Participants:
Series Code: RST
Program Code: RST000011S
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00:15 Well, good afternoon, everyone.
00:18 I trust you had a good lunch. 00:21 And that you got some walking in. 00:25 That you didn't just take a siesta after eating. 00:28 It's good to see all of you back. 00:31 Our goal this afternoon is to finish our study 00:35 of the fifth trumpet. 00:37 And then tomorrow we'll probably need, I would say, 00:42 probably all four sessions to deal with the little book 00:45 episode of Daniel 12:4 00:49 as we relate it to Revelation 10. 00:51 And then after that, we have to study the sixth trumpet. 00:54 So we have a lot of material yet to study. 00:57 But we want to begin with a word of prayer. 01:00 And then we will start on page 160 01:03 of our study notes. 01:05 Page 160. Let's pray. 01:07 Father in heaven, thank You for the good rest 01:09 we've been able to enjoy between now and our morning session. 01:13 And we ask that as we open Your Word this afternoon 01:16 that You will continue to instruct us 01:20 on the great things that we find in Your Holy Word. 01:23 Thank You, Lord, for keeping us awake and alert, 01:26 and for clarifying things to us so we can understand. 01:30 This we pray in the precious name of Jesus, 01:33 our Lord and Savior, amen. 01:38 Alright, Ellen White helps us locate the time frame 01:42 of the fifth trumpet. 01:46 But before we go to Ellen White, we need to do 01:48 some study of some details that we find in the text itself. 01:54 So we're going to begin at the top of page 160. 01:58 The key to understanding the fifth trumpet is in the details 02:03 that we find in Revelation 9. 02:05 Which we read when we were concluding the last session 02:10 this morning. 02:11 There we find a fallen star 02:15 that rises from the bottomless pit. 02:19 The name of this star is Abaddon or Apollyon, 02:25 which means, the destroyer. 02:29 This star is the leader of a vast host of locusts 02:35 who have the tails of scorpions 02:38 that come out of the bottomless pit, 02:41 and the result is dense darkness. 02:45 Even darker than during the fourth trumpet. 02:49 This star did not fall... 02:51 This is an important detail. 02:52 This star did not fall at the time of the fifth trumpet. 02:57 There is a distinction between Revelation 8:10, 03:01 which we already studied, where John saw a star 03:05 fall from heaven. 03:08 For those of you who are English language buffs, 03:12 it's a second aorist, active, indicative in Greek. 03:17 In other words, John is seeing that happen in that trumpet 03:20 at that moment. 03:23 Revelation 9:1 is different. 03:26 The NIV translates it correctly. 03:29 By the way, it's a perfect, active participle. 03:33 And the correct translation is, "I saw a star that had fallen 03:39 from the sky to the earth." 03:42 This is a perfect tense. 03:44 Do you know what a perfect tense is? 03:47 It's an action that began in the past 03:50 and endures or continues in the present. 03:53 In other words, this star had fallen before 03:56 the fifth trumpet. 03:58 The star had fallen from heaven. 04:00 So it doesn't fall at the moment of the fifth trumpet. 04:05 It actually had fallen before this. 04:08 This is a very important point. 04:11 Now Revelation 11 explains the chronological time frame 04:16 when the shaft of the abyss was opened 04:19 during the fifth trumpet to release this hoard of demons. 04:23 Remember, the key is the bottomless pit. Right? 04:27 That's the key in the fifth trumpet, the bottomless pit. 04:30 This manifestation of satanic powers 04:32 coming from the bottomless pit. 04:34 So in Revelation 11 we have an amplification 04:38 of this event in the fifth trumpet. 04:41 We have, once again, a mention of the bottomless pit. 04:44 Notice Revelation 11:7-9. 04:49 "Now when they finish..." The two witnesses. 04:52 "When they finish..." 04:53 A better translation is, "When they are about to finish..." 04:57 And we'll deal with that a little bit later on. 05:00 "When they finish their testimony..." 05:02 When is it that the two witnesses finish their testimony 05:04 or were about to finish their testimony? 05:07 In 1798, right? 05:10 Because they testified in sackcloth for 1260 years, 05:14 which end when? 05:16 In 1798. 05:18 So now when they are finishing their testimony... 05:26 Do you see the connection? 05:29 The fifth trumpet speaks about this manifestation 05:32 of satanic power coming from the bottomless pit. 05:35 And here, in Revelation 11:7-9, 05:38 you have a beast that ascends from where. 05:42 From the bottomless pit. 05:45 And what does this power do? 05:49 "...will make war against..." Whom? 05:54 Or what, against what? 05:56 Against the two witnesses. 05:58 What will they do? 06:00 Overcome the two witnesses. 06:04 "...and kill them." 06:07 Is that different than the war that was made against 06:09 the two witnesses during the 1260 years? 06:12 Yes. But are they connected? 06:14 Yes, the fourth and fifth trumpets are connected. 06:19 "And their dead bodies..." 06:20 That is the two witnesses, the Old and New Testament. 06:23 "...will lie in the street of the great city..." 06:25 The great city in this case is Paris, France. 06:31 "...which spiritually is called..." What? 06:34 What is France called? 06:37 "...Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified." 06:42 Now we're going to study the fifth trumpet 06:44 verse by verse later on. 06:46 But I want us to catch a vision of what the fifth trumpet 06:49 is describing now, and then it will be easier to understand 06:52 the verse by verse study. 06:55 Are we doing well so far? 06:57 Now, Ellen White adds some clarifying information 07:02 on when the shaft of the bottomless pit was opened, 07:07 when the fifth trumpet blew. 07:10 Now I'm going to read a series of statements 07:13 from the spirit of prophecy. 07:15 Notice this statement that we find 07:17 in, Great Controversy, page 268. 07:20 "As they," that is the two witnesses, 07:23 the Old and New Testament, the Bible, 07:25 "were approaching the termination 07:27 of their work in..." What? 07:30 ~ Obscurity. - What does obscurity means? 07:33 In darkness. 07:35 Why was it dark? 07:37 Well, because the sun, moon, and stars were partially eclipsed 07:40 in the fourth trumpet, right? 07:43 What was going to happen with the two witnesses 07:47 when they were reaching the end of their work in obscurity? 07:51 "...war was to be made upon them by the power represented as 07:57 'the beast that...'" What? 07:59 "...that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit." 08:04 In the fifth trumpet, is there a leader of the hoards 08:07 that come out of the abyss in the fifth trumpet? 08:11 Yes. 08:13 Here, this individual who is called Apollyon 08:19 is actually referred to as a beast 08:21 that rises from the bottomless pit. 08:25 And then Ellen White continues. 08:28 "In many of the nations of Europe, the powers that ruled 08:33 in church and state had for centuries been controlled 08:37 by Satan through the medium of the papacy. 08:40 Can we agree with that? 08:42 Yeah, the dragon persecuted the woman. 08:44 But it was the little horn that persecuted the woman. 08:47 But now notice she describes what these three verses 08:51 in Revelation 11 are depicting. 08:54 "However, here is brought to view 08:57 a new manifestation of..." What? 09:01 "...of satanic power." 09:03 So was there satanic power during the fourth trumpet? 09:07 Yes. 09:09 Is this a new manifestation of satanic power? 09:12 Yes. 09:14 Now I want you to notice this: 09:16 Ellen White clearly links the fourth trumpet, 09:21 that is the work of the papacy during the 1260 years, 09:25 and the fifth trumpet, the French Revolution. 09:28 She links those two events. 09:30 Because they are describing the fourth and the fifth trumpet. 09:34 Notice these statements. Clear. 09:37 "It was popery..." Not potpourri. 09:42 "It was popery," in other words, the papacy, 09:45 "that had begun the work which atheism was..." What? 09:52 "...completing. 09:54 The policy of Rome had wrought out those conditions, 10:00 social, political, and religious, 10:03 that were hurrying France on to ruin." 10:07 Is there any relationship between the papacy 10:10 hiding the Bible and the manifestation of satanic power 10:14 in the French Revolution? 10:16 Yes. 10:17 Notice this next statement, Great Controversy, page 26. 10:22 "I had been Rome's policy, under a profession of 10:25 reverence for the Bible, to keep it..." What? 10:30 "...locked up in an unknown tongue..." 10:33 And what else? 10:35 "...hidden away from the people." 10:38 So did the papacy kill the witnesses? 10:42 The Old and New Testament. 10:44 No. What did the papacy do? 10:45 Locked it up and hid it away. 10:48 Which means that there was darkness, right? 10:50 Because the Bible brings light. 10:53 She continues, "Under her rule the witnesses prophesied 10:58 'clothed in sackcloth.'" 11:01 That's 1260 years, right? 11:03 "However, another power, another beast from the bottomless pit, 11:10 was to arise to make open, avowed war 11:14 upon the word of God." 11:17 You see the connection between the fourth and fifth trumpet 11:19 that Ellen White makes here? 11:21 Notice this next statement, Great Controversy, page 269. 11:25 "According to the words of the prophet, then, 11:28 a little before the year 1798 some power..." 11:33 Of what kind of origin? 11:35 "...of satanic origin and character would rise 11:39 to make war upon the Bible. 11:42 And in the land where the testimony of God's two witnesses 11:47 should thus be silenced, there would be manifest 11:51 the atheism of Pharaoh and the licentiousness of Sodom." 11:57 Is that true of what happened in France? 12:01 Just read the chapter, The Bible and the French Revolution, 12:04 in the spirit of prophecy. 12:06 Now Ellen White makes a striking parallel 12:10 between what happened in the first trumpet 12:13 with Jerusalem and what happened under the 12:16 fifth trumpet in France. 12:19 Notice this remarkable statement that comes next. 12:23 By the way, did God give free reign to Satan and his angels 12:28 before the destruction of Jerusalem? 12:31 Did God release, so to speak, did God release 12:33 Satan and his angels out of the bottomless pit at that point? 12:36 Absolutely. 12:38 Notice the description. 12:40 "Then God withdrew His protection from them 12:45 and removed His..." What? 12:49 What does the angel have in his hand when he comes down? 12:52 He unlocks the bottomless pit, right? 12:55 To let Satan and his angels come out in the French Revolution. 12:59 Here it says that when God was about to destroy Jerusalem, 13:03 He removed..." What? 13:06 "...His restraining power from Satan and his angels." 13:10 So are they going to be able to come up out of the abyss now? 13:13 Oh yeah. 13:15 And the nation was left to the control of the leader 13:18 that she had chosen. 13:20 Her children had spurned the grace of Christ, 13:23 which would have enabled them to subdue their evil impulses, 13:27 and these became the conquerors. 13:30 Satan aroused the fiercest and most debased 13:34 passions of the soul. 13:36 Men did not reason; they were beyond reason, 13:41 controlled by impulse and blind rage." 13:45 Wow! 13:46 "They become..." How? "...satanic in their cruelty. 13:51 In the family and in the nation, among the highest 13:54 and the lowest classes alike, there was suspicion, 13:57 envy, hatred, strife, rebellion, murder. 14:02 There was no safety anywhere. 14:04 Friends and kindred betrayed one another. 14:07 Parents slew their children, and children their parents. 14:11 The rulers of the people had no power to rule themselves. 14:15 Uncontrolled passions made them tyrants. 14:19 The Jews had accepted false testimony to condemn 14:22 the innocent Son of God. 14:23 Now false accusations made their own lives uncertain. 14:27 By their actions they had long been saying, 14:31 'Cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us.' 14:35 Now God granted their desire. 14:37 The fear of God no longer disturbed them. 14:41 Satan was at the head of the nation, and the highest 14:45 civil and religious authorities were under his sway." 14:51 Did God unlock the bottomless pit at that point 14:56 and give free reign to Satan and his angels? 14:59 Absolutely. 15:00 So that's an example of the fifth trumpet, 15:04 the French Revolution, because God allowed the same thing 15:07 to happen during the French Revolution. 15:11 Now, we want to read some additional statements. 15:15 And I want you to notice once again Ellen White connects 15:18 the darkness of the fourth trumpet 15:20 with the French Revolution. 15:23 You see, the papacy hid the Bible, and as a result 15:27 what happened with society? 15:30 Society fell apart morally. Right? 15:33 And so now in the French Revolution 15:35 people have no principles to act on the basis of. 15:39 Because the Bible has been hidden. 15:42 Is the world now coming to that point? 15:45 Absolutely. Notice these statements. 15:47 This one is from, Great Controversy, page 286. 15:51 "When France publicly rejected God and set aside the Bible, 15:56 wicked men and spirits of darkness..." 16:00 Are those the ones that come from the bottomless pit 16:03 or from the abyss? Yes. 16:05 "...wicked men and spirits of darkness exulted 16:08 in their attainment of the object so long desired: 16:11 a kingdom free from the restraints of the law of God." 16:16 Now she's going to speak about the fourth trumpet, 16:18 the period of papal dominion. 16:20 "Centuries of apostasy and crime had been treasuring up wrath 16:26 against the day of retribution; 16:28 and when their iniquity was full..." 16:32 When their iniquity was what? 16:35 When the iniquity in France was full. 16:38 "...the despisers of God learned too late that it is 16:43 a fearful thing to have worn out the divine patience." 16:46 Did France wear out divine patience? 16:49 Yes. 16:50 Iniquity was full, she says. 16:53 And so what does God do? 16:55 "The restraining Spirit of God, which imposes a..." What? 16:59 "...a check..." 17:00 Can Satan and his angels manifest themselves 17:02 unless the key opens the pit? 17:05 No. 17:06 So, "The restraining Spirit of God, which imposes a check 17:11 upon the cruel power of Satan, was in great measure..." What? 17:16 "...removed..." 17:17 Was the shaft of the abyss opened by God's permission? Yes. 17:22 "...and he whose only delight is the wretchedness of men 17:27 was permitted to work his will." 17:32 Are you understanding what the fifth trumpet is all about? 17:35 The French Revolution was not a mere historical event. 17:38 We are still reaping the results of the French Revolution today. 17:43 She continues, "Those who had chosen the service of rebellion 17:47 were left to reap its fruits until the land was 17:51 filled with crimes too horrible for pen to trace. 17:56 From devastated provinces and ruined cities 17:59 a terrible cry was heard; a cry of bitterest anguish. 18:04 France was shaken as if by an earthquake. 18:08 Religion, law, social order, the family, the state, 18:13 and the church were smitten down by the impious hand 18:17 that had been lifted against the law of God." 18:22 Is she alluding to the fifth trumpet here? 18:26 It's absolutely clear. 18:28 Now notice once again how she links 18:31 the fourth and fifth trumpet. 18:32 The fifth trumpet is a result of the fourth. 18:35 You suppress the Scriptures and people become immoral, 18:39 and therefore, they react against the power that has 18:43 kept them suppressed. 18:46 We find here, "In the sixteenth century 18:49 the Reformation, presenting an open Bible to the people, 18:54 had sought admission to all the countries of Europe. 18:58 Some nations welcomed it with gladness..." 19:00 So some nations welcomed the Scriptures. 19:03 "...as a messenger from heaven. 19:05 In other lands, the papacy succeeded to a great extent 19:09 in preventing its entrance; and the light of Bible knowledge..." 19:13 Notice, light. 19:16 Fourth trumpet. 19:17 "...and the light of Bible knowledge, 19:19 with its elevating influences, was almost wholly..." What? 19:24 "...excluded." 19:25 What does, "almost," mean? 19:27 Almost wholly. 19:29 It's partial. 19:30 One-third, if you please. 19:33 "In one country..." 19:35 Now France is an exception. 19:37 "In one country, though the light found entrance, 19:41 it was not comprehended by the darkness. 19:44 For centuries, truth and error struggled for the mastery. 19:48 At last evil triumphed, and the truth of Heaven was thrust out. 19:55 'This is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, 20:00 and men loved darkness rather than light.'" 20:04 Now she speaks about France. 20:05 "The nation was left to reap the results of the course 20:08 that she had chosen. 20:10 The restraint of God's Spirit was removed... 20:13 So is God releasing Satan and his host from the bottomless pit 20:17 to exert full control in France 20:19 like at the destruction of Jerusalem? 20:21 Yes. 20:23 So once again, "The restraint of God's Spirit was removed 20:26 from a people that had despised the gift of His grace." 20:30 Which is the Scriptures. 20:31 "Evil was permitted to come to..." What? 20:34 "...to maturity." 20:36 In other words, the cup was full. 20:38 "And all the world saw the fruit of..." What? 20:43 "...willful rejection of the light." 20:46 Is that what happened during the fourth trumpet? 20:48 Absolutely. 20:50 Great Controversy, page 265. 20:53 Once again, she connects the 1260 years, 20:56 suppression of the Bible, with the attack against the Bible 21:00 in the French Revolution. 21:02 "The war against the Bible, carried forward for so many 21:06 centuries in France, culminated in the scenes 21:10 of the Revolution." 21:12 Do you see the connection? 21:14 "That terrible outbreaking was but the..." What? 21:18 "...the legitimate result of Rome's 21:21 suppression of the Scriptures." 21:22 Any connection between the fourth and fifth trumpet? 21:25 Absolutely. 21:27 "It presented the most striking illustration 21:29 that the world has ever witnessed 21:32 of the working out of the papal policy; 21:36 an illustration of the results to which for more than a 21:39 thousand years the teaching of the Roman Church 21:42 had been tending." 21:47 Is the picture becoming clearer now? 21:50 Now let's go to the last statement. 21:52 Great Controversy, pages 267 and 268. 21:56 "During the greater part of this period," that is the 1260 years, 22:00 "God's witnesses remained in a state of..." What? 22:05 "...obscurity." 22:07 What color is obscurity? 22:09 Dark. Okay. 22:12 "The papal power sought..." 22:14 Now notice the words that are used. 22:16 "The papal power sought to..." What? 22:19 "...hide from the people the word of truth, 22:23 and set before them false witnesses 22:25 to contradict its testimony. 22:26 When the Bible was..." What? 22:29 "...proscribed..." 22:31 Not killed; proscribed. 22:34 "...by religious and secular authority, 22:36 when its testimony was..." What? 22:38 "...perverted, and every effort made that men and demons 22:45 could invent to turn the minds of the people from it, 22:50 when those who dared proclaim its sacred truths were hunted, 22:54 betrayed, tortured, buried in dungeon cells, 22:57 martyred for their faith, or compelled to flee 23:00 to mountain fastnesses, and to dens and caves of the earth, 23:04 then the faithful witnesses prophesied in sackcloth. 23:10 Yet they continued their testimony throughout 23:14 the entire period of 1260 years. 23:17 In the darkest times..." 23:19 Why were they darkest times? 23:22 Well, because the sun, moon, and stars were eclipsed. 23:25 "In the darkest times there were faithful men who loved 23:30 God's Word and were jealous for His honor. 23:33 To these loyal servants were given wisdom, power, 23:36 and authority to declare his truth 23:39 during the whole of this time." 23:42 So was there a testimony? 23:44 Did the sun partially shine? 23:48 Yes. Did the moon partially shine? 23:50 Did the stars partially shine? 23:53 Absolutely. 23:55 Isn't it amazing the way Ellen White interprets 23:58 all of these things? 24:00 She doesn't even quote the verses, but you can tell 24:02 by the gist of what she's saying what the meaning is. 24:06 It's amazing. 24:08 Now let's talk about the binding and the unbinding of Satan. 24:13 Let's start, we'll skip the first part because of the time, 24:17 let's go to Romans 10:7. 24:20 Romans 10:7 24:22 This is speaking about the death of Christ. 24:26 And the apostle Paul says, "Who will descend into the..." What? 24:33 Now, you know, that expression, "bottomless pit," 24:37 that's not a good translation. 24:38 The Greek word is the word, "abussos." 24:42 It means, the abyss. 24:45 The underworld, in other words. 24:47 So this is the identical word that we find 24:50 in the fifth trumpet. 24:52 So, "Who will descend into the abyss?" 24:55 Did Jesus go to the abyss? 25:00 Yeah, He did. 25:01 Because it continues saying, "That is, to bring 25:03 Christ up from the dead." 25:08 So did Jesus go to the abyss? 25:11 Yeah, He went to the abyss. 25:12 Did He literally go to the abyss? 25:14 No, He was actually buried above the ground. 25:20 So the "abyss" does not mean, catch this point, 25:25 the "abyss" does not mean that the demons and Satan 25:29 were put some place down there in the underworld. 25:33 This is a symbolic meaning. 25:36 What does it mean? 25:37 Well, we find that Jesus went to the abyss, right? 25:41 Because it says, "Who will descend into the abyss? 25:44 That is, to bring Christ up from the dead." 25:47 So the abyss is where what happens? 25:51 Dead people go. 25:52 Now, here's the key point. 25:54 While Jesus was dead, the fetters of the tomb, 25:58 the abyss, bound Him. 26:00 Correct? 26:02 He could do no work. 26:04 True or false? 26:07 Could Jesus be active while He was in the tomb? 26:09 No. 26:11 He did not literally go to the deep, or to the abyss. 26:15 This is what kind of language? 26:18 Metaphorical language. 26:21 Being in the abyss means that He cannot act, 26:24 He cannot do. 26:26 He's restrained. 26:29 Notice Luke 8:30-31. 26:35 The demons, they were really scared of Christ. 26:39 "Jesus asked him saying, 'What is your name?'" 26:42 This is the Gadarenes. 26:59 So what were they begging? 27:00 "Please don't send us to the underworld." 27:04 "Please don't send us down deep into the depths of the earth." 27:06 That's not what he's saying. 27:08 What are they saying? 27:09 "Please don't restrain our..." What? 27:12 "...our capacity to work." 27:15 That's what he's saying. 27:17 And I'm going to prove it to you with another example 27:20 in a few moments. 27:21 The demons at Gadara requested that Jesus 27:24 not send them to the deep, or to the bottomless pit. 27:29 This does not mean that Jesus was going to send them 27:32 to a place with literal bars and chains. 27:35 They requested that Jesus would not prevent them from what? 27:39 From working. 27:41 Where did Jesus send them? 27:47 Were they able to continue their work? 27:49 Yeah, they killed a whole bunch of pigs. 27:55 And do you know what the purpose of that was? 27:58 You know, if I was a devil, I would find a much better place 28:02 to go than into a pig. 28:05 So why did they say, "Send us into the swine." 28:08 Because they knew that if they could control the swine, 28:11 they could make the swine go over a cliff into the water, 28:14 the owners would lose the financial benefit of the swine, 28:19 and they would ask Jesus to leave, 28:21 so that Jesus could not continue working. 28:24 And that's exactly what happened. 28:27 After these men were sane, clothed, and bathed, 28:33 they were sitting at the feet of Jesus and they say to Jesus, 28:36 "Oh Jesus, You're so wonderful. You delivered us. 28:39 We want to go with You." 28:40 Jesus said, "No. 28:42 Go back to your own and tell them the great things 28:45 that God has done for you." 28:47 And Ellen White says that a time later when Jesus went 28:50 to that region, there were hundreds of believers in Jesus 28:53 as a result of the testimony of these men. 28:57 So Jesus didn't send them into the abyss? 29:00 What does that mean? 29:02 It means that they could continue what? 29:04 Oh, they could continue working. 29:06 They were not bound, in other words. 29:08 Now let me give you another example. 29:11 In what other passage of the book of Revelation 29:14 do you find an angel with a key, using the key, 29:19 not to unlock but to lock? 29:25 Revelation 20. 29:27 So if you have Revelation 20... 29:29 By the way, you have the angel that descends, 29:33 he has a key, and he locks who in? 29:40 He locks Satan in. 29:42 Which means that Satan is what? 29:45 He's restrained. 29:47 Can he work? 29:48 Can he act? 29:50 No. 29:51 By the way, he's cast into the bottomless pit, the Bible says. 29:55 So God is going to cast the devil deep into the underworld 29:58 of the planet. 30:01 No. 30:03 What does "abyss" mean? 30:04 It means that Satan is not able to work. 30:09 His power is restrained. 30:11 And how does God restrain Satan's power? 30:14 He restrains Satan's power because all of his followers 30:18 that he used are dead. 30:21 What happens after the thousand years? 30:24 The angel comes once again with the what? 30:27 With the key. 30:29 And what does he do? 30:30 He unlocks the devil from the abyss with his angels. 30:34 And what does Satan do? 30:36 He goes out to deceive the nations once more. 30:40 Because he's been unbound. 30:42 So are you understanding that the abyss is not some 30:45 place deep down there where at some point 30:47 two hundred millions demons are going to come out of that place. 30:53 You know, those who literalize the trumpets, 30:55 even in our midst, are saying that a moment is coming when 30:57 two hundred million demons that are down there, 31:00 they're going to be released. 31:02 That's not the point. 31:05 The point is that the abyss is a place 31:08 where Satan and his angels cannot act. 31:13 Unless God what? 31:16 Unless God locks the abyss and lets them out. 31:21 Did God let them out during the French Revolution? 31:26 Yes. 31:28 Did He unbind them at the destruction of Jerusalem? 31:32 Yes. 31:33 And by the way... 31:35 This is a sideline. 31:36 It doesn't have anything directly to do with this, but. 31:39 You know, the Bible says that the beast that ruled 31:43 for 42 months, at the end of the 42 months 31:46 it says that it will receive a deadly wound 31:49 and it will be sent into captivity. 31:53 We usually interpret that as meaning that 31:55 Pope Pious VI was taken prisoner and he died in France in 1799. 32:02 However, that prophecy that the beast was going to be 32:06 taken captive does not apply to a pope. 32:09 It applies to the entire system. 32:12 Because it's the beast that goes into captivity. 32:15 Not an individual pope. 32:17 So what is the captivity? 32:19 You see, before 1798, did the papacy have the capacity 32:24 of using the kings of the earth to accomplish its purposes? 32:28 But what happened in 1798? 32:30 It was withdrawn. 32:33 So when will the papacy be released from captivity? 32:36 When it is able once again to use the 32:38 civil powers of the world. 32:41 And use the sword of the state to persecute. 32:43 Are you following me? 32:45 Now, let's go back here. 32:48 Matthew 8:29 32:50 "And suddenly they cried out saying..." 32:52 Oh, look what their fear was. 32:56 "What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God?" 33:00 the demons say. 33:02 "Have You come here to torment us before the time?" 33:10 What is the time? What is the time? 33:13 Oh, during the thousand years. 33:15 They know what's coming. 33:17 They know very well what's coming. 33:19 Now let's read some interesting statements 33:21 from the spirit of prophecy before we end this section. 33:29 Signs of the Times, September 23, 1889. 33:33 "All heaven rejoiced when Christ rose from the dead." 33:36 Why? 33:38 "He had power to..." What? 33:40 "...to bind the strong man and to despoil him of his goods." 33:44 What are Satan's goods? 33:48 People. 33:49 You know what happened on the day of Pentecost? 33:51 On the day of Pentecost Satan was bound 33:56 and the followers of Jesus were unleashed 33:59 to preach the gospel. 34:01 Thousands upon thousands accepted the gospel. 34:04 Did God restrain Satan from manifesting his full power 34:08 so the gospel could be proclaimed? 34:10 Absolutely. 34:11 Here's another statement. 34:13 18, Manuscript Releases, page 354. 34:15 "All heaven is working to resist Satan's power, 34:18 to bind the strong man. 34:20 The angels of God are working to put..." What? 34:25 "...restrictions upon the power of the enemy until man 34:29 shall be fully..." What? 34:31 "...tested and tried." 34:34 Let's go to the bottom of the page. 34:37 "When He leaves the sanctuary..." 34:40 Is there going to be a time when God is going to totally 34:43 release Satan and his angels upon this world? 34:47 And the only ones that they will not be able 34:48 to touch are God's remnant. 34:51 But now notice this. 34:52 "When He leaves the sanctuary, darkness covers 34:55 the inhabitants of the earth. 34:57 In that fearful time, the righteous must live in the 34:59 sight of a holy God without an intercessor. 35:02 The restraint that has been put upon the wicked is..." What? 35:08 "...removed..." 35:10 Just like at the time of the destruction of Jerusalem. 35:13 Just like at the time of the French Revolution. 35:15 But you know, what happened in Jerusalem and in France 35:17 is only a local event that illustrates 35:21 what's going to happen globally. 35:24 "The restraint that has been put upon the wicked is removed, 35:27 And Satan has..." What, after the close of probation? 35:30 "...entire control of the finally impenitent. 35:35 God's long-suffering has ended. 35:37 The world has rejected His mercy, despised His love, 35:40 and trampled upon His law. 35:42 The wicked have passed the boundary of their probation. 35:45 The Spirit of God, persistently resisted, 35:49 has been at last..." What? "...withdrawn." 35:52 And listen now. 35:53 "Unsheltered by divine grace, they have no protection 35:58 from the wicked one." 36:00 Are the angels still holding the winds globally? 36:03 Yes. 36:04 Is Satan working? 36:06 Yeah, he's working. 36:07 But is he able to work without restrictions? 36:10 No. 36:11 Let's continue. 36:13 "Satan will then plunge the inhabitants of the earth 36:16 into one great, final trouble. 36:20 As the angels of God cease to hold in check..." 36:25 So do the angels hold in check 36:27 the manifestation of Satan's power? 36:29 Yes. 36:31 "As the angels of God cease to hold in check 36:34 the fierce winds of human passion, 36:36 all the elements of strife will be let loose." 36:40 Does that sound like the release of all those demons 36:43 from the abyss? 36:46 You know, they have teeth like lions, 36:51 and they have tails like scorpions. 36:54 I mean, they come from hell because they come where there's 36:57 fire and brimstone. 36:58 This is language that deals with the manifestation 37:01 of Satanic power. 37:03 Because Satan is released at some point to work 37:08 as God allows him. 37:10 So she continues, "As the angels of God cease to hold in check 37:14 the fierce winds of human passion, all the elements 37:17 of strife will be let loose. 37:20 The whole world..." 37:21 Now notice how she connects the destruction of Jerusalem. 37:23 Are you aware that Ellen White states several times 37:27 that the destruction of Jerusalem foreshadows 37:30 the final destruction of the world? 37:32 So is God going to withdraw His protection from the world 37:34 as He did in Jerusalem? 37:36 How many Christians died in the destruction of Jerusalem? 37:40 How many of God's people will die when Satan 37:42 and his angels are let loose? 37:43 None. 37:45 That's the good news. 37:47 So she says, "The whole world will be involved in ruin 37:51 more terrible than that which came upon Jerusalem of old." 37:54 And you read that chapter in, Great Controversy, 37:56 you'll say, "How can it get any worse than that?" 37:59 Just read the first chapter in, Great Controversy; 38:01 the first trumpet. 38:03 The next statement, My Life Today, page 308. 38:06 A devotional book. 38:07 "Four mighty angels are still holding 38:12 the four winds of the earth. 38:14 Terrible destruction is forbidden 38:16 to come..." To the what? 38:18 ~ Full. 38:19 So is Satan working? 38:21 Yeah, but he can't work to the full. 38:24 The accidents by land and by sea; the loss of life, 38:28 steadily increasing, by storm, by tempest, 38:30 by railroad disaster, by conflagration," 38:33 that means wars, "the terrible floods, 38:35 the earthquakes, and the winds will be the stirring up 38:39 of the nations to one deadly combat, while the angels 38:43 hold the four winds, forbidding the terrible power of Satan 38:47 to be exercised in its fury until the servants of God 38:51 are sealed in their foreheads." 38:56 My Life Today, page 308, another statement. 38:59 I like this metaphor that she uses. 39:01 "Angels are holding the four winds, which are represented 39:05 as an angry horse seeking to break loose 39:09 and rush over the face of the whole earth, 39:12 bearing destruction and death in its path." 39:16 Is that what happened with France? 39:19 So you really want to know what is going to happen 39:20 with the world, just take a look at France and Jerusalem. 39:25 Does it help for us to let people in the world know, 39:27 you know, about these examples from the past? 39:31 Yes. 39:32 You know, maybe we should preach about this 39:33 in our evangelistic series. 39:37 I think. 39:39 Maybe not the whole study notes. 39:43 Because people won't be prepared. 39:44 But we can tell them what happened in France. 39:47 What the papacy did during the 1260 years. 39:50 What happened with Jerusalem. 39:52 We can tell them about that. 39:54 And then make a parallel with what's happening 39:56 in the world today. 39:58 Here is another statement. 40:00 This one is, Letter 138, 1897. 40:03 "A terrible conflict is before us. 40:06 We are nearing the battle of the great day of God Almighty. 40:10 That which has been held in control is to be..." What? 40:16 "...let loose." 40:18 So is the angel going to come down and release 40:21 Satan and his angels? 40:23 No longer just for France and Jerusalem, but for what? 40:26 The whole world. 40:28 "That which has been held in control is to be let loose. 40:32 The angel of mercy is folding her wings, 40:35 preparing to step down from the throne 40:37 and leave the world to the control of Satan. 40:42 I tell you in the name of the Lord God of Israel 40:44 that all injurious, discouraging influences 40:47 are held in control by unseen angel hands, 40:52 until everyone that works in fear and love of God 40:56 is sealed in his forehead." 41:00 Review and Herald, August 1, 1849. 41:03 "I asked my accompanying angel the meaning of what 41:05 I heard, and what the four angels were about to do. 41:10 He showed me that it was God that restrained the powers, 41:14 and that He gave His angles charge over the things 41:17 on the earth, and that the four angles had power from God 41:21 to hold the four winds, and that they were about to 41:24 let the four winds go. 41:26 And while they had started on their mission to let them go..." 41:31 Praise the Lord for this. 41:33 "...the merciful eye of Jesus gazed on the remnant 41:36 that were not all sealed, then He raised His hands 41:41 to the Father to plead with Him that He had spilled 41:46 His blood for them. 41:48 Then another angel was commissioned to fly swiftly 41:51 to the four angels and bid them hold until the servants of God 41:55 were sealed with the seal of the living God in their foreheads." 42:02 Let's read these final three statements. 42:05 "Four mighty angels hold back the power of this earth 42:09 till the servants of God are sealed in their foreheads. 42:12 The nations of the world are eager for conflict..." 42:15 Is that true? 42:16 Hmm. 42:18 "...but they are..." What? 42:20 "...held in check by the angels." 42:22 In other words, the demons are in the abyss. 42:28 No, not deep down there. No, no. 42:31 They're kept from being able to act. 42:34 Is that clear? 42:36 So, "The nations of the world are eager for conflict, 42:39 but they are held in check by the angels. 42:42 When this restraining power is removed, there will come 42:46 a time of trouble and anguish. 42:48 Deadly instruments of warfare will be invented. 42:52 Vessels with their living cargo will be entombed 42:55 in the great deep. 42:57 All who have not the spirit of truth will unite under the 43:01 leadership of satanic agencies, but they are to be kept 43:06 under control till the time shall come 43:09 for the great battle of Armageddon." 43:13 We already noticed this morning the one from, 43:15 Education, page 228. 43:18 You know, the world is going to have another French Revolution. 43:21 It's not going to be in France, 43:22 it's going to be all over the world. 43:23 It's going to be global. 43:25 And it's actually going to be a revolution, 43:28 to use Bernie Sanders' terminology. 43:32 It's going to be a revolution of the proletariat 43:36 of the poor against the rich. 43:39 The have nots against the haves. 43:43 Have you ever read James chapter 5? 43:50 I see a glassy look in your eyes. 43:54 So let's go to James chapter 5. 44:01 There you have a description of what Ellen White is 44:03 describing here; another French Revolution on a global scale. 44:08 "Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries 44:13 that are coming upon you!" 44:35 Hoarding wealth. 44:37 Not only by non-Adventists, but by Adventists. 44:41 And you know, Ellen White explains in the book, 44:44 Early Writings, that when the little time of trouble comes, 44:47 and people are no longer able to dispose of what they had 44:52 that they don't really need, which they're saving for a 44:55 rainy day, like the people before the flood, 45:00 they're going to say, they're going to cry out, 45:02 "Lord, why did we not use that money 45:06 to carry forward Your work?" 45:10 No, we can't, we can't add house to house, 45:15 and you know, put our money where we 45:17 think it's going to be secure. 45:19 Because it's not. 45:21 The stock market when I left home after lunch 45:23 was down 1500 points. 45:26 It's not a safe place to go. 45:29 Up 1100 yesterday, down 1500 today. 45:33 2000 the day before. 45:35 Our only security is to invest 45:38 what we don't need in God's cause. 45:41 Like Secrets Unsealed. 45:47 You knew I had to get that in, right? 45:49 Okay, now, verse 4... 45:52 What was it that the rich did? 46:11 Wow! 46:27 Because they didn't have power to do it. 46:29 That's what Ellen White is describing in this quotation 46:32 in the book, Education, page 228. 46:36 Let's read it again. 46:37 "At the same time, anarchy is seeking to sweep away all law, 46:42 not only divine, but human. 46:45 The centralizing of wealth and power..." 46:47 Could we say that there's a lot of centralizing of 46:49 wealth and power these days? 46:51 Wall Street. 46:54 That's the centralizing of wealth and power. 46:57 "...the centralizing of wealth and power, 46:59 the vast combinations for the enriching of the few 47:04 at the expense of the many, 47:06 the combination of the poorer classes for the defense of their 47:11 interests and claims..." 47:13 Are you seeing James 5 here? 47:15 "...the spirit of unrest, of riot and bloodshed; 47:18 the world-wide dissemination of the same teachings 47:21 that led to the French Revolution: 47:24 all are tending to involve the whole world in a struggle 47:28 similar to that which convulsed France." 47:33 So that's what we have to look forward to. 47:36 But after the storm comes the new heavens and the new earth. 47:41 So we have something to look forward to 47:44 after the tribulation. 47:46 Youth Instructor, December 24, 1896. 47:51 "The fool has said in his heart, 'There is no God.'" 47:55 Why do you suppose people don't want to believe 47:57 that there is a God? 47:59 For a very simple reason. 48:00 If there is a God, you're accountable to Him 48:02 and He's going to judge you. 48:06 And if you believe He's going to judge you, 48:10 we're in trouble. 48:11 Right? 48:14 Why do people believe in the theory of evolution? 48:18 Because if the hand of the Creator did not create you, 48:21 if you're the result of natural processes, 48:24 the course of millions of years, 48:26 then you're not accountable to a God who didn't create you, 48:31 according to evolution. 48:33 So it's all about God being the judge. 48:35 So once again, "The fool has said in his heart, 48:37 'There is no God.' 48:39 But he can advance no evidence to sustain his claims. 48:43 He can only take the position of an objector 48:45 to the purposes of an all-wise God." 48:49 Notice what atheism is like. 48:51 "Atheism can shed no ray of light..." 48:55 We'll see this when we read the actual verses that 48:58 describe the fifth trumpet. 49:00 It speaks about people who are depressed, 49:03 filled with grief, and see no future. 49:08 "Atheism can shed no ray light into the grave. 49:11 It cannot restrain crime, or quicken the moral energies. 49:16 It has no power to elevate the character or purify the soul. 49:20 On the contrary, it always tends to..." What? 49:23 "...to degenerate the human race; 49:25 it leads always from purity and peace. 49:30 An instance of this is given in the history 49:33 of the French Revolution. 49:35 That period, when the existence of God was denied, 49:40 and his commandments were abolished, 49:42 was the most revolting that is recorded 49:45 on the pages of human history." 49:54 So what do you think? 49:57 You're probably thinking and you're saying, 50:00 "We came here to receive words of comfort." 50:07 Fear not. 50:10 "Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, 50:13 You are with me." 50:15 "No plague will come near your dwelling." 50:17 God will protect His people. 50:20 But we have to make sure that we are on His side. 50:22 You know, we can't say when we get there, "I'm with You," 50:26 if we're not with Him now. 50:28 We have to form a covenant relationship with Him now. 50:32 Alright, we have a few moments left, so let's go to the bottom 50:35 of page 167 and read this passage in the light of 50:40 what we have described in this class. 50:44 I'm going to read the passage, although I already 50:46 did it this morning, I'm going to do it again. 50:48 And then we might have a little time, I'm not sure, 50:50 to make a few comments on the verses one by one. 50:54 This is the fifth trumpet. 51:02 Remember, a star had fallen from heaven to the earth. 51:06 That's the tense of the verb. 51:25 And what happens when the smoke comes out? 51:31 Was there darkness under the fourth trumpet? 51:35 Is there a greater darkness now? 51:37 Yes. 51:41 "Then out of the smoke..." That is, out of the darkness. 51:45 What came out? 51:53 Notice, somebody else is giving this to them. 52:10 Notice, the emphasis is on, "green." 52:12 It's not talking about dry wood like we noticed 52:15 in the first trumpet. 52:16 Everything is green here? 52:23 So who are the only ones that are going to 52:26 fall under the curse of this particular trumpet? 52:29 It's only those who do not have the seal of God 52:32 on their foreheads. 52:51 Is this a pretty fatalistic way of thinking? 52:55 Yes. 54:00 Who do you suppose the leader of this underworld is? 54:03 Satan. 54:04 What are the armies? 54:07 His angels. His demons. 54:10 So are they unleashed at this point 54:12 at the period of the fifth trumpet? 54:13 Oh, absolutely. 54:15 Now, being that we have just three or four minutes left, 54:19 let's begin studying the verses one by one. 54:24 Verse 1 says, "The fifth angel sounded his trumpet. 54:28 and I saw a star that had fallen..." 54:33 The star was given the key to the shaft of the abyss. 54:37 The description of the fifth trumpet contains a series of 54:41 "divine passives." 54:43 What do we mean by, "divine passives"? 54:46 We mean that someone is allowing this to happen. 54:51 In this, we notice that the star "was given the key" 54:56 to the abyss. 55:00 So the description of the fifth trumpet contains 55:02 a series of "divine passives". 55:04 Expressions such as, "was given the key," "were given power," 55:09 "it was commanded them," where God is releasing 55:12 and allowing the powers of the abyss to perform their work. 55:17 We will see in our detailed study of Revelation 11 55:20 that God allowed the shaft of the bottomless pit, 55:24 or the abyss, to open because of the treatment that 55:27 the two witnesses received during the 1260 years. 55:32 The tense of the verb, "had fallen," clearly indicates 55:37 that the star did not fall when the fifth trumpet blew. 55:41 It had already fallen before the fifth trumpet began to sound. 55:45 How else could the star come out of the abyss 55:48 unless it had fallen into the abyss before? 55:52 There can be little doubt that this star represents whom? 55:56 Lucifer, who originally fell from heaven and at the cross. 56:02 The abyss is the abode of whom? 56:05 Of Satan and his angels. 56:07 We've already noticed that in some verses 56:09 in Revelation 20, as well as in the gospels. 56:12 And they are the rulers of the what? 56:15 Of the underworld, so to speak. 56:18 Let's go to the comments on verse 2. 56:29 So this is like a burning hell, isn't it? 56:32 So who is it that is identified in the book of Revelation 56:35 with fire and brimstone? 56:38 The devil is going to be thrown into the 56:39 fire and brimstone, right? 56:50 Is this a greater darkness than the darkness that existed 56:53 during the fourth trumpet? 56:55 Absolutely. 56:57 When the star... 56:58 And by the way, do you notice the star is identified as, "he"? 57:04 When the star opened the abyss, smoke comes out of the abyss 57:10 like the smoke of a massive furnace. 57:12 This is an army from hell, in other words. 57:16 The smoke eclipsed the sun and the sky. 57:20 There is no indication here that the smoke eclipsed 57:23 only a third part of the earth. 57:26 It is total darkness, in other words. 57:29 The text seems to indicate that the darkness was what? 57:33 The darkness was total because God had removed His Spirit. 57:39 So we'll stop here. 57:43 And in our next session we will finish our verse by verse 57:46 study of this passage that describes the fifth trumpet 57:51 of the book of Revelation. 57:53 I hope that we're understanding where we're going with this 57:55 little by little. 57:56 It's magnificent how God has revealed these things to us. |
Revised 2020-09-12