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Lesson 20: The Pre-Advent Judgment
In a typical court case what comes first, the declaration of the evidence and verdict or the penalty? Of course in a just court case, the evidence is heard first so that a fair decision of innocence or guilt can be made. Then, if necessary, a punishment is carried out or the accused is set free. Is there any reason to think that God’s judgment would be any different? Would God punish or reward people before He reviewed their lives?
It is evident in the Bible that Jesus was given the authority and right to judge. We also know that He is our high priest. The Bible says that when Jesus ascended into heaven He entered into the Holy Place once and for all, not with the blood of animals, but with His own, precious blood. It is there that He ministers on our behalf before God, just like the priests ministered on behalf of the Israelites in both the desert sanctuary and Jerusalem temples.
Perhaps you remember from the Fate Changer lessons, that once a year the high priest entered into the Most Holy Place to perform a special service. That day was called the Day of Atonement and represented the permanent forgiveness of the Israelites’ sins (a type of judgment). The Day of Atonement on earth was symbolic of something very important that happens in the heavenly sanctuary. How does it impact us? Let’s study the Bible and find out. We begin in Revelation chapter 14 where there are three angels depicted giving important messages to the people on earth.
Q1. What was the message of the first angel? Read Revelation 14:6, 7.
A. _____________________________________________________________________
It is interesting to note that the three angels’ message is given before the return of Jesus. And yet, the first angel says that the hour of God’s judgment has already come. How can judgment happen before Jesus returns to the earth? Let’s begin to unlock this mystery by examining a prophecy in the book of Daniel.
Q2. What did Daniel see in this vision? Read Daniel 8:1-4.
A. _____________________________________________________________________
Q3. What happened next? Read Daniel 8:5-8.
A. _____________________________________________________________________
Q4. What appeared after the goat’s horn broke off and divided into four separate horns? Read Daniel 8:9-12.
A. _____________________________________________________________________
In this fascinating vision, we are bombarded with lots of imagery: animals, horns, wings, and battles. Is it possible to unlock the meaning of this vision? Actually, if we use the Bible, it is quite easy. Let’s start by identifying the ram and goat.
Q5. Who is the ram? Who is the goat? Read Daniel 8:20-22.
A. _____________________________________________________________________
This vision is merely a continuation, or rather a more detailed account, of what we learned in the vision of Daniel chapter 7. The ram with the two horns representing two united kingdoms was the Medo-Persian Empire (just like the bear in Daniel 7:5). The goat with the prominent horn that was broken and replaced with four new ones was the Greek Empire. Do you remember who the Greek Empire’s first and most famous leader was? Yes, Alexander the Great! If you remember, when Alexander died his kingdom was divided up between his four main generals. Let’s continue.
Q6. Who is the little horn? What will he do? Read Daniel 8:23-25.
A. _____________________________________________________________________
Of course the little horn, a fierce kingdom, is also mentioned in Daniel 7. We know that the little horn is at first a symbol of the Roman Empire, which then transforms into the religio-political Catholic papal system. Did you notice its power is not its own? That is because it gets it from the dragon, Satan (Revelation 13:2). Daniel saw that the little horn would be at war with God and His people, also explained in Daniel 7 and Revelation 13. So what was the point of this whole vision? It was to show Daniel what was going to happen at the end of time. Read Daniel 8:17, 19, 26.
Q7. With what kingdom does God start describing future events?
A. _____________________________________________________________________
God started describing future events with the Medes and Persians. Interestingly, Daniel received this vision sometime around 550 BC, many years before King Cyrus conquered Babylon in 539 BC.
Q8. What did the one heavenly being ask the other heavenly being? Read Daniel 8:13.
A. _____________________________________________________________________
Q9. What was the other heavenly being’s response? Read Daniel 8:14.
A. _____________________________________________________________________
It is clear from the last two verses we read that this vision is mostly concerned with the little horn’s actions and attacks against God’s plan of salvation. We first see his attacks against God in verse 11, when his focus shifts upwards and culminates in his attempt to take the place of God. In verse 12, he tramples the truth, which is clearly reflected in the sanctuary service and Christ’s life, death, resurrection, and daily ministry in heaven. In fact, the little horn’s actions are so bad that the sanctuary needs to be put back in order (cleansed) after 2300 evenings and mornings (days) have passed. But we must remember a very important thing. This is a time prophecy, and in time prophecies, time periods are usually symbolic. We will come back to this point in a little bit.
Q10. How did Daniel feel after he saw the vision? Read Daniel 8:27.
A. _____________________________________________________________________
In short, Daniel was extremely upset because he didn’t understand the vision. He was horrified at the actions of the little horn. God’s people were going to be persecuted, His sanctuary defiled, and the coming Messiah’s ministry would be supplanted by a false worship system. Moreover, there was nothing he could do about it! Would we have felt any different? Let’s see what happened next.
Q11. Why did Gabriel come to Daniel? Read Daniel 9:20-23.
A. _____________________________________________________________________
He was going to give more details about the vision that Daniel had last seen, the one involving the little horn. He already knew it would start during the reign of the Medes and Persians and last for 2300 prophetic days. But now, he was about to learn exactly when it would start and how it would end!
Q12. How many weeks were given to the Jews? Read Daniel 9:24.
A. _____________________________________________________________________
God was giving the Jews the first 70 weeks (490 days) of the 2300 days to prepare the way for the Messiah. It was stated earlier that the 2300 days were symbolic. If you take a quick look at the footnote in your Bible (Kutsal Kitap çevirisi) that corresponds to verse 24, you will see that these 70 weeks are actually 490 years.[1] If the first 490 days of the 2300-day prophecy are years, then we can easily conclude that the last 1810 days are also years. This makes a lot of sense because the reign of both the Medo-Persian and Greek Empires lasted hundreds of years and many of the events that Daniel foresaw took place after their collapse. In short, this prophecy outlines a series of events that span 2300 years. Let’s find out what those events were and how they relate to the vision.
Q13. How many weeks would pass between the order to rebuild Jerusalem and the Messiah’s reign? Read Daniel 9:25.
A. _____________________________________________________________________
So what do we have thus far? We have a prophecy that lasts 2300 years and begins with an order to rebuild Jerusalem. From that order until the Messiah’s reign 69 symbolic weeks (483 years) would pass. Is it possible to know when this order was issued? Let’s go to the book of Ezra to learn when that was.
Q14. How many Medo-Persian kings made orders to rebuild the temple? Read Ezra 6:14.
A. _____________________________________________________________________
Q15. Who did King Artaxerxes say could return to Jerusalem? What was going to be the law of the land? Read Ezra 7:7, 25, 26.
A. _____________________________________________________________________
We know from a close examination of history that King Artaxerxes’ orders were the ones that really enabled the Jews to rebuild not only Jerusalem and the temple, but also permitted them to rule the land according to God’s laws, which subsequently allowed them to prepare for the coming Messiah. So what year did King Artaxerxes issue his orders? The year was 457 BC. Now we know both the beginning and ending dates of the prophecy: 457 BC and 1844 AD. Let’s draw a timeline and fill it in as we go.
|___________________________________________|_____________________________________________________________________|
457 BC ? 1844 AD
(Order to rebuild) (Messiah) (Sanctuary cleansed)
Q16. What was going to happen after 69 weeks (483 years)? Reread verse 25.
A. _____________________________________________________________________
After 483 years, the reign of the Messiah was going to start. This gives us another date. If we move forward on the timeline 483 years we will come to the year 27 AD (remember there is no year for 0). Is this when the Messiah’s reign started?
Q17. What happened to Jesus before He started His ministry on earth? Read Luke 3:1, 21-23 and Acts 10:37, 38.
A. _____________________________________________________________________
With the aid of history, we have dated the baptism of Jesus to the year 27 AD, just as the Bible said it would happen. As we already know, this was when Jesus was anointed for His earthly ministry. Thus, the date for the appearance of the Messiah wasn’t referring to His birth. It was referring to His anointing and the beginning of His ministry. Isn’t it amazing that God predicted the coming of the Messiah to the exact year! Isn’t it a shame that the Jews rejected Him in spite of this foreknowledge! Let’s continue moving forward with the prophecy to see what would happen in 1844 AD and how it relates to the symbolic cleansing of the earthly sanctuary on the Day of Atonement.
Shining Stars Series (Philippians 2:14-16)
“Hold up, hold up, hold up! I am sorry for interrupting, but I just have to say a few things,” Mehmet cut in.
“What’s wrong?” Fatma asked.
“Well nothing bad, I just wanted to make a few comments,” Mehmet clarified.
“Please do,” Türkan replied.
“By now, I know that you all know me pretty well. Therefore, I don’t think it will be a surprise if I tell you that I read through this lesson before tonight’s meeting. Well, that isn’t exactly true. Actually, I read through it a few times.”
“Don’t worry Hocam, we aren’t mad at you,” Reşat joked. “As soon as I started hearing about a vision of history, goats and rams as symbols of empires, and Greece and Persia, I wondered what was going through your mind. This is right up your alley.”
“What can I say, I couldn’t resist! Anyway, the history teacher in me came alive and I had to check some of these things out for myself. Do you know what I found?”
“I hope you aren’t going to say that these dates are wrong,” Türkan moaned.
“No, not at all. That is the amazing thing. The dates are right, and so are the events. Do you know what this means?”
“Well, how could we? We haven’t finished the lesson yet,” Gül said as she laughed.
“On the most basic level, this prophecy proves that the Bible can be implicitly trusted. Do you think that Daniel could have guessed that all of these things would have happened? Some might say, “Yes.” But I don’t think anyone can attribute this to guesswork because Daniel included clues to determine the dates. Dates!”
“So you are saying the dates and events are matching up with known history, is that right?” Mert said. “This can’t be some cryptic writing that can be interpreted any crazy way like Nostradamus or something.”
“Exactly. Wait until you see where all of this is going,” Mehmet replied rubbing his hands together. (To be Continued)
Q18. What was the Messiah going to make with the Jews? What would happen midway through this seven year period? Read Daniel 9:27a, b.
A. _____________________________________________________________________
It is important to note here that the Messiah isn’t actually establishing a new covenant with the Jews. In the original Hebrew text, the verb means to “confirm” not to “make.” Therefore, the Messiah is confirming a covenant that already existed. What covenant could that be? Quite simply, it was the oldest covenant registered in the Bible and continually renewed throughout the Old Testament. The Messiah was both the “seed” that would crush the head of the serpent and the “seed” of Abraham that would bless the whole world.
Q19. What would happen to the Messiah? Read Daniel 9:26a.
A. _____________________________________________________________________
Is it possible there is a connection between the end of sacrifices and the Messiah’s death? Absolutely! We know that when Jesus died, the curtain dividing the holy and most holy places was torn (Matthew 27:51). There was no more need for sin sacrifices because Jesus sacrificed his own life for the sins of all mankind. He broke down the wall of separation between God the Father and us. He became the conduit through which humanity could have peace with God. We know that Jesus died in 31 AD, midway through the seven year period that the Messiah “confirmed” the covenant with Israel. Let’s look at the timeline again.
|____________________________________|__________|__________|________________________________________________________|
457 BC 27 AD 31 AD 34 AD 1844 AD
(Order to rebuild) (Messiah) (Jesus Died) ? (Sanctuary cleansed)
Q20. What event marked the end of the seven year confirmation period with the Jews? Read Acts 6:8-15, 7:54-60.
A. _____________________________________________________________________
After 3.5 more years of hearing the gospel of Jesus, the religious leaders had had enough. They didn’t want to hear it anymore. They had already persecuted and ordered Peter and James not to preach. Now they went a step further. They actually killed Stephen and began to arrest and kill other Christians. The line had been drawn, they officially rejected Jesus Christ. The seven year period to confirm the covenant was finished. Once again, God predicted future events so that when they happened our faith and trust in Him would grow.
If we add 1810 years to the year 34 AD, we will come to the year 1844 and the closing event of this prophecy. After witnessing God’s predictions for the previous events, should there be any doubt that He is right about 1844 AD? Most certainly not! Let’s take one last look at the timeline before we finish.
|____________________________________|__________|__________|________________________________________________________|
457 BC 27 AD 31 AD 34 AD 1844 AD
(Order to rebuild) (Messiah) (Jesus Died) (Jews kill Stephen) (Sanctuary cleansed)
Q21. What happens first, the court scene or Jesus receiving the kingdom? Read Daniel 7:9, 10, 13, 14.
A. _____________________________________________________________________
It is very clear in these verses that the books are opened and judgment happens before Jesus returns, which is when He receives His kingdom. This is why Jesus says, “Behold I am coming and My reward is at My side” (Revelation 22:12). How can Jesus reward His followers and punish those who rejected Him if He hasn’t already examined their lives? The answer is, He can’t!
Q22. Where does judgment start? Read 1 Peter 4:17.
A. _____________________________________________________________________
Judgment starts in the house of God, it starts with those who claim to be believers.
Q23. What does Jesus do in the heavenly sanctuary on behalf of His people? Read 1 John 2:1, 2; Romans 8:1; Matthew 10:32, 33; Hebrews 9:11-14 and Revelation 3:5.
A. _____________________________________________________________________
Jesus defends us and claims us as His own! What a glorious promise for the believer. We don’t have to worry about our bad deeds outweighing our good deeds. We don’t have to worry that we won’t be in heaven. If we are growing in Christ and, under His power, living a transformed life, we have a place reserved in heaven.
In light of these truths, we need to remember a few things.
In 1844 AD, Jesus entered into the Most Holy Place of the heavenly sanctuary. Right now He is judging whether people have accepted the righteousness of Christ for themselves or rejected it. Only the righteousness of Christ is good enough to pass the judgment because He is the only one who never sinned. Don't you want Jesus' righteousness to be your security when your name comes up in the judgment? If you haven't, now is the time to receive Christ as Lord and Savior.
This prophecy, as well as others, is further proof that the end of the world is coming. This is why we must share the 3 angels’ message with our neighbors, families, and friends. Are you up to this challenge?
Shining Stars Series (Philippians 2:14-16) (Continued)
“Wow!”
“Is that all you can say?” Mehmet asked.
“What else can I say? That is by far the deepest thing that I have ever read. Now I know why Mehmet read it several times. I know what I will be reviewing tomorrow,” Afife said.
“Fatma, I loved the history, prophecy, and symbolism in this lesson. But that wasn’t the main point. What do you think the main point was?” Mehmet inquired.
“The main point was that my salvation is secure in Jesus Christ. I don’t need to be afraid of the judgment if I have received Him as my sacrifice and savior. He is defending me in the judgment with His own righteousness. I also know that He is coming soon and I want to be ready. I also want to know what this “3 angels’ message” means,” Fatma declared.
"Well, I think this book is like a gold mine." Mehmet patted his Bible gently. "I only wish more people could hear what we have learned. Maybe we could get our hands on more of these lessons and give them out?"
Fatma smiled, "Don't forget, Mehmet, that we didn't start here. We started over two years ago in the book of Genesis, with the Fate Changer lessons."
Mert said, "Well, one thing’s for sure, if people are ever going to arrive at these deep truths, we need to help as many as we can to learn to love the Bible."
Filiz spoke up, "I don't know about you all, but I think we need to study this lesson again. This was just too much to take in for one lesson."
Gül added, "I thought maybe it was just because I am a kid, so I wasn't going to say anything."
Fatma, "Ok, let's make it an assignment. Everyone put forth your best effort to study this again over the next week and come to the next meeting prepared to tell what you learned."
“There are a lot of details here that show us what is happening,” Mehmet said. “But don’t let the details hide the most important points for us. The judgment takes place before Jesus comes. The judgment determines if we have genuine faith in Christ. If our faith is genuine, Jesus’s blood covers our sins and we have peace with God even now. The judgment is good news for those who know Christ because we have security in Him.”
“What about those who don’t accept Christ?” Gül interjected.
“The judgment isn’t very good news for them. It is a call to get ready.”
Call to commitment through prayer.
[1] See Ezekiel 4:6 and Numbers 14:34 for other examples of the day-year principle in prophetic interpretation.
In a typical court case what comes first, the declaration of the evidence and verdict or the penalty? Of course in a just court case, the evidence is heard first so that a fair decision of innocence or guilt can be made. Then, if necessary, a punishment is carried out or the accused is set free. Is there any reason to think that God’s judgment would be any different? Would God punish or reward people before He reviewed their lives?
It is evident in the Bible that Jesus was given the authority and right to judge. We also know that He is our high priest. The Bible says that when Jesus ascended into heaven He entered into the Holy Place once and for all, not with the blood of animals, but with His own, precious blood. It is there that He ministers on our behalf before God, just like the priests ministered on behalf of the Israelites in both the desert sanctuary and Jerusalem temples.
Perhaps you remember from the Fate Changer lessons, that once a year the high priest entered into the Most Holy Place to perform a special service. That day was called the Day of Atonement and represented the permanent forgiveness of the Israelites’ sins (a type of judgment). The Day of Atonement on earth was symbolic of something very important that happens in the heavenly sanctuary. How does it impact us? Let’s study the Bible and find out. We begin in Revelation chapter 14 where there are three angels depicted giving important messages to the people on earth.
Q1. What was the message of the first angel? Read Revelation 14:6, 7.
A. _____________________________________________________________________
It is interesting to note that the three angels’ message is given before the return of Jesus. And yet, the first angel says that the hour of God’s judgment has already come. How can judgment happen before Jesus returns to the earth? Let’s begin to unlock this mystery by examining a prophecy in the book of Daniel.
Q2. What did Daniel see in this vision? Read Daniel 8:1-4.
A. _____________________________________________________________________
Q3. What happened next? Read Daniel 8:5-8.
A. _____________________________________________________________________
Q4. What appeared after the goat’s horn broke off and divided into four separate horns? Read Daniel 8:9-12.
A. _____________________________________________________________________
In this fascinating vision, we are bombarded with lots of imagery: animals, horns, wings, and battles. Is it possible to unlock the meaning of this vision? Actually, if we use the Bible, it is quite easy. Let’s start by identifying the ram and goat.
Q5. Who is the ram? Who is the goat? Read Daniel 8:20-22.
A. _____________________________________________________________________
This vision is merely a continuation, or rather a more detailed account, of what we learned in the vision of Daniel chapter 7. The ram with the two horns representing two united kingdoms was the Medo-Persian Empire (just like the bear in Daniel 7:5). The goat with the prominent horn that was broken and replaced with four new ones was the Greek Empire. Do you remember who the Greek Empire’s first and most famous leader was? Yes, Alexander the Great! If you remember, when Alexander died his kingdom was divided up between his four main generals. Let’s continue.
Q6. Who is the little horn? What will he do? Read Daniel 8:23-25.
A. _____________________________________________________________________
Of course the little horn, a fierce kingdom, is also mentioned in Daniel 7. We know that the little horn is at first a symbol of the Roman Empire, which then transforms into the religio-political Catholic papal system. Did you notice its power is not its own? That is because it gets it from the dragon, Satan (Revelation 13:2). Daniel saw that the little horn would be at war with God and His people, also explained in Daniel 7 and Revelation 13. So what was the point of this whole vision? It was to show Daniel what was going to happen at the end of time. Read Daniel 8:17, 19, 26.
Q7. With what kingdom does God start describing future events?
A. _____________________________________________________________________
God started describing future events with the Medes and Persians. Interestingly, Daniel received this vision sometime around 550 BC, many years before King Cyrus conquered Babylon in 539 BC.
Q8. What did the one heavenly being ask the other heavenly being? Read Daniel 8:13.
A. _____________________________________________________________________
Q9. What was the other heavenly being’s response? Read Daniel 8:14.
A. _____________________________________________________________________
It is clear from the last two verses we read that this vision is mostly concerned with the little horn’s actions and attacks against God’s plan of salvation. We first see his attacks against God in verse 11, when his focus shifts upwards and culminates in his attempt to take the place of God. In verse 12, he tramples the truth, which is clearly reflected in the sanctuary service and Christ’s life, death, resurrection, and daily ministry in heaven. In fact, the little horn’s actions are so bad that the sanctuary needs to be put back in order (cleansed) after 2300 evenings and mornings (days) have passed. But we must remember a very important thing. This is a time prophecy, and in time prophecies, time periods are usually symbolic. We will come back to this point in a little bit.
Q10. How did Daniel feel after he saw the vision? Read Daniel 8:27.
A. _____________________________________________________________________
In short, Daniel was extremely upset because he didn’t understand the vision. He was horrified at the actions of the little horn. God’s people were going to be persecuted, His sanctuary defiled, and the coming Messiah’s ministry would be supplanted by a false worship system. Moreover, there was nothing he could do about it! Would we have felt any different? Let’s see what happened next.
Q11. Why did Gabriel come to Daniel? Read Daniel 9:20-23.
A. _____________________________________________________________________
He was going to give more details about the vision that Daniel had last seen, the one involving the little horn. He already knew it would start during the reign of the Medes and Persians and last for 2300 prophetic days. But now, he was about to learn exactly when it would start and how it would end!
Q12. How many weeks were given to the Jews? Read Daniel 9:24.
A. _____________________________________________________________________
God was giving the Jews the first 70 weeks (490 days) of the 2300 days to prepare the way for the Messiah. It was stated earlier that the 2300 days were symbolic. If you take a quick look at the footnote in your Bible (Kutsal Kitap çevirisi) that corresponds to verse 24, you will see that these 70 weeks are actually 490 years.[1] If the first 490 days of the 2300-day prophecy are years, then we can easily conclude that the last 1810 days are also years. This makes a lot of sense because the reign of both the Medo-Persian and Greek Empires lasted hundreds of years and many of the events that Daniel foresaw took place after their collapse. In short, this prophecy outlines a series of events that span 2300 years. Let’s find out what those events were and how they relate to the vision.
Q13. How many weeks would pass between the order to rebuild Jerusalem and the Messiah’s reign? Read Daniel 9:25.
A. _____________________________________________________________________
So what do we have thus far? We have a prophecy that lasts 2300 years and begins with an order to rebuild Jerusalem. From that order until the Messiah’s reign 69 symbolic weeks (483 years) would pass. Is it possible to know when this order was issued? Let’s go to the book of Ezra to learn when that was.
Q14. How many Medo-Persian kings made orders to rebuild the temple? Read Ezra 6:14.
A. _____________________________________________________________________
Q15. Who did King Artaxerxes say could return to Jerusalem? What was going to be the law of the land? Read Ezra 7:7, 25, 26.
A. _____________________________________________________________________
We know from a close examination of history that King Artaxerxes’ orders were the ones that really enabled the Jews to rebuild not only Jerusalem and the temple, but also permitted them to rule the land according to God’s laws, which subsequently allowed them to prepare for the coming Messiah. So what year did King Artaxerxes issue his orders? The year was 457 BC. Now we know both the beginning and ending dates of the prophecy: 457 BC and 1844 AD. Let’s draw a timeline and fill it in as we go.
|___________________________________________|_____________________________________________________________________|
457 BC ? 1844 AD
(Order to rebuild) (Messiah) (Sanctuary cleansed)
Q16. What was going to happen after 69 weeks (483 years)? Reread verse 25.
A. _____________________________________________________________________
After 483 years, the reign of the Messiah was going to start. This gives us another date. If we move forward on the timeline 483 years we will come to the year 27 AD (remember there is no year for 0). Is this when the Messiah’s reign started?
Q17. What happened to Jesus before He started His ministry on earth? Read Luke 3:1, 21-23 and Acts 10:37, 38.
A. _____________________________________________________________________
With the aid of history, we have dated the baptism of Jesus to the year 27 AD, just as the Bible said it would happen. As we already know, this was when Jesus was anointed for His earthly ministry. Thus, the date for the appearance of the Messiah wasn’t referring to His birth. It was referring to His anointing and the beginning of His ministry. Isn’t it amazing that God predicted the coming of the Messiah to the exact year! Isn’t it a shame that the Jews rejected Him in spite of this foreknowledge! Let’s continue moving forward with the prophecy to see what would happen in 1844 AD and how it relates to the symbolic cleansing of the earthly sanctuary on the Day of Atonement.
Shining Stars Series (Philippians 2:14-16)
“Hold up, hold up, hold up! I am sorry for interrupting, but I just have to say a few things,” Mehmet cut in.
“What’s wrong?” Fatma asked.
“Well nothing bad, I just wanted to make a few comments,” Mehmet clarified.
“Please do,” Türkan replied.
“By now, I know that you all know me pretty well. Therefore, I don’t think it will be a surprise if I tell you that I read through this lesson before tonight’s meeting. Well, that isn’t exactly true. Actually, I read through it a few times.”
“Don’t worry Hocam, we aren’t mad at you,” Reşat joked. “As soon as I started hearing about a vision of history, goats and rams as symbols of empires, and Greece and Persia, I wondered what was going through your mind. This is right up your alley.”
“What can I say, I couldn’t resist! Anyway, the history teacher in me came alive and I had to check some of these things out for myself. Do you know what I found?”
“I hope you aren’t going to say that these dates are wrong,” Türkan moaned.
“No, not at all. That is the amazing thing. The dates are right, and so are the events. Do you know what this means?”
“Well, how could we? We haven’t finished the lesson yet,” Gül said as she laughed.
“On the most basic level, this prophecy proves that the Bible can be implicitly trusted. Do you think that Daniel could have guessed that all of these things would have happened? Some might say, “Yes.” But I don’t think anyone can attribute this to guesswork because Daniel included clues to determine the dates. Dates!”
“So you are saying the dates and events are matching up with known history, is that right?” Mert said. “This can’t be some cryptic writing that can be interpreted any crazy way like Nostradamus or something.”
“Exactly. Wait until you see where all of this is going,” Mehmet replied rubbing his hands together. (To be Continued)
Q18. What was the Messiah going to make with the Jews? What would happen midway through this seven year period? Read Daniel 9:27a, b.
A. _____________________________________________________________________
It is important to note here that the Messiah isn’t actually establishing a new covenant with the Jews. In the original Hebrew text, the verb means to “confirm” not to “make.” Therefore, the Messiah is confirming a covenant that already existed. What covenant could that be? Quite simply, it was the oldest covenant registered in the Bible and continually renewed throughout the Old Testament. The Messiah was both the “seed” that would crush the head of the serpent and the “seed” of Abraham that would bless the whole world.
Q19. What would happen to the Messiah? Read Daniel 9:26a.
A. _____________________________________________________________________
Is it possible there is a connection between the end of sacrifices and the Messiah’s death? Absolutely! We know that when Jesus died, the curtain dividing the holy and most holy places was torn (Matthew 27:51). There was no more need for sin sacrifices because Jesus sacrificed his own life for the sins of all mankind. He broke down the wall of separation between God the Father and us. He became the conduit through which humanity could have peace with God. We know that Jesus died in 31 AD, midway through the seven year period that the Messiah “confirmed” the covenant with Israel. Let’s look at the timeline again.
|____________________________________|__________|__________|________________________________________________________|
457 BC 27 AD 31 AD 34 AD 1844 AD
(Order to rebuild) (Messiah) (Jesus Died) ? (Sanctuary cleansed)
Q20. What event marked the end of the seven year confirmation period with the Jews? Read Acts 6:8-15, 7:54-60.
A. _____________________________________________________________________
After 3.5 more years of hearing the gospel of Jesus, the religious leaders had had enough. They didn’t want to hear it anymore. They had already persecuted and ordered Peter and James not to preach. Now they went a step further. They actually killed Stephen and began to arrest and kill other Christians. The line had been drawn, they officially rejected Jesus Christ. The seven year period to confirm the covenant was finished. Once again, God predicted future events so that when they happened our faith and trust in Him would grow.
If we add 1810 years to the year 34 AD, we will come to the year 1844 and the closing event of this prophecy. After witnessing God’s predictions for the previous events, should there be any doubt that He is right about 1844 AD? Most certainly not! Let’s take one last look at the timeline before we finish.
|____________________________________|__________|__________|________________________________________________________|
457 BC 27 AD 31 AD 34 AD 1844 AD
(Order to rebuild) (Messiah) (Jesus Died) (Jews kill Stephen) (Sanctuary cleansed)
Q21. What happens first, the court scene or Jesus receiving the kingdom? Read Daniel 7:9, 10, 13, 14.
A. _____________________________________________________________________
It is very clear in these verses that the books are opened and judgment happens before Jesus returns, which is when He receives His kingdom. This is why Jesus says, “Behold I am coming and My reward is at My side” (Revelation 22:12). How can Jesus reward His followers and punish those who rejected Him if He hasn’t already examined their lives? The answer is, He can’t!
Q22. Where does judgment start? Read 1 Peter 4:17.
A. _____________________________________________________________________
Judgment starts in the house of God, it starts with those who claim to be believers.
Q23. What does Jesus do in the heavenly sanctuary on behalf of His people? Read 1 John 2:1, 2; Romans 8:1; Matthew 10:32, 33; Hebrews 9:11-14 and Revelation 3:5.
A. _____________________________________________________________________
Jesus defends us and claims us as His own! What a glorious promise for the believer. We don’t have to worry about our bad deeds outweighing our good deeds. We don’t have to worry that we won’t be in heaven. If we are growing in Christ and, under His power, living a transformed life, we have a place reserved in heaven.
In light of these truths, we need to remember a few things.
- The purpose of the Day of Atonement ceremony in the earthly temple service was to permanently erase the confessed sins of the people and place the responsibility of those sins on the head of Satan, thus, cleansing the sanctuary. That ceremony was a model for the real one that Jesus is performing in heaven right now. He is currently cleansing the heavenly sanctuary of all confessed sins.
- Jesus is our high priest. He not only mediates for us on a daily basis, but He also stands in our place during the judgment; offering His life as a permanent ransom for ours. By dying, He paid the penalty for our sins so that we could be with Him in heaven.
- Jesus must examine each believer’s life to determine if their actions line up with their claims of being a believer. If they don’t, they will have no place in heaven and on the new earth (Matthew 7:21-23).
In 1844 AD, Jesus entered into the Most Holy Place of the heavenly sanctuary. Right now He is judging whether people have accepted the righteousness of Christ for themselves or rejected it. Only the righteousness of Christ is good enough to pass the judgment because He is the only one who never sinned. Don't you want Jesus' righteousness to be your security when your name comes up in the judgment? If you haven't, now is the time to receive Christ as Lord and Savior.
This prophecy, as well as others, is further proof that the end of the world is coming. This is why we must share the 3 angels’ message with our neighbors, families, and friends. Are you up to this challenge?
Shining Stars Series (Philippians 2:14-16) (Continued)
“Wow!”
“Is that all you can say?” Mehmet asked.
“What else can I say? That is by far the deepest thing that I have ever read. Now I know why Mehmet read it several times. I know what I will be reviewing tomorrow,” Afife said.
“Fatma, I loved the history, prophecy, and symbolism in this lesson. But that wasn’t the main point. What do you think the main point was?” Mehmet inquired.
“The main point was that my salvation is secure in Jesus Christ. I don’t need to be afraid of the judgment if I have received Him as my sacrifice and savior. He is defending me in the judgment with His own righteousness. I also know that He is coming soon and I want to be ready. I also want to know what this “3 angels’ message” means,” Fatma declared.
"Well, I think this book is like a gold mine." Mehmet patted his Bible gently. "I only wish more people could hear what we have learned. Maybe we could get our hands on more of these lessons and give them out?"
Fatma smiled, "Don't forget, Mehmet, that we didn't start here. We started over two years ago in the book of Genesis, with the Fate Changer lessons."
Mert said, "Well, one thing’s for sure, if people are ever going to arrive at these deep truths, we need to help as many as we can to learn to love the Bible."
Filiz spoke up, "I don't know about you all, but I think we need to study this lesson again. This was just too much to take in for one lesson."
Gül added, "I thought maybe it was just because I am a kid, so I wasn't going to say anything."
Fatma, "Ok, let's make it an assignment. Everyone put forth your best effort to study this again over the next week and come to the next meeting prepared to tell what you learned."
“There are a lot of details here that show us what is happening,” Mehmet said. “But don’t let the details hide the most important points for us. The judgment takes place before Jesus comes. The judgment determines if we have genuine faith in Christ. If our faith is genuine, Jesus’s blood covers our sins and we have peace with God even now. The judgment is good news for those who know Christ because we have security in Him.”
“What about those who don’t accept Christ?” Gül interjected.
“The judgment isn’t very good news for them. It is a call to get ready.”
Call to commitment through prayer.
[1] See Ezekiel 4:6 and Numbers 14:34 for other examples of the day-year principle in prophetic interpretation.