1. THE WISE SHALL SHINE Sun, May 10

a. Describe the trial and triumph revealed at the end of Daniel’s last vision. Daniel 12:1, 2. b. How will the wise be seen in contrast with the wicked in that day? Daniel 12:3; Matthew 13:41–43. “The converted soul lives in Christ. His darkness passes away, and a new and heavenly light shines into his soul. ‘He that winneth souls is wise.’ ‘And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars forever and ever.’ What is done through the cooperation of men with God is a work that shall never perish, but endure through the eternal ages. He that makes God his wisdom, that grows up into the full stature of a man in Christ Jesus, will stand before kings, before the so-called great men of the world, and show forth the praises of Him who hath called him out of darkness into His marvelous light. Science and literature cannot bring into the darkened mind of men the light which the glorious gospel of the Son of God can bring. The Son of God alone can do the great work of illuminating the soul. No wonder Paul exclaims, ‘For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ; for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth.’ The gospel of Christ becomes personality in those who believe, and makes them living epistles, known and read of all men.”—Fundamentals of Christian Education, pp. 199, 200.

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2. THE BOOK CLOSED Mon, May 11

a. What was Daniel now instructed to do? Daniel 12:4 (first part), 8, 9 (first part). “Honored by men with the responsibilities of state and with the secrets of kingdoms bearing universal sway, Daniel was honored by God as His ambassador, and was given many revelations of the mysteries of ages to come. His wonderful prophecies, as recorded by him in chapters 7 to 12 of the book bearing his name, were not fully understood even by the prophet himself; but before his life labors closed, he was given the blessed assurance that ‘at the end of the days’—in the closing period of this world’s history—he would again be permitted to stand in his lot and place. It was not given him to understand all that God had revealed of the divine purpose. . . .“As we near the close of this world’s history, the prophecies recorded by Daniel demand our special attention, as they relate to the very time in which we are living. With them should be linked the teachings of the last book of the New Testament Scriptures.”—Prophets and Kings, p. 547. b. What shows that the angel’s words pointed to the mystery of the 2300 days, and when would that mystery unfold? Daniel 8:17; 12:4, 9 (last part). “The prophecies present a succession of events leading down to the opening of the judgment. This is especially true of the book of Daniel. But that part of his prophecy which related to the last days, Daniel was bidden to close up and seal ‘to the time of the end.’ Not till we reach this time could a message concerning the judgment be proclaimed, based on the fulfillment of these prophecies. But at the time of the end, says the prophet, ‘many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.’ Daniel 12:4. . . .“Since 1798, the book of Daniel has been unsealed, knowledge of the prophecies has increased, and many have proclaimed the solemn message of the judgment near.“Like the great Reformation of the sixteenth century, the advent movement appeared in different countries of Christendom at the same time. In both Europe and America men of faith and prayer were led to the study of the prophecies, and, tracing down the inspired record, they saw convincing evidence that the end of all things was at hand. In different lands there were isolated bodies of Christians who, solely by the study of the Scriptures, arrived at the belief that the Saviour’s advent was near.”—The Great Controversy, pp. 356, 357.

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3. THE TIME OF THE END Tue, May 12

a. As Daniel watched and listened, what solemn decree identified the time period leading up to the time of the end? Daniel 12:5–7. b. By cross referencing other passages, identify the timing of this prophetic period. Daniel 7:25; Revelation 11:2, 3; 12:6, 14; 13:5. “The apostle Paul warned the church not to look for the coming of Christ in his day. ‘That day shall not come,’ he says, ‘except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed.’ 2 Thessalonians 2:3. Not till after the great apostasy, and the long period of the reign of the ‘man of sin,’ can we look for the advent of our Lord. The ‘man of sin,’ which is also styled ‘the mystery of iniquity,’ ‘the son of perdition,’ and ‘that wicked,’ represents the papacy, which, as foretold in prophecy, was to maintain its supremacy for 1260 years. This period ended in 1798. The coming of Christ could not take place before that time. Paul covers with his caution the whole of the Christian dispensation down to the year 1798. It is this side of that time that the message of Christ’s second coming is to be proclaimed.”—The Great Controversy, p. 356. c. How was the period of the 1260 years described by the angel? Daniel 12:10 (first part). “In the thirteenth century was established that most terrible of all the engines of the papacy—the Inquisition. The prince of darkness wrought with the leaders of the papal hierarchy. In their secret councils Satan and his angels controlled the minds of evil men, while unseen in the midst stood an angel of God, taking the fearful record of their iniquitous decrees and writing the history of deeds too horrible to appear to human eyes. ‘Babylon the great’ was ‘drunken with the blood of the saints.’ The mangled forms of millions of martyrs cried to God for vengeance upon that apostate power. . . .“The condition of the world under the Romish power presented a fearful and striking fulfillment of the words of the prophet Hosea. . . . ‘There is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land. By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood toucheth blood.’ Hosea 4:6, 1, 2. Such were the results of banishing the word of God.”—Ibid., pp. 59, 60.

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4. THE BOOK UNSEALED Wed, May 13

a. Noting the parallel with Daniel 12:7, how did the prophet John see the opening of the sealed vision of Daniel? Revelation 10:1, 2, 5, 6. “The mighty angel who instructed John was no less a personage than Jesus Christ. Setting His right foot on the sea, and His left upon the dry land, shows the part which He is acting in the closing scenes of the great controversy with Satan. This position denotes His supreme power and authority over the whole earth. . . .“John sees the little book unsealed. Then Daniel’s prophecies have their proper place in the first, second, and third angels’ messages to be given to the world. The unsealing of the little book was the message in relation to time. . . .“This time, which the angel declares with a solemn oath, is not the end of this world’s history, neither of probationary time, but of prophetic time, which should precede the advent of our Lord. That is, the people will not have another message upon definite time. After this period of time, reaching . . . to 1844, there can be no definite tracing of the prophetic time. The longest reckoning reaches to the autumn of 1844.“The angel’s position, with one foot on the sea, the other on the land, signifies the wide extent of the proclamation of the message. It will cross the broad waters and be proclaimed in other countries, even to all the world.” —The SDA Bible Commentary [E. G. White Comments], vol. 7, p. 971. b. Explain how John’s experience in vision of eating the little book was a parallel of the experience of the Advent movement of the 1840’s. Revelation 10:9–11. “The comprehension of truth, the glad reception of the message, is represented in the eating of the little book. The truth in regard to the time of the advent of our Lord was a precious message to our souls.”—Ibid.“The time of expectation passed, and Christ did not appear for the deliverance of His people. Those who with sincere faith and love had looked for their Saviour, experienced a bitter disappointment. Yet the purposes of God were being accomplished; He was testing the hearts of those who professed to be waiting for His appearing. . . .“But Jesus and all the heavenly host looked with love and sympathy upon the tried and faithful yet disappointed ones. Could the veil separating the visible from the invisible world have been swept back, angels would have been seen drawing near to these steadfast souls and shielding them from the shafts of Satan.”—The Great Controversy, p. 374.

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5. AMONG THE WISE Thu, May 14

a. How was Daniel described by Ezekiel, one of his contemporaries? Ezekiel 14:14. b. How can we be among the wise as Daniel was? Daniel 12:10 (last part); Proverbs 9:10; Matthew 7:24, 25. “The ‘time of trouble, such as never was,’ is soon to open upon us; and we shall need an experience which we do not now possess and which many are too indolent to obtain. It is often the case that trouble is greater in anticipation than in reality; but this is not true of the crisis before us. The most vivid presentation cannot reach the magnitude of the ordeal. In that time of trial, every soul must stand for himself before God. ‘Though Noah, Daniel, and Job’ were in the land, ‘as I live, saith the Lord God, they shall deliver neither son nor daughter; they shall but deliver their own souls by their righteousness.’ Ezekiel 14:20.“Now, while our great High Priest is making the atonement for us, we should seek to become perfect in Christ. Not even by a thought could our Saviour be brought to yield to the power of temptation. Satan finds in human hearts some point where he can gain a foothold; some sinful desire is cherished, by means of which his temptations assert their power. But Christ declared of Himself: ‘The prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in Me.’ John 14:30. Satan could find nothing in the Son of God that would enable him to gain the victory. He had kept His Father’s commandments, and there was no sin in Him that Satan could use to his advantage. This is the condition in which those must be found who shall stand in the time of trouble.”—The Great Controversy, pp. 622, 623. c. How did the angel finally dismiss Daniel? Daniel 12:13.

PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS Fri, May 15

1. When will the resurrection of Daniel 12:2 take place? 2. What happened so that the prophecy of Daniel was unsealed? 3. What event marked the beginning of the time of the end? 4. What prophecy revealed the opening of the book of Daniel? 5. How can I be sure to be among the wise?