END­TIME MESSAGES FROM JESUS – Sabbath Morning Evangelism   Volume 6

13. WHAT HAPPENED IN THE DARK
1 End – Time Messages From Jesus

2 What Happened In The Dark

3 When we studied about the Sabbath we found that so far as the

Bible is concerned the seventh day is the Sabbath. Hundreds of
people have searched the Bible for evidence that the first day of the
week is the day that God wants them to keep. All have failed, as
any competent and honest Bible student will agree.
How does it happen that so many people ignore the facts in favor of
keeping Sunday? During this Sermon we shall find the answer—or
at least begin to. First, we must recognize the fact that true religion
is not necessarily the religion of the majority.

4 “Then I stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising
up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns,…

5 …, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a

blasphemous name. Now the beast which I saw was like a
leopard, …

6 “…his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the
mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power,…”

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7 “…his throne, and great authority. And I saw one of his heads
as if it had been mortally wounded,…”

8 “…and his deadly wound was healed. And all the world
marveled and followed the beast." Revelation 13:1-3.

9 You will notice the emphasis placed on the words, "all the world."
That is not accidental and we will find out why shortly. But
remember that when Noah invited the world of his day into the ark
so that the population would not be drowned in the flood, only
eight people went in. Remember that when Jesus was on earth and
preached and healed for three and a half years, only a handful of
disciples believed that He was really the Redeemer. True religion is
not necessarily popular religion.

10 We have just read from the book of Revelation. Now it is an

interesting fact that the book of Daniel and the book of Revelation
are linked together in the Bible. It is not too much to say that it is
impossible to understand Revelation without understanding Daniel.
So let us turn to that important book.
Daniel is a book that was written for our day. It is a fact that it is
only within the last century that most of the prophecies of Daniel
have really been understood. This was in God's plan.

11 “But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the
time of the end;…”

12 …many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase."

Daniel 12:4

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We are now living in that time, and we can now understand the
book.

13 A prophecy of four kingdoms. Of Babylon, Daniel said,

14 “You, O king, are a king of kings. For the God of heaven has
given you a kingdom, power, strength, and glory;…”

15 “…and wherever the children of men dwell, or the beasts of the

field and the birds of the heaven,…”

16 “…He has given them into your hand, and has made you ruler
over them all—you are this head of gold.” Daniel 2:37, 38.

17 We can well imagine that Nebuchadnezzar sat proudly on the

throne when he heard these complimentary words. But the next
words that Daniel spoke were not so welcome.

18 “But after you shall arise another kingdom inferior to yours; 
then another, a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over 
all the earth.” 

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Daniel 2:39

19 This was God's way of reminding Nebuchadnezzar that all men 
must die; that kingdoms would rise and fall. And in due time 
Nebuchadnezzar died. Finally his grandson Belshazzar sat on the 
throne … a far different king from the able monarch his grandfather
was.
It seems that during Belshazzar's reign Daniel was not in the 
service of the government. It is not likely he wanted to be since 
Belshazzar was weak and dissolute, characteristics that Daniel 
could not have approved of. In spite of this, Belshazzar apparently 
did not harm Daniel, for Daniel was highly respected by many and 
any persecution by the king would have been unpopular.
During the first year of Belshazzar's reign God spoke to Daniel in a
remarkable prophecy. Let us read it. (The vision of the four beasts.)

20 "In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel had a 
dream and visions of his head while on his bed…

21 …Then he wrote down the dream, telling the main facts. Daniel
spoke, saying, “I saw in my vision by night, and behold,…

22 …the four winds of heaven were stirring up the Great Sea. And
four great beasts came up from the sea, each different from the
other…

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23 …The first was like a lion, and had eagle’s wings. I watched till
its wings were plucked off; and it was lifted up from the earth
…

24 …and made to stand on two feet like a man, and a man’s heart
was given to it. “And suddenly another beast, a second,…

25 …like a bear. It was raised up on one side, and had three ribs in
its mouth between its teeth. And they said thus to it: …

26 …‘Arise, devour much flesh!’" After this I looked, and there

was another, like a leopard, which had on its back four…

27 …wings of a bird. The beast also had four heads, and dominion
was given to it.
“After this I saw in the night visions,…

28 …and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, exceedingly

strong. It had huge iron teeth; it was devouring,…

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29 …breaking in pieces, and trampling the residue with its feet. It

was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had
ten horns." Daniel 7:1-7.

30 Daniel was understandably curious about the dream. We must

remember that he was a prophet and God had spoken to him before
about the future history of the world as depicted to
Nebuchadnezzar. He must have sensed that this vision had an
important message which might concern the history of the
governments of the world. So he did what he was accustomed to
doing. He prayed.

31 “I, Daniel, was grieved in my spirit within my body, and the

visions of my head troubled me…”

32 “…I came near to one of those who stood by, and asked him the
truth of all this…”

33 …So he told me and made known to me the interpretation of

these things." Daniel 7:15, 16

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34 The response was immediate and very clear. In fact, the chain of
prophecy we are considering is one of the most lucid and complete
in the scriptures. Let us read on.

35 “Those great beasts, which are four, are four kings which arise
out of the earth.”
Daniel 7:17

36 “The fourth beast shall be a fourth kingdom on earth, which

shall be different from…”

37 “…all other kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth,

Trample it and break it in pieces.” Daniel 7:23

38 We can understand one thing very quickly. The language of the

prophecy is plainly symbolic. The "nations" mentioned in this
chapter are symbolized by animals. We could say that God was
depicting the future in cartoon form.
So let us go back to the beginning and decipher the exact meaning
of the symbols.

39 “I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of

heaven were stirring up the Great Sea.”

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40 There is a principle involved here which we should understand and
make useful. That is that the Bible is the best interpreter of itself.
This we shall demonstrate now.
The four winds symbolize war.

41 “Against Elam I will bring the four winds

From the four quarters of heaven, and scatter them toward all
those winds;…”

42 “…There shall be no nations where the outcasts of Elam will

not go. For I will cause Elam to be dismayed before their
enemies…”

43 “…and before those who seek their life.

I will bring disaster upon them, My fierce anger,’ says the
Lord…”

44 “…‘And I will send the sword after them until

I have consumed them”
Jeremiah 49:36, 37

45 Here we have a key to our interpretation—not complete, but vital.

Verse 36 says,
"I will bring the four winds from the four quarters of heaven,”

46 and verse 37 says, "I will send the sword after them.” So we can
suppose that "winds” are used in prophecy to indicate war. If that is
so, then Daniel saw war resulting in the rise and fall of nations. But

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there is more evidence.

47 The meaning of the angry waters “Then he said to me,

“The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits,…”
Revelation 17:15

48 …are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues.” Revelation

17:15.

49 This is a perfect example of the interlocking relationship between

Daniel and Revelation.
If winds are war and water is people, then Daniel saw wars among
the inhabitants of the earth bringing into being the coming nations.
Now that we have this background for understanding the prophecy
let us think back to Daniel the second chapter.
How many dominant nations are dealt with in that chapter? Four.
How many dominant nations are dealt with in Daniel seven? Four.

50 Can they be the same four? Let us begin with the lion.
The lion symbolizes Babylon:

51 “The lion has come up from his thicket, and the destroyer of
nations is on his way. He has gone forth from his place…”

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52 “…To make your land desolate. Your cities will be laid waste,
without inhabitant.” Jeremiah 4:7

53 The book of Jeremiah is a warning to Israel that if the people did

not reform, Babylon would invade and conquer the nation. That
Daniel was given the symbol of a lion to represent Babylon is no
accident. Neither is the use of “lion” in Jeremiah an accident.

54 If you could go to the Pergamum museum in East Berlin you would

see there one of the supreme wonders of the world, for the wall of
the main hall of the museum is covered with mosaic tiles from
Procession Avenue in Babylon. German archaeologists spent 30
years finding and fitting together these beautiful tiles so that the
hallway looks exactly as Procession Avenue did in Daniel's time.
The effect on any viewer who knows the history of Babylon is
overwhelming.

These tiles are glazed and the colors in glazed tiles never change,
so they are as brilliant as they were in the days when Daniel rode a
royal chariot between them. The mosaic is put together so that there
are processions of large animals depicted on each of the walls. And
the animals are lions.

And so the details of the picture as seen by Daniel fit perfectly

together, for we now know that the national symbol of Babylon,
understood by every citizen from peasant to king, was the lion.

Let us now think of the probable meaning of the main details of the
vision. We can put this before us on a chalkboard.

55 Daniel 2 ­ Daniel 7

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56 Head of gold: Babylon ­ Lion with eagle's wings: Babylon

57 Breast of silver: Medo­Persia ­ Bear: Medo­Persia

58 Belly of brass: Greece - Leopard: Greece

59 Legs of iron: Rome - Terrible fourth beast: Rome

60 Ten toes of iron and clay: Kingdoms of Europe - Ten horns:

Kingdoms of Europe

61 If this is not conclusive it is at least a most unusual coincidence. We

shall now look for more scriptural proof.
Babylon followed by Persia, Greece, and Rome. Remember that the
head of gold was followed by the breast and arms of silver. Just so

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was the Medo-Persian kingdom, although the dominant kingdom of
the world, inferior to the
Babylonian empire. Still it was a very powerful, cultured, nation.

62 The three ribs the bear carried in its mouth indicate three kingdoms
conquered by the Medes and Persians—Egypt, Libya, and Babylon.
Alexander the Great became ruler of Greece when hardly more
than a boy. He was only 25 years old when Persia fell to the
Grecian armies. One of the most amazing facts of world history is
the emergence with incredible speed of a little group of city-states
into a world power. Although the Persians vastly outnumbered the
Greeks they were powerless to halt their conquest.
But Greece did not endure for long, Alexander's early death, when
a little more than 30 years old, left the empire under four heads.
While the four wings of the leopard denoted speed and power, the
four heads denoted division. Macedon, Thrace, Egypt and Persia
were the divisions and without the strength of a leader like
Alexander they did not endure.

63 From the wreckage of the Alexandrian empire there arose a far

more irresistible and fearsome power. Note well the details we
have. It was different (diverse) from all the ones before. It had ten
horns. From among the ten horns arose a horn that became greater
than all before it. Daniel was not only puzzled; he was fearful about
this strange apparition. “Then I wished to know the truth about
the fourth beast, which was different from all the others,
exceedingly dreadful,…”

64 “…with its teeth of iron and its nails of bronze, which

devoured, broke in pieces, and trampled the residue with its
feet;…”

65 “…and the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn
which came up, before which three fell, namely, that…”

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66 …horn which had eyes and a mouth which spoke pompous

words, whose appearance was greater than his fellows”. Daniel
7:19, 20

67 Rome is the only kingdom that fits into this prophetic picture. It
arose at the right time, in the right place and it did the things
predicted in the prophecy. And it endured. To walk the streets of
Rome is to feel history surround you.

68 Here is the forum where Paul the great apostle to the Gentiles last
saw the light of day before he was beheaded, and here Julius Caesar
was assassinated. A short distance away is the Circus Maximus, an
amphitheater that could seat 125,000 spectators. Few, if any, in the
world today, are larger.

69 Not far off are the remains of the Coliseum which could seat
50,000. It was covered with marble embellished with brass. Canvas
could be stretched over it for shade. It could be used for chariot
races one day and in a matter of hours could be flooded for sea
battles. There scores of Christians were thrown alive to wild beasts.

70 And leading into the city was the Appian Way, a road that is still
used and is more than 2,200 years old. Paul was brought from a
ship on the Mediterranean coast up this road for the last scenes of
his noble life.
Rome was never conquered by another world power. The prophecy
of Daniel 2 made it clear that this would not be. Rome disintegrated
largely from degeneracy within and was broken into pieces by the

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barbaric hordes she had once ruled.

71 “The ten horns are ten kings who shall arise from this
kingdom. And another shall rise after them;…”

72 “…He shall be different from the first ones, And shall subdue
three kings.” Daniel 7:24

73 It is generally agreed that the ten divisions that came out of Rome
are as follows:
1. Franks - French
2. Allemani - Germans
3. Burgundians - Swiss
4. Suevi - Portuguese
5. Visigoths - Spain
6. Anglo-Saxon - English
7. Lombards - Italians
8. Vandals
9. Ostrogoths
10. Heruli

74 Bolted to a natural rock wall in Rome are four bronze maps. The
first shows Rome at its greatest, stretching from India on the east to
the Atlantic on the west, from North Africa on the south to England
on the north. The second and third maps show the empire
successively smaller. The fourth shows only the city of Rome a
mere dot on the map of the Italian boot. This is prophecy fulfilled
exactly.But let us take another look at the prophecy for in it we find
an added detail, and a most important one.

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75 “I was considering the horns, and there was another horn, a
little one, coming up among them,…”

76 “…before whom three of the first horns were plucked out by

the roots. And there, in this horn,…”

77 …were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking

pompous words.” Daniel 7:8.

78 “And the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn 
which came up, before which three fell, namely,…”

79 “…that horn which had eyes and a mouth which spoke

pompous words, whose appearance was greater than his
fellows…”

80 “… I was watching; and the same horn was making war against
the saints, and prevailing against them.” Daniel 7:20, 21.

81 This is the most important symbol in the whole chapter. In fact its
identification is the purpose of the chapter.

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This is the symbol of the Greatest Power in the world at the time of
the end. A power that has deceived millions and will deceive
millions more.
Daniel 2 ended with the ten kingdoms. This prophecy does not end
there. It goes on to the end of time. We can only begin its
identification in this study.

82 “The reins and skills of government were handed down by a

dying empire to a virile papacy;…”

83 “…the lost power of the broken sword was rewon by the magic
of the consoling world;…”

84 “…the armies of the state were replaced by the missionaries of

the Church moving in all directions…”

85 “…along the Roman roads; and the revolted provinces,

accepting…”

86 “…Christianity, again acknowledged the sovereignty of Rome.”

“Caesar and Christ", from The Story of Civilization, p. 672, by
Will Durant

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87 There are two things the sincere Christian needs to do in relation to
this power.
The first is to recognize it. The second is to be prepared to deal
with it. The book of

88 Daniel was written so that we would know how to do these

two things. Daniel served under seven kings in two world empires
and held the highest position next to the king in both. (See SDA
Bible Commentary for a list of the kings.)
Repeatedly Daniel risked death for his faith; yet he never
yielded on principle. He intervened in behalf of his Hebrew friends
in the affair of the great image of the prophecy of Daniel 2. And
this could have cost him his life.
He could well have been in the furnace with the three
Hebrews on a later occasion. We do not know why he was not
present at that time.

89 He gave a stern warning to Nebuchadnezzar that God would punish

him unless he changed his ways.
He interpreted the fatal warning God gave to Belshazzar and
rejected the king's offer of reward.

90 Finally, when he was aged, he went into the lions' den rather than
cease praying to God.
King Darius was enormously concerned for Daniel's safety, for he
had been tricked into sentencing Daniel to almost certain death.

91 “Then the king arose very early in the morning and went in
haste to the den of lions. And when he came to the den,…”

92 “…he cried out with a lamenting voice to Daniel. The king

spoke, saying to Daniel, “Daniel, servant of the living God,…”

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93 “…has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to

deliver you from the lions?” Then Daniel said to the king,…”

94 “…’O king, live forever! My God sent His angel and shut the
lions’ mouths, so that they have not hurt me, because…”

95 “…I was found innocent before Him; and also, O king, I have
done no wrong before you.” Daniel 6:19-22

96 How wonderful to have both a knowledge of the future and the

example of a heroic prophet to show us how to meet its challenges.
God give us strength and wisdom to follow Daniel's example.
The God of Daniel is not dead.

97 It happened in one of the countries of Eastern Europe. Sergei was

in his lonely cell when two husky guards came to the door and
ordered him out.
"Where are you taking me?" Sergei asked.
"You will find out," was the curt answer.
"Will they torture me, or will I just be shot?" the prisoner asked
himself.

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98 He was ushered into a brightly lighted room which contained three
men. Two were Communist officials; the third was a doctor.
"Do you believe in this book?" one of the guards asked, holding out
a copy of the Bible.
"Yes, sir," answered Sergei.
"Then read this aloud."
Turning the book so he could read it, the prisoner read:

99 “They will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly,

it will by no means hurt them;…”

100 “…they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
Mark 16:18

101 "Do you believe what you just read?" asked the guard with a 
cynical smile on his face.
"I do," answered Sergei.
The guard continued, “Here in this pitcher is a mixture with deadly
poison in it. Just to show you that we are telling the truth, watch
this.” With that he poured some of the liquid into a dish and set the
dish on the floor. By his side sat a huge Alsatian dog which he
commanded to drink.

102 The dog drank the contents of the dish. In a matter of seconds the
dog began to tremble violently, and in a few minutes fell on its side,
dead. Sergei watched and his heart almost stopped beating.

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103 “Now, if you believe what you have read from that book, drink
this," and the guard poured a tumbler full of the liquid from the
pitcher.
Sergei thought of his family. He thought of the fact that he was still
a young man, but he knew too well that even if he refused this test,
his life was still in the hands of his captors. And he knew that if he
refused the test the atheistic philosophy of the captors would be
strengthened.

104 "Will you allow me to pray first?”

Consent was given and Sergei prayed. He prayed for his family, the
guards, and for himself. He prayed for courage and told the Lord
that if he should die he knew that he would be in God's kingdom.
Then he took the glass and drank it dry.

105 The guards and the doctor looked on in astonishment, for they had
no idea that Sergei would carry through their challenge.
They stared at Sergei as the seconds ticked by and nothing
happened. A minute elapsed, then another. With that the doctor
could control himself no longer. He grasped Sergei’s wrist and felt
his pulse, which was still beating strongly. The doctor's face turned
dead white.

106 Then he drew a long breath. "This, truly, is a miracle! There is no

other explanation." Then he took his wallet from his pocket,
withdrew his communist party card and tore it in two.
"I am no longer a communist! I, too, believe in this book!"

107 None of us may ever have to meet a test like this, but there are
other tests that may come to us. Tonight, I invite you to pledge with
me that no matter what the test, you will stand firm for God and His
everlasting truth.
(The above story appeared in These Times several years ago.)

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108

109 ® All Right Reserved.

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