Participants:
Series Code: TAM
Program Code: TAM000018S
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00:30 Let's pray. Our loving God, what a joy and a privilege it is to
00:37 come before Your throne today to open Your holy book, 00:41 and hear Your voice speaking to us through the ministration 00:46 of the Holy Spirit. 00:47 We ask that as we study about the patience of the saints, 00:51 that You will teach us what we need to learn, for we know that 00:56 soon in this world unbelievable events are going to take place. 01:01 And we need that unshakable, and unbreakable faith in order 01:06 to go through this period successfully. 01:09 So we ask, Lord, for divine guidance in our study. 01:12 And we thank You for hearing our prayer, for we ask it in 01:15 Jesus' name, Amen. 01:20 In Revelation 15:2, 3 we find the description of an end time 01:30 group of saints who have gained the victory over the beast, 01:35 over his image, over his mark, and over the number of his name. 01:41 I'd like to read those verses as we begin our study today. 01:45 Revelation 15:2, 3. 02:09 At this point this group is seen as having gained the victory 02:14 over the beast, his image, his mark, 02:17 and the number of his name. 02:18 Of course, the question begs to be asked, How did this group of 02:26 saints, the living saints when Jesus comes, how did they gain 02:31 the victory over the beast, and over his image, 02:34 and over his mark, and the number of his name? 02:37 How did they face this incredible 02:40 crisis upon Planet Earth? 02:42 The answer is that they exercise what the Bible calls 02:48 the patience of the saints. 02:52 Now that expression, patience of the saints, appears in two 02:57 very important places in the book of Revelation. 03:01 The first place is in Revelation 13:10, if you'd go with me 03:06 there, Revelation 13:10. 03:09 And, by the way, this verse comes immediately before 03:14 the passage that speaks about the final trial over the beast, 03:18 his image, his mark, and the number of his name. 03:22 In other words, this verse introduces the final crisis. 03:25 And I want you to notice what it says. 03:42 And then, beginning in verse 11, you have a beast 03:46 that rises from the earth. 03:47 It has two horns like a lamb, but it speaks like a dragon, 03:52 and it becomes a persecuting power. 03:54 So notice that the patience of the saints is spoken of 03:57 as a group who have this quality immediately before the end time 04:04 crisis over the beast, his image, and his mark. 04:07 The second place in the book of Revelation where this 04:12 expression, the patience of the saints, is found 04:14 is in Revelation 14:12. 04:17 Go with me to Revelation 14:12. 04:21 By the way, this is the conclusion of the 04:24 third angel's message. 04:25 If you go to the previous verses, verses 9-11, 04:28 you'll notice it talks there about worshipping the beast, 04:31 his image, receiving his mark, and the number of his name. 04:35 And immediately after the third angel's message, 04:37 we find these words: 04:49 So you'll notice that in Revelation 13:10 the expression, 04:53 patience of the saints, appears immediately before the end time 04:56 crisis is described. 04:58 Those who go through this period must have the 05:00 patience of the saints. 05:01 Revelation 14:12, immediately after speaking about the beast 05:06 and his image, and his mark, it says that there's a group 05:08 that needs to have the patience of the saints. 05:11 So, obviously the patience of the saints refers to an end time 05:16 group who has this specific quality. 05:20 Now we need to define some terms. 05:23 First of all we need to define the word patience. 05:27 And then, of course, we're going to see who the saints are. 05:30 The word patience, in the New Testament, 05:33 is the Greek word Hupermone 05:36 There are two words in the New Testament, two primary words 05:40 that express patience. 05:41 One is translated in the King James longsuffering. 05:46 That's the word makrothumia. 05:48 That means to suffer long. 05:50 That's not the word that is used here in these two passages. 05:54 The word that is used is hupermone. 05:57 And let me tell you what that word means. 05:58 It means to hang in there, no matter what the cost, 06:05 to persevere, to endure, to be steadfast, to be independent 06:12 unyielding, and defiant in the face of aggressive misfortune. 06:18 In other words, this word is not simply sitting down and saying, 06:22 Okay, I'll be patient. 06:24 No, this is an active patience. 06:27 This is an endurance, or a perseverance. 06:30 By the way, it's the same word that is used in Matthew 24 06:33 where Jesus says, He who endures until the end will be saved. 06:39 So this is an active patience. 06:42 It's a patience of people who are unyielding, unbreaking 06:46 in their faith, and in their trust in God. 06:49 Now the question is, who are the saints? 06:51 Because this is the patience of the saints. 06:53 Who are the saints? 06:55 Well, you know, depending upon which group of Christians 06:57 you're talking to, they would understand the word saints 07:01 in a different way. 07:02 You know, for some people the saints are, you know, 07:05 like all of the saints that are mentioned in California. 07:08 It seems like there's a saint for every city in California. 07:11 So they think that these saints are these heroes, 07:14 these wonderful Christians throughout the period 07:17 of Christian history. 07:18 But in the Bible the saints represent primarily, 07:22 specifically in Daniel and Revelation, those who are 07:26 persecuted by the little horn, by the beast, 07:31 and by the harlot of Revelation 17. 07:33 In other words, the saints are not just any group. 07:35 They are the ones who are persecuted 07:38 by the end time powers. 07:40 I want to read several statements from Scripture 07:42 so that you can see this. 07:44 Notice Daniel 7:21, 22. 07:47 We're defining the saints. 07:49 The saints are those who suffered persecution under 07:53 the beast, the little horn, and who will suffer persecution 07:56 under the harlot; this apostate church. 07:59 It says there in Daniel 7:21, 08:15 So the saints are God's persecuted people. 08:18 Notice Revelation 13:7. 08:20 Here it speaks about the beast, which is the same 08:23 as the little horn. 08:25 This is the way it reads: 08:28 That is to the beast. 08:34 So once again the saints are those who are persecuted. 08:38 Those who are persecuted by the little horn, or by the beast. 08:42 Notice Revelation 17:6, Revelation 17:6. It says: 08:50 This is a harlot woman, so it's a fallen church. 08:59 There it is again. 09:06 So my question is this: When it speaks in Revelation about the 09:10 patience of the saints, is this referring to a group of people 09:13 who need to exercise patience, because they are 09:16 being persecuted? Yes. 09:19 Within the context of prophecy, this is a persecuted group. 09:23 Now we know that in Scripture the saints and the woman 09:30 represent the same thing. 09:32 Let me just mention how we determine that. 09:35 We just read in Daniel 7 that the little horn 09:39 persecutes the saints. 09:40 We read that the beast of Revelation 13 09:43 also persecutes the saints. 09:45 And how long does the little horn, how long does the beast; 09:49 how long do they persecute the saints? 09:51 Well, time, times, and the dividing of time. 09:54 And in Revelation 13 it's for a period of 1,260 days, 10:01 or a period of 42 months. 10:03 Now the little horn in other words, and the beast, 10:07 persecute the saints for 1,260 years. 10:10 But it's interesting to notice that in Revelation 12 it says 10:14 that the dragon persecutes the woman for 1,260 days. 10:20 So let me ask you, Are the saints and the woman 10:22 the same thing? Absolutely, because the little horn, 10:26 and the beast persecute the saints, whereas we're told 10:30 also in Revelation 12 that the dragon persecutes the woman. 10:34 So the saints are the woman, and the woman represents what? 10:38 the woman represents, specifically, the church. 10:42 So are you understanding what we're talking about when we deal 10:46 with the word patience? 10:47 It's dealing with God's people who are being persecuted 10:52 by the beast, and by the harlot, and by the little horn. 10:57 And they have to exercise incredible perseverance, 11:02 incredible, unshakable, and unbreakable faith in order to 11:07 stand firm, and not worship the beast, or receive his mark, 11:10 or the number of his name. 11:13 Now I believe that Jesus told a parable that illustrates 11:18 what is meant by the expression, the patience of the saints. 11:22 This parable is found in the gospel of Luke, Luke 18:1-8. 11:30 And I'm going to just read this parable, and I want you to 11:35 listen carefully, because we're going to then study 11:37 each verse individually. 11:39 Luke 18:1-8. Here Jesus is describing this period 11:45 when God's people, the saints, are going to have to exercise 11:49 this patience of the saints: this unshakable, unbreakable, 11:53 unyielding faith and trust in the face of horrendous 11:58 persecution. It says there: 12:43 Then the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge said. 13:08 So this is the parable that I believe is describing 13:11 the phrase, the patience of the saints. 13:14 Now we're going to take a look at this parable, 13:16 and we're going to study it verse by verse to see how 13:20 it applies especially to the end time. 13:23 Let's begin at verse 1. 13:24 Then he spoke a parable to them that men always ought to pray, 13:32 , men always ought to pray, 13:36 and not what? and not lose heart. 13:40 In other words, they should always pray and they should 13:43 never give up in their prayer experience in coming to God. 13:47 And then I want you to notice verse 2. 13:50 Here's the parable: Saying, There was in a certain city 13:56 a judge, who did not fear God, nor regard man. 14:01 Now the question is, What does the judge 14:03 in this parable represent? 14:05 Well, the fact is folks, that the judge represents God. 14:11 And you say, Now wait a minute, Pastor Bohr, it says that this 14:14 judge did not fear God or regard man. 14:17 How can he represent God? 14:19 The way in which this judge represents God is a comparison 14:23 by way of contrast. 14:25 In other words, they're not being compared as being equal, 14:28 they're being compared by contrast. 14:32 And we'll see this as we study along. 14:34 We're going to notice in the parable that this widow comes 14:38 to the judge, and she keeps on coming and coming. 14:40 And the judge, he delays giving her justice. 14:43 And finally he says, To get her off my back, I'm going to 14:46 give her what she's asking for. 14:48 And then, of course, we're going to notice, in the parable, 14:50 that the lesson is if this judge actually answers the pleas of 14:55 the widow, in order to get her off his back, how much more 14:58 will God answer our pleas, not to get us off His back, 15:02 but because He loves us? 15:04 In other words, it's a comparison by way of contrast. 15:07 They're not equal, they're not the same. 15:09 God is in some sense the same as the judge, but in the sense 15:14 of the reason why he answers, God is different. 15:17 And so there's a comparison by way of contrast. 15:21 Now notice Luke 18:3. 15:25 So the judge represents God. 15:27 Now let's notice the widow. It says: 15:33 Now the question is, What does the widow represent? 15:36 The judge is God, what does the widow represent? 15:38 Well, what does a woman symbolize in Bible prophecy? 15:43 A woman represents the church. That's right. 15:46 But is this a woman under ordinary circumstances? No. 15:51 She's not a common, ordinary, married woman. 15:54 This woman is a what? she's a widow woman. 15:59 In other words she is totally destitute of 16:02 any earthly support. 16:03 She has lost everything she has, we're going to notice, 16:06 as we study along. 16:08 In other words this is a woman; this is the church under 16:11 extraordinary circumstances. 16:14 Now in the book of Revelation the woman is used as a 16:19 symbol of the church. 16:20 And the woman is persecuted by the dragon. 16:24 In other words, the woman is left destitute. 16:26 She has to flee. She can't take anything with her. 16:30 This is the period that is being described in this parable. 16:33 It is a woman. It represents the church. 16:36 But it's not the common ordinary church, it's the church that has 16:40 lost everything that it has; all earthly support. 16:44 In other words, this woman has been cleaned 16:48 out by her adversary. 16:50 And her only hope is found in the intervention of the 16:55 judge in her behalf. 16:57 Now, according to the parable, who does the widow represent? 17:01 Well, if you read the parable it says, 17:04 Will God not avenge His elect? 17:08 As this judge avenged the widow, so God will avenge His elect. 17:13 So what does the widow represent? 17:15 She represents the elect of God. 17:18 Another way of looking at it is, she represents 17:21 the saints of God. 17:23 Now according to most scholars who have studied this parable, 17:27 they've concluded that probably this woman's husband had a debt 17:31 with a creditor, and he died, and he didn't pay his debt. 17:36 And so the creditor was actually taking everything away from this 17:40 widow to pay for her husband's debt. 17:44 In other words, this woman was totally dispossessed. 17:47 She had no children, she had no home, she had no money, 17:51 she had no friends. 17:52 She was all alone, and she was forsaken of everyone. 17:57 She had no human support because her adversary had cleaned 18:02 her out totally and completely. 18:05 Now let's go to chapter 18 and verse 3, 18:10 the last half of the verse. 18:11 It says there: And she came to him saying, Get justice for me 18:18 from my adversary. 18:20 Now that verb came, is not real well translated there. 18:25 It's actually a continuous tense. 18:29 It's a continual tense. 18:30 It means that she kept coming. 18:33 She continually came. 18:34 In other words, she didn't just come once and leave it at that. 18:38 She kept on coming, and coming, and coming. 18:41 Say, How do we know that? 18:42 Well, first of all, the tense of the Greek verb 18:44 is a continual tense. 18:47 But also, if you notice verse 5, it says a little bit later 18:51 in verse 5, that the judge says, 18:59 So you notice that this woman didn't only come once, 19:02 or twice and say, Ah, what's the use, I give up! 19:05 This judge is never going to do justice. 19:07 No, she kept on coming, and coming, and coming, 19:10 even though she was a woman that was totally destitute. 19:12 I want you to notice something very 19:16 interesting about this woman. 19:17 This woman, which represents the church, totally destitute 19:22 of human support, had a faith which was independent, 19:28 unyielding, and defiant in the face of aggressive misfortune. 19:34 But in the story we also have an adversary. 19:38 The Greek word is antidikos. 19:40 The question is, Who is this adversary? 19:44 What is represented by the adversary in the parable that 19:47 totally cleaned her out? 19:48 That took everything, and left her without any human support? 19:51 Who is this adversary? 19:56 Well, 1 Peter 5:8 uses the same word to describe Satan. 20:03 Notice what it says in 1 Peter 5:8. 20:13 The antidikos. 20:25 So who is the adversary that took everything from the widow? 20:28 The adversary represents the Devil. 20:30 The adversary represents Satan. 20:33 Now the question is, Did this judge answer the widow's 20:37 pleas immediately? No. 20:39 Did she give up? No. 20:42 What kind of patience did she have? 20:45 Did she just sit down and say, I'll wait for 20:47 the judge to do it? No! 20:49 She had a persevering faith, a persevering patience, 20:52 an active patience, if you please. 20:54 She says, I'm going to continue coming to him until I get 20:57 justice, and I'm not going to give up. 20:59 But there's a delay in the parable. 21:03 Notice Luke 18:4, 5. 21:06 The judge does not answer her pleas immediately. It says: 21:13 Is there a delay in the woman's pleas? Absolutely. 21:33 Did he give her justice for the right reason? No. 21:38 He actually decided that he would avenge her 21:42 to get her off his back. 21:43 Is that the way that God listens to our pleas? 21:46 He says, I'm just sick and tired of them coming and presenting 21:49 their pleas before me, so I'm just going to give them what 21:52 they ask, so that I can get some sleep. 21:53 That's not the way God is. 21:56 You see, God is being compared with the judge 21:59 by way of contrast. 22:01 There is a delay in both cases. 22:03 But when finally the judge answers, 22:05 he answers for the wrong reason. 22:07 When God answers, He answers for the right reason. 22:10 Now let's go to Luke 18:7. 22:16 Here comes now the main lesson that Jesus wants to 22:20 teach in this parable. 22:21 It says there in chapter 18, verse 7: 22:29 So who does the widow represent? the elect. 22:34 Who does the judge represent? God. 22:45 Do they continue coming? 22:46 Is this a patient endurance? 22:48 Is this a perseverance that doesn't give up, 22:50 even in the worse case scenario? Absolutely. 22:53 But does God answer their pleas immediately? 22:56 No, because it says: 23:09 Now there are different versions of the Bible, of course, 23:14 and it's interesting to notice how some of these versions 23:17 translate this expression: though He bears long with them. 23:20 The New International Version has this translation: 23:29 Does that mean that he did put them off for awhile? Absolutely. 23:33 Will he keep putting them off? 23:35 The Jerusalem Bible has it this way: 23:41 So there is a delay. 23:42 Or the Weymouth translation says: 23:48 So is it clear that God is going to delay answering 23:53 the pleas of His people in this period of human history? 23:56 Absolutely. Now I want you to notice Luke 18:6-8. 24:02 We already read verses 6 and 7, but I want us to 24:07 notice the flow now. Luke 18:6-8. 24:18 Who is the judge, by the way. 24:21 Over whom? The adversary, right? 24:28 That's the widow. 24:33 There you have the delay. 24:35 And then comes the answer. 24:43 So even though there's a delay, is God going to intervene, 24:46 and avenge, His elect over the adversary? 24:49 And He's going to do it speedily. 24:51 The Bible says, Yes. 24:52 And then notice how the passage ends. 25:03 What is Jesus saying? 25:06 He's saying, Nevertheless, when I come, am I going to find 25:13 this kind of faith that this widow had, on the earth? 25:18 And the parable ends. 25:19 Now the question is, When does this parable especially 25:24 apply in human history? 25:25 Well, we need to look at the context. 25:28 And I'm just going to not read the verses, because there's 25:31 too many of them, but if you look at the verses that come 25:34 immediately before the parable, which would be Luke 17:26-37. 25:42 All of those verses are talking about the 25:45 second coming of Jesus. 25:46 And if you read the last verse that we just read from the 25:50 parable, it says, Nevertheless, when the son of man comes 25:53 will He find faith in the earth? 25:55 The parable concludes by reference to the second coming. 25:58 So the question is, When does this parable 26:01 especially apply to? 26:02 There's no doubt that it applies especially to the time of the 26:07 second coming of Christ, because the passage that comes before 26:10 the parable is talking of the second coming. 26:12 The parable ends by asking the question, When the son of man 26:15 comes, will He find faith on the earth? 26:17 And so we know, that this parable, in between the two 26:20 passages that talk about the second coming, is referring 26:23 to the crisis that will take place at the end of time. 26:27 Now lets review the symbols. 26:31 The judge represents God. 26:34 The adversary represents Satan. 26:37 The widow symbolizes the church. 26:44 What kind of church? 26:45 Just the church in times of peace like today, 26:48 where everybody has plenty? Absolutely not. 26:51 It's the church in dire straights, 26:54 the church of the end time, the church of the tribulation, 26:57 we're going to notice. 26:59 And yet we notice that there's a delay. 27:02 But after the delay what does God do? 27:06 God answers the pleas of His people. 27:10 Now the question is, What is this parable really referring 27:15 to in terms of time? 27:18 Folks, I have no doubts whatsoever that Jesus is here 27:22 speaking about the terrible time of tribulation that is going to 27:28 fall upon this earth. 27:29 It's going to be a time of trouble such as never has been 27:32 seen in the history of the world. 27:34 And only those who have the patience of the saints 27:37 will stand before the beast, and his image, and will refuse 27:41 the mark, even on pain of death. 27:44 They will not be immediately delivered. 27:46 There will be a delay. 27:49 They will have to go through this time of trouble, 27:51 lose everything that they have, and yet they will not cease 27:55 to come to God in prayer and to plead for His blessing, 27:59 and to plead for His protection, and to plead for His 28:03 presence with them. 28:04 By the way, most Christians are expecting a 28:11 pre-tribulation rapture. 28:16 Are you going to need a special kind of patience and faith 28:19 to get through this period? 28:20 We noticed immediately after Revelation 13:10 you have 28:28 the beast, his image, and his mark. 28:30 Immediately after the third angel's message you have what? 28:34 a reference to those who keep the commandments of God, 28:37 and have the faith of Jesus, and those who have 28:40 the patience of the saints. 28:41 And so it's speaking about the severe crisis that is going to 28:44 come upon the world. 28:46 And the patience of the saints will be needed by God's people. 28:49 But if you believe that you're going to go to heaven before 28:52 the tribulation, why would you prepare for it? 28:54 See, the Devil is shrewd. 28:57 He knows that the church is going to be here 29:00 during the tribulation. 29:01 He knows that we're going to need unshakable, 29:03 and unbreakable faith. 29:04 He knows that we're going to need the patience of the saints 29:06 to get through this period, to reject the beast 29:09 and his image, and the mark. 29:10 And so he teaches Christians. 29:12 He says, Don't worry about that. 29:13 That's for the Jews after the church is in heaven. 29:16 And when they find themselves in the time of trouble, 29:19 they will be totally unprepared for the crisis that is taking 29:23 place upon the world. 29:24 By the way, that word elect that is used in the parable, 29:29 I want you to notice Matthew 24: 22, 24, how that word elect 29:35 is used in the context of the time of trouble, 29:38 and the final tribulation. 29:40 Matthew 24:22. It says, 29:45 This is the tribulation, according to the context. 29:57 Whose sake? Ah, there's the key word in the parable. 30:06 Are God's people going to go through the tribulation? Yes. 30:09 Is there going to be delay? 30:10 There most certainly will be a delay. 30:13 But is God going to intervene to answer their pleas? 30:16 Absolutely. Now notice verse 24: 30:32 There's the word again. 30:34 So when does this parable especially apply to? 30:37 It applies to the period of tribulation through which 30:42 the elect will go, according to Jesus in Matthew 24. 30:46 You see, folks, the widow represents the final generation 30:52 of living saints that will dwell upon this earth. 30:56 The book of Revelation calls them the 144,000. 30:59 We have a complete lecture coming up on the 144,000. 31:03 These people follow the Lamb wherever He goes. 31:06 These people reject the beast, they reject his image, 31:09 they reject the mark, they reject the number of his name. 31:12 They plead day and night for deliverance from their enemies, 31:16 from the adversary. 31:17 They don't give up. 31:18 They have unflinching perseverance to face 31:22 this end time crisis. 31:23 Now let me ask you, Who is the adversary during this period? 31:28 The adversary, folks, is what? is the Devil. 31:32 Is the Devil going to take away from the church everything that 31:36 the church has in terms of earthly support? Absolutely. 31:40 The church, those who are faithful in the church, 31:43 will be left totally destitute. 31:45 And who will strip them of everything that they have? 31:48 The Devil will strip them of everything that they have, 31:52 and they will have absolutely no earthly support. 31:56 And as the parable says, They will cry out day and night 32:01 for deliverance over their adversary who has taken 32:05 everything that they have. 32:07 By the way, the expression cry out, crying out day and night, 32:12 that's used in the parable, is the same word that is used 32:15 to describe Jesus on the cross, where He cries out 32:19 with an intense agony to His Father, 32:29 Was there a delay in the case of Jesus Christ? the Father 32:33 answering the pleas of His Son? Absolutely. 32:37 He said, Father, let this cup pass from Me if it's possible. 32:41 Nevertheless, not My will be done, but Yours. 32:44 Did God deliver Him out of the crisis? 32:47 Did God remove Him from the trying circumstances 32:50 that He was in? No! 32:51 He continued going through this crisis. 32:54 And He cried out to His Father. 32:56 Apparently His Father didn't listen. 32:58 But eventually He was avenged over His enemy 33:00 when He resurrected on resurrection morning. 33:04 Now is it just possible that God's people are going to 33:08 go through a similar experience to the one that Jesus 33:10 went through in Gethsemane? Absolutely. 33:13 Through the one that Jesus went through on Calvary. 33:16 That they will feel forsaken by God. 33:18 That they will feel that the agony is too great to resist, 33:23 and yet they will not let go of the hand of God. 33:25 Is that just possible? 33:27 Not only is it possible, but that's exactly 33:29 what's going to happen. 33:31 Do you know, Isaiah 54:7, 8 describe this terrible period 33:37 of human history when God's God's people will have to stand 33:40 before the beast, his image, his mark, and the number of 33:43 his name, totally destitute of any earthly support, 33:46 nobody to be with them. 33:47 They will cry out, My God, My God, Why hast Thou forsaken me? 33:52 And yet they will remain firm in their faith with God. 33:56 Notice Isaiah 54:7, 8, where this period is 34:00 being described by God. He says: 34:08 How long did God forsake? 34:33 So this period is going to be a relatively short period; 34:38 a mere moment the Bible says. 34:40 And yet it will be a period of severe anguish. 34:43 And God's people will continue coming, and coming, and coming. 34:47 They will not let loose of the hand of God. 34:50 Let me ask you, when is it that we have to learn to 34:53 trust God in this way. 34:54 If we don't learn now, we're never going to exercise that 34:59 kind of patience in the future, that kind of endurance; 35:03 unyielding faith in the case of the worst circumstances 35:07 in the history of the world, where we have 35:10 no earthly support. 35:11 Now do you know that there are some stories in the Bible that 35:14 illustrate this period? 35:15 You remember the experience of Jacob, right? 35:19 It's told in Genesis 32. 35:21 The Bible tells us there that he was returning home after 35:25 twenty years in the house of Laban. 35:27 And as he's nearing the promised land he hears that his brother 35:32 Esau is coming with 400 armed men, and they have evil 35:39 intentions of destroying Jacob and his family. 35:42 The Bible describes Jacob and his family as being 35:45 totally defenseless. 35:47 They have absolutely no way of protecting themselves 35:50 against an irate brother. 35:52 And so the Bible tells us that Jacob feared that he and his 35:58 family would perish. 36:00 And so he goes off to the other side of the river, and he starts 36:04 pouring his heart out in prayer to God. 36:08 And while Jacob is praying, suddenly someone 36:12 comes and grabs him. 36:13 And Jacob, at first at least, he thinks that this is an enemy. 36:19 It might even be his brother. 36:20 And so he starts fighting, and he starts 36:22 struggling with this being. 36:24 And they struggle all night. 36:25 And finally, the Bible says, that when the sun was starting 36:31 to come up, Jacob realized that he was struggling all night 36:35 with the angel of the Lord, who is none other than Jesus Christ 36:40 in the Old Testament. 36:41 And so the angel of the Lord said to Jacob, Let Me go, 36:46 for the sun is rising. 36:47 And Jacob grabbed onto Him and he said, I will not let You 36:51 go until You bless me. 36:53 And the angel once again said, Let Me go, 36:56 for the sun is coming up. 36:58 And Jacob says, No way! 37:00 I will not let You go unless You first bless me. 37:04 Let me ask you, Did Jacob exercise the 37:08 patience of the saints? 37:10 Did he have that kind of persevering faith that kept on 37:13 coming, and coming to God? 37:15 He most certainly did. 37:16 And then, of course, the Bible tells us that Jesus, 37:21 the angel of the Lord, blessed him there and changed his what? 37:26 changed his name. In fact, let's read this passage. 37:29 It's found in Genesis 32:24, 31. 37:33 By the way, do you know what the end time time of trouble 37:36 is going to be called? 37:38 It's the time of whose trouble? 37:40 Oh, why do you suppose it's called the time 37:42 of Jacob's trouble? 37:43 Because it's going to be similar to the experience of whom? 37:47 of Jacob. And he refused to let go of God's hand. 37:50 God's people will refuse to let go of God's hand until they have 37:55 certainty of God's blessing. 37:57 It says there in Genesis 32:24, 38:02 Notice that he's there to anguish by himself. 38:15 Now did you notice that the angel did not 38:17 prevail with Jacob? 38:19 So what does the angel do? 38:56 Another way of translating is you have overcome. 39:13 Now notice who he was wresting with. 39:25 Who was Jacob struggling with? 39:28 He was struggling with God. 39:30 Are God's people who go through the time of trouble going to be 39:34 struggling with God in the midst of the worst suffering in human 39:37 history, having lost everything, like the widow, 39:40 destitute of human support? Absolutely. 39:43 By the way, this period is described in 39:46 Daniel 12:1, where it says: 39:51 Michael is a symbol of Christ. 40:15 Are God's people going to go through the tribulation? 40:18 They most certainly are. 40:20 It says that there will be a time of trouble such as there 40:23 was never in the history of the world since there was a nation. 40:27 But then it says, At that time, in the time of trouble, 40:30 God will deliver His people. 40:33 And so the experience of Jacob foreshadows the experience 40:38 of God's people in the end time. 40:40 As Jacob refused to let go of the hand of God, 40:43 so God's people will refuse to let go of God's hand until 40:48 He answers their pleas over their adversary. 40:53 There's another Bible story, Old Testament story, 40:56 that illustrates this period. 40:57 It's the story of Job. 41:01 Now let me ask you, If we apply the symbols of the parable 41:07 who would the widow represent in the story of Job? 41:11 Of course it would represent whom? Job. 41:18 Did Job lose everything? Yes? friends, the support of his 41:24 wife, health, possessions? 41:28 He lost everything, right? 41:32 He was totally destitute like this widow. 41:34 Did he have an adversary who was the one who took everything? 41:38 Who was it? the Devil was the adversary; 41:44 took everything from him. 41:45 Did Job cry out day and night for justice over his adversary? 41:50 He most certainly did. 41:52 And God answered immediately. 41:54 The first time that he prayed, God answered him, 41:56 and gave him everything back. No! 41:58 Did Job keep on coming, and coming, and coming, 42:03 and not give up? He most certainly did. 42:05 And what did God do eventually? 42:08 The Bible says that God eventually avenged him 42:11 over his adversary. 42:13 You know, the faith of Job is illustrated in his expression 42:17 that's found in Job 13:15, where he says: 42:25 In other words, he has this faith of the widow. 42:29 He has absolutely nothing to lean on. 42:31 His adversary has taken everything from him. 42:34 He cries out day and night for deliverance from his adversary. 42:37 God delays, but he doesn't give up. 42:39 And eventually God, at the end of the story, gives Job what he 42:44 lost, plus another amount equal to it. 42:48 He gave him twice as much, in other words. 42:51 He answered the pleas of His servant. 42:53 Are God's people going to receive far more than they had 42:58 on this earth after the period of tribulation? 43:00 They most certainly are. 43:02 Because the things in this world really don't count. 43:05 They don't matter, because everything is 43:07 going to burn up, folks. 43:08 It's only our faith and trust in God that is going to carry us 43:12 through the period of the tribulation that 43:14 the Bible speaks of. 43:16 You know, there's another story in the Old Testament 43:19 that illustrates this same period. 43:22 See we have several: we have the story of Jacob, 43:24 we have the story of Job, and we also have the story of the 43:28 three young men in the fiery furnace. 43:30 Who would the widow represent in that story? 43:35 The three young men, right? 43:38 Who would the adversary be? 43:41 Well, behind the scenes it would be the Devil, 43:44 but who, specifically, historically? 43:46 It would be Nebuchadnezzar, right? 43:49 Were these three young men men of prayer? 43:52 Did they have that persevering, unshakable, and unbreakable 43:57 faith in the face of death? 43:59 They most certainly did. 44:00 And when they come before king Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar 44:05 says, Don't you know that we can kill you? 44:09 They say, Yeah, we know you can. 44:11 But the God whom we serve will deliver us. 44:15 And from your hand He will deliver us. 44:17 But if He doesn't, nevertheless, we still serve Him. 44:21 Whether we live, or whether we die, our mind is made up. 44:26 Is this the kind of patience of the saints that this 44:30 parable is talking about? 44:31 Most certainly, yes. 44:33 Now, did God answer the pleas of the three young men immediately? 44:42 Could God have delivered them before they were 44:44 thrown into the fire? 44:45 Could God have given Nebuchadnezzar a heart attack? 44:49 He most certainly could have. 44:51 He could have made it much easier for them not to go 44:54 through the furnace. 44:55 And yet the Bible says that even though they had a close 44:59 relationship with God, and their minds were made up, 45:02 that they were going to be faithful to God, no matter what, 45:07 they had to go through the furnace of fire. 45:11 Were their pleas finally answered by God? 45:15 They most certainly were answered, 45:18 and they were rewarded by God. 45:20 We have New Testament examples of this period of human history. 45:25 Do you remember this woman from Canaan? 45:28 She wasn't a Jew, and she had a daughter who was severely ill. 45:33 And so she's following Jesus, and she said, Jesus, 45:36 please heal my daughter. 45:38 And do you know what Jesus does first? 45:41 He continues walking, and acts like He's not hearing anything. 45:45 But she continues pursuing. 45:48 And she says, Please hear me! 45:50 My daughter is sick! 45:51 Please heal my daughter! 45:53 And then she hears the disciples say, Lord, this is embarrassing. 45:56 Send her away! I don't know about you, but I would have 46:01 thought twice about leaving at that point. 46:03 But she didn't. She kept on coming. 46:07 And then Jesus says out loud, I'm not sent but to the lost 46:13 sheep of the house of Israel. 46:15 I'm out of there by then. 46:18 Jesus is saying, I wasn't sent to save Canaanites like you. 46:23 I was sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 46:26 But she doesn't give up. 46:28 She continues coming to Jesus. 46:32 And she says, Lord, please save my daughter. 46:36 And then Jesus caps it all off by saying, It's not good to take 46:40 the bread of the children of the kingdom 46:42 and give it to the dogs. 46:44 It appears like Jesus had called her a dog. 46:48 I'm definitely out of there by then. 46:51 But this woman had the type of faith that is 46:55 described in this parable. 46:57 She knew that Jesus wasn't that way. 47:00 Her answer was delayed, but she was not about to give up. 47:04 And was her faith rewarded because she persevered? 47:08 Absolutely. Of course, the greatest example, folks, 47:12 of this period is the experience of Jesus. 47:15 When Jesus went through the experience in the garden 47:19 of Gethsemane, when He pleaded with His Father, 47:22 If it be possible to take away the cup, please take it away. 47:28 Was everything taken away from Jesus? 47:30 Did He lose everything? 47:33 He lost His friends, He lost even the clothing that He had 47:40 on, because He hung between heaven and earth, 47:42 naked on the cross. 47:44 He had no earthly support. 47:45 His feet were not even on the earth. 47:50 And when He was on the cross, He cried out to His Father, 47:53 My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me? 47:56 He pleaded for the Father to deliver Him. 48:00 Did the Father immediately deliver Him? No. 48:04 Because the Bible says that He died. 48:07 There was a delay. 48:09 But was His faith eventually rewarded over the enemy? 48:13 Absolutely. When Jesus came forth from the tomb and He said, 48:17 I am the resurrection and the life, His faith, and His trust 48:21 in His Father, and His continuous coming to 48:24 His Father was rewarded. 48:26 I'd like to read from Hebrews 5: 7, Hebrews 5:7, where this 48:33 suffering of Jesus is described. 48:35 It says there this: Who in the days of his flesh... 48:41 That means while He was on this earth. 48:43 ...when he had offered up prayers and supplications, 48:49 with vehement cries, and tears to Him who was able to 48:57 save him from death. 48:59 Was He saved from death at that moment? 49:02 Was He saved from dying? No. 49:05 He was saved from death when He resurrected, but He was allowed 49:08 to go through the experience of death. 49:10 He was not delivered from death when He actually died, 49:13 on what is called Good Friday. 49:15 And so it says: with vehement cries and tears to him who was 49:18 able to save him from death, and was heard 49:22 because of his Godly fear. 49:24 Now why did God allow Jesus to go through this? 49:26 Notice verse 8. Though he was a Son... 49:30 And it should not be a son, though He was Son, 49:35 a special Son. It says: Yet He learned what? 49:40 He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. 49:45 Is the delay during the time of trouble a blessing or a curse? 49:49 It must be a blessing because these are God's people; 49:53 they're faithful, they're sealed. 49:55 God is not going to curse them. 49:57 But God knows that the best answer to their prayers 50:01 is to delay the answer, so that they learn to 50:05 totally trust in Him. 50:07 Ellen White says in The Great Controversy, 50:09 that all earthliness must be consumed. 50:12 No, and it's not worldliness. 50:14 She doesn't say all worldliness must be consumed, 50:17 she says all earthliness. 50:18 In other words, everything that links them, or connects them 50:21 to Planet Earth must be consumed. 50:25 In other words, their hearts must be totally 50:28 and completely in heaven. 50:29 You know what, Job understood very well 50:34 the reason for his suffering. 50:35 Notice what he says in Job 23:10. 50:38 He says, When He... 50:40 That is when God... 50:41 ...has tried me, I shall come forth as what? as gold. 50:47 So going through the fire is a refining process. 50:51 Notice what we find in Isaiah 48:10. 50:55 God says: Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver. 51:01 I have tested you in the furnace of what? 51:05 in the furnace of affliction. 51:08 I'd like to read a statement that we find in a wonderful book 51:12 where you have a commentary on the parables. 51:16 This is Christ's Object Lessons, Page 175. 51:19 Some people say, Why do we need to suffer? 51:22 I mean, Why so much pain? 51:23 Why when I pray to God, doesn't God answer my prayers? 51:27 Well, let me tell you something, folks, when we pray and ask God 51:30 for something, God answers in one of three ways: 51:33 He answers yes, or He answers no, or He answers wait. 51:39 And the problem is we take wait as a no answer. 51:43 But God knows when it's best for him to wait. 51:47 Because we learned to trust in Him. 51:49 That's the reason why He allows God's people to go through 51:52 the tribulation in the end time; to reveal to the world that even 51:57 though the worst may come to them; they lose everything. 51:59 The adversary takes everything they have. 52:01 God is going to prove to the universe that He has a group 52:04 of people who are absolutely loyal to Him, 52:06 though the heavens fall. 52:08 And the challenges of the Devil against God are going to be 52:12 answered once and for all. 52:14 There will be a whole generation of saints who will be faithful 52:17 to God in the worst circumstances; even willing to 52:21 face death if necessary. 52:24 Christ's Object Lessons, 175. 52:26 The Lord permits trials in order that we may be 52:32 cleansed from earthliness, from selfishness, from harsh 52:39 un-Christ like traits of character. 52:42 Let me ask you, When gold is tried in the fire, or refined in 52:49 the fire, what do they throw in the fire? only gold? No. 52:53 There's all kinds of; there's stones, and there's sturds. 52:58 What happens with all the dirt and the stones, and everything? 53:01 They're all burned up. 53:02 And what comes out on the other side? pure gold. 53:06 So she says, The Lord permits trials in order that we may be 53:10 cleansed from earthliness, from selfishness, from harsh 53:14 un-Christ like traits of character. 53:16 He suffers the deep waters of affliction to go over our souls 53:22 in order that we may know Him, and Jesus Christ 53:26 whom He has sent, in order that we may have deep heart longings 53:31 to be cleansed from defilement, and may come forth 53:34 from the trial purer, holier, happier. 53:40 Often we enter the furnace of trial with our souls 53:44 darkened with selfishness. 53:47 But if patient... but if patient, 53:48 Notice the key word. 53:49 But if patient under the crucial test, we shall come forth 53:54 reflecting the divine character. 53:57 So is suffering a blessing? 54:00 Will the delay during the time of trouble be a 54:03 blessing for God's people? 54:05 It most certainly will be. 54:06 But do we need to withstand delays today in smaller 54:11 things in our lives? Yes. 54:13 This is rehearsal folks. 54:15 Let's not get aggravated over our little 54:18 trials and tribulations. 54:19 You know, we might lose a job, and we might have some family 54:22 strife, and we might have loss of money in the 54:25 stock market, or whatever. 54:26 You know, let's not get bent out of shape over all of that. 54:29 Let's trust in God. 54:32 Let's continue coming to Him in times of relative prosperity, 54:36 because the time is coming when we'll have to come to Him 54:40 in times of severe crisis and adversity. 54:44 So, once again, I ask the question, When Jesus ended the 54:49 parable He finished with the question, Nevertheless when the 54:55 son of man comes, will He find faith in the earth? 55:00 In other words, Will He find this kind of faith? the faith 55:03 that is illustrated by the widow, by Jacob, by Job, 55:07 by the three young men in the furnace, by the Canaanite woman, 55:11 by Jesus, who kept on coming, and coming. 55:14 Jesus says, When the son of man comes, will He find this kind of 55:18 faith and patience, perseverance on the earth? 55:23 Unfortunately, the parable ends with the question. 55:29 And you wonder, as you read the parable, whether this 55:35 question is answered yes or no. 55:38 Is God going to have a group on the earth that will have the 55:44 kind of faith that this widow had? 55:46 Well, I praise the Lord that the answer is not found in Luke 18, 55:54 but it is found in Revelation. 55:57 The two verses that we began our study with today: 56:02 Revelation 13:10, Revelation 13:10. 56:09 Is God going to have a people who have this characteristic? 56:13 Absolutely. It says there, He who leads into captivity 56:17 shall go into captivity. 56:19 He who kills with the sword, must be killed with the sword. 56:23 Here is the patience and the faith of the saints. 56:27 Is God going to have a group who have the faith and patience 56:31 of the saints in the midst of the trial? Absolutely. 56:34 And as we read at the conclusion of the third angel's message, 56:38 immediately after God has spoken about the beast, his image, 56:41 his mark, the number of his name, we find this declaration. 56:45 There is going to be a group who will have this kind of faith. 56:49 It says there in Revelation 14: 12, Here is the 56:53 patience of the saints. 56:55 Here are those who keep the commandments of God, 56:59 and the faith of Jesus. 57:01 So what is the answer to the question that Jesus 57:05 asked in this parable? 57:06 Will He find faith? 57:08 Will He find the patience of the saints on the earth? 57:11 The answer in the book of Revelation is a resounding, yes. 57:16 And the question is, Will we be among those who have 57:20 the patience of the saints? |
Revised 2023-04-20