Participants: Ty Gibson
Series Code: AOT
Program Code: AOT000085
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00:12 Welcome to Anchors Of Truth from the 3ABN Worship Center.
00:17 The Final Revolution with Ty Gibson. 00:23 We welcome you, each one of you, to this final meeting 00:29 of our Final Revolution. 00:31 And Ty Gibson has been talking to us about God 00:35 and His character, His reputation around the world, 00:40 and how important it is that we give the real true picture 00:45 of God as a loving God. 00:46 Not as someone who's seeking to have vengeance, 00:50 but someone who wants to save every single soul 00:56 who will say, "I'm willing." 00:59 And what a beautiful message we've been hearing 01:02 here in each one of the presentations. 01:06 And we look forward now to the climax of this series, 01:09 though we're sorry to see it end, to be honest with you. 01:11 We look forward to this climatic message today 01:16 about the character of our God and His Son, Jesus, 01:22 and how much they love us. 01:24 The entire Godhead; the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, 01:28 entwined about saving mankind. 01:33 What a beautiful, beautiful message we have been receiving. 01:38 Well just before the message this afternoon, 01:42 I'm going to invite Pastor C.A. Murray to come. 01:45 He's going to be singing for us the song, Is It Any Wonder. 01:50 Just before he sings, I'm going to ask Pastor Murray 01:54 to lead us in a word of prayer. 01:57 Shall we pray. 01:59 Gracious heavenly Father, how thankful we are 02:03 for Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith. 02:10 How our hearts have burned within us these last 02:14 several days as we have heard the Word of God 02:19 through the mouth of your manservant. 02:22 We thank You that You have given him truths that are 02:26 meat in due season for our thirsty souls. 02:29 And we thank You, Lord, that he has been faithful to the call 02:32 to preach the Word of Jesus. 02:35 And now Father, we ask again that You may be with him 02:40 in a special way. 02:42 Give him so that he may give to us. 02:45 Bless him so that he may be a blessing to us. 02:49 Use him to lift up the mighty and matchless name of Jesus. 02:55 And then give us again open and receptive ears and hearts 03:01 as we seek to do Your will. 03:04 And we thank You, dear Father, in Jesus' name, amen. 03:25 When I think how Jesus loved me, how He waited patiently, 03:35 even when I turned my back and walked away. 03:41 When He knew I wanted every thing this world could offer me, 03:50 well I guess He knew the price I'd have to pay. 03:56 So He watched me stumble downward, 04:01 saw each compromise I made, 04:04 heard each lie I whispered just to get my way. 04:11 Still He waited there to hear me 04:16 when I cried to Him and prayed. 04:20 Then He saved my soul and that is why I say: 04:27 Tell me, is it any wonder that I love Him 04:38 when you consider all He's done for me? 04:46 And is it any wonder that I long to do His will 04:54 and let His light shine out for all to see? 05:00 And is it any wonder that I praise Him 05:10 each time I think of how He's made me free? 05:18 And is it any wonder that I've given Him my heart 05:26 when Jesus freely gave His life for me? 05:44 When I think how Jesus loves me, how He watches patiently, 05:54 how His arms are stretched to meet me when I run, 06:01 when I'm feeling down and lonely, 06:05 how He's there to comfort me. 06:09 In the darkness He becomes my morning sun. 06:16 When I think of how He's healed me, 06:21 how He's touched me in my pain, 06:24 how His gentle hands have wiped my tears away, 06:31 how He's taken every heartache and brought happiness again, 06:39 oh I want the world to hear me when I say: 06:45 Tell me, is it any wonder that I love Him 06:56 each time I think of how He's made me free? 07:04 And is it any wonder that I long to do His will 07:12 and let His light shine out for all to see? 07:17 And is it any wonder that I praise Him 07:28 each time I think of how He's made me free? 07:35 And is it any wonder that I've given Him my heart 07:43 when Jesus freely gave His life for me? 08:11 Thank you, C.A. Praise God. 08:14 I hope you had a good afternoon. 08:16 Did you? 08:17 Did you get something yummy to eat? 08:20 Let me just look out there. 08:21 I think some of you may have got something too yummy to eat. 08:25 You might have to sit up a little straighter, 08:27 breathe a little deeper, oxygenate your frontal lobe. 08:31 Because this is the meeting after lunch. 08:34 So you know what I'm talking about. 08:36 Don't pretend like you don't. 08:38 So I'm going to be squinting occasionally and peering 08:42 out there and making sure that everybody is in tune 08:45 with the message. 08:47 I want to begin by telling an old evangelistic story, 08:50 but with a new twist. 08:53 The story is told of an old chess champion 08:56 making his way one leisurely afternoon 08:59 through an art gallery. 09:01 And as he came upon painting after painting, 09:04 admiring the work of great artists, he finally came upon 09:09 a particular painting that captured his attention. 09:14 Because the artist had portrayed in the painting 09:18 that a young man was engaged with a game of chess 09:22 with the devil himself. 09:25 And as the chess champion examined the painting, 09:29 it was obvious what the artist was trying to convey. 09:33 Because the devil, leaning over the board, 09:37 had a grin of triumph on his face. 09:41 And the young man playing the game with the devil 09:44 looked very clearly like he had lost the game. 09:48 And the artist had titled the painting, "Checkmate." 09:52 The implication being, of course, that the game 09:54 was lost, and the young man was the loser. 09:58 But as the chess master examined the painting, 10:02 there was something about it that made him uncomfortable. 10:05 He kept looking and he began to study the board itself 10:09 and the placement of the pieces. 10:11 And then it came to him that something was wrong. 10:14 He went to the curator of the museum 10:17 and he said, "Is there any way that I could have a meeting 10:21 with the artist who created this painting?" 10:24 So arrangements were made and a day was set, 10:29 and the chess master came to the home of the artist. 10:32 And he immediately said, "Something is wrong 10:35 with your painting." 10:36 And artists don't like to hear that. 10:38 "No, nothing is wrong with my painting." 10:40 And yet, there was a slight grin on the artist's face, 10:44 as if maybe he knew what the chess champion had noticed. 10:50 Immediately, this man who knew all about the game of chess 10:55 began to set up a board, putting all the pieces 10:59 in exactly the places where the artist had portrayed 11:04 them to be in the painting. 11:05 Once the board was completely set, with very measured motion 11:12 and a little bit of drama, the chess master reached across 11:16 and with one move, he moved the king 11:21 of the young man and said, "There, you see? 11:24 Now the devil is in checkmate. 11:27 When the king has one more move, the game isn't over." 11:32 And you can go a lot of places with that old evangelistic story 11:35 at that point, can't you. 11:37 I'd like to go a new place with it. 11:39 I'd like to suggest to you that there is indeed, in fact, 11:44 one move that we can make as a people that would turn 11:51 the game in favor of the kingdom of God and put the devil 11:55 and the kingdom of darkness in checkmate. 11:59 I believe that this is not a matter of multiple choice. 12:03 There aren't two or three or four or five options. 12:06 I believe with all my heart, with deep conviction, 12:10 that there is in fact only one move we could make, 12:14 as a people, at this juncture of history that would have a 12:19 telling affect upon the direction history goes. 12:24 Only one move we could make that would in fact win 12:28 the great controversy for the kingdom of God. 12:31 Now I'm going to, of course, spin this message 12:33 divulging what I believe that one move to be. 12:38 And of course I'm hoping, I'm praying, that you will 12:41 see the picture and you will resonate with me 12:44 and you will adopt this as your own conviction. 12:47 But before I actually state what that one move is, 12:53 it's necessary for us to retrace our history as a people. 12:59 Now I want to just make a front note here. 13:01 For anybody who's present who is not a Seventh-day Adventist 13:03 or any viewers who are not Adventists, you're about to 13:07 listen in on a little bit of in-house talk. 13:10 But that's okay. 13:12 You, I believe, also will be benefited by what we're 13:15 going to discover in Scripture, because the Advent Movement 13:18 has implications for the world, as we're about to see. 13:22 So again, if you're not a Seventh-day Adventist, 13:25 I'm so glad you're joining us. 13:27 But just sit back, relax, and take in a little bit of 13:30 Adventist history and begin to understand 13:33 what it is that God raised up this people to be. 13:36 Because the fact is that God is calling anyone and everyone 13:42 who so desires to become a part of this final 13:46 revolutionary movement that takes the gospel to the world 13:50 on a global scale. 13:52 Now to retrace our history, we have to immediately remember 13:57 that Adventism, we believe, holds a very specific place 14:02 in the trajectory of history. 14:05 Adventism did not come into existence in a historic vacuum. 14:10 There were specific historic phenomenon that led up to 14:15 the birth of Adventism. 14:17 And in fact, we believe that the Advent movement 14:21 is one of only a very few movements in history 14:25 that were actually foretold in Bible prophecy. 14:29 Adventism was actually seen by both Daniel and John, 14:37 and they wrote what the Lord showed them regarding 14:41 the rise of this movement. 14:43 We trace our beginnings as a people to 1844. 14:48 That won't be a surprise to any Seventh-day Adventist. 14:52 But what led up to 1844 and its significance in prophecy 14:57 is something that we need desperately to understand 15:01 and wrap our minds around. 15:03 Because leading up to 1844, Bible prophecy unfolds 15:08 before us a series of events that involved movements 15:13 that took place preparatory to Adventism, 15:18 going all the way back in Bible prophecy to the prophecies 15:22 that are brought to view in Daniel chapter 7 and 8, 15:27 onward into chapter 9 as an explanation. 15:29 You'll see in just a moment where I'm going with this. 15:31 And then jumping forward, fast forwarding to 15:34 Revelation chapters 10 through 14. 15:37 So right now we're going to consider, we're going to 15:39 paint a picture of history leading up to the 15:42 birth of Adventism... 15:43 Alright? 15:44 ...by making use of the prophetic data 15:47 in Daniel chapters 7 and 8 and Revelation chapters 15:52 10 through 14. 15:54 In Daniel's prophecies, he saw in vision the rise of a power 16:02 that would manifest itself with two very 16:07 specific characteristics. 16:09 Number one, Daniel chapter 7 says this power would speak 16:15 great words against the Most High. 16:19 Speak great words against the Most High. 16:22 The fascinating thing about this movement is that 16:25 while it was speaking great words against God, 16:29 against the Most High, it was purporting 16:32 to be God's true representative on earth. 16:37 It bore the name Christian through those middle ages, 16:40 through those dark ages. 16:42 That power was not maliciously and overtly against Christ. 16:50 It was anti-Christ in the sense that it had set itself up 16:55 in place of Christ. 16:57 It's a part of history that I refer to as, 17:00 the grand masquerade. 17:02 This is when a power claiming to be the Christian church 17:07 is simultaneously putting forth information 17:11 that speaks great words against the Most High. 17:14 A doctrinal system was formed by this movement in history 17:21 called in Daniel 7, the little horn. 17:24 Called by Paul, the man of sin. 17:27 Called by John the Revelator, the great harlot. 17:31 Also by John, Babylon. 17:34 This movement manifested its power in history 17:40 by speaking great words against the Most High. 17:42 That is to say, by defaming the character of God 17:47 by the formulation of a doctrinal system 17:50 that made God look to be other than what He really is; 17:55 in the simplest possible language. 17:57 The other evening, I used a word that you will not 17:59 find in your dictionary. 18:01 This system achieved the uglification of the 18:06 character of God in the minds and hearts of human beings. 18:09 And that movement that is prophesied of 18:13 in Daniel 7 and Daniel 8... 18:15 Now listen very carefully. 18:16 That movement took in a large swath of history 18:20 leading up to 1844, leading up to 1798 and 1844, 18:27 That power defamed the character of God by blaspheming His name. 18:31 And I said there were two main characteristics of the power. 18:34 The second characteristic is, that it would speak great 18:37 words against the Most High, number one; 18:39 and that it would persecute the saints of the Most High God, 18:44 and that it would make war on the saints. 18:47 And so the second characteristic is that this power would use 18:52 coercion and force in the name of God. 18:56 This power would shed blood in the name of God. 19:00 This power would co-opt, as a religious entity, 19:04 the power of the state to take the military might 19:08 of the state under its mesmerizing spell and its 19:13 coercive doctrine to use the state to exercise force 19:19 in the name of Jesus. 19:21 And so millions upon millions of people down through those 19:24 dark ages lost their lives as martyrs in the name of Jesus. 19:32 This was being done with God as the purported source 19:39 of these deeds through history. 19:41 So you've got the picture so far? 19:43 This movement we're going to simply call, bad religion. 19:47 We're talking here about a segment of history 19:48 that involves the reign of bad religion, alright? 19:52 Babylon; confusion. 19:54 Doctrinal confusion that uglifies the character of God, 19:58 that defames the character of God. 20:00 Now that movement, according to Revelation chapters 10 and 11, 20:05 that movement created a situation, psychologically 20:10 and emotionally and spiritually in the world, 20:14 that gave rise to atheism. 20:17 Modern atheism was born in the cradle of Papal dominance 20:23 in the French revolution. 20:25 According to the book of Revelation, the beast 20:28 from the bottomless pit that would make war against 20:31 God's two witnesses, the Old and the New Testament, 20:35 the beast from the bottomless pit is none other than 20:38 modern atheism. 20:40 It's crucial for us to understand atheism, 20:43 as a people, for this reason. 20:45 Atheism was not born on the scene of human history 20:49 as a scientific revolution originally. 20:53 Darwin's theory of evolution wouldn't come for 20:57 many years later. 20:59 Atheism originated as a violent emotional theological 21:06 spiritual reaction against the uglification of the 21:10 character of God, the defamation of God's character. 21:13 Doctrines like eternal torment and penance and indulgences. 21:18 The entire psycho-edifice of salvation by works 21:23 that had so squashed the human spirit capacity for loving God 21:29 and yet requiring worship of Him. 21:32 Making people slaves to a picture of God that they 21:36 could not adore, that they couldn't desire, 21:39 that they couldn't actually reverence and love. 21:43 Humanity was held captive until finally the human spirit 21:48 created in God's image, and therefore longing for 21:52 liberty and freedom, could handle the pressure no longer. 21:56 And in the French Revolution, human beings rose up against 22:01 that system and essentially said this, "If God is like that, 22:06 we want nothing to do with Him." 22:08 And that's the birth of modern atheism. 22:10 That's why philosophers and historians first referred 22:14 to the rise of atheism in human history, 22:17 not as scientific atheism, but as protest atheism. 22:22 They were protesting a picture of God, 22:26 a caricature of God, a rendering of His character that they 22:30 found mentally and emotionally untenable. 22:33 So, "If God's like that, we don't believe in God." 22:38 You see how that works? 22:39 So you have two movements now. 22:41 You have the reign of bad religion in which 22:44 God's character is severely misrepresented by a 22:47 doctrinal system and by the use of coercion and force 22:49 in the name of God. 22:51 Then out of that movement arises a second movement. 22:55 And that is modern atheism as a violent reaction of 22:59 unbelief against that false rendering of God's character. 23:04 Then Daniel 7 and 8, Revelation 10 through 14, 23:09 in this very, very specific historic lineage, brings to view 23:16 a point in history where the tables will be turned. 23:20 And we have bad religion, the birth of atheism, and then what? 23:25 Well, Daniel 7 and 8 portrays it this way. 23:28 The angel in Daniel 8 sees what has been described in 23:33 the vision of chapter 7; God's character defamed, 23:37 the persecution of the saints, the little horn misrepresenting 23:41 and blaspheming the character of God. 23:43 And then an angel in chapter 8 of Daniel and verse 13 23:48 poses a question. 23:50 "How long?" is the question. 23:52 "How long?" 23:54 Well the question refers back to what has just been revealed. 23:57 How long, listen carefully, will this system reign 24:03 misrepresenting the character of God in the name of God? 24:06 How long will the grand masquerade continue? 24:10 How long will human beings receive this horrible 24:15 misrepresentation of God's character? 24:17 "How long?" said the angel. 24:19 And another angel answered back and said, in verse 14 24:24 of Daniel 8, "Unto two thousand three hundred days. 24:27 Then shall the sanctuary be cleansed." 24:30 I want you to notice, my dear Advent brothers and sisters, 24:34 that the message of the 2300 day prophecy, 24:38 Daniel 8:14, is an angel giving a direct answer 24:42 to the question of another angel. 24:45 One angel has asked how long this darkness regarding the 24:48 character of God. 24:50 The other angel answers, "Unto two thousand three hundred days. 24:54 Then the sanctuary will be cleansed." 24:57 Another version says, "The sanctuary will be made right." 25:00 Well this power had interposed itself between human beings 25:04 and the true sanctuary of God from whence forgiveness 25:08 of sins comes by grace through faith alone in Christ. 25:11 So there was this dark interposition of an earthy 25:16 system that set up its colossal masquerade in the name of God, 25:20 and people's vision of the true gospel and the plan of 25:24 salvation was blocked. 25:27 The movement that is prophesied of in Daniel 8:14, 25:31 listen carefully now, is in direct response 25:34 to that reign of darkness. 25:38 Adventism is foretold in Daniel 8:14, 25:42 "Unto two thousand three hundred days," 2300 years, 25:46 then something new is going to happen in history. 25:50 There will be the birth of a new movement 25:52 that will rectify human understanding regarding 25:57 the true sanctuary of God, the true heavenly priesthood, 26:01 The entire plan of salvation will be restored to its 26:05 rightful place in the minds and hearts of human beings 26:09 to correct this reign of spiritual darkness. 26:13 Do you see that history and how it flows? 26:15 Well then, when we go forward to Revelation 10, 26:20 we have the apostle John receiving a vision. 26:23 In that vision, he sees Jesus having a little 26:28 book in His hand. 26:30 The little book that Jesus, in chapter 10 of Revelation, 26:34 has in His hand is none other than the book of Daniel. 26:37 Which Daniel was told would be sealed until the 26:40 time of the end. 26:41 "Shut up the prophecies of your book, Daniel, 26:44 until the time of the end." 26:45 The book is shut, it's sealed. 26:47 But now in Revelation 10, Jesus is standing before John 26:51 and the little book is opened. 26:55 He hands the little book to John. 26:57 John, at this point, is a microcosm in prophecy 27:00 of the advent movement. 27:01 He hands the book to John and He says, "John, I want you to 27:04 do something with this book. 27:05 Eat it." 27:06 Oh, that's a strange request. 27:08 John eats the little book, only to discover that it is 27:12 sweet to the taste, but bitter in the belly. 27:15 And this is Bible prophecy foretelling that there would 27:18 be a Bible study movement that would arise on the scene of 27:22 human history at the end of time that would have a specific 27:26 interest in studying the prophecies of Daniel; 27:28 processing, digesting, masticating, believing 27:32 the prophecies of Daniel, eating them. 27:34 They would make a discovery that would be sweet, 27:37 that would end in bitterness. 27:40 And we rightfully call this experience, 27:42 the Great Disappointment, because those early advent 27:44 believers, they thought that Jesus was going to come in 1844. 27:50 And He did not. 27:52 Hence, the great disappointment. 27:53 This was not a movement that was formed by a few 27:59 fanatical Bible students. 28:01 This was a worldwide phenomenon that was made up of Baptists, 28:06 Seventh-day Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, 28:09 Catholics, even some devout Jews. 28:13 And that movement that is described experienced that 28:17 great disappointment when Jesus didn't come. 28:19 At that point you think that's it, it's over. 28:21 The advent movement scatters and it fractures. 28:24 But then something happens. 28:26 When you come to the end of chapter 10 of Revelation... 28:28 And this is the verse I want you to see right now 28:31 and focus on. 28:32 When you come to the end of Revelation chapter 10... 28:36 This is astounding. 28:38 The great disappointment has occurred. 28:40 And then you think, well that's the end of it. 28:44 And that advent people begin to scatter and fragment 28:48 and feel like, "Wow, we were wrong, that's the end of it." 28:51 But look at verse 11. 28:54 The angel says... 28:55 And the angel in this particular context is none other than Jesus 28:59 as a messenger, the divine Son of God. 29:01 He's not an angel in the sense that we think of angels 29:04 as created beings. 29:05 But He's the one holding the little book 29:07 that gave it to John. 29:09 And He says to him in verse 11, "You must prophesy..." 29:14 What's the word? 29:15 "...again..." On what scale? 29:19 "...unto many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings." 29:23 In other words, the movement is not over. 29:26 It's just beginning. 29:28 And now it's to take on worldwide scope, 29:31 and it is to prophesy again. 29:34 It had prophesied before. 29:36 The disappointment occurred. 29:38 And now it was to prophesy again before the world. 29:42 Which begs the question immediately, 29:44 "What were they to prophesy?" 29:46 To prophesy means to proclaim a message, 29:49 a heaven sent message. 29:52 What were they to prophesy? 29:53 What would be the content of that message? 29:56 Well it's very fascinating. 29:58 Because as that advent movement regrouped and began to restudy, 30:04 truths began to unfold to their minds, as chapter 11 30:09 of Revelation verse 19 began to occur. 30:12 "Then the temple of God was opened in heaven, 30:15 and the ark of His covenant was seen in His temple." 30:19 Notice something. 30:20 That these people who have now regrouped and they're 30:24 beginning to restudy and figure out what went wrong, 30:27 why the disappointment, they receive the mandate from Christ, 30:31 "prophesy again," and Jesus leads them to discover 30:34 the Most Holy Place. 30:36 The temple of God is opened in heaven. 30:38 They step in by faith and by Bible study, 30:40 into the Most Holy Place. 30:42 Not geographically literally, of course. 30:43 But through Scripture, they make their way 30:45 into the Most Holy Place. 30:47 We know it's the Most Holy Place because it says 30:50 the temple of God was opened in heaven, 30:51 and His ark was seen, the ark of the testament. 30:55 This is the Most Holy Place. 30:57 That's our location in history now. 31:01 They step into the Most Holy Place, 31:03 and as they begin to examine their surroundings, 31:06 a series of truths begin to unfold. 31:09 They open the content of the ark, they open the lid, 31:12 and they see the Ten Commandments. 31:15 The Law of God, the immutability of the Law of God is recovered 31:18 as a vital Bible truth. 31:20 They notice particularly one of the commandments that 31:23 has been laid aside; the Sabbath commandment. 31:25 And it becomes a Sabbath keeping movement. 31:28 They notice the two covering cherubs intently looking 31:31 on the mercy seat and the Law and the Shekinah. 31:35 And they turn around and they see that the veil of the 31:38 Most Holy Place is embroidered with angelic figures. 31:43 And they realize that this is cosmic in scope 31:47 and they begin developing the great controversy motif. 31:51 And realize that this great controversy involves 31:55 heaven and earth. 31:56 And there's an intersection between the two. 31:58 And that there's something greater at stake than merely 32:01 individual salvation. 32:03 The character of God has been defamed in history. 32:06 There's a violent cultural and religious reaction 32:09 against the falsification of God's character 32:13 with atheism rising against it. 32:15 They realize now that they live at a time in history when 32:18 the character of God is to be vindicated and exonerated. 32:22 Beautified rather than uglified before the world. 32:25 That men, women, and children the world over are in desperate 32:29 need of seeing the truth about God with unprecedented clarity. 32:36 What is the movement to prophesy? 32:38 The movement is to prophesy a message that exonerates the 32:43 character of God. 32:45 A whole new system of truth begins to form. 32:49 A chain of truth link by link. 32:52 The Sabbath, the state of the dead, the judgment. 32:55 All of these truths begin to be formulated 32:58 in this budding phase of the advent movement. 33:03 But here's the thing. 33:04 As that movement got off the ground, God specifically 33:09 conveyed to the movement early on that there was 33:12 to be a particular focus. 33:15 And the particular focus was brought to view in what I call, 33:18 two early course setting visions; visions that set 33:24 true north for the movement, theologically. 33:27 The first vision was given to William Miller. 33:29 And you can read it for yourself in the book Early Writings, 33:32 pages 81 through 84. 33:34 William Miller received a vision, and in that vision 33:38 he saw a room with a single table. 33:43 And on that table, a jewel box. 33:46 He walked into the room and he saw this beautiful box. 33:49 He called it in his vision, in the vernacular of the time, 33:52 a casket. 33:54 He opened the jewel box, the casket, and in it 33:57 he saw in his vision, he saw rubies, and sapphires, 34:03 and emeralds, and diamonds, and gold coins, and silver coins. 34:07 And he describes this beautiful collection of jewels, 34:11 and how that they were placed in a certain order. 34:15 And then as he kept looking, people began to enter the room 34:19 and to handle the jewels, and to move them around the room, 34:22 and to scatter them throughout the room with the debris that 34:25 they brought in on their feet, Miller says. 34:27 And they were scattered on the floor and all over the table. 34:31 And some people brought in similar jewels that 34:34 were counterfeits and you could hardly tell the difference. 34:37 And Miller began to lament the horrible situation. 34:40 And just then, as he was on the verge of tears because 34:44 these priceless jewels had been scattered among 34:47 false counterfeits, just as he was on the verge 34:51 of total discouragement, Miller says, "And in my vision, 34:54 a man with a dirt brush entered the room." 34:57 A broom. 34:59 And this man begins to sweep the room clean of all the 35:02 false jewels, the counterfeits. 35:04 He begins to sweep out all the debris that was tracked in 35:07 on the feet of the many people handling the jewels. 35:10 This is none other than Jesus sweeping out of the house 35:15 all of these false ideas that were being mingled 35:20 with the true jewels. 35:22 And then once all the false was swept out, 35:25 Miller said that the man with the dirt brush gathered up the 35:28 true jewels and put them in a larger casket this time, 35:33 and placed them in an order. 35:36 And then these words from Miller, "They shown forth 35:41 with ten times their former glory in the vision." 35:47 Miller had just seen that there would be down through history 35:52 a mingling of false and true doctrines that would 35:56 obscure the truth of the gospel and the character of God. 36:00 That there would be a cleansing movement in history that 36:03 would sweep out the counterfeits and bring in, restore the true 36:08 jewels to their proper setting. 36:10 And once the true jewels of truth were restored 36:13 in proper relation, one to another, they would 36:16 shine forth with ten times their former glory and power. 36:20 In other words, there would be a final movement 36:22 that would render the truth to the world with unprecedented 36:27 power and illumination. 36:30 That's the first vision that I refer to as a 36:33 course setting vision. 36:34 God was saying to the early advent movement, 36:36 "You need to go in the direction of gathering up the jewels 36:39 of truth and put them in the right relation, one to another." 36:44 And as we're going to see, something significant is 36:46 being conveyed here. 36:47 The second course setting vision was one held by a young 36:50 teenage girl named Ellen White. 36:52 Ellen White received this vision and it is recorded in 36:55 the book Early Writings, pages 78 and 79. 36:58 Now watch this. 36:59 In this early vision, the teenage Ellen White 37:04 saw a large temple structure in the distance. 37:08 She made her way to the temple and she entered the building. 37:16 Now if there are any engineers or builders here, 37:18 you'll understand the significance of this vision. 37:21 She says, "As I entered the temple, as I entered the 37:25 structure, the building," she said, "I saw that the entire 37:28 structure was supported by one immense pillar." 37:32 Quote, unquote. 37:34 She examined the building, the structure, 37:38 and just one central pillar is supporting the entire edifice. 37:43 Amazing. 37:45 She looks at the one immense pillar wondering what its 37:48 significance is, and she sees... 37:51 Her words, not mine. 37:53 ...that to it, to the pillar, was tied a lamb 37:58 all mangled and bleeding. 38:01 And those who entered the building, she says, 38:05 quote, unquote, "seemed to know that he was wounded 38:10 on their account." 38:11 And everybody who entered the temple, she says, 38:13 must make their way to that one immense pillar, 38:17 to that lamb, and confess their sins. 38:22 What had she just seen? 38:24 The temple represents the entire structure of truth 38:27 that was being recovered at this critical juncture of history. 38:31 This great building of truth, this structure, however, 38:37 is supported by one immense pillar of truth. 38:42 That one immense pillar of truth that supports the entire 38:45 structure of truth is none other than the cross of Jesus Christ. 38:52 The lamb is tied to the pillar, bleeding and mangled. 38:56 And so God had just communicated to the advent movement 39:00 true north. 39:01 The entire edifice of truth must be kept in perspective. 39:05 It must be kept in clear relation to the cross, 39:10 to the gospel, to the great love of God demonstrated 39:14 at Calvary. 39:15 Every truth of Scripture would find its significance and its 39:20 power in direct relation to the cross. 39:24 The Faith I Live By, page 50, later on, years later, 39:27 Ellen White would put this very idea received in that 39:30 vision in perspective. 39:31 And she said, and I quote, "There is one..." 39:34 Note the language. 39:36 "There is one great central truth to be kept ever 39:43 before the mind in the searching of the Scriptures; 39:46 Christ and Him crucified. 39:49 Every other truth..." 39:52 Put whatever you want there in the... 39:54 Not whatever you want, put what belongs there. 39:56 The Sabbath, the state of the dead, the judgment, 39:58 the immutability of God's law, the health message. 40:02 The entire structure of truth. 40:04 Notice she says, "Every other truth is invested 40:09 with influence and power, corresponding to 40:15 its relation to this theme," end of quote. 40:18 In other words, the truth of God's matchless love 40:24 revealed in the supreme sacrifice of Calvary 40:28 is the one truth that gives power and influence 40:34 to every other truth. 40:35 Think of it this way. 40:37 That temple vision is helpful here. 40:39 Imagine a physical structure, a building, and let's just say 40:43 it's an octagon structure. 40:45 It has eight sides with eight windows. 40:48 And you can make your way around this building 40:51 to each of the windows. 40:53 And in the building, there is one object. 40:58 And it is the cross of Christ where God's love was manifested. 41:03 Wherever you go around this structure, if you go to 41:07 any one of the windows on the building and you look 41:10 through that window, you are looking at 41:13 the cross through different windows of understanding. 41:18 Let's call those windows, the various key truths 41:22 that were recovered in the advent movement. 41:24 You're looking through one window and it is the 41:26 immutability of God's law. 41:29 But you're looking through the law to see the cross. 41:32 You move to this side and you're standing before the 41:35 window that we're going to label, the Sabbath truth. 41:37 But the Sabbath has no influence or power. 41:40 It has no significance except as it bears relation 41:44 to the love of God manifested at Calvary. 41:47 So I'm looking through the Sabbath truth to understand 41:50 the significance of the rest that I have in Christ 41:55 that the Sabbath signifies. 41:57 I move around the building and I come to the window 41:59 that we're going to label, the judgment. 42:01 But think about it, if you communicate to the world, 42:04 if you preach to the world, if you preach to yourself, 42:07 the truth of the judgment but you withhold 42:10 the gospel of Christ, you have rendered the judgment 42:13 in a way that can only instill fear and apprehension, 42:17 but not a sense of desire to want to be a participant 42:21 in the final judgment. 42:22 The Old Testament prophets saw the judgment as good news. 42:27 They asked for it. 42:28 They said, "God, when are You going to judge? 42:30 When are You going to make things right? 42:31 When is it all going to be straightened out 42:33 and rectified, Lord?" 42:35 The Old Testament prophets, they wanted judgment. 42:38 Daniel chapter 7 and 8 says that when the judgment occurs, 42:41 that it's a positive event. 42:43 It's not a negative event. 42:44 Why? Because Daniel says that when the judgment is 42:47 set and the books are opened, 42:50 judgment will be made in favor of the saints 42:53 of the Most High God. 42:54 So there's good news in the judgment truth 42:56 if you look at the judgment through the window 42:59 and see the cross through that doctrine. 43:03 And walk to any of the windows of truth, 43:05 walk around the building. 43:06 Whatever the message is, the message is the gospel. 43:10 Whatever the truth is that we're preaching at any given 43:13 point in our communication of the gospel, our message, 43:19 whatever it is that we're preaching, there's only... 43:22 What does she say? 43:24 "...one great central truth ever to be kept before the mind in 43:29 the searching of the Scriptures; Christ and Him crucified." 43:32 This isn't just Ellen White's view. 43:35 This is exactly what the apostle Paul said. 43:38 Paul said, "I have determined not to know anything 43:41 among you but Jesus Christ and Him crucified." 43:45 Was Paul simply saying in a very simplistic sense, 43:49 was Paul saying, "I'm not going to deal with any other 43:52 subject matter at all." 43:55 No, he dealt with a large body of subject matter 43:59 if you read his writings. 44:00 His point is not that, "I won't talk about anything else. 44:04 I won't preach anything else." 44:06 His point is, "I won't preach anything else except for 44:09 in the light that shines from Calvary. 44:11 Calvary will be the informational bank 44:16 of data that will give significance 44:19 to everything I preach." 44:21 But what happened in Adventist history, 44:23 as God gave us these early course setting visions, 44:27 something happened. 44:28 As early as 1852, in Review And Herald, December 31, 1852, 44:34 Ellen White identified this early advent movement 44:38 as settling in to the Laodicean condition. 44:41 1852. 44:43 We've not gone that far down the history of this movement. 44:47 From 1844 to 1852, and already she says, 44:51 the words addressed to the Laodicean church describe 44:54 their present condition perfectly. 44:58 What's the Laodicean condition that begin to settle in 45:02 among God's people, among the advent movement? 45:05 Well, Revelation chapter 3 tells us what that 45:08 Laodicean condition is. 45:10 It is the ultimate self-delusion in which the True Witness, 45:15 Jesus Christ, says to the Laodicean church, 45:18 "You think that you are rich and increased with goods 45:22 and have need to nothing. 45:23 That's your self perception." 45:25 Now He's not talking about material wealth. 45:28 He's talking about doctrinal wealth, theological wealth. 45:31 "Yes, all of these truths have been recovered, but now 45:34 having recovered these truths, you think that these truths 45:38 in and of themselves make you rich and increased 45:41 with spiritual goods." 45:43 But simultaneously, something was happening. 45:46 "You think that you're rich and increased with goods 45:48 and have need of nothing. 45:49 But I say unto you that you are miserable, 45:53 poor, blind, and naked. 45:56 That's My assessment," Jesus says. 45:59 But what constituted this condition? 46:03 Well Jesus goes on to describe the remedy. 46:06 He says, "You need three things. 46:08 You need gold tried in the fire, you need white raiment, 46:12 and you need eye salve." 46:13 Three symbols that convey something very, very important. 46:17 Gold tried in the fire is defined in Scripture 46:20 as faith operating or working by love. 46:26 The white raiment symbolizes the righteousness of Christ 46:29 as our only hope of salvation. 46:31 And the eye salve represents the ministry and work 46:34 of the Holy Spirit to give discernment, 46:37 spiritual discernment, so we can see our true condition 46:41 as a people. 46:42 The True Witness says that, "You, as a people, 46:45 are in the Laodicean condition. 46:47 You have inflated your sense of self, you've blown up 46:53 this picture of yourself in which you think 46:56 that you're rich and increased with goods. 46:57 But the fact is, you're missing vital elements. 46:59 Yes, you believe and preach that the law is not done away with. 47:03 'It's not abolished, it's not nailed to the cross. 47:05 And we can prove it. 47:06 The seventh day is the Sabbath and not the first day.' 47:08 And you're doing a good job all lawyer like of proving it. 47:13 But you're missing some vital elements. 47:15 You need faith that works by love. 47:17 You need the righteousness of Christ. 47:18 You need the ministry of the Holy Spirit 47:20 to clear your vision. 47:22 You need Christ central to every doctrine you hold as a people. 47:28 That I have given you as a people. 47:30 I tried to tell you early on in those course setting visions 47:34 that there's one immense pillar of truth that invests 47:37 the others with power and influence. 47:40 But you have now become a people who are 47:45 rich in doctrinal knowledge, but you're missing 47:49 vital elements." 47:50 Later on, the advent movement, as it progressed, 47:54 there were two pieces of art that were developed 47:57 in Adventist history that are more significant 48:00 than any other art in the history of this movement. 48:05 The first piece of art was issued in the year 1876. 48:12 And you're looking at it on the screen. 48:15 This piece of art was created as an evangelistic tool. 48:20 James White commissioned it and it was to be set up on an easel. 48:25 The same thing that we do today when we use PowerPoint slides. 48:28 It was just a teaching tool. 48:29 And this picture was intended to convey the message 48:34 so that the evangelist and preacher would point to 48:36 various elements in the message as he was preaching. 48:39 You will notice in the picture, look at it very carefully, 48:42 that the Ten Commandments are front and center 48:45 hanging on the tree of life, no less. 48:49 And the cross is kind of off to the side and 48:52 portrayed as receding. 48:55 The Ten Commandments hanging on the tree of life. 48:58 The painting was, or the engraving, as it was called, 49:02 was entitled, "The Way Of Life, 49:05 From Paradise Lost To Paradise Restored." 49:08 Now here's what happened. 49:11 This tool was used for years in Adventism 49:16 "to preach the message," quote, unquote. 49:19 After James died in 1882, Ellen White was devastated. 49:26 Because James and Ellen had been having personal discussions 49:31 in which they were longing for justification by faith, 49:36 righteousness by faith, the grace of God, 49:39 the gospel, the love. 49:40 What she called, "the matchless love of God." 49:44 They were longing for this emphasis to be brought 49:48 front and center in the Adventist theological structure. 49:51 James died before he could launch the second version 49:55 of this evangelistic tool, which you'll look at now. 49:59 So after his death, Ellen White took the old picture with 50:04 the Law of God hanging on the tree of life 50:07 front and center, she took that picture out of commission, 50:11 out of circulation. 50:12 Ellen White then commissioned a new picture in 1883. 50:19 And that new picture that was commissioned, 50:22 you'll notice that there's a difference. 50:24 First of all, what's the title now? 50:26 Can you see the title? 50:27 "Christ, The Way Of Life," is the new title. 50:31 You'll notice now that the cross of Jesus Christ 50:35 is looming large front and center in the picture of truth. 50:40 Where's the Law of God? 50:41 Well don't say it's not there. 50:43 It is there exactly where it ought to be. 50:45 It's portrayed in the upper left hand corner of the picture 50:49 with the dark clouds, the thunder, the lightening, 50:52 and the Mount Sinai. 50:54 In other words, it was to be communicated that the 50:58 Law of God in and of itself had no saving power, 51:01 saving virtue. 51:02 That the Savior is Jesus Christ. 51:05 The law, quoting Paul in Galatians, is a schoolmaster 51:09 to bring us to Christ. 51:12 So the law, Romans chapter 3, is a functional device 51:17 by which, Paul says, "By the law is the knowledge of sin." 51:22 It exposes our need. 51:24 It's a tutor. 51:25 It's a disciplinarian to bring us to the Savior. 51:28 But it has no saving virtue in and of itself. 51:32 So this new picture was put into circulation. 51:35 This is a very critical thing to understand in Adventist history. 51:39 Be we, as a people, launched the movement 51:43 with a very specific historic and prophetic mandate. 51:48 "Prophecy again." 51:50 A message was to be given. 51:52 A structure of truth was formulated. 51:55 God said to this people, one immense pillar of truth. 52:00 Hold Christ central and the rest of it will make saving sense. 52:04 And then we, as a people, began to formulate 52:07 a method of communication and preaching and evangelism 52:12 that caused Christ to recede from view 52:16 and the doctrines, in and of themselves, 52:18 to be brought front and center as mere doctrinal facts 52:21 to be proven rather than as truths through which 52:27 the character of God could be vindicated and understood. 52:30 So Ellen White began to make a series of diagnostic statements. 52:37 I'm going to give you three or four of them 52:39 as I watch the clock. 52:41 Diagnostic statement number one from the book, 52:43 Faith And Works, pages 15 and 16. 52:45 Don't miss a word of this. 52:48 "On the one hand," she says, "religionists generally have 52:52 divorced the law from the gospel, 52:54 but we, while we on the other hand," 52:58 we Adventists on the other hand, "have almost done the same 53:01 from another standpoint. 53:04 We have not held up before the people the righteousness of 53:08 Christ and the full significance of His great plan of redemption. 53:12 We have left out Christ and His matchless love, 53:15 and brought in theories and reasonings, 53:19 and preached argumentative discourses." 53:21 End of quote. 53:23 Adventism began to develop what Ellen White called, 53:25 the "argumentative discourse." 53:29 We began to develop a method of preaching that... 53:33 In the simplest way I can portray it 53:35 in the time that we have. 53:36 We began to view, for example, the Sabbath truth as merely 53:40 right day versus wrong day, "And we can prove it 53:43 with these 46 verses. 53:45 Let us close with prayer." 53:48 But no, it wasn't time to close with prayer 53:50 once you simply demonstrate right day versus wrong day. 53:54 The Sabbath truth is a larger truth that preaches the gospel 53:58 of rest in Christ for a completed salvation 54:04 to which I can't contribute as a fallen human being. 54:08 So she says we, as a people, began to leave out the 54:11 matchless love of Christ. 54:13 Diagnostic statement number two. 54:15 Selected Messages, Volume 2, page 87. 54:18 "The truth for this time," she says, "is broad in its outlines, 54:21 far reaching, and embracing many doctrines; 54:26 but these doctrines are not detached items, 54:31 which mean little. 54:32 They are united by golden threads, forming a complete 54:37 whole, with Christ as the living center." 54:41 End of quote. 54:42 What did she just say? 54:43 She said, "Do not configure your understanding of the truth. 54:49 Don't look at it as a series of detached items 54:53 that are separated from one another. 54:55 The system of truth God has given us as a people 54:58 is to be viewed as connected with golden threads 55:02 of grace and gospel significance with Christ 55:05 as the living center." 55:07 Then Adventism begins to make brilliant sense. 55:12 Brilliant intellectual sense, brilliant emotional sense, 55:15 brilliant relational sense. 55:17 It becomes much more understandable and transforming 55:23 when every truth is viewed in Christ. 55:27 She went on in a third diagnostic statement 55:31 in the 1888 materials, page 810. 55:36 She says that basically, quote unquote, that Adventist 55:41 preaching of that era had become as void of Christ 55:46 as was the offering of Cain. 55:48 Quote unquote. 55:50 Diagnostic statement number four, is it? 55:53 She said in 1888 materials, page 842, "The preaching of Christ 55:57 crucified has been strangely neglected by our people." 56:02 I'm simply giving you a sampling of what was happening 56:05 historically in Adventism. 56:07 We had settled into the Laodicean condition. 56:09 And having done so, we had emasculated the message. 56:13 We had drained it of its power by making it merely 56:17 a series of factual argumentative sermons 56:20 void of the gospel. 56:22 And then as that history unfolded, a new picture 56:26 began to emerge in the preaching of a few individuals 56:29 in Adventist history, namely A.T. Jones and E. J. Waggoner 56:33 in 1888 at the General Conference session, 56:35 and Ellen White. 56:37 As they travelled the camp meeting circuit, they began to 56:40 preach justification by faith. 56:43 And as that era came to a conclusion, or was coming to 56:46 a close, Ellen White would make this statement, 56:50 Review And Herald, December 23, 1890, 56:54 that in the final revolution, the final movement, 56:57 the loud cry, the latter rain, that movement that 57:00 brings to closure the great controversy and 57:03 hastens the coming of Jesus, she said and I quote, 57:05 "One interest will prevail, one subject will swallow up 57:11 all others; Christ our Righteousness." 57:16 End of quote. 57:18 And it is that message that constitutes the one move 57:24 that we, as a people, must make, that we desperately need 57:27 to make, to turn the game and to win the great controversy. |
Revised 2014-12-17