Participants:
Series Code: ARSS
Program Code: ARSS190016S
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00:15 Very well, our final study for today.
00:19 We are going to begin on page 247 of your syllabus. 00:27 I was told that you were supposed to say, your syllabi. 00:34 Not syllabuses. 00:36 Then Melvin had a good comeback on that one, 00:39 which I'm not going to share right now. 00:43 But anyway, we're going to begin on page 247. 00:46 And basically, that's the only page that we're going to 00:48 deal with until we go all the way to page 269. 00:54 So the pages in between 249 to 269, those pages 00:59 describe, by the publications of the day, 01:02 the great earthquake, the sun and moon, 01:06 the signs in the sun and moon, and the falling of the stars. 01:08 So you can read all of those reports of eye witnesses. 01:12 Many people felt that the end of the world had come. 01:16 Others felt that the judgment was right around the corner. 01:19 Some people were scared and some people were 01:22 comforted that Jesus was coming. 01:25 So they definitely saw that these signs were unusual. 01:29 Something unusual was happening. 01:32 So let's have a word of prayer, 01:33 and then we'll read Matthew 24:29-31. 01:38 And then I'll make some comments from the spirit of prophecy. 01:40 Father in heaven, as we study this last session today, 01:43 we ask for the guidance of Your Spirit, 01:45 as we have asked before. 01:47 We can't help but marvel at how wonderful and 01:52 how harmonious is Your Word. 01:54 Help us, Lord, to understand 01:55 what we're going to study in this session. 01:57 We pray in Jesus' name, amen. 02:00 Okay, let's notice Matthew 24. This is not in your syllabus. 02:04 Matthew 24:29-31 02:07 I want you to notice the order of events that we have here. 02:10 The order of events. 02:13 Verse 29 says, "Immediately after the tribulation 02:17 of those days..." 02:19 So first of all, you have the tribulation, right? 02:22 "...the sun will be darkened, 02:25 the moon will not give its light, 02:27 the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens 02:30 will be shaken." 02:32 So first of all, the tribulation comes to an end, 02:34 you have the signs in the heavens. 02:37 And then verse 30 says, "Then the sign of the Son of Man 02:40 will appear in heaven." 02:42 So the signs in the sun, moon, and stars 02:44 announce the coming of Jesus, right? 02:47 So it says, "Then the sign of the Son of Man 02:49 will appear in heaven." 02:51 And then what's going to happen with all of the people? 02:54 "...the tribes of the earth will..." What? 02:56 "...will mourn..." 02:58 Is this when they're crying for the rocks to fall upon them 03:01 and hiding in the caves, which would be Revelation's version? 03:04 Yes. 03:05 So it says, "...and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, 03:08 and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven 03:12 with power and great glory." 03:15 And then notice the following event. 03:17 "And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, 03:22 and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, 03:26 from one end of heaven to the other." 03:29 Now I want you to notice how Ellen White 03:32 describes this sequence of events in the exact order 03:36 in the book, Great Controversy. 03:39 Great Controversy, page 613. 03:42 We're at the top of page 247 now. 03:45 In the, Great Controversy, pages 613-634, Ellen White 03:48 describes the great tribulation. 03:50 Which is the first thing that Matthew 24:29 mentions. 03:56 So she mentions the time of trouble, 03:59 which is the first phrase in Matthew 24:29. 04:03 Then on pages 635-637 in the chapter, God's People Delivered, 04:10 she mentions the signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars. 04:15 Then following that, Jesus descends from heaven, 04:22 and the living saints ask the question, 04:25 "Who shall be able to stand?" 04:27 Let's read about it there. 04:30 "Before his presence, 'all faces are turned into paleness;' 04:34 upon the rejecters of God's mercy falls the terror 04:37 of eternal despair. 04:39 'The heart melteth, and the knees smite together... 04:41 and the faces of them all gather blackness.'" 04:45 So let me ask you, is she describing the destress that 04:48 Matthew mentions here, that all the tribes of the earth 04:53 will mourn as they see the Son of Man coming? 04:55 Is she describing the same, but in different words? 04:58 Absolutely. 05:00 And then notice the next thing is, "The righteous cry 05:04 with trembling, 'Who shall be able to stand?'" 05:09 Is that the ending question in Revelation 6:17? 05:14 Yes. 05:15 "'Who shall be able to stand?' 05:17 The angels' song..." This is the seventh seal. 05:20 "The angels' song is hushed, and there is a period of..." 05:25 What? 05:27 "...of awful silence." 05:29 And then you have the final event that's 05:31 mentioned in Matthew 24. 05:33 A few pages later Ellen White describes the arrival of Jesus 05:37 and the sending of His angels to gather together His elect. 05:40 Let's read it. 05:42 "The living righteous are changed 'in a moment, 05:44 in the twinkling of an eye.' 05:45 At the voice of God they were glorified; 05:51 now they are made immortal, and with the risen saints 05:54 are caught up to meet their Lord in the air. 05:57 Angels 'gather together His elect from the four winds, 06:01 from one end of heaven to the other.'" 06:03 Do you see how she's discussing Matthew 24:29-31 06:08 in the exact order? 06:11 So the signs that are mentioned there in the sun, moon, stars, 06:15 and the earthquake in Matthew 24, is that occurring 06:19 leading up to 1844 or are these signs taking place 06:23 as an announcement of the second coming of Christ? 06:26 It's clearly the second set of signs. 06:29 The second part of the sixth seal. 06:32 Okay, now let's go to page 269 06:37 and discuss a little bit more the second stage 06:40 of the sixth seal. 06:41 So are you clear on the first stage of the sixth seal? 06:45 The first stage are the signs in the heavens 06:49 and the great earthquake that announces the end of the 06:53 1260 days, the end of the tribulation of God's people, 06:58 the beginning of the time of the end, 07:00 and that soon the judging part 07:04 of the fifth seal is going to take place. 07:06 God's people are going to be vindicated 07:09 in the heavenly judgment. 07:10 But now we want to talk about the second phase 07:13 or the second part of the sixth seal. 07:16 As stated before, the question of the martyrs in the fifth seal 07:21 had to do with two events that are related, yet separate: 07:26 judging and avenging. 07:29 The first part of the sixth seal has to do with the 07:32 first part of this plea by the beginning of 07:35 the judgment in heaven. 07:37 That is to say, in 1844 God began the judgment process 07:41 in heaven to vindicate the saints that the little horn 07:44 oppressed for three and a half times. 07:48 Part one of the sixth seal deals with the judge aspect. 07:52 The great earthquake and the signs in the heavens 07:54 in the sixth seal announced the approach of this stage. 08:00 The second part of the sixth seal deals with the second part 08:04 of the martyrs' plea; that is the avenge aspect. 08:08 We can see this clearly in Revelation 6:17. 08:12 The Lamb will now pour out His wrath upon those 08:15 who oppressed His people during the second stage of persecution. 08:22 In between the two stages of the sixth seal, 08:26 the judgment of Revelation 7:1-8 takes place. 08:30 That's the interlude between the sixth and the seventh seal. 08:38 The first part of the sixth seal. 08:42 So let's continue here. 08:44 First, God vindicates the martyrs whom the little horn 08:46 slew during the 1260 years, as well as those who have 08:50 professed the name of Jesus. 08:52 And then at the very end of this heavenly judgment process, 08:56 God will judge and seal the 144,000 living saints. 09:00 By the way, this is still happening during 09:03 the first stage of the sixth seal. 09:06 The avenging part is the second coming of Christ. 09:09 So what takes place during the judging phase 09:12 of the sixth seal? 09:13 God judges, first of all, those who died. Right? 09:18 Including the martyrs. 09:19 And then He judges who? 09:23 The 144,000. Those who are alive. 09:26 Probation closes, the time of trouble, 09:29 and then you have the signs in the heavens, 09:31 sun, moon, and stars that announce 09:33 the second coming of Christ. 09:34 That's the chronology. 09:36 Now let's notice this statement from Ellen White 09:39 in, Great Controversy, page 483. 09:42 "As the books of the record are opened in the judgment, 09:46 the lives of..." How many? 09:49 I thought it was only the martyrs. 09:56 Is it only the martyrs? 09:59 So why does Revelation, why does the first part of the 10:03 sixth seal say that the martyrs are going to be judged 10:06 and the 144,000 are going to be judged? 10:08 So that means that nobody else is going to be judged, right? 10:13 The fact that you have an emphasis does not mean 10:18 that it excludes the broader picture. 10:21 "As the books of record are opened in the judgment, 10:23 the lives of all who have believed on Jesus 10:26 come in review before God. 10:28 Would that include Presbyterians, and Lutherans, 10:31 and Church of Christ, and Jehovah Witnesses, 10:36 and Mormons... 10:37 Yes, everybody who has ever claimed Christ. 10:42 Now how does it transpire, chronologically? 10:44 "Beginning with those who first lived upon the earth, 10:51 our Advocate presents the cases of each successive generation.." 10:55 Would that include the martyrs? 10:57 Yes. 10:58 "...and closes with..." Whom? 11:01 "...with the living." 11:03 When the living are judged, are we still in the first 11:07 part of the sixth seal? 11:09 Yes. 11:12 Because the second part of the sixth seal is when Jesus comes. 11:16 And the signs in the heavens announce His coming. 11:20 Ellen White wrote about the second part of the sixth seal, 11:23 the avenging part, in, Great Controversy, pages 641-642. 11:28 Here, Ellen White quotes Revelation 6:14-17. 11:32 And then I have several other passages in Scripture 11:36 that you need to take a look at in your personal study. 11:39 Revelation 19:3-10 presents a great multitude 11:43 standing victoriously in heaven. 11:46 Revelation 19:1-2 clearly indicates that at this point 11:51 the avenging has already taken place. 11:54 At this point, God has judged the harlot 11:56 and avenged His people. 11:58 Revelation 19:17-18 marks reference to the same groups 12:03 of people as Revelation 6:15-16. 12:08 Now let's read this passage from the chapter, 12:10 God's People Delivered, so that we can catch 12:13 the sequence of events. 12:16 "Before His presence, 'all faces are turned into paleness;' 12:20 upon the rejecters of God's mercy falls the 12:23 terror of eternal despair. 12:25 The heart melteth, and the knees smite together, 12:29 and the faces of them all gather blackness. 12:32 The righteous cry with trembling, 12:34 'Who shall be able to stand?'" 12:37 That's the last question in the sixth seal, right? 12:39 The second part of the sixth seal. 12:41 "The angels' song is hushed, 12:46 and there is a period of awful silence." 12:49 What comes immediately after the question, 12:51 "Who shall be able to stand?" 12:53 The seventh seal. 12:55 And what do you have in the seventh seal? 12:57 Silence in heaven. 13:00 So what is the silence in heaven for this short period 13:03 of about half an hour? 13:05 It is this silence that is mentioned here 13:08 where the voices of the singing angels are hushed. 13:14 So notice it continues saying, "The angels' song is hushed, 13:18 and there is a period of awful silence. 13:22 Then the voice of Jesus is heard saying, 13:24 'My grace is sufficient for you.' 13:26 The faces of the righteous are lighted up, 13:28 and joy fills every heart. 13:30 And the angels strike a note higher and sing again 13:34 as they draw nearer to the earth." 13:36 Then she's going to quote Revelation 6:14-17. 13:40 "The King of kings descends upon the cloud, 13:42 wrapped in flaming fire. 13:44 The heavens are rolled together as a scroll, 13:47 the earth trembles before him, 13:49 and every mountain and island is moved out of its place." 13:52 Is that the sixth seal, the second part of the sixth seal? 13:54 Yes. 13:56 "Our God shall come and shall not keep silence. 13:58 A fire shall devour before Him, and it shall be very 14:01 tempestuous round about Him. 14:04 He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, 14:07 that He may judge His people." 14:11 And then she actually quotes verses 15-17. 14:14 "And the kings of the earth, and the great men, 14:16 and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, 14:19 and every bondman, and every freeman 14:21 hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains, 14:24 and said to the mountains and rocks, 'Fall on us 14:28 and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, 14:31 and from the wrath of the Lamb. 14:32 For the great day of his wrath is come; 14:35 and who shall be able to stand?" 14:38 And then I want you to notice that the wicked 14:40 are going to ask the same question. 14:42 She continues, "The derisive jests have ceased. 14:48 Lying lips are hushed into silence. 14:51 The clash of arms, the tumult of battle, 'with confused noise, 14:55 and garments rolled in blood,' is stilled. 14:59 Naught now is heard but the voice of prayer and the 15:03 sound of weeping and lamentation. 15:06 The cry bursts forth from lips so lately scoffing, 15:10 'The great day of His wrath is come, 15:12 and who shall be able to stand?'" 15:15 So the wicked are going to ask the question too, aren't they? 15:18 "The wicked pray to be buried beneath the rocks 15:22 of the mountains rather than meet the face of Him 15:25 whom they have despised and rejected." 15:29 Do you see the sequence of events? 15:32 How did Ellen White know how to put all this stuff in order? 15:37 Lucky guess. 15:38 No, I don't think so. 15:41 Because she was inspired. 15:42 The Holy Spirit gave her the information of how to write it. 15:48 Because the Holy Spirit not only imparts the message to the 15:52 prophet, but helps the prophet write. 15:55 That's why Ellen White, many times, you know, she would 15:58 lay down the pen and she would pray. 16:01 "Lord, help me with this," you know. 16:03 Because she was not proficient in writing. 16:07 She had to learn to write. 16:09 She had two and a half years of primary education, 16:13 elementary education. 16:16 When you really consider that, 16:17 she would have to had been inspired, 16:21 when we read her writings of a person who had 16:23 only two and a half years of primary education. 16:27 Now let's pursue the question that is asked 16:31 at the end of the sixth seal, 16:35 the second half of the sixth seal. 16:37 "The great day of His wrath has come, and 16:40 who shall be able to stand?" 16:42 What does the word, "stand," mean? 16:46 In several places in the New Testament, 16:48 the word appears as an antonym of, "fall." 16:53 In other words, the words, "stand," 16:54 is the opposite of, "fall." 16:57 Notice these verses that I have. 16:59 There's more in the New Testament, 17:00 but I just gave a sampling. 17:02 A kingdom divided against itself cannot stand. 17:09 You could say, cannot survive. 17:10 In other words, a kingdom divided against itself 17:13 is doomed to fall. 17:18 Satan, at the beginning, did not stand in the truth. 17:23 What does that mean, he did not stand in the truth? 17:26 It means that he fell from the truth. 17:30 The apostle Paul stated, "He that thinks that he stands, 17:34 let him take heed lest he fall." 17:38 So there you have the two ideas. 17:40 To stand is not to fall. 17:44 And then you have in Ephesians 6:11-13, 17:48 it says, "Put on the whole armor of God... 17:54 In other words, so you don't fall for the wiles of the devil. 18:19 Are you catching a picture of what it means 18:21 what the question is, who will be able to stand? 18:23 In other words, who is not going to fall? 18:25 Who is going to remain firm and solid 18:28 in the great day of Christ's wrath? 18:31 2 Timothy 2:19 18:47 And then you have Luke 21:36 which is speaking 18:49 directly about the second coming. 18:52 "Watch therefore, and pray always..." 18:59 Because he's mentioned all the signs. 19:09 What are God's people going to say when Jesus comes. 19:11 "Lo, this is our God. 19:15 We have waited for Him, and He will save us." 19:19 So while the wicked are saying, 19:20 "Who is going to be able to stand?" 19:22 and they're running to hide in the caves 19:24 and crying for the rocks to fall on them, 19:25 God's people with hands stretched out are saying, 19:28 "Lo, this is our God. 19:29 We have waited for Him, and He will save us." 19:33 Why? 19:35 Because everyone who names the name of Christ 19:37 departs from iniquity, is what the apostle Paul tells us. 19:43 Now, Revelation 6:17 ends with a question. 19:49 "The great day of His wrath has come, 19:51 and who shall be able to stand?" 19:53 Where would you expect to find the answer to that question? 19:58 How about the next chapter? 20:02 Listen carefully now. 20:05 The next chapter takes us back. 20:08 Because verse 17 is describing the second coming of Christ. 20:11 Too late to be saved, too late to be sealed. 20:14 So chapter 7 is going to take us back to answer, 20:17 who's going to be able to stand? 20:19 Those who, before probation closed, were what? 20:22 Were sealed. 20:23 Are you with me or not? 20:25 So Revelation 7 is not in chronological order with 6:17. 20:31 6:17 reaches the climax: the signs in the heavens, 20:36 Jesus is coming, who shall be able to stand. 20:40 And so the question is, who's going to be able to stand? 20:42 So John is going to say now in his writing, he's going to say, 20:45 "Let me tell you who's going to be able to stand." 20:47 Those who were sealed, the 144,000 who were sealed 20:52 during probationary time, at the very end of probationary time 20:55 they are the ones that are going to be able to stand. 20:58 Notice Revelation 7:1-4. 21:08 So let me ask you, is probation still open here? 21:11 Of course, because they're holding the winds of strife. 21:14 When they let them loose, that's the time of trouble. 21:17 So they're standing, they're holding 21:19 the four winds of the earth. 21:27 Those are all symbolic words. 21:29 We won't get into that now. 21:31 "Then I saw another angel..." 21:46 In other words, don't release the winds, don't cause harm, 21:50 don't permit the cataclysm to come, until what? 21:58 Does the sealing take place before the second coming? 22:02 Does it take place before the close of probation? 22:05 Absolutely. 22:07 So it says, "And I heard the number 22:10 of those who were sealed..." 22:11 We'll deal with this when we talk about the interlude. 22:20 And by the way, we're dealing with spiritual Israel here. 22:23 We're not dealing with literal Israelites. 22:27 Now this idea of sealing on the forehead comes from Ezekiel 9. 22:33 Now we're not going to go there fully and completely. 22:35 I'm just going to mention something about Ezekiel 9. 22:40 In Ezekiel 8 you have the deplorable condition 22:44 among those who profess to be God's people. 22:46 We're not talking about the Egyptians and the Babylonians 22:49 and the surrounding nations. 22:51 We're talking about what was happening among 22:53 God's professed people. 22:56 The leaders were turning their back to the temple 23:01 and they were worshiping the sun to the east. 23:06 That was the greatest abomination. 23:08 Because chapter 8, God shows in chapter 8 23:12 to Ezekiel an abomination, and Ezekiel says, 23:14 "Wow, that's bad, Lord." 23:16 God says, "You ain't seen nothing yet. 23:19 I'll show you worse abominations than that." 23:22 And so God shows him another abomination. 23:26 And Ezekiel says, "That's bad." 23:27 God says, "You haven't seen anything yet. 23:30 I'll show you a worse one than this." 23:32 And the one that is the worst of all was worshiping the sun. 23:38 And then in the very next chapter, verses 16-17 talk about 23:43 worshiping the sun, 23:44 the very next chapter speaks about an angel 23:47 with an inkhorn. 23:49 And he's coming to seal His servants on their foreheads. 23:54 Who is the one who is sealed? 23:57 Those who sign and cry because of the abominations 24:03 that are being committed among God's people. 24:06 What would that be equivalent to in the end time? 24:09 The loud cry. 24:13 Because the message is for those who profess to be God's people. 24:17 Not only Adventists, but non-Adventists. 24:20 And so what are the faithful going to be doing 24:22 at the end of time? 24:24 They're going to be participating in the sins 24:25 that are being committed in the religious world? 24:28 No! 24:29 They're going to be sighing and crying because of the 24:33 abominations that take place in the earth. 24:35 And then, you know, I don't know of anybody that 24:37 sighs and cries in silence. 24:42 This is talking about sighing and crying. 24:44 This is talking about crying out because of the abominations 24:47 that are being committed in the earth. 24:51 So God is going to place His seal upon those... 24:55 The seal, of course, is the Sabbath. 24:57 We're going to study that a little bit later towards 24:59 the end of this series. 25:01 He's going to place His seal on those who sigh and cry 25:05 because of the abominations that are 25:07 being committed in the world. 25:09 And the purpose of the seal is so that the angels 25:13 can identify who is faithful, 25:17 and so that the angels can protect them when probation 25:20 closes and the time of trouble comes. 25:25 Now Revelation 7 doesn't describe 25:27 the character of this group. 25:30 Revelation 7 simply says that the seal, the protective seal, 25:35 is placed on them. 25:37 So you ask the question, what were they like? 25:40 Why were they able to stand? 25:42 Well, because they had the seal. 25:43 But why did they have the seal? 25:47 We have to go to chapter 14 for that 25:49 where the same group is mentioned. 25:51 Revelation 14:1-5 25:54 By the way, Revelation 14:1-5 really should be the conclusion 25:58 to chapter 13. 26:01 Chapter 13 speaks about the trial of the beast, 26:05 over his image, over his mark, and over the number of his name. 26:10 So when you get to the end of chapter 13, 26:13 you say, "Well, did everybody worship the beast? 26:18 Did everybody worship the image of the beast? 26:21 Did everyone receive the mark of the beast 26:23 so that they could buy and sell and so they wouldn't be killed?" 26:26 When chapter 13 ends, it looks like the whole world 26:29 has gone awry. 26:32 But chapter 14:1-5 says there was a group 26:36 that did not receive the mark of the beast 26:38 or worship the beast or his image. 26:41 And that group is called the 144,000; the sealed ones. 26:44 But now we're going to know why they're sealed. 26:47 Verse 1... 27:00 What's behind your forehead? 27:02 Your frontal lobe. 27:05 The center of decision. 27:08 Right? 27:10 Where you make decisions for life or for death. 27:12 Moral decisions. 27:15 What does the Father's name mean? 27:17 The name in the Bible represents the character 27:20 of the person who bears the name. 27:21 My parents called me Stephen Paul. 27:25 Not because they thought Stephen Paul sounded nice. 27:30 Because they wanted to be, they wanted me to be 27:33 like the martyr and the martyrizer. 27:38 No, they didn't want me to be like the martyrizer, 27:41 except after his conversion. 27:44 In other words, they gave me that name because 27:46 they said, "We want Steve to be like Stephen and like Paul." 27:52 There was a purpose. 27:53 They wanted me to reflect the character 27:56 of these two individuals. 27:57 I'm not worthy to tie their sandals, 28:01 because these were incredibly great men. 28:04 But the Father's name means to have the character. 28:08 And the forehead means in your mind. 28:10 God is going to write His law in our minds and in our hearts. 28:16 It continues saying, "And I heard a voice from heaven..." 28:28 Because they went through an experience that no other 28:32 group has ever gone through. 28:33 They've gone through the time of trouble. 28:35 So it says... 28:51 So they never got married, right? 28:54 No. They did not have illicit relationships with the 28:58 apostate churches, with the harlot and her daughters. 29:02 We're dealing with symbols here. 29:04 "These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever His goes." 29:07 Including Gethsemane and the cross. 29:21 Which means that there's no deceit in their heart. 29:25 Because from the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 29:35 Now we know why they receive the seal. 29:38 Why did they receive the seal? 29:40 Because they had a sterling character. 29:44 They had an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. 29:46 They reflected the image of Jesus fully. 29:49 They follow Jesus wherever He goes, 29:52 this end time generation. 29:53 Now this is not the only place where this question appears, 29:57 "The great day of His wrath has come 29:59 and who shall be able to stand?" 30:01 Let's examine some other places where this question appears. 30:05 Joel 2:11 30:07 Joel 2:11 is the culmination of a description 30:11 of the second coming. 30:12 We're not going to read verses 1-10, 30:14 but it's describing the second coming. 30:16 And notice how the second coming comes to an end. 30:19 The question is asked again, just like in Revelation 6. 30:22 "The Lord gives voice before His army, 30:25 for His camp is very great; 30:27 for strong is the One who executes His word. 30:31 For the day of the Lord is great and very terrible; 30:35 who can endure it?" 30:37 Is that the same basic question? 30:39 Yes. 30:41 Where would you expect to find the answer? 30:44 How about the following verses? 30:47 Incidentally, the following verses are describing 30:50 the Day of Atonement. 30:52 Do you know, in the Day of Atonement, 30:53 not only did the priest cleanse the Sanctuary, 30:56 but the people also had to afflict their souls 31:00 and cleanse their lives in parallel fashion 31:03 to what was happening in the Sanctuary. 31:06 Notice the terminology here, how this is referring 31:08 to the Day of Atonement. 31:10 Are we now in the Day of Atonement? 31:12 Is the Day of Atonement going to come to an end? 31:16 What will happen with those who have not sent 31:19 their sins to the Sanctuary? 31:22 They will not be able to stand. 31:25 Notice the answer to the question. 31:27 "'Now therefore,' says the Lord..." 31:36 The Day of Atonement was the only fast required 31:38 in the Hebrew religious calendar. 31:47 Does this sound like signing and crying? 31:50 Yes. 32:12 What was it that announced the Day of Atonement? 32:16 Trumpets. 32:20 Once again, the only day required for a fast 32:23 was the Day of Atonement. 32:36 Nobody exempt from gathering. 32:42 In other words, you know, it's a priority 32:46 to get a character ready for the coming of the Lord. 32:50 And what are the priests suppose to be doing? 32:55 What are they supposed to be doing? 32:57 Encouraging the church to jump and roll in the aisles. 33:00 No. 33:21 So who are the ones that are going to be able to 33:23 endure the great day of God's wrath? 33:26 Those that successfully pass through the Day of Atonement 33:31 through fasting, weeping, mourning over sin, 33:35 rending the heart, gathering around the heavenly Sanctuary 33:39 by faith, returning to God, 33:44 and praying that the Lord will spare His people. 33:48 That's not the only place where the question is asked. 33:52 Isaiah 33:14-16 33:57 You have the question. 34:15 You know, you ask people from other churches, 34:17 you know, "What's going to happen with the wicked?" 34:20 they say, "They're going to burn in the fires of hell forever. 34:24 They're going to be in the fire forever and ever 34:26 writhing in pain." 34:29 Surprise, surprise, the only ones who are going to be able 34:32 to live in the fire are the righteous, not the wicked. 34:36 You say, "What!" 34:38 You know, you have a little example of this: 34:39 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. 34:43 The fire didn't burn them. 34:44 They were in the midst of the fire. 34:46 And that was a little human fire. 34:49 Now notice the answer to the question. 34:51 "Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? 34:54 Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?" 34:57 Very similar to the question of Revelation 6:17. 35:00 Now comes the answer. 35:01 Notice the emphasis on lifestyle, conduct, 35:06 the way that people live their lives. 35:09 Practical godliness. 35:12 Here's the answer. 35:15 By the way, when the Bible speaks about walking 35:17 in a symbolic way, it's speaking about your behavior. 35:50 A reference to the great multitude. 35:52 They will thirst no more and they will hunger no more. 35:56 That's not the only place the question is asked. 35:59 Psalm 15:1 36:03 "Lord, who may abide in Your tabernacle? 36:08 Who may dwell in Your holy hill?" 36:10 What is God's holy hill? 36:14 Mount Zion. Where are the 144,000 standing? 36:18 On Mount Zion. 36:26 Now once again, the answer is your conduct. 36:31 The life. 36:57 He doesn't break his promises, in other words. 37:01 He doesn't charge an exorbitant amount of interest. 37:13 In other words, shall be able to what? 37:15 To stand. 37:17 That's not the only place the question is asked. 37:21 Psalm 24:3-6 37:25 This is the song that was sung when Jesus 37:28 ascended to heaven the first time. 37:30 When Jesus returns to heaven, 37:32 the question will be asked once more. 37:35 "Who may ascend into the holy hill? 37:40 Or who may stand in His holy place?" 37:44 Where would you expect to find the answer? 37:46 In the following verses. 37:47 Notice once again the emphasis on lifestyle and conduct. 37:52 And you're saying, "Well, Pastor Bohr believes that we're 37:54 saved because of our lifestyle." 37:55 No, no, no. 37:58 I'm saying that when we know Jesus and we have an intimate 38:02 relationship with Jesus, our lifestyle will change. 38:07 The change is an evidence of salvation, 38:09 it is not the cause of salvation. 38:14 Let me ask you, when you turn on your car in the morning, 38:19 when the road is in good condition, 38:23 there's no snow, it hasn't rained, 38:26 and you put your car in drive, which wheels move first, 38:30 the front wheels or the back wheels? 38:35 Well somebody always asks, 38:38 "Is it front wheel drive or back wheel drive?" 38:43 Let's suppose it's back wheel drive. 38:45 What happens as soon as the back wheels move? 38:49 The front wheels follow. 38:52 Where there is true saving faith, works follow. 38:57 That's why Paul, we have Paul and we have James. 39:00 Paul says we're justified by faith without works of law. 39:05 And James says yes, by a faith that works. 39:09 Because a faith that doesn't work isn't faith. 39:13 You know, if God said to Noah, "Noah, build an ark for Me. 39:18 There's going to be a flood." 39:19 Noah says, "Thank You, Lord, for this great revelation." 39:23 and sits. 39:25 How did Noah show that he believed God 39:27 when it had never rained? 39:30 He got the hammers, and he got the saws, 39:33 and he got the nails, and he started building. 39:39 That's why faith without works is dead. 39:41 True faith is a working faith. 39:44 Faith is an action word. 39:47 That's why you have the emphasis on lifestyle here. 39:51 It's not that the lifestyle is saving you, 39:53 the lifestyle is showing that you're saved. 39:57 So notice, verses 4-6 has the answer. 40:24 And then the question is asked... 40:27 After describing the lifestyle, 40:29 then you have the entrance into heaven. 40:56 So your lifestyle reveals whether you're ready to enter 41:00 into heaven. 41:02 And I'm not going to read the last statement 41:05 because time is flying by. 41:08 But we noticed that at the second coming 41:10 the Father is not coming at the second coming. 41:14 Neither are the cherubim or the seraphim. 41:17 Neither are the representatives of the worlds. 41:21 Neither the Holy Spirit, because He's been withdrawn 41:24 from the earth at the close of probation. 41:28 Who's going to come? 41:30 Jesus and the holy angels. 41:33 And then they will begin the journey back to heaven. 41:38 And this hymn will be sung. 41:40 And who will be waiting at the gates of the city 41:45 to welcome His children home? 41:48 The Father of all mercies, it says in this quotation, 41:52 will be there. 41:54 And He'll say, "Welcome home, children. 41:57 This is the place I prepared for you." 42:00 As the song goes. 42:02 That's not the only place where the question is asked though. 42:05 Notice Nahum 1:6-7. 42:32 That is, those who have faith in Him. 42:35 The question is also asked in Malachi 3:1-3. 42:43 This is speaking about John the Baptist in its original context. 42:46 At the end of time it's God's people who prepare the way 42:49 for the coming of Christ. 42:57 He came in 1844 to judge the dead, but then He's 42:59 going to come to judge the living. 43:31 Notice Ellen White's comment. 43:34 "Says the prophet, 'Who may abide the day of His coming? 43:38 And who shall stand when He appeareth? 43:41 For He is like a refiner's fire and like fuller's soap. 43:44 And He shall sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver. 43:47 And He shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them 43:51 as gold and silver that they may offer unto the Lord 43:54 an offering in righteousness.'" 43:56 She's quoting the passage that we just read from Malachi. 43:59 And then comes her comment. 44:00 Those who are living upon the earth when the intercession 44:04 of Christ shall cease in the sanctuary above are to stand 44:08 in the sight of a holy God without a mediator. 44:12 Their robes must be spotless, their characters must be 44:17 purified from sin by the blood of sprinkling. 44:21 Through the grace of God and their own diligent effort..." 44:26 You say, "Oh, so it's 50/50." 44:30 Who gives us the ability to put forth efforts? 44:34 God does. 44:35 "Through the grace of God and their own diligent effort, 44:38 they must be..." What? 44:41 "...conquerors in the battle with evil. 44:45 While the investigative judgment is going forward in heaven, 44:48 while the sins of penitent believers are being removed 44:50 from the sanctuary, there is to be a special work 44:54 of purification, of putting away sin 44:59 among God's people upon earth. 45:02 This work is more clearly presented in the 45:04 messages of Revelation 14." 45:09 The beautiful thing is, folks, those individuals 45:13 who have this intimate relationship with Jesus Christ 45:17 is because they have spent time with Christ. 45:20 How do we come to know someone? 45:23 By spending time with them, right? 45:25 How do we come to know Jesus? 45:28 By spending time with Him in prayer, 45:31 in Bible study, talking about Him passionately. 45:36 You know, I also was a student in our university in Colombia. 45:40 I studied three years of my college down there. 45:42 There were eight of us in one room. 45:45 Because there were lots of students back then. 45:48 And I had a guy in our room that had this girlfriend. 45:53 And from the time that he came through the door 45:55 till the time that he left, 45:57 he was always talking about his girlfriend. 46:00 He just about drove us crazy. 46:02 "Oh, she's this. She's so beautiful for this. 46:04 And she did this and she did that." 46:07 Why did he talk so much about her? 46:10 Duh! Because he loved her. 46:12 So if we love Jesus, how is it that we don't tell anybody 46:14 that we love Jesus? 46:15 Why don't we witness about Jesus and say, 46:17 "Oh, you need to know my beloved Jesus." 46:20 See? 46:22 Isaiah 54:8-10 tells us that God will protect those 46:26 who have an intimate relationship with Christ 46:29 through Bible study, prayer, and through 46:31 talking to others about Jesus. 46:35 God is speaking here. 46:48 So He's referring to the days of Noah. 46:49 This is a reference to the second coming. 47:15 Isn't that a beautiful promise? 47:18 And then we have Psalm 46. 47:20 Oh, what a beautiful psalm. 47:22 It inspired Martin Luther to write, 47:24 "A mighty fortress is our God." 47:26 In fact, he's paraphrasing some of the phrases 47:28 that we find in Psalm 46. 47:31 And I'm going to read it. 47:38 This is the time of trouble. 47:47 Is this describing that time? 47:49 Yes. 47:50 "Though its waters roar and be troubled..." 47:53 That's Luke 21. 47:58 And then comes an interesting sudden contrast. 48:06 Suddenly there's a real peaceful scene here. 48:22 And then he goes back to the other thing he was talking to. 48:26 That was just a little parenthetical statement. 48:29 Once again now, the psalmist says... 49:07 These are the promises that we have to claim 49:10 during that period, because the whole world 49:13 will be allied against God's people. 49:17 Now do you remember in the introductory vision 49:20 that Jesus is seen as a lamb and a lion? 49:24 Let me ask you, in which way are a lamb and a lion similar? 49:30 They're totally opposites. 49:32 So how is it that Jesus can be presented 49:34 as a lamb and as a lion? 49:38 There's a paradox here. 49:40 On page 279, in, Sons and Daughters of God, page 358, 49:45 Ellen White wrote, "The Lion of Judah, 49:49 so terrible to the rejecters of His grace, 49:52 will be the Lamb of God to the obedient and faithful. 49:56 The pillar of fire that speaks terror and wrath 49:59 to the transgressor of God's law is a token of light and mercy 50:04 and deliverance to those who have kept His commandments. 50:07 The strong arm to smite the rebellious will be strong 50:13 to deliver the loyal." 50:16 In another statement, she wrote, Adventist Bible Commentary, 50:19 volume 5, page 1107, "The death of Christ 50:23 brings to the rejecter of His mercy the wrath and judgments 50:28 of God unmixed with mercy." 50:30 That's the plagues, isn't it, unmixed with mercy. 50:33 "This is..." What? "...the wrath of the Lamb." 50:38 Now the next paragraph is very important. 50:41 In the garden and on the cross, Jesus drank the cup of 50:45 the wrath of God without mixture? 50:48 Is that true? 50:50 John 18:11 Jesus speaks about drinking the cup 50:55 that His Father has given Him. 50:58 He drank it for how many people? 51:01 For every person who has ever lived. 51:04 Those who receive Jesus as personal Savior, 51:07 those who claim the life and the death of Christ, 51:11 will not have to drink the cup because 51:13 Christ drank the cup for them. 51:17 However, those who reject the cross of Jesus, 51:20 they reject Christ, they reject His drinking the cup 51:23 in their place, will have to drink their own cup 51:28 of the wrath of God without mixture of mercy. 51:34 The final page. 51:35 Now if Ellen White quotes Revelation 6:12-13 in, 51:39 Great Controversy, pages 303 and 333, 51:42 and then quotes Revelation 6:14-17 51:46 in, Great Controversy, pages 641-642, 51:49 then the sealing must take place in between these two periods. 51:53 And this is exactly the case. 51:55 So we know where the interlude fits, right? 51:58 It's the final sealing of those who are alive. 52:02 It is interesting to study the sequence of chapters 52:06 between pages 304 and 641. 52:09 Because wouldn't we expect the interlude to be between 52:12 page 333 and page 641? 52:16 Would we expect that Revelation 7 interlude 52:19 to fit in there somewhere? 52:20 Absolutely. 52:22 So what do we find in those chapters in between? 52:25 Well, Ellen White portrays William Miller. 52:31 What did William Miller announce? 52:33 The hour of His judgment. 52:36 We have chapters on the three angels' messages, 52:39 Jesus' work in the Most Holy Place, 52:42 the sealing, the close of probation, 52:45 and the time of trouble. 52:47 And then she expounds upon the last part of the sixth seal 52:50 in, Great Controversy, pages 641-642. 52:53 So if you want to know everything that's going to 52:55 happen between pages 333 and page 641, 53:00 all you have to do is study the chapters in between 53:02 and you'll get the full picture. 53:05 Thus, we must study the fifth and sixth seals together. 53:09 The sixth seal answers the pleas of the two groups 53:13 of martyrs in the fifth. 53:15 From 538 to 1798 God's martyrs were crying out for justice. 53:20 God gave those white robes and told them to rest a while 53:23 until the second group of martyrs is complete. 53:26 In 1844, the process of judging the little horn 53:30 and throwing out the verdicts of human courts began. 53:34 The judgment began with the dead who trusted in Jesus. 53:37 Including the martyrs, of course. 53:39 Then the judgment of the living will take place 53:41 at the very end of the judgment. 53:43 After God judges the dead and the living, 53:45 He will destroy the little horn at the second coming 53:49 and give His saints the kingdom. 53:51 Thus, God will have judged the little horn 53:53 and avenged His people. 53:57 And then what is going to happen? 53:59 Well, let's notice the last paragraph. 54:02 Ellen White quotes Revelation 7:9-17, 54:07 which speaks of the great multitude which no one 54:09 can number, and Revelation 14:1-5 54:13 in, Great Controversy, pages 648, 649, and 665. 54:20 On page 646, those who overcame receive from Jesus the crown, 54:28 the name, and the harp. 54:31 At this point, God's people have joined Jesus where? 54:36 On the throne, as was promised in Revelation 3:21. 54:41 Do you remember what Revelation 3:21 said? 54:44 "To him who overcomes, I will grant to sit with Me 54:49 on My throne, as I also overcame 54:52 and sat with My Father on His throne." 54:54 So what is the picture of the seals? 54:56 We still haven't dealt with the seventh seal 54:58 except very briefly. 55:00 Basically, the seven seals cover the period 55:05 from the inauguration of Christ through the events that 55:11 take place in Christian history, culminating with the sealing, 55:16 the time of trouble, and the second coming of Christ. 55:20 And what's going to happen with the overcomers? 55:23 Jesus came to this earth, overcame, 55:27 sat with His Father on His throne. 55:30 During the period of the seven seals, 55:32 actually the first six seals, what are God's people doing? 55:37 They're overcoming, right? 55:40 And then the great multitude, it says, 55:43 will be there at the throne. 55:45 In other words, the seven seals are the period 55:48 between the time when we overcome and finally sit 55:54 with Jesus on His throne. 55:58 So, what do you think? 56:02 Do you understand the seals a little bit better now? 56:06 You know, it's not just a whole bunch of symbolism 56:09 that nobody can understand. 56:11 All we have to do is look at the symbols, 56:14 we have to look at the context, we have to compare other verses, 56:20 we have to look at the structure, 56:22 the sequence of events, in other words. 56:25 And then all of the studies that we've done, 56:27 we put it all together and we have a mosaic. 56:30 We have a complete picture of exactly 56:33 what is going to transpire. 56:37 So the question is, who is going to be able to stand? 56:44 Folks, it is time for us to get serious about our 56:48 personal relationship with the Lord Jesus. 56:51 It's time for us to open the Scriptures and to 56:55 search the Scriptures, not read them. 56:57 Yeah, reading is okay, but search the Scriptures. 57:00 Feed ourselves with the Word. 57:03 Because the Word is bread. 57:05 Let the light come in so that it can shine through us. 57:09 It's also time for us to be a people of prayer. 57:13 You know, in prayer we speak to Jesus, 57:15 and in the Bible Jesus speaks to us. 57:18 And then it is also time for us to get off our warm chairs 57:25 and start telling people about the wonderful relationship 57:28 that we have with Jesus Christ. 57:31 And of course, we can't tell people about a wonderful 57:33 relationship unless we have it. 57:36 And so we live, I believe, in the last segments 57:40 of time, or of the history of the world. 57:44 Things are happening right and left which indicate 57:48 clearly that we are in the very threshold 57:52 of the final events of the book of Revelation. 57:54 So I trust that what we've studied will be a benefit 57:58 and an inspiration to us so that we will form this 58:02 deep profound relationship with Jesus. |
Revised 2022-03-21