Participants: Pastor Stephen Bohr
Series Code: CGC
Program Code: CGC000021S
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00:01 Music...
01:04 Pause... 01:12 Shall we bow our heads for prayer? 01:14 "Our loving Father, 01:16 we thank You so much for Your Word 01:23 which is a sure guide in a world of confusion and rebellion. 01:28 We ask for the guidance of Your Holy Spirit 01:31 as we study that great prophecy of Revelation 12, 01:35 we ask that You will teach us and give us understanding 01:40 that we might be willing to follow Your will, 01:43 we thank You Lord for hearing our prayer 01:46 for we ask it in Jesus' name, amen. " 01:49 We want to begin our study today 01:53 by reviewing what we studied in our last lecture. 01:57 If you remember, we studied the prophecy of Daniel chapter 2. 02:02 You remember that King Nebuchadnezzar had this dream 02:06 and in the dream he saw a gigantic image. 02:10 The head of the image was of gold, 02:13 the breast and the arms were of silver, 02:17 the belly was of bronze, 02:19 the legs were of iron 02:21 and the feet were of iron and clay 02:24 and then Nebuchadnezzar saw a gigantic stone 02:29 come from heaven and smite the image on its feet 02:35 and broke the image into smithereens 02:39 and then that stone became a mountain 02:43 which filled the whole earth. 02:45 Now, I'm going to review the sequence of nations 02:49 which are mentioned in Daniel chapter 2. 02:51 The head of gold represents the kingdom of Babylon 02:55 which governed from the year 605 till the year 539 B.C. 03:01 The breast and arms of silver represents the kingdom 03:06 of Medo-Persia 03:08 which governed from 539 to 331 B.C. 03:12 The belly of bronze represents the kingdom of Greece 03:19 which ruled from the year 331 till the year 168 B.C. 03:24 The fourth kingdom of iron represented by the legs 03:29 represents the iron monarchy of Rome, 03:33 in other words, the Roman Empire 03:35 and, of course, the feet of iron and clay... ten toes... 03:40 represent the divisions of Western Europe 03:44 but you'll notice that the divisions of Western Europe 03:47 are a continuation of Rome 03:49 because the feet have iron just like the legs have iron... 03:54 but this is a different kind of Rome... 03:56 it is a continuation of Rome 03:59 because it's the same iron as the legs 04:01 but it is a different kind of Rome 04:03 because it is a mixed Rome 04:06 and we studied in our last lecture 04:08 that the clay represents the church. 04:10 In other words, after the Roman Empire was split up, 04:13 you had a period where Church and State were joined together 04:18 and actually, that condition lasts 04:20 until the second coming of Jesus Christ. 04:24 Now, the kingdom that we're especially going to focus on 04:28 on our study today 04:29 is the fourth kingdom of Daniel chapter 2. 04:33 We're going to be quite a bit of time 04:37 in the image... the portion that has to do with the legs of iron. 04:43 Now, we need to look at some background 04:47 before we actually get into the study 04:50 of Revelation chapter 12. 04:51 Go with me, once again, to Genesis chapter 3 and verse 15, 04:56 that verse which has guided us in the study in this Seminar. 05:01 Genesis chapter 3 and verse 15... 05:05 very well-known verse, 05:07 God is speaking to the serpent and He says, 05:10 "And I will put enmity between you and the woman 05:14 and between your seed and her seed; 05:17 He... " that is the seed of the woman 05:21 "shall bruise your... " that is the serpent's head 05:24 and you shall bruise His heel. " 05:27 Four key elements in this verse. 05:30 Number 1: Enmity... 05:33 Number 2: A serpent... 05:35 Number 3: A woman... 05:38 and Number 4: Seed... 05:40 now, we're going to find that this verse 05:43 is in the background of Revelation chapter 12. 05:46 I want you to notice that in Genesis 3:15, 05:50 though there is warfare between the woman and the serpent, 05:54 the real warfare is between the seed of the woman 05:58 and the serpent 05:59 because the last part of the verse says, 06:01 He... the seed of the woman will bruise your head... 06:05 that is the head of the serpent 06:06 and the serpent will bruise His heel. 06:09 The war is between the seed of the woman 06:11 and the serpent 06:13 even though there is also warfare between the serpent 06:16 and the woman. 06:18 Now, we've also studied in our Seminar 06:21 that the devil tried to keep Jesus from coming 06:24 all throughout the Old Testament. 06:26 We had a whole lecture on all of the episodes 06:29 of the Old Testament which illustrate 06:31 how Satan tried to keep the seed from coming. 06:34 He did it by trying to kill the seed 06:37 and then he also did it by trying to corrupt the holy line 06:43 from which the seed would come 06:45 but folks, the devil was not able to interrupt 06:50 the plans of God. 06:52 In the fullness of time, Jesus came to this world 06:57 exactly the way God had prophesied 07:00 in Genesis chapter 3 and verse 15. 07:03 Now, there's one more thing that I want to notice 07:06 by means of introduction 07:08 before we get into a specific study of Revelation 12 07:12 and that is... that this chapter has three distinct stages, 07:18 the first stage is found in Revelation 12 07:22 and verses 1 through 5 07:25 and that is the stage where the dragon tries to kill 07:30 the seed of the woman. 07:32 By the way, that's clearly a reference to Genesis 3:15... 07:36 the dragon trying to kill the seed that is born of the woman, 07:41 that's the first stage. 07:42 The second stage is found in Revelation 12 and verse 6 07:47 and also verses 13 through 15. 07:50 In this stage, the child has already escaped 07:55 the grasp of the serpent 07:56 or the grasp of the dragon 07:58 and so, the dragon now goes after the woman 08:01 and the woman flees to the wilderness 08:03 where she has her place prepared for 1,260 days or years. 08:10 The third stage in this chapter is the final warfare 08:15 of the dragon against the seed of the seed... 08:18 the remnant of her seed 08:21 as it says in Revelation 12 and verse 17 08:24 and so, we find three distinct stages 08:27 of warfare in Revelation chapter 12. 08:31 First... the devil against the seed... 08:35 secondly... the devil on a serpent against the woman. 08:39 Third... the warfare of Satan 08:42 against the remnant of the woman's seed 08:45 and of course, the woman's seed is Jesus... 08:48 so the remnant of the woman's seed 08:50 would be the remnant of Jesus... 08:52 three distinct stages... I want you to remember these stages 08:56 because we're going to come back to them later on. 08:59 What I want you to notice 09:00 is that in all of these three stages, 09:04 it is the serpent or the dragon who is the... the perpetrator 09:10 of the events that are taking place. 09:12 Now, he uses human instruments 09:14 but really, he is the force behind... 09:17 he is the one who tries to kill the child... 09:19 he is the one who persecutes the woman 09:21 and he is the one who launches the final onslaught of warfare 09:27 against the remnant of the woman's seed. 09:29 Now we want to examine another Old Testament story 09:33 which forms the backdrop 09:35 specifically to the prophecy of Revelation chapter 12. 09:40 I'm referring to the story 09:43 of the exodus of Israel from Egypt. 09:46 Now you say, what possible relationship could there be 09:49 between Revelation chapter 12 09:52 and the exodus of Israel from Egypt. 09:55 Well, I believe that as we move along 09:58 in studying the exodus of Israel, 10:01 we're going to begin to see some interesting parallels 10:05 to Revelation chapter 12. 10:06 Now, time does not allow us to read all of the verses 10:12 which describe the exodus of Israel from Egypt. 10:15 In the handout that you will receive after the lecture today, 10:20 you have all of the Scripture references 10:22 with explanations about all that I'm going to share. 10:25 For now, what I want is for you to catch the picture 10:29 or the idea of what happened at the exodus 10:33 so that when we go to Revelation chapter 12, 10:37 you are able to see this backdrop. 10:39 Now, Exodus chapter 1... I'm going to mention the verses, 10:43 Exodus chapter 1 verses 13 and 14, 10:45 explains that Israel was in cruel and despotic bondage. 10:53 They had no way of escaping themselves... 10:56 they were slaves... 10:58 they had to serve Pharaoh day after day after day. 11:03 In fact, there in Exodus 1:13 and 14, 11:06 it uses the word "bitter" to describe their bondage 11:10 and so, in Exodus chapter 2 and verse 23 and 25, 11:13 we find that the people are moaning and groaning 11:18 and crying out 11:20 because they want a deliverer to be born 11:23 to lead them out from bondage 11:26 because they know that they cannot deliver themselves 11:29 because they are slaves 11:30 and it's interesting to notice in that passage, 11:33 in Exodus 2:23 to 25 11:35 that they... they're crying out... 11:37 I want you to remember that word, 11:39 they're crying out... they're groaning 11:41 because they want someone to deliver them from bondage. 11:44 Well, it just so happens that a deliverer was born in Egypt. 11:51 He was born of a woman... I want you to remember that... 11:54 the name of the woman was Jochebed... his mother 11:59 and so we find here a child... a man-child 12:04 who is going to be born of a woman 12:07 and he is going to be the deliverer of Israel from bondage 12:13 when they are crying out to God for deliverance 12:16 but there was one who did not want this child to survive, 12:22 he felt threatened by his existence 12:25 or by his potential existence, 12:27 and, of course, the name of that individual was Pharaoh. 12:31 Now, do you know that in the book of Ezekiel 12:35 chapter 29 and verse 3, Pharaoh... 12:39 and by the way, this is in the King James Version... 12:42 Pharaoh is called "the great dragon" 12:46 I want you to remember that, 12:48 Pharaoh is called the great dragon... 12:50 the New King James says, "the great monster. " 12:53 You know, if you read the Greek translation of the Old Testament 12:56 you'll find that the word there is the word "Drakon" 13:00 and so, we're dealing not with a monster as such, 13:05 we are dealing with a dragon. 13:07 So, Pharaoh is called "The Great Dragon" 13:10 and the Bible says that Pharaoh stands next to the woman, 13:15 so to speak... to devour this Child... 13:19 this Deliverer as soon as He is born. 13:23 Have you read this story? 13:26 Are you starting to catch an interesting picture here? 13:29 This is really the backdrop of Revelation chapter 12. 13:33 Now, it's interesting to notice how Pharaoh 13:38 tried to get rid of the Deliverer. 13:41 In Exodus chapter 1 and verse 22, 13:44 it says that Pharaoh had all of the male children 13:50 thrown into the Nile River. 13:54 In other words, he had all of the male children killed 13:58 in the hopes of also killing the Deliverer. 14:02 Now, I must make a parenthesis here 14:05 and explain to you that the devil had a greater agenda here 14:09 than just slaying Moses. 14:13 Did you know that approximately 400 years before this, 14:18 God had given a prophecy to Abraham? 14:21 It's found in Genesis chapter 15 and verses 13 through 15 14:25 and in that prophecy God had told Abraham 14:30 that the children of Israel were going to be sojourners 14:33 in the land of Egypt for 400 years 14:38 but that after the 400 years 14:40 God was going to deliver them from Egypt 14:44 and He was going to take them to Canaan. 14:48 Do you think the devil carefully calculated 14:52 when the 400 years began and when the 400 years ended? 14:57 Of course he did. 14:59 The devil did not want Israel to be delivered from bondage 15:03 because he knew that if Israel went to Canaan, 15:06 in Canaan... the Messiah would be born 15:09 and so he says, "I'm going to nip this in the bud... 15:12 I am going to kill the Deliverer 15:14 so that Israel cannot leave Egypt 15:16 and cannot enter Canaan 15:18 and that way, the Deliverer will not be born" 15:20 and Folks, it is no coincidence 15:22 that the Canaanites fought tooth and nail for the promised land. 15:28 This was not only their attitude... 15:31 it was Satan inspiring them 15:33 to resist Israel entering the Promised Land 15:36 because the devil knew that in that place, 15:39 the Messiah was going to be born 15:41 and he knew it because God had taken Abraham 15:44 out of Ur of the Chaldees and He took him to Haran 15:47 and then He took him to the Promised Land 15:49 and so, the devil says, 15:51 "I cannot allow a Deliverer to exist... 15:55 I must kill Him... I must nip this in the bud 15:58 and that way, Israel will remain in bondage. " 16:02 But it's interesting that Moses was preserved in Egypt, 16:08 his life was spared... 16:10 He was protected in the land of Egypt 16:13 and of course, we're told in Exodus 16:16 that he became the great deliverer 16:18 of the children of Israel. 16:20 In fact, the night that Israel was delivered, 16:24 I want you to notice... this is very interesting... 16:26 the night that Israel was delivered, 16:28 God told them as a sign of their deliverance 16:33 to sacrifice a lamb without blemish. 16:36 In other words, the sign of their deliverance 16:39 was the death of a perfect lamb 16:42 and when they sacrificed that lamb, 16:44 they were delivered from bondage to the literal Egyptians. 16:49 Now, there's much more that we need to say. 16:53 Before Israel entered the Promised Land, 16:57 Moses the deliverer died on the borders of Canaan. 17:03 The story of his death is found in Deuteronomy chapter 34 17:09 and I'm not going to go there, 17:10 I just want to mention the verses, 17:12 Deuteronomy 34:5 and 6, 17:14 there are two strange things about the death of Moses. 17:17 Number one, we are told in Deuteronomy 34 17:21 that God buried Moses 17:24 that He's the only person in the Bible that God ever buried. 17:27 We don't know of anyone else who God buried... 17:29 not even Jesus... 17:31 Jesus wasn't buried by His Father 17:33 but Moses was buried by God 17:36 and another interesting detail which is very strange 17:39 is the fact that it says there in Deuteronomy 34 17:42 that no one knew where his tomb was till that day. 17:47 Very unusual... 17:49 because the Jews marked the tombs of their heroes. 17:52 They knew exactly where Abraham was buried 17:55 in the Cave of Machpelah... 17:56 they knew where David was buried in Jerusalem 18:00 and also, probably where Daniel the prophet was buried 18:03 because an inscription has been found that says, 18:05 "Here lies Daniel the prophet" recently... 18:08 his... his body wasn't found but he inscription says 18:10 that Daniel was buried there. 18:12 The Jews marked the tombs of their heroes 18:15 but with Moses... God buried him 18:17 and nobody knew where his tomb was. 18:19 Do you know what happened when Moses died 18:23 according to Scripture? 18:24 He died... he was buried... 18:28 and when he was buried, we are told in the book of Jude 18:33 verse 9... 18:35 I only mention the verse because Jude only has one chapter, 18:38 Jude verse 9... 18:40 that there was a battle at the grave site of Moses. 18:44 It says there that Michael the Archangel 18:48 fought with Satan over the body of Moses. 18:55 Now, do you think that they were fighting for a dead corpse? 18:59 Do you think that every time a person dies, 19:02 Michael the Archangel and the devil fight over a dead body? 19:06 Obviously not. 19:08 By the way, that individual, Michael the Archangel 19:12 was none less than Jesus Christ Himself. 19:16 Now, let me explain that the Bible does not teach 19:19 that Michael the Archangel was the first creature of God 19:23 like some churches teach... 19:24 we believe that Michael the Archangel is Christ 19:28 but Christ is everlasting God... 19:31 He never had a beginning. 19:33 He is the great Angel of the Resurrection... 19:37 the great Messenger of the resurrection. 19:39 That's the reason why in 1st Thessalonians chapter 4 19:42 we're told that the Lord will descend with a shout... 19:44 the Lord Himself will descend with a shout... 19:47 with the voice of the Archangel and with the trumpet of God. 19:51 Notice that the Lord Himself 19:52 utters the voice of the Archangel 19:54 and so, there was this battle over the body of Moses 19:57 and actually Michael had come to resurrect Moses. 20:03 You say, "Now, how do you know that?" 20:05 Well, it's very, very simple. 20:07 In Matthew chapter 17 and verse 3, 20:11 we find the episode where Jesus was transfigured 20:15 on the Mount of Transfiguration 20:18 and we are told there as Jesus was being transfigured, 20:22 in other words, He was glorified there 20:25 and it says that His garment shone like the sun. 20:28 We're told that two individuals were sent to speak with Him. 20:32 One of them, of course, was Elijah 20:35 who was translated to heaven from among the living. 20:37 The other was Moses. 20:39 Now, what was Moses doing there 1,400 years after his death? 20:45 It must be that he resurrected 20:48 because if he didn't resurrect, 20:50 he could not have come to speak to Jesus. 20:53 In other words, Moses died... 20:57 once he had delivered Israel from Egypt... he died... 21:00 he was buried... 21:02 he resurrected and he ascended to heaven. 21:06 Now, let's summarize what we've studied about Moses. 21:11 Moses delivered literal Israel from literal bondage 21:15 in literal Egypt... 21:18 took them across a literal desert 21:20 to a literal land of Canaan. 21:22 They sacrificed a literal lamb. 21:25 Moses brought literal water from a literal rock 21:28 and literal bread from heaven. 21:30 A literal serpent was raised up in the literal desert 21:34 to prevent literal death from literal poisoning. 21:37 In other words, what happened in the Old Testament 21:41 was literal and local 21:43 but it symbolized future events 21:46 which would be spiritual and global. 21:49 In other words, we have in this episode of Moses 21:52 a prophecy of a far greater event 21:56 which was going to take place in the future 21:59 and which was foreshadowed by this experience 22:02 of Israel leaving the land of Egypt. 22:06 Are you clear on what we've spoken about so far? 22:10 You have the backdrop of Daniel 2, 22:14 don't forget that... the fourth kingdom of Daniel 2, 22:17 that's the key right now... 22:19 Rome... the Empire of Rome... the iron monarchy of Rome 22:24 that's the backdrop of which kingdom from the Old Testament? 22:28 The fourth kingdom of Daniel 2. 22:29 We have the backdrop of Genesis 3:15. 22:32 Let me ask you, "Do you have the same elements 22:34 in of the story of Moses that you have in Genesis 3:15? 22:37 Do you have enmity? 22:38 Yes you do. 22:40 Do you have a woman? 22:41 Yes... Jochebed. 22:43 Do you have a seed? 22:44 Yes... Moses. 22:46 Do you have the dragon wanting to kill the seed? 22:50 Absolutely... 22:51 and so, really, this story of the exodus from Egypt 22:55 is really a re-enactment of the story that is told 23:00 in Genesis 3 and verse 15. 23:02 Now let's go in our Bibles to Revelation chapter 12 23:06 and verses 1 through 5... 23:07 Revelation chapter 12 verses 1 through 5, 23:11 and I'm going to read this passage... 23:14 I'm actually going to read all five verses 23:16 and then we're going to study them more carefully. 23:20 It says here, 23:22 verse on screen... 23:35 now notice, there's a woman... 23:38 verse 2, 23:40 verse on screen... 23:47 So, do you have a seed in her womb? Yes... 23:52 okay... verse 3... 23:59 verse on screen... 24:05 verse 4... 24:08 "His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven" 24:10 speaks about his origin... 24:11 "and threw them to the earth... " 24:13 verse on screen. 24:35 Question... do you have a woman in this passage? 24:40 Yes, you do. 24:41 Do you have a dragon or a serpent in this passage? 24:46 Yes, we do. 24:47 Do you have enmity in this passage? 24:50 Absolutely. 24:52 And do you have in this passage 24:55 a seed which the woman is going to bring into the world? 24:59 Yes... this is really a development 25:03 in an unfolding of the prophecy 25:06 of Genesis chapter 3 and verse 15 25:10 and by the way, it is also a greater amplification 25:14 on a worldwide scale 25:17 of the experience that took place with Moses 25:20 when he delivered Israel from the land of Egypt. 25:23 By the way, do you know that the New Testament presents Jesus 25:27 as a new Moses or as One greater than Moses? 25:31 Notice the book of Hebrews chapter 3 and verses 1 and 2. 25:35 Hebrews chapter 3 and verses 1 and 2. 25:39 Here there's a comparison between Moses and Jesus. 25:44 It says there in verse 1... 25:46 verse on screen. 26:04 In other words, Moses was great 26:08 but Jesus is greater than Moses. 26:11 In fact, do you know that Moses 26:15 in Deuteronomy 18 verses 15 through 18 26:18 predicted that a prophet greater than himself would arise 26:21 and that Israel was to listen to that prophet 26:25 greater than himself. 26:27 If you read Acts chapter 3 and verses 22 to 26, 26:32 you'll discover that clearly in Acts 3:22 to 26, 26:37 Peter identifies Jesus as that prophet greater than Moses. 26:44 In other words, Jesus is going to do what Moses did 26:48 but on a much larger and greater scale. 26:52 Whereas Moses delivered literal Israel from literal bondage, 26:56 Jesus was going to deliver the human race 26:59 from spiritual bondage to sin. 27:01 Now, let's draw the parallel. 27:04 Go with me once again to Revelation chapter 12 27:08 and verses 1 and 2. 27:10 Revelation chapter 12 and verses 1 and 2. 27:14 We just read those verses but let's read them again. 27:17 Verse on screen. 27:33 You have a woman here in Revelation chapter 12 27:36 verses 1 and 2, 27:37 now, in the Old Testament you have a literal woman 27:40 who brings Moses into the world 27:42 but in Revelation chapter 12, the woman is symbolic. 27:47 What does the woman represent? 27:49 The woman represents the church. 27:52 The question is, "Which church... 27:54 the Old Testament church or the New Testament church?" 27:57 It has to be the Old Testament church 28:00 and you say, "How do we know that?" 28:03 Very simple, when John sees the woman, 28:06 she is with child but the child has not been born. 28:09 She's crying out in pain 28:11 because she wants this child to be delivered... 28:15 she wants this child to deliver God's people... 28:18 just like Israel in the Old Testament 28:20 was crying out for deliverance. 28:22 Now do you know that in the Old Testament 28:26 Israel is presented as the wife of God? 28:29 Notice what we find in Jeremiah 31 and verse 32... 28:34 Jeremiah 31 and verse 32, 28:38 This is speaking about the episode 28:40 that took place at Mount Sinai 28:42 and it says there... 28:44 actually, let's read verse 31 for the context, 28:47 "Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, 28:49 when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel 28:52 and with the house of Judah... 28:54 not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers 28:58 in the day that I took them by the hand 29:00 to lead them out of the land of Egypt... " 29:02 Now notice this... 29:04 "My covenant which they broke, though I was a... " what? 29:10 "though I was a husband to them... " 29:13 so, who is the husband of this woman? 29:16 The husband of this woman is God. 29:19 Who implanted Jesus in the womb of Mary? 29:23 God the Father did. 29:26 Are you with me or are you not with me? 29:29 In other words, the woman here represents 29:31 the Old Testament church culminating with Mary 29:35 who was a member of that church... so to speak. 29:39 By the way, in Jeremiah 6 and verse 2, 29:41 Israel is compared to a beautiful and delicate woman. 29:46 In other words, when you find in prophecy a woman, 29:50 it represents the church 29:52 and in the case of Revelation chapter 12, 29:55 this woman must represent God's church in the Old Testament 30:00 because when John sees the woman, 30:03 the child has not yet been born. 30:06 In other words, what John is seeing 30:09 is the Old Testament church moaning and groaning 30:14 and crying out in labor pains 30:16 because they want the Messiah to be born into the world 30:20 to deliver the human race from sin. 30:23 Now, you say, "How do you know 30:25 that is the Old Testament Church?" 30:27 Well, besides the fact that this... 30:29 that this woman has not had the child yet, 30:32 we have another clue that indicates 30:36 that this represents the Old Testament church. 30:38 Go with me to Genesis chapter 37 and verses 9 and 10, 30:43 Genesis 37 and verses 9 and 10. 30:47 It's speaking here about the sons of Jacob 30:50 and it's very interesting to notice a dream 30:54 that Joseph had. 30:55 Notice verse 9, 30:57 "Then he dreamed still another dream 31:00 and told it to his brothers, 31:01 and said, "Look, I have dreamed another dream. 31:06 And this time, the sun, moon, 31:09 and the eleven stars bowed down to me. " 31:14 What are the brothers of Joseph compared to? 31:19 They are compared to stars... 31:21 who would the twelfth star be? 31:23 It would be Joseph. 31:25 The sun would be Jacob... 31:29 and the moon would be his wife... 31:32 the 11 stars would be the brothers of Joseph 31:35 and the twelfth star would be Joseph. 31:38 So, what do the 12 stars represent? 31:41 They represent the sons of Jacob 31:44 which later became... what? 31:46 They became the tribes of Israel 31:48 which is God's Old Testament Church. 31:50 Are you following what I'm saying? 31:53 In fact, in Genesis 49 verse 28, 31:55 it says that the 12 sons of Jacob 31:58 became the 12 tribes of Israel. 32:01 Now, let me ask you, 32:03 "Were God's people in bondage 32:06 when Jesus was about to come to this world? 32:09 Yes, they were. 32:10 In bondage to what? 32:12 Are we talking literal bondage... 32:15 I mean, were they literally slaves of a slave master? 32:18 Absolutely not. 32:19 They were slaves to... what? 32:21 Slaves to sin. 32:22 Notice John chapter 8... 32:24 John chapter 8 and we'll read verse 34 to 36. 32:29 John 8:34 to 36. 32:32 Jesus is speaking to the Jews who were expecting the Messiah 32:36 and notice what he says in verse 34, 32:38 "Jesus answered them, 32:42 'Most assuredly, I say to you, 32:45 whoever commits sin is a... '" what? 32:49 "A slave of sin. 32:51 And a slave does not abide in the house forever, 32:55 but a son abides forever. 32:57 Therefore if the Son makes you free, 33:00 you shall be free indeed. " 33:04 So, were God's people in slavery or in bondage when Jesus came? 33:10 Absolutely. 33:11 Were they crying out for a deliverer? 33:13 Yes, they were waiting for the consolation of Israel 33:18 it says in Luke chapter one 33:20 and then, of course, Jesus is born 33:23 and what was He born for? 33:26 Matthew chapter 1 and verse 21 has the answer. 33:29 "You will call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people 33:38 from their... " what? 33:39 "He shall save His people from their sins. " 33:43 Was Jesus the Savior born into this world 33:46 to deliver His people from spiritual bondage to sin? 33:50 Were His people groaning and mourning 33:53 waiting for the Consolation of Israel? 33:55 Absolutely. 33:57 And by the way, Jesus is born during the time 33:59 of the legs of iron. 34:01 Don't forget that. 34:02 He's born during the period of the fourth kingdom 34:06 of Daniel chapter 2. 34:08 Now, let me ask you, when Jesus was born, 34:10 was somebody waiting for Him? 34:13 Did somebody know that He was going to be born? 34:17 Absolutely. 34:18 Notice Revelation chapter 12 and verses 3 and 4, 34:21 are you seeing the repetition of the Moses story? 34:24 Revelation chapter 12 and verses 3 and 4. 34:29 It says here... speaking about this dragon... 34:33 verse on screen... 34:41 "His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven... " 34:44 this speaks about his origin... where he came from 34:46 "and threw them to the earth. " 34:48 Verse on screen... 34:52 "to devour her Child as soon as He was born. " 34:56 What is the name of this individual 34:58 who wanted to devour the child? 35:01 The what? The great dragon. 35:04 Do you remember an Old Testament individual 35:07 who's called "The Great Dragon?" 35:08 Pharaoh. 35:10 Now, who really wanted the death of Jesus? 35:13 It was Satan... the great dragon. 35:16 Now, who was that great dragon? 35:19 Revelation chapter 12 and verse 9 has the answer. 35:23 Revelation chapter 12 and verse 9 35:25 tells us who this dragon was. 35:27 It says, "So the great dragon was cast out, 35:30 that serpent of old... " 35:32 or that ancient serpent... as it says in the King James 35:35 "called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; 35:38 he was cast to the earth, 35:40 and his angels were cast out with him. " 35:42 So, who was the dragon that stood next to the woman 35:45 to devour the child as soon as the child was born? 35:49 It was the great dragon... Satan the ancient serpent 35:54 which is a reference to Genesis chapter 3 and verse 15. 35:58 Now, how did the devil try and destroy Jesus? 36:01 The devil wanted to destroy Moses didn't he? 36:05 Who did the devil use to try and destroy Moses? 36:09 Pharaoh. 36:10 See, Pharaoh was the great dragon 36:12 because he was the instrument of the great dragon. 36:16 Let me ask you, "When Jesus was born, 36:19 was there also 'The Great Dragon' 36:22 who uses A Great Dragon to try and destroy Christ?" 36:26 Yes, what was the name of that individual? 36:29 He was called "Herod. " 36:31 You see that the devil has a seed? 36:33 Are you following me with Revelation... 36:36 with Genesis 3 verse 15? 36:38 The devil works through his... what? 36:40 Through his seed to destroy the woman's seed. 36:43 Now, notice Matthew chapter 2 and verses 13 through 15, 36:48 Matthew chapter 2 and verses 13 through 15. 36:53 Here we find the story 36:55 of how the devil tried to destroy Jesus... 36:57 he did not do it directly himself... 36:59 he did it through an instrument just like in the days of Moses. 37:02 It says in verse 13, "Now when they had departed, 37:05 behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, 37:08 saying, 'Arise, take the young child and his mother, 37:12 flee to Egypt... '" 37:13 Where was the life of Jesus preserved? 37:18 In... and of course that's all a coincidence... 37:20 In Egypt. 37:22 Where was the life of Moses preserved? 37:24 In Egypt... 37:25 and so it says, "Arise, take the young Child 37:28 and His mother, flee to Egypt, 37:30 and stay there until I bring you word; 37:33 for Herod will seek the young child to destroy Him. " 37:37 When he arose, he took the young Child 37:40 and His mother by night and departed for Egypt 37:42 and was there until the death of Herod, 37:46 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord 37:49 through the prophet, saying, 37:50 'Out of Egypt I called My Son. '" 37:53 Now, notice verse 16... 37:55 verse on screen... 38:17 Is he doing the same thing that Pharaoh did 38:21 in the Old Testament? 38:22 Yes, in the Old Testament, it was a figure 38:24 but in this case, it is the fulfillment of what we find 38:29 in the story of Moses. 38:30 Incidentally, do you know the devil tried to kill Jesus 38:36 on other occasions during His life? 38:38 He didn't only try to kill Jesus when Jesus was born. 38:41 Pause... 38:42 Do you remember, for example, 38:45 one time Jesus was preaching a sermon in Nazareth 38:47 and He said some very politically incorrect things? 38:49 The people shoved Him out of the synagogue 38:52 and they took Him to a precipice 38:54 and they wanted to throw Him over the precipice? 38:55 He disappeared from their midst... 38:58 He was actually... 38:59 He was actually covered by the angels 39:01 so that the people could not see Him. 39:02 Who do you suppose was behind that? 39:05 The devil. 39:07 You say, "Well, but if Jesus died, 39:09 He would save us from our sins. " 39:11 Listen, the only death that would count 39:13 would be if Jesus offered His life 39:15 not if the devil took His life 39:17 and the devil knew it, 39:19 so, he says, "If I am able to kill Him 39:21 before He gives His life, 39:22 I will be successful. " 39:25 Once the devil tried to drown Jesus in a storm. 39:28 He was sleeping in a boat. 39:30 See, we don't usually read these stories from this perspective. 39:33 We usually say that there was this bad storm, you know, 39:36 and Jesus calmed the storm. 39:37 Listen, the devil knew that Jesus was sleeping in that boat 39:40 and the devil wanted to drown Jesus 39:41 because it was not a time of storms... 39:43 because all of the fishing boats were on the lake in Galilee... 39:47 fishermen do not go out on to the lake 39:50 when it's stormy season... they simply don't 39:52 and so, this was a storm out of season. 39:54 On other occasions, 39:56 the devil had to... tried to have Jesus stoned... 39:59 on several occasions, people picked up stones to stone Jesus, 40:03 the devil was behind this 40:04 but all through the life of Jesus, 40:07 God the Father spared the life of Jesus. 40:10 The devil also tried to defeat Jesus 40:13 by infiltrating Him with sin. 40:16 Are you seeing the same two methods 40:19 that the devil used in the Old Testament? 40:21 Try and kill the seed... and try to corrupt the seed. 40:24 He did the same thing with Jesus. 40:27 He tried to kill Him repeatedly 40:29 and he tried to infect Jesus with the virus of sin 40:33 but every time that the devil tried to infect Jesus 40:36 with the virus of sin, 40:38 Jesus said, "It is written... " 40:41 and He resisted the temptations of Satan. 40:44 The devil also tried to get Jesus to retaliate. 40:49 You see, when Jesus is suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane, 40:53 when He's sweating drops of blood... 40:55 when Jesus is being beaten in Pilate's court 40:59 and in Herod's court... 41:02 the devil is doing this 41:04 because he wants Jesus to do one of two things, 41:07 he wants Jesus to retaliate and thus to sin 41:10 to deliver Himself. 41:12 Or, secondly, he wants Jesus to give up and to leave 41:15 and go back to heaven without redeeming the human race. 41:19 He does not want Jesus to go to the cross and die. 41:23 He's causing these sufferings 41:26 because he wants to bother Jesus so much 41:30 that Jesus will retaliate or Jesus will leave 41:33 when He sees that His disciples have forsaken Him... 41:35 that there's nobody with Him... 41:37 the devil is saying, "What's the use of you going through this, 41:40 nobody is going to be saved, 41:41 everybody has forsaken you, 41:42 go back to heaven where You're loved... " 41:44 but Jesus stuck with it 41:48 and the Bible tells us that Jesus died as the Passover Lamb. 41:54 Is that what will happen for the deliverance of Israel 41:57 in the Old Testament? 41:59 Notice 1st Corinthians chapter 5... 42:01 1st Corinthians chapter 5 and verse 7, 42:03 see, Jesus is repeating the history of Israel... 42:06 1st Corinthians chapter 5 and verse 7. 42:09 The Apostle Paul says this, 42:11 "Therefore purge out the old leaven, 42:14 that you may be a new lump, 42:17 since you truly are unleavened. 42:20 For indeed Christ, our Passover, 42:24 was sacrificed for us. " 42:27 And do you know what Jesus did when He died on the cross? 42:31 Notice, John chapter 12... 42:33 John chapter 12 and let's read verses 31 to 33, 42:38 John 12 verses 31 to 33 42:41 and I want you to notice the tense of the verse. 42:43 Jesus says, "Now is the judgment of this world... 42:47 verse on screen... 42:54 what tense is that verb? 42:56 "Now the ruler of this world will be cast out... " 43:02 Jesus had not died yet... 43:04 what was going to cast Him out? 43:06 Notice, it continues saying there in verse 32, 43:10 'And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, 43:13 will draw all peoples to Myself. ' 43:17 This He said, signifying by what death He would die. " 43:23 What was it that cast out Satan as the king of this world? 43:28 What returned the kingdom and the world back to Jesus? 43:31 It was the death of Jesus on the cross. 43:34 Now, we can remember Genesis 3:15. 43:37 God said that He was going to send a Seed to the world 43:40 and the Seed is going to crush the serpent's head 43:42 and just a few verses further down in verse 21, 43:46 God explains how that Seed is going to crush 43:50 the serpent's head. 43:51 It says in Genesis 3 verse 21 43:54 that lambs were sacrificed on that day 43:58 and from the skins of the sacrifice, 44:01 the nakedness of Adam and Eve was covered. 44:04 In other words, they returned to their original condition 44:07 and so, Genesis 3:15 says, "The Seed will crush your head" 44:11 verse 21 of chapter 3 explains that it's the death of the Lamb 44:16 that will crush the serpent's head. 44:18 In John chapter 12, Jesus says, 44:21 "The ruler of this world would be cast out... " 44:23 and then He explains how... 44:25 it's because He is going to... what? 44:27 Because He is going to die 44:29 and when Jesus on the cross said, "It is finished... " 44:34 He had won back the kingdom of this world 44:36 and He had won back the earth 44:39 to return to man who lost it originally. 44:44 Now, I want you to notice 44:45 Revelation chapter 12 and verse 5, 44:48 by the way, we all know that Jesus died, right? 44:50 Was He buried? 44:53 Was He buried? Yes, He was buried... 44:55 what happened the third day? He... what? 44:58 He rose from the dead. 45:01 Did that happen to Moses? 45:04 Yeah... what happened to Moses after he rose from the dead? 45:07 He ascended to... where? 45:10 To heaven. 45:11 Now, how about this male child 45:13 after He won the victory on the cross? 45:15 He's buried... He dies... He's buried... 45:20 and on the third day He... what? 45:22 He resurrects. 45:24 And where does He go? 45:26 Revelation chapter 12 and verse 5... 45:30 Revelation chapter 12 and verse 5, 45:33 it says here... 45:40 verse on screen... 45:47 Now, do you know how heaven felt 45:49 when Jesus got back to heaven? 45:52 Let's notice Revelation chapter 12... 45:55 Revelation chapter 12 45:57 and I would like to begin reading at verse 10... 46:00 Revelation chapter 12 and verse 10... 46:03 and I want you to notice the tense of the verbs here, 46:06 You see, in John 12, Jesus has not died yet, 46:09 He's pronouncing these words about Wednesday 46:12 before His crucifixion 46:13 and so, He says, 46:15 "Now is the judgment of this world; 46:16 now the prince of this world will be cast out. " 46:19 And then He says... he will be cast out by His death 46:23 but notice the tense of the verbs in Revelation chapter 12. 46:27 Jesus is now in heaven... 46:29 He's been caught up to God and to His throne. 46:32 Notice what it says in Revelation chapter 12 46:34 and verse 10... 46:40 verse on screen... 46:45 "and the power of His Christ have come... " 46:47 why is that? 46:49 "for the accuser of our brethren, 46:52 who accused them before our God day and night, 46:58 has been cast down... " 47:00 what tense is the verb? 47:03 past... because He's already died on the cross... 47:07 He's already died as the Passover Lamb... 47:09 He's already delivered His people from bondage 47:13 to the great dragon 47:15 and His people are on their way to Canaan 47:17 eventually some day to enter there. 47:20 Notice verse 11, 47:21 "They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb 47:24 and by the word of their testimony, 47:26 and they did not love their lives to the death. " 47:30 And now notice verse 12... 47:32 "Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them!" 47:38 Let's stop there... 47:40 what are the heavens supposed to do 47:41 because Jesus has cast down the ruler of this world 47:43 and now Jesus legally rules... 47:46 the heavens are supposed to... what? 47:48 Rejoice... 47:49 Why should they rejoice? 47:50 Because that pest can't go up there anymore... 47:53 the accuser of the brethren has been cast out. 47:57 Jesus is now the representative of this world. 48:00 Jesus, as the second Adam, has legally recovered the world. 48:04 He hasn't empirically taken it yet, 48:07 but legally in court, He has gained the world back 48:10 and so, it says here, "Rejoice, O heavens, 48:15 and you who dwell in them!" 48:17 But now notice... 48:18 "Woe... " did you catch that? 48:20 "Rejoice... Woe, 48:23 Rejoice... Woe... " 48:25 up there "rejoice... " down here... "woe... " 48:29 why woe on earth? 48:31 "Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea!" 48:36 That's us... 48:37 "For the devil has come down to you... " 48:40 because he's been cast down... 48:42 "having great... " what? 48:44 "great wrath, 48:46 because he knows that he has... " 48:50 but what? 48:51 "he has but a short time. " 48:54 Now, we need to quickly look at the final stages 48:59 of Revelation chapter 12. 49:01 We've only discussed the first stage up till now 49:04 and that's the one that I primarily wanted us 49:06 to understand 49:08 but there are two additional stages. 49:09 Let's go to Revelation chapter 12 and verse 6... 49:14 Revelation chapter 12 and verse 6, 49:17 what happens after this child ascends to heaven... 49:21 the dragon is furious... he's enraged... 49:23 he can't vent his rage upon the Child anymore, 49:26 because the Child beat him and he's back in heaven 49:29 so, what does the devil have to do? 49:31 He has to take second best... 49:33 and what is second best? 49:36 To go after the woman... 49:39 Notice verse 6... 49:41 "Then the woman... " 49:43 that is then... after the Child ascends to heaven, 49:46 verse on screen... 49:59 Where does the woman go? 50:02 She flees into the... what? 50:04 Into the wilderness 50:06 where God has prepared a place for her 50:08 and feature 1,260 days 50:12 which are really what? Years... 50:15 now the question is, why is she fleeing? 50:17 Who's persecuting her? 50:18 Well, later on in the chapter, 50:20 we have an explanation of this verse, 50:22 notice verse 13, 50:24 "Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth... " 50:28 does the persecution of the woman have anything to do 50:31 with the fact that the devil has been cast out 50:32 as the Ruler of this world? 50:34 He's filled with rage 50:36 because he doesn't have access to Jesus anymore, 50:37 so, it says, "Now when the dragon saw 50:39 verse on screen... 50:44 see, now the enmity is between the serpent and the woman. 50:47 Revelation 3:15... I mean Genesis 3:15 has that also, 50:51 the serpent and the woman are at war... 50:53 and the seed of the woman and the serpent are at war... 50:57 he already warred against the seed of the woman and lost, 51:00 so now, he goes after the woman 51:02 and notice verse 14... 51:09 verse on screen... 51:16 same elements as verse 6, right? 51:18 "where she is nourished for a time and times 51:22 and half a time, 51:24 from the presence of the serpent. 51:26 So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth... " 51:29 that's his peoples... his multitudes... 51:31 verse on screen... 51:39 and so, after the Child escapes, 51:41 is there a period where the dragon goes after the woman? 51:45 Yes, how long does he go after the woman? 51:48 1,260 years. 51:51 Would you think that this would be the period of the feet 51:54 of the mixture of Church and State? 51:56 All you have to do is look at history in the middle ages, 51:59 you see that was the... 52:00 the nominal church of the Middle Ages 52:03 that persecuted God's people who were in the wilderness 52:07 so to speak... the Waldenses 52:09 and the Albigenses and others had to flee 52:12 from the established church that wanted to destroy them 52:15 because the church said that they were heretics 52:18 and so, here you have the feet of iron and clay... 52:22 the mixture of Church and State. 52:23 Now, in Daniel 2, you don't have any specific time period 52:27 given to the feet, 52:28 but in our lecture on Daniel 7, 52:30 we are going to study how after this dragon 52:35 rules for a period, he's going to sprout ten horns 52:39 and then among the ten horns will rise a Little Horn 52:42 and the Little Horn will rule time, times... 52:46 and the dividing of time. 52:47 Revelation 12 is covering the same period as Daniel 2 52:51 and the same period as we will study 52:54 from Daniel chapter 7. 52:56 Now, I want you to notice... 52:58 we're not going to get into this in detail, 53:00 but when the woman is being persecuted, 53:02 she flees into the wilderness, 53:04 God maintains her there... 53:06 God feeds her there 53:08 but then suddenly, something comes to the rescue, 53:11 Revelation chapter 12 and verse 16 says, 53:15 "But the earth helped the woman 53:19 verse on screen. 53:28 Does persecution come to an end 53:31 yes or no? 53:33 Absolutely... 53:34 when would it come to an end? 53:35 It would have to be when the 1,260 years end. 53:38 Because the church... the woman is persecuted 53:41 for 1,260 years. 53:43 So, the earth helping the woman 53:46 must come after this period. 53:48 The earth swallows up the waters of persecution... 53:52 persecution ceases for a period. 53:55 Does it cease forever? 53:58 No... notice the third stage of Revelation 12 and verse 17, 54:03 this will be our final closing verse, 54:05 "And the dragon was enraged with the woman... " 54:09 why? because the earth helped the woman, right? 54:13 "was enraged with the woman... " 54:15 we'll talk about the earth later on in this Seminar... 54:17 "and he went to make... " what? 54:20 "war... " 54:21 and it says here in the New King James, 54:23 "with the rest of her offspring" 54:25 I like the King James Version, 54:26 it says, "with the remnant of her seed 54:29 who keep the commandments of God 54:32 and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. " 54:36 Do you have the same four elements in Revelation 12:17 54:41 as you have in Genesis 3:15? 54:42 Let's look at it, 54:45 do we have in Revelation 12:17, enmity? 54:49 Yes or no? 54:51 Absolutely. 54:52 Do we have in Revelation 12 verse 17, 54:56 a woman? 54:57 Yes we do. 54:59 Do we have in Revelation 12:17 a dragon or a serpent? 55:04 Yes. 55:05 Do we have in Revelation 12:17, a seed? 55:09 Yes, we do. 55:11 And by the way, 55:13 is not speaking about the seed of the woman, 55:15 it's talking about the seed's seed. 55:18 I'll let you digest that for a couple of seconds. 55:23 The warfare is not against the seed... 55:26 it's not even against the woman... 55:28 it's against the seed's seed. 55:32 The final remnant of the woman's seed. 55:35 Now, who is the woman's seed? 55:36 We already studied it, verses 1 through 5 says 55:40 that the seed of the woman that she bears is... what? 55:43 Jesus. 55:44 So, who must the remnant of her seed be? 55:47 If her seed is Jesus, it must be the remnant of... 55:51 Jesus... 55:53 You're not following me are you? 55:56 It's the remnant of Jesus. 55:58 So are there going to be Christians in this world 56:01 in the final persecution of Satan against the church? 56:03 Absolutely. 56:05 By the way, in John chapter 12 and verse 24, 56:10 Jesus says that unless the seed falls into the ground and dies, 56:14 it cannot bear fruit 56:16 but if it falls into the ground and dies, 56:20 it will grow into a plant and produce much fruit. 56:22 That seed was Jesus. 56:24 When Jesus died on the cross, He was planted in the earth... 56:28 He resurrected... He sprouted to new life... 56:32 the seed died and it sprouted 56:34 and now, because Jesus died and resurrected, 56:37 what is He going to bear? 56:39 He is going to bear many children... 56:42 the seed's seed if you please. 56:45 That's why in Galatians chapter 3 56:48 it says that Jesus is the seed of Abraham. 56:52 He's the only seed... 56:54 the promise was not made to seeds 56:56 but to the seed who is Christ. 56:58 But then, later on in the chapter is says, 56:59 verse on screen... 57:04 because when we join Jesus, we are the seed's seed 57:08 and the devil hates us as much as he hated Jesus 57:12 and so this verse is speaking about the final persecution 57:16 against the church at the very end of time 57:19 and we will study more about this 57:21 as we move along in this Seminar. |
Revised 2020-09-28