Chapter 10, Tidings of Trouble. But tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him. Therefore he shall go forth with great fury, to destroy and utterly to make away many. Daniel 11 verse 44. The word translated as trouble in verse 44 is used also in Daniel 5 verses 6 and 9. Then the king's countenance was changed and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed and his knees smote one against another. Then was king Belshazzar greatly troubled, and his countenance was changed in him, and his lords were astonished. In Strong's Concordance, the definition primarily conveyed is to tremble inwardly or to be suddenly alarmed, agitated, afraid or dismayed. The king of the north in Daniel 11 verse 44 recognizes a message which brings forth a reaction within himself, which parallels Belshazzar's reaction when the mysterious writing appeared upon the wall. Tidings represent a message which will greatly disturb the king of the north. The key to the message which alarms and infuriates him is identified in the prophetic symbolism of east and north. These directions are associated with Christ. East symbolizes Christ's coming, and north is the direction from which the enemies of God's people launched their attacks as they were used by God to deliver his retributive judgments against Israel's apostasy. North symbolizes a judgment message. We read in The Great Controversy page 640 these words, Soon there appears in the east a small black cloud about half the size of a man's hand. It is the cloud which surrounds the Savior and which seems in the distance to be shrouded in darkness. The people of God know this to be the sign of the Son of Man. And then we read in Jeremiah chapter 25 verses 1 and 2 and verse 9 these words, The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah that was the first year of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon the witch Jeremiah the prophet spake unto all the people of Judah and to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem saying, Behold I will send and take all the families of the north, saith the Lord, and Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon my servant and will bring them against this land and against the inhabitants thereof and against all these nations round about and will utterly destroy them and make them an astonishment and in hissing and perpetual desolations. And then we read in Testimonies to Ministers pages 431 to 432 these words, He who presides over his church and the destinies of nations is carrying forward the last work to be accomplished for this world. To his angels he gives the commission to execute his judgments. Let the ministers awake, let them take in the situation. The work of judgment begins at the sanctuary. And behold, six men came from the way of the higher gate which lieth toward the north and every man a slaughter weapon in his hand and one man among them was clothed with linen with a writer's inkhorn by his side and they went in and stood beside the brazen altar. Read Ezekiel 9 verses 2 through 10. The command is, Slay utterly old and young both maids and little children and women but come not near any man upon whom is the mark and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient men which were before the house, saith God, I will recompense their way upon their head. End of quote. Not only do east and north represent a message of judgment and the return of Christ but they identify Christ himself. We read in Isaiah 41 verses 2 and verses 25 through 27 these words, Who raised up the righteous man from the east and called him to his foot, gave the nations before him and made him rule over kings? He gave them as the dust to his sword and as driven stubble to his bow. I have raised up one from the north and he shall come. From the rising of the sun shall he call upon my name and he shall come upon princes as upon martyr and as the potter treadeth clay. Who hath declared from the beginning that we may know and before time that we may say he is righteous? Yea, there is none that showeth. Yea, there is none that declareth. Yea, there is none that heareth your words. The first shall say to Zion, Behold, behold them and I will give to Jerusalem one that bringeth good tidings. End of quote. This passage of Isaiah identifies Christ as the one who would be raised up from the east and the north. It is the message of Christ's righteousness which is the last message of mercy to a dying world. The message of Christ's character. See Christ Object Lessons page 415. In Daniel 11 verse 44 is found the same good tidings of Isaiah 41 as well as the good tidings which Christ announced at the beginning of his ministry. We read in Isaiah chapter 61 verses 1 and 2 these words. The spirit of the Lord God is upon me because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek. He hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and the opening of the prison to them that are bound, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all that mourn. The difference with the tidings of Daniel 11 verse 44 and the message of Christ while he was on earth is that it was not then the day of vengeance of our God. It is the recognition of the vengeance connected with the tidings of Daniel 11 verse 44 which makes the king of the north tremble in fear. The good tidings of Christ's righteousness is always accompanied with an outpouring of his spirit. We read in the book The Acts of the Apostles page 48 these words. What was the result of the outpouring of the spirit on the day of Pentecost? The glad tidings of a risen Savior were carried to the uttermost parts of the inhabited world. This message of glad tidings will soon be proclaimed once again. This time it will not be in the context of the risen Savior but in the context of the return of Christ and the close of judgment which precedes the day of the Lord's vengeance. Isaiah 34 verse 8 This message will bring a response of fear and retaliation from the forces associated with the king of the north. Daniel 11 verses 40 to 43 portrays the infliction of the deadly wound upon the papacy in 1798 followed by a three-step returning of the papacy to its former position of power. It first retaliates against the forces of the king of the south and then enters the glorious land of the United States. Then all the nations of the world as symbolized by the land of Egypt are brought into captivity. After these three obstacles are overcome we see the king of the north controlling all the finances of the earth identifying that the papacy has fully returned to the position which it possessed during the 1260 years of papal supremacy. After this in verse 44 Daniel switches our attention to the final battle between the papacy and God. The sealing of God's people begins in verse 41 as the Sunday Law begins in the United States but verse 44 more directly identifies the sealing message while also illustrating the satanic reaction to that message. The sealing message is the message from the east, the three angels' messages. We read in Revelation chapter 7 verses 2 and 3 these words And I saw another angel ascending from the east having the seal of the living God and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. And then we read in early writings page 118 these words I then saw the third angel, said my accompanying angel fearful is his work, awful is his mission he is the angel that is to select the wheat from the tares and seal or bind the wheat for the heavenly garner. These things should engross the whole mind, the whole attention. Through the third angel's message the church and then the world will be tested it is the message which enrages the king of the north. We read in the Great Controversy pages 613 to 616 these words When the third angel's message closes mercy no longer pleads for the guilty inhabitants of the earth the people of God have accomplished their work they have received the latter rain, the refreshing from the presence of the Lord and they are prepared for the trying hour before them angels are hastening to and fro in heaven an angel returning from the earth announces that his work is done the final test has been brought upon the world and all who have proved themselves loyal to the divine precepts have received the seal of the living God. Revelation 7 verse 2 Then Jesus ceases his intercession in the sanctuary above he lifts his hands and with a loud voice says It is done. Revelation 21 verse 6 And all the angelic hosts lay off their crowns as he makes the solemn announcement He that is unjust, let him be unjust still and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still and he that is holy, let him be holy still Revelation 22 verse 11 Every case has been decided for life or death Christ has made the atonement for his people and blotted out their sins the number of his subjects is made up the kingdom and dominion and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven Daniel 7 verse 27 is about to be given to the heirs of salvation and Jesus is to reign as king of kings and lord of lords When he leaves the sanctuary darkness covers the inhabitants of the earth In that fearful time the righteous must live in the sight of a holy God without an intercessor The restraint which has been upon the wicked is removed and Satan has entire control of the finally impenitent God's long suffering has ended The world has rejected his mercy despised his love and trampled upon his law The wicked have passed the boundary of their probation The spirit of God persistently resisted has been at last withdrawn Unsheltered by divine grace they have no protection from the wicked one Satan will then plunge the inhabitants of the earth into one great final trouble As the angels of God cease to hold and check the fierce winds of human passion all the elements of strife will be let loose The whole world will be involved in ruin more terrible than that which came upon Jerusalem of old A single angel destroyed all the firstborn of the Egyptians and filled the land with mourning When David offended against God by numbering the people one angel caused that terrible destruction by which his sin was punished The same destructive power exercised by holy angels when God commands will be exercised by evil angels when he permits There are forces now ready and only waiting the divine permission to spread desolation everywhere Those who honor the law of God have been accused of bringing judgments upon the world and they will be regarded as the cause of the fearful convulsions of nature and the strife and bloodshed among men that are filling the earth with woe The power attending the last warning has enraged the wicked Their anger is kindled against all who have received the message and Satan will excite to still greater intensity the spirit of hatred and persecution As the Sabbath has become the special point of controversy throughout Christendom and religious and secular authorities have combined to enforce the observance of the Sunday the persistent refusal of a small minority to yield to the popular demand will make them objects of universal execration It will be urged that the few who stand in opposition to an institution of the church and a law of the state ought not to be tolerated that it is better for them to suffer than for whole nations to be thrown into confusion and lawlessness The same argument 1800 years ago was brought against Christ by the rulers of the people Acts 4 verse 8 It is expedient, said the wily Caiaphas that one man should die for the people and that the whole nation perish not John 11 verse 50 This argument will appear conclusive and a decree will finally be issued against those who hallow the Sabbath of the fourth commandment denouncing them as deserving of the severest punishment and giving the people liberty after a certain time to put them to death Romanism in the old world and apostate Protestantism in the new will pursue a similar course toward those who honor all the divine precepts The people of God will then be plunged into those scenes of affliction and distress described by the prophet as the time of Jacob's trouble Thus saith the Lord We have heard a voice of trembling of fear and not of peace All faces are turned into paleness Alas, for that day is great so that none is like it It is even the time of Jacob's trouble but he shall be saved out of it End of quote See Jeremiah chapter 30 verses 5 through 7 The loud cry message begins to be proclaimed in earnest at the passage of a national Sunday law Persecution increases from that point forward eventually including martyrdom We read in the book Maranatha page 199 these words When this grand work is to take place in the battle prior to the last closing conflict many will be imprisoned many will flee for their lives from cities and towns and many will be martyrs for Christ's sake in standing in defense of the truth End of quote And then we read in the Review and Herald August 22, 1893 these words The whole world is to be stirred with enmity against Seventh-day Adventists because they will not yield homage to the papacy by honoring Sunday the institution of this anti-Christian power It is the purpose of Satan to cause them to be blotted from the earth in order that his supremacy of the world may not be disputed End of quote The most vivid presentation We read in The Great Controversy pages 621 to 622 these words See Daniel 12 verse 1 End of quote We read in Early Writings page 279 these words The last great warning had sounded everywhere and it had stirred up and enraged the inhabitants of the earth who would not receive the message End of quote Daniel 11 verse 45 describes where the King of the North God's Church and the inhabitants of the earth stand in relation to one another The King of the North had been trying to prevent the loud cry message from reaching the inhabitants of earth The glorious holy mountain Christ Church had been proclaiming the final warning message The nations, kindreds and tongues of the world who might have received the final message are represented as the seas The King of the North attempts to block this message by standing in between those who proclaiming the message and its intended recipients This final verse portrays the battle formation in the valley of Megiddo