Participants:
Series Code: ARSS
Program Code: ARSS190013S
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00:16 Good morning.
00:18 Another radiant day. 00:21 A beautiful Fresno day. 00:23 We've had lots of rain here. 00:25 Lots of snow in the mountains. We're thankful for that. 00:29 Because when summer comes, we are going to need that moisture. 00:32 Well, this morning we are going to study about the fifth seal. 00:37 And it's going to take us actually a couple of sessions 00:41 to do number five. 00:43 And then this afternoon we will study seal number six. 00:48 So today our task is to study seal number five 00:52 and seal number six. 00:54 How many of you did your homework? 01:01 What do you do from 5 to 12? 01:08 Well, or 10? 01:11 Okay, let's pray. 01:13 Father in heaven, we thank You for the privilege 01:16 of being here this morning. 01:18 We thank You for Your Word. 01:21 We thank You that as Seventh-day Adventists 01:23 You have given us special light 01:25 on how to interpret the prophecies. 01:28 And as we study today, we ask for the Holy Spirit 01:31 to be present, as we have before. 01:34 For we know that without the Spirit, we cannot understand 01:38 the Word that was given originally by the Spirit. 01:42 So be with us, guide us, and teach us. 01:45 We pray in the name of Jesus, amen. 01:51 Alright, we're going to begin on page 205. 01:54 Page 205. 01:57 And let me give you a little bit of historical context. 02:01 We've studied the first seal. 02:03 What period does the first seal represent? 02:06 The apostolic period. 02:08 The church is going out conquering and to conquer. 02:11 Thousands are coming into the church. 02:13 So what does Satan do now? 02:16 He awakens against the church persecution, 02:18 saying, "We've got to stop this." 02:20 But when Satan persecutes, what happens? 02:24 Oh, the church grows all the more. 02:26 That's the red horse. 02:27 The church is growing phenomenally, more than before. 02:31 So Satan says, "I have to change my strategy." 02:33 So there you have the black horse. 02:36 He introduces apostasy into the church. 02:38 He infiltrates the church with the world. 02:42 And as a result, the church becomes defiled. 02:47 And then, of course, because there is famine, 02:52 and because there is a sword, 02:55 under the fourth seal many people die of starvation, 03:00 spiritual starvation. 03:02 They don't have bread. The bread is very expensive. 03:07 And furthermore, the light has become darkness 03:10 under the third seal. 03:12 So during the fourth seal there's spiritual death 03:15 and there's also the martyrs who are killed. 03:18 And that brings us to the fifth seal, 03:21 which is the cry of the martyrs who have been killed 03:25 during the second seal and those who have been killed 03:28 during the period of the fourth seal. 03:31 So let's read Revelation 6:9-11 on page 205. 03:37 And we'll then interpret this rather long passage. 03:43 It's longer than the first four seals. 04:30 So that is the passage that deals with the fifth seal. 04:33 Now let's ask some questions. 04:37 And then we'll try to answer the questions. 04:40 What does the word, souls, mean? 04:43 The souls are crying out. What does the word, souls, mean? 04:48 Second, in what sense did the souls cry out? 04:53 Next, where is the altar under which these souls cry out? 05:00 Next, what does the word, martyr, mean? 05:05 Next, what period of church history 05:08 is this scene describing? 05:11 Then, why did the papal power kill the martyrs? 05:15 What was the reason why the papacy killed these martyrs. 05:19 Next, what do the white robes that are given 05:22 to the martyrs represent? 05:25 Then, why did God tell the martyrs to rest for a season? 05:30 During what period are they resting for a season? 05:34 And then we have two more questions. 05:36 Is there more than one group of martyrs? 05:39 And finally, when and how did, or does, or will 05:45 God answer their plea? 05:48 So we have our homework cut out for us. 05:52 Now how can dead souls cry out? 05:56 Because these are martyrs, they're dead. 05:59 So how can souls cry out? 06:02 Virtually all non-Adventist scholars believe that this text 06:06 or this passage proves that the soul can live independently 06:12 of the body after death. 06:15 Every non-Adventist commentary that I consulted 06:19 as I was studying this passage reached the conclusion 06:23 that the souls under the altar are the disembodied souls 06:27 of martyrs who died, and their souls are literally crying out 06:32 independently from the body. 06:35 But the question is, is this really what 06:38 the passage is saying? 06:41 We need to take a look at other passages of Scripture 06:44 to understand what it means that the souls are crying out 06:47 from under the altar. 06:49 So there are two Old Testament backgrounds 06:52 that help us understand the crying out of the souls 06:54 under the altar. 06:56 The first background is the story of Cain and Abel. 07:01 Let's go to Genesis 4:3-4. 07:04 The scriptures interpret themselves. 07:08 So if you want to know what the souls are crying out 07:11 under the altar about, go to other passages of Scripture 07:14 that have similar terminology. 07:17 So it says in Genesis 4:3-4, "And in the process of time 07:22 it came to pass that Cain brought of the fruit of the 07:26 ground an offering unto the Lord. 07:29 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock 07:34 and of the fat thereof. 07:36 And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering." 07:41 So God tells Cain and Abel to bring an offering. 07:45 Actually, God had asked them to bring grain offering 07:50 as well as a sacrificial offering. 07:53 Cain brings a grain offering, but he doesn't bring 07:56 a sacrificial offering. 07:58 In other words, Abel obeyed God to the letter 08:02 and worshiped God the way that God had commanded 08:05 them to worship. 08:07 So the issue here is obedience and worship 08:10 in the story of Cain and Abel. 08:12 Abel worships God the way God says, 08:15 and he obeys strictly God's command. 08:19 Now in Hebrews 11:4, it says, "By faith, Abel offered to God 08:29 a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, 08:33 through which he obtained witness..." 08:36 That word, witness, is, marturia, 08:38 where we get the word, martyr, from. 08:41 "...through which he obtained witness," or he gave witness, 08:44 "that he was..." What? "...that he was righteous, 08:47 God testifying..." 08:49 Once again, the word, marturia. 08:51 "...God testifying of his gifts; 08:53 and through it he being dead still..." What? 08:59 "...still speaks." 09:02 So is Abel still speaking in spite of the fact that 09:07 Abel is dead? 09:08 Yes. In what sense is Abel speaking? 09:11 He's giving what? 09:13 Witness, or testimony, that he was obedient. 09:17 He worshiped God the way God said. 09:19 And so, that is a witness. 09:22 That's why his sacrifice was more acceptable 09:27 than the sacrifice of Cain. 09:29 Do you remember that we have another text that says 09:33 that obedience is better than sacrifice? 09:37 Yes. 09:38 So if you offer God sacrifice but you're not obedient, 09:42 God cannot accept that sacrifice. 09:45 So let's read the note. 09:46 Abel's sacrifice gave witness. 09:49 In other words, it still gives witness that he was faithful. 09:52 He worshiped God the way God said. 09:54 Remarkably, the word, witness, used twice in the verse 09:57 is, marturia, from where we get the word, martyr. 10:01 Even after his death, Abel's sacrifice gives witness 10:05 or testimony of his faithfulness to God. 10:09 Now because Abel was faithful to God, 10:12 he worshiped God the way God said, and he obeyed God, 10:16 that caused Cain to be filled with anger against him. 10:21 So does this give us a picture of what happens 10:24 during the 1260 years? 10:26 What's going to happen at the end time? 10:28 Why the martyrs were persecuted? 10:30 Absolutely. 10:32 It says in Genesis 4:8, "Now Cain talked with Abel 10:37 his brother; and it came to pass when they were in the field 10:41 that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him." 10:48 Was this a travesty in justice? 10:51 It was a travesty in justice. 10:53 Because the righteous person was Abel 10:55 and the wicked person was Cain. 10:57 The wicked win and the righteous lose. 11:01 There's no justice in that. 11:03 So in chapter 4 and verse 10 we find something very 11:08 interesting, very similar to the fifth seal. 11:11 It says, "And He said," God is speaking to Cain, 11:15 "What have you done? 11:17 The voice of your brother's..." What? 11:19 "...of your brother's blood cries out to Me 11:23 from the ground." 11:26 What is Abel's blood doing? 11:28 It's crying out. What is it crying out for? 11:31 It's crying out for justice, for vindication. 11:35 Because a great in justice has been done. 11:38 Abel was righteous and obedient. 11:40 He worshiped God the way God said. 11:42 And yet, he gets killed. 11:43 And Cain lives. 11:44 What justice is there in that? 11:46 So the blood of Abel is crying out 11:49 so that justice will be done. 11:51 Let's read the note because it has some very important points. 11:55 Satan was the ringleader in Abel's death. 11:59 We find in 1 John 3:12 these words: 12:01 "...not as Cain who was of the wicked one 12:05 and murdered his brother. 12:07 And why did he murder him?" 12:09 In other words, why was Abel a martyr? 12:12 "Because..." Now listen to this. 12:15 Not because of his faith, 12:18 but because of his what? 12:20 "...his works were evil and his brother's works..." Were what? 12:25 "...were righteous." 12:27 In other words, Abel was obedient and worshiped God 12:30 the way God had commanded. 12:32 The death of Abel was a travesty in justice. 12:35 Abel was the righteous one, and he died, 12:38 and Cain was the unrighteous one, and he lived. 12:42 Wicked Cain, this is a significant point, 12:45 shed his brother's blood at the foot of the altar of sacrifice. 12:50 They raised an altar and made the sacrifice there. 12:53 Remember that, because we're going to come back to that. 12:56 And Abel's blood cried out for vindication and justice 12:59 from where it was shed. 13:01 Below the altar, or under the altar if you please. 13:04 And Abel's blood cries out for vindication and for justice. 13:09 To all appearances, the unrighteous won 13:11 and the righteous lost. 13:13 At some point, the record needed to be rectified. 13:17 The blood of Abel symbolically cried out for reparation. 13:23 Does this background help us to understand the fifth seal? 13:26 It's crucially important. 13:28 See, you can't just stay in Revelation 6:9-11 13:32 and say, "Well, you know, these are disembodied spirits, 13:34 you know, separate from the body that are 13:36 crying out to the Lord." 13:37 No, no, no. 13:39 It's the blood that is crying out 13:41 for vindication, for justice. 13:44 Notice Hebrews 12:24. 13:47 Does the blood of Jesus also speak? 13:51 Does it speak better things than the blood of Abel? 13:54 Absolutely. Notice. 14:03 Why? Because Abel's blood cries out for justice 14:07 and the blood of Christ provides the justice. 14:10 That's why the blood of Christ speaks better things. 14:13 Because the blood of Christ is going to vindicate 14:16 Abel in the judgment. 14:19 We can better understand the cries of the righteous martyrs 14:23 by reading imprecatory psalms. 14:25 "Imprecatory," means that the individuals who are wronged 14:29 are crying out for a judgment in their favor. 14:32 They're crying out for justice. 14:34 I put one imprecatory psalm in there. 14:37 There are several where David is saying, 14:39 "Lord, you know, the wicked are doing this to me. 14:42 What are You going to do about it?" 14:43 Those are the imprecatory psalms. 14:45 Notice Psalm 79:9-10. 15:12 Are you catching the picture? 15:14 The martyrs that have shed their blood, they're crying out. 15:17 They're saying, "Until when are you going to allow us to 15:19 be mowed down if we worship the way you say 15:22 and we obey your commandments? 15:24 How is it that you allow this to happen? 15:26 Please perform a righteous judgment." 15:31 Now there's a further Old Testament background 15:34 to this idea of the souls that are crying out 15:37 from under the altar. 15:39 And that background is found in Leviticus 4:7. 15:45 There were two altars in the Sanctuary. 15:48 The altar of sacrifice which was in the court, 15:51 and the altar of incense which was in the Holy Place. 15:55 To which altar is Revelation 6:9-11 referring? 16:00 Well, the answer is found in Leviticus 4:7. 16:05 Let's read that verse. 16:19 And here's a key word, very key word, don't forget it. 16:22 "...and he shall..." What? 16:24 "...pour..." That's a vital word. 16:43 So which altar are we talking about? 16:45 We're talking about the altar of sacrifice. 16:48 Now let's notice the several points that emerge 16:51 from this particular verse. 16:53 The priest poured out the blood, "poured," is very important, 16:57 poured out the blood of the victim at the base 17:00 of the altar of sacrifice. 17:02 The priest did not offer blood on the altar of incense. 17:07 He only placed incense there. 17:09 So it can't be the altar of incense that is 17:12 being spoken about here. 17:14 The expression, "pour out," or, "shed," 17:19 describes what the wicked do with the blood of the righteous 17:23 in Revelation 16:6. 17:25 We'll come back to that a little bit later. 17:29 The word, "slain," is identical to the one that is used 17:33 in Revelation 5:6. 17:34 "A Lamb as though it had been slain." 17:39 And the altar of sacrifice represents Christ's sacrifice 17:42 on earth, so these souls must be crying out on earth, 17:46 not in heaven. 17:49 Are you catching this point? A very important point. 17:52 Because what non-Adventists say is, "These souls 17:57 are crying out from under the altar in heaven." 18:00 No, the altar isn't in heaven. 18:01 The altar is on earth, because the court represents the earth. 18:06 The court of the Sanctuary represents 18:07 the earthly work of Christ. 18:10 Where did Christ live? 18:12 On earth. 18:13 Where did Christ die? 18:15 On earth. 18:17 Where did Christ resurrect? 18:18 On earth. 18:20 And so, the camp represents the life of Christ; 18:24 the altar of sacrifice, the death of Christ; 18:28 and the laver, the resurrection of Christ. 18:30 So the work of the court takes place on earth. 18:34 Which means that the souls under the altar, 18:37 they're not in heaven. 18:38 Why would they be crying out if they're in heaven? 18:41 Why would they say, "Oh Lord, avenge us." 18:43 They should be praising the Lord and being real happy up there. 18:47 It doesn't make sense. 18:49 Now in the Old Testament, there is a close connection 18:52 between the word, "soul," and, "blood." 18:57 When innocent blood, that is the life, is shed, 19:02 it symbolically cries out for justice. 19:04 What is the life of the person? 19:08 When a person dies, what happens with the blood 19:10 that circulates through the body? 19:12 It stops circulating. And the result is what? 19:15 Death. 19:17 Let's read a couple of verses. 19:19 Because, "soul," is very closely intertwined with, "blood." 19:23 The blood is crying out, which means that the 19:25 soul is crying out. 19:27 Because the soul, or the blood, of man is what's crying out. 19:30 Now notice Leviticus 17:11. 19:33 "For the life..." 19:35 That's the identical word, "soul." 19:37 The word, nephesh. 19:39 But it's translated here, "life." 19:55 Notice Deuteronomy 12:23. 20:03 "...for the blood is the..." Nephesh. 20:05 It's the identical word, "living soul," that we find 20:07 in Genesis when God created man. 20:10 "For the blood is the soul," you could translate it. 20:13 The blood is the soul, or the life. 20:16 "...and thou mayest not eat the..." What? 20:18 "...the life," or the soul, "with the flesh." 20:23 Obviously, you could not eat a disembodied soul. 20:29 So what is the soul? 20:32 It's the blood. 20:33 It's the life of the person. 20:35 Because the blood is the life, or the blood is the soul. 20:38 So what is it that's crying out under the altar 20:42 in Revelation chapter 6? 20:44 It's the blood, or the life, of the person that is crying out. 20:50 Now let's go to the next page and read the note. 20:54 The Bible describes the death of the righteous 20:57 at the hands of the wicked as an oblation or offering. 21:02 That's interesting, isn't it? 21:05 Pour out. 21:07 In John 16:2, Jesus explained that those who would 21:11 slay His followers would actually believe that they were 21:15 offering God an act of worship. 21:19 The word, "service," that you find there in John 16:2, 21:24 that they would be offering service by slaying 21:27 God's faithful people, is the Greek word, latrein, 21:31 where we get the word, idolatry, from. 21:34 In other words, they believe that by killing the righteous, 21:37 by pouring out their blood, they are offering God 21:40 an act of worship. 21:42 The word, "service," in this text is, latrein, 21:45 where we get the word, idolatry, from, 21:48 which is generally translated, "service," in 21:50 in the King James Version, but actually means what? 21:53 It actually means, worship. 21:57 Revelation 16:6 explains that the wicked, listen carefully, 22:02 poured out the blood of God's people. 22:05 They believe that they're offering God an act of worship. 22:08 They believe that they're offering God a sacrifice 22:10 by killing the righteous. 22:13 Revelation 16:6 explains that the wicked poured out 22:16 the blood of God's people. 22:18 Once again, this is sacrificial terminology, 22:22 where the word, "shed," is used of sacrifices 22:24 in all of these verses that I mentioned here. 22:27 Leviticus 8:15, et cetera. 22:31 Here's another interesting detail. 22:33 Significantly, Paul refers to his martyr's death 22:39 as a pouring out of sacrifice. 22:42 Interesting. 22:44 Paul was going to be martyred, and he speaks about his life 22:47 being poured out in sacrifice as a martyr. 22:50 So let's continue here. 22:53 The death of the righteous at the hands of the wicked 22:55 was a sweet savor unto God because it revealed the 23:00 faithfulness of His people and won many souls to the kingdom. 23:05 In the minds of the observers, if Jesus was worth dying for, 23:09 then He must be worth living for. 23:13 So does this background help us? 23:15 So what is it that is crying out? 23:17 Are these disembodies spirits that are conscious up there 23:21 in heaven and they're crying out, you know, "Do justice." 23:24 Why would they cry out, "Do justice," 23:25 if they're up there already enjoying the bliss of heaven? 23:29 It makes no sense. 23:30 This is figurative. 23:32 In Revelation, we're dealing with figures. 23:34 We're dealing with symbols. 23:37 Symbolically their blood, their life is crying out 23:41 because their life has been taken from them. 23:43 Just like the blood of Abel is crying out, 23:46 or the life of Abel is crying out that God will do justice. 23:51 Because the wicked felt that by pouring out the blood 23:55 of the martyrs, they were doing God an act of worship. 23:58 And when things will be seen in the future in the judgment, 24:02 they'll see that they were offering Satan 24:05 really an act of worship. 24:07 Now what was the reason for the martyrdom of these beings 24:11 during the period of papal supremacy, 24:13 during the period of the fourth horse? 24:17 Well, the martyrs died, according to what we read, 24:20 "for the Word of God and the testimony which they held." 24:26 The "Word of God," refers to their teachings. 24:29 And, "the testimony which they held," 24:31 describes their practical life witness that revealed 24:35 the character of Jesus. 24:37 So one is the teachings and the other is the life. 24:40 And we're going to unpack that now. 24:42 The word, martyr, literally means, one who gives 24:46 witness or one who gives testimony. 24:49 Revelation 12 verse 11 helps us understand 24:52 the meaning of this word. 24:55 This text tells us that the faithful of God overcame 24:58 the devil, how? 25:01 By the word of their testimony, and they did not 25:05 love their lives even unto the death. 25:09 So why were they martyred? 25:11 For the Word of God and for the testimony that they gave. 25:16 The word, testimony, is translated, "martyr," 25:19 in three places in the New Testament. 25:23 First of all, Stephen is called, actually Paul later on 25:28 after his conversion called Stephen, God's martyr. 25:32 That means that he was God's what? 25:35 He was God's witness. 25:37 By the way, was it a very good witness? 25:42 Did Saul of Tarsus know that Stephen was right 25:44 and that he was wrong? 25:46 You better believe he did. 25:48 He knew it. 25:50 Stephen's witness actually brought about 25:52 the conversion of Saul. 25:54 So was it worth it? 25:56 Did the death of Stephen produce fruit? 26:01 It most certainly did. 26:03 Wouldn't it be wonderful to see the encounter of Saul 26:05 and Stephen in the kingdom? 26:08 Yeah, because Stephen didn't know that Saul was converted. 26:12 So imagine, you know, when they get to heaven, 26:16 and here comes Stephen walking in one direction 26:19 and Saul, or Paul, is walking in the other direction. 26:22 And Stephen has to rub his eyes, and say, "What!" 26:25 I'm just dramatizing for effect. 26:28 "Saul? You're kidding me. 26:30 What are you doing here?" 26:32 "Well, thank you, Stephen, for your witness." 26:39 Are you catching the picture? 26:41 Stephen preached a powerful sermon. 26:46 But he also gave witness. 26:48 He was willing to die for what he believed. 26:51 So it's also used in Revelation 2:13 26:56 for a martyr called, Antipas, who gave his life. 27:00 And finally, it is used in Revelation 17:6 27:04 where the judgment falls upon the great harlot 27:08 because she martyred those who gave witness to Jesus. 27:15 Now we can understand a little bit better 27:18 what the, "Word of God," and the, "witness for Jesus," means, 27:21 why these martyrs were killed, we can notice that a little bit 27:24 better by looking at a couple of examples. 27:28 First of all, Paul. 27:32 We have this rather large statement from, 27:34 Review and Herald, September 8, 1885, 27:38 where Ellen White describes Paul's encounter with the 27:42 political leaders of his day. 27:45 I read, "When before kings and dignitaries of the earth, 27:50 who held his life in their hands, he quailed not; 27:55 for he had given his life to God, and it was hid in Christ. 28:01 He softened, by his courtesy, the hearts of these men 28:06 in power, men of fierce temper, wicked and corrupt 28:11 though they were in heart and life. 28:18 He did not forget his position 28:21 or the importance of the occasion. 28:23 He was zealous for the truth..." 28:25 That would be the Word of God, right? 28:27 "...bold in advocating Christ; but propriety of deportment, 28:33 the grace of true politeness, marked all his conduct. 28:38 When he stretched out his hand, as was his custom in speaking, 28:43 the clanking chains caused him no shame or embarrassment. 28:48 He looked upon them as tokens of honor, and rejoiced 28:52 that he could suffer for the Word of God 28:54 and the testimony of Jesus Christ." 28:57 See, now we understand a little better that expression. 29:01 "Surrounded by philosophers, kings, and critics, 29:05 he was God's ambassador. 29:07 His reasoning was so clear and convincing that it made 29:12 the profligate king tremble as Paul 29:15 dwelt upon his experience..." 29:17 See, there's his testimony. 29:18 "...his experience, showing what had wrought the change 29:22 in his religious views that aroused the malice of the Jews. 29:26 He exalted Jesus Christ as the world's Redeemer." 29:29 There's his witness. 29:31 "Grace, like an angel of mercy, makes his voice heard 29:36 sweet and clear, repeating the story of the cross, 29:40 the matchless love of Jesus." 29:43 What a beautiful description of what the Word of God 29:46 and the testimony for Jesus Christ is. 29:54 Now we can also notice what this expression means, 29:57 why the martyrs were killed, by looking at the example of 30:01 John, the apostle John. 30:04 At the bottom of page 211 we find John appearing before 30:10 the emperor Domitian who was the one who exiled him to Patmos. 30:14 Let's read this statement. 30:16 It comes from, Acts of the Apostles, page 569. 30:21 "John answered for himself in a clear and convincing manner, 30:25 and with such simplicity and candor that his words 30:30 had a powerful effect. 30:32 His hearers were astonished at his wisdom and eloquence. 30:37 However, the more convincing his testimony, 30:40 the deeper was the hatred of his opposers. 30:43 The emperor Domitian was filled with rage. 30:47 He could neither dispute the reasoning of Christ's faithful 30:50 advocate, nor match the power that attended his 30:55 utterance of truth; yet he determined that he would 30:58 silence his voice." 31:01 So are you catching the picture of what the martyrs were like? 31:05 They were nice, but they shared the Word clearly, 31:09 directly, so that it could be understood. 31:11 So what did Domitian do with John? 31:14 Well, Domitian said, "If you can't kill him, exile him." 31:19 And so, Domitian, first of all he tried to boil, 31:24 he tried to fry, would be a better term, 31:27 he tried to fry in oil the apostle John. 31:30 He was thrown into a cauldron of burning oil. 31:33 And nothing happened. 31:34 It was like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. 31:37 So Domitian said, "Well, if I can't fry him, 31:39 I'll exile him to the island of Patmos." 31:43 And of course, there is where John wrote 31:46 the book of Revelation. 31:47 Now let's notice the fifth seal and the book of Revelation 5. 31:54 The martyrs that the Inquisition slew during the period of 31:57 the fourth seal cried out for justice under the fifth. 32:02 Notice how Ellen White linked the fourth and fifth seals. 32:06 This is an important statement here because we're going to see 32:09 that those who died during the fourth seal are going to 32:12 cry out for justice under the fifth seal. 32:15 This is found in, Great Controversy, pages 59-60. 32:19 "In the thirteenth century was established that most terrible 32:23 of all the engines of the papacy, the Inquisition. 32:28 The prince of darkness wrought with the leaders 32:31 of the papal hierarchy. 32:33 In their secret councils..." 32:35 See, Satan has councils too. 32:37 "In their secret councils, Satan and his angels controlled 32:41 the minds of evil men, while unseen in the midst," 32:46 listen carefully, "stood an angel of God 32:49 taking the fearful record of their iniquitous decrees 32:53 and writing the history of deeds too horrible 32:56 to appear to human eyes." 32:59 So what is happening as the Inquisition 33:03 is killing the saints of God? 33:06 We're going to find in a moment that the papacy tried to 33:09 eradicate all those records so that people would not remember 33:15 the cruelty that they exercised in killing the martyrs. 33:19 But it's all written in the heavenly books. 33:21 And it will come out before them after the millennium, 33:24 as we've seen. 33:25 That's the unfurling of the scroll. 33:28 She continues, "'Babylon the great was drunken 33:33 with the blood of the saints.' 33:35 The mangled forms of millions of martyrs..." 33:37 Now you have the fifth seal here. 33:40 "...millions of martyrs cried to God for..." What? 33:44 "...for vengeance upon that apostate power." 33:47 Is that the crying out of the martyrs? 33:50 Yes. Which martyrs? 33:52 The ones that were killed during the period of papal dominion 33:57 when the Inquisition existed. 33:58 So now we have a clear reference to the fourth and fifth seals. 34:02 Although Ellen White does not quote the verses. 34:05 So you say, "Well, she never had anything to say about 34:08 seal number four and seal number five." 34:09 She did. 34:11 She just doesn't mention the verses. 34:13 See, we have to be perceptive. 34:15 First of all, we have to read the biblical passage 34:19 several times, have it clear in our minds, 34:21 and then go to the spirit of prophecy to see where 34:23 Ellen White uses similar terminology. 34:26 Because she's probably commenting on those verses, 34:29 on those particular verses. 34:31 It is noteworthy that in this statement, Ellen White affirms 34:35 that the angels kept a careful record of the wrongful decisions 34:41 of earthly courts against God's people. 34:44 Notice two other statements where Ellen White writes 34:48 about the heavenly record keeping. 34:51 This is where she speaks about the papacy trying to 34:56 eradicate all the records about the cruelties that 34:59 they exercised towards the martyrs. 35:02 "The history of God's people during the ages of darkness 35:07 that followed upon Rome's supremacy is written in heaven, 35:12 but they have little place in human records. 35:15 We can find few traces of their existence, 35:18 except in the accusations of their persecutors. 35:22 It was the policy of Rome to obliterate every trace of 35:25 dissent from her doctrines or decrees. 35:28 Everything heretical, whether persons or writings, 35:32 she sought to destroy. 35:34 Expressions of doubt or questions as to the authority of 35:37 papal dogmas were enough to forfeit the life of rich 35:42 or poor, high or low. 35:44 Rome endeavored also to destroy every record 35:47 of her cruelty toward dissenters. 35:50 Papal councils decreed that books and writings 35:54 containing such records should be committed to the flames. 35:57 Before the invention of printing, books were few in 36:00 number, and in a form not favorable for preservation. 36:05 Therefore, there was little to prevent the Romanists 36:08 from carrying out their purpose." 36:12 Not only were injustices committed in human courts, 36:16 but the court records were eradicated. 36:20 But God has an indelible record in the heavenly books. 36:25 And He will bring them forth when He judges and avenges 36:30 the blood of His people. 36:32 The second statement, Great Controversy, page 77. 36:36 "When Rome at one time determined to exterminate 36:39 the hated sect," that's the Waldensians, 36:42 "a bull," that's a papal letter, "was issued by the pope, 36:46 condemning them as heretics and delivering them to slaughter. 36:51 They were not accused as idlers, or dishonest, or disorderly, 36:56 but it was declared that they had an appearance of piety 36:59 and sanctity that seduced 'the sheep of the true fold.' 37:05 Therefore, the pope ordered 'that malicious and abominable 37:09 sect of malignants,' if they 'refuse to abjure, to be crushed 37:15 like venomous snakes.'" 37:17 And that's a quote from the historian, Wylie. 37:21 "Did this haughty potentate expect to meet 37:26 those words again?" 37:29 In other words, did that pope realize that he's going to 37:31 meet those words again? 37:33 Did he know that they were registered in the books 37:37 of heaven to confront him at the judgment?" 37:43 So what is the cry of the martyrs? 37:46 "How long until You judge and avenge?" 37:49 God says, "Rest. Because some day..." 37:54 By the way, judge and avenge are not the same thing. 37:57 Judge takes place before the second coming. 38:00 The avenging takes place at the second coming. 38:04 First of all, the records have to be examined in heaven, 38:07 and then sentence is reversed, a sentence in favor of the saints 38:13 and against the little horn, and then when Jesus comes 38:17 He will avenge His people. 38:20 But we'll come to that later. 38:22 The question is, when will these church leaders 38:24 have to face the records that the angels wrote during 38:27 the period of papal supremacy? 38:30 The answer is in this following statement. 38:33 When is it that those who martyred God's people 38:36 are going to have to face the records of what they did? 38:39 It's going to be when the scroll in the right hand of the Father 38:43 sitting on the throne is is unfurled after the 38:45 millennium before them. 38:47 Notice this very interesting statement. 38:51 "There," that is outside the New Jerusalem after the millennium, 38:54 "are papist priests and prelates who claim to be 39:00 Christ's ambassadors, yet employed the rack, the dungeon, 39:04 and the stake to control the consciences of His people. 39:08 There are the proud pontiffs who exalted themselves above God 39:15 and presumed to change the law of the Most High. 39:19 Those pretended fathers of the church have an account 39:24 to render to God from which they would fain be excused. 39:28 Too late they are made to see that the Omniscient One 39:33 is jealous of His law and that He will in no wise 39:37 clear the guilty. 39:38 They learn now that Christ identifies His interest 39:43 with that of His suffering people; and they feel the force 39:47 of His own words, 'Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one 39:51 of the least of these, My brethren, 39:53 ye have done it unto Me.'" 39:58 The angels wrote in the books of heaven all of the 40:02 iniquitous acts of the papal system performed 40:07 against God's people during the dark ages. 40:10 One day soon, the Lion of the tribe of Judah will open 40:17 the records before the universe and God will judge and avenge 40:21 the blood of those who died unjustly. 40:25 That is to say, God will rectify the erroneous verdicts of 40:29 earthly courts against God's people. 40:32 The divine Supreme Court of the universe will overturn 40:37 the decisions of the lower human courts on earth. 40:42 The wicked priests, prelates, and popes will see the sealed 40:46 book opened and they will remember everything 40:49 they did to God's people. 40:51 They will then confess before the universe that they were 40:55 wrong and that God's people were right. 40:57 "Just and true are your ways, O Lord." 41:01 Daniel 7 vividly describes the judgment where the verdicts 41:07 of human courts will be overturned. 41:10 Daniel 7:21, 25 describes the papal little horn 41:15 that persecuted the saints of the Most High 41:18 for a time, times, and the dividing of time. 41:22 During this period, the papacy mowed down 41:25 God's people without mercy. 41:28 The righteous died and the wicked lived. 41:30 The human court of the Inquisition found God's people 41:33 guilty and executed them. 41:35 This was during the period of the fourth horse. 41:38 The unjust verdicts of the human courts had to be rectified 41:42 and the proper verdict given. 41:45 This is the reason why the martyrs whom the papacy 41:48 condemned and slew cried out to God for Him 41:52 to judge and avenge them. 41:54 Are you catching the picture here? 41:55 So in other words, there is a flow here to the seals. 42:02 A sequence. 42:03 They're not independent one from the other. 42:07 Ellen White, once again in, Christ's Object Lessons, 42:09 pages 179-180, wrote this. 42:13 "Millions have gone down to the grave loaded with infamy 42:17 because they refused to yield to the deceptive claims of Satan. 42:23 By human tribunals, the children of God have been adjudged 42:28 the vilest criminals." 42:31 So who has judged God's people as vile criminals? 42:36 Human tribunals. 42:40 She continues, "But the day is near 42:43 when 'God is judge Himself.' 42:47 Then the decisions of earth shall be..." What? 42:52 "...reversed. 42:54 'The rebuke of His people shall be taken away.' 42:57 White robes will be given to every one of them." 43:03 She's actually discussing, one again, the fifth seal. 43:07 The purpose of the heavenly judgment in Daniel 7 43:09 is to vindicate the cases of those whom the little horn 43:13 unjustly condemned and slew during the 1260 years. 43:18 Thus, Daniel 7:26, 27... 43:21 Are you understanding a little bit better Daniel 7 now? 43:25 What is the purpose of the judgment in Daniel 7? 43:29 Is it only condemning the little horn? 43:32 No. The works of the little horn are brought to view, 43:35 but with the purpose of showing that God's people were right. 43:40 To change the verdict that was given in the human court. 43:44 So in other words, the purpose is to vindicate 43:46 the saints of the Most High. 43:47 The saints are mainly in view, not the little horn. 43:51 Only that the little horn persecuted God's people. 43:55 Are you following me or not? 43:56 And by the way, people like Desmond Ford said 44:00 Daniel 7 only deals with the judgment of the little horn 44:06 and the saints who lived during the 1260 years. 44:09 No. 44:11 What's simply happening is that the central focus of Daniel 7 44:15 is the judgment of those whom the little horn persecuted. 44:18 That doesn't mean that God isn't going to judge everybody else 44:22 in that judgment as well. 44:24 It's kind of like an analogous case to this is Revelation 20:4, 44:29 a very interesting verse, where it says that those who 44:32 were beheaded because they didn't worship the beast 44:34 or his image, they will reign and they will judge the wicked 44:39 during the thousand years. 44:40 So let me ask you, are they the only ones that are going to 44:42 participate in judging the wicked? 44:44 No. That's just the focus of the verse. 44:47 It doesn't mean that there's not a broader application. 44:50 Are you following me or not? 44:52 You know, some people take, for example, Exodus chapter 31 44:56 where God is speaking about the Sabbath in verses 16 and 17, 45:00 and God says, "It is a sign between Me and Israel." 45:04 They say, "See, it's only for Israel." 45:05 It doesn't say only for Israel. 45:08 God says, "It is a sign between Me and Israel," 45:10 because Israel was His people at that moment. 45:12 It doesn't means it's not a sign for everybody else. 45:16 It doesn't say it's exclusively for Israel. 45:19 In fact, the New Testament shows that it's also for the church. 45:22 Paul and Peter and the apostles observed the Sabbath. 45:25 So just because this particular passage in Daniel 7 45:30 is dealing with the persecutions of the little horn 45:32 against God's people during the 1260 years 45:35 does not mean that it applies exclusively to that group. 45:40 Are you with me? 45:41 Now, let's go back here to our notes. 45:47 And we're reading Daniel 7:26-27. 45:50 "But the courts shall be seated, 45:53 and they shall take away his dominion..." 45:55 This happens in the judgment. 45:57 This is the judge part. 45:59 "...to consume and destroy it forever. 46:02 Then the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the 46:06 kingdoms under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people, 46:12 the saints of the Most High. 46:14 His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, 46:16 and all dominions shall serve and obey Him." 46:20 Do you see what's happening here? 46:23 From whom is dominion taken away? 46:25 From the persecutor. 46:26 From the little horn. 46:28 To whom is it given? 46:30 To the saints of the Most High, and to Jesus. 46:33 So Daniel chapter 7 is saying that God is going to rectify 46:40 what happened on earth in earthly tribunals. 46:43 Now let's continue. 46:45 The book of Revelation 5:1-2 contains the indelible record 46:50 of the deeds that the angels recorded during the period 46:53 of papal supremacy. 46:55 After the millennium, Jesus, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, 46:59 will open this book and the wicked oppressors of God's 47:03 people will remember their evil deeds towards the righteous. 47:08 This book not only contains the baleful record 47:11 of the papacy history. 47:13 Although, that's the point of focus in the fifth seal. 47:16 Are you understanding the fifth seal has a specific 47:19 focus, but it can also have a broader case? 47:25 You know, why aren't all of the other cases brought into view, 47:28 that all of the rest are also going to be judged? 47:31 For the simple reason, that's not the focus at the moment. 47:34 The focus is the 1260 years, 47:36 the history of the Christian church. 47:37 Are you with me or not? 47:39 So the book not only contains the baleful record 47:42 of the papal history, it contains the entire history 47:45 of the human race, including the acts of the 47:49 religious leaders against Jesus. 47:52 When the Jewish leadership chose Barabbas over Jesus, 47:55 Ellen White tells us, now I've already read this statement, 47:58 "The Jewish leaders made their choice. 48:01 Their decision was registered in the book which John saw 48:06 in the hand of Him that sat upon the throne, 48:09 the book that no man could open." 48:11 And now notice this. 48:13 Are only the popes going to see that their judgment 48:16 was reversed after the millennium? 48:18 Are the popes the only ones? 48:20 No. 48:22 Is Cain going to see it, what he did to Abel? 48:25 Absolutely. 48:27 Are the religious leaders of Christ's day going to see 48:30 what they did to Jesus? 48:32 See, I want us to understand this. 48:35 The focus of Revelation chapter 6 48:38 is upon a particular period. 48:40 But it does not exclude the fact that everyone after 48:44 the millennium from all ages is going to see 48:47 the reversal of wrong judgments that were done 48:50 in earthly courts. 48:51 So it says, "Thus the Jewish leaders made their choice. 48:54 Their decision was registered in the book which John saw 48:57 in the hand of Him that sat upon the throne, 49:00 the book that no man could open. 49:02 In all its vindictiveness, this decision will appear 49:08 before them in the day when this book is unsealed 49:12 by the Lion of the tribe of Judah." 49:14 And when is that? 49:15 After the millennium, folks. 49:17 That's when the panoramic view is going to be seen 49:20 above the Holy City. 49:23 The decision will appear before the Jewish leaders 49:25 after the millennium when they are outside the Holy City. 49:29 Notice, Great Controversy, page 667. 49:34 This is speaking about the panoramic view. 49:36 That's the unfurling of the scroll, folks. 49:39 Not in high definition, but ultra-high definition. 49:47 What kind of technology must God have to have recorded, 49:51 without missing a single detail, the whole history of 49:55 the human race? 49:57 And we think we're so great because we're able to 49:59 store lots of information in a computer. 50:04 What kind of technology is necessary to have recorded, 50:08 I mean, in infinite detail everything that has ever 50:14 happened, the entire life of every person who has ever 50:18 lived on planet earth? 50:20 We don't know that kind of technology. 50:22 We just kind of have done a little, itsy bitsy, copying 50:27 of the technology that God has. 50:30 Here it is. 50:31 This is speaking about Christ. 50:33 "The awful spectacle appears just as it was. 50:38 Satan, his angels, and his subjects have no power to turn 50:42 from the picture of their own work. 50:45 Each actor recalls the part that he performed. 50:50 Herod, who slew the innocent children of Bethlehem 50:54 that he might destroy the King of Israel; 50:56 the base Herodias, upon whose guilty soul rests the 51:00 blood of John the Baptist; the weak, timeserving Pilate; 51:05 the mocking soldiers; the priests and rulers 51:09 and the maddening throng who cried, 51:11 'His blood be on us, and on our children!' 51:14 all behold the enormity of their guilt. 51:18 They vainly seek to hide from the divine majesty of 51:21 His countenance, outshining the glory of the sun, 51:24 while the redeemed cast their crowns at the Savior's feet, 51:28 exclaiming, 'He died for me!'" 51:34 Aren't the seals spectacular? 51:37 And when you really understand all of the implications of 51:41 the seals, it's magnificent. 51:43 No human mind could have devised this. 51:47 No human mind could have written down the seals. 51:49 And then when you compare history, it fits perfectly 51:52 with what you find in the description of the seals 51:55 in Revelation chapter 6. 51:57 It's too intricate for any human being to have created this. 52:02 Now there's one point that we want to cover 52:04 before we bring this first session on the fifth seal 52:07 to a close. 52:09 And that is that the fifth seal has two stages. 52:13 A past stage and a future stage. 52:18 The fifth seal makes it clear that the crying out 52:21 of the martyrs has two distinct historical stages: 52:24 the martyrs of the past, that is those that the papacy 52:28 killed during the fourth seal, and the martyrs of the future 52:34 those whom the papacy will kill when it resurrects 52:39 from its deadly wound. 52:41 And we're going to notice in our study that the sixth seal 52:44 also has two stages. 52:48 The fifth seals says, "Until when are You going to 52:51 judge and avenge our blood?" 52:55 Well, the martyrs are told, "Hang on, rest for a while 52:59 until the future martyrs are killed. 53:02 And then I will avenge." 53:08 Let's notice two translations of Revelation 6:11 that help us 53:13 understand these two stages. 53:15 You know, the New King James also you kind of get the idea 53:18 that there's two stages, but these two versions 53:21 that I've included here make it even clearer. 53:25 The first is Revelation 6:11 in the New Century Version. 53:31 "Then each one of them..." 53:33 That is, of the martyrs who were slain during the first period. 53:36 "...was given a white robe..." 53:39 And by the way, that's the judgment in heaven. 53:42 They're judged in heaven, they're given a white robe. 53:46 "...and what told to..." What? 53:48 "...to wait a short time longer. 53:52 There were still..." Listen carefully. 53:54 "There were still some of their fellow servants and brothers 54:01 and sisters in the service of Christ who must be 54:06 killed as they were. 54:08 They had to wait until all of this was finished." 54:12 Isn't that a nice translation? 54:14 It makes it super crystal clear. 54:17 And then the Contemporary English Version. 54:19 Obviously, these are paraphrases. 54:22 But whenever I use a paraphrase, it's because it squares with 54:25 what actually is said in more reputable translations. 54:31 So there's nothing wrong with using paraphrases 54:33 as long as the paraphrases don't go beyond what the text 54:37 is actually saying. 54:39 So Revelation 6:11 in the 54:41 Contemporary English Version says, 54:44 "Then each of those who had been killed..." 54:47 That's past tense. 54:48 "...was given a white robe and told to rest for a little while. 54:53 They had to wait until the complete number 54:56 of the Lord's other servants and followers would be killed." 55:02 So is there going to be a future group of martyrs? 55:06 Yes. 55:08 And who's going to be behind the martyrdom of those people? 55:12 The same system that did it the first time. 55:16 Because Revelation 13 says that system received a deadly wound. 55:22 And for a certain period it was out of action. 55:27 It was out of commission. 55:29 It was convalescing, if you please. 55:32 But it says in Revelation 13:3 that it's deadly wound 55:37 will be healed. 55:39 And the entire world will wonder after that system, 55:44 except for a small remnant. 55:47 And that small remnant, in spite of the fact that 55:50 there will be a death decree against those who don't worship 55:53 the beast and receive his mark, 55:57 they will remain faithful to God. 56:03 And many of them, during the little time of trouble, 56:05 are going to be killed. 56:08 So there are going to be martyrs. 56:10 Not after probation closes. 56:12 After probation closes, there's not going to be any martyrs. 56:16 Because what is the purpose of why God allows a person to die? 56:23 It's a witness. 56:24 We've already notice that. It's a witness. 56:26 Would the death of God's people after the 56:28 close of probation be a witness? 56:30 No, because all of the lost are lost. 56:32 There's no possibility of anyone being saved by their witness. 56:37 So what would be the purpose? 56:40 There would be no purpose. 56:41 That's why Ellen White states that after the 56:44 close of probation there will be no martyrs. 56:49 If you want to study an interesting story about 56:51 what the time of trouble is going to be like 56:53 and what God's people are going to have to go through, 56:56 read the book of Job. 56:57 That's the best illustration in the whole Bible 57:00 about what's going to happen to God's people. 57:02 God's people are going to lose everything. 57:04 Like Job lost everything. 57:06 He lost the support of his friends, 57:07 he lost the support of his wife, he lost his health, 57:11 he lost all of his possessions, he lost his children, 57:16 and for a long time he felt that he had lost God too. 57:20 He cries out, "Have You forsaken me? 57:23 Why don't You answer me?" 57:25 But at the very end, God vindicated Job. 57:31 And God gave Job twice as much as what he had 57:35 before his great trial. 57:37 The book of Job is a description of God's people 57:40 as they will live during the time of trouble. 57:43 And so, we need to have, like it says in James 5, 57:46 we need to have the patience of Job, 57:49 the perseverance of Job. 57:51 We need to have a strong, unbreakable relationship 57:54 with Jesus Christ. 57:56 Because if we are alive during that little time of trouble, 57:58 we will have to give witness at the risk 58:02 of losing our own lives for the sake of Christ 58:06 and for the sake of the gospel. |
Revised 2022-01-31