Participants:
Series Code: GLM
Program Code: GLM200005S
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00:38 Hello, and welcome to this program today.
00:42 Thank you so much for coming, 00:43 those of you who are in the studio, 00:45 and also those around TV Land, 00:47 wherever you may be watching, you're very welcome today too. 00:52 This is the fifth in a series of eight programs, 00:55 dealing with God's last message to the world, 00:59 our most important topic. 01:00 So let us bow our heads for a word of prayer. 01:04 Our loving Father in heaven, we thank You so much 01:07 for the gift of life that we share. 01:10 We thank You for the hope 01:11 that we have that one day Jesus is going to return. 01:15 We thank You for all the blessings of life 01:17 that You've given to us. 01:19 And we pray today as we begin this program 01:22 for the guidance and the presence 01:23 of the Holy Spirit. 01:25 May He be here to help me in all the words I speak 01:29 and to help those who listen. 01:31 And we ask this in Jesus' wonderful name, amen. 01:37 We concluded our last presentation 01:39 on a very negative note. 01:42 I don't think we have any idea today 01:45 of how that disappointment 01:48 when Jesus didn't come on October 22, 1844. 01:52 How that disappointment affected the people 01:55 who passed through that experience. 01:58 There were many thousands of people 01:59 who are waiting for Jesus to come on that day. 02:02 Prophecy had pointed unerringly to the date. 02:06 They knew 1844 was right by what prophecy had predicted. 02:13 They had experienced the presence of the Holy Spirit 02:16 in their preaching. 02:18 Tens of thousands of people had been converted, 02:21 and were waiting for Jesus to come, 02:24 anticipating not only the joy of seeing Jesus, 02:28 but also the joy of seeing their loved ones 02:30 who have passed away. 02:32 But now that sweet anticipation 02:36 had turned to a most bitter experience. 02:40 Reading what one of them later recalled 02:43 helps us understand 02:44 the intensity of this disappointment. 02:48 I want you to notice the words of a young preacher 02:51 who was there during the preaching 02:54 because he had joined 02:56 even though he was only in his 20s, 02:58 he had joined the preaching of William Miller. 03:02 He was one among the many hundreds of ministers 03:04 who did and he wrote this after the disappointment. 03:09 "When Elder Himes..." 03:10 Now Elder Himes was the Public Relations Officer 03:13 for William Miller. 03:14 "When Elder Himes visited Portland, Maine, 03:17 a few days after the passing of the time, 03:20 and stated that the brethren should prepare 03:23 for another cold winter," 03:25 because it's October and it's in the Northern Hemisphere, 03:28 "my feelings were almost uncontrollable. 03:32 I left the place of meeting and I wept like a child." 03:38 You know, we must ask the same questions today 03:40 of that time. 03:42 They had been so sure 03:44 as I said that prophecy had been fulfilled. 03:47 But that raised big questions, 03:49 was God leading them in this experience 03:51 when it came to such a bitter disappointment? 03:54 Could God have been in a movement 03:57 that ended so ignominiously 03:59 when thousands even lost their faith 04:03 because of their disappointment? 04:06 You know, so often God's ways seem perplexing to us, 04:11 especially when they cause us pain. 04:14 But God is working because He sees the big picture. 04:18 He sees the end from the beginning, 04:21 and knows what is best. 04:23 I want this morning in introducing this disappointment 04:26 and how God resolved it to a time 04:29 when God's people suffered 04:31 a big disappointment in Bible times. 04:35 And I'm referring to the experience 04:36 of the two disciples, followers of Jesus 04:40 walking on that road to Emmaus 04:42 on the day that Jesus rose from the dead. 04:46 We pick up the story in Luke Chapter 24. 04:49 And we're going to read the whole story this morning, 04:51 verses 13 down to 32. 04:54 Because it is such an important story 04:57 and it's going to throw a lot of light on the disappointment 05:01 that was suffered in 1844. 05:03 So here is verse 13. 05:05 "Now behold, two of them," two of the followers of Jesus, 05:09 "were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus." 05:12 Now may I remind you again, earlier that morning, 05:16 Jesus had risen from the dead. 05:18 You all know why I mentioned that and emphasize it 05:21 in the light of what's going to follow. 05:23 But Jesus had risen that Sunday morning. 05:25 And now two of his followers 05:27 were walking on a road to Emmaus, 05:29 "which was about seven miles from Jerusalem. 05:32 And they talked together of all these things," 05:36 and now, "which had happened," of course. 05:39 "So it was, while they conversed 05:42 and reasoned that Jesus Himself," 05:45 think of what I've just told you, 05:47 "that Jesus Himself drew near, and went with them." 05:51 These two, but and notice the but, 05:55 "But their eyes were restrained, 05:57 so that they didn't know Him." 05:59 So here they were walking along this country road, 06:01 and a stranger comes up and walks with them. 06:04 And they don't know because something's happened 06:06 to their eyes. 06:08 They don't know that this is Jesus 06:10 that is walking with them. 06:12 So let's continue in the next verse. 06:15 "And He said to them, 06:17 'What kind of conversation is this... 06:20 that you have with one another as you walk and are sad?' 06:25 " Jesus picked up that these two people were sad 06:29 because of something that had happened in their lives. 06:31 So what is it? 06:32 What kind of conversation is it? 06:34 Notice the answer that they gave. 06:37 "Then the one whose name was Cleopas, 06:40 again can I remind you, 06:42 we only know the name of one of the two, 06:45 "and said to Him, 'Are You the only stranger in Jerusalem, 06:49 and have You not known the things which happened 06:51 there in these days?' 06:53 " Because they are aware, this is Sunday morning, 06:55 Jesus had died two days before on the Friday. 07:00 And they're sad, and they're wondering 07:01 why the stranger is not sad as well. 07:04 And so it continues in the next verse. 07:08 "And He," Jesus, "said unto them, 07:10 'What things have happened?' 07:12 " You know, this is one of my favorite stories 07:14 in the Gospel of Luke. 07:15 And I think here is Jesus going along with this. 07:17 What things have happened there in the last couple of days? 07:20 And how do they... 07:22 And he said to them, and "So they said to Him, 07:25 'The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, 07:27 who was a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God 07:31 and all the people, and how the chief priests 07:33 and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, 07:38 and crucified Him.'" 07:41 Then in the next verse, 07:43 and here I want you to notice the first sentence. 07:47 "But we were hoping that 07:49 it was he who was going to redeem Israel." 07:52 I want to stop there. 07:55 There's the disappointment. 07:57 Here was Jesus walking among us, 07:59 we thought He was a prophet. 08:01 And we were hoping that He was going to redeem Israel, 08:05 but He died. 08:07 I need to explain something. 08:10 When Jesus came to this earth, 08:13 what was believed by the Jewish leaders, 08:15 and that included Jesus disciples, 08:18 was that when the Messiah came to earth, 08:21 because the Jews had always held the hope 08:23 that the Messiah would come one day, 08:26 and they had seen signs that made them think 08:28 that maybe Jesus was the Messiah. 08:31 It was a common belief among the Jewish people 08:33 that when the Messiah came, he would throw off the Romans, 08:37 who were ruling over them, and make Israel 08:40 the greatest nation on the earth. 08:43 And they believed that because they had read 08:46 text in the Old Testament 08:48 that really referred to the Second Coming of Jesus. 08:52 And they thought that if Jesus was the Messiah, 08:55 He would throw off the Romans and make Israel a great nation. 08:59 Now that, of course, suited their national pride as well. 09:02 And I guess Satan had a plan in doing this, 09:06 that because they believed that 09:09 Jesus didn't fulfill what they believed, 09:12 and therefore they were in the mood to reject Jesus 09:15 which, of course, they did. 09:17 So keep in mind that was the reason. 09:20 We were hoping that he was going to redeem Israel. 09:22 He was going to lift Israel up 09:23 and be the great nation in the earth. 09:26 And then they continued. 09:28 "Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day 09:31 since these things happened. 09:33 Yes, and certain women of our company, 09:37 who arrived at the tomb early, astonished us. 09:43 When they did not find his body, 09:45 they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels, 09:49 " they're reporting what had been heard about 09:51 what had happened earlier that morning, 09:53 "who said he was alive and certain of those 09:56 who were with us went to the tomb 09:58 and found that just as the women had said, 10:00 but Him they did not see. 10:04 Then he said to them," look, now here Jesus speaking, 10:08 'O foolish ones, 10:11 and slow of heart to believe 10:13 in all that the prophets have spoken!' 10:16 " And He probably emphasized 10:17 in all that the prophets have spoken. 10:20 You have just been reading a selection 10:22 of Old Testament texts, 10:23 believing that the Messiah was going to be a great king 10:25 who would throw off the Romans. 10:28 But the Old Testament was saying a lot more. 10:31 Then he said to them, "Ought not the Christ..." 10:35 And remember that word, as we've discovered 10:36 in our earlier presentation means the Messiah, 10:39 "Ought not the Messiah, " 10:41 the promised one that you've been hoping to see, 10:44 "to have suffered these things, 10:47 " He'd gone to the cross, "and to enter into His glory? 10:53 And beginning at Moses, and all the prophets, 10:56 He expounded to them in all the Scriptures 11:00 the things concerning Himself." 11:03 Oh, friends, 11:04 how much I would love to have heard that Bible study. 11:07 You notice it says that beginning way back there 11:10 with the Books of Moses, and then all the prophets, 11:14 he told them that the text in the Bible concerning Jesus. 11:19 Now I've mentioned to you before, 11:21 that in the Old Testament, scholars say 11:22 that there are some 300 predictions 11:25 in the Old Testament that pointed to the Messiah. 11:29 And I'm sure Jesus didn't give them the whole 300. 11:32 But I'm sure He would have read to them about Isaiah 53, 11:36 that wonderful chapter there in Isaiah, 11:38 where it says He was wounded for our transgressions, 11:42 you remember, 11:43 and He was bruised for our iniquities, 11:45 He was led as a lamb to the slaughter. 11:49 He would have probably pointed out 11:50 I'm sure that prophecy in Daniel, 11:52 which foretold the exact year Jesus would be baptized, 11:56 and then the year that He would be crucified. 11:59 Exactly. 12:01 But whatever He said that day, He expounded to them, 12:05 that the Messiah wasn't going to come and be a king, 12:09 and throw off the Romans. 12:11 He was going to come as a suffering servant, 12:15 and He would die on a cross. 12:18 And that was a revelation 12:20 to those two disciples that day. 12:23 Then it says, "Then they drew near to the village 12:26 where they were going, 12:28 and He indicated that He would have gone on farther. 12:31 But they constrained Him saying, 12:33 'Abide with us, for it is toward evening, 12:36 and the day is far spent.' 12:37 And He went in to stay with them.'" 12:41 And it continues, "Now it came to pass, 12:45 as He sat at the table with them, " 12:48 notice what happens, 12:50 "that He took bread and gave it to them." 12:55 And at that moment, the Bible says, 12:57 "Then their eyes were opened, 12:59 and they knew who had been walking with them. 13:02 They knew who was the one 13:03 who had given them that Bible study, 13:05 and he vanished from their sight." 13:08 I wonder why it was that the Bible says He went in, 13:13 broke the bread, gave it to them, 13:16 then their eyes were opened. 13:19 Why do you think it happened at that very moment? 13:23 I have a theory. 13:24 And I think I can back it up in Scripture, too. 13:27 But I think that what happened as he they, 13:30 as he handed the bread to them, what would they have seen? 13:34 They have seen the marks 13:36 in His hands from the crucifixion. 13:40 Then their eyes were opened, and they knew Him. 13:44 They knew Him. 13:46 Well... 13:48 let's have a look as the story continues, 13:51 because when we compare or look at their experience, 13:55 we can ask some questions about why they were disappointed, 14:00 and what had caused their disappointment. 14:03 Let's have a look at that. 14:07 First of all the disciples, if we can ask the question, 14:11 why were they disappointed? 14:13 And the answer comes because Jesus 14:16 hadn't set up His kingdom, as they expected Him to. 14:20 Remember they expected 14:21 a different picture of the Messiah 14:23 than the one who had allowed Himself 14:25 to be crucified. 14:26 Then the question also comes, 14:29 what had caused their disappointment? 14:32 And the answer, they had misinterpreted 14:35 the Old Testament prophecies about Jesus. 14:39 Whereas the Bible spoke about the events of the Second Coming 14:42 that the Jews were focusing on. 14:45 They hadn't read the rest of the Old Testament 14:47 carefully enough to see that He was to come and die first. 14:51 And then how did Jesus resolve their disappointment? 14:55 Well, He pointed them to His Word. 14:59 He gave them a Bible study, opened up 15:01 some of those Old Testament scriptures 15:03 that pointed to Him coming and dying on a cross. 15:07 And that made a tremendous difference to their experience. 15:11 What a wonderful Bible study it must have been. 15:14 Of course, as they realized in hearing Jesus speaking, 15:17 of course, the Messiah had to die, 15:19 not come as a king, He had to die. 15:22 And He died right on time just as Daniel predicted. 15:26 They thought that He was going to come as a king, 15:28 but He had a work to perform in the heavenly sanctuary 15:34 before He could come and be the leader of the world. 15:39 In other words, they hadn't read 15:40 all those Old Testament scriptures 15:43 that said about the Messiah and His kingdom. 15:46 You know, the Bible says a little later on, 15:49 that when they reported back to the disciples in Jerusalem 15:53 about their experience of walking with Jesus, 15:56 they said, "Did not our heart burn within us 16:00 while He talked to us on the way?" 16:04 I don't know whether you've ever had an experience, 16:06 dear friends, of the burning heart. 16:09 You've listened to something 16:10 from God's Word that has really 16:12 sort of inspired you and thrilled you 16:15 the experience of the burning heart 16:18 as He unfolded prophecies to them. 16:20 Prophecy had been fulfilled, it had pointed unerringly 16:24 to the last few days in Jerusalem, 16:27 but and listen to what I'm about to say. 16:29 But their interpretation was different. 16:33 The 69 and a half weeks of Daniel's prophecy 16:36 that we studied, a couple of presentations ago 16:39 had been exactly fulfilled. 16:42 The time was right, the timing was right. 16:47 But the event they thought was to happen was wrong. 16:52 And Jesus came and through His Word corrected their error, 16:55 brought them through their disappointment, 16:57 reaffirm their faith and their confidence, 16:59 and gave them a message to take to the world. 17:04 With this experience in our minds, 17:07 I want to take you back in history now, 17:10 to the morning after the disappointment 17:14 of October 22, 1844. 17:18 It's Wednesday, October 23, 1844. 17:23 And I want you to see on the map, 17:25 the place that I want to take you to. 17:29 This is the state of New York. 17:31 And you'll see a blue line across that state, 17:34 which is a canal 17:36 that the American people had built in 1825. 17:40 And it really opened up 17:41 the whole central part of the United States. 17:44 Because people's goods that came from Europe, 17:47 could come to New York, they could go up that river 17:50 that you can see, up to Waterford, 17:53 then put all their goods on that canal 17:55 and take it right across the state of New York 17:58 and empty it down in Buffalo, 18:00 which is just below Niagara Falls. 18:03 That was the reason why 18:05 they couldn't bring their goods 18:06 into the central part of the United States, 18:08 because Niagara Falls was there to block them. 18:12 And there on that canal 18:13 is a little town called Port Gibson. 18:17 And I want to take you there this morning. 18:19 Because in Port Gibson 18:21 there lived a man called Hiram Edson. 18:24 He was a Methodist lay preacher. 18:27 And he'd been converted 18:28 to the teachings of William Miller 18:31 that Jesus was coming in 1844. 18:34 And he believed that that was right, 18:37 that that was biblical. 18:39 And here he shared his new faith, 18:41 he couldn't hold it to himself, and he shared his new faith. 18:44 This is 1843 just before 1844, 18:48 and about hundred of his neighbors 18:50 were also looking forward to the coming of Jesus. 18:55 A short time before the disappointment, 18:58 those tens of thousands of people 19:01 who had believed Miller's teachings 19:03 had taken the name Adventist. 19:07 They, Miller himself was really a little upset 19:11 when people referred to them as Millerites. 19:14 He didn't feel that his name should be mentioned 19:16 in that way. 19:17 And so because these people were looking forward 19:20 to the Second Coming, the advent of Jesus, 19:25 they took the name Adventists. 19:28 On October 22, 19:31 Hiram Edson was among the many people 19:34 who were disappointed, 19:36 waiting after waiting for the coming of the Lord. 19:39 And I want you to notice what he says 19:41 about that disappointment. 19:43 "We looked for our coming Lord on October 22 19:47 until the clock told 12 at mid-night. 19:51 The day had been passed," he wrote, 19:54 "and our disappointment became a certainty. 19:58 Our fondest hopes and expectations 20:02 were blasted, " he says. 20:04 And then it continues, 20:06 "And such a spirit of weeping came over us 20:09 as I never experienced before... 20:12 We wept and wept till the day dawn." 20:17 Here is this man with those people gathering 20:19 in that little town of Port Gibson, 20:21 describing their experience, 20:23 we wept and wept through the rest of the night 20:25 until the day dawned. 20:27 Jesus had not come, had not come. 20:32 Well, as the sun rose on a new day, 20:34 Edson tells us and he writes this in a manuscript 20:38 and I've held that manuscript in my hands, 20:41 the writing of this man as he recalled that experience. 20:44 He tells us that he suggested to some of his friends, 20:47 that they should go to his barn and meet for earnest prayer. 20:53 Why were they praying? 20:54 You can understand. 20:55 They wanted the Lord to give them understanding, 20:59 to tell them why Jesus hadn't come the day before. 21:03 And it entails that they continued in prayer, 21:05 until the conviction came that 21:07 their prayers were really answered, 21:10 heard and accepted, 21:12 and that God would provide an explanation 21:15 as to why He hadn't come the day before. 21:19 Edson who was beginning to wonder 21:21 whether there was a God in heaven, 21:23 because of this bitter disappointment. 21:26 It tells us that they were reassured 21:28 that truly there is a God in heaven 21:31 and that His Word is true and sure. 21:34 Well, after their prayer season in the barn, 21:38 Edson and an unknown friend, can I say that again? 21:42 Edson and somebody else 21:45 we do not know his name or her name, 21:49 decided to go and visit 21:51 some of their disappointed neighbors. 21:54 And to avoid the mocking neighbors, 21:56 and I'm not mentioning or dwelling on it. 21:58 But can you imagine how the world at that time 22:01 turned against those thousands of Adventists, 22:04 who were looking forward to the coming of Jesus, 22:07 when He didn't come. 22:09 And to avoid the mocking of their neighbors, 22:12 they decided to cut across a field. 22:16 Both were still thinking about their disappointment, 22:19 over the failure of Jesus to come as a king. 22:23 They were walking with heavy hearts, 22:26 so saddened because of their experience. 22:30 And like the two disciples, one of whose name we know, 22:36 walking along a country road in disappointment. 22:40 So two Adventists, one of whose name we know 22:45 were walking on a longer road in disappointment. 22:49 The disciples had looked forward 22:51 to Jesus coming as a king. 22:53 And were disappointed because Jesus didn't come 22:56 as they expected Him to. 22:59 And the Adventists, they were looking forward 23:03 to Jesus coming as a king. 23:05 But he was... They too were disappointed. 23:08 Why were the Adventists disappointed? 23:10 Because Jesus hadn't set up His kingdom, 23:12 as they expected Him to. 23:15 What had caused their disappointment? 23:17 They had misinterpreted the Old Testament prophecies 23:20 about Jesus. 23:22 How did Jesus resolve their disappointment? 23:23 He pointed them to His Word. 23:25 Look at that chart that I've put on the screen. 23:28 How similar it was to that experience 23:32 of those two followers of Jesus 23:35 on the day of Jesus resurrection. 23:39 I want to go now to a continuation 23:41 of Hiram Edson's manuscript 23:44 that day that he wrote up his experience. 23:47 And look at what it says, "After breakfast, 23:50 I said to one of my brethren, 23:52 'Let us go and see and encourage 23:54 some of our brethren.' 23:56 We started and while passing through a large field, 23:59 I was stopped about midway of the field. 24:03 Heaven seemed open to my view..." 24:05 Let me just stop there. 24:07 Was it a vision that Hiram Edson was having? 24:11 I don't believe so. 24:13 Hiram Edson later on became a minister in the church 24:16 and he never later claimed to have seen a vision that day. 24:20 What happened to him? 24:22 I believe it was a moment of spiritual insight. 24:25 The Holy Spirit drew near to Him, 24:28 and flooded his mind, notice, with Scripture. 24:31 Remember the experience of them walking on the road to Emmaus, 24:35 flooding his mind with Scripture. 24:37 And what did he see? 24:39 Look at the rest of the manuscript. 24:42 "And I saw distinctly and clearly," he says, 24:46 not with his literal eyes, 24:47 but with the spiritual eyes blessed by the Holy Spirit, 24:51 "that instead of our High Priest 24:53 coming out of the Most Holy of the heavenly sanctuary, 24:58 to come to this earth 25:01 on the tenth day of the seventh month." 25:03 And remember the tenth day of the seventh month 25:05 that was the Day of Atonement. 25:07 And that year, it was October 22. 25:10 So what he's saying here that instead of our high priest 25:13 coming out of the Most Holy of the heavenly sanctuary, 25:16 to come to this earth on October 22, 25:20 "at the end of the 2300 days, 25:24 that he, for the first time entered on that day, 25:29 the second apartment, 25:30 the Most Holy Place in the heavenly sanctuary, 25:34 and that He had a work to perform in the Most Holy 25:37 before coming to this earth." 25:41 That was a most important revelation, 25:45 because here was the explanation 25:48 of the disappointment. 25:50 The sanctuary to be cleansed was not the earth 25:54 as William Miller and hundreds of other preachers had said. 25:58 It was the sanctuary in heaven that was to be cleansed. 26:03 And this idea seemed like a message from heaven. 26:07 It was a wonderful discovery. 26:09 Their morning prayers were being answered. 26:12 Jesus was still going to come back. 26:14 But He had a work to perform in the Most Holy Place 26:18 of that heavenly sanctuary before His return. 26:22 They didn't know then what that work was, 26:26 that would come and had to come from Bible study. 26:30 What had Bible prophecy predicted? 26:33 I want you to go back 26:35 to what we said some presentations ago, 26:37 to that experience in Daniel 26:40 in Revelation, rather Chapter 10, 26:44 where it says here in verse 10, 26:47 "Then I took, " that's John who's writing, 26:50 the disciple John who's writing the book of Revelation, 26:53 "I took the little book out of the angel's hand 26:56 and ate it." 26:58 Now, you might say what's happening here, 26:59 because you remember that he was given the command, 27:02 go up to the angel, who's got a little book in his hand, 27:04 which we believe was the Book of Daniel. 27:08 And he was told to eat it. 27:11 And he says, "When I ate it, 27:14 it was as sweet as honey in my mouth. 27:17 But when I had eaten it, my stomach became bitter." 27:23 And then after that experience, "He said to me, 27:27 'You must prophesy again about many peoples, 27:31 nations, tongues and kings.'" 27:34 What is all that meaning in this amazing prediction, 27:38 because that's what it was, it's written in prophecy, 27:40 in the Book of Revelation? 27:43 We have here the Book of Daniel being opened up 27:46 in the time of the end. 27:49 We have here predicted a message 27:51 from the Book of Daniel, the 2,300 year prophecy, 27:54 because that was to reach, you remember, 27:56 to the time of the end. 27:59 And here, John is invited to receive that little book. 28:02 When we eat something, 28:04 you know, we absorb it into our very being. 28:08 And when they heard the message out of the little book 28:11 of the 2,300 years, 28:13 and they've heard that Jesus was going to come, 28:16 that was very sweet at first, 28:18 but it turned and this is predicted 28:21 2,000 years before it happened in 1844. 28:26 When they had eaten it, it became a bitter experience. 28:32 But notice, in this prediction, 28:35 it also was said, "You must prophesy again." 28:39 This is the word spoken to John, 28:42 representing the people who heard that message. 28:45 "Don't think your preaching is over 28:46 just because you've had this bitter experience. 28:48 You've got to preach again, 28:50 you've been doing some preaching." 28:52 But now this time, you've got to preach, 28:54 it says, "to many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings." 28:59 A worldwide message. 29:01 You're not stopping preaching in 1844, 29:03 after a bitter disappointment. 29:05 God is sovereign, and is ruling over everything. 29:09 And you've got to take a message to the world. 29:13 All that had been predicted in Revelation 10 and 11. 29:19 But we should also notice verse 19 29:22 of Revelation Chapter 11. 29:25 Because in verse 19, we have these words, 29:30 "Then the temple of God was opened in heaven, 29:35 and the ark of His covenant was seen in His temple. 29:39 And there were lightnings, and noises, 29:42 and thunderings, and an earthquake." 29:45 After that experience, John had been told, 29:50 "You must preach again." 29:52 The very next verse which is 11:1 29:55 says that an angel told John 29:58 to measure the temple in heaven. 30:02 That was an amazing revelation too, 30:06 because it was the temple, 30:07 their identification of the sanctuary 30:11 that was the cause of the problem. 30:12 They had said that the sanctuary or the temple 30:15 was, the earth is gonna be cleansed by fire. 30:18 And here in the Book of Revelation 30:20 in that amazing prediction. 30:22 After the sweet experience, the bitter disappointment, 30:25 told to preach again, what were they to preach about? 30:29 The next verse says, 30:31 "Measure God's temple in heaven." 30:34 Look at the sanctuary, when you measure something, 30:36 you look closely at it, you take us dimensions, 30:40 measure the heavenly sanctuary, 30:42 measure the temple of God in heaven. 30:45 And as I said, here in verse 19, 30:47 at the end of that same chapter, 30:49 we read that when the seventh trumpet 30:51 is about to sound, that is, in the time of the end, 30:54 just before the Second Coming of Christ, 30:57 the temple in heaven is going to be opened. 31:00 And the ark of His covenant was seen in that temple. 31:06 The ark of His covenant was seen in His temple. 31:11 I'm going to explain in a moment, 31:13 just what that really means. 31:15 Well... 31:17 now notice, and this is going to surprise you. 31:19 Because a little later on, 31:22 Hiram Edson wrote another manuscript, 31:24 recalling what came into His mind 31:27 that morning after that season of prayer, 31:30 and have a look at what he says. 31:34 "My mind was directed to the tenth chapter 31:38 of Revelation, 31:40 where I could see the vision had really spoken 31:43 and didn't lie, 31:44 the seventh angel," look at what he says, 31:46 "the seventh angel had began to sound, 31:49 we had eaten the little book, 31:52 it had been sweet in our mouth," 31:55 and then it continues, " 31:57 and it had now become bitter in our belly, 32:00 embittering our whole being. 32:02 That we had to prophesy again, 32:05 and that when the seventh angel began to sound, 32:09 the temple of God was opened in heaven, 32:12 and they were seen in His temple 32:14 the ark of his testament." 32:17 Notice what this small group of people 32:19 would part through the disappointment 32:21 were beginning to understand. 32:23 And when they look at, look back at Revelation 10, 32:26 they saw it all had been written, 32:28 to encourage them, no doubt, 32:30 to hold on, because God was going to do 32:33 great things to them. 32:36 Clearly, they've been wrong in saying that the sanctuary 32:39 to be cleansed was the earth by fire. 32:44 That hadn't happened. 32:45 But what had happened? 32:48 Well, the Lord had to gradually open their minds to new truth. 32:54 And it had to come from God's Word. 32:59 Edson's attention was drawn 33:01 to the identification of the sanctuary. 33:05 It was the heavenly sanctuary, 33:07 the pattern for which had been shown 33:10 to Moses long before, 33:13 but they wanted to be sure about this. 33:15 So that day, Hiram Edson and that unknown friend, 33:19 together with Dr. Han, and Alan Crosier, 33:23 a young orphan boy, 33:24 that was with Owen Crosier or Hiram Edson, 33:27 decided that they would go back immediately that Wednesday, 33:31 and open up the scriptures to study the subject 33:34 of the sanctuary. 33:36 And what did they find that day? 33:39 They found that the Bible had taught 33:42 that when Jesus ascended after his 33 years here on earth, 33:47 He began His work as our high priest 33:51 in the heavenly sanctuary. 33:54 Now I want you to read that verse 33:55 that they read that morning. 33:57 It's found in Hebrews 8:1. 34:01 We have, this is the writer of Hebrews saying 34:04 to the Hebrew people, the Jewish people. 34:07 "We have such a High Priest, 34:09 who is seated at the right hand of the Majesty in the heavens, 34:13 a Minister of the sanctuary 34:15 and of the true tabernacle 34:18 which the Lord erected, and not man." 34:21 Notice those words. 34:24 We have a High Priest, He's now ascended to heaven, 34:27 and He's ministering for us in the heavenly sanctuary, 34:31 the true one, that the Lord erected and not man. 34:37 But then as they continued to study, 34:39 they noticed that the Bible taught us very clearly 34:43 that there was a heavenly sanctuary, 34:46 and that when Moses was told to make the earthly one, 34:50 he didn't just pull what his ideas were about 34:54 how to make a temple or a sanctuary in the desert. 34:57 The Bible tells me that God gave him 34:59 a pattern of the heavenly sanctuary. 35:03 The Bible says it was to be like a miniature copy. 35:07 It was to be a shadow. 35:09 In other words, as that you would look at 35:11 the earthly sanctuary, 35:12 it would help you to understand what Jesus was going to do 35:15 in the heavenly sanctuary. 35:18 And so they noticed that this sanctuary 35:21 had two apartments. 35:23 And here you'll see on the screen, 35:26 that this sanctuary, which was a beautiful building, 35:30 we haven't got time this morning 35:31 to go into the details. 35:33 But you'll notice particularly that there were two apartments 35:37 in the earthly sanctuary. 35:40 Keep in mind that what we see in the earthly 35:43 is a little miniature picture, as it were, of the heavenly, 35:47 just as there were two apartments here, 35:49 the Holy Place and the Most Holy. 35:52 So that represented two divisions 35:54 of the work of the High Priest in the heavenly sanctuary. 35:58 Then also, we have as we look into the sanctuary, 36:03 in the Holy Place, there were seven candlesticks, 36:07 on the left hand side, in this beautiful room 36:10 where the walls were of gold. 36:13 On the right was a little table with 12 loaves of bread. 36:17 And directly in front of a beautiful curtain 36:20 at the end was an altar called the altar of incense, 36:24 only three pieces of furniture. 36:26 But I remind you again, that this was to represent 36:29 the heavenly sanctuary, and what Jesus would do, 36:33 Jesus was the light of the world. 36:35 Jesus was the bread of life. 36:38 It was the incense that arose from the altar of incense 36:41 that represented Christ's righteousness 36:44 that was mingled with the prayers of God's people. 36:48 But then, as you went through the curtain, 36:51 and I should remind your, dear friends, 36:52 that ordinary people, 36:54 not even priests could enter into the second apartment, 36:57 the Most Holy Place, 36:59 because there in the Most Holy Place 37:01 was just one piece of furniture. 37:03 It was called the ark of His testament. 37:08 It was just a golden box, 37:10 it had a lid on the top of it that was called the mercy seat. 37:14 And inside that box were placed the Ten Commandments, 37:19 the law of God that God had written with His own finger 37:22 on tables of stone 37:23 that was placed under the mercy seat, 37:27 to teach you and me that God's mercy 37:30 always is there to cover His broken law. 37:34 And on the top of the box, there were two golden angels. 37:37 And in between the two golden angels, 37:40 was an exceedingly bright light. 37:44 It was called the Shekinah, the Shekinah Glory. 37:48 It was actually the presence of God in that light, 37:53 between the two cherubim. 37:55 And that was the only piece of furniture there. 37:58 But can you understand, dear friends, 37:59 that when the high priest 38:01 entered into that Most Holy Place... 38:05 he had to go, having cleansed his own heart, 38:09 having made everything right between him and God, 38:12 as he entered the Most Holy Place, 38:14 because there he was facing God. 38:17 Nobody else, 38:18 not even the priest could go into the Most Holy Place. 38:21 And only the high priest 38:23 could go into the Most Holy Place 38:24 on one day in the year. 38:27 And listen carefully, when I say, 38:30 he went in to cleanse the sanctuary. 38:34 Why did the sanctuary need cleansing, the earthly one, 38:36 I mean, because that's a picture 38:38 of what's going to happen in the heavenly. 38:40 Because when you sinned, back in those days, 38:44 you would bring to the priest in the courtyard, 38:46 that area outside the sanctuary, 38:48 you would bring a lamb or a goat or some other animal 38:52 prescribed in Scripture in the Book of Leviticus. 38:56 And there you would come and you would place your hands 38:58 over the head of the lamb, or the animal... 39:02 and confess your sin, 39:04 not to the priest, 39:06 but you would confess it quietly, 39:08 as you placed your hand on the head of the animal. 39:11 By that action, the sin was being transferred 39:14 from you the sinner to the animal. 39:18 And then the priest would do something that I find 39:21 I would have found terribly hard, dear friends, 39:24 because the priest would hand to me a knife. 39:28 The priest wouldn't use the knife to kill that animal. 39:32 I would have to kill the animal... 39:36 because it was teaching a very important lesson. 39:40 Remember, the Old Testament sanctuary 39:42 is a little bit like a visual aid, 39:46 because it pointed to the work that Jesus would do 39:49 in the heavenly sanctuary 39:50 once He went back to heaven, as our High Priest. 39:55 And after killing the lamb, 39:57 and I can imagine how I would have felt, 39:58 dear friends, to know that that lamb was dying 40:01 in my place. 40:03 But remember, it's a visual aid 40:05 to teach the people in the Old Testament, 40:08 the great truths of salvation through Jesus 40:11 that would be fulfilled in the new. 40:15 And the priest would then take some of the blood 40:17 that was dripping and place it on the horns, 40:20 those little protuberances on the four corners 40:23 of the either the altar outside in the courtyard, 40:26 sometimes he would take it into the altar of incense, 40:30 and put the blood there on the horns of that little altar. 40:34 By that action, the sins that were being confessed 40:38 were transferred into the sanctuary. 40:41 Now may I hasten to add, 40:43 the sinner went away that day forgiven. 40:48 Notice that. 40:49 But there was a record of confessed sin 40:52 in the sanctuary. 40:54 And that was why once in the year, 40:56 on that very solemn day, the Day of Atonement, 41:00 the high priest would go through a certain service, 41:03 which is described in Leviticus Chapter 16. 41:07 And with blood and notice that the sanctuary 41:09 was cleansed still with blood. 41:12 You might say, why so much death, 41:14 because it was portraying the tremendous sacrifice 41:17 that God would make one day 41:19 when His own Son would die 41:20 the most excruciating death on the cross. 41:25 That was why you remember, John the Baptist said the day 41:29 that he saw Jesus coming down the road to be baptized, 41:35 he pointed to Jesus. 41:37 And he said to his followers, his disciples, "Behold, 41:41 the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." 41:48 Jesus, of course, was God's lamb. 41:51 And when He died on the cross, 41:53 He was fulfilling all those sacrifices 41:56 that had been made for over 1, 500 years 42:00 in the earthly sanctuary just as Daniel had predicted. 42:06 Well, as Hiram Edson studied that day, 42:10 and read all those texts about the earthly sanctuary, 42:15 he realized that what had happened on October 22, 42:19 was that the High Priest in heaven, 42:21 Jesus entered to the Most Holy Place, 42:25 there to cleanse the sacrifice, 42:27 all the sins that God's people had confessed 42:30 to that point of time. 42:32 And at the end of that service, the sanctuary was cleansed, 42:38 restored to its rightful place, and God's character justified 42:43 in His dealings with sin. 42:46 Well, that all happened on in October 1844, 42:51 the study, but over in 1845, and into 1846, 42:56 they continued to study the Bible, 42:58 they were so excited with 42:59 what they were finding about the sanctuary, 43:02 that finally in February, the 7th, 1846, 43:05 they got one of those journals that was still being published, 43:09 that I mentioned, the Daystar, it was called. 43:12 And they published the results 43:14 of their findings about the sanctuary. 43:17 And they present that magazine with their Bible study 43:22 to the people, many of them who had been disappointed 43:25 as to why Jesus hadn't come. 43:28 And it brought great, great joy 43:30 to those disappointed people at that time. 43:34 Later, as they thought about their experience, 43:38 I'm going to put another chart on the screen 43:40 because I want you, I think you'll be amazed 43:43 with what we show you. 43:45 When we look at the disciples, 43:47 their message was the time is fulfilled. 43:51 You'll read this in Mark Chapter 1, 43:53 that after Jesus was baptized, 43:55 Jesus and the other disciples preached, 43:57 the time is fulfilled. 43:59 What time was fulfilled after Jesus' baptism? 44:02 It was the 69 weeks that we've already studied in our series 44:06 that was found in Daniel Chapter 9. 44:10 Then it says, their next experience, 44:13 they expected the Messiah, Christ, 44:15 to set up His kingdom on the earth. 44:17 That was what was happening in the disciples 44:20 looking for an earthly Messiah, 44:23 a Messiah who would come to the earth 44:25 and throw off the Romans. 44:27 But they suffered a great disappointment. 44:30 And then what else? 44:32 Their disappointment was due to their misunderstanding 44:36 the meaning of the prophetic word. 44:39 Think about that. 44:41 Let me put on the screen now the Adventists experience. 44:45 Their message, the time is fulfilled, 44:50 was based upon the 2,300 year prophecy. 44:55 And that prophecy is found in Daniel Chapter 8. 44:59 They the Adventists expected the Messiah Christ 45:03 to set up His kingdom on the earth. 45:06 They suffered a great disappointment. 45:09 Their disappointment was due to the misunderstanding 45:12 of the meaning of the prophetic word, 45:14 misunderstood prophecy. 45:17 Have a look at what I put on the screen 45:19 to compare the experience 45:21 of those early disciples and the Adventists. 45:23 But that's not all, have a look at what continues. 45:28 Look at the disciples again. 45:30 Their disappointment was resolved 45:32 through insight given to two disciples 45:36 as they traveled on that road. 45:38 You know, it amazes me, dear friends, 45:40 how God uses simple things, people walking on a road, 45:46 the disciples walking on that road. 45:49 And what they started as they learned from Jesus 45:52 about His role. 45:54 But notice, after the disappointment, 45:57 Jesus ascended to heaven as we've learned this morning, 46:00 and He began the first phase 46:02 of His ministry in the heavenly sanctuary 46:04 represented by the Holy Place. 46:09 But then, after that experience, 46:11 the disciples were told to preach the gospel 46:15 to all the world in Matthew 28. 46:19 But now look at the Adventists. 46:21 Their disappointment was resolved through insight 46:25 given to two Adventists as they travelled. 46:29 After the disappointment, 46:31 Jesus began the second phase 46:34 of His ministry in the heavenly sanctuary, 46:37 represented by the Most Holy Place. 46:42 And what were the Adventists told, 46:43 we've learned this morning, 46:45 you must preach again to the whole world. 46:48 They were told to preach the gospel to all the world 46:51 in Revelation 14:6-7, 46:54 which we know today as the first angel's message, 46:58 the beginning of God's last warning message 47:02 to the world. 47:05 Look at that para. 47:08 I hope this encourages you, 47:10 as it encourages me that God was in full control. 47:15 And as the title of our presentation, 47:18 was, you may remember, the great disappointment, 47:22 his appointment... 47:25 because while it appeared to be a great disappointment, 47:27 God was actually appointing a very important day 47:32 in the history of God's people, 47:35 and laying the foundation for His last message to go 47:40 to the world. 47:42 Well, some 12 years of Bible study followed, 47:46 but slowly, the Lord opened before their wondering eyes, 47:49 the great truth of His closing work 47:52 in that heavenly sanctuary, 47:54 and that the cleansing of the sanctuary, 47:55 listen, included... 47:58 a work of the final judgment of the world. 48:02 Why? 48:03 What led them to that conclusion? 48:06 Well, in their study, 48:07 they went back to the Book of Daniel 48:10 Chapter 8, the same chapter 48:12 that contained that 2, 300 year prophecy. 48:16 And they began to notice some very interesting parables 48:21 as they studied. 48:23 Let's have a look at these parables, parallels. 48:27 In Daniel 8... 48:29 you remember, and we studied this several presentations ago, 48:33 in that vision, Daniel saw two beasts, 48:38 a ram representing Medo-Persia, a goat representing Greece. 48:44 And then what happened afterwards? 48:46 He saw a horn power, a little horn 48:50 that represented the kingdom that followed Greece, 48:52 which was Rome. 48:53 But Rome had two phases 48:55 and we've touched on this a little earlier. 48:57 There was the pagan phase of Rome, 48:59 when they were the emperors of Rome as an empire. 49:04 But then when that empire went down, 49:07 it was replaced by papal Rome, still Rome. 49:12 And we've talked a bit about that earlier. 49:14 And then in Daniel 8, the next event, what is it? 49:18 The cleansing of the sanctuary. 49:22 And as a result of that cleansing of the sanctuary, 49:25 the little horns power would be broken 49:29 without hand, as it says in Daniel 8. 49:32 And when we look at Daniel Chapter 7, 49:34 let's look at it very quickly, because in Daniel Chapter 7 49:38 that we've studied earlier, 49:40 there was the lion representing Babylon, 49:43 the bear representing Medo-Persia. 49:45 Then there was the four headed leopard representing Greece. 49:50 And then there was the fourth beast 49:52 that was pagan Rome. 49:54 But then there was that little horn that came up, 49:56 representing as we've talked about before 49:59 the papal phase that was to continue for 1260 years. 50:04 And the next great event in Daniel 7... 50:08 the judgment sits. 50:10 And the little horn is to his dominion 50:14 is taken away. 50:16 And as they studied those two chapters, 50:18 they realized that what really happened 50:20 when the heavenly sanctuary was cleansed, 50:23 and Jesus that He does His work in the Most Holy Place, 50:26 that that included the work of the final judgment. 50:30 And why do I say that? 50:32 Because, dear friends, 50:33 and I would encourage you to read Daniel 7, 50:35 after this presentation sometime. 50:38 Because in Daniel 7, 50:39 after talks about the lion and the bear 50:41 and the leopard and the beast, 50:43 it has one of the most graphic descriptions 50:47 of the final heavenly judgment, 50:50 anywhere to be found in Scripture. 50:52 And I want you to notice three things 50:55 that the Bible tells us in Daniel 7, 50:59 about this final judgment 51:01 that was to begin in the year 1844. 51:07 The first of this is, and I've put the verses there, 51:10 but we don't have time to read them. 51:13 But it's very clear that the judgment 51:15 that is found in Daniel 7 is happening in heaven, 51:19 while things are happening on the earth. 51:22 I say that because there are some people today 51:24 who believe that the judgment takes place 51:26 at the Second Coming of Christ. 51:30 But not according to the Book of Daniel. 51:32 Very clearly, this judgment that John, 51:35 that Daniel saw is a judgment that is taking place in heaven, 51:40 while things are happening on the earth. 51:43 In other words, we can call it a pre-Advent judgment. 51:47 It comes and starts just before the Second Coming of Christ. 51:53 But then its purpose, 51:55 the purpose of this judgment is twofold. 51:57 Number one... 51:59 it will judge the little horn power 52:02 in Daniel 7. 52:04 Can I just remind you, dear friends, 52:06 of the little horn power in Daniel 7, 52:08 is pictured as murdering God's people. 52:13 It says this little horn power would make war on God's people. 52:18 And I pointed out tragically, 52:20 when we dealt with this a few presentations ago, 52:23 that some 50 million people of God's people 52:27 who were standing up for the Bible 52:30 were cruelly executed and murdered 52:33 as a result of their stand for God, 52:37 and for their belief and trust in Jesus. 52:40 And this power therefore needs to be judged. 52:42 And that's what this is referring to. 52:44 It would be a judgment on the actions of the little horn, 52:47 but then to also the judgment. 52:50 And notice this, for your encouragement, 52:53 this judgment will affirm the status of the saints, 52:56 those who have transferred their sins 52:58 to the heavenly sanctuary by confession, 53:01 and have received forgiveness 53:03 and the transforming power of the Holy Spirit. 53:06 We have nothing to fear in the judgment, my friends, 53:09 because in this judgment, God looks at us 53:12 and He doesn't see our sins, He sees Jesus 53:15 and His righteousness, covering us. 53:19 That's why the judgment is good news, 53:22 not bad news for those who trust in Jesus. 53:26 And then the most wonderful news all 53:28 in verse 13 of Chapter 7, 53:31 it tells us that Jesus is there in the judgment 53:35 to speak on our behalf. 53:38 That is wonderful, wonderful news. 53:40 Well, as they continued on, 53:43 they found other text in the Bible 53:45 that pointed to the fact that there is a judgment, 53:48 a judgment on all of us that we must all appear it says 53:52 before the judgment seat of Christ. 53:55 But Jesus is there to be our advocate. 53:59 I want you to notice 54:00 a wonderful statement that is in a book, 54:02 a little book called Steps to Christ. 54:05 This little book was written to show us 54:08 the steps that we can take to find Jesus. 54:12 And in that little book, the writer has written this, 54:16 "Since we are sinful and unholy, 54:19 we cannot perfectly obey the holy law. 54:22 We have no righteousness of our own 54:24 with which to meet the claims of the law of God. 54:27 But," and here's the wonderful news, 54:29 "But Christ has made a way of escape for us..." 54:34 And that's for you and for me. 54:36 "He lived a sinless life. 54:39 He died for us, 54:41 and now He offers to take our sins 54:44 and give us His righteousness." 54:47 But it's what follows that I've put in orange 54:49 because I want you to notice this. 54:52 "If you give yourself to Him, 54:55 and accept Him as your Savior, 55:00 then, sinful as your life may have been." 55:04 Think about what that means. 55:07 No matter how much we've sinned, 55:09 how seriously we have sinned, how long we have sinned, 55:13 "Sinful as your life may have been, 55:16 for His sake, you are accounted righteous." 55:21 Notice that, not you are righteous, 55:25 you are treated as being righteous. 55:28 Why? 55:29 Because in that last sentence of this wonderful statement, 55:32 Christ's character stands in place of your character, 55:37 and you are accepted before God, 55:40 just as if you had not sinned. 55:43 Sinful as your life may have been, 55:46 but you're accepted because of what Jesus has done for us, 55:50 just as if you had never sinned. 55:55 Or what can wash away your sin and mine, 55:57 dear friends, in this judgment? 56:00 The Bible tells me in 1 John 1:7, 56:03 that the blood of Jesus cleanses us 56:07 from all sin, all sin. 56:12 Well... 56:13 we have dealt today with the explanation 56:17 of the sanctuary and the disappointment, 56:21 and how what Jesus is doing for us today 56:24 in this heavenly sanctuary, gives us hope, 56:28 because we don't have to fear the judgment. 56:30 It's good news, 56:32 if you're putting your trust in Jesus, 56:34 and God will bless us as we do so. 56:38 Now, in our next presentation, I've entitled it 56:41 a very precious gift from Jesus 56:45 that will soon divide the world. 56:49 A very important topic 56:51 and that's in our next presentation. 56:54 I hope you will plan to listen in. 56:59 God bless you. 57:00 Let us have a word of prayer. 57:03 Our loving Heavenly Father... 57:07 we have looked back and shared the sorrow 57:09 of those who pass through their disappointment. 57:13 But because of Your wonderful grace, 57:16 You led those people through Your word 57:18 into the glorious truths of what Jesus is doing for us 57:22 in the heavenly sanctuary. 57:24 Now there is a work of judgment going on. 57:27 But we know we don't have to fear 57:30 so long as we're trusting in Jesus. 57:32 May the Lord help each one of us, 57:35 to trust in Him 57:36 and know that we are clothed in His righteousness 57:39 is my prayer, in Jesus' name, amen. |
Revised 2021-02-11