5. A party of Arctic explorers were hopelessly lost
in the freezing snow. Their supplies were
running low. They had a few meager rations
left. They lost all radio contact with their
home base. Now they were frantic. In the
midst of their despair someone spotted a puff
of smoke on the horizon. That one puff of
smoke buoyed their spirits. Help was on the
way. Someone knew they were lost and was
coming to take them home.
5
6. Our world is frantically searching for some message
of hope. The book of Revelation reveals a “puff of
smoke” on the distant horizon. Jesus is on the
way. He is coming to take us home. Our lesson
today unfolds one of the Bible’s most amazing
prophecies. In our last lesson we discovered
God’s special message in Revelation, chapter 14—
a message to prepare a people for the coming of
Jesus. Jesus’ final, last-day message announces,
“The hour of [God’s] judgment has come”
(Revelation 14:7, NKJV).
6
7. In this lesson we will study where this judgment
takes place and when it began. If we are living at
the time of the end in God’s judgment hour, it
makes all the difference in how we live our lives.
Although Revelation reveals that the hour of God’s
judgment has come, it does not tell us when. To
discover when the judgment began we must turn
to the prophetic book of Daniel. The prophecies
of Daniel unlock the mysteries of Revelation.
These two Bible books are designed by God to be
studied together.
7
8. 1. According to the prophet
Daniel, where does the
judgment take place?
Daniel 7:9, 10
Lesson 9
8
9. I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the
Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was
white as snow, and the hair of his head like the
pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame,
and his wheels as burning fire. A fiery stream
issued and came forth from before him:
thousand thousands ministered unto him, and
ten thousand times ten thousand stood before
him: the judgment was set, and the books were
opened. (Dan 7:9-10)
Lesson 9
9
10. The angel directed Daniel's attention to the
throne room of the universe. There the
prophet saw the setting up of the supreme
court of the universe in heaven's sanctuary.
10
11. 2. When does this heavenly
judgment take place?
Daniel 8:14
Lesson 9
11
12. And he said unto me, Unto two
thousand and three hundred days;
then shall the sanctuary be
cleansed. (Dan 8:14)
Lesson 9
12
13. 3. What does the prophet Daniel say
would happen to the sanctuary at
the end of the 2300 prophetic
days?
Daniel 8:14
Lesson 9
13
14. And he said unto me, Unto two
thousand and three hundred days;
then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.
(Dan 8:14)
Lesson 9
14
15. 4. What did the cleansing or restoring
of the sanctuary mean to each
Israelite? Was it a form of
judgment?
Leviticus 16:29, 30; 23:27-29
Lesson 9
15
16. And this shall be a statute for ever unto you: that in the
seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, ye shall
afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether it be
one of your own country, or a stranger that sojourneth
among you: For on that day shall the priest make an
atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean
from all your sins before the LORD. (Lev 16:29-30)
Lesson 9
16
17. Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a
day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you;
and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by
fire unto the LORD. And ye shall do no work in that same day:
for it is a day of atonement, to make an atonement for you
before the LORD your God. For whatsoever soul it be that
shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from
among his people. (Lev 23:27-29)
Lesson 9
17
18. Each day during the earthly sanctuary service
the Israelites confessed their sins. They came
to the sanctuary with their sacrificial animals.
Each sacrificial animal represented Jesus. Day
by day, sin was transferred from the sinner to
the substitute and through the blood of the
sacrificial victim carried into the sanctuary by
the Jewish priest. Each priest represented
Jesus, our priest, who represents us in
heaven's sanctuary.
18
19. Once a year, on the Day of Atonement, the
sanctuary was cleansed of all the guilt transferred
in by the confessed sins of the Israelites. It was a
day of judgment! At the end of the day the sins of
the repentant Israelites were either confessed,
forgiven and renounced, or unconfessed,
unforgiven and cherished. All Israelites who
refused to confess their sins were banished from
the camp. They were judged. The cleansing of the
heavenly sanctuary takes place at the end of
time. It is God's final judgment on sin.
19
20. 5. When does the vision of the
2300 days especially apply to?
Daniel 8:16, 17, 19
Lesson 9
20
21. And I heard a man's voice between the banks of
Ulai, which called, and said, Gabriel, make this
man to understand the vision. So he came near
where I stood: and when he came, I was afraid,
and fell upon my face: but he said unto me,
Understand, O son of man: for at the time of the
end shall be the vision. (Dan 8:16-17)
Lesson 9
21
22. And he said, Behold, I will make
thee know what shall be in the
last end of the indignation: for at
the time appointed the end shall
be. (Dan 8:19)
Lesson 9
22
23. 6. Who was Daniel's guide to
explain the vision?
Daniel 8:16
Lesson 9
23
24. And I heard a man's voice between the
banks of Ulai, which called, and said,
Gabriel, make this man to understand
the vision. (Dan 8:16)
Lesson 9
24
25. When the angel attempted to explain the vision,
Daniel fainted. (Daniel 8:27)
25
26. 7. Does Gabriel return to continue
the explanation of the vision
which was interrupted by
Daniel's fainting? Daniel 9:21-23
Lesson 9
26
27. Yea, whiles I was speaking in prayer, even the
man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at
the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly,
touched me about the time of the evening
oblation. And he informed me, and talked with
me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to
give thee skill and understanding.
Lesson 9
27
28. At the beginning of thy supplications the
commandment came forth, and I am come to
shew thee; for thou art greatly beloved:
therefore understand the matter, and consider
the vision. (Dan 9:21-23)
Lesson 9
28
29. 8. What portion of the
prophecy applies directly to
Daniel's people, the Jews?
Daniel 9:25
Lesson 9
29
30. Know therefore and understand, that from the
going forth of the commandment to restore and
to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince
shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two
weeks: the street shall be built again, and the
wall, even in troublous times. (Dan 9:25)
Lesson 9
30
31. Gabriel begins his explanation by stating that 70
weeks (490 days) are determined (cut off from
the 2,300 days) especially for the Jews (Daniel
9:22-24).
31
32. 9. In Bible prophecy what does one
prophetic day equal?
Numbers 14:34; Ezekiel 4:6
Lesson 9
32
33. After the number of the days in which ye
searched the land, even forty days, each day
for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even
forty years, and ye shall know my breach of
promise.
(Num 14:34)
Lesson 9
33
34. And when thou hast accomplished them,
lie again on thy right side, and thou
shalt bear the iniquity of the house of
Judah forty days: I have appointed
thee each day for a year. (Eze 4:6)
Lesson 9
34
35. The entire 2,300 days leads us to the time of the
end and the opening of the judgment
35
36. 10. When does this entire
prophetic period begin?
Daniel 9:25
Lesson 9
36
37. Know therefore and understand, that from the
going forth of the commandment to restore and
to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince
shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two
weeks: the street shall be built again, and the
wall, even in troublous times. (Dan 9:25)
Lesson 9
37
38. The entire prophetic period begins with the
command to restore and build Jerusalem.
Jerusalem was attacked in 605 B.C. by the
Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar. In 587/586
B.C. it was largely destroyed. The Medes and
Persians overthrew the Babylonians in 539 B.C. In
457 B.C. the Persian king, Artaxerxes, passed a
decree allowing the Jews to return to their
homeland to rebuild Jerusalem. You can read
about this decree in Ezra 7, verses 12 and 13.
38
39. 11. How long would it be from the
decree to restore Jerusalem to the
anointing of Jesus as the Messiah?
Daniel 9:25
Lesson 9
39
40. Know therefore and understand, that from the
going forth of the commandment to restore and
to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince
shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two
weeks: the street shall be built again, and the
wall, even in troublous times. (Dan 9:25)
Lesson 9
40
41. The prophecies of Daniel predict that from the
decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem in 457
B.C. until the coming of the Messiah would be
69 prophetic weeks, or 483 prophetic days (7 x
69 = 483). Since one prophetic day equals one
literal year, 483 years from the going forth of
the command to rebuild Jerusalem the
Messiah would appear. The chart below will
clarify this prophecy.
41
42. 12. What happened when Jesus was
baptized?
Luke 3:21, 22; Acts 10:38
Lesson 9
42
43. Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass,
that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven
was opened, And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily
shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from
heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I
am well pleased. (Luke 3:21-22)
Lesson 9
43
44. How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with
the Holy Ghost and with power: who
went about doing good, and healing all
that were oppressed of the devil; for
God was with him. (Act 10:38)
Lesson 9
44
45. 13. When would Jesus bring all
sacrificial offerings to an end with
His death on the cross?
Daniel 9:27
Lesson 9
45
46. And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one
week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the
sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the
overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate,
even until the consummation, and that determined shall
be poured upon the desolate. (Dan 9:27)
Lesson 9
46
47. The first 69 weeks of the 70-week prophecy ran out in
A.D. 27 at Christ's baptism. One week, or seven years,
remained. In the middle of this last prophetic week
all animal sacrifices would cease. The Messiah would
be cut off or crucified. According to the prophecy,
Jesus would be crucified three and one-half years
from His baptism in A.D. 27. This leads us to the
spring of A.D. 31. Jesus was crucified in the spring
exactly on the Passover as the prophecy predicted.
47
48. 14. What event occurred in the Jewish
Temple when Christ was crucified?
Matthew 27:51
Lesson 9
48
49. And, behold, the veil of the temple was
rent in twain from the top to the
bottom; and the earth did quake, and
the rocks rent;
(Mat 27:51)
Lesson 9
49
50. The tearing of the veil in the Jewish Temple
signified the end of the sacrificial system. On
Passover of A.D. 31, Jesus Christ, our
Passover, was crucified for us. The sacrificial
system lost its significance. Christ, our
substitute, was sacrificed in our behalf.
50
51. Historically the whole sacrificial system came to an end
with the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus in A.D. 70. In
A.D. 34, as the prophecy predicted, the Jews finally
sealed their doom as a nation. The Jewish high priest
speaking on behalf of the Sanhedrin, the high Jewish
Council, officially rejected Jesus. Stephen, the first
Christian martyr, was stoned, and the gospel was
preached to the Gentiles.
51
52. The 490-year period is a smaller section of the
2,300 days. The 490 years applies especially to
the Jews and the coming of the Messiah. The
longer prophecy of the 2,300 days leads us to
the end of time, the cleansing of the sanctuary
and earth's final judgment. Adding 1,810
years to our last date, A.D. 34, brings us to
1844. Just as surely as Christ was baptized in
A.D. 27 and crucified in A.D. 31, the judgment
began in A.D. 1844.
52
53. 15. Adding 1810 years to our last date, A.D. 34,
brings us to 1844. Just as surely as Christ was
baptized in A.D. 27 and crucified in A.D. 31, the
judgment began in A.D. 1844. Does it make any
difference in the way we live knowing we are
living in the judgment hour? Romans 13:11-14
Lesson 9
53
54. And that, knowing the time, that now it is
high time to awake out of sleep: for now is
our salvation nearer than when we believed.
The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let
us therefore cast off the works of darkness,
and let us put on the armour of light.
Lesson 9
54
55. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in
rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering
and wantonness, not in strife and envying.
But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make
not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts
thereof. (Rom 13:11-14)
Lesson 9
55
56. 16. What assurance does God give us
in the judgment? Hebrews 7:27
Lesson 9
56
57. Who needeth not daily, as those high
priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his
own sins, and then for the people's: for
this he did once, when he offered up
himself. (Heb 7:27)
Lesson 9
57
58. If any of us had to stand alone, we would have
no hope. Jesus will stand in our behalf in the
judgment. What assurance! We can rejoice in
the hope of the Christ who is our best friend
representing us before the throne of God.
58