Participants: Pr. Kenneth Cox
Series Code: GMTB
Program Code: GMTB000026
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00:20 If it is true
00:22 that the only thing worse than 00:24 nostalgia is amnesia, 00:26 then it also must be true 00:28 in a concomitant sense 00:30 that one of the greatest gifts 00:32 that God has been pleased to give to the human family 00:35 OTHER than salvation and Jesus 00:37 is the gift of prophecy. 00:39 In this word where so much is hazy and murky 00:44 and we don't know what the next day holds 00:47 it is comforting to know that thought we don't know 00:50 what tomorrow holds, we certainly do know 00:52 who holds tomorrow... 00:54 for the person who holds tomorrow is the same person 00:58 who holds... or held... yesterday 01:01 and all of our yesterdays 01:03 and yesterday and yesterday and yesterday. 01:07 The gift of prophecy is a fantastic study, 01:11 an interesting one. 01:12 And Elder Cox has been given a gift by God 01:16 to make that which is complex plain and simple. 01:21 And I think he's going to have to call upon that gift 01:23 this night as we look at what is an intriguing text of scripture, 01:28 and intriguing portion of the prophetic map 01:31 as we look at the two witnesses. 01:33 Under the concept, and I love this, 01:35 Was, Is Not, and Yet Is. 01:39 We have traveled through the Word of God 01:43 for five sessions. This is volume six. 01:46 We are just half way through, 01:48 and time has gone by so very, very fast. 01:50 And yet there is much ground to be covered, much to learn. 01:54 And our friend, our evangelist Kenneth Cox, will lead us 01:57 in that study this night. 01:58 And I know that when we shall have come to the end 02:01 of our study this night, this... two witnesses will be plain, 02:05 very, very plain, to us all. 02:07 My name is C.A. Murray, 02:08 and it is my privilege and pleasure to welcome you 02:11 to this year-long trek through the Word of God that 02:15 we are calling Give Me The Bible. 02:17 We're getting into deep water now, so we're asking you 02:19 to roll up your spiritual pant legs because we're in 02:22 deep water as we look at Was, Is Not, Yet Is: 02:27 the two witnesses. 02:28 But before we hear from Elder Cox 02:30 our good friend Larry Blackwell is here to give us 02:32 music ministry. He's going to be singing 02:35 The Hallelujah Chorus. 02:50 Hallelujah! Home at last! 02:54 The redeemed are home at last. 02:58 All heaven is filled with happiness 03:02 for the age of sin is past. 03:07 I see the gates as they open wide, 03:12 I see the saints as they walk inside 03:16 singing: Hallelujah! Home at last! 03:20 The redeemed are home at last. 03:25 Hallelujah! All day long 03:29 I can hear the angels sing. 03:33 Then suddenly I hear Moses' song 03:37 as the angels fold their wings. 03:42 I see the Lamb as He beckons me; 03:47 I hear Him say: "Come and dine with Me. " 03:50 Singing: Hallelujah! Home at last! 03:55 The redeemed are home at last. 03:59 See the lame come a'runnin; 04:03 hear the dumb sing the song of praise. 04:08 All the blind are outside seeing 04:12 while the old folk stand in place 04:16 around the great white throne near the King of Kings, 04:22 they clap their hands till the heavens ring. 04:25 Singing: Hallelujah! Home at last! 04:30 The redeemed are home at last. 04:34 See the lame come a'runnin; 04:38 hear the dumb sing the song of praise. 04:43 All the blind are outside seeing 04:47 while the old folk stand in place 04:51 around the great white throne near the King of Kings, 04:57 they clap their hands till the heavens ring. 05:00 Singing: Hallelujah! Praising Jesus. 05:05 Hallelujah! Troubles over! 05:10 Hallelujah! Home at last! 05:14 The redeemed are home 05:20 at 05:22 last. 05:29 Amen! 05:32 Thank you, Larry Blackwell. You enjoy that? 05:35 That's great. 05:37 Well, we want to welcome all of you back. 05:40 Appreciate you being here tonight. 05:42 Those of you that are watching by television or listening on 05:45 the radio, glad to welcome you 05:48 again to Give Me The Bible. 05:50 This is a series in which we're 05:53 going through different Bible 05:55 subjects and we're taking 05:57 five nights on a subject so that when you're through 06:02 you should understand what the Bible has to say 06:04 about that subject. So we hope that it's helpful to you. 06:08 Hope that you're enjoying it and that you're getting an idea 06:11 what the scripture has to say about it. 06:14 This presentation or this series 06:16 is again on Bible prophecy. 06:19 We spent last presentation, or the last series, 06:23 on Five Have Fallen. 06:26 We talked about prophecy. We're continuing that tonight 06:30 so that you'll be able to see what's happening. 06:33 What says the Bible, the blessed Bible? 06:36 This should my only question be. 06:40 Prophecy is fulfilling... the end is nearing. 06:44 What says the Book of God to me? 06:47 That's what we want to find out 06:49 as we take a look at God's Word. 06:51 So we're glad you're here. 06:53 Hope that it will help you as you study 06:55 particularly the books of Daniel and Revelation. 06:58 Now, tomorrow night. Tomorrow night our subject is 07:03 The Beast from the Bottomless Pit. 07:06 That will be our next presentation. 07:07 The Beast from the Bottomless Pit. 07:10 And as you have found out as we studied prophecy, 07:13 God uses beasts to represent nations or powers. 07:17 So this is the next one we're going to be talking about. 07:19 Actually, tonight's presentation 07:23 and tomorrow night's presentation both go together. 07:26 They're both on the 11th chapter of Revelation. 07:31 So we're putting that all together, and we hope 07:34 that it will help you see the - how shall I say - the accuracy 07:40 of God's Word. 07:41 How that God tells us things are going to happen 07:44 and, folks, it takes place just exactly as God says. 07:49 So you want to be sure and follow it as we go through it 07:53 step by step. Tonight we're talking about the two witnesses. 07:57 In Revelation the 11th chapter there are two witnesses. 08:00 So what are you looking for? 08:02 You want to find out who are they. 08:05 Who are these two witnesses? 08:07 What do they do? 08:09 What does the Bible talk about them? 08:11 When did they exist? 08:13 What took place? That's what we're going to look at 08:15 when we talk about the two witnesses. 08:17 So be sure, follow as we go along. 08:21 Take a look at Bible prophecy. 08:23 So again, we're glad you're back with us. 08:25 We hope that you'll be blessed in a special way. 08:28 We're very happy to have Larry Blackwell with us. 08:30 Larry helps us in our crusades 08:33 that we hold from place to place. 08:36 Always an inspiration. We enjoy having him with us. 08:39 He's going to sing for you the song "Who Am I. " 09:09 When I think of how 09:14 He left His home in glory. 09:22 Came to dwell among 09:27 the lowly such as I. 09:36 To suffer shame 09:39 and such disgrace... 09:43 on Mount Calvary take my place. 09:49 Then I ask 09:52 myself the question: 09:56 Who am I? 10:03 Who am I that the King 10:09 would bleed and die for? 10:16 Who am I 10:20 that He would pray 10:23 "Not My will, Thine" for? 10:30 The answer: 10:32 I may never know 10:37 why He ever 10:40 loved me so. 10:43 But to an old rugged cross 10:48 He'd go 10:50 for who am I. 11:04 When I'm reminded 11:07 of His words 11:10 "I'll leave you never. 11:16 Just be true; 11:20 I'll give to you 11:24 a life forever. " 11:31 I wonder what 11:34 I could have done 11:38 to deserve 11:41 God's Only Son. 11:45 Fight my battles all 11:49 till they're won. 11:51 Who am I? 11:57 Oh, who am I 12:01 that a King 12:04 would bleed and die for? 12:11 Who am I 12:15 that He would pray 12:18 "Not My will, Thine" for? 12:24 The answer: 12:27 I may never know 12:32 why He ever loved 12:37 me so. 12:38 But to an old rugged cross 12:43 He'd go. 12:45 Oh, His love 12:48 He would bestow. 12:52 But to an old rugged cross 12:56 He'd go 12:58 for who am I. 13:06 Who am 13:09 I? 13:32 Our Heavenly Father, 13:34 we come to You this evening 13:37 opening our hearts. 13:41 Inviting the Holy Spirit to guide, 13:46 to lead, to impress us. 13:49 To give us understanding. 13:51 We pray Lord that we each may listen carefully. 13:57 That we might comprehend 14:00 and that we might renew our dedication, 14:06 our consecration to You. 14:08 And Lord, if we haven't known You, 14:11 help us to see what You have done 14:16 and give our hearts to You tonight. 14:19 We pray in Christ's name, Amen. 14:30 The last series that we did 14:34 we were looking at Revelation the 17th chapter 14:38 if you remember. And in this 17th chapter 14:42 it said this: 14:56 And you remember we looked at those five. 14:58 That's what the last series was about. 15:00 Five Have Fallen. We took it step by step. 15:05 and showed you those five that have fallen. 15:07 And then it says "One is. " 15:10 That's where we are tonight. 15:12 We are identifying the "One is, " and that will take us 15:16 tonight and tomorrow night. 15:19 Both presentations to cover that subject of "One Is. " 15:22 So that's what you want to look at. 15:24 The other is not yet come, and 15:26 we'll be going to that one. 15:31 So what we're endeavoring to do 15:34 is to explain Revelation the 17th chapter because 15:39 the 17th chapter of Revelation is where it ends. As far as 15:43 the nations are concerned and beasts are concerned, 15:46 that's the last chapter. 15:48 It mentions those, so it's important that we understand 15:51 what is happening right down at the end. 15:54 That's the reason we're looking at this tonight. 15:56 We hope that it will help you. 15:58 And as we studied the Five Haven Fallen, 16:00 you remember the first nation that we looked at was Babylon. 16:04 Babylon existed from 609 BC to 539 BC. 16:09 This was the power of Babylon, 16:12 and you remember it was pictured in Daniel 7 as the lion. 16:17 And Babylon fell to Medo-Persia. 16:22 And Medo-Persia is pictured in Daniel the 7th chapter 16:26 as the bear. 16:27 And Medo-Persia went from 539 BC to 331 BC. 16:33 And this power overthrew Babylon and ruled. 16:38 And then we find that Medo-Persia was overthrown by 16:41 Greece. Yes, Greece overthrew 16:46 Medo-Persia 331 BC and went to 168 BC. 16:52 And you remember it was under the leadership of 16:54 Alexander the Great. 16:55 And he conquered everything that he could lay his hands on 16:59 by the age of 31 and wept 17:02 because there was nothing else to conquer. 17:04 That's why that beast had four wings. 17:06 Represented the swiftness with which Alexander the Great 17:09 went across the world. And the four heads 17:12 represented his four generals that the kingdom was given to 17:16 when Alexander the Great died. 17:18 But Greece came to an end, 17:22 and Greece was overthrown by pagan Rome. 17:26 Pagan Rome went from 168 BC 17:31 to 476 AD. 17:34 Rome - pictured as the iron monarchy of Rome - 17:38 it talks about this dragon that had great iron teeth. 17:42 And it crushed everything that was before it. 17:44 Rome fell 476 AD 17:49 and she fell to papal Rome. 17:53 Papal Rome came up 538 AD 17:57 and would go to 1798 AD. 18:01 That was the period of time of papal Rome. 18:05 And so we have Five Have Fallen. 18:09 Those are the five that we've already looked at. 18:12 And I'd encourage you to go back and review 18:15 what we have looked at if some of it's not clear to you. 18:18 OK. Tonight we're taking a look at One Is. 18:22 And as I told you, this one will take tonight's presentation 18:27 and tomorrow night's presentation to cover it 18:31 because it's got lots of material in it. 18:33 We have to put a lot of things together to help you understand 18:36 as we take a look at this beast in Revelation the 11th chapter. 18:41 One that not much is said about 18:45 but a very, very important one. 18:47 So let's go to the 11th chapter of Revelation. 18:50 See what it has to say about it. Revelation the 11th chapter 18:53 verse 7. And it says: 18:57 Now we'll come back to that 18:59 and establish who they are. OK... 19:12 Now you find that this is talking about the two witnesses. 19:17 That's who it's talking about. 19:19 And in verse 3 it describes these two witnesses and says: 19:32 So the scripture is telling us 19:34 that this beast that comes out of the bottomless pit 19:37 is going to make war with the two witnesses 19:40 and it will overcome them and kill them. 19:44 And it says in the scripture that they "will prophesy 19:48 for 1,260 days clothed in sackcloth. " 19:54 So what we're going to do tonight is we're going to go 19:57 back to the 11th chapter and start with verse 1 20:00 and we're going to read to verse 7 so you kind of get 20:04 the picture of what's happening. 20:06 So let's take a look and see what it's telling us here. 20:19 So the angel is told to measure this place. 20:38 So here you have two time prophecies. 20:40 You have 1,260 days 20:44 and you have 42 months. 20:46 Both those are mentioned here as we are reading. 20:57 So these two witnesses are going to prophesy 21:00 for 1,260 days clothed in sackcloth... 21:04 or - if you please - for 42 months. 21:07 Same period of time. 21:09 Now, let's begin to identify who they are. 21:12 "These are two... " Strange! Two witnesses... 21:27 So it says these two witnesses, two olive trees, 21:30 two lampstands that are standing there before God. 22:01 So these two witnesses have the power 22:05 to turn water into blood. 22:07 To strike the earth with plagues. 22:10 What it's saying. 22:12 Goes on: 22:25 OK, so we've looked at these... 22:28 Now let's see if we can begin to identify who they are: 22:31 these two witnesses. 22:33 Who are the two witnesses it's talking about here? 22:45 Now folks, if you're going to understand the Bible, 22:51 you've got to go to the scripture 22:54 and let it interpret itself. 22:57 I want to say that again. 22:59 If you're going to understand scripture, 23:02 you're going to have to go to the Bible 23:04 and let it interpret itself. 23:06 Like on this subject we're studying tonight, 23:08 you hear all kinds of things said about it. 23:12 The problem is, it's most of it or all of it is speculation. 23:16 And the moment you enter into speculation 23:19 you can say anything you want to. 23:22 You've got to go to God's Word 23:24 and say is there somewhere where the scripture will identify this 23:28 and tell me what it's talking about. 23:30 Can I find that? Yes, you can! 23:32 Are these two olive trees, these two lampstands 23:36 mentioned other places in God's Word? 23:38 Well yes they are. They're found in Zechariah. 23:41 Zechariah the 4th chapter verse 1. 24:16 So here you have them. 24:17 You have the two olive trees; you have the lampstands... 24:21 just like is mentioned there in the 11th chapter of Revelation. 24:24 Watch as it continues: 24:33 Asked him the question: Who are these - if you please - 24:37 two witnesses? Who are these two olive trees? 24:39 These two lampstands? 25:03 Now he said: "Who are these? " 25:05 Said: "Well this is the Word of the Lord to Zerubbabel. 25:08 Not my might, nor by power, 25:12 but by My Spirit saith the Lord. " 25:15 All right. Let's see what it's talking about here. 25:24 What are they? What are they supposed to do? 25:27 We've got two olive trees; 25:29 we've got two lampstands here. 25:31 What's the purpose of these two? 25:33 What are they supposed to do? 25:34 Well the scripture tells us 25:36 very clearly what they do... 25:38 what they accomplish. Watch: 26:02 Getting the picture? 26:04 Here you've got the two olive trees. 26:06 From those two olive trees drips oil 26:10 into the pipes that flow to the lampstands. 26:16 OK? Why do you think they're going there? 26:19 Why is oil dripping off of those two olive trees 26:24 into the receptacle onto the lampstand. 26:28 Well... 26:38 Now it says these two are two anointed ones 26:43 that stand before the God of the whole earth. 26:45 That word anointed in Hebrew 26:49 is this word. In Hebrew it is hayitshaar. 26:54 You can read... and in Hebrew that word 26:57 hayitshaar means one who produces light. 27:01 That's what it means. So it says: 27:12 So those two witnesses there are those who produce light. 27:17 And so the oil comes from the olive tree, runs through the 27:21 receptacles and to the lampstands 27:24 and there it produces light. 27:27 OK? That is the purpose is to produce light. 27:32 You remember God had told Samuel 27:37 to anoint David to be the next king of Israel. 27:42 Remember he took oil 27:45 and went and anointed David as the next king of Israel. 27:50 And throughout scripture 27:52 oil is used over and over 27:56 to represent that of the Holy Spirit. 27:58 You remember on the Day of Pentecost... 28:01 The Holy Spirit was poured out on the Day of Pentecost 28:05 and it appeared as what? Tongues of fire 28:11 on the heads of the people that were gathered there 28:14 in the upper room. OK. 28:17 If you have oil like in the seven golden lampstands 28:23 in the sanctuary - you've got oil - and you put fire with it, 28:28 OK. What does that do? 28:32 It produces light. 28:36 OK. That's what it does. It produces light. 28:40 So what do we see in Psalms 119 verse 105? 28:54 So when it talks about these two witnesses 28:56 and it says "This is the Word of the Lord to Zerubbabel, 29:06 this is what happens. 29:21 You understand what that meant? 29:25 You see when it talks about the two witnesses 29:28 and how they produce light 29:30 it's really talking about the Old and the New Testament. 29:33 Those are the two witnesses, and they produce light. 29:40 Didn't you, when you first started studying the scripture, 29:45 didn't the light come on? 29:47 Huh? Man, I see it so many times 29:51 working with people... be studying with them 29:53 and all of a sudden it hits. 29:55 The light comes one. You can see it in their eyes. 29:58 All of a sudden they see it. It makes... it's plain. 30:01 The light came on. That's what the Holy Spirit does. 30:04 Those are the two witnesses 30:06 that produce light is the Old and New Testament. 30:10 And if you'll stay with me and follow, 30:13 you'll see how this all fits together 30:16 step by step as the scripture presents it. 30:19 You'll understand how the Holy Spirit works with people 30:23 and how it takes place in the lives of men and women. 30:26 Now it says: 30:52 Now there are some people that read that 30:55 and say that is talking about Moses and Elijah. 30:59 And they try to make that apply to Moses and Elijah. 31:04 And they say that since Moses prayed 31:08 and the water turned to blood 31:11 that's talking about Moses. 31:13 And since Elijah prayed and it didn't rain, 31:16 that's talking about Elijah. 31:17 Well, if you make that application, 31:22 you run into some difficult things... 31:25 because again you start speculating. 31:28 And they say: "Well, since that's Moses and Elijah 31:31 that means that Moses and Elijah are coming back to the earth 31:35 and this beast is going to kill them. " 31:37 Now that's... You know, how you do you put that together 31:43 that they both are up in heaven 31:45 and they're going to come back to the earth 31:47 and they're going to be killed? 31:49 You see, you get into things that are speculative. 31:54 The scripture doesn't leave us in one bit of doubt 31:57 as to what those two texts are talking about. 32:00 And the reason it doesn't is because it turns right around 32:03 and tells us exactly what it's talking about. 32:05 Watch what is says here in Revelation 22: 32:24 Isn't that what the other said? 32:25 Said they had the power to put plagues on people. 32:42 So it says that it would take those away. 32:45 So it's talking specifically about God's Word. 32:48 Yes, Moses prayed. 32:51 And he prayed, and the water turned to blood. 32:55 He did it on the basis of God's Word. 33:00 He did it because God told him to... 33:04 not because Moses possessed any power. 33:07 Elijah prayed, and it didn't rain. 33:11 And it didn't because God told him that it wouldn't. 33:16 And so God's Word is His authority 33:20 and these are the two witnesses mentioned there in God's Word. 33:36 Let's take a look at that word sackcloth. 33:39 Sackcloth means what? 33:42 Well it means persecution. 33:45 It means hard times. 33:47 It means sorrow. 33:49 It means distress. 33:51 So it says that these two witnesses are prophesying 33:55 under very, very difficult times. 33:58 Prophesying... but it's hard times. 34:02 It not only says that they'll be prophesying in sackcloth 34:07 but it tells you how long 34:09 they're going to prophesy in sackcloth. 34:23 Now this 1,260 days 34:27 is not a number that you don't see. 34:31 I mean, it's used throughout prophecy. 34:33 And if you take a look at it, you'll find that time, 34:37 times, and a half a time 34:40 is mentioned in Daniel 7:25. 34:43 It's also mentioned in Daniel 12 verse 7. 34:46 1,260 days is mentioned in Revelation 12 verse 6. 34:50 Time, times, and a half a time is mentioned again 34:53 in Revelation 12:14. 34:55 And forty-two months is mentioned in Revelation 13:5. 35:00 So those are used, and when they're used throughout 35:03 the scripture they refer to the same period of time. 35:07 Very clearly. Ezekiel 4:6 tells us: 35:16 Number 14:34 says: 35:22 So in Bible prophecy, a day simply represents 35:27 one year. 35:29 That's what it represents in Bible prophecy. 35:32 OK. In Bible prophecy, a time represents one year. 35:37 And in Biblical reckoning of time, 35:41 there are 360 days in a Biblical year. 35:44 If you need proof of that, 35:46 you need to go back and read the story of the flood. 35:48 And you'll find that it makes it very clear... 35:51 there's 360 days in the Biblical year. 35:54 OK. So if I've got time, that's one year... 360 days. 35:58 Times is two years or 720, 36:03 and a half a time is a half a year... 180. 36:06 Add them up. That gives you 1,260. 36:10 If I've got 42 months and there are 30 days in a Biblical month, 36:14 30 times 42 gives me 1,260 again. 36:18 OK. So that's the same period of time all the way through 36:22 and it represents a period of time 36:25 from 538 AD to 1798 AD 36:31 which is known in history 36:34 as the time of papal supremacy. 36:37 This was the time when it says that they would prophesy 36:43 but under great distress. 36:46 In sackcloth they would be prophesying. 36:50 This is a time that was indeed difficult. 36:55 Hard for you and I even to imagine 37:00 what those people went through. 37:03 The Bible was taken away from them. 37:07 Chained to library walls. 37:11 They were told that they were too ignorant to read it. 37:18 They were told that they had to accept what it said 37:22 at the interpretation of the priest. 37:27 That they had no right. 37:29 And not only was it taken away from them 37:32 but they were forbidden to read it. 37:35 Weren't allowed to. 37:38 And the only way you could read it was to hide. 37:42 And then it was diffcult to have because... 37:46 You've got it there in print. 37:48 They didn't have it in print then. 37:51 Was taken away from them. 37:53 Nobody had it. 37:56 Let me just tell you one little thing here. 37:59 When you get to 500 AD... 38:05 listen to me. 500 AD 38:08 the Bible had been translated 38:13 into 500 different languages. 38:19 Let me say that again. 38:22 When you get to 500 AD, 38:25 the scripture had been translated 38:27 into 500 other languages. 38:32 By the time you reach 600 AD, 38:39 there was only one language. 38:42 It had been confiscated. 38:45 Taken away from the people. 38:47 And the only language you could get the Bible in 38:50 was Latin. 38:51 And if you couldn't read Latin, you were out of luck. 38:55 And... and I'm not talking, folks, about a short time. 39:01 I'm talking about this going on for hundreds of years 39:04 that the people didn't have access to it. 39:07 All they had was what the priest told them. 39:10 And they were told that they couldn't understand it... 39:12 they were too ignorant. 39:13 And so you find that many people 39:17 hid it. And some people like the Waldensians... 39:22 Listen to what history says: 39:39 Paganism came into the church... 39:43 all kinds of pagan ceremonies and everything. 39:46 And you find the church going away from God. 39:49 And they departed so much from God 39:54 that people like the Waldensian people 39:57 fled up into the mountains, into the Alps. 40:02 And there they lived so they could worship 40:07 as they pleased... like they wanted to. 40:10 And they could read God's Word. 40:12 Can't go too far into history here tonight, but 40:16 there was a man in Antioch by the name Lucerne. 40:20 He had translated the Bible. 40:23 The Waldensian people got it from him. 40:25 And so the Waldensian people were the ones who brought 40:29 the Word of God right on through to us today. 40:34 in your Bible. And this came to... but they were hunted. 40:38 They were hunted by the papal power. 40:42 They were killed by the hundreds upon hundreds... 40:44 thousands who lost their life 40:47 because they believed in God's Word. 40:49 Now folks, if you're not getting what I'm trying to tell you 40:52 I'm trying to describe to you sackcloth. 40:55 They would prophesy clothed in sackcloth. 40:59 Hard times; persecution. 41:01 It's rough; not an easy time. 41:04 Among these Waldensian people 41:08 they had God's Word, and a man by the name of 41:13 Wyclif... John Wyclif of England, 41:17 known as the Morning Star of the Reformation, 41:22 he began to read God's Word 41:25 and you'll find that Wycif began to teach the people 41:29 the Word of God and they began to follow the Word of God. 41:34 And he translated the Bible into English. 41:39 For this, the papal power 41:43 sent a delgation, arrested him, 41:47 and were going to burn him at the stake. 41:51 But he died before they were able to get him to the stake 41:57 and burn him. 41:58 But John Wyclif wrote marvelous things 42:04 about God's Word that as these people who hadn't known 42:08 anything - and you can see the date for that, 1380 AD - 42:12 And if you're having trouble putting dates together, folks, 42:15 that's 200 years before Luther 42:18 if that helps you to understand the time period. 42:22 And these people who have been in darkness 42:24 for years and years and years 42:27 all of a sudden as they picked up Wyclif's writings 42:29 they began to see. 42:31 The light came on. 42:33 See? They saw. 42:35 It was a witness to them 42:36 and they saw things they had never seen before. 42:38 And it made a difference in their life. 42:40 Now the writings of Wycif... 42:47 some men... a couple preachers from England 42:52 where Wycif was from... came down to Bohemia 42:56 and they started preaching there. 42:59 And they started preaching the things that Wyclif had 43:03 told them and had taught them. 43:05 And they were forbidden to preach. 43:08 Told that they could not preach. 43:10 And since they were forbidden to preach, 43:13 both of them were good artists. 43:16 And so they would just go into a town and on a barn or 43:20 a vacant building or anything they could find 43:23 they'd paint pictures. 43:24 And one of them would paint a picture of the Pope 43:28 dressed in all his regalia, 43:31 accompanied with all the cardinals and all the trumpet 43:36 and all the fanfare and dressed in all his pontifical robes. 43:40 All of this they would picture him as. 43:43 And then the other artist would paint a picture of Jesus 43:47 riding on a donkey and in His lowliness. 43:51 And the people could see the vast difference there was. 43:56 No different today, is it? 44:00 But they could see it 44:04 and they understood what the message was. 44:06 And one of those individuals who began to look at that 44:10 and he began to read the writings of Wycif 44:13 was a man by the name of John Hus. 44:17 And John Hus began to stand up and preach... 44:23 preach the Word of God. And as he preached it, 44:28 those people began to follow. They became known as Husites. 44:32 And they accepted the Word of God and followed Him. 44:35 And a young man joined him in preaching by the name of Jerome. 44:41 The papal power heard about it. 44:45 They sent down a delegation. 44:49 Arrested John Hus and burned him at the stake. 44:55 A little while later they arrested Jerome. 45:01 They put him in jail and kept him there for over 2 years. 45:07 Such horrible conditions that they chained him 45:12 on his legs and on his hands and the flesh would rot away. 45:16 Horrible. And finally they burned him at the stake. 45:21 Talking about a time of great persecution. 45:25 Hard, hard times. 45:27 But these were men, women of God that stood up and they said 45:31 "Yes, this is what the Word of God teaches. 45:35 This is what we will follow. " 45:37 What says the Bible, the blessed Bible? 45:40 This my only question be. 45:43 The teachings of men so often mislead us. 45:47 What says the Word of God to me? 45:51 That's what you and I have to know and have to understand. 45:58 Out of that... arresting Jerome... 46:02 burning him at the stake... 46:05 But the light of the Reformation had been lit 46:11 and it began to spread across the country. 46:14 And people were willing to lay down their life 46:18 just for the Word of God. 46:20 Until finally you move into the 1500's 46:25 and on the scene of action 46:29 comes people willing to stand up for the Word of God. 46:33 Let me... let me just throw something out here, folks. 46:37 Sometimes 46:40 people in their zeal 46:44 don't use good sense. 46:50 They don't use good judgment. 46:52 And they're zealous for something 46:54 and they create more problems than they help. 46:58 Because as the Reformation gained... you see, 47:02 one of the first countries that really opened its doors 47:07 to the Reformation was France. 47:09 France opened her doors and people like Lefevre and Farel. 47:15 These men preached the Word of God and the king... 47:19 he kind of straddled the fence. 47:22 He wasn't... he didn't particularly stand up 47:25 for the Reformation but at the same time 47:27 he didn't really tell the papacy to get lost. 47:30 He just kind of straddled the fence. 47:32 But his wife, Margaret... she was very much in favor 47:36 of the Reformation, and she favored it. 47:38 So the Reformation in France was given freedom 47:42 to do some things. And these men went out and they preached 47:45 and many, many people... 47:47 In fact, the king even let them have a chapel right there in the 47:51 palace where people were invited in and they... 47:53 they preached to them. And the Word of God grew 47:56 with great rapidity and all. 47:59 But some people in their zealous 48:04 do things they shouldn't do. 48:06 And one of the men who stood up for the Word of God 48:12 was a great, great man. 48:14 Was a man by the name of Lequin. 48:17 Lequin was of noble birth. 48:20 A tremendous scholar. 48:23 Great orator; great power. 48:26 In fact, Rome feared Lequin more than they feared Luther 48:31 because he was so strong. 48:34 And they said: "He'll do more damage to us 48:38 than Luther would have ever done. " 48:39 They arrested him three times and threw him in jail, 48:43 and three times the king released him. 48:47 But the king who just straddled the fence all the time 48:53 felt the pressure of the papal power. 48:57 And so conveniently he left town one day 49:02 and the delegates or the leaders of the church 49:07 arrested Lequin. They arrested him that day, 49:12 they tried him that day, 49:15 and they killed him that day. 49:17 Brought an end to him. 49:21 And out of all this zeal 49:24 some dear souls in their zeal went and tore down 49:30 one of the statues of the virgin. 49:33 Well, this brought great indignation on the part of many 49:37 people and on the part of the king. 49:39 And then another one not having enough sense to 49:43 know how to relate went and they printed up a plaquard 49:49 against the mass. 49:52 They went and they nailed it on the king's door. 49:55 Made him so mad that he turned against the Reformation. 50:00 And he went out, and they got one of the reformers 50:06 to turn informant. 50:09 And they walked down the streets of Paris, 50:12 and that man pointed to the homes of the people that 50:17 were for the Reformation. 50:18 And they gathered them and they brought them out. 50:23 And they crucified them, and burned them at the stake, 50:26 and killed them. 50:28 By the hundreds, thousands died. 50:34 Whole thing began to change. France... 50:37 who had opened her doors to the Reformation... 50:40 all of a sudden slammed them shut. 50:44 Now there was one young man that was still very much 50:48 trying to help France. 50:50 At this time, Luther now has appeared on the scene of action 50:55 and has nailed the 95 Theses to the door of the church 50:58 at Wittenberg and is beginning to preach. 51:00 And fortunately, Luther found a 51:05 friend in Frederick, 51:08 and he was able to hold back some of the papal power 51:14 to keep them from taking his life. 51:18 Luther preached. His word began to circulate 51:21 and people began to accept it. 51:23 Then along came a man by the name of John Calvin. 51:27 Calvin: a very shy young man... 51:32 but he began to work in France. 51:35 Was literally finally driven from France. 51:38 Went out and preached; brought about a great Reformation. 51:43 Thousands of people accepted the message because of 51:47 John Calvin. 51:49 Then the princes of Europe stood up 51:53 and they, the princes of Germany stood up and said 51:56 "We will no longer be dictated to. Our conscience will be free. 52:00 We will read the Word of God and follow it as we understand it. " 52:04 And what I'm trying to tell you is the persecution 52:07 began to fall off. 52:10 Began to come to an end. 52:13 In France, Napoleon has come to power. 52:18 Napoleon wants to rule Europe, 52:23 but he knows that he cannot do it unless he breaks the back 52:28 of the papal power. 52:31 And so, 1798 AD, 52:35 just exactly as it was prophesied, 52:38 Berthier made his entrance into Rome 52:41 abolished the papal government, 52:43 established a secular one. 52:45 And thus the years, 1,260 years 52:49 of persecution - of sackcloth - came to an end. 52:54 What did the scripture say? 52:58 When that 1,260 years came to an end, 53:03 these that had been prophesying in sackcloth 53:08 something would happen to them. 53:26 And that's what our next presentation's about. 53:29 This beast that's going to rise up, 53:34 kill these two witnesses and put an end to them. 53:39 That's what we want to take a look at 53:41 as we talk about the two witnesses that will lie dead 53:46 in the street for 3-1/2 years, 53:50 will not be buried, 53:53 and will come back to life. 53:55 So we hope that each of you will be back with us 53:58 as we talk about The Beast from the Bottomless Pit. 54:01 Let us pray. 54:02 Heavenly Father, we thank you. 54:05 Thank you for Your Word 54:08 that's a light to each one of us. 54:12 May we follow it. 54:16 May our hearts be open to it. 54:19 May we be willing day by day to spend time 54:26 in Your Word that we might each one 54:29 prepare our lives for the coming of the Lord 54:33 as we realize how quickly time is passing. 54:37 Thank you for Jesus; for His goodness to each of us. 54:41 This we ask in His name, Amen. 54:44 May God bless you. Have a good night. 54:47 Stay close to Jesus Christ. 54:50 He's coming very, very soon. 54:57 A coal miner of old 54:58 would leave his family every day 55:00 and descend into the depths of the earth 55:02 with the certain knowledge that the smallest mistake 55:06 could keep him and others from ever seeing daylight again. 55:09 Walking along in the dark, 55:11 he could only rely upon his feeble oil lamp 55:15 to keep him alive. 55:17 He faced many dangers down there. 55:19 Rockfalls, flooding, fires. 55:22 But perhaps the danger he feared the most 55:25 was the one that he could not see. 55:27 They called it chokedamp or blackdamp: 55:31 an unbreathable mixture of gases 55:34 that could quickly snuff out his life. 55:36 Imagine for a moment the terror he felt when he realized 55:40 he had hit a pocket of blackdamp. 55:42 The sudden drop in oxygen would put out his lamp 55:46 leaving him in terrifying darkness, fumbling in vain 55:50 to relight it before he lost consciousness. 55:53 Then in the late 1800's, 55:57 a bright new light began to shine in the dark world. 56:01 Using marble-sized pellets of calcium carbide 56:05 and a few drops of water, 56:06 this new lamp produced a gas which burned six times brighter. 56:11 Not only did it make his job a whole lot easier 56:14 but it also saved lives. 56:16 You can see this tiny reflector 56:19 could focus that beam of light 56:21 on the roof of a mine so that he could detect dangerous cracks. 56:25 The lamp was also easy to re-light. 56:28 And since it required far less oxygen, 56:31 it could illuminate the way out 56:33 should they encounter the chokedamp. 56:36 What an incredible illustration this is 56:39 of the condition of fallen man. 56:41 After struggling to survive the pitfalls of life, 56:44 he suddenly realizes the danger he could not see 56:48 had left him without hope and gasping for his last breath 56:53 in utter spiritual darkness. 56:55 For him there is no eternal life through Jesus. 56:59 In fact, he may not have ever heard about Him. 57:04 But friends, just as that bright light 57:07 of the carbide lamp saved lives, 57:10 so does the light of the Bible. 57:12 We need the light of God's Word to illuminate the dark corners 57:16 of our hearts. It focuses our attention on Jesus Christ... 57:20 our only hope for salvation. 57:22 And all who read and study it 57:24 are warned about the rockfalls of life. 57:27 That's why we call this series Give Me The Bible. 57:31 We're trying our best to bring the light of God's truth 57:34 to those who are living and dying in despair. 57:37 It's our mission. It's our passion. 57:40 Won't you join us? 57:43 Please consider what you can do 57:45 for those who still don't know about Jesus. 57:48 As the Holy Spirit impresses, 57:50 you may send your tax-deductible gifts to: 58:04 Thank you for helping us to bring the Blessed Hope 58:07 to millions all around the world. |
Revised 2014-12-17