Focus on God's Word

Homeward Bound

Three Angels Broadcasting Network

Program transcript

Participants: Graham Weir

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Series Code: FGW

Program Code: FGW000031A


00:26 Hello and welcome.
00:28 I'm Graham Weir, and this is part six,
00:31 the final part in the great series
00:34 of The Reformation Revisited.
00:36 In this series, we're going to be taking
00:39 a close look at the fantastic journey
00:42 that God's people can expect
00:43 to participate in on the way home.
00:46 So this is the celebration program
00:49 which I think you should hold in your mind forever.
00:52 We are also going to take a look, a deep look,
00:55 courtesy of Hubble and NASA,
00:58 deep inside the constellation of Orion.
01:01 And you gonna see through the program
01:03 why this constellation has so much fascination
01:07 for NASA and Hubble, Interesting.
01:10 It's been called a star factory,
01:12 but in there there's some amazing things.
01:14 We're going to take a look at that.
01:17 I think you're gonna enjoy it, so stay tuned.
01:19 Let's begin with a prayer.
01:25 Loving Father in heaven, we praise You and thank You
01:28 for all the wonderful things
01:29 that You have prepared for Your people.
01:33 We have considered the past,
01:34 the heritage of the great Protestant Reformation.
01:38 And in this program,
01:39 we have to consider its close,
01:41 its completion, and up mighty journey home
01:45 that you have prepared for your people,
01:47 the victory circuit around heaven.
01:50 Please bless us, give us ears to hear,
01:52 eyes to see, and incline our heart,
01:54 they want to do your work, because we ask in Jesus name.
01:58 Amen.
02:03 Now text for the program, we'll get to that in a minute.
02:07 Have you ever wondered what a heavenly journey home
02:10 is gonna be like?
02:11 Yes. Ever wondered about that?
02:13 It's a subject of deep thought and inspiration, isn't it?
02:16 To think about what God has prepared
02:17 for that seven-day journey home.
02:21 God word holds the key to what it's going to be like.
02:25 He's revealed in his word, where heaven will be,
02:29 what heaven will be like, where its capital will be,
02:34 what its capital will look like,
02:37 what the people will be like there,
02:40 where people will live,
02:42 and what people will actually do there.
02:47 And I take today's Revelation 21:1-2
02:50 and it say's this,
02:52 "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth,
02:57 for the first heaven and the first earth
02:59 were passed away, and there was no more sea.
03:03 And I John," this is John, the Revelator in vision,
03:07 "I saw, the holy city, New Jerusalem,
03:09 coming down from God out of heaven,
03:12 prepared as a bride adorned for her husband."
03:18 And as we read further,
03:19 we discover an amazing description
03:21 of the holy city descending from heaven.
03:24 Reading verse 9, "And there came unto me
03:28 one of the seven angels which had the seven vials
03:31 full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me,
03:34 saying, come hither,
03:36 I will show thee the bride, the Lamb's wife."
03:39 And he carried me away in the spirit to a great
03:42 and high mountain.
03:43 And he showed me that great city,
03:46 the Holy Jerusalem,
03:48 descending out of heaven from God.
03:50 Imagine what John must have thought
03:53 when he saw this vision.
03:55 "Having the glory of God, and her light was like
03:58 unto a stone most precious, even like a Jasper stone,
04:02 clear as crystal."
04:05 a great and high wall...
04:07 and names written on them,
04:09 which are the names of the twelve tribes
04:11 of the children of Israel.
04:13 Now the wall of the city had twelve foundations,
04:16 and on them were the names of the twelve apostles
04:18 of the Lamb.
04:20 And he measured the city with the reed,
04:23 twelve thousand furlongs.
04:25 The length and the breadth
04:29 and the height of it are equal."
04:33 So what do these measurements mean
04:34 in today's terms?
04:36 Well, a furlong is one-fifth of a kilometer,
04:40 12,000 furlongs will equal 2,400 kilometers.
04:44 We assume that's its total circumference,
04:48 approximately 1,491 miles around the city.
04:54 That's kind of big, isn't it?
04:57 If we divide about four, we get 600 kilometers,
04:59 there were approximately 372 miles down each side.
05:06 And the bit I can't get my head around is the height,
05:10 372 miles height, really?
05:15 It's enormous, it's stupendous.
05:19 The Bible says that the length and the breadth
05:21 and the height of it are equal.
05:24 So can you imagine a city 372 miles high?
05:29 Well, modern jets cruise
05:30 around 9,000 meters or 30,000 feet
05:33 which is only 9 kilometers or 5 miles.
05:38 So in mid-peak terms, this city would be around
05:40 67 times higher than passenger jets fly.
05:46 I can't get my head around that.
05:49 Nothing is impossible for God.
05:51 You think, wait a minute, you got to be way out in space.
05:54 Well, that's not too hard for God, is it?
05:56 But for a human mind, woo!
06:00 Some commentators say about this
06:02 that the answer lies
06:03 in the interpretation of the word "equal".
06:06 They say it means which we think
06:08 it means exactly the same as.
06:11 They said it really means in proportion to.
06:14 Well, I have to confess, I've done some research
06:17 and I can't find anything,
06:18 any references to backup the claim.
06:21 So I don't know for sure.
06:24 And in any case, if we question the meaning of the word, equal,
06:27 in regard to the city's height,
06:29 then we also have to question it
06:31 in regard to the length and the breath too.
06:32 Don't we?
06:34 So that's all too odd for me.
06:38 I'm happy to leave that to God.
06:40 We're gonna find out soon enough, aren't we?
06:42 But it's stupendous, isn't it?
06:45 We have an awesome God.
06:48 I'm also mindful of the Bible text in 1 Corinthians 2:9,
06:53 which says, "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard,
06:59 nor has it entered into the heart of man
07:01 the things that God hath prepared for him."
07:04 So I'm happy to wait and see, aren't you?
07:07 It's going to be incredible, I can't wait.
07:11 I think when we get there and we see this happening,
07:13 we're gonna say, "Well, heaven was cheap enough."
07:16 Won't we?
07:17 Amen.
07:19 In Revelation 21:17, it says,
07:22 "Then he measured its wall, a 144 cubits."
07:25 A cubit is the average length of a man's arm
07:28 from the tip of the middle finger
07:30 to the point of the elbow,
07:33 so that's roughly about 53 centimeters
07:35 or roughly 20 inches.
07:37 Now if we multiply that by 144,
07:40 we get around 76 meters or roughly 249 feet.
07:45 That's a pretty big wall too, isn't it, 249 feet high?
07:51 And those of you out there watching,
07:53 you may want to get your phone and take a picture
07:56 of these measurements on the screen
07:57 because they're worth remembering
07:59 and checking out.
08:01 Then it says in verse 19,
08:02 "The foundation of the wall of the city were adorned
08:05 with all kinds of precious stones.
08:08 The first foundation was Jasper,
08:12 the second was Sapphire, the third a Chalcedony,
08:18 the fourth an Emerald, the fifth Sardonyx,
08:24 the sixth Sardius, the seventh Chrysolyte,
08:30 the eighth Beryl, the ninth a Topaz,
08:36 the tenth a Chrysoprasus, the eleventh a Jacinth,
08:43 the twelfth an Amethyst.
08:47 The 12 gates were 12 pearls.
08:50 Every, several gate was of one pearl."
08:53 Can you get your mind around this?
08:55 It's stupendous.
08:58 "And the street of the city was pure gold,
09:00 like transparent glass," I can't imagine that.
09:04 What a time it's gonna be!
09:07 "And he showed me a pure river of water of life,
09:10 clear as crystal,
09:12 proceeding out of the throne of God
09:14 and of the Lamb."
09:15 And I couldn't find a picture that would describe that,
09:18 that's the best I could find,
09:20 it's going to be nothing compared.
09:23 "On each side of the river stood the tree of life
09:27 bearing 12 manna,
09:28 which meant, which we may have thought
09:30 as type fruit, or crops of fruit,
09:32 and yielding its fruit every month.
09:35 And the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nation.
09:39 Yeah, this is the symbol of the leaf
09:42 of the tree of life.
09:44 They are healing us now, aren't they?
09:47 And there should be no more curse,
09:49 but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it.
09:52 No more hearing aids,
09:54 no more glasses, no more false teeth,
09:57 no more sore backs, no more headaches, wow!
10:04 And God will wipe away every tear in their eyes,
10:06 no more tears, no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying,
10:13 neither shall there be any more pain
10:16 for the former things that passed away.
10:18 Good news, eh? Amen.
10:20 And the city does not need the Sun
10:23 or the moon to shine on it,
10:25 for the glory of God gives it light.
10:28 And it will give its light if the glory of God,
10:30 if the throne of God, is at the top of that city,
10:34 that's gonna radiate around the whole place.
10:37 It's gonna be astonishing.
10:41 And the city will be lit up with the glory of God's throne
10:44 because it says, "And the Lamb is its lamp."
10:48 So that light will come from Jesus.
10:51 And you could read the full description
10:52 if you want to in Revelation 21:10 to 22:5.
10:56 It's worth reading, in depth,
10:59 and let your mind grasp that picture.
11:02 We spoke extensively in the last episode
11:05 about the writings of Ellen White
11:07 and how the Seventh-day Adventist Church
11:09 regards her writing.
11:11 So in this episode, I'm just going to repeat
11:14 the official statements in the book, 28 Fundamentals,
11:16 about Ellen White.
11:18 It says this, "One of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is prophecy.
11:23 This gift is an identifying mark
11:25 of the remnant church and was manifested
11:28 in the ministry of Ellen G.White.
11:30 As the Lord's messenger, her writings are a continuing
11:33 and authoritative source of truth
11:35 which provide for the church comfort,
11:38 guidance, instruction, and correction.
11:42 They also make clear that the Bible is the standard
11:45 by which all teachings and experience
11:47 must be tested." Is it not so?
11:49 We don't put Ellen White's writings
11:51 above the Bible,
11:52 it's not even equal to the Bible.
11:55 It is a lesser light which directs us
11:57 to the true light.
12:01 Now I'm going to show you something,
12:03 some amazing descriptions that she made
12:05 about her very first vision at the age of 19.
12:10 And this vision is remarkable in its description
12:13 of some of the glories of heaven.
12:15 I'll be quoting from the following publications,
12:18 Testimonies For The Church Volume One,
12:21 which was published in 1855 and 1868, chapter VII titled,
12:26 My First Vision.
12:28 This is also in Early Writing, which was published in 1882,
12:32 Experience and Views,
12:34 where she describes her first vision.
12:38 In her opening reports,
12:39 she was obviously describing her vision
12:41 of the second coming.
12:42 And we read this,
12:44 "Then Jesus' silver trumpet sounded,
12:47 as He descended on the cloud, wrapped in flames of fire.
12:51 He gazed on the graves of the sleeping saints,
12:54 then raised His eyes and hands to heaven,
12:56 and cried, "Awake!
12:57 Awake! Awake!
12:59 Ye that sleep in the dust, and arise."
13:03 Then there was a mighty earthquake.
13:05 The graves opened, and the dead came up clothed
13:08 with immortality.
13:10 The 144,000 shouted, "Alleluia!"
13:15 as they recognized their friends
13:17 who had been torn from them by death,
13:19 and in the same moment we were changed
13:22 and caught up together with them
13:24 to meet the Lord in the air.
13:27 We all entered the cloud together,
13:29 and were seven days ascending to the sea of glass."
13:33 Why seven days?
13:35 Why didn't we get there like that?
13:37 We'll talk more about that later, seven-day journey.
13:44 "We all entered the cloud with seven days
13:46 ascending to the sea of glass, when Jesus brought the crowns,
13:50 and with His own right hand he put them on our heads.
13:53 And He gave us harps of gold and palms of victory.
13:57 Here on the sea of glass the 144,000 stood
14:00 in a perfect square.
14:02 Some of them had very bright crowns,
14:05 others not so bright.
14:07 Some crowns appeared heavy with stars,
14:09 while others had but few."
14:12 Now at this point, we should ask the question,
14:14 "Who are these 144,000?"
14:18 Some denominations, some churches, out there
14:20 who will try to tell you,
14:22 they know who the 144,000 are.
14:23 Yeah.
14:25 Well, I want you to see
14:26 what Ellen White said about this number,
14:28 these people.
14:29 She addressed this question many years later in 1901,
14:32 when she wrote this.
14:34 She said, "When men pick up this theory and that theory,
14:38 when they are curious to know something
14:39 it is not necessary for them to know,
14:42 God is not leading them.
14:45 It is not His plan that His people
14:47 shall present something
14:48 which they have to suppose or imagine,
14:50 which is not taught in the Word.
14:53 It is not His will that they shall get into controversy
14:55 over questions which will not help them spiritually,
14:58 such as who is to compose the 144,000.
15:03 For those who are the elect of God
15:05 will in a short time know without question."
15:08 That's true, aren't we?
15:09 We'll find out.
15:12 "My brethren and sisters appreciate
15:14 and study the truths that God has given
15:16 you and your children.
15:18 She says, "Spend not your time in seeking to know
15:21 that which will be no spiritual help.
15:23 'What shall I do to inherit eternal life?'
15:26 From Luke 10:25,
15:28 that is the all-important question,
15:31 and it has been clearly answered.
15:33 What is written in the law?
15:35 How readest thou?'"
15:37 That's a pretty good answer for me.
15:40 We don't need to waste time speculating about it, do we?
15:43 We'll find out soon enough.
15:46 There are far more important topics
15:48 in God's Word to consider.
15:49 What do you say?
15:51 Amen. Amen.
15:52 Now let's return to that first vision
15:54 as she continues her description,
15:58 she says, "All were perfectly satisfied
16:00 with their crowns.
16:01 And they were all clothed with a glorious white mantle
16:03 from their shoulders to their feet.
16:06 Angels were all about us as we marched
16:08 over the sea of glass to the gate of the city...
16:12 Here we saw the tree of life and the throne of God.
16:15 Out of the throne came a pure river of water,
16:19 and on either side of the river was the tree of life.
16:24 On one side of the river was a trunk of a tree,
16:27 and a trunk on the other side of the river, both of pure,
16:32 transparent gold.
16:34 Can you imagine that?
16:36 A gold tree, even boys and girls
16:39 will be fascinated with it.
16:42 "At first I thought I saw two trees," she said,
16:45 "I looked again, and saw that they were united
16:47 at the top in one tree.
16:50 So it was the tree of life
16:51 on either side of the river of life.
16:54 Its branches bowed to the place where we stood,
16:58 and the fruit was glorious;
16:59 it looked like gold mixed with silver."
17:03 Ever seen an apple that looks like gold
17:06 mixed with silver?
17:10 Describing this vision and its effect on her later,
17:13 she said this, "I related this vision
17:17 to the believers in Portland, they had full confidence
17:19 that it was from God.
17:21 They all believed that God had chosen this way,
17:24 after the great disappointment in October 1844,
17:28 to comfort and strengthen His people.
17:32 The Spirit of the Lord attended the testimony,
17:35 and the solemnity of eternity rested upon us.
17:38 An unspeakable awe filled me that I so young and feeble,
17:44 should be chosen as the instrument
17:47 by which God would give light to His people."
17:50 What an awesome experience, "While under the power
17:53 of the Lord, I was filled with joy,
17:56 seeming to be surrounded by holy angels
17:59 in the glorious courts of heaven,
18:01 where all is peace and gladness,
18:04 and it was a sad and bitter change
18:05 to wake up to the realities of mortal life."
18:08 After she came out of vision, what a disappointment!
18:12 Well, in early 1847,
18:13 the Whites accepted an invitation
18:15 from the Stockbridge Howland family
18:17 to come and live on the top floor
18:19 of their spacious well-constructed home
18:22 in Topsham,
18:23 which is about 35 miles north of their former home
18:26 at Gorham.
18:28 And it was here on Sabbath, April 3rd, 1847,
18:33 before a small group of the assembled
18:34 fellow Sabbath keepers that 19-year old Ellen White
18:38 was given one of her most important vision.
18:41 This would have been before she was Ellen White,
18:43 she would have been Ellen Harmon.
18:46 Four days after this impressive vision,
18:49 Ellen wrote of it in detail to Joseph Bates.
18:53 And please note in particular the prepositions
18:57 that she employs in describing
18:59 this mind-boggling cosmic journey
19:01 to this celestial city.
19:03 I'm quoting, "Soon," she says, "I was lost to earthly things
19:08 and was wrapped in a vision of God's glory.
19:12 I saw an angel flying swiftly to me.
19:15 He quickly carried me
19:16 from the earth to the Holy City."
19:19 She says, "There is perfect order
19:21 and harmony in the Holy City.
19:23 All the angels that are commissioned
19:24 to visit the earth had a golden card."
19:29 Wow, and we thought we invented plastic cards.
19:33 Yeah.
19:35 They have a golden card and they present it
19:38 to the angels at the gates of the city
19:41 as they pass in and out.
19:44 She says, "In the city I saw a temple,
19:47 which I entered.
19:49 I passed through a door
19:51 before I came to the first veil.
19:54 This veil was raised,
19:56 and I passed into the holy place.
19:58 Here I saw the altar of incense,
20:01 the candlestick with seven lamps,
20:04 and the table on which was the shewbread.
20:08 After viewing the glory of the holy,
20:10 Jesus raised the second veil
20:12 and I passed into the holy of holies."
20:16 Remember, this is the temple in heaven
20:20 that Moses was given a pattern of.
20:22 This is the real thing.
20:26 "In the holiest I saw an ark.
20:29 On the top and sides of it was purest gold.
20:32 On each end of the ark was a lovely cherub,
20:35 with its wings spread out over it.
20:39 Their faces were turned toward each other,
20:41 and they looked downward.
20:43 Between the angels was a golden censer.
20:47 Above the ark, where the angels stood,
20:49 was an exceeding bright glory that appeared
20:52 like a throne where God dwelt.
20:55 Jesus stood by the ark, and as the saints' prayers
20:59 came up to Him, the incense in the censer would smoke,
21:04 and He would offer up their prayers
21:06 with the smoke of the incense to His Father.
21:11 In the ark was the golden pot of manna,
21:14 Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of stone
21:18 which folded together like a book.
21:20 Jesus opened them, and I saw the Ten Commandments
21:25 written on them with the finger of God.
21:29 On one table were four, and on the other six.
21:33 The four on the first table shone
21:35 brighter than the other six.
21:38 But the fourth, the Sabbath commandment,
21:41 shone above them all, for the Sabbath
21:44 was set apart to be kept in honor of God's holy name."
21:48 Do you believe that?
21:49 What a privilege it is to keep the Sabbath day holy
21:52 and remember this!
21:53 What do you say? Amen.
21:54 Amen.
21:56 "The holy Sabbath looked glorious.
21:59 A halo of glory was all around it."
22:03 Well, its vision was indeed impressive,
22:06 and Ellen was totally struck
22:08 with the reality of the experience.
22:10 She was in a real place,
22:12 accompanied by real supernatural persons,
22:14 and looking at real liturgical furniture,
22:18 concerning which we previously already read about in Scripture
22:22 and forever after she would represent this heavenly temple
22:25 and its high priest,
22:26 that's something very real, very literal.
22:31 It's not just a story folks, it is real.
22:38 These visions of heaven
22:39 must certainly raise the question,
22:41 "Is there really life on other worlds?"
22:44 You know NASA spends a lot of money
22:47 trying to find and trying to answer
22:48 that question, don't they?
22:50 Billions...
22:51 Sending rockets up there and radio telescopes,
22:55 who knows what else, to try
22:56 and discover life on other worlds.
22:59 Well, all they've to do is look in here,
23:01 the answer's in here.
23:03 You know the book, The Great Controversy,
23:05 she makes it very clear that there is...
23:08 She said this, "The connection of the invisible
23:11 with the visible world,
23:14 the ministration of the angels of God,
23:16 and the agency of evil spirits,
23:19 are plainly revealed in the Scriptures
23:21 an inseparably woven, interwoven with human history."
23:25 It's clear. It's all layers.
23:28 She quotes 10,000 times 10,000 and thousands of thousands,
23:32 were the heavenly messengers beheld by the prophet Daniel.
23:35 The Apostle Paul declared them to be in innumerable company.
23:40 Daniel 7:10, Hebrews 12:22,
23:43 "As God's messengers they go forth,
23:45 like the appearance of a flash of lightning."
23:47 We find that in Ezekiel 1:14, "So dazzling their glory,
23:52 and so swift their flight and the angel that appeared
23:56 at the Savior's tomb, his countenance like lightning,
24:00 and his raiment white as snow."
24:01 Caused the keepers for fear of him to quake
24:04 and fall like dead men."
24:07 No human could do that."
24:10 Thus God's people exposed to the deceptive power
24:13 and unsleeping malice of the prince of darkness,
24:16 and in conflict with all the forces of evil,
24:18 are assured of the unceasing guardianship
24:22 of heavenly angels.
24:23 Is that good news? Amen.
24:24 Amen.
24:27 You know, in another compilation
24:28 she wrote, the book Maranatha, she wrote this,
24:32 "God has worlds upon worlds that are obedient to His law.
24:39 These worlds are conducted with reference
24:41 to the glory of their Creator.
24:43 And as the inhabitants of these worlds see
24:46 the great price that has been paid
24:49 to ransom man, they are filled with amazement."
24:54 An un-fallen world, they look at the struggle down here,
24:57 they see the great price that Christ has paid
24:59 to redeem man, and they are astonished.
25:03 And this one she wrote about in the book,
25:05 Patriarchs and Prophets, one of my favorite books.
25:08 She said, "The whole universe had been witness
25:10 to the scenes at Sinai.
25:13 In the working yard of the two administrations,
25:15 we've seen the contrast
25:16 between the government of God and that of Satan."
25:20 She says, "Again the sinless inhabitants
25:22 of other worlds
25:23 beheld the results of Satan's apostasy,
25:27 and the kind of government He would have established
25:29 in heaven if He'd been permitted to bear sway."
25:32 And this one in a compilation, That I May Know Him,
25:36 she says " We should consider that it was not merely
25:39 to accomplish the redemption of man
25:41 that Christ came to earth,
25:44 it was not merely that the inhabitants
25:45 of this little world might regard the law of God
25:48 as it should be regarded,
25:51 but it was to demonstrate to all the worlds
25:54 that God's law is unchangeable
25:56 and that the wages of sin is death."
25:59 The whole story isn't just on this planet.
26:01 Is that right?
26:02 It's a much more universal story.
26:05 And this one, in The Review and Herald article in 1896,
26:09 she said, "Many seem to have the idea that this world
26:12 and the heavenly mansions constitute the universe of God.
26:16 Not so.
26:18 The redeemed throng will range from world to world,
26:23 and much of their time will be employed
26:25 in searching out the mysteries of redemption.
26:28 And throughout the whole stretch of eternity
26:31 this subject will be continually opening
26:34 to their minds."
26:37 She said, "The privileges of those who overcome
26:40 by the blood of the Lamb
26:41 and the word of their testimony are beyond comprehension."
26:46 Friends, you don't want to miss out, do you?
26:49 You don't want to miss that.
26:52 And in the book, Adventist Home, she wrote this,
26:55 she wrote a chapter on the privileges
26:57 of the redeemed with these terms, she said,
27:02 "The Lord has given me a view of other worlds.
27:05 Wings were given me, and an angel attended me
27:08 from the city to a place that was bright and glorious."
27:11 Out of this city to another world.
27:15 "The grass of the place was living green,
27:18 and the bird there warbled a sweet song."
27:20 Bird...
27:22 The inhabitants of the place were of all sizes,
27:25 they were noble, majestic, and lovely.
27:28 They bore the express image of Jesus,
27:32 and their countenances beamed with holy joy,
27:35 expressive of the freedom and happiness of the place."
27:39 She said, "I asked one of them
27:41 why they were so much more lovely
27:42 than those on the earth.
27:44 The reply was, 'We have lived in strict obedience
27:48 to the commandments of God.
27:49 We have not fallen in disobedience,
27:52 like those on the earth.'"
27:56 Then she said, "I saw two trees,
28:00 one looked much like the tree of life in the city.
28:04 The fruit of both looked beautiful."
28:07 Now notice this, "but of one they could not eat.
28:12 They had power to eat of both,
28:14 but were forbidden to eat of one."
28:17 Well, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil
28:22 is also present on other worlds.
28:26 Imagine that, the beings on other worlds
28:30 have an opportunity
28:33 to choose evil.
28:38 They have a choice
28:39 and that is the basis of their choice.
28:42 But they don't choose it.
28:45 Then my attending angel said to me,
28:47 "None in this place have tasted of the forbidden tree,
28:50 but if they should eat, they would fall."
28:53 Well, the thing is this,
28:57 perhaps because I can see
28:58 what has happened on this planet,
29:00 and believe it or not, we are all on stage
29:04 in the theater of the universe, what do you say?
29:07 This isn't a battle going on this planet only.
29:11 We are warriors.
29:12 We are representatives of Christ
29:15 in the trenches of a fallen world.
29:18 And not only are people on this world watching us,
29:21 but un-fallen beings on other worlds are watching
29:24 who we represent, not only by what we do on Sabbath,
29:29 but what we do every day of the week,
29:31 by how we talk to our friends, by how we talk to our spouses,
29:36 by what we think, by what we eat,
29:40 by what we dress, by what we do.
29:44 All of these actions demonstrate, exhibit
29:48 who it is we're really serving.
29:50 By what we watch,
29:52 it demonstrates who were serving.
29:54 Do you believe that? How important is it?
29:57 Let me ask God for supernatural power
29:59 to overcome sin and represent His character correctly,
30:03 what do you say?
30:08 She said, "Then I was taken to a world
30:09 which had seven moons.
30:11 There I saw good-old Enoch, who had been translated."
30:16 Wow!
30:17 I'm looking forward to meeting Enoch, aren't you?
30:20 Well, and Elijah too.
30:23 "On his right arm he bore a glorious palm,
30:26 and on each leaf was written 'Victory.'
30:29 Around his head was a dazzling white wreath,
30:31 and leaves on the wreath, and in the middle of each leaf
30:34 was written 'Purity,' and around the wreath
30:38 were stones of various colors,
30:39 that shone brighter than the stars
30:42 and cast a reflection
30:43 upon the letters and magnified them.
30:46 On the back part of his head was a bow
30:49 that confined the wreath,
30:50 and upon the bow was written 'Holiness.'
30:55 Above the wreath was a lovely crown
30:57 that shone brighter than the sun.
31:00 I asked him if this was the place
31:02 he was taken to from the earth.
31:04 He said, 'It is not; the city is my home,
31:07 I've just come to visit this place.'
31:10 He moved about the place as if perfectly at home.
31:14 I begged of my attending angel to let me remain in that place.
31:18 I could not bear the thought of coming back
31:20 to this dark world again.
31:22 But then, the angel said to me, 'You must go back.
31:27 And if you are faithful, you, with the 144,000 shall have
31:32 the privilege of visiting all the worlds
31:35 and viewing the handiwork of God.'"
31:37 Wow!
31:38 What do you say, friends? Wow!
31:44 "Heaven is a good place," she said,
31:46 "I long to be there and behold my lovely Jesus,
31:50 who gave His life for me,
31:52 and be changed into His glorious image."
31:55 Are you looking forward to that?
31:57 Wow!
31:58 She says, "Oh!
32:00 For language to express the glory
32:01 of the bright world to come!"
32:04 She said, "I thirst for the living streams
32:07 that make glad the city of our God."
32:11 Well, Ellen White didn't have the benefit
32:12 of Hubble Space Telescope or any other technology
32:15 the NASA could cook up.
32:17 Well, she certainly didn't need it, did she?
32:20 And she surely saw much more than we could ever hope
32:22 to say with our technology today.
32:26 And yet, she still could not find the language
32:28 to accurately describe the wonders that she saw.
32:32 Well, we're going to take a look at
32:34 what has been revealed by NASA and Hubble.
32:37 You see in this picture,
32:38 a close-up, look at the Pleiades,
32:41 mentioned in the Book of Job.
32:43 And you can see this star cluster
32:45 with your naked eye or a good telescope.
32:48 And maybe Job could see it even clearer in his day.
32:50 Did you ever look for that, through the telescope?
32:56 And here is one of the Orion Nebula,
32:58 one of the most fascinating objects
33:00 in our Milky Way.
33:03 And this one is a closer view of Orion.
33:08 And another one closer still
33:12 and this one is an extremely close-up view
33:15 of amazing objects in Orion described by NASA
33:21 as newly forming planetary system.
33:23 They're called Proplyds.
33:28 And these things are forming star system
33:31 just like our Milky Way.
33:32 Each one of these things, you see in the screen there,
33:35 is actually a star system like a Milky Way in formation.
33:39 This is awesome.
33:41 When you look at that, if you take a close-up view
33:43 of these things, it is absolutely awesome.
33:48 Maybe it's why, one reason why, Orion is called a Star Factory.
33:53 Now back to Ellen White's first vision
33:55 where she described her journey to the Heavenly City
33:58 was taking seven days.
34:02 We're gonna take another look and listen carefully
34:05 to what she said about Orion.
34:09 She said, "We all entered the cloud together,
34:12 and were seven days ascending to the sea of glass,
34:16 when Jesus brought the crowns,
34:19 and with His own right hand placed them on our heads.
34:22 He gave us harps of gold and palms of victory."
34:26 She said, "Dark heavy clouds came up
34:28 and clashed against each other.
34:29 The atmosphere parted and rolled back.
34:32 Then we could look up
34:33 through the open space in Orion,
34:35 whence came the voice of God, 'The Holy City will come down
34:41 through that open space.'"
34:46 How interesting!
34:48 The Holy City will descend
34:49 through that open space in Orion.
34:52 Maybe NASA doesn't realize it
34:54 but the Holy Spirit is inspiring them
34:56 to take a close look at this place.
34:59 The scientific relevance of this statement
35:01 is fascinating because Orion is in line
35:05 with the earth's celestial equator,
35:07 and celestial objects near this theoretical line
35:10 are visible worldwide.
35:12 And this fact gives great relevance
35:15 to the Bible statement
35:16 about the second coming in Revelation 1:7,
35:19 which says this, "Behold, He cometh with clouds,
35:23 and every eye shall see Him,
35:28 and they also which pierced Him,
35:29 and all kindred's of the earth shall wail
35:31 because of Him.
35:33 Even so, Amen."
35:35 Well, if the Holy City is going to come down
35:37 through that open space in Orion,
35:39 as Ellen White said,
35:41 so that it will be seen by every eye,
35:44 then it would seem very likely that Jesus will also return
35:48 through that same open space in Orion.
35:53 What are you thinking about?
35:54 I can't prove that, but it looks interesting.
35:58 And perhaps it will also mean that God's remnant people
36:01 will complete their seven-day return journey with Him
36:05 back through Orion to the Holy City.
36:10 Rosemarie pointed out to us yesterday afternoon,
36:12 after talking to you about this,
36:13 about this journey to the Holy City.
36:16 She ever wondered why its got to take seven days.
36:19 She made the comment that, remember in Old Testament times
36:22 when someone overcome,
36:23 someone conquered a city or a nation,
36:26 they brought all the captives back
36:27 and they paraded them around.
36:29 Well, may be God is going to take us,
36:31 His captives from birth, He's going to take them
36:34 around heaven, a journey through heaven
36:36 for seven days parading the captives,
36:39 the victors, the victory march to heaven.
36:42 Wow! Think about that.
36:45 It's a fascinating idea,
36:47 especially in the light of this amazing video
36:49 from NASA and the Hubble telescope,
36:52 zooming right down into the open space in Orion.
36:56 And as you watch this video, let your mind imagine
36:59 that this is just a brief glimpse
37:01 of what our journey home
37:03 to the heavenly City is going to be like.
37:18 All the treasures of the universe
37:20 will be open to the study of God's redeemed,
37:23 unfettered by mortality,
37:25 they've wing their tireless flight
37:27 to world's afar.
37:29 Worlds that shrilled with sorrow at the spectacle
37:32 of human woe and rang with glad songs
37:36 at their tidings of a ransom soul,
37:38 with unutterable delight the children of earth
37:41 enter into the joy and wisdom of un-fallen beings.
37:45 They share the treasures of knowledge
37:47 and understanding gained through ages and ages
37:50 of contemplation of God's handiwork.
37:53 With un-dim vision they gazed upon
37:56 the glory of creation, the sun, and stars, and systems
38:01 all in their appointed order circling the throne of deity.
38:06 Upon all things, from the least to the greatest,
38:09 the Creator's name is written,
38:12 and in all the riches of his power displayed.
38:15 And years of eternity as they roll will bring richer
38:19 and still more glorious revelation
38:22 of God and of Christ.
38:25 As knowledge is progressive,
38:26 so will love, reverence, and happiness increase.
38:31 The more men learn of God, the greater will be
38:34 their admiration of His character.
38:37 As Jesus opens before them riches of redemption
38:40 and amazing achievements of the great controversy
38:43 with Satan, the hearts of the Ransom
38:46 thrilled with more fervent devotion,
38:49 and with more rapturous joy they sweep the harps of gold.
38:54 And 10,000 times 10,000
38:57 and thousands of thousands of voices
39:00 unite to swell a mighty chorus of praise,
39:05 In Revelation 5:13, we read, "And every creature
39:10 within heaven, and on the earth,
39:12 and under the earth, and such as are in the sea,
39:16 and all that are in them, heard I saying,
39:20 'Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power,
39:23 be unto him that sitteth upon the throne,
39:26 and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.'"
39:29 The great controversy is ended.
39:32 Sin and sinners are no more.
39:35 The entire universe is clean, one pulse of harmony
39:40 and gladness beats through the vast creation
39:44 from Him who created all flow life, and light,
39:48 and gladness
39:49 throughout the realms of illimitable space,
39:53 from the minutest atom to the greatest world,
39:57 all things animate and inanimate
40:00 in their un-shadowed beauty
40:02 and perfect joy declare that God is love.
40:22 Friends, as Ellen White said, "We are homeward bound.
40:28 He loved us so much to die for us,
40:30 has builded for us a city.
40:33 The New Jerusalem is our place of rest.
40:38 There will be no sadness in the city of God.
40:42 No wail of sorrow, no dirge of crushed hopes,
40:45 and buried affections will ever more be heard,
40:47 isn't that good news?
40:50 Soon the garments of heaviness will be changed
40:52 for the wedding garment.
40:54 Soon we shall witness the coronation of our King.
41:00 Those whose lives have been hidden with Christ,
41:04 those who on this earth have fought
41:05 the good fight of faith,
41:07 will shine forth with the Redeemer's glory
41:10 in the kingdom of God."
41:12 What do you say? You want to to do that?
41:14 I tell you what, it makes everything
41:15 on this planet worthwhile.
41:18 It will not be long till we shall see Him,
41:21 on whom our hopes of eternal lives are centered.
41:24 And in his presence all the trials and suffering
41:27 of this life will be as nothing else,
41:31 therefore as it says in Hebrews 10:35-37,
41:36 "Cast not away therefore your confidence,
41:39 which hath great recompense of reward."
41:41 He does, doesn't He?
41:43 Great recompense of reward.
41:45 "For ye have need of patience, that,
41:48 after ye have done the will of God,
41:50 ye might receive the promise.
41:52 For yet a little while,
41:54 and He that shall come will come, and will not tarry."
41:59 Look up, look up,
42:02 and let your faith continually increase.
42:06 Let this faith guide you along the narrow path
42:09 that leads through the gates of the city of God
42:12 into the great beyond, the wide,
42:15 unbounded future of glory that is for the redeemed.
42:20 Listen to this final message from Pastor John Bradshaw
42:23 and the Fountainview Orchestra,
42:25 "Jesus is coming again."
42:31 And really that's what it's all about,
42:34 being reunited with our good friend Jesus,
42:37 and that's what God wants.
42:39 This production demonstrates that, you know,
42:41 speaking of earthquakes more than 6,000 years ago,
42:44 there was a great earthquake in the Garden of Eden,
42:47 the greatest earthquake ever to strike this earth.
42:49 It was the earthquake of sin
42:50 because sin separates us from God.
42:54 The human family and a Holy God was separated
42:56 which is why God sent Jesus into this world,
43:00 to bring us back into harmony with God.
43:03 The light of truth burned brightly
43:05 in the early Christian church, but before long,
43:08 it was obscured.
43:09 The dark ages came.
43:10 They were dark because there was no light of truth.
43:13 Then came the reformers, and slowly
43:17 but surely the light of truth
43:19 started to shine brightly again.
43:21 Not just truth as a theory,
43:24 but truth in the person of Jesus.
43:28 You see as we look back over where we've been
43:30 as we've spent this time together,
43:31 what we see is that God is doing everything he can
43:35 to get us to the place where we are ready
43:38 to spend eternity with him.
43:41 I hope, you'll take the opportunity
43:42 to read the book that this production is based on.
43:45 I can recommend it personally.
43:47 It's the book outside of the Bible
43:49 that absolutely changed my life.
43:52 Read it, be encouraged, be blessed.
43:55 See the fingerprints of God down through history
43:59 leading to the place when that great day comes,
44:02 the sky splits wide open and Jesus appears.
44:06 Friend, is the appearance of Jesus your great hope?
44:10 It can be, it must be.
44:13 If you open up your heart to Jesus Christ,
44:16 then what Jesus did when he was on the earth,
44:19 what the Reformers did when they put their lives
44:21 in peril to deliver us truth
44:23 and light will all be for something.
44:26 There's something you can look forward
44:28 to beyond the hurt, and the heartbreak,
44:30 and the disappointments, and the trials of this world.
44:33 You can look forward to the return of Jesus.
44:36 When He comes back, He wants to take you home
44:40 to be with Him forever.
44:43 The best news is Jesus is coming again.
45:53 Lift up the trumpet, and loud let it ring
45:58 Jesus is coming again
46:02 Cheer up, ye pilgrims, be joyful and sin
46:07 Jesus is coming again
46:11 Coming again, coming again
46:16 Jesus is coming again
46:30 Echo it, hilltops proclaim it, ye plains
46:34 Jesus is coming again
46:38 Coming in glory, the Lamb that was slain
46:43 Jesus is coming again
46:48 Coming again, coming again
46:52 Jesus is coming again
47:13 Heaving's of earth, tell the vast, wondering throng
47:18 Jesus is coming again
47:23 Tempests and whirlwinds,
47:26 The anthem prolong
47:31 Jesus is coming again
47:37 Coming again
47:43 Coming again
47:49 Jesus is
47:52 Coming again
48:10 Nations are angry, by this we do know
48:15 Jesus is coming again
48:19 Knowledge increases, men run to and fro
48:24 Jesus is coming again
48:29 Coming again, coming again
48:34 Jesus is coming again
48:39 Coming again, coming again
48:44 Jesus is coming again
48:49 Coming again, coming again
48:54 Jesus is coming again.
48:58 Coming again
49:11 What do you say?
49:12 Amen. Amen.
49:14 You're looking forward to that?
49:16 There's nothing to compare with it.
49:20 Now for our viewers who've been watching
49:21 this program, you heard Pastor Bradshaw
49:25 talk about the great controversy.
49:28 And if you'd like a copy of the music
49:30 that you've seen on this program
49:31 together with a copy of the great controversy,
49:34 here's the information you need, take up your pen,
49:37 get your phone and be prepared.
49:44 Inspired by the Reformation,
49:45 The Great Controversy DVD production is a musical
49:49 and historical journey through Europe.
49:51 It Is writtens' John Bradshaw joins Fountainview Academy
49:55 to host this production,
49:56 filmed in five different countries of Europe,
49:59 at historically meaningful sites.
50:02 These young musicians share not only music,
50:04 but personal testimonies
50:06 and powerful reformation stories
50:08 still relevant to our lives today.
50:13 To order your own set of The Great Controversy DVD
50:15 and book by Fountainview Academy
50:17 or Writtens' singers, visit their online web store
50:20 at Store.Fountainview.ca.
50:24 That's Store.Fountainview.ca.
50:28 Or you may call them in North America
50:30 on 1877 490 4141.
50:40 Let us pray.
50:46 Loving father, what a joy it is to pray to You
50:50 and give thanks and praise to You Lord,
50:53 for that what You've prepared within that love You.
50:57 We are conscious that we are mortal.
51:00 There's a great gulf between us and You because of sin,
51:04 but Jesus has bridged that gulf.
51:08 Lord, we are so thankful,
51:10 and we accept that mighty sacrifice.
51:13 We're so grateful for it, Lord.
51:16 Please forgive us our sins,
51:17 cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
51:20 And move us by Your spirit to want to be transformed
51:22 by the renewing of our mind,
51:25 that we might have a mindset that is fit to be
51:29 a resident in the Holy City,
51:32 that we may withstand all the trouble
51:34 that's in this world,
51:36 and perhaps of more trouble to come.
51:39 Lord, we want to be ready to go home with You,
51:41 and not only do we want to be ready,
51:44 we want to have a train of captives with us.
51:47 He will join us on that victory march
51:49 of seven days throughout the universe
51:52 displaying the wonderful result of Jesus' work.
51:57 Please keep this foremost in our mind
52:01 as we move forward in this old dark world,
52:04 knowing that you are coming again soon.
52:06 Help us to tell as many as we can,
52:09 and to be ready ourselves to meet you in the clouds
52:11 because we ask these things in Jesus precious name.
52:15 Amen.


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Revised 2017-12-31