Participants: Ivor Myers (Host), James Rafferty (Host), Jason Bradley, Yvonne Lewis
Series Code: SISS
Program Code: SISS000043A
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00:30 Okay, we almost finished Revelation 10,
00:33 I mean, we've spent a couple of sessions on it, 00:36 and I think we finished it but there's one little phrase 00:38 that we talked about in our last session together 00:41 that we really want to highlight and understand 00:43 because I think what it does is 00:45 that it confirms this whole idea these time prophecies, 00:49 and this day-for-a-year principle 00:50 that they have a certain place where they fit, 00:53 they began... they ended... we're done with those, 00:55 the time is no longer... so now what? 00:57 Because if we are still waiting for time to be fulfilled, 01:01 then that's going to be indicated 01:03 in the verses that follow but yet 01:05 there's something in the verse that follows 01:08 that tells us that we're no longer waiting for time, 01:10 we're waiting for something else and that's the mystery of God. 01:12 Yvonne: Hmmm... hmmm... 01:14 James: So what is this mystery of God that we're waiting for? 01:16 That's what we want to discover, that's what we want to look at, 01:18 so, we need to begin with a word of prayer, don't we? 01:20 All right, who would like to pray for us? 01:23 Ivor: I'll pray... James: Thanks Ivor. 01:25 Ivor: "Heavenly Father, please guide us as we continue 01:29 to study your Word, we pray Lord 01:31 that what we learn will affect our hearts and our minds 01:36 and would work transformation within us, 01:39 and again Lord, we just ask that you send your Spirit 01:42 to guide us into all truth 01:43 is our prayer in Jesus' name, amen" 01:45 All: "Amen. " 01:46 James: And Ivor, I was just thinking about that... 01:48 that prayer has already been answered 01:50 with the frank confession that you made 01:52 between sessions... you didn't do it on... 01:54 and I won't take it out of your mouth and spill the beans 01:58 but the whole idea of the 1840 and the 1798 dates... 02:03 nailed down to establish the day-for-a-year principle 02:07 that that helped them through that bitter disappointment 02:12 we know the 1844... we know the 1798 date... 02:15 this... these prophetic timelines were established there 02:18 and, therefore, "that helped me get through that disappointment" 02:21 I love that... and so God's already answering your prayer, 02:23 He's leading us into this truth and helping us to see things 02:26 so, just, there they are, like... 02:28 Ivor: Amen, amen... good stuff. James: Yeah. 02:31 Ivor: And this mystery of iniquity... 02:35 I'm sorry... "mystery of God... " 02:37 and... I almost spilled the beans again. 02:39 All: Laugher... 02:44 James: All right, let's start with the mystery of God. 02:47 Ivor: Yeah... yeah... 02:48 James: Shall we? Revelation chapter 10... 02:49 Jason, read for us Revelation chapter 10 02:51 so we can get... so we can get a good start here, 02:53 Revelation 10 verse 7. 02:55 Jason: Verse 7? James: Hmmm... hmmm... 02:56 Jason: "But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, 02:58 when he shall begin to sound, 03:00 the mystery of God should be finished, 03:01 as he hath declared to his servants the prophets. " 03:04 James: Okay, so this mystery of God... 03:06 first of all, brings an end to all time prophecies, 03:09 in other words... "time no longer but... " 03:12 means, we're not waiting for time now, 03:14 now we're waiting for the mystery of God to be finished. 03:16 So, God has given us a number of ways 03:20 to know biblically, prophetically 03:24 that those time prophecies have come to an end, 03:25 that they were a day for a year... 03:27 and one of those ways He's given to us 03:29 that confirms this is the mystery of God, 03:31 that's what we're supposed to be looking for now, 03:33 we're not supposed to be looking for time prophecies anymore, 03:36 we're supposed to be looking for the mystery of God 03:37 so what is this mystery of God? 03:40 I've got one verse on it. 03:41 Ivor: Now, I just want to kind of amplify 03:43 a little bit of what you just said just now, 03:45 in the book of Daniel and in the book of Revelation, 03:52 there's really only one time prophecy, 03:57 it's the 2,300 days. James: Really, really? 04:00 Ivor: That's it. Yvonne: Hmmm... 04:01 Ivor: All the other prophecies, right, 04:02 70 weeks... the 1,260... 04:06 in the book of Daniel there's a 1,290... 04:08 there's a 1,335... 04:10 in the book of Revelation, there's the 5 months... 04:14 and there's the 391... along with the other... 04:18 they are all actually part of 04:20 that larger prophecy of the 2,300 days, 04:23 they just fall... these are sub-sections... 04:26 Yvonne: Right, like milestones? 04:29 Ivor: Yeah, they all fall in line so this part of the 2,300 04:31 and they're all actually given to culminate... 04:35 with that 2,300-day Prophecy ending 1844. 04:38 James: Yes... yeah... wow... 04:41 Ivor: So, one of the things 04:42 that's really important to understand is, 04:44 when we talk about the day-for-a-year principle, 04:46 there's another way to look at this, 04:48 I know we're kind of going off... 04:50 but I think it's important to point out here 04:52 that when you look at the 70-week Prophecy 04:54 and you know that well... 04:56 it couldn't be 70 weeks until the coming of Christ... 04:58 it has to be 70 weeks of years 05:00 because if you count that 70 weeks of years, 05:03 it establishes... that's what... 05:05 it's interesting... the beginning of the prophecy 05:07 establishes the veracity of the... 05:10 James: Rest. Ivor: Yeah, and so 05:12 if it's one prophecy... then every sub-section of that 05:17 prophecy must be a day for a year, 05:20 because it's all the same prophecy. 05:22 Yvonne: Right. James: Good point. 05:24 Ivor: Every prophecy... so that prophecy... 05:26 once we've established a day for a year, 05:28 every other part of it must be a day for a year 05:30 and that's what God is doing throughout 05:32 so when He says, "time no longer" 05:34 He's saying, "Look, the prophecy is done... 05:36 I've given you these... I've broken up these prophecies" 05:39 because imagine if this prophecy wasn't broken up, 05:42 there would be no shoulder for us to stand on. 05:45 James: Right. Yvonne: Right. 05:46 Ivor: No... "yeah, this is... 05:47 yeah, we're right... we're moving along... " 05:49 because 1844 is going to be an event 05:52 that could not be seen... in other words... 05:55 there's no verification on earth, 05:58 we can't see Jesus moving into a Most... 06:01 so... what God does this, he says, 06:02 "Look, I'm going to give you these waymarks... 06:04 and these being established will strengthen your faith 06:10 to believe in something that you cannot see" 06:13 because even the disciples could see 06:15 Jesus rose from the dead... right? 06:16 "Oh, 70-week prophecy... okay, we got it wrong... 06:18 but we have evidence, we've seen Him... " 06:20 here... nothing... 06:22 all we have to go on... is faith 06:26 but God said, "I'm not going to let you go on that alone, 06:28 I'm going to give you these prophecies, 06:30 all one prophecy... different sub-sections of that prophecy 06:34 so when He says, "Time no longer... " 06:36 He's saying, "Look, I've given you enough 06:38 to establish the truth of 1844." 06:41 James: Now what we need to look for is the mystery of God. 06:44 That's what we need to focus on. Ivor: That's it. 06:46 James: And the reason I really like this is 06:47 because it really ties in with the two-fold emphasis 06:52 of Revelation 10, 06:53 the first emphasis is intellectual knowledge, 06:55 "Write it, write it, write it, write it, write it" 06:57 okay, so, "The book's open, write it, write this down... " 07:00 the second emphasis is spiritual experience, 07:04 character development, no more writing, 07:06 "eat it... assimilate what's already been written" 07:09 "Thy Word was found... thy words were found... " 07:12 it says in Jeremiah 15:16, "Thy words were found, 07:15 and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me 07:18 the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: 07:20 for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts. " 07:23 James: This is character development... 07:25 this is the mystery of God by the way, 07:27 that's the first verse on the mystery of God... Jeremiah 15:16 07:29 Jeremiah is in a sense 07:33 interpreting what it means to eat the words of God, 07:36 to eat the little book, 07:37 they are to become character, we are to... 07:40 we are to assimilate God's words 07:42 and they become the joy and rejoicing of our hearts 07:44 and we are called by His name, we become like Him, 07:47 so that's the first verse we're looking at. 07:49 Yvonne: Was this sanctification? 07:50 James: Yes well, it's righteousness by faith, 07:52 we call it righteousness by faith. 07:54 Yvonne: Okay. 07:55 James: Because sometimes when we separate sanctification 07:57 from the experience of righteousness by faith, 07:59 people can get the idea that 08:01 well, justification is what Christ does, 08:02 and sanctification is what we do... 08:04 no, no, it's all one package. Yvonne: Right. 08:07 James: Those who are 08:08 given the gift of salvation, will live for Jesus, 08:11 that's what they do, they live for Jesus 08:13 and sanctification is the gift that's given to us 08:16 that causes us to live our lives for Him 08:19 just like justification is a gift that's given to us 08:22 justification... sanctification, cannot be separated. 08:24 One of them deals with our past sins, 08:27 the next one deals with our ongoing life, our present life, 08:30 the power of sin in our lives is diminished and destroyed 08:33 by righteousness by faith by the gospel of Jesus Christ, 08:36 so it's one and the same thing 08:37 and because God gives us this gift of sanctification, 08:40 this gift of justification, we desire to live for Him 08:43 and that life that we live for Him... is an evidence 08:45 that we are resting on Him... His righteousness... His gift, 08:49 the gift of salvation, so when we look at this, 08:52 and there's another verse that I want to look at 08:54 and maybe we'll have a few more of it 08:56 but this one for sure is really going to nail it down, 08:59 this one is found in Colossians chapter 1 and verse 26, 09:02 actually, if we can read a few verses here, 09:06 whoever gets there first... but I'm thinking will be Jason 09:09 I'm watching you guys race through the Scriptures and... 09:12 Colossians 1, let's just read, Jason, 26, 27, 28 09:17 26, 27 and 28. 09:21 Jason: Okay, "Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages 09:24 and from generations, 09:26 but now is made manifest to his saints: 09:28 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory 09:33 of this mystery among the Gentiles; 09:35 which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: 09:37 Whom we preach, warning every man, 09:40 and teaching every man in all wisdom; 09:42 that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus... " 09:45 James: Did you get that? 09:47 That's a summation of what we just said, 09:48 the mystery twice defined in verses 26 and 27... 09:54 the mystery is: Christ in you... the hope of glory 09:57 that's the mystery... 09:58 we're not looking for time prophecy anymore, 10:00 the time prophecies have all been fulfilled 10:01 all of that... intellectual knowledge, 10:04 let that rest in your mind and heart 10:07 that's good stuff but now we need to assimilate 10:10 the words of God 10:12 so that they become the joy and rejoicing of our heart 10:14 so that we are called by His name... 10:17 we need to have Christ in us, the hope of glory 10:20 this is the mystery... no more time... 10:23 we're waiting for the mystery of... 10:25 by the time the 7th angel sounds and Jesus comes, 10:27 you know what should be finished? 10:29 "Christ in you... the hope of glory" 10:30 so that... and this is the last verse here that we read, 10:33 that Jason read... 10:35 "so that... every man may be presented 10:38 perfect... in Christ... " 10:39 so, the only way we can be presented "perfect in Christ" 10:43 is if we have His righteousness, 10:45 if we have His righteousness, 10:47 we can be presented perfect in Christ 10:49 and the only way that we're going 10:51 to be having His righteousness is if our lives 10:53 are lives that are being lived for Him 10:55 because that's an evidence 10:56 that we have His righteousness, see... 10:58 Jason: Like we can say that 11:00 He's waiting for a purified bride... is that...? 11:03 James: Yes, He's waiting for a purified bride 11:06 and that evidence of a purified bride 11:08 is a people who are living for Him, 11:09 now, let me just put a caveat on that, 11:11 the "living for Him" is not sanctification, 11:15 the "living for Him" is not our ideal or fitness for heaven, 11:19 "living for Him" is not what saves us, 11:21 the "living for Him" is what evidence is... 11:23 that we're resting on His righteousness, 11:25 we're trusting in Him, 11:26 so, when you live a life for Jesus, 11:29 you're sold out for Jesus, you're following Him, 11:31 you're obeying His Word, you're keeping His Commandments, 11:33 that's an evidence 11:34 that you are trusting in His justification... sanctification, 11:37 in the gift of His righteousness. 11:38 Yvonne: Hmmm... hmmm... hmmm... 11:39 James: That's... that you're perfect in Christ, 11:41 that's the evidence of that, 11:42 without that... there's no evidence. 11:44 "What? You say you're an apple tree... where are the apples? 11:46 You said you were a fig tree, where are the figs?" 11:48 Well, the fig tree is a fig tree 11:51 and the apple tree is an apple tree... without the fruit 11:53 but the fruit... confirms... reveals... testifies to the fact 11:58 and without the fruit... it's not good for anything. 12:01 Ivor: Yeah, yeah, so, let's put this in context... 12:04 what do we have going on? 12:05 We have the mystery of Godliness being announced 12:10 in connection with 1844... okay... 12:14 so, okay, well, how do we get the mystery of Godliness 12:19 which is what? "Christ in you," right? 12:22 Now, we need Christ dwelling in us 12:24 because He wants to justify us and sanctify us... 12:28 righteousness by faith, so, how does that happen? 12:33 Well, God Himself has given us an object lesson 12:38 of what it means to have Christ in you, 12:41 Jesus said, "I am the way the truth and the life" 12:45 but Psalm 77 verse 13 says, 12:48 "Thy way, O God, is in the Sanctuary... " 12:52 if you look at Exodus 25 and verse 8, 12:55 I'm just looking at you right now, 12:57 if you look at Exodus 25 verse 8, God said, 13:01 "And let them make me a sanctuary; 13:02 that I may dwell among them" 13:05 really meaning... within them. 13:06 Ivor: So, in the New Testament, we are sanctuaries... 13:11 "Know ye not that you are the temple of the Holy Ghost?" 13:15 Right? and so, in the Old Testament 13:17 God was trying to show the Children of Israel 13:19 "Look, the mystery of Godliness is me... dwelling in you... 13:24 and the sanctuary is the object lesson of how this works" 13:28 so, when we see 13:31 that God says, "This is the mystery of Godliness" 13:34 and then we find something really amazing... 13:36 so I want you to turn with me in your Bible 13:37 to 2nd Thessalonians chapter 2 and let me ask someone 13:42 to read verses 3 through 7, 13:47 so 2nd Thessalonians chapter 2 verses 3 through 7. 13:50 Yvonne: "Let no man deceive you by any means: 13:52 for that day shall not come, 13:54 except there come a falling away first, 13:56 and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 14:00 Who opposeth and exalteth himself 14:02 above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; 14:05 so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, 14:09 shewing himself that he is God. 14:11 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, 14:15 I told you these things?" 14:16 You want me to go through verse 7? 14:17 Ivor: Verse 7, yeah. James: You got to hear verse 7. 14:20 Yvonne: "For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: 14:23 only he who now letteth will let, 14:25 until he be taken out of the way. " 14:27 James: Ivor, how can you be so calm right now, buddy, 14:29 what's wrong with you you lost your...? 14:30 Ivor: I don't know... I was trying to understand 14:32 how I am being so calm, right now. 14:35 James: That was cool... 14:37 Ivor: you know... just meditating in my mind 14:40 like, "What's going on?" James: Yeah. 14:41 Yvonne: Okay, pull this together. 14:42 James: Because the first thing we did this whole thing 14:44 and that happened to you, you were just like, 14:46 "Oooh... " 14:48 Ivor: So, the mystery of Godliness... is God in us. 14:51 Yvonne: Right. James: In the temple. 14:52 Ivor: In the temple, right, God in the temple 14:54 and we are the temple and in fact... 14:56 imagine it like this, If you want to know who God is 14:59 He says, "Go to my temple... " 15:00 James: Hmmm... hmmm... Ivor: The Sanctuary... 15:01 James: Which we are about to do. Ivor: That's right, 15:03 that's coming right up... I'm just setting you up... 15:05 James: I can't wait... you're so patient. 15:08 Ivor: Oh yeah, the Sanctuary is like, 15:11 a picture of God... 15:13 so, you know how you carry a picture 15:15 in your wallet, "This is my mom, this is my... " 15:17 Yvonne: Right... right... 15:18 Ivor: The sanctuary is like a picture of... 15:19 you want to know who God is? Go into the Sanctuary, 15:22 it reveals who God is 15:23 and by beholding Him, I become like Him, 15:26 right, God... "Christ in me... the hope of glory" 15:30 but what we just read in 2nd Thessalonians, 15:33 this is the mystery of Godliness, 15:34 what we just read in 2nd Thessalonians is that 15:36 there would be a mystery of iniquity... 15:38 which is the very opposite of the mystery of Godliness, 15:41 this mystery of iniquity would sit in the temple of God... 15:44 James: Just like the mystery of Godliness... 15:46 Ivor: That's right... just like the mystery of Godliness... 15:47 Yvonne: Oh... Ivor: Showing, "Hey, I'm God... 15:49 and as God, let me show you what God is like" 15:51 "Oh, God burns babies forever... " 15:54 "Yeah, and you know, 15:56 God requires payment for the forgiveness of sins," 15:59 "Oh yeah, God persecutes other Christians 16:03 who don't believe as we believe. " 16:06 The picture of God had been changed 16:09 during the Dark Ages. 16:10 The mystery of iniquity had taken the place 16:14 of the mystery of Godliness. 16:17 Yvonne: Oooooh, now you know that's deep right there. 16:19 Ivor: And so, what you have happening 16:21 in Revelation chapter 10, 16:22 God says, "Listen, the mystery of Godliness, 16:25 which is supposed to go into all the world, 16:28 to every nation, kindred, tongue and then the end will come" 16:30 yeah, that was... that was obscured 16:33 during the Dark Ages by the mystery of iniquity. 16:34 James: Hmmm... hmmm... 16:36 Ivor: Showing a picture... a false picture 16:39 of who God is... now... now... 16:41 James: I'm ready... I'm ready... 16:44 Yvonne: That's the counterfeit about the truth. 16:46 James: Ready... ready... I got the verse. 16:48 Ready, ready, now, now, "Thou must prophesy again, 16:51 you've got to prophesy again before many nations... " 16:55 Revelation 10:11... "before many nations, kindreds, tongues... 16:58 you've got to tell the world about this" 16:59 so here's the Millerite Movement being raised up 17:02 going through this disappointment 17:04 but coming to this full revelation... the mystery of God 17:07 "You've got to tell the world about this mystery of God, 17:09 because there's a counterfeit and this counterfeit... 17:12 I've had him on hold... I've had him under judgment, 17:15 I've tried to get him to repent, he won't repent, he won't repent 17:17 he won't repent... so, next option... 17:20 since I can't get him to repent, I can't get the church purified, 17:22 next option... I'm raising up this new Movement 17:25 and I'm pulling people out of all these different churches 17:27 that have been infected by this misunderstanding 17:29 of my character, 17:30 I'm pulling them out... I'm bringing them together... 17:32 and they're going to go... they're going to be tried... 17:34 because there are a lot of people 17:35 that are just kind of coming with them... that aren't really 17:37 shouldn't be there so they're going out... 17:39 and I'm going to purify this one group, 17:40 tried... purified... and then I want them to prophecy 17:43 they've got to prophecy again because my character 17:46 my character has been distorted before the world. " 17:49 Yvonne: Wow! 17:50 James: And the last message that has to go to the world, 17:52 is a revelation of the character of God 17:53 and that sets us up for Revelation 11:1 and 2. 17:56 Yvonne: Wooo... you know what? 17:58 James: You got to be quiet and still for about 10 minutes. 18:00 Yvonne: "Praise the Lord." This is so rich, 18:04 this is so rich it's giving me chills... 18:06 James: I never made that connection before... 18:08 between 2nd Thessalonians. Ivor: Yeah. 18:09 James: I know you didn't... 18:10 I know, you got no excuse now, but you say that 18:12 you've got to be careful now because you're saying 18:13 that live now... you know what I'm saying? 18:15 Ivor: Yes, we knew that all along. 18:16 Yes, we've been preparing. 18:18 Yvonne: Isn't that amazing when the Holy Spirit 18:21 gives you an insight and an insight on the spot 18:25 and it's just... this is so rich... 18:26 James: Yeah, and the conflict's going to continue 18:28 because when we get into our last prophetic cycle, 18:30 you've got intense conflict now between these two powers 18:34 and the counterfeit is almost overwhelming 18:36 because you've got the Godhead, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, 18:39 and you've got the counterfeit, 18:41 the beast, the dragon and the false prophet. 18:42 Yvonne: Hmmm... 18:43 James: Calling down fire from heaven... doing miracles... 18:46 see, you've got the same back and forth 18:49 worship... worship... then you've got two groups 18:52 that are ripened for the harvest... 18:54 in the end, you've got two groups that are ripe... 18:57 that's Revelation 14... 18:58 "Thrust in thy sickle and reap, the grape... 19:00 those who are going to taste of the wrath 19:02 and then... reap those 19:04 who are going to be taken up with God into heaven. " 19:06 Ivor: And I think it's so crucial because 19:08 what this is showing us is that 19:12 end-time events are not going to be 19:15 overtly wicked against righteous, 19:18 it's going to be 19:20 "false righteous" versus "true righteous" 19:22 you see what I'm saying? 19:24 Yvonne: Ooooh, now that's a great... unpack that. 19:26 Ivor: The mystery of iniquity is not... 19:27 it's not open evil, 19:30 the mystery of iniquity is a counterfeit of who God is. 19:33 Yvonne: Ooooh... James: A very close counterfeit. 19:35 Ivor: A very close counterfeit. 19:37 Yvonne: So that... so that even the very elect... 19:39 Ivor: Elect... if it were possible... 19:42 it's a mystery, if it weren't a mystery, 19:44 then it would just be iniquity... 19:45 just be iniquity... "Oh yeah, that's iniquity" 19:47 no... this is the mystery of iniquity... 19:49 it doesn't look like iniquity on the front, 19:51 it looks like God... 19:53 it's sitting in the temple of God... 19:56 showing itself to be God... 19:58 James: Let's just get some verification on this 20:01 for our Viewers, so, 20:02 number one, this is the way that Satan has worked 20:04 from the very beginning. 20:05 In heaven, angel, Lucifer, light bearer, et cetera, 20:09 coming down to earth... Eve, Adam et cetera, 20:12 going through... but then when you get to, for example, 20:14 and I'm just going to... we'll just look at the references here 20:16 it's in 2nd Corinthians chapter 11 20:19 this is how we're told... this is how Satan works... 20:22 and again... we... we're going to see this 20:25 in our last prophetic cycle, Revelation 12, 20:27 we're going to see it even more 20:28 but here, Paul is calling us back to Genesis 20:32 and making the connection to Genesis 20:33 all the way up until his time in the New Testament 20:37 and he's making the same connection 20:38 that we're talking about, 2nd Corinthians 11 20:42 and Jason read for us verses 2, 3 and 4. 20:45 Jason: Okay, "For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: 20:51 for I have espoused you to one husband, 20:54 that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. 20:58 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve 21:03 through his subtlety, 21:05 so your minds should be corrupted 21:09 from the simplicity that is in Christ. 21:10 For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, 21:14 whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, 21:18 which ye have not received, or another gospel, 21:21 which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him. " 21:24 James: Now verses... 21:26 Yvonne, read verses 13 through 15 of the same chapter. 21:28 Yvonne: "For such are false apostles, 21:31 deceitful workers, transforming themselves 21:34 into the apostles of Christ. 21:35 And no marvel; 21:37 for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 21:40 Therefore it is no great thing 21:43 if his ministers also be transformed 21:45 as the ministers of righteousness; 21:47 whose end shall be according to their works. " 21:49 James: There it is, right there. Yvonne: Wow! 21:52 James: So Paul is telling us just how this is going to work, 21:54 he's the one that wrote 2nd Thessalonians chapter 2 also 21:56 "he's going to come as an angel of light... 21:58 he's going to deceive, if possible, the very elect. " 22:01 In the context of 2nd Thessalonians, 22:03 "Those who received not the love of the truth... 22:06 that they might be saved 22:07 and therefore they have pleasure in unrighteousness 22:10 and these are the principles" so the mystery of God is huge, 22:13 we are going to be part of the mystery of God 22:15 or are we going to be part of the mystery of iniquity 22:17 and it's going to be almost impossible for us to tell, 22:19 we've got to examine ourselves. 22:20 I see you're thinking about a question. 22:23 Yvonne: You know, it's so funny, what popped into my mind is, 22:27 just doing like a study on the mystery of God 22:30 and the mystery of iniquity 22:31 because that's... I mean... that sermon. 22:33 Ivor: Hmmm... hmmm... I'm already planning it. 22:37 Yvonne: Good, I'll get your notes, but to me that... 22:41 I mean, God is letting us know, 22:44 the wonderful thing about this is that... 22:46 He didn't leave us in the dark, 22:48 He's letting us know what's going to happen, 22:50 it's up to us to study and find out 22:53 how it's going to play out but He has left it for us. 22:58 Ivor: We need to get to Revelation 11 verse 1. 23:00 James: Let's do it right now because it's... 23:03 it's burning a hole in my pocket. 23:05 Jason: I like what you were saying because I mean, 23:08 even from the very beginning, God has sustained us, 23:11 He created man on the 6th day, 23:13 the plants, animals... all that stuff... 23:16 everything was here for us when we were created 23:19 throughout time... He's just sustained us 23:22 and He's still creating and sustaining. 23:25 James: Creating and sustaining, creating and sustaining, 23:26 that's what it's all about for God. 23:29 Okay, 11 verse 1, let's read those verses, 11:1 and 2. 23:33 "And there was given unto me a reed like unto a rod: 23:37 and the angel stood saying, 23:38 Rise, measure the temple of God... " number one, 23:41 "the altar" number two.. 23:43 "and them that worship therein. 23:45 But the court... " verse two... 23:47 "But the court which is without the temple leave out, 23:49 and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: 23:52 the holy city shall they tread under foot forty two months. " 23:54 Verse 1, that's what I want us to look at, 23:56 three things are being measured, the temple of God, 23:59 the altar and them that worship therein. 24:01 Now this measurement 24:02 is directly connected to the character of God, 24:05 the word "measure" means... to judge, 24:07 to judge... judge God... 24:10 that's just a fact, it's a given... 24:12 and that's why this context is so important 24:14 because this context is coming at a time 24:17 when Dark Ages have just taken place 24:19 when people have totally misunderstood God's character 24:21 and so the whole world is just naturally it... 24:24 in a trajectory to measure God... to judge God... 24:28 "Whoa, I don't want anything to do 24:29 with this God that burns babies... " 24:31 "I don't want anything to do with this God that... " 24:33 "I want nothing to do with that kind of God... " 24:35 and that is the atmosphere 24:36 in which the Millerite Movement was raised up 24:38 and they were raised up with a Movement 24:40 that calls us to the mystery of Godliness 24:41 that's calling us to clarify what God is really like. 24:44 Ivor: It's calling them to actually measure the temple, 24:47 it's calling them... their attention... 24:48 to the temple, why? 24:50 Because that's where the true picture of God is revealed, 24:52 that's where the true character of God is 24:54 "and by beholding... we become changed" 24:57 this is very interesting, it says, "measure the temple" 24:59 is there any other place in the Bible 25:01 where the temple is measured? 25:03 It's in the book of Exodus... Exodus 25, what was measured? 25:07 the articles of furniture in the Sanctuary, 25:09 those articles reveal who God is, 25:12 the Ark of the Covenant reveals that God is a God of justice 25:18 and the Mercy Seat 25:21 points to God as a God of mercy, 25:24 the candlestick points to God as a God of light, 25:26 the Word points to Him as a God who sustains us, 25:30 the Table of Shewbread... 25:32 the Altar of Incense points to Him as a God who is a friend, 25:36 someone that we can talk to and so, 25:38 the Altar... His self-sacrifice, the Laver... His purity 25:43 so God is like... "Look, when the Papacy did this stuff, 25:47 they were... when they began to tamper with these truths, 25:51 they were tampering with my character, 25:53 now I need you to prophesy again, 25:55 tell them about these articles of furniture... 25:57 tell them about the Sanctuary, tell them about my character 26:01 because in doing so, the mystery of God... 26:04 the mystery of God will go into all the world 26:08 which is a revelation, counteract the counterfeit. " 26:11 James: Yes... and the Altar... 26:13 the Altar is also an article of furniture 26:15 that's distinctly brought out here, "so measure the temple" 26:18 but then, the Altar is brought out as something specifically 26:21 to be measured in addition to the temple 26:23 because we'd say, "Well, it's inclusive of the temple?" 26:25 No, see, the Altar is the place where the lamb was sacrificed, 26:28 the Altar is Calvary... Ivor: That's right. 26:30 James: So in order for us to really get an understanding 26:32 of God's character, 26:33 in order for us to really be able to measure the temple, 26:35 we've got to measure the Altar and the sacrifice of God. 26:38 Ivor: We need to point out that in the latter... 26:40 in what we're going to read after... in the next program... 26:43 in Revelation 11... is the rise of Atheism... 26:46 kind of... you know... jumping the gun again 26:48 but it's the rise of Atheism and the key here is that... 26:51 Atheism is a result of a rejection 26:54 of a false picture of Godliness. 26:55 Yvonne: Hmmm... 26:57 Ivor: The true picture of God 26:58 is the only answer to the Atheist argument. 27:01 James: In other words, 27:03 many Atheists reject the very same god that we reject. 27:05 Ivor: Yes... Yvonne: Ah... 27:07 James: Many Atheists reject the very same god that we reject. 27:10 Yvonne: It's the rejection of the counterfeit. 27:11 James: Yes. Ivor: Exactly. 27:12 James: That everyone thinks it's the truth. 27:14 Yvonne: Right... Ivor: They're smart... 27:15 because, "Yeah, why would I accept a God like that?" 27:18 Yvonne: Right. 27:19 Ivor: They just need to see the true picture. 27:21 James: Not just smart but they're also... 27:24 they're also morally sensitive, 27:27 "There's no way that I could serve a God 27:28 that would do that to people. " Ivor: Yeah. 27:30 James: "That's not... that can't be... 27:31 if that's what Christianity is, 27:32 I want nothing to do with it. " Yvonne: Right. 27:34 James: So that makes sense in that context 27:36 and that's why this message is so pertinent... so important. 27:38 Yvonne: Powerful... oooooh! 27:39 James: It is... it's just beautiful... 27:41 and here's another thing, just a few seconds left, 27:44 this comes right after the bitter Disappointment, 27:47 prophecy says that there's a... 27:49 there's this message of judgment right after the Disappointment 27:52 so it fits perfectly in the prophetic cycle. 27:54 We are out of time... out of time... 27:56 Yvonne: Ah, this was so good. 27:57 James: But we'll pick it up in the next session. 27:59 Yvonne: Great. |
Revised 2016-12-14