Participants:
Series Code: ARSS
Program Code: ARSS190014S
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00:13 Let's have a word of prayer and we'll get right into our study.
00:15 Father in heaven, we just can't help but be overwhelmed 00:21 by the way in which You reveal these things 00:24 long before they occurred so that we could know 00:28 that we can trust Your Word. 00:30 And that the God who acted in the past will be 00:33 the God who will act in the future. 00:35 We ask, Father, that You will bless us as we 00:38 complete our study of the fifth seal, 00:41 that You will give us clarity of thought. 00:43 And especially that You will help us to be faithful 00:46 to You no matter what comes. 00:48 Thank You for hearing our prayer. 00:49 We ask it in the name of Jesus, amen. 00:53 Okay, we're on page 217. 00:56 And in this class we have to get all the way to the end 01:01 of the fifth seal, which will be page 232. 01:04 We have a lot of pages to cover, but we'll do our best to finish. 01:09 So let's talk about the first stage of the martyrs. 01:13 Daniel 7:25 describes the first stage. 01:18 "He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, 01:22 shall persecute the saints of the Most High, 01:26 and shall intend to change times and law. 01:30 Then the saints shall be given into his hand 01:33 for a time, times and the dividing of time," 01:38 or a half time. 01:40 So what is the first stage where the saints are given 01:43 into the hands of the little horn? 01:46 It is time, times, the dividing of times. 01:48 Which we understand to be 1260 days. 01:52 But days are what? Years. 01:55 What are the dates for those 1260 years? 01:58 538 to 1798. 02:02 Revelation 13 expresses the same period, 02:06 only instead of a little horn it speaks about a beast. 02:09 The beast is the same as the little horn. 02:12 And it says there in Revelation 13:5-7, 02:17 "And he..." That is the beast. The same as the little horn. 02:40 Who is granting it to him? 02:43 God. God is allowing it. 02:54 So were the saints martyred during this period? Yes. 03:06 So this is the first period of martyrs, the 1260 years, 03:09 when the saints were given into the hand of the little horn 03:14 or the beast, and the beast or the little horn 03:17 was actually able to overcome and kill the saints. 03:23 Now let's notice the historical frame of reference. 03:26 The first four churches are parallel 03:29 to the first four seals. 03:31 The white horse would be equivalent to Ephesus, 03:35 and that represents the apostolic church. 03:38 The red horse, Smyrna, is the persecuted church 03:42 of the Roman empire, which is the church of Smyrna. 03:47 The black horse would be Pergamum. 03:50 We talked about Balaam. 03:53 This is the compromising church 03:55 during the time of Constantine the Great. 03:59 And the pale horse, the horse of death, represents 04:03 the papal church, and the equivalent church is 04:07 the church of Thyatira. 04:09 So because the fourth seal deals with Thyatira, 04:14 we need to discuss a little bit about Thyatira 04:18 in order to understand the fifth seal, because in the fifth seal 04:22 the martyrs are crying out because they were 04:23 slain in the fourth seal. 04:25 So let's notice some details about the church of Thyatira. 04:29 Revelation 2:20-23 04:33 And I put some explanations in brackets. 04:36 And I wish I had time to really go into this detail 04:41 extensively, but just let me throw it out. 04:45 I believe that the churches, the seven churches, 04:49 are to Revelation what Daniel 2 is to Daniel. 04:54 The entire book of Revelation builds on the structure 04:57 of the seven churches. 04:58 The seven churches give us a chronology. 05:01 The seals and the trumpets and the rest of the book 05:04 amplify the seven churches. 05:08 Now with that in mind, let's notice Revelation 2:20-23. 05:12 This is the period of the fourth horse 05:15 when the martyrs are being killed. 05:18 It says there in Revelation 2, 05:20 also Thyatira the fourth church... 05:29 So who is active during the period of the fourth church? 05:32 Jezebel. 05:42 "...sexual immorality..." 05:44 A better translation would be, "fornication." 05:46 Who did the harlot fornicate with, symbolically? 05:51 With the kings of the world, with the state. 05:53 "...and eat things sacrificed to idols." 05:56 In other words, introduced idolatry. 05:58 "And I gave her time to repent..." 06:00 How long of a time did God give Jezebel to repent? 06:06 Time, times, and the dividing of time. 06:14 "...sickbed..." What would that be? 06:18 The deadly wound. Yes. 06:23 "...great tribulation..." 06:25 That is, when she's cast into the sickbed. 06:27 What is that? 06:28 The French Revolution. That's right. 06:34 Who are the children? 06:36 The churches that were born from her. 06:45 "...searches the minds and hearts..." 06:47 What event would that be? 06:50 The investigative judgment. 06:53 "...according to your works." 06:54 That's the reward based on the judgment. 06:58 Are you catching an interesting picture? 07:01 You have in the fourth church a description of many things 07:06 that are brought up later in the book of Revelation 07:08 and amplified in other sections of the book of Revelation. 07:13 Now let's say a few things about this harlot, Jezebel. 07:16 What she did during the period of her dominion 07:20 in the Old Testament. 07:21 Because we're going to come back to this and we're going to see 07:23 that during the period of the fifth seal 07:25 when the martyrs are crying out, the apostate church is 07:28 doing the same thing. 07:30 Notice 2 Kings 9:22. 07:51 Very many interesting details. 07:53 Jezebel is called the mother, she is a harlot, 07:58 and she practices witchcraft. 08:01 Notice 1 Kings 18:4. 08:04 There was a group of people who did not want to 08:07 share in this apostasy. 08:25 How long did the massacration of God's saints by the mother, 08:30 Jezebel, who is a harlot and who practices witchcraft, 08:35 how long did that apostasy last? 08:38 James 5:17 08:40 We're dealing with the literal now, because this is 08:42 the Old Testament story. 08:56 You catching an interesting picture? 08:58 See, what happened historically literally in the Old Testament 09:01 happens during the period of the fourth church. 09:03 Now what did Jezebel do during that period? 09:08 We're talking now about the fourth church, Thyatira, 09:11 the fourth seal, because we're going to then discuss 09:14 the crying out of the martyrs. 09:16 What did Jezebel do during that period? 09:20 2 Kings 9:7 09:28 What is going to happen eventually with those that 09:31 Jezebel slew? 09:32 "...that I may avenge the blood..." 09:35 Is that similar to what we find in the fifth seal? 09:48 Do you see the parallel between the fourth horse 09:51 and Jezebel in the period of Elijah? 09:54 Now what happens to the martyrs that die in this first group 09:59 during the 1260 years? 10:02 Well, let's go to our next section. 10:04 The conferral of white robe is another way of expressing 10:08 that the martyrs formed a character fit for heaven. 10:12 In the investigative judgment, God will vindicate before the 10:17 universe the martyrs who were faithful to Jesus 10:20 and died for Him. 10:22 The judgment will reveal that they had the righteousness 10:26 of Jesus in their lives when they died. 10:28 The investigative pre-advent judgment will not yet 10:31 empirically confer the robe, but it will rather reveal 10:36 that the martyrs had a right to it when they died. 10:38 Are you catching the picture? 10:40 When Jesus returns, He will then literally clothe the martyrs 10:44 in white robes of light. 10:47 The investigative judgment pronounces the verdict, 10:50 and at the second coming the verdict is enforced. 10:55 You say, where do we get this idea from? 10:58 Well, from the parable that Jesus told in Matthew 22. 11:01 Remember the story in Matthew 22, the man 11:04 who sneaked into the marriage without the robe? 11:10 Let's read about it here. 11:12 Matthew 22:11-12 clearly teaches that God will assign 11:16 the robe to the faithful before the second coming. 11:18 Right? 11:21 The purpose of the pre-advent investigative judgment is to 11:24 reveal whether people had the white robe 11:26 of Christ's righteousness or not, spiritually speaking. 11:29 That is to say, God assigns the robe in absentia. 11:34 In other words, God, in the judgment says, "This person 11:37 had the robe of righteousness when this person died." 11:40 So he's given a white robe as a verdict, in other words. 11:44 When I graduated with my master's degree from seminary, 11:48 I lived in Colombia, so I could not attend the graduation 11:51 ceremony in person. 11:52 However, the university called my name in absentia 11:56 and sent me the diploma. 11:58 There's an example of this. 12:00 Notice Revelation 3:4-5. 12:03 By the way, this is the church of Sardis. 12:05 That's the fifth church. 12:07 Would that be equivalent to the time of the fifth seal, 12:11 the fifth church? 12:12 Do you know what is offered to the fifth church? 12:16 White robes. 12:17 Just like in the fifth seal. 12:37 So is there going to be a judgment that's going to 12:39 examine the cases? 12:40 The names? Yes. 12:52 Now let's read the note. 12:53 Those who are faithful already have unsoiled 12:57 spiritual white garments, right? 13:00 However, when Jesus comes, the overcomers will be clothed 13:03 in literal white garments of light such as those 13:06 that covered Adam and Eve. 13:08 So now we're covered with a spiritual robe of white. 13:12 Later we receive a literal robe of white light. 13:16 When Adam and Eve sinned, they lost their spiritual robes 13:19 of righteousness, and therefore they lost 13:22 their literal robe of light. 13:25 The purpose of the plan of salvation is to cover us first 13:28 with Christ's spiritual robe of righteousness and then to 13:32 cover us at His coming with a literal robe of light. 13:37 Is that making sense? 13:39 When the judgment ends, there will no longer be any 13:42 opportunity to wash the robes of character. 13:45 At the close of probation, God will make the awesome 13:47 pronouncement that is found in Revelation 22:11. 13:52 "He who is unjust, let him be unjust still." 13:56 And now significantly it says, "He who is..." What? 14:00 "He who is filthy, let him be filthy still; 14:06 he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; 14:10 he who is holy, let him be holy still." 14:15 In the book, Counsels on Education, page 237, 14:18 Ellen White adds, "When Christ shall come, 14:20 He will not change the character of any individual. 14:24 Precious probationary time is given to be improved 14:29 in washing our robes of character, and making them 14:32 white in the blood of the Lamb." 14:35 So what do the white robes represent 14:37 before the second coming? 14:39 They represent spiritually the perfect righteousness of Christ. 14:43 When the martyrs died, did they have the white robe? 14:46 Were they covered with the robe of Christ's righteousness? Yes. 14:48 They're given the white robe. 14:51 They're told, "Rest a while, and then we're going to 14:53 give you the literal robe of light when Jesus comes." 14:56 You'll be not only judged, but you'll also be avenged. 15:00 It is our own responsibility to wash the robes of character. 15:05 However, the cleansing agent is the blood of Jesus. 15:09 In other words, we do the washing 15:11 and Jesus provides the soap and water. 15:16 Revelation 7:13 15:18 "And I said unto him, 'Sir, though knowest.' 15:21 And he said to me, 'These are they which came out of 15:24 the great tribulation...'" 15:26 These are those who have come out of the great 15:27 time of trouble, according to Ellen White, at the end of time. 15:30 And what have they done? 15:31 "...and have washed their robes..." 15:33 Their stolé. 15:34 "...and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." 15:37 What is it that whitens the garments? 15:40 The blood of Jesus. The righteousness of Christ. 15:43 Can we have that robe today? 15:45 Yes, we can. 15:47 And if we have it today, and we should die as martyrs, 15:50 what would happen? 15:51 Well, when Jesus comes, He'll say, "You had My robe 15:54 of righteousness when you died. 15:56 It was proved in the judgment. 15:58 And now I'm going to give you the literal robe, 16:01 white robe of light." 16:03 Like Adam and Eve had before they sinned. 16:07 Ellen White comments in volume 3, Testimonies, page 183, 16:10 "The provision has been made for us to wash. 16:13 The fountain has been prepared at infinite expense, 16:16 and the burden of washing rests upon us 16:20 who are imperfect before God. 16:23 The Lord does not propose to remove these spots of 16:26 defilement without our doing anything on our part. 16:31 We must wash our robes in the blood of the Lamb. 16:35 We may lay hold of the merits of the blood of Christ by faith, 16:39 and through His grace and power we may have strength to overcome 16:42 our errors, our sins, our imperfections of character, 16:46 and come off victorious, having washed our robes 16:49 in the blood of the Lamb." 16:51 The robes represent victory. 16:54 Victorious living. 16:56 Did the martyrs die victorious? 17:00 Listen, folks, they had the righteousness of Christ. 17:02 They were willing to die because of their connection to Christ. 17:06 Certainly they were ready to die spiritually, right? 17:10 Notice this statement, The Faith I Live By, page 51. 17:14 "The resurrection and ascension of our Lord 17:16 is a sure evidence of the triumph of the saints of God 17:20 over death and the grave, and a pledge that heaven is 17:24 open to those who wash their robes of..." What? 17:28 "...of character and make them white in the blood of the Lamb. 17:33 Jesus ascended to the Father as a representative 17:36 of the human race, and God will bring those who 17:39 reflect His image to behold and share with Him His glory." 17:46 Beautiful statement, isn't it, about the white robes. 17:49 Prophets and Kings, page 589, "The assaults of Satan are 17:53 strong, his delusions are subtle; but the Lord's eye 17:57 is upon His people. 17:59 Their affliction is great..." 18:00 This is the time of trouble she's describing? 18:02 The final time of trouble. 18:04 "Their affliction is great, the flames of the furnace 18:07 seem about to consume them; 18:09 but Jesus will bring them forth as gold tried in the fire. 18:14 Their earthliness will be removed, that through them 18:17 the image of Christ may be perfectly revealed." 18:24 When the martyrs died, did they have the robe? 18:27 Yes. 18:28 Does the judgment, pre-advent investigative judgment, 18:31 prove that they had the robe? 18:34 So what will Jesus do when He comes? 18:36 He will give them the robe, the literal robe of light. 18:41 So all of the martyrs died victorious. 18:45 They conquered, they overcame. 18:49 Listen, folks, if they were willing to die for what 18:50 they believed, their connection with Christ was unbreakable. 18:55 Revelation 19:6-8 describes the time when God's people 19:00 will receive this white robe of righteousness. 19:05 It says in verses 6-8 of Revelation 19... 19:36 And what does that represent, 19:38 "the fine linen, clean and bright"? 19:47 Now you say, "Isn't it the righteousness of Christ? 19:49 How is it that it says, 'the righteous acts of the saints'?" 19:52 Well, the righteous acts of the saints shows whether they 19:56 have the righteousness of Christ or not. 19:58 It's the proverbial relationship of faith and works. 20:03 Genuine faith works. 20:05 A faith that doesn't work isn't faith. 20:09 You can't say, "Lord, I believe You," and not do what God says. 20:13 Because then you don't believe. 20:15 In Hebrews 11, all of the people are doing something. 20:20 Noah builds, Abraham leaves, Moses leaves, Abel sacrifices. 20:27 Sarah goes to bed with Abraham even though she's 20:30 beyond child bearing age. 20:34 They're doing something. 20:36 Because faith works. 20:38 So when it says here that the fine linen is the righteous 20:42 acts of the saints, in other words, the lives of the saints, 20:46 the life shows that they have the righteousness of Christ. 20:50 They're not saved by their works, 20:52 but their works reveal whether they're saved, 20:55 and whether they have committed their life to Jesus Christ. 21:00 In contrast to the white robes that are given to the 21:02 conquerors, I want you to notice how John Huss was treated. 21:07 This is, Great Controversy, pages 108-109. 21:10 "Sentence having been pronounced, 21:12 the ceremony of degradation began. 21:16 The bishops clothed their prisoner in the sacerdotal 21:20 habit, and as he took the priestly robe, he said, 21:23 'Our Lord Jesus Christ was covered with a white robe 21:26 by way of insult when Herod had Him conducted before Pilate.' 21:30 The vestments were removed one by one..." 21:34 The vestments that he had. 21:36 "...each bishop pronouncing a curse as he performed 21:41 his part of the ceremony. 21:43 Finally, 'they put on his head a cap or pyramidal shaped 21:47 miter of paper, on which were painted frightful figures 21:51 of demons, with the word, "Arch-heretic," 21:54 conspicuous in front. 21:56 "Most joyfully," said Huss, "will I wear this crown 22:00 of shame for Thy sake, O Jesus, who for me didst wear 22:04 a crown of thorns."' 22:06 When he was thus arrayed, 'the prelates said, 22:10 "Now we devote thy soul to the devil." 22:13 "And I," said John Huss, lifting up his eyes toward heaven, 22:17 "do commit my spirit into Thy hands, O Lord Jesus, 22:21 for Thou hast redeemed me."'" 22:24 Can you imagine what it's going to be like when John Huss 22:28 resurrects from the dead? 22:31 Talk about vindication. 22:34 Wow! 22:36 So what they did, they removed his priestly vestments, 22:39 they put this cap on his head, they degraded him. 22:44 But in the judgment, when the supreme court of the universe 22:47 meets, it will be shown that his oppressors were wrong 22:51 and he was right. 22:53 And God is going to change the sentence. 22:57 So this is the first period of martyrs, the 1260 years. 23:03 What is it that suspends or divides the first segment 23:07 of the fifth seal with the second segment? 23:09 The deadly wound. 23:11 Notice Revelation 13:10. 23:25 Did the papacy use the sword of the civil power to kill? 23:28 Yes. We already noticed that in the fourth seal. 23:32 So what happened? 23:33 Did the sword of the state give the papacy the deadly wound? 23:39 Yes. Because the papacy used the sword 23:41 of the civil power to persecute. 23:43 Now the sword of France rises against the papacy 23:47 and gives the papacy its deadly wound. 23:51 On the next page, page 223, God told these martyrs 23:55 to rest a little while. 23:58 The word, "rest," here refers to the sleep of death. 24:03 The martyrs cannot literally be crying out and sleeping 24:05 at the same time unless they are talking in their sleep. 24:11 Clearly the word, "rest," is a euphemism for death. 24:15 In fact, Revelation 14:13 uses the same word to describe 24:20 the condition of those who are dead. 24:21 "Blessed are those who die henceforth in the Lord. 24:25 They shall rest from their labors," 24:27 it says in Revelation 14:13. 24:29 So those who are resting are dead. 24:32 So that would mean that the martyrs are not disincarnate 24:36 souls that are crying out. 24:39 Now let's talk about the second stage of the martyrs 24:43 when the number of martyrs is complete. 24:45 Revelation 13:13, "And I saw one of his heads..." 24:49 That is, of the beast that persecuted during the 24:51 1260 years. 24:52 "I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, 24:56 and his deadly wound was healed; 24:58 and all the world marveled and followed the beast." 25:03 After the deadly wound heals, the papacy will persecute 25:06 a future group of martyrs as it did the martyrs of the past. 25:11 According to this text, the deadly wound of the beast 25:13 will heal and the papacy will behave once again 25:18 as it did in forgone years. 25:22 Now I'm going to read several statements from Ellen White 25:24 where Ellen White connects the work of the papacy 25:27 in the past with the wound being healed 25:30 and doing the same thing in the future. 25:31 Notice this statement that we find in, Manuscript Releases, 25:34 volume 13, page 394. 25:37 She's describing Daniel 11:30-36, 25:42 which is the period of papal dominion. 25:44 The same period of the fourth seal when God's people 25:47 are being mowed down. 25:49 And Ellen White says something about these verses 25:51 that were fulfilled during the 1260 years. 25:53 Notice at the bottom of page 23. 25:58 "We have no time to lose. 26:00 Troublous times are before us. 26:02 The world is stirred with the spirit of war. 26:05 Soon the scenes of trouble spoken of in the prophecies 26:08 will take place. 26:09 The prophecy in the eleventh of Daniel has nearly reached 26:13 its complete fulfillment." 26:14 And notice this now. 26:16 "Much of the history that has taken place in fulfillment 26:20 of this prophecy will be repeated." 26:24 Notice, it's not the prophecy that is repeated. 26:27 It is much of the history that repeat in the prophecy. 26:31 In other words, this seal does not have dual fulfillment. 26:34 No. 26:36 Much of the history that fulfilled the fourth seal 26:40 is going to be fulfilled in similar fashion in the future 26:43 because the same power is going to persecute again. 26:46 So she says, "Much of the history that has taken 26:48 place in fulfillment of this prophecy will be repeated. 26:52 In the thirtieth verse..." 26:53 Now she's going to tell us what part is going to be repeated. 26:56 It's the verses that deal with the papacy in the past. 26:59 "In the thirtieth verse, a power is spoken of that 27:03 'shall be grieved, and return, and have indignation against 27:06 the holy covenant: so shall he do; he shall even return, 27:10 and have intelligence with them that forsake 27:12 the holy covenant.'" 27:14 And then she finishes by saying, "Scenes similar to those 27:19 described in these words will take place." 27:23 Are you catching the picture? 27:25 So the papacy is going to have a second period of dominion. 27:29 She's going to do the same thing she did in the past, 27:31 and she's going to slay many of God's people in the future 27:35 as she slew people in the past. 27:38 Notice, Manuscript Releases... 27:40 Actually, Great Controversy, page 579. 27:44 "The influence of Rome in countries that once acknowledged 27:48 her dominion is still far from being destroyed, 27:51 and prophecy foretells a..." What? 27:54 "...a restoration of her power." 27:57 And then she quotes the verse that we already mentioned, 28:00 Revelation 13:3. 28:02 "I saw one of its heads as if it were wounded to death; 28:04 and his deadly was healed. 28:06 and the world wondered after the beast." 28:09 Notice the terminology in volume 5 of the, 28:11 Testimonies, page 712. 28:14 "When our nation..." That is the United States, 28:17 "When our nation shall so abjure," 28:20 abandon, in other words, 28:22 "the principles of its government as to enact 28:25 a Sunday law, Protestantism will in this act join hands 28:30 with popery; it will be nothing else that..." 28:33 Notice the expression. What? 28:36 You can't give life to something that already has life. 28:40 The papacy received a deadly wound. 28:43 "...giving life to the tyranny that has long been eagerly 28:48 watching its opportunity to..." What? 28:51 "...spring again into active despotism." 28:56 Why isn't the papacy having active despotism today? 29:01 Because the papacy has a deadly wound. 29:04 And the whole world thinks the papacy is the 29:06 best thing in the world now. 29:07 The political leaders say, "Wow, what a great system. 29:11 What a great guy." 29:13 They need this series that we're talking about here. 29:17 We need to pray that they will see this. 29:22 Let's read the next statement. 29:24 "When the land which the Lord provided as an asylum 29:27 for His people, that they might worship Him according to the 29:31 dictates of their own consciences, the land 29:33 over which for long years the shield of Omnipotence 29:36 has been spread, the land which God has favored by 29:39 making it the depository of the pure religion of Christ; 29:42 when that land," this is the United States, 29:45 "shall, through its legislators, abjure the principles of 29:50 Protestantism, and give countenance to Romish apostasy 29:55 in tampering with God's law, it is then that the final work of 29:58 the man of sin will be revealed. 30:01 Protestants will throw their whole influence and strength 30:04 on the side of the papacy." 30:05 It's happening before our eyes, folks. 30:07 "By a national act," that's an act of Congress, 30:10 "enforcing the false Sabbath, they will..." What? 30:15 Well it must mean it didn't have life then, 30:17 because it received a deadly wound. 30:18 "...they will give life and..." What? 30:21 "...and vigor to the corrupt faith of Rome..." 30:24 And then what's the next word? 30:25 "...reviving her tyranny and oppression of conscience. 30:30 Then it will be time for God to work in mighty power 30:32 for the vindication of His truth." 30:37 Does this have anything to do with the third angel's message? 30:41 Whoever worships the beast and his image, 30:46 and receives his mark, will drink the wrath of God 30:51 without mixture of mercy. 30:54 Some people say, "Well, you know, let's preach just 30:56 the everlasting gospel. 30:57 Let's not preach the third angel's message." 31:00 It scares people. 31:02 It offends people. 31:05 And by not offending them, we're not, we're going to 31:08 not offend them right into hell. 31:12 If you don't know who the beast is, you're going to 31:14 end up worshiping the beast. 31:17 If you don't know what the image is, you're going to 31:19 end up worshiping the image. 31:21 And if you don't know what the mark is, 31:23 you're going to receive the mark. 31:27 People need to know this 31:29 in this time of history so that they can 31:31 make the right decisions and be on the Lord's side. 31:36 So let's talk about the final group of martyrs. 31:40 The papacy is going to resurrect from her deadly wound. 31:42 Revelation 13:11-18 speaks about a second beast 31:46 that rises from the earth. 31:47 Everything about this second beast, 31:49 it does to please the first beast. 31:52 It seems like the whole purpose of this second beast 31:55 is to help the first beast recover what it lost. 31:58 And this beast represents the United States. 32:00 Let's read verse 11. 32:09 In the Bible, the dragon represents Satan 32:11 working through Rome. 32:15 The dragon tried to kill the male child. 32:17 It was Herod, a Roman ruler. 32:20 During the 1260 years, it says that the dragon 32:23 persecuted the woman. 32:25 That's Satan working through the little horn, through Rome. 32:29 Here it says that the United States will speak like a dragon. 32:32 Which means it's going to speak like Rome. 32:35 Which Rome? 32:36 Papal Rome. 32:38 So it says it spoke like a dragon. 32:40 And then it says... 33:14 And then later on it says that this beast will enforce 33:17 the mark of the beast. 33:20 Everything this beast does is to please the first beast, 33:24 to heal the wound of the first beast. 33:28 So the deadly wound was not healed in 1929 because 33:30 it's not Italy, it's the United States that will heal the wound. 33:36 Revelation 17 describes this time. 33:40 Do you remember we studied about Jezebel? 33:42 And Thyatira? 33:45 Now we'll come back to that. Revelation 17:1-2, 6 33:51 "Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls..." 33:59 Was Jezebel a great harlot? 34:02 "...the great harlot who sits on many waters..." 34:04 That's multitudes, nations, tongues, and peoples. 34:06 "...with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication..." 34:09 Is that what Jezebel did? Yes. 34:17 Was Jezebel involved with wine? 34:20 She actually killed Naboth to take his vineyard. 34:23 Evidently she was a winebibber. 34:27 And then notice, "I saw the woman..." What? 34:31 Is that Jezebel? Yeah. 34:33 "I saw the woman..." The mother, by the way. 34:37 The harlot. The fornicator. 34:46 Is that the second group of martyrs? 34:49 Yes. 34:54 By the way, this same woman, who is called Babylon, 34:57 is also at the end of time involved in the occult. 35:00 Witchcraft. 35:01 Notice Revelation 18:23. 35:04 "The light of a lamp shall not shine in you anymore..." 35:08 Here, it's speaking about the city of Babylon, 35:11 but the city of Babylon is the same thing 35:13 as the harlot of Babylon. 35:15 The harlot is the religious system, 35:17 the city is the political system. 35:19 They're together. 35:34 "...sorcery..." 35:35 Which is translation in Galatians 5:20, "witchcraft." 35:42 Do you remember that it said in 2 Kings that the blood 35:48 of the prophets and the martyrs was avenged over Jezebel? 35:54 Is that going to happen with the end time martyrs? 35:56 Notice Revelation 19:1-2. 35:59 "After these things I heard a loud voice of a great 36:01 multitude in heaven, saying, 'Alleluia! Salvation and glory 36:05 and honor and power belong to the Lord our God. 36:08 For true and righteous are His judgments...'" 36:11 And at this point the seventh plague has already fallen 36:14 upon this harlot system. 36:16 "...because He has..." What? 36:19 "...He has judged the great harlot 36:21 who corrupted the earth with her fornication." 36:23 And not only judged her in the judgment, 36:26 but also what? 36:27 "And He has avenged on her the blood of His 36:30 servants shed by her." 36:33 So the end time Jezebel, are God's people also 36:36 going to be judged and avenged? 36:39 Yes, absolutely. 36:41 And then, of course, the martyrs whom the papacy slew 36:44 will now have the right to judged those who judged 36:46 and condemned them. 36:49 All the tables are turned. 36:51 Revelation 20:4 states this, "And I saw thrones, 36:55 and they sat on them, 36:57 and judgment was committed to them. 36:59 Then I saw the souls..." 37:01 This sounds like the fifth seal, doesn't it? 37:04 Only it's dealing with the end time martyrs, 37:05 not with the ones from the 1260 years. 37:08 "I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded 37:10 for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God..." 37:14 But now these are the end time ones, because we know 37:16 by the characteristics. 37:18 "...who had not worshiped the beast..." 37:20 That didn't happen during the 1260 years. 37:22 There wasn't the image or the mark, was there? 37:25 "...they had not worshiped the beast or his image, 37:28 and had not received his mark on their foreheads 37:30 or on their hands. 37:32 And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years." 37:34 And then it says judgment is committed to them. 37:38 So now they will have a chance, before the entire universe 37:46 they will have a chance to reveal in the books 37:49 the true story of what happened. 37:52 Now let's talk for a moment about Daniel 7 and 8 37:55 and the two stages of the martyrs. 37:57 According to Daniel 7 and 8, 38:00 during the three and one half times, 38:02 the little horn cast down the place of the Sanctuary, 38:07 rose up against the Prince of the host, 38:10 took away the daily, and threw down the stars, 38:13 which represent the saints. 38:15 The text tells us that the little horn 38:17 in Daniel 8 prospered. 38:21 In other words, the little horn had its heyday. 38:24 It trampled on the Sanctuary, it rose against the Prince of 38:28 the hosts who is Jesus, it took away the daily 38:31 from the Prince of the host, it persecuted or cast the stars, 38:35 the saints, to the ground, and it prospered. 38:39 Is that true of the first stage of martyrs? 38:42 Did the papacy prosper? 38:44 Yeah, we noticed this about the little horn in Daniel 7 38:47 and the beast in Revelation 13. 38:49 But now a question is asked. 38:52 What is the question under the fifth seal? 38:54 "Until when, O Lord, do You not judge and avenge?" 38:57 Now notice the connection with Daniel 8:13. 39:00 "Then I heard a holy one speaking; and another 39:02 holy one said to that certain one who was speaking, 39:06 'How long will the vision be concerning the daily 39:10 and the transgression of desolation, and the giving 39:13 of both the Sanctuary and the host...'" 39:15 The host represents God's people. 39:16 "...the host to be trampled underfoot?" 39:18 How long is the Sanctuary and those who worship 39:22 spiritually in the Sanctuary, how long until 39:27 this comes to an end? 39:29 And what is the answer? 39:31 "Unto two thousand three hundred days, 39:34 then the Sanctuary shall be cleansed." 39:35 In other words, there will be the judgment. 39:37 And in the judgment, God is going to set things straight. 39:40 Are you with me or not? 39:42 Now let's read the note so that you can understand this better. 39:46 In other words, how long until the actions of 39:48 the little horn are reversed? 39:51 The answer to the question is that in 1844 39:54 God began to reverse the erroneous decisions of 39:58 earthly courts in the heavenly Sanctuary. 40:01 The judgment begins with the dead, 40:04 including the martyrs of the 1260 years, but also all who 40:08 claimed Jesus as Savior. 40:09 That's a broader view. 40:11 In the judgment, God gives the martyrs what? 40:15 He confirms that they have a white robe. 40:17 And tells them to do what? 40:19 To rest until the rest of the martyrs die as they did. 40:24 Then God will vindicate both groups of martyrs 40:27 in the heavenly judgment, the judgment of the dead 40:29 beginning in 1844 and the judgment of the living 40:32 just before the close of probation. 40:34 And then at the second coming what will He do? 40:38 He will not only have judged, but He will also what? 40:42 Avenge their blood at the second coming. 40:45 The words, "judge," and, "avenge," 40:47 do not refer to the same event. 40:49 While judging implies the trial, the avenging refers to the 40:53 punishment after God pronounces the sentence. 40:57 In the heavenly judgment, God gives the verdict 40:59 in favor of the saints and against their oppressors. 41:03 Then when Jesus comes, God will actually enforce 41:06 the verdict by rewarding the saints and punishing 41:10 their wicked oppressors. 41:13 The central theme of Daniel 7 is the vindication of God's 41:17 faithful martyrs. 41:18 The little horn persecuted and overcame the saints 41:21 for 1260 years. 41:23 However, in 1844 the Ancient of Days sat on His judgment seat 41:28 and the heavenly judgment began. 41:31 God opened the unerring record books, gave the verdict 41:34 in favor of the persecuted saints, and the time will come 41:38 when the saints will receive the kingdom. 41:43 In other words, God allowed the little horn to do its will 41:46 until the judge came, after which the kingdom 41:49 will be given to the saints of the Most High. 41:52 The persecution during the fourth seal and the crying out 41:56 of the martyrs during the fifth parallels the great tribulation 42:00 of Matthew 24, as well as the period of the church of Thyatira 42:04 as we've noticed, and the war that the little horn, 42:08 or the beast, waged upon the saints of the Most High 42:11 for a time, times, and the dividing of time. 42:14 Do you see all of the parallel passages? 42:16 The church of Thyatira, Daniel chapter 7, 42:19 Daniel chapter 8, Revelation chapter 13, 42:22 are all different perspectives of the same time period 42:26 that we're dealing with. 42:28 Now here's the summary. 42:30 In case you haven't understood everything, 42:32 now we're going to put everything together. 42:35 The papacy slew the saints of the Most High 42:37 during the 1260 years, and therefore their innocent blood 42:41 symbolically cried out for justice and vindication. 42:45 In 1844, God began to examine the case of each one. 42:49 God assigned to the faithful martyrs white robes 42:52 and told them to rest in the grave until the number of 42:55 the future martyrs is complete. 42:58 The Roman Catholic papacy in union with apostate 43:00 Protestantism during the little time of trouble preceding 43:04 the close of probation will slay the rest of the martyrs when the 43:08 land beast heals the wound of the sea beast. 43:11 Those who refuse to worship the beast and his image, 43:13 and to receive the mark, will be slain. 43:16 God will then vindicate the end time martyrs and assign them 43:20 white robes in the final stages of the judgment of the living. 43:24 Finally, at the coming of Jesus, both groups of martyrs 43:28 will be avenged and rewarded with eternal life, 43:31 while their wicked oppressors will be punished 43:33 with death by the plagues. 43:36 That synthesizes everything and brings everything together. 43:40 Now let's dedicate a few moments to talk about the relationship 43:46 between the fifth and sixth seals. 43:50 See, the sixth seal also has two stages. 43:54 And their related to the two stages in the fifth seal. 43:59 Let's pursue this. 44:01 As the fifth seal has two stages, so does the sixth. 44:06 The first part of the sixth seal, Revelation 6:12-13, 44:11 is the judging part of the fifth seal. 44:15 And the second part of the sixth seal is the avenging part. 44:20 Are you understanding the point? 44:23 In other words, the first part of the fifth seal 44:27 is the judging part. 44:29 "Until when do You not judge and avenge?" 44:32 So in the first part of the sixth seal, God says, 44:35 "I'm going to judge." 44:38 In the second part of the sixth seal, He says, 44:41 "I'm going to answer the avenging part." 44:45 This will become clearer as we go along. 44:47 In between these two events we have the parenthesis 44:52 or the interlude of Revelation 7:1-8, 44:55 the sealing of the righteous living. 44:58 The martyrs and the 144,000 are two distinct groups. 45:03 God will judge the martyrs who died during the short 45:06 time of trouble first, and then He will judge 45:09 the 144,000 living saints. 45:11 Because God judges the dead first and then He ends by 45:14 judging the living last. 45:17 We find God's answer to the cry of the martyrs 45:19 in Revelation 19:1-2. 45:22 The avenging part will take place during the period of the 45:25 seven last plagues, particularly when the wicked had to drink 45:30 blood because they shed the blood of the martyrs. 45:33 In Revelation 20:4, God gives this same group the right to 45:37 judge their wicked oppressors. 45:40 The persecution of the little horn during the 1260 years 45:44 leads to the question, "How long?" 45:46 The signs in the heavens during the first part of the 45:49 sixth seal announce the beginning 45:50 of the judgment process. 45:52 In other words, one of the great purposes of the great earthquake 45:54 and the sun darkening, and the moon turning like blood, 45:58 and the stars falling from heaven 45:59 is to announce that the judgment is about to begin. 46:04 It's not only the second coming. 46:06 They're announcements that attract attention, 46:08 they say, "Now wait a minute. 46:10 These signs are spoken of in Matthew 24. 46:13 These signs are spoken of in Revelation 6. 46:16 We're seeing them before our eyes. 46:17 What does this mean?" 46:19 It leads people to study Daniel and Revelation, 46:22 to study the prophecies. 46:23 So that the Millerites can say, 46:25 "The hour of His judgment is come." 46:28 Are you with me? 46:30 Daniel 11:44 describes the end time martyrs when the papacy 46:35 resurrects from its deadly wound. 46:37 In Daniel 12:1 the judgment ends, signs are seen in the 46:41 heavens revealing that the judgment has ended, 46:44 Babylon comes to its end, and God's people are 46:47 delivered and rewarded. 46:50 Now let's notice the timing that Ellen White gives 46:53 to the fifth seal. 46:55 Some people say, "Well, Ellen White commented 46:57 that the fifth seal is still future from our day." 47:01 Yeah, it is future. The second stage is. 47:04 But not the first stage. 47:06 Let's read what she has to say. 47:09 Let's go to page 230. 47:11 Because time is flying by. 47:15 Does the fifth seal apply to events in the past? 47:20 Yes or no? 47:22 Does Ellen White apply it to events in the past? 47:24 Yes she does. The first part. 47:27 Notice, Great Controversy, page 59. 47:31 "In the thirteenth century was established that most 47:35 terrible of all the engines of the papacy; the Inquisition. 47:38 The prince of darkness wrought with the leaders 47:40 of the papal hierarchy. 47:42 In their secret councils, Satan and his angels 47:44 controlled the minds of evil men while unseen in the midst 47:48 stood an angle of God taking the fearful record of their 47:51 iniquitous decrees and writing the history of deeds 47:54 too horrible to appear to human eyes." 47:57 And now notice this. 47:58 "'Babylon the great' was 'drunken with the 48:00 blood of the saints.'" 48:03 This is speaking about those who died during the Inquisition 48:05 in the past, right? 48:07 During the 1260 years. 48:09 "The mangled forms of millions of martyrs cried to God 48:15 for vengeance upon that apostate power." 48:20 So is there an aspect of the fifth seal that is past? 48:23 Yes. 48:25 It there also a future dimension? 48:27 Ah, Ellen White caught this. 48:28 Ellen White knew that there's two dimensions 48:31 or two stages to the fifth seal. 48:33 Notice this following statement, 48:35 Review and Herald, December 21, 1897. 48:40 "When the defiance of God's law is almost universal, 48:43 when His people are pressed in affliction by their fellow men, 48:47 God will interpose." 48:49 This is speaking about future, right? 48:51 "Then will the voice be heard from the graves of the martyrs, 48:55 represented by the souls that John saw slain 48:58 for the Word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ 49:01 which they held. 49:02 Then the prayer will ascend from every true child of God, 49:05 'It is time for Thee, Lord, to work, 49:07 for they have made void Thy law.' 49:10 The fervent prayers of His people will be answered; 49:12 for God loves to have His people seek Him with all the heart, 49:17 and depend upon Him as their deliverer. 49:20 He will be sought unto to do these things for His people, 49:24 and He will arise as their Protector and Avenger. 49:27 'Shall not God avenge His own elect, 49:30 which cry day and night unto Him?'" 49:34 Is Ellen White applying the cry of the martyrs 49:36 to the future here? 49:37 Yes. 49:38 Now notice this other statement, 49:40 Review and Herald, June 15, 1897. 49:43 "Roman Catholic principles will be taken under the care 49:46 and protection of the state. 49:48 The national apostasy..." This is future. 49:51 "The national apostasy will speedily be followed 49:54 by national ruin. 49:56 The protest of Bible truth will no longer be tolerated 50:01 by those who have not made the law of God their rule of life. 50:07 Then will the voice be heard from the graves of martyrs, 50:11 represented by the souls that John saw slain for the 50:14 Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ which they held. 50:18 Then the prayer will ascend from every true child of God, 50:20 'It is time for Thee to work, for they have made 50:23 void Thy law.'" 50:25 Is this clearly future? 50:26 Is it talking about the future groups of martyrs? 50:29 So are there going to be more martyrdoms? 50:32 Yes. 50:35 Here's another one. 50:36 "When Protestantism shall stretch her hand across the gulf 50:41 to grasp the hand of the Roman power, when she shall reach over 50:45 the abyss to clasp hands with spiritualism, 50:48 when under the influence of this threefold union 50:51 our country shall repudiate every principle of its 50:54 Constitution as a Protestant and republican government, 50:57 and shall make provision for the propagation of papal falsehoods 51:01 and delusions, then we may know that the time has come for the 51:05 marvelous working of Satan and that the end is near. 51:08 As the approach of the Roman armies..." 51:10 See, now she's going to refer to Matthew 24. 51:12 She's going to connect Matthew 24 with the fifth seal. 51:15 "As the approach of the Roman armies was a sign to the 51:18 disciples of the impending destruction of Jerusalem, 51:21 so may this apostasy be a sign to us that the limit of 51:24 God's forbearance is reached, that the measure of our nation's 51:28 iniquity is full, and that the angel of mercy is about to 51:31 take her flight, never to return. 51:33 The people of God will then be plunged into those scenes 51:37 of affliction and distress which prophets have described 51:40 as the time of Jacob's trouble. 51:42 The cries of the faithful persecuted ones 51:45 ascend to heaven. 51:47 And as the blood of Abel cried from the ground, 51:50 there are voices also crying to God from martyrs' graves, 51:54 from the sepulchers of the sea, from mountain caves, 51:58 from convent vaults, 'How long, O Lord, holy and true, 52:04 dost Thou not judge and avenge our blood on them 52:07 that dwell on the earth?'" 52:08 And then God speedily will intervene to judge 52:13 and avenge their blood. 52:16 So why does Ellen White place the fulfillment of the 52:18 fifth seal in the future? 52:21 The simple reason is that the fifth seal has what? 52:24 A past and a future fulfillment, just like the 52:27 Roman Catholic Papacy has two stages of dominion: 52:30 one past, the 1260 years, and the other future, 52:34 when the deadly wound is healed. 52:36 The past fulfillment was when the martyrs died during 52:39 the dark ages, and the future fulfillment is when the 52:42 persecutions of the past are revived during the short time 52:45 of trouble just before the close of probation. 52:51 Now we have one page left. 52:53 Ellen White refers to two stages of persecution 52:56 in the experience of God's people. 52:58 Volume 9, Testimonies, page 16. 53:01 It couldn't be clearer. 53:03 "It is impossible to give any idea of the experience 53:09 of the people of God who shall be alive upon the earth 53:14 when celestial glory..." 53:17 What is celestial glory? 53:18 What is she referring to when she says, 53:20 "when celestial glory"? 53:24 Yes, it's His character, but what passage in the Bible 53:27 comes to mind when we speak about celestial glory? 53:30 Revelation 18 53:33 What does Revelation 18:1-4 have? 53:37 Yes. 53:38 "I saw another angel come down from heaven..." 53:41 And it says that the whole earth was what? 53:45 Was filled with His glory. 53:48 And then what does he proclaim? 53:50 He says Babylon is fallen. 53:52 "Babylon has become the habitation of demons." 53:55 I don't know why in the Seventh-day Adventist Church 53:57 we want to copy the worship styles of Babylon. 54:02 Babylon had an irreversible... 54:03 Protestantism had an irreversible fall in 1844. 54:09 The point of no return. 54:12 So why would we want to copy their evangelistic methods, 54:16 their worship styles, and so on? 54:19 It's insane. 54:21 Don't we have enough in the Bible to know 54:24 what God expects of us as a church? 54:27 I would certainly hope so. 54:30 Perhaps it's because we've gone astray from our roots, 54:32 from our present truth message, from the Bible, 54:36 from the prophecies that gave origin to the 54:39 Seventh-day Adventist Church. 54:41 Maybe we need to go back to our roots. 54:44 You know, we don't know who we are. 54:49 That's why we want to be like all the other denominations. 54:51 We've lost... We've lost our mind. 54:57 And the only way you're going to have revival is 54:59 coming back to the roots. 55:04 So she says, "It's impossible to give any idea of the experience 55:07 of the people of God who shall be alive upon the earth 55:10 when celestial glory..." 55:13 That is the loud cry. 55:14 Is Babylon going to persecute God's people 55:16 when the loud cry is proclaimed? 55:17 Absolutely. 55:18 "...when celestial glory and a repetition of the persecutions 55:23 of the past are blended." 55:26 So when is this little period of persecution 55:29 going to take place? 55:32 When the loud cry is being proclaimed. 55:35 So is the door of mercy still open when the 55:39 loud cry is proclaimed? 55:41 Yes, because the loud cry is simply the outpouring of 55:45 the Holy Spirit in latter rain power without limit. 55:51 And the message is in Revelation 18. 55:53 Very politically incorrect, I might say. 55:57 I mean, you know, you look at Revelation chapter 18. 56:04 I mean, it could be offensive to many people. 56:07 Well, the message of Jesus was offensive. 56:09 It got Him crucified. 56:10 Same with Elijah. 56:12 Stephen. 56:14 So it would be better not to proclaim the message 56:17 so there's no opposition, right? 56:21 That seems to be the mood these days. 56:24 Revelation 18, notice verse 2. 56:42 What a way to describe the Protestant world. 56:48 We call it Kool-Aid today. 56:55 Of the harlot's fornication. 57:02 The whole commercial enterprises of the world, 57:04 the merchants of the earth. 57:08 And then comes the call. 57:11 Who wants to stay in Babylon when they hear this? 57:15 When they see what's going on? 57:18 I wouldn't want to stay there. 57:20 So when people see what we've been studying, 57:22 all of these things, and God says, 57:26 "Come out of her, My people." 57:31 What are people going to do? 57:34 "I'm out of here. 57:36 I'm joining the remnant. 57:38 Even if it means sacrificing my life 57:42 for the Word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. 57:48 So we've finished the fifth seal. 57:52 In our next exciting episode, 57:55 this afternoon in two sessions we will deal 57:57 with seal number six, which also has two stages. 58:03 So now we'll take a break, we'll come back together 58:07 and continue studying these marvelous things 58:09 from God's Word. |
Revised 2022-02-07