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Series Code: RST
Program Code: RST000009S
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00:16 Well, good morning.
00:19 Another day. Day number three. 00:22 We're on a roll. 00:24 We've studied eight lessons so far. 00:28 And today we are going to get into a study 00:31 on the fifth trumpet. 00:34 And basically, the fifth trumpet is going to take all day. 00:38 There are many, many pages, and I think it will be a 00:41 blessing to understand the meaning of the fifth trumpet. 00:44 And then in the session tomorrow we'll probably dedicate 00:48 most of the day, if not all of the day, 00:50 to a study of the sixth trumpet. 00:53 So we want to begin with a word of prayer. 00:57 And so I invite you to bow your heads with me as we ask 00:59 the Lord to be with us today. 01:01 Father in heaven, we thank You for giving us life this day. 01:05 We thank You for bringing us together to study Your Word. 01:09 We ask that You will bless each session today. 01:13 That you will also bless all of those who are 01:15 watching the live stream. 01:17 Lord, we're living, we believe, in the last days. 01:21 And we need to understand prophecy so that we might 01:24 remain firm in the trials ahead. 01:27 So give us divine wisdom to understand. 01:30 We pray in the precious name of Jesus, amen. 01:37 We're going to begin on page 127 of our study notes. 01:43 The fifth trumpet. 01:44 This is chapter 6 of the study notes. 01:47 Now in order to understand the fifth trumpet, 01:51 it is helpful for us to review some elements 01:55 of what we studied in the fourth trumpet. 01:59 So we're going to take a look at the fourth trumpet, 02:05 as well as the first four churches 02:10 of the book of Revelation. 02:12 Now there's a foundational principle of interpretation 02:16 when we study the book of Revelation. 02:19 And that is, that the churches, the seals, and the trumpets 02:25 cover the same basic historic periods, 02:28 but from different perspectives. 02:30 Each series adds details that the other series doesn't have. 02:35 And the churches really are the skeleton 02:39 of the book of Revelation. 02:41 In other words, the churches are like Daniel 2 to Daniel. 02:47 Daniel is the foundational prophecy in all of the 02:50 additional prophecies in the book built on Daniel 2. 02:54 The seven churches are the foundational prophecies 02:57 that give you the structure of the entire book of Revelation. 03:01 And we're going to notice an example of that 03:03 as we study this morning. 03:06 Now let's go to the bottom of page 127 03:12 and review the first four churches. 03:15 The first church, seal, and trumpet describe 03:19 the apostolic church. 03:22 The second church, seal, and trumpet 03:25 describe the period when the Roman emperors 03:29 persecuted the church. 03:32 The third church, seal, and trumpet describe 03:37 the time when paganism penetrated the church 03:40 in the days of Constantine. 03:43 The fourth church, seal, and trumpet 03:47 describe the period when the apostate papal church 03:50 eclipse the Bible and the work of Christ 03:54 in the heavenly Sanctuary. 03:57 Now let's notice Ellen White's remark about the seven churches. 04:02 In, Acts of the Apostles, page 585, Ellen White wrote, 04:08 "The names of the seven churches are symbolic 04:12 of the church in different periods of the Christian Era. 04:17 The number 7 indicates completeness, 04:20 and is symbolic of the fact that the messages extend to..." When? 04:26 "...to the end of time, while the symbols used 04:30 reveal the condition of the church at different periods 04:34 in the history of the world." 04:36 So the seven churches represent seven periods. 04:41 That's why you have the number seven. 04:42 It's the totality of the history of the Christian church 04:46 in consecutive stages; beginning with Ephesus, 04:50 the apostolic church, and ending actually, 04:55 Revelation says Laodicea, but really the church is 04:58 going to return to the condition of Philadelphia. 05:00 I won't get into that right now. 05:02 Futurist expositors such as Hal Lindsey and Dave Hunt 05:08 who are not Seventh-day Adventists... 05:09 They believe in the rapture of the church 05:11 and all of this literal interpretation of prophecy 05:14 at the end of time. 05:16 They agree that the seven churches represent 05:19 seven periods of Christian history. 05:22 So this is not a unique Seventh-day Adventist view. 05:25 This is a view that is held also by non-Adventists. 05:30 Now what we want to do is take a look at the fourth church. 05:35 Because we're going to find that in the fourth church 05:38 we have a summary of the fourth, fifth, sixth, 05:44 and seventh trumpet. 05:46 So the paragraph just before the title in yellow here 05:52 on page 128 says, the central protagonist 05:57 of the fourth church is, whom? 06:00 Jezebel. 06:02 It is clear that Jezebel cannot be a literal person. 06:07 Because during the Dark Ages 06:10 literal Jezebel was already dead. 06:13 Doesn't take much intelligence to figure that out. 06:16 It is obvious that Old Testament Jezebel 06:19 did not live 1260 years. 06:23 Now the mention of Jezebel in the church of Thyatira, 06:27 the fourth church, makes it necessary to study what? 06:32 The Elijah story. 06:34 Because Jezebel is the central protagonist of the Elijah story. 06:38 Let us compare the Old Testament story 06:41 with the period of the fourth church, Thyatira. 06:45 Because there's a striking parallel between what happened 06:48 in the days of Elijah and what happened during the 06:51 church of Thyatira, the fourth church. 06:54 Here is the description of the fourth church 06:57 with my explanatory notes in brackets. 07:01 So what you have in brackets are my comments 07:04 about the message to the church of Thyatira. 07:07 We will notice that the fourth church actually summarizes 07:12 the central events of the fourth, fifth, sixth, 07:17 and I will add the seventh trumpet as well. 07:20 You say, "Well, how is that?" 07:23 Well, we're going to notice that the fourth church 07:26 describes the 1260 year persecution, 07:31 it describes the French Revolution, 07:34 it describes the period of judgment, 07:36 and it also describes the conclusion of the judgment 07:40 when Jesus takes over the kingdom. 07:43 You say, "Well, how is that? 07:45 All of that is in the fourth church?" 07:47 Yes. 07:48 Do you remember Daniel 7? 07:51 In Daniel 7 you have these four beasts: 07:55 you have a lion, you have a bear, you have a leopard, 07:58 you have a dragon beast. 08:00 The dragon beast sprouts ten horns. 08:01 Then a little horn comes up and rules for how long? 08:05 Time, times, and the dividing of time. 08:09 Now at the end of the time, times, diving of time 08:12 there's a judgment scene, right? 08:15 In other words, Jesus goes into the presence of the Father. 08:18 The Father sits, the judgment begins. 08:20 Jesus goes into the presence of the Father 08:22 to receive the kingdom. 08:24 What is the kingdom? 08:25 The kingdom are the people that have been proved 08:28 in the judgment to be followers, true followers of Jesus. 08:33 So are you with me? 08:34 Now we're going to see all of those elements 08:37 here in the church of Thyatira. 08:40 So let's go to the bottom of page 128 08:44 and take a look at the church of Thyatira 08:47 to see if we can find all of these stages. 08:49 The fourth trumpet, we said yesterday that the fourth 08:52 trumpet represents what? 08:54 The period of papal dominion during the 1260 years. 08:59 We're going to find the fourth trumpet, the fifth trumpet, 09:01 the sixth trumpet, and the seventh trumpet 09:03 summarized in the message to Thyatira. 09:06 So let's go to Revelation 2:20. 09:16 This is the church of Thyatira. 09:21 So who is at work in the church of Thyatira? 09:24 It is Jezebel. 09:26 Immediately that tells us, if you want to understand this 09:30 you have to go where? 09:31 You have to go back to the original story 09:34 where Jezebel is mentioned. 09:36 You have to go back to the Elijah story. 09:38 By the way, is Jezebel also symbolized by the beast 09:42 of Revelation 13 and the harlot of Revelation 17? 09:46 Is it the same power that ruled 1260 years? 09:50 Absolutely. 09:51 So let's continue. 09:53 "...you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself..." 10:00 And the New King James says, "sexual immorality," 10:02 but really it is fornication. 10:06 Let me ask you, whom did Jezebel fornicate with? 10:10 She fornicated with the king of Israel. 10:13 Did the papal church fornicate with the kings of the earth? 10:18 See, we're dealing with symbols here. 10:20 Jezebel is not literal, so the fornication must be what? 10:24 Must be symbolic with the kings of the earth. 10:27 So it says, "...who calls herself a prophetess..." 10:33 Fornication. 10:34 That's the union of church and state. 10:36 Did that happen during the 1260 years? 10:38 Absolutely. 10:42 Does that involve idolatry? 10:44 Was the church idolatrous during the 1260 years? 10:47 Absolutely. 10:54 How much time? 10:57 Time, times, and the dividing of time. 11:00 Are you with me or not? 11:02 Now let's continue. 11:03 Did she repent? 11:05 No. "...and she did not repent." 11:08 So what does God say? 11:09 Because she did not repent, something is going to happen. 11:16 "...sickbed..." 11:18 What does that refer to? 11:20 The deadly wound that was given to the papacy. 11:23 In other words, Revelation 13 tells us it's the deadly wound. 11:27 So we have to look at all of these things together. 11:29 The story of Elijah, we have to look at Revelation 13, 11:32 we have to look at Daniel 7. 11:33 Because they're all describing the same period of history. 11:37 So it says here, "Indeed I will cast her into a sickbed, 11:42 and those who commit adultery with her..." 11:44 Who would those be? 11:46 The rulers, right? 11:48 So the harlot is going to be cast into a sickbed, 11:51 and also the rulers who fornicate with her 11:55 are also going to be cast into a sickbed. 11:58 And they're going to be cast into what? 12:01 "...great tribulation..." 12:03 What does the great tribulation here refer to? 12:06 It refers to the French Revolution. 12:09 Let me ask you, was the French Revolution a huge 12:12 upheaval against the harlot that sent her to her sickbed? 12:17 Was it also a traumatic event for those who were 12:22 ruling in France? 12:23 Absolutely. 12:25 So this is describing the French Revolution. 12:27 It says, "...unless they repent of their deeds. 12:29 And I will kill her children..." 12:31 Oh, the harlot has children. 12:34 Who are the children of the harlot? 12:37 Ah, the harlot is the mother. 12:40 So she must have what? 12:42 So she must have daughters. 12:44 What do the daughters represent? 12:47 They represent apostate what? 12:49 Apostate Protestantism. 12:52 So it says, "...I will kill her children with death, 12:55 and all the churches..." 12:57 See, now all of the churches, all of human history, 13:00 all of the history of the church is involved here. 13:09 What is that a description of? 13:13 The investigative judgment. Right? 13:16 Is that parallel to Daniel 7? 13:18 Immediately after speaking of the little horn 13:21 that ruled time, times, and the dividing of time, you have what? 13:25 The investigative judgment in heaven. 13:27 And here, immediately after speaking about Jezebel, 13:31 which is the same power that ruled during the 1260 years, 13:34 it says that God searches the minds and the hearts. 13:38 And what is he going to do? 13:40 He is going to what? 13:42 The judgment is going to determine the reward. 13:46 Right? 13:47 And so it says, "And I will give to each one 13:50 of you according to your..." What? 13:53 "...according to your works." 13:54 That is describing the time when Jesus comes 13:57 to take His people home. 13:59 The people that have been shown to be His followers 14:01 in the investigative judgment. 14:03 Are you with me or not? 14:05 So the church of Thyatira, by the way, describes 14:08 the fourth trumpet, which is the period of papal dominion, 14:12 it describes the fifth trumpet, the French Revolution. 14:16 It describes also the sixth trumpet, we're going to notice, 14:20 because she is going to have a resurrection. 14:24 And it describes also the seventh trumpet 14:27 when the judgment is over and Jesus takes over 14:30 the everlasting kingdom with the subjects of His kingdom 14:34 that have been determined 14:36 during the investigative judgment. 14:38 Are you following me or not? 14:39 This is an amazing passage. 14:41 Now we're going to unpack this in the next few minutes. 14:44 I'm not going to read everything we find in the Elijah story, 14:48 all of the Bible verses, because we have way too much to cover. 14:52 But I'll pick and choose. 14:54 Now let's go to page 129. 14:58 In the Old Testament story, that is parallel to the 15:02 fourth trumpet, by the way, Jezebel is shown to be a 15:07 pagan priestess who introduced a synchronistic hybrid religion. 15:14 In other words, it was not pure paganism. 15:17 It was paganism mingled with the worship of the Lord. 15:23 That's the reason why Elijah said on Mount Carmel, 15:25 "Why do you live between two opinions. 15:28 If the Lord is God, follow Him; and if Baal, follow him." 15:31 But don't try to follow both. 15:33 So she introduced a synchronistic hybrid religion 15:38 that lead God's people Israel into what? 15:41 Into apostasy. 15:43 In Revelation, Thyatira represents the period 15:46 of history when the Christian church blended 15:50 paganism with what? 15:52 With Christianity. 15:53 Does the papacy claim to be a Christian system? 15:56 Did it embrace a whole bunch of pagan practices? 16:01 Absolutely. There's the parallel. 16:03 And this church behaved like Jezebel. 16:07 This period is the same as the fourth trumpet. 16:10 So let's compare the story of the historical Jezebel 16:15 with the story of the prophetic Jezebel. 16:18 And we're going to draw eleven parallels 16:21 between historical Jezebel, the Old Testament Jezebel, 16:26 and of course those who accompany her in the story, 16:29 and what happens during the period of the fourth trumpet. 16:34 The first parallel is that historical Jezebel 16:39 led Israel into what? 16:41 False worship to what? 16:45 To the sun-god, Baal. 16:48 Now you can read that in 1 Kings 16:30-31. 16:52 It's right there. 16:54 The last part of the verse says that Jezebel joined 16:58 with King Ahab, and Ahab went and served Baal, and what? 17:05 And worshiped him. 17:06 So there's the worship of the sun-god. 17:09 Ellen White has a very interesting statement, 17:13 at the bottom of page 129. 17:15 And by the way, you can read also from secular sources. 17:18 Easton's Bible Dictionary, let's read that one first. 17:21 "The sun-god, under the general title of Baal, 17:25 or 'lord,' was the chief object of worship of the Canaanites. 17:30 Each locality had its special Baal, and the various 17:34 local Baals were summed up under the name of Baalim, or 'lords.' 17:40 Each Baal had a wife, who was a colorless 17:44 reflection of himself." 17:45 And that, of course, is the moon goddess, Asherah. 17:49 And by the way, that's why they worshiped idols 17:53 of silver and gold. 17:54 Silver was in honor of the moon, 17:56 and gold was in honor of the sun. 17:59 So what was Baal? 18:01 The sun-god. 18:03 Ellen White confirms this. 18:05 In, Great Controversy, page 583, she wrote, 18:09 "Though in a different form, idolatry exists in the Christian 18:13 world today as verily as it existed among ancient Israel 18:17 in the days of Elijah. 18:19 The god of many professedly wise men, of philosophers, 18:24 poets, politicians, journalists; the god of polished fashionable 18:28 circles of many colleges and universities, 18:31 even of some theological institutions," 18:34 have mercy, "is little better than Baal..." The what? 18:38 "...the sun-god of Phoenicia." 18:42 So what was Baal? 18:43 The sun-god. 18:45 So what worship did Jezebel introduce into Israel? 18:49 Sun worship. 18:51 Did the church during the 1260 years have anything 18:54 do with the sun? 18:56 Yeah, it's no longer the literal sun, 18:59 we're not dealing with worshiping the literal sun. 19:02 We're dealing with worshiping when? 19:04 On the day of the sun. 19:06 Sun-day. 19:08 And in a previous presentation I showed that basically it's 19:11 the same principle. 19:13 You know, anything that man makes for worship is idolatry. 19:20 The first day of the week is not a day of worship. 19:22 So if you make it a day of worship, that's idolatry. 19:25 God did not create the sun as an object of worship. 19:28 So if you make it an object of worship, that's idolatry. 19:31 It's the same basic principle. 19:34 Now prophetic Jezebel also does the same thing. 19:38 Does prophetic Jezebel introduce idolatry into the church 19:45 during the 1260 years? 19:48 We're at the top of page 130. 19:50 Absolutely. 19:51 We're told here that the Jezebel of the 1260 years 19:57 introduced idolatry. 19:59 It led people to eat things sacrificed to idols. 20:04 You have this statement from Ellen White, 20:06 "The spirit of concession to paganism opened the way 20:10 for a still further disregard of Heaven's authority. 20:13 Satan tampered with the fourth commandment also, 20:17 and essayed to set aside the ancient Sabbath, 20:22 the day which God had blessed and sanctified, 20:24 and in its stead to exalt the festival observed by the 20:28 heathen as 'the venerable day of the sun.'" 20:31 Do you see the connection that Ellen White makes 20:33 with the worship of the sun with the worship on the 20:36 day of the sun? 20:38 Now the second parallel that we have is that Jezebel 20:42 is called the mother. 20:47 And she is a harlot. 20:50 And she is involved in the occult. 20:54 Interesting. 20:56 Is that true also of prophetic Jezebel, 20:59 the Jezebel of the 1260 years? 21:02 Absolutely. 21:04 Notice Revelation 17:1-2, 5. 21:07 I'm not reading the historical part. 21:08 You have it right there. 21:10 Because we don't have enough time to do everything 21:14 that we have in this study manual. 21:17 It says in Revelation 17:1... 21:29 So you have a harlot in both stories. 21:37 Is that true also of Jezebel with Ahab? 21:40 Absolutely. 21:57 So the end time harlot, who is also the harlot 22:01 during the 1260 years, is referred to as the what? 22:05 As the mother, she's a harlot, 22:09 and she's involved in the occult. 22:11 Is the papacy also involved in the occult? 22:15 Notice Revelation 18:23, speaking about Babylon. 22:19 "For your merchants were the great men of the earth..." 22:28 What is at the root of the occult? 22:30 What is at the root of spiritualism? 22:33 The idea that the dead are not dead. 22:35 The immortality of the soul. 22:37 Is Roman Catholic theology based on the idea that 22:40 the dead are not dead? 22:42 You look at the entire theology of the Roman Catholic Church, 22:45 it is based on the idea of the immortality of the soul. 22:48 You pray to the saints, you pray to Mary, 22:50 you know, you do special mass for people who are dead. 22:54 You know, people go to hell and to burn while they're alive, 22:57 or they go to purgatory to purge their sins. 23:00 Everything is based on spiritualism. 23:03 And the idea, of course, of spiritualism is based 23:07 on the immortality of the soul. 23:09 Let's notice the third parallel. 23:12 The issues in the days of Elijah are the same issues 23:16 that involve the papacy during the 1260 years 23:20 as well as in the end time. 23:22 What are the issues? 23:23 The first issue is concerning the law of God. 23:28 The second issue is concerning worship. 23:32 And the third issue has to do with the true gospel. 23:37 Now were these the three issues of controversy 23:40 in the days of Elijah? 23:42 Yes. 23:43 1 Kings 16:30-31, I'm not going to read it, 23:46 but you'll find that we are told there 23:49 that Ahab, of course, and all of Israel, went and served 23:53 Baal and worshiped him. 23:55 So worship is involved. 23:57 Is the law involved? 23:59 Absolutely. 24:00 When Elijah meets Ahab, what does he say to Ahab? 24:05 "...you have forsaken..." What? 24:07 "...the commandments of the Lord and followed the Baals." 24:11 So are the commandments involved in the story of Elijah? 24:15 Absolutely. 24:17 Is the gospel involved? 24:19 Absolutely. 24:21 You say, "How do we know that?" 24:22 Well, what did Elijah do when he went to Mount Carmel? 24:27 The first thing that he did was repair the altar of the Lord 24:31 that had been torn down. 24:33 What is it that was placed on the altar? 24:36 Sacrifices. 24:38 What did the sacrifices represent? 24:40 They represented the death of Christ for sinners. 24:45 So was the gospel torn down during the days of Elijah? 24:49 Three issues: worship, the commandments of God, 24:53 and the pure gospel. 24:55 By the way, yesterday we studied that the Roman Catholic system, 25:00 what did it do with Jesus Christ? 25:03 It eclipsed the work of Jesus Christ. 25:07 And it also eclipsed the testimony of the church. 25:11 And so this is parallel to what we studied yesterday. 25:16 Now let me ask you, in the book of Revelation 25:18 do we have the same three issues? 25:20 Absolutely. 25:21 On page 132 you have the issues. 25:24 Revelation 13:4. 25:30 The beast is a symbol of the papacy. 25:39 So is worship involved when it comes to the beast, 25:41 which is the same as Jezebel? 25:43 Yes. Is the law involved during the 1260 years 25:48 and at the end of time? 25:49 Yes. You know Daniel 7:25. 25:52 It says that the little horn, which is the same as the beast 25:55 or the harlot, thought that is could change what? 25:58 It could change God's holy law. 26:01 Also, is the true gospel involved? 26:04 Remember, we studied Daniel 8 yesterday. 26:07 What did the papacy do? 26:09 Instead of the showbread, it gave what? 26:11 Tradition. 26:12 Instead of the once for all sacrifice, 26:15 it established the mass. 26:17 Instead of the light of the church enlightening the world, 26:23 it was the period of the Dark Ages. 26:25 Instead of the intercessory work of Christ, 26:28 a counterfeit priesthood now was placed to intercede. 26:32 Did the papacy interfere with the true gospel? 26:35 It most certainly did. 26:37 Now, notice the fourth parallel. 26:41 During the period of historical Jezebel, 26:44 because of the apostasy there was no what? 26:48 There was no rain. 26:50 Is that true also of the 1260 years? 26:54 Notice Revelation 11:16. That's the top of page 133. 27:01 "These..." That is the two witnesses. 27:03 What do the two witnesses represent? 27:06 The Bible. The Old and New Testament. 27:08 What do they have power to do? 27:10 "...to shut heaven so that no rain falls 27:14 in the days of their prophecy." 27:17 Are you catching the point? 27:18 So was there any rain because of the apostasy 27:21 in the times of Jezebel? 27:22 No. Was there any rain during the period of spiritual Jezebel? 27:27 Absolutely not. 27:28 And by the way, why was there no rain 27:31 during the 1260 years? 27:34 Well, we find here in 2 Chronicles 7:13-14 the answer. 27:38 God says, "When I shut up the heaven 27:40 and there is not rain, or command the locusts 27:43 to devour the land, and send pestilence among My people, 27:47 if My people that are called by My name will..." What? 27:50 "...humble themselves, and pray and seek My face..." 27:53 Ah, now comes the key portion that most people don't quote. 27:57 "...and turn from their wicked ways, 27:59 then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin 28:02 and heal their land." 28:04 Why was there no literal rain during the days of Elijah? 28:07 Because people were in apostasy. 28:10 Why was there no rain during the 1260 years? 28:13 Because people were in apostasy. 28:15 And what does the rain represent? 28:17 The rain represents the absence of what? 28:21 Of the Holy Spirit. 28:22 And that's the reason why the candlestick doesn't have the oil 28:26 and therefore it's the Dark Ages. 28:27 Because the candlestick... The church does not give light. 28:31 Now let's notice the fifth parallel. 28:33 This is the bottom of page 133. 28:36 How long did it not rain in the days of literal Jezebel? 28:42 James 5:17 tells us. 28:57 How long is that? 28:59 Time, times, and the dividing of time. 29:03 Of course, all of this is coincidence. 29:06 You think? 29:07 No. 29:09 What is literal in the Old Testament becomes 29:11 symbolic during the church period. 29:13 Now let's notice Revelation chapter... 29:18 I don't have the reference here, but this is found in 29:22 the story of the church of Thyatira. 29:24 It says, "I gave her..." What? 29:27 "...time..." The word is Chronos. 29:30 What word do we get from chronos? 29:32 Chronology. 29:33 "I gave her chronological time." 29:35 That is 1260 years. 29:37 "...to repent of her sexual immorality," or her fornication, 29:41 "and she did not repent." 29:43 How long did God give Jezebel the harlot to repent? 29:48 Notice Revelation once again. 29:50 This is Revelation 11. 29:52 "And I will give power to my two witnesses, 29:54 and they will prophesy..." How long? 29:57 "...one-thousand two-hundred and sixty days, 30:00 clothed in sackcloth." 30:03 1260 days is equivalent to what? 30:06 Time, times, and the dividing of time. 30:08 Notice Daniel 7:25. 30:11 "He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, 30:14 shall persecute the saints of the Most High, 30:17 and shall intend to change times and law. 30:19 Then the saints shall be given into his hand..." 30:22 For how long? 30:23 "...for a time, and times, and half a time." 30:26 Three and a half years. 30:28 But here they are symbolic years. 30:31 In the Old Testament they are literal years. 30:33 Are you with me? 30:35 Very important principle. 30:37 Now let's go to the next parallel, parallel number six. 30:40 Was there a faithful remnant in the days of Elijah? 30:45 Yes. Not only Elijah, but also what? 30:49 Ooh. 30:50 "I have reserved seven thousand in Israel, 30:54 all whose knees have not bowed to Baal, 30:57 and every mouth that has not kissed him." 31:00 So was there a faithful remnant? 31:02 A minority? Yes there was. 31:04 Was there also a remnant in the church of Thyatira? 31:08 Here's a very interesting word. 31:10 Revelation 2:24-25 31:13 "Now to you I say, and to the rest in Thyatira..." 31:18 Now that is not a good translation. 31:20 The expression, "the rest," is the Greek word, "loipos." 31:26 It's the same word that is used in Revelation 12:17 31:30 where the dragon goes against the remnant of her seed. 31:34 "Loipos," should be translated, remnant. 31:37 Was there a remnant in Thyatira? 31:39 Yes there was. 31:41 So it says here, "Now to you I say, and to the 31:45 remnant in Thyatira..." 31:46 What characterized the remnant? 31:49 Oh, "...as many as do not have this doctrine..." 31:52 In other words, those who did not follow 31:54 the teachings of Jezebel. 31:56 "...who have not known the depths of Satan..." 31:58 So is there a faithful remnant during this period? Yes. 32:02 "...I will put on you no other burden. 32:04 But hold fast what you have until I come." 32:08 Let's notice a seventh parallel. 32:12 Who was blamed in the days of Elijah for everything 32:15 that was occurring? 32:17 Elijah. 32:19 Was he hunted by the powers that be? 32:23 Yes. Notice 1 Kings 18:17. 32:26 "Then it happened, when Ahab saw Elijah..." 32:35 Who was blamed to be the troubler of Israel? 32:38 It was Elijah. 32:41 And so now they hunt for him. 32:43 Notice 1 Kings 18:10 and 17. 32:47 "As the Lord God lives, there is no nation or kingdom..." 32:51 This is Ahab speaking. 32:58 This is a messenger sent by Ahab to Elijah. 33:01 He's saying, "You know, my master has sent me 33:03 to look for you everywhere." 33:12 So did they hunt for Elijah, try to hunt him down 33:16 to destroy him? 33:17 Absolutely. 33:19 Is that true also of prophetic Jezebel's period? 33:23 Notice here Revelation 12:6. 33:30 Why is she fleeing? 33:32 On vacation? 33:34 No. She's fleeing because Jezebel, spiritual Jezebel, 33:37 wants to finish her off. 33:48 So you have this parallel. 33:51 Historical Jezebel and Ahab persecute Elijah 33:56 and blame him for what's happening. 33:58 The same happens during the 1260 years. 34:01 Let's notice parallel number eight. 34:04 Where did Elijah find refuge? 34:08 He found refuge in the wilderness, right? 34:13 Where did prophetic Elijah during the period of Jezebel 34:17 find refuge? 34:20 Ah, notice Revelation 12:6 and 14. 34:24 "Then the woman fled into..." Where? 34:27 "...the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God 34:30 that they should feed her there 1260 days." 34:34 And verse 14, "However, the woman was given two wings 34:38 of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness 34:41 to her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, 34:45 and half a time from the presence of the serpent." 34:48 So Elijah is protected when he flees to the wilderness. 34:52 And the church during the period of spiritual Jezebel 34:55 also flees and goes to the wilderness. 35:00 What happened with Elijah there in the wilderness? 35:02 He starved to death, right? 35:05 No. He was fed by God. 35:07 He was nourished by God. 35:09 Notice what we find in 1 Kings 17:4. 35:13 "And it will be that you shall drink from the brook, 35:16 and I have commanded the ravens to..." What? 35:19 "...to feed you there." 35:21 So was the historical Elijah fed? 35:24 Yes. 35:26 1 Kings 17:6 says, "The ravens brought him bread 35:29 and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening; 35:34 and he drank from the brook." 35:36 Is this true also of prophetic Elijah during the 1260 years? 35:44 Absolutely. Let's read Revelation 12 again, verse 6. 35:57 And then verse 14 says that she would be what? 36:01 Nourished there. 36:04 Are you seeing the parallels? 36:06 There's just too many parallels for this to be a coincidence. 36:09 You see, the key point is that the church of Thyatira 36:13 mentions Jezebel. 36:16 And Jezebel never appears alone. 36:18 Whenever Jezebel appears, her bad company appears too. 36:23 Her three enemies, which are the prophets of Baal, 36:26 Jezebel, and Ahab the king. 36:32 Now let's go to the next parallel. 36:34 Parallel number ten. 36:37 Was the harlot Jezebel a murderer of God's people? 36:42 Yes. 36:43 You can read that in 1 Kings 18:4 where it says 36:46 that Jezebel massacred the prophets of the Lord. 36:50 And in 2 Kings 9:7 it says... 37:04 1 Kings 19:1-2 basically says the same thing, 37:08 that Elijah had to run for his life from the wrath of Jezebel. 37:14 Let's notice the parallel at the top of page 137. 37:20 Did spiritual Jezebel or symbolic Jezebel 37:24 persecute God's faithful people during the 1260 years? 37:28 Notice Daniel 7:25. 37:46 In Revelation 17 it even speaks of the harlot. 37:48 Jezebel was a harlot. 37:50 So here you have a harlot in Revelation 17, 37:52 and what characteristic does she have? 38:05 Chapter 18 and verse 24 adds, "And in her," 38:09 that is, in this harlot system... 38:19 So very interesting parallels, aren't they? 38:23 Now let's notice the last parallel, 38:25 parallel number eleven. 38:29 Jezebel had false prophets, right, that did her bidding. 38:33 But do you know that she also had a daughter 38:35 who did her bidding? 38:38 Incidentally, I might say that the false prophets 38:44 and the daughter are interchangeable. 38:47 Let me ask you, in Revelation chapter 13 38:51 does the mother have daughters? 38:54 It's called the false prophet, right? 38:57 But in Revelation 17 the harlot's followers 39:00 are called her what? 39:02 Her daughters. 39:03 Now, what we have to do is we have to compare two stories. 39:08 The story of Elijah in the Old Testament, 39:10 and you have to compare the story 39:12 of the New Testament Elijah. 39:14 Who is the New Testament Elijah? 39:15 I'm not talking about this end time Elijah of the 1260 years. 39:18 I'm talking about the New Testament Elijah who is whom? 39:22 John the Baptist. 39:24 How many enemies led to the death of John the Baptist? 39:27 Three. 39:29 By the way, Jesus identified John the Baptist 39:31 as Elijah three times. 39:34 Matthew 17, Matthew 11, and Luke chapter 1. 39:38 He identified... He said, "This is Elijah." 39:40 Of course, not in person. 39:42 He came to do the work of Elijah. 39:43 To prepare a people for the first coming of Jesus. 39:47 Now, have you ever read the story of the deaths 39:49 of John the Baptist? 39:51 The Elijah of the New Testament. 39:53 There is King Ahab. 39:54 Is he the dangerous figure in the story? 39:57 No, he's not the dangerous figure. 39:59 You know, he would have done nothing unless 40:01 it was for whom? 40:04 Aaah. 40:06 For Jezebel. Right? 40:09 But Jezebel used her false prophets to what? 40:14 To extend the false religion of Baal, 40:16 and to search for Elijah. 40:18 So in the Old Testament, Jezebel, the false prophets 40:22 do what she says because they eat at Jezebel's table. 40:24 And you don't bite the hand that feeds you. 40:28 And so they want... 40:30 You know, this union in the Old Testament 40:32 of Jezebel influencing the king who had a weak character, 40:37 and using the false prophets, they try to seek out 40:40 Elijah to kill him. 40:43 Now in the story of John the Baptist, the king, 40:45 is he a wimp? 40:47 Was Ahab a wimp? 40:49 They had the same character. 40:50 He's a wimp. 40:52 Excuse the expression. 40:54 But you understand what I'm saying. 40:56 You know, he actually liked John the Baptist. 40:58 You read the story in Mark chapter 6. 41:01 He enjoyed sitting and listening to him. 41:03 But there was a harlot who hated John the Baptist. 41:06 Who was it? 41:08 Herodias. 41:09 And by the way, she was an adulterous woman because 41:11 she was sleeping with someone who was somebody else's husband. 41:16 Right? 41:18 And so, what did she want to do? 41:20 She wanted to kill John the Baptist. 41:22 But it's like she had a deadly wound. 41:24 She couldn't, it says there in Mark chapter 6. 41:28 And so what does she do? 41:31 She says to her daughter at a banquet, 41:33 she says to the daughter, "Hey, you know, ask the king 41:39 to give you the head of John the Baptist." 41:41 And I'm shortening the story. 41:43 And the daughter says, "Mother! 41:48 What are you saying, mother?" 41:49 No. The daughter, it says, immediately... 41:53 Like mother, like daughter. 41:56 The daughter goes and says, "Give me the head of 41:59 John the Baptist on a silver platter." 42:02 And that's how John the Baptist died. 42:06 The end time trilogy, or enemies, 42:10 are the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet. 42:13 The dragon represents the kings of the earth. 42:15 The beast is the papacy, or the harlot. 42:18 And the false prophet are the daughters. 42:21 Is the same going to happen at the end of time? 42:23 Are the kings of the earth the primary danger for God's people? 42:27 No. The kings are not. 42:31 Who tries to influence the civil powers of the world? 42:36 The papacy. But she has what? 42:38 A deadly wound. 42:40 So she needs whom? 42:42 Her daughters, or the false prophet, to do her bidding. 42:45 Are you with me? 42:47 This is not speculation. 42:51 This is what the Bible calls typology. 42:53 This is typology. 42:54 Type and anti-type. 42:56 Now did Jezebel... 42:58 See, Jezebel not only had false prophets, 43:00 she had also an apostate daughter that did her bidding. 43:03 You say, "Now wait a minute." 43:05 Do you know who usurped the throne after Jezebel? 43:09 Her daughter called Athaliah. 43:12 Let's read about Athaliah 43:14 in, Bible Commentary, volume 2, page 1038, 43:20 Very interesting. 43:22 "With her seductive arts, 43:24 Jezebel made Jehoshaphat her friend." 43:29 That was the king of Judah. 43:31 "She arranged a marriage between her daughter Athaliah 43:34 and Jehoram, the son of Jehoshaphat. 43:38 She knew that her daughter, brought up under her guidance 43:43 and as unscrupulous as herself, would carry out her designs." 43:52 Are you seeing the parallel? 43:55 Now, let's unpack this. 43:58 Who are the daughters when it comes to the 1260 years 44:03 and the end time? 44:05 Well, the daughters represent the Protestant denominations 44:12 that were born from the mother in the 16th century. 44:17 Let me ask you, did the daughters totally sever their 44:20 relationship with their mother? 44:23 You know why the Protestant churches 44:25 are going to return to the mother? 44:26 Because they never fully broke away from the mother. 44:30 They kept some of the doctrines of the mother. 44:37 Two of them primarily. 44:38 Well, actually three. 44:40 Sunday as the day of worship, 44:44 the immortality of the soul, 44:47 and an eternally burning hell. 44:50 Those will be the links, Ellen White says 44:52 that Sunday and the immortality of the soul 44:55 will be the glue that will bring them together. 44:59 So the daughters were never able to sever their 45:01 relationship with their mother, 45:03 and they will come back to mother. 45:05 Let's read Revelation 17:5. 45:09 This is page 138. 45:19 And we notice in Revelation 2, Thyatira, 45:22 "I will kill her..." What? 45:24 "...her children with death..." 45:26 So Jezebel has what? Children. 45:29 You know, at Vatican Council II, the ice began to melt 45:35 in the relationship between the Protestants and the Catholics. 45:40 And there were actually Protestants that went 45:43 as observers to Vatican II, which took place 45:47 between 1962 and 1965. 45:50 And I want you to notice a couple of very 45:51 interesting statements here 45:54 that were made by Roman Catholics at the council. 46:00 First of all, John XXIII, who was the one who 46:03 called the council; the pope. 46:06 He addressed the Protestants who were there observing 46:11 in the following way: 46:12 "The Roman Catholic Church, she wants to be an affectionate, 46:19 kind, and patient..." What? "...mother. 46:23 She is moved by compassion and goodness toward 46:26 her alienated children." 46:30 Interesting, isn't it? 46:33 Pope Paul VI, who followed John XXIII, 46:37 during Vatican Council II added, "Because of their position, 46:43 separated brethren are the object of deep and tender 46:47 affection on the part of the mother church. 46:52 It is a love that feels grief and sadness, 46:55 the love of a heart wounded by estrangement, 46:58 because the estrangement prevents our brethren 47:01 from enjoying so many privileges and rights 47:04 makes them lose so much grace. 47:06 But perhaps for this very reason its love is all the deeper 47:10 and more burning." 47:14 Very, very interesting. 47:16 The mother saying that the Protestants are her what? 47:22 Children. 47:24 Notice, Great Controversy, pages 382 and 383. 47:28 "Babylon is said to be 'the mother of harlots.' 47:32 By her, 'daughters,' must be symbolized..." What? 47:35 "...churches that cling to her doctrines and traditions, 47:39 and follow her example of sacrificing the truth 47:44 and the approval of God in order to form an unlawful 47:48 alliance with the world." 47:50 And in the, Spalding and Magan Collection, page 1, 47:54 this is a significant statement. 47:56 I wish I had time to unpack the entire statement. 47:59 This is just a portion. 48:01 "Then I saw the mother of harlots; 48:03 that the mother was not the daughters, 48:07 but separate and distinct from them. 48:10 She," that is the mother, "has had her day, 48:13 and it is past, and her daughters, the Protestant sects, 48:19 were the next to come on the stage and act out the same mind 48:24 that the mother had when she persecuted the saints." 48:30 Are you catching the picture? 48:32 And Protestants today, they think that this pope 48:39 is marvelous and magnificent 48:42 because he speaks about helping the poor, 48:45 and taking care of creation, 48:47 and he washes the feet of prisoners. 48:51 They say, you know, this individual is the one who can 48:54 bring the world together in love. 48:57 Why? Because they've cast aside the shield of truth, 49:01 which is this Book. 49:03 Doctrine means nothing to Protestants anymore. 49:06 It's just, "Oh, let's just all agree to disagree. 49:11 Let's just all get together and feel good together." 49:16 Doctrine and truth means nothing anymore in this world. 49:19 Postmodern thinking has destroyed the idea 49:22 that there's such a thing as absolute truth. 49:25 But there is absolute truth, and it's in this Book. 49:30 Now, we have one more thing that we need to do. 49:35 Is there going to be an end time Elijah? 49:38 Yes there is. 49:40 The Elijah of the 1260 years is not the final Elijah. 49:44 The conclusion of the story is still in the future. 49:47 We know this for several reasons. 49:50 At the end of the 1260 years, the civil powers 49:53 mortally wounded Jezebel, but did not totally what? 49:58 Annihilate her. 50:01 Second, the daughters of Jezebel are still what? 50:04 Alive and well. 50:06 So they haven't been killed the way that we're told 50:10 in the message to the church at Thyatira. 50:13 Third, the great and terrible day of the Lord 50:15 has not yet what? Come. 50:18 And God promises to send Elijah before the great 50:20 and terrible time of the Lord. 50:23 And finally, God did not yet translate the church to heaven 50:27 like He did Elijah. 50:29 So are we to expect another Elijah? 50:32 Yes. 50:34 By the way, does the Old Testament tell us 50:37 that there is going to be another Elijah? 50:41 Yes. 50:43 It says in Malachi 4, and I'm not going to read 50:46 this entire passage, Malachi 4:1-6, 50:50 "the day is coming, burning like an oven," 50:53 the wicked will be stubble, they will be burned up, 50:57 neither root nor branch will be left. 51:00 Is this describing the coming of Christ in fire? 51:02 Yes. But what is He going to do before He comes? 51:06 Ah, let's go down here to verse 4. 51:10 There are two individuals that are mentioned here. 51:14 "Remember the Law of Moses..." 51:23 So who is brought to view? 51:24 Moses. 51:26 Who else is brought to view? 51:27 "Behold, I will send you..." Whom? 51:29 "...Elijah the prophet before the coming of the 51:32 great and dreadful day of the Lord. 51:34 And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, 51:36 and the hearts of the children to their fathers, 51:38 lest I come and strike the earth with a curse." 51:41 By the way, if you go to Revelation 11, 51:45 the two witnesses really are Moses and Elijah. 51:49 The work that Moses and Elijah did. 51:52 Because the witnesses turn water into blood. 51:55 We're going to study this later on. 51:56 Who turned water into blood? 51:58 Moses. 52:00 And they make fire come down from heaven. 52:02 Who brought fire down from heaven? 52:04 Elijah. 52:05 So the mention of Moses has to do with God's commandments. 52:10 The mention of Elijah means bringing God's people back 52:15 to the roots to prepare for the coming of the Lord. 52:19 Now why will there be an end time Elijah? 52:22 Well, because there's an end time Jezebel. 52:26 If you have Jezebel, you have to have, you know, Elijah too. 52:31 Right? 52:33 And you have to have also Ahab; the kings of the earth. 52:37 And you have to have the daughters. 52:39 Because they all are in the same story. 52:41 They all work together. 52:43 Now Revelation 6:9-11. 52:46 It doesn't look like we're going to be able to 52:48 finish this in this time period. 52:49 We'll have to come back to it. 52:51 But Revelation 6:9-11 is the fifth seal. 52:56 The fourth seal represents the period 52:58 of papal dominion. 53:01 What did the papacy do with God's people? 53:04 Slew God's people. 53:06 So in the fifth seal, the souls that were slain 53:10 under the fourth trumpet, under the fourth seal, 53:13 what are they doing? 53:14 They're crying out, "Lord, until..." When? 53:17 You can read this here. 53:19 "...until..." When? 53:20 "...do you not judge and avenge our blood 53:24 on those who dwell on the earth?" 53:26 "How long are You going to allow our blood to be shed?" 53:30 What is God's answer to them? 53:33 Notice verse 11. 53:42 So this first group of martyrs that were killed 53:44 during the 1260 years, they're told, they cry out for justice, 53:49 and God says to them, "You're going to..." What? 53:51 "You're going to rest for a little while longer." 53:54 But let me ask you, is there going to be 53:55 another group of martyrs? 53:57 Yes. 53:58 It says... 54:07 So is there going to be a future group of martyrs? 54:09 Yes, because the past group of martyrs cry out, 54:12 God gives them a white robe, He says, 54:14 "You're safe, you're secure. 54:15 You know, you're going to rest for a while 54:17 until the rest of the martyrs die." 54:19 When is it that the rest of the martyrs are going to die? 54:21 During that short time of trouble right before 54:25 the close of probation. 54:26 And who is going to be the protagonist 54:28 that is going to encourage that? 54:31 It is going to be a resurrected Roman Catholic papacy. 54:37 And let's go here to Revelation 2:22. 54:41 "Indeed I will cast her into a sickbed..." 54:43 This is the fifth trumpet, we're going to notice. 54:46 The fifth trumpet is the deadly wound, 54:48 the French Revolution, that makes the papacy inactive. 54:53 So it says, "Indeed I will cast her into a sickbed..." 54:55 That is this harlot Jezebel that worked during the 1260 years. 55:00 "...and those who commit adultery," 55:02 or fornication, "with her..." 55:04 That is the kings of the earth. 55:06 "...into great tribulation..." That's the French Revolution. 55:09 "...unless they repent of their deeds." 55:11 Now what does it mean to cast her into the sickbed? 55:15 Well, notice what a very reputable lexicon says. 55:21 Arndt and Gingrich Lexicon, page 436, 55:24 explains that this means, "To lay someone in a sickbed; 55:29 that is, to strike her with an illness..." 55:33 It gives Revelation 2:22. 55:35 "...a lingering illness as..." What? 55:39 "...as divine punishment." 55:41 Was the papacy divinely punished? 55:43 You better believe it. 55:45 But what does Revelation 13:3 have to say? 55:49 The deadly wound is going to what? 55:51 Heal. 55:53 "And I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, 55:56 and his deadly wound was healed. 55:58 And all the world marveled and followed..." What? 56:02 "...and followed the beast." 56:05 Do you notice that the Elijah story broadens ever more? 56:08 It's like throwing a pebble into a lake, 56:10 and then you have the ripples that go wider and wider. 56:13 Where does the first Elijah minister? 56:18 In Israel. 56:20 What about the second Elijah? 56:22 In western Europe. 56:25 What about the last Elijah? 56:28 In the world. 56:30 Are you with me or not? 56:32 Now, Revelation 12:17 describes end time Elijah. 56:41 "...offspring..." Or the remnant of her seed, I like better. 56:45 And what do they do? 56:52 Which is the spirit of prophecy. 56:54 Let's read the paragraph at the top of page 141. 56:58 After the three and a half times, 57:00 God raises up a people who keep the commandments of God, 57:05 have the gift of prophecy, preach true worship 57:09 to the Creator on His holy Sabbath, 57:11 restore and proclaim the everlasting gospel, 57:15 denounce Babylon, and lead the world to take a stand 57:19 for the seal of God or the mark of the beast. 57:22 This end time Elijah will enlighten the world 57:25 with a loud cry. 57:27 As Elijah brought fire down from heaven, 57:28 the entire Mount Carmel was illuminated 57:31 when he gave his message. 57:33 Who is that end time remnant? 57:35 That end time remnant is the Seventh-day Adventist, 57:38 the faithful in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. 57:41 I need to qualify that. 57:43 Because Ellen White states that most of those who are 57:47 in the church will eventually leave. 57:49 Sadly. 57:50 So did you understand what we studied? 57:53 You really have a summary of trumpet four, 57:56 five, six, and seven. |
Revised 2020-08-26