Participants:
Series Code: ARSS
Program Code: ARSS190015S
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00:17 Alright, welcome back.
00:19 I hope everybody had a nice lunch. 00:22 And we're ready for the final stretch today. 00:26 Two presentations, both of them on the sixth seal. 00:30 And of course, now we're going to do part one. 00:33 And then the second session we'll deal primarily with the 00:37 second part of the sixth seal. 00:40 Before we do, we want to have a word of prayer, 00:43 like we always do. 00:45 So let's bow our heads for a word of prayer. 00:48 Our Father and our God, thank You for this wonderful day 00:51 that You have given us. 00:53 There are so many things to be thankful for. 00:56 We wouldn't have enough pen and paper to write down 00:59 all of them because You're so good. 01:02 We ask, Lord, that You will be with us now as we 01:06 open Your Word again. 01:08 Give us clarity of thought, give us tender hearts, 01:13 and Lord, empower us to present to others 01:16 the marvelous things from Your Word. 01:20 Thank You for the promise of Your presence. 01:22 And we claim that promise in the name which is above all names, 01:27 the name of Jesus, amen. 01:31 Okay, let's review what we've studied so far. 01:35 The first seal represents what stage of history? 01:40 Okay, the apostolic church. 01:41 Going out conquering and to conquer. 01:44 Thousands come into the church through the 01:46 preaching of the apostles. 01:48 Who does that disturb? 01:51 It disturbs Satan. 01:52 He says, "I don't like this. 01:53 I'm losing all my subjects from paganism to Christianity." 01:56 So then you have the second horse, the red horse. 01:59 The horse that sheds blood. The horse of persecution. 02:02 So persecution arises. 02:04 That's the period of the Roman emperors. 02:07 When paganism persecuted God's people. 02:12 So then Satan says, "You know, this isn't working, 02:14 because the more that I persecute them, 02:16 the more there are. 02:18 So I'll have to change my strategy." 02:21 So he says, "Instead of fighting them, 02:24 let's join them." 02:26 And so he introduces apostasy into the church. 02:29 He infiltrates the church with pagan customs and practices; 02:33 with the world. 02:35 And of course, that leads to spiritual famine. 02:39 And it ultimately leads to the death of God's people 02:45 under the fourth seal. 02:46 Primarily. 02:48 The yellow horse, the horse of death. 02:50 The horse of the grave. 02:52 And that represents the period when the papacy 02:55 mowed down God's faithful people. 02:59 And then of course we have the fifth seal, 03:01 which is connected with the fourth. 03:03 Under the fifth seal, those that were slain 03:07 during the period of the fourth horse, the yellow horse, 03:11 the period of the papal dominion, 03:13 now they start crying out. 03:16 "Until when, O Lord, do You not judge and avenge our blood 03:21 from those who shed the blood on the earth?" 03:24 And we noticed that the fifth seal has two stages. 03:27 The first stage of the martyrs who cry out 03:31 is the martyrs who died during the 1260 years 03:34 that are now crying out to God for justice. 03:38 And then we noticed that there's a second stage 03:41 to the fifth seal. 03:42 That is, the future martyrs will cry out for God 03:45 to judge and avenge those who shed their blood. 03:50 So the fifth seal has two distinct stages: 03:54 one past, one future. 03:57 We're going to notice now that the sixth seal 03:59 also has two distinct stages. 04:04 But before we notice that, let's read the passage 04:08 that describes the sixth seal. 04:10 This is the longest passage of all the seals. 04:14 Many, many verses. 04:17 I begin in Revelation 6:12. 04:33 Not darkened, but became like blood. 04:42 "...late figs..." Which basically is unripe figs. 04:51 This is a very important word, "Then..." 05:06 "And the kings of the earth..." 05:07 Those would be the rulers who govern the nations of the world. 05:11 "...the great men..." 05:13 The high offices of the state. 05:15 "...the rich men..." 05:17 That is the socially wealthy. 05:19 "...the commanders..." 05:20 The commanders of armies. 05:22 "...the mighty men..." 05:23 These are the great men in battle. 05:26 "...every slave and every free man..." 05:28 Regular everyday citizens. 05:30 "...hid themselves..." 05:33 Why did they hide themselves? 05:36 Because they found themselves naked. 05:39 You know, you notice under the sixth seal it says, 05:42 if you're not covered with the righteousness of Christ, 05:45 you will be found naked, spiritually of course. 05:49 And so it says here, once again, "...the mighty men, 05:54 every slave and every free man..." 06:21 So this is a description of the sixth seal. 06:25 Now there are several things that we need to ask. 06:27 The first of which is, are these signs in the heavens, 06:31 the great earthquake, are they to be understood 06:34 literally or symbolically? 06:37 We know that most of the book of Revelation 06:40 contains symbolic language that must be decoded. 06:45 However, Seventh-day Adventists believe 06:48 that the great earthquake and the signs in the sun, 06:51 the moon, and the stars were literal events. 06:55 The question is, why? 06:57 We find the reason in the meaning of the Greek word 07:00 that appears four times in the sixth seal in 07:05 Revelation 6:12-13. 07:09 And it is the word, "as." "Hos," in Greek. 07:14 Ranko Stefanovic explained the meaning of this word. 07:18 "The repeated usage of the word, 'as,' or, 'like,' 07:24 in the text appears to be very significant. 07:28 'The sun becomes black as sackcloth...'" 07:31 So you already have the symbolism here, right? 07:34 "The sun becomes black as sackcloth, 07:38 the moon as blood, 07:41 the stars of the sky fall as do the figs of the fig tree, 07:46 and heaven splits as the papyrus scroll." 07:50 So in other words, a reality is being compared with a symbol. 07:55 Are you following me or not? 07:57 What are the symbols? 07:58 The symbols are, first of all, sackcloth; 08:03 secondly, blood; third, the figs that fall from the tree; 08:09 and fourth, a papyrus scroll. 08:12 So the comparison is already there. 08:14 Are you with me or not? 08:16 "In Greek, this word 'introduces a figurative analogy 08:22 to an actual event' that is compared 08:26 with something figurative. 08:28 This suggests that these heavenly signs 08:30 are intended to be taken..." What? 08:33 "...literally." 08:34 And something is used as an analogy to illustrate 08:37 the literal event. 08:40 Now let's notice the link between the 08:42 fifth and the sixth seals. 08:45 The plea of the martyrs of the dark ages, 08:49 the question, "How long until you judge and avenge," 08:53 in Revelation 6:10, finds its answer in Daniel 7:8-10 08:59 and Daniel 8:13-14 where the process of judgment begins 09:05 to exonerate them from the faulty verdicts 09:09 of earthly courts. 09:11 According to these passages in Daniel, the trampling of 09:14 the Sanctuary and of God's people would last until the 09:18 conclusion of the 2300 days where the process of vindicating 09:23 the Sanctuary and its worshipers would begin. 09:27 The signs in Revelation 6:12-13 are an earthly announcement 09:34 that the vindicating judgment is about to begin. 09:38 In other words, these are signs that the final judgment 09:42 is about to begin. 09:43 Incidentally, every time that Jesus begins a new work, 09:49 there is an earthly announcement, 09:51 a powerful earthly announcement. 09:53 When Jesus came to this earth and became incarnate 09:57 and was born, was there a powerful announcement? 10:01 Yes. The angels in heaven sang. 10:04 The wise men came from the east. 10:05 The Bible says that the whole of Jerusalem 10:08 was in a tumult. 10:10 So there was an announcement that the Messiah had been born. 10:14 Let me ask you, when Jesus began His ministry, 10:16 was there someone that brought the attention to the idea that 10:19 the Messiah was about to come? 10:21 Someone who prepared the way? 10:23 Yes. Who was it? 10:25 John the Baptist. 10:27 When Jesus was about to die on the cross, 10:30 was there an event in Jerusalem that attracted 10:32 all eyes to Jesus? 10:34 Yes. The triumphal entry into Jerusalem. 10:39 When the day of Pentecost had come, was there a powerful 10:41 earthly announcement that Jesus had been installed 10:44 as High Priest in the heavenly Sanctuary? 10:46 Yes. There was a mighty rushing wind, 10:49 and there were tongues of fire, 10:51 and they started talking in languages. 10:54 By the way, I didn't mention the resurrection of Christ. 10:57 Was there a powerful message that Christ had resurrected? 11:01 Yes. Those who resurrected with Him and went into the city. 11:05 Let me ask you, would you expect there to be a powerful 11:08 announcement indicating that the judgment 11:11 was about to begin? 11:13 Of course. 11:14 These signs actually have the main purpose 11:18 of indicating to the inhabitants of the earth, 11:21 start studying prophecy. 11:24 Because when they see these things, immediately 11:26 they're going to start thinking about what? 11:28 Revelation 6:12-13. 11:31 And so what God is saying is, "Study prophecy, 11:34 because a very important event is about to transpire." 11:37 And then of course the Millerites also made a powerful 11:41 announcement about the coming of the day of judgment. 11:45 Do you suppose that there's going to be also some kind of 11:47 earthly indication that the judgment of the living 11:50 is beginning? 11:54 What would that be? 11:56 There's a powerful angel that descends from heaven 12:00 and fills the whole earth with his glory, 12:03 and proclaims the fall of Babylon, 12:05 which divides the world into two groups. 12:08 It prepares the righteous for the final sealing, 12:12 and the wicked receive the mark of the beast. 12:15 The final loud cry, the earth filled with the glory 12:18 of the Lord, is actually the proclamation that the judgment 12:22 that began in 1844 with the dead is now passing to a new stage; 12:27 the stage of the living. 12:28 And we don't have a date for that. 12:31 There are individuals today that are putting dates. 12:34 They say, you know, the investigative judgment of 12:37 Adventists began in September of 2015. 12:42 Well, when the pope was in the United States. 12:45 They're more precise: September 23, 2015. 12:49 Nowhere in the Bible does it say that we can establish 12:51 a date for the beginning of the judgment of the living. 12:57 They're also saying that the Sunday law, 13:00 the national Sunday law, is going to be proclaimed 13:03 in March or April of this year. 13:07 Nowhere in the Bible do you find any indication, 13:10 unless you twist the scriptures, that the Sunday law is going to 13:15 come in March or April of 2019. 13:19 When time passes, what happens? 13:21 People are worse off than before. 13:23 Because they say, "Oh, you know, what's the use? 13:25 You have these predictions and they never take place." 13:28 That's why Ellen White said 1844 is the last date. 13:31 No more dates for prophetic events. 13:35 Now let's notice then here, returning to the syllabus, 13:40 it is noteworthy that the sixth church, 13:45 the sixth seal, and the sixth trumpet all take us 13:49 to the same moment in the course of church history. 13:54 You say, "How is that?" 13:56 Under the sixth church, God places before the church 14:01 an open door. 14:03 Where does that open door lead to? 14:06 The Most Holy Place for the final judgment. 14:10 Under the sixth seal, you have the sealing 14:16 of the 144,000. 14:19 That also has to do with judgment. 14:23 And the sixth trumpet you have, at the end of the sixth trumpet 14:28 you have the opening of the temple in heaven 14:31 and the ark of His covenant is seen. 14:35 So when you get to number six, whether it be the churches, 14:38 the seals, or the trumpets, you are at the same moment of time. 14:42 The beginning of the investigative judgment in 1844. 14:48 Now we're on page 235. 14:50 The sixth seal mentions two earthquakes. 14:54 Did you notice that, that the sixth seal has two earthquakes? 14:57 One transpires at the beginning of the sixth seal, 15:01 and the other at its end. 15:04 Now the fact that there's two earthquakes 15:06 would seem to indicate that there's two stages, right? 15:10 Verse 12 describes the one at the beginning, 15:14 and verse 14 describes the one at the end. 15:18 Revelation 16:18 and 20, which is the seventh plague, 15:23 further amplifies the second earthquake 15:27 as a cataclysmic and global event. 15:31 That is to say, the earthquake in Revelation 6:14 15:35 is the same one as in Revelation 16:18 and 20, 15:40 which is the seventh plague. 15:42 Which is right at the moment when Jesus comes. 15:45 The earthquake in Revelation 6:12 15:47 is preliminary and local. 15:51 The one in Revelation 16:18 will be global 15:56 and the greatest in human history. 15:59 Only the greatest earthquake in history could remove mountains 16:02 and islands from their places on a global scale. 16:06 Are you catching this picture? 16:08 We're going to put some flesh on the bones here. 16:11 We're going to prove it. 16:12 But I want you to have this clear in your mind. 16:15 Now what are the purposes for these signs? 16:19 There are several. 16:21 I wrote down here five. 16:23 First, they announce that the great tribulation 16:29 during the 1260 years is what? 16:32 Is about to come to an end. 16:36 Second, they serve as an omen of the fall of the papal power. 16:43 Third, they serve to draw attention to the approaching 16:47 judgment in 1844. 16:50 Fourth, they serve as indicators of the beginning 16:54 of the time of the end. 16:57 And finally, they do announce the soon coming of Jesus. 17:03 Now what do we mean by the soon coming of Jesus? 17:07 You know, somebody recently came out with a video saying 17:10 that at the General Conference session we had actually changed 17:14 our fundamental belief on the second coming. 17:16 That we no longer believe in the second coming of Christ. 17:19 Because in the fundamental belief it was changed that 17:22 Jesus' coming is "imminent" and it was changed to, "soon." 17:29 So I decided that I would check and see what is the 17:31 meaning of, "imminent." 17:33 Do you know that Ellen White uses the word, "imminent," 17:35 about 22 times, I think it is, in her writings on CD-ROM. 17:41 Every single time, it appears in a negative context. 17:45 "The imminence of a calamity." 17:49 Is the second coming a calamity for God's people? 17:52 No, not those who are waiting for a soon coming of Christ. 17:56 It's a joy. 17:58 So the change to the word, "soon," is really good. 18:04 And by the way, "soon," and, "imminent," 18:06 are very similar. 18:08 Now, let's go back here. 18:12 Critics both within and without the Seventh-day Adventist Church 18:17 argue thus, "How is it possible to believe that events 18:21 that took place over 250 years ago are signs of the 18:28 soon coming of Jesus? 18:30 Isn't this stretching credulity to its limit?" 18:35 On the surface, this argument might appear persuasive 18:39 until we look at the number of these years in the context 18:44 of a broader perspective. 18:47 Let us suppose for the sake of argument that I am 18:50 going to take a six thousand mile trip. 18:54 When I start the trip, we all agree that my 18:57 destination is very distant. 19:00 When I am halfway there, the destination 19:03 is still a long ways off. 19:05 However, would you agree that when I am 250 miles from my 19:09 destination, my arrival is near? 19:13 After all, 250 years of 6,000 is only 4%. 19:20 Are you following me? 19:22 Now Mervyn Maxwell, who was my teacher at the seminary, 19:24 he passed away many years ago, wrote a book called, 19:26 Magnificent Disappointment. 19:28 And on pages 91-92, this was published in 1994, 19:35 he wrote the following words. 19:37 "We need a change of perspective. 19:39 Instead of looking back to 1844 and finding it around 150 years 19:44 in the past, let us go back to the beginning of human history 19:49 and view 1844 as almost 6,000 years in the future... 19:55 From the perspective of Eden at the beginning of 19:58 earth's 6,000 years, the remaining distance 20:01 between 1844 and the 1990s," 20:04 this book was written in the 1990s, 20:06 "is hardly discernible. 20:08 These 150 years between 1844 and the 1990s represent 20:14 only 1/40 or 2.5% of human history. 20:19 More than 97 percent of human history 20:22 took place prior to 1844. 20:25 Yes, we are indeed at the end of time. 20:29 The final judgment began only yesterday, as it were. 20:32 Christ's advent is coming soon." 20:36 So see, it all depends what perspective you use. 20:40 You know, if you use a perspective from our 20:42 perspective, oh 250 years, that's a long time. 20:45 But if you look at the whole sweep of Christian history, 20:48 it's a different story. 20:50 Now the enemies of traditional Adventism, 20:52 including some Adventists, and those who are inimical 20:57 to Ellen White, also have frequently pointed out 21:00 that there have been other earthquakes, 21:01 dark days, and star showers in history. 21:05 They argue, "What makes the Lisbon earthquake of 1755, 21:09 the Dark Day of 1780, and the moon looking like blood 21:13 also in 1780, May 19, 21:16 and the Leonid star shower of 1833 so unique? 21:21 There have been these phenomena on occasions 21:24 after that and before that." 21:27 The answer is found in four points: 21:31 location, order, time, and intensity. 21:39 Let's begin with location. 21:41 It's not coincidental that these signs did not occur in Africa, 21:48 in Asia, or any of these places. 21:52 Where did they occur? 21:54 They occurred in Europe, and where else? 21:58 In the United States of America. 22:00 Why? 22:02 Europe was significant because there the papacy 22:05 would receive what? 22:07 The deadly wound that would mark the end of the 22:10 1260 year tribulation and would begin the time of the end. 22:15 The United States was significant, 22:17 especially New England, because there the message 22:21 of the judgment would be proclaimed powerfully 22:24 by the Millerites beginning in the 1830s. 22:28 Once again I read from C. Mervyn Maxwell. 22:32 "The location of the classic signs was highly significant. 22:36 They happened in Europe and America primarily, 22:40 where people were studying the Bible 22:42 and pondering the prophecies. 22:45 A dark day in the Sahara Desert or a star shower over New Guinea 22:51 would have said little in those days about the second coming 22:54 of Christ to cannibal headhunters or Muslim nomads. 22:59 Events need not be universal to deliver a global message. 23:04 A few square miles at Hiroshima and Nagasaki were sufficient 23:08 to announce the atomic age. 23:11 A stable in Bethlehem ushered in the Christian era. 23:15 Only a few hundred people saw Jesus after His resurrection, 23:18 but they told others." 23:20 Are you catching the point? 23:21 A very good point. 23:24 Secondly, these signs are special because of their order. 23:29 Not only the location where they occurred, 23:31 but the order in which they occurred. 23:34 These phenomena occurred in history precisely in the 23:38 chronological order described in Revelation 6. 23:43 The Lisbon earthquake occurred in 1755, 23:47 the Dark Day and the moon like blood occurred in 1780, 23:50 and the star shower took place in 1833. 23:55 Show me one other place in human history where 23:58 these phenomena have taken place in this precise order 24:03 within a period of less than one hundred years. 24:06 The order of these signs led people to study the prophecies. 24:11 Because they say, "Yes, Lisbon, the greatest earthquake 24:14 ever seen in the history of the world till that point." 24:18 Then they say, "The sun darkened. 24:20 The moon looking like blood. 24:23 And then the shower of stars." 24:24 They say, "What does this bring to mind? 24:27 Oh, there's a passage in the Bible, Revelation 6:12-13, 24:32 in that exact order." 24:34 And so, it leads them to search the prophecies. 24:37 The order in which the signs took place. 24:42 Third point, these signs occurred precisely at the 24:46 right time, immediately before the 1260 year 24:52 tribulation came to an end and just before the fulfillment 24:56 of the prophecies concerning the fall of the papacy 25:00 and the beginning of the judgment in 1844. 25:03 Their timing was perfect. 25:05 And then finally, their intensity. 25:09 Concerning the intensity of these signs, 25:11 C. Mervyn Maxwell has well stated... 25:14 And by the way, there are several pages 25:18 of the sixth seal that we are not even going to look at, 25:21 because there's 20 pages and we'd need another session, 25:25 and they're in your syllabus and you can read them. 25:27 about what people from that day and age say about the signs. 25:34 You need to read those statements. 25:36 There's 20 pages, 249-269 in your syllabus. 25:40 Let's read then what Mervyn Maxwell had to say. 25:43 "As recently as 1980, the widely respected seismologist, 25:48 G.A. Eiby, in chapter 11 of his book, Earthquakes, 25:54 ranked the Lisbon earthquake as 'the largest shock ever,' 25:59 and reckoned that it may well have reached an almost 26:02 incredible 9.0 on the Richter scale, 26:06 seven times stronger than the 1906 San Francisco earthquake... 26:12 The dark day of May 19, 1780 has not been equaled 26:16 in North America in the two hundred years 26:19 that have since come and gone. 26:21 The Leonid shower..." 26:23 Because it came from the constellation Leo, by the way. 26:25 "The Leonid shower of November 13, 1833 26:29 gave birth to a new branch of astronomy... 26:34 Like the Lisbon earthquake and the famous dark day, 26:37 it too has not been matched, in spite of the scientific 26:41 expectations that it would be." 26:46 So do we have a good reason as Adventists to believe 26:49 that these signs were fulfilled on the dates in which 26:51 Adventists have said they were fulfilled? 26:54 You know, we're not just guessing. 26:55 There are reasons. 26:57 And once again, there are four reasons. 26:59 The first reason is location; where they took place. 27:04 The second is order; the exact order that 27:06 we find in Revelation 6. 27:08 The time; right when the 1260 years were coming to an end, 27:13 the papacy was about to receive its deadly wound, 27:15 the judgment was about to begin. 27:17 And finally, the intensity of these particular signs. 27:23 You can do additional research if you Google these dates 27:28 and the events that took place on these dates. 27:31 Now let's see what Ellen White had to say about the sixth seal. 27:36 This is very interesting. 27:40 Ellen White explains the first part of the sixth seal 27:43 in, Great Controversy, page 304. 27:46 She deals with the Lisbon earthquake and with 27:51 the dark day and the moon looking like blood 27:54 on page 304 and 333. 27:58 On page 304 she quotes Revelation 6:12, 28:04 and on page 333 she quotes Revelation 6:13. 28:09 So there you find her commentary on Revelation 6:12 and 13. 28:14 But now something very interesting happens. 28:17 However, she does not quote on those pages verses 14-17, 28:23 which is the second part of the sixth seal, 28:26 until pages 641-642. 28:30 Over 300 pages between where she quotes 28:35 Revelation 6:12-13 and where she quotes Revelation 6:14-17. 28:41 What is the reason for the 300 page gap between her 28:46 comments on verses 12-13 and her remarks on verses 14-17? 28:51 In order to comprehend this long parenthesis between 28:55 the first and last part of the sixth seal, we must remember 28:59 some things we studied under the fifth seal. 29:01 How many stages to the fifth seal? 29:04 Two. How many to the sixth seal? 29:06 Two. 29:08 Let's notice this. 29:10 The papacy has how many stages of power? 29:14 One past and one future. 29:17 The one past was when? 29:19 During the 1260 years. 29:21 The future one is when its wound is healed at the end of time. 29:25 Therefore, the tribulation also has what? 29:30 We studied this. Two stages. 29:32 One past when the papacy persecuted. 29:35 That was the greatest tribulation in terms of length. 29:40 And the greatest tribulation in history 29:42 with regards to intensity takes place in the future. 29:48 Regarding the first period of persecution, 29:51 Ellen White wrote, this is the top of page 239, 29:55 "For more than a thousands years, such persecution 29:59 as the world had never before known was to 30:03 come upon Christ's followers. 30:05 Millions upon millions of His faithful witnesses 30:09 were to be slain." 30:13 So you'll notice that the papacy has two stages, 30:17 the tribulation has two stages, 30:19 therefore the signs in the heavens have two stages too. 30:24 You say, "What do you mean?" 30:26 Well, let's pursue this. 30:27 The first group of cosmic signs announces the end of 30:31 the first period of tribulation and the soon to begin 30:36 judging portion of the fifth seal. 30:40 Are you understanding that point? 30:43 The second set of cosmic signs announces the end 30:47 of the second tribulation period and the avenging portion 30:52 of the fifth seal. 30:54 In between these two points of time 30:57 we have the vindicating judgment of the martyrs and the sealing 31:01 of the 144,000 living saints. 31:06 Are you with me? 31:09 Two of you are. 31:12 You're spellbound. Isn't this amazing? 31:16 Now let's continue. 31:18 The first stage of the signs took place 31:20 in 1755, 1780, and 1833. 31:24 Which is the earthquake, sun darkened, 31:27 moon looking like blood, stars falling from heaven. 31:31 These signs announced that the first stage of persecution 31:33 by the papacy was about to end and the vindicating judgment 31:37 was about to begin. 31:39 These signs are referred to in Revelation 6:12-13 31:42 and Joel 2:31. 31:46 The second stage of the signs will take place immediately 31:50 before the second coming of Jesus and will mark the 31:53 deliverance of the saints from the second stage of persecution 31:57 by the papacy. 31:58 And Revelation 6:14-17 describes these signs. 32:03 Now let's talk about the two sets of signs. 32:06 Is there going to be an earthquake when Jesus comes? 32:09 A global earthquake. Yes. 32:12 Is the sun going to be darkened? 32:15 Is the moon going to look like blood? 32:18 No. 32:22 Are the stars going to fall from heaven? 32:24 No. 32:28 You see, the signs of Revelation 6:12-13 32:32 are different than the signs in verses 14-17. 32:37 The signs in Revelation 6:12-13 are the signs that announce 32:41 what is going to happen in 1844. 32:44 The signs that take place in verses 14-17 32:47 announce the coming of Jesus Christ. 32:51 And we're going to pursue this. 32:53 Will the signs of Revelation 6:12-13 32:56 have another fulfillment in the future? 32:58 No. 33:00 In Joel 2:31 and in Revelation 6:12-13 33:04 we have two important details that distinguish 33:07 these signs from the ones in the future. 33:10 We need to read the Scriptures carefully. 33:14 When certain things that are said differently in 33:17 two verses, when something is missing in a verse that is 33:21 not in the other verse, it's important. 33:24 Now let's continue. 33:25 First, according to Joel 2:31, the signs of Revelation 6:12-13 33:33 occur before the great and terrible day of the Lord. 33:37 We're going to read these verses in a moment. 33:40 Second, in the signs of Revelation 6:12-13, 33:44 the moon looks as blood and the stars fall from heaven. 33:49 However, in the signs of Revelation 6:14-17 33:53 which will occur at the second coming, 33:55 the moon and the stars do not give their light. 33:59 Is there a difference there? 34:01 Believe me, when the stars fell in 1833, 34:04 they gave lots of light. 34:08 So we begin to see that we're dealing with different 34:11 sets of signs. 34:13 One set of signs that leads to the beginning of 34:17 the investigative judgment, the other set of signs 34:19 that announces the avenging portion. 34:22 In other words, Jesus is coming to deliver His people 34:26 from certain death. 34:29 Joel 2:10-11, Joel 3:15-16, also Matthew 24:30 34:38 refer to a second great earthquake and a set of signs 34:43 in the heavenly bodies that will be fulfilled when Jesus comes. 34:48 These signs will occur as Jesus is preparing 34:51 to leave heaven for earth. 34:53 The darkening of the sun and moon will announce 34:57 the coming of Jesus. 34:59 There will be a cosmic global earthquake as well 35:02 in heaven and on earth that will announce 35:05 His departure from heaven. 35:07 The two sets of signs are different. 35:12 Let's notice Revelation 6:12-13. 35:16 These verses describe the moon becoming like blood, 35:18 not darkening. 35:20 The text also tells us that the stars fell from heaven. 35:24 These preliminary signs are not the same ones as those in 35:27 Matthew 24 when the voice of God will move the 35:31 sun, moon, and stars out of their places. 35:35 As a result, the planet will be in darkness 35:37 during the millennium. 35:40 Notice these verses that we read before. 36:02 Now Joel 2:31 is referring to the same signs that we find 36:07 in Revelation 6:12-13. 36:10 Notice that Joel 2:31 says something very interesting, 36:17 at the bottom of page 240. 36:24 Is that the same signs of Revelation 6? 36:28 Yes. 36:30 But then what does it say? What word appears after that? 36:34 "Before..." 36:41 Are there some signs in the sun, moon, and stars 36:43 before Jesus comes? 36:45 Absolutely. 36:46 Those are the ones in Revelation 6:12-13. 36:50 Now on the other hand, these other passages that I mentioned 36:54 are referring to the signs in the sun, moon, and stars, 36:56 and an earthquake when Jesus comes. 36:59 Let's notice those verses. 37:01 Joel 2:10-11 depicts different signs than those in 37:07 Revelation 6:12-13 and Joel 2:31. 37:11 In the Joel passage, the earth and the heavens tremble. 37:17 Not only the earth, the earth and the heavens tremble. 37:21 The moon grows dark, and the stars do not shine. 37:25 And if you read the context, verses 1-11 are describing 37:28 the second coming of Jesus, as does Revelation 6:14-16. 37:34 Notice that Joel 2:11, which is the culmination of the 37:37 second coming, ends with the same question 37:40 as the sixth seal. 37:41 Let's read Joel 2:10-11. 37:44 "The earth quakes before them..." 37:46 When it says, "them," it's talking about God's armies. 37:49 This is Jesus coming on the white horse. 37:52 The armies of heaven are following Him. 37:53 This is the second coming. 37:55 You have to read verses 1-10. 37:58 "The earth quakes before them, the heavens tremble; 38:02 the sun and moon grow dark, and the stars..." What? 38:06 "...diminish their brightness." 38:08 Not fall, they diminish their brightness. 38:10 "The Lord gives voice before His army, 38:13 for His camp is very great; 38:15 for strong is the One who executes His word. 38:18 For the day of the Lord is great and very terrible; 38:21 and who can endure it?" 38:24 Is that the same question at the end of the sixth seal? 38:27 Absolutely. 38:28 Are they the same signs as Revelation 6:12-13? 38:32 No. 38:35 Notice Joel 3:15-16. 38:38 These verses do not describe the same signs spoken of 38:41 in Revelation 6:12-13. 38:43 The text tells us that the heavens and the earth 38:46 will shake and the sun and the moon will be dark 38:50 and the stars will not shine. 38:52 Believe me, the stars in 1833 shone real bright. 38:57 They terrified people as they saw... 38:59 You know, it looked like there was rain falling from heaven. 39:06 And it was bright, the night was bright. 39:09 Let's read Joel 3:15-16. 39:11 "The sun and the moon will grow dark..." 39:14 Not that the moon will turn into blood. 39:27 Not only the earth, but "the heavens and earth will shake..." 39:38 And then we have another passage in Isaiah 13:10-13. 39:44 This passage is not parallel to Revelation 6:12-13. 39:49 In these verses the sun, the moon, and the stars grow dark. 39:53 This did not happen in 1755, 1780, and 1833. 39:58 When Jesus comes, the voice of God will move 40:00 the heavens and the earth out of their places. 40:04 And I'm going to read those verses. 40:07 What is the day of the Lord? 40:09 When the Bible speaks of the day of the Lord. 40:11 It's speaking about the day of vengeance, 40:14 the day of second coming. 40:42 In other words, the heavens will be in what? 40:45 In total darkness. 40:48 Different than Revelation 6:12-13. 41:27 Does that sound like what happened in 1755, 1780, 1833? 41:36 No, these are different signs. 41:38 The signs of Revelation 6:12-13 are not repeated? 41:42 Because Revelation 6 has two earthquakes. 41:46 Now, Revelation 6 describes the signs in the very order 41:50 in which they historically occurred, as I mentioned. 41:52 The great earthquake, 1755; the darkening of the sun, 1780; 41:57 the moon becoming like blood that very evening, 1780, May 19; 42:02 the stars falling from heaven, 1833. 42:07 So what is the inevitable conclusion. 42:09 The inevitable conclusion is that the signs in Joel 2:31, 42:14 Acts 2:20, which we didn't read, and Revelation 6:12-13 42:19 are different than the ones in Matthew 24:30, Joel 2:10-11, 42:24 Joel 3:15-16, and Isaiah 13:10-13. 42:31 There is a difference between the expression, 42:33 "the time of the end," and, "the end of time." 42:38 The time of the end is a period. 42:41 The end of time is when Jesus comes. 42:44 While the signs of Revelation 6:12-13 42:47 announced that the history of the planet was entering 42:50 upon the time of the end, the signs in Matthew 24:30 42:54 announce the end of time. 42:57 Notice the entire passage of Matthew 24:29-31. 43:05 By the way, have you noticed that there's two references 43:08 to tribulation in Matthew 24? 43:11 In verse 21 there's mention of a tribulation. 43:14 That's the period of papal persecution. 43:17 And then in verse 29, you have tribulation again. 43:20 Because you have two stages to the tribulation. 43:24 It says, "Immediately after the tribulation of those days..." 43:27 That is the 1260 years. 43:35 Are these the same signs that led up to 1844? 43:40 No. 43:41 Because Matthew 24 says, 43:43 "Immediately after the tribulation of those days..." 43:45 This is the final tribulation. The second stage of tribulation. 43:57 What happens next? 43:59 "Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, 44:02 then all the tribes of the earth will mourn..." 44:04 Is this similar to Revelation 6:14-17? 44:07 Yes. 44:27 So let me ask you, the signs in the heavens and the 44:29 earthquake that is mentioned in Matthew 24, 44:33 what do they announce? 44:34 The beginning of the investigative judgment 44:36 or do they announce the second coming of Christ? 44:39 It's the second coming of Christ. 44:41 Now who are the powers of the heavens 44:43 that Matthew 24:29 mentions? 44:47 Well, Genesis 1:16 tells us that the sun was made 44:51 to rule the day, and the moon and the stars were made 44:55 to rule the night. 44:58 Ellen White, in Early Writings, page 41, explains very well 45:03 what will happen with the heavenly bodies 45:04 when Jesus comes. 45:06 Notice this significant statement. 45:10 "I saw that when the Lord said, 'heaven,' in giving the signs 45:14 recorded by..." Whom? 45:16 "...Matthew, Mark, and Luke..." 45:17 They're all parallel passages. 45:19 "...He meant heaven, and when He said, 'earth,' 45:22 He meant earth. 45:24 The powers of heaven are..." What? 45:27 "...the sun, the moon, and the stars. 45:31 They rule in the heavens. 45:34 The powers of the earth are those that rule on the earth. 45:38 The powers of heaven..." 45:40 What are the powers of heaven, according to what she said? 45:43 Sun, moon, and stars. 45:45 "The powers of heaven will be shaken at the voice of God. 45:49 Then the sun, moon, and stars will be..." What? 45:53 "...moved out of their places. 45:56 They will not pass away, but be shaken by the voice of God." 46:04 And that's the reason why during the millennium 46:07 the earth will be what? 46:09 Without form and void. 46:12 And Jeremiah said, "I beheld the heavens, 46:15 and in them there was no light." 46:20 Why? Because the sun, moon, and stars have been what? 46:23 They have been darkened. 46:26 Now let's notice here Ellen G. White and the signs. 46:32 As we've stated before, Ellen White quotes Revelation 6:12-13 46:36 in, The Great Controversy, page 304, and then the 46:39 falling of the stars on page 333, 46:41 and applies them to the signs that took place 46:44 in 1755, 1870, and 1833. 46:48 She does not quote verses 14-17 until you 46:52 get to pages 641 and 642. 46:56 Now let's read that passage where she quotes 47:01 Revelation 6:14-17. 47:05 She's actually quoting in the chapter that has to do with 47:10 the second coming of Christ. 47:14 It says, "The King of kings..." What? 47:17 "...descends upon the cloud, wrapped in flaming fire. 47:22 The heavens are rolled together as a scroll, 47:25 the earth trembles before Him, and every mountain 47:31 and island is moved out of its place." 47:34 Is she describing Revelation 6:14? 47:37 Yes. 47:38 Now she's going to quote verses 15-17. 47:41 "And the kings of the earth, and the great men, 47:43 and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, 47:46 and every bondman, and every freeman hid themselves 47:49 in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains, 47:51 and said to the mountains and rocks, 'Fall on us, 47:54 and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, 47:57 and from the wrath of the Lamb. 47:59 For the great day of His wrath is come; 48:01 and who shall be able to stand?'" 48:05 So where does Ellen White see the fulfillment of verses 14-17? 48:10 At the second coming. 48:11 Where does she see the fulfillment of verses 12-13? 48:15 The signs that announce the end of the papal dominion, 48:17 the end of the tribulation of the 1260 years, 48:20 the beginning of the time of the end, 48:22 and the beginning of the investigative judgment. 48:26 That's the real reason why you have these signs. 48:29 It's not to indicate that Jesus is coming tomorrow. 48:33 We already looked at the time issue. 48:36 Let's continue. 48:38 Why did Ellen White separate verses 12-13 48:40 from verses 14-17 by over three hundred pages? 48:43 Clearly because she knew there would be a long time 48:46 parenthesis between the events of verses 12-13 and 14-17. 48:54 And once again, this is a reiteration so that we are 48:58 absolutely clear on this point, the principle at work here 49:01 is that there are signs that mark the end of the two stages 49:05 of the tribulation. 49:07 The signs in the heavens and the earthquake mark 49:11 the end of the two types of tribulation; 49:13 the past and the future. 49:15 In both cases, the signs indicate that God has 49:17 intervened to what? 49:19 To deliver His people and to bring the tribulation to an end. 49:23 In the first instance, from the oppression of the 1260 years, 49:27 and in the second instance, from the oppression of the 49:30 time of Jacob's trouble. 49:32 And by the way, what happens during the period 49:35 after the signs in the heavens 49:37 and the beginning of the judgment? 49:39 What is the purpose of the judgment? 49:43 "Until when do You not judge and avenge?" 49:48 So the question is, what does Jesus begin doing? 49:51 The signs announce that the judgment is about to begin. 49:54 What happens in the judgment? 49:59 The martyrs, as well as all the others, are what? 50:02 Vindicated in the judgment. 50:06 So let's notice here. 50:10 There is thus a close connection between 50:12 the fifth and sixth seals. 50:15 In the fifth seal, there are two groups of martyrs; 50:17 one past and one future. 50:19 The signs in the sixth seal are an announcement that the 50:21 period of oppression of the first group of martyrs 50:24 is about to end. 50:25 On the other hand, the signs of Revelation 6:14-17 50:29 are an announcement that the oppression of the second group 50:32 has come to an end because God's people are going to 50:35 be delivered by the voice of God which causes the cosmic 50:38 global earthquake and moves the sun, the moon, 50:41 and the stars out of their places. 50:46 Now I'm going to read this statement from Ellen White 50:50 on these signs that took place in 1780, 1755, and 1833. 50:57 "Prophecy not only foretells the manner and object 51:00 of Christ's coming, but presents tokens by which men are to 51:05 know when it is near." 51:08 Not imminent, near. 51:11 "Said Jesus, 'There shall be signs in the sun, 51:14 and in the moon, and the in the stars.' 51:17 'The sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give 51:19 her light, and the stars of heaven shall fall, 51:21 and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken. 51:24 And then they shall see the sign of the Son of Man 51:26 in the clouds with great power and glory coming.' 51:30 The revelator thus describes the first of the signs to..." 51:34 What is the next word? 51:36 "...to precede the Second Advent. 51:39 There was a great earthquake; and the sun became black 51:42 as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood." 51:46 So she separates the two again. 51:49 Now we don't have a lot of time left. 51:51 But I want you to notice here the meaning of Luke 21:25-26. 52:00 And let's read these verses. 52:01 "And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, 52:04 and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, 52:08 with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; 52:12 men's hearts failing them from fear and the expectation 52:16 of those things which are coming on the earth, 52:19 for the powers of heaven will be shaken." 52:24 Seventh-day Adventist evangelists frequently used 52:26 these verses to describe the present turmoil in the world. 52:31 However, a close look at the context indicates that these 52:35 verses are describing what will occur at the very end of 52:38 human history as an announcement of the second coming of Christ. 52:43 We must be careful not to take these verses 52:46 out of their legitimate context. 52:48 They are not referring to the present distress 52:50 among the nations. 52:52 They are actually referring to the distress that comes 52:55 when God's voice moves the sun, moon, 52:58 and stars out of their places. 53:01 Because we find the same statement that we find in 53:05 Matthew 24 where it says the powers of heaven will be what? 53:09 Shaken. 53:10 And what are the powers in heaven? 53:12 The sun, the moon, and the stars. 53:15 When God utters His voice in deliverance of His people, 53:19 it shakes the heavens and the earth. 53:22 The sea is lashed in its fury and the whole earth heaves 53:25 and swells like the waves of the sea. 53:28 Like it says in Luke 21. 53:29 Mountain chains and islands disappear. 53:33 Notice this statement from Ellen White. 53:35 "The mountains shake like a reed in the wind, 53:38 and ragged rocks are scattered on every side. 53:41 There is a roar as of a coming tempest. 53:44 The sea is lashed into fury." 53:46 See, this is Luke chapter 21. 53:49 The waves. 53:51 "There is heard the shriek of a hurricane like the voice of 53:54 demons upon a mission of destruction. 53:56 The whole earth heaves and swells like..." What? 54:01 This language is from Luke 21. 54:03 "...like the waves of the sea. 54:04 Its surface is breaking up. 54:06 Its very foundations seem to be giving way." 54:09 And now she's going to allude to Revelation 6:14-17. 54:12 "Mountain chains are sinking. 54:14 Inhabited islands disappear. 54:16 The seaports that have become like Sodom for wickedness 54:19 are swallowed up by the angry waters." 54:22 So in context, where does Luke 21 fit? 54:26 It fits with the second set of signs. 54:29 Is there going to be distress among nations 54:31 when people see the sign of the second coming of Christ, 54:34 and the earthquake, and the sea? 54:36 Yes, absolutely. 54:39 Here, Ellen White is using the language of Luke 21:25-26 54:44 to describe what will take place when God delivers 54:47 His people at the second coming. 54:49 The waves of the tsunami that hit Lisbon were child's play 54:55 compared with the waves of the sea that will engulf the world. 54:59 The final statement before we take a break. 55:03 This is from, Sons and Daughters of God, page 354. 55:08 Once again, Ellen White is going to describe 55:11 when the perplexities among nations, 55:13 when the waves roar, and everything. 55:15 It's not in this present period during the probationary period. 55:19 It's immediately before the second coming of Christ, 55:23 or at the second coming of Christ. 55:25 This is how it reads. 55:27 "There are troublous times before us; 55:29 the judgments of God are coming upon our world. 55:33 The nations of the earth..." 55:37 She doesn't say, "are trembling." 55:38 She says what? "...are to tremble. 55:42 There will be trials and perplexities on every hand; 55:47 men's hearts will fail them for fear. 55:51 And what shall we do in that day? 55:55 Though the earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard 55:58 and be removed like a cottage, if we have made God our trust, 56:04 He will deliver us." 56:07 So where does Luke 21:25-26 fit? 56:12 It refers to the second set of signs 56:14 is relationship to the second coming of Jesus Christ. 56:19 So do we have clear in our mind that there's two stages 56:23 to the sixth seal? 56:25 One past and one future. 56:27 And there are signs to announce both the past and the future. 56:33 And how this fits with the fifth seal. 56:36 Once again, in case I didn't make this clear, 56:41 In the fifth seal you have the judging and the avenging. 56:47 The first signs announce that God is about to what? 56:51 To judge. 56:53 To set the record straight in the investigative judgment. 56:58 The second set of signs is to announce 57:02 that the King is coming, that Jesus is coming. 57:06 And also that Jesus is going to what? 57:11 He's going to now avenge God's people 57:14 by raising those who died and by delivering from the 57:19 death decree those who are alive when Jesus comes. 57:25 The 144,000 sealed saints. 57:28 So chapter 5 speaks about, you know, the martyrs say, 57:33 "When are You going to judge and avenge?" 57:36 God says, "Don't worry, I'm going to give you signs 57:39 to tell you when I'm going to judge. 57:41 And then you'll know when the judgment is starting. 57:44 And then when I come, no sweat. 57:47 I'll avenge you." 57:48 So the fifth seal and the sixth seal 57:51 need to be studied together. 57:54 How many of you have understood what we've studied? 57:56 Praise the Lord. 57:58 That's good. 57:59 Well, when we come back, we're going to study 58:02 the sixth and seventh seals according to Ellen White. 58:05 We're going to look at the seventh seal. |
Revised 2022-03-08