Participants: Stephen Bohr
Series Code: ASTPP
Program Code: ASTPP000004
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00:15 Let's bow our heads for prayer.
00:18 Our Father and our God, we convene once again 00:21 to open Your Holy Word which was inspired by the Holy Spirit. 00:26 We ask, Lord, that You will give us holy hands 00:30 as we handle Your Holy Word. 00:32 I ask, Lord, that You will bless us in our study 00:35 that we might rightly divide the word of truth. 00:39 Give us understanding, for as human beings 00:42 our understanding is so limited. 00:45 We thank You, Father, for the privilege of requesting 00:48 this favor of wisdom. 00:50 And we know that You will answer, because we 00:51 ask it in Jesus' name, amen. 00:56 Okay, let's turn in our material to the hand-out that says, 01:01 "Stephen Bohr's Notes on Daniel 2." 01:05 And what I want to do is go to the second page 01:09 where you find the subtitle, "The Meaning of the Dream." 01:14 Now I don't think that I have to explain the dream to you, 01:18 because Daniel 2 is a dream that is constantly studied 01:22 every time we have an evangelistic crusade. 01:26 But let me just review what we find in Daniel 2 01:29 so that we have a reference point for what we're 01:31 going to discuss this afternoon. 01:34 First of all, in Daniel 2 we have a head of gold. 01:36 What does the head of gold represent? 01:39 It represents Babylon. Very well. 01:41 Then we have a breast and arms of silver. 01:43 What do the breast and arms of silver represent? 01:46 They represent Medo-Persia. 01:47 Then we have the belly of bronze. 01:50 That represents Greece. 01:52 Then we have the legs of iron. 01:54 And the legs of iron represent the Roman Empire. 01:58 And then you come to the feet, and the feet have a mixture 02:03 of iron and clay. 02:05 And of course, we know that the feet have ten toes. 02:09 And the ten toes represent the ten divisions 02:12 of what use to be the ancient Roman Empire. 02:15 There's one point, however, that rarely is touched upon 02:20 in Seventh-day Adventist meetings or in 02:22 Seventh-day Adventist theology. 02:24 And that is the meaning of the mixture 02:27 of the iron and the clay. 02:29 We know that the ten toes represent the ten divisions 02:33 of western Europe, of what use to be the Roman Empire. 02:36 But we haven't dedicated much time to take a look 02:40 at the feet, and particularly the mixture 02:44 of the iron and the clay. 02:46 We simply say that the ten toes represent the ten divisions 02:49 of western Europe. 02:51 So let's take a look at what is meant by the feet. 02:56 And so now I'm at the subtitle that say, "The Feet." 02:59 And we're going to follow our material quite closely. 03:03 The iron already existed in the legs, correct? 03:07 So does Rome continue its existence in the feet? 03:12 But is it a different kind of Rome? 03:16 Yes, because it's not pure iron. 03:19 It's not a pure civil power. 03:21 It is a mixture of iron and clay. 03:24 So Rome continues in the feet, but a different kind of Rome, 03:30 a different type of Rome. 03:33 Now, the second point is that the clay is added to the feet. 03:38 Because the iron already existed before. 03:40 Are you with me? 03:41 The iron already existed before. 03:43 So what is added to the iron in the feet is the clay. 03:47 Exactly. 03:49 Point number three, the clay is a particular type of clay. 03:54 It is potter's clay. It is potter's clay. 04:00 Now let me ask you, does iron play a legitimate function? 04:05 Is it a valuable metal? 04:07 It most certainly is. 04:09 Is clay also a very valuable substance, yes or no? 04:18 Yeah, potter's clay is useful to make what? 04:21 Pottery. Yeah, it's very useful. 04:23 So iron is useful, and clay is also useful. 04:28 Where does the problem come in? 04:31 The problem comes in when you mix the two. 04:35 Iron as iron is good, and clay as clay is good. 04:38 The problem is when you mix or amalgamate 04:43 the iron and the clay. 04:44 That's where you have a problem, because both are weakened. 04:48 The iron is weakened, and the clay is weakened even more, 04:52 when you mix or blend the two. 04:56 Now, is everything in Daniel chapter 2 symbolic? 05:00 Let me ask you, is the gold symbolic? 05:03 Yes. Is the silver symbolic? 05:05 Yes. Is the bronze symbolic? 05:08 Yes. Is the iron symbolic? 05:10 Yes. Is the stone symbolic? 05:12 Yes. Is the mountain symbolic? 05:15 Yes. 05:16 But the clay isn't symbolic, right? 05:20 Would we expect the clay also to represent something? 05:24 Would we expect the clay to be symbolic as well? 05:28 Absolutely. 05:29 So the question is, what does the clay represent in the feet? 05:34 We know that Rome continues. 05:36 We know that Rome is divided into ten; 05:38 those are the ten toes. 05:39 But what does the clay specifically represent? 05:43 Well, I want to read a statement that we find from the 05:46 spirit of prophecy, which is actually on two pages 05:51 farther along in your material, 05:53 and then we'll come back to where we are now, 05:56 where it says, "Ellen White." 05:58 Do you see that there? 06:00 A couple of pages farther ahead, "Ellen White." 06:02 You know, for quite a long time I kind of 06:05 struggled with this statement. 06:07 And not because I don't believe in the spirit of prophecy, 06:09 but because I was wondering where 06:11 Ellen White was coming from. 06:12 I believe that what Ellen White says is found in Scripture. 06:16 And it's always my practice to try and find in Scripture 06:19 what is mentioned in the spirit of prophecy. 06:20 And I found this interesting statement from Ellen White, 06:23 and I asked myself, you know, where in the Bible do you 06:26 find this concept? 06:27 So let me read the statement from Ellen White, 06:29 and then we'll go back to what the Bible has to say. 06:32 This is found in volume 4 of the Bible Commentary, page 1168. 06:39 Ellen White states, "We have come to a time when 06:42 God's sacred work is represented by the feet of the image 06:46 in which the iron was mixed with the miry clay. 06:50 God has a people, a chosen people, whose discernment 06:53 must be sanctified, who must not become unholy by laying upon the 06:58 foundation wood, hay, and stubble. 07:00 Every soul who is loyal to the commandments of God 07:03 will see that the distinguishing feature of our faith 07:07 is the seventh-day Sabbath. 07:09 If the government would honor the Sabbath as 07:11 God has commanded..." 07:12 Now when it says that the government would honor 07:14 the Sabbath, it's not saying the government should 07:17 legislate the Sabbath. 07:18 It's that the government should allow people 07:20 to observe the Sabbath freely. 07:22 It should guarantee people's right to worship. 07:24 "If the government would honor the Sabbath 07:26 as God has commanded, it would stand in the strength of God 07:30 and in defense of the faith once delivered to the saints. 07:34 But statesmen..." 07:36 What are statesmen? 07:37 Politicians, right? 07:38 "But statesmen will uphold the spurious sabbath..." 07:41 That's where the problem comes in, when the 07:43 civil power becomes involved. 07:45 "...and will mingle their religious faith with the 07:47 observance of this child of the papacy, 07:50 placing it above the Sabbath which the Lord has sanctified 07:53 and blessed, setting it apart for man to keep holy, 07:56 as a sign between Him and His people 07:59 to a thousand generations." 08:01 Now listen carefully. 08:02 "The mingling of church-craft and state-craft 08:08 is represented by the iron and the clay." 08:13 Hmmm. 08:14 So what does the iron and clay represent? 08:16 The union of church and state. 08:19 That's right. 08:20 She continues saying, "This union is weakening 08:23 all the power of the churches. 08:25 This investing the church with the power of the state 08:30 will bring evil results. 08:32 Men have almost passed the point of God's forbearance. 08:35 They have invested their strength in politics, 08:38 and have united with the papacy. 08:41 But the time will come when God will punish those who have 08:44 made void His law, and their evil work 08:46 will recoil upon themselves." 08:49 So according to Ellen White, what is represented by the clay? 08:52 The clay is representing the church. 08:55 Because we know that the iron represents 08:57 the political Roman Empire. 08:58 So the clay represents the church. 09:01 Now you say, where in the world did Ellen White get this from? 09:04 Is this some unique revelation that Ellen White has 09:07 that is not found in Scripture? 09:09 Absolutely not. 09:11 So it sent me on a journey. 09:14 And where do you suppose I looked to try and discover 09:17 the meaning of potter's clay? 09:19 Ah, sola scriptura. 09:22 I said, let's check and see if there are any other places 09:25 in the Bible that used potter's clay symbolically. 09:31 And I went to Jeremiah 18. 09:33 Go with me to Jer... 09:34 Are you understanding how to use sola scriptura? 09:37 Now we need to connect apples with apples 09:40 and not apples with oranges. 09:42 We are connecting, the connection is potter's clay. 09:45 We're trying to discover what is symbolized 09:47 by the potter's clay. 09:48 Jeremiah 18 verses 1 to 6. 09:51 This is speaking about Israel; God's Old Testament church, 09:54 God's Old Testament people. 09:57 "The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, 10:02 'Arise, go down to...'" Where? 10:06 "'...go down to the potter's house, and there I will 10:12 cause you to hear My words.' 10:14 Then I went down to the potter's house, and there he was, 10:19 making something at the wheel. 10:22 And the vessel that he made of..." What? 10:26 Ah, we have two of the key words. 10:27 We have potter's and we have what? 10:29 Clay. 10:30 "And the vessel that he made of clay was marred 10:34 in the hand of the potter; so he made it again into 10:38 another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make." 10:42 Now let me give you a little historical background. 10:44 Jeremiah is writing right before the Babylonian captivity. 10:48 And he knows that Israel is going to 10:50 go captive for 70 years. 10:51 In fact, he prophesied that in Jeremiah 25:11-12 10:55 that Israel would go into captivity. 10:57 But he also stated that after the captivity, 11:00 Israel would come back to their land. 11:02 They would be re-established, they would be rebuilt, 11:04 so to speak. 11:06 So basically what he's saying is the vessel represents Israel. 11:10 In a moment we're going to read it. 11:12 The vessel of potter's clay represents Israel. 11:15 The shattering of the vessel represents 11:18 the Babylonian captivity. 11:20 And the restoring of the vessel, of making the vessel again, 11:24 represents the re-establishment of Israel after the captivity. 11:29 Now notice, clearly verse 6 has this meaning. 11:33 "'O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter?' 11:40 says the Lord. 11:42 'Look, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are you 11:47 in My hand, O house of Israel.'" 11:50 So what does the potter's clay represent in Jeremiah 18? 11:54 It is a symbol of Israel, God's Old Testament church, 11:59 or God's Old Testament people. 12:01 Are you seeing the point? 12:02 Now let's pursue it from another angle. 12:04 There's three angle's that we need to pursue 12:06 on this point. 12:07 Go with me to Genesis 2 verse 7. 12:09 And you'll say, "What in the world could Genesis 2 verse 7 12:12 have to do with any of this?" 12:14 You're going to see in a moment. 12:16 Genesis 2 verse 7. 12:18 It's speaking about the creation of man. 12:23 And it says there, "And the Lord God formed man of the..." What? 12:27 Of the dust of the ground. 12:29 How many of you have ever tried to form anything from dust? 12:33 You can't form anything from dust. 12:35 The dust falls apart. 12:37 But really, what God did was use wet dust. 12:41 Which we call potter's clay. 12:43 You say, "Where's that in the Bible?" 12:45 Notice just below that, Isaiah 64 and verse 8. 12:49 Isaiah 64 and verse 8 says, "But now, O Lord, 12:52 You are our Father; we are the clay, and You our potter; 12:59 and all we are the work of Your hand." 13:02 So God is the potter and we, our body, is the what? 13:06 Our body is the clay. 13:09 So go back to Genesis 2 verse 7. 13:12 It says, "The Lord God formed man of the 13:14 dust of the ground..." 13:15 And then there was something missing. 13:16 Were all of the body parts there? 13:19 Were all of the organs there? 13:21 All of the systems there? 13:23 Yes, but there was something lacking. 13:24 What was lacking so that the body could function, 13:26 so everything could function harmoniously as one? 13:30 They needed the breath of life. 13:32 And so it says, "...and breathed into his nostrils 13:35 the breath of life; and man became a living being." 13:41 Or a living soul, some versions say. 13:43 I'm reading the New King James. 13:45 It says living being. 13:46 So here you have God creating the body of man 13:51 out of potter's clay, according to Isaiah 64. 13:54 Then God gives the body the spirit. 13:56 And now all of the parts of the body 13:59 begin to function harmoniously. 14:02 Now this is literal language. 14:04 God literally created the body. 14:06 But let me ask you, spiritually what is the body of Christ? 14:11 The body of Christ spiritually is the church, is it not? 14:15 Notice Colossians chapter 1 and verse 18. 14:17 Because we're dealing with symbols in Daniel 2. 14:20 We're not dealing with literal. 14:21 We're dealing with, what does potter's clay represent. 14:25 And so it says in Colossians 1:18, 14:27 "And He," that is Jesus, "is the head of the body, the church, 14:30 who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, 14:33 that in all things He may have the preeminence." 14:36 So Jesus is the head of the what? 14:39 Of the body. And what is the body? 14:41 The body is the church. 14:43 Now question, did Jesus bring His church together 14:48 as a body before the day of Pentecost? 14:51 Yes He did. 14:53 When the day of Pentecost had fully come, 14:57 all of His followers were what? 14:59 In one accord. 15:01 The body that had different body parts all over the place... 15:04 Because, you know, everybody wanted to be number one 15:07 in the kingdom. 15:08 There was no unity of the body. 15:10 During those ten days the body comes into unity. 15:14 And now they're united. 15:15 But something is missing. What is missing? 15:18 Oh, you have to have the Spirit in the body. 15:21 And so we find in Acts chapter 2 and verses 2 through 4, 15:25 "And suddenly there came a sound from heaven 15:28 as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house 15:31 where they were sitting. 15:33 Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, 15:36 and one sat upon each of them. 15:38 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to 15:41 speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." 15:45 Question, did all the body parts now begin to function 15:48 in perfect harmony, each fulfilling their own 15:51 particular function? 15:52 Absolutely. 15:53 By the way, this body illustration is not mine. 15:57 It's the apostle Paul's. 15:59 Notice 1 Corinthians chapter 12 and verses 12 and 13. 16:03 The body is one, it has many members, 16:05 and each member fulfills its function. 16:08 And so it is with the church. 16:11 The church is one body, it has many members, 16:14 and the purpose of all of the members is to 16:16 function in perfect harmony. 16:18 So in other words, as the body of man is made 16:21 of potter's clay literally, the church is composed 16:25 of potter's clay spiritually. 16:28 Because the church is the body of Christ. 16:31 Now, notice 1 Corinthians 12:12-13. 16:35 "For as the body is one and has many members, 16:39 but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, 16:43 so also is Christ. 16:45 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, 16:48 whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, 16:51 and all have been made to drink into one Spirit." 16:55 And so using Genesis 2 verse 7, we notice that the 16:59 potter's clay, literally speaking, with which 17:01 God forms the body of man, is symbolic of 17:04 spiritual clay with which Jesus Christ forms His church. 17:08 And in fact, in Romans chapter 11 the church 17:11 is compared to fragile clay, interestingly enough. 17:16 Now let's pursue it from a third perspective. 17:18 Ezekiel 37, the famous valley of the dry bones. 17:23 Have you ever heard of the valley of the dry bones? 17:26 You know, you have all these body parts 17:27 strewn all over the valley. 17:29 They are totally lifeless. 17:31 And then Ezekiel is commanded to call what? 17:35 He's commanded to call the spirit. 17:36 But before he calls the spirit, what happens with all of the 17:39 parts of the body? 17:41 All of the parts of the body come together. 17:44 And they all, you know, they all fit one with the other. 17:49 And so the body is completely formed. 17:51 But something is missing even after the body is formed. 17:54 What is missing? 17:56 What is missing is the spirit, or the breath of life. 17:59 And so Ezekiel calls for the spirit, and the spirit enters 18:03 those bodies, and now you have an army. 18:06 Now what is represented by the valley of the dry bones? 18:09 Well we don't have to guess. 18:11 Ezekiel 37:10-11 tells us what it represents. 18:15 All the members of the body represent Israel, God's people. 18:21 See, once again, the body is symbolic of Israel, 18:24 of God's people. 18:26 So it says there in Ezekiel 37:10-11, 18:29 "So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath 18:32 came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, 18:36 an exceedingly great army. 18:38 Then He said to me..." 18:39 Now comes the meaning. 18:40 "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. 18:45 They indeed say, 'Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, 18:48 and we ourselves are cut off.'" 18:51 And so the mixture of iron and potter's clay 18:55 represents the union of God's people, the union of the church, 19:01 with the state. 19:03 Now let me ask you, is the church good as a church? 19:08 Yes. 19:09 Who created the church? 19:11 Jesus did. 19:13 Is the state good as the state? 19:16 Yes, Romans 13 says that God established the state. 19:20 It is God's minister, it even says in Romans chapter 13. 19:25 Church and state are good. 19:26 When does the problem appear? 19:30 When you take what needs to be separate, 19:32 caesar to caesar and God to God, when you take them and you what? 19:37 And you mingle them. 19:39 The result is apostasy. 19:41 Now in Revelation 17 we have the same lesson, 19:44 but with different symbols. 19:46 It's no longer iron and clay. 19:49 A different symbolism is used, 19:51 but it represents the same thing. 19:53 Go with me to Revelation 17 and verses 1 and 2. 19:58 It says there in Revelation 17 and verses 1 and 2, 20:02 "Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls 20:06 came and talked with me, saying to me, 'Come, I will show you 20:11 the judgment of..." What? 20:13 "...of the great harlot who sits on many waters..." 20:16 What does a woman represent in prophecy? 20:18 The church. 20:19 What does a harlot represent in Bible prophecy? 20:22 Represents an apostate church or an adulterous church. 20:27 Now let me ask you, what is it that made 20:28 this church adulterous? 20:33 What made her adulterous? 20:34 Well let's continue reading. 20:36 It says, "...with whom..." What? 20:39 "...the kings of the earth committed fornication, 20:44 and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk 20:46 with the wine of her fornication." 20:49 What made her a harlot? 20:51 Adulterous relationships with what? 20:54 With the kings of the earth. 20:55 Is that the same lesson as the mixture of iron and clay? 20:58 It most certainly is. 21:00 The mixture of iron and clay represents 21:02 the union of church and state. 21:04 And Revelation 17 explains that this means that the harlot, 21:09 the apostate church, fornicates with the political powers, 21:12 or with the kings of the earth. 21:14 So Revelation 17 is presenting the final stage of the 21:18 union of church and state. 21:19 See, Daniel chapter 2 is presenting the events 21:23 that take place during the middle ages, primarily. 21:25 Revelation 17 takes us to the time when the deadly wound 21:29 is healed, and once again the harlot joins with the 21:32 kings of the earth to oppress God's people by joining 21:35 church and state. 21:37 And so what is represented by the mixture of iron and clay? 21:42 What is represented is the union of church and state. 21:48 Just the way that Ellen White said that it represents. 21:53 So do we have to depend slavishly 21:55 on the spirit of prophecy? 21:57 I'm not saying that in a negative sense. 21:59 No, see Ellen White herself says, "When I say something, 22:02 go to the Bible and check it out and try and find 22:04 the meaning in the Bible. 22:05 And the point is that we can find that meaning 22:08 in Holy Scripture. 22:11 Now you can read the rest of this material. 22:14 I wanted to deal primarily with the issue 22:16 of the feet of the image. 22:17 Did you see how we used the sola scripture principle? 22:21 What did we do? 22:23 We took verses that refer to the same thing, 22:28 the same terminology, and we allowed those verses, 22:32 which the Holy Spirit put in Jeremiah, 22:34 the Holy Spirit put in Ezekiel 37, 22:36 the Holy Spirit put in 1 Corinthians 12, 22:39 and in Acts chapter 2, the Holy Spirit placed 22:42 all those verses in different places strategically 22:45 so that when we read, "iron and clay," 22:47 in Daniel chapter 2, we know what it means. 22:50 Because if you just read Daniel 2, 22:51 you don't know what it means. 22:54 Right? 22:55 But when you go to other passages from Scripture, 22:58 those passages help us interpret the meaning 23:01 of the mixture of iron and clay in Daniel chapter 2. 23:04 That is the sola scriptura principle. 23:08 Now let's go to the other material that you have, 23:10 which is, "Notes on Isaiah 24:21-23." 23:17 Once again illustrating the sola scriptura principle. 23:26 Now I'm going to follow the material quite closely. 23:29 And you'll be able to follow along. 23:31 It's only four pages long. 23:35 Isaiah 24 to 27 is what has been called, 23:38 the little apocalypse of the Old Testament; 23:41 the little book of Revelation in the Old Testament. 23:43 Because there are so many elements in these chapters 23:46 that are repeated in Revelation. 23:49 Now chapter 24 is describing the second coming of Jesus. 23:55 There's no doubt whatsoever about it when you 23:57 read the description that is being given. 23:59 In fact, let's read here Isaiah 24 and verses 1 to 4. 24:06 "Behold, the Lord makes the earth..." What? 24:11 "...empty and makes it waste, distorts its surface, 24:19 and scatters abroad its inhabitants. 24:23 And it shall be: as with the people, so with the priest; 24:26 as with the servant, so with his master; 24:29 as with the maid, so with her mistress; 24:31 as with the buyer, so with the seller; 24:34 as with the lender, so with the borrower; 24:36 as with the creditor, so with the debtor. 24:39 The land shall be utterly emptied and utterly plundered, 24:44 for the Lord has spoken this word. 24:46 The earth mourns and fades away, 24:48 the world languishes and fades away; 24:51 the haughty people of the earth languish." 24:53 Clearly, if you continue reading the chapter, you'll find 24:56 that this is a description of the cataclysmic 24:59 second coming of Christ. 25:01 I'd like to read a statement by Frederick Moriarty 25:06 in the Jerome Bible Commentary, volume 1, page 277. 25:10 He gives his opinion about what is being spoken of 25:15 in Isaiah chapter 24. 25:17 He says this, "God's Word had once established 25:22 order in the world; Genesis 1. 25:25 The picture," in Isaiah 24, "is that of a return 25:30 to primeval chaos." 25:34 In other words, and he's a Roman Catholic scholar 25:35 interestingly enough, he's saying the picture here 25:37 in Isaiah 24 is the return of the world to the condition 25:40 it was in before Genesis 1, before creation, 25:43 where the earth was without form and void. 25:47 So Isaiah 24 is describing the second coming of Christ. 25:51 Now let's read verses 18 to 20. 25:53 Isaiah 24 verses 18 through 20. 25:57 This sounds very familiar to Revelation chapter 6 26:02 where it speaks about people hiding in the caves 26:05 and crying for the mountains to fall on them. 26:07 Remember? Notice what it says here. 26:08 "And it shall be that he who flees from the noise of the fear 26:12 shall fall into the pit, and he who comes up from 26:16 the midst of the pit shall be caught in the snare." 26:18 In other words, there's no place to escape. 26:20 "For the windows from on high are open 26:23 and the foundations of the earth are shaken. 26:27 The earth is violently broken, the earth is split open, 26:31 the earth is shaken exceedingly. 26:33 The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, 26:37 and shall totter like a hut. 26:38 Its transgression shall be heavy upon it, 26:41 and it shall fall, and not rise again." 26:45 Quite a description, isn't it. 26:47 It's speaking about a global cataclysmic event; 26:49 the destruction at the second coming of Christ. 26:54 Now let's go to Isaiah 24 and verse 6. 26:58 When this happens... 27:01 And we discussed this a little bit earlier, 27:03 so I'll just review. 27:05 It says, "Therefore the curse has devoured the earth, 27:08 and those who dwell in it are desolate. 27:12 Therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, 27:17 and few men are left." 27:21 So let me ask, at the second coming who are the 27:23 few men who are left? 27:26 Are there any wicked men going to live on this planet 27:28 during the thousand years? 27:30 No, so who are the few men that are left? 27:33 The ones who are left are God's faithful people; 27:36 the remnant whom Jesus is going to take to heaven 27:40 with Him when He comes. 27:42 I mentioned Genesis chapter 7 verses 22 and 23. 27:45 That's where this terminology comes from. 27:48 Let's read that verse, verse 22 first of all. 27:51 It says, "So He destroyed all living things which were on 27:54 the face of the ground: both man and cattle, 27:58 creeping thing and bird of the air. 28:00 They were destroyed from the earth. 28:02 Only Noah and those who were with him 28:05 in the ark remained alive. 28:08 The English Standard Version, and well as many other 28:11 modern versions, say, "Only Noah was..." What? 28:15 "...was left, and those who were with him in the ark." 28:22 Now it's interesting that it says, "few men are left," right? 28:25 In Isaiah chapter 24? 28:28 Would it be good to look in a concordance for the word, "few?" 28:32 I think it would be a good idea. 28:34 It takes effort. 28:35 But, you know, if it's dealing with the same event, 28:38 the word, "few," might be significant. 28:40 Now, 1 Peter chapter 3 verse 20. 28:43 Who does the word, "few," refer to? 28:45 To the saved or to the lost? 28:47 It says there, speaking about the ark, 28:50 "...in which a..." What? 28:52 "...a few, that is, eight persons, were brought 28:56 safely through the water." 28:58 So who are the few who are left? 29:01 They're parallel to the few people who were in the ark, 29:05 the eight persons. 29:06 Are you following me or not? 29:08 Now, we need to go to verses 21 to 23, 29:12 because this is where we need to apply the 29:13 sola scripture principle in more detail. 29:18 Isaiah 24 verse 21 says something very interesting. 29:22 In this day when the cataclysmic event comes, 29:26 which is the second coming of Christ and everything 29:29 is in upheaval, something is going to happen. 29:33 Notice verse 21. 29:36 "It shall come to pass in that day..." 29:38 Which day? 29:40 Well, the day that's been described, right? 29:43 The second coming. 29:44 "...in that day the Lord will..." What? 29:47 "...punish the powers in the heaven above 29:51 and the kings on the earth below." 29:53 This is the Revised Standard Version. 29:55 See, I like to read many different versions, 29:57 then look at the original language to see which 29:59 is the best translation. 30:01 And let me interject something here. 30:02 There are people who say, "King James only. 30:05 If it was good enough for Christ, 30:06 it's good enough for me." 30:07 Well the King James didn't exist in the days of Christ. 30:10 Of course you know that. 30:12 I am more practical. 30:15 I believe that the King James manuscript trail 30:18 is the best manuscript trail. 30:20 I believe that the Textus Receptus is a good 30:23 manuscript trail. 30:25 And I believe that the King James Version 30:27 is a beautiful translation into Victorian English. 30:31 It is very beautiful. 30:33 But the King James Version has translation mistakes. 30:38 Now listen to what I said. 30:39 I said, "translation mistakes." 30:42 I'm not saying that the manuscripts are bad. 30:45 I'm saying that the King James translators 30:48 sometimes translated in a way that is not accurate with 30:54 the meaning of the words in those manuscripts 30:57 that they depend on. 30:58 You know, I'll give you an example. 31:01 In Scripture the word, "sheol," means, "grave." 31:06 And in the New Testament the equivalent word is, "hades," 31:09 which is used eleven times in the New Testament. 31:12 The King James almost in every single reference in the 31:15 Old Testament that you have the word, "sheol," 31:18 it translates, "hell." 31:21 And in the New Testament it translates the word, "hades," 31:25 "hell" also. 31:27 Now for Adventists, that creates all kinds of problems. 31:29 Because for example, when it speaks about 31:31 the burial of Jesus, Jesus says, "You will not leave My soul 31:35 in hell, nor will You allow Your holy One to see corruption." 31:39 "Wow, so Jesus went to hell. 31:41 'You will not leave Me in hell,' is what Jesus said." 31:44 So Jesus went to hell; that's what many Christians believe. 31:47 But when you read, for example, the New International Version, 31:50 which I don't think that the manuscripts that are used 31:52 are the best manuscripts, but the translation 31:54 is a good translation. 31:56 Because the NIV says, "You will not leave Me in the grave, 32:01 nor will You allow Your holy One to see corruption." 32:04 "You will not leave Me..." 32:05 The soul is, "Me," in other words. 32:07 And hell is not hell, it is the grave according to the NIV. 32:11 What is the best translation? 32:13 The best translation is the NIV translation. 32:17 So I want to make that clear. 32:19 I'm not encouraging you to think that the NIV, 32:24 you know, was revealed directly from heaven, 32:27 that God sent it somehow from heaven, 32:28 and that it's a flawless translation. 32:30 But sometimes the translation is better in some of 32:33 these modern versions. 32:34 Are you understanding what I'm saying? 32:36 Now notice then, that when Jesus comes 32:42 there will be a punishment for the powers in the heavens 32:45 and for the kings on the earth. 32:46 So there's a contrast between heaven and earth. 32:49 Now who are these in the heavens that will be punished? 32:53 Are they the good angels that are going to be punished? 32:55 No, who are these powers in the heavens? 32:58 Well let's read Ephesians 6 verse 12 to see 33:01 who the powers in the heavens are. 33:03 The apostle Paul says, "For we do not wrestle 33:05 against flesh and blood..." 33:07 What does that mean, "flesh and blood?" 33:09 Human beings, right? 33:11 We're not struggling against human beings. 33:13 "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, 33:15 but against principalities, against powers, 33:19 against the rulers of the darkness of this age, 33:23 against spiritual hosts of wickedness..." Where? 33:27 "...in the heavenly places." 33:30 So who are the powers on high, the heavenly powers, 33:33 that are going to be punished when Jesus comes? 33:36 They represent the hosts of wickedness; 33:39 Satan and his angels. 33:42 The notes says, in Scripture the heavenly hosts are angels. 33:46 The expression, "flesh and blood," refers to human beings. 33:50 The apostle Paul makes it clear that we are not 33:52 warring against human beings. 33:54 We are warring against heavenly powers. 33:57 Elsewhere the apostle Paul calls Satan, the prince of the 34:01 power of the... What? ...of the air. 34:03 So the hosts of heaven here refers to Satan and his angels. 34:08 They will be punished when Jesus comes. 34:14 So far so good? 34:16 Will the kings of the earth also be punished when Jesus comes? 34:19 Notice Revelation 19 verse 19. 34:22 Revelation 19 verse 19. 34:24 See, you have to look up all these things. 34:25 "Kings of the earth." 34:28 See, look up, "kings of the earth," 34:29 and see if it's in the same context in another place. 34:33 When it says, "powers in the heavens," look up those 34:36 key words in other verses to see if those other verses 34:40 deal with the same theme. 34:43 That's sola scriptura. 34:45 It takes effort and it takes time, 34:47 but it will be very rewarding. 34:49 So Revelation 19 verse 19, which is also describing 34:53 the second coming of Christ, "And I saw the beast..." 34:56 Who else? 34:58 "...and the kings of the earth, and their armies, 35:01 gathered together to make war against Him who sat 35:04 on the horse and against His army." 35:08 So are the kings of the earth going to be punished 35:10 also at the second coming of Christ? 35:12 Yes. 35:13 The heavenly powers and the kings of the earth, 35:16 according to Revelation 19 and verse 19. 35:20 They're going to be punished when Jesus comes 35:22 at His second coming. 35:23 Is that their final punishment? 35:25 No. 35:26 In fact, notice what their punishment is when Jesus comes. 35:30 That's in Isaiah 24 verse 22, the first part of the verse. 35:34 Here's the punishment, "They will be gathered together, 35:39 As what? 35:41 Prisoners. Oh, there's a key word. 35:45 When Jesus comes the host of the high ones, 35:49 or the heavenly beings, and the kings of the earth 35:52 "will be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered 35:56 in the pit, and will be shut up in the prison." 36:03 So what is this stage of punishment when Jesus comes? 36:07 The kings of the earth and the heavenly powers 36:11 are going to be punished. 36:12 And their punishment is that they're going to be 36:14 thrown into prison. 36:19 Now what does that mean, into prison? 36:21 What is meant by the word, "pit," that is used here? 36:26 Genesis 37:24. 36:28 In fact, it means two things. 36:29 It can mean that you're put some place to be retained 36:33 while you're alive, or it can refer to the grave 36:37 as a place where you're retained while you're dead. 36:40 That's interesting. 36:41 Let's notice, Genesis 37 verse 24. 36:44 Genesis chapter 37 and verse 24. 36:48 Speaking about Joseph it says, "Then they took him 36:52 and cast him into a..." What? 36:54 How do you suppose I found this verse? 36:59 I looked up the word, "pit," 37:02 in the concordance. 37:04 And the more you do it, the more you get use to it 37:06 and Bible study becomes exciting. 37:09 Because you see how the Holy Spirit put everything 37:11 in there that we need to explain every single text. 37:15 So it says, "And they took him and cast him into a pit. 37:18 And the pit was empty; there was no water in it." 37:20 Actually, it was a cistern where they threw Joseph in. 37:25 They did the same with Jeremiah. 37:26 Notice Jeremiah 38 and verse 6. 37:29 Jeremiah 38 and verse 6. 37:32 It says, "So they took Jeremiah and cast him into the dungeon 37:35 of Malchiah the king's son, which was in the court 37:39 of the prison..." 37:40 You know, that word, "dungeon," is really the same word, "pit," 37:45 in Hebrew. 37:46 So it says, "They took Jeremiah and cast him into the dungeon," 37:49 that is the pit, "of Malchiah the king's son, 37:52 which was in the court of the prison, 37:54 and they let Jeremiah down with ropes. 37:56 And in the dungeon there was no water, but mire. 37:59 So Jeremiah sank in the mire." 38:01 So what was this where he was placed? 38:04 It was a cistern that was pretty much dry. 38:08 Let's read the note. 38:10 Both Joseph and Jeremiah were cast into cisterns 38:13 in a living state. 38:15 Correct? 38:16 They were both alive. 38:18 The word, "pit," in Genesis and, "dungeon," in Jeremiah 38:21 translates the identical Hebrew word. 38:25 It is noteworthy that the pit was a place of 38:28 temporary confinement until a final decision could be made 38:33 on what to do with them. 38:36 You read the story of Joseph and the story of Jeremiah; 38:38 they were thrown in there until it could be decided 38:41 exactly what would be done permanently with them. 38:45 Now this word, "pit," can also be used to refer to 38:48 people who go down to the grave and are retained 38:51 dead in the grave. 38:52 Isaiah 38 and verse 18. 38:55 It says, "For sheol..." 38:57 That means, the grave. 38:59 "For sheol cannot thank You, death cannot praise You; 39:06 those who go down to the pit cannot hope for Your truth." 39:11 Do you see the three synonymous words? 39:14 Sheol, death, and what? And pit. 39:18 So can you be retained or can you be imprisoned 39:21 in the prison of death? 39:22 Yes, you can. 39:23 So this word, "pit," that is used in Isaiah 24 verse 22 39:27 is actually referring to a place of confinement. 39:31 A temporary place of confinement where you are either confined, 39:35 you know, in a living state or you're confined after death. 39:42 The pit is not only a place of confinement for the living. 39:45 The word is also used synonymously 39:47 with death and with the grave. 39:50 And we shall see in a moment that Satan and his angels 39:52 will be confined in the abyss in a living state. 39:55 And the kings of the earth will be confined 39:58 while they are dead. 40:00 Are you understanding me? 40:02 Now let's go to Revelation chapter 20 verses 2 and 3. 40:05 Where will the devil be placed immediately after the 40:08 second coming of Christ? 40:10 Where will the devil and his angels be placed? 40:13 Revelation only speaks... Listen. 40:14 Revelation only speaks about the devil. 40:16 You say, "Why does Revelation only say the devil 40:18 and not his angels?" 40:20 Because the ultimate instigator and originator of sin 40:23 is the devil, and that's the scapegoat ceremony. 40:25 You see, the other angels are not scapegoats. 40:28 And I don't like that word, "scapegoat," because it 40:30 gives you the impression that he's suffering for 40:33 something he didn't do. 40:34 We use the word, "scapegoat," in that sense. 40:37 But really, he's not a scapegoat in that sense. 40:40 He's very guilty of originating sin and perpetuating sin. 40:44 And so because Revelation 20, and when we study the 40:47 Sanctuary sequence we're going to notice that, 40:49 is the same thing as the Leviticus 16 Azazel ceremony, 40:53 or the ceremony of the scapegoat, 40:55 only Satan enters into perspective. 40:58 But Isaiah gives us the broader picture. 41:01 Let's notice verses 2 and 3. 41:04 This is after the second coming of Christ. 41:06 "He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, 41:10 who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; 41:16 and he cast him into the bottomless pit..." 41:20 You know, that's a Greek word, "abussos." 41:23 It's the identical word that is used in the Greek translation of 41:26 the Old Testament in Isaiah 24 and in Genesis chapter 1. 41:31 Very interesting. 41:32 When the earth was without form and void. 41:36 And so it says, "...he cast him into the bottomless pit," 41:39 or the abussos, "and shut him up..." 41:42 So is he going to be retained there? 41:44 Oh yeah. 41:45 "...and set a seal on him so that he should deceive 41:49 the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. 41:52 But after these things he must be released for a little while." 41:55 So is he cast into prison? 41:58 Ah, the devil is cast into prison. 41:59 He most certainly is. 42:01 Now, what about the wicked dead? 42:04 Are they going to remain dead during the thousand years? 42:07 Of course, they're going to be retained by the grave. 42:10 Notice chapter 20 and verse 5 of Revelation. 42:14 It says, "But the rest of the dead did not live again 42:19 until the thousand years were finished." 42:22 So are the dead also imprisoned? 42:25 They're in the prison of the grave. 42:27 Are Satan and his angels imprisoned? 42:31 They're imprisoned also in a living state. 42:33 See, the word can be used in both senses, 42:36 according to the verses that we noticed. 42:39 Now let's go back to Isaiah. 42:41 Let's go back to Isaiah 24 verse 22, 42:45 and we'll finish reading the verse. 42:47 Because we only read the first part of the verse. 42:49 It says in verse 22, speaking about the wicked, 42:53 and Satan and his angels, "They will be gathered together 42:56 as prisoners are gathered in the pit, 42:59 and will be shut up in the prison." 43:03 Now is that their final punishment? 43:05 No, notice the last part of the verse. 43:07 "And after many days they will be punished." 43:12 Now wait a minute. 43:13 How many stages of punishment are we talking about here? 43:18 Were they punished when Jesus came? 43:21 Did we read it, yes or no? 43:22 Are they punished when Jesus comes? 43:24 Yes. 43:25 But then it says, "After many days they will be..." What? 43:28 Punished. 43:29 So how many stages to their punishment? 43:31 There's two stages to their punishment. 43:33 And in between there are many days. 43:36 Now let me ask you, how many are those many days? 43:39 A thousand years. 43:42 Are you following me or not? 43:44 A thousand years are the many days. 43:47 And some people say... 43:48 And we'll come to this when we discuss the year/day principle. 43:50 That's one of the principles of prophetic study, 43:53 is that we need to understand that in apocalyptic prophecies, 43:56 a day stands for a year. 43:58 And so people say, "Well, if you Adventists say that a day 44:01 stands for a year, then you would have to say 44:03 that the 1000 years, if you apply the year/day principle, 44:06 is hundreds of thousands of years." 44:09 And my answer is, we don't have to apply the year/day principle 44:13 to the 1000 years because Isaiah does. 44:17 Because Isaiah says, "many days," where as 44:20 Revelation says, "a thousand years." 44:22 Days are years. 44:24 Are you with me? 44:25 The Bible itself provides the year/day principle 44:29 to this particular period of time. 44:31 And you'll have a chart that shows all of the parallels 44:34 between Revelation 20 and Isaiah chapter 24. 44:38 It's an amazing parallel. 44:40 But now let's finish this parallel. 44:42 So far so good? 44:44 Okay, now after the devil and his angels 44:51 are imprisoned and destroyed, and the wicked are destroyed, 44:55 then something happens. 44:58 It says that God makes a new heavens and a new earth. 45:01 Now let me explain something here. 45:03 When it says that God makes a new heavens and a new earth 45:06 in Revelation chapter 21 and verse 1, 45:09 that is the conclusion to chapter 20. 45:12 Because in chapter 20 you have the judgment. 45:15 You know, the dead stand before God, then the dead resurrect. 45:18 And they're shown the records. 45:19 And then after that Satan and his angels, and the wicked, 45:22 are cast into the lake of fire, which is the second death. 45:24 And then verse 1 says, "I saw a new heavens and a new earth." 45:27 So Revelation 21 verse 1 is really the conclusion 45:31 of chapter 20. 45:32 It takes you the full cycle until the moment when God 45:35 makes a new heavens and a new earth 45:36 after the wicked are destroyed. 45:39 Now verse 2 begins a new sequence. 45:42 And we're going to take a look at this when we deal with 45:44 how to take into account the structure of Revelation. 45:47 It's tricky. 45:49 But once you break the code, it's very simple to understand 45:53 the book of Revelation. 45:54 We haven't given enough importance to the study 45:56 of the literary structure; the sequence of events 46:00 and how the book of Revelation is organized, 46:03 how it is structured. 46:04 It's vitally important to know how it's structured. 46:07 Chapter 21 and verse 2 begins a new sequence. 46:11 Verse 2 says, "Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, 46:18 coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride 46:21 adorned for her husband. " 46:23 Now here's the big question. 46:25 Does the coming down of the New Jerusalem 46:27 happen before the destruction of the wicked 46:29 or after the destruction of the wicked? 46:33 We know it's before. 46:35 But if you follow the sequence here without taking into account 46:39 the literary structure, you get the impression 46:42 that the New Jerusalem descends after God makes 46:45 a new heavens and a new earth. 46:47 Are you following me or not? 46:48 I hope lunch isn't interfering with your thinking processes. 46:54 But if you take verse 2 chronologically after verse 1, 46:58 then you have to believe that the city descends after 47:01 God makes a new heavens and a new earth. 47:03 But we know that's not the case, because chapter 20 has said 47:06 that the city descended and the wicked surrounded the city. 47:10 So the city descends before God makes a 47:13 new heavens and a new earth. 47:14 So what happens? 47:15 Verse 2 begins a new cycle from the time that the city descends, 47:20 and then verse 8 ends the cycle by speaking about the wicked 47:23 being thrown into the lake of fire, which is the second death. 47:27 And so it's vitally important. 47:29 And we're going to dedicate a long time, 47:31 probably one whole day, we're going to deal with the issues 47:33 of how to study the literary structure 47:36 of the book of Revelation. 47:37 Because it's critically important. 47:38 So the New Jerusalem descends. 47:41 And then I want you to notice something very interesting 47:43 that happens here. 47:45 We're at the bottom of the page. 47:48 Actually, we're at the top of the last page. 47:57 See where it says, "The moon will be disgraced 48:00 and the sun ashamed, for the Lord of hosts 48:03 will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem 48:06 before His elders gloriously." 48:08 In other words, He's going to rule over all the 48:10 representatives of the worlds, of the universe. 48:13 Those are His elders; the 24 elders. 48:16 But you notice it says, the moon is going to be 48:18 disgraced and the sun is going to be ashamed 48:21 when God reigns in Jerusalem, on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem. 48:25 Now, here's the question. 48:29 Is there going to be a sun and moon in the new earth? 48:33 Of course there is. 48:35 Are we going to go worship from Sabbath to Sabbath? 48:38 So how can you have the Sabbath without a weekly cycle? 48:42 Are we going to eat from the tree of life every month? 48:45 Yeah, it says the tree produces its fruit every month. 48:48 If you have months, you must have weeks. 48:50 If you have weeks, you have days and you have years. 48:53 See, the problem is people misunderstand what eternity is. 48:56 Eternity is not timelessness. 48:59 Eternity is endless time. 49:03 For Plato and Socrates and the Greek philosophers 49:09 who believed in the immortality of the soul, 49:12 their idea was for the soul to escape the body 49:16 and go into a realm of timelessness. 49:19 Because when there's no time, then you don't remember 49:22 any of the events that took place while you were in time. 49:25 So the idea is to escape from time. 49:28 Because you escape all the memories that you had 49:30 when you were in time. 49:32 So the Greek view is that eternity is timelessness. 49:35 The biblical view is that eternity is endless time. 49:40 There's nothing wrong with time. 49:42 You see, the Greek philosophers didn't have the Bible. 49:44 So they saw matter, they said, "Time deteriorates matter. 49:48 So we've got to escape from time." 49:51 Isn't it true that time does a trick on you? 49:55 Have you looked in the mirror recently? 49:57 It does, it does. 49:59 And so they said the solution is to go to a realm 50:02 where there is no time and no space. 50:07 But they didn't realize that when God makes 50:11 a new heavens and a new earth, 50:13 He's going to give us immortal bodies. 50:15 And then time will not deteriorate matter. 50:20 So is there going to be a sun, is there going to be a moon? 50:23 Yes, but it says here that the moon will be disgraced 50:26 and the sun will be ashamed when God rules on Mount Zion 50:30 and in Jerusalem. 50:32 Let's go to Revelation chapter 21 and verse 23 50:34 to see what this means. 50:37 See, people, we need to read carefully. 50:40 People say, "Well Revelation 21:23 50:42 says there's not going to be any sun or moon there." 50:44 That's not what it says. 50:48 Let's read it carefully. 50:51 It says, "The city had no need..." 50:58 Where? 51:02 Had no need. 51:06 "...of the sun or the moon to shine in it, 51:08 for the glory of God illuminated it. 51:11 The Lamb is its light." 51:13 In other words, the glory of the Lamb is going to be so bright 51:15 that the sun and moon are going to be there, 51:18 but it's as if they were not there. 51:21 And let me give you an illustration. 51:22 Supposing, you know, it's July in Fresno. 51:26 110 degrees, radiant sun, not a cloud in the sky. 51:29 I'm here in downtown Fresno and I have a flashlight on, 51:33 and I'm walking down the street with my flashlight on. 51:38 And people say, "What's the matter with him? 51:40 This guy is insane." 51:42 Can you see the beam of the flashlight? 51:45 No, because the sun is so much brighter. 51:48 And yet the beam of the flashlight is shining. 51:53 That's what's going to happen in the city. 51:56 It doesn't say, all over the earth. 51:58 It says, in the city there is no need of sun or moon. 52:01 And that's what it means in Isaiah where it says 52:04 that the moon will be disgraced and the sun ashamed. 52:07 Jesus is going to say, "Step aside sun and moon. 52:11 Here is the glorious One." 52:17 When will Satan and his angels finally be punished? 52:21 Revelation 20:7-9 says that the city will be on the earth. 52:26 The wicked will surround the city. 52:30 Satan will be released from his prison. 52:32 Will the wicked be released from their prison too? 52:35 Satan and the wicked both released from their prison? 52:38 Absolutely. 52:39 What does it mean that they will be released from their prison? 52:41 It has to do with whether they're dead or alive. 52:44 When they're dead, they're in prison. 52:46 And when they're alive, they're released from their prison. 52:49 So it has to do, we say, with a chain of circumstances, yes. 52:52 And the chain of circumstances is the fact that you're dead. 52:57 The devil will be bound during the thousand years 52:59 because he doesn't have anybody to tempt. 53:02 He's lost all of his armies. 53:04 Can you imagine what it's going to be like 53:06 during the millennium for the devil just to sit here 53:08 a thousand years after being so active and causing 53:10 desolation and destruction? 53:12 You know, his power resides in the fact that 53:13 he's able to use people. 53:16 If he has no people, he's got no power. 53:19 And so God is going to say, "Devil, sit and look at 53:23 what you have done." 53:26 And he'll have a thousand years to look at what he has done. 53:29 That will be worse torture than if he was dead. 53:33 And then after the thousand years, the Bible tells us 53:37 that the devil, his angels, and the wicked will be destroyed. 53:41 And then God will make a new heavens and a new earth. 53:45 At the bottom of the last page, this is the life ever after. 53:52 Revelation 21 verse 1, which I mentioned was out of order. 53:55 It says, "Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, 53:58 for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. 54:01 And there was no more sea." 54:05 What will God do when He eradicates sin 54:08 from the universe? 54:10 Revelation 21 verse 4. 54:11 You know what, we misapply this verse sometimes. 54:14 You know, people ask me, "Are there going to be tears 54:16 during the millennium?" 54:18 I believe there will be tears during the millennium 54:22 as we open the records of our friends and our relatives 54:25 who are not there. 54:27 There will be tears. 54:28 This verse does not apply to events during the millennium. 54:32 It applies to the time when evil has been eradicated 54:35 from the universe. 54:37 Let's read it carefully. 54:38 It says, "And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; 54:43 there shall be no more pain, nor sorrow, nor crying. 54:47 There shall be no more death..." 54:49 Would that be true if the wicked are still being destroyed 54:51 outside the city? 54:52 Could it be said, "There will be no more death?" 54:54 No, because they're in the process of dying. 54:58 Could it be said, "For the former things 54:59 have passed away?" 55:01 No. 55:03 And so this verse is speaking about when God's people 55:06 are with Him in the kingdom, and then God wipes away 55:11 every tear from their eyes. 55:12 There'll be no more tears. 55:14 In fact, Isaiah 25 verse 8 contemplated this. 55:19 This is the little apocalypse, the little book of Revelation. 55:22 Beautiful verse. 55:24 It says, "He will swallow up death forever, 55:29 and the Lord will wipe away tears from all faces." 55:32 Now you know where Revelation 21 verse 4 comes from. 55:35 It comes from the little apocalypse 55:38 in the book of Isaiah. 55:40 And then it says, "The rebuke of His people 55:43 He will take away from the earth; 55:49 for the Lord has spoken." 55:51 In other words, you can take it to the bank, 55:53 because God said it. 55:54 When God says it, you can be sure that it's going to happen. 55:58 And then you have verse 23. 56:01 It says, "Then the moon will be disgraced and the sun ashamed; 56:06 for the Lord of hosts will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, 56:12 and before His..." What? 56:14 "...before His elders, gloriously." 56:20 Of course, His elders... 56:21 If any of you have watched the six part series that we produced 56:25 here at Secrets Unsealed, the elders are God's representatives 56:30 of all of the worlds that never sinned. 56:34 And of course, who will be the representative of this world? 56:38 Jesus, until... 56:40 Your answer was correct. 56:42 Jesus, until the two Adams meet. 56:46 And then Ellen White tells us that when the two Adams meet 56:50 they will embrace, and Adam will fall at the feet of Jesus. 56:54 He'll feel like he's nothing when he's seen the 56:57 whole history of the human race, what sin has caused. 57:00 And then Jesus will raise Adam up, and He will embrace him, 57:06 and He will say to Adam, "I am now restoring you 57:12 to your first dominion." 57:14 And then Adam will be restored once again to the position 57:17 that he had originally; the possession as the head 57:22 and representative of planet earth. 57:25 And then God's people will live with the Lord forever and ever 57:28 in a world where there will be no sin, no suffering, 57:31 no sorrow, no death. 57:34 Where everything will be perfect as it was God's ideal 57:38 at the very beginning of human history. 57:40 I hope that we're all looking forward to that wonderful day 57:43 when Jesus comes and that will be a reality. |
Revised 2015-01-13