Revelation of Hope (Pacleb)

The Lamb of Revelation

Three Angels Broadcasting Network

Program transcript

Participants: Pr. Taj Pacleb

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Series Code: ROHB

Program Code: ROHB000003


00:39 Our message tonight, "The Lamb of Revelation."
00:46 It is one of the most important topics of this whole seminar,
00:50 an essential foundational message.
00:54 We are studying Revelation.
00:57 We are studying Bible prophecy
00:58 as it relates to us in these last days.
01:02 And remind me, friends,
01:04 what is the primary purpose of prophecy?
01:09 It is not simply to inform our minds with information,
01:13 but the primary purpose of prophecy
01:16 is so that we might know Jesus.
01:21 The Bible tells us
01:22 that the Book of Revelation is all about Jesus.
01:25 It is called the Revelation of Jesus Christ.
01:31 And we can talk about prophecy
01:34 without making it centered in Jesus
01:36 because it's all about Him.
01:38 Can you say amen?
01:39 And so I want you to notice
01:40 why is that so important to focus on the prophecies
01:43 concerning the life of Jesus Christ, the Messiah.
01:46 And here is the essential reason.
01:47 The Bible tells us in John 17:3.
01:50 Please, write it down.
01:51 It says, "This is life eternal."
01:54 Here in Jesus, here Jesus in this passage,
01:56 distills for us what it means to be saved?
02:00 What it means to have everlasting life?
02:03 "And He says, this is life eternal
02:05 that they might know, what, thee, the only true God
02:10 and Jesus Christ whom thou has sent."
02:12 The Bible makes it clear Jesus words.
02:14 He said that salvation and eternal life is found not in
02:18 what you know, but in who you know.
02:22 To know Jesus Christ equal as salvation and eternal life.
02:26 And eternal life is not just talking about quantity of life,
02:29 it's also talking about quality of life,
02:31 abundant like a peace and joy and hope.
02:34 How many of you want to have this life?
02:36 Well, it's found, brothers and sisters,
02:38 not in head knowledge,
02:39 but a heart experience with the person Jesus Christ.
02:43 He is the way the truth and the life.
02:47 And so tonight in this foundational message,
02:50 let's take a look at the lamb of revelation.
02:53 Yes, we are gonna talk about the beast.
02:55 We are gonna know who the beast,
02:56 the antichrist, all that we are gonna cover in detail.
02:58 It's gonna be clear,
02:59 but first let's talk about the lamb of revelation.
03:04 In the world today, there are many different beliefs
03:06 concerning the man Jesus Christ.
03:09 Some people believe that Jesus Christ
03:10 is a frictional character that never really existed.
03:14 Those holding these views are speaking from ignorance.
03:19 Because virtually all modern scholars of antiquity
03:22 agree that Jesus Christ actually existed as a historical figure.
03:27 And this is based upon the empirical evidence
03:30 of thousands of valid historical documents
03:33 and archeological discoveries.
03:35 Many documents and discovers
03:37 show that Jesus Christ literally existed as a real person.
03:41 And, friends, to hold the view
03:43 that Jesus is frictional that means,
03:45 you have to say that Alexander the great never existed either
03:48 because there is more evidence
03:49 that Jesus existed rather than Alexander the great existed,
03:52 but it's interesting.
03:53 No one questions whether or not Alexander the great exists.
03:56 You see, brothers and sisters,
03:58 most people are educated enough to realize
04:00 that that's not true.
04:02 He was a real character
04:04 that literally existed Jesus of Nazareth.
04:07 But most people view Jesus simply as a good moral teacher,
04:13 but not the Son of God.
04:15 You see, when you look at Jesus of Nazareth,
04:17 you only have three options of how you view Him.
04:22 Number one, either He is a liar,
04:24 claiming to be someone that He wasn't
04:27 or He was a lunatic,
04:29 thinking that he was someone that he wasn't
04:33 or He is the Lord.
04:36 He was exactly who He claimed to be.
04:40 Only three options and He is not a liar
04:44 and He is not a lunatic,
04:46 but here is a question.
04:48 How can we right now know this for sure?
04:51 Where is the evidence that Jesus Christ
04:53 truly is the Lord of glory?
04:56 Friends, not just based on logic and history,
04:59 but the testimony of prophecy tonight will show us
05:03 that Jesus Christ is the centre and source of salvation.
05:07 The focus and foundation of faith.
05:10 The premise and the purpose of prophecy.
05:13 You see, God in His word has given us clear
05:15 and abundant testimony pointing to Jesus of Nazareth
05:19 as the Son of God, the Messiah,
05:22 the Lord and the Savior of the world.
05:25 And, friends, if you study carefully,
05:26 I'm gonna give you a handout tonight
05:28 which shows that there are over 350 messianic prophecies
05:33 in the Old Testament,
05:35 concerning the coming of Messiah.
05:37 350 messianic prophecies now of the 350-360
05:42 of those prophecies are major prophecies.
05:45 And above 290 of them are additional details.
05:48 Now these prophecies in the Old Testament
05:50 pointing for to the coming of Messiah,
05:52 they were all written 400 years before
05:55 Jesus actually came into this world.
05:58 And all of these prophecies had to be fulfilled in one man
06:02 and almost all the prophecies Jesus had no control over it.
06:06 Therefore, there was no possibility for Him
06:08 to manipulate anything.
06:10 And the likeliness of all of these prophecies
06:13 is being fulfilled by chance
06:16 in one human being is humanly impossible.
06:20 In fact, there is a group
06:21 of American scientists and mathematicians,
06:24 they are asked to calculate the odds of probability
06:27 that one man could fulfill just eight.
06:31 How many?
06:32 Just eight of the 60 major prophecies
06:36 of the 350 prophecies of Messiah.
06:38 They are asked to calculate
06:39 how probable is it for one man to fulfill just eight of them.
06:43 And amongst the committee were notable scientists like,
06:46 Dr. Peter Stoner, John Madell and Harold Hatcher.
06:49 And after studying this and calculating through math,
06:53 the odds of probability.
06:54 Here is the committees' analysis.
06:56 Dr. Peter Stoner said,
06:58 "We find the chance that any man could fulfill
07:01 only 8 of the 60 prophecies
07:03 to be 1 out of 10 to the 28th power."
07:09 Friends, do you know how much that is?
07:12 One chance out of 10 to the 28th power.
07:16 What exactly is that?
07:17 Let's try and understand this number.
07:19 You see, that's the one to the 28th power
07:23 is the number with 28 zeros after,
07:26 that's the number. I can't even say that number.
07:29 Luckily we gonna try it.
07:31 But, friends, how much is that?
07:34 Let me illustrate it like this.
07:36 Let's say we take a whole bunch of quarters,
07:39 let's say we take 10 to the 28th power of quarters
07:44 and we cover the State of Texas with these quarters.
07:48 The quarters will cover the entire State of Texas
07:50 two feet deep.
07:52 That's how big that number is.
07:53 Now, Texas it's a lot bigger than coin, isn't that right?
07:57 So the whole State of Texas will be covered
07:59 two feet deep with that amount of numbers of quarters,
08:04 then let's say we take one of those quarters,
08:06 a gold quarter and we through it somewhere in the midst
08:10 and then we blindfold someone,
08:12 and we say to that person you have one chance,
08:15 to go blindfold and find--
08:19 Put your hand there and grab that quarter
08:21 and the likeliness of that man on his first try
08:25 grabbing that one quarter out of 10 to the 28th power of quarters
08:30 is the same odds of just 8 prophecies
08:35 out of the 350 being fulfilled in one man.
08:39 And, friends, not only were 8 of them fulfilled in Jesus,
08:41 but all 350 prophecies were filled,
08:44 fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
08:46 Jesus is the Lord of glory.
08:49 Can you say amen?
08:51 And, friends, there are many prophecies
08:52 we don't have time to go through them,
08:53 but I'm gonna give you list, a handout.
08:55 I spent some time on this.
08:57 A list of all the 350 prophecies in the Old Testament
08:59 and how they were fulfilled in the life
09:03 and ministry of Jesus Christ.
09:06 But one of my favorite prophecies,
09:07 Messianic prophecies concerning Jesus is this one in Isaiah 53.
09:12 This is the one we want to focus on tonight.
09:14 The Bible tells us in Isaiah 53:7,
09:17 "He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
09:19 yet he opened not his mouth:
09:21 he is brought as a, what,
09:24 a lamb to the slaughter."
09:27 And, friends, this picture, this imaginary of the lamb
09:31 permits the prophetic Book of Revelation,
09:34 Friends, if you are to look up the word lamb
09:36 in the New Testament,
09:38 it is found 31 times in the New Testament.
09:40 How many times?
09:42 That's how many times the word lamb
09:43 is found in the New Testament
09:44 and of the 31 times 27 of those occurrences
09:47 are all found in the Book of Revelation.
09:50 27 out of 31 times, the word Lamb is in the New Testament.
09:53 It's right there in the Book of Revelation.
09:55 You know why?
09:56 Because Revelation is all about the lamb, Jesus Christ.
10:02 The power of the lamb over the beast in these last days,
10:07 the Lord of glory is also the lamb of grace
10:12 in the Book of Revelation.
10:14 I want to show you a few examples of this.
10:17 In Revelation 5:6, He is the lamb that was slain.
10:21 In Chapter 5:8, He is the lamb that is worshiped.
10:24 In verse 12 of the same chapter,
10:26 He is the lamb that is worthy.
10:27 In chapter 6:16, He is the lamb
10:29 that is victorious over evil.
10:31 In 7:14, He is the lamb that washes us
10:34 in His own blood.
10:35 In 7:17, He is the lamb that feeds us.
10:37 In 12:11, He is the lamb that gives us the victory.
10:42 In 14:4, He is the lamb that leads us.
10:45 In 15:3, He is the lamb that is our song.
10:47 In 17:14, He is the lamb that wins
10:50 the Battle of Armageddon.
10:51 In 19:7, He is the lamb that is married to us.
10:55 In 21:23, He is the lamb that is the light.
10:58 In 22:1, He is the lamb that quenches our thirst.
11:01 In 22:3, He is the lamb that reverses the curse.
11:05 The Lord of glory is the lamb of grace
11:07 in the Book of Revelation.
11:09 Can you say amen?
11:11 Well, friends, Jesus is the lamb
11:19 that slays the beast
11:20 and the dragon in the last days.
11:23 This is-- He is the lamb that removes all fear
11:26 from the antichrist kingdom that we might have.
11:30 Friends, there is only one other animal in Revelation
11:32 that is mentioned as many times as the lamb.
11:35 And you know what animal that is?
11:37 It's the beast.
11:39 The only other animal mentioned as many times
11:40 is the antichrist beast kingdom.
11:42 You see, the word lamb is found 27 times in Revelation,
11:46 but the beast is found in 27 verses
11:51 in the Book of Revelation.
11:53 So we find when you study Revelation carefully
11:55 there is a contrast and there is a conflict
11:59 and a context between the beast and the lamb
12:03 between Jesus Christ and the antichrist.
12:06 You see, Revelation is about a war between two beasts.
12:11 The lamb and the beast.
12:14 Between two kids, two forms of government,
12:18 two different types of laws,
12:20 two different types of kingdoms.
12:22 And, friends, these antichrist beasts
12:24 we're gonna study in detail on later night,
12:25 but this beast is simply a counterfeit of the lamb.
12:31 For every truth that God has Satan has a, what?
12:36 And we notice that this antichrist beast kingdom
12:39 copies everything that Jesus Christ the lamb did.
12:44 I want you notice some amazing striking contrasts
12:48 and similarities between the lamb Jesus Christ
12:52 and the beast the antichrist kingdom.
12:54 I want you notice there are five contrasts.
12:56 Write them down very quickly,
12:57 both the beast and the lamb begin their reign
13:01 by coming up out of water.
13:03 In fact, let's read it.
13:04 Turn with me in your Bible to the Revelation 13.
13:07 We are gonna study this more in detail.
13:08 We are just laying the foundation tonight,
13:10 but notice the beast is simply the counterfeit of the lamb.
13:13 He is trying to copy Jesus Christ.
13:15 The Bible tells us in Revelation 13:1,
13:19 the Bible tells us.
13:21 If you are there, would you please say amen?
13:23 It says, "And I stood upon the sand of the sea,
13:26 and saw a beast rise up out of the sea,
13:29 having seven heads and ten horns,
13:31 and upon his horns ten crowns,
13:33 and upon his heads the name of blasphemy."
13:35 So we find that this antichrist beast kingdom
13:38 will begin his reign by coming up of the waters,
13:41 and in the same way that's what Jesus did.
13:44 He began His ministry by coming up
13:46 out of the waters of baptism
13:48 and the beast is simply trying to copy Jesus
13:51 because it is simply the counterfeit of Jesus.
13:53 And remind me, friends, what is a counterfeit?
13:55 Something that looks real, feels real,
13:59 sounds real, but it's what? It's faith.
14:03 A counterfeit is truth and error mixed together.
14:08 So the beast copies the lamb by coming up out of the water
14:11 in the beginning of its reign.
14:13 And I want you to notice also the second parallel
14:15 is that both the beast and the lamb
14:17 have horns and crowns.
14:19 We just read right there in Revelation 13:1
14:22 that this beast that comes up out of the water
14:24 has ten horns and ten crowns
14:27 but, friends, the lamb has the same thing.
14:30 We know that Jesus according to Revelation 19,
14:32 He wears many crowns.
14:35 He has a crown with in a crown,
14:37 but notice in Chapter 5:6,
14:40 you can write that down and look up when you go home.
14:42 It talks about the lamb that was slain.
14:44 And it says that this lamb representing Jesus
14:46 has seven horns and seven eyes.
14:49 The number seven is the significant number
14:51 in Revelation.
14:52 It's a number that represents perfection or completeness
14:55 because it takes seven days to make a complete week.
14:58 And what it describes the lamb having seven eyes,
15:00 that means He has perfect vision,
15:02 perfect discernment,
15:04 but what about those seven horns.
15:06 What do horns represent in the Bible?
15:08 Write it down.
15:09 In Habakkuk 3:4, we find that Horns in the Bible
15:14 are a symbol of power.
15:16 Notice what it says in Habakkuk 3:4,
15:19 it says, "And his brightness was as the light, he had, what?"
15:24 This is a messianic prophecy, cornering Jesus by the way.
15:27 It says, "His brightness was as the light,
15:29 he had horns coming out of, where?
15:31 His hand, and there was the hiding of his."
15:35 So the horns represent power.
15:37 And these horns out of His hand
15:39 were strings of light
15:40 because from the hands of Jesus
15:42 from the wounds of Christ
15:43 flowed the light of the love of God,
15:45 the blood, friends, that gives us power over evil.
15:49 Can you say amen?
15:51 And so we find both the beast
15:53 and the lamb have crowns and horns.
15:57 Notice the third parallel and similarity,
16:01 both of them reign for exactly three-and-a-half years.
16:05 When Jesus came up out of the waters of baptism,
16:08 how long was his public ministry?
16:10 Three-and-a-half years.
16:11 Friends, we realize that that is exactly
16:12 how long the beast reign for, not literal years,
16:15 but three-and-a-half prophetic years.
16:17 We're gonna find out what this means
16:18 more in detail later on,
16:19 but notice I just want to set the foundation,
16:21 get a more of an overview tonight.
16:23 It says in verse 5 of Revelation 13
16:25 that that beast, the antichrist kingdom,
16:27 it says, "Power was given unto him to continue how long?
16:32 Do you know how long 42 months is?
16:34 Exactly three-and-a-half years.
16:38 Jesus public ministry three-and-a-half years,
16:40 the beast reigns
16:41 for three-and-a-half prophetic years.
16:43 And then at the end of the three-and-a-half years,
16:45 both the beast and the lamb
16:48 receive a deadly wound that is healed.
16:53 Notice what it says in Revelation 13:3,
16:56 it says, "And I saw one of its heads."
16:59 He is talking about the beasts.
17:00 "As it were wounded to death,
17:02 and his deadly wound was, what?
17:05 Healed: and all the world wondered after the beast."
17:08 And so, the beast after reigning
17:10 for three-and-a-half prophetic years,
17:11 he receives a deadly wound, his power is stripped
17:13 from him and in the same way, the lamb of God Jesus
17:16 after three-and-a-half year public ministry,
17:19 he received the deadly wound
17:21 as He was sacrifice on Cavalry's cross,
17:23 but praise the Lord that that wound was healed.
17:25 Can you say amen?
17:26 As He came forth
17:27 from the grave as a conquer over death.
17:30 So the beast wound was
17:32 healed and then all the way we found of the beast,
17:34 but so to the lamb's wound
17:36 would be healed as He resurrects
17:38 and then we find the fifth striking similarity.
17:42 After their wounds are healed
17:44 both are given universal power on dominion.
17:48 It said in verse 3 of Revelation 13,
17:50 "That all the world wondered after the beast."
17:55 In other words, the wound is
17:56 healed and now he has universal power
17:59 and dominion over all the world
18:00 except for God's people, of course.
18:02 Can you say amen? Amen.
18:03 But so to win Jesus when was here--
18:05 When He resurrected before He ascended to heaven,
18:08 He said to the disciples all power is given unto me
18:11 in heaven and in earth."
18:14 Can you say amen? Amen.
18:16 "And so to the beast his wound was healed
18:17 and all the world wondered."
18:18 So we find five striking
18:20 similarities between the antichrist beast
18:24 and Jesus Christ the lamb.
18:25 Number one, both start their reign
18:27 by coming up out of water.
18:29 Number two, both have crowns and horns.
18:33 Number three, both reign for three-and-a-half years.
18:35 Number four, both receive
18:36 a deadly wound that is healed.
18:37 And number five, after the wound is healed
18:42 both receive and are given universal power and dominion.
18:46 You see, friends,
18:47 what the antichrist kingdom is seeking to do is to copy
18:51 that lamb of God in order to make it counterfeit,
18:55 in order to deceive almost the whole world
18:58 into following Satan.
19:01 And for this cause, tells me,
19:04 do you think it's important to know exactly
19:07 who the true lamb is?
19:09 If the beast looks so much like the lamb that shows
19:13 that we have to look a little bit deeper
19:15 and make sure that we really know the true Jesus
19:21 because Jesus said in the last days
19:22 of many false Christ and false prophets.
19:25 Showing great signs and wonders so much
19:27 that if they were possible,
19:29 He would deceive the very elect.
19:32 And many people who are satisfied
19:34 with a surface experience for the Lord,
19:36 many say, many people who are used to being
19:39 spoon-fed by ministers instead of studying the Bible
19:42 and having their own personal walk with Jesus.
19:45 Many people just might end up
19:47 following the antichrist thinking that is Jesus Christ.
19:53 And so we need to know for sure who the real Jesus is
19:58 because if we don't, we can be
20:00 easily let astray by our false Christ.
20:04 And so...
20:08 do you see the importance of knowing
20:10 the difference between the beast and the lamb,
20:12 if so, would you please say amen?
20:13 But, friends, here is the thing
20:14 that I want us to understand tonight.
20:17 You don't have to worry about the beast
20:20 as long as you know the lamb.
20:23 In other words, victory over the beast
20:26 is found by simply knowing the lamb of Revelation.
20:32 And so from the very beginning of time,
20:35 God sort to save us from the power of the beast kingdom
20:39 by connecting us with the Lamb of God.
20:42 You see, friends, from the very beginning
20:44 as soon as sin came into this world,
20:46 the Bible tells us that God set up a system of salvation
20:51 to keep the reality of the lamb's power
20:54 ever before our eyes.
20:56 In our minds, constantly from the very beginning
20:59 as soon as there were sin there was a Savior and God
21:02 wanted us to understand
21:03 and keep to the forefeet of a mind,
21:05 the power of the lamb that gives us victory over sin.
21:08 And that's why the Bible says in Revelation 13:8,
21:11 it says that, "He is the lamb slain from,
21:14 where, from the very beginning of time, friends."
21:18 The Bible says that the lamb was slain,
21:21 but how was he slain?
21:23 We know that Jesus is the lamb,
21:24 but how was Jesus slain?
21:25 I thought He was slain
21:26 just when He came to the world on the cross
21:27 but, friends, Jesus was slain
21:29 from the very beginning of time, how?
21:30 Through types.
21:32 Sacrifices, symbols and ceremony.
21:36 You see, we know according to the Bible
21:38 that as soon as there was a sin there was a Savior.
21:40 As soon as Adam and Eve
21:41 for took of that forbidden fruit,
21:43 they became sinners and they were subject to death,
21:48 but then God said, "To slay the lamb."
21:53 And this little innocent animal that Adam need
21:55 to had to slay to sacrifice was a symbol of Jesus.
22:01 And in the order for their nakedness to be
22:04 covered with the coats of skin that God provided,
22:08 an innocent animal had to sacrifice,
22:10 had to be scarified in order for guilty man to be
22:13 covered of their nakedness.
22:14 You see that those coats of skin represents
22:17 the righteousness of Christ that could only be
22:20 given to the human race by the death of Jesus.
22:24 As soon as there was sin, God will show the human race,
22:29 the lamb is the solution to sin.
22:33 Can you say amen? Amen.
22:34 The power of the lamb given us victory over the beast.
22:39 God provided coats of skin from an animal sacrifice.
22:43 As soon as there was sin, there was a Savior.
22:45 And Adam and Eve passed this beautiful truth,
22:47 the system of salvation in the sacrificial services
22:50 passing this truth down to their children Kane and Abel.
22:54 And as we move down through time,
22:57 we find the touching story.
22:59 The father-son story of Abraham and Isaac.
23:03 You remember the story, don't you?
23:05 God called Abraham to sacrifice his beloved promise son.
23:10 You know, sometimes God says things to us
23:11 that doesn't make sense at first,
23:13 but we need to trust that voice.
23:14 Can you say amen? Amen.
23:15 We need to recognize that God would never ask us
23:17 to do something that will hurt or harm us
23:19 only to save us and bless us.
23:22 So Abraham was willing to do it and he called this son Isaac
23:26 to go up to the Mount Moriah to sacrifice,
23:28 but this father--
23:29 Can you imagine it?
23:31 He could not bring himself to reveal God's will to his son.
23:34 Here is the story of the heart of a father seeking
23:36 to protect his little boy,
23:38 but finally that young man Isaac pointed
23:41 the problem out to the father.
23:42 And notice what he said.
23:45 In Genesis 22:7 and 8,
23:47 "And Isaac spoke to Abraham his father,
23:48 and said, My father, behold the fire and the wood,
23:51 but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?"
23:54 You see, Isaac realize that the central figure
23:57 of worship is the lamb.
24:00 So, father, we have the wood, the fire,
24:02 the knife, we have everything,
24:04 but where is the lamb?
24:06 Where is the lamb, father?
24:08 And, friends, that's the question of all questions.
24:11 Throughout every generation in the Old Testament,
24:14 people wondered the answer to this question,
24:16 where is the lamb as thousands upon
24:19 thousands of animals were slain
24:20 for the forgiveness of sins, people wondering
24:22 where is the lamb?
24:24 When is he coming to die once in for all?
24:27 Where is the true Messiah? The Lamb of God?
24:30 Where is the lamb? That's the question.
24:34 Abraham's responses to the question by saying,
24:37 "My, son, God will provide,
24:41 what, himself a lamb for a burnt offering."
24:47 Jehovah-jireh is not just referring to God
24:49 supplying your needs, friends.
24:51 And how he's gonna help you pay
24:52 the mortgage on the bills.
24:54 The context of Jehovah-jireh is the fact that God
24:57 will provide the sacrifice for our salvation.
25:00 He will provide Himself a lamb to be slain.
25:07 And so...
25:11 Abraham in obedience to God
25:14 began to walk up Mount Moriah, not knowing exactly
25:17 how it's gonna workout, but knowing
25:18 that God would provide.
25:20 And on Mount Moriah, can you imagine
25:22 what a dramatic scene as now Abraham
25:25 binds his little son Isaac upon the altar.
25:29 And in obedience to the voice of God,
25:31 He lifts up the knife,
25:34 he is about to slay the promise son
25:36 and obedience God's command.
25:37 You see, father Abraham did not with hold from God,
25:44 that which was most precious to him.
25:48 Friends, this story is a picture
25:51 of how the true father in heaven did not with hold
25:55 giving his son for you and me.
25:59 He didn't hold it back.
26:01 He didn't try to protect his son.
26:04 He said, "I want to give You my son,
26:06 he is gonna die for all the word for God.
26:08 So love the word
26:09 that He gave us only begotten son."
26:14 And when Abraham lifted up that knife
26:16 and was about to slay his boy,
26:20 then he heard the voice from heaven,
26:21 God saying, "Lay not your hand upon the lad for now
26:24 I know that you fear Me, it was a test of love."
26:28 And Abraham passed the test.
26:29 And after God said that then Abraham looked
26:32 and he saw a lamb whose horns
26:36 were caught in the thicket.
26:38 And instead of the son Isaac dying,
26:41 that lamb now died.
26:42 It was a symbol of Jesus the lamb,
26:45 the Lamb of God died, so that we wouldn't have to.
26:50 Can you say amen? Amen.
26:52 So throughout the Old Testament over and over
26:54 through every generation, God was wanting
26:56 to impress upon the minds of all of His children
26:58 that there is salvation only in the blood of the lamb.
27:02 It is knowing the lamb that gives us power over the beast.
27:08 And as time went on, later on Abraham's children
27:12 the Israelite nation found themselves
27:15 in the bitter bondage of Egypt.
27:18 But God came to liberate them from the oppression
27:22 and how was it possible for God's people to Passover
27:26 from bondage into freedom.
27:28 How did it Passover from death into life,
27:30 from slavery into salvation?
27:32 By what means, do you remember?
27:34 By what means were they freed
27:36 from the bondage of Egypt, by what means?
27:41 It was the blood of the Passover lamb?
27:46 Applied to the door post of their houses
27:49 which was a symbol of the door post of our hearts.
27:51 You see, friends, the thing that gave them freedom
27:54 from bondage was the blood
27:57 and that which gives us freedom
27:58 from the bondage of sin is the blood of Jesus Christ.
28:02 You see, friends, the Lamb of God,
28:04 He is the one that brings life and liberation
28:06 when there is nothing, but decay,
28:09 bondage and death over and over again,
28:12 Jesus or God was trying to impress upon
28:14 the minds of every generation that there is only
28:17 hope in the lamb
28:19 and this is what revelation is all about.
28:21 He brings liberation and He brings life.
28:24 Can you say amen? Amen.
28:25 And upon exiting Egypt, God reviewed then
28:28 a more organized system of sacrifice
28:30 so that they would never forget so that God's people
28:33 you and I would never forget the efficiency
28:36 of the blood of the lamb.
28:37 Upon leaving Egypt,
28:38 God didn't said to them in Exodus 25:8,
28:41 "Let them make me a--" What is that word?
28:43 "Sanctuary that I may dwell among them."
28:47 And this sanctuary, this Old Testament temple,
28:50 this was the centre of the sacrificial services
28:54 and it was in this sanctuary that God will teach a man
28:57 about the plan of salvation through types,
29:00 ceremonies and symbols so that we could get ready
29:04 for the coming of the true lamb of God.
29:06 You see, this was the center of the sacrificial services.
29:08 Everything that was done in this Old Testament
29:10 sanctuary was to be an object lesson.
29:12 A what? An object lesson or a visual aid.
29:16 And, friends, the most significant character
29:18 in this sanctuary was the lamb.
29:21 You see, every thing that took place
29:22 in the sanctuary revolved around the lamb that was slain.
29:28 And I want to share with you, tell you about it tonight
29:30 because this is very important foundation
29:32 for tomorrow night's topic.
29:33 You see, if we lived in Old Testament times
29:35 and we wanted to be forgiven of our sins,
29:38 we would have to bring
29:39 a spotless lamb to the sanctuary.
29:42 And then we'd have to place our hands
29:44 over the head of that innocent animal,
29:46 then we would confess our sins to God.
29:49 And now symbolically our sins are being
29:50 transferred from us the sinner,
29:53 now it's being placed upon the innocent lamb.
29:55 In other words, the lamb now bears the sin of the sinner.
30:01 And then when the lamb took the sin.
30:03 That man that just confessed their sin,
30:05 they would have to take a knife
30:07 and they would have to cut
30:08 the throat of an innocent animal.
30:11 The jugular vein causing the blood to flow
30:13 and the priest was there
30:14 with the bow to catch all the blood.
30:16 And so we find that that man with his own hands
30:19 had to slay the lamb in order to be forgiven.
30:22 And, friends, the reason why that lamb
30:24 had to be without spot and without blemish
30:26 because every animal that was sacrificed
30:29 represented the true Lamb of God,
30:30 Jesus Christ and in order for Christ
30:33 to be our Savior and sacrifice.
30:35 He had to be without spot, without blemish,
30:38 without any sin for if he sin once,
30:40 he would have been a sinner
30:41 and he wouldn't need a Savior.
30:43 And so through the ceremony, God was trying to impress upon
30:48 the dull centers of the human race that sin
30:50 is not a good thing.
30:53 Sin is an ugly thing. It is a terrible thing.
30:56 It is bloody. It is glory.
30:58 It is terrible because the wages of sin is death.
31:02 And God was trying to put in them
31:04 hearts of the human race, hatred towards sin
31:07 that causes so much pain.
31:09 Friends, you notice the media.
31:11 They make sin look so beautiful, so appealing,
31:14 so attractive.
31:15 Oh, it's so much fun.
31:16 It feels so good but, friends,
31:18 if we are to know that sin really is and what it does,
31:21 we would leave it alone.
31:23 Sin would cause an innocent animal that have to die,
31:26 representing Jesus, he was slain by our sins.
31:29 It was as if when we sin, it's like we are taking a knife
31:32 with our own hands and we're slaying the lamb,
31:35 is that we are taking the lamb on the hills
31:37 and driving it through the hands and feet of Jesus.
31:40 This is what sin does, friends.
31:43 It brings pain to God.
31:47 And so God asked the people to do this
31:50 because He wanted them to know that in order
31:53 for guilty man to live, the innocent lamb had to die.
32:00 In order for us to go free,
32:02 that lamb had to split his blood.
32:05 The Bible says, without the shedding of blood
32:07 there is no remission of sins.
32:09 This happened right here at the altar of burnt offerings.
32:12 It was the first article of furniture that the people
32:16 would see as they entered into the sanctuary.
32:18 Now, friends, let me back up just a little bit.
32:19 This sanctuary of which the primary character was the lamb.
32:24 The sanctuary had three main parts to it.
32:27 How many parts? Three.
32:28 The first part is called the outer court.
32:30 What is it called? Outer.
32:32 And in the outer court,
32:33 there are only two articles of furniture.
32:35 The first one was the altar of burnt offering.
32:38 That represents the cross.
32:40 That's where the lamb's blood will shed.
32:42 It's the cross.
32:44 And when the sinner first come to the sanctuary,
32:46 the first thing they see is the altar which shows
32:49 that when we first begin our spiritual walk,
32:50 we begin at the foot of the cross.
32:53 Amen.
32:55 And I'm so thankful, the ground is level
32:57 at the foot of the cross and there is room
32:59 for whosoever will come at the foot of the cross.
33:04 And so the lamb was slain right there,
33:06 the blood was shad and the animal
33:08 now was consumed by the fire,
33:10 but then notice remember, what did the priest do
33:12 when the blood was shed.
33:14 He had a bowl
33:15 and all the blood was collected in that bowl
33:18 and then what the priest would do is he would
33:21 take the blood symbolic of the sin
33:24 into the second part of the sanctuary
33:26 which was called the Holy Place,
33:28 before that he will stop right there at the laver
33:31 which was the basin of water, representing cleansing,
33:33 it represents baptism.
33:34 You see, friends, once we've accepted
33:36 the cross of Jesus at the altar in our hearts,
33:38 the next logical step after that is the laver
33:41 which is a symbol of baptism as an outward expression
33:45 of the inward decision of accepting the cross.
33:49 So the priest would watch himself
33:50 then he would take the blood symbolic of the sin
33:52 into the second part of the sanctuary
33:54 which was called the Holy Place.
33:55 The what place? Holy Place.
33:57 And in that Holy Place,
33:58 there were three articles of furniture.
33:59 How many? Three.
34:01 On the side of the north was a Table of Showbread,
34:04 representing Jesus the bread of life,
34:05 but also how that man should not live by bread alone,
34:08 but by every word that proceeds out of mouth of God,
34:11 that's what the Table of Showbread represents.
34:13 It represents Bible study.
34:15 Opposite to that was the golden candlestick,
34:17 it representing--
34:18 It represents Jesus as the leg of the world,
34:20 but also how God is calling us to be the leg of the world
34:23 and we can only be the leg of the world
34:25 as we are filled with the oil of the Holy Spirit
34:29 that causes to shine brightly in a world of darkness.
34:32 Can you say amen? Amen.
34:33 In other words, the candlestick represents witnessing.
34:36 It's across from the Table of Showbread. Why?
34:39 Because you can't witness
34:40 unless you have something to witness of.
34:43 If you are trying to witness without the word of God,
34:45 you just entertain people.
34:47 You see, there must be substance in the witness
34:49 and the substance is at the Table of Showbread.
34:52 But, friends, you can't just leave the word of God
34:54 and not share with others.
34:56 When you eat the word of God
34:57 then you will have spiritual calories
34:59 to burn brightly for Him.
35:02 Can you say amen? Amen.
35:03 And then the third part of the article of furniture
35:06 in the Holy Place was the Altar of Incense,
35:09 right before the curtain the veil,
35:11 it represents prayer.
35:13 Our prayers ascending to heaven,
35:14 mingled with the sweet incense
35:17 of the righteousness of Christ.
35:18 You know why? Because our prayer stink.
35:22 If we pray through our own merits, it is stink.
35:27 And that's why when Jesus told us to pray.
35:30 He said as anything in My name.
35:32 His name, His merits, His righteousness,
35:33 that's the incense.
35:35 It causes the prayers to be a sweet smell
35:37 in the nostril of God.
35:38 Here we find in the Holy Place,
35:39 Bible study prayer and witnessing
35:42 these three things go together.
35:44 It's found in the Holy Place.
35:45 And so the priest what he would do is,
35:47 he took the blood symbolic of the what?
35:50 The lamb's blood which is symbolic of the sin, remember?
35:53 The sin is transferred from the sinner to the animal,
35:56 now to its blood.
35:57 So you take the blood symbolic of the sin
35:59 into the Holy Place and then he would sprinkle
36:03 the blood upon the veil in the sanctuary
36:07 and by doing that, the sin was now transferred
36:11 into the sanctuary.
36:14 And, friends, this happened every single day.
36:16 It was called the daily service.
36:19 It was called the what?
36:20 And, friends, that veil which was a curtain,
36:23 according to Hebrews 10:20,
36:25 the veil symbolizes the flesh of Jesus.
36:30 So the sprinkling of the blood upon
36:32 the veil represents sin being placed upon Christ.
36:36 Are you with me, yes or no?
36:38 So everything in the sanctuary was to teach man
36:40 about the power of Jesus, the power of the lamb
36:43 that takes away the sin of the world
36:46 is only by the blood that we can be forgiven.
36:50 And so we see this was God's--
36:53 This was a daily service. A what kind of service?
36:55 Daily service.
36:56 A continue to happen all the way to the first coming of Christ,
36:59 all the way to the time of Messiah.
37:01 This was God's way of teaching man about the coming
37:04 the Lamb of God and it says in Colossians 2:17,
37:08 "That these are shadows of things to, what,
37:11 come but the body is of what?
37:14 So these sacrificial ceremonial services
37:16 where shadows of things to come.
37:18 In other words, they were prophecies.
37:21 That's what we are looking at it tonight.
37:23 This sanctuary and all of the things ceremony
37:26 were taking in where prophecies pointing us
37:28 forward to the true name of God
37:31 that would come and live out all of these things
37:34 in his body in the flesh.
37:36 And so the lambs were being slain every single day,
37:41 all the way to the coming of Christ and it came,
37:43 it became a routine.
37:45 People forgot the true significance of what it meant.
37:49 They thought the outward action
37:51 is what brought forgiveness of sin,
37:52 but then he realize, it was just a symbol
37:56 that they were putting faith in,
37:58 the true Lamb of God was the only one
38:01 that can remove sin.
38:03 And so as generation passed off
38:07 the sense after generation, as innocent animals
38:10 are being slain everyday in the sanctuary,
38:13 people were wondering.
38:14 "Where is the lamb?" That was the question of Isaac.
38:16 "Where is the lamb?"
38:18 Generation after generation passed off the scene
38:21 and this urgent question remained unanswered.
38:24 People were looking and looking.
38:25 "Where is the lamb? Where is the lamb?
38:27 When is He coming?"
38:28 And then Galatians 4:4 tells us,
38:31 "But when the fullness of the time was come,
38:34 God sent forth his Son, made of a woman,
38:37 made under the law."
38:38 When the prophetic time came,
38:42 then Jesus the lamb was incarnated into this world.
38:47 When the prophetic clock struck,
38:50 Jesus came into the world and he spent
38:52 the first 30 years of his life in his father's carpenter shop.
38:56 And he was a good carpenter, by the way.
38:58 Can you say amen? He fixed homes.
39:00 He fixed thing.
39:01 And by the way, friends, Jesus is still a carpenter today
39:04 because He is still fixing homes,
39:06 marriages and lives today.
39:07 Can you say amen? Amen.
39:08 He is still building beautiful households today.
39:11 And so for the first 30 years, he spent in the carpenter shop,
39:14 but then another prophetic time came
39:17 and Jesus realized now
39:19 it's time to begin my public ministry.
39:21 And so when He was 30 years old,
39:24 Jesus set down his hammer.
39:26 He put aside his saw.
39:28 He retired His level, put up his tool belt
39:32 and he went down to the River Jordan.
39:33 There was a young preacher by the name of John
39:35 that he wanted to listen to and when Jesus
39:37 approached the River Jordan, that preacher of God,
39:39 John the Baptist suddenly he saw Jesus.
39:42 And, friends, when he looked at Jesus,
39:44 he saw the Desire of all Ages.
39:49 When he looked upon Christ,
39:51 he saw the longings of every generation
39:54 since the very beginning of time,
39:55 he saw He in whom all their hopes had rested upon,
39:59 the one that they have been waiting
40:01 for after generation and generation
40:03 and when John saw Jesus, He said to the people,
40:06 "Behold the Lamb of God."
40:10 In other words, he was answering the question of Isaac.
40:12 Remember what's the question?
40:13 "Where is the lamb? Where is the lamb?"
40:16 And now John says, "There he is. He is here.
40:20 The true lamb is here to die once
40:22 in for all for the sins of the human race."
40:25 And it says, "Behold the Lamb of God,
40:27 which takes away the, what?
40:30 "The sin of the world."
40:31 You see, God provided himself a lamb in His Son, Jesus Christ.
40:39 He would come to live the perfect life
40:42 that we did not live.
40:44 And then he would die a vicarious death in our place
40:48 and through His sacrifice, he brought salvation
40:51 within the reach of all.
40:53 And, friends, the very moment Jesus died.
40:56 Guess what happened
40:57 in the Old Testament, earthly temple?
41:01 The Bible tells us that the veil was torn
41:05 from top to bottom, not bottom to top
41:08 because a human hand could've done that.
41:10 Top to bottom, because God Himself torn the veil.
41:11 In other words,
41:12 the sacrificial services in the sanctuary now are finished.
41:15 Why?
41:16 Because now the reality, the substance,
41:19 the body is come.
41:20 Jesus died and now the early sanctuary services
41:24 are no more and nor of us to be forgiven,
41:26 we don't have to slay a lamb.
41:28 All we have to do is pray to the lamb.
41:32 And He applies cleansing blood.
41:33 Can you say amen? Amen.
41:34 Friends, that there was torn, Friends, remind me,
41:36 what does the veil represent?
41:38 It represented the flesh of Jesus.
41:43 His flesh was torn, friends.
41:47 And by the way, do you know what cured Jesus?
41:51 Do you know what Jesus died off?
41:54 Not the physical pain.
41:56 Remember after He died, the solider came
41:59 and speared Him in the side and what came out?
42:02 Two things. Blood and water.
42:05 Friends, you ever wondered why?
42:08 Medical science have showed.
42:10 When a person experiences
42:11 an extreme case of mental agony and stress,
42:18 their heart can actually break and explode within their chest.
42:23 And when the heart breaks, the red blood cells
42:26 and the plasma separate.
42:30 When the solider speared Jesus in the side,
42:33 he was making sure that that Jesus was dead
42:36 under the ribcage, spring Him right in the heart.
42:39 To make sure that He was dead
42:40 and out of the heart of Christ flow blood and water
42:43 which shows us, friends,
42:45 that Jesus died of a broken heart,
42:51 not the physical pain, friends.
42:54 The mental and emotional pain of being
42:57 rejected by you and me.
43:01 The pain of being forsaken by his father.
43:04 We broke the heart of God.
43:09 But praise the Lord that mercy is still freely given.
43:14 Amen. Has your heart being broken?
43:20 Friends, God can take and heal your broken heart
43:24 as long as you give Him all the broken pieces.
43:26 Amen. And so the lamb died of a broken heart.
43:32 And now the sacrificial services
43:34 that sanctuary is finished, it's done away with.
43:38 The type had met antitype. The reality is now here.
43:42 The lamb that gives us power over the beast kingdom.
43:46 This is what prophecy is all about, friends.
43:49 The hope we have in the lamb.
43:51 Oh, friends, how many of you are faithful for the lamb?
43:55 Don't worry about the beast, friends.
43:58 You don't be have to be afraid of the beast
43:59 as long as you know the lamb.
44:00 But, friends, let me tell you.
44:01 If you don't know the lamb,
44:02 you have a lot to be afraid off.
44:05 You have a lot to be afraid of if you don't know
44:07 the lamb because you have--
44:08 You are no match for the beast.
44:11 The beast kingdom will destroy you.
44:13 But, friends, Jesus the lamb has the power
44:15 to slay beasts and drag us.
44:17 Can you say amen? Amen.
44:19 Now, friends, the reason why this is important
44:21 in light of the revelation of hope is because,
44:24 friends, did you know.
44:26 The reason why John emphasis the lamb
44:29 so many times in the Book of Revelation
44:31 is because the structure, the literary structure
44:35 the Book of Revelation is built upon the sanctuary.
44:40 And the lamb is the central figure of the sanctuary.
44:42 In other words, in order to truly understand
44:44 the Book of Revelation,
44:46 we have to understand the foundation of it.
44:47 And what is the foundation?
44:49 It's the sanctuary.
44:50 And what is the foundation of the sanctuary?
44:52 It's the lamb.
44:53 You see, revelation is filled with sanctuary language
44:57 from the Old Testament.
44:59 Symbols of the sanctuary.
45:00 And, friends, listen it's easy for a Jewish mind to capture
45:04 and to notice the language before us rest our minds,
45:07 it's hard for us to catch.
45:09 And so let me break it down very simply
45:11 as we get ready to close.
45:13 In the Book of Revelation, we find different series,
45:17 different sets of sevens.
45:20 We find different sets of sevens.
45:21 Seven churches, seven seals, seven thunders,
45:25 seven trumpets, seven signs, seven places.
45:27 You see, seven is God's favorite number, folks.
45:29 And when you study revelation you will find
45:32 that before every major set of seven
45:36 there is a sanctuary scene
45:39 that is given to John the revelator.
45:42 Before the seven churches, the seals, the plagues,
45:44 there is a sanctuary scene that is found
45:46 in the Book of Revelation because God is wanting
45:48 to focus us back to this Old Testament
45:51 sanctuary of which the lamb was the central figure of.
45:56 Now, friends, we don't have the time to go through
45:57 every single sanctuary scene in Revelation.
46:00 And every single seven, but tonight before we close,
46:02 let me just give you the first and the last.
46:06 I want us to notice in Revelation 1:12 and 13.
46:11 The Bible tells us, "And being turned,
46:13 I saw seven golden, what, candlesticks.
46:17 And in the midst of the seven candlesticks
46:18 one like unto the Son of man."
46:20 This is a scene that is given to John
46:23 just before the vision of the seven churches.
46:27 So just before John right--
46:28 The vision of the seven churches,
46:29 He sees the son of man amongst
46:32 the seven golden candlesticks.
46:35 This, friends, is sanctuary language
46:37 because where was the seven branch candlestick?
46:41 In the sanctuary.
46:42 But which part of the sanctuary. Do you remember?
46:45 In the Holy Place.
46:47 There you have the seven branch candlestick.
46:50 In other words, as revelation begins,
46:53 automatically we see Jesus in the Holy Place.
46:57 Not talking about the early Holy Place,
47:00 but in heaven.
47:01 He is amongst the seven branch candlestick
47:03 in the heavenly sanctuary.
47:05 And the question I asked is why does revelation
47:07 begin by depicting Jesus in the Holy Place?
47:11 Why is He there?
47:12 What does He start right there
47:14 and not in the outer court?
47:16 And here is the reason.
47:17 The gospels, Mathew, Mark,
47:19 Luke and John describes Jesus work
47:22 in the outer court of this row.
47:24 Remember in the outer court,
47:25 there was the altar of burnt offering.
47:26 And what did that symbolized? The cross.
47:29 And where was the cross? In this world.
47:31 Isn't that right?
47:32 That was the work of Christ in this world.
47:35 The outer court was the ministry of Christ
47:36 and the gospels Mathew, Mark, Luke and John
47:38 describes the outer court ministry of Christ.
47:41 But by the time the Book of Revelation is written,
47:43 Jesus is finished with His work on earth.
47:45 He is already ascended back into the heavens
47:48 and that's the reason why John
47:49 in the first chapter of Revelation sees Jesus
47:52 in the Holy Place and then in the Most Holy Place
47:55 because listen Revelation describes Jesus' special work
47:59 that He would continue to do for us in heaven above.
48:03 Because you see, friends, Jesus not only died for us,
48:06 but He ever lives to make intersession for us.
48:11 Can you say amen?
48:13 It's a special work that He is doing right now
48:15 for us in heaven above as our great high priests.
48:19 And so revelation, it is like the continuation,
48:22 the gospel is the earthly ministry of Christ.
48:24 That's the outer court.
48:26 But the Book of Revelation is the ministry of Christ in heaven
48:28 in the Holy Place and in the Most Holy Place.
48:34 And the reason why this is important
48:36 because notice what Hebrews 12:2 says.
48:40 It says that we need to keep our eyes on Jesus. Amen?
48:43 And it says, "Looking unto Jesus."
48:46 Now, friends, think about this.
48:48 If you are looking at Jesus
48:50 and Jesus moves what's gonna happen to your eyes?
48:54 Your eyes need to move with Him, isn't that right?
48:56 So we look at Jesus in the outer court,
48:58 in the gospels, but then He resurrects.
49:00 He goes to heaven.
49:01 And what should our eyes be doing?
49:04 Following Him. "Looking unto Jesus."
49:08 And what do we see?
49:09 "The author and finisher of our faith,
49:13 who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross,
49:17 despising the shame, and is set down
49:18 at the right hand of the throne of God."
49:21 Friends, when you look at Jesus,
49:22 you see that what He has started,
49:24 He is able to finish.
49:26 He is the author and the finisher of our faith,
49:27 but here is the question.
49:29 When that He author of our faith and when does He finish it?
49:31 Friends, notice it's right there in the passage.
49:33 He finished it right here at the throne.
49:37 And so the Book of Revelation describes what Jesus is doing
49:40 right now in heaven at the throne
49:42 and how He is wanting to finish our faith
49:47 and prepare us to stand in the last days.
49:50 Can you say amen?
49:52 Now, friends, in that Old Testament sanctuary,
49:54 beyond the veil there was the Most Holy Place
49:58 with was the third main part of the sanctuary.
50:01 It was called the which place?
50:03 And in that Most Holy Place,
50:04 there was only one article of furniture.
50:05 It was called the Ark of the Covenant.
50:09 It was a chest like piece of furniture overlade with gold
50:13 on the inside contained the Ten Commandments,
50:15 the Holy law of God above the Ten Commandments
50:19 was a solid slab of gold that covered the ark,
50:22 the chest and that slab of gold was called the mercy seat
50:26 because on the mercy seat sat the Shekinah Glory
50:31 which was the visible manifestation
50:32 of the glory of God between the two angles.
50:35 This mercy seat was a symbol of the throne of grace.
50:42 Are you with me?
50:44 Just above the Ten Commandments.
50:46 The mercy seat, the throne of grace
50:49 and it's at the throne that Jesus finishes our faith.
50:54 And by the way, friends, this Ark of the Covenant
50:57 was also called the Ark of the Testament.
51:00 The Ark of the what? So whenever you saw--
51:03 You see the Ark of the Testament,
51:04 that's what it's referring to.
51:05 It's referring to the Most Holy Place,
51:08 the special work that Jesus would do
51:10 there after the resurrection.
51:12 Now I want you to notice we looked
51:13 at the first sanctuary scene,
51:15 Jesus in the Holy Place just before the seven churches.
51:18 Now let's look at the last sanctuary scene
51:21 just before the seven last plagues.
51:24 John the Revelator in Revelation 15
51:26 sees the Temple of God open in heaven,
51:29 and notice what He sees now.
51:31 Revelation 15 beginning with verse 5.
51:33 And when you get there would you let me know by saying amen.
51:37 Revelation 15, we find the last sanctuary scene
51:42 just before the seven plagues are poured on.
51:45 And, friends, by the way on the future night,
51:47 we are gonna discuss in detail
51:49 what these seven last plagues are and what it means,
51:51 but tonight we're just laying a good foundation.
51:54 Notice with me, Revelation 15:7.
51:55 Just before the seven last plagues,
51:57 John sees another sanctuary scene.
51:59 And I want us to notice,
52:00 where He sees the Lord now in the sanctuary.
52:04 Notice, Revelation 15:5.
52:06 The Bible says, "And after that I looked,
52:10 and behold, the temple of the Tabernacle of the, what?
52:14 Testimony in heaven was opened."
52:17 So, friends, remember. What is the testimony?
52:19 Referring to the Ark of the Covenant
52:21 is referring to the Most Holy Place.
52:23 So now John in Revelation,
52:24 He sees the Most Holy Place opened before Him.
52:28 And notice what He sees.
52:30 "And the seven angels came out of the temple,
52:32 having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and fine linen."
52:34 Oh, excuse me.
52:35 "White linen, having their breasts
52:37 girded with golden girdles.
52:38 And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels,
52:41 seven golden vials full of the wrath of God."
52:43 Full of the what?
52:45 "Wrath of God who lives forever and ever.
52:47 And the temple was filled with smoke from the Glory of God
52:51 and from His power
52:53 and no man was able to enter into the temple
52:56 till the seven plagues
52:57 of the seven angels were fulfilled."
52:59 So here we find just before the seven last plagues,
53:01 the Wrath of God is poured out in the last days
53:03 just before this great time of trouble.
53:05 John sees a sanctuary sense.
53:08 He sees the Ark of the Testament.
53:09 He sees the Glory of God Jesus
53:11 right there in the Most Holy Place.
53:14 You see what's happening is this?
53:17 God is moving us from the outer court to the Holy Place
53:22 into the Most Holy Place experience.
53:26 That's what revelation is doing this, friends.
53:28 When you see the sanctuary scenes and the sequence,
53:30 it's Jesus moving us forward in a relationship with Him.
53:35 It's when we follow the lamb whithersoever He goes,
53:38 we keep our eyes fixed on the Jesus the lamb
53:40 and when He moves our eyes move and we move with Him.
53:43 Are you with me?
53:45 Now here is the question though.
53:46 Why in the world will Jesus want
53:48 to bring us in the Most Holy Place?
53:52 Why does Revelation point our eyes to a special work
53:55 that Jesus is doing for us.
53:56 Because listen, during the seven last plagues,
53:58 during the great time of tribulation,
54:00 the only place of safety for God's people
54:03 is in the sanctuary in the Most Holy Place.
54:08 Notice what the Bible says in Psalms 20:1 and 2.
54:11 It says, "May the Lord answer you in what day."
54:15 The day of trouble.
54:16 May the name of the God of Jacob defend you,
54:18 May He send thee help from, where?
54:21 The sanctuary, and strengthen thee out of Zion."
54:23 You see, friends, during the day of trouble,
54:25 the time of great wrath, the only place of safety,
54:29 the only safe shelter
54:31 and Hagen of protection is the sanctuary.
54:34 And, friends, that word sanctuary,
54:35 do you know what it means?
54:36 It means a refugee, a place of safety.
54:41 We have bird sanctuaries, marine sanctuaries.
54:44 What does that denote?
54:45 A place of safety, a protection
54:48 and this is why the Book of Revelation is built of--
54:51 The literally structure of Revelation
54:52 is built upon the sanctuary
54:54 because Jesus wants us to know that
54:56 He has a place of refugee for us in these last days.
54:59 We don't have to be afraid of the beast and the antichrist.
55:02 All we have to do is keep our eyes on the lamb.
55:05 Jesus Christ and be with Him
55:07 where He is in the sanctuary above.
55:10 Can you say amen? By faith, friends.
55:13 Looking at what Jesus is doing for us.
55:15 In fact, notice what it says in Hebrews 4:16.
55:18 It says, "Therefore because we know where Jesus is.
55:22 In the Most Holy Place.
55:23 It says, "Therefore let us come,
55:25 how, boldly to the throne of grace,
55:28 that we might obtain mercy
55:29 and find grace to help in our time of need."
55:32 Friends, where is the throne of grace in the sanctuary?
55:34 It's the Most Holy Place, the Ark of the Covenant.
55:38 The mercy seat was a symbol of the throne of grace.
55:41 And this is where Jesus finishes our faith.
55:45 This is where He prepares us for the very end of time.
55:47 And because we know where He is,
55:49 following Him as He moves to Revelation.
55:51 Now we can go to that place because it is a place of grace.
55:56 A place of safety, a place of protection.
55:59 Can you say amen? And then notice what it says.
56:02 In Psalm 91:1 and 2.
56:03 Friends, this Psalm is a Psalm
56:05 for those who live in the last days.
56:07 Psalm 91:1 and 2 it says, "He that dwells."
56:11 What word was that?
56:13 You see, friends, God not only wants us
56:14 to come to the Most Holy Place,
56:16 He wants us to dwell there to abide,
56:19 in other words, to stay there.
56:21 Can you say amen?
56:22 And stop going in and out and back and forth,
56:25 but to remain in Christ.
56:27 It says, "He that dwells
56:28 in the secret place of the Most High
56:29 shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
56:33 I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress,
56:37 in my God, in him will I trust."
56:40 Don't be afraid of the beast, friends.
56:42 Just keep your eyes on the lamb.
56:44 Revelation is only a scary book
56:47 for those who choose to follow the beast,
56:49 but those of us who are following the lamb,
56:51 it's not a scary book, it is an exiting book.
56:53 Can you say amen?
56:55 It gives us so much hope.
56:56 It points to the lamb that has a sanctuary or refugee for us.
56:59 And I want you to notice
57:00 what happens to the heavenly temple
57:02 once the lamb comes back to take us home.
57:04 And it says in 21:22 "And I saw no temple therein,
57:09 for the Lord God Almighty
57:10 and the Lamb are the temple of it."
57:13 Then it says, in 22:3-4
57:16 "And there shall be no more curse."
57:19 Why? Because the lamb has reversed the curse.
57:23 He took our curse so that we could have His blessing.
57:26 And it says, "But the throne of God
57:28 and of the Lamb shall be in it,
57:29 and his servants shall serve him,
57:31 and they shall see his face,
57:36 and his name shall be in their foreheads."
57:39 Oh, friends, I want to see Jesus, don't you?
57:42 I want to look upon the face of my God.
57:45 And as we close tonight,
57:48 how many of you want the lamb of grace
57:52 to be your Lord of glory?


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Revised 2014-12-17