GSEM 534 Lecture Outline Jerry Moon, April 7, 2004 Prophecies in Process of Fulfillment Introduction A. 2 Chron. 20:20; 36:16; believe and prosper or disbelieve and perish. B. What I’m not trying to do: time setting or hostile criticism C. What I am trying to do: strengthen faith by “speaking the truth in love” (Eph. 4:15). D. Additional sources: Uriah Smith, Daniel and the Revelation; Maxwell, God Cares; SDA Bible Commentary; R. A. Anderson, Unfolding Daniel’s Prophecies; Unfolding the Revelation; Clifford Goldstein, many titles; Ellen G. White, Great Controversy, and other references below. I. American Domination of the World A. Rev 13:11 1. Horns = form of government 2. Lamb-like = Christ-like 3. Two horns = civil liberty, democracy and religious liberty B. “This prophecy . . . points unmistakably to the United States of America” (Great Controversy, 1888 edition, 440. C. 1979 - There were two “superpowers”—the U.S.A. and the U.S.S.R., and some Adventists said America could never fill the role predicted for it. 1989 - Fall of Communism 1991 - America “the world’s sole remaining superpower,” Time magazine, July 29, 1991, p. 13, quoted by Clifford Goldstein in Adventist Review, Dec. 5, 1991, 12-14. D. America to “speak like a dragon.” 1. Military dimension: In 2004 the U.S. will spend as much on defense “as the rest of the world put together (yes, all 191 countries).”–Newsweek, March 24, 2003, p. 23. 2. Political dimension: Trading liberty for security. 3. Judicial dimension: Increasing “hard ball,” zero-tolerance attitude toward accused offenders. 4. Religious dimension: Rev. 13:11-17; 5T 451 (1885) “threefold union”; Erosion of the First Amendment. E. Further reading: Clifford Goldstein, Day of the Dragon (1993) and One Nation Under God (1996). II. Restoration of Supremacy of the Roman Catholic Church (Healing the Deadly Wound of Rev 13:3) A. Rev 13:3. Protestants ever since the Reformation have applied this to the Roman Catholic Church and the supremacy it enjoyed from 538-1798. B. Mortal wound, 1798, after the French Revolution. C. “Healing” has come in stages 1. 1929, Concordat with Mussolini recognized Vatican City as a sovereign state. 2. 1963-65, Second Vatican Council, modernized the liturgy and launched ecumenical initiatives. 3. 1989, “Holy Alliance” between Pope John Paul II and President Reagan helped to topple Communism in Eastern Europe (see Time, Feb. 24, 1992). D. When John Paul II visited St. Louis, USA, in 1999, the crowds sang “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands.” III. The Maturing of Spiritual Babylon A. Rev 16:13-14 B. GC 588.1 (see below) C. Chuck Colson: “In truth the gulf between evangelicals and Roman Catholics, opened by the Reformation, is being bridged. Today, we stand shoulder to shoulder as the most significant religious block in America” (New York Times, March 2, 2000, quoted by Lincoln Steed in Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide, April-June 2002, Teacher’s Edition, 117). D. Documentary evidence that the Reformation is over. 1. Evangelicals and Catholics Together (ECT 1), 1994. 2. Gift of Salvation (ECT II), 1998. 3. Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification (Lutheran-Catholic Accord), 1999. IV. Exaltation of Sunday, Preparing for the Mark of the Beast A. Rev. 13:14-17 B. Ev 234-235 (1898). No one has yet the mark of the beast, but prep stage, exaltation of Sunday, is in progress. C. Adventist teaching since 1840s–the mark of the beast will involve civil enforcement of Sunday observance. D. Dies Domini (1998). E. Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, 450-451 (1885)–“Mordecai at the Gate”. F. National apostasy—national ruin. (Bible Commentary, vol. 7, 976-977; quoting Review and Herald, Dec. 18, 1888 and Signs of the Times, March 22,1910). G. Positive: Many Christians accepting the true Sabbath. V. Spiritualism Infiltrating Christianity A. Rev 16:13-14B. Great Controversy, 588: “Through the two great errors, the immortality of the soul and Sunday sacredness, Satan will bring the people under his deceptions. While the former lays the foundation of spiritualism, the latter creates a bond of sympathy with Rome. . . . As spiritualism more closely imitates the nominal Christianity of the day, it has greater power to deceive and ensnare. . . . And as the spirits will profess faith in the Bible, and manifest respect for the institutions of the church, their work will be accepted as a manifestation of divine power. . . . The line of demarcation between professed Christians and the ungodly is now hardly distinguishable. Church members love what the world loves and are ready to join with them, and Satan determines to unite them in one body and thus strengthen his cause by sweeping all into the ranks of spiritualism. [Roman Catholics], who boast of miracles as a certain sign of the true church, will be readily deceived by this wonder-working power; and Protestants, having cast away the shield of truth, will also be deluded. [Catholics], Protestants, and worldlings will alike accept the form of godliness without the power, and they will see in this union a grand movement for the conversion of the world and the ushering in of the long-expected millennium.” C. Modern spiritualism emerged in “mysterious rappings,” March 31, 1848, near Rochester, NY (SDA Source Book #1547, p 949). D. Bible truth. Gen 2:7; 3:4-5; Eccl. 9:5; 1 Sam 28:19, Satan alias “Samuel,” tells Saul, “Tomorrow you and your sons will be with me;” 2 Cor. 11:14. E. Current Developments 1. Near-death experiences (NDEs) 2. Apparitions of Mary 3. Halloween is #2 commercial holiday, after Christmas. “Satan catching up to Jesus?” 4. Harry Potter 5. Sun Myung Moon (Adventist Review, Jan 23, 2003, pp. 8-9) 6. Early Writings, 88.2. VI. Gospel to All the World A. Matt 24:14; 2 Peter 3:12 B. If time lasts till 2020, there will be an estimated 40 million Adventists in the world. Not a majority, but not the church invisible either. C. “Christ’s coming . . . will not tarry past the time that the message is borne to all nations, tongues, and peoples” (RH, June 18, 1901, see also Evangelism 697). Thousands of major people groups have yet to hear the message. D. No time to quit preaching prophecy. (James Gilley, “Alive and Well,”