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XXXIII - 6 (00) “Watchman, what of the night?” "The hour has come, the hour is
striking and striking at you, THE FINAL Editor's Preface With this issue of WWN,
we close our "exploring" of the Scriptures which could reflect upon
the doctrine commonly called, the Investigative Judgment. Even now, as we
write, there comes to mind two other texts which speak of the judgment: 1) I Peter It is also evident from
the texts of Scripture that there is a "set of books" and that there
is "another book." In the "set" are not only names, but
also "works." In the other, only "names." Perhaps in the
final analysis, what Paul wrote to the Church at Page 2 "Review, The Final
Atonement - 2 The prophecy of Daniel
7 - "the judgment was set" - and the expanded prophecy of Daniel 8 -
"then shall the sanctuary be cleansed" - reflect the objectives of
the typical Day of Atonement. The typical "Day of Atonements"
involved both judgment and cleansing. In this second study on the Final
Atonement, we shall continue our exploration by noting carefully some of the
details of the prophecies of Daniel. Since the focus of this
part of our continued "exploration" will be centered on Daniel
7:9-14, we will but briefly cover the first eight verses of the seventh
chapter. Once the identity of the symbol of the "lion" is
established, we can move rapidly to the time of the judgment scene portrayed in
these verses. Jeremiah, contemporary
in time with Daniel, pictures Behold he
shall come up like a lion from the swelling of the Jordon against the
habitation of the strong. ... Behold he shall come up and fly as the eagle.
(49:19, 22) Then the prophet names
him - "Concerning Kedar, and concerning the
kingdoms of Hazor which Nebuchadnezzer,
king of The prophecy then moves
rapidly through the centuries of history. "And behold another beast, a
second, like a bear" (v. 5) Medo-Persia followed Certain points of this
prophecy must be kept in mind: 1)
Daniel beholds this beast functioning through the "little horn" until
it is slain, and its body given to the burning
flame" (v. 11). 2)
"The little horn" is never removed from this beast and speaks
"great things" both before the judgment is set, and after it has
convened. (vs. 8, 11). This facet of the prophecy - a
mouth that speaks - is emphasized, and the words uttered are noted as "very
great things" (v. 20). A period of time is
allotted to the "little horn" - "a time, and times and a
dividing of time" (v. 25). This gives us two other important points to be
derived from this prophecy: 1) The emphasis from Heaven's point of view on the things
spoken by the little horn. It is after the judgment is set that the words of
the little horn are perceived as "great" words. What is spoken during
the period allotted are noted simply as "words against the most
High." (The word "great" in the KJV is supplied) 2) By making
application of the time revealed, 538 AD to 1798, the judgment scene follows
that date. Thus the date arrived at in the prophecy of Daniel 8:14 - 1844 -
coincides with the judgment, but also marks the time when "the great
words" would begin to be spoken. It is after "the judgment was
set" that Daniel "beheld then because of the voice of
the great words which the horn spake" (v. 11). In the explanation of
the vision (See vs. 15-16), the judgment is introduced twice, and both times,
the "little horn is involved. 1)
This horn "made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; until the
Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most
high" (vs. 21-22). The adjudication of the judgment is made in favor of
the saints against the "little horn." 2) "The judgment shall sit, and they shall
take away (the little horn's) domin- Page 3 ion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end" (v.
26). Since the "little horn" ever exists in the "beast," the "end" would
refer to the "beast" given to the burning flame" (v. 11). This
indicates that in the judgment pictured in Daniel 7:9-10, at some point, the
powers of earth are called to give an account of how they have related to the
"saints of the most High." The prophecy
indicates further, that the other beasts - the lion, bear and leopard, though
their dominion was taken away, "their lives were prolonged for a season
and time" ( It is after Daniel is given a picture of the beasts, to their
final end, that he saw "one like the Son of man coming to the Ancient of
days" to receive "dominion, and glory, and a kingdom" which
would be "an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His
kingdom (that) shall not be destroyed" (vs. 13-14). In the explanation of
this part of the vision, Daniel is informed that the kingdom "shall be
given to the people of the saints of the most High" (v. 27). In another
revelation to Daniel, this "people" are defined as those who
"shall be found written in the book" (12:1). This distinctly involves
Michael who "standeth" for those whose
names are recorded therein. Gesenius in his definition of this Hebrew word, gahmad, indicates that in this text, it means
"to stand by or for; to succour." It is
also used of those who minister "before the Lord" as either priests and Levites, as well as prophets. Thus a
conclusion could be sustained that the ones whose names are found in the book,
are the ones covered by the judgment committed to the Son because He is
"the Son of man" (cmp. again Dan. Before considering the
prophecy of Daniel 8, we shall list to date the "great words which the
horn spake" after the judgment was set. In 1854, the Dogma of the
Immaculate Conception was promulgated declaring that from the first moment of
conception, Mary "was preserved free from every stain of original
sin." In 1870, the dogma of papal infallibility declared that when the
pope spoke ex cathedra,
his utterances were infallible. Then in 1950, Pius XII proclaimed "the
Corporal Assumption of the Virgin Mary" into heaven. Of importance for
careful consideration is Heaven's differentiation between the blasphemous words
spoken during the period of time allotted to the "little horn," and
what was spoken after the judgment was set. Those after are denoted as
"great" words. We shall turn next to
the prophecy which begins in Daniel 8, and is not concluded till Chapter 9.
This prophecy brings into focus the second objective of the final atonement -
the cleansing. Given to Daniel in the
third year of Belshazzar, as the It is in this phase of
the vision, that "the daily" (tamid)
is introduced (8:9-12). Further, this is but one of three factors which is
connected with the pronouncement of the 2300 days of Daniel Page 4 It is of more than
merely passing interest what A. T.
Jones wrote in comment on the "little horn" in reference to
"the daily:” In Daniel And it is this continual service of Christ, the true
High Priest, "who continueth ever," and "who is
consecrated forevermore" in "an unchangeable priesthood"-
it is this continual service of our great High Priest, which the man of
sin, the Papacy, has taken away. It is the sanctuary and the true
tabernacle in which this true High Priest exercises His continual ministry
that has been cast down by the "transgression of desolation." It is
this ministry and this sanctuary that the "man of sin" has taken away
from the church and shut away from the world, and has cast down to the ground
and stamped upon; and in place of which it has set up itself "the
abomination that maketh desolate." What former
In the previous issue
of WWN, we discussed the word translated "cleansed" in the KJV
of Daniel 8:14, which in the Massoretic (Hebrew) text
is nisdaq meaning "justified," as
well as noting the word used in the LXX, καθαρισθησεται and the Vulgate, mundabitur, both of
which translate, "shall be cleansed." (See pp. 4,
5). We shall, therefore, pass to the next problem which confronts the
student of the book of Daniel, the connection between chapters 8 & 9. Chapter 8 closes with
no explanation as when to begin the 2300 "evening-mornings." Gabriel
merely tells Daniel, "The vision of the evening and the morning which was
told is true: wherefore shut thou up the vision; for it shall be for many
days" ( And while I was speaking, and praying, and
confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my
supplications before the Lord my God for the holy mountain of my God; yea,
while 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.
(9:20-21) The previous
"vision" was the vision of the ram, he-goat, and little horn. The
only unexplained part of that vision was the 2300 days. The first thing that
Gabriel tells Daniel is that he is "now come forth to give (him) skill and
understanding ... therefore understand the matter, and
consider the vision" ( Within the text itself,
there is another connecting link. Two different Hebrew words are used for
vision." In verse 21, the word is chazon,
"the vision at the beginning;" while in verse 23, the word is mar
'eh, "consider the vision." This word differentiation connects
the 2300 days with the explanation given by Gabriel to Daniel in chapter 9. As
chapter eight closes, Daniel is told that "the vision (mar 'eh) of
the evening and the morning ... is true; wherefore shut thou up the vision (chazon)." Then Daniel became sick and
"fainted," but afterwards, upon recovery confesses, "I was
astonished at the vision (mar'eh), but none
understood it" ( With the explanation
given by Gabriel, the 2300 days of Daniel Page 5 the "judgment was set" after the period of
time allotted to the "little horn" ( (For a more
comprehensive study of the 2300 days prophecy, you may obtain the audio
cassette - "The Certainty of Our Faith." For a more involved analysis
of the problems involved In the study of Daniel 8:14,
the tape - "1844 Re-Examined" - should be enlightening. Both studies
have diagram helps and may be obtained through the Foundation office. Let us next consider
the actual services performed by the high priest on the typical day of atonement as we continue our "exploration"
to find a possible explanation of Daniel 7:9-10 which harmonizes with all the
findings we have discovered thus far in the two "reviews" of the
Final Atonement. However, we need to retain in our minds two aspects of the
character of God which must remain inviolate - His justice, and His
omniscience. No final explanation dare impugn either.
Leviticus 16 contains
the outline of the services of the typical Day of Atonements. First certain
designations need to be defined. In the KJV, the word "holy"
("place" being supplied) refers to the second apartment of the
sanctuary - "within the vail before the mercy seat" (16:2). The
"tabernacle of the congregation" is the phrase used for the first
apartment ( On this day, the high
priest was to provide "a young bullock for a sin offering" (16:3).
This was the same kind of offering that was to be provided by the high priest
during the year should he "sin so as to bring guilt on the people" (Lev.
4:3 ARV). There was one distinct difference between these two offerings. During
the year, If such a sin should occur, the offending high priest was to
"lay his hand upon the bullock's head" In confession (4:4). Not so in
the services of the Day of Atonement. No hand of confession was so laid; the
blood was used to cleanse the Altar of Burnt Offering "from the
uncleanness of the children of Twice the text
indicates that the bullock was for "himself, and for his house" (16:6,
11). In this typical service, the high priest was a type of the great High
Priest who was to come, who "of necessity" had to "have somewhat
also to offer" (Heb. 8:3). In the typical there is the added dimension,
"and for his house." It is not just a happenstance that, in the book
of Hebrews, after the eternal Deity and common humanity of Jesus Christ are
confirmed, Paul asks that we "consider the Apostle and High Priest of our
profession" (3:1). He begins this consideration by presenting Jesus Christ
first "as a son over His own house, whose house are we" (3:6). Chnst's sacrifice, from this perspective, was for those
whose names were to be placed in the Lamb's Book of Life (Rev. 3:5). These are
prophetically pictured in contrast to those who "worship" the beast
who makes "war with the saints," and overcomes them (Rev. 13:7-8).
This is the same language used in Daniel 7:21-22 in connection with the
judgment given to the saints against the little horn. Thus any explanation involving
the Judgment scene of Daniel 7:9-10, must include the factor of "the Son
of man" (Dan. Let us at this point
recapitulate the same prophetic picture found in both Daniel and Revelation.
Observe the parallels: I beheld, and
the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them. (Dan. 7:21)
------- And it was given unto him (first beast) to make war with the saints,
and to overcome them. (Rev. 13:7) Until the
Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High: and the time came that the saints possessed the
kingdom. (Dan. 7:22) ------- And all that dwell on the earth shall worship (the
first beast) whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb ...
(Rev. 13:8) In Daniel, "the
books were opened" ( Page 6 standeth for the children of thy people," those whose names are in another
book are delivered (12:1). Further, when "one like the Son of man"
came to receive His kingdom (7:1-14), the explanation states that the kingdom
"shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High" ( In Revelation, the
picture is given of the final judgment before the Ancient of days, the judgment
of "the great white throne." Again the same contrast between books is
made. "The books were opened and another book was opened which is the book
of life." However, the "dead" or the eternally lost ones, are judged out of the books "according to their
works" ( Next in Leviticus 16,
the special dress of the high priest for the services of the day is described.
He is to be clothed in "holy garments" of linen from his head to the
ankles. Commenting on the significance of the "linen" garments, Keil
& Delitzsch note that: (It) was in baddim
("linen") that the angel of Jehovah was clothed (Ezek ix. 2, 3,11, x.
2, 6, 7, and Dan. x. 5, xii. 6, 7), whose whole appearance, as described in
Dan. x. 6, resembled the appearance of the glory of Jehovah, which Ezekiel saw
in the vision of the four cherubim (chap. 1), and was almost exactly like the
glory of Jesus Christ, which John saw in Revelation (chap. 1.13-15). The white
material, therefore, of the dress Aaron wore, when performing the highest act
of expiation under the Old Testament, was a symbolic shadowing forth of the
holiness and glory of the perfect Mediator between God and man, who, being the
radiation of the glory of God and the image of His nature, effected by Himself
the perfect cleansing of our sin, and who as the true High Priest, being holy,
innocent, unspotted, and separate from sinners, entered once by His own blood
into the holy place not made with hands, namely, into heaven itself, to appear
before the face of God for us, and obtain everlasting redemption. (Commentary on the Old Testament, Vol.1,
p. 397) The import of Keil
& Delitzsch's comment that the "linen"
garment relates the vision of Ezekiel 9 to the typical services of the Day of Atonement, enlarges our perception of what Christ's work as
High Priest involves in the final atonement. Further, the placing of a
"mark" by "the angel clothed in linen" (v.4) is in
contradistinction to the mark of the beast placed on those who join in war
against God. The next act of the
typical services of the Day of Atonement was the selection of the Lord's goat
by lot of the two goats taken from the congregation (Lev. 16:5, 7-9). While the
bullock offered by Aaron was provided by himself, the Lord's goat was provided
by the congregation. This casts light on the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Not
only did He willingly give Himself for those who became "His house,"
but He became one with fallen men presenting Himself as "an offering for sin"
Isa. 53:10. Three times on the Day
of Atonement Aaron entered the most holy place. First, with
his hands full of incense and carrying a "censer full of burning
coals" which he placed before the Then shall he
kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people,
and bring his blood within the vail, and do with that blood as he did with the
blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy
seat. And he shall make an atonement for the holy
place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Two things are involved
in this atonement:1) the record of the acts of sin; and 2) the cause of the sins, "the uncleanness of the children of
After the presentation
of the blood of the Lord's goat in the second apartment, the next step was to
cleanse "the tabernacle of the congregation" (16:16b). The instruction
that had been given in placing of the Altar of Incense "before the vail
that is by the ark of the testimony" (Ex. 30:6), reads: "Aaron shall
make an atonement upon the horns of it once in a year
with the blood of the sin offering of Page 7 atonements" (30:10).
A third step followed. After the
cleansing of the second apartment, "the holy", and the first
apartment, "the tabernacle," the high priest was "to go out unto
the altar that is before the Lord, and make an atonement for it" (16:18).
At this point,
something occurred that dare not be overlooked. The blood of the bullock that
had been provided by the high priest was ministered in the second apartment, as
well as the blood of the Lord's goat. The blood of the Lord's goat, designated
as "the sin offering of atonements," was applied to the Altar of
Incense in the tabernacle, but in the cleansing of the Altar of Burnt Offering,
where throughout the year the individual confession had been recorded, the two
bloods are mingled so as to "cleanse it, and hallow it from the
uncleanness of the children of Israel" (16:19)
Here in the final act of
the atonement for Israel, the "uncleanness" is ceremonially removed.
The accomplishment demanded the blood of both the bullock and the Lord's goat.
The record of the acts of sin had been cared for by the atonement of the blood
of the Lord's goat in the "holy," but not until the cleansing of the
Altar in the Court, was the uncleanness, the cause of the acts of sin, taken
away by the application of both the blood of the bullock and the Lord's goat.
As indicated by Zechariah, "the counsel of peace was between the Two of
Them" ( In the reality of the
antitype, there is only one blood, the blood of Christ that not only cleanses
from all unrighteousness (I John 1:9), but takes away the sin of the world
(John After the atonement is
completed, the other goat, in the KJV called, "the scapegoat" (Lev.
16:8), is brought before the high priest ( The words, one lot for Jehovah and one for Azazel,
require unconditionally that Azazel should be regarded as a personal being in
opposition to Jehovah. (op. cit., p. 398) To Be Concluded "Thy way, 0
God, is in the sanctuary: who is so great a God as our God?" (Ps. 77:13) |