there is a whole group of people saying the glorious land is the Seventh-day Adventist Church. This false argument was used by the Lion of the tribe of Judah to lead the students of prophecy deeper into their study of God's Word to recognize one of the arguments against that�that is not the only argument against that false teaching�but, when you recognize that argument, then you recognize something that had not been recognized before. And what is that?
You would think this group would know. What is that? What is it that I just explained to you?
Pardon me?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: The glorious land?
BROTHER PIPPENGER: No. We were talking about the glorious land, but we are talking about the argument to defend the glorious land was�
FROM THE AUDIENCE: The repeat of history?
BROTHER PIPPENGER: The repeat of history, close.
FROM THE AUDIENCE: Triple application?
BROTHER PIPPENGER: Triple application of prophecy: Pagan Rome, Papal Rome, modern Rome. And suddenly you can see Elijah, the first; John the Baptist, Elijah the second; and, Elijah the third at the end of the world.
The triple application of prophecy allows you to see that is the First Woe is Islam and the Second Woe is Islam, then the Third Woe is Islam.
So, the shaking that goes on in this history, represented and marked by Ezekiel 37's First Message, is part of the story. So, we are going to address some of those issues so we can understand how the Lion of the tribe of Judah put these things in place.
So, when it comes to Daniel 11, verse 40 through 45, there were people�not very many, but there have been some�that argued that the King of the North here in these last six verses is not the Papacy.
We have shown that from the Bible the power that opposes God's people at the end of the world that it is the Northern King, and that Northern King is Babylon; and, we have shown that at the end of the world, we are looking for a spiritual Babylon and that Revelation 17 marks the Papacy as spiritual Babylon and, therefore, the Papacy is the King of the North.
We have shown also that the only place that you see the struggle between the King of the North and the King of the South in the Scriptures is in Daniel 11, and that the power that controls Babylon is the King of the North. So, we have been putting some arguments in place to identify that the King of the North is the Papacy.
We have also shown that in verse 31, when the abomination that maketh desolate is placed in AD538 that this is the Papacy and that there is no grammatical change from verse 31 to 40 that allows you to identify different kings than the Papacy.
But, what we want to add to that now is that we read a quote, the first quote we talked about this morning. I left off the last sentence of the quote from Selected Messages, book 2, page 102, I believe. It is on page 3 of your notes from yesterday. The last sentence in that quote says,
". . . The scenes connected with the working of the man of sin are the last features plainly revealed in this earth's history." Selected Messages, book�2, 102.
So, when we understand that the last six verses of Daniel 11 are the last scenes of Earth's history, then you expect to see the man of sin portrayed in those scenes; therefore, to identify the King of the North as the Papacy is in agreement with that passage.
But, also, when you understand that the climax of the story of Michael in the Scriptures is in Daniel's last vision, and you understand that Michael is the controversy over Who is like God?, then you see that this controversy should be in these verses that lead to Michael standing up.
And on page 3 of your notes�and I am not going to go all the way through this. I am going to close this with just making a point, and then we are going to take up our notes tomorrow right here on page 3.
The Sides of the North
Isaiah 14:12-17; Psalm 48
But, in Isaiah 14, beginning in verse 12, it says,
"12How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!"�
When did he fall from Heaven? When there was war in Heaven.
With whom?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: Michael.
BROTHER PIPPENGER: Michael.
�"how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! 13For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven,"�
Remember, the whirlwind in verse 40, the mighty sweeping away, it means to ascend. When the Papacy is sweeping away the Soviet Union in 1989, it is beginning its ascent to the throne of the Earth. And ascending is a characteristic of the Papacy and Satan.
And Sister White tells us that the Protestants of the United States are going to restore the last ascendency of the man of sin.
So, in verse 13, it says,
�"13For thou has said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 14I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High."�
So, if you are careful in your consideration of these verses, you see that Satan wants to seat himself on two places. He wants to exalt his throne above the stars of God, but he will sit also�"I will sit also"�upon the mount of the congregation. Satan wants to sit upon God's political throne, and he wants to sit upon His religious throne, the Church; and, his Church is the mount of the congregation, which is in the sides of the North.
�"15Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. 16They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; 17That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners?" Isaiah 14:12-17 (KJV).
And if you go to Psalm 48, Psalm 48 tells us what the sides of the North are. Beginning in verse�1, it says,
"1Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness. 2Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King. 3God is known in her palaces for a refuge. 4For, lo, the kings were assembled, they passed by together. 5They saw it, and so they marvelled; they were troubled, and hasted away. 6Fear took hold upon them there, and pain, as of a woman in travail. 7Thou breakest the ships of Tarshish with an east wind. 8As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the Lord of hosts, in the city of our God: God will establish it for ever. Selah. 9We have thought of thy lovingkindness, O God, in the midst of thy temple. 10According to thy name, O God, so is thy praise unto the ends of the earth: thy right hand is full of righteousness. 11Let mount Zion rejoice, let the daughters of Judah be glad, because of thy judgments. 12Walk about Zion, and go round about her: tell the towers thereof. 13Mark ye well her bulwarks, consider her palaces; that ye may tell it to the generation following. 14For this God is our God for ever and ever: he will be our guide even unto death." Psalm 48 (KJV).
Okay. The king that sits upon Mount Zion is God; but, who wants to sit there?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: Satan.
BROTHER PIPPENGER: Satan. Satan wants to counterfeit God.
And what is the counterfeit about in this sense? It is a counterfeit King of the North, the sides of the North.
So, when you understand that Satan is counterfeiting the King of the North, and you come back into Daniel 11:40-45 and you ask yourself who is the King of the North, you have another line of reasoning to identify the King of the North as Satan.
And if you return to your notes now, it says, from Testimonies, volume 9, page 230,
"The determination of antichrist to carry out the rebellion he began in heaven will continue to work in the children of disobedience." Testimonies, volume 9, 230.
Who is the antichrist of Bible prophecy?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: The Papacy.
BROTHER PIPPENGER: Everyone just said the Papacy; but, is that what she is saying here: "The determination of antichrist to carry out the rebellion he began in heaven�.�.�."�?
You see, Satan and the Pope are interchangeable terms. When you see the antichrist, you have to determine by context if it is talking about the Papacy or Satan.
This antichrist here, this is the one that caused the rebellion in Heaven.
But, what does he want to do; what does Lucifer want to do? He wants to be seated on the sides of the North. He wants to be the King of the North. Satan wants to be the King of the North.
How does he accomplish that?
The next quote, The Great Controversy, page 50:
"To secure worldly gains and honors, the church was led to seek the favor and support of the great men of earth; and having thus rejected Christ, she was induced to yield allegiance to the representative of Satan�the bishop of Rome." The Great Controversy, 50.
So, if the Bishop of Rome is the antichrist, and Satan is the antichrist, and Satan wants to be the counterfeit King of the North, what does the Pope want to be? The counterfeit King of the North. This is another argument to identify who the King of the North is in the last six verses of Daniel�11; but, it should be understood in the context of what Daniel's last vision is all about.
What is Daniel's last vision all about?
From Daniel 10 to Daniel 12, who is there? Michael. It is about Michael. It is about the Great Controversy, Who is like God? Is it Satan or is it Christ? It is about his efforts, Lucifer's efforts, to counterfeit Christ; because, he wants to be King of the North.
Signs of the Times, November 19, 1894:
"Through the pope of Rome the same work has been carried on here on earth as was carried on in the courts of heaven before the expulsion of the prince of darkness. Satan sought to correct the law of God in heaven, and to supply an amendment of his own. He exalted his own judgment above that of his Creator, and placed his will above the will of Jehovah, and in this way virtually declared God to be fallible. The pope also takes the same course and, claiming infallibility for himself, seeks to adjust the law of God to meet his own ideas, thinking himself able to correct the mistakes he thinks he sees in the statutes and commands of the Lord of heaven and earth. He virtually says to the world, I will give you better laws than those of Jehovah. What an insult is this to the God of heaven!" Signs of the Times, November 19, 1894.
The Great Controversy, page 50:
"This compromise between paganism and Christianity resulted in the development of 'the man of sin' foretold in prophecy as opposing and exalting himself above God. That gigantic system of false religion"�
What gigantic system of false religion?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: Catholicism.
BROTHER PIPPENGER: The Catholic system.
�"That gigantic system of false religion is a masterpiece of Satan's power�a monument"�
A monument of what?
�"of his efforts to seat himself upon the throne to rule the earth according to his will." The Great Controversy, 50.
Satan built the Catholic Church so that he would have a throne on the Earth to sit on when he comes and personates Christ. And when he comes to do this, his personation of Christ, his claim that he is Michael, includes his claim that he is the true King of the North; and, his representative on Earth is the Pope of Rome, therefore the Pope of Rome is the counterfeit King of the North.
So, when we are dealing with Daniel 11, we need to be clear about who the King of the North is in this passage. And when we are clear, it opens a wealth of information about what is being illustrated in these verses.
We will return to this point tomorrow in our study.
Shall we close with a word of prayer?
Benediction: Heavenly Father, we thank you that the history that you have chosen to identify as the fulfillment of Daniel 11, verse 40, is not an obscure or a remote history, that it is the biggest historical event of the 20th Century, and that there is an abundance of information in the secular reports that confirm the history that you have represented in verse 40. As your people, we want to understand this correctly and what it means to us. We ask that you would grant us the presence of your Holy Spirit that our discernment might be fine-tuned to recognize that in 1989, when the collapse of the Soviet Union took place, that the Dirt Brush Man, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, began to remove the Seals, the customs, the traditions that have been handed down in Adventism. He began to remove those things that his people might understand this final experience, this final message in such a way that it will change them in your image and provide them with a message that they can carry to the world. Help us awaken out of our Laodicean condition, that we can see that we are now twenty-something years after the fact and by-and-large still in this Laodicean state. Forgive us for this. Forgive us for not fulfilling our responsibility to be students of prophecy and awaken us to this responsibility so that we can finish the work and go home with you soon we pray in Jesus's name. Amen.