Participants: Stephen Bohr
Series Code: 13SCM
Program Code: 13SCM000003
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00:31 We welcome you again to this first night
00:35 of 3ABN Spring Camp Meeting. 00:37 And I think you will agree with me that that message 00:40 we just heard from Pastor Nelson was a powerful message 00:43 and it was one that challenged us to show love 00:48 one to another, to our friends, and even 00:50 those we may not consider our friends. 00:52 Our emblem is to be Christians who love everyone 00:57 in Jesus' name. We need to keep that in mind. 00:59 Our speaker for this hour is certainly no stranger 01:02 to those of you who are familiar with 3ABN. 01:04 Pastor Stephen Bohr is the Speaker/Director of Secrets 01:08 Unsealed Ministries in California. 01:11 They have just recently moved into a brand-new facility. 01:14 They are expanding their reach. 01:16 It is a world-wide ministry. 01:18 He is a much-sought-after speaker and one who 01:21 has distinguished himself as a student of the Word. 01:25 He is the husband of one wife and the father of two children. 01:29 Matched set... a boy and a girl. 01:31 And you can't do any better than that 01:33 and so he stopped with those two. 01:34 But he is a wonderful preacher. 01:36 I must say I have ought against Pastor Bohr. 01:40 Some years ago I was in Panama with my wife 01:42 and we had a choice. We could go hear Pastor Boullón 01:45 who is another famous Spanish speaker at one church 01:47 or Pastor Bohr at another. And so we decided 01:50 to go hear Pastor Bohr. 01:52 It was a good choice because we found out later that 01:55 Pastor Boullón was going to be there by tape 01:58 and Pastor Bohr was going to be there live. 02:00 So we went to see the live preacher. 02:02 But a couple days before his church was building a church 02:05 way up in the mountains. 02:07 And we went up to see his church and be up there in the 02:10 mountains. We found out that that was the one day 02:12 that his church decided to go to the beach. 02:15 So we were stuck in the mountains; 02:16 they were at the beach. And then my brother-in-law 02:18 decided to lock the keys in the car. 02:20 So we're up in the mountains. No phone; no cell service. 02:24 Up in the mountains, and so I decided to use some old tricks 02:28 that I learned on the streets of Buffalo, New York, 02:30 to get into that car. 02:32 So we had to do a little jimmying and I forgot to send 02:35 Pastor Bohr the bill for the broken window. 02:38 We never did do that... we had grace on him. 02:41 But he is a great friend of this ministry 02:43 and one who is a favorite among those who listen 02:47 and watch Three Angels Broadcasting Network. 02:49 And so we are expectant 02:53 of a wonderful message for our last message of this evening. 02:57 We're going to pray now and then I'm going to ask 02:59 my friend and my pastor John Lomacang 03:01 to come and to sing. And then after he shall have 03:04 sung the next voice that you will hear will be that of 03:07 Pastor Stephen Bohr, 03:08 Speaker/Director of Secrets Unsealed Ministries. 03:12 Shall we pray? Father God, 03:14 we thank You and praise You for this, another opportunity 03:19 to sit and hear a word from the Lord. 03:24 In these dry and thirsty days we need a refreshing. 03:29 We need the water of life. 03:32 And we ask that You would use Your manservant in a special way 03:36 because we don't need to hear the thoughts of man 03:39 or the words of man. We need to hear a word from Christ. 03:43 So give us open and receptive hearts 03:46 and ears so that we can hear and know and do. 03:53 For it is in the doing that we are made like Christ Jesus. 03:57 And so bless now this sitting tonight 04:00 that Christ may be experienced by each of us 04:03 here in this house and those who watch 04:07 and listen from around the world. 04:09 We praise You and we thank You for what You are about to do. 04:13 In Jesus' name, Amen. 04:17 Just now: our pastor, our friend John Lomacang. 04:41 Time measured out my days. 04:48 Life carried me along. 04:55 In my soul I yearned 05:00 to follow God 05:03 but knew I'd never be so strong. 05:09 I looked hard at this world 05:13 to learn how heaven 05:17 could be gained 05:22 just to end where I began 05:27 where human effort 05:31 is all in vain. 05:37 Were it not for grace 05:45 I can tell you 05:47 where I'd be: 05:52 walking down some pointless road 05:57 to nowhere 05:59 with my salvation up to me. 06:05 And I know how that would go. 06:13 The battles I would face. 06:19 Forever running 06:23 but losing the race 06:27 were it not for grace. 06:37 So here is all my praise 06:44 expressed with all my heart 06:51 offered to the Friend 06:55 who took my place 06:59 and ran a course 07:02 I could not start. 07:05 And when He saw in full 07:10 just how much His love would cost. 07:18 He still ran that final mile 07:23 between me and heaven 07:27 so I would not be lost. 07:33 So were it not for 07:37 grace 07:41 I can tell you where 07:46 I'd be: 07:48 wandering down some pointless road 07:53 to nowhere 07:56 with my salvation up to me. 08:02 And I know how that would go. 08:08 All the battles I would face. 08:16 Forever running 08:19 yet losing the race 08:23 were it not for God's grace. 08:30 Forever running 08:34 yet losing the race 08:38 were it not 08:41 for 08:45 grace. 08:55 Amen! 09:09 Good evening. Good evening. 09:13 What a pleasure it is to see so many of you here 09:16 on a Wednesday night. 09:19 You know, somebody said it was Thursday night out there. 09:24 And they're right... because Biblically this is Thursday 09:28 night... because the night comes before the day. 09:32 Good to be here once again at 3ABN for Camp Meeting. 09:37 Some very, very special time. 09:39 I've been looking forward to it. 09:42 Before we study God's Word this evening, however, 09:46 we want to ask for the Lord's special blessing. 09:49 And so I invite you along with me to bow your heads 09:52 reverently as we pray. 09:56 Our Father and our God, what a privilege it is to be here 10:00 in this beautiful place. 10:02 We thank you, Father, for Your Word 10:05 which is a sure guide in a world that is so confused. 10:09 As we look at the world, it seems to be falling apart 10:13 at the seams. 10:15 But we thank you that in Your Word You tell us that You have 10:18 everything under control. 10:20 You still sit on the throne and You rule in the affairs of men. 10:24 We ask that You will bless us as we open the pages 10:27 of Your Holy Book 10:29 and we thank you for Your presence. 10:31 And we're certain of it because we pray in the 10:35 precious name of Jesus, Amen. 10:38 Amen. 10:40 I'd like to begin by mentioning 10:43 that in the book of Revelation 10:46 we have seven churches 10:49 which represent seven periods 10:53 in the history of the Christian church. 10:57 I'd like to begin by reading 10:59 a statement that we find 11:00 in the book Acts of the Apostles page 585 11:04 where Ellen White describes the seven churches 11:09 and their specific meaning. 11:12 This is what she says: 11:14 "The names of the seven churches are symbolic 11:18 of the church in different periods of the Christian era. 11:23 The number seven indicates completeness 11:27 and is symbolic of the fact that the messages extend 11:30 to the end of time. 11:32 While the symbols used 11:34 reveal the condition of the church 11:37 at different periods in the history of the world. " 11:41 So clearly the Spirit of Prophecy tells us here 11:44 that the seven churches represent 7 consecutive periods 11:49 in the history of the Christian church 11:51 from apostolic times till the very end of time. 11:55 Now it's interesting to notice that Ellen White is not alone 11:59 in this concept 12:01 because most conservative evangelical scholars agree 12:06 that the seven churches represent seven periods 12:10 of church history. 12:12 I'd just like to read a statement by one of those 12:15 scholars so that you can see that this is not unique 12:19 to Ellen White. 12:21 Now I'm going to read from someone with whom 12:24 Ellen White disagrees probably 99.99% of the time. 12:31 His name is Hal Lindsey. 12:35 And in his book Vanished Into Thin Air 12:38 page 276 12:41 Hal Lindsey said this... which is correct. 12:45 "I believe along with many scholars 12:49 that these seven letters were not only written to 12:53 seven literal churches with real problems 12:57 but also that they have a prophetic application 13:01 to church history. 13:03 I believe that these seven churches 13:05 were selected and arranged by our omniscient Lord 13:10 because they had problems and characteristics 13:14 that would prophesy seven stages 13:17 of history through which the church universal would pass. " 13:22 Very similar to what we read from Acts of the Apostles 13:25 page 585. 13:27 And Hal Lindsey is not the only one. 13:31 There are many, many other scholars that I could read 13:34 that believe that the seven churches represent 7 periods 13:38 of church history from the days of the apostles 13:40 till the end of time. 13:42 Now evangelical Protestant scholars believe that the church 13:45 of Ephesus represents the apostolic church. 13:50 They believe that the church of Smyrna represents 13:53 the church that was persecuted during the period 13:55 of the Roman emperors. 13:58 They believe that the church of Pergamum represents 14:00 the church during the period when apostasy entered 14:04 the church - darkness entered the church - in the times of 14:07 Emperor Constantine. 14:09 They believe that the church of Thyatira represents 14:12 the church during the period of papal supremacy. 14:16 The period of the Middle Ages... the Dark Ages if you please. 14:21 They believe that the church of Sardis represents 14:24 the Protestant Reformation. 14:26 Believe it or not, not only Adventist writers 14:29 but also non-Adventist evangelicals have believed that. 14:32 Now when you get to Philadelphia and Laodicea 14:34 they become a little fuzzier as to what it applies to. 14:39 But virtually all who believe the seven churches represent 14:43 seven periods of church history 14:44 agree that Ephesus is the apostolic church, 14:48 Smyrna is the persecuted church by the Roman emperors, 14:51 Pergamum is the church of the days of Constantine, 14:53 Thyatira is the church of papal supremacy, 14:57 and Sardis is the church of the Protestant Reformation. 15:02 Now as I've studied the seven churches 15:05 I've come to a very important conclusion: 15:09 and that is that the seven churches are to Revelation 15:13 what Daniel 2 is to the book of Daniel. 15:17 Now Daniel 2 is foundational to all of the book. 15:21 The book of Daniel builds upon chapter 2. 15:24 And I believe that the same is true about the 7 churches. 15:28 The seven churches provide the foundational prophecy 15:32 of the book of Revelation. 15:33 It gives us the skeleton or the basic chronological structure 15:39 for the rest of the book. 15:40 If you please, it gives us the framework upon which 15:43 the book of Revelation in its entirety presents itself. 15:49 Now this evening we are going to begin our four-part study 15:54 with one of the seven churches: the church of Thyatira. 16:00 Now the church of Thyatira is the 4th church in the sequence. 16:05 Before we study the church of Thyatira, however, 16:08 we need to take a look at some principles 16:12 that will guide us in our study. 16:15 You see, in scripture you really have four stages to Elijah. 16:21 And Elijah is linked with the message to the church 16:24 of Thyatira. The first stage of Elijah 16:27 is the historical Elijah in the Old Testament 16:30 who was called to speak to literal Israel. 16:33 The second Elijah or the second stage of Elijah 16:37 is John the Baptist. And we'll be studying John the Baptist 16:40 a little bit later on in this series. 16:42 The third stage - which is the one that we're going to take 16:45 a look at tonight - is the stage of Elijah 16:49 during the 1260 years, 16:50 during the period of the church of Thyatira. 16:53 And the fourth stage is the end-time Elijah... 16:58 the Elijah that will exist and be alive 17:02 when Jesus comes if you please. 17:04 So there are actually four stages to the Elijah prophecy. 17:09 Now the first two Elijahs are literal individuals 17:13 and they have three literal enemies... personal enemies. 17:17 The last two Elijahs are not individuals. 17:20 The individuals represent world-wide movements 17:26 and world-wide systems or powers. 17:28 In other words, you're dealing with type and anti-type. 17:32 Elijah in the Old Testament and John the Baptist in the 17:35 New Testament become symbolic individuals along with 17:38 their enemies of the Elijah during the 1260 years 17:42 and the end-time Elijah. 17:45 But at the end time, Elijah is not an individual... 17:48 Elijah is a movement. 17:51 And his three enemies are not individuals... 17:54 his three enemies represent global world-wide systems. 18:00 Now there are four main protagonists in the story 18:03 of Elijah. 18:04 The first protagonist is a determined and strong-willed 18:09 harlot woman whose name is Jezebel. 18:12 The second protagonist of the story 18:15 is a weak and easily-influenced king 18:20 whose name was Ahab. 18:24 The third protagonist or we could say protagonists of the 18:28 story are apostate false prophets that did the bidding 18:33 of this harlot Jezebel. 18:36 And of course the fourth protagonist was none less 18:40 than Elijah, who was called by God to denounce 18:44 this union of the king with Jezebel 18:47 and the prophets of Baal. 18:50 Now it's very important to realize that whenever Elijah 18:53 appears in scripture he never appears alone. 18:57 Whenever Elijah appears, he always appears in bad company. 19:01 In other words, his three enemies appear with him. 19:05 Whether it's the Old Testament Elijah, 19:07 whether it's John the Baptist, 19:08 whether it's the Elijah during the 1260 years, 19:11 or the very end-time Elijah... 19:13 whenever Elijah appears in scripture 19:17 his three enemies appear along with him. 19:21 And so in the four stages of Elijah we're going to have to 19:25 find a determined and strong-willed harlot woman, 19:28 we're going to have to find a weak and easily-influenced king, 19:33 we're going to have to find false prophets who do 19:35 the bidding of this woman, and we are going to have to find 19:39 Elijah who is called to rebuke this unity 19:43 of this three-fold alliance. 19:47 Now I would like us to begin by reading the message 19:51 to the church of Thyatira. 19:53 It's found in Revelation chapter 2 and verses 18-29. 19:58 And I'm going to read it slowly 20:00 because it has several very important details. 20:04 Remember that Thyatira is the church that exists 20:08 during the period of the Dark Ages... 20:11 during the period of papal supremacy. 20:14 That is the key point that we want to remember. 20:18 Now notice what we find beginning in verse 18. 20:22 "And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: 20:26 these things says the Son of God 20:29 who has eyes like a flame of fire 20:31 and has feet like fine brass. 20:34 'I know your works: 20:36 love, service, faith, and your patience. 20:40 And as for your works, the last are more than the first. 20:45 Nevertheless I have a few things against you 20:49 because you allow that woman... ' 20:52 Now here comes one of the protagonists. 20:55 'You allow that woman Jezebel 20:59 who calls herself a prophetess... ' 21:02 Let me ask you: can this be literal Jezebel? 21:05 No, because Jezebel has been dead for 800 years 21:08 at this point, so this cannot be literal Jezebel 21:12 that arises at the time of the church of Thyatira. 21:15 So it says: 'Because you allow that woman Jezebel 21:18 who calls herself a prophetess 21:21 to teach and seduce 21:24 My servants to commit sexual immorality... ' 21:28 Other versions translate fornication. 21:31 'and eat things sacrificed to idols. ' " 21:34 In other words, she introduces fornication and idolatry. 21:39 In the Old Testament this is literal. 21:41 People bow before literal images 21:43 and she is committing literal fornication with the king. 21:47 It continues saying here in verse 21: 21:50 Notice: "And I gave her time. " 21:53 The word time here is the Greek word chronos 21:56 where we get chronology from. 21:58 "So I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality 22:02 or of her fornication and she did not repent. " 22:07 Therefore notice what God does 22:08 because she didn't repent after God gave her this time. 22:12 "Indeed I will cast her into a sickbed. 22:16 And those who commit adultery or fornication with her 22:20 into great tribulation unless they repent of their deeds. " 22:25 And then it tells us: "I will kill her children with death. " 22:31 Interesting... all sorts of interesting details 22:34 that we find in this passage. 22:36 "I will kill her children with death 22:39 and all the churches shall know that I am He who searches 22:43 the minds and the hearts and I will give to each 22:47 one of you according to your works. " 22:50 But now notice that in this church 22:52 there's a faithful remnant. 22:54 Verse 24 says: 22:56 "Now to you I say and to the rest... " That word rest 22:59 really is the same word that is translated remnant 23:03 in Revelation 12:17. It's the Greek word loipos. 23:06 In other words it could be translated: "Now to you I say 23:10 and to the remnant in Thyatira. " 23:13 "As many who do not have this doctrine... " 23:16 In other words, as many as are against fornication 23:19 and against idolatry. 23:21 "Who have not known the depths of Satan 23:24 as they say, I will put on you no other burden. 23:28 But hold fast what you have till I come. 23:31 And he who overcomes and keeps My works until the end 23:35 to him I will give power over the nations 23:38 and he shall rule them with a rod of iron. 23:40 They shall be dashed to pieces like a potter's vessel 23:43 as I also have received authority from My Father. 23:46 And I will give him the morning star. 23:49 He who has an ear, let him hear 23:52 what the Spirit says to the churches. " 23:55 And so because we have Jezebel in the church of Thyatira 24:00 that would tell us that we also have to have whom? 24:04 There also has to be the king. 24:07 There also has to be Elijah. 24:13 And there also have to be the false prophets. 24:18 That's right, because when one of the protagonists appears 24:23 all of the other protagonists appear along with that one. 24:27 So we know that in the period of the church of Thyatira 24:31 Jezebel appears with all of the other protagonists 24:35 of the story. Now, in the Old Testament 24:39 Jezebel is a literal pagan priestess 24:43 who links up with a literal king 24:46 and used his executive authority to introduce a mixture 24:51 of God worship and Baal worship in literal Israel. 24:56 She had a group of literal false prophets 24:59 who extended her influence in the literal geographical 25:02 territory of Israel. 25:04 In other words, the story in the Old Testament 25:06 is a story that deals with literal individuals 25:10 in literal Israel. 25:13 However, in the church of Thyatira 25:15 what was literal in the Old Testament now becomes 25:19 symbolic of movements and becomes symbolic of systems... 25:24 of global systems. 25:26 So in the church of Thyatira 25:28 which is right in the middle of the history of the Christian 25:31 church we have a woman - symbolically speaking - 25:36 which represents an apostate church 25:38 that blends paganism with Christianity. 25:42 She links up with the kings of the earth... 25:46 not just with one king 25:48 and she has spiritual children that at some point 25:52 were born to her and she persecutes 25:56 those who disagree with her point of view. 25:59 And so it was literal in the Old Testament 26:03 now becomes symbolic and it becomes global. 26:08 Now let me just summarize some of the details 26:10 of the story from the Old Testament. 26:12 Tomorrow morning we are going to take a look at the story 26:15 as it appears in the Old Testament... which is really 26:18 the root to all of the other Elijah passages 26:21 that we find in scripture. 26:23 Let's just review the main points 26:25 before we draw a parallel between the days of Elijah 26:29 and what happened during the church of Thyatira. 26:32 The harlot Jezebel as we've noticed 26:35 fornicated with the king 26:37 and used his executive authority 26:40 to extend her counterfeit religion 26:43 and to persecute those who were opposed to her agenda. 26:47 That's the first one. 26:48 The second point is that she was involved in the occult 26:52 because in II Kings chapter 9 and verse 22 26:56 it says that she was involved in witchcraft. 27:00 In other words, she was involved in the occult. 27:03 Furthermore, we notice that she blended 27:07 the worship of God with the worship of Baal. 27:10 In other words, it was a mixture of God worship - of genuine 27:14 worship - with counterfeit worship. 27:17 She instituted a false sacrificial system. 27:21 Remember that the altar of the Lord was torn down 27:23 in the days of Elijah? 27:25 Because they had forgotten the gospel. 27:27 That had forgotten that the victim represented 27:30 the sacrifice of Jesus Christ 27:32 and they were offering sacrifices to Baal. 27:34 Furthermore, we know that in the days of Elijah 27:38 she was leading the people to break the commandments of God. 27:41 Because when Elijah met Ahab 27:43 Ahab said: "So you're the one who troubles Israel. " 27:47 And Elijah said: "No, I have not troubled Israel 27:49 but you and your father's house have done it 27:53 because you have forsaken... " What? 27:55 "you have forsaken the commandments of God. " 27:57 The commandments of God were involved. 28:00 Also, false worship was involved 28:02 because we're told clearly in I Kings chapter 16 28:06 and verses 30 through 33 28:08 that Jezebel implemented the false worship of the sun god 28:13 Baal. 28:14 We also know that she had a group of false prophets 28:18 that did her bidding. 28:20 And we know that Elijah was called to unmask 28:23 this counterfeit religion at the risk of his own life. 28:29 Now let me just read you some texts that we find 28:32 in scripture that describe some of these details 28:35 that I've mentioned. 28:37 II Kings chapter 9 and verse 22, 28:39 speaking about Jezebel, gives us some interesting details. 28:44 It says: "Now it happened when Joram saw Jehu 28:47 that he said: 'Is it peace, Jehu? ' 28:50 So he answered: 'What peace? 28:52 As long as the harlotries... ' Notice that Jezebel 28:56 was a harlot... 'the harlotries of your mother... ' 29:00 Notice she's called the mother. 29:02 'the harlotries of your mother Jezebel 29:04 and her... ' What? 'and her witchcraft are many. ' " 29:08 Do you know which doctrine is at the foundation of witchcraft? 29:11 The immortality of the soul 29:14 is at the root of witchcraft. 29:17 Now let's go to Revelation chapter 2 and verse 20. 29:19 We read this before when we read the entire passage. 29:22 But notice what we're told there about Jezebel. 29:25 It says: "Nevertheless I have a few things against you 29:28 because you allow that woman Jezebel 29:31 who calls herself a prophetess 29:33 to teach and seduce My servants 29:36 to commit sexual immorality... " 29:39 That really is the word to commit fornication... 29:43 "and to eat things sacrificed to idols. " 29:45 In other words, she introduced fornication 29:48 and idolatry. 29:51 Now this is finally fulfilled in the book of Revelation. 29:54 Notice Revelation chapter 17 verses 1 and 2 29:57 and then we'll read also verse 5. 30:00 Revelation 17 verses 1 and 2 and then we'll jump to verse 5. 30:04 It says: "Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls 30:07 came and talked with me saying to me: 'Come, 30:10 I will show you the judgment of the great harlot. ' 30:12 Of the what? 30:15 Ah, now we're in the book of Revelation. 30:17 'of the great harlot who sits on many waters. ' 30:20 And now notice: 'with whom the kings of the earth 30:24 committed... ' What? 30:25 Ah, so there's the kings of the earth that are involved 30:29 and there's a harlot that is involved. 30:31 Notice what it continues saying: 30:33 'and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the 30:36 wine of her fornication. 30:37 And on her forehead a name was written: MYSTERY, 30:40 BABYLON THE GREAT... ' And then what is she called? 30:43 'THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS 30:46 AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. ' " 30:47 Does she have children? 30:49 She most certainly does. 30:51 In fact, we read in Revelation chapter 2 30:54 that God was going to kill her children. 30:58 So in other words, we have Jezebel 31:01 fornicating with the kings. 31:03 She's called the mother so she has children. 31:07 And I would ask: Do you think that Elijah also 31:10 is involved in this story? 31:12 The period of the church of Thyatira? 31:14 Absolutely. 31:15 Let's examine this. 31:18 Because of the apostasy that was taking place in Israel 31:22 God told Elijah to announce that there would be no rain. 31:28 Notice I Kings chapter 17 and verse 1. 31:32 I Kings chapter 17 and verse 1. 31:35 We're going to go now from the Old Testament 31:38 to the New Testament. We're going to examine 31:40 a parallel between what happened in the days of Elijah 31:43 and what happened during the period 31:45 of the church of Thyatira... 31:46 this period of the Dark Ages. 31:48 Says in I Kings 17 verse 1 31:51 And keep your finger there in I Kings 17 31:54 and also in Revelation because we're going to be 31:56 going back and forth. 31:58 It says: "And Elijah the Tishbite 32:00 of the inhabitants of Gilead said to Ahab: 32:04 'As the Lord God of Israel lives before whom I stand 32:08 there shall be no... ' Notice the expression. 32:12 'no dew or rain these years except at my word. ' " 32:18 No dew and no rain. 32:21 Now let's go to Revelation chapter 11. 32:23 Revelation chapter 11 and verse 6. 32:25 It's speaking about this period of the 1260 years 32:28 in context. 32:30 And it says there in Revelation 11 verse 6 32:32 speaking about the two witnesses: 32:34 "These have power to shut heaven 32:37 so that no rain falls in the days of their prophecy. " 32:42 So notice in the days of Elijah 32:44 the heavens are shut: no dew and no rain. 32:47 And we find in the book of Revelation 32:50 that the heavens are shut and there is no dew and no rain. 32:54 And that is during the 1260-year prophecy. 32:57 Now the question is: what was the reason for the scarcity 33:01 of rain? II Chronicles 7:13 and 14 33:04 tells us what the reason was. 33:06 It says there in II Chronicles 7:13- 33:10 God is speaking - 33:11 "When I shut up heaven and there is no rain 33:14 or command the locust to devour the land 33:17 or send pestilence among My people 33:20 if My people who are called by My name 33:23 will humble themselves and pray and seek My face 33:28 and turn from their wicked ways 33:30 then I will hear from heaven 33:33 and will forgive their sin and heal their land. " 33:36 What was the reason that God gave for the land 33:40 having famine? It was because His very own people 33:43 were in apostasy. 33:47 Now remember that in the Old Testament we're dealing with 33:49 literal rain, but in the period of the Christian church - 33:54 this apostate period of the Christian church - 33:56 we're dealing with symbolic rain. 33:59 Now of course, the question is: 34:01 what does rain symbolize 34:04 on a broader scale in relation- ship to the church of Thyatira? 34:09 Well, let's go in our Bibles 34:11 to Deuteronomy chapter 32 and verse 2 34:15 and examine what the rain represents 34:19 symbolically or spiritually. 34:21 Because during the Middle Ages we're dealing with a symbolic 34:24 Elijah. We're dealing with a system. 34:27 Jezebel represents a system. 34:29 Elijah represents a group of people. 34:32 The daughters represent a group of people. 34:34 The king is no longer a literal king... 34:37 the king represents all of the kings 34:40 over which this system rules. 34:42 Notice Deuteronomy chapter 32 and verse 2. 34:45 "Let My teaching... " 34:48 Some versions say "Let My doctrine. " 34:51 "drop as the rain. " So what does rain represent? 34:55 It represents doctrine and God is speaking here. 34:58 "Let My teaching or doctrine drop as rain... 35:01 as the rain, My speech distill as the... " What? 35:06 "the dew. " So what does the rain represent? 35:09 It represents God's teaching. 35:11 It represents God speaking or God's speech. 35:14 "As raindrops on the tender herb and as showers on the grass. " 35:19 This is the reason why in Amos chapter 8 verses 11-12 35:24 we're told what happens when God causes a famine 35:29 in the land when there is no rain. 35:31 Amos 8:11-12 says: "Behold, the days are coming, 35:34 says the Lord, that I will send a famine on the land. 35:40 Not a famine of bread 35:42 nor a thirst for water 35:44 but of hearing the words of the Lord. 35:47 They shall wander from sea to sea and from north to east. 35:50 They shall run to and fro seeking the Word of the Lord 35:54 but they shall not be able to find it. " 35:57 So what does rain represent symbolically during the period 36:00 of the Dark Ages? 36:01 It represents God's teaching; it represents God's Word. 36:06 A famine for God's Word if you please. 36:09 Now how long did this apostasy last when there was no rain 36:14 because of the apostasy of Israel? 36:16 Let's go to the book of James chapter 5 and verse 17 36:20 and examine the historical root first of all. 36:22 Let's examine the Old Testament story. 36:24 We're going back and forth. 36:25 James chapter 5 and verse 17. 36:28 Here we are told: 36:30 "Elijah was a man with a nature like ours 36:33 and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain. 36:37 And it did not rain on the land... " For how long? 36:41 "For 3 years and 6 months. " 36:46 Now is that an interesting... Is that an important figure 36:49 or number? 36:50 Does it have anything to do with the period of papal supremacy? 36:54 Absolutely. 36:56 Let's turn in our Bibles to Revelation 11:3. 36:59 Chapter 11 and verse 3 where it's speaking once again 37:02 about this period of papal supremacy. 37:05 Revelation 11 and verse 3 says, God is speaking: 37:08 "I will give to My two witnesses and they will prophesy... " 37:13 For how long? 37:14 "one thousand two hundred and sixty days 37:18 clothed with sackcloth. " 37:20 How long were the witnesses going to prophesy? 37:23 1260 days. How many years is that? 37:26 How many symbolic years? 37:29 It represents 1260 years. 37:32 Now the Bible refers to it with different terminology 37:36 than 1260. Let's notice Daniel 7:25... 37:40 the parallel prophecy. 37:42 There we have a different way of expressing 37:44 the same time period. 37:46 It says there in Daniel 7:25, a text that probably most of you 37:49 can repeat from memory, 37:51 speaking about the papacy it says: "He shall speak 37:53 pompous words against the Most High, 37:55 shall persecute the saints of the Most High, 37:58 and shall intend to change times and laws. 38:02 Then the saints shall be given into his hand... " 38:05 For how long? 38:06 "for a time and times and half a time. " 38:10 How long is that? How many years is that? 38:12 Three and a half years. 38:13 Are we dealing with literal years or are we dealing with 38:16 symbolic years? It's not literal years. 38:18 It's symbolic years. Jezebel is symbolic. 38:21 Elijah is symbolic. The children are symbolic. 38:24 The king represents something much larger... 38:27 represents the kings of the earth. 38:31 And so the time period in the Old Testament 38:33 is literal - 3-1/2 literal years. 38:36 During the period of papal supremacy it was 38:39 a symbolic period of time. 38:42 Now let me ask you: Did God give Jezebel 38:48 the opportunity to repent in the Old Testament story? 38:51 Yes! God sent Elijah with the purpose 38:54 of admonishing Israel and giving them a message 38:59 so that Jezebel would repent. 39:02 But after 3-1/2 years she was all the more determined 39:06 to destroy God's prophet. 39:08 Now notice Revelation chapter 2 and verse 21. 39:12 In relationship to the church of Thyatira it says there, 39:15 Revelation 2:21, God is speaking: 39:18 "And I gave her... " What? 39:20 "time to repent of her sexual immorality 39:24 or fornication and she did not... " What? 39:28 "repent. " How much time did God give the church 39:31 during the Middle Ages, during the Dark Ages, 39:33 so that she would repent? 39:36 One thousand two hundred and sixty years 39:39 or "time, times, and the dividing of time. " 39:41 It's interesting, the word that is used here 39:44 for time is the Greek word chronos 39:47 where we get the word chronology from. 39:50 God gave her chronological time. 39:52 He gave her a precise period of 1260 years - 39:55 "time, times, and the dividing of time" - 39:57 for her to repent... and she did not. 40:01 Now was there a remnant in the Old Testament story? 40:04 A faithful remnant that did not bow the knee to Baal? 40:07 Absolutely! 40:09 Notice I Kings chapter 19 and verse 18. 40:12 II Kings... or I Kings rather chapter 19 and verse 18. 40:17 Here God is speaking to Elijah because Elijah is saying 40:20 "I'm the only one who is left. " 40:22 And God tells Elijah: "Yet I have reserved 40:26 seven thousand in Israel 40:29 all whose knees have not bowed to Baal 40:32 and every mouth that has not kissed him. " 40:36 So did God have a faithful remnant 40:37 that did not worship Baal 40:40 and that had to hide from the wrath of Jezebel? 40:43 Absolutely. 40:45 Now, was there a faithful remnant in the church of 40:49 Thyatira as well? 40:50 Notice Revelation chapter 2 verses 24 and 25. 40:55 We mentioned this when we read the passage. 40:58 It says in Revelation 2:24: 41:00 "Now to you I say and to the rest in Thyatira... " 41:04 That's not a very good translation: to the rest. 41:06 It's the same word that is used in Revelation 12:17 41:10 where it says that the dragon was angry with the remnant 41:14 of her seed. So a better translation is 41:16 a remnant, that which is left, that which remains. 41:20 And so God is saying to the church of Thyatira 41:22 "Now to you I say and to the remnant in Thyatira 41:26 as many as do not have this doctrine... " 41:29 In other words, those who don't follow what the harlot teaches. 41:32 "and who have not known the depths of Satan 41:34 as they say, I will put on you no other burden. 41:37 But hold fast what you have till I come. " 41:41 God had a remnant during this period 41:44 of "time, times, and the dividing of time. " 41:46 In fact, in Revelation chapter 13 verse 7 41:50 they are called "the saints of the Most High" 41:53 as well as in Daniel chapter 7 and verse 25. 41:56 In Revelation chapter 12 this remnant is referred to... 42:00 referred to as a pure woman... 42:02 a woman who is clothed with the sun. 42:04 In other words, God had a faith- ful remnant during this period 42:08 that played the role of Elijah so to speak. 42:12 Now who was blamed for the calamity that fell upon Israel 42:16 in the Old Testament? 42:18 Elijah was blamed, of course. 42:20 Notice I Kings chapter 18 and verse 10 42:24 and then we'll read also verse 17. 42:26 I Kings chapter 18 verse 10. 42:30 "As the Lord your God lives 42:33 there is no nation or kingdom 42:37 where my master has not sent someone to hunt for you. " 42:42 This is a servant that is telling this to Elijah: 42:44 "You have been hunted everywhere in the kingdom. " 42:47 "And when they said 'he is not here' 42:51 he took an oath from the kingdom or nation 42:53 that they could not find you. " In other words, 42:56 people had to swear an oath that they had not seen Elijah 42:59 because he was hunted everywhere in the kingdom 43:02 because Jezebel wanted to kill him. 43:07 Notice also what we're told in I Kings 18:17. 43:11 "Then it happened that when Ahab saw Elijah 43:14 that Ahab said to him: 'Is that you oh troubler of Israel? ' " 43:18 Who was blamed for the calamities? 43:21 It was Elijah who was blamed. 43:23 Elijah was hated for telling it like it is. 43:27 Now did Elijah have to flee to the wilderness? 43:30 Oh, he sure did have to flee to the wilderness. 43:33 We're told in I Kings chapter 17 and verse 3- 43:36 I Kings 17:3- 43:39 God is speaking to Elijah and He says: 43:41 "Get away from here and turn eastward 43:43 and hide by the brook Cherith 43:47 which flows into the Jordan. " 43:49 So Elijah had to flee to the wilderness 43:51 and he had to hide. 43:53 How about the faithful church 43:54 during the "time, times, and dividing of time? " 43:57 Did they have to flee? 43:58 Notice Revelation chapter 12 and verse 6 and also verse 14. 44:04 Revelation 12 verse 6 and then we'll read verse 14. 44:07 "Then the woman fled... " Into where? 44:11 "into the wilderness 44:12 where she has a place prepared by God 44:15 that they should feed her there 1260 days. " 44:18 And then verse 14: "But the woman was given 44:21 two wings of a great eagle that she might fly into the 44:24 wilderness to her place where she is nourished 44:26 for time and times and a half time 44:29 from the presence of the serpent. " 44:33 And so you have God's church 44:37 during the Old Testament period fleeing - 44:40 in the person of Elijah - 44:42 and hiding from the wrath of Jezebel. 44:44 And so you have also during this period of "time, 44:48 times, and dividing of time" 44:49 God's faithful church - the woman - fleeing 44:53 to the wilderness. 44:55 Now notice also that when Elijah went to hide 45:00 who fed him? 45:03 God fed him. 45:05 God not only prepared a place for him in the wilderness 45:07 but God also fed him. 45:09 Notice I Kings chapter 17 and verse 4 45:12 and then we'll also read verse 6. 45:14 I Kings 17:4 says: "And I will be... " 45:19 "And it will be that you shall drink from the brook 45:23 and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there. " 45:27 Who was it that fed Elijah? 45:30 God through the ravens. 45:32 Verse 6: "The ravens brought him bread and meat 45:35 in the morning and bread and meat in the evening 45:38 and he drank from the brook. " 45:41 Now how about in Revelation? Who fed God's faithful church 45:45 that fled to the wilderness? 45:46 We already read it... let's read it again. 45:48 Revelation chapter 12 verse 6 and also verse 14. 45:53 "Then the woman fled into the wilderness 45:55 where she has a place prepared by God... " 45:58 See? Just like with Elijah. 46:00 "that they should... " Notice: that they should what? 46:03 "feed her there 1260 days. " 46:08 And then verse 14: 46:09 "But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle 46:12 that she might fly into the wilderness 46:15 to her place where she is nourished 46:19 for a time and times and half a time 46:22 from the presence of the serpent. " 46:24 Are you seeing the parallels between the days of Elijah 46:27 and the period of the church during the Dark Ages? 46:31 If we know what happened in the days of Elijah, 46:33 we can know what happened during this period 46:35 of church history. 46:37 Now... was Jezebel a murderess? 46:43 Was she a bloodthirsty tyrant 46:45 who used the king to accomplish her purposes? 46:48 Absolutely! And the king was a wimp. 46:51 Listen up, folks. In all of the Elijah story 46:55 that we're going to study there's a wimpish king; 46:58 there's a strong-willed harlot. 47:01 The harlot has false prophets or daughters. 47:04 And Elijah rebukes this triple union 47:08 and as a result the triple union hates God's prophet 47:12 and seeks him out to attempt to destroy him. 47:15 Notice I Kings chapter 18 and verse 4 47:18 where we are told about Jezebel. 47:20 It says: "For so it was while Jezebel massacred the 47:23 prophets of the Lord that Obadiah had taken 100 prophets 47:27 and hidden them 50 to a cave 47:30 and had fed them with bread and water. " 47:32 Once again they're hiding in a cave 47:34 and God is feeding them as they hide there 47:37 because Jezebel is killing and destroying 47:41 the prophet of the Lord. 47:42 In fact, Jezebel was so angry with Elijah 47:45 that after the prophets of Baal were defeated on Mt. Carmel 47:49 in I Kings chapter 19 verses 1 and 2 it say: 47:52 "Then Jezebel send a messenger to Elijah saying: 47:55 'So let the gods do to me and more also if I do not 48:00 make your life as the life of one of them 48:02 by tomorrow about this time. ' 48:05 And when he saw that he arose and ran for his life 48:08 and went to Beersheba which belongs to Judah 48:11 and left his servant there. " 48:13 Does the harlot in the book of Revelation 48:16 also shed the blood of God's people? 48:19 Notice Revelation chapter 17 and verse 6. 48:23 Revelation chapter 17 and verse 6. 48:25 It says: "I saw the woman drunk with the blood 48:28 of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. 48:31 And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement. " 48:37 Now did Jezebel extend her religion by herself 48:43 or did she have some emissaries who helped to extend it? 48:48 Actually, it was through a counterfeit priesthood. 48:52 It was through false prophets that she was able to extend 48:57 her influence and her power and her religion. 49:00 In fact, we know that she was the one who fed 49:03 the false prophets... 49:05 and you don't bite the hand that feeds you by the way. 49:07 In I Kings chapter 18 and verse 19 we are told 49:11 "Now therefore send and gather all Israel to me on Mt. Carmel, 49:15 the 450 prophets of Baal, 49:18 and the 400 prophets of Asherah who eat... " Where? 49:22 "who eat at Jezebel's table. " 49:25 So you have a group of false prophets that do the bidding 49:30 of Jezebel. Now let me ask you: 49:33 in the book of Revelation do you have a power, 49:36 a false prophet, that does the bidding of the beast? 49:39 We'll study this in our last study together. 49:42 Yes! We have a beast that rises from the earth. 49:46 It has two horns like a lamb and it does everything 49:49 to please the first beast. 49:52 It raises and image to the first beast. 49:54 It commands everyone to worship the first beast. 49:56 It imposes the mark of the first beast. 49:58 It commands everyone to follow the first beast. 50:01 In other words, there is a false prophet 50:03 in the book of Revelation that extends the religion 50:07 of the beast. But you know, in Revelation 13 50:10 the relationship is described as the beast and the false prophet. 50:14 But in Revelation chapter 17 it describes this relationship 50:19 as the mother and her daughters. 50:21 Now as we study this this is going to become clearer 50:25 and clearer that really the beast using the false prophet 50:28 to accomplish its purposes 50:30 is the same as in Revelation 17: the harlot using 50:34 her daughters to accomplish her purposes. 50:38 Now, did this harlot receive a deadly wound 50:43 during the 1260 years? 50:45 Was she thrown on a sickbed? 50:47 Yes! In fact, let's read it. 50:49 Revelation chapter 2 and verse 22. 50:52 "Indeed I will cast her into a sickbed 50:54 and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation 50:59 unless they repent of their deeds. " 51:01 Now, the lexicon or dictionary Arndt and Gingrich 51:06 page 436 describes this word sickbed as "to lay someone 51:11 on a sickbed, to strike her with an illness, 51:15 a lingering illness, as a divine punishment. " 51:20 Now was this system thrown into a sickbed 51:24 at the end of it's period of dominion? 51:26 Yes! Was she thrown into great tribulation? 51:29 Yes. I believe that this is describing 51:32 actually the French Revolution. 51:34 At the end of her period of dominion everything was thrown 51:38 upside down. The royalty as well as the papacy 51:43 were sought to be destroyed by the people in France. 51:48 In other words, this is exactly what happened 51:51 according to the prophecy. 51:53 Now does the harlot have children? 51:55 She most certainly does. 51:57 It says in Revelation 2 verse 23: 52:00 "I will kill her children with death 52:04 and all the churches shall know that I am He 52:06 who searches the minds and hearts 52:08 and I will give to each one according to your works. " 52:12 Interesting that Jezebel the harlot had children. 52:17 During the 1260 years she also had children. 52:20 In Revelation chapter 17 she is called 52:23 "THE HARLOT WHO IS THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS. " 52:27 Now the question is: which children were born 52:30 from the Roman Catholic papacy? 52:34 Can you tell me? 52:38 The Protestant churches 52:41 that believe that the dead are not dead. 52:43 That Sunday is the day we're supposed to keep. 52:46 That Sunday is the day of worship, et cetera. 52:48 Let me read you the words of John XXIII 52:51 at the beginning of the Ecumenical Vatican 2 Council 52:54 as he addressed Protestants who were there observing. 52:57 He said: The Roman Catholic church 53:02 wishes to be an affectionate, kind and patient mother. 53:06 She is moved by compassion and goodness 53:10 towards her alienated children. " 53:13 That's what Pope John XXIII said. 53:16 Pope Paul VI said, 53:18 speaking to the Protestants at the Council, 53:20 "Because of their position separated brethren 53:23 are the object of deep and tender affection 53:26 on the part of the mother church. " 53:29 On the part of the MOTHER church. 53:30 "It is a love that feels grief and sadness, 53:33 the loveable heart wounded by estrangement, 53:36 because the estrangement prevents brethren 53:39 from enjoying so many privileges and rights 53:41 and makes them lose so much grace. 53:43 But perhaps for this very reason, its love is all 53:47 the deeper and more burning. " 53:50 Those were the words of Pope Paul VI. 53:54 So we have a parallel between what occurred in the days 53:57 of Elijah - literal individuals in literal Israel - 54:03 and what happened symbolically to the church during 54:07 the symbolic period of "time, times, and the 54:10 dividing of time. " 54:12 But folks, this is not the conclusion of the story. 54:16 The Middle Ages Elijah was not the last Elijah. 54:20 The conclusion of the story has not been written. 54:23 Jezebel did not come to an end at the end of the 1260 years. 54:26 The daughters did not come to an end. 54:28 The great and terrible day of the Lord did not come. 54:31 Elijah was not translated to heaven. 54:35 The final chapter of this story still has to be fulfilled 54:39 when the deadly wound of the harlot Jezebel is healed. 54:43 And God promises that He is going to send Elijah 54:47 once more. Not a person but a world-wide movement 54:52 to perform the same work that Elijah did in the Old Testament 54:56 and the Elijah in the wilderness did during the 1260 years. 55:00 In Malachi chapter 4 verses 5 and 6 55:03 we find the prophecy: "Behold I will send you Elijah 55:06 the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day 55:10 of the Lord. And he shall turns the hearts of the fathers 55:13 to the children and the hearts of the children 55:15 to their fathers lest I come and smite the earth 55:18 with a curse. " 55:20 You see, the harlot Jezebel has two stages of existence. 55:25 She ruled for 1260 years. 55:28 And the story of Elijah took place symbolically 55:32 during that period. At the end of that period 55:34 she received a deadly wound. 55:36 But prophecy tells us that her deadly wound 55:38 is going to be... what? 55:40 Is going to be healed, so Jezebel will live again. 55:43 So if Jezebel is going to live again, 55:46 would we expect the kings of the earth to fornicate with 55:49 Jezebel when she rises to power? 55:51 Yes. Would we expect her children to join with her 55:55 in imposing a counterfeit religion? 55:58 Would we expect God to raise up an Elijah 56:01 to proclaim that God's law is binding? 56:04 That we should worship God, the Creator, on His holy Sabbath? 56:07 A movement that will reach the world 56:12 with the message of God for these last days? 56:15 Absolutely! You see, the end-time Elijah represents 56:19 God's remnant church. 56:20 It's not one individual. 56:22 It is a remnant of people on a world-wide scale 56:27 that will proclaim God's message to the world 56:31 with power and great glory 56:33 as we are told in Revelation chapter 18 56:36 and verses 1 through 4. 56:38 And so the only thing that remains to be seen 56:41 is for the harlot to recover from her deadly wound, 56:44 and then we will see a repetition of what happened 56:48 during the 1260 years 56:50 during the "time, times, and dividing of time. " 56:54 You know, the message to Thyatira ends 56:57 by saying: "He who has an ear let him hear 57:01 what the Spirit says to the churches. " 57:04 You know, we are that end-time church 57:07 that God has called for a time such as this. 57:11 The question is: will we - God's remnant people - 57:16 answer that call that God has made? 57:21 I pray to God that we will. 57:24 Let's pray. Father, 57:27 we thank you for Bible prophecy. 57:29 We thank you for history because as we observe history 57:35 we know exactly what's going to happen in the future. |
Revised 2014-12-17