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Series Code: RST
Program Code: RST000013S
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00:01 [foreboding music]
00:15 - Well, good morning, everyone! [Good morning.] 00:18 Good to see you bright and early. [laughter] 00:21 It's a lot more difficult to start at 8 than 9. 00:24 So, we're re-evaluating this, and maybe next 00:28 year we'll go back to 9. That is, if we're still 00:31 here, and we're not in the Kingdom. [laughter] 00:34 Anyway, what we're gonna do today is study chapter 00:39 7. It's on page 181 of your manual-pg. 181- 00:47 and we're not gonna be able to cover this in one 00:50 class. So, we're gonna take two classes to 00:53 study this chapter. Then, the two sessions this 00:58 afternoon, we'll deal in one session with the 01:01 next chapter, and then we will begin the chapter 01:05 on Revelation chapter 10 after that. So, we'll take 01:10 all of today and all of tomorrow to study 01:12 the interlude - Revelation chapter 10 and Revelation 01:16 chapter 11. So, let's have a word of prayer 01:18 as we begin, and then we'll get right into our 01:22 study. Father in heaven, we thank You for giving 01:25 us life this day. We thank You for the privilege of 01:28 freely opening Your Word to discover Your will for 01:32 us. We ask that you will bless us as we study today, 01:36 that your Holy Spirit will be present with us 01:39 to enlighten our minds, to open our hearts, 01:42 and to empower us to be witnesses for You. Thank 01:46 You, Father, for hearing our prayer, for we ask 01:49 it in Jesus' name. Amen. [Amen.] All right! Let's 01:54 go to the top of page 181. Revelation 11:2. 02:00 You're probably wondering why we're starting our 02:02 study of Revelation 11 in verse 2! Well, because 02:06 we're gonna find that verse 1 belongs to chapter 02:08 10. That'll become clear a little bit later on. So, 02:13 just in the corner of your mind, remember that Revelation 02:17 11:1 should be the conclusion of chapter 10, okay? The 02:23 chapter division is in the wrong place. So, we're 02:26 gonna begin in Revelation 11:2. Let's read that 02:28 verse. We're gonna go verse-by-verse through 02:31 Revelation 11 in the next two sessions. It says 02:34 here in Revelation 11:2... [text on-screen] 02:57 Now, there are several questions that we need 03:00 to ask about this verse, and they're here on this 03:04 page. First of all, what is the meaning of "the court" 03:10 in this verse? What is the meaning of "the court"? 03:14 Second question, why does the angel command 03:16 John not to measure the court of the temple? 03:21 Why does he say, "Don't measure the temple, but don't measure 03:23 the court"? Question #3) Daniel 8:10-13, which 03:29 should be fresh in our minds because of the 03:30 Sabbath School lesson last Sabbath, refers to 03:34 trampling the sanctuary and the host, and interfering 03:38 with the work of the prince of the host. 03:41 Revelation 13:5 speaks of the blaspheming of the 03:46 tabernacle in heaven and those who worship 03:48 there. Do these actions have anything to do with 03:53 measuring the temple? In other words, is there 03:56 any relationship between Daniel 8 and Revelation 03:59 chapter 11:2? #4) What does the holy city 04:05 represent in this verse? What does the Holy City 04:08 represent?-the Holy City that is trampled. 04:12 Question #5) Who are the Gentiles who trampled 04:15 the Holy City? Question #6) When did the period 04:21 of the 42 months begin and end? Question #7) 04:27 Are the 42 months past or future, as many are 04:32 teaching in the Adventist Church these days? And 04:35 #8) Did God give the court of the temple to the Gentiles 04:40 before the measurement of the temple began, or 04:45 after the measurement of the temple began? 04:49 Are you understanding the questions? Now, we 04:52 have the questions; let's look for answers to the 04:55 questions. Daniel and Revelation refer to the 04:59 1,260 days in different ways and with different 05:03 emphases. You have in Revelation- in, actually, 05:09 the next page, you're gonna find several places 05:13 where you have the 1,260 days mentioned. In Daniel 05:19 7, the emphasis falls upon what the papacy 05:24 did as a system on earth during the 1,260 years - 05:30 the actions, in other words, of the little horn. It 05:33 blasphemed God, it persecuted the saints of God, it thought 05:37 it could change God's law, etc. So, the focus 05:40 in Daniel 7 is on the actions of the little horn 05:42 for time, times, and the dividing of time. 05:46 In Revelation 12 that mentions "time, times, 05:49 and dividing of time," and also 1,260 days, 05:53 the central focus is on Satan persecuting God's 05:57 people. The woman has to flee to the wilderness 06:00 because a dragon is after her. So, the focus there 06:02 is upon Satan persecuting the Church. In Revelation 06:07 13, the emphasis is different. In Revelation 06:11 13, we are told that the beast attacks the 06:14 name of God and those who dwell in heaven and 06:19 the heavenly sanctuary and the saints of the heavenly 06:22 sanctuary. So, Revelation 13, the emphasis is an 06:25 attack on the sanctuary and on the host of the 06:29 sanctuary. Now, in Revelation 11, which 06:33 mentions 1,260 days and 42 months, the emphasis 06:38 falls upon the attack on the Word of God. So, 06:42 you have these time periods in Daniel 7, Revelation 12, 06:46 Revelation 13, and Revelation 11, and the same time 06:51 period is mentioned in all of these places, but 06:54 the emphasis is, each time, different. Now, 06:58 Ellen White makes a definite connection 07:01 between what the papacy did with the Bible during 07:05 the 1,260 years-by the way, this is the fourth 07:07 trumpet, right? 1,260 years is the fourth 07:11 trumpet-and the events of the French Revolution, 07:14 which is which trumpet? The fifth trumpet. The 07:18 proscription of the Bible, or the prohibition of the 07:21 Bible, by the papacy during the 1,260 years 07:26 led to spiritual ignorance that exploded in the French 07:31 Revolution and led the revolutionaries to crucify 07:34 the two witnesses, or the Bible. Is that clear? 07:38 [Yes.] Notice these statements from Ellen 07:40 White, which we read yesterday. "The war 07:42 against the Bible," this is during the 1,260 07:47 years, "carried forward for so many centuries 07:50 in France, culminated in the scenes of the 07:54 Revolution. That terrible out breaking was but the 07:58 legitimate result of Rome's suppression of 08:02 the," what? Of the scriptures. Does she link the 1,260 08:05 years with the French Revolution? Yes. And 08:08 in the second statement, it becomes even clearer. 08:11 It was popery that had begun the work, which 08:16 atheism was what? Completing. [chuckles] So, you have 08:20 to study these two trumpets together. See, during 08:23 the fourth trumpet, you have the beginning of 08:25 the work against the Bible; in the French 08:27 Revolution, you have the conclusion of the 08:30 work against the Bible. She continues, "The 08:33 policy of Rome had wrought out those 08:35 conditions-social, political, and religious- 08:39 that were hurrying France on to ruin." Now, this 08:44 is an important sequence in Daniel 8 that Revelation 08:47 11:2 echoes. Daniel 8 tells us-now, we're 08:52 gonna deal with Daniel 8 first-Daniel 8 tells 08:55 us that the little horn trampled what? The 08:58 sanctuary and those who worship there, 09:01 and took away the daily? which we've already 09:05 studied, a word that describes the work of 09:07 the priest in the court and in the Holy Place. 09:10 Both Daniel and Revelation use the word...what? 09:14 'Trample' as it relates to the sanctuary. The 09:18 trampling of the sanctuary, the host, and the daily? 09:23 transpires for 42 months. And then, at the end 09:27 of the 2,300 days, the process of cleansing the 09:30 sanctuary begins. Thus, Daniel describes a clear 09:35 transition from the daily service to what? To the 09:40 yearly service. Now, the same is true of Revelation 09:44 11! So, we've noticed Daniel 8, Revelation 11, 09:47 is parallel. For 1,260 years, God allowed the 09:53 Gentiles- and the Gentiles would be equivalent to 09:57 what? To the little horn, right? To the little horn 10:01 of Daniel 7 and Daniel 8. God allowed the Gentiles 10:04 to trample the city of Jerusalem, as well as 10:09 upon the truth revealed by the two witnesses. 10:12 And then, after this period, God would begin 10:16 to what? To measure the Most Holy Place and those 10:19 who worship there. Are you seeing the parallel? 10:22 So, in Daniel chapter 8 after the trampling of 10:25 the host, the sanctuary, and taking away the daily? 10:28 and everything, the sanctuary is what? 10:30 Cleansed! In Revelation 11 after the Gentiles 10:33 trample upon the sanctuary and those who worship 10:36 there, etc., then the temple is what? Measured. 10:40 So, 'cleanse' is the same as what? 'Measure'! 10:44 Okay? Now, we continue. "Thus, there was a close 10:48 link between Daniel 8 and Revelation 11:1-2. 10:52 In Daniel 8, after the trampling of the prince, 10:56 the host, and the sanctuary for 1,260 years, the process 11:00 to cleanse the sanctuary begins. In Revelation 11, 11:04 the Gentiles trample upon Jerusalem, and 11:07 then the temple is measured." Is this point clear? The 11:11 cleansing of the sanctuary is the same as what? 11:15 As the measuring of the temple. In Daniel chapter 11:18 8, the little horn tramples upon the sanctuary, 11:21 the host, those who worship there for time, times, and 11:25 the dividing of time; in Revelation chapter 11, 11:28 the Gentiles trample upon the sanctuary, 11:31 those who worship there; and then, at the end of 11:33 that, the temple is measured. So, to cleanse 11:37 the sanctuary is the same as measuring the temple. 11:41 Now, I found this interesting statement by Albert Barnes. 11:46 Very, very interesting statement. He was not 11:49 an Adventist. Of course, he's an old commentator. 11:52 I like the old commentators, because they commentate 11:54 on the Bible; they don't add a bunch of psychological 11:57 and self-help things. They actually deal with 12:02 the biblical text. He almost sounds like an 12:05 Adventist here. Notice, "This, as we have seen, 12:10 would properly mean that a separation was to be 12:13 made between what was the true Church and what 12:17 was not," this is the measuring of the temple, 12:20 by the way, "though it might seem to belong 12:23 to it." [chuckles] So what is he saying? 12:26 He's saying that the measuring of the temple 12:29 means a separation was to be made between the 12:32 true Church and what was not the true Church, 12:37 though the false church might seem to belong to 12:40 the true Church. Are you with me? In other words, 12:43 there's gonna be a separation between 12:45 true believers and counterfeit believers. 12:48 That's what the measuring of the temple is all about. 12:51 He continues. "The one was to be measured or 12:54 estimated; the other was to be left out as 12:57 not pertaining to that or as belonging to the 13:00 Gentiles or to," what? "Paganism. The idea 13:04 would be that though it professedly pertained 13:08 to the true Church and to the worship of God, 13:11 however that it deserved to be characterized as," 13:15 what? "Paganism. Now, this will apply with great 13:19 propriety, according to all Protestant notions." 13:23 Not these days, by the way, folks; in his day. 13:27 "Now, this will apply with great propriety 13:29 according to all Protestant [notions] to the manner in 13:32 which the," what? "...the papacy was regarded 13:35 by the reformers and should be regarded at 13:38 all times. It claimed to be the true Church." 13:43 Is he talking about the little horn? [Yes.] 13:46 [chuckles] He doesn't know it. [laughter] 13:50 But thank you very much. "It claimed to be the 13:54 true Church. And to the eye of an observer, it 13:58 would seem to belong to it..." Are you understanding 14:00 what the Gentiles are here? [audience approves] 14:03 "...as much as the outer court seemed to pertain 14:06 to the temple. However, it had the essential 14:09 characteristics of," what? "Paganism, and was, 14:13 therefore, properly to be left out or cast out 14:16 as not pertaining to the true Church." And 14:21 then, he continues with this amazing statement: 14:25 "Can anyone doubt the truth of this representation 14:28 as applicable to the papacy? Almost everything 14:32 that was unique in the ancient pagan systems 14:35 of religion had been introduced into the 14:38 Roman communion, and a stranger at Rome would 14:42 see more that would lead him to feel that he was in 14:45 a pagan land, that he was in a land where 14:49 the pure doctrines of Christianity prevailed 14:52 and where the worship was celebrated, which 14:56 the Redeemer hath designed to set up on the earth. 14:59 This was true, not only in the pomp and splendor 15:02 of worship and in the processions and imposing 15:06 ceremonials, but in the worship of images and the 15:09 homage rendered to the dead in the number of 15:11 festival days, and the fact that the statues 15:13 reared in pagan Rome to the honor of gods, 15:16 had been re-consecrated in the service of Christian 15:18 devotion to the apostles, saints, and martyrs, and 15:22 in the robes of the Christian priesthood, derived from 15:25 those in use in the ancient pagan worship! [chuckles] 15:30 Are you understanding the point? The papacy 15:33 claimed to be a true religion. The little horn 15:35 claimed to serve the Lord...but it wasn't. 15:41 He continues, "The direction was that in estimating the 15:45 true Church"... What does that mean, 'estimating'? 15:48 What would be a synonymous term? [Judging.] Judging! That's 15:52 right. In estimating the true Church, this 15:55 was to be left out or cast out. So what is 15:57 it that is not measured at the end of the 42 months? 16:02 Those who professed to be servants of Christ, 16:05 but were not. So once again, the direction was 16:11 that, in estimating the true Church, this was 16:13 to be left out or cast out. And if this interpretation 16:17 is correct, the meaning is that the Roman Catholic 16:20 Communion, as an organized body, is to be regarded 16:24 as no part of the true Church. "A conclusion 16:27 which is inevitable: If the passages of Scripture, 16:31 which are commonly supposed by Protestants to apply to 16:34 it, are correctly applied. To determine this and to 16:38 separate the true Church from it was no small part 16:43 of the work of the Reformation." So, he says that the separation 16:46 was done at the Reformation. That's where he goes 16:48 off-track. Where's the separation done? It's 16:53 after the 1,260 days, and it's done in the 16:55 heavenly sanctuary in the investigative judgment. 16:59 But is he pretty much on target in what he 17:01 wrote? You better believe it. No Protestant would 17:03 write that today, because we're living in different 17:06 times; we're living in politically-correct times. 17:10 Let's continue. In Revelation 11:1, 17:14 the angel transported John in vision to 1844 17:20 and told him to measure the temple and those 17:24 who worship there. This is the verse that belongs 17:27 with chapter 10, verse 1 of chapter 11. So, the 17:31 angel told John to measure the temple and those who 17:34 worship there. However, the angel also told him, in 17:38 verse 2, not to measure the court where the 17:41 Gentiles worshiped, because it had been 17:44 given-listen-not will be given, but it had 17:50 been given to them. Once again, let's go 17:55 back. Not will be given to them from 1844 forward, 17:59 but rather had been given to them from when forward? 18:03 From 538 A.D. forward. The best translation 18:07 of the Greek word 'edothe', which is 'given', is a 18:12 first aorist-that's a past tense-passive 18:16 indicative. Somebody else is giving this to 18:21 the power that is doing this. So, the best translation 18:25 of the Greek word 'edothe' is 'was given'. It is worthy 18:30 of note-and this is significant. I looked 18:34 up the appearances of this word in the NIV, 18:39 and every other appearance of this word in the NIV is 18:43 translated, "was given". Only in this one instance 18:48 does the NIV translate the aorist passive as a 18:51 perfect tense, "has been given". That's a significant 18:54 difference. Now, let's continue. The tense of 18:58 the verb clearly indicates this is a very important 19:01 paragraph that God gave the court to the Gentiles 19:05 when? After the process of measuring begins or 19:09 before? [Before.] Before the process of measuring 19:14 the temple began. Stated another way, God gave 19:18 the court to the Gentiles. They would then trample 19:22 the Holy City for 42 months, and then the 19:26 angel told John to measure the temple and its worshipers. 19:30 Are you understanding this point? Critically 19:33 important. That's why we need to understand that 19:35 chapter 11:1 belongs to chapter 10. It is the 19:40 conclusion of chapter 10. You'll notice, Young's 19:45 literal translation of Revelation 11:2-3 19:48 captures the correct translation of the word 19:50 'adothe'. It translates like this: "And the court 19:54 that is without the sanctuary, leave it 19:56 out, and thou mayest not measure it because," 20:00 what? Don't measure the court, because it was 20:05 given. When was it given? In the year 538. Correct. 20:10 "So it was given to the nations," which 20:13 is the same as the Gentiles, "and the Holy City," what?- 20:18 future tense-"shall tread down for 42 months, and 20:23 I will give to My two witnesses, and they 20:27 shall prophesy days, 1,260, arrayed with 20:34 sackcloth." So are you understanding this point? 20:38 So what happens? When was the court given to 20:42 the Gentiles? In 538. And then they're gonna 20:46 do what? They're gonna trample the Holy City how 20:50 long? 42 months. And then what happens? 20:54 After that, the temple will be what? The temple 20:57 will be measured. In other words, the court 21:00 was given to the Gentiles in the past; the measuring 21:03 of the temples takes place after that. You 21:06 have a little chart at the top of page 185 21:08 that illustrates this. On the left-hand side, 21:11 you have the court. John is told not to measure 21:15 the court, because it was given in what year? 21:19 It was given in 538 to the Gentiles, in this 21:23 case as Albert Barnes said to the Roman Catholic 21:27 Church for its period of dominion. And then for 21:30 42 months, what are the Gentiles gonna do? They're 21:34 going to trample upon Jerusalem. Future tense! 21:39 In 1798, what would happen with the little 21:42 horn? It will lose its power. And then in 21:45 1844, the process of beginning to what? 21:49 To measure the temple would begin. Is this clear? 21:54 Okay. Good. Now, let's talk about the meaning 21:58 of Jerusalem in the temple. In the New Testament, 22:01 both Jerusalem and the temple represent God's 22:04 faithful people on earth. Now, you have a series 22:08 of passages here that prove that point. We 22:11 don't have time to do an analysis of each one 22:14 of these texts, but we will deal with some of 22:18 these points as we move along in our study. So, 22:23 let's skip these particular texts-I hope that you'll 22:26 read them-and let's notice what Presbyterian 22:30 Minister Albert Barnes wrote. He understood 22:34 this. "The Holy City, Jerusalem, was regarded 22:39 as sacred to God as His dwelling place on earth 22:44 and as the abode of His people, and nothing was 22:47 more natural than to use the term as representing," 22:51 what? As representing the Church. So, what is 22:56 meant by "the Holy City" or "Jerusalem" in Revelation 23:00 11:2? It represents what? God's people. Now, we're 23:05 gonna notice this in the next few paragraphs. 23:08 This statement has significant implications, 23:11 because if the Holy City and the temple here 23:15 represent the Church, then in Revelation 14:20... 23:21 You remember in Revelation 14:20, there are horses 23:23 that trample the winepress outside the Holy City? 23:28 So, if the Holy City in Revelation 11:2 23:31 represents the Church, then what would the 23:35 city around which the wicked are gathered 23:38 in the winepress upon which the horses trample, 23:41 what would be represented by the city there? The 23:44 Church! It means that the wicked are going 23:46 to try to what? To destroy God's people, and Jesus 23:50 with the horses of heaven is gonna come to what? 23:53 To trample the winepress to deliver His people. 23:56 So, this statement has significant implications, 23:58 because if the Holy City and the temple here 24:01 represent the Church, then in Revelation 14:20, 24:04 the city that the wicked surround must represent 24:07 what? The Church, as well. Then, the scenario looks 24:11 like this: During the 1,260 years, God 24:15 allowed the Gentiles to trample upon the Holy 24:19 City and the temple. But in Revelation 14:20- 24:24 and also chapter 19, 14, and 15-the Lord will 24:28 trample upon the Gentiles, or the nations, who will 24:32 gather around the end-time church with the intention 24:35 of destroying it. This provides evidence that 24:39 the Lord will trample upon those who trampled 24:42 upon His people during the 1,260 years. So what 24:46 did the Gentiles do during the 1,260 years? They 24:49 persecuted the saints. They trampled God's 24:51 people. So what is the result gonna be? God 24:54 is gonna what? He's gonna trample upon 24:57 them. This helps explain how end-time Babylon 25:01 will receive double of what she what? Of what she 25:04 gave. She trampled upon God's people, and God, 25:08 in turn, will trample upon her. In Revelation 25:12 11:2, the Gentiles stand in contrast to what? 25:18 To the Holy City, in the same manner as in Daniel 25:21 7. The saints are in contrast to what? 25:26 To the little horn! And in Revelation 11, in 25:29 contrast to the beast. When the Bible speaks 25:33 about Jerusalem, being overwhelmed by the Gentiles, 25:38 it is not talking about brick and mortar, but 25:42 rather, the people who are in the city! Are 25:46 you with me? Now, we're gonna pursue that. 25:49 In Daniel 1:1-2, we are told that Nebuchadnezzar 25:54 took Jerusalem captive. Boy, he must've had 25:58 some real cards to take Jerusalem captive. [chuckles] 26:05 What does that mean when it says that he took Jerusalem 26:07 captive? Those are the words that are used. 26:10 Did he take the physical city captive? No! He did 26:14 not take the physical city of Babylon captive, 26:16 but the what? The citizens of the city! The trampling 26:21 of the city by the Gentiles for 42 months is the same 26:24 as the persecuting of the saints in Daniel chapter 26:27 7. Is that point clear? The Gentiles trampling 26:31 on the Holy City 42 months is the same thing as the 26:34 little horn persecuting the saints for time, times, 26:37 and the dividing of time. The Gentiles are those 26:41 who are not true what? True Jews. What is a 26:46 true Jew? What is a counterfeit Jew? A 26:52 counterfeit Jew is an individual who claims 26:55 to be a follower of Christ but is a counterfeit follower 26:59 of Christ. What is a Jew, by the way? If 27:04 you are Christ's, you are Abraham's seed. 27:08 It is not of the children of flesh that are the 27:10 children of God, but the children who have 27:13 the Holy Spirit. So, in other words, the 27:16 Gentiles are those who are not true Jews, or 27:20 true believers, but rather counterfeit Jews or 27:23 counterfeit believers. These counterfeit believers 27:26 are not judged in 1844. Who only is judged from 27:30 1844 on? Only those individuals who-yes- 27:36 all who have professed Christ, sure, but the purpose of 27:39 the judgement is to separate what? True 27:42 believers from what? Counterfeit believers. 27:45 By the way, are the counterfeit believers 27:48 judged at that particular moment? Ellen White says 27:50 no. But she says if there's a person who 27:52 claimed to believe in Christ but the records 27:55 show that they were not true believers, 27:57 their case is put aside to be dealt with during 28:00 the millennium. So the purpose of the judgment, 28:04 beginning in 1844, is for Christ to reveal 28:07 who are members of His Kingdom. Because when 28:10 He comes, He's gonna take His Kingdom. Are 28:12 you following me or not? Now, let's continue here. 28:16 These counterfeit believers are not judged in 1844, 28:21 but only the righteous. In Daniel 7 and 8, the 28:24 central focus of the judgment is not on the 28:26 condemnation of the little horn, but on the 28:29 what? On the rewarding of the saints who receive 28:32 the Kingdom along with Jesus. In the judgment 28:36 before the second coming, God will pronounce a 28:38 sentence in favor of the saints of the Most High. 28:43 During and after the millennium, God will 28:46 announce a verdict against whom? Against their wicked 28:50 oppressors. It is no coincidence that the 28:53 sixth church-important point-the sixth church, 28:58 Philadelphia, as in Revelation 11:1, 29:02 there are people who say that they are what? 29:05 That they are Jews, but they are not. By 29:07 the way, the church of Philadelphia, God places 29:08 an open door. The open door leads into the Most 29:11 Holy Place. Thus, the synagogue of Satan 29:14 in the church of Philadelphia and the Gentiles under 29:17 the sixth trumpet are closely related. Now, 29:21 notice two paraphrased versions-we need to be 29:23 careful with paraphrased versions, but-I put these 29:27 two down which really caught the nuance of 29:29 what the word 'Gentiles' represents. The New 29:32 Century Version translates, "The court has been given 29:38 to those who are not God's people." Is that 29:42 a good translation? Or good paraphrase? Absolutely. 29:46 The message, which is also a paraphrase, 29:48 translates, "It," that is, the court, "has been 29:52 handed over to non- Jewish outsiders." 29:55 [chuckles] Now, let's continue. Let's read 30:00 another statement by Albert Barnes. "This would find 30:05 a fulfillment if there should arise a state 30:07 of things in the church in which it would be 30:10 necessary to draw a line," a line where? In the 30:15 church, right? "Between those who properly 30:18 constituted the church and those who did not. 30:22 If there should be such a condition of things 30:25 that any considerable portion of those who 30:27 professedly pertained to the church ought to 30:31 be divided off as not belonging to it or 30:34 would have such characteristic marks that it could be seen 30:38 that they were strangers and aliens. The interpretation 30:41 would demand that they should sustain some relation 30:44 to the church or that they would seem to 30:47 belong to it, as the court did to the temple, 30:51 but still that this was in appearance only and 30:55 that in estimating the true Church, it was 30:58 necessary to lead them out altogether." So, Albert 31:02 Barnes is right on target here. He's talking about 31:05 the judgment separating people who are in the 31:08 Church: those who are true believers from those 31:11 who are counterfeit believers. So are we 31:15 doing well? You understand this point? Critical point 31:20 for what we're gonna talk about when we 31:21 deal with Revelation chapter 10, because Revelation 31:23 chapter 10 is talking about the announcement 31:26 of the beginning of the investigative judgment 31:28 in 1844. Now, let's continue here with 31:33 the comments on Revelation 11:3. All of our comments 31:36 so far have been on Revelation chapter 11:2. 31:40 Now, let's go to 11:3. Now, what's gonna happen 31:44 here is, it's gonna go back and it's gonna 31:49 talk about what the Gentiles did during the 31:52 1,260 years. Are you with me or not? So, 31:57 it's been introduced, don't measure the court, 32:01 because it was given to the Gentiles. And now, 32:04 we're gonna have a description of what 32:05 the Gentiles did from 538 to 1798. So, let's 32:11 ask some questions: Who are the two witnesses? 32:15 Why are they clothed in sackcloth? Who is the 32:21 person who gives them power to prophesy? That 32:24 is to say, who is saying, "I will give power to 32:29 My two witnesses"? And finally, why do two olive 32:33 trees and two candlesticks symbolize the two witnesses? 32:37 So, let's read the verse. Here, this is Jesus speaking, 32:42 we're gonna notice. [reads on-screen text] 32:54 Let me ask you: Is that the same as the 42 months 32:57 that we just read about in verse 2? So do you 33:00 see that Revelation [11:1] is actually the conclusion 33:04 of chapter 10? See, in verse 2, he introduces 33:08 the Gentiles, which represent counterfeit 33:10 believers in the church; don't measure them, because 33:14 your purpose is to determine who is a member of the Kingdom. 33:17 Because when Jesus comes, He has to take them with 33:19 Him. And then he says, "Now I'm gonna go back 33:22 and I'm gonna talk about the period when the Gentiles 33:24 trampled the Holy City." So, let's notice here 33:30 about the two witnesses. "The person who gives 33:33 the two witnesses power to prophesy is," whom? 33:38 Jesus, because He sent the power of the Holy 33:42 Spirit at Pentecost to enable the apostles to 33:44 be His witnesses to proclaim the Word. 33:47 Notice Acts 1:8. Jesus says this... [text on-screen] 33:54 So, who gives power to the two witnesses? 33:57 Jesus does! [continues reading] 34:05 Do you see the connection with Revelation 11:3? 34:09 Power and witness. [continues reading text] 34:25 Clearly, we must link 34:27 the two witnesses with Acts 1 where Jesus 34:31 promised to impart power to His apostles and referred 34:35 to them with the possessive pronoun 'My' and called 34:39 them to be His what? His witnesses to the 34:42 world. Now, although the word 'power' is not 34:45 in the original in verse 3, most versions say 34:49 that Jesus gave the two witnesses power or authority. 34:55 Next page: pg. 188. Someone may wonder... 35:00 Now, here's an important point. You're saying, 35:01 "Well, Pastor Bohr, you said the two witnesses 35:03 are the Old and New Testament. Now you're 35:05 saying that the witnesses are those who are preaching 35:08 the gospel. How do you explain that?" Well, let's 35:11 pursue it. Some may wonder whether the 35:14 two witnesses represent the Old and New Testaments. 35:17 Yes, they do...but there's more to the story. Jesus 35:22 made the apostles what? The depositories of the 35:26 oracles of God. Where are the oracles of God? 35:31 In the Old and New Testament. He called them to preach 35:34 God's message as found where? In the Old and New 35:39 Testaments. Thus, the two witnesses-here's 35:42 the point-the two witnesses symbolize God's messengers 35:46 who have been empowered by the Holy Spirit to 35:49 give the message of salvation to the world as found where? 35:54 In the Old and New Testaments. So, it's not either the 35:58 Old [or] New Testament and the preachers; it's 36:01 both and. Ellen White underlines that the 36:06 two witnesses impart their messages to the world 36:09 through the medium of the church. Thus, the 36:12 two witnesses represent the Bible as preached 36:14 by the faithful Church. Notice [Vol. 4 of] Testimonies [to 36:18 the Church, pg.] 594 and 595. 36:21 "Until Christ shall appear in the clouds 36:23 of heaven with power and great glory, men 36:26 will become perverse in spirit and turn from the 36:28 truth to fables. The Church will yet see 36:33 troubleth times." And then notice this next 36:36 sentence. "She"... Who is the "she" there? 36:40 The Church. "...will prophesy in sackcloth." 36:45 Did the two witnesses prophesy in sackcloth? 36:48 What is she saying here? The Church is 36:50 gonna prophesy in sackcloth. Why? Because the Church 36:53 is gonna preach what? The Old and New Testament. 36:56 She continues, "Although she"... What is the "she" 36:59 there? The Church, "must meet heresies and 37:03 persecutions, although she," the Church, "must 37:06 battle with the infidel and the apostate, yet 37:09 by the help of God, she," the Church, "is bruising 37:12 the head of Satan. The Lord will have a people 37:16 as true as steel and with a faith as firm 37:19 as the granite rock. They are to be His," 37:22 what? "His witnesses in the world, His 37:25 instrumentalities to do a special, a glorious, 37:29 work in the day of His preparation." Powerful! 37:35 See, the Word of God in a book does no good. 37:39 He has to have a people that study the book and 37:42 preach the book-preach the two witnesses, if you 37:45 please. Now let's go to the next section, 37:47 The Two Act as One. Although there are 37:51 two witnesses, they act as one. In perfect unison, 37:56 they testify-we're gonna find this as we study along- 37:59 they testify together, they pour out plagues 38:02 together, they suffer persecution together, 38:04 the beast from the bottomless pit kills 38:06 them together, they resurrect together, 38:09 and they ascend to heaven together. Thus, although 38:13 there are two witnesses, they are in perfect harmony 38:16 and act as one. Is there unity in Scripture between 38:20 the Old and New Testament? Yes, there is. Now, here's 38:24 an interesting detail: Revelation 11:8 uses 38:28 the singular word 'body' in a collective sense for 38:32 both witnesses. Let's go to Revelation 11:8 38:37 real quick here. Revelation chapter 11 and verse 8. 38:42 Even though there are two, it's referred to as 38:45 one body. 11:8 says- and the translation 38:50 says, "bodies", but the literal Greek has 'body'- 38:54 [reads text] 38:58 So you can check that out in the original Greek. 39:01 So Revelation 11:8 uses the singular 'body' in a 39:04 collective sense for both witnesses. In verse 9, 39:07 the word 'body' appears once more in the singular 39:11 before the Greek switches, then, later to plural. 39:14 The same thing happens in verse 5 with reference 39:18 to the word 'mouth' which is singular. They're both 39:22 speaking, but the word 'mouth' is used in verse 5. 39:27 "Thus, although the witnesses are two 39:28 in number, they speak as," what? "...as one." 39:33 And the text refers to them as one. They are 39:37 one because they have a common purpose: To 39:40 reveal the one and only Jesus Christ. So, this 39:44 expresses the unity of Scripture-of the Old and 39:48 New Testament. Now, the two witnesses, what do 39:53 they do? They prophesy. So, I'll let you read 39:58 1 Peter chapter 1:10-12 because time is advancing. 40:03 This is a comment on the fact that the two witnesses 40:07 prophesy, so they must be what? They must be 40:10 prophets. To whom do the prophets point? 40:15 The prophets point to Jesus! To the one Jesus. 40:20 The Old Testament prophets and the New Testament 40:23 prophets point to Christ, and you can notice that 40:26 here. I have explanations in brackets in this passage 40:29 from 1 Peter chapter 1:10-12, so let's talk about the 40:33 Moses and Elijah theme. These two witnesses are 40:38 not two ordinary prophets. The context clearly 40:42 indicates that the two prophets function in the 40:46 power and spirit of whom? Of Moses and Elijah. 40:53 This is made clear by the fact that Moses 40:55 brought a judgment against the Egyptians for rejecting 41:00 God's Word. And what did Moses do? He turned 41:03 the waters of the Nile into blood. We're gonna 41:06 notice that this is exactly what the witnesses 41:08 do. And Elijah brought a judgment of what? 41:13 Of fire down from heaven for the same reason. So, 41:17 you have an illusion here to Moses and Elijah. 41:19 And by the way, futurists, those who believe in the 41:23 rapture of the Church and end-time tribulation, 41:27 the rebuilding of the temple, they say that 41:29 God is gonna send literal Moses and Elijah to preach 41:33 during the tribulation. That is not what Revelation 41:37 11 is telling us. Let's continue. Does this mean 41:42 that Moses and Elijah would appear literally and 41:45 personally during the 1,260 years? Of course not. 41:50 Not any more than Jezebel reappears in the fourth 41:53 church and Balaam appears in the third church! 41:56 You're dealing with symbols here. "Moses and Elijah" 42:00 are symbolic. (x2) Moses was the prophet 42:04 that began the history of Israel, thus being the 42:08 giant spokesman of the what? Of the old dispensation, 42:12 or the Old Testament. On the other hand, Elijah 42:15 was the prophet of the future! John the Baptist, 42:19 Jesus said, was the New Testament Elijah. 42:23 And at the end of time, there will be a final 42:25 Elijah. So, "Elijah" is the prophet of 42:28 the future! John was the last prophet of the old 42:31 dispensation and announced the fulfillment of the Old 42:34 Testament prophecies in Jesus. The gospels 42:37 identify John the Baptist as Elijah who bore witness 42:40 to Jesus who is the light. And we also read that the 42:45 last book of the Old Testament brings to 42:48 view that in the future, there will be another 42:50 what? There will be another Elijah. Not 42:54 in person; it is an Elijah movement...the Remnant 42:58 Church that will preach the same message that 43:01 Elijah preached. Thus, the two witnesses 43:04 represent what? Moses and Elijah - the Old 43:08 and the New Testament. Now, let's go to the next 43:12 section: "The Word of God and the Testimony 43:14 of Jesus"(x2). This adds further information 43:20 to what we've been discussing. Revelation 1:2 further 43:25 corroborates that the two witnesses represent 43:27 the Old and New Testaments. This verse tells us that 43:31 John bore witness to two things - to what? 43:36 To the Word of God, and the testimony of 43:39 Jesus Christ. In fact, John was on Patmos 43:42 for bearing witness to the Word of God and 43:45 the testimony of Jesus Christ. The martyrs- 43:49 by the way, the word 'martyr' means 'witness'- 43:53 the martyrs of the Dark Ages and the end times 43:56 suffered and will suffer death because of their 44:00 faithfulness in proclaiming what? The Word of God 44:04 and the testimony of Jesus Christ. Hebrews 44:07 1:1 states that God spoke in old times by the prophets, 44:12 but in these last days has spoken by the Son; 44:15 that's Old Testament and New Testament. 44:18 Jesus stated that there were two witnesses to 44:20 His divine calling: the Father, and Himself. 44:23 Kenneth Strand, who was a teacher in the seminary 44:27 at Andrews when I was there, I believe correctly 44:30 wrote here, "These two witnesses are, namely, 44:35 the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ, 44:38 or what we today would call the Old Testament 44:42 prophetic message and the New Testament apostolic 44:45 witness to Jesus Christ. The Bible describes God's 44:50 scriptural message in terms of two sums: 44:54 The Bible is one book, a unity composed of 44:59 two parts." The Bible is a two-edged what? 45:04 [Sword.] Why two edges? 45:10 The Bible is represented by two witnesses! Two 45:14 candlesticks. Two olive trees. Two keys! You 45:20 say, "What do you mean, 'two keys'?" Well, Jesus 45:23 said to Peter, "I will give you the," what? 45:25 "...keys, without a qualifier. The dual...two! 45:29 "I will give you the keys." Moses and Elijah - 45:33 once again, a twosome: the Word of God, and 45:35 the testimony of Jesus Christ. Are you understanding 45:37 that the two witnesses are the Bible? Two, but 45:42 one, because they give witness to Jesus Christ. 45:45 Ellen White, at the top of page 191, had this 45:51 very appropriate comment. "The two witnesses represent 45:54 the scriptures of the Old and New Testament. 45:57 Both are important testimonies to the origin and perpetuity 46:02 of the law of God. Both are witnesses also to 46:06 the plan of salvation." Is she speaking about 46:08 the unity of the Testaments? Yes. "The types, sacrifices, 46:12 and prophecies of the Old Testament point 46:15 forward to a Saviour to come. The gospels 46:17 and epistles of the New Testament tell of a 46:20 Saviour who has come in the exact manner 46:23 foretold by type and prophecy." So, she's explicit that the 46:29 two witnesses are the Old and New Testament. 46:33 The Old Testament and the New Testament are 46:36 two distinct Testaments, but they bear witness 46:39 to the one Jesus. Although they are two, they give 46:43 witness to the one. The Old Testament gives 46:45 witness to Jesus, and you have all of those 46:47 texts there in parentheses, as does the New. In fact, 46:51 the reason why John wrote His gospel was to give 46:54 witness to Jesus. So, the New Testament was written 46:56 to give witness to Jesus, as well. Now, let's talk 47:00 about the sackcloth. These two witnesses, 47:03 they prophesy how? The Old and New Testament 47:07 prophesy...openly, with full freedom! [laughter] 47:11 No! They testify during- what period are we 47:16 talking about? During the 42 months. What 47:20 period is that? The period of papal dominion. Which 47:23 trumpet is that? The fourth trumpet? Are 47:25 you seeing the sequence? Now, let's talk about the 47:28 sackcloth. In Scripture, God's people use sackcloth 47:32 when the wicked persecute them. Sackcloth also 47:36 represents the darkness of error in persecution 47:42 and affliction. For example, when the 47:45 king of Assyria came with the intention to 47:47 destroy Jerusalem, what did King Hezekiah do? 47:51 Notice the highlighted portions, because we 47:53 don't have the time to read all of these verses. 47:55 What did he do? He tore his clothes, and he covered 47:58 himself with what? With sackcloth. And then it's 48:01 repeated once again in verse 3, he covered it- 48:04 at the end of verse 2, rather-he covered 48:06 himself with sackcloth. Why? Because he's gonna 48:10 suffer persecution! There's a time of crisis, 48:14 a time of trouble. Remember the book of Esther, when a 48:18 decree was given to destroy all the Jews? What did 48:21 Mordecai do? Not only he, but also, eventually, 48:25 all of Israel. Well, he tore his clothes! And 48:28 what did he do? He put on...sackcloth and ashes! 48:32 And then verse 2, once again, emphasizes that 48:34 he was clothed with sackcloth. And what is 48:36 he doing? And the Jews, what are they doing? 48:39 There was great mourning among the Jews, and 48:42 there was fasting and weeping and wailing, and they clothed 48:46 themselves with sackcloth and ashes. Are you catching 48:49 the picture? So, how did the two witnesses 48:51 testify during the 42 months? Openly, right? 48:56 With full freedom. No! They're prophesying 49:00 in distress-in pain, in anguish-because 49:05 they're being persecuted. By the way, also, 49:09 sackcloth, the emphasis of sackcloth is upon darkness- 49:13 obscurity. Notice Isaiah 50:3... [text on-screen] 49:20 There's a synonymous parallelism with blackness... 49:23 [continues reading] 49:26 So, blackness is identified with what? Sackcloth. 49:31 And of course, Revelation 6:12, "I looked when 49:34 he opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was 49:37 a great earthquake, and the sun became black as 49:39 sackcloth." So, sackcloth also represents obscurity. 49:43 Did Ellen White tell us that the two witnesses 49:45 prophesied in obscurity during the 1,260 years? 49:50 Absolutely. Now, let's read some statements 49:52 here from the Spirit of Prophecy. "Not only 49:56 is Satan leading the world captive, but 49:59 his deceptions are leavening the professed churches of 50:02 our Lord Jesus Christ. The Great Apostasy will 50:07 develop into darkness deep as midnight, 50:11 impenetrable as sackcloth of hair." Are you understanding 50:15 what the sackcloth of hair represents? It represents 50:17 what? Darkness deep as midnight, because of 50:20 a great apostasy. To God's people, it will be 50:24 a night of what? Oh, the sackcloth not only 50:28 represents error, but it also represents the fact 50:32 that there's gonna be a what? Trial. A night 50:35 of what? Weeping. A night of persecution for the 50:41 true saint. However, out of that night of 50:45 darkness, God's light will shine. [Amen.] 50:51 Notice the next statement. "The Great Apostasy is 50:55 working to a point and will develop into," what? 50:59 "...darkness deep as midnight, impenetrable 51:03 as sackcloth of hair. This is the time employ 51:08 any system that can be devised to discover and 51:10 counteract the leaven of," what? "...error." 51:14 So what do the two witnesses do? They 51:16 rebuke what? Error. "Let there be light. 51:20 There should be 100 light-bearers in our 51:22 world where there is one today. Darkness 51:26 will become more dense in human minds after 51:29 the truth has penetrated and been rejected. However, 51:32 there are some minds where the darkness will 51:35 be," what? "...will be removed." Ellen White 51:40 saw a deeper dimension to the two witnesses 51:42 than the Old and New Testaments. She discerned 51:45 that represent the church that preaches from these 51:49 two Testaments. As a result, the proclaimers 51:52 suffer persecution. In other words, the two 51:55 witnesses testify through the medium of the Holy 51:58 Spirit who empowers the Church, and the result 52:01 is what? Persecution. Did John of Patmos 52:04 go through this experience? [Yes.] Here's a person 52:07 that went through this experience. The Roman 52:11 Empire exiled John to Patmos, why? For the 52:15 Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ! 52:19 God gave the book of Revelation to Jesus, 52:21 Jesus to the Spirit, the Spirit to the angel, 52:23 the angel to John, John to the churches, and the 52:26 churches to the world! The seven candlesticks 52:29 represent the work of the Church in imparting 52:32 light. Let's read this one quotation. "Until 52:36 Christ shall appear in the clouds of heaven 52:38 with power and great glory, men will become 52:40 perverse in spirit and turn from the truth to 52:43 fables. The Church will yet see troublest times. 52:48 She will," what? "...prophesy in sackcloth. But although 52:52 she must meet heresies and persecutions, although 52:56 she must battle with the infidel and the apostate, 52:59 yet by the help of God she is bruising," what? 53:04 "...the head of Satan." And the next statement 53:07 is really significant: "God's witnesses remained 53:10 in a state of," what?- this is during the 42 months- 53:14 "in a state of obscurity," darkness. "The papal 53:17 power sought to hide from the people the 53:19 Word of truth and set before them false witnesses 53:21 to contradict its testimony. When the Bible was 53:24 proscribed by religious and secular authority, 53:28 when its testimony was perverted and every 53:31 effort made that men, demons could invent 53:34 to turn the minds of people from it, when 53:36 those who dared proclaim it sacred truths were 53:40 hunted, betrayed, tortured, buried in dungeon cells, 53:44 martyred for their faith, or compelled to flee to 53:46 mountain fastness's and to dens and caves of 53:49 the earth, then the faithful witnesses prophesied in," 53:54 what? "...prophesied in sackcloth. So, you 53:57 can't separate the proclaimers from the two witnesses 54:01 that they proclaim. Then, you have the 42 54:04 months and the 1,260 days, which are mentioned 54:07 there in Revelation 11. Verse 2 mentions 42 54:11 months, verse 3 calls it 1,260 days; it's the 54:16 same period. When do these time periods apply 54:20 to? Well, Ellen White makes it clear. Some 54:24 people are trying to make these periods 54:25 future. A few months ago, I wrote a response to 54:33 David Gates who had made some specific time 54:39 predictions about the close of probation and 54:42 the Sunday law and so on. I responded to him about 54:46 his use of the 1,260 days and the 42 months, 54:52 applying them literally to the future. By the 54:56 way, this is on our website. If you want 54:58 to read it, it's about close to 40 pages, 55:01 'cause there was a lot to respond to in the 55:03 way that he handled Scripture. But Ellen White 55:06 is explicit that these periods in Revelation 55:09 chapter 11:2-3 represent the 1,260 years of the 55:14 past dominion of the papacy! She's clear 55:17 about that. She never applies them to the future! 55:20 Notice this statement from Great Controversy 55:22 pg. 266. The periods here mentioned 42 55:31 months and 1,203 score days are the same. Are 55:40 they the same? Yes! Alike representing the time 55:46 which the Church of Christ was to suffer oppression 55:50 from Rome. The 1,260 years of papal supremacy 55:54 began when? In 538 A.D., and would therefore 55:59 terminate when? In 1798. At that time, a French 56:04 army entered Rome, made the pope a prisoner, 56:07 and he died in exile. Though a new pope 56:10 was soon afterward elected, the papal hierarchy has 56:13 never since been able to wield the power which 56:17 it before possessed. So, to which period do 56:22 the 42 months and the 1,260 days apply? 56:26 Let's not try and reinvent the wheel, folks. Ellen 56:30 White is explicit. It's not future. And we have 56:33 some notable people in the Church now that 56:36 are saying that, "Yes, it was fulfilled during 56:39 the 1,260 years of papal oppression; yes, it was 56:43 symbolic back then, but we need to reapply 56:45 this and make it a future literal time." That goes 56:50 against what Ellen White said. She said we're 56:52 not supposed to set time for prophetic events! 56:55 The last event that is marked by time is 56:58 October 22, 1844. Revelation chapter 10, 57:02 as we'll notice, says, "Time will be no longer." 57:05 And it's not talking about the end of the world; 57:08 it's not talking about the close of probation... 57:10 When Revelation says time will be no longer, 57:12 it's referring to the prophecy of the 2,300 days. That 57:16 is the last-time prophecy. There are no more prophecies 57:19 that specify specific time for prophetic 57:22 events...period. So if somebody comes to try 57:27 and to show you that a date for the close 57:30 of probation and a date for the Sunday law and 57:32 a date for the international worldwide Sunday law 57:37 and so on, FLEE from them! [laughter] Because they're 57:42 not speaking in the name of the Lord! They're speaking 57:46 from their own heart, and it's very dangerous 57:48 because it gives a bad witness to the world. 57:51 They say, "There those Adventists go again, 57:53 setting times, as if they didn't learn already." 57:56 So, let's not do that. |
Revised 2020-08-11