Participants:
Series Code: RST
Program Code: RST000019S
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00:01 [intense orchestral music]
00:14 - Well, welcome back for our afternoon session. 00:18 Today is Friday! Hardly seems possible that time 00:23 has flown by so fast, right? Time flies when 00:27 you're having a good time. Now, we are going 00:31 to study this afternoon the chapter titled, "Measure 00:38 the Temple of God". That's chapter 11, and it begins 00:42 on page 267 of your study notes. So, page 00:49 267, "Measure the Temple of God". Before we do, 00:54 we want to begin- we begin morning and afternoon 00:57 with prayer, so let's bow our heads for 00:59 prayer. Father in heaven, we come before Your throne, 01:03 boldly, because we come in the name of Jesus. 01:07 We ask that You will be present with us as we 01:09 study this very important subject regarding the 01:12 measuring of the temple in heaven. Help us to 01:16 understand what it means to us personally. Let us 01:20 prepare, Lord, for what is soon to explode upon 01:23 the world's scene? Thank you for being with us 01:26 and for hearing our prayer. We ask it 01:28 in Jesus' name. Amen. [Amen.] So, let's read 01:34 Revelation chapter 11 and verse 1. This will 01:37 be our verse of study. "Then I was given a 01:41 reed like a measuring rod." So, we have in 01:47 this verse a measuring rod. "And the angel stood, 01:51 saying, 'Rise and measure the temple of God, the 01:57 altar, and those who worship there.'" So we 02:04 have a command here to measure the temple, 02:11 the altar, and those who worship there. 02:15 Now, the word 'to rise' in this verse is the 02:18 imperative mood. The 'imperative mood' means 02:22 that it is a command. That is to say, the 02:26 angel commands John to rise. Now, why does the 02:31 angel command John with the word 'rise' in this 02:34 verse? Well, the New Testament uses this 02:37 word to describe sick people-that someone 02:41 raises up by taking them by the hand. In the context 02:46 of Revelation chapter 10, we remember that John's 02:49 stomach got sick after he ate the little book. 02:54 So presumably, the angel commanded him to get 02:58 up from his sickbed to measure the temple. 03:02 Now, the book of Revelation has several instances where 03:06 the chapter division is in the wrong place. 03:09 I wish I had time to show you several examples, 03:13 but we don't have time to do that. We should 03:15 see Revelation 11:1 as the concluding verse of 03:20 Revelation 10 rather than the introductory 03:24 verse to chapter 11. So, what you need to 03:27 do is you need to move Revelation 11:1 back to 03:32 chapter 10. It would be the conclusion of 03:34 chapter 10. And you say, "Well, why is this?" Let 03:39 me read you from Joseph Azize who wrote good 03:43 commentary on Revelation. Of course, he doesn't 03:45 have all of the Seventh-day Adventist light, but he 03:47 has a lot of good insights. He wrote this: "The connection 03:52 between what concludes the one," that is, Revelation 03:55 10, "and what begins the other," Revelation 03:59 11:1, "appears to be as close as it well could 04:03 be, seeing that the angel who before addressed 04:07 John still continues here to address him. 04:12 And the new injunction, 'Rise and measure,' is 04:16 but a sequel to his previous injunction, 04:21 'Thou must prophesy again.'" Are you understanding 04:24 this statement? So he's saying that, really, 04:27 Revelation 11:1 is a continuation of Revelation 04:32 chapter 10, so this would be the last verse of 04:36 Revelation 10. So let's ask some questions about 04:40 Revelation 11:1-better stated, Revelation 10:12. 04:48 To which temple does Revelation 11:1 refer? 04:53 Is this the heavenly temple that needs to 04:55 be measured, or a rebuilt earthly Jerusalem temple? 05:00 Second, what does it mean to measure the 05:04 temple, the altar, and those who worship there 05:08 at the altar? What does the measuring rod represent, 05:13 and which altar is being spoken of here? Is it 05:17 the altar of sacrifice in the court, or the altar 05:21 of incense in the Holy Place? And then of 05:26 course, the question is why was it necessary 05:28 to measure the altar of incense if the altar 05:31 IS the altar of incense? So let's go to the first 05:35 question: To which temple does Revelation 11:1 refer? 05:41 The fundamental mistake that the Millerites made 05:45 is that they believed that the temple to be 05:47 cleansed was the earth- the sanctuary was the 05:51 earth. And this, in spite of the fact that there's 05:55 not one verse in the Bible that tells us that 05:58 the earth is the sanctuary; it was simply an assumption 06:01 on their part. Clearly, the temple referred to 06:06 here is where? The heavenly sanctuary. The Romans 06:11 destroyed the earthly temple in the year 70. 06:16 It no longer exists. When that sixth trumpet 06:20 sounded between 1798 and 1844, was there 06:24 any Jewish temple? No! There was no Jewish 06:28 temple. So this cannot be referring to measuring 06:32 the literal earthly Jerusalem temple. Furthermore, 06:37 the book of Hebrews makes it abundantly clear that 06:41 the earthly sanctuary and its services were 06:46 shadows of the heavenly. When Jesus died, the 06:50 temple veil was rent from top to bottom. 06:55 God was announcing that the ceremonial system 07:00 had reached its goal and end. No need for 07:04 a literal temple anymore. Jesus now ministers 07:09 where?-He's the reality; He's that which projected 07:12 the shadow, if you please- He ministers in the heavenly 07:16 sanctuary, where He did not enter with the blood 07:19 of bulls and goats, but He entered with His 07:22 own precious blood there to intercede for us. 07:27 Moreover, the book of Hebrews states that 07:30 the heavenly things must be cleansed with blood 07:34 of better sacrifices than the earthly. Notice 07:38 Hebrews 8:1-2 that tells us clearly where Jesus 07:44 ministers today. "Now this is the main point of the 07:48 things we are saying: We have such a High 07:51 Priest who is seated at the right hand of the throne 07:58 of the Majesty in the heavens, a Minister of the sanctuary 08:03 and of the true tabernacle which the Lord erected, 08:08 and not man." So what is the true temple or tabernacle? 08:13 It is the heavenly sanctuary, and no longer do we have 08:17 a series of priests that die; we have a Priest, 08:21 a High Priest that lives forever, according to 08:25 the book of Hebrews. Now, must the heavenly 08:28 things also be cleansed like the earthly sanctuary 08:31 needed to be cleansed? Notice Hebrews 9:23. 08:35 "Therefore, it was necessary that the copies"... What are 08:38 the copies? That's the earthly system. "That 08:42 the copies of the things in the heavens," that's 08:45 the reality, "should be purified." So, notice- 08:51 "Therefore it was necessary that the copies of the things 08:53 in the heavens should be purified with these, 08:57 but the heavenly things," needed to be cleansed 09:00 with what? With better sacrifices than these. 09:04 So does the heavenly sanctuary need cleansing, 09:06 as well? It most certainly does. If the earthly 09:09 sanctuary needed cleansing, that means that the 09:12 heavenly sanctuary, the reality also needs cleansing. 09:18 Now, there are two words for 'temple' in the New 09:20 Testament. The first is the word 'hieron', 09:25 and the second is the word 'naos'. The book 09:29 of Revelation never uses the word 'hieron' that 09:34 generally refers to the entire temple complex. 09:38 In other words, it includes the court, the Holy Place, 09:42 and the Most Holy Place. However, the word 'naos' 09:47 is used 16 times in the book of Revelation; and 09:51 in every instance, the word 'naos' refers to 09:55 the Most Holy Place of the heavenly sanctuary. 10:00 An example of this is found in Revelation 11:19. 10:05 Here, the word 'naos' is used. It gives us 10:08 the idea of where the naos is. It says there, 10:12 "Then the temple," not the hieron, the total 10:16 temple complex, but the temple, the naos, "of God 10:20 was opened in heaven." Now, if it was opened 10:24 before this, it must have been closed. And what is 10:28 seen when the temple is opened? Where is this 10:31 temple? "And the ark of His covenant was seen in 10:38 His," naos. "In His temple." So, what does the word 10:42 'temple' here refer to? It refers to the Most 10:46 Holy Place. How do we know that? Because the 10:49 Ark of the Covenant was in the Most Holy Place. 10:52 And then, notice the phenomena that come 10:55 when the temple in heaven is opened. By the way, what 10:58 is in the temple? The ark. And what is inside the 11:00 ark? The law! Now, notice the phenomena in nature 11:08 that occur when the temple is opened and the ark is 11:12 seen, and by implication, the tables of the law. 11:18 We are told in Exodus chapter 19-this is on 11:23 the next page-Exodus 19:16-20. The phenomena 11:28 that take place when the Ten Commandments 11:32 were given on Mount Sinai. But let's read, first of 11:34 all, the last part of Revelation 11:19. 11:38 "Then the temple of God was opened in heaven, 11:41 and the ark of His covenant was seen in His temple." 11:44 And now notice, "And there were lightnings, 11:49 noises, thunderings, an earthquake, and 11:54 great hail." By the way, this is not simply hail 12:00 composed of H2O; this is fiery hail. Now, the 12:06 phenomena that accompanied the opening of the temple 12:10 are reminiscent of the phenomena that existed 12:13 when God revealed His law on Mt. Sinai. In 1844, 12:18 the Day of Atonement, the ark of His covenant 12:23 was opened - and what was seen there? The law 12:27 in the ark! And the center of the law is 12:29 what? The Sabbath. Shortly after the opening of the 12:34 Most Holy Place, what did the pioneers discover? 12:38 They discovered that the law was still binding, 12:41 and that the Sabbath was still binding, because 12:43 the Sabbath is in the center of the law. 12:47 Now, what were the phenomena that we read 12:49 when the Ark of the Testament is seen in 12:51 the Most Holy Place? Lightnings, noises, 12:54 thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail. Now, let's 12:57 go to Exodus 19 to see if this has any relationship 13:00 with when God revealed the Ten Commandments. 13:04 It says there in Exodus 19:16, "Then it came 13:07 to pass on the third day, in the morning, 13:10 that there were thunderings and lightnings, and a thick 13:17 cloud on the mountain; and the sound of the 13:20 trumpet was very loud." What was it that announced 13:22 the Day of Atonement? The trumpet, right? So, 13:26 it says, "And the trumpet was very loud, so that 13:29 all the people who were in the camp trembled. 13:32 And Moses brought the people out of the camp 13:34 to meet with God, and they stood at the foot 13:37 of the mountain. Now Mount Sinai was completely 13:40 in smoke, because the Lord had descended upon 13:43 it in fire." That's equivalent to the hail. "Its smoke 13:48 ascended like the smoke of a furnace," and is there 13:51 an earthquake, also? "And the whole mountain 13:56 quaked greatly. And when the blast of the trumpet 14:00 sounded long and became louder and louder, Moses 14:02 spoke, and God answered him by voice." So do we 14:06 have very similar phenomena when God revealed the 14:09 Ten Commandments as when the Most Holy Place is opened 14:13 and the Ark of the Covenant is seen? Yes. What is gonna 14:16 be revealed to the world now? The law. And what 14:20 are we judged by? we are judged by the perfect 14:23 law of liberty. Now, Revelation 15:5-8 14:31 refers to the naos as the temple of the tabernacle. 14:36 So the tabernacle is one thing, but the tabernacle 14:42 has a temple. The tabernacle is the total complex - 14:46 the Holy and Most Holy. What would the temple 14:48 of a tabernacle be? It's the naos, which already 14:53 has been identified as the Most Holy Place. 14:56 Let's read Revelation 15:5-8. "After these 15:00 things, I looked, and behold, the temple of 15:03 the tabernacle"-that is the word 'naos', the 15:07 temple of the tabernacle- "of the testimony in heaven 15:10 was opened, and," out of the naos, "out of the temple 15:15 came the seven angels having the seven plagues, 15:18 clothed in pure [bright] linen, and having their 15:20 chests girded with golden bands. Then one of the 15:23 four living creatures gave to the seven angels 15:26 seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God"- 15:29 so at this moment, is probation closed? Yes- 15:33 "who lives forever and ever. The temple"... That's 15:37 the word naos. It's used several times here; 15:39 it's speaking about the Most Holy Place. Where does 15:41 Jesus conclude His work? In the sanctuary-in the 15:45 Most Holy Place. "The temple," or the naos, 15:48 "was filled with smoke from the glory of God 15:51 and from His power," and now comes a very 15:53 interesting detail, "and no one was able to enter 15:56 the temple," or the naos, "till the seven plagues 16:00 of the seven angels were completed." Why is no 16:02 one ever able to enter the temple from this 16:06 point on? Can we enter the temple in heaven 16:09 now? [Yes.] Can we come boldly to the temple 16:12 in heaven now? So we take a rocket and go 16:16 up there. [laughter] No! How do we enter the 16:19 temple now? We enter the temple by faith- 16:23 in our mind, right? And so, no one able to enter 16:27 the temple means that probation has closed. 16:30 Nobody can enter the temple to claim Jesus 16:34 as the Intercessor. Now, here's another question: 16:40 How can earthlings worship in heaven? However, the 16:44 question that immediately comes to mind is this: 16:49 How can God's people be worshiping in the 16:52 heavenly temple in 1844 during the sixth trumpet 16:58 while they are still living on the earth? 17:01 Does it say, "Measure the temple and those 17:03 who worship there"? Yes. So where are God's 17:06 people worshiping in the sixth trumpet? Revelation 17:09 10? They're worshiping in the heavenly temple. 17:12 You say, "Now, wait a- how could they be worshiping 17:14 in the heavenly temple if they're on earth in 17:15 1844?" Well, let's continue. The answer 17:18 is actually quite simple. On the Old Testament 17:22 Day of Atonement, while the High Priest was 17:24 cleansing the sanctuary from the sins of Israel, 17:28 what did the people do? The people were required 17:32 to gather outside, afflict their souls, fast, and 17:40 be in tune with what was happening in the 17:43 Most Holy Place by the High Priest. 17:47 So, they entered there by faith. The people 17:51 gathered, fasted, abstained from work, and afflicted 17:56 their souls. Now, here comes an important 17:58 detail. In the Old Testament sanctuary, the court 18:03 was open to the view of the congregation. 18:06 Is that correct? Could the congregation see 18:08 what was happening in the court? Yes. But the 18:12 inside of the tent itself was not open to their 18:16 view. Correct? Who only could enter there? The 18:21 priest. The people had to follow the work of 18:24 the priest by faith, based on the description 18:28 of the sanctuary that they could read in the 18:31 book of Exodus. The court represents the earthly 18:36 work of Christ, because there, you have the altar 18:39 of sacrifice, which represents His, what? 18:42 What does the altar of sacrifice where the animals 18:45 were placed? His death. What does the laver 18:48 represent? The burial and resurrection of 18:52 Christ. It's like baptism - buried, and resurrected. 18:57 Where did Jesus perform these works of death 19:00 and resurrection? He did on earth. Could people 19:03 see what He did on earth, those who lives at that 19:05 time? Absolutely - yes. It was open to their eyes. 19:10 But could the disciples follow Jesus physically 19:14 into the Holy Place when He began His intercession 19:17 there? Absolutely not. So how could they follow 19:21 His work and come boldly to the throne of grace? 19:25 Only by following Jesus' work in heaven by faith. 19:32 Are you with me? "There is a work of measuring the 19:35 temple in heaven"-that's examining the books 19:37 of record there-"and a parallel work of measuring 19:41 the spiritual temple on earth, which are 19:44 the actual worshipers in the church on earth. 19:47 Actually, in a certain sense, those who have 19:50 claimed Jesus as Savior and Lord are written 19:55 in heaven." So are we, in a certain sense, in 19:57 heaven? Is God keeping a record of our lives 19:59 in heaven? [Yes.] So, in a certain sense, 20:02 we're there, through our records, "because God 20:05 keeps a precise transcript of their lives. The book 20:09 of Hebrews depicts those who enter the heavenly 20:11 temple by faith as worshiping in the heavenly temple, 20:18 though they actually live on earth." Let's read 20:21 Hebrews 4:14-16 so you can see that people can 20:24 be on earth but they can also come boldly 20:27 to the throne of grace in heaven. It says there, 20:30 "Seeing, then, that we have a great High Priest 20:33 who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the 20:37 Son of God, let us hold fast our confession, 20:40 for we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize 20:44 with our weaknesses." Where does that High 20:46 Priest serve? We already notice in Hebrews 8:1-2 20:50 that He serves in the heavenly sanctuary. 20:53 "For we do not have a High Priest who cannot 20:55 sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in 20:57 all points tempted as we are, yet without sin." 21:02 What does it say, then? "Let us therefore come 21:06 boldly to the throne of grace," where? 21:11 Where was Jesus enthroned? Revelation 3:21 says He 21:16 was enthroned with His Father on His throne. 21:18 Where is the Father's throne? In heaven. 21:21 So it says, "Let us therefore come boldly 21:23 to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy 21:27 and find grace to help in time of need." Thus, the 21:33 Apostle Paul could speak of the temple of God 21:37 as representing the church on earth, while the book 21:40 of Revelation describes it as the place where 21:44 Christ ministers in heaven. So, let's take 21:48 a look, then, at this issue of the temple 21:50 of God, and let's do it from the perspective 21:54 of the antichrist. The apostle Paul describes 21:58 the coming antichrist as one who would sit 22:01 in the temple of God, claiming to be God. 22:08 So, that means that the pope went to NASA- 22:13 I'm being facetious to make a point-and he 22:16 got on one of the endeavor... ...space craft, and he went 22:25 directly and took all off of his throne, and 22:28 sat there. No! Let's read 2 Thessalonians 22:32 2:4. "Who opposes"- speaking about the antichrist. 22:36 "Who opposes and exalts himself above all that is 22:38 called God or that is worshiped so that he 22:41 sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself 22:47 that he is God." Is the expression "temple of 22:51 God" in 2 Thessalonians 2 a reference to a literal 22:55 rebuilt Jerusalem temple? Obviously not! The temple 23:00 of God is where? In heaven. So, it's impossible for 23:04 the pope to sit in God's seat, or on God's throne, 23:09 in that temple. The antichrist does not 23:12 sit in the heavenly temple, but rather 23:15 in the earthly one. What is the earthly 23:17 one? The church, which is the earthly reflection 23:21 of the heavenly temple. Matthew 21:12-13 speaks 23:27 about the final time that Jesus entered 23:30 the temple. He actually entered several times 23:32 in the last few days of His life. We're told 23:36 about the Jewish temple at that time - the following: 23:39 Matthew 21:12-13; this is the conclusion of a 23:42 triumphal entry. "Then Jesus went into the temple 23:46 of God." Was it still a temple of God? [Yes.] 23:48 Yes. "And drove out all those who bought and 23:52 sold in the temple, and overturned the tables 23:55 of the money changers and the seats of those 23:57 who sold doves. And He said to them, 'It is written, 24:01 "My house shall be called a house of prayer," but 24:05 you have made it a "den of thieves."'" So, what 24:07 did Jesus call the temple of God? He said, "It's 24:10 My house." So, was it still His house when He 24:14 entered there at the end of His ministry? 24:17 Absolutely! But then, Jesus pronounced the 24:20 woes on the scribes and Pharisees. And 24:23 when He ended His woes upon the scribes and 24:26 Pharisees, the Bible says that He left the 24:30 temple, and He pronounced these words in Matthew 24:33 23:38, "See! Your house is left unto you desolate." 24:38 Do you see the change? When He went into the 24:41 temple, He said, "It's My house. It's the 24:44 temple of God." When He left, He said, "Your 24:48 house is left unto you desolate." Clearly, 24:52 the Jewish temple was no longer God's temple 24:54 after Jesus left. When the apostle Paul used 24:58 the word 'temple'-He uses 'naos', by the way- 25:01 he always applied it spiritually to the Christian 25:04 Church, and never to the literal Jerusalem 25:07 temple. You can look up the verses here. Every 25:10 time that Paul mentions the word 'temple', it 25:13 is always the church. The New Testament 25:16 contains two Greek words that are translated 'temple'. 25:21 One is 'hieron', which is the entire temple 25:26 complex, and the other is 'naos'. The apostle 25:29 Paul never used the word 'naos' to refer to the 25:32 Jewish temple. Without exception, he used the 25:35 word 'naos' as a reference to the spiritual temple, 25:40 the Christian Church. Now, here's an interesting 25:43 detail. The book of Acts refers to the Jewish 25:48 temple 25 times. So if you go to the book of 25:50 Acts, you look up the word 'temple', and 25 times, the 25:54 word 'temple' appears... but it is never called- 25:57 the Jewish temple-is never called 'naos'; it is always 26:00 called 'hieron'. Furthermore, none of the Epistles 26:06 uses the word 'naos' to refer to the literal 26:10 Jewish temple. Paul explained to the Ephesians 26:14 what he meant by the word 'temple'. Now, 26:17 let's notice this: Ephesians 2:19-22. "Now, therefore, 26:24 you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow 26:27 citizens with the saints and members of the household 26:30 of God, having been built on the foundation of the," 26:34 what? [Apostles.] Are those literal foundations? 26:40 No, they're people. "Having been built 26:42 on the foundation of the apostles and prophets"... 26:45 Does this temple have a chief cornerstone? 26:48 [Yes.] Yes! Who's the cornerstone? "Jesus Christ 26:52 Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom 26:56 the whole," what? Is this a literal building, or a 26:59 spiritual building? [Spiritual.] Well, the 27:02 foundations are apostles and prophets 27:04 and Christ! Obviously, they're not literal stones. 27:07 So it says, "In whom the whole building, being 27:12 fitted together, grows into a holy," what? Ohh, 27:15 it's a holy temple in the Lord! And then it says, 27:19 "In whom you also are being built together." 27:22 So who are the stones that are built on the 27:25 cornerstone and on those other stones, the foundation 27:28 stones? The believers! Because it says, "In whom 27:32 you also are being built together for a dwelling 27:37 place of God in the Spirit." Let me ask you: In the 27:39 Old Testament, could people literally see the 27:41 Shekinah? Could they see the cloud of glory 27:44 that they? on the sanctuary? Who is the 27:47 Shekinah now? In the spiritual temple? The 27:52 Holy Spirit, because He says, "...are being built 27:56 together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit." 28:00 So what kind of temple are we talking about? We're 28:03 talking about the spiritual earthly temple, which is 28:06 the Church, which is the reflection of the 28:10 literal heavenly temple. So in this passage, the 28:14 apostle Paul clearly explains that the temple 28:17 is a spiritual house composed of spiritual 28:20 materials. The foundations of the temple are the 28:24 apostles and prophets, the chief cornerstone 28:26 is Jesus, the stones built upon the foundations 28:30 are the believers, and the Shekinah is the 28:33 invisible Holy Spirit. In conclusion, then, 28:38 the man of sin who sits in the temple of God 28:41 must sit within where? The Christian Church. 28:47 Yes or no? Yes! We can clearly see the link 28:54 between the little horn and the man of sin by 28:57 the fact that the little horn, or the beast of 28:59 Revelation 13, speaks what? Blasphemies against 29:03 the Most High, and demands worship. Now, here's an 29:06 interesting little tidbit. It is hardly coincidence 29:11 that Pope Benedict XVI, as well as Francis I- 29:16 see, I wrote this before Francis I was pope-at 29:20 the conclusion of the week for Christian unity 29:24 in St. Paul's, outside the wall-this is the 29:26 cathedral outside the walls of the Vatican- 29:29 sat on a great, white throne; and on each 29:34 side of the throne was a cherub. 29:41 What does that bring to mind? By the way, 29:44 I do mention Francis- I added this afterwards. 29:47 Interesting. Notice Psalm 80:1. Who is it that dwells 29:54 between the cherubim? It says in Psalm 80:1, 30:03 "Give ear, O shepherd of Israel, you who lead 30:07 Joseph like a flock, you who dwell between 30:10 the cherubim, shine forth." And what color is God's 30:16 throne? White. What imagery are you getting from this? 30:23 That Francis and John Paul II claimed to occupy 30:28 the throne between the cherubim. That is what? 30:32 [Blasphemy.] Blasphemy. That's right. Now, what 30:36 does it mean to measure? So are you understanding 30:39 this so far? [Yes.] What does it mean to measure? 30:43 The act of measuring is a symbolic expression 30:47 of judging. The word 'measure' in Greek here 30:52 in Revelation 11 is ['métron']. What word do we get 30:57 from [métron]? Meter. Is that a measurement? 31:02 Yes. Now, let's go to the next page. Couple 31:05 of examples of how the Bible uses the concept 31:09 of measuring. God is gonna measure Jerusalem 31:13 here. He says, "I will stretch over Jerusalem 31:18 the measuring line of Samaria, and the plummet"... 31:23 That's also an implement to measure. "The plummet 31:26 of the house of Ahab. I will wipe Jerusalem 31:30 as one wipes a dish, wiping it and turning 31:34 it upside down." So God is gonna judge Jerusalem; 31:37 He's gonna measure Jerusalem. He's gonna judge Jerusalem. 31:40 Then, there's the text that I read previously. 31:44 This is Matthew chapter 7, and we'll read verses 31:47 1 and 2. "Judge not that you be not judged, for 31:53 with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; 31:58 and with the measure you use, it will be measured 32:02 back to you." Let me ask you: Is judging and measuring- 32:05 are those concepts synonymous in this verse? Absolutely! 32:10 Ellen White concurs in the next statement, 32:14 Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7, 32:16 pg. 972, "The grand judgment is taking place 32:22 and has been going on for some time. Now, the 32:25 Lord says"... Is she gonna quote Revelation 11:1? 32:29 Yes! "Now, the Lord says, 'Measure the temple and 32:32 the worshipers thereof. Remember, when you are 32:36 walking the streets about your business, God is 32:40 measuring you.'" What does that mean? He's 32:42 what? Judging you! "When you are attending your 32:46 household duties, when you engage in conversation, 32:49 God is measuring you. Remember that your 32:53 words and actions are being daguerreotyped"-that's an 32:55 old word for 'photographed'- "in the books of heaven 32:59 as the face is reproduced by the artist on the 33:02 polished plate." Ellen White once described 33:04 a judgmental woman, and this is kind of humorous. 33:09 "You can be a blessing," she says to her. "You 33:12 can help such as need help, but you must lay 33:16 down your measuring tape," [laughs] "for that is not 33:20 for you to use. One who is unerring in judgment, 33:24 who understands the weaknesses of fallen 33:27 corrupt natures, holds the standard Himself. 33:31 He weighs in the balances of the sanctuary, and His 33:35 just measure we shall accept." She's commenting 33:40 on, "Judge not that ye be not judged." So what 33:44 does it mean to measure? It means to judge. Let 33:48 me ask you - back to Revelation chapter 10. 33:52 After John eats the book- it's sweet in the mouth 33:55 and bitter in the stomach- he's told, "You must 33:57 prophesy again," and then he's told, "You 33:59 must measure the temple." What does that mean? 34:02 That the judgment was going to begin - the 34:06 work of judging was going to begin. By the way, 34:09 what is the tape measure in the judgment? [laughs] 34:13 Notice this statem- two statements, actually- 34:15 Signs of the Times, December 29, 1887. 34:19 "When the judgment is set and the books 34:22 opened, your life and mine will be measured 34:26 by the law of the Most High." And then vol. 7 34:29 of the Testimonies, pg. 219, "Every case is 34:34 coming in review before God; He is measuring the 34:39 temple and the worshipers therein." Is that a reference 34:44 to Revelation 11:1? [Yes.] Yes. So let me ask you: 34:50 Is Revelation 11:1 really a part of the conclusion 34:55 of Revelation chapter 10? Very, very clearly. 34:58 Let's read the next statement on page 275. 35:02 "The Lord has provided His church with capabilities 35:06 and blessings, that they may present to the world 35:09 an image of His own sufficiency, and that 35:12 His church may be complete in Him - a continual representation 35:16 of another, even the eternal world, of laws 35:20 that are higher than earthly laws. The church 35:23 is to be a temple." So is the church a temple? 35:28 [Yes.] So, Jesus is measuring in heaven, 35:32 because He's looking at our heavenly records. 35:36 But whose heavenly records are they? Ours on earth. 35:40 So He's measuring our lives, who live on earth, 35:43 in the heavenly temple. So it continues. "His 35:46 church is to be a temple built after the divine 35:49 similitude, and the angelic architect has 35:53 brought his golden measuring rod from heaven." So he's 35:58 measuring in heaven, but he's measuring 36:00 those who live on earth. "That every stone may 36:03 be hewed and squared by the divine measurement, 36:07 and polished to shine as an emblem of heaven, 36:10 radiating in all directions the bright, clear beams 36:14 of the Sun of Righteousness." That's why James stated 36:19 that we will all be judged by the perfect 36:22 law of liberty. So, Ellen White and the 36:26 Bible are in harmony. We must understand 36:31 the idea of measuring the heavenly temple in 36:34 Revelation 11:1 in the context of the preceding 36:38 chapter, where we find a description of the 36:41 little book episode. What is the central 36:43 theme of the little book episode? The 2,300 days 36:46 and the beginning of what? Of the judgment! So do you 36:50 have to understand the measuring of the temple 36:51 in the light of that? Of course! As we have 36:55 seen, a message of judgment came out of the little book, 36:59 beginning at the time of the end - that is, 37:01 post 1798 - which John devoured and proclaimed. 37:07 As John devoured the message... Was sweet 37:10 in his mouth, but the aftermath was bitter. 37:15 Thus, somehow, the message of judgment that came out 37:19 of the little book would be at first sweet, and 37:23 then bitter. After the bittersweet experience, 37:26 the angel told John to prophesy again from 37:31 the little book, and the message had to do with 37:34 measuring of the temple. So did we get the idea 37:39 that after 1844, Jesus began the work of judgment 37:44 in the heavenly sanctuary? We get that from the 37:46 writings of Ellen White, right? Wrong! [laughs] 37:52 We get it from the conclusion of Revelation 10, in Revelation 37:55 11:1... We're told so very clearly, aren't we? 37:59 Now, let's go to the altar. The altar here- 38:04 because the worshipers worship in the temple 38:06 at the altar-the altar here must be the one 38:10 in the Holy Place, and not the one in the 38:12 court. You say, "Why?" Well, because the angel 38:15 instructed John not to measure the court. So 38:19 it can't be the altar in the court, 'cause 38:21 he was told not to measure it. Jesus died, so to 38:25 speak, at the altar in the court in the first 38:28 century. But the measurement of this altar began during 38:33 the sixth trumpet, near the close of time. Are 38:35 you understanding the difference between the 38:37 two altars? Kenneth Strand- this is a very 38:41 important tidbit. Kenneth Strand has shown in his 38:45 incisive article that the background to 38:48 Revelation 11:1 is the Day of Atonement of 38:52 Leviticus 16. This is a really good article. 38:56 "On Yom Kippur," which is the Day of Atonement, 38:59 "there was an atonement for," in this order, "the 39:04 priests, the sanctuary, the altar, and the congregation. 39:09 Revelation mentions three of these four, leaving 39:13 out the atoning for the priest." Okay? Jesus 39:19 needs no atonement or measuring on the Day 39:22 of Atonement. That's why the priest would 39:24 not be included in Revelation 11:1. In both Leviticus 39:29 16 and Revelation 11:1, we see the same movement 39:34 from the temple to the altar to the worshipers. 39:37 So, is Revelation 11:1 dealing with the Day 39:40 of Atonement? Absolutely. "We must underline once 39:44 again that John sees those who worship in 39:48 the temple as worshiping in heaven, although they 39:51 are physically on earth. This is a common way of 39:56 expressing that God's people enter boldly into 40:00 the heavenly sanctuary by faith, while they are 40:03 still living physically on earth. Until 1844, 40:07 the faith of God's people entered the Holy Place." 40:12 Is that where Jesus was ministering? Yes! "After 40:16 1844, their faith enters the Most Holy Place." 40:22 By the way, does Jesus continue interceding in 40:25 the Most Holy Place? [Yes.]...Well, of course. 40:29 What He does, He just takes on an additional 40:31 function, which is the judgment. But if Jesus 40:34 had ceased His Holy Place ministry, everybody 40:37 would be lost after 1844. So, He continues interceding. 40:42 So, how do people draw near to the throne of 40:46 grace? That's the big question. How do people 40:48 draw near to the throne of grace? We do it through 40:55 prayer. Don't we come boldly to the throne 40:58 of grace through prayer? Isn't that the way we 41:01 enter by faith into the heavenly sanctuary? 41:03 Absolutely! Notice Psalm 141:2. We're dealing with 41:08 this altar, the Altar of Incense. "Let my 41:10 prayer be set before you as incense, the 41:14 lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice." 41:18 In Luke 1, we find something very interesting. Here, 41:22 Zechariahs, the father of John the Baptist, 41:25 is serving in the Holy Place in his turn. 41:28 There was 24 courses, or 24 different turns 41:33 that the priest took to serve in offering 41:36 incense. It says in verse 8, "So it was 41:39 that while he was serving as priest before God 41:42 in the order of his division according to 41:44 the custom of the priesthood, his lot failed to burn 41:48 incense when he went into the temple of the 41:50 Lord." So what is Zechariahs gonna do in the Holy Place? 41:54 He's gonna burn incense, right? What are the people 41:56 doing outside? Are they in tune with what's 41:59 happening inside? Yes. It says, "And the whole 42:03 multitude of the people was praying outside 42:06 at the hour of incense." So you have the people 42:09 praying outside, and Zechariahs is offering 42:14 the incense inside. Is that pretty much true 42:17 today? We live on earth, and we enter by faith 42:20 to a place that we can't see through the incense 42:24 of Christ's merits? Absolutely. Now, the 42:26 incense doesn't represent prayer; the incense is 42:29 mingled with prayer. We talked about this 42:31 previously, several days ago. Notice Revelation 8:3-4, 42:36 "Then another angel"- this is the introduction 42:38 to the trumpets-"Then another angel, having a 42:40 golden censer, came and stood at the altar." 42:42 Which altar? The Altar of Incense. "He was 42:45 given much incense, that he should offer it with 42:49 the prayers of all the saints upon the golden 42:52 altar, which was before the throne." So, does 42:56 the incense represent prayer? No. The prayers 42:59 are mingled with the incense. And it says, 43:04 "And the smoke of the incense with the prayers 43:07 of the saints ascended before God from the 43:10 angel's hand." And I read this statement 43:12 before, but this is just absolutely beautiful. 43:15 Ellen White on page 277: "Christ has pledged Himself 43:20 to be our Substitute and Surety, and He 43:25 neglects no one. There is an inexhaustible fund"- 43:31 currency, in other words- "of perfect obedience, 43:34 accruing from His obedience. In heaven, His merits, 43:40 His self-denial, and self-sacrifice are treasured 43:45 up as incense to be offered with the prayers 43:48 of His people. As the sinner's sincere, humble 43:53 prayers ascend to"- where? We're on earth, 43:57 but where are the prayers going?-"to heaven, Christ 44:02 mingles with them the merits of His life, 44:06 of perfect obedience. Our prayers are made 44:10 fragrant by this incense. However, not all prayers 44:18 are sincere and genuine." Some prayers are uttered 44:24 with crocodile tears. Proverbs 28:9. I'm gonna 44:31 read it in the New King James Version, as well 44:34 as the NIV. The New King James says, "One who turns 44:38 away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer 44:42 is an abomination." Are there people who turn 44:44 away from the law of God who pray? Ho-ho, 44:47 and what is their prayer? An abomination. I like 44:52 the way that the NIV puts it. "If anyone turns 44:54 a deaf ear to the law, even his prayers are 44:58 detestable." Notice Jeremiah 7:16. "Therefore, 45:03 do not pray for this people," God tells the 45:05 prophet, "nor lift up a cry or prayer for them, 45:09 nor make intercession to Me. I will not hear you." Why? 45:12 Because they were in rebellion! They claimed 45:14 to be God's people, but they were in rebellion. 45:18 Psalm 66:18-19. "If I regard iniquity in my 45:23 heart," what would happen? "The Lord will not hear. 45:28 But certainly God has heard me." Why? "He 45:31 has attended [to] the voice of my prayer," 45:33 because there's no iniquity in his what? In his 45:36 heart. So are there prayers that are insincere? 45:40 Are there prayers that don't go beyond the 45:42 ceiling of the house where you're praying? 45:45 Absolutely! Now, why would God have to judge 45:48 His people? Why would God have to judge all of those 45:52 who pray? Well, there's a simple reason. Let's 45:56 read from Albert Barnes. If you can get a commentary 45:59 by Albert Barnes, it would be very productive. 46:03 He's an old Bible commentator who really comments on 46:06 the Bible, and doesn't just give you a bunch 46:08 of pretty stories, like many commentaries 46:11 these days. Notice, "There is some apparent 46:15 incongruity." What does 'incongruity' mean? An 46:19 apparent contradiction - they don't rhyme, right? 46:22 "There is some apparent incongruity in directing 46:26 him to measure those who are engaged in 46:28 worship." Aren't they all genuine if they're 46:32 involved in worship? No, no. "But the obvious 46:35 meaning is this: That he was to take a correct 46:40 estimate of their character, of what they professed, 46:45 of the reality of their piety, of their lives, 46:49 and of the general state of the church considered 46:51 as professedly worshiping God." That sounds like 46:55 an Adventist! Doesn't it? In other words, it's a 46:59 process of separating the genuine from the 47:02 counterfeit! By the way, where does the judgment 47:05 begin? 1 Peter 4:17. "For the time has come 47:12 for a judgment to begin at the house of God; 47:18 and if it begins with us first"... By the way, 47:21 he's speaking about- that the judgment, it 47:24 begins with those who first died. I'm gonna read 47:26 it in a moment. The apostle Peter at this 47:31 point is basically knowing that he's probably not 47:34 gonna be alive when the Lord comes. So, 47:37 "And if it begins with us first," that is, with 47:40 believers first, "what will be the end of those who 47:44 do not obey the gospel of God?" So who is judged 47:47 first? Those who claim Jesus. Who will be judged 47:52 later? Which he expresses as, "What will be the end 47:56 of those who do not obey the gospel of God?" 47:58 Those are judged during the millennium. Now, what 48:02 is the 'house of God'? Because it says, "Judgment 48:05 begins at the house of God." What is that? 48:08 1 Timothy 3:14-15. Paul explains it himself. 48:12 "These things I write to you, though I hope 48:15 to come to you shortly; but if I am delayed, I 48:19 write so that you may know how you ought to 48:23 conduct yourself in the house of God, which is 48:27 the church"... What is the house of God? The 48:31 church. So who is judged first? The church! Those 48:35 who claimed Jesus Christ. Notice Ellen White's 48:39 description of this judgment. Because the 48:42 Apostle Paul says that the judg- if the judgment 48:45 begins with us first, is he including himself 48:47 as part of the church, believers? Absolutely; 48:50 it begins with believers, and it ends with those 48:52 who do not obey the gospel of Christ. So 48:56 notice Ellen White's description. "As the 48:57 books of record are opened in the judgment, the lives 49:01 of all who have believed on Jesus come in review 49:05 before God, beginning with those who first 49:08 lived upon the earth,"- So that would be whom? 49:12 Adam first-"our Advocate presents the cases, each 49:16 successive generation"... So it's done in chronological 49:19 order. Correct? I'm glad it's not alphabetical; 49:24 my last name begins with B-but anyway. [laughter] 49:26 "...beginning with those who first lived upon 49:28 the earth, our Advocate presents the cases of 49:31 each successive generation, and closes with," whom? 49:35 That's the sealing of the 144,000, by the 49:37 way. "...with the living." How many names are 49:40 mentioned? "Every name is mentioned, every case 49:46 closely investigated. Names are accepted." 49:51 Names of whom? Of those who believed...who claimed 49:55 to believe. "Names are accepted, names rejected." 49:58 What would be the names rejected? Did they claim 50:02 to be believers, the names that are rejected? 50:04 Yes. Why are they rejected? Because the records show 50:07 that they were counterfeit believers. She continues. 50:10 "When any have sins remaining upon the books 50:13 of record, unrepented of and unforgiven, their 50:18 names will be blotted out of the Book of Life, 50:22 and the record of their good deeds will be erased 50:24 from the book of God's remembrance. Clearly, 50:29 the judgment of Revelation 11:1 describes only those 50:35 who profess to follow Jesus and worship by 50:38 faith at the altar of incense in the temple." 50:43 Now, we have an interesting parable that Jesus told 50:46 which illustrates what happens with a person 50:49 who cries for mercy and is not sincere. Can God 50:54 revoke forgiveness? Yes, He can revoke forgiveness. 50:58 Remember the story of the two debtors? There 51:00 was one individual that owed 10,000 talents 51:03 to his lord. Probably, he had embezzled the 51:06 money. And so, the lord says, "Come and settle 51:09 accounts with me." And this debtor, what does 51:12 he say? Oh, he starts crying; he says, "Oh, 51:14 lord, please, please..." "I'm gonna throw you 51:16 in prison," is what his lord says. "Oh, please, 51:18 please, please, give me time! I'll pay!" And of 51:22 course, the lord says, "Pay? Are you kidding 51:24 me? 10,000 talents? [scoffs] You can never 51:27 pay that!" So, he says, "Throw him into prison! 51:32 Confiscate all his goods! Take his family with him!" 51:35 And he continues crying, "Oh, please! Please, please, 51:38 please..." And so, his lord is moved to mercy. 51:43 He says to him, "Guess what. Because you cried 51:46 out to me for mercy, your debt is forgiven." 51:50 "I don't have to pay?" "No. Your debt is forgiven." 51:54 "Ho!" he said. "This is unbelievable." And 51:58 so he goes out the door, and he finds someone that 52:01 owes him 100 denarii, the equivalent of 100 52:05 days of work. A significant amount, but it could be 52:08 paid in installments; and he sees this guy. 52:12 He says, "Pay me what you owe me." And this 52:15 individual does the same with him as he had done 52:17 with his lord. He says, "Oh, please, give me 52:20 time; I'll pay you." He says, "I'm not gonna 52:22 give you a single second," and he grabbed him by 52:25 the neck, and he was choking him! 52:30 Let me ask you. Why did he cry out to his lord? 52:34 'Cause he was sorry that he'd gotten into debt? 52:37 No, because he didn't wanna suffer the consequences. 52:42 Are you with me? Counterfeit repentance - crocodile tears, 52:47 if you please. So, then, the messengers of the 52:54 master, they see that this is happening, and 52:57 so they go back and they tell the master what this 52:59 guy did. By the way, they represent the 53:01 angels who record our works. And they say, 53:05 "You know what this guy did that you forgave a 53:06 debt that he could never pay? He went right out 53:10 the door, he didn't appreciate what forgiveness 53:12 is all about." Forgive us our debts, as we 53:16 forgive our debtors! He went out, and he was 53:18 choking this guy that only owed him 100 53:20 denarii. And so, the master says, "Bring 53:22 that guy here." And he says to him, "If I forgave 53:27 you a debt that you could never pay, why couldn't 53:29 you forgive a debt by someone else?" And he 53:34 threw him into prison with all of his family 53:36 till he paid the entire debt...and he died in 53:38 prison, I might say, because there's no way 53:41 that he could pay it! Was his forgiveness 53:45 revoked? Yes, because our works show if our 53:50 repentance is genuine. Are you understanding 53:54 the point? I can't say, like for example, a person 54:00 who hits his wife, "Oh, I'm so sorry!" and an 54:03 hour, he's hitting her again! That's a sign 54:07 that there's not true repentance. True repentance 54:10 is manifested in a change of life! You know, when I 54:14 was a kid, sometimes I fought with my three sisters. 54:18 The Lord didn't bless me with a brother, so 54:21 I had no one to defend me. [laughter] So, I 54:24 would fight with my sisters. And my parents, 54:26 because they were girls, my dad would say, "Son, 54:31 I'm going to give you a licking." You know 54:34 what that means, right? And so he would take 54:37 out his belt. You know what I would say to 54:38 my dad? "Oh, no, Dad! I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" 54:41 You think I was really sorry about fighting 54:42 with my sisters? No way! [laughter] I was sorry I 54:45 was gonna get punished. That's false repentance. 54:50 I've learned a lot since then. [laughs] I get along 54:54 fine with my sisters. Are you following this? 54:58 Now, let's go to a summary here. The 55:02 angel descends from heaven, the physical characteristics 55:04 are described, he comes down with an open scroll, 55:08 he puts his feet on dry land and on the sea, 55:11 he roars like a lion, seven thunders, John 55:16 is told to seal the message of the thunders, 55:18 not write them down, the angel then swears 55:20 an oath in the name of the Creator that time would 55:23 be no longer, the angel then gives the book to 55:26 John, instructed him to eat it, and it was 55:29 bitter in the stomach and sweet in the mouth, 55:32 John then suffers indigestion, the same angel then 55:37 instructs John to prophesy again from the little book, 55:41 and then the same angel tells him to measure the 55:43 temple, then the mystery of God is finished, and 55:46 then the seventh trumpet blows. Wow. Why does 55:52 our church exist? To proclaim this message, 55:58 this distinctive message, with everything involved 56:01 in the Most Holy Place. Ellen White wrote, "In a 56:06 special sense, Seventh-day Adventists have been 56:09 set in the world as watchmen." That's a 56:10 defensive role isn't it? A watchman defends, 56:13 doesn't let the enemy come in. "And light-bearers." 56:17 That's offense. "To them has been entrusted the 56:21 last warning for a perishing world. On them is shining 56:24 wonderful light from the Word of God on us. They 56:28 have been given a work of the most solemn import: 56:31 the proclamation of the first, second, and third 56:34 angels' messages. There is no other work of so 56:39 great importance. They are to allow nothing else 56:44 to absorb their attention." What if the church does 56:49 not fulfill its mission? Here's a quotation that 56:51 isn't read very much. Last Day Events, pg. 59-60. 56:57 "In the balances of the sanctuary, the Seventh-day 57:00 Adventist Church is to be weighed." God not 57:05 only weighs people; He weighs churches. "She 57:08 will be judged by the privileges and advantages 57:10 that she has had. If her spiritual experience 57:14 does not correspond to the advantages that Christ, 57:18 at infinite cost, has bestowed on her if the 57:22 blessings conferred have not qualified her to do 57:25 the work entrusted to her. On her will be 57:29 pronounced the sentence, 'Found wanting.' By the 57:34 light bestowed, the opportunities given will 57:37 she be judged." Is the church doing today what 57:42 it's supposed to be doing? We are all kinds of destructions 57:46 and fights and questioning our message and questioning 57:50 our interpretation of prophecy. If we fail, 57:55 this is what The Spirit of Prophecy tells us 57:57 will happen. [intense orchestral music] |
Revised 2020-11-02