TIME OF THE END!
BY
JEFF PIPPENGER
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
-
The
Testimony of Two Rivers
-
Nothing
New Under the Sun
-
History
in Transition
-
The
Southern and Northern Kings
-
The
Time of the End
-
The
Modern Glorious Land
-
The
Great Escape
-
Edom,
Moab, and Ammon
-
Returning
From the Dead
-
Tidings
of Trouble
-
None
to Help
1 - TESTIMONY OF TWO RIVERS
JEFF PIPPENGER
IN the following series of articles we will study
Daniel 11 :40-45. These six verses in the book of Daniel were left unsolved
until our time. It is our generation that has the honor of seeing and
recognizing the fulfillment of these verses.
We will endeavor to show that these verses
contain a sequence of events which lead down to the close of human probation and
beyond. We will see that Daniel 11, which is enlarged upon in Revelation,
chapters 13-18, delineates the transactions which Sister White said would be
"the final movements."
Daniel 11: 40-45 is a prophetic key which was
designed by the Lord to help guide, prepare, and empower His people during the
final moments of earth's history by helping to unlock the future to those who
would seek to know these events.
At least four propositions are worthy of stating
before we set forth this study:
First, the overall weight of prophetic evidence
leads us to believe that we are the final generation of God's people upon this
earth, the very generation that holy men and prophets longed to see.
Second, the final series of events have already
begun with the collapse of the Soviet Union, but Adventism at large has slept
on.
Third, these verses were designed by God to be a
catalyst to help bring on the final revival of God's people.
Finally, these verses show the sequence of
events which Sister White so often warns will be rapid ones.
The Setting
As
we begin this study let us determine whether or not the time period associated
with the final movements of Daniel 11 has arrived. The time in which we are
living is clearly set forth within the Bible and Spirit of Prophecy. One passage
which describes the conditions of our time is found in the opening chapter of
volume nine of the Testimonies:
"We
are living in the time of the end. The fast-fulfilling signs of the times declare
that the coming of Christ is near at hand. The days in which we live are solemn
and important. The Spirit of God is gradually but surely being withdrawn from
the earth. Plagues and judgments are already falling upon the despisers of the
grace of God. The calamities by land and sea, the unsettled state of society,
the alarms of war, are portentous. They forecast approaching events of the greatest
magnitude.
"The
agencies of evil are combining their forces and consolidating. They are
strengthening for the last great crisis. Great changes are soon to take place in
our world, and the final movements will be rapid ones.
"The
condition of things in the world shows that troublous times are right upon us.
The daily papers are full of indications of a terrible conflict in the near
future. Bold robberies are of frequent occurrence. Strikes are common. Thefts
and murders are committed on every hand. Men possessed of demons are taking the
lives of men, women, and little children. Men have become infatuated with vice,
and every species of evil prevails. . . .
"There
are not many, even among educators and statesmen, who comprehend the causes
that underlie the present state of society. Those who hold the reins of government
are not able to solve the problem of moral corruption, poverty, pauperism, and
increasing crime. They are struggling in vain to place business operations on a
more secure basis. If men would give more heed to the teaching of God's Word,
they would find a solution of the problems that perplex them. . . .
"The
world is stirred with the spirit of war. The prophecy of the eleventh chapter
of Daniel has nearly reached its complete fulfillment. Soon the scenes of trouble
spoken of in the prophecies will take place. . . .
"Satan
is a diligent Bible student. He knows that his time is short, and he seeks at
every point to counterwork the work of the Lord upon this earth. It is
impossible to give any idea of the experience of the people of God who shall be
alive on the earth when celestial glory and a repetition of the persecutions of
the past are blended. They will walk in the light proceeding from the throne of
God. By means of angels there will be constant communication between heaven and
earth. And Satan, surrounded by evil angels, and claiming to be God, will work
miracles of all kinds, to deceive, if possible, the very elect."
Testimonies, vol. 9,11, 13-14,16. (All emphasis added unless otherwise
stated.)
Does
this passage speak of our day? Notice the setting which is portrayed by Sister
White as she informs us that "the eleventh chapter of Daniel has nearly
reached its complete fulfillment." This is clearly referring to our day,
therefore, Daniel II is soon to be completed.
The Spirit Withdrawn
Do
we not see the Spirit of God being withdrawn from the earth through the judgments
which follow that withdrawal? Surely the earthquakes, floods, volcanic
eruptions, hurricanes, wars, bombings, murders, famines, and diseases all
confirm that the restraining influence of God's Spirit is being removed from
this planet and its inhabitants.
We
see also the consolidations in the religious world through the ecumenical
movement. Big businesses are merging into giant corporations. Countries are
signing treaties such as GATT and NAFTA, creating economic alliances in an
attempt to create a world marketplace in order "to place business
operations on a more secure basis." We now see the United Nations emerging
as a power which in its previous fifty years it has never been able to attain,
though it attempted to consolidate the entire world through its global bank,
global health system, global police force, global court, global laws, and its
global population and ecological concerns. Mankind's problems are now set
forth in the presses of the world as "global" problems.
Recently,
this author was at the Million Man March in Washington, D.C., where I heard
Louis Farakan, the black militant, call not only for strengthening the family,
but also the black community, by admonishing black people to come together into
one voting and economic group. He insisted that this coming together was a
necessity for the black community. But more significant was his call to set
aside any religious differences, so that all black people could consolidate
for the common good of black America, which, of course, in his opinion
supersedes any religious differences.
Certainly
the crime of our day fulfills Sister White's prediction, and the statement that
the leaders of this nation "are struggling in vain to place business
operations on a more secure basis" aptly describes the present crisis in
our nation's capital. It also sends us a warning that what we must do as a
people must be done before our money becomes useless. With this warning though,
comes the comfort that God is in control. A clear description is given by Ellen
White informing us that the economic predicament which is confronting the
leaders of this nation did not take God by surprise. It is also a certainty that
the "spirit of war" can readily be seen at this time.
A Two-fold Story
Within
this setting the prophetess points us to the climax of Daniel eleven, and she
brings together a description of a two-fold, bittersweet, end-time events when
she states, "It is impossible to give any idea of the experience of the
people of God who shall be alive on the earth when celestial glory and a
repetition of the persecutions of the past are blended." Ibid., 16. Two
stories are ahead of God's people-the story of the glory which attends those who
demonstrate and defend the truth in this final hour of earth's history, and the
story of the apostate forces which seek to oppose the truth at the end of the
world.
Ellen
White identifies this two-fold message in another place, while once again
pointing us to the eleventh chapter of Daniel:
"The
light that Daniel received from God was given especially for these last days.
The visions he saw by the banks of the Ulai and the Hiddekel, the great rivers
of Shinar, are now in process of fulfillment, and all the events foretold will
soon come to pass." Testimonies to Ministers, 112-113.
The
vision on the banks of the Ulai is the vision of Daniel eight, and the only part
of the vision by the Ulai which had not been fulfilled when Sister White made
this statement was Daniel 8:14, which began its fulfillment in 1844. However,
it was, and still is, "in process of fulfillment." When the Ulai flows
into the sea, it ceases to exist. Likewise, when Christ finishes His work in
the Most Holy Place the message of the everlasting gospel has finished its
course. They are those who follow Christ's work in the Most Holy Place whom
Daniel sees "purified, and made white, and tried," while John sees
"them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and
over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass."
Daniel 12: 10; Revelation 15:2.
The
vision which was "now in the process of fulfillment," that was given
to Daniel by the Hiddekel, is the vision of the last six verses of Daniel
eleven-the only part of Daniel eleven which was as yet unfulfilled. When the
Hiddekel flows into the sea it ceases to exist, so too when the king of the
north comes "to his end," and "none shall help," Daniel's
testimony of Babylon, has fmished its course. John also sees the end of Babylon
as, "The beast [is] taken, and with him the false prophet. . . [and] cast
alive into a lake of fire buming with brimstone." Revelation 19:20.
Two
rivers headed to two totally different bodies of water: the Ulai with the River
of Life to the sea of glass; the Hiddekel with the foul Euphrates to the lake of
fire.
The
visions by these two rivers present both the story of the redeemed and the story
of the lost. As these rivers flow into the sea their messages cross the boundary
line of human probation-forever separating the righteous and the wicked.
"Oh,
who will describe to you the lamentations that will arise when at the boundary
line which parts time and eternity the righteous Judge will lift up His voice
and declare, 'It is too late.' Long have the wide gates of heaven stood open and
the heavenly messengers have invited and entreated 'Whosoever will, let him take
the water of life freely.' Revelation 22: 17. 'Today if ye will hear his voice,
harden not your heart.' But at length the mandate goes forth, '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: 11." In Heavenly Places, 362.
The
two-fold theme found in the story of these two rivers is also illustrated in
the three angels' messages of Revelation fourteen. Not only do these three
messages point mankind to the everlasting gospel in connection with the judgment
which is taking place in the Most Holy Place of the sanctuary above, but these
messages also identify the enemy power which will oppose this message during
this final judgment hour.
Sister
White informs us that the books of Daniel and Revelation complement each
other:
"In
the Revelation all the books of the Bible meet and end. Here is the complement
of the book of Daniel. One is a prophecy; the other a revelation. The book that
was sealed is not the Revelation, but that portion of the prophecy of Daniel
relating to the last days. The angel commanded, 'But thou, 0 Daniel, shut up the
words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end.' Daniel 12:4." Acts
of the Apostles, 585.
Daniel
and Revelation complement one another in many areas, including the messages of
the two rivers, which are used to identify the last two-fold message in the
book of Daniel. These rivers also find symbolic counterparts in the two rivers
of Revelation. There we find the river of life conveying the promise of life to
those who accept the everlasting gospel, while we also see the dried up
Euphrates illustrating the bankruptcy of the worship of Babylon.
As
we partake of the water of life we are to call those who are drinking the foul
waters of the Euphrates to flee from the broken cisterns of fallen Babylon. The
book of Daniel contains the final message of warning for this last hour of
earth's history. This final message symbolized in the visions on the banks of
the Hiddekel and Ulai rivers identify both the false worship of the king of the
north and the true worship of the King which is now in the Most Holy Place
above.
A Great Revival
Certainly
the visions given by the Ulai and Hiddekel are part of the story of Daniel, but
how important are they to us today? Sister White puts great emphasis upon the
study of Daniel and Revelation in connection with bringing on a revival:
"When
the books of Daniel and Revelation are better understood, believers will have an
entirely different religious experience. They will be given such glimpses of the
open gates of heaven that heart and mind will be impressed with the character
that all must develop in order to realize the blessedness which is to be the
reward of the pure in heart. . . . 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.
We
also know that our greatest need is for this revival to come to God's people:
"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." Review and Herald, March 22,
1887.
Understanding
that our greatest need is for a genuine revival and that this revival will be
connected with an understanding of the books of Daniel and Revelation, does not
necessarily identify the story of these two rivers as the key to this revival.
It can easily be recognized, though, that the vision by the Ulai, addressing
the work of Christ in the Most Holy Place, certainly has a connection with this
long-awaited revival, for no true revival would be separated from Christ's work
above.
When
God's people enter into the Most Holy Place experience they will see that the
connection between themselves and God is as "close and decided" as the
connection which Christ maintained while He walked among men. There is no way to
be closer to the Father than to have His Spirit living within. But acknowledging
that the vision by the Ulai has a relationship to the fmal revival, does not
necessarily mean the vision by the Hiddekel has an influence upon this
revival. For it speaks not of the truth of the sanctuary, but of the enemy who
casts the truth to the ground. Does the message of this river contribute to our
experience in such a way as to bring on a revival? Yes. Just as surely as the
warning of the third angel against receiving the mark of the beast is part of
the everlasting gospel, so too, is the message of the Hiddekel. It is through an
understanding of this message also that God's people will be prepared to stand.
"The
book that was sealed was not the book of Revelation, but that portion of the
prophecy of Daniel which related to the last days. The Scripture says, 'But
thou, 0 Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the
end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.' Daniel 12:4.
When the book was opened, the proclamation was made, 'Time shall be no longer.'
See Revelation 10:6. The book of Daniel is now unsealed, and the revelation made
by Christ to John is to come to all the inhabitants of the earth. By the
increase of knowledge a people is to be prepared to stand in the latter
days." Selected Messages, book 2, 105.
Notice
here that there will be an "increase of knowledge," and that it is
through this "increase of knowledge" that "a people is to be
prepared to stand." What is this "increase of knowledge" which
will prepare us to stand? In the same section, two paragraphs down, we find the
answer:
"In
the first angel's message men are called upon to worship God, our Creator, who
made the world and all things that are therein. They have paid homage to an
institution of the Papacy, making of no effect the Law of Jehovah, but there is
to be an increase of knowledge on this subject." Ibid., 106.
The
increase of knowledge which will prepare God's people to stand is a knowledge
concerning the counterfeit Sabbath. This knowledge concerns the message about
the entire world being forced to worship the idol sabbath which is the mark of
the Papacy. This knowledge is in agreement with the warning of the three
angels' messages not to worship the beast, and this increase of knowledge is in
agreement with the message by the Hiddekel river of Daniel 11 :40-45, for the
king of the north is the Papacy. We are told:
"The
scenes connected with the working of the man of sin are the last features
plainly revealed in this earth's history." Ibid., 102.
Daniel 12:1
We
know that the last six verses of Daniel eleven span the final scenes of
"this earth's history," for in the next verse, Daniel 12:1, is
recorded the close of probation. The "last features" of these
"scenes" are connected with "the man of sin," and his
efforts to bring the entire world under his control through the enforcement of a
Sunday law. The king of the north is the "man of sin."
"I
was then pointed to the flattering things taught by some of these transgressors
of God's Law. I was shown a bright light, given by God to guide all who would
walk in the way of salvation, and also to serve as a warning to the sinner to
flee from the wrath of God, and yield a willing obedience to His claims. While
this light continued there was hope. But there was a period when this light
would cease. When he that is holy will remain holy forever, and when he that is
filthy will remain filthy forever. When Jesus stands up; when His work is
finished in the Most Holy, then there will be not another ray of light to be
imparted to the sinner.
"But
Satan flatters some, through his chosen servants, as he flattered Eve in Eden.
Thou shalt not surely die, and tells them there will be a season for repentance,
a time of probation, when the filthy can be made pure. The coworkers with Satan
and his angels carry the light into the future age, teaching probation after the
advent of Christ, which deludes the sinner, and leads the coldhearted
professor to carnal security. He is careless and indifferent, and walks
stumblingly over the hours of his probation. The light is made to reach far
ahead, where all is total darkness. Michael stands up. Instead of mercy, the
deluded sinner feels wrath unmixed with mercy. And they awake too late to this
fatal deception. This plan was studied by Satan, and is carried out by ministers
who turn the truth of God into a lie." Spiritual Gifts, vol. 2, 275-276.
Daniel
12: 1 is the close of probation, which takes place as Daniel 11:44-45 is being
fulfilled. These lasts six verses are "scenes connected with the
working of the man of sin," and they are the vision by the Hiddekel, which
is "now in process of fulfillment." This vision pictures the final
scenes connected with the "man of sin," concerning which there will be
an "increase of knowledge," and by which, "a people is to be
prepared to stand."
The
last six verses of Daniel 11 are a sketch of the final scenes of earth's
history. Primarily, these verses isolate the story of the Papacy, as its deadly
wound is healed, and it returns to the throne of the world, and ultimately
"comes to his end."
What Must We Know?
We
have been told that Daniel 11 is now in the process of fulfillment and that
through the books of Daniel and Revelation will come a catalyst for the
long-awaited revival. We have been informed that there would be an increase of
knowledge about the Papacy, and the mark of its authority which would help to
prepare God's people to stand. We have also been admonished that we must know
these events:
"All
that God has in prophetic history specified to be fulfilled in the past has
been, and all that is yet to come in its order will be. Daniel, God's prophet,
stands in his place. John stands in his place. In the Revelation the Lion of the
tribe of Judah has opened to the students of prophecy the book of Daniel, and
thus is Daniel standing in his place. He bears his testimony, that which the
Lord revealed to him in vision of the great and solemn events which we must
know as we stand on the very threshold of their fulfillment." Selected
Messages, book 2, 109.
All
God's commands are promises, and while He commands that "we must know"
these events, He also sets forth promises that we may know them if we will
search:
"The
time has come for Daniel to stand in his lot. The time has come for the light
given him to go to the world as never before. If those for whom the Lord has
done so much will walk in the light, their knowledge of Christ and the
prophecies relating to Him will be greatly increased as they near the close of
this earth's history_' The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol 4, 1174.
As
we continue in this series of studies we should solemnly accept the command to
study these prophecies and humbly pray for the promised light which will be
found by those who strive to be among the wise. Individually, we need to
recognize our responsibility to proclaim the warning message symbolized by the
Hiddekel river, which identifies the king of the north as the Papacy. More
importantly, we must recognize and fulfill our responsibility to experience the
message which is symbolized by the Ulai river, which points to the final work
going on in the heavenly sanctuary. If we are unwilling to enter into the
experience symbolized by the Ulai river, the message of the Hiddekel is of
little value to us. Without the power received from an experience which enters
within the veil of the Most Holy Place, any warning message which we may
proclaim will have little effect on those who may hear it, and will avail
nothing in our personal salvation.
It
is possible to have a genuine experience with Christ in the Most Holy Place
without understanding the message of Daniel 11:40-45. It is also possible to
understand Daniel 11:40-45 without having an experience with Christ. The story
of the two rivers in the book of Daniel is calling us to understand both. These
testimonies are calling us to finish the work in our lives, in order that we may
help finish the work in this world by proclaiming the final warning message in
the power of the Holy Spirit. The signs of the times testify that Christ is
ready to close the story on these two rivers. Are we?
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