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Our Mission: Revelation 14:6-12
If I Were Told the Future - Lesson 50
The
2300 Days
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Let's pray:
Father,
Now that we understand the prophecy of the 70 weeks, which You gave Your servant Daniel,
we ask You to enlighten us once again, as we study another prophetic period closely linked
to the 70 weeks, that is, the 2300 days.
In Jesus Christ we pray.
Amen.
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Daniel 9:22,23
[Gabriel] talked with me, and said,
«O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you skill to understand.
At the beginning of your supplications the command went out, and I have come to tell you,
for you are greatly beloved; therefore consider the matter, and understand the vision.»
----------------------------------------------------
In our last lesson, we have seen the angel Gabriel giving Daniel
the prophecy of the 70 weeks.
This prophecy would help him «understand the vision», that is, the previous vision he
had received and which was still unexplained: the 2300 days, subject of this lesson.
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Daniel 8:1,10,11
In the third year of the reign of King Belshazzar a vision
appeared to me - to me, Daniel. (...)
[The little horn] grew up to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and
some of the stars to the ground, and trampled them.
He even exalted himself as high as the Prince of the host; and by him the daily sacrifices
were taken away, and the place of His sanctuary was cast down.
----------------------------------------------------
The vision of the 2300 days is found in Daniel chapter 8, which
we studied in the lesson «The Ram and the Goat».
We then saw the misdeeds of a power, «the little horn», attacking God.
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Daniel 8:12
Because of transgression, an army was given over to the horn to
oppose the daily sacrifices; and he cast truth down to the ground.
He did all this and prospered.
----------------------------------------------------
This prophecy announces that the little horn would attack the
work of sacrifice Jesus performed for the salvation of men.
It would succeed in darkening this perfect work, thus casting «truth down to the
ground», and prospering in everything it would do.
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Daniel 8:13,14
Then I heard a holy one speaking; and another holy one said to
that certain one who was speaking,
«How long will the vision be, concerning the daily sacrifices and the transgression of
desolation, the giving of both the sanctuary and the host to be trampled under foot?»
And he said to me,
«For two thousand three hundred days; then the sanctuary shall be cleansed.»
----------------------------------------------------
In the heart of the prophecy of Daniel 8, as the disastrous work
of the little horn is presented, a question is asked: «How long?»
And the answer is: «For 2300 days; then the sanctuary shall be cleansed.»
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Daniel 8:14
And he said to me:
«For two thousand three hundred days; then the sanctuary shall be cleansed.»
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Ezekiel 4:6
I have laid on you a day for each year.
----------------------------------------------------
By applying the equivalence principle used in Bible prophecy, that is, «1 day = 1 year», we see that the 2300 days represent a period of 2300 years.
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Daniel 9:23-25
Understand the vision: Seventy weeks are determined for your
people and for your holy city (...).
Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the command to restore and
build Jerusalem (...).
----------------------------------------------------
The next prophecy, that is, the 70 weeks, was necessary in order
to discover the starting point of this 2300-year period.
In fact, our last lesson showed us that the Hebrew word «chathak», which is translated
here as «determined», literally means «cut off».
So Gabriel told Daniel that a period of 70 weeks had been cut off, but from what?
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Daniel 9:24,25
Seventy weeks are determined for your people and for your holy
city (...).
From the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem (...).
----------------------------------------------------
These 70 weeks, symbolizing a period of 490 years, can only be
cut off from a longer period, that is, the 2300 years.
As we have already seen in our preceding lesson, the 70 weeks began in 457 B.C., that is,
at «the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem», and ended in A.D.
34, when Stephen was stoned by the Jews.
Now, to complete the period of 2300 years, we must add 1810 years (2300 - 490 = 1810) to
A.D. 34, and we get to the year A.D. 1844.
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Daniel 8:14,26
For two thousand three hundred days; then the sanctuary shall be
cleansed. (...)
The vision of the evenings and mornings which was told is true; therefore seal up the
vision, for it refers to many days in the future.
----------------------------------------------------
Since the 2300 days ended in the year 1844, we can understand why
the angel said to the prophet Daniel that his vision referred «to many days in the
future»!
Now, let's try to discover what this cleansing of the sanctuary, which began in 1844,
consists of.
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Revelation 10:10
And I took the little book out of the angel's hand and ate it,
and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth.
But when I had eaten it, my stomach became bitter.
----------------------------------------------------
To understand the meaning of the cleansing of the sanctuary, we
must remember the lesson «The Little Open Book»,
in which we discovered that this little open book is the book of Daniel.
As we saw during that lesson, the book of Daniel was first a source of joy and hope for
those who studied it («as sweet as honey in my mouth»), but then brought about
disappointment and discouragement («my stomach became bitter»).
When did it happen?
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Daniel 8:13,14
«How long will the vision be, concerning the daily sacrifices
and the transgression of desolation, the giving of both the sanctuary and the host to be
trampled under foot?»
And he said to me,
«For two thousand three hundred days; then the sanctuary shall be cleansed.»
----------------------------------------------------
During the nineteenth century, Christians throughout the world
studied the book of Daniel, and especially the prophecy of the 2300 days.
Having calculated that the 2300 days were going to end in 1844, and believing that the
foretold cleansing of the sanctuary corresponded with the return of Jesus who would
cleanse the earth, they all zealously preached the gospel, eagerly waiting for 1844.
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Revelation 10:10
[The little book] was as sweet as honey in my mouth.
But when I had eaten it, my stomach became bitter.
----------------------------------------------------
But, as we have seen in the lesson «The Little Open Book», the sanctuary that had to be
cleansed at the end of the 2300 days was not the earth, but rather the heavenly sanctuary.
So, as foretold by Revelation chapter 10, the sweet waiting of the years preceding 1844
was followed by a deep bitterness, when all those sincere Christians understood that they
had not properly interpreted the content of the book of Daniel.
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Revelation 10:10; 11:1,2
But when I had eaten [the little book], my stomach became bitter.
(...)
Then I was given a reed like a measuring rod. And the angel stood, saying,
«Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there. But leave
out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it.»
----------------------------------------------------
Here is the message God gave to the Christians, after this great
disappointment of 1844: we must «measure the temple of God», that is, study more deeply
the sanctuary, in order to understand the prophecy of Daniel about the cleansing of the
sanctuary.
That's what we will do right now.
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Numbers 28:3
This is the offering made by fire which you shall offer to the Lord: two male lambs in their first year without blemish, day by day, as a regular burnt offering.
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In our lesson «The
Sanctuary», we have seen that God asked the people of Israel to build a sanctuary.
Two services took place there:
- First the daily service, in which lambs were sacrificed for each person's
sins. Day after day, sins were thus moved to the sanctuary.
- At the end of the religious year, a second service had to be performed to
purify the sanctuary.
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Leviticus 23:27-29
The tenth day of this seventh month shall be the Day of
Atonement.
It shall be a holy convocation for you; you shall afflict your souls, and offer an
offering made by fire to the Lord.
And you shall do no work on that same day, for it is the Day of Atonement, to make
atonement for you before the Lord your God.
For any person who is not afflicted of soul on that same day, he shall be cut off from his
people.
----------------------------------------------------
The cleansing of the sanctuary took place once a year, on the Day
of Atonement.
The sins of the truly repentant individuals were then totally erased.
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Hebrews 9:24
Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself.
----------------------------------------------------
We have also seen that the earthly sanctuary was a model of the
heavenly sanctuary, where Jesus is now working.
As the Lamb of God, He takes upon Himself the sins of repentant men, and transfers them to
the heavenly sanctuary.
So, will the heavenly sanctuary also have to be purified one day, just as the earthly
sanctuary had to?
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Hebrews 9:23
Therefore it was necessary that the copies of the things in the heavens should be purified with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.
----------------------------------------------------
Yes, the heavenly sanctuary must also be purified.
According to the prophecy of Daniel, this purification began in 1844: this is the first
phase of the judgment.
Just as the cleansing of the earthly sanctuary concerned only the people of Israel, the
purification of the heavenly sanctuary concerns only those professing to follow God.
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1 Peter 4:17
For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?
----------------------------------------------------
The judgment began in the heavenly sanctuary in 1844 with the
examination of each believer's case.
On the day of the cleansing of the earthly sanctuary, each Jew who had persisted in his
sins was cut off from his people, even if he had offered lambs all the year long.
Likewise, many people claim to follow Christ, but the judgment will identify those who are
truly converted.
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2 Corinthians 5:10
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.
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Romans 14:10
We shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
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Hebrews 10:30
The Lord will judge His people.
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Therefore, each person's case will be brought to trial.
Whether or not we profess to follow God, the Bible is clear: one day, we will be judged.
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John 5:24
[Jesus said],
«Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has
everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.»
----------------------------------------------------
Now, how can Jesus declare that he who believes in Him will not
come into judgment, while the Word of God declares that we will all stand before the
judgment seat of God?
Simply because those who accept God's salvation will be represented by Jesus Christ
Himself, as their Advocate before the Father.
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If we really desire it, Jesus will plead and win our case before God!
«For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands,
which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God
for us.» (HEBREWS 9:24)
«We have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.» (1 JOHN 2:1)
«Much more then, having now been justified by [Christ's] blood, we shall be saved from
wrath through Him.» (ROMANS 5:9)
«Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who
is in heaven.» (MATTHEW 10:32)
«There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.» (ROMANS 8:1)
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Matthew 7:21-23
Not everyone who says to Me, «Lord, Lord,» shall enter the
kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
Many will say to Me in that day, «Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast
out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?»
And then I will declare to them, «I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice
lawlessness!»
----------------------------------------------------
Since 1844, God's judgment has been separating true Christians
from false ones.
Let's note that performing miracles is not absolute proof of a genuine conversion.
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The names of all false Christians will be erased from the Book of Life:
«He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will
not blot out his name from the Book of Life.» (REVELATION 3:5)
«The Lord said to Moses, "Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My
book."» (EXODUS 32:33)
«Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written with the
rightous.» (PSALM 69:28)
«But when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and
does according to all the abominations that the wicked man does, shall he live? All the
righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered; because of the unfaithfulness of
which he is guilty and the sin which he has committed, because of them he shall die.»
(EZEKIEL 18:24)
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Daniel 7:9-11
I watched till thrones were put in place, and the Ancient of Days
was seated; His garment was white as snow, and the hair of His head was like pure wool.
His throne was a fiery flame, its wheels a burning fire; a fiery stream issued and came
forth from before Him. A thousand thousands ministered to Him; ten thousand times ten
thousand stood before Him.
The court was seated, and the books were opened.
I watched then because of the sound of the pompous words which the horn was speaking.
----------------------------------------------------
The prophecy of Daniel chapter 7 already indicated that the
judgment would begin before the return of Jesus.
In fact, this vision of the judgment takes place as the little horn is still committing
its misdeeds on earth.
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Revelation 22:11,12
He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let
him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let
him be holy still.
And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according
to his work.
----------------------------------------------------
The cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary will soon be completed.
This will put an end to the first part of the judgment, having separated the true
Christians from the false ones.
The fate of each person will then be fixed, and Jesus Christ will finally return to gather
His people.
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Revelation 20:4
And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was
committed to them.
And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the
word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark
on their foreheads or on their hands.
And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
----------------------------------------------------
A period of 1000 years (also called «Millennium», subject of a
future lesson) will follow the return of Jesus.
This will be the second part of the judgment, during which the people of God will judge
the wicked.
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1 Corinthians 6:2
Do you not know that the saints will judge the world?
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Luke 22:29,30
[Jesus said],
«I bestow upon you a kingdom, just as My Father bestowed one upon Me, that you may eat
and drink at My table in My kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of
Israel.»
----------------------------------------------------
During these 1000 years, God's people will study the individual cases of the wicked, their responsibilities, their degree of guilt according to their thoughts, words, and deeds.
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Revelation 20:12,15 and 21:8
Books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the Book of
Life.
And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the
books. (...)
Anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire. (...)
They shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the
second death.
----------------------------------------------------
At the end of the 1000 years, the wicked will come back to life
to receive their verdict of guilt.
Having rejected God's call to salvation, their sentence will be a total and final
destruction.
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Revelation 14:6,7
Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having
the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth - to every nation, tribe,
tongue, and people - saying with a loud voice,
«Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come.»
----------------------------------------------------
Yes, the hour of God's judgment has come.
Do we all rely on the only Advocate who can really help us, Jesus Christ, that He may
appear before the throne of God for us, and obtain forgiveness for our sins?
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Acts 24:25
Now as [Paul] reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and the
judgment to come, Felix was afraid and answered,
«Go away for now; when I have a convenient time I will call for you.»
----------------------------------------------------
Or are we perhaps like Felix, afraid of the judgment because we have not yet put our lives into the hands of Jesus Christ, the one and only Savior and Lord?
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Ecclesiastes 12:13,14
Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep
His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.
For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether it is
good or whether it is evil.
----------------------------------------------------
Let's remember that we must all appear before the divine court.
The only way to be acquitted is to accept Jesus as our personal Savior and Lord.
His presence within us will enable us to keep God's commandments, which express His will
for each one of us.
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Summary of the 70 weeks prophecy and the 2300 days prophecy:
+----- «For 2300 days; then the
sanctuary shall be cleansed.» -----+
|
|
+---- «70 weeks are determined for your people.»
----+ |
|
| |
Arta- Restora- Baptism
Cruci- Stoning
Cleansing
xerxes' tion of
of fixion
of
of the
decree Jerusalem Jesus
of Jesus Stephen
sanctuary
|------------|-------------|------------|------------|-------------|
Autumn Autumn
Autumn Spring Autumn
Autumn
457 B.C. 408 B.C. A.D. 27
A.D. 31 A.D. 34
1844
|-- 7 weeks -|-- 62 weeks -|-- ½ week --|-- ½ week --|
|
|- 49 years -|- 434 years -|- 3½ years -|- 3½ years -|--1810 years-|
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Let's thank God for inviting us to receive salvation:
Heavenly Father,
We now know that Your judgment has already begun. Without a good Advocate, our case would
be lost.
But You loved us so much that You gave us Your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, so that He
may be our atoning sacrifice for the forgiveness of our sins, and also our Advocate before
Your throne.
Now, as we pray, we want to accept Him as our personal Savior and Lord of our life.
Through His presence within us, we want to do Your will from now on, so that our names may
not be blotted out of Your Book of Life.
In the precious name of Jesus Christ we pray.
Amen.
The test of Lesson 50 is waiting for you!