August 11: THE TWENTY-THREE HUNDRED DAYS (part 2)

Then it happened, when I, Daniel, had seen the vision and was seeking the meaning, that suddenly there stood before me one having the appearance of a man. And I heard a man’s voice between the banks of the Ulai, who called, and said, “Gabriel, make this man understand the vision.” So he came near where I stood, and when he came I was afraid and fell on my face; but he said to me, “Understand, son of man, that the vision refers to the time of the end.” Daniel 8:15-17

The timeline being developed here, through the cooperation of the prophet Daniel, is for our benefit – to help us who live in the time of the end to make good use of the little time that is left before the Lord’s return. His return will make unmistakably definite the end of time for this fallen world. Therefore, understand that the time of the end leads up to the end of time. We are in an intense time of preparation. God’s people are tasked with a unique, time-sensitive message for the last days of earth. It is His invitation for all people everywhere to repent (Acts 17:30).

In a parallel mode to the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary, there is also a cleansing of the earthly sanctuary, meaning the cleansing of bodies and minds for God’s people alive on the earth. As the temple of God’s Holy Spirit, His people are to invite God’s cleansing of themselves from all errors that have seeped in over time regarding the character of God. Our subtle enemy would have us believe dogmas that are out of character with the King of the universe. That enemy seeks to contradict every precept of God, and lead church people into believing and teaching these contradictions. It is a fact that the enemy of souls wants to destroy your relationship with God through wrong beliefs about God. Indeed, he will lead you into sin, and then turn you in for doing it. This is why he is called the Accuser (see Zechariah 3 for insight into such a scenario).

Daniel’s 2300-day prophecy had a beginning point, cited in Daniel 9:25: from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem by the Persian king Artaxerxes (see Ezra 7). This proclamation was issued in 457BC, and though the original Babylon was now under Persian government—which had brought an end to the decreed seventy years of Babylonian captivity for God’s people (Jeremiah 29:10)—only a small remnant of them chose to leave. This is very telling about human nature. The discomfort of leaving old habits and sins behind is enough to keep the unconverted inside the bounds of the slavery of sin.

During the year following, those who desired went forth from the old city of Babylon to Jerusalem for the rebuilding. These two cities are powerfully symbolic during our day, the time of the end. They symbolize those who dwell on the earth (Revelation’s reference to the lost in 3:10; 6:10; 11:10; 13:14; 14:6; 17:8) and those whose citizenship is in heaven. (Philippians 3:20).

The 2300-day prophecy takes us to the year 1844… What on earth happened? What in heaven happened? Let us pray:

“Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Matthew 6:10