Posted By: TruthinTypes
Nebuchadnezzar Speaks: The Sunday Law - 04/12/24 07:16 PM
Part One:
Viewed as a type, the first six chapters of Daniel can help us to see how the National Sunday law will take effect in the United States, and then become the Universal Sunday Law as it goes global.
The key to understand a type, is to find the key that unlocks the type. In this case, Mrs. White provides the key for us in the following quotes:
"History will be repeated. False religion will be exalted. The first day of the week, a common working day, possessing no sanctity whatever, will be set up as was the image at Babylon. All nations and tongues and peoples will be commanded to worship this spurious sabbath. This is Satan's plan to make of no account the day instituted by God, and given to the world as a memorial of creation."
"The decree enforcing the worship of this day is to go forth to all the world. In a limited degree, it has already gone forth. In several places the civil power is speaking with the voice of a dragon, just as the heathen king spoke to the Hebrew captives."
"Trial and persecution will come to all who, in obedience to the Word of God, refuse to worship this false sabbath. Force is the last resort of every false religion. At first it tries attraction, as the king of Babylon tried the power of music and outward show. If these attractions, invented by men inspired by Satan, failed to make men worship the image, the hungry flames of the furnace were ready to consume them. So it will be now. The Papacy has exercised her power to compel men to obey her, and she will continue to do so. We need the same spirit that was manifested by God's servants in the conflict with paganism? So it was in the case of the three Hebrew worthies; their eye was single to the glory of God; their souls were steadfast; the power of the truth held them firmly to their allegiance to God. It is in the power of God alone that we shall be enabled to be loyal to him." (ST, May 6, 1897 par.14- 16)
"By many, the Sabbath of the fourth commandment is made void, being treated as a thing of naught; while the spurious sabbath, the child of the papacy, is exalted. In the place of God's laws, are elevated the laws of the man of sin--laws that are to be received and regarded as the wonderful golden image of Nebuchadnezzar was by the Babylonians. Forming this great image, Nebuchadnezzar commanded that it should receive universal homage from all, both great and small, high and low, rich and poor." (Ms 24, 1891; 19MR 243.4)
These quotes give us the reference point we need in order to understand Daniel as a type. Mrs. White is letting us know that the raising of the image on the plain of Dura is the same as the raising of the Sunday law. This point of reference, found in Daniel 3, is the key, and allows us to see that the sequence of events of that time, will in turn portray the events which will attend the Sunday law in our time.
In this context, it is interesting to note that the book of Daniel is divided into two distinct parts, history and prophecy. Though there is a prophecy in Chapter two, the first six chapters deal primarily with historical events, and the last six chapters are devoted to prophecy.
Daniel chapter 3 and 6 represent two points in time for God's people, one illustrating the National Sunday law, and the other the Universal Sunday law. Neither of these events can be predicted based on time, but are only points in time, and as such can only be predicted as events. Since October 22, 1844, prophecy moved from the stream of time to the stream of events.
Daniel 3 is a 'revealing' test. In other words, no one knew who would bow to the image and who would not. As a result of this test, a class of people are now revealed, or identified, that were not identified before. Two classes of people are produced, a majority, and a minority; those who bowed and those who did not. The same will be true at the first Sunday law time period in the United States. No one knows who will yield to the mandate to worship on Sunday, and who will not.
Daniel 6, on the other hand, is a highly targeted test. In this case the identity is known, and a test is devised with the specific intent to destroy Daniel. So it will be with God?s people at the Universal Sunday law time period. Just as there was a 'writing,' or decree, that went out in Daniel?s time with consequences, so there will be a writing that goes out in the Universal Sunday law time period.
"Then I saw the leading men of the earth consulting together, and Satan and his angels busy around them. I saw a writing, copies of which were scattered in different parts of the land, giving orders that unless the saints should yield their peculiar faith, give up the Sabbath, and observe the first day of the week, the people were at liberty after a certain time to put them to death." EW 282.2
This writing is the same as that of Daniel 6:9-10; and it is the same as that of Queen Esther's time: "The decree which is to go forth against the people of God will be very similar to that issued by Ahasuerus against the Jews in the time of Esther." 5T 450.1 This statement is also a key that unlocks the account of Esther, Mordecai and Haman as a type, but is not the subject for now.
The point to make is that types can show us things in a tangible way that will help us to correctly test our experience as we pass through these events. In other words, even though prophetic time is no longer, God does not leave His people in the dark. He gives us waymarks so we know what to expect, what we are passing through, and what is yet to come. "Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure." Isaiah 46:10
I have divided this into parts for shorter reading, and as we go, we will see what the herald of Chapter 3:4 represents, what it means when Nebuchadnezzar speaks, why the three Hebrews were given a second chance, why Darius fought to save Daniel from the lion?s den, and so on. Each of these events show something of the events that are soon to occur with us.
Viewed as a type, the first six chapters of Daniel can help us to see how the National Sunday law will take effect in the United States, and then become the Universal Sunday Law as it goes global.
The key to understand a type, is to find the key that unlocks the type. In this case, Mrs. White provides the key for us in the following quotes:
"History will be repeated. False religion will be exalted. The first day of the week, a common working day, possessing no sanctity whatever, will be set up as was the image at Babylon. All nations and tongues and peoples will be commanded to worship this spurious sabbath. This is Satan's plan to make of no account the day instituted by God, and given to the world as a memorial of creation."
"The decree enforcing the worship of this day is to go forth to all the world. In a limited degree, it has already gone forth. In several places the civil power is speaking with the voice of a dragon, just as the heathen king spoke to the Hebrew captives."
"Trial and persecution will come to all who, in obedience to the Word of God, refuse to worship this false sabbath. Force is the last resort of every false religion. At first it tries attraction, as the king of Babylon tried the power of music and outward show. If these attractions, invented by men inspired by Satan, failed to make men worship the image, the hungry flames of the furnace were ready to consume them. So it will be now. The Papacy has exercised her power to compel men to obey her, and she will continue to do so. We need the same spirit that was manifested by God's servants in the conflict with paganism? So it was in the case of the three Hebrew worthies; their eye was single to the glory of God; their souls were steadfast; the power of the truth held them firmly to their allegiance to God. It is in the power of God alone that we shall be enabled to be loyal to him." (ST, May 6, 1897 par.14- 16)
"By many, the Sabbath of the fourth commandment is made void, being treated as a thing of naught; while the spurious sabbath, the child of the papacy, is exalted. In the place of God's laws, are elevated the laws of the man of sin--laws that are to be received and regarded as the wonderful golden image of Nebuchadnezzar was by the Babylonians. Forming this great image, Nebuchadnezzar commanded that it should receive universal homage from all, both great and small, high and low, rich and poor." (Ms 24, 1891; 19MR 243.4)
These quotes give us the reference point we need in order to understand Daniel as a type. Mrs. White is letting us know that the raising of the image on the plain of Dura is the same as the raising of the Sunday law. This point of reference, found in Daniel 3, is the key, and allows us to see that the sequence of events of that time, will in turn portray the events which will attend the Sunday law in our time.
In this context, it is interesting to note that the book of Daniel is divided into two distinct parts, history and prophecy. Though there is a prophecy in Chapter two, the first six chapters deal primarily with historical events, and the last six chapters are devoted to prophecy.
Daniel chapter 3 and 6 represent two points in time for God's people, one illustrating the National Sunday law, and the other the Universal Sunday law. Neither of these events can be predicted based on time, but are only points in time, and as such can only be predicted as events. Since October 22, 1844, prophecy moved from the stream of time to the stream of events.
Daniel 3 is a 'revealing' test. In other words, no one knew who would bow to the image and who would not. As a result of this test, a class of people are now revealed, or identified, that were not identified before. Two classes of people are produced, a majority, and a minority; those who bowed and those who did not. The same will be true at the first Sunday law time period in the United States. No one knows who will yield to the mandate to worship on Sunday, and who will not.
Daniel 6, on the other hand, is a highly targeted test. In this case the identity is known, and a test is devised with the specific intent to destroy Daniel. So it will be with God?s people at the Universal Sunday law time period. Just as there was a 'writing,' or decree, that went out in Daniel?s time with consequences, so there will be a writing that goes out in the Universal Sunday law time period.
"Then I saw the leading men of the earth consulting together, and Satan and his angels busy around them. I saw a writing, copies of which were scattered in different parts of the land, giving orders that unless the saints should yield their peculiar faith, give up the Sabbath, and observe the first day of the week, the people were at liberty after a certain time to put them to death." EW 282.2
This writing is the same as that of Daniel 6:9-10; and it is the same as that of Queen Esther's time: "The decree which is to go forth against the people of God will be very similar to that issued by Ahasuerus against the Jews in the time of Esther." 5T 450.1 This statement is also a key that unlocks the account of Esther, Mordecai and Haman as a type, but is not the subject for now.
The point to make is that types can show us things in a tangible way that will help us to correctly test our experience as we pass through these events. In other words, even though prophetic time is no longer, God does not leave His people in the dark. He gives us waymarks so we know what to expect, what we are passing through, and what is yet to come. "Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure." Isaiah 46:10
I have divided this into parts for shorter reading, and as we go, we will see what the herald of Chapter 3:4 represents, what it means when Nebuchadnezzar speaks, why the three Hebrews were given a second chance, why Darius fought to save Daniel from the lion?s den, and so on. Each of these events show something of the events that are soon to occur with us.
