Participants:
Series Code: TAM
Program Code: TAM000006S
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00:30 Shall we bow our heads for prayer?
00:31 What a wonderful day this has been, O Loving Heavenly Father. 00:37 And now we have the opportunity of culminating, 00:41 reaching the climax of this day through the study 00:45 of Your Holy Word. 00:47 And the subject that we're going to study today is extremely 00:50 solemn and important. 00:52 And we know that we can't understand it without the aid 00:55 of your Holy Spirit. 00:56 So we ask, Father, that through the administration 00:59 of Your Spirit, You will come to be with us in this place. 01:03 You will also be with all of those who are watching this 01:07 program on the different channels on television. 01:10 I ask, Lord, that through Your Spirit, You will speak clearly 01:14 and distinctly to each heart. 01:16 And we thank You for hearing our prayer, 01:18 for we ask it in Jesus' name, Amen. 01:22 I'd like to begin by reading the verses that we've been studying 01:26 in the last several sessions: Revelation 14:6, 7. 02:05 This is the third imperative in the first angel's message 02:10 that we're going to take a look at in our study today. 02:13 The first imperative is: fear God. 02:16 The second imperative is: give glory to Him. 02:19 And the third, of course, is worship Him who made the heaven, 02:24 earth, the sea, and the springs of water. 02:28 Now the first thing that we want to ask is who was this Creator 02:33 that is mentioned in the first angel's message? 02:36 Well, go with me to Colossians 1 and we'll read verses 15-17. 02:43 Colossians 1:15-17. 02:47 Here it's speaking about Jesus Christ, and notice what it says. 03:02 That is by Jesus. 03:23 ...and for Him. 03:31 Now that expression, in Him all things consist, 03:34 means that He holds creation together. 03:39 In Him all things hold together. 03:42 That's the way that it's translated, 03:44 for example, in the New International Version. 03:47 And so the Bible is very clear that the Creator, 03:51 who is mentioned in the first angel's message, 03:54 was none other than Jesus Christ Himself. 03:58 But now we must ask the question, why does Jesus 04:03 command us to worship Him? 04:05 Notice Psalm 95:6. 04:09 Here is the motivation, or the reason why Jesus calls 04:14 upon us to worship Him. 04:17 It says in Psalm 95:6, 04:30 So the motivation for worship is the fact that He is the Creator, 04:35 and we are His creatures. 04:38 Worship is due from us because we were created by Jesus Christ. 04:44 Let's notice one other verse that speaks about the 04:48 motivation for worship. 04:50 Nehemiah 9:6, Nehemiah 9:6. 04:56 Here Nehemiah, inspired by the Holy Spirit, says: 05:19 Notice the similar idea to Colossians 1. 05:22 He's also the preserver, or the one who holds 05:25 everything together. 05:26 And now notice how verse 6 ends. 05:29 The host of heaven what? 05:32 The host of heaven worships you. 05:36 So what is the motivation for worship? 05:38 The fact that God alone is the Lord, and He made the 05:44 heavens, and everything that is in them. 05:47 Now in order to understand the first angel's message then, 05:52 we have to go back to the story of Creation. 05:55 Because the first angel's message says the reason why 05:59 you're supposed to worship Jesus, or worship God, 06:02 is because He's the Creator. 06:04 So the first angel's message obviously sends us back 06:08 to Genesis, to the story of creation. 06:11 In other words we cannot understand the first angel's 06:13 message without going back to Genesis 1, and also chapter 2. 06:19 So let's go back there to Genesis 1:31 and we'll read 06:24 through chapter 2 and verse 1. 06:26 I want you to notice several interesting details here. 06:29 It says: 06:39 Who specifically? Jesus. 06:45 and indeed it was very good. 06:49 So the evening and the morning were the sixth day. 06:53 I want you to remember that word: finished. 07:04 Let me ask you, what day did Jesus finish 07:06 His work of creation? 07:08 He finished the sixth day. 07:11 The word finished is used. 07:13 Who did all of the work for six days? 07:15 Jesus did all of the work. 07:17 Did human beings do any of the work? 07:20 Did Adam and Eve do any of the work? Absolutely not. 07:23 It says clearly, Then God saw everything that He had made, 07:28 and then it says that He finished the sixth day, 07:31 saw that it was good, and His works were finished. 07:37 But now we need to talk about the day after the sixth day. 07:40 Let's talk about the seventh day. 07:43 Go with me to Genesis 2:2, 3, Genesis 2:2, 3. 07:50 And I want us to notice several interesting things 07:52 in these two verses. 08:21 Now here's my question: Once again this passage tells us that 08:25 who did all of the work? Jesus did all of the work. 08:30 God did all of the work. 08:32 It's repeated time and again. 08:34 It says on the seventh day God ended His work, 08:36 which He had done; He rested. 08:38 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, 08:41 because in it He rested from all His work, 08:44 which God had created and made. 08:46 In other words, once again it's repeated that the person who 08:49 created everything during the first six days was whom? 08:53 was God, or as we read at the beginning of our presentation, 08:58 Jesus Christ. But now I want you to notice another very 09:03 interesting detail in this passage of Genesis 2:2, 3. 09:07 Let's go, once again, and read the passage, and I'm going to 09:11 underline two key words. 09:13 It says, And on the seventh day God ended His work which 09:18 He had done; and He rested... 09:21 Notice... He rested on the seventh day from all His work 09:25 which He had done. 09:26 And don't miss this next word: Then God blessed the seventh day 09:33 and sanctified it. 09:34 When did God bless and sanctify the seventh day? 09:38 It was after He what? after He rested. 09:42 In other words, what made the Sabbath holy? the fact that God, 09:47 or Jesus, what? rested on the Sabbath. 09:50 And in case you didn't get it from where it says, 09:53 then, after He rested, then God blessed the seventh day 09:57 and sanctified it. 09:58 We're told again, because in it He rested from all His work 10:04 which God had created and made. 10:07 In other words, Jesus did all of the work the first six days, 10:13 and then Jesus rested the seventh day. 10:17 And when the seventh day ended, Jesus blessed the seventh day, 10:22 and He sanctified the seventh day. 10:25 Now we need to ask the question, What did Jesus do 10:31 on the seventh day? 10:33 You know, for a long time I had an enigma in my mind about 10:40 the book of Genesis; particularly 10:42 about the seventh day. 10:44 You know, you read the story of creation, 10:48 and God's rest on the seventh day, and it never says in the 10:52 creation story that Jesus told Adam and Eve 10:57 to keep the Sabbath. 10:59 And I always wondered about that. 11:01 There are other places in the Bible that show that the Sabbath 11:04 originally was made for man. 11:06 Nevertheless, I always wondered why in the Genesis account 11:10 it doesn't say God told Adam and Eve to keep the Sabbath. 11:14 I want you to put that enigma on hold, 11:17 because we're going to come back to it. 11:19 I want to go to another verse now that corroborates the idea 11:23 that we just noted in Genesis, where it says that Jesus rested, 11:27 or God rested, and after He rested the whole day, 11:31 then He blessed and sanctified the day. 11:33 Let's go to the fourth commandment of God's Holy Law. 11:37 And, by the way, the first angel's message is referring, 11:40 with it's language, to Exodus 20, the fourth commandment. 11:45 By the way, what I'm going to read was spoken by God's own 11:49 voice, and it was written by His own finger on tables of stone, 11:54 so we must listen. 11:55 It says in Exodus 20:8, 12:06 Jews. No, it says: 12:12 We're going to notice the reason why. 12:25 Now comes the reason. 12:26 Why are we supposed to work six days and rest the seventh? 12:38 And don't miss this now. 12:50 Or made it holy. 12:51 Is this very clear that God, or Jesus, rested the seventh day, 12:56 and then Jesus blessed the seventh day and made it holy? 13:01 Yes, or no? Absolutely! 13:04 So this first week of the history of the world is what I 13:09 call God's week, or Jesus' week. 13:12 You see, it's God's week before it becomes man's week, 13:17 because God is the One who worked six, and God is the One 13:22 who rested on the seventh day. 13:24 In other words, the first week is all about God. 13:27 The first week does not deal primarily with man. 13:30 In other words, God, among other things, created the week 13:35 by working six days, and by resting on the seventh day. 13:39 You know, as I studied this out I discovered the reason why 13:42 God did not command Adam and Eve to keep that 13:44 first Sabbath holy. 13:46 You say, Well, what is the reason? 13:49 Listen folks, we just noted in Scripture that the day did not 13:54 become holy until it was over. 13:55 Jesus didn't make the Sabbath holy until the day ended. 14:00 So how could He tell Adam and Eve when the Sabbath was 14:04 beginning, Keep the Sabbath holy, if it wasn't holy yet? 14:08 Furthermore, how could God tell Adam and Eve, Keep the Sabbath 14:15 and follow My example, if God, or Jesus, had not first 14:19 given the example? 14:21 Furthermore, and this is a very important point, the Sabbath 14:26 that God commanded man to keep was not the first Sabbath of 14:30 human history, but starting with the second 14:33 Sabbath of human history. 14:34 And you say, How is that? 14:35 This might be new to you. 14:37 Even if you're a Seventh-day Adventist 14:38 it might be new to you. 14:40 But it's Biblical, and it's powerful, and it explains why 14:43 God did not command Adam and Eve to keep that first Sabbath, 14:45 but rather the second Sabbath. 14:47 What does the fourth commandment say? 14:49 The fourth commandment makes the Sabbath a creation ordinance, 14:52 because it sends you back to creation. 14:54 It explains that you keep the Sabbath because of creation. 14:57 Now it's very interesting that God says in the fourth 15:02 commandment to man, work six and what? rest on the seventh. 15:07 Now here's my question: when that first Sabbath came, 15:11 had man worked six days? 15:14 He had not worked six days. 15:16 So could he keep the commandment technically that says, 15:20 work six and rest the seventh? No. 15:23 Jesus worked six, He rested the seventh, and then the fourth 15:27 commandment says that He told Adam and Eve, and all of their 15:30 descendents, Now, as you saw Me work six, and rest on the 15:34 seventh, you work six and you rest the next seventh day. 15:39 So after Jesus made the Sabbath holy, after Jesus gave the 15:42 example, then He gives the fourth commandment which says, 15:46 Keep the Sabbath day holy, because now, after I rested, 15:50 the Sabbath is holy. 15:52 So let me ask you, Whose day is the Sabbath? 15:55 The Sabbath is the day of whom? of Jesus before 16:00 it is the day of man. 16:01 The week was created by Jesus, and then the week was given 16:06 to man after it was created by Jesus. 16:09 By the way, Seventh-day Adventists are not the only ones 16:12 that believe that the Sabbath is a creation ordinance. 16:16 Let me read you a statement from an Evangelical scholar. 16:19 His name is Henry Morris. 16:22 I'll be saying a little bit more about him a little bit later. 16:25 Notice what he says. 16:26 This is in the book, Biblical Creationism, page 62. 16:47 What did God do? What did Jesus do when He created the week? 16:51 He established a permanent what? a permanent pattern for man 16:56 to follow the same process, or procedure as God. 17:01 So let me ask you, Did the Sabbath then become a sign 17:04 of God the Creator for man? 17:07 The fourth commandment says, Yes. 17:09 Because the motivation for keeping the Sabbath is 17:13 because of creation. 17:14 So as soon as the first week ended Jesus says to man, 17:18 Now you're going to work six and the next seventh day 17:21 you're going to come, and we're going to keep the Sabbath 17:23 the way you saw Me keep this first Sabbath. 17:25 And in this way, from then on, you are going to remember 17:29 that I am the Creator. 17:31 The Sabbath will be the sign that I am the Creator, 17:34 and you will remember it from then on. 17:37 Incidentally, that's the reason why the fourth commandment 17:40 begins by saying, Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. 17:45 In fact the Bible tells us that the Sabbath is a sign between 17:48 God and His people. 17:49 And I want you to remember this, because we're going to come back 17:51 to it in later lectures. 17:53 Exodus 31:17, Exodus 31:17, God says: 18:03 You say, Well, that was for the children of Israel. 18:06 But do you know that the New Testament says that those 18:08 who are Christ's are Abraham's seed, 18:11 and heirs according to the promise? 18:12 You can read it in Galatians 3:29. 18:15 If you are Christ's, you're Abraham's seed. 18:17 If you are Christ's you are Israel, and so it says: 18:24 And then it says, He says why it's a sign, notice: 18:30 That is because. 18:41 So let me ask you, Was the Sabbath a creation institution? 18:44 It most certainly was a creation institution. 18:48 It pre-dates the Jews. 18:50 It has nothing to do, in its original intention, 18:54 with redemption at the cross, because the Sabbath was created 18:57 in a perfect world. 18:59 It has nothing to do with redemption, with the cross 19:01 in its original intention. 19:03 Later it takes on a secondary function. 19:05 But from the beginning it points towards creation. 19:09 So the first angel's message, when it tells us to worship 19:12 the Creator, it's sending us back to Genesis. 19:14 And we notice that the sign of the Creator is the observance 19:18 of the seventh day Sabbath. 19:19 Now allow me to read you a few other statements, 19:21 amazing statements from Henry Morris, 19:23 who is an Evangelical scholar. 19:25 By the way, he passed away in 2006. 19:28 He was a staunch defender of a six day, literal creation. 19:32 And he was the founder of the Institution for Creation 19:35 Research in San Diego, California. 19:37 Notice what he says: Biblical Creationism, pages 61, 62. 19:49 That is by the fourth commandment. 19:51 He says the Sabbath was not instituted by the 19:53 fourth commandment. 20:10 On page 251 he says this: 20:37 In another quotation, page 253, of the book, 20:41 Biblical Creationism, he says: 21:16 Those are amazing statements from an Evangelical scholar 21:20 who's saying that the Sabbath is a creation institution, 21:23 and it was kept by the human race long before the existence 21:27 of Moses, or the existence of the ten commandments. 21:30 But now we need to move forward. 21:32 Let's talk about the exodus of Israel from Egypt. 21:36 Do you remember the sign that God gave to mark the 21:39 exodus from Egypt? 21:40 It was the Passover, right? 21:42 Let me ask you, Who was it that delivered Israel from bondage 21:46 in Egypt, and established the institution of the Passover? 21:50 Go with me to Exodus 3:13, 14. 21:54 This is happening at the burning bush. 21:56 There's a majestic being that comes to speak with Moses. 22:01 I want you to notice the terminology that is used. 22:32 Who was it that appeared in the burning bush? 22:35 What was His name? 22:36 His name was I AM, and He says I have been sent to deliver 22:40 Israel from Egypt. 22:42 Now if you read Exodus 20:1, which is the preamble 22:46 to the ten commandments, it says there, 22:49 I AM the Lord your God, who took you out of the land of Egypt, 22:53 out of the house of bondage. 22:55 Let me ask you, Was the giver of the ten commandments the same 22:58 one who appeared in the burning bush? 22:59 Yes, because at the burning bush He says, 23:01 I am going to deliver you. 23:02 When the ten commandments are given He says, I am the One 23:07 who delivered you. 23:08 Now the question is, Who was this that appeared in 23:10 the burning bush who said, I am going to deliver you, 23:12 and also gave the ten commandments? 23:15 Let's go to John 8:58, 59, John 8:58, 59. 23:21 Jesus is entertaining a conversation with the Jews. 23:24 Notice what it says here. 23:36 What was Jesus claiming when He said, before Abraham was, I AM? 23:41 He was saying, I was the One who appeared where? 23:45 in the burning bush. 23:47 Did the Jews know that He was claiming that? 23:48 You'd better believe it. 23:50 Notice verse 59. It says there in verse 59: 24:03 Let me ask you then, Who delivered Israel from Egypt? 24:06 Jesus. Who was the One who gave the ten commandments? Jesus. 24:11 Who was the One who created this world, worked six days, 24:15 and rested on the seventh, and by His rest He made the Sabbath 24:19 holy, and then gave it to man along with the week? 24:22 Who was it? It was Jesus Christ. 24:24 So the Sabbath belongs to Jesus. 24:26 The Deliverer of Israel was Jesus. 24:29 In other words, the Creator is also the Redeemer of Israel. 24:34 Let me ask you, Was that the same person who came to deliver 24:38 the human race from bondage? 24:39 Go with me to John 1:1-3 and then we'll read verse 14. 24:45 This is one of the ones that's not on your list, but you know 24:48 it so well that probably you don't even have to look it up. 24:51 John 1:1-3, 14. In the beginning was the Word, 24:56 and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 25:01 He was in the beginning with God. 25:04 Who is this? Who is the Word? Jesus. 25:10 Now notice: All things were made through Him; 25:14 and without Him nothing was made that was made. 25:18 Was Jesus the Creator? Yes, He was. 25:21 Was He also the Redeemer? 25:24 Notice verse 14. And the Word became flesh, 25:28 and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, 25:32 the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) 25:35 full of grace and truth. 25:38 Was Jesus the fulfillment of the Passover lamb? Absolutely. 25:43 And so you have an unbroken chain of creation, redemption of 25:49 Israel, and the Redeemer of the human race being whom? 25:53 being Jesus Christ. 25:56 Now if you examine the story of the Bible, you'll find that the 26:00 Passover lamb needed to have two characteristics. 26:03 First of all the Passover lamb had to be perfect, 26:07 and without blemish. 26:08 And then when it was determined that the lamb was perfect, 26:13 and without blemish, the lamb was then sacrificed. 26:19 Let me ask you, What did this represent? the perfect, 26:22 unblemished lamb? 26:23 It represented the perfect life of Jesus Christ 26:27 that He lived on this earth. 26:29 And what did the death of the lamb represent? 26:32 The death of the lamb represented the death of Jesus 26:35 bearing our sins on the cross. 26:38 In other words, the Passover had a much greater dimension 26:42 to it than just sacrificing a lamb, and eating bitter herbs, 26:47 and partaking of unleavened bread. 26:49 The sign that Jesus gave to Israel was fulfilled in Himself 26:54 when He came to this world. 26:55 Now we need to ask the question, What day and hour did Jesus die 27:03 as the Passover lamb? 27:04 Go with me to Matthew 27:46, 47. 27:08 We're going to notice something very interesting here. 27:10 And don't you go to sleep on me, because this is going to get 27:13 very interesting, and very good. 27:14 Matthew 27:46, 47. 27:17 We're going to look at the last three sayings 27:19 of Jesus on the cross. It says: 27:24 Notice, it wasn't the ninth hour, it's about the ninth hour. 27:38 It's about the ninth hour. 27:39 It's not the ninth hour yet, because He still has 27:41 some things to say. John 19:30. 27:56 But when you go to Luke you discover that He said something 27:59 after He said, It is finished. 28:01 In Luke 23:46 it says: And when Jesus had cried out with a loud 28:06 voice... That's when He says, It is finished. 28:08 He said, Father, into Your hands I commend My spirit. 28:13 Having said this, He breathed His last. 28:16 Let me ask you, What hour of the day do you think that Jesus 28:20 breathed His last after saying, It is finished; Father into Your 28:24 hands I commend My spirit? exactly at the what hour? 28:29 at the ninth hour. 28:31 And you say, Well, Pastor, what is the ninth hour? 28:33 Well, let's go to Exodus 12:6, Exodus 12:6. 28:39 We're still dealing with the Sabbath. 28:40 We'll come back to the Sabbath, but we need 28:42 some background here. 28:43 Exodus 12:6. It's speaking about the observance of the Passover, 28:47 and it says this: Now you shall keep it until the fourteenth 28:52 day of the same month. 28:54 Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall 29:01 kill it. That is kill the Passover lamb when? at twilight. 29:06 In Hebrew it literally says, between the two evenings. 29:12 You say, So the Jews had two evenings? Absolutely! 29:16 You say, What were the two evenings? 29:19 The first evening is when the sun reaches the meridian 29:22 and it starts its downward course. 29:25 And, by the way, I know that scientifically 29:26 the sun doesn't move. 29:27 But we're speaking in the manner that we usually speak. 29:30 When the sun reaches its summit, and begins its descent, 29:34 that is when the afternoon begins. 29:38 You know, even in Spanish, when we get to the hours of the 29:42 afternoon we say, tarde, right? 29:46 In other words, the first evening is when the sun begins 29:51 setting from the meridian. 29:53 The second evening is when the sun actually sets at sundown. 30:00 Now the question is, What would be between the two evenings? 30:04 Between the two evenings would be the ninth hour, 30:08 or three o'clock, because the ninth hour was three o'clock. 30:11 Third hour was nine o'clock, that's when Jesus was crucified. 30:14 The sixth hour would have been noon, and the ninth hour was at 30:19 three o'clock in the afternoon. 30:21 In other words, Jesus died at the precise moment that the 30:26 Passover lamb was supposed to be what? 30:28 was supposed to be sacrificed. 30:31 Three o'clock on what Christians call Good Friday. 30:37 Now I want to read a passage in Scripture that gives us the 30:40 sequence of days of the passion of Christ. 30:43 I want to show you that Jesus died on Friday; 30:47 He was buried in the tomb and remained in the tomb all day 30:51 Sabbath; and He resurrected on the first day of the week. 30:54 Luke 23:54-56. Here you find the chronological sequence. 31:01 We know that He died at three o'clock in the afternoon. 31:04 Which day? let's notice. 31:07 That day, this is when Jesus was crucified and died. 31:14 So had the Sabbath begun yet? No, it was Friday. Verse 55. 31:35 What did the ladies do outside the tomb? 31:38 They what? they rested. 31:40 Let me ask you, was there an urgency to get the body of Jesus 31:43 off of the cross on Friday? Yes. 31:46 Why was there urgency to get it off the cross? 31:49 because He could not be on the cross on the Sabbath. 31:52 There's a deeper intent than that, 31:54 than the legalism of the Jews. 31:55 You see, when the Sabbath began, Jesus had to be already prepared 32:00 like the Passover lamb after it was killed. 32:02 It had to be prepared, and then later on, probably at sundown, 32:06 than they ate the Passover lamb. 32:08 You see, Jesus died at three o'clock. 32:10 His body needed to be prepared in order to be buried, so that 32:15 His body would rest in the tomb all of the day Sabbath. 32:20 In other words, Jesus did in redemption 32:24 what He did at creation. 32:26 On the cross, on the sixth day He says, It is finished! 32:32 We read the word finished in Genesis, after six days of work. 32:37 Jesus is saying, I have bought back the human race. 32:40 I have paid the price of redemption. 32:43 Then He breathed His last, and He was put in the tomb, 32:46 and He rested in the tomb on Sabbath. 32:52 Now in order to fully understand this, we need to go to 32:54 Exodus 16; the Sabbath in redemption. 32:59 You see, there was a reason why Jesus had to remain in the 33:04 tomb on the Sabbath. 33:05 Exodus 16:19-21. 33:14 In other words, when the manna was picked up any day other than 33:17 Friday for Sabbath, nobody was supposed to save any 33:19 manna for the next day. Verse 20. 33:28 And what happened? 33:31 When they left it any other day, except Friday for Sabbath, 33:34 what happened to the manna? two things: 33:40 Let me ask you, Was this normal bread? No. 33:44 What happens with normal bread if you leave it 33:46 from one day to the next? 33:48 Nothing, really. And even if you leave it a week 33:52 it just gets moldy, but it doesn't breed worms and stink. 33:56 What is it that breeds worms and stinks? 33:59 flesh, decomposing flesh. That's right. 34:02 Now notice what happened when the manna was picked up 34:05 on Friday for the Sabbath. Exodus 16:23, 24. 34:15 ...for the Jews. Let me ask you, why is the Sabbath called 34:19 the Sabbath of the Lord? because the Lord kept it first. 34:22 It's His day. And then He gave it to man. 34:26 God says, It's Mine before it was yours. Notice: 34:46 This is on Friday when they're doing this. 35:01 Now what was God trying to teach through the manna episode? 35:04 Because the manna did not decompose when it was saved 35:07 from Friday to Sabbath. 35:10 Well, we need to know what the manna represents. 35:12 Let's go to John 6:51. 35:16 You see, most commentators have missed this Messianic dimension 35:19 of the story of the manna. 35:21 God is not only trying to teach that we're supposed to keep 35:24 the Sabbath, by the manna episode, He's trying to teach 35:27 that Jesus kept the Sabbath when He died on the cross, 35:31 and He rested in the tomb, and His body saw no corruption. 35:35 Notice, John 6:51. Here Jesus is speaking. 35:58 What does the manna represent? the what of Jesus? 36:01 the flesh of Jesus. 36:03 Well, let me ask you, when Jesus rested in the tomb 36:07 on the Sabbath, did His flesh see any decay or decomposition? 36:14 No, because He was the living manna. 36:19 You see, as the manna, when it was picked up on Friday, 36:23 did not decompose on the Sabbath, Jesus died on Friday, 36:28 and His body did not decompose in the tomb on Sabbath, 36:34 because He was the living manna. 36:36 In fact, notice the prophecy that we find in Psalm 16:8-10. 36:41 This is not just something off the top of my head; 36:43 the Bible teaches it. 36:45 It says in Psalm 16:8-10, this is a Messianic prophecy. 37:04 What happened with the flesh of Jesus? it what? 37:06 it rested in hope. 37:08 Why did it rest in hope? 37:13 I like the New International Version. 37:15 It says: You will not abandon Me to the grave, 37:21 Or decay, as it says in the New International Version. 37:24 What happened when Jesus was put in the tomb? 37:26 His body did not see what? decay. 37:29 What would have happened with the normal body? 37:31 It would have begun the process of what? of decomposition. 37:35 But not the body of Jesus, because He was the living manna. 37:39 In other words, what God was trying to teach was this: 37:43 that when Jesus rested in the tomb on the Sabbath, 37:46 the Sabbath of Exodus 16, His body would see no corruption, 37:53 because He was the living manna. 37:55 The emphasis falls upon the fact that He was going to rest 37:58 on Sabbath from His works of redemption, 38:01 and His flesh would not see corruption. 38:03 In fact, let's notice the fulfillment of this as it's 38:07 given in Acts 2:25-27, 31, Acts 2:25-27. 38:12 Here Psalm 16, that I just read, is quoted. 38:32 This is Peter preaching on the Day of Pentecost. 38:39 What was going to happen with the flesh of Jesus? 38:41 It was going to what? rest in hope. 38:44 Notice: I'm reading from the NIV. 38:46 You will not leave Me in the grave, nor will You allow Your 38:54 Holy One to see decay. 38:56 And then verse 31 explains what was meant by this. 39:02 Seeing what was ahead, He spoke, David spoke of the resurrection 39:09 of the Christ; that He was not abandoned to the grave, 39:13 nor did His body see decay. 39:16 Was God trying to teach that the body of Jesus was going to rest 39:21 in the tomb on Sabbath, and it was not going to decompose? 39:25 Absolutely! So did Jesus do the same after redeeming the human 39:29 race, as what He had done after creating the human race? 39:33 Absolutely! What did He do? 39:35 He rested on the seventh day, the whole seventh day. 39:39 Because He was put in the tomb before the Sabbath began. 39:42 And He remained in the tomb all day Sabbath. 39:46 You know, some Christians say, Well, you know, I prefer Sunday 39:49 because Sunday was a happy day, and the Sabbath was a sad day. 39:54 It's amazing what kind of rational arguments people 39:56 will come up with. 39:58 The fact is that that Sabbath should have never been 40:00 a sad day, because Jesus had told them that He was going 40:02 to go to Jerusalem, and He was going to die, and He was going 40:04 to resurrect the third day. 40:06 If they'd listened to Him, that day would have been a day of 40:08 glorious anticipation. 40:09 They would have understood that Jesus the sixth day said, 40:11 I have finished the work of redemption. 40:13 They would have said, No, He's resting in the tomb. 40:15 He said He's going to resurrect tomorrow. 40:17 That would have been a day of joyous anticipation. 40:20 And, by the way, Sunday was no happy day, because the night of 40:23 Sunday the disciples didn't even believe that Jesus 40:26 Had resurrected. So how could they be happy? 40:29 So we need to be careful with rational arguments 40:32 that people provide. 40:33 If they truly had understood what God was trying to teach 40:36 them through this prophecy of the rest of the body of Jesus in 40:40 the tomb, the Sabbath would have been a glorious day 40:42 they would have understood. 40:44 The Messiah is resting from His works of redemption 40:47 like He rested from His works of creation. 40:50 You know, some Christians say, Well, Jesus resurrected 40:53 on Sunday, because He wanted the church to know that Sunday was 40:57 a special holy day. 40:59 But now we see that the focus is not Sunday, the focus is what? 41:03 the Sabbath. Listen, in order for Jesus to rest in the tomb 41:07 all day Sabbath, He would have had to resurrect on Sunday. 41:11 But the important thing is not His resurrection on Sunday, 41:14 the important thing is His rest in the tomb on Sabbath. 41:18 But Christians say, No, it's Sunday; Sunday that's important. 41:21 No no, it's His rest in the tomb. 41:23 And, therefore, because He had to rest in the tomb all day, 41:26 He had to resurrect when? 41:28 He had to resurrect on the first day of the week. 41:30 It's amazing how during Holy Week Christians speak about, 41:34 you know they say, Ash Wednesday, and Holy Thursday, 41:39 and Good Friday, Resurrection Sunday, Palm Sunday, 41:44 and whoever mentions the Sabbath? 41:46 Nobody ever mentions the Sabbath during Holy Week. 41:49 It kind of gets lost in the shuffle. 41:51 So let's review. Jesus died at three o'clock on Friday, 41:56 between the two evenings. 41:58 His body was taken down from the cross and prepared 42:02 for burial before the Sabbath began. 42:04 Shortly before sundown His body was put in the tomb; 42:08 he rested from His works of redemption. 42:10 And His body did not decompose, because He was the living manna. 42:16 And then Jesus resurrected on the first day of the week; 42:20 not to make the first day of the week holy, but because the 42:24 previous day He had to rest in the tomb on Sabbath. 42:28 Let me ask you, what is it that makes the Sabbath holy? 42:32 We read in the book of Genesis, and also in the fourth 42:36 commandment that what makes the Sabbath holy 42:38 was the rest of Jesus. 42:40 He rested, therefore He blessed and sanctified the day. 42:45 Is that what the Bible teaches? Absolutely. 42:48 So what made the Sabbath holy? the rest of Jesus Christ. 42:52 In order for you to say that Sunday is the holy day of rest, 42:56 you would have to prove from Scripture, that Jesus rested 42:59 on the first day of the week. 43:01 Because only His rest would make the day holy. 43:04 But Jesus did not rest on the first day of the week. 43:07 Jesus rested the Sabbath in the tomb, like He did at creation, 43:11 thus sanctifying the Sabbath. 43:14 Now folks, Satan has done his utmost to erase the memory of 43:21 Jesus Christ from this world. 43:22 He has sought to eradicate the sign of the Creator; 43:26 the Sabbath, because it reminds us of Jesus, 43:29 the Creator, and the Redeemer. 43:31 And so He is trying to erase the sign, and in this way erase 43:35 in our memories the existence of Jesus, 43:38 and the importance of Jesus. 43:39 You know, men have come up with all kinds of explanations for 43:43 the existence of the world: Darwinian evolution, intelligent 43:48 design, punctuated equilibrium, progressive creation, 43:53 theistic evolution, New Age theories. 43:56 If people kept the seventh day Sabbath none of these theories 44:00 would be accepted. 44:01 Because the Bible says that Jesus created the world in six 44:04 days, and He rested the seventh day, period. 44:07 That's what Scripture says. 44:09 The tragic truth, however, is that these philosophies 44:14 that I just mentioned, are no longer the belief system of 44:18 secular humanists, skeptics, agnostics, atheists, 44:22 materialists, and evolutionists. 44:24 They have become the belief of the Christian church, 44:29 and even of some scholars within the 44:32 Seventh-day Adventist Church. 44:34 Allow me to read you a statement from the Roman Catholic 44:39 Catechism. This is the latest Catechism, 1994, page 87. 44:45 The Catholic Catechism leaves the door open for evolution. 44:50 Notice what it says. 44:52 God Himself created the visible world in all its richness, 44:57 diversity, and order. 45:02 Now notice this, notice this word. 45:04 It's very covert, but you need to read it. It says: 45:17 See, they're not literal, they're what? symbolic. 45:21 It's leaving the door open for evolution. So... 45:33 Do you know that John Paul II, who was greatly admired all over 45:38 the world, not only opened the door, 45:41 a little crack in the door, he opened the door wide. 45:45 In fact, notice he gave a speech on October 22, 1996 to the 45:50 Pontifical Academy of the Sciences, and he said this: 45:57 That is evolution. 46:10 Of all of these scholars and their research. 46:32 Let me read you a newspaper column that speaks about 46:37 this event, this speech that John Paul II gave. 46:43 This is from the Chicago Tribune, October 25, 1996. 47:12 That is strengthened. 47:44 So, basically, John Paul II has said that evolution is 47:48 compatible with the Christian faith, and that this world 47:52 perhaps, came into existence through the 47:55 process of evolution. 47:58 Do you know that there are many evangelical scholars that are 48:01 teaching the same thing? renowned evangelical scholars 48:04 that are teaching the idea of progressive creation; 48:08 that God used evolution as His method of creation, 48:12 and that there was death long before sin. 48:14 That God used the process of evolution, 48:17 the survival of the fittest, animals killing animals 48:20 so that they could develop into higher species. 48:22 What kind of God is a God who can speak and things are done? 48:25 Why does God have to use a process where there's death for 48:29 millions of years before things came into existence? 48:32 What kind of an omnipotent God is that? 48:34 I don't serve that kind of God. 48:37 I serve a God of perfection. 48:38 I don't serve a God who uses the system of trial and error 48:43 to eventually create the world. 48:46 Many scholars, even in the Adventist Church, 48:48 are re-interpreting the days of creation 48:50 as long periods of time. 48:54 Many of our own scholars are using the 48:56 historical critical method. 48:58 Some are even saying that Moses didn't write the book 49:01 of Genesis; that it's the result of the work of several 49:06 different authors. 49:07 And they're saying that yeah, Moses believed that the days of 49:11 creation, or whoever wrote Genesis believed that the days 49:14 of creation are literal days. 49:16 But Moses was wrong, because science has proved him wrong. 49:21 That's the idea that they're sharing. 49:23 This, in spite of the fact that there are powerful biblical 49:27 arguments to show that the days of creation were literal days. 49:31 First of all, if you read the main Hebrew lexicons, 49:34 which are the dictionaries of Hebrew, for example holidays 49:39 are Hebrew lexicon: Brown, Driver, and Briggs, 49:42 which is probably the most famous Hebrew lexicon. 49:44 They all say that Genesis, no matter what your interpretation 49:48 is, they say that the author that wrote this believed that 49:52 the days were literal twenty-four hour days. 49:55 You have, for example, the story of creation. 49:58 It says, The evening and the morning of the first day. 50:00 Boy, I'll tell you, does that mean the evening, 50:02 and the morning of the first million years? 50:03 The expression, evening and morning, 50:06 shows that it's literal. 50:08 Furthermore, in the Old Testament a number with 50:14 a numeral adjective is used, the word day, excuse me, 50:18 with a numeral adjective, is used 150 times 50:20 in the Old Testament, and every single time that the word day, 50:24 Yom, appears with a numeral adjective, it refers to a 50:29 literal twenty-four hour day. 50:31 And then what do you do with the fourth commandment? 50:34 The fourth commandment says you work six, 50:38 and rest the seventh because God worked six, 50:42 and rested the seventh. 50:43 So if you make the original days million years days, 50:48 what do you do with us following the example of the Creator? 50:52 It breaks down. If we're supposed to work six literal 50:56 days and keep the Sabbath, it's because originally God worked 51:00 six literal days, and kept the Sabbath, or else He would be 51:03 asking us to keep an impossibility. 51:06 It all boils down to whether you have faith or not. 51:12 By faith we believe. 51:14 And I'll tell you what, I choose to believe the story that God 51:18 tells in His Holy Word. 51:20 Do you think the Devil is able to shift things around on 51:24 the earth to make it appear that evolution is a plausible theory? 51:27 You'd better believe he can. 51:28 So all we can do is trust the Word of God. 51:32 Now before we bring this to an end I need to talk to you about 51:35 the Sabbath in its future dimension. 51:37 You see, the Sabbath is not only a commemoration of Jesus as 51:40 the Creator; it's not only a commemoration of Jesus as the 51:44 Redeemer; it's also a prophecy about the future rest that we 51:48 will have in the kingdom to come. 51:50 Notice Isaiah 66:22, 23, Isaiah 66:22, 23. It says: 52:01 Notice, He's going to make a new heavens 52:04 and a new earth, right? 52:16 When He makes a new heavens, and a new earth, 52:17 according to the context. 52:22 A better translation would be, from one month to another, 52:24 because the New Moon marks the beginning of the month. 52:27 From one month to another. 52:28 In Spanish, in fact, it says, de mes ames, 52:30 from month to month, and from Sunday to Sunday. 52:35 No, that's not what it says. 52:37 It can't be Sunday because that's not the day Jesus rested. 52:39 It's His rest that makes the day holy. 52:52 Will the Sabbath be the sign of worship to the Creator 52:54 of the new heavens, and new earth? Yes. 52:56 So there are three reasons for keeping the Sabbath: 53:00 One because Jesus created the world in six days; 53:03 rested the seventh. 53:04 Because Jesus redeemed the world. 53:06 And on the sixth day He said, It is finished, and rested in the 53:09 tomb on the Sabbath 53:10 And it points forward to the future, when after He makes 53:13 a new heavens, and a new earth, He will say, It is finished! 53:16 And He will rest with His people in the kingdom come. 53:19 Now you say, Why does it say from one New Moon to another, 53:23 or from one month to another? 53:25 Well, the reason is very simple. 53:26 We're not only going to keep the Sabbath in the earth made new, 53:29 we're also going to go every month to eat from a 53:32 very peculiar tree. 53:33 Notice Revelation 22:1, 2, Revelation 22:1, 2. 53:50 This is the New Jerusalem. 54:04 So do you know what we're going to do every month by going to 54:07 worship before the Lord? to eat from the tree of life, 54:10 to refurbish our battery, or life force. 54:13 And why are we going to go from Sabbath to Sabbath? in order to 54:17 commemorate what? the new creation. 54:19 And, by the way, some people misunderstand a verse 54:22 in the Bible, Revelation 21:23 where it says, 54:26 and I want to read it. It says: 54:34 So they say, See, in the earth made new there's not going to be 54:37 any day or night. There's not going to be months. 54:39 There's not going to be days. 54:41 Yes, there are. If you're going to keep the Sabbath, 54:42 there must be a week. 54:44 If you're going to go from month to month, 54:45 it must be that there are months. 54:47 And if there are months, there are years. 54:48 Hello! Are you all out there? 54:51 What is Revelation 21:23 saying? 54:54 It's talking not about the earth, 54:56 it's talking about the city. 54:57 And it doesn't say that there is no sun or moon; 55:00 it has no need of sun or moon. 55:02 Let's read it carefully. 55:03 The city had no need of sun or of moon to shine in it. 55:09 It had no need, it says, for the glory of God illuminated it. 55:13 The Lamb is its light. 55:14 So basically, what's going to happen is in the city the light 55:18 is going to be so bright that you won't even see 55:20 the sun or the moon. 55:21 It's like turning on a flashlight in Fresno 55:28 in the month of July at 12:00 noon. 55:31 Who's going to see the light of the flashlight? 55:35 The flashlight is on, but the light can't be seen, 55:40 because the greater light makes it dissipate so that 55:45 people cannot see it. 55:46 Folks, the final conflict in this world is going to have 55:49 to do with worship. 55:51 There are going to be two sides. 55:53 We're going to talk later about this: the seal of God, 55:55 and the mark of the beast. 55:56 One sign is the sign of worship to the Creator. 56:00 The first angel's message says, Worship Him who made heaven, 56:04 the earth, the sea, and springs of water. 56:05 You cannot speak about that without 56:07 keeping His Holy Sabbath. 56:08 But there's another power known as the beast, 56:11 and we're going to talk about this power later on. 56:13 And there are going to be people in the world who are going to 56:16 worship the beast, who obviously claims to be a 56:19 counterfeit creator. 56:20 He doesn't claim to be a counterfeit, 56:22 but he is a counterfeit creator. 56:23 Notice Revelation 14:9, 10. 56:43 Two powers vying for the loyalty of the human race. 56:49 Two signs: one created by God before sin, the other created 56:57 by the man of sin. 56:59 The question is, which sign will we accept? 57:03 The sign that God has established, or the sign that 57:07 the beast has established as a sign of his power, 57:12 and his authority? 57:13 That's the decision that we must make. 57:17 And I pray to the Lord that God will help us 57:21 make the right decision. |
Revised 2023-04-20