Participants:
Series Code: ARSS
Program Code: ARSS190019S
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00:17 We are going to begin our presentation
00:20 for this afternoon. 00:22 Should I start? 00:28 All right, very good. 00:31 Let's bow our heads for a word of prayer. 00:34 Father in heaven, we come before You once again, 00:36 as we've done several times before, 00:40 to ask that You will be with us in our study this afternoon. 00:44 Not only the two this afternoon, 00:46 but the one this evening as well. 00:48 We ask that You will give us clarity of thought, 00:52 because we've had lunch 00:53 and perhaps we're a little bit sleepy, 00:56 keep us awake and alert. 00:58 And we thank You for the promise 01:00 of Your presence. 01:01 And we claim that promise in the name of Jesus. 01:04 Amen. 01:06 All right, we're going to begin on page 315. 01:11 The Seventh Seal 01:14 Silence in Heaven. 01:18 And I've already alluded to this. 01:21 So I think you know what the seventh seal is, 01:23 but we want to study several things 01:25 relating to the period of the seventh seal. 01:30 The description of the seventh seal 01:32 is the shortest of all. 01:37 It speaks about half an hour of silence in heaven. 01:42 Now, there's been some discussion 01:44 among Seventh-day Adventist theologians 01:46 about the meaning of this approximately 01:50 half an hour. 01:51 A half hour in symbolic time 01:55 would be equivalent to about seven and a half days. 01:59 Some interpreters round off the seven and a half to seven. 02:03 And they affirm that the Second Coming of Jesus 02:06 will take seven days from beginning to end. 02:10 The silence, presumably, 02:12 will be because heaven is empty. 02:14 And everybody has come. 02:16 The Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, the angels, 02:18 everybody has come down to the earth. 02:20 So, supposedly, heaven is empty. 02:23 Although Ellen White never stated 02:25 that the Second Coming would take seven days, 02:28 she did write 02:30 that from the time that Jesus moved 02:32 from the Most Holy Place to the east, 02:35 there would be a period of several days, 02:38 or a number of days. 02:40 Let's read that statement. 02:42 It's found in Maranatha, page 287. 02:45 "And I saw a flaming cloud come where Jesus stood. 02:50 Then Jesus took His place on the cloud 02:53 that carried Him to the east, 02:55 where it first appeared to the saints on earth. 02:58 A small black cloud, 03:00 that was the sign of the Son of Man. 03:03 While the cloud was passing from the holiest to the east, 03:07 which took a number of days, 03:09 the synagogue of Satan worshiped 03:12 at the saints' feet." 03:14 So from the time that God utters His voice, 03:17 the 144,000 are delivered, 03:20 and there's a special resurrection, 03:22 Ellen White mentions that there is a number of days. 03:27 Other interpreters believe that the half hour 03:30 represents the seven days 03:33 that God's people will take to travel back 03:35 to heaven with Jesus 03:37 after the Second Coming. 03:39 And Ellen White does say that the trip to heaven 03:42 will take seven days. 03:44 In Early Writings, page 16, we find these words, 03:48 "We all entered the cloud together, 03:51 and were seven days ascending to the sea of glass, 03:56 when Jesus brought the crowns 03:58 and with His own right hand placed them on our heads. 04:02 He gave us harps of gold and palms of victory." 04:06 So this indicates that the Feast of Tabernacles 04:09 is going to be celebrated in heaven. 04:11 You're dealing with palm branches here. 04:13 Leviticus 23:40, 04:15 mentions palm branches in connection 04:17 with the Feast of Tabernacles. 04:20 Now, this cannot be correct either. 04:23 Because the trip back to heaven 04:25 is not going to be a silent event. 04:27 It is going to be pretty noisy. 04:30 Great Controversy 645 speaks about 04:33 the journey back to heaven, 04:34 which takes seven days. 04:36 "On each side of the cloudy chariot, 04:38 are wings 04:40 and beneath it are living wheels. 04:45 And as the chariot rolls upward, 04:47 the wheels cry holy, 04:49 and the wings as they move, cry, holy 04:53 and the retinue of angels 04:54 cry holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty. 04:59 And the redeemed shout, hallelujah, 05:02 as the chariot moves onward 05:04 toward the New Jerusalem." 05:05 Pretty noisy event, isn't it? 05:07 So, it couldn't be silence in heaven 05:09 for these seven days 05:11 because there's going to be lots of singing 05:13 and celebrating. 05:15 So, neither of these interpretations 05:17 is satisfactory. 05:19 When it comes to prophetic time, 05:21 God does not deal in approximations. 05:24 Whenever He reveals a prophetic period of time, 05:28 it is precise. 05:30 What then is the meaning of the about a half an hour? 05:36 The Spirit of Prophecy provides us 05:38 what I believe to be the definitive meaning. 05:42 The silence in heaven 05:44 must bear some relationship to the question 05:48 in the last part of the sixth seal. 05:50 What is the last part of the sixth seal? 05:51 What is the question? 05:53 The great day of His wrath has come, 05:55 and who shall be able to stand? 05:57 That's immediately before the seventh seal, right? 06:00 The second part of the sixth seal 06:02 is the avenging portion of the fifth seal. 06:05 We've dealt with this before. 06:07 "Now, God will turn the tables on those who oppressed, 06:11 persecuted, and killed His people. 06:14 As Jesus descends from heaven, the living saints, 06:18 along with those who died in the faith 06:20 of the third angel's message, 06:22 ask the question, 06:24 "Who shall be able to stand? 06:27 Following the question, 06:29 there is a period of awful silence in heaven." 06:33 Are you seeing the connection? 06:34 They asked the question, Revelation 6:17, 06:37 and then you have this period of awful silence. 06:42 Now, I believe that this period of awful silence, 06:45 we don't apply the year day principle 06:47 to the almost half an hour. 06:50 It is literal at this point. 06:53 So, it's a short period. 06:55 It's not a super long period, 06:57 seven days that God's people have to wait for the answer. 07:00 Notice how Ellen White describes this moment 07:03 of the awful silence in heaven. 07:04 Great Controversy, 641, "Before His presence, 07:08 all faces are turned into paleness, 07:11 upon the rejecters of God's mercy 07:13 falls the terror of eternal despair. 07:16 The heart melteth and the knees smite together 07:19 and the faces of them all gather blackness." 07:22 And, of course, those come from Jeremiah 36, 07:25 in the Book of Nahum 2:10. 07:27 "The righteous cry with trembling: 07:30 'Who shall be able to stand?'" 07:32 This is happening 07:33 during the Second Coming, right? 07:35 Jesus is on the way. 07:36 "Who shall be able to stand? 07:38 The angels' song is hushed, 07:42 and there is a period of," what? 07:45 "Of awful silence." 07:47 That's the seventh seal. 07:49 "Then the voice of Jesus is heard saying: 07:52 'My grace is sufficient for you.' 07:55 The faces of the righteous are lighted up, 07:57 and joy feels every heart 07:59 and the angels strike a lot higher and sing again, 08:03 as they draw still nearer to the earth."' 08:06 And then a little bit later on, 08:08 the wicked will ask the same question. 08:11 But the celebration is taking place already, 08:13 the angels and the redeemed are singing the song. 08:17 We find in Great Controversy, 642, the very next page, 08:22 "The derisive jests have ceased, 08:25 lying lips are hushed into silence. 08:29 The clash of arms, the tumult of battle 08:33 with confused noise 08:34 and garments rolled in blood is stilled." 08:38 Do you notice also, 08:39 that the wicked are going to be in silence? 08:42 The righteous are singing 08:44 according to what we just noticed, 08:45 but the wicked, it says they're hushed into silence, 08:48 and they are stilled. 08:51 "Not now is heard, 08:53 but the voice of prayer and the sound of weeping 08:55 and lamentation. 08:57 The cry bursts forth from lips so lately scoffing: 09:01 'The great day of His wrath is come, 09:03 and who shall be able to stand?' 09:06 The wicked pray to be buried beneath the rocks 09:08 of the mountains 09:09 rather than meet the face of Him, 09:11 whom they have despised and rejected." 09:14 Is this an allusion to the last part 09:16 of the sixth seal? 09:17 Yes or no? 09:19 Where it says here 09:20 that they want to be buried beneath 09:24 the rocks at the mountains? 09:25 Yes, that's a description of the second part 09:28 of the sixth seal. 09:30 Notice that the question, "Who shall be able to stand," 09:33 is followed immediately by an awful silence in heaven. 09:38 Who can miss the fact that this is a commentary 09:41 on Revelation 6:17 and Revelation 8:1? 09:45 The question at the end of the sixth seal 09:48 is followed by silence in heaven in the seventh. 09:52 In a previous section, 09:53 we noticed several Biblical passages 09:56 where the same question appears, 09:58 followed by a description of the sterling character 10:01 of the righteous. 10:04 Now, we need to go back to something that we looked at 10:07 at the very beginning of our study together, 10:11 when we dealt with the introductory vision. 10:14 And that is the unfurling of the scroll 10:17 that is mentioned in the right hand 10:20 of the one who is sitting on the throne. 10:23 This is going to take us 10:25 beyond the second coming of Christ, 10:27 because the breaking of the seventh seal 10:30 is not necessarily the unfurling of the scroll. 10:33 Are you with me or not? 10:34 So, you have you have this awful silence in heaven. 10:38 That's the breaking of the seventh seal. 10:40 But now, we're going to look at the unfurling of the scroll, 10:43 which takes place 10:44 after the seventh seal is broken. 10:47 So, what period is being pointed out here? 10:51 We've already noticed this 10:52 when we studied the introductory vision. 10:54 The unfurling of the scroll takes place 10:58 after the 1000 years. 11:01 So, it's after the seventh seal is broken 11:03 at the Second Coming. 11:05 Now let's take a look at this. 11:07 On our next page, page 318, 11:11 we're going to notice the unfurling of the scroll 11:13 of Revelation 5 11:15 has to do with post-millennial events. 11:19 At this stage, the lion of the tribe of Judah 11:22 will unfurl the scroll 11:24 to reveal the doom of the wicked. 11:29 The Great Controversy, page 666 and forward, 11:33 describes the white throne judgment. 11:36 Jesus is sitting on this white throne 11:39 above the holy city. 11:41 "As all nations are before the judgment bar of God, 11:45 the scroll is finally opened before the entire universe. 11:50 And every tongue will confess, 11:53 and every knee will bow to the supremacy of Jesus." 11:58 Great Controversy 668 and 669, 12:01 as well as Philippians 2, 12:03 have you ever read where it says 12:04 that every knee will bow 12:05 and every tongue confess 12:07 that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father? 12:11 Well, that was fulfilled, 12:13 you know, when Jesus went to heaven, partially. 12:16 But if you read Philippians 2, it says 12:18 everybody in heaven and on earth, 12:20 and under the earth is singing this song 12:23 of Philippians Chapter 2. 12:24 And by the way, the original source 12:27 for Philippians 2:5-11 is found in Isaiah 45:23, 12:31 which is in a judgment context of the nations. 12:35 So, this is the time 12:37 that God is going to open up the records, 12:39 and He's going to show the wicked 12:40 why they were lost. 12:43 In Great Controversy, 671, 12:46 the white robed throne that is before the throne, 12:49 sings the song of Revelation 5:12. 12:52 I want you to catch this point now. 12:54 Do you remember that in the introductory vision, 12:56 we have the song of the angels, which is Revelation 5:12, 13:01 and Revelation 5:13? 13:03 Remember, we mentioned that? 13:05 Does that totally and completely 13:06 fulfill those verses 13:08 during the introductory vision? 13:10 No. 13:11 Because if you notice Revelation Chapter 5, 13:14 and let's go there for a moment, 13:15 Revelation 5:12-13. 13:18 It wasn't fully fulfilled back then. 13:20 In other words, it was partially fulfilled, 13:23 and it will be fulfilled completely 13:26 at the time 13:27 after the millennium. 13:28 It says there in Revelation 5:12, 13:34 let's read verse 11, for the context, 13:36 "Then I looked and I heard the voice of many angels 13:38 around the throne, 13:40 and the living creatures, 13:41 and the elders, 13:42 and the number of them 13:44 was ten thousand times ten thousand, 13:46 and thousands of thousands, 13:48 saying with a loud voice: 13:50 'Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, 13:53 to receive power and riches and wisdom 13:55 and strength in honor and glory and blessing." 13:58 And then verse 13, "And every creature 14:02 which is in heaven and on earth 14:04 and under the earth and such as are in the sea, 14:08 and all that are in them, I heard saying, 14:11 'Blessing and honor and glory and power 14:16 be to Him who sits on the throne, 14:19 and to the Lamb forever and ever!"' 14:22 Was that fully and completely fulfilled 14:25 during the introductory vision, 14:26 where everyone in the universe is singing these songs? 14:31 No. 14:32 That's why Ellen White, here, on page 671, 14:36 she once again quotes Revelation 5:12 and 13, 14:41 to describe the song that is sung 14:43 after the millennium, 14:45 because now all of creation is going to sing. 14:48 The fullest fulfillment of these verses 14:51 that were mentioned in the introductory vision. 14:54 So, this is the moment toward which Revelation 5:12 and 13 14:59 pointed in the introductory vision. 15:01 And, of course, here, 1 Corinthians 15:24-28, 15:05 will be finally consummated. 15:09 Of course, the big question is this, 15:10 what does the sealed book contain? 15:13 And why would it be so catastrophic 15:15 for the book to remain sealed? 15:18 Well, as I mentioned, 15:20 when we talked about the introductory vision, 15:23 this scroll contains the last will 15:28 and testament of the human race. 15:30 Adam was the king of planet Earth. 15:33 And this was his territory. 15:36 He lost to Satan. 15:38 It was necessary for Jesus to pay a price to buy it back, 15:42 so that He could eventually give it back to Adam, 15:46 and all of his descendants. 15:48 And, of course, what the scroll reveals 15:51 is who has a right to inherit what Adam lost? 15:56 Who has accepted the sacrifice of Jesus Christ 15:59 that actually paid the ransom 16:01 for the sin of the human race? 16:05 I want you to notice on page 319, 16:08 we're not going to read all of these statements again. 16:10 But I want to read the one at the foot of page 319. 16:15 "A will, according to the Praetorian Testament, 16:19 in Roman law, bore the seven seals 16:22 of the seven witnesses on the threads 16:24 that secured the tablets or parchment. 16:27 Such a testament 16:29 could not be carried into execution 16:32 till all the seven seals were loosed." 16:35 Now, let's stop there for a moment. 16:37 Let me ask you this. 16:38 Can just anyone open a will, unseal a will? 16:43 Or is there someone who is worthy to unseal a will? 16:49 There's somebody who has been delegated, 16:52 that has been given the responsibility to remove, 16:56 so to speak, the seal from the will, 16:59 so that the will will reveal 17:01 who inherits and what they inherit. 17:05 That's what you have in the scroll. 17:07 God's people, of course, are in heaven at this point, 17:10 they came back to the earth, 17:12 and they have inherited what Adam lost. 17:15 But now, God is going to show the wicked, 17:17 the reason why they did not get the inheritance that Adam lost. 17:23 I want you to notice also a couple of statements 17:26 on the next page, page 320. 17:29 "The central item, the seven sealed scroll, 17:33 portrays a will or testament, 17:36 for that is precisely what such a seven seal document 17:40 was in Roman law in John's day." 17:43 We find then, 17:45 that the picture we have here, 17:47 we have in the subdivision of Revelation 4:1 through 8:1, 17:52 is a court scene 17:54 in which a will or testament is to be opened. 17:58 In the context of Revelation, 18:00 this will or testament will be a title deed, 18:04 as it were to man's lost inheritance. 18:08 An inheritance that has been repurchased by Christ, 18:12 the Lamb. 18:14 Thus, the scroll is a book of destiny. 18:16 The opening of it means inheritance 18:19 in God's kingdom. 18:21 Its remaining closed means forfeiture. 18:24 No wonder John wept when he thought 18:27 no one could open the scroll. 18:28 Are you catching the picture? 18:30 This is the will and testament of the human race. 18:33 What would happen if this scroll remained sealed? 18:38 No one would inherit. 18:41 Now, let's notice also two statements 18:43 from Ellen White. 18:45 "There in His open hand," 18:46 she clearly says that this scroll contains 18:49 the whole history of the world, 18:50 every decision that everyone made, 18:52 that every nation made. 18:54 "There in His open hand lay the book, 18:56 the roll of the history of God's providences, 18:59 the prophetic history of nations and the church. 19:02 Herein what's contained the divine utterances, 19:05 His authority, His commandments, His laws, 19:08 the whole symbolic counsel of the Eternal, 19:11 and the history of all ruling powers 19:15 in the nations. 19:16 In symbolic language was contained in that roll 19:20 the influence of every nation, 19:22 tongue and people 19:24 from the beginning of earth's history 19:27 to its close." 19:30 So, what you have there 19:32 is the total history of the world 19:35 contained in the scroll. 19:37 Now, there's another statement by Ellen White 19:39 where she actually mentions one event 19:41 that was recorded in the scroll. 19:43 You know, this statement that we just read, 19:45 it's kind of just general. 19:46 It's the role of the history of God's providences, 19:49 it has a prophetic history of the nations and the church, 19:52 it has the history of all the ruling powers 19:54 of the nations, 19:55 it gives the history of the world 19:57 from beginning to end. 19:58 That's basically a general statement. 19:59 And now, she gives a statement 20:01 where she specifies a specific event 20:04 that was recorded in that scroll. 20:06 Christ's Object Lessons, page 294. 20:09 "Thus, the Jewish leaders made their choice." 20:11 That is when they said, 20:13 release unto us Barabbas and crucify Christ. 20:16 And we have no king but Caesar. 20:18 "Their decision was registered in the book 20:22 which John saw in the hand of Him 20:24 that sat upon the throne, 20:26 the book which no man could open. 20:29 In all its vindictiveness, 20:32 this decision will appear before them in the day 20:36 when this book is unsealed 20:38 by the lion of the tribe of Judah." 20:41 So, we have one historical event 20:43 that Ellen White mentions 20:44 that was written in the scroll, 20:46 that is going to be unsealed. 20:49 I like that word unsealed, that is going to be unsealed 20:53 after the millennium, 20:55 so that all of the wicked can see the reason 20:57 why they were lost. 21:00 Now, several important points emerge 21:02 from this statement of Ellen White. 21:04 Ellen White is writing about the year 1900. 21:06 That's when Christ's Object Lessons 21:08 was actually published. 21:10 It is clear that at this point, the scroll was still sealed. 21:13 Would you agree with that? 21:15 Because she says when the scroll will be open. 21:17 So, in other words, it wasn't open at this point. 21:20 Furthermore, in order for those who cried out 21:22 release unto us Barabbas, 21:24 to see the consequences of the decision 21:26 they made in the past, 21:28 they must what? 21:30 They have to be alive. 21:32 So, they have to what? 21:33 Resurrect. 21:35 When is it that all the wicked are going to resurrect? 21:38 After the millennium. 21:40 So, when is the scroll opened? 21:43 After the millennium. 21:46 Is that after the breaking of the seventh seal 21:48 after the silence in heaven? 21:50 It most certainly is. 21:52 This means that the scroll will remain sealed 21:55 until they resurrect in the second resurrection 21:58 after the millennium. 22:01 Now, I want us to notice a couple of verses, 22:03 two or three verses, in Revelation Chapter 20. 22:06 Do you know that Revelation Chapter 20 contains 22:11 both the millennial judgment 22:14 and the post-millennial judgment? 22:17 Do you realize that the books 22:19 will be opened during the 1000 years, 22:21 the scroll will be shown to God's people 22:23 during the 1000 years, 22:25 because we're going to see why the wicked were lost, 22:27 and we're going to dictate sentence, right? 22:29 "Judgment was committed to those," 22:31 it says in Revelation 20:4, 22:34 "Who were beheaded for the word of God, 22:35 the testimony of Jesus, 22:37 did not worship the beast or his image, 22:38 or received his mark." 22:40 So, there's a millennial judgment, 22:42 but there is also a post-millennial judgment 22:44 in Revelation Chapter 20. 22:46 Let's notice this, Revelation Chapter 20, 22:49 and let's read beginning with verse 11. 22:54 "Then I saw a great white throne 22:56 and Him who sat on it, 22:58 from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. 23:00 And there was found no place for them." 23:03 This is the Second Coming of Christ. 23:05 Do the heavens, you know, do they? 23:11 How would I say it? 23:13 Do they roll up like a scroll at the second coming of Christ? 23:17 Absolutely. 23:20 Is the earth found in its place? 23:22 No. 23:24 Verse 11, is describing the second coming of Christ. 23:27 By the way, when Jesus returns, does He return on a throne? 23:32 What does Revelation 6 say? 23:34 "Hide us from the one who is seated," where? 23:39 "On the throne." 23:41 So, in Revelation 19, He comes on a horse, 23:44 in Revelation Chapter 6, He comes on a throne. 23:47 So you say there's a contradiction there. 23:48 No, it's talking about function. 23:51 The horse means that Jesus 23:53 is a conquering general of the armies. 23:56 In Revelation Chapter 6, 23:58 it means that He is King of His kingdom. 24:00 Are you with me or not? 24:01 So, it's talking about function. 24:03 So, this, verse 11 is speaking about 24:05 the Second Coming of Christ. 24:07 And then verse 12 is referring to the millennial judgment. 24:11 "And I saw the dead," the what? 24:15 "The dead," which dead? 24:18 Well, has to be the lost 24:20 because all of the righteous dead 24:22 resurrected before the 1000 years. 24:24 So, it says that, "And I saw the dead, 24:26 small and great standing before God..." 24:28 How can dead people stand before God? 24:32 Through the records, that's right. 24:34 "And I saw the dead, small and great, 24:35 standing before God, 24:37 and books were opened. 24:39 And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. 24:42 And the dead," not those who are living, 24:45 but the dead were what? 24:47 "Were judged according to their works, 24:49 by the things which were written 24:51 in the books." 24:52 That is the millennial judgment. 24:54 But then I want you to notice in verse 13, 24:57 you have the books opened again. 24:59 But when they're opened again, the wicked have resurrected 25:03 after the 1000 years. 25:04 It says in verse 13, 25:06 "The sea gave up the dead who were in it, 25:08 and Death and Hades delivered up the dead 25:10 who were in them." 25:12 What does it mean that Death and Hades 25:13 delivered up the dead? 25:15 People are what? 25:17 The wicked are resurrecting. 25:18 And then it says, "And they were judged 25:21 each one according to his," what? 25:24 So, is there a post-millennial judgment also? 25:27 Absolutely. And then comes the punishment. 25:29 It says in verse 14, "Then Death and Hades 25:33 were cast into the lake of fire. 25:34 This is the second death." 25:36 And some people say, "Well, 25:37 why does the book of life come to view after the 1000 years?" 25:40 Well, it comes to view to show why the wicked weren't in it. 25:45 God is going to take the Book of Life, 25:47 He's going to say, "See, you're not in here. 25:49 Do you want to know why you're not in here? 25:51 Because of what's in the books, 25:53 because of what the panorama reveals." 25:56 And so, it says that, "Anyone not found written 25:58 in the Book of Life 25:59 was cast into the lake of fire." 26:03 Now, Ellen White describes this fantastic scene 26:07 after the 1000 years. 26:09 In Great Controversy, I've read this before, 26:11 but I think that we need to read it again 26:13 because now we're dealing with the seventh seal, 26:16 and it's been a while 26:17 since we dealt with the introductory vision. 26:19 So, Great Controversy, 26:22 page 666 to 669. 26:26 "Above the throne, 26:28 is revealed the cross and like a," what? 26:33 "Panoramic view," 26:35 and I've added in brackets and high death, 26:37 "Appear the scenes," where does that start? 26:41 "Appear the scenes," of what? 26:43 "Adam's temptation and fall," what else? 26:48 "And the successive steps 26:50 in the great plan of redemption." 26:53 Is that the whole history of the world? 26:55 Yes. 26:56 The Savior's lowly birth, now comes the list, 26:58 the Savior's lowly birth, 27:00 His early life of simplicity and obedience, 27:02 His baptism in the Jordan, 27:04 the fast and temptation in the wilderness, 27:06 His public ministry, 27:08 unfolding to men heaven's most precious blessings, 27:11 the day is crowded with deeds of love and mercy, 27:13 the nights of prayer 27:15 and watching in the solitude of the mountains, 27:17 the plotting of envy, hate and malice... 27:24 Which repaid His benefits, 27:26 the awful mysterious agony in Gethsemane, 27:28 beneath the crushing weight of the sins of the whole world, 27:31 His betrayal into the hands of the murderous mob, 27:34 the fearful events of that night of horror, 27:37 the unresisting prisoner, 27:38 forsaken by His best loved disciples, 27:41 rudely carried through the streets of Jerusalem, 27:43 the Son of God exultingly displayed before Annas, 27:46 arraigned in the high priest's palace, 27:48 in the judgment hall of Pilate, 27:50 before the cowardly and cruel Herod, 27:52 mocked, insulted, tortured and condemned to die. 27:56 All are what? 27:58 Vividly portrayed. 28:00 The movie. 28:04 Could wait to make a fantastic movie 28:07 out of all this? 28:09 Could we ever? 28:11 And it's not an imaginary thing, 28:14 it's what really happened, and what will really happen. 28:20 But that the life of Christ is... 28:22 Are they seeing the entire life of Christ? 28:24 Every detail? 28:26 Yes. 28:27 "And now before the swaying multitude 28:29 are revealed the final scenes: 28:31 the Patient Sufferer treading the path to Calvary, 28:34 the Prince of heaven hanging upon the cross, 28:37 the haughty priests and the jeering rabble 28:39 deriding his expiring agony, 28:41 the supernatural darkness, the heaving earth, 28:44 the rent rocks, the open graves, 28:45 marking the moment when the world's Redeemer 28:48 yielded up His life. 28:49 The awful spectacle appears just as it was. 28:55 What kind of technology are we talking about here? 28:58 Satan, his angels, 28:59 and his subjects have no power to turn 29:02 from the picture of their own work. 29:04 Each actor recalls the part that he performed. 29:08 Herod, who slew 29:09 the innocent children of Bethlehem 29:11 that he might destroy the King of Israel, 29:13 the base Herodias, 29:15 upon whose guilty soul rests the blood of John the Baptist, 29:18 the weak, time-serving Pilate, 29:21 the mocking soldiers, 29:22 the priests and rulers 29:24 and the maddened throng who cried, 29:26 'His blood be on us, and our children!' 29:28 All behold the enormity of their guilt. 29:31 They vainly seek to hide 29:32 from the divine majesty of His countenance, 29:35 outshining the glory of the sun, 29:37 while the redeemed cast their crowns 29:39 at the Savior's feet, 29:41 exclaiming, "He died for me!'" 29:44 So, then, Ellen White turns to the period of the apostles, 29:48 "Amid the ransomed throng are the apostles of Christ, 29:51 the heroic Paul, the ardent Peter, 29:54 the loved and loving John, 29:56 and their true-hearted brethren, 29:58 and with them the vast host of martyrs, 30:01 while outside the walls, 30:03 with every vile and abominable thing, 30:06 are those by whom they were persecuted, 30:08 imprisoned, and slain." 30:10 So, you have kind of a reversal, 30:12 don't you here? 30:14 "There is Nero, 30:15 that monster of cruelty and vice, 30:18 beholding the joy and exaltation of those 30:21 whom he once tortured, 30:23 and in whose extremist agony he found satanic delight. 30:27 His mother is there to witness the result of her own work, 30:31 to see how the evil stamp of character 30:34 transmitted to her son, 30:36 the passions encouraged and developed 30:38 by her influence and example, 30:40 have borne fruit in crimes 30:42 that caused the world to shudder." 30:44 Then she turns to the period of papal supremacy. 30:48 Are you following what the scroll contains? 30:52 "There are papist priests, and prelates, 30:56 who claimed to be Christ's ambassadors, 30:58 yet employed the rack, 31:00 the dungeon and the stake 31:02 to control the consciences of his people. 31:05 They are the proud pontiffs, 31:06 who exalted themselves above God, 31:09 and presumed to change the law of the Most High. 31:13 Those pretended fathers of the church 31:15 have an account to render to God, 31:18 from which they would feign be excused, too late. 31:22 They are made to see that the omniscient one 31:25 is jealous of His law, 31:26 and that He will in no wise clear the guilty. 31:30 They learn now that Christ identifies His interest 31:33 with that of His suffering people 31:35 in the field of force of His own words, 31:38 in as much as He hath done it 31:40 unto one of the least of these my brethren, 31:43 ye have done it unto me. 31:45 The whole wicked world, 31:46 stand arraigned at the bar of God, 31:50 on charge of," what? 31:52 "On charge of high treason 31:54 against the government of heaven, 31:56 they have none to plead their cause. 31:59 They are without excuse, 32:01 and the sentence of eternal death 32:04 is pronounced against them. 32:07 "Quite a vivid description, isn't it, 32:10 of the moment when the scroll is unfurled? 32:14 So, we've dealt with the entire sweep 32:17 of the seven seals. 32:19 They're not so difficult to understand, are they? 32:23 Actually quite easy when you apply 32:24 historicist principles. 32:26 You start in Revelation 4 and 5, 32:29 and in Revelation Chapter 4 and 5, 32:31 you have the inaugural vision. 32:34 There present in the heavenly throne room 32:37 is the Father sitting on His throne, 32:39 cherubim and seraphim are there, 32:42 the seven lamps of fire, the Holy Spirit is there, 32:44 the four living creatures are there, the 24 elders, 32:47 the representatives of the worlds, 32:49 they're all gathered there. 32:51 And the heavenly hosts are singing a song of praise 32:54 to the one who is sitting on the throne. 32:56 And the song has to do with the Creator. 33:00 Missing in Chapter 4 are the angelic hosts, 33:06 and the Lamb, Jesus Christ, 33:08 because they are on their way to heaven. 33:12 And then in Chapter 5, 33:14 you have the angel hosts arriving, 33:17 and Jesus Christ arriving with them. 33:19 And now, as they enter the gates of the city, 33:22 they're singing praises to the Lord, hallelujah. 33:26 And they're singing these songs 33:27 that we find in Revelation 5:11-13. 33:32 And then suddenly, Jesus raises His hand, 33:36 or His hands and He says, "Wait, 33:41 I have to go before My Father. 33:43 I have to make certain, 33:45 everybody needs to know 33:47 that My sacrifice has been accepted." 33:50 So, He approaches the Father. 33:52 And He speaks those words of John 17. 33:54 "Father, I wish that those who have given Me 33:57 will be with Me where I am." 34:01 And now, the Father embraces His Son, 34:03 and He says, "Your sacrifice is accepted. 34:06 You will be able to bring 34:08 Your brothers and sisters home." 34:10 And then, the Father's voice is heard saying, 34:13 "Worship Him, all the hosts of heaven." 34:16 And now, suddenly, there's an explosion of praise. 34:19 And then Jesus is clothed 34:22 with the garments of the high priest, 34:24 which we haven't dealt with, it's in 34:25 Leviticus 8 and Psalm 133. 34:28 There's a limit to what we can study. 34:30 He's invested as the high priest, 34:32 and He sits on the throne of grace, 34:34 and now begins the Christian dispensation. 34:40 And so, then you have the first horse, 34:42 the white horse, 34:44 representing the Apostolic Church, 34:46 after the day of Pentecost. 34:47 The church goes out conquering, and to conquer. 34:50 Thousands upon thousands are coming into the church. 34:55 Paganism is losing its subjects. 34:58 And now Satan says, "If this continues, 35:01 paganism is going to disappear. 35:04 All of my followers are going to become Christians." 35:06 He says, "I got to do something about this." 35:09 So, then you have the red horse, 35:11 the horse of bloodshed. 35:13 Satan says, "I know how to get rid of these, 35:16 I will persecute them, 35:18 I will influence the Roman emperors to come 35:21 after them, and to kill them 35:24 if they refuse to follow the religion, 35:26 the pagan religion of the Roman Empire." 35:30 But the plan backfires. 35:32 Because Satan sees 35:34 that the church is growing even faster 35:37 than before he began the persecutions. 35:39 He says, "This isn't working, 35:41 I'm going to have to go to a plan B. 35:44 "And so now he says, 35:45 "If you can't fight them, join them." 35:47 And so, now, you have the black horse, 35:49 the horse of darkness, 35:50 because we saw that darkness and blackness in the Bible 35:54 symbolize the fact that the Word of God is not there. 35:58 There's a scarcity of bread. 36:00 In other words, there's hunger because the traditions of men 36:03 have replaced the Word of God. 36:05 And now the church embraces the world, 36:07 the church becomes culturally conditioned, 36:10 the church now becomes politically correct. 36:14 And it wants to be accepted by the empire, 36:16 and the world walks into the church, 36:19 and the church becomes corrupted. 36:22 And as a result, there's famine, 36:24 because there's a scarcity of the Word of God, 36:26 and the light of the church grows dim, 36:30 because you have the black horse, 36:32 the horse of darkness. 36:35 So, Satan says, "Well, this is working quite well." 36:39 But he notices that there are certain individuals 36:42 who will not adopt the customs of paganism. 36:46 There's a small remnant that refuse to be infiltrated. 36:51 And so, Satan says, 36:52 "I have to do something about this." 36:54 So, then you have the yellow horse, 36:56 which is the horse of death. 36:58 Death and Hades follow this horse. 37:01 So, the idea now is to kill people, 37:03 first of all, spiritually by famine, 37:07 and then to kill them physically through mechanism 37:10 such as the inquisition, 37:12 if they don't agree with the teachings 37:14 and practices of the church. 37:16 And so, during this period, 37:18 you have millions and millions of martyrs 37:21 that are being slain for the Word of God, 37:24 and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. 37:27 Are you following me? 37:29 And so now, a great injustice has been performed. 37:32 Because the righteous die and the unrighteous live. 37:37 The little horn prospered. 37:40 Power was given to the little horn 37:42 to oppress the saints of the Most High. 37:43 What justice is there in this? 37:46 There is no justice. 37:48 The human courts have made wrong decisions. 37:51 They've condemned the righteous, 37:53 and they have justified the wicked. 37:56 And so now, the martyrs under the fifth seal cry out, 38:01 and they say, "How long, O Lord, 38:04 do you not judge and avenge our blood 38:09 which is shed by this system on the earth?" 38:12 I'm paraphrasing, obviously. 38:15 "And then, each one of these martyrs who died 38:18 during the period of papal supremacy 38:20 is given a white robe." 38:22 This is a way in which God says, 38:24 "Your case is secure. 38:25 Don't worry, you have the white robe." 38:28 And by the way, we receive that white robe 38:30 before Jesus comes. 38:32 Are you aware of that? 38:34 Do you remember the parable 38:36 that we find in Matthew Chapter 22, 38:38 of the man who sneaked 38:39 into the wedding chamber without a garment? 38:44 And then the judge comes and he says, 38:47 "How did you sneak in here without the garment?" 38:49 Does that mean anyone is going to sneak into heaven 38:52 at the Second Coming? 38:53 No. 38:54 It means that there are counterfeit Christians. 38:57 Counterfeit Christians 38:58 that have their name written in the book, 39:00 but when the books are opened, 39:01 it will be shown 39:02 that they were counterfeit Christians, 39:05 because the church has true and counterfeit. 39:09 Does the church have wise and foolish virgins? 39:13 Does the church have weed and tares? 39:16 Does the church have good and bad fish? 39:19 Does the church have individuals who say, 39:21 "Lord, Lord, 39:22 didn't we perform miracles in Your name 39:24 and cast out demons in Your name, 39:26 and prophesied in Your name?" 39:27 And Jesus is going to say well, because you had My name, come? 39:30 No, "I never knew you, you workers of iniquity." 39:35 Is there in the church, a group of people 39:37 who have the form of godliness, 39:39 but don't have the true power of godliness in their lives? 39:41 Yes. 39:43 So, does God have to make a work of separation 39:45 between the righteous and the unrighteous? 39:47 Absolutely. 39:48 So, what God does with the martyrs, 39:51 He says to them, and obviously, they're dead, 39:53 but this is a figurative thing. 39:55 He says to these martyrs, "Don't worry, 39:58 your case is secure, you're fine. 40:01 You're going to be judged, and you're going to be avenged. 40:04 "And so, they're given white robes. 40:06 That means that they're covered 40:07 with the righteousness of Christ. 40:09 They're okay. 40:11 And so, that is the cry of the martyrs 40:14 under the fifth seal. 40:16 Now, is there going to be a judgment in heaven 40:19 that will reveal in heaven 40:22 in the investigative judgment, 40:23 that these individuals were faithful 40:26 and their oppressors were wicked? 40:28 Yes. 40:29 That is the judge part of the fifth seal. 40:34 But also, we have an avenge part. 40:38 When does the avenging take place? 40:41 It takes place at the time of the sixth seal. 40:43 And so now, the martyrs are crying out, 40:46 God tells them, "Your case is secure, 40:48 don't worry about it. 40:49 But you're going to have to rest for a while, 40:51 because there's going to be another group of martyrs 40:54 in the future. 40:55 And when that number of martyrs is complete, 40:58 then I will avenge you." 41:01 So, the fifth seal has how many stages? 41:04 It has two stages. 41:06 The first stage is the martyrs of the past, 41:08 the second stage is the martyrs of the future. 41:11 The purpose of the judgment in heaven, 41:13 is to do the judging first 41:16 to show that God's people are worthy of being saved. 41:19 That's done while they're still dead. 41:23 How many stages do we have in the sixth seal? 41:27 And so now, in the six seal, 41:28 there are signs like the great earthquake of Lisbon, 41:32 and the sun darkened, 41:36 and the moon turning like blood, 41:38 and the stars falling from heaven, 41:39 17 AD, 1833. 41:42 And what is the purpose of these signs? 41:43 To announce that the judging portion 41:47 of the fifth seal is about to begin? 41:50 Now, the investigative judgment is going to begin in 1844, 41:55 the Millerite movement is going to announce it. 41:57 And so now, in 1844, the judging portion begins, 42:02 and beginning with those who died, 42:04 including all of those who died, 42:06 but the martyrs in the case of Revelation Chapter 5 and 6, 42:10 all of their cases are examined. 42:11 And in the heavenly court, 42:13 a judgment is pronounced in favor 42:16 of the saints of the Most High, 42:17 in favor of the martyrs 42:19 who died because of their faith. 42:21 Have they been avenged yet? 42:24 No, they haven't been avenged yet. 42:26 They've been judged worthy of eternal life, 42:29 in the heavenly court, in the investigative judgment, 42:32 but it still remains for them to be what? 42:35 Avenged. 42:37 Let me ask you, is there going to be under the sixth seal, 42:41 signs in the heavens again? 42:44 Is there going to be a great earthquake? 42:46 We notice this. 42:48 Is the sun going to be darkened? 42:50 Is the moon going to be darkened? 42:52 Are the stars going to be darkened? 42:54 Yes. 42:55 What does this announce? 42:57 It announces that the oppression 42:59 of all of the martyrs, 43:00 those who died in the first stage 43:02 and the second stage, 43:03 now they are going to be what? 43:06 They are going to be avenged by the Second Coming of Jesus, 43:09 they will live and the wicked will perish. 43:14 Now, is there a sealing that takes place 43:16 before the great time of trouble? 43:19 Yes, that's the interlude. 43:21 The sealing of the final generation 43:24 that protects them during the time of trouble. 43:28 And then, as Jesus descends from heaven, 43:31 He's avenged those who died 43:33 because He's punished the harlot. 43:35 Revelation 19:1-2 says 43:37 that, "He has avenged their blood, 43:40 the blood of the martyrs upon the harlot," 43:43 then, as Jesus descends, 43:47 there is an awful period of silence. 43:51 The saints ask, "Who shall be able to stand?" 43:56 The answer is a period of silence. 43:59 That's the seventh seal. 44:01 And then, a voice is heard saying, 44:03 "My grace is sufficient for you." 44:08 And then, this isn't mentioned directly in the seals. 44:12 It alludes to the Second Coming by the awful period of silence. 44:16 "Then Jesus descends from heaven, 44:18 He resurrects those who died before 1844, 44:23 and they are caught up along with the saints 44:27 who resurrected in the special resurrection, 44:29 along with 144,000 living saints, 44:32 they are caught up in the clouds 44:35 to meet Jesus in the air. 44:36 And then Jesus will transfer them 44:39 to heaven for a working vacation." 44:44 It'll be nice to be in heaven, 44:46 but we're going to have work for 1000 years. 44:49 The Bible says 44:50 that, "The righteous will now sit on thrones." 44:54 See, the tables have been turned. 44:57 Now they rule, whereas previously, 45:00 the rulers finish them off. 45:02 And so now, with Jesus, they will sit on thrones. 45:07 The books will be opened of all of the wicked people 45:10 that remain behind, 45:12 and the righteous will be able to see 45:14 why those outside the city, 45:17 who will be outside the city were not saved. 45:20 And not only that, 45:22 they will also, along with Jesus, 45:24 pronounce the length of the sentence 45:27 of the individuals 45:29 according to their works. 45:32 After every case has been examined 45:35 in the heavenly judgment, 45:36 the heavenly jury has pronounced sentence, 45:40 then Jesus says it's time to go back home. 45:44 And I say Jesus because this Jesus' home too, 45:47 you know, He became incarnate here. 45:49 And so, Jesus now with all of the saints 45:52 descends from heaven, 45:55 once again with a shout, 45:56 undoubtedly with singing and joyful celebration, 46:02 and He comes down with all of the redeemed 46:05 from all ages from heaven down to the earth. 46:09 Holy city descends as well. 46:12 The feet of Jesus rest upon the Mount of Olives. 46:15 The Mount of Olives is split in two 46:17 and you have this large plain 46:19 upon which the holy city, 46:21 New Jerusalem will rest. 46:23 Then, Jesus and the saints enter the gates of the city, 46:28 and the gates are shut. 46:30 The wicked who have resurrected, 46:32 Satan tells them, "Hey, 46:36 I was the one who resurrected you. 46:39 So, imagine I have the power. 46:40 Look at them inside. 46:42 They're the few. 46:43 We are the many. 46:45 We are much more than them." 46:47 The Book of Revelation describes the wicked 46:49 as the sand of the sea. 46:52 I mean, Ellen White in Great Controversy says 46:55 that the troops outside the city, 46:59 the number of the troops are equal 47:02 to the number of all of the soldiers 47:05 that have fought in all of the wars 47:07 in the history of planet earth. 47:10 That's millions and millions. 47:12 And so, Satan gathered with his angels, 47:14 they plan how they're going to overcome the city. 47:16 He meets with the great military leaders 47:18 of the world, 47:19 they start building 47:21 the infrastructure of the world. 47:24 Because everything has been ruined 47:25 when Jesus came, 47:27 and they have to build powerful weapons, 47:29 they're not going to attack the city with bows and arrows, 47:31 and with swords, 47:32 it's going to be with sophisticated weapons. 47:35 And now, they're ready to attack the city. 47:37 They say, "We can gain the victory over." 47:40 Up till this point, Satan is deceiving the nations. 47:43 Have you read in Revelation 20, 47:45 where it says that he will go out 47:46 to deceive the nations? 47:48 So now, he goes out. 47:50 He says, "That city is ours. 47:52 The one inside is a usurper, we can conquer that city. 47:55 We're much more than the ones inside." 47:57 So, everybody prepares for battle. 48:01 And they march, the armies march 48:04 across the surface of the earth 48:06 with military precision. 48:08 See, they went to boot camp. 48:10 It's going to take a while 48:11 to organize an army such that. 48:13 They're not going to just attack the city 48:15 willy-nilly without any preparation, 48:17 they prepare. 48:18 They prepare a strategy. 48:20 And when they're about to attack the holy city, 48:23 the scroll is unfurled. 48:28 They're outside the city, 48:30 and now the scroll that was in the right hand 48:34 of the one who was seated on the throne 48:36 is going to be unfurled before them. 48:39 And that's what we read 48:41 from Great Controversy, 666 to 669. 48:44 They will see all of the history of the world. 48:48 How Adam and Eve sinned, the flood. 48:52 All of the stories of the Old Testament, 48:54 the period of Israel, the prophets, 48:56 the period of the Hebrew kings, 48:58 John the Baptist, the coming of Jesus, 49:01 all of the events of the life of Jesus, 49:03 the final scenes of His life, 49:05 all will be seen. 49:07 And then the history will pass 49:09 on to the period of the early church, 49:12 Paul, and all of the other apostles, 49:14 all of the leaders of the church 49:16 are seen in this panoramic view. 49:19 And then, you have the period of the Middle Ages, 49:22 the period when popes and princes 49:25 and prelates persecuted God's people, 49:27 it's all presented vividly 49:30 in this panoramic view. 49:34 And even though Ellen White doesn't mention it, 49:36 there's no doubt whatsoever, 49:38 that we're also going to see the scenes 49:40 that took place after the Dark Ages, 49:42 after the Middle Ages, 49:43 because we're going to be able to see 49:45 the entire history of the world 49:47 from beginning to end. 49:50 When Satan and his angels 49:52 and the wicked see this panoramic view. 49:57 The wicked suddenly awaken from their slumber, 50:01 from their anesthesia. 50:04 And they suddenly look at Satan, 50:08 and they say, "You are the one. 50:14 You are the guilty one. 50:17 You're a deceiver." 50:21 And many people think 50:23 that the wicked are going to be destroyed 50:25 as they attack the holy city. 50:28 The wicked never attacked the holy city. 50:30 They prepare to attack the holy city. 50:34 The armies come together to attack the holy city. 50:36 They never attack the holy city. 50:41 When they see that Satan has deceived them, 50:44 they turn at Satan and they say, 50:48 "You are the guilty one." 50:49 And Ellen White states that, 50:53 "The wicked will avalanche themselves 50:56 upon Satan as wild beasts." 51:00 Wow. 51:03 But God in His mercy will cause fire 51:07 to descend from heaven to consume Satan, 51:12 and his angels, and the wicked. 51:15 And after each one receives the reward 51:19 according to their works, 51:21 according to what we read in Revelation Chapter 20, 51:24 it's simple justice. 51:27 Depending on the crime is the sentence 51:30 and the punishment, right? 51:31 Not all crimes are punished equally, 51:34 because not all are as serious as others. 51:37 And so now, fire descends from heaven 51:40 and it consumes Satan, 51:42 and his angels, and the wicked. 51:46 And after a period of time, 51:50 they're reduced to ashes. 51:53 And then the earth is cleansed by the fire. 51:57 And God will create or recreate 52:01 what we might say a new heavens 52:04 and a new earth 52:06 on which righteousness dwells. 52:11 What will be the sign of the new creation? 52:17 The Sabbath. 52:20 What was the sign of the original creation? 52:23 Sabbath. 52:25 What was the sign of redemption? 52:26 Where did Jesus rest? 52:28 In the tomb, which day? 52:30 The Sabbath. 52:31 Which day will be the day to go to worship God 52:34 because new heavens and new earth 52:36 have been created? 52:37 The Sabbath. 52:39 It shall be from new moon to new moon. 52:42 People get hung up with that new moon. 52:44 You know, they say, 52:45 "We got to celebrate the feast." 52:46 No, new moon simply means month. 52:51 From month to month. 52:53 Why are we going to go to the presence of God 52:55 from month to month? 52:57 Because there is a tree 52:59 that produces its fruit every month. 53:03 You see, the tree of life functions 53:06 as a battery charger. 53:10 We don't have inherent life, 53:12 not even Adam and Eve before they sinned. 53:14 They had to continue eating from the tree of life 53:17 to continue living. 53:19 Why did those individuals before the flood 53:23 lived to be almost 1000 years old? 53:24 Because they had a fully charged battery. 53:28 But as time has gone by, 53:30 the battery has been depleted and as a result, 53:33 people live a lot shorter lives. 53:35 If God allowed the human race to continue to existing, 53:38 eventually, it will extinguish itself. 53:41 The vitality will be gone. 53:43 So, God's people will go, 53:45 like Adam and Eve would have done 53:47 in the Garden of Eden, 53:48 from month to month, 53:50 to eat from the tree of life. 53:52 And you know God is a God of variety. 53:55 You know, it's not going to be the same fruit every month. 53:59 You know, one month it will probably be mangoes. 54:03 I'm speculating now. 54:05 Another month, it might be oranges, 54:07 another month, apples, 54:08 another month, pears, who knows? 54:11 But each month it will be a different fruit. 54:14 But we will not only go from month to month, 54:18 we will also go from Sabbath to Sabbath, 54:22 to commemorate 54:23 the creation of new heavens and new earth. 54:26 That's what Isaiah 66:22-23 says. 54:30 So, let me ask you, 54:32 has God changed in His plan for the day of worship? 54:37 I mean, how much sense does it make to say 54:40 in Genesis, it was the Sabbath. 54:43 With Israel and the manna, it was the Sabbath. 54:46 In the fourth commandment, the Sabbath. 54:49 When Jesus came to this earth, the Sabbath. 54:52 The apostles in the Book of Acts, 54:54 they kept the Sabbath. 54:57 And the new heavens and new earth, the Sabbath. 54:59 But meanwhile, Sunday. 55:04 Doesn't work. 55:06 The Sabbath has been God's sign all throughout human history. 55:11 And today, it's very common to find articles 55:14 in newspaper where people, 55:16 you know, they say, 55:17 "We need to get back to keeping the Sabbath." 55:20 But they're not talking about the seventh day, 55:21 they're talking about Sunday, 55:23 as if it was a Sabbath. 55:24 That's a misnomer. 55:26 You can't call Sunday the Sabbath. 55:29 The Sabbath is the seventh day, Sunday is the first day. 55:34 And some people even play tricks 55:36 with calendars. 55:37 You know, they'll start the week with Monday. 55:40 So, if you start the week with Monday, 55:43 what is the seventh day? 55:44 Sunday. 55:46 Really crafty, isn't it? 55:48 That doesn't work. 55:50 Because if Sunday is the seventh day, 55:52 it doesn't square with the Bible, 55:53 because the Bible tells us 55:54 that Jesus resurrected the first day, 55:56 not the seventh. 55:58 So, you can prove biblically that this is totally wrong. 56:03 Somebody says, "But, Pastor, 56:04 how do you know that the Sabbath 56:07 that exist today is the same Sabbath 56:09 of the times of Christ?" 56:11 And so what I ask these people, I ask, 56:14 "Well, what day of the week do you keep?" 56:16 They said, "Well, we keep Sunday." 56:18 "Said, "Why do you keep Sunday?" 56:19 "Well, because Jesus resurrected that day." 56:22 I say, "So you're telling me that Sunday, 56:23 today, is the same Sunday that Jesus resurrected?" 56:26 Well, Sunday, today is the same day 56:29 that Jesus resurrected, 56:30 then Sabbath is the same day of Sabbath, 56:32 that He rested in the tomb." 56:34 And then they say, "How do you know 56:36 that the Sabbath today 56:37 is the same Sabbath of creation?" 56:39 And I simply say, 56:40 "Because Jesus kept the Sabbath, 56:42 and He wasn't going to keep the wrong day." 56:46 So, people offer all kinds of excuses 56:48 to be disobedient to God, 56:51 and substitute their own ideas. 56:53 So, let me ask you, 56:54 would this panorama that I've described, 57:00 as we finish our study of the seven seals, 57:02 we're going to deal with still the seal of God. 57:06 Would it make a fantastic movie? 57:10 I just gave you the script. 57:14 I already have been playing around 57:16 with the idea in my mind, 57:17 you know, I'm not a script writer. 57:18 But I have lots of interesting ideas. 57:20 Who knows? 57:22 Let's pray so that the Lord will guide. 57:24 If this is His will, then it will become a reality, 57:27 so that many can know 57:29 what the Bible really says 57:31 about the end times. |
Revised 2022-02-21