Solomon and 1844
Solomon and 1844
The history of Israel has been interesting in many areas but one of the most difficult points is Israel’s constant seeking to be like the world. They chose to stay in Egypt for over 200+ year, chose to have a king like all of the other nations, and then incorporated the world’s lifestyle into their religious practices over and over again. When Solomon was reigning he took the spiritual practice issue to whole new levels.
Shortly after the reign of Solomon came to a conclusion, Solomon’s son assisted in the division between Judah and Israel and the development of two “nations”. This lack of unity in the two nations set up inter-tribal fighting and a general distrust between the two groups. This finally led to the conquering of Samaria by Assyria in II Kings 17. Judah lasted another 100 years before they to were conquered by Babylon in II Chronicles 36
Israel stayed in Babylon captivity for 70 years as a result of their rebellion against God. Jeremiah 25:12; Daniel 9:1-2. While in Babylon God raised up three prophets – Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel. During this time God used these prophets to set out the outline of when Israel was to return and to establish the principles of God’s kingdoms. Not only that but God used Daniel to establish a time line of how Israel would be re-established and even more importantly set out the prophecy of when Messiah would come to Israel. This prophecy is in Daniel 8:14 and reveals the 2300 day/year prophecy. The first 490 years of this 2300 day/year prophecy tells us when the Messiah would come and get anointed by the Holy Spirit, when Messiah would be crucified, and when he probationary period of time for Israel would be completed.
During the time of Daniel God used him to influence many mighty leaders in the Babylonian Empire. God used Daniel, and his three friends, to spread the gospel throughout the world by the influence of interpreting of dreams. In addition God used Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah standing up to Nebuchadnezzar. When they came out of the furnace unscathed, the influence of the gospel had an effect that we can but dimly imagine. When Daniel watched over Nebuchadnezzar, while he was insane, he effectively ruled over the then greatest nation in the world, and the gospel continued to be taught through God’s people. Also, while this was all going on Daniel must have had contact with Cyrus and Cyrus was so impressed with Daniel, and all of the spiritual events that took place around Daniel, that when the Medes and Persians overthrew Babylon, Daniel was spared.
When Cyrus took over the kingdom of Babylon he was instructed regarding the prophecies of Isaiah 44:26-45:13, probably by Daniel. Cyrus recognized a Divine Hand working in his personal life. Cyrus gave the decree that Israel could return to Canaan and rebuild the city and the temple. All through the influence of Scripture, and mighty people of God, like Daniel.
The books of Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi all tell the story of how God worked to help Israel get re-established, rebuild the temple, rebuild the city of Jerusalem and allow them to get focused on getting done what needed to get done in Israel. It also allowed them to completed the building of the temple in 515 BC. In accordance with the prophecy of Daniel 9:24-25 the 70 weeks portion of the 2300 day prophecy was started when Artaxerxes sent out his letter allowing the Jews to continue building the city of Jerusalem and to enhance the temple service. This letter was issued in 457 BC.
Through the support of the prophets Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi Israel continued to build the temple and through the ministry of Ezra and Nehemiah completed reforms to get the people to reject the errors that Solomon had made so acceptable. For Israel was incorporating the same intermarriage issues that Solomon had done. See Ezra 9 and Nehemiah 13. When these issues had been settled then Israel could proceed toward the time of the Messiah.
In approximately 5-4 BC Jesus was born in Bethlehem which would allow Jesus to be about 30 years old in 27 AD. When He heard the call of John the Baptist He came to be baptized by the prophet and when He came up out of the Jordan river, the Holy Spirit fell on Him in the shape of a dove and the Father Himself stated “This is My beloved Son in Whom I am well pleased.” Matthew 3:13-17 and Luke 3:1-23. Thus Jesus of Nazareth became the Anointed One – The Messiah – The Christ.
Daniel 9:27 states that Messiah would confirm the covenant with many for one last week – 7 years- and in the middle of that last week of the 70 weeks would be cut off – He would die. Through His death in 31AD, He would cause the sacrifices and the oblations to cease. All of these things were accomplished by the death of Jesus and through His life and death, His resurrection, and His ministry in heaven, Jesus would fulfill the list of issues of Daniel 9:24.
During the next 3.5 years Jesus would send out the disciples to the Jews only to be sure that Israel would have every chance to surrender to Jesus and accept Him as the One and Only True Messiah. Instead of accepting Jesus the Jews, as a nation, rejected the messages given to them by the disciples. In 34AD they chose to stone the prophet Stephen and through this act they effectively sealed off their ability to repent and they were confirmed in rebellion and the probationary time granted through the 490 years was closed. The door was shut for their access to God as a nation. So the 70 weeks prophecy ran from 457BC to 34 AD a total of 70 weeks x 7 – 490 years. This prophecy covers all of the highlights of the coming and ministry of Messiah.
But the 2300 days/years, of which the first 490 years was allocated to the probationary time of Israel, was not finished. This prophecy indicated that there was 1810 more years left to this prophecy. 34AD plus 1810 brings us to the year 1844. During this time the gospel went out to the world and influenced people. During this time Satan did everything he could do to cover and darken the gospel and he developed the period called the Dark Ages. In this time the message of the gospel was twisted and distorted in every way possible to keep it from having its proper influence on the minds of the people. Yet God raised up mighty men of God to preserve the Word of God and to establish a Reformation to allow the gospel to be presented in it’s purity to prepare the people of God for the events of 1844.
We must remember that Daniel 8:13-14 was written in the context of the little horn attacking the truth, the sanctuary, the daily, and the people of God. The question is asked “How long shall be the vision concerning the daily, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary (God’s building and doctrines) and the host (God’s people) to be trodden under foot? And He (Jesus the Wonderful Numberer see margin) said unto me (Daniel) Unto two thousand and three hundred days: then shall the sanctuary be cleansed (and restored).” So we have to understand that 2300 days is either literally 6.4 years or it is a day for a year, just like the 70 weeks prophecy of Daniel 9:24. Most scholars perceive the truth that the 70 weeks could not literally extend from the decree to restore and to build Jerusalem (457 BC) to Messiah for 70 weeks is only 1.3 years. So the only way it can make sense is to understand the prophetic principle of a day equals a year. With this understanding in mind the 70 weeks or 490 prophetic years fits perfectly, as we have displayed above.
Now the great question is the 2300 days of Daniel 8:14 are literal or are they prophetic years? If they are literal then there still has to be established a starting point and an ending point. The only starting point is given in Daniel 9:25 the decree to restore and build Jerusalem and to proceed to Messiah the Prince. If the first section were a day for a year then the last section would have to abide by the same principle. So we will cover the last 1810 days for years after 34 AD. Again this brings us to the year 1844.
The greatest event happening in 1844 was the culmination of the Millerite Movement, a renewal of Bible study and prayer, and a desire to see the Second Coming of Jesus. When October 22, 1844 came and went the Millerites experienced a disappointment almost as intense as that of the Disciples when Jesus died on the cross. The Disciples hopes had been dashed when Jesus died, but when He subsequently explained the fact that He must die to fulfill Scripture and that He must go back to heaven to minister for the Disciples then they regained their vision and they had renewed hope. See Luke 24.
This same event happened to the Millerites. When they came to October 22, 1844, the date for the Day of Atonement (See Leviticus 23 and Daniel 8:14 – the “cleansing of the Sanctuary”) they expected to see Jesus come in the clouds of heaven. When He did not come they were disappointed. The next day when meditating as to what went wrong, the Millerites discovered that there was a different “coming”. The found in Daniel 7:13 that Jesus, instead of coming to the earth, came to the Ancient of Days in the beginning of the Judgment scenes of Daniel 7:9-14. This coming is also referred to in Malachi 3:1-2, and Matthew 22:11-14; and Matthew 25:5-7 When the Millerites understood that there was a judgment scene, similar to that of the Day of Atonement of Leviticus 23, their hearts were overjoyed. They had briefly lost site of Jesus, and then found Him again in Scripture.
After due study they found that in Revelation 10:1-11; and Revelation 14:1-12 they had been granted another mission, and another task; to prophecy again about Bible time, and to proclaim the three angels messages. In these messages is the task to present the everlasting gospel, the time of the judgment had come, to teach about the true worship of the Creator through the Sabbath day of the Ten Commandments, to proclaim the fact that Babylon has fallen, to educate against accepting the mark of the beast, to refuse the wine of Babylon and all of its errors, and to uplift the commandments of God and the Faith of Jesus.
One of the interesting qualities of the Bible is to present truth in a compare and contrast manner. God brackets the messages of Revelation 10 and 14 around Revelation 13. Revelation 13 is the chapter that displays all of the anti-typical messages of Solomon’s fall from grace. Revelation 13, we have read in an earlier article, is fulfillment on a world wide level all of the errors that Solomon had displayed in the later years of his reign in Israel, including the definition of 666, the dependency on the power of man, the ecumenical movement, and the incorporation of false forms of worship. All of these things the messages of the three angels is to correct. All who read and understand will be “…wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.” Daniel 12:3
This is the message of Solomon and 1844. Solomon initiated many errors that led to much chaos and confusion in the kingdom of God. Yet God in His infinite wisdom used this chaos and confusion to reveal the principles of the kingdom of Satan and used it to teach His children what to recognize and how to avoid error, and practice truth. This is now our task to learn these things, see the truths for our time, and share them faithfully to God’s people. May you go forward and “be established in the Present Truth”. II Peter 1:12
For further studies on Solomon see:
http://solomonstudies.blogspot.com/