Habakkuk's Two Tables #48
PART SIX: 1989
Presented by Jeff Pippenger
Invocation by Brother Jeff Pippenger: Heavenly Father, we thank you for a night's rest and for awakening us and for bringing us over to continue our study of 1989; Daniel 11, verse 40; William Miller's dream; and, all the various lines of truth that are connected with this passage in Scripture. We know if we are going to understand this correctly, we need the presence of your Holy Spirit. We ask that you would grant that to us now. We know that the Sankeys are on their way out here for next week's meetings. We ask that you give them traveling mercies, and we know that we have friends coming down from Canada to be a part of these meetings. Please protect them as well. We want to be vessels turned upward so that we can receive the Latter Rain that you have for us this morning. So, if there are any sins, any transgressions that we have committed that are preventing us from receiving the blessing of the Latter Rain as you open our understanding to your Word this morning, we ask that you would forgive us of these. We ask that you take control of my humanity and that you would overrule it, that what I say is for your glory and honor, and that you would overrule my brothers and sisters that are hearing these things that they would understand as you wish for them to understand these things. In Jesus's name, amen.
BROTHER PIPPENGER: We are trying to give some input on the significance of Daniel 11, verse 40, how many truths are connected to Daniel 11, verse 40. We are doing this to provide an argument that with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1989, in fulfillment of Daniel 11, verse 40, that this marks the Time of the End for the 144,000 when the Lion of the tribe of Judah begins to unseal the prophetic message for this history one seal at a time, meaning in a progressive fashion. It is an increase of knowledge that is illustrated in Daniel 12.
So, we have been taking a great deal of time here in verse 40 to set some of these themes in place; and, for the purpose of even looking at them even more closely as we proceed. Early on, within the past week of so, we showed that the history of Daniel 11, verse 40, begins in 1798 and it goes all the way to the close of human probation, which means it covers the history of the Millerites, all the way to the end of the world; and, therefore, the majority of that history is the history that we call Laodicea.
And we showed that the history of the first six Churches—Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, and Philadelphia—all are repeated in the history of Laodicea, and then we showed that the Seven Churches, the historical/prophetic representation of the Seven Churches also governs the history of Ancient Israel. So, we made a case that all the history of the Bible is illustrated upon the last six verses of Daniel 11. That is a pretty profound recognition all by itself. We have not dredged some of the depth of what that means. We have just put it in place so that we can expect for it to be true when we bring other lines of prophecy upon the top of Daniel 11:40-45, which we have begun to do a little bit of.
TIMELINE OF DANIEL 11:40 – 12:1
1798 1989 Sunday Law Egypt ARMAGEDDON
USA (France)
Reagan (Clovis) ISLAM
POWER 9/11
VERSES FORTY, FORTY-ONE, FORTY-TWO & Dan 11:44 – 12:1.
FORTY-THREE,
HISTORY OF REVELATION 13 (Also the History of the United States)
World Image
1798 Sunday Law of the Beast 666
Revelation 13:11 Rev 13:14-15 Rev 13:16-18
Figure No. 96.
We have identified that the history of Revelation 13:11 begins in 1798 and it ends when the United States speaks as a dragon at The Sunday Law. So, verse 11 of Revelation 13 is 1798 to The Sunday Law; and that the history of Daniel 11, verse 40, is from 1798 to The Sunday Law, therefore making a prophetic connection to anyone who wishes to see the prophetic connection between Daniel 11, verse 40, and Revelation 13:11.
We have made the argument, also if you are willing to see, that verse 40 has the Time of the End for the Millerites, 1798. And with the collapse of the Soviet Union, it has the Time of the End [1989] for the 144,000. So, the Time of the End for the beginning of Adventism and for the End of Adventism is in the very same verse. That is very profound when you think about it, if you think about it.
And then we went through, and not fully—and the reason I am saying "not fully" is because there are still some significant truths that we want to deal with, with the King of the South (the Dragon Power) in verse 40, and also with the United States, represented as the chariots, ships, and horsemen.
But, we have been discussing these three powers in this verse. The King of the North in verse 40 being the Beast of Revelation 16; the horsemen and chariots and ships, representing the twofold nature of military and economic strength, the two horns of the United States at the end of the world when they have lost their way, and, they are there in verse 40; and, the King of the South (being the Dragon) in verse 40 are the three powers that lead the world to Armageddon.
And Armageddon we have shown down here in Daniel 11:44 through Daniel 12:1, where the King of the North comes to his end with none to help, this is Armageddon. And it is these three powers in verse 40, the Beast, the Dragon, and the False Prophet, that lead the world to Armageddon. So, the story of Daniel 11:40-45 is the story of Revelation 16. And there are still more to be said about that.
And we have put a few other thoughts that I am not remembering to bring back up to our attention in play as well that we will probably deal with later.
But, in verse 40 we are saying that there is a long, protracted war between the Papacy and Atheism, Atheism being the King of the South in the verse. And at the beginning, the King of the South attacks the King of the North, pushes at him. But, in 1989, the King of the North retaliates against the King of the South and sweeps it away in a mighty fashion, passing over the countries. Whoever the King of the South is when it is swept away in verse 40, it is a confederacy of countries; because, the verse says that the King of the North passes over the countries. Of course, we are identifying that as the Soviet Union, which was a confederacy of countries.
But, though 1989 marks the fulfillment of Daniel 11, verse 40, the verse itself does not come to an end until The Sunday Law, Daniel 11:41, which we have not proven yet; but, we cannot prove everything at one time.
So, we are seeing in verse 40 a long, protracted war between the King of the South and the King of the North that ends in 1989; and, then we closed out yesterday by showing another illustration of this long, protracted war. All the prophets are speaking about the end of the world, and the history of Ancient Israel and the history of the Christian Church are all repeated in Laodicea; therefore, they are all repeated in the last six verses of Daniel 11.
HISTORY OF JOSIAH
1798 1989
ISLAM
2 Kings 23:29-30 Jeremiah 46:1-2
Revelation NINE Nineveh
THE LONG WAR (Verse 40)
Figure No. 97.
So, we went into the story of Josiah, who was given a warning message not to get involved with the war that was beginning, and this war was the King of the South: Pharaohnecho, the king of Egypt. The King of the South was pushing against the king of Assyria, the King of the North.
And right from the start, Pharaohnecho told Josiah, "The Lord has sent me against the King of the North. You need to stay out of it"; but, Josiah disregarded that warning message of Daniel 11, verse 40, and he went to war and there is where he died, and he died at Armageddon.
And in the fourth year of Jehoiakim, many years later, Jeremiah 46:1-2, the king of Babylon comes and deals the deadly blow to Pharaohnecho. So, you have here a long, protracted war.
This section here [from 1798 to 1989 (see Figure No. 97)] is this history here [from 1798 to The Sunday Law (see Figure No. 96, Timeline of Daniel)]. I just brought it down here to make a point.
You have a secondary long, protracted war where the King of the South pushes against the King of the North [referring to Figure No. 97], and then many years later the King of the North returns and retaliates against him.
And if you would see it—and maybe it is at a level that you are not prepared to acknowledge—but, here the King of the South pushes against the king of Assyria. But, this war, the Battle of Carchemish the Bible calls it, though it begins against the king of Assyria, when the King of the North returns, it is not the king of Assyria but the king of Babylon. Okay? In 1798 this is the Papacy that receives the deadly would [referring again to Figure No. 96.]
And if you are really going to study Rome prophetically, in Daniel 11:14 it tells us that it is Rome that establishes the vision. So, we need to study Rome carefully.
You have Pagan Rome in history, and then you have Papal Rome; but, Rome at the end of the world is modern Rome.
So, here [see Figure 96] is Papal Rome in 1798 receiving the deadly wound as the King of the South pushes at him; but here, when the King of the North retaliates against the king of Atheism in 1989, this is modern Rome.
In this story [see Figure 96] the King of the South pushes against the King of the North, Assyria; but, when the King of the North returns and retaliates against the King of the South, it is Babylon. If you can see that change there, it is marking the change between Papal Rome and modern Rome; and, it is giving us a lesson that Josiah as the leadership of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, by rejecting the warning message of Daniel 11, verse 40, he ends up at Armageddon on the wrong side of the issue.
The Battle of Constantinople: 1798, and
Nineveh: 1989 (Rome and Persia: A two-Horned Power)
Revelation 9:1-3
Okay. Now, another line of a long, protracted war is what we will take up here. I am calling it "The Battle of Constantinople and Nineveh," and you will see why.
We are going to read Revelation 9:1, and then we are going to go into Uriah Smith's commentary on this history. We will read verses 1 through 3 of Revelation 9.
And what we are saying is this is a third history that illustrates a long, protracted war. This is another line that goes over the top of Daniel 11, verse 40, the war between the King of the South and the King of the North.
Beginning at verse 1 of Revelation 9:
"1And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. 2And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. 3And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power." Revelation 9:1-3 (KJV).
Now, we want to say some things about here, but I want to say some things outside of what is our point here.
Go up to verse 10 of Revelation 8. Verse 10 says,
"10And the third angel sounded,—
What third angel? What is this?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: (No response.)
BROTHER PIPPENGER: It is too early in the morning for a question, huh?
It is the Third Trumpet. This is the Seven Trumpets of Revelation. And Miller and the Pioneers understood that the Trumpets were the historical forces that the Lord used to bring judgment upon Rome; and, the first four Trumpets bring judgment upon Western Rome, and Western Rome is disintegrated into the ten kingdoms of Daniel 7 by AD476 because of the activities of the first four Trumpets.
And here in verse 10 you have the Third Trumpet, and it is Attila the Hun. It says,
"10And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters." Revelation 8:10 (KJV).
This illustration of Attila the Hun, what is the symbol that represents him in the verse?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: A falling star.
BROTHER PIPPENGER: A falling star.
Okay. So, when you get down to Revelation 9, verse 1, it says,
"1And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven . . ." Revelation 9, (KJV).
In Adventism today, because Islam has become an issue in the world that Adventism cannot deny. Even if Adventism does not want to place Islam in prophecy, they cannot deny the activities of Islam are underway. So, you have some teachings about Islam that are a little bit off the Biblical radar, and one of them is found here and it is a premise that this star that fell from heaven here is Mohammad.
And this is in the context of Revelation 9, because Revelation 9 is about Islam of the Fifth and the Sixth Trumpets, the First and the Second Woes. But, what is argued here is Mohammad, when he originally began, he was a prophet of God; but, somewhere in the development of his life story, he falls away from God.
Okay. Now, what this does, it is using the falling star. That is the argument, "Look, it was a star in Heaven. It was in Heaven once. It had to be a good star; but, it fell, so it is a bad star."
So, my argument against that is, "Are you also trying to tell me that Attila the Hun was a prophet of God?" Because, this is the context of the passage: If you are going to make an assumption based upon a symbol of the falling of the star, and there is another falling of the stars in the same passage—and this is all about the Trumpets here—then, you have to be consistent.
And I have actually had a person argue that Attila the Hun was divinely appointed by the Lord. And I am not that familiar with history, but Attila the Hun was not a godly man, as I remember history, at any point along the way. But, that is not my point.
Once you make that assumption about Islam, then you have reason to argue that there are some—there is a possibility, or whatever, that the insights that are found in the Koran that some of them are sanctified and inspired. That leads you the wrong way. All right?
Because, if you go to Genesis, just to put this to bed, Genesis 16:12 where we see Ishmael introduced, Ishmael being the symbol of Islam, verse 11 of Genesis 16 says,
"11And the angel of the Lord said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the Lord hath heard thy affliction. 12And"—
And Sister White comments on this spirit of Ishmael. You will probably get to that quote at some point in this study, where his spirit is a troublemaker to everyone that he comes in contact with.
So,
—"he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren." Genesis 16:11-2 (KJV).
The spirit that is associated with all of his brethren, according to Inspiration, is this unholy spirit. So, when you are trying to make a case that there is some component of Islam that is sanctified and holy, it stands against the stated pronouncement of Ishmael and all his descendents.
But, I am not trying to bad-mouth people that are in the religion of Islam anymore than I am bad-mouthing a Catholic person when I am dealing with the Catholic Church or the Papacy. It is not at the personal level, but it is at the prophetic level.
Go back to Revelation 9.
At the prophetic level, we need to know who we are dealing with. And when you take the time—we will not do it here—to look at the term bottomless pit, and Sister White's comments on it, "bottomless pit" appears here in Revelation 9; it appears in Revelation 11 in association with the French Revolution. It is where Satan is put for a thousand years in Revelation 20; and, the Catholic Church in Revelation 17 comes out of the bottomless pit. And whenever Sister White comments on the bottomless pit, she says it is a new manifestation of satanic power. So, when you see Islam coming out of the bottomless pit, the Spirit of Prophecy also says, "satanic power." It does not say anything about Mohammad once being a prophet, or that possibly there is some sanctified insight that we can glean from the Koran.
So, Uriah Smith comments. Who is Uriah Smith? He is God's helping hand. In Thoughts on Daniel and the Revelation, pages 495 – 497, he comments on this passage of Revelation 9, verses 1 through 3.
And Revelation 9, verses 1 through 3, is talking about a key, something that happens in history; because, what does James White say about prophecy? It is history in advance.
So, this key is a key in history that opens up the bottomless pit in verse 1.
And then in verse 2, when the bottomless pit is opened, there is a smoke that comes out of the pit like locusts and scorpions in verse 3. And this is identifying the historical event that brings Islam into history.
Okay. That is a brief overview.
Now, Uriah Smith is going to tell us the history that is represented in these verses that allows the smoke of Islam to come into history. This is Uriah Smith:
"'VERSE 1. And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.'
"For an exposition of this trumpet, we shall again draw from the writings of Mr. Keith. This writer truthfully says: 'There is scarcely"—
Now, notice, Uriah Smith is agreeing with this Keith that he is quoting; and, pay attention to what he is agreeing with, because what he is agreeing with, what he is saying is of all the symbols in the Book of Revelation that are easily established, the one that is the most easily established is the Fifth and Sixth Trumpets identifying Islam. Okay?
—"This writer truthfully says, 'There is scarcely so uniform an agreement among interpreters concerning any other part of the Apocalypse as respecting the application of the fifth and sixth trumpets, or the first and second woes, to the Saracens and Turks."—
Saracens, Fifth Trumpet; Mohammad and his followers, Turks, Sixth Trumpet, Islam moves to Turkey, the Ottoman Empire.
—"It is so obvious that it can scarcely be misunderstood. Instead of a verse or two designating each, the whole of the ninth chapter of the Revelation in equal portions, is occupied with a description of both.
"'The Roman empire declined, as it arose, by conquest; but the Saracens and the Turks were the instruments by which a false religion became the scourge of an apostate church;"—
So, there is one of the definitions of the role of Islam that the Pioneers held to, is that Islam is raised up. It is a false religion, to be a scourge against an apostate church.
—"and hence, instead of the fifth and sixth trumpets, like the former, being designated by that name alone, they are called woes."—
What does he mean by that?
Because, you can pronounce judgment on a secular person; but, if you pronounce judgment upon a church, then it is a woe because it has a religious connotation. So, now he is going to explain this.
—"'Constantinople was besieged,"—
What is Constantinople?
What is Constantinople?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: It is the capitol.
BROTHER PIPPENGER: It is the capitol of the Roman Empire.
Since when?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: AD330.
BROTHER PIPPENGER: Since AD330.
So, in AD330 Constantine divided the kingdom in half—right?—between East and West, and the political branch of the kingdom went to the East.
And when he did that, what did he give to the Papacy? He gave the Papacy its seat in the City of Rome.
And who is the Papacy? It is the church.
So, from this point on, we see Western Rome a symbol of the church, and Eastern Rome a symbol of the state. That is worth keeping in your mind. Eastern Rome is the state, and Western Rome is the church. Right? Constantinople, the new political center.
—"Constantinople was besieged, for the"—
For what, the seventh or eighth time?
—"for the first time after the extinction of the Western empire, by Chosroes, the king of Persia.'"—
Now, we have things to say about Persia that I am going to say here and not defend. Okay? But, I want you to at least put it into your memory bank to when we come back here.
We are required to understand the Beast, the Dragon, and the False Prophet. Why?
Why are we required to understand that?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: (No audible responses.)
BROTHER PIPPENGER: Because, we are those that have been identified as the ones that are going to call people out of Babylon.
So, what is Babylon?
You ought to know what Babylon is if you are going to call people out of Babylon. In fact, if you are going to be the one that calls people out of Babylon, then you probably need to be the expert on what Babylon is. And what is Babylon at the end of the world?
It is a city that is divided into three parts. One part is the Beast, one part is the Dragon, and one part is the False Prophet. So, if there is light about these three entities or their relationship to one another, as those that are going to call people out of Babylon, we should be the experts on it. And what I want you to see is that each of these powers has their own unique characteristics.
We have dealt a little bit with the Dragon. His primary characteristic is the number 10.
You do not see the number 10 associated with the Papacy. I mean, you do in the sense that the Papacy is counterfeiting Paganism, but it is not a primary symbol of the Papacy.
You do not see the number 10 associated with the False Prophet. And when it comes to the False Prophet, one of the characteristics of the False Prophet is he has two horns.
Okay. When he is the lamb-like beast, it is Republicanism and Protestantism; and when he speaks as a dragon, it is military and economic strength.
And the lamb-like beast, we have already made our first approach to the fact that the lamb-like beast is the power that places the Papacy on the throne of the Earth, and therefore was typified by Clovis; because, the lamb-like beast, we pointed out, is going to exercise all the power of the first beast before it (verse 12 of Revelation 13). And then we went to verse 2 of Revelation 13 and looked at the power, the seat, and the authority, and Clovis represents the power that was given to the Papacy to place it upon the throne of the Earth in AD538; therefore, we have identified that Clovis is typifying the United States, and Clovis is the king of France, and the king of France in Revelation 11, verse 8, has two nations in it, Sodom and Egypt; because France is typifying the United States.
And when it comes to the False Prophet, one of the characteristics of the False Prophet is that it is a dual nation. Okay?
There are only so many nations that are a dual nation. Who brought Babylon to the throne, because Babylon is prefiguring Rome? A twofold nation of France placed Papal Rome on the throne of the Earth, and the twofold nation of the United States is going to put modern Rome on the throne of the Earth. But, who put Babylon on the throne of the Earth? It was Hezekiah, by having the sign of the sun going backwards, which brought the Babylonians.
And then Hezekiah, instead of praising and lifting up the Lord, he said, "Come and look at all the good stuff I have." And this was the motivation for Babylon coming to the throne of the Earth.
And Hezekiah represents Israel, and Israel is a twofold power. It has the Northern Kingdom and the Southern Kingdom, Ephraim and Judah.
So, it is always a twofold power that places the Papacy or Babylon on the throne of the Earth, and it is always a twofold power that takes her down.
And who took Babylon down?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: Medo-Persia.
BROTHER PIPPENGER: Medo-Persia, a twofold nation, a twofold nation. That twofold nation is representing who at the end of the world?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: The United States.
BROTHER PIPPENGER: The United States. All the prophets are speaking about the end of the word.
So, I want you to see in the story of Revelation 9:1 that the power that is being represented here is Persia.
What is Persia? It is a twofold power. It does not say "Medes and Persians" specifically, but that is who Persia is in prophecy. It is the Medes and the Persians.
And when you look closely at the Medes and the Persians, they are teaching the same thing that is taught in Revelation 13:11; the United States changes.
The Medes and the Persians changed. When they came into history, who was the power? The Medes; but they end up, it was the Persians.
But in any case, in Bible prophecy when you see the Persians, what do you see? A twofold power; and, when you see a twofold power, it could be France, the United States.
—"Constantinople was besieged, for the first time after the extinction of the Western empire, by Chosroes, the king of Persia."
Who is Constantinople? It is Rome, is it not? It is still Rome.
And who is Rome? It is the King of the North.
And who is Persia? It is the twofold power.
Who is it? It is the King of the South. And this is the first encounter between Persia, the King of the South, pushing against Rome, Constantinople, the King of the North.
All right. Do you follow me?
—"'A star fell from heaven unto the earth; and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.'
"'While the Persian monarch contemplated the wonders of his art and power, he received an epistle"—a letter—"from an obscure citizen of Mecca, inviting him to acknowledge Mohammed as the apostle of God. He rejected the invitation, and tore the epistle. "It is thus," exclaimed the Arabian prophet, "that God will tear the kingdom, and reject the supplication of Chosroes." Placed on the verge of these two empires of the East, Mohammed observed with secret joy the progress of mutual destruction; and in the midst of the Persian triumphs he ventured to foretell, that, before many years should elapse, victory would again return to the banners of the Romans. "At the time when this prediction is said to have been delivered, no prophecy could be more distant from its accomplishment (!) since the first twelve years of Heraclius announced the approaching dissolution of the empire."
We have got more to read here, but what it is saying is, is that Persia attacks Constantinople. The King of the South, the two-horned power, the Medes and the Persians, the two-horned power pushes against Constantinople in the East and prevails initially.
But in this line of prophecy [referencing Figure No. 97], it is not about Josiah representing Adventism that rejects the warning message of Daniel 11:40. This line of prophecy we are dealing with here, Revelation 9, it is putting another piece of information into this history. It is going to identify what are the dynamics that take place that brings Islam into prophetic history.
And as we have just read, Mohammad could see that these two powers were going to exhaust their strengths and leave a power vacuum for the rise of Islam, and that is just what happened.
Continuing on,
"'It was not, like that designative of Attila, on a single spot that the star fell, but UPON THE EARTH.
"'Chosroes subjugated the Roman possession in Asia and Africa."—
He pushed against the King of the North, and he prevailed.
"—And "the Roman empire," at that period, "was reduced to the walls of Constantinople, with the remnant of Greece, Italy, and Africa, and some maritime cities, from Tyre to Trebizond, of the Asiatic coast. The experience of six years at length persuaded the Persian monarch to renounce the conquest of Constantinople,"—
See, it is a long, drawn-out war. He is battling to take Constantinople. He is taking the Empire away from the Romans. But, after six years, he says, "Enough." He pushes at him.
—"and to specify the annual tribute of the ransom of the Roman empire,—"
"Okay. I am not going to continue warring against you, but you are going to pay me a tribute." The two-horned power says this.
—"a thousand talents of gold, a thousand talents of silver, a thousand silk robes, a thousand horses, and a thousand virgins. Heraclius subscribed to these ignominious terms. But the time and space which he obtained to collect those treasures from the poverty of the East were industriously employed in the preparation of a bold and desperate attack."'—
So, he is forced to pay tribute to the two-horned power, Persia; because, he has been delivered a deadly wound, right here [1798]; and, he has a poor kingdom that he is going to raise taxes on in order to pay these tributes to the two-horned power.
But, in the meantime, he has got a secret plan going on. All right? A bold and desperate attack.
And this particular attack, if you are someone that is studying warfare at a college that teaches warfare, you know, the military colleges that do this, this is one of the most famous military campaigns in history. It is studied.
—"'The king of Persia despised the obscure Saracen,'"—
They despised Islam.
—"'and derided the message of the pretended prophet of Mecca. Even the overthrow of the Roman empire would not have opened a door for Mohammedanism, or for the progress of the Saracenic armed propagators of an imposture, though the monarch of the Persians and chagan of the Avars (the successor of Attila) had divided between them the remains of the kingdoms of the Caesars. Chosroes himself fell. The Persian and Roman monarchies exhausted each other's strength. And before a sword was put into the hands of the false prophet, it was smitten from the hands of those who would have checked his career and crushed his power."—
So, Chosroes, the Persian, he goes down and—anyway, you can follow Smith.
—"'Since the days of Scipio and Hannibal, no bolder enterprise has been attempted than that which Heraclius achieved for the deliverance of the empire.'"—
Now he is going to tell us about this long, draw-out war campaign.
—"'He explored his perilous way through the Black Sea and the mountains of Armenia, penetrated into the heart of Persia, and recalled the armies of the great king to the defense of their bleeding country.'
"'In the battle of Nineveh, which was fiercely fought from daybreak to the eleventh hour, twenty-eight standards, besides those which might be broken or torn, were taken from the Persians; the greatest part of their army was cut in pieces, and the victors, concealing their own loss, passed the night on the field. The cities and palaces of Assyria were opened for the first time to the Romans.'
"'The Roman emperor was not strengthened by the conquests which he achieved; and a way was prepared at the same time, and by the same means, for the multitudes of Saracens from Arabia, like locusts from the same region, who, propagating in their course the dark and delusive Mohammedan creed, speedily overspread both the Persian and the Roman empire.'"—
So, what is being described here is the two-horned power, Persia, pushes against Rome at the Battle of Constantinople, and puts Rome in subjection. But, the leader of Rome, this Heraclius, he secretly sends his army all the way around the geography of Persia and comes in behind Persia and attacks down here at the Battle of Nineveh. And he defeats Persia at the Battle of Nineveh. The King of the North defeats the King of the South at the end of the battle.
But as he does so, the King of the South, he is out of the picture now; but, Heraclius, the Roman power, all his strength is gone.
So, the two powers, the Persians and the Romans, that could have prevented the rise of Mohammad and Islam, they have no power.
So what this story is telling us is that right after 1989, you should expect to see the rise of Islam into history.
The key, the key that opens that bottomless pit, the Battle of Nineveh: it is 1989; it is Daniel 11, verse 40; it is the point in history where the Dirt Brush Man enters in order to open God's Word to His people with a testing message.
—"'More complete illustration of this fact could not be desired than is supplied in the concluding words of the chapter from Gibbon, from which the preceding extracts are taken.' 'Although a victorious army had been formed under the standard of Heraclius, the unnatural effort seems to have exhausted rather than exercised their strength. While the emperor triumphed at Constantinople or Jerusalem, an obscure town on the confines of Syria was pillaged by the Saracens, and they cut in pieces some troops who advanced to its relief,—an ordinary and trifling occurrence, had it not been the prelude of a mighty revolution. These robbers were the apostles of Mohammed; their frantic valor had emerged from the desert; and in the last eight years of his reign, Heraclius lost to the Arabs the same provinces which he had rescued from the Persians.'
'"The spirit of fraud and enthusiasm, whose abode is not in the heavens,' was let loose on earth. The bottomless pit needed but a key to open it, and that key was the fall of Chosroes. He had contemptuously torn the letter of an obscure citizen of Mecca. But when from his 'blaze of glory' he sunk into"—
And where does Chosroes sink into, to mark the key, according to Uriah Smith?
Now, Sister White was asked about if she thought that Uriah Smith's book, Thoughts on Daniel and the Revelation, was inspired, and she was disgusted by that question, it appears to be, if a prophetess can be disgusted; because, she tells her nephew, Frank Belden who asked that question, "I shall not answer that question."
She knew that Uriah Smith was not inspired. She said, "I shall not answer that question. I dare not say that these men," these Pioneer authors, "were not led of God; but, as to inspiration in the fullest sense, they were not." That was her response.
But, she does say they were led of God.
So, what does it mean that you are led of God? Well, maybe it means that the Lord led Uriah Smith right here to say the key, the fall of Chosroes that brings Islam into history, maybe Uriah Smith was saying that what we want to mark the death of Chosroes with is this statement here:
—"But when from his 'blaze of glory' he sunk into the 'tower of darkness'"—
Then we would find a tower marking the rise of Islam in history.
—"he sunk into the 'tower of darkness' which no eye could penetrate, the name of Chosroes was suddenly to pass into oblivion before that of Mohammed; and the crescent seemed but to wait its rising till the falling of the star. Chosroes, after his entire discomfiture and loss of empire, was murdered in the year 628; and the year 629 is marked by 'the conquest of Arabia,' and 'the first war of the Mohammedans against the Roman empire.' 'And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth; and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless pit.' He fell unto the earth. When the strength of the Roman empire was exhausted, and the great king of the East lay dead in his tower of darkness, the pillage of an obscure town on the borders of Syria was 'the prelude of a mighty revolution.' 'The robbers were the apostles of Mohammed, and their frantic valor emerged from the desert."'
"The Bottomless Pit.—The meaning of this term may be learned from the Greek, which is defined 'deep, bottomless, profound,' and may refer to any waste, desolate, and uncultivated place. It is applied to the earth in its original state of chaos. Genesis 1:2. In this instance it may appropriately refer to the unknown wastes of the Arabian desert, from the borders of which issued the hordes of Saracens like swarms of locusts. And the fall of Chosroes, the Persian king, may well be represented as the opening of the bottomless pit, inasmuch as it prepared the way for the followers of Mohammed to issue from their obscure country, and propagate their delusive doctrines with fire and sword, till they had spread their darkness over all the Eastern empire." Uriah Smith, Thoughts on Daniel and the Revelation, 495–497.
So, what we are saying here is that in Daniel 11, verse 40, you have a long, drawn-out war between the King of the South and the King of the North. It begins when the King of the South pushes at the King of the North and prevails. It ends when the King of the North returns and retaliates and sweeps around the way of the King of the South.
In the history of verse 40, the King of the South is the king of Atheism, and the King of the North is the Papacy and modern Rome.
In the story of Josiah, Egypt pushes against Assyria, and ultimately Egypt is defeated by Babylon many years later in this Battle of Carchemish.
And this tells us that those in Adventism that reject the warning message of verse 40 are going to end up down here in verses 44 to Daniel 12:1 on the wrong side of the issue in Armageddon.
But, Revelation 9, in this long, drawn-out war, is telling us that when Persia pushed against Rome and initially won the battle, that Rome was going to return and retaliate; and, when Rome retaliated and sweeps away the King of the South (Persia) that this is the key that brings Islam into history. So sometime in verse 40, before verse 41 which is The Sunday Law, if what we are saying is correct, with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1989, then sometime before The Sunday Law in the United States, we should expect to see Islam come back into prophetic history.
And if you believe that Uriah Smith was led of the Lord, then maybe the fact that he marks the fall of Chosroes as a fall of a tower to the earth, might ring some bells for you.
Okay. Switching gears now.
A Revival
The purpose of Daniel 11:40-45 is to produce a revival among God's people. This is another thought in connection with the great, deep significance of Daniel 11:40-45, and verse 40 in particular.
In Selected Messages, book 1, page 121, it says,
"A revival of true godliness among us is the greatest and most urgent of all our needs. To seek this should be our first work." Selected Messages, book 1, 121.
On page 128 in the same passage, of the same book—this is the same manuscript here. She is going to define what a revival is. She says,
"A revival and a reformation must take place, under the ministration of the Holy Spirit. Revival and reformation are two different things. Revival signifies a renewal of spiritual life,"—
Therefore, if you go back to the quote right before that, when she says a revival is our greatest need and our first work, and it is a renewal of spiritual life, it means that we are spiritually dead. At the end of the world we are Laodiceans. We are a valley of dead, dry bones. We are sleeping virgins, and our greatest need is to be awakened, to have the Spirit breathed upon these dead, dry bones that they might stand up a mighty army.
—a quickening of the powers of mind and heart, a resurrection from spiritual death. Reformation signifies a reorganization, a change in ideas and theories, habits and practices. Reformation will not bring forth the good fruit of righteousness unless it is connected with the revival of the Spirit. Revival and reformation are to do their appointed work, and in doing this work they must blend." Selected Messages, book 1, 128.
How does that happen?
Testimonies to Ministers, page 113, says,
"When we as a people understand what this book means to us, there will be seen among us a great revival." Testimonies to Ministers, 113.
And "this book" here, when you look in the writings of Sister White, she is talking about "the books" of Daniel and Revelation; because, she repeatedly says they are the same book.
"When we as a people understand what this book means to us, there will be seen among us a great revival." Testimonies to Ministers, 113.
Next quote, The Faith I Live By, page 345:
"When the books of Daniel and Revelation are better understood, believers will have an entirely different religious experience. . . One thing will certainly be understood from the study of Revelation—that the connection between God and His people is close and decided." The Faith I Live By, 345.
Our greatest need is for a revival, and Inspiration teaches us that the revival comes from a prophetic message that is found in the book of Daniel and Revelation; and, we are saying that Daniel 11, verses 40 and 41, these two verses, are the verses that have been designed by God to produce the revival of God's people.
Verse 40 has the most, the greatest, the biggest historical event of the 20th Century as its fulfillment, the collapse of the Soviet Union. Verse 40 announces in big, black and white words that the last six verses of Daniel 11 have begun to be fulfilled. God requires Seventh-day Adventists to recognize this. If you recognize that in 1989 Daniel 11, verse 40, was fulfilled in the collapse of the Soviet Union and you wake up and consider what verse 41 represents, verse 41 represents a Sunday Law in the United States. And when you understand what that means, it means that probation is going to close for Seventh-day Adventists at The Sunday Law in the United States. So, the next thing in the prophecies of Daniel 11:40-45 that is specifically marked as happening is the close of probation for Seventh-day Adventists.
If you understand from verse 40 that the next thing to happen is that your probation is going to close and you determine through the power of the Holy Spirit to bring your life into agreement with this fact, what happens to you? You experience a revival in your life, because you know that you are not ready for the Seal of God. You know you are ready for the mark of the beast, and you realize that the mark of the beast and the Seal of God are on their way, so you go to the foot of the cross and you meet the requirements of the Gospel so the Lord can finish the work that He began in you that you can be ready for the Seal of God when verse 41 arrives. And this is the formula that is in Daniel and Revelation that has been designed by God to produce the revival among Seventh-day Adventists at the end of the world, the revival that we call the Latter Rain.
Okay. So, when we are dealing with the significance of verse 40 and that it is the Time of the End for the 144,000, and that there is a truth unsealed in agreement with what we are taught in Daniel 12, and that the Lion of the tribe of Judah begins to remove seals one at a time in agreement with Revelation 5, and that the Dirt Brush Man has entered and is sweeping out the false coin in agreement with William Miller's dream, what we are saying is that verse 40 is identifying the very truth that brings God's people to life. And verse 40 is a pretty profound verse.
Okay. So, we have put that in place.
The Elijah Message
We want to look at what is the message of verse 40: What is the message of verse 40? And we are going to say it is the First Message; because, we are repeating the history of the Millerites, and the history of the Millerites is the history of the First and Second Angels' Messages. The Second Angel's Message concludes with the arrival of the Third Message. But, the basic history of the Millerites from 1798 to 1844 is the history of the First and Second Angels' Messages; and, we will repeat that history. We will have a first message and a second message. In every Reform Movement there is a first and a second message that concludes with the closing of a door. So, we want to mark that the message of Daniel 11, verse 40, it is the First Message.
The Judgment of AD70
Matthew 3:7
What is the First Message?
Go to Matthew 3:7. We have been over this before, but we still want to go over it again.
The time of Christ is repeated in our history, and in the time of Christ you had two messages. We have read about it in the worship series, in Early Writings, page 259, "All those that would not receive the message of John the Baptist"—there is your first message—"could not be benefitted by the teachings of Jesus." There is your second message, and the message of Jesus ended at the cross when the door closed, which was followed by the disappointment of the Disciples, prefiguring the disappointment of the Millerites. The cross lines up with October 22, 1844; and before October 22, 1844, you have the First Message of William Miller, and the Second Message that is marked when the Mighty Angel of Revelation 10 descends, and that Angel is no less the personage than Jesus Christ. The First Message for the Millerites is Miller's, and the Second is Jesus Christ; and, the First Message in the time of Christ was John the Baptist, and the Second was Jesus Christ. Okay? The same histories.
And in Matthew 3:7, it says, speaking of John,
"7But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?" Matthew 3:7 (KJV).
The reason he calls them the "generation of vipers" is this is the fourth generation, prophetically; and, in the fourth generation is when Christ accomplishes the Everlasting Gospel. And when Christ accomplishes the Everlasting Gospel, he is going to produce two classes of worshippers. One is going to be the seed of Christ, and one is going to be the seed of Satan, and Satan is the serpent. Satan is the viper. That is why John is saying, "You are the generation of vipers. You are the generation that is going to become the seed of Satan." It is not like he is being mean-spirited; he is just being accurate to the generation that he is in.
But, we are not dealing with that. We are dealing with the question that he asked them, who hath warned them to flee from the wrath to come.
What is the wrath to come in the time period of John the Baptist?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: The destruction of Jerusalem.
BROTHER PIPPENGER: The destruction of Jerusalem in AD70.
And who warned the Jews to flee from the events connected with the close of probation for Ancient Israel? Who had warned them?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: Daniel.
BROTHER PIPPENGER: Daniel, the prophet. Daniel, the prophet.
The Voice
Matthew 3:1-3; Isaiah 40:1-5
And in Matthew 3, verses 1 through 3, it says,
"1In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, 2And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. 3For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight." Matthew 3:1‑3 (KJV).
So, John the Baptist, not only does he give the message that is the events connected with the close of probation, he is the voice crying in the wilderness. Right?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: (No audible responses.)
BROTHER PIPPENGER: Yes?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: Yes.
BROTHER PIPPENGER: Go to Isaiah 40, verses 1 through 5.
"1Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. 2Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned:"—
When is Israel's iniquity pardoned?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: (No audible responses.)
BROTHER PIPPENGER: At the blotting out of sin.
—"for she hath received of the Lord's hand double for all her sins.
"3The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 4Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: 5And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it." Isaiah 40:1-5 (KJV).
When is the whole world lightened with the glory of the Lord?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: Revelation 18.
BROTHER PIPPENGER: Revelation 18. This is primarily speaking about Revelation 18.
And when are we pardoned in that time period? When the sins are being blotted out; and, in that time period there will be a voice crying in the wilderness that is setting forth the events connected with the close of probation.
Do you follow the logic?
Okay. Sister White in Prophets and Kings, page 119, says,
"Among the mountains of Gilead, east of the Jordan, there dwelt in the days of Ahab a man of faith and prayer whose fearless ministry was destined to check the rapid spread of apostasy in Israel."—
Who is Ahab?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: He is Jezebel's husband.
BROTHER PIPPENGER: He is Jezebel's husband.
Who is Jezebel? She is the Papacy. She is Thyatira during the 1260 years, and she is modern Rome at the end of the world.
And who is ruling in that relationship, Ahab or Jezebel?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: Jezebel.
BROTHER PIPPENGER: Jezebel is ruling in that relationship.
And who is Ahab the head of?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: Israel.
BROTHER PIPPENGER: Ten tribes. Okay? There are Ten Kings in Revelation 17 that commit fornication with the whore of Rome in Revelation 17. Those Ten Kings, that is Israel; but, of those Ten Kings there is one king that rules over those Ten Kings. Who is Ahab?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: Israel?
BROTHER PIPPENGER: The United States; because, we read a quote yesterday or the day before that says the United States unites with the dragon power. We pointed it out for you. It becomes part of these Ten Kings, and it is the primary part because we have also read a quote that the United States is the last power to make war with Christians.
Okay. So, Ahab is the Ten Kings; Jezebel is the Papacy; but, Ahab, other than the Ten Kings is primarily representing the role of the United States at the end of the world.
—"Far removed from any city of renown, and occupying no high station in life, Elijah the Tishbite nevertheless entered upon his mission confident in God's purpose to prepare the way before him and to give him abundant success. The word of faith and power was upon his lips, and his whole life was devoted to the work of reform. His was the voice of one crying in the wilderness"—
He was the voice of one crying in the wilderness, and Isaiah predicts a voice of one crying in the wilderness long after Elijah is on the scene of history.
Miller
So, Elijah is prefiguring John the Baptist; but, Elijah and John the Baptist are prefiguring who?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: William Miller.
BROTHER PIPPENGER: William Miller, and their voices are a message that comes from the wilderness.
—"His was the voice of one crying in the wilderness to rebuke sin and press back the tide of evil. And while he came to the people as a reprover of sin, his message offered the balm of Gilead to the sin-sick souls of all who desired to be healed." Prophets and Kings, 119.
And, of course, we have read this before, Early Writings, page 233.
"Thousands were led to embrace the truth preached by William Miller, and servants of God were raised up in the spirit and power of Elijah to proclaim the message. Like John, the forerunner of Jesus, those who preached this solemn message felt compelled to lay the ax at the root of the tree, and call upon men to bring forth fruits meet for repentance. Their testimony was calculated to arouse and powerfully affect the churches and manifest their real character. And as the solemn warning to flee from the wrath to come was sounded, many who were united with the churches received the healing message; they saw their backslidings, and with bitter tears of repentance and deep agony of soul, humbled themselves before God. And as the Spirit of God rested upon them, they helped to sound the cry, 'Fear God, and give glory to Him; for the hour of His judgment is come.'" Early Writings, 233.
So, in the history of the Millerites, there is the First Message, who is William Miller, and it has been prefigured by both John the Baptist and Elijah, who are First Messages.
And Elijah, the real Elijah, is the first of two messages. What is the Second Message in his history?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: Elisha.
BROTHER PIPPENGER: Elisha.
John the Baptist is the First. Who is the Second in his history? Jesus.
And in the Millerite History, Miller is the First, followed by Jesus on 9/11—(pause)—8/11/1840. Okay?
The Opening of the Judgment
So, what was Miller's message? We have read this before, The Great Controversy, page 310.
"It was needful that men should be awakened to their danger; that they should be roused to prepare for the solemn events connected with the close of probation." The Great Controversy, 310.
That is John's message: Who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?" which comes when Ancient Israel is divorced of God at the stoning of Stephen and probation closes upon this people. John the Baptist was acquainting them with the events connected with the close of probation; and William Miller, prefigured by John the Baptist, is presenting the events connected with the close of probation.
And in Daniel 11, verse 40, is introducing the genuine events that lead to the close of probation. Daniel 11, verse 40, is the First Message. It is the message of Elijah; it is the message of John the Baptist; it is the message of Miller.
The Close of Probation
In Prophets and Kings, pages 715 – 716, it says,
"Today, in the spirit and power of Elias and of John the Baptist, messengers of God's appointment are calling the attention of a judgment-bound world to the solemn events soon to take place in connection with the closing hours of probation and the appearance of Christ Jesus as King of kings and Lord of lords." Prophets and Kings, 715–716.
And if you see a spokesman in Adventism that is not now identifying the events connected with the close of probation in their message, then you know that they are a false teacher; because, at this time in history, the message is about the events connected with the close of Judgment and Probation. Any other message is a distraction at best. All right?
And what is that message? It is the First Message.
And what marks the beginning of that Message? Daniel 11, verse 40, identifies that the first verse of the verses that lead to the close of probation has been fulfilled; and, it warns those that will be warned that the next verse [verse 41 of Daniel 11] is the close of probation for Seventh-day Adventists and you better get your life straight or you are going to receive the mark of the beast.
What is our work? Testimonies, volume 8, pages 9-10:
"What is our work? The same as that given to John the Baptist, of whom we read: 'In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying,"—
So, our work is what? It is the voice of one crying in the wilderness.
—"Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make His paths straight.' Matthew 3:1–3.
"All who are truly engaged in the work of the Lord for these last days will have a decided message to bear."—
A decided message to bear.
—"Read the first few verses of the fortieth chapter of Isaiah:"—
We already did read that.
—"'The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.' Isaiah 40:3–5.
"'The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field: the grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the Spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand forever.' Verses 6–8.
"This chapter is filled with instruction appropriate for us at this time. The word of the Lord to us is: 'Repent ye; prepare the way for a revival of My work.'" Testimonies, volume 8, 9–10.
FROM THE AUDIENCE: Hmm.
BROTHER PIPPENGER: Elijah's message was based upon the apostasy of Jezebel; and, in response to that, there were three and a half years of drought. And those three and a half years of drought prefigures the 1260 years of Dark Ages when Jezebel (the Papacy) ruled the world.
And in both Elijah and Miller, their messages were in response to what when on in the wilderness time period.
The voice, the message, that comes out of the wilderness has a relationship to the darkness that precedes that history.
John the Baptist had a relationship to the darkness that preceded that history, the darkness that had put preconceived ideas in the minds of Ancient Israel that prevented them from understanding who the Messiah was. Okay?
So, your message is also always going to have some relationship to the wilderness that precedes your time period.
Do you follow that logic?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: (Affirmations.)
BROTHER PIPPENGER: So, what is the wilderness that precedes our time period?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: William Miller's dream.
BROTHER PIPPENGER: William Miller's dream.
If you are not understanding William Miller's dream and the darkness that has come into Adventism represented by the band of iron and brass that was placed around the root of the tree, then you are not giving a message from the wilderness. You are not the voice crying in the wilderness.
And if you are not talking about the close of probation, you are not that voice crying in the wilderness.
Parables
Now, we have these next quotes here, we have looked at more than once.
The Great Controversy, page 393:
"The parable of the ten virgins of Matthew 25 also illustrates the experience of the Adventist people." The Great Controversy, 393.
The parable of the Ten Virgins is our parable.
Review and Herald, August 19, 1890:
"I am often referred to the parable of the ten virgins, five of whom were wise, and five foolish. This parable has been and will be fulfilled to the very letter, for it has a special application to this time, and, like the third angel's message, has been fulfilled and will continue to be present truth till the close of time." Review and Herald, August 19, 1890.
This parable has been and will be fulfilled to the very letter, fulfilled in the Millerite History, fulfilled in our history.
The parable of the Ten Virgins is about the wise and foolish virgins.
Review and Herald, August 19, 1890, Sister White says,
"The state of the Church represented by the foolish virgins, is also spoken of as the Laodicean state." Review and Herald, August 19, 1890.
The foolish virgins are that they are going to find that they have no oil; they are the Laodiceans in Adventism. The wise virgins in Adventism that have oil, those are the Philadelphians; and, the Philadelphians are going to have the privilege and responsibility of carrying the final warning message to the eleventh-hour workers that are in Sardis.
But, these parables all teach that after the Judgment there is no probation.
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.
When The Sunday Law comes, there is no more probationary time for Seventh-day Adventists. When verse 41 comes, probation is closed. You better get ready before probation closes, or you are going to die. This is the way the Lord produces a revival from the books of Daniel and Revelation.
So, what I am saying is, if you are saying that you are a messenger to Adventism today and you are not emphasizing the events that lead to the close of probation and the close of Judgment, then you obviously are not a messenger and you are not paralleling the work of Elijah and John the Baptist or William Miller.
If your message does not have some connection to the wilderness time period that preceded the unsealing of the prophecy in our day and age, then you are not the voice crying in the wilderness.
Why am I making an emphasis on this? Well, why not? The theme that Jesus marked in Matthew 24, more than any other thing, was that in this time period beware because there is going to be false teachers and false prophets. He said that more than any other thing. So, let us be clear, who are the false teachers, who are the false prophets?
Well, one way you could know is that they do not know anything about the wilderness that precedes 1989, and they are unwilling to talk about the events connected with the close of probation that are represented in the last six verses of Daniel 11.
But, there is one other way—there are probably many, but there is one other way that we are going to deal with as we come to a close—the shut door.
The Shut-Door Doctrine
Selected Messages, book 1, pages 62 – 63:
"It is claimed that these expressions prove the shut-door doctrine, and that this is the reason of their omission in later editions."—
Okay. The Sister had written some things in her earlier books. When they are reprinted later on, there are some revisions and people are saying, "Look at this. They are trying to take errors that she early on taught and hide them." Sister White is responding to this.
—"But in fact they teach only that which has been and is still held by us as a people, as I shall show."—
She is saying, "There were no changes that change what we believed then and now."
The next paragraph:
—"For a time after the disappointment in 1844, I did hold, in common with the advent body, that the door of mercy was then forever closed to the world."—
Okay. She believed that! Ellen White believed, before the end of 1844, that on October 22, 1844, probation was closed for everybody. And some people say, "Well, that proves that she is a false prophet."
Well, you know what else she was doing at that same time that she believed that? She was eating pork. Okay? She was keeping Sunday. So, the idea that she held some misconceptions before light came to her has never been an argument against her prophetic office; so, it should not be that she held this doctrine before 1844, either.
—"For a time after the disappointment in 1844, I did hold, in common with the advent body, that the door of mercy was then forever closed to the world. This position was taken before my first vision was given me. It was the light given me of God that corrected our error, and enabled us to see the true position.
"I am still a believer in the shut-door theory, but not in the sense in which we at first employed the term or in which it is employed by my opponents.
"There was a shut door in Noah's day. There was at that time a withdrawal of the Spirit of God from the sinful race that perished in the waters of the Flood. God Himself gave the shut-door message to Noah: 'My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years' (Genesis 6:3)."—
If you can operate on William Miller's proof-texting method and Isaiah's line upon line in Isaiah 28, then as she lists these shut-door histories, you know you can go into these shut-door histories and lay them upon one another, line upon line, and see some very interesting things; because, Noah's teaching is that as we approach this closing of the door, that there is a class that the Spirit is removed from. And what is that class receiving?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: Strong delusion.
BROTHER PIPPENGER: Strong delusion. This is present truth: Noah.
Then she says,
—"There was a shut door in the days of Abraham. Mercy ceased to plead with the inhabitants of Sodom, and all but Lot, with his wife and two daughters, were consumed by the fire sent down from heaven.
"There was a shut door in Christ's day. The Son of God declared to the unbelieving Jews of that generation, 'Your house is left unto you desolate' (Matthew 23:38).
"Looking down the stream of time to the last days, the same infinite power proclaimed through John: 'These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth' (Revelation 3:7).
"I was shown in vision, and I still believe, that there was a shut door in 1844. All who saw the light of the first and second angels' messages and rejected that light, were left in darkness. And those who accepted it and received the Holy Spirit which attended the proclamation of the message from heaven, and who afterward"—
After the Midnight Cry experience.
—"renounced their faith and pronounced their experience a delusion, thereby rejected the Spirit of God, and it no longer pleaded with them.
"Those who did not see the light, had not the guilt of its rejection. It was only the class who had despised the light from heaven that the Spirit of God could not reach. And this class included, as I have stated, both those who refused to accept the message when it was presented to them, and also those who, having received it, afterward renounced their faith. These might have a form of godliness, and profess to be followers of Christ; but having no living connection with God, they would be taken captive by the delusions of Satan. These two classes are brought to view in the vision—those who declared the light which they had followed a delusion, and the wicked of the world who, having rejected the light, had been rejected of God. No reference is made to those who had not seen the light, and therefore were not guilty of its rejection." Selected Messages, book 1, 62–63.
Now, that is all interesting about "judged by light" and it impacts us; it is important; but, what I want you to see is that in every generation there is a shut-door message.
If you are not preaching a shut-door message, then you are not the voice crying in the wilderness. And what is the shut-door message?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: Daniel.
BROTHER PIPPENGER: It is Daniel 11, verse 41. When The Sunday Law arrives, the door is shut on Adventism.
What tells you that the door is about to shut? Verse 40, the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1989. The Dirt Brush Man has now arrived. He is telling Adventists, "I'm sweeping the garbage out of the window. If you hold onto those idols, you are going with them."
FROM THE AUDIENCE: Uh-huh.
Amen.
A Shut-Door Message
BROTHER PIPPENGER: The Great Controversy, beginning at page 430:
"It is those who by faith follow Jesus in the great work of the atonement who receive the benefits of His mediation in their behalf, while those who reject the light which brings to view this work of ministration are not benefited thereby."—
You should study that sentence until you get it.
And I do not get it all, but you need to get this part: In the time of Christ, one of the ways to identify the problems for the Jews is by the rejection of light they could not follow Christ from the earthly sanctuary to the Heavenly Sanctuary. They could not understand His ministration there.
In the time of the Millerites, those people that rejected the light, they could not follow Christ from the Holy Place to the Most Holy Place.
But, all these lines of prophecy are speaking about our day and age, and they are saying that the problem for Seventh-day Adventists at the end of the world is that if they are rejecting the light of this particular message, they will be unable to recognize that Christ moved from the Judgment of the Dead to the Judgment of the Living on September 11, 2001. And because they do not understand that the ministration of Christ has changed, they are going to reap the same reward that the Jews did that participated in the crucifixion of Christ; and that the Protestants did in the United States when they began to carry the label of Apostate Protestantism.
The second sentence:
—"The Jews, who rejected the light given at Christ's first advent, and refused to believe on Him as the Saviour of the world, could not receive pardon through Him. When Jesus at His ascension entered by His own blood into the heavenly sanctuary to shed upon His disciples the blessings of His mediation, the Jews were left in total darkness to continue their useless sacrifices and offerings. The ministration of types and shadows had ceased. That door by which men had formerly found access to God was no longer open. The Jews had refused to seek Him in the only way whereby He could then be found, through the ministration in the sanctuary in heaven. Therefore they found no communion with God. To them the door was shut. They had no knowledge of Christ as the true sacrifice and the only mediator before God; hence they could not receive the benefits of His mediation.
"The condition of the unbelieving Jews illustrates the condition of the careless and unbelieving among professed Christians, who are willingly ignorant of the work of our merciful High Priest. In the typical service, when the high priest entered the most holy place, all Israel were required to gather about the sanctuary and in the most solemn manner humble their souls before God, that they might receive the pardon of their sins and not be cut off from the congregation. How much more essential in this antitypical Day of Atonement that we understand the work of our High Priest and know what duties are required of us."
"Repent ye, therefore, and be converted. Send your sins beforehand into Judgment that they might be blotted out. You now are in the time period where the High Priest is investigating living Seventh-day Adventists and blotting out their sins." You better know that; because, when He finishes, He finishes by closing the door at The Sunday Law.
—"Men cannot with impunity reject the warning which God in mercy sends them. A message was sent from heaven to the world in Noah's day, and their salvation depended upon the manner in which they treated that message. Because they rejected the warning, the Spirit of God was withdrawn from the sinful race, and they perished in the waters of the Flood. In the time of Abraham, mercy ceased to plead with the guilty inhabitants of Sodom, and all but Lot with his wife and two daughters were consumed by the fire sent down from heaven. So in the days of Christ. The Son of God declared to the unbelieving Jews of that generation: 'Your house is left unto you desolate.' Matthew 23:38. Looking down to the last days, the same Infinite Power declares, concerning those who 'received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved': 'For this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: that they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.' 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12. As they reject the teachings of His word, God withdraws His Spirit and leaves them to the deceptions which they love." The Great Controversy, 430–431.
Summary
So, what we are saying is, the First Angel's Message in the time of Christ was presented by John the Baptist, and it was the events connected with the close of probation, and it was the voice, the message, of one crying in the wilderness; and, this is repeated in the time of the Millerites.
In our history, verse 40, with its fulfillment in 1989, opens to us the events connected with the close of probation, and it becomes the First Angel's Message for us. It is the First Angel's Message, because it is identifying that in verse 41 the door of probation closes. It is the shut-door message, and it is this message that is designed by God to produce the revival of God's people at the end of the world.
So, when we are saying that Daniel 11, verse 40, is deep and profound, we cannot even find words to express what we mean by that.
And we will continue on, on Sunday morning.
Shall we pray?
Benediction: Heavenly Father, we thank you for allowing us to be among the few that have seen these truths of verse 40, at least partially. We know that there are people that have not heard these truths and they are not held accountable for them. We know that there are people that have heard them and have rejected them outright, right when they first heard them, and that they are going to be held accountable for them. And we know there is the possibility that we in this room and on the LiveStream and on the DVD who can hear these truths understand them and then set them aside as well. We do not want to be of that class. We want to be of the class that allows the Holy Spirit, and through your Providential Leading, that these truths become part of us, that they change us into your image, and that they prepare us with a winning message to carry to Adventism and then the world. We ask that you will finish that work in each and every one of us. We set before you this day of labor that we each have and ask for you to watch over us, that we will be safe, and help us to do what we do for your glory and honor. And we ask a continue blessing upon the work that we are attempting here with the DVDs and the LiveStreaming. In Jesus's name, amen.