Sunday
November 12
1. A GENUINE SPIRITUAL GIFT
a. How does God reveal His secrets? Amos 3:7; Numbers 12:6.
“The multitude of dreams arise from the common things of life, with which the Spirit of God has nothing to do. There are also false dreams, as well as false visions, which are inspired by the spirit of Satan. But dreams from the Lord are classed in the word of God with visions and are as truly the fruits of the spirit of prophecy as visions.”–Testimonies, vol. 1, p. 569.
b. What is our duty regarding dreams and visions? Deuteronomy 13:1–5; 18:20–22; 1 John 4:1. How was Daniel’s moral credibility as a prophet established?
“Except the one perfect Pattern, there is not described in the sacred pages a single character more worthy of emulation than that of the prophet Daniel. Exposed in youth to all the allurements of a royal court, he became a man of unbending integrity and fervent devotion to God. He was subjected to the fierce temptations of Satan, yet his character was not vacillating, nor his course changeable. He was firm where many would be yielding; he was true where they would be false; he was strong where they would be weak. Daniel was a lofty cedar of Lebanon.”–Our High Calling, p. 249.
Monday
November 13
2. PROPHETIC SYMBOLS
a. What was Daniel shown, and why is his prophetic vision important for us? Daniel 7:1, 2.
“Shortly before the fall of Babylon, when Daniel was meditating on these prophecies and seeking God for an understanding of the times, a series of visions was given him concerning the rise and fall of kingdoms. With the first vision, as recorded in the seventh chapter of the book of Daniel, an interpretation was given; yet not all was made clear to the prophet.”–Prophets and Kings, p. 553.
“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.”–Ibid., p. 547.
b. What do the “winds” and “waters” or “sea” represent? Jeremiah 51:1, 2; 4:13; Revelation 17:15. Explain the significance of what Daniel saw coming up from the sea. Daniel 7:3, 16, 17.
“[Daniel 7:2 quoted.] In Revelation 17 an angel explained that waters represent ‘peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues’ (Revelation 17:15). Winds are a symbol of strife. The four winds of heaven striving upon the great sea represent the terrible scenes of conquest and revolution by which kingdoms have attained to power.”–The Great Controversy, p. 440.
“The great kingdoms that have ruled the world were presented to the prophet Daniel as beasts of prey.”–Ibid., pp. 439, 440.
Tuesday
November 14
3. UNDERSTANDING THE FIRST “BEAST”
a. What does the first beast represent? Daniel 7:4 (first part); Jeremiah 4:6, 7; Habakkuk 1:6–8.
“Under King Nebuchadnezzar, Babylon was the richest and most powerful kingdom on the earth. Its riches and splendor have been faintly portrayed by Inspiration.”–The Youth Instructor, September 29, 1903.
b. Under what symbol is the weakening of Babylon described? Daniel 7:4 (last part).
“In God’s appointed time, that kingdom of pride and power [Babylon], ruled by men of the highest intellect, was broken, shattered, helpless. Christ has declared, ‘Without Me, ye can do nothing’ (John 15:5). Illustrious statesmen did not regard themselves as being dependent upon God. They thought that they themselves had created all their grandeur and exaltation. But when God speaks, they are as the grass that groweth up, and as the flower of the grass that fadeth away. The word and will of God alone liveth and endureth forever.”–Bible Training School, December 1, 1912.
“The kingdom of Babylon passed away because, in their prosperity, her rulers forgot God, and ascribed her honor and glory to human achievement. So today, when men forget God and refuse to obey His law, they are humiliated. God tests them, and if they do not humble their hearts and confess their sins, they receive the penalty of transgression.”–The Review and Herald, February 6, 1900.
Wednesday
November 15
4. SUBSEQUENT WORLD POWERS
a. Describe the beasts that followed. Daniel 7:5–7, 23. Why was each of these empires prevented from enduring forever?
“The crown removed from Israel passed successively to the kingdoms of Babylon [the lion], Medo-Persia [the bear], Greece [the leopard], and Rome [the ‘fourth beast, dreadful and terrible’].”–Education, p. 179.
“[The kingdoms] deteriorated because they cast off God. Forgetting Him, they sank lower and lower in the scale. The vast empire of Rome crumbled into pieces.”–The Review and Herald, February 6, 1900.
b. Describe the “little horn” which arose among the ten horns. Daniel 7:8, 24. What should be our attitude regarding the controversial nature of this subject?
“The vast empire of Rome crumbled to pieces, and from its ruins rose that mighty power, the Roman Catholic Church. This church boasts of her infallibility and her hereditary religion. But this religion is a horror to all who are acquainted with the secrets of the mystery of iniquity. The priests of this church maintain their ascendency by keeping the people in ignorance of God’s will, as revealed in the Scriptures.”–Manuscript Releases, vol. 1, p. 50.
“We may have less to say in some lines, in regard to the Roman power and the Papacy, but we should call attention to what the prophets and apostles have written under the inspiration of the Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit has so shaped matters, both in the giving of the prophecy, and in the events portrayed, as to teach that the human agent is to be kept out of sight, hid in Christ, and the Lord God of heaven and His law are to be exalted.”–Evangelism, p. 577.
Thursday
November 16
5. JUDGMENT SET AND BOOKS OPENED
a. Describe the awesome scene which followed in Daniel’s vision. Daniel 7:9, 10. How was the same event shown to John the Revelator? Revelation 11:19.
“The Ancient of Days is God the Father. Says the psalmist: ‘Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever Thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, Thou art God’ (Psalm 90:2). It is He, the source of all being, and the fountain of all law, that is to preside in the judgment.”–The Great Controversy, p. 479.
“The announcement that the temple of God was opened in heaven and the ark of His testament was seen points to the opening of the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary in 1844 as Christ entered there to perform the closing work of the atonement.”–Ibid., p. 433.
“As the books of record are opened in the judgment, the lives of all who have believed on Jesus come in review before God. Beginning with those who first lived upon the earth, our Advocate presents the cases of each successive generation, and closes with the living. Every name is mentioned, every case closely investigated. Names are accepted, names rejected. When any have sins remaining upon the books of record, unrepented of and unforgiven, their names will be blotted out of the book of life, and the record of their good deeds will be erased from the book of God’s remembrance.”–Ibid., p. 483.
b. How is the investigative judgment represented in one of Christ’s parables? Matthew 22:11, 12.
“In the parable of Matthew 22 the same figure of the marriage is introduced, and the investigative judgment is clearly represented as taking place before the marriage. Previous to the wedding the king comes in to see the guests, to see if all are attired in the wedding garment, the spotless robe of character washed and made white in the blood of the Lamb. Matthew 22:11; Revelation 7:14. He who is found wanting is cast out, but all who upon examination are seen to have the wedding garment on are accepted of God and accounted worthy of a share in His kingdom and a seat upon His throne. This work of examination of character, of determining who are prepared for the kingdom of God, is that of the investigative judgment, the closing work in the sanctuary above.
“When the work of investigation shall be ended, when the cases of those who in all ages have professed to be followers of Christ have been examined and decided, then, and not till then, probation will close, and the door of mercy will be shut.”–The Great Controversy, p. 428.
Friday
November 17
REVIEW AND THOUGHT QUESTIONS
1. Why was Daniel qualified to receive light for our day?
2. Explain the symbols of wind, water, and beasts.
3. Describe the four beasts and what they symbolize.
4. What is prophesied about the “little horn”?
5. How does the parable in Matthew 22 apply to us?