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Series Code: RST
Program Code: RST000010S
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00:16 We are going to begin our study on page 141
00:19 in this session. 00:22 Unfortunately, we're not going to be able to cover everything 00:25 in the study notes. 00:28 We're going to skip over some things in the next few pages. 00:33 And I'll tell you exactly which ones we're going to skip. 00:36 But we do want to do what we find on pages 141 through 144. 00:42 So first of all, we're going to look at a summary 00:47 of the three woes. 00:49 You know that there are three woes that are referred to 00:53 in the trumpets. 00:55 The first woe is the fifth trumpet. 00:59 I'm summarizing. 01:00 The second woe is the sixth trumpet. 01:04 And the third woe is the seventh trumpet. 01:07 Okay? 01:09 Very simple. 01:11 Fifth trumpet, first woe; sixth trumpet, second woe; 01:16 seventh trumpet, third woe. 01:18 You say, how do we know that? 01:19 Well, let's take a look at it. 01:22 Revelation 9:1-11... 01:25 We're studying where it says, "Summary of the three woes." 01:30 Revelation 9:1-11 describe the fifth trumpet. 01:38 And then when you get to verse 12, 01:42 after the fifth trumpet, it says, "One woe is..." What? 01:47 "...is past." 01:49 So what is the first woe? 01:53 Duh. 01:54 The fifth trumpet. 01:57 But then it says, "Behold, still two more woes 02:02 are coming after these things." 02:05 So after the fifth trumpet, which is the first woe, 02:08 there's going to be two more woes. 02:10 And then I want you to notice, we're following here, 02:13 Revelation 11:2-12 is a further expansion 02:19 of the fifth trumpet. 02:23 You need to pay careful attention here. 02:26 Because there is an interlude after the fifth trumpet. 02:34 After the fifth and sixth trumpets 02:36 you have Revelation 10 and 11. 02:38 It breaks the flow. 02:41 So pay close attention to this because it's very important. 02:45 Revelation 11:2-12 is a further expansion 02:50 of the fifth trumpet and the first woe. 02:54 In your spare time this afternoon go over this 02:57 so that it gets clear in your mind. 03:00 Then Revelation 11:13 ends by saying, 03:07 "In the same hour there was a great earthquake..." 03:12 This is describing the French Revolution; France. 03:21 The word, "rest," once again, is, remnant. 03:25 It's the word, "loipos." 03:27 "...and the remnant were afraid..." 03:30 Not a good translation. 03:31 A better translation is, feared. 03:36 In the same way that the first angel's message says, 03:38 "Fear God..." 03:41 Okay? 03:43 So you have enemies in this verse. 03:46 And you also have what? 03:47 The remnant who fears. 03:50 And what do they do? 03:52 They give glory to the God of heaven. 03:55 What is this introducing? 03:58 The first angel's message. 04:00 So you see two groups there? 04:02 The enemies, and those who fear God and give glory to Him, 04:06 which are the remnant. 04:08 Following me? 04:10 Okay. Now Revelation 9:13-21, which is the sixth trumpet, 04:19 is also the second woe. 04:23 Okay? 04:24 So Revelation 9:13-21: the sixth trumpet 04:29 and the second woe. 04:32 Revelation 10:1 through 11:1 is a further expansion 04:37 of the sixth trumpet. 04:41 That's why I said, the book of Revelation 04:43 is a tricky book. 04:45 It's not in chronological order. 04:48 One of the most difficult parts of studying Revelation 04:50 is to decipher how it was organized. 04:55 Because there are cycles, and flashbacks, and foretaste. 04:59 You know, there's a way in which you can decipher it all, 05:02 but it takes serious time to study it. 05:08 So Revelation 9:13-21 is the sixth trumpet 05:11 and the second woe. 05:13 Revelation 10:1 through 11:1 is an expansion of the 05:20 sixth trumpet and the second woe. 05:24 Then, Revelation 11:15-17 is the seventh trumpet 05:30 and the third woe. 05:33 When this trumpet blows, probation closes, 05:36 the plagues fall, and the second coming of Jesus occurs. 05:41 This is further amplified in Revelation chapters 15-19. 05:48 Do you have the picture in your mind? 05:51 I'm dedicating a lot of time to this because 05:53 this is critically important for what we're going to study 05:56 in the future. 05:59 So what is the first woe? 06:02 The fifth trumpet. What is the second woe? 06:05 Sixth trumpet. What is the third woe? 06:08 The seventh trumpet. 06:11 What is an expansion of the fifth trumpet? 06:15 Revelation 11:2-12. 06:17 What is the expansion of the sixth trumpet? 06:20 Revelation 10:1 through 11:1. 06:23 11:1 really belongs with chapter 10. 06:25 We'll notice that. 06:27 And then where is the seventh trumpet expanded? 06:32 In Revelation chapters 15-19; the close of probation, 06:36 and the plagues, and the second coming of Christ. 06:39 Now what is the meaning of the word, "woe"? 06:43 It's also translated, "alas". 06:47 A word that we never use. 06:51 The Greek word, "ouai," not Hawaii, "ouai," 06:57 is an exclamatory interjection that portends... 07:03 In other words, it announces. 07:05 ...pain, calamity, suffering, and sorrow. 07:11 In fact, the Septuagint, the Greek translation 07:13 of the Old Testament and the New, uses the word to describe 07:20 the retribution that falls upon those who are 07:23 not faithful to the covenant. 07:27 And so, let's look at several uses in the Septuagint, 07:31 in the Greek translation of the Old Testament. 07:34 Isaiah 3:11 is an oracle against Jerusalem. 07:38 It's a woe against Jerusalem. 07:41 The same is true of Jeremiah 4:13, Jeremiah 10:19. 07:48 All are woes upon Jerusalem. 07:52 It's the same word, "ouai," that is found in the New Testament 07:56 in the Greek Old Testament. 07:58 In Jeremiah 50:27 you have a woe or an oracle against Babylon. 08:05 Ezekiel 2:10 you have a woe or an oracle against Jerusalem. 08:11 In Nahum 3:1-4 there is a woe upon Nineveh. 08:17 And in Zephaniah 3:1-4 you have a woe upon Jerusalem. 08:21 And then you find a description of the destruction 08:25 and the chaos that comes as a result. 08:28 Finally, Zechariah 11:7 from the LXX, or the Septuagint, 08:35 is an oracle against, or a woe against the false shepherds. 08:40 How is the word used in the New Testament, 08:43 the word, "ouai"? 08:45 The word is used in Matthew 18:7, woe to he 08:49 who mistreats a child. 08:52 It's like tying a great big rock around your neck 08:55 and being thrown into the sea. 09:00 In Matthew 23 you have the woes on the scribes and Pharisees. 09:04 "Woe to you scribes and Pharisees..." 09:07 And then He says, "Who's going to deliver you from hell?" 09:10 So, "woe," is something very serious is going to come. 09:15 Matthew 24:19 says, woe to those who 09:18 are alive in the final tribulation. 09:21 Matthew 26:24, woe to the one who betrays the Son of man. 09:28 Revelation 12:12, woe to those who are on the earth. 09:31 The dragon has come down with great wrath, 09:34 knowing that he has but a short time. 09:38 And of course, Revelation 18:10, 16-19, 09:44 you have the woes upon Babylon. 09:48 You know, the word, "woe," is used in Revelation 18; 09:50 woe, woe, woe. 09:52 And you can read there, it's like collapse of the 09:54 world economy, basically. 09:57 So basically, the last three trumpets are three woes, 10:02 which means horrendous calamities 10:04 that are going to take place. 10:07 Now let's look at the textual location of the three woes. 10:12 And we're going to look at this carefully. 10:15 Let's read Revelation 8:12-13. 10:20 "The fourth angel sounded..." This is the fourth trumpet. 10:37 So which trumpet is this? 10:39 This is the fourth trumpet, right? 10:41 Which we studied yesterday. 10:44 What does it describe? What period of history? 10:47 The period of the Roman Catholic papacy's dominion 10:51 when it eclipsed Christ, it eclipsed the Scriptures, 10:54 and it persecuted the stars so that they would not shine. 10:58 People, in other words. 10:59 And then immediately after the fourth trumpet, 11:04 it says in verse 13... 11:10 "Woe, woe, woe..." 11:14 How many? Three. 11:29 What are the three woes? 11:32 Trumpets five, six, and seven. Right? 11:38 A student from primary elementary school 11:41 can understand that. 11:46 Now Revelation 9... 11:48 We just read verse 12, That's the fourth trumpet. 11:51 Revelation 8:13 introduces three woes, 11:56 which are the three following trumpets. 11:59 Then Revelation 9:1-11 has the first woe and the fifth trumpet. 12:05 You say, how do we know that? 12:07 Well, because the Bible says so. 12:09 Notice Revelation 9:12, after the fifth trumpet. 12:14 "One woe is past." 12:17 The fifth trumpet has just sounded. 12:19 "One woe is past. 12:21 Behold, still two more woes are coming after these things." 12:26 So what were the two that were still lacking? 12:31 Duh. Six and seven, right? 12:34 Now, Revelation 9:13-21 has the sixth trumpet. 12:40 Now don't miss this point. This is a critical point. 12:43 Revelation 9:13-21 describes the sixth trumpet, 12:47 which is which woe? 12:50 The second woe. 12:52 But here is the interesting thing. 12:55 When the sixth trumpet ends, there is not a verse that says, 13:00 "The second woe is past." 13:06 Are you with me or not? 13:10 You have to wait till after chapters 10 and 11 13:17 for the second woe to pass. 13:20 What does that mean? 13:23 Is simply means that Revelation 10 and 11 13:26 are part of what? 13:28 Of the sixth trumpet. 13:31 They are an interlude in the sixth trumpet. 13:34 Are you understanding what I'm saying? 13:36 And we're going to find in the course of our study 13:40 that there are two views in Revelation 10 and 11. 13:44 In Revelation 10 you have the side of the remnant. 13:48 And in Revelation 11 you have the side of the 13:51 enemies of the remnant. 13:53 Now we'll come to that in a moment. 13:55 So let's go to the bottom of page 142. 13:59 Revelation 9:13-21 is a description 14:01 of the sixth trumpet. 14:03 When this trumpet concludes in verse 21, there is no reference 14:07 to the second woe passing. 14:10 This seems to indicate that chapters 10 and 11 14:13 will have what? 14:15 More to say about the period of the sixth trumpet. 14:20 So let's go to the next page. 14:23 Revelation 10:1 through 11:13, which is the interlude, 14:31 further amplifies certain aspects of the 14:34 fourth, fifth, and sixth trumpets. 14:37 So the interlude is going to add details about 14:40 trumpet four, five, and six. 14:44 And now notice the bullet points under this, 14:47 because it's an amplification of what are the contents of 14:50 Revelation 10:1 through 11:13. 14:53 In Revelation 11:2-6, it takes up back to the 1260 years. 15:03 Are you following me? 15:04 We'll go slow. 15:05 Because the structure is of critical importance. 15:09 It describes the two witnesses witnessing in sackcloth 15:13 for 1260 years. 15:15 What trumpet is that? 15:17 That's the fourth trumpet. 15:19 Then Revelation 11:7-10 describes what? 15:25 The French Revolution. 15:28 What trumpet would that be? 15:31 That will be the fifth trumpet. Right? 15:34 And we're going to prove that from Scripture. 15:37 When the two witnesses were killed, this was 1793 to 1797. 15:43 And the fifth trumpet is the first what? 15:46 The first woe. 15:48 Then Revelation 11:11-12 describes the resurrection 15:53 of the two witnesses. 15:55 What are the two witnesses? 15:58 The Bible; the Old and New Testament. 16:00 So what happens after the two witnesses are killed 16:03 in the French Revolution? 16:05 Ah, verses 11 and 12 say that they what? 16:10 They resurrect. 16:11 In other words, people are going to now what? 16:14 Study the Scriptures. 16:17 By the way, because the little book of 16:18 Revelation 10 has been opened. 16:21 The book that was sealed, in the time of the end 16:24 it's now opened. 16:27 So Revelation 11:11-12 describes the resurrection 16:31 of the two witnesses after the French Revolution. 16:34 They no longer testify how? 16:37 In sackcloth, but rather enjoy great power and prestige. 16:43 The miraculous resurrection of the Bible 16:47 not only describes the establishment of multiple 16:50 Bible societies in the aftermath of the French Revolution, 16:57 it also portrays the great advent awakening 17:01 and the renewed study of Bible prophecy 17:04 because the little book of Daniel was opened 17:07 at the time of the end. 17:08 When does the time of the end begin? 17:11 1798 when the French Revolution ends. 17:16 Are you seeing the importance of studying the structure? 17:19 Not only symbols; the structure. 17:23 Then Revelation 11:13 introduces the two groups 17:29 that will exist at the end of time. 17:33 What are those two groups? 17:35 The first group are the what? 17:38 The enemies of the two witnesses. 17:41 The enemies where how many? 17:44 In the previous verses, how many were the enemies? 17:47 Two. 17:49 The previous context identifies the first enemy as the what? 17:54 The Gentiles. 17:56 Now you say, "Now what does that mean, the Gentiles?" 17:59 It simply means the Roman Catholic papacy. 18:03 We're going to notice that. 18:08 Were the Gentiles the one that trampled the holy city 18:10 and persecuted the saints during the 1260 years? 18:14 Absolutely. 18:15 But it was people who claimed to be Christians, 18:18 but were really not Christians. 18:22 And the second enemy in the previous context is what? 18:27 The beast from the bottomless pit. 18:31 In other words, the French Revolution 18:32 that warred against the Bible. 18:34 So you have two enemies that are opposed to the Bible. 18:37 Who are they? 18:39 The papacy and the spirit of the French Revolution. 18:45 Now here is the interesting point. 18:48 Revelation uses the word, "enemies," only twice. 18:53 And in both references, both of those references 18:56 are in chapter 11. 19:00 Verse 5 and verse 12. 19:03 In the first instance, the enemies obscured 19:07 the two witnesses by forbidding the Bible 19:12 during the 1260 years. 19:15 In the second instance, the enemies, what did they do? 19:19 They killed the two witnesses. 19:22 So the first enemy obscures the two witnesses. 19:26 The second one kills the two witnesses 19:30 in the French Revolution. 19:32 Are you with me so far? 19:35 Yes or no? 19:36 Good. 19:38 But there's a second group that is mentioned 19:40 in Revelation 11:13. 19:43 That group is the loipos, the remnant. 19:48 I don't know why versions translate it, the rest. 19:52 It's the remnant. 19:55 The word, loipos. The remnant of her seed. 19:57 The same word that is used in Revelation 12:17. 20:02 So the remnant, what do the remnant do? 20:05 Ah, they fear God, and what? 20:10 And give Him glory. 20:12 Is that introducing the following section of Revelation, 20:16 particularly the three angels' messages? 20:18 Absolutely. 20:20 And then in Revelation 11:14, now don't miss this point, 20:24 11:14, then the second woe comes to an end. 20:31 Notice verse 14. 20:33 It says in 11:14, "The second woe is past..." 20:44 Are Revelation 10 and 11 part of the sixth trumpet? 20:50 Are they part of the second woe? 20:53 Yes. 20:54 It's an interlude that explains events that take place 20:58 primarily during the fifth and sixth trumpets. 21:02 I hope you're understanding what I'm saying. 21:05 Vitally important to understand what we're studying. 21:09 Now the next page. 21:13 The sixth trumpet presents the negative side. 21:19 It amplifies the negative side of the sixth trumpet... 21:22 Which is the perspective of whom? 21:25 The enemies. 21:28 ...of end time events. 21:30 And Revelation 10 presents what? 21:34 The positive side of the end time events. 21:38 The perspective of the remnant. 21:42 I hope you're following this. 21:47 The sixth trumpet presents the negative side of the enemies. 21:51 Revelation 10 presents the positive side; 21:55 the perspective of the remnant. 21:58 Expressed another way, the sixth trumpet describes 22:02 the attitude of the enemies of the two witnesses 22:05 in the end time, while Revelation 10 describes 22:08 the attitude of the faithful remnant during the same period. 22:12 The enemies are against Scripture, 22:15 whereas the remnant fears God and gives Him glory. 22:21 Finally, the sixth trumpet carries us from 1844 22:25 all the way to the close of probation when the 22:28 mystery of God is finished. 22:32 This occurs when the seventh trumpet is about to sound. 22:36 When the seventh trumpet sounds, Jesus takes over the kingdoms 22:40 of the world at His coming. 22:43 And then the blast of the seventh trumpet is what? 22:48 The third woe. 22:51 You don't have to be a rocket scientist 22:56 to figure out that the third woe is the seventh trumpet, 22:59 even though there's not a text that says 23:01 the third woe is finished. 23:02 Because the seventh trumpet is the end. 23:06 But you know that the seventh trumpet is the third woe. 23:11 Now we are going to skip... 23:13 I wish we had time to do this, but we don't. 23:15 I'm going to skip from page 144 through page 147. 23:26 I hope that you will study those. 23:29 That you will study those pages. 23:31 Don't just file the study notes in your bookcase. 23:38 Read what we're not able to cover. 23:42 Now I am going to deal very briefly with 23:47 pages 148 through 159. 23:56 We're going to go very quickly. 23:58 Because I want to get to the fifth trumpet now. 24:02 What we have in these pages that I'm going to 24:05 pretty much skip, what I want you to see is 24:09 that the book, The Great Controversy, 24:11 follows the exact order of the trumpets. 24:16 Okay? 24:18 That's what these pages contain. 24:21 So let's go to page 148, the first trumpet. 24:27 Great Controversy, which pages in, The Great Controversy? 24:31 17 to 38. 24:33 The title of the chapter? 24:36 "The Destruction of Jerusalem." 24:38 Well, well. 24:42 The second trumpet, pages 39 to 49. 24:47 Guess what the title is. 24:49 "Persecution in the Early Centuries." 24:51 It's speaking about the persecutions 24:53 of the Roman Empire against the Christians. 24:58 Are you following me? 25:02 Ellen White here describes the persecution of Christians 25:04 by the Roman Empire, 25:06 and then briefly describes the removal 25:09 of its restraining influence. 25:13 "The spirit of compromise and conformity was restrained 25:16 for a time by the fierce persecutions 25:18 which the church endured under paganism." 25:22 So the manifestation of the man of sin was being what? 25:25 Restrained as long as Rome, pagan Rome was ruling. 25:31 Let me ask you, would the second trumpet 25:33 certainly include the incursion of the barbarian tribes 25:37 and the removal of the restrainer? 25:40 Of course. 25:42 Now it's noteworthy that Uriah Smith dedicated the first four 25:45 trumpets to the barbarian invasions and even mentions 25:50 some of the barbarian leaders by name. 25:54 However, Ellen White never mentions the barbarian invasions 25:57 directly in, The Great Controversy. 26:00 If the invasions merited four trumpets, 26:03 why did she not mention them directly even once? 26:07 However, she was aware of the break-up of the Roman Empire, 26:12 as we can see from this quotation here, 26:14 "The vast empire of Rome crumbled to pieces, 26:18 and from its ruins..." 26:21 This is now the third and fourth trumpet, right? 26:24 "...from its ruins rose that mighty power, 26:28 the Roman Catholic Church. 26:30 This church boasts her infallibility 26:34 and her hereditary religion." 26:38 The third trumpet, Ellen White describes 26:43 in, Great Controversy, page 49 through page 60. 26:49 What is the title? 26:51 "An Era of Spiritual Darkness." 26:56 Interesting, huh? 27:00 Well, we can't go through all of this material. 27:04 Then she describes the fourth trumpet, 27:08 this is the middle of page 149, 27:11 the fourth trumpet in, Great Controversy, 27:14 pages 55 to 264. 27:18 So you have to go to, Great Controversy, 27:19 and see if what I'm telling you is true. 27:24 Because, you know, I can't go through all of this. 27:26 We just don't have the time. It's frustrating. 27:29 Maybe we need to have two weeks of Anchor. 27:33 Oh, there's three or four of you that would like that. 27:37 So Ellen White, what does she comment here? 27:40 "The apostasy under the third trumpet 27:43 intensified as the Dark Ages transpired." 27:48 Under the fourth trumpet, you remember, 27:50 the sun, the moon, and the stars experienced a partial eclipse. 27:54 As we have already noted, the sun represents Jesus, 27:58 the moon represents the Bible, 27:59 and the stars symbolize God's people. 28:03 Notice Ellen White's comment on page 55. 28:06 "The accession of the Roman church to power 28:08 marked the beginning of the..." What? 28:10 "...Dark Ages. 28:11 As her power increased, the darkness deepened." 28:15 And you know, if you read pages 55 to 264, 28:19 look up in those pages the word, "light," 28:21 and the word, "darkness." 28:25 Time and again Ellen White refers to darkness, 28:28 and darkness, and darkness, and darkness, and obscurity 28:31 during this period. 28:33 Why? Because it's the fourth trumpet. 28:36 The sun, moon, and stars have been eclipsed. 28:39 Are you with me? 28:40 Let's read some of those. 28:42 The bottom of page 149. 28:44 "In order for Satan to maintain his sway over men, 28:47 and establish the authority of the papal usurper, 28:50 he must keep them in ignorance of..." What? 28:53 "...of the Scriptures. 28:55 The Bible would exalt God and place finite men 28:59 in their true position; therefore its sacred truths 29:02 must be..." What? 29:04 "...concealed..." And what else? 29:06 "...suppressed." 29:07 Did the papacy kill the Bible? 29:11 No, it didn't kill the Bible. What did it do? 29:12 It suppressed the Bible. 29:15 Concealed the Bible. 29:17 Who killed the Bible? 29:19 The French Revolution killed it. 29:21 She continues, "The Roman church adopted this policy. 29:24 For hundreds of years the circulation of 29:26 the Bible was prohibited." 29:29 It wasn't burned, it was prohibited. 29:31 The people were forbidden to read it 29:34 or to have it in their houses, 29:36 and unprincipled priests and relates interpreted 29:39 its teachings to sustain their pretensions. 29:42 Thus the pope came to be almost universally acknowledged 29:46 as the vicegerent of God on earth, 29:48 endowed with authority over church and state." 29:54 It's interesting that after this quotation 29:57 Ellen White describes all of the errors and heresies that 30:00 enter the church during the period of the Dark Ages. 30:03 So what is the darkness? 30:06 The heresies and the errors that were taught. 30:10 It bears noting that the eclipse of the Scriptures 30:14 and the work of Christ during this period was partial, 30:19 as indicated by the expression, what? 30:21 One third. 30:23 Let's read some of those statements where Ellen White 30:25 refers to light and darkness in the following pages. 30:29 Let's skip the one from, Counsels on Education. 30:31 Let's go to the one that says, "Satan had urged 30:36 on the papal priests and prelates..." To do what? 30:41 "...to bury the Word of truth beneath the rubbish of error, 30:45 heresy, and superstition, but in a most wonderful manner 30:50 it was preserved uncorrupted 30:52 through all the ages of darkness." 30:59 Great Controversy, page 72, "As the light illuminated 31:02 their understanding and made glad their hearts..." 31:05 This is the Waldenses. 31:07 "...they longed to shed its..." What? 31:11 "...its beams upon those who were in 31:14 darkness of papal error." 31:17 See, because the heavenly bodies had been what? 31:19 Eclipsed. 31:22 Great Controversy, page 61, "Amid the gloom that settled 31:28 upon the earth during the long period of papal supremacy, 31:30 the light of truth..." 31:32 Now here comes the one-third idea. 31:34 "...the light of truth could not be wholly extinguished..." 31:41 Only what? 31:42 Partially extinguished. 31:46 "In every age, there were witnesses for God; 31:49 men who cherished faith in Christ as the only mediator 31:53 between God and man, who held the Bible 31:56 as the only rule of life, and who hallowed the true Sabbath." 32:00 Let's go to the next quotation. Great Controversy, pages 65-66. 32:04 "Behind the lofty bulwarks of the mountains, 32:07 in all ages the refuge of the persecuted and oppressed, 32:10 the Waldenses found..." Where? "...a hiding place. 32:15 Here, the light of truth was kept..." What? 32:18 "...burning amid the darkness of the Middle Ages. 32:22 Here, for a thousand years, witnesses for the truth 32:25 maintained the ancient faith." 32:28 Were the sun and moon totally eclipsed? 32:32 Was the testimony of the stars, God's people, totally eclipsed? 32:36 No. 32:38 The next statement, "In the schools whither they went," 32:42 speaking about the Waldenses, 32:43 "they were not to make confidants of any. 32:46 Their garments were so prepared as to conceal 32:48 their greatest treasure; 32:49 the precious manuscripts of the Scriptures." 32:53 See, the Scriptures are giving their witness, 32:55 but they're doing it in sackcloth. 32:57 In obscurity. 33:00 Let's jump down to the one from, Great Controversy, pages 73-74. 33:06 Particularly the highlighted portions. 33:08 "Thus, the light of truth penetrated many a..." What? 33:13 "...darkened mind, rolling back the cloud of..." What? 33:17 "...gloom, until the Sun of Righteousness shone 33:21 into the heart with healing in His beams." 33:27 Let's go to the next page. Let's talk about John Wycliffe. 33:30 Notice the theme of light and darkness again. 33:33 "Except among the Waldenses, 33:35 the word of God had for ages been..." What? 33:38 Notice, it's not killing the two witnesses. 33:42 Locked up, suppressed, concealed, hidden. 33:45 "Except among the Waldenses, the word of God had for ages 33:48 been locked up in languages known only to the learned; 33:52 but the time has come for the Scriptures to be translated 33:55 and given to the people of different lands 33:57 in their native tongue. 33:59 The world..." 34:00 She's talking about now the Protestant Reformation rising. 34:03 "The world had passed its..." What? 34:06 "...midnight." 34:08 By the way, is it still dark after midnight? 34:12 But the midnight is the deepest darkness. 34:14 So now the Protestant Reformation, 34:16 the light is beginning to what? 34:18 The light is going to soon appear. 34:20 "The world has passed its midnight. 34:22 The hours of darkness were..." What? 34:25 "...wearing away, and in many lands appears tokens 34:29 of the coming dawn." 34:31 Why? Because now the Scriptures were going to 34:34 be brought to light. 34:36 The next chapter on Huss and Jerome. 34:40 Notice once again the idea of light and darkness. 34:43 Are you understanding the fourth trumpet 34:44 in the light of this? 34:46 Ellen White is commenting on the fourth trumpet. 34:49 "God permitted great light to shine upon the minds 34:53 of these chosen men..." 34:55 That is, Huss and Jerome. 34:56 "...revealing to them many of the errors of Rome, 34:59 but they did not receive all the..." What? 35:02 "...all the light that was to be given to the world. 35:05 Through these, His servants, God was leading His people..." What? 35:09 There it is, "...out of darkness of Romanism. 35:12 But there were many and great obstacles for them to meet, 35:16 and He led them on step by step as they could bear it. 35:20 They were not prepared to receive..." What? 35:23 "...all the light at once. 35:25 Like the full glory of the noontide sun to those who have 35:30 long dwelt..." What? 35:32 "...in darkness, it would, if presented, 35:36 have caused them to turn away." 35:39 Then Ellen White talks about Martin Luther. 35:41 These are all the following pages that, you know, 35:43 Great Controversy, the fourth trumpet, 35:45 where does she comment the fourth trumpet? 35:47 She comments it in, Great Controversy, pages 55-264. 35:51 All of these are from those pages. 35:54 Notice what she has to say about Martin Luther, 35:56 at the bottom of page 152. 35:59 "Foremost among those who were called 36:01 to lead the church from..." What? 36:03 "...the darkness of popery into..." What? 36:06 "...the light of a purer faith stood Martin Luther. 36:10 Zealous, ardent, and devoted, knowing no fear 36:13 but the fear of God, and acknowledging no foundation 36:15 for religious faith but by the..." What? 36:18 "...Holy Scriptures, Luther was the man for his time. 36:22 Through him, God accomplished a great work for the reformation 36:25 of the church and the enlightenment of the world." 36:32 Are you catching the point? 36:34 You'll find many other references. 36:36 This is just a sampling of the passages that 36:40 deal with light and darkness. 36:43 And then, interestingly enough, after describing this period 36:46 of darkness, and that the light was about to dawn 36:50 in the Protestant reformation, I bet you can't guess 36:54 what the next chapter is. 36:56 "The French Revolution." 36:58 Hello. 37:01 What trumpet would that be? 37:04 That would be trumpet number five. 37:06 And we're going to see it clearly as we study along. 37:10 So the next one is the French Revolution, 37:14 which is the fifth trumpet and the first what? 37:17 And the first woe. 37:19 Then, listen up, the sixth trumpet and the second woe 37:25 is described on pages 299-612. 37:32 Because you'll notice in the book of Revelation 37:34 the fifth and sixth trumpets are the longest. 37:38 So then Ellen White has to make it the longest too. 37:43 Now the sixth trumpet and the second woe 37:45 give us a view of the righteous and a view of whom? 37:48 Of the wicked. 37:49 Now here's the interesting point. 37:52 Pages 299-491, Ellen White presents the emphasis upon 37:58 the righteous and God's gathering message. 38:02 Pages 500-612, she emphasis the wicked 38:06 and Satan gathering the wicked. 38:10 Does that fit with the interlude? 38:14 Did Ellen White sit down and figure this out? 38:16 She says, "Well, you know, I need to put the interlude here 38:18 because the interlude is in Revelation." 38:21 No! 38:23 God, the same Spirit that guided John in composing Revelation 38:29 is the same Spirit that inspired Ellen G. White. 38:32 She's following the same sequence. 38:38 Now let's continue. 38:39 Immediately after the chapter on the French Revolution, 38:42 this is a very interesting detail, 38:45 Ellen White goes back to 1620. 38:51 What date was the French Revolution? 38:54 1793 to 17... Uh... It ended in 1797. 39:00 Right? 39:02 And the pope was taken captive the next year. 39:05 Which is really the culmination of the spirit 39:07 of the French Revolution. 39:09 But in the very next chapter after the one on the 39:12 French Revolution, Ellen White goes back in time 39:16 to the arrival of the pilgrims in 1620. 39:20 See, she also has flashbacks in her writings. 39:23 But you're going to notice that this is extraordinary. 39:28 She describes the arrival of the pilgrim fathers in America 39:31 searching for civil and religious liberty. 39:35 This prepared a place for what? 39:37 For the preaching of the three angels' messages 39:40 with power to the world. 39:41 And thus, gathering God's people. 39:46 Notably, Revelation 12 describes how the dragon was spewing 39:51 waters out of his mouth during the 1260 years. 39:55 Remember that the dragon was spewing water out of 39:57 his mouth to try and drown the woman. 40:01 However, the text tells us that the earth came to her what? 40:06 Came to her rescue, 40:08 and swallowed up the waters of persecution. 40:13 The earth here represents what? 40:16 Not the United States. 40:19 The territory of the United States. 40:22 There was no United States in 1620. 40:26 There were only colonies that belonged to England. 40:31 That's why is says the... 40:32 It doesn't say that the beast with two horns helped the woman. 40:35 It says the earth helped the woman 40:37 from where the beast with two horns will later rise. 40:44 So the earth comes to her rescue, 40:47 swallows up the waters of persecution. 40:49 The earth represents the territory of the United States 40:52 that provided refuge for those who were 40:54 suffering persecution in Europe. 40:58 The United States became the beacon for other western nations 41:02 to establish secular governments. 41:06 You know, this is an interesting statement 41:09 by James Madison in 1822. 41:13 When was the Declaration of Independence uttered? 41:17 1776. And the Constitution? 41:20 1787. 41:21 And the Bill of Rights? 1791. 41:26 So by 1822 the experiment had had a few years. 41:31 And notice what Madison said. 41:33 "We are teaching the world..." 41:36 Who are we teaching? 41:37 Who is the United States teaching? 41:40 We're teaching them the right thing now, but soon 41:42 the United States is going to teach it the wrong thing. 41:46 Because at first it has two horns like a lamb, 41:47 but then it speaks like a dragon. 41:49 By the way, it doesn't speak like a dragon 41:51 while it has the two horns. 41:52 This is a case, once again, where the introductory verse 41:55 has the beginning and ending. 41:58 When it rises, it had two horns like a lamb, 42:00 but at the end it speaks like a dragon. 42:03 Are you with me? 42:06 So, he wrote this, "We are teaching the world 42:12 the great truth that governments do better without 42:16 kings and nobles than with them." 42:20 So in other words, he's saying, we are teaching 42:22 the world that they should establish 42:24 republican governments. 42:27 Not the Republican party. 42:31 Republics. 42:33 Where the power flows from the people up 42:36 rather than from a king down. 42:39 But then he says, "The merit will be doubled by the 42:43 other lesson, that religion flourishes in greater purity 42:48 without than with the aid of government." 42:54 This is republicanism and Protestantism. 42:57 Separation of church and state. 43:00 Civil and religious liberty. 43:05 Next page. 43:07 It is remarkable... 43:10 This is another indication that Ellen White was right on target. 43:14 The same Spirit was inspiring her 43:16 as the book of Revelation. 43:18 It is remarkable that both Revelation 12 43:22 and Ellen White describe the 1260 years, 43:28 the French Revolution, and then go back in time 43:33 to describe the arrival of the pilgrims. 43:40 You say, "How's that?" 43:42 Well, in Revelation 12, it says that the woman flees 43:46 to the wilderness for how long? 43:50 1260 years. 43:52 But then it says the earth helped the woman. 43:56 Did that take place before the 1260 years ended? 44:00 Yes. 44:02 The United States, the territory, provided refuge 44:05 for those who were being persecuted. 44:06 So in Revelation 12, it speaks about the dragon 44:11 persecuting the church for 1260 years, 44:15 but then it says the earth helps the woman, 44:17 which takes you back to the pilgrims coming 44:20 and the United States providing refuge. 44:22 Is that what Ellen White does? 44:24 After describing the French Revolution, what does she do? 44:27 The 1260 years and the French Revolution, 44:29 she goes back and she speaks about 44:32 the arrival of the pilgrims. 44:34 Amazing. 44:36 Beginners luck. 44:41 No! 44:44 In the following chapters, Ellen White wrote about the Great 44:48 Second Advent Awakening after 1798, 44:52 the Millerite movement, the Great Disappointment, 44:56 the opening of the heavenly temple for the judgment. 44:59 Let me ask you, what is the center of focus here; 45:02 the enemies or the remnant? 45:05 The remnant. 45:09 The following chapters describe the resurrection 45:11 of the two witnesses, 45:13 and the opening of the little book of Daniel in Revelation 10. 45:17 This is the positive side of the sixth trumpet. 45:22 God musters His forces with three angels' messages 45:25 to gather His remnant on His side. 45:29 Notice the titles of the chapters. 45:31 "Heralds of the Morning" 45:34 This is the signs in the sun, moon, and stars 45:37 as an announcement of the coming message of judgment. 45:41 "An American Reformer" 45:43 It's a chapter about William Miller. 45:46 "Light Through the Darkness" 45:47 The disciples' misunderstanding of the prophecies concerning 45:50 the first coming sets the stage for their misunderstanding 45:54 of the prophecy of the 2300 days. 45:58 "A Great Religious Awakening" 45:59 She described Joseph Wolff, Anglican ministers, 46:02 Emmanuel Lacunza, Johann Albrecht Bengel, 46:05 Francois Samuel Robert Louis Gaussen, 46:08 child preachers, William Miller, 46:10 proclaiming the judgment hour message. 46:12 Is that what Revelation 10 is all about? 46:16 Then you have, "A Warning Rejected". 46:18 This is the proclamation by the Millerites 46:20 of the second angel's message, that Protestantism has fallen, 46:24 and calling people to come out. 46:28 "Prophecies Fulfilled" 46:30 It describes a series of prophecies that pointed to the 46:33 great advent awakening. 46:36 "What is the Sanctuary?" 46:37 It introduces the idea of the investigative judgment. 46:40 "In the Holy of Holies" 46:42 The Most Holy ministry of Christ. 46:45 "God's Law Immutable" 46:46 The remnant understood the importance of the law 46:48 when the Most Holy Place opened. 46:50 "A Work of Reform" 46:51 That's the need to restore the Sabbath to its proper place. 46:55 And then, "Modern Revivals", which distinguish a genuine 47:00 revival from a counterfeit revival. 47:02 And finally, "Facing Life's Record", which is a description 47:05 of the investigative judgment. 47:08 What is the center of focus of all of these chapters? 47:12 It's what we have in Revelation 10. 47:15 The opening of the little book. 47:18 The beginning of the investigative judgment. 47:19 The cleansing of the Sanctuary. 47:21 The measuring of the temple. 47:24 So in the context of the sixth trumpet, 47:26 she is describing what is in Revelation 10. 47:29 That's the view of the righteous. 47:33 But now here comes the amazing thing. 47:36 This is on page 156. 47:39 We can also make a strong argument that the following 47:43 chapters in, The Great Controversy, 47:44 all describe the period of the sixth trumpet. 47:47 The sixth trumpet here is described as a view of the 47:50 wicked which were introduced in Revelation 9:13-21. 47:57 What are the following chapters? 47:59 What are the titles of the following chapters? 48:02 "The Origin of Evil" 48:04 "Enmity Between God and Satan" 48:07 "The Agency of Evil Spirits" 48:10 "Snares of Satan" 48:13 "The First Great Deception" 48:16 "Can Our Dead Speak to Us?" 48:18 What is the focus here? 48:21 Oh, the focus is on how Satan is trying to gather whom? 48:25 The wicked. 48:27 "Liberty of Conscience Threatened" 48:30 "The Impending Conflict" 48:31 "The Scriptures a Safeguard" 48:33 "The Final Warning" 48:35 The focus is on how Satan is gathering the wicked 48:38 on his side for the final controversy 48:41 between good and evil. 48:43 Between the righteous and the unrighteous. 48:46 Regarding the gathering of the righteous and the wicked 48:49 in Revelation 10, Ellen White wrote the following: 48:54 Let's read v7, Bible Commentary, page 971. 48:59 "The mighty angel who instructed John was no less 49:02 a personage than Jesus Christ. 49:04 Setting His right foot on the sea and His left on the dry land 49:08 shows the part which He is acting in the closing scenes 49:12 of the great controversy with Satan. 49:15 This position denotes His supreme power and authority 49:19 over the whole earth. 49:20 The controversy had waxed stronger and more determined 49:24 from age to age, and will continue to do so, 49:28 to the concluding scenes when the masterly working 49:31 of the powers of darkness shall reach their height. 49:35 Satan, united with..." What? 49:38 "...with evil men, will deceive the whole world and the churches 49:43 who receive not the love of the truth. 49:46 However, the mighty angel demands attention. 49:50 He cries with a loud voice. 49:52 He is to show the power and authority of His voice 49:55 to those who have united with Satan to oppose the truth." 50:00 So the mighty angel of Revelation 10 50:02 is going to call those on the devil's side to come over. 50:06 And Satan on the other hand, the enemies are going to be working 50:10 to gather people on the devil's side. 50:13 So this is the perspective of the interlude that we find 50:17 in Revelation 10 and Revelation 11. 50:22 And then let's go to page 159. 50:28 Then Ellen White describes the seventh trumpet. 50:33 When does the mystery of God come to an end? 50:38 Right before what? 50:40 The seventh angel blows his trumpet. 50:43 What is the finishing of the mystery of God? 50:47 It's the close of probation. 50:49 The mystery of God is the preaching of the gospel. 50:53 We're going to see that when we study 50:56 about the little book. 50:57 So the mystery of God is the preaching of the gospel. 51:01 So what is the ending of the mystery of God? 51:04 It's the finishing of the preaching of the gospel. 51:08 So when the seventh trumpet is about to sound, 51:11 probation closes, and then you have the plagues, 51:16 and eventually the second coming of Christ, 51:19 which is the seventh trumpet. 51:21 Now page 613, do you know what chapter that is? 51:27 It's called, "The Time of Trouble". 51:30 And do you know with what verse Ellen White begins that chapter? 51:34 "At that time, Michael shall stand up..." 51:39 Which is the close of probation. 51:41 "...and there will be a time of trouble such as never was." 51:44 See, that's the finishing of the mystery of God, 51:46 when the seventh trumpet is about to sound. 51:48 And then you move on all the way to page 661 51:53 and you're going to find the second coming, 51:56 the millennium, the post millennium, 51:58 and the new heavens and the new earth. 52:01 Are you following me? 52:03 Amazing how Ellen White follows the exact order 52:07 of the seven trumpets, 52:08 beginning with the destruction of Jerusalem. 52:11 Not with the four trumpets applying 52:13 to the barbarian invasions. 52:15 It's a distraction. 52:18 What it does is it takes the eyes away from the 52:20 flow of history, how God has been guiding 52:23 history with His hand. 52:26 Now we only have like five minutes left for this segment, 52:30 so let's go to page 160. 52:35 I was hoping to be able to finish this the next session, 52:37 but we might have to take part of session number four 52:42 today to finish this. 52:46 Let's go to Revelation chapter 9, 52:53 and let's read about the fifth, probably we'll just 52:58 read the passage now, and then we'll go 53:01 to page 160 in our next segment. 53:04 But I want to read the fifth trumpet so that we have 53:08 the details clear in our minds. 53:10 It says in verse 1... 53:20 Notice, he didn't see a star fall from heaven to the earth. 53:23 Actually, we're going to notice that really it says, 53:27 "that had fallen from heaven to the earth." 53:30 It fell before the fifth trumpet. 53:32 But anyway, it says... 53:43 So what is this being going to do? 53:46 He's going to open the bottomless pit. 53:49 And all hell is going to break loose. 53:52 Verse 2... 54:21 So we have locusts, and the locusts are scorpions. 55:00 So it's a period of great anx, isn't it? 55:04 Great anxiety. 55:27 And by the way, they're coming up from hell, 55:29 because it continues saying... 55:51 Oh, so they have a general. Right? 55:54 And who is the general? 55:56 The angel of the bottomless pit. 56:10 Which means the destroyer. 56:15 So this is quite a vivid description, isn't it? 56:20 We're going to find in our next segment that this is describing 56:24 a new manifestation of Satan's power from the bottomless pit 56:29 in the French Revolution. 56:33 Now you say, "How do you know that?" 56:35 Because in the fifth trumpet these scorpions which are 56:40 also referred to as having characteristics of lions, 56:44 and tails that sting, and they arise from the bottomless pit, 56:49 that's in the fifth trumpet. 56:52 Where does the beast of Revelation 11 rise from, 56:55 which represents the French Revolution? 56:58 It rises from the bottomless pit. 57:02 And I'm going to give you statements from Ellen White 57:04 where she clearly applies this symbolic language 57:07 to the rise of atheism during the French Revolution. 57:14 So in our next segment we are going to take a look 57:19 at what it means when is says that the angel 57:26 of the bottomless pit is unbound, 57:29 and this coming up, all of these demonic powers, 57:33 what specific event of human history 57:36 this is referring to. 57:38 So let me ask, have you understood 57:41 what we've studied so far? 57:42 I try to go as slow as we can. 57:45 And now we're going to talk more about 57:48 the fifth trumpet during our next segment 57:51 after we enjoy a delicious lunch. |
Revised 2020-09-08