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Series Code: RST
Program Code: RST000014S
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00:01 [foreboding music]
00:16 - Welcome back. Session #2 this morning. We are 00:21 going to continue studying Revelation chapter 11. 00:26 My objective is to finish our study of Revelation 11 00:29 during this session. We're going to begin 00:32 on page 194. 194. Here, we see that the two 00:41 witnesses are actually two lampstands. So, 00:47 what are lampstands for? For giving light! Right? 00:54 So, what happened during the period of the fourth 00:57 trumpet? The light was eclipsed - not totally 01:02 eliminated, but eclipsed. Now, in other words, 01:07 the witnesses testified in obscurity, in darkness. 01:13 Now, what is the key passage to understand 01:16 the meaning of the lampstands? Zechariah 4 verses 1 through 6. 01:21 Zechariah 4:1-6. [reads text on-screen] 01:49 So you see, you have the bowl, you have the 01:51 two olive trees that provide the oil for the 01:53 bowl, and then the oil runs down pipes into 01:58 the seven branches of the candlestick. It 02:01 continues... [reads text] 02:14 In other words, what is represented by the lamps? 02:19 [continues reading] 02:38 So, what does the oil represent? The oil 02:41 represents the Holy Spirit. And what do the seven 02:46 lamps represent? Well, the seven lamps represent 02:50 God's church, as we'll notice in the book of 02:53 Revelation. Now, in Zechariah 4:14, the 02:58 two olive trees are called, "The Two 03:01 Anointed Ones". Now literally, in Hebrew, 03:06 it means, "The Two Sons of Oil". The Two Anointed 03:10 Ones are the Two Sons of Oil. They're not called 03:13 the Sons of Oil because they were anointed, but 03:17 because they furnished the oil to the candlestick. 03:21 In other words, they are the source of the oil. 03:25 They are not anointed with the oil. Now, here's 03:29 an interesting detail: In Zechariah, there's 03:31 only one what? One lampstand. And two olive trees, 03:36 that supply the oil to the one lampstand. 03:39 While in the New Testament, we have two witnesses, 03:44 or two olive trees, and two lampstands. What 03:48 is the reason for the difference? During the 03:51 Old Testament period, there was only one 03:54 testament. While in the New Testament, there 03:56 are two testaments. This is also the reason 04:00 why God gave the religious leaders of Christ's day 04:04 the key of knowledge. You can read that in 04:06 Luke 11 verse 52. One key - the key of knowledge. 04:10 What was the only source that the individuals had 04:13 in Christ's day when He was here? The Old 04:16 Testament! He did not give them the keys of 04:19 knowledge. Later, Jesus gave Peter and all believers 04:23 what? The keys! In other words, both testaments 04:28 of the kingdom of heaven. Peter had two keys because 04:31 he had the Old Testament witness and the New Testament 04:34 fulfillment. Now, let's go to the quotation on 04:36 page 195. I'm gonna be skipping some portions, 04:40 because I really do want to finish this chapter. 04:42 And whatever I don't cover, you have it written. 04:45 "It is written," right? Now, notice this statement- 04:49 very clear from Christ's Object Lessons, pg. 414. 04:53 "In the parable, the wise virgins had oil 04:56 in their vessels with their lamps. Their light 05:00 burned with undimmed flame through the night 05:04 of watching. It helped to swell the illumination 05:07 to the bride groom's honor. Shining out in 05:10 the darkness, it helped to illuminate the way 05:12 to the home of the bride groom to the marriage 05:15 feast." Now comes the comparison. What does 05:18 this represent that she just described? "Likewise," 05:22 that means, now she's gonna make the application, 05:25 "the followers of Christ are to shed light into 05:29 the darkness of the world. Through the Holy Spirit," 05:34 what's the next two words? "God's Word 05:38 is a light as it becomes a transforming power 05:42 in the life of the receiver. By implanting 05:46 in their hearts the principles of His Word, 05:48 the Holy Spirit develops in men the attributes 05:50 of God. The light of His glory, His character, 05:53 is to shine forth in His," what? "...in His 05:57 followers. Thus, they are to glorify God to lighten 06:02 the path to the bride groom's home, to the 06:05 city of God, to the marriage supper 06:07 of the Lamb." Now, do we have a seven-branch 06:13 candlestick also in the book of Revelation? 06:17 [Yes.] Yeah. Revelation begins with a candlestick. 06:20 How many branches does it have? It has seven branches. 06:23 What do the seven branches represent? The seven 06:26 churches. In other words, the witness of the church... 06:29 The church giving light in seven stages of church 06:32 history, right? Because the seven burning lamps 06:37 represent seven periods of church history. Now, 06:40 is it that empowers the seven churches 06:44 to give witness and to give light? The Holy Spirit- 06:48 the oil. And it's interesting that in Revelation chapter 06:51 4:6, the seven-branched candlestick is there in 06:57 the presence of the Father in the heavenly sanctuary, 07:00 in the Holy Place, while in Revelation chapter 5:6, 07:04 it says that the seven spirits are sent to the 07:06 earth. So that's what happens on the Day of 07:11 Pentecost when the Holy Spirit is poured out upon 07:13 the disciples. By the way, when the Holy Spirit 07:16 was poured out upon the disciples, what did 07:19 Peter and John immediately do? They preached! Right? 07:24 Peter preached a sermon on the Day of Pentecost. 07:27 How many people were converted? 3,000! 07:30 So, did Peter open up the kingdom of God? [Yes.] 07:34 Yes, he did. Did Peter do it himself? [No.] 07:37 No. Who did it? The keys of knowledge did it. 07:42 Now, let's read the bottom of the page, pg. 195. 07:47 "From the two olive trees, the golden oil 07:49 was emptied through the golden pipes into 07:51 the bowl of the candlestick, and thence into the 07:54 golden lamps that gave light to the sanctuary. 07:56 So, from the holy ones that stand in God's 07:59 presence, His Spirit is imparted to," whom? 08:03 To "human instrumentalities who are consecrated to 08:08 His service. The mission of the Two Anointed Ones 08:11 is to communicate to God's people that heavenly 08:15 grace which alone can make His Word a lamp 08:17 to the feet and a light to the path, 'not by 08:21 might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' 08:25 sayeth the Lord of hosts." Let's read the next 08:29 statement. "Not by might nor by power, but by 08:33 My Spirit, sayeth the Lord of hosts. Through 08:35 the golden pipes, the olive branches empty, 08:38 the golden oil out of themselves. The olive 08:41 branches are the anointed ones that stand by the 08:45 Lord of the whole earth. Through them"... Now, 08:48 notice the process. "Through them, the 08:51 Holy Spirit is communicated to," where? To whom? 08:55 To the churches! And then what does the church 08:57 do? There, the church proclaims the message. 09:02 Were there witnesses during the 1,260 days 09:06 that received the oil and proclaimed the 09:08 message of God in obscurity - but they preached the message? 09:13 Yeah! Like the Waldenses and the Albigenses. 09:18 Now, let's notice the next statement: "The 09:20 Word is the preacher's light, and as the golden 09:23 oil flows from the olive tree into the bowl, 09:26 it makes the lamp of life flash with a clearness 09:30 and power that all will discern. Those who have 09:32 the privilege of sitting under such a ministry, 09:35 if their hearts are susceptible to the Holy 09:38 Spirit's influence, we'll feel an inner life. The 09:42 fire of God's love will be kindled within them." 09:46 And now notice, "The Bible, the Word of God, 09:50 is the bread of life who feeds the flock 09:52 of God, must Himself first eat of the bread, 09:55 which came down from heaven. We must receive the Spirit 09:59 in order to then impart the Spirit," as we've 10:02 studied before. So, is it clear why the two 10:06 witnesses are referred to as lampstands? Because 10:09 during the 1,260 years, what are they doing? 10:14 Yes, there are people in the church that are 10:16 giving the message! But they're doing it how? 10:21 Not in fullness of light, but in obscurity and in 10:25 darkness. In other words, the sun, moon, and stars 10:29 during the fourth trumpet are eclipsed. 10:34 Are you seeing the connection? Now, let's 10:36 go to verse 5. "And if anybody wants to harm 10:41 them," that is, the two witnesses, "fire proceeds 10:44 from their mouth and devours their enemies. 10:48 And if anyone wants to harm them, he must be 10:51 killed in this manner." So, you have the two 10:54 witnesses breathing fire. [laughter] Now, what does 10:58 that mean? Well, this is symbolic language. Remember, 11:03 we're dealing with symbols. What is really coming 11:06 out of their mouths? Words. Do the words 11:10 disturb the sinners? Ho-ho-ho, yes. Let's 11:14 notice Jeremiah chapter 20 and verse 9. [text on-screen] 11:44 So what is it the two witnesses are doing? 11:47 "Oh, there's a fire burning there!" And 11:50 the message has to come out. Jeremiah 5 and verse 11:53 14. [text on-screen] 12:10 Is this similar terminology to what we find in Revelation 12:14 11 and verse 5? Absolutely. So, what is it that the 12:17 two witnesses are doing? What does it mean when 12:21 it says fire comes out of their mouth to devour? 12:24 It represents the Word that they are what? 12:27 The Word that they are preaching, even in the 12:29 midst of obscurity. Ellen White has this 12:32 very interesting statement in Great Controversy 12:34 page 268. "And if any man will hurt them, fire 12:41 proceedeth out of their mouth and devoureth 12:43 their enemies. And if any man will hurt them, 12:46 he must, in this manner, be killed." Then she comments, 12:49 "Men cannot, with impunity, trample upon the Word of 12:53 God. The meaning of this fearful denunciation 12:56 is set forth in the closing chapter of the 12:58 revelation." And then she quotes Revelation 13:02 22:18-19. "I testify unto every man that 13:05 heareth the words of the prophecy of this 13:07 book, if any man shall add unto these things, 13:10 God shall add unto him the plagues that are 13:12 written in this book. And if any man shall 13:14 take away from the words of the book of 13:16 this prophecy, God shall take away his part out 13:19 of the Book of Life and out of the Holy City and 13:21 from the things which are written in the book." 13:24 So, do you understand verse 5? [Yes.] Let's 13:28 go to verse 6. "These," the two witnesses...[continues reading] 13:51 The book of Revelation tells that those who 13:53 add or take away, as we've noticed, from the 13:56 testimony of the book of Revelation, will 13:58 receive what? Plagues. So, does the word have 14:01 the capacity to pour out plagues? It most certainly 14:04 does, upon those who seek to change its message. 14:10 The question at this point is, in what sense 14:13 do the two witnesses have power to open and 14:15 shut heaven? The answer is that they have the 14:19 keys of the kingdom of heaven. The keys 14:22 of the kingdom of heaven open or shut heaven. 14:25 Now, what is meant by "the keys"? Let's notice 14:28 Matthew 16 and verse 19. Jesus is addressing Peter. 14:35 [text on-screen] 14:48 Roman Catholics use this to speak about the authority 14:50 of the pope. That's not what this text is talking 14:53 about. Let's continue pursuing this. The 14:56 dual-formed keys, without a qualifying number, refers 15:00 to what? Two keys! Thus, the keys have the same 15:05 meaning as the what? As the two witnesses. 15:09 How do the two witnesses- that is, the keys-open 15:12 and shut heaven? The answer is that when God's 15:15 messengers preach the Word of God through 15:18 the ministration of the Holy Spirit, people either 15:22 what? Accept or reject the message. If they 15:27 reject it, the kingdom of heaven, what? Closes. 15:32 If they accept the message, the kingdom of heaven 15:35 opens before them. So, are you understanding 15:39 how the two witnesses can open and shut heaven? 15:43 When you preach the Word! If people reject it, is 15:47 heaven shut? If people accept it, is heaven open? 15:52 Absolutely! Now, let's continue. With one sermon 15:55 from the Word of God, Peter opened the kingdom 15:58 of heaven to 3,000 souls on the Day of Pentecost. 16:02 The problem with the theologians of Christ's 16:05 day is that they did not preach what? They 16:08 didn't preach the Word of God, but rather their 16:11 own traditions, and therefore what did they do? 16:14 They shut the kingdom of heaven because they 16:15 didn't preach the Word. Now, let's go to Matthew 16:20 23. This is very interesting. Matthew 23:2 and verse 13. 16:26 [reads text on-screen] 16:31 The word 'seat' there is the Greek word 'kathédra'. 16:37 Does that ring a bell? [Yes!] Catholics say that 16:41 when the pope speaks, he speaks..." ex-cathedra." 16:46 The word 'cathedra' means 'throne'. He 16:48 "speaks from the throne." So basically, this says 16:51 that the scribes and Pharisees who were 16:53 the instructors, who were supposed to preach 16:54 the Word, sit in Moses' seat. But then Jesus 17:00 says to them, "But woe to you, scribes and 17:03 Pharisees, hypocrites! For you," what? "You shut 17:08 up the kingdom of heaven against men, for you neither 17:11 go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who 17:14 are entering to go in." So what did the religious 17:17 leaders in Christ's day do? They shut the kingdom 17:20 of heaven, right? And yet they were sitting on Moses' 17:23 seat. What does that mean - that they were 17:25 sitting on Moses' seat? Well, let's read from the 17:28 Jerome [Biblical] Commentary, which is a Roman Catholic 17:31 commentary about what it means to sit on Moses' 17:35 seat. "The phrase, 'Moses' seat', is most probably 17:40 a metaphor, for the authority of the scribes 17:43 to teach." And that's true in Catholicism, too. 17:48 When the pope speaks ex-cathedra, what he says 17:51 is absolutely authoritative and infallible. So, is that 17:57 what the scribes and the Pharisees believed 18:00 in their day? Yes. "The phrase 'Moses' seat' is 18:03 most probably a metaphor for the authority of the 18:05 scribes to teach. In rabbinical tradition, the 18:09 interpretation of the law was carried on in 18:12 a scribal tradition that theoretically went back 18:15 through an unbroken chain of scribes to 18:19 Moses. This view is, of course, entirely," 18:22 what? "...unhistorical." The Roman Catholic Church 18:27 has the idea that oral tradition has been passed 18:31 down from one generation to another and has been 18:34 preserved by what is called the magisterium. 18:37 Traditions that are not found in the Bible. 18:40 They're simply passed on from generation to 18:42 generation by an unbroken chain of religious leaders. 18:45 But really, there're traditions that have no 18:48 foundation where? They have no foundation in 18:51 the Bible! And so, in what sense did the 18:55 scribes and Pharisees shut the kingdom of 18:56 heaven? In the sense that they taught traditions 19:00 that are not found in Scripture, and therefore 19:03 the kingdom of heaven was shut to people. Now, 19:07 Luke 11:52 amplifies this thought. This tells 19:12 us that the scribes took away the key of knowledge 19:17 and closed the kingdom to themselves and to 19:20 others. Let's read that verse. "Woe to you, 19:23 lawyers." This is parallel to Matthew 23 where you 19:25 have the woes on the scribes and Pharisees. 19:27 "Woe to you, lawyers, for you have taken away," 19:30 what? "...the key of knowledge! You did 19:34 not enter in yourselves and those who were 19:37 entering in, you hindered." The question is, why do 19:41 you have the Pharisees and the scribes having 19:44 only one key? Because at this point, there was 19:47 only one what? There was only one testament. 19:52 But Jesus gave Peter what? The keys, because 19:56 you have both. Now, here's Ellen White's explanation - 20:01 beautiful! - "The keys of the kingdom of heaven 20:04 are the words of Christ." So how do you open 20:07 heaven? By preaching the words of Christ. 20:11 "All the words of Holy Scripture"- ah, so the 20:14 words of Jesus are found where? In Holy Scripture- 20:18 "are His and are here included. The words 20:22 have power to," what? Does the Bible have power 20:26 to open and shut heaven? The two witnesses? Yes. 20:29 "These words have the power to open and shut 20:33 heaven. They declare the conditions upon 20:36 which men are received or rejected. Thus, the 20:39 work of those who preach God's Word is a saver 20:42 of life unto life or of death unto death. 20:47 Theirs is a mission waited with eternal results." 20:52 Are you understanding in what sense the witnesses 20:54 have the capacity to shut and open heaven? 20:58 Did most people during the 1,260 years, was 21:01 the heaven shut by the Word, or was the heaven 21:03 opened by the Word? Shut by the Word. "In 21:07 the days of Elijah, apostasy led to closing 21:09 heaven for three-and-a-half literal years as the two 21:13 witnesses closed heaven for three-and-a-half 21:15 symbolic years. 1 Kings 17:1 tells us that the 21:20 word of Elijah had power to shut heaven or open 21:24 it. Interesting, isn't it? The word of Elijah 21:28 opened and shut heaven. When Israel was in apostasy, 21:32 Elijah's word shut heaven. When Israel repented 21:35 of her apostasy, what happened? Rain came 21:38 again. What does the rain represent? Represents the 21:42 Holy Spirit. God had already told Israel 21:46 that apostasy would lead to a withdrawal of rain. 21:49 Why was there no rain during the period of the 21:51 Testimony of the Two Witnesses? Because 21:54 the church was in what? In apostasy. Notice 21:59 2 Chronicles 6:26-27. [reads on-screen text] 22:26 So when they repent from apostasy, what 22:28 does God send? Rain. When the people are 22:31 in apostasy, what happens? There is no rain. Was the 22:34 church apostate during the fourth trumpet? 22:36 Absolutely. The apostasy of the Christian church 22:40 was the reason for the shutting of heaven in 22:43 the days of the prophecy of the two witnesses. 22:45 The Word of God and the Holy Spirit were what? 22:49 Scarce in those days, as they were in the days 22:52 of Elijah. Now, let's go to Revelation 11:7. 22:58 When they finished their testimony... In other words, 23:00 when the two witnesses finished their testimony- 23:03 this is the New King James, and we're gonna 23:06 notice that we need to fine-tune this-the beast 23:10 that ascends out of the bottomless pit, what is 23:12 the beast from the bottomless pit? 23:17 The beast from the bottomless pit is what? Satan and 23:21 his demons - what they did in France. Now we're 23:24 transitioning to what? We've described up to 23:28 this point what period? The fourth trumpet. 23:32 Now, we're transitioning to the French Revolution, 23:36 the fifth trumpet. Are you getting the point? 23:40 Now, when they finish their testimony, the 23:43 beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit... 23:46 Remember that we studied the fifth trumpet yesterday 23:49 and you have all of these demon-like 23:51 creatures coming out, and Apollyon is their 23:54 leader and so on... What is that describing? 23:57 The same thing as this! Because both mention the 24:00 coming up out of what? The bottomless pit! 24:04 So when they finish their testimony, the beast that 24:06 ascends out of the bottomless pit will do what? Will make 24:09 war against them-against what? Against the two 24:13 witnesses! Overcome them, and what? Kill them! 24:19 Were they killed during the 1,260 years? No. 24:22 They witnessed. So, they were alive...in obscurity! 24:25 But now, a power would rise that was gonna kill 24:28 them! Now, the translation when they finish is misleading 24:34 because it leaves the impression that the 24:36 beast from the abyss ascended after the 1,260 24:40 years concluded in 1798. So, when they finish- 24:45 when did they finish? In 1798. It gives the 24:49 impression that then, the beast from the 24:50 bottomless pit is gonna come up. But we know 24:52 that the beast from the bottomless pit came up 24:54 before 1798. Are you understanding the point? 24:58 So, how do we explain this? Well, the fact is, 25:01 the same identical word 'finish' is used in 2 Timothy 25:05 4:7 where the apostle Paul is still alive, he's 25:09 in prison, and he's saying, "I have finished 25:13 the race." Well if he'd have finished the race, 25:17 he'd be killed. But he was about to finish, 25:21 right? However, Paul was still alive when he 25:24 said this! The same word appears also in John 17:4 25:29 where Jesus on His way to Gethsemane prayed to 25:32 His Father and said that He had finished His work 25:36 on earth, but He still had to go to Gethsemane 25:39 on the cross! So what would be a better translation? 25:44 When they are finishing their testimony, the beast 25:50 from the abyss will rise to kill them. Ellen White 25:54 had this comment in Great Controversy [pg.] 273. 25:58 "The beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit 26:01 shall make war against them and shall overcome 26:03 them and kill them. The atheistical power that 26:07 ruled in France during the Revolution and the 26:09 Reign of Terror did wage such a war against God 26:13 and His Holy Word as the world had never 26:16 witnessed. The National Assembly did abolish the 26:20 worship of the Deity. Bibles were collected 26:23 and publicly what? Burned with every possible 26:27 manifestation of scorn." Now, as I mentioned before, 26:33 Revelation 11:2 and following is a further 26:39 expansion of the fifth trumpet- actually, the 26:42 fourth and fifth trumpet- where the shaft of the 26:45 bottomless pit is opened, and King Abaddon, or 26:48 Apollyon, leads an army of demons to hurt and 26:52 sting people. Those who are stung do not die, 26:56 but rather what? Embrace a painful and pessimistic 27:00 outlook on life. Let's read these statements 27:05 from Ellen White. "When France publicly rejected 27:07 God and set aside the Bible, wicked men and 27:11 spirits of," what? [Darkness.] Are those the beings that 27:16 come out of the bottomless pit? Yes! "Spirits of darkness 27:20 exalted in the attainment of the object so long 27:24 desired - a kingdom free from the restraints of 27:27 the law of God." Great Controversy [pg.] 286, 27:31 "The restraining Spirit of God which imposes a 27:34 check upon the cruel power of Satan." Let 27:36 me ask you: Was the bottomless pit under 27:39 lock and key before the French Revolution? Yes! 27:43 Because the key is given to the angel of the bottomless 27:46 pit, and with the key, he what? He opens the 27:49 shaft! So, she says, "The restraining Spirit 27:53 of God, which imposes a check upon the cruel 27:55 power of Satan, was in great measure," what? 27:59 The key opens the shaft now. "And he whose only 28:04 delight is the wretchedness of man was," what? 28:09 God didn't cause this; he was permitted. So, 28:13 was he allowed to unlock the shaft? Yes; was 28:16 permitted to work his will. "Those who had 28:20 chosen the service of rebellion were left to 28:22 reap its fruits until the land was filled 28:25 with crimes too horrible for pen to trace." Ellen 28:31 White connected the 1,260 years with the 28:35 beast from the bottomless pit! In Revelation 11, is 28:40 there a connection between the work of the two witnesses 28:42 and the beast from the bottomless pit? So would 28:45 you be surprised if Ellen White connects them? 28:49 Of course, this was just a lucky guess. [laughter] Folks, 28:53 these are the things that prove to me that 28:55 Ellen White had more than human wisdom. [Amen.] 28:58 How everything she says harmonizes with when 29:03 you study the text! Notice what Ellen White 29:06 had to say about this- Great Controversy [pg.] 268- 29:11 "As they were approaching the termination of their 29:13 work in obscurity"... Notice she says, "As they were 29:16 approaching". How'd she know that? I'm sure she 29:22 didn't read John 17 and 2 Timothy, but God 29:27 revealed it to her. "As they were approaching 29:30 the termination of their work in obscurity," that 29:33 is, 1,260 years, "war was to be made upon 29:37 them by the power represented as the beast that ascendeth 29:40 out of the bottomless pit." The next statement, 29:44 Great Controversy [pg.] 268, "When they shall have 29:47 finished"... And notice that she puts in brackets, 29:50 "[are finishing] their testimony." [laughs] 29:53 Interesting that she would put there in brackets, 29:55 "When they are finishing their testimony." Then 29:58 she describes, "The period when the two witnesses 30:00 were to prophesy clothed in sackcloth ended in 30:03 1798. As they were approaching the termination 30:07 of their work in obscurity, war was to be made upon 30:11 them by the power represented as the beast that ascendeth 30:14 out of the bottomless pit. In many of the nations 30:18 of Europe, the powers that ruled in church 30:20 and state have for centuries been controlled by Satan." 30:23 So Satan was still acting during the 1,260 years 30:26 through the medium of the papacy, but here 30:29 is brought to view a what? A new manifestation 30:34 of satanic power. Because Apollyon and all his 30:39 armies are now allowed to come out of the 30:42 bottomless pit to wreak havoc in France. Here's 30:47 another one. "It had been Rome's policy 30:50 under a profession of reverence for the Bible 30:52 to keep it locked up in an unknown tongue 30:55 and hidden away from the people. Under her 30:57 rule, the witnesses prophesized, clothed 30:59 in sackcloth, "But another power, beast, 31:04 the beast from the bottomless pit was 31:06 to arise to make open avowed war upon the 31:11 Word of God. So is the Word of God at the 31:13 center of the fourth and fifth trumpets? 31:16 Yes. It's obscured during the fourth; it is killed 31:19 during the fifth. Philip Shaff, the great church 31:24 historian, wrote this: "France rejected the 31:27 Reformation and reaped the Revolution." [chuckles] 31:33 What was at the center of the Reformation? 31:37 Sola scriptura. Scripture alone! France said, "No! 31:44 Not Scripture alone!" And what did she reap 31:46 as a result? The Revolution. Let's go to Revelation 31:51 chapter 11:8. [reads text] 32:10 Now, are we to understand Sodom and Egypt as literal 32:15 geographical locations? No, because the text 32:19 explicitly says that spiritually, France was 32:25 called "Sodom and Egypt". I have different translations 32:30 here. The NIV says, figuratively, Sodom 32:34 and Egypt. The New American Standard Bible, 32:36 mystically, Sodom and Egypt. The English Standard 32:40 Version, symbolically, Sodom and Egypt. The 32:45 RSV, allegorically, Sodom and Egypt. 32:49 The New Revised Standard Version, prophetically, 32:52 Sodom and Egypt. So, we're not dealing specifically 32:55 here with literal geographical locations. Now, with the 32:59 exception of Revelation 21:10 where the New 33:03 Jerusalem is described as the Great City, the 33:06 Great City in Revelation always applies to Babylon. Historians 33:12 have referred to France as the eldest daughter 33:14 of the what? Of the papacy. Is the papacy Babylon? 33:19 Yes, because she was the papacy's first and 33:24 staunchest supporter. Do you know that France 33:28 was the first nation to give temporal power 33:30 to the papacy? And France, the eldest daughter, 33:36 then arose and gave the mother deadly wound. 33:38 [chuckles] France persecuted God's people to the death 33:43 more than any other kingdom of Europe. And I mentioned 33:46 the Saint Bartholomew['s Day] Massacre. Notice 33:49 what we find at the bottom of the page. 33:51 "Unhappy France, reaped in blood, the harvest 33:55 she had sown." Remember turning waters into blood? 33:59 This is the bloodiness of the French Revolution. 34:02 Unhappy France reaped in blood the harvest she 34:04 had sown. Terrible were the results of her submission 34:07 to the controlling power of Rome." That's the 34:11 fourth trumpet, by the way. "Where France, 34:13 under the influence of Romanism, had set up 34:15 the first stake at the opening of the Reformation. 34:19 There, the Revolution set up its first guillotine." 34:23 I've been in that exact spot, by the way, there 34:26 in Paris. Very interesting, as you're standing there, 34:29 to remember what happened there. "On the very spot 34:33 where the first martyrs to the Protestant faith 34:36 were burned in the 16th century, the first victims 34:39 were guillotined in the 18th. In repelling the 34:43 gospel, which would've brought her healing, 34:47 France had opened the door to infidelity and 34:50 ruin. When the restraints of God's law were cast 34:54 aside, it was found that the laws of man were 34:57 inadequate to," what? "To hold in check the powerful 35:03 tides of human passion, and the nation swept 35:06 onto revolt and anarchy. The war against the Bible 35:11 inaugurated an era which stands in the world's history 35:15 as the Reign of Terror. Peace and happiness 35:18 were banished from the homes and hearts of 35:20 men. No one was secure. He who triumphed today 35:26 was suspected, condemned, tomorrow. Violence and 35:29 lust held undisputed sway." Does that sound 35:34 like all the demons being let loose from the abyss? 35:39 Now, it's significant that only a tenth part 35:41 of the Great City is mentioned in the prophecy. 35:47 The ten horns were the ten kingdoms of Europe. 35:50 At this point, only one of those kingdoms fell. 35:54 Notice Great Controversy [pg.] 269: "According to 35:58 the words of the prophet, then a little before the 36:00 year 1798, some power of," what kind of origin? "Of 36:05 satanic origin and character would rise to make war 36:08 upon the Bible. And in the land where the 36:11 testimony of God's two witnesses should thus 36:13 be silenced, there would be manifest," what? 36:17 "The atheism of Pharaoh and the licentiousness 36:21 of Sodom. This prophecy has received a most 36:25 exact and striking fulfillment in the 36:27 history of France." What was the central 36:32 characteristic of Egypt in the times of Moses? 36:36 Exodus 5:2 has the answer. [reads text on-screen] 36:54 That's atheism. "I don't recognize the true God. 36:59 For me, He does not exist!" Notice Ezekiel 37:02 29:3. [reads text on-screen] 37:22 Claiming the power of the Creator. So, in other 37:25 words, the reason why France is called Egypt 37:30 is because of the spirit of what? Atheism! 37:34 Atheism. I mentioned yesterday Daniel 11:40 37:39 describes the king of the south who rose 37:42 against the king of the north at the time 37:43 of the end. Did that happen in 1798, at 37:46 the time of the end? Did France arise against the 37:48 papacy, the king of the north? By the way, the 37:51 counterfeit king of the north. Absolutely! 37:53 This is the identical chronological point 37:55 when the beast up from the abyss arose in 37:58 Revelation 11. The king of the south in 1798 38:03 was France who manifested the same defiant spirit 38:07 as ancient Egypt, and the king of the north 38:09 is the papacy. Ellen White describes this 38:13 in Great Controversy [pg.] 269. "No monarch 38:17 ever ventured upon more open and high-handed 38:20 rebellion against the authority of heaven 38:23 than did the king of Egypt. When the message 38:26 was brought him by Moses in the name of the Lord, 38:28 Pharaoh proudly answered, 'Who is Jehovah, that I 38:31 should harken unto His voice to let Israel go? 38:34 I know not Jehovah, and moreover, I will 38:36 not let Israel go." How does Ellen White 38:40 explain this? this is what? Atheism. And 38:44 the nation represented by Egypt would give 38:47 voice to a similar denial of the claims of the 38:51 living God and would manifest a like spirit 38:54 of unbelief and defiance. Now, what about the 38:58 issue- why was France called Sodom? Not literal 39:02 Sodom-the same spirit of Sodom. Well, you 39:06 just need to read the chapter on the Bible 39:09 in the French Revolution. There, Ellen White describes 39:12 the immorality that took place in the city. In 39:16 Great Controversy 269, she wrote [that] the Great 39:19 City is also compared spiritually to Sodom. 39:22 "The corruption of Sodom, in breaking the law of 39:25 God, was especially manifested in," what? 39:29 "Licentiousness, and this sin was also to be 39:35 the pre-eminent characteristics of a nation that should 39:38 fulfill the specification of this scripture." And 39:41 today, we use the word 'sodomy' and the word 39:43 'sodomize' to speak of... ...the worst kind of 39:50 sexual sin. In Great Controversy 271, 39:56 we find these words where our Lord also 40:01 was crucified. Now, she's gonna comment on this 40:03 particular phrase that we find here in verse 8 40:07 that we're describing. What does it mean; 40:11 was Christ crucified in Paris? [laughs] No, 40:16 Christ wasn't crucified literally, personally, in 40:19 Paris, so how do we explain this? Well, let's 40:22 unpack it. "France also fulfilled this specification 40:26 of the prophecy. In no land had the spirit of 40:30 enmity against Christ been more strikingly 40:33 displayed. In no country had the truth encountered 40:37 more bitter and cruel opposition in the persecution 40:40 which France had visited upon the confessors of 40:43 the gospel. She had crucified Christ in the 40:48 person of His disciples." And how do we understand 40:52 this, that persecuting the followers of Christ 40:56 is persecuting Christ? Is that a biblical 40:59 concept? What is the church? The body of 41:03 Christ. So let me ask you: If somebody pricks 41:08 you in the finger with a needle, does the head 41:13 feel it? Of course the head- it's the head 41:16 that feels it, by the way. That's your command 41:18 center! Now, do you remember Saul of Tarsus 41:23 was on the road to Damascus? People 41:28 say he fell off a horse. There's no reference 41:29 to a horse there. He fell to the ground, 41:32 and he heard a voice saying from heaven, 41:35 "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?" And he's 41:37 thinking, "Well, is Damascus up?" And he says, "Who 41:44 are you that I'm persecuting?" And the answer comes, 41:47 "I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you're persecuting." 41:50 So let me ask you: To crucify Christ in this 41:54 story means to crucify His what? To crucify 41:57 the body of Christ, His church. Remember 42:00 the parable of the sheep and the goats? "Inasmuch 42:03 as you have done it, unto one of these, 42:05 the least [of these] My brethren, you 42:07 have done it unto Me." So Christ was crucified 42:10 in the person of His people - in His body, 42:12 if you please. Notice Great Controversy 273. 42:18 The same master spirit- this is the beast from 42:22 the bottomless pit- that urged on the 42:25 Saint Bartholomew['s Day] Massacre led also in 42:29 the scenes of the Revolution. Jesus Christ was declared 42:33 to be an imposter, and the rallying cry of the 42:36 French infidels was, 'Crush the wretch,' 42:40 meaning Christ." Was Christ crucified symbolically? 42:45 Yes! It was an attack against Jesus, and they 42:48 crucified Him through His body, through His 42:51 followers. Jesus is the Word of God in person, 42:55 and the Bible is His written biography. 42:58 France, the eldest daughter of the papacy, crucified 43:01 Christ by crucifying the Bible, because the 43:06 Bible is what? The Bible testifies of Christ. So, 43:12 by crucifying the Bible- and the Bible is centered 43:16 in Christ-it's like crucifying Christ. By killing the 43:21 two witnesses, they killed Christ, because 43:24 the two testaments give witness to Christ. It is 43:27 possible to crucify Jesus afresh. Isn't that true? 43:31 It says so in the book of Hebrews and 1 Corinthians. 43:34 The Bible received the same vile treatment 43:36 in the French Revolution that Jesus did in His 43:39 trial and crucifixion. Was Jesus dragged 43:42 through the streets of Jerusalem? Did people 43:45 mock and make fun of Him? Did they make 43:48 merry? Absolutely. The Revolutionaries tried, 43:52 judged, mistreated, and executed the Bible. 43:56 However, Christ and the two witnesses resurrected 43:58 and ascended to heaven. Remember Jesus resurrected 44:01 and then went to heaven? Did the two witnesses also 44:03 resurrect and go to heaven? Absolutely. 44:06 Now, notice concerning the Saint Bartholomew 44:09 Massacre, Ellen White remarks the following: 44:12 "As Christ was the invisible Leader of His people 44:15 from Egyptian bondage, so was Satan the unseen 44:19 leader of his subjects in this horrible work 44:24 of multiplying martyrs. For seven days, the 44:27 massacre was continued in Paris, the first three 44:30 with inconceivable fury, and it was not confined 44:34 to the city itself but by special order of the 44:36 king was extended to all the provinces in 44:39 towns where Protestants were found. Neither age 44:42 nor sex was respected. Neither the innocent 44:45 babe nor the man of gray hairs was spared. 44:48 Noble and peasant, old and young, mother and 44:51 child, were cut down together. Throughout 44:54 France, the butchery continued for two months. 44:57 70,000 of the very? of the nation perished." 45:01 Now do you know why France is singled out 45:04 in the fifth trumpet? Because of what they 45:08 did to God's people. They suffered the 45:10 consequence. "Whatsoever a nation sows, that also 45:14 a nation reaps." Let's go to verse 9. [reads text] 45:30 The greatest insult: Denying a person a 45:34 burial was the utmost insult reserved only 45:39 for the worst kinds of criminals. This is 45:42 the way that France treated the two witnesses 45:46 during the French Revolution. By the 45:49 way, it's more than a coincidence that on 45:53 November 23, 1793, the National Assembly of 45:57 France gave a decree that all churches and 45:59 religious services were to cease. On June 17, 46:04 about three-and-a-half years later-'cause it's 46:06 three-and-a-half days that the prophecy says- 46:08 France gave a decree allowing religious services 46:11 to resume again. Very interesting. Now, let's 46:17 go to verse 10. What were people gonna do 46:20 when they saw the two witnesses killed? Ho, 46:24 they were gonna be joyful. Why? Well, because 46:27 when you have the Bible, the Bible kind of 46:29 torments you, right? If you're doing the 46:30 wrong thing? But if you get rid of the 46:32 Bible, you know, you'll live free! Not really. 46:37 You're in bondage. Notice Revelation 11:10. 46:40 [reads on-screen text] 46:51 The Word of God torments those who disobey, but 46:54 it brings peace to those who obey it. "The pangs 46:57 of conscience are painful to the transgressor." 47:01 In Great Controversy 274, Ellen White wrote, 47:04 "Infidel France had silenced the reproving 47:08 voice of God's two witnesses. The Word 47:11 of Truth lay dead in her streets." So it's 47:14 Christ through the Word, right? That is 47:16 dead here. "The Word of Truth lay dead in 47:19 the streets, and those who hated the restrictions 47:22 and requirements of God's law were jubilant." 47:28 Evangelicals and conservative Protestants today, they say 47:32 that after the church is gone, Moses and Elijah 47:35 are gonna come and witness to the Jews. I'll tell 47:37 you what: That totally hides this history, 47:43 and it hides what we're gonna study about in 47:45 the sixth trumpet. When the devil led Protestants 47:50 to destroy historicism, they destroyed the key 47:54 that opens prophecy. It's that simple. 47:58 Also, page 281, Ellen White wrote, "Deprived 48:01 of the Bible and abandoned to the teachings of bigotry 48:04 and selfishness, the people were shrouded 48:09 in ignorance and superstition and sunken in vice so that 48:13 they were wholly unfitted for self-government." 48:17 You can read the next statement, because we 48:20 need to advance. Time is really flying by; 48:24 the clock is our worst enemy. Revelation 11:11. 48:29 Now, were the two witnesses going to remain dead forever? 48:35 Oh, no, no, no. No, after three-and-a-half 48:37 days, the breath of life from God entered 48:39 them, and they stood on their feet, and great 48:43 fear fell on those who saw them. On November 48:48 23, as I mentioned, 1793, the National Assembly 48:51 uttered a decree abolishing religion, but on June 17, 48:54 1797, the French government removed the restrictions 48:58 against the practice of religion. Ellen White 49:02 and Great Controversy 287 wrote, "God's faithful 49:04 witnesses slain by the blasphemous power that 49:07 ascendeth out of the bottomless pit were 49:09 not long to remain silent. After three days and a 49:13 half, the spirit of life from God entered into 49:15 them and they stood up on their feet, and 49:17 great fear fell upon them which saw them. It was in 49:21 1793 that the decrees that abolished the Christian 49:25 religion and set aside the Bible past the French 49:28 Assembly. Three years and a half later, a 49:31 resolution rescinding these decrees, thus 49:34 granting toleration to the scriptures, was 49:36 adopted by the same body." Let's go to verse 49:40 12. [reads text on-screen] 49:52 The key question here is, who are the enemies? 49:56 Well, the answer is that the enemies are 49:58 twofold. Who are the first enemies of the 50:02 two witnesses? Those who obscured the scriptures 50:09 during the 1,260 years. What is the other enemy? 50:14 It's the enemy of atheism- infidel France. False religion 50:23 and atheism, in other words. Both groups 50:26 would watch the marvelous resurrection of the two 50:28 witnesses. According to Revelation verse 10, 50:32 the witness says resurrected when the 50:35 little book of Daniel 8-12 was unsealed. We'll come 50:37 to this in our next session. Then, Ellen 50:40 White goes on to speak about the tremendous 50:45 number of Bible societies that were established 50:48 after the French Revolution. You can read that there 50:51 on page 287; it's in the middle of the page. 50:54 "The Bible was suddenly published in many different 50:57 languages and many different dialects; Bible 51:00 societies were established. And now, the Bible 51:03 became prestigious, whereas before had it 51:06 been crucified during the Revolution." Now, 51:09 let's read the next statement. "For the 50 51:12 years preceding 1792, little attention was 51:16 given to the work of foreign missions. No 51:18 new societies were formed, and there were but few 51:21 churches that made any effort to spread Christianity 51:23 in heathen lands. However, toward the close of 51:26 the 18th century, a great change took place. Men 51:29 became- now, what did they become dissatisfied 51:32 with? With what led to the French Revolution! 51:35 They became dissatisfied with the results of," what? 51:40 "Rationalism!" By the way, that's René Descartes, 51:43 right? That we talked about yesterday? 51:45 And realize the necessity of what? Divine revelation, 51:49 and an experimental religion. In other words, 51:51 to have an experience in religion. "From this 51:54 time, the work of foreign missions attained an 51:56 unprecedented growth." Notice the first statement 52:01 on page 207. "While a student at school,?"- 52:05 this is one of the individuals that preached between 52:09 1798 and 1844-"had encountered that spirit 52:14 of," what? "Rationalism, which pervaded all Europe 52:17 during the latter part of the 18th and the opening 52:20 of the 19th century. And when he entered 52:23 the ministry, he was not only ignorant of 52:25 true faith, but inclined to skepticism." That's 52:28 what rationalism does. "He could not rest 52:31 satisfied with the teachings of rationalism, 52:33 and in studying the Bible and searching 52:36 for clear light, he was, after a time, led to a," 52:39 what? "To a positive faith." Now let's go 52:43 to verse 13. [reads text on-screen] 52:56 The Greek word 'loipos': Better translated, "The 52:59 Remnant were afraid." Not a good translation. 53:06 The better translation is feared, the same 53:09 word that is used in Revelation 14:7. 53:11 "Fear God." Does that mean being afraid of 53:13 God? No. What did the Remnant do? The Remnant 53:18 feared God and what? And gave glory to Him. 53:24 Are these the two groups at the end of time, 53:27 secularism and Roman Catholicism versus 53:30 those who fear God and give glory to Him? This 53:34 is the introductory verse to the next 53:36 section of the book of Revelation. Only a fraction 53:40 of the Great City fell during the French 53:43 Revolution. Revelation 16:17-21 describes the final global 53:48 and cataclysmic earthquake that will destroy the 53:51 totality of Babylon. Let's go to the next 53:55 paragraph. Verse 12 addresses the enemies 53:57 of God's people who see the witnesses resurrect. 54:01 However, Revelation 11:13 also brings to view a 54:05 remnant who feared God and gave Him glory. 54:08 This is a direct reference to what? To the first 54:11 angel's message. That is to say we have here 54:15 the introduction to the first angel's message 54:17 which falls within the period of the sixth 54:22 trumpet. Now, I read this statement from the 54:26 book Education yesterday, so we won't read it 54:28 again, but there's an interesting parallel 54:31 between the passion of Jesus and what we 54:34 might call the passion of the Bible in the 54:36 French Revolution. Notice the parallels. Jesus carried 54:41 on a ministry for how long? Three-and-a-half 54:45 years in the midst of what? What happened 54:48 when He preached the Word? Great persecution 54:51 and opposition, correct? Very few accepted His 54:57 words. When Jesus was about to finish His 55:01 testimony, demons united with men to do what? 55:09 To make merry over Him. This was the hour-and 55:13 this is in Luke 22:3- this was the hour of 55:17 the powers of darkness. Was Satan allowed to 55:20 manifest his power at this point? Was he 55:25 released? Yes! All you have to do is read about 55:29 the trial and execution of Christ! Ellen White 55:32 says that there were demons disguised as 55:34 men there! Same thing as at the French Revolution- 55:38 yes. Satan and his angels unleashed all 55:43 their power against Jesus. The enemies of Jesus 55:46 treated Him as the French Revolutionaries treated 55:48 the scriptures, dragging Him down the streets 55:51 and making merry over Him. The enemies of 55:55 Jesus gazed upon Him as He hung on the cross. 56:00 Was there a great earthquake? There was 56:03 a great earthquake when Jesus died, and also when 56:07 He resurrected. You can read these statements 56:10 from the Spirit of Prophecy- very interesting. When Jesus 56:14 died, there was what? Fear on the part of 56:19 the centurion. You can read that in Matthew 56:20 27:54. "And there was fear when He," what? 56:26 "When He resurrected. And then, Jesus was," 56:28 what? "Jesus was caught up to heaven in a cloud." 56:36 That's what Revelation 11 mentions. "In a cloud 56:39 after being slain," and then what happens 56:42 with the gospel after this? What happened 56:46 when the Bible resurrected after the French Revolution? 56:50 Missionaries are sent everywhere. Bibles 56:54 are printed by the millions in many languages 56:58 and dialects. Now, the little book of Revelation 57:01 10 is opened...and knowledge is increased, because 57:07 now, Scripture is speaking. Are you with me or not? 57:09 So this has to do with Revelation 10-the other 57:13 side of the equation. Revelation 11 describes, 57:17 primarily, the enemies! The enemies coming 57:21 from the abyss. Revelation 10 describes the other 57:24 side, the side of the righteous. And so 57:29 then, after the French Revolution, the gospel 57:32 now goes to every nation, kindred, tongue, 57:35 and people, as it says in Revelation chapter 57:38 14. Those who fear God and give glory to God 57:42 now go to the world and proclaim the message 57:49 that the Millerites proclaimed, leading 57:51 up to 1844 and that the Remnant Church 57:53 proclaimed and continues to proclaim even till today. |
Revised 2020-09-12