Let's bow our heads for prayer.
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Our Father and our God,
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what a privilege it is to
be in Your presence today.
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And we ask that as
we open Your Holy Book
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that Your Spirit
will be here to teach us
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those things
that we need to learn
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in these last
days of human history.
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And we thank You
for hearing our prayer,
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for we ask it in the
precious name a Jesus.
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Amen.
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The title of our study today
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is "The Harvest of
the Earth is Ripe."
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And what we want to
do as we begin our study
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is to give a bird's eye view
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of the content of
Revelation Chapter 14.
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Some of this will be review
but some of that will be new
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at least with regard
to the sequence of events
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that we find in this chapter.
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First of all in this
chapter we find three angels
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that present their
messages to the world.
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These three messages
are the final message of God
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to Planet Earth.
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We know that these
messages are accompanied
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by the power of the Holy Spirit.
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Because as we're
gonna study today,
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we're going to notice that
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when these three angels
proclaim their messages,
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the harvest of
the earth is ripened
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and the grapes of the
earth are also ripened.
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Now in ancient Israel that
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which ripen the
harvest was the latter rain,
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and of course the
latter rain represents
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the outpouring
of the Holy Spirit.
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So basically these
three angels' messages
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are accompanied by the
power of the Holy Spirit
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and this power
or this latter rain
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is going to mature the world
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into what the Bible calls
the harvest and the grapes.
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Now we also notice that
these three angels proclaim
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a worldwide global message
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which means that the
harvest is a worldwide harvest
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and the grapes are
also a worldwide harvest.
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Now these three
messages basically polarize
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the world into two groups.
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One group the faithful
keeps the commandments of God
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including the fourth commandment
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or the commandment
regarding the Sabbath.
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The other group
breaks God's commandments
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and disobey the
great Sabbath truth
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that we find in Scripture.
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One group receives
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according to the
Bible the seal of God.
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That is those who
are obedient to God.
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And the other group
receives the mark of the beast
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which we've already
studied means knowingly
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keeping the
first day of the week
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when very clearly you understand
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that the Sabbath
is the day of rest.
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And so the Bible tells us
that there will be two groups
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the way that people
respond to these three messages
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will determine
which group they are in.
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Now in Revelation Chapter 14
these two groups are described
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as the harvest of the
earth that is the righteous
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and on the other
side are the grapes
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or the vintage of the earth
which represents the wicked.
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Now it's important to notice
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that the righteous
according to Revelation 14
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as we will study are gathered
inside the city of Jerusalem,
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where as the wicked or
the grapes are gathered
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outside the city of Jerusalem.
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Now there's a very
important principle
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that we need to understand
in order to comprehend
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what we're gonna
study in our lecture today
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and that is that in
the Book of Revelation,
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Babylon is not literal
Babylon in the Middle East.
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Babylon is actually a spiritual
symbolic worldwide system
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that is inimical
to the people of God.
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On the other side Jerusalem
is not a literal city either.
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Jerusalem represents
God's faithful people
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on a global scale who
keep the commandments of God
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and have the testimony of Jesus
as well as the faith of Jesus.
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So in other words,
Jerusalem is the place
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where God's people are gathered,
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but Jerusalem is
symbolic or spiritual.
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Babylon is the place
where the wicked are gathered
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but Babylon
needs to be understood
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in a spiritual and
global or worldwide sense.
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Now allow me to amplify
this principle a little bit
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as we begin our study
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because it's
gonna be foundational
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for what we study in
the rest of the lecture.
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What I want us to understand now
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is what I call the law
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of the literal
and the spiritual.
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And I'm gonna illustrate it
by talking about the garments
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that were worn by our
first parents Adam and Eve.
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The Bible tells us
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that God's garments
are garments of light.
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Back to true
church in Revelation 12
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is represented as a woman
who is clothed with the sun.
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When Jesus was
transfigured, the Bible tells us
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that His garments
became white as the light.
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In other words, Adam and
Eve in their state of innocence
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and righteousness were clothed
with literal robes of light.
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But those literal
robes of light were symbolic.
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They represented
their righteousness
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or their obedience to God.
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So in the Garden of
Eden we have the literal
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and we have that which
the literal represents.
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The literal are
the garment of light,
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real light that
covered Adam and Eve
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and the symbolic or
what that represents
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is righteousness
or obedience to God.
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Now we're told in Genesis
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that when Adam
and Eve disobeyed God,
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they were left
literally or physically naked.
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And the Bible tells us
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that it was because
they were disobedient to God
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or now they were unrighteous.
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In other words their
nakedness, literal nakedness
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also represented symbolically
spiritual nakedness,
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unrighteousness or
disobedience to God.
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So we notice
then that originally
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there was the literal
and the spiritual together
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in the Garden of Eden.
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A literal robe of light
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which represented
spiritual righteousness.
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Then when man sinned,
man was left literally naked
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and the Bible tells us that,
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that represented the fact
that man was now unrighteous.
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Now the Bible tells us
that God is going to resolve
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this problem of
nakedness in two ways.
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You see, He has to resolve
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the problem of
spiritual nakedness
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as well as literal nakedness.
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Now the Bible tells us
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that the first
thing that God fixes
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or repairs is by covering us
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with the spiritual robe
of Christ's righteousness.
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In other words
it's the symbolic robe
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of Christ's righteousness.
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Notice Galatians 3:26.
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Galatians 3:26 and
we'll also read verse 27.
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It says here, "For
you are all sons of God
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through faith in Christ Jesus.
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For as many of you as
were baptized into Christ..."
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Notice "Have put on Christ."
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Obviously we have not
literally put on Christ.
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We don't have a
literal robe of light.
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We have the spiritual robe
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which represents
the righteousness
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of Jesus Christ
symbolically speaking.
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However God needs to restore man
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someday to the fullness
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of what He was in
the Garden of Eden.
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And by the way when I say man,
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I'm talking generically
it includes man and woman.
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But God has to restore
not only the spiritual robe
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of Christ's
righteousness by covering us
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spiritually, but
someday the Bible tells us
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that He's also going
to give us once again
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that literal robe of light.
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But that literal
robe comes in the future.
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I want you to notice
Revelation 7:9 and 10
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where it speaks
about this moment.
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It says there "After
these things I looked,
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and behold, a great multitude
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which no one could
number, of all nations,
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tribes, peoples, and tongues,
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standing before the
throne and before the Lamb."
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Now notice this
"Clothed with white robes,
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with palm
branches in their hands,
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and crying out with
a loud voice, saying,
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'Salvation belongs to our God
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who sits on the
throne, and to the Lamb!'''
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Notice that at this point,
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God's people are
in heaven with Jesus.
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And the Bible tells us
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that they are
clothed with white robes.
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Now these are
literal white robes of light,
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so basically what Jesus does
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is now in this
period of human history,
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He covers us with
the spiritual robes
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of Christ's righteousness.
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And of course
when Jesus comes again,
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He is going to
give us an immortal body
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and He is going to cover us
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with a literal robe of
light like the robe of light
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that covered Adam and Eve.
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This is the principal
that we need to remember
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as we study our passage today
00:10:01.62\00:10:04.32
which is Revelation 14
and verses 14 through 20.
00:10:04.35\00:10:07.79
You say, how does
this relate to the subjects
00:10:07.82\00:10:10.77
that we're studying.
00:10:10.80\00:10:12.21
Well, the fact is that
when the Bible speaks about
00:10:12.24\00:10:17.18
Jerusalem in prophecy,
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we are first of all
inside spiritual Jerusalem
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before Jesus takes us
to the literal Jerusalem
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when He comes again.
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In other words we are
spiritually in Jerusalem
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even though we
live in different places
00:10:33.57\00:10:36.12
of the earth and
someday if we're faithful,
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Jesus will take us to
be literally in Jerusalem.
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Allow me to read you some verses
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that show this very
important principle.
00:10:45.37\00:10:48.23
Hebrews 12:22 to
24. Hebrews 12:22 to 24.
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And I want you to
notice the tense of the verb.
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But you speaking
about God's faithful people
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"But you have
come to Mount Zion."
00:11:01.62\00:11:05.01
He's saying in the times
00:11:05.04\00:11:06.48
when he wrote to the
Hebrews you have come.
00:11:06.51\00:11:08.80
In other words,
they were already there.
00:11:08.83\00:11:10.58
It says "But you
have come to Mount Zion
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and to the city
of the living God."
00:11:13.91\00:11:17.04
Now what Jerusalem is this?
00:11:17.07\00:11:18.95
"The heavenly Jerusalem,
00:11:18.98\00:11:20.86
to an innumerable
company of angels,
00:11:20.89\00:11:23.85
to the general assembly
and church of the firstborn
00:11:23.88\00:11:27.13
who are registered in heaven."
00:11:27.16\00:11:28.83
Noticed that the key is,
00:11:28.86\00:11:30.14
that God's
people are not literally
00:11:30.17\00:11:31.94
in heaven in the New Jerusalem
they are reaped in heaven.
00:11:31.97\00:11:35.17
In other words they
are citizens of heaven.
00:11:35.20\00:11:38.09
So it says in verse 23,
00:11:38.12\00:11:39.78
"To the general
assembly in heaven,
00:11:39.81\00:11:41.50
to God the judge of all,
00:11:41.53\00:11:43.13
to the spirits of
just men made perfect
00:11:43.16\00:11:45.77
and to Jesus the
Mediator of the new covenant,
00:11:45.80\00:11:48.79
and to the blood of sprinkling
00:11:48.82\00:11:50.28
that speaks better
things then that of Able."
00:11:50.31\00:11:53.79
So here the author
of Hebrews is telling us
00:11:53.82\00:11:56.89
that we have come to Zion.
00:11:56.92\00:11:59.78
We have come to
the heavenly Jerusalem.
00:11:59.81\00:12:02.70
We are actually
spiritually reckoned
00:12:02.73\00:12:04.91
in the heavenly
Jerusalem even though we live
00:12:04.94\00:12:08.06
in different parts of the world.
00:12:08.09\00:12:10.63
I want you to notice
also Galatians 4: 26.
00:12:10.66\00:12:14.98
Here the Apostle
Paul explicitly tells us
00:12:15.01\00:12:17.72
that Christians are
citizens of the New Jerusalem.
00:12:17.75\00:12:21.76
This is what he says.
00:12:21.79\00:12:23.27
"But the Jerusalem above
that is the new one is free
00:12:23.30\00:12:27.65
which is the mother of us all."
00:12:27.68\00:12:31.31
Notice also
Philippians 3:20 and 21.
00:12:31.34\00:12:35.49
Philippians 3:20 and 21.
00:12:35.52\00:12:39.32
It says there, "For our
citizenship is in heaven
00:12:39.35\00:12:45.75
from which we also
eagerly wait for the Savior,
00:12:45.78\00:12:48.64
the Lord Jesus Christ
00:12:48.67\00:12:50.60
who will
transform our lowly body
00:12:50.63\00:12:53.21
that it may be
conformed to His glorious body,
00:12:53.24\00:12:56.40
according to the working
00:12:56.43\00:12:57.78
by which He is able to
subdue all things to Himself."
00:12:57.81\00:13:02.36
So notice here that
the Apostle Paul tells us
00:13:02.39\00:13:04.91
in his letter to the Philippians
00:13:04.94\00:13:06.71
that our
citizenship is in heaven.
00:13:06.74\00:13:10.09
Basically I'm a US citizen,
when I travel to Colombia,
00:13:10.12\00:13:14.87
when I travel to Venezuela
or when I travel to England
00:13:14.90\00:13:18.35
or some other
country in the world,
00:13:18.38\00:13:20.18
I can say that really
my country of origin--
00:13:20.21\00:13:24.99
my country where
my citizenship is,
00:13:25.02\00:13:27.06
is the United States,
00:13:27.09\00:13:28.76
and so is with our
spiritual citizenship.
00:13:28.79\00:13:32.10
We can live
anywhere in the world
00:13:32.13\00:13:34.10
but our name and our citizenship
00:13:34.13\00:13:36.51
is in the New
Jerusalem in heaven.
00:13:36.54\00:13:39.46
So when Revelation
speaks about God's people
00:13:39.49\00:13:42.67
being in
Jerusalem and the grapes
00:13:42.70\00:13:45.16
or the wicked being
gathered outside Jerusalem,
00:13:45.19\00:13:47.99
it's not talking about
the wicked gathering over
00:13:48.02\00:13:51.33
next to the literal
city of Jerusalem to attack
00:13:51.36\00:13:54.51
that literal city
in the Middle East.
00:13:54.54\00:13:56.79
What it's saying is that
global Babylon represented
00:13:56.82\00:14:00.56
by the winepress is going
to gather around God's people
00:14:00.59\00:14:04.25
who are spiritually in
Jerusalem all over the world
00:14:04.28\00:14:07.72
and this is gonna
be the final battle.
00:14:07.75\00:14:09.69
In fact we're gonna
notice that the wicked
00:14:09.72\00:14:11.73
will gather around God's
people all over the world
00:14:11.76\00:14:14.94
with the intention
of destroying them.
00:14:14.97\00:14:17.21
But of course we know
that when Jesus comes,
00:14:17.24\00:14:20.97
then Jesus is gonna take
00:14:21.00\00:14:22.55
all the citizens
of the New Jerusalem
00:14:22.58\00:14:25.24
up to the New Jerusalem
and then after the 1,000 years
00:14:25.27\00:14:28.66
we will live in
the city of Jerusalem.
00:14:28.69\00:14:31.84
And it will be the
capital of the universe.
00:14:31.87\00:14:35.49
Now I'd like us to go
to Revelation 14:14-16,
00:14:35.52\00:14:40.42
where we have the
first harvest mentioned.
00:14:40.45\00:14:43.31
This first harvest is
called the harvest of the earth
00:14:43.34\00:14:47.04
and basically it
represents the righteous.
00:14:47.07\00:14:49.75
And we've already studied that
the separation of this harvest
00:14:49.78\00:14:54.39
from the grapes takes place
00:14:54.42\00:14:56.14
before Jesus
comes in the judgment.
00:14:56.17\00:14:59.05
In other words,
there is an investigative
00:14:59.08\00:15:01.61
pre-advent judgment in heaven
00:15:01.64\00:15:03.83
where by the
response that people give
00:15:03.86\00:15:06.89
to the three angels' messages,
00:15:06.92\00:15:08.86
God separates people into
the group of the righteous
00:15:08.89\00:15:12.70
and into the group of the wicked
00:15:12.73\00:15:14.60
before the second
coming of Jesus Christ.
00:15:14.63\00:15:17.90
And so the verses that
we gonna take a look at now
00:15:17.93\00:15:20.46
Revelation 14:14-16
00:15:20.49\00:15:23.78
deals with the
separation of the righteous.
00:15:23.81\00:15:28.21
It says there in verse 14,
00:15:28.24\00:15:30.58
"Then I looked, and
behold a white cloud,
00:15:30.61\00:15:35.43
and on the cloud sat
One like the Son of Man."
00:15:35.46\00:15:40.31
I want you to remember this.
00:15:40.34\00:15:42.00
The Son of Man is
seated on a cloud.
00:15:42.03\00:15:45.64
And then it says
that he has in His
00:15:45.67\00:15:48.96
"on His head a golden crown
00:15:48.99\00:15:51.84
and in His hand a sharp sickle."
00:15:51.87\00:15:55.44
So the Son of Man
comes on the cloud
00:15:55.47\00:15:57.90
and He is coming as
we'll notice to His Father
00:15:57.93\00:16:02.45
to the Ancient of Days and
He has a sickle in his hand
00:16:02.48\00:16:05.75
and of course a sickle
has the purpose of harvesting.
00:16:05.78\00:16:11.40
And then notice verse 15--
00:16:11.43\00:16:13.18
actually let's look at verse 15,
00:16:13.21\00:16:15.89
its says, "And another
angel came out of the temple
00:16:15.92\00:16:19.78
crying with the
loud voice to Him
00:16:19.81\00:16:21.80
who sat on the cloud
00:16:21.83\00:16:23.84
'Thrust in your sickle and reap,
00:16:23.87\00:16:27.08
for the time has
come for you to reap.'"
00:16:27.11\00:16:30.16
And as we've already noticed,
00:16:30.19\00:16:32.06
the reaping or the
separation takes place
00:16:32.09\00:16:34.61
before the
second coming of Jesus.
00:16:34.64\00:16:37.33
Because when Jesus comes,
He comes to reward His people.
00:16:37.36\00:16:41.42
So before that He
must have determined
00:16:41.45\00:16:44.69
in a heavenly
judgment who His people are.
00:16:44.72\00:16:48.30
And so this angel says
00:16:48.33\00:16:50.22
to the one who is
seated on the cloud
00:16:50.25\00:16:52.13
"Thrust in your sickle and reap
00:16:52.16\00:16:54.62
for the time has
come for you to reap..."
00:16:54.65\00:16:57.15
And now listen to this,
00:16:57.18\00:16:58.73
"For the harvest
of the earth is ripe."
00:16:58.76\00:17:02.46
I want you to remember that
00:17:02.49\00:17:04.02
it says the harvest
of the earth is ripe.
00:17:04.05\00:17:07.64
Because a little bit later on,
00:17:07.67\00:17:09.02
we're gonna go to the
Old Testament background
00:17:09.05\00:17:11.75
to this passage
in Revelation 14,
00:17:11.78\00:17:14.48
and we're gonna notice
that it doesn't say the earth,
00:17:14.51\00:17:17.02
it says something
differently and so it says,
00:17:17.05\00:17:20.28
"For the harvest
of the earth is ripe."
00:17:20.31\00:17:23.20
Verse 16 "So He who
sat on the cloud thrust
00:17:23.23\00:17:28.01
in His sickle on the earth..."
00:17:28.04\00:17:30.17
There it is again.
00:17:30.20\00:17:31.25
"And the earth was reaped."
00:17:31.28\00:17:34.73
Now there's no doubt whatsoever
that this group of individuals
00:17:34.76\00:17:38.89
who are harvested
00:17:38.92\00:17:40.51
or who are
separated in the judgment,
00:17:40.54\00:17:42.98
before the second coming
of Jesus are the righteous.
00:17:43.01\00:17:46.60
And you'll notice
that the separation
00:17:46.63\00:17:48.81
takes place all over the earth.
00:17:48.84\00:17:50.76
And they're gathered
in the city of Jerusalem.
00:17:50.79\00:17:53.39
We'll notice a
little bit later on
00:17:53.42\00:17:55.13
but they're not
literally gathered there,
00:17:55.16\00:17:57.25
they are spiritually or
symbolically gathered there
00:17:57.28\00:18:00.81
because they're
citizens of the New Jerusalem
00:18:00.84\00:18:03.15
and yet they are
found all over the world
00:18:03.18\00:18:06.73
in different countries.
00:18:06.76\00:18:08.30
And so basically
this first group are those
00:18:08.33\00:18:11.06
who keep the
commandments of God.
00:18:11.09\00:18:13.49
Those who have the
seal of God, those who--
00:18:13.52\00:18:16.87
because they love Jesus
keep the Seventh-day Sabbath,
00:18:16.90\00:18:20.43
and these are the ones
00:18:20.46\00:18:21.89
who actually will be on God side
00:18:21.92\00:18:25.60
in this final conflict
or this final controversy.
00:18:25.63\00:18:29.74
By the way the Book of Daniel
00:18:29.77\00:18:31.54
also refers to this
judgment of the Son of Man
00:18:31.57\00:18:35.09
coming seated on a cloud
to do a work of judgment.
00:18:35.12\00:18:39.90
And of course
the sickle represents
00:18:39.93\00:18:41.99
the work of judgment.
00:18:42.02\00:18:43.43
Let's read Daniel 7:13
and 14. Daniel 7:13 and 14.
00:18:43.46\00:18:50.93
Here Daniel inspired
by the Holy Spirit said,
00:18:50.96\00:18:55.13
"I was watching in the
night visions and behold..."
00:18:55.16\00:18:59.20
Listen to this.
00:18:59.23\00:19:00.46
"One like the Son of Man..."
00:19:00.49\00:19:02.10
The very same name that
we found in Revelation 14
00:19:02.13\00:19:05.28
"Coming with the clouds..."
00:19:05.31\00:19:07.13
See there it is, He's coming
with the clouds of heaven.
00:19:07.16\00:19:10.54
And I want you to notice
00:19:10.57\00:19:11.93
that He's not
coming to the earth.
00:19:11.96\00:19:14.07
He's not coming to this world.
He's going somewhere else.
00:19:14.10\00:19:18.98
It says "Coming with
the clouds of heaven!
00:19:19.01\00:19:21.69
He came..."
00:19:21.72\00:19:23.04
Notice carefully.
00:19:23.07\00:19:24.10
"To the Ancient of Days..."
00:19:24.13\00:19:26.36
In other words He came
to his Father in heaven
00:19:26.39\00:19:29.39
"And they brought
Him near before Him."
00:19:29.42\00:19:31.95
They brought Jesus on
the cloud near the Father.
00:19:31.98\00:19:35.37
I want you to
notice that He goes there
00:19:35.40\00:19:37.61
for a work of
separation to establish
00:19:37.64\00:19:40.44
who the members
of His kingdom are,
00:19:40.47\00:19:42.64
because it says in verse 14,
00:19:42.67\00:19:44.81
"Then to Him that is to Jesus
00:19:44.84\00:19:47.73
was given dominion
and glory and a kingdom,
00:19:47.76\00:19:52.00
that all peoples, nations,
and languages should serve Him.
00:19:52.03\00:19:56.54
His dominion is an
everlasting dominion,
00:19:56.57\00:19:59.32
which shall not pass
away and His kingdom the one
00:19:59.35\00:20:02.88
which shall not be destroyed."
00:20:02.91\00:20:04.96
And if you read a
little bit later on in Daniel 7
00:20:04.99\00:20:08.15
it says that when
Jesus takes over the kingdom
00:20:08.18\00:20:11.13
it says the saints took over
the kingdom when Jesus came.
00:20:11.16\00:20:16.07
The time came when the
saints received the kingdom.
00:20:16.10\00:20:20.14
And so
basically what Jesus does,
00:20:20.17\00:20:22.84
He goes to His Father in heaven,
00:20:22.87\00:20:24.65
seated on a cloud,
00:20:24.68\00:20:25.84
of course the cloud
represents the angels.
00:20:25.87\00:20:27.60
He's got to
perform a work of judgment.
00:20:27.63\00:20:29.66
He's gonna separate His people.
00:20:29.69\00:20:31.20
He's gonna show
00:20:31.23\00:20:32.26
who are the
citizens of His kingdom.
00:20:32.29\00:20:34.78
And then when He
finishes that work,
00:20:34.81\00:20:37.60
we will have the group of those
00:20:37.63\00:20:39.23
who keep the
commandments of God,
00:20:39.26\00:20:40.84
those who have the seal of God,
00:20:40.87\00:20:42.63
which are represented
as the harvest of the earth
00:20:42.66\00:20:46.39
and they're
symbolically portrayed
00:20:46.42\00:20:48.46
as being in the
city of Jerusalem.
00:20:48.49\00:20:52.06
But there is another group
00:20:52.09\00:20:53.84
which are
referred to as the grapes
00:20:53.87\00:20:56.21
and those are
symbolically portrayed
00:20:56.24\00:20:58.37
as being outside the
city, they are the ones
00:20:58.40\00:21:01.64
who received the
mark of the beast,
00:21:01.67\00:21:03.81
they're called the
grapes in Scripture.
00:21:03.84\00:21:06.41
They are the ones who rejected
the commandments of God,
00:21:06.44\00:21:10.09
those who
refused the seal of God,
00:21:10.12\00:21:12.58
those who preferred to keep
00:21:12.61\00:21:14.24
the day of rest that was changed
00:21:14.27\00:21:16.77
by the Roman Catholic
papacy as we've studied.
00:21:16.80\00:21:20.32
Now let's read about this
group in Revelation 14:17-20.
00:21:20.35\00:21:26.04
This is the other harvest.
00:21:26.07\00:21:27.37
This is the
harvest of the wicked
00:21:27.40\00:21:29.21
or the separation of the wicked.
00:21:29.24\00:21:32.28
It says there in verse 17,
00:21:32.31\00:21:34.24
"Then another angel
came out of the temple..."
00:21:34.27\00:21:37.48
And I don't really have time
00:21:37.51\00:21:38.83
to show you
that, that word temple,
00:21:38.86\00:21:40.79
the Greek word
nous is really referring
00:21:40.82\00:21:43.46
to the most holy place
of the heavenly sanctuary.
00:21:43.49\00:21:46.77
It's not talking about
all of the heavenly sanctuary.
00:21:46.80\00:21:49.39
It's talking about the most
holy place of the sanctuary.
00:21:49.42\00:21:52.80
So it says, "Then another
angel came out of the temple
00:21:52.83\00:21:56.06
which is in heaven..."
00:21:56.09\00:21:57.83
This is very
clearly happening in heaven.
00:21:57.86\00:21:59.91
"He also having a sharp sickle."
00:21:59.94\00:22:02.26
You see He's also gonna harvest.
00:22:02.29\00:22:05.04
And it continue saying,
00:22:05.07\00:22:06.24
"And another angel
came from the altar,
00:22:06.27\00:22:09.32
who had power over fire..."
00:22:09.35\00:22:11.48
Now this altar is
the altar of incense
00:22:11.51\00:22:14.63
which was in the holy
place of the sanctuary.
00:22:14.66\00:22:17.18
And basically
what the priest did
00:22:17.21\00:22:18.92
was that he would
put fire into a censer
00:22:18.95\00:22:21.80
and he would also
put incense into it
00:22:21.83\00:22:24.54
and the Bible says that
as he was wading the censer
00:22:24.57\00:22:27.77
before the Lord, he
was interceding before God,
00:22:27.80\00:22:32.11
he was presenting the prayers
of the saints before God.
00:22:32.14\00:22:36.08
That is a fire
that is spoken of,
00:22:36.11\00:22:38.10
that is the fire and the altar
that has been spoken about here
00:22:38.13\00:22:43.10
in Revelation 14:18.
00:22:43.13\00:22:47.81
But I want you to notice
00:22:47.84\00:22:48.91
that something
is going to happen
00:22:48.94\00:22:50.79
with that fire in the censer.
00:22:50.82\00:22:53.61
There's a time coming
00:22:53.64\00:22:54.81
when the censer is not
going to intercede anymore.
00:22:54.84\00:22:57.40
It's actually going to
be thrown to the ground
00:22:57.43\00:22:59.81
and fire will come out
of it, fire to destroy.
00:22:59.84\00:23:03.36
It says in verse 18 once again.
00:23:03.39\00:23:05.22
"And another angel
came out from the altar
00:23:05.25\00:23:07.72
who had power over fire
00:23:07.75\00:23:11.05
and he cried with
a loud voice to him
00:23:11.08\00:23:13.69
who had the sharp sickle saying,
00:23:13.72\00:23:15.77
''Thrust in your
sharp sickle and now notice
00:23:15.80\00:23:19.41
and gather the clusters
of the wine of the earth...
00:23:19.44\00:23:22.68
" Notice once
again that the harvest
00:23:22.71\00:23:24.38
is not over in the Middle East.
00:23:24.41\00:23:25.87
It's not in a little
valley next to Jerusalem.
00:23:25.90\00:23:28.73
It says here that He is supposed
00:23:28.76\00:23:31.30
to thrust in his sharp sickle
00:23:31.33\00:23:33.44
and gather the clusters
of the wine of the earth
00:23:33.47\00:23:37.48
and then notice it says,
00:23:37.51\00:23:38.96
"For her grapes are fully ripe."
00:23:38.99\00:23:41.92
In other words this means
00:23:41.95\00:23:43.99
that the wicked
are fully wicked.
00:23:44.02\00:23:46.58
They wouldn't
ever become righteous
00:23:46.61\00:23:48.71
if God gave them
another million years,
00:23:48.74\00:23:50.82
they are fully and
totally and completely wicked.
00:23:50.85\00:23:54.96
And so now comes the
harvest of the wicked
00:23:54.99\00:23:57.90
who are represented
as absolutely ripe grapes
00:23:57.93\00:24:01.27
and the Bible tells us
00:24:01.30\00:24:02.36
that they are
gathered all over the earth
00:24:02.39\00:24:04.71
because the clusters of
the wine are on the earth.
00:24:04.74\00:24:07.61
Notice verse 19.
00:24:07.64\00:24:09.43
"So the angel thrust his
sickle into the earth..."
00:24:09.46\00:24:12.83
See there it is again.
00:24:12.86\00:24:14.24
It's universal, it's worldwide.
00:24:14.27\00:24:16.12
"So the angel thrust
his sickle into the earth
00:24:16.15\00:24:18.73
and gathered the
wine of the earth..."
00:24:18.76\00:24:21.11
There it is again,
00:24:21.14\00:24:22.27
gathered the wine of
the earth and now notice,
00:24:22.30\00:24:24.79
"And threw it into
the great winepress
00:24:24.82\00:24:28.33
of the wrath of God."
00:24:28.36\00:24:31.47
Now this directly connects
with a third angel's message
00:24:31.50\00:24:35.08
because the third
angel's message says
00:24:35.11\00:24:36.86
that whoever worships the beast,
00:24:36.89\00:24:39.63
which we've already identified
00:24:39.66\00:24:41.15
as Roman Catholic
papacy as a system,
00:24:41.18\00:24:44.65
and whoever worships His image,
00:24:44.68\00:24:48.29
which basically is,
00:24:48.32\00:24:49.60
when the United
States of America
00:24:49.63\00:24:51.49
joins church and state
00:24:51.52\00:24:53.26
and sets up a
system similar to the one
00:24:53.29\00:24:56.01
that the papacy had
during the Middle Ages.
00:24:56.04\00:24:58.22
And whoever receives his mark,
00:24:58.25\00:25:00.90
the mark of the beast
we've already studied carefully
00:25:00.93\00:25:03.41
from the Bible represents
the counterfeit day of worship,
00:25:03.44\00:25:06.87
whoever worships the beast,
his image or receive his mark,
00:25:06.90\00:25:11.14
it says the same shall drink
the wine of the wrath of God
00:25:11.17\00:25:16.10
which is poured
out without mixture
00:25:16.13\00:25:18.70
into the cup of his indignation.
00:25:18.73\00:25:21.09
So in other words,
we find here the moment
00:25:21.12\00:25:23.81
when the wicked have
already made their decisions,
00:25:23.84\00:25:26.81
they've already
rejected the seal of God,
00:25:26.84\00:25:29.02
they've accepted
the mark of the beast
00:25:29.05\00:25:31.05
and now they're
harvested as grapes
00:25:31.08\00:25:33.54
and the punishment of
God is gonna fall upon them.
00:25:33.57\00:25:38.47
And so it says that he threw it
00:25:38.50\00:25:40.50
into the great
winepress of the wrath of God.''
00:25:40.53\00:25:45.03
Now we need to understand
that this entire passage
00:25:45.06\00:25:47.97
of Revelation
14:14-20 actually comes
00:25:48.00\00:25:53.06
from an Old Testament
passage in the Book of Joel.
00:25:53.09\00:25:57.47
So if you've your Bibles,
00:25:57.50\00:25:58.95
I invite you to go with
me to the Book of Joel 3
00:25:58.98\00:26:03.55
and we're going
to read verses 9-12.
00:26:03.58\00:26:06.33
Now tell me-- let me tell you
00:26:06.36\00:26:07.69
what the picture is here.
00:26:07.72\00:26:09.18
The picture here is,
of God's people gathered
00:26:09.21\00:26:12.90
in the city of Jerusalem
00:26:12.93\00:26:15.58
and the wicked nations
that surround Jerusalem
00:26:15.61\00:26:19.29
are coming to the
valley of Jehoshaphat
00:26:19.32\00:26:21.38
which was just
outside the city of Jerusalem
00:26:21.41\00:26:24.17
and they're coming there
with the intention of slayings
00:26:24.20\00:26:27.67
those who are
found within the city.
00:26:27.70\00:26:30.79
But then we're told
that God will intervene
00:26:30.82\00:26:33.83
and He will pour out
His wrath upon the wicked
00:26:33.86\00:26:36.40
and He will deliver His people.
00:26:36.43\00:26:38.72
That's the context of
what we find in Joel 3.
00:26:38.75\00:26:43.51
So let's begin
reading at verse 9.
00:26:43.54\00:26:46.92
Proclaim this among the nations:
00:26:46.95\00:26:50.42
"Prepare for war!"
00:26:50.45\00:26:52.56
Notice that the
nations are coming for war.
00:26:52.59\00:26:55.35
"Wake up but mighty men,
00:26:55.38\00:26:58.56
let all the men
of war draw near,
00:26:58.59\00:27:02.63
let them come up.
00:27:02.66\00:27:04.94
Beat your plowshares into swords
00:27:04.97\00:27:07.72
and your pruning
hooks into spears.
00:27:07.75\00:27:10.45
Let the weak
say, ''I am strong.'''
00:27:10.48\00:27:14.17
Assemble and
come, all you nations
00:27:14.20\00:27:17.33
and gather
together all around..."
00:27:17.36\00:27:20.41
And I want you to notice then
00:27:20.44\00:27:22.17
that the wicked
are all gathering
00:27:22.20\00:27:24.06
around the city of Jerusalem.
00:27:24.09\00:27:26.29
But notice that the
wicked are not the only ones
00:27:26.32\00:27:29.70
who are gathered there.
00:27:29.73\00:27:31.28
Because it
continues saying in verse 11
00:27:31.31\00:27:35.28
speaking about God
00:27:35.31\00:27:36.78
"Cause your mighty ones
to go down there, O Lord."
00:27:36.81\00:27:43.93
And so we have two group of,
that are fighting in this war.
00:27:43.96\00:27:50.98
You have the nations
00:27:51.01\00:27:52.94
that are coming
against Jerusalem
00:27:52.97\00:27:54.74
and you have the
mighty ones of God
00:27:54.77\00:27:57.69
that are coming there as well.
00:27:57.72\00:27:59.52
Notice verse 12, "Let
the nations be wakened,
00:27:59.55\00:28:04.18
come up to the
Valley of Jehoshaphat..."
00:28:04.21\00:28:06.79
Which as I mentioned is a valley
00:28:06.82\00:28:08.26
outside the city of Jerusalem.
00:28:08.29\00:28:10.53
And then notice,
00:28:10.56\00:28:11.64
"For there I will sit
to judge all the nations."
00:28:11.67\00:28:16.77
Put in the sickle
for the harvest is ripe,
00:28:16.80\00:28:20.15
come go down for
their wickedness is great,
00:28:20.18\00:28:24.81
multitudes, multitudes
in the valley a decision
00:28:24.84\00:28:28.07
for the day of the Lord is
near in the valley of decision."
00:28:28.10\00:28:32.71
Now you notice that
in the Old Testament
00:28:32.74\00:28:34.67
when God was
dealing with literal Israel.
00:28:34.70\00:28:37.65
You're talking about the
literal city of Jerusalem
00:28:37.68\00:28:40.58
and you're talking about
00:28:40.61\00:28:41.68
the literal
Valley of Jehoshaphat,
00:28:41.71\00:28:44.47
but when you come to
the Book of Revelation
00:28:44.50\00:28:46.86
the Valley of Jehoshaphat
is universalized or globalized
00:28:46.89\00:28:50.69
because we're told
there that it includes
00:28:50.72\00:28:53.16
the whole earth,
we already read it.
00:28:53.19\00:28:55.44
And Jerusalem no
longer is the little Jerusalem
00:28:55.47\00:28:58.67
in the Middle East.
00:28:58.70\00:28:59.76
Jerusalem is
God's world wide people
00:28:59.79\00:29:03.50
that are gathered
every place on planet Earth.
00:29:03.53\00:29:06.64
And the Bible says
00:29:06.67\00:29:07.80
that they are
going to be two groups.
00:29:07.83\00:29:09.33
There's gonna be
God's faithful people
00:29:09.36\00:29:11.00
who have the seal of
God gathered spiritually
00:29:11.03\00:29:13.76
in Jerusalem but
all over the world
00:29:13.79\00:29:16.23
and then you're
gonna have Babylon,
00:29:16.26\00:29:18.53
those who have
the mark of the beast,
00:29:18.56\00:29:20.22
they're also gathered
surrounding God's people
00:29:20.25\00:29:23.48
all over the world
00:29:23.51\00:29:24.81
with the intention
of destroying them.
00:29:24.84\00:29:26.95
By the way you
remember in Revelation 13,
00:29:26.98\00:29:30.42
it says that those who
do not worship the beast
00:29:30.45\00:29:32.69
or receive the
mark, first of all
00:29:32.72\00:29:34.74
they would be forbidden
from buying and selling
00:29:34.77\00:29:37.10
and then in
Revelation 13:15 it says,
00:29:37.14\00:29:40.14
"That whoever does not receive
00:29:40.17\00:29:41.68
the mark of the
beast should be killed."
00:29:41.71\00:29:44.45
In other words, the
powers of the earth,
00:29:44.48\00:29:46.62
the nations of the
earth are going to gather
00:29:46.65\00:29:48.92
against God's people who
keep the commandments of God,
00:29:48.95\00:29:51.84
who have the seal of God
00:29:51.87\00:29:53.86
and who are faithful to
the Lord and God's people
00:29:53.89\00:29:57.70
are as gathered
spiritually in Jerusalem,
00:29:57.73\00:30:00.16
the wicked are
gathered spiritually in Babylon.
00:30:00.19\00:30:03.85
You know, I find
it very interesting
00:30:03.88\00:30:05.61
that many commentators
on Bible prophecy say
00:30:05.64\00:30:09.01
that Babylon at the end of time
is not really literal Babylon.
00:30:09.04\00:30:13.48
Babylon represents
Rome or spiritual Rome
00:30:13.51\00:30:18.48
or the papacy which is
global worldwide system.
00:30:18.51\00:30:21.58
But they're not consistent.
00:30:21.61\00:30:22.82
They don't follow up on that,
00:30:22.85\00:30:24.31
because if Babylon
is worldwide or global,
00:30:24.34\00:30:27.78
then Jerusalem which
Babylon comes against
00:30:27.81\00:30:31.20
must also be
global and worldwide.
00:30:31.23\00:30:34.33
You can have it both ways.
00:30:34.36\00:30:36.76
They're either
literal both of them
00:30:36.79\00:30:39.34
or they're
spiritual both of them.
00:30:39.37\00:30:42.63
And then notice verse 14
00:30:42.66\00:30:44.61
"Multitudes, multitudes
in the valley of decision,
00:30:44.64\00:30:47.59
for the day of the Lord is
near in the valley of decision."
00:30:47.62\00:30:50.97
And now notice what's
going to happen in that day.
00:30:51.00\00:30:53.49
"The sun and
moon will grow dark,
00:30:53.52\00:30:56.15
and the stars will
diminish their brightness."
00:30:56.18\00:30:58.63
These are signs when Jesus
comes according to Matthew 24.
00:30:58.66\00:31:02.93
"The Lord also
will roar from Zion,
00:31:02.96\00:31:06.35
and utter His
voice from Jerusalem,
00:31:06.38\00:31:08.92
the heavens and earth
will shake but the Lord..."
00:31:08.95\00:31:12.59
Notice this "Will be a
shelter for His people,
00:31:12.62\00:31:16.72
and the strength of
the children of Israel."
00:31:16.75\00:31:19.19
Why would God need to be
the shelter for His people
00:31:19.22\00:31:21.99
and the strength for
the children of Israel?
00:31:22.02\00:31:24.11
Because
according to this passage
00:31:24.14\00:31:25.92
and Revelation 14,
00:31:25.95\00:31:27.36
the wicked who have
the mark of the beast
00:31:27.39\00:31:29.36
who follow the beast,
00:31:29.39\00:31:30.42
who worship his image are
coming against God's people
00:31:30.45\00:31:33.61
to destroy them
all over the world.
00:31:33.64\00:31:36.28
Notice verse 17,
00:31:36.31\00:31:37.93
"So you shall know
that I am the Lord your God,
00:31:37.96\00:31:42.01
Dwelling in Zion
My holy mountain.
00:31:42.04\00:31:44.70
Then Jerusalem shall be holy,
00:31:44.73\00:31:46.78
And no aliens shall
ever pass through her again."
00:31:46.81\00:31:50.41
The expression pass
through her means attack her
00:31:50.44\00:31:53.28
and tried to
destroy her and pillage her.
00:31:53.31\00:31:56.02
Verse 18, "And it will come
to pass in that day that..."
00:31:56.05\00:31:59.99
And this is speaking
about once Jesus comes,
00:32:00.02\00:32:02.70
once you have the new
heavens in the north it says,
00:32:02.73\00:32:05.47
"And it will come
to pass in that day
00:32:05.50\00:32:07.32
that the mountains
shall drip with new wine,
00:32:07.35\00:32:10.57
the hills shall flow with milk,
00:32:10.60\00:32:13.30
and all the brooks of Judah
shall be flooded with water,
00:32:13.33\00:32:17.14
a fountain shall flow
from the house of the Lord
00:32:17.17\00:32:20.73
and water the
Valley of Acacias."
00:32:20.76\00:32:23.91
Egypt shall be a desolation.
00:32:23.94\00:32:25.84
These are
enemies of God's people
00:32:25.87\00:32:27.52
and Edom a desolate wilderness,
00:32:27.55\00:32:30.15
because now notice why
God is going to cause this
00:32:30.18\00:32:32.79
for the enemies of
God's people it says,
00:32:32.82\00:32:34.89
"Because of the violence
against the people of Judah,
00:32:34.92\00:32:39.25
for they have shed
innocent blood in their land.
00:32:39.28\00:32:43.21
But Judah that is
God's faithful people
00:32:43.24\00:32:45.76
shall abide forever,
00:32:45.79\00:32:47.52
and Jerusalem from
generation to generation."
00:32:47.55\00:32:52.23
So this is the picture
that we find in Revelation 14.
00:32:52.26\00:32:55.85
Revelation 14 is talking
about three angels' messages
00:32:55.88\00:32:58.82
that go to the world.
00:32:58.85\00:33:00.02
These three
messages are accompanied
00:33:00.05\00:33:02.17
by the power of
God's Holy Spirit.
00:33:02.20\00:33:04.77
This powerful message
00:33:04.80\00:33:06.54
which is composed of
three consecutive parts
00:33:06.57\00:33:09.53
divides the
world into two groups,
00:33:09.56\00:33:11.95
the righteous and the wicked.
00:33:11.98\00:33:13.91
And Jesus in heaven separates
00:33:13.94\00:33:16.32
these two groups
in heavenly judgment.
00:33:16.35\00:33:18.77
And then the door
of probation closes.
00:33:18.80\00:33:21.96
The Bible tells us
00:33:21.99\00:33:23.08
that the wicked
gather around Jerusalem
00:33:23.11\00:33:25.17
that is around God's people
00:33:25.20\00:33:26.99
all over the world
symbolic Jerusalem,
00:33:27.02\00:33:29.07
because they're
citizens of the New Jerusalem,
00:33:29.10\00:33:31.68
and they will have the intention
00:33:31.71\00:33:33.06
of destroying God's people,
00:33:33.09\00:33:34.69
but the Bible says that
God will protect His people
00:33:34.72\00:33:38.30
and He will pour out His wrath
00:33:38.33\00:33:40.44
upon those who
want to destroy them.
00:33:40.47\00:33:43.31
Now you'll notice
in Revelation 14:20
00:33:43.34\00:33:46.76
that the winepress is
located outside the city.
00:33:46.79\00:33:50.33
In other words,
you have two groups,
00:33:50.36\00:33:52.06
the righteous
are inside the city
00:33:52.09\00:33:54.26
and the wicked
are outside the city.
00:33:54.29\00:33:56.50
Those who have the
seal of God are inside.
00:33:56.53\00:33:58.67
Those who have the mark
of the beast are outside.
00:33:58.70\00:34:01.29
Let's read that
verse, Revelation 14:20.
00:34:01.32\00:34:05.91
"And the winepress which is,
00:34:05.94\00:34:07.85
where the wrath
of God is poured out,
00:34:07.88\00:34:10.22
was trampled
outside the city... "
00:34:10.25\00:34:13.22
Notice that the
wicked never destroy those
00:34:13.25\00:34:15.40
who are with God in the city,
00:34:15.43\00:34:17.19
spiritually with
God all over the world.
00:34:17.22\00:34:20.31
It says "And the winepress
was trampled outside the city
00:34:20.34\00:34:24.04
and blood came out
of the winepress..."
00:34:24.07\00:34:26.66
These are not literal grapes.
00:34:26.69\00:34:28.37
Your grape
juice looks like blood
00:34:28.40\00:34:30.47
and so you're
using a symbol here,
00:34:30.50\00:34:32.57
it says "And blood
came out of the winepress,
00:34:32.60\00:34:35.34
up to the horses' bridles,
00:34:35.37\00:34:37.61
for one thousand
six hundred furlongs."
00:34:37.64\00:34:40.77
You say, now wait a
minute what language is that?
00:34:40.80\00:34:44.66
Suddenly you have here
that outside the holy city
00:34:44.69\00:34:48.32
horses are coming and the horses
00:34:48.35\00:34:51.07
are trampling the winepress
which represents the wicked
00:34:51.10\00:34:54.36
and the blood
flows for 1600 furlongs,
00:34:54.39\00:34:58.69
the question is
which is this city
00:34:58.72\00:35:01.94
and who is riding
on these white horses?
00:35:01.97\00:35:05.64
Well, the fact is
that we have to go
00:35:05.67\00:35:07.57
to the Book a Revelation
to answer these two questions
00:35:07.60\00:35:10.82
which is this city
00:35:10.85\00:35:12.46
and who is sitting
on this white horse
00:35:12.49\00:35:15.70
and who are
sitting on white horses
00:35:15.73\00:35:17.94
that trample upon the wicked
00:35:17.97\00:35:19.70
or destroy the
wicked so to speak.
00:35:19.73\00:35:22.47
Let's go to Revelation 19:11-21.
00:35:22.50\00:35:27.06
You find here a context of war.
00:35:27.09\00:35:30.44
On one side you have the dragon,
00:35:30.47\00:35:33.04
the beast and the false prophet.
00:35:33.07\00:35:36.22
And they are arrayed
to fight against Jesus
00:35:36.25\00:35:40.23
who is coming with the
heavenly host from heaven.
00:35:40.26\00:35:43.98
So you have a
battle here of Christ
00:35:44.01\00:35:47.08
and His angels
against the powers
00:35:47.11\00:35:49.58
that are mentioned in
the third angel's message.
00:35:49.61\00:35:52.33
Notice Revelation 19:11.
00:35:52.36\00:35:55.83
"Now I saw heaven opened,
and behold, a white horse.
00:35:55.86\00:36:00.51
And He who sat on him
was called Faithful and True,
00:36:00.54\00:36:04.55
and in righteousness
He judges and makes war."
00:36:04.58\00:36:08.05
So notice the one who is seated
00:36:08.08\00:36:09.57
on the White
Horse comes to make war.
00:36:09.60\00:36:12.55
Why would he come to make war?
00:36:12.58\00:36:14.51
Folks, it's simply
00:36:14.54\00:36:15.80
because these powers
the dragon, the beast
00:36:15.83\00:36:19.25
and the false prophet
want to destroy God's people.
00:36:19.28\00:36:22.27
The Bible tells us
00:36:22.30\00:36:23.38
that the dragon is
in rage with a woman
00:36:23.42\00:36:26.02
and he goes to make war
against the remnant of her seed
00:36:26.05\00:36:29.52
because they keep
the commandments of God
00:36:29.55\00:36:32.59
and have the
testimony of Jesus Christ.
00:36:32.62\00:36:35.13
The third angel says,
00:36:35.16\00:36:37.39
'here is the
patience of the Saints,
00:36:37.42\00:36:39.60
here are they who keep
the commandments of God
00:36:39.63\00:36:42.40
and the faith of Jesus."
00:36:42.43\00:36:44.08
And then
immediately you have this scene
00:36:44.11\00:36:46.14
of Revelation 14:14-20.
00:36:46.17\00:36:49.56
So the final battle has to
do with God's commandments.
00:36:49.59\00:36:52.73
It has to do with worship.
00:36:52.76\00:36:54.83
It has to do with
whether you are obedient to God
00:36:54.86\00:36:57.58
or disobedient to God.
00:36:57.61\00:36:59.62
Notice verse 12.
00:36:59.65\00:37:00.81
This individual on
the horse is identified.
00:37:00.84\00:37:03.42
"His eyes were
like a flame of fire,
00:37:03.45\00:37:06.04
and on His head
were many crowns."
00:37:06.07\00:37:09.62
The word Diademata
00:37:09.65\00:37:11.51
which is the crown
of a king and it says,
00:37:11.54\00:37:16.73
"He had a name written
00:37:16.76\00:37:18.59
that no one
knew except Himself."
00:37:18.62\00:37:21.98
He was clothed with
the robe dipped in blood.
00:37:22.01\00:37:25.28
We'll come back to
that in a few moments.
00:37:25.31\00:37:27.23
So the one who is
on the White Horse
00:37:27.26\00:37:28.85
comes with the
robe dipped in blood
00:37:28.88\00:37:31.19
and his name is
called the word of God.
00:37:31.22\00:37:35.26
Very clearly Jesus Christ.
00:37:35.29\00:37:37.23
Verse 14 and the
armies in heaven,
00:37:37.26\00:37:39.94
you see He
doesn't come by himself,
00:37:39.97\00:37:41.55
He comes with other beings
00:37:41.58\00:37:43.71
with the angels on white horses.
00:37:43.74\00:37:45.89
So it says, "And
the armies in heaven,
00:37:45.92\00:37:48.09
clothed in fine
linen, white and clean,
00:37:48.12\00:37:51.96
followed Him on white horses."
00:37:51.99\00:37:54.96
Now we know who's
sitting on the horses
00:37:54.99\00:37:58.10
that trample the winepress.
00:37:58.13\00:38:00.75
It's Jesus Christ and His angels
00:38:00.78\00:38:03.08
who are coming to
rescue God's people
00:38:03.11\00:38:05.85
because the nations of the earth
00:38:05.88\00:38:07.58
are about to annihilate them.
00:38:07.61\00:38:11.48
I'm not
speculating. Notice verse 15.
00:38:11.51\00:38:14.50
"Now out of His mouth..."
00:38:14.53\00:38:15.74
That is of the one who
seated on the White Horse.
00:38:15.77\00:38:17.95
"Goes a sharp sword..."
00:38:17.98\00:38:20.20
Which is symbolic of His word.
00:38:20.23\00:38:22.63
"That with it He
should strike the nations.
00:38:22.66\00:38:25.63
And He Himself will rule
them with a rod of iron."
00:38:25.66\00:38:29.88
And now noticed this.
00:38:29.91\00:38:31.31
"He Himself treads the
winepress of the fierceness
00:38:31.34\00:38:36.09
and wrath of Almighty God."
00:38:36.12\00:38:38.22
So the one on the White Horse
00:38:38.25\00:38:40.19
and those who
accompany him on white horses
00:38:40.22\00:38:42.97
are coming to do what?
00:38:43.00\00:38:44.67
They're coming to
trample on the winepress.
00:38:44.70\00:38:48.14
This in Revelation
19 is an explanation
00:38:48.17\00:38:51.57
of Revelation 14:20
00:38:51.60\00:38:53.85
where it speaks
about the horses trampling
00:38:53.88\00:38:57.12
the winepress outside the city
00:38:57.15\00:38:59.07
and blood coming
out of the winepress."
00:38:59.10\00:39:01.23
It's a symbolic
portrayal of Jesus coming
00:39:01.26\00:39:04.20
to destroy the wicked
00:39:04.23\00:39:05.60
because they want
to destroy His people
00:39:05.63\00:39:08.86
who are in a covenant
relationship with Him.
00:39:08.89\00:39:11.72
And then notice
verse 16 and He has,
00:39:11.75\00:39:15.88
the one on the White Horse Jesus
00:39:15.91\00:39:17.87
"And He has on His robe
00:39:17.90\00:39:19.56
and on His thigh a name written.
00:39:19.59\00:39:22.62
King of Kings
and Lord of Lords."
00:39:22.65\00:39:26.48
And now notice who is
coming to fight against.
00:39:26.51\00:39:29.22
It says, "And I saw the beast,
00:39:29.25\00:39:32.15
the kings of the
earth, and their armies,"
00:39:32.18\00:39:36.75
and in a little bit
later you got to see
00:39:36.78\00:39:38.11
that the false
prophet is there too
00:39:38.14\00:39:39.82
"And I saw the beast,
the kings of the earth,
00:39:39.85\00:39:42.46
and their armies..."
00:39:42.49\00:39:43.84
These are the same powers
00:39:43.87\00:39:44.90
that are mentioned in
the third angel's message.
00:39:44.93\00:39:47.09
"Gathered together
to make war against Him
00:39:47.12\00:39:50.94
who sat on the horse
and against His army."
00:39:50.97\00:39:54.63
So this war is
between Christ and His angels
00:39:54.66\00:39:58.19
and the wicked and
the armies of the earth.
00:39:58.22\00:40:02.43
And then it says in verse 20.
00:40:02.46\00:40:04.43
"Then the beast was captured,
00:40:04.46\00:40:06.77
and with him the false prophet."
00:40:06.80\00:40:09.08
You see, there's the
powers that are mentioned
00:40:09.11\00:40:10.67
in the third angel's message.
00:40:10.70\00:40:12.08
Who work signs in his presence,
by which he deceives those
00:40:12.11\00:40:15.97
who receive the
mark of the beast
00:40:16.00\00:40:17.72
and those who worship his image.
00:40:17.75\00:40:19.68
These two were cast
alive into the lake of fire
00:40:19.71\00:40:24.77
burning with brimstone,
00:40:24.80\00:40:26.18
that's in the third
angel's message too,
00:40:26.21\00:40:28.16
it says whoever
receives the mark of the beast
00:40:28.19\00:40:30.24
and worships the beach
00:40:30.27\00:40:31.78
will be punished with fire
and brimstone the wrath of God.
00:40:31.81\00:40:36.07
So we know that
this scene is connected
00:40:36.10\00:40:39.05
with the third angel's message.
00:40:39.08\00:40:40.55
Verse 21 and the
rest that is the remnant
00:40:40.58\00:40:43.50
those who are still left
00:40:43.53\00:40:45.00
after the initial
coming of Jesus it says,
00:40:45.03\00:40:48.62
"And the rest were killed
00:40:48.65\00:40:50.03
with the sword which
proceeded from the mouth of Him
00:40:50.06\00:40:52.78
who sat on the horse
00:40:52.81\00:40:54.30
and all the birds were
filled with their flesh."
00:40:54.33\00:40:57.36
That is when Jesus actually
arrives on planet Earth.
00:40:57.39\00:41:01.00
there's only a
remnant to destroy
00:41:01.03\00:41:02.98
because before this
the plagues have decimated
00:41:03.01\00:41:06.46
and destroyed many of
the people on planet Earth.
00:41:06.49\00:41:09.93
And when Jesus comes
there's only a remnant
00:41:09.96\00:41:12.19
left to be destroyed.
00:41:12.22\00:41:13.89
Now, you'll notice
that the Bible portrays
00:41:13.92\00:41:16.57
Jesus
symbolically as being clothed
00:41:16.60\00:41:19.64
with a robe dipped in blood.
00:41:19.67\00:41:21.18
In other words
with the red robe.
00:41:21.21\00:41:22.80
Now, this is not
saying that when Jesus comes,
00:41:22.83\00:41:25.74
He's going to come with
His blood to save people.
00:41:25.77\00:41:29.45
Although it's true
00:41:29.48\00:41:30.51
that He is gonna save
His people from annihilation.
00:41:30.54\00:41:33.87
The Bible
explains that the reason
00:41:33.90\00:41:36.51
why Jesus is
clothed in red garments
00:41:36.54\00:41:39.57
is because Jesus is coming
to trample upon the winepress.
00:41:39.60\00:41:44.42
Now I don't know if you
know what a winepress is,
00:41:44.45\00:41:47.03
but basically in
some places in Italy
00:41:47.06\00:41:50.00
they still do it the old way.
00:41:50.03\00:41:51.87
They put the ripe grapes in...
00:41:51.90\00:41:55.22
great big pool like
structure you might say
00:41:55.25\00:41:58.15
and then they get
inside and they start stepping
00:41:58.18\00:42:01.11
on the grapes to make the
wine and that's the winepress.
00:42:01.14\00:42:04.68
And by the way the Bible says
that sometimes they sang songs
00:42:04.71\00:42:07.65
as they were
trampling on the grapes.
00:42:07.68\00:42:09.22
And of course as
they trample on the grapes
00:42:09.25\00:42:11.98
the grapes splattered
and their clothing got read
00:42:12.01\00:42:16.31
because they were
trampling upon the grapes.
00:42:16.34\00:42:18.22
This is the image,
the image is that Jesus
00:42:18.25\00:42:21.08
is coming to destroy those
who would destroy His people.
00:42:21.11\00:42:24.88
It says in Isaiah 63
00:42:24.91\00:42:26.70
where this imagery
comes from verses 1-4
00:42:26.73\00:42:30.74
"Who is this
who comes from Edom,
00:42:30.77\00:42:33.64
With dyed garments from Bozrah,
00:42:33.67\00:42:37.04
This One who is
glorious in His apparel,
00:42:37.07\00:42:40.14
Traveling in the
greatness of His strength?"
00:42:40.17\00:42:43.46
Here comes the answer.
00:42:43.49\00:42:44.81
"I who speak in
righteousness, mighty to save."
00:42:44.84\00:42:49.66
So who is this that is
coming according to this?
00:42:49.69\00:42:52.64
"From Edom, with
dyed garments from Bozrah,
00:42:52.67\00:42:56.26
who is glorious in His apparel."
00:42:56.29\00:42:58.03
It says-- God answers
00:42:58.06\00:42:59.87
"I who speak in
righteousness, mighty to save."
00:42:59.90\00:43:02.94
And then the question is
asked, why is your apparel red?
00:43:02.97\00:43:06.63
That is why is
your clothing red?
00:43:06.66\00:43:08.47
And your garments like
one who treads the winepress.
00:43:08.50\00:43:11.68
You see there it
is, His garments are red
00:43:11.71\00:43:13.78
because he treads the winepress
and then He explains why.
00:43:13.81\00:43:17.69
"I have trodden
the winepress alone,"
00:43:17.72\00:43:20.52
because Jesus came
00:43:20.55\00:43:21.85
and He suffered
the wrath of God.
00:43:21.88\00:43:23.64
He drank the cup of God's wrath.
00:43:23.67\00:43:26.03
He did it for
everyone on planet Earth.
00:43:26.06\00:43:28.51
But if you refuse
to accept Jesus Christ
00:43:28.54\00:43:31.88
who drank the cup of
God's wrath in your place,
00:43:31.91\00:43:34.79
then we must
drink the wrath of God,
00:43:34.82\00:43:39.33
the wine of the
wrath of God ourselves.
00:43:39.36\00:43:41.95
And Jesus doesn't want
anyone to go through that.
00:43:41.98\00:43:44.50
He wants everyone to
repent and to come to Jesus
00:43:44.53\00:43:47.76
that they might
experience salvation.
00:43:47.79\00:43:49.79
And so it says in verse 3.
00:43:49.82\00:43:51.72
"I have trodden
the winepress alone,
00:43:51.75\00:43:54.16
and from the
people's no one was with Me."
00:43:54.19\00:43:57.10
Because Jesus
suffered basically by Himself.
00:43:57.13\00:44:00.37
And then it says "For I
have trodden them in My anger,
00:44:00.40\00:44:03.79
And trampled them in My fury."
00:44:03.82\00:44:05.74
This is talking about
00:44:05.77\00:44:06.80
what's gonna
happen in the future.
00:44:06.83\00:44:08.30
Not literally but symbolically.
00:44:08.33\00:44:10.42
It's talking about the
destruction of the wicked.
00:44:10.45\00:44:12.68
And it says, "Their blood
is sprinkled upon My garments,
00:44:12.71\00:44:16.53
And I have stained all My robes.
00:44:16.56\00:44:19.22
For the day of
vengeance is in My heart,
00:44:19.25\00:44:21.60
And the year of My
redeemed has come."
00:44:21.63\00:44:26.46
So notice that He's
coming to save His redeemed.
00:44:26.49\00:44:29.04
Now some people say well,
00:44:29.07\00:44:30.59
Pastor Bore this is
kind of a gory description.
00:44:30.62\00:44:33.31
You mean Jesus is gonna
come to destroy the wicked.
00:44:33.34\00:44:37.07
How can a loving
Jesus destroy the wicked?
00:44:37.10\00:44:39.50
Let me explain
00:44:39.53\00:44:41.14
so that you can
understand a little bit better.
00:44:41.17\00:44:43.92
John 3:16 says, "For
God so loved the world
00:44:43.95\00:44:47.44
that He gave His
only begotten Son."
00:44:47.47\00:44:49.51
In other words,
Jesus came to this world
00:44:49.54\00:44:52.51
to suffer for every single sin
00:44:52.54\00:44:55.50
there has ever been
committed on planet Earth.
00:44:55.53\00:44:57.99
Basically on the cross Jesus
paid the penalty for every sin
00:44:58.02\00:45:02.82
that has been
committed, is being committed
00:45:02.85\00:45:05.44
and will be
committed in the future.
00:45:05.47\00:45:07.89
And so you say, wait,
00:45:07.92\00:45:09.16
well, then everyone
is going to be saved.
00:45:09.19\00:45:11.50
No, because the
same verse says that
00:45:11.53\00:45:14.05
"Whosoever believes
in Him should not perish
00:45:14.08\00:45:18.11
but have everlasting life."
00:45:18.14\00:45:19.49
In other words we must
claim what Jesus did for us.
00:45:19.52\00:45:22.95
We must claim the
gift that He paid for,
00:45:22.98\00:45:26.19
and if we don't we will perish.
00:45:26.22\00:45:28.41
It says there in John
3:16 not only that God
00:45:28.44\00:45:31.88
so loved the world that He
gave His only begotten Son,
00:45:31.91\00:45:35.38
but it also says that
whosoever believes in him
00:45:35.41\00:45:38.47
should not perish but
have everlasting life.
00:45:38.50\00:45:41.38
You see, folks, what's going
to happen at the end of time,
00:45:41.41\00:45:43.93
according to the
description of Revelation
00:45:43.96\00:45:46.23
is that the wicked
00:45:46.26\00:45:47.56
who are gathered
all over the world
00:45:47.59\00:45:49.68
who have the mark of the beast.
00:45:49.71\00:45:51.17
In other words they've chosen
00:45:51.20\00:45:52.33
to be disobedient
to God's commandments
00:45:52.36\00:45:54.52
particularly the
fourth commandment
00:45:54.55\00:45:56.37
that says that we're supposed
00:45:56.40\00:45:57.60
to keep the Sabbath
as God's day of rest.
00:45:57.63\00:45:59.92
The Bible says
00:45:59.95\00:46:01.00
that they are gonna
gather in the winepress
00:46:01.03\00:46:03.71
which symbolically represents
the place where God's--
00:46:03.74\00:46:06.64
where the wicked are
gathering against God's people
00:46:06.67\00:46:09.17
and this will be
on a global scale.
00:46:09.20\00:46:11.59
They will be gathered against
those have the seal of God,
00:46:11.62\00:46:14.87
against those who keep
the commandments of God,
00:46:14.90\00:46:16.88
who are faithful to God,
00:46:16.91\00:46:18.30
who keep his Holy Sabbath
even in the face of death.
00:46:18.33\00:46:23.81
Now what would you expect?
00:46:23.84\00:46:25.70
Would you expect Jesus Christ
to simply allow the wicked
00:46:25.73\00:46:28.98
to destroy His people
00:46:29.01\00:46:30.74
and to blot them
up from the Earth?
00:46:30.77\00:46:32.98
Or do you suppose that
if His people have formed
00:46:33.01\00:46:36.17
a covenant with Jesus,
if they've received Jesus,
00:46:36.20\00:46:39.16
if they're faithful to Him.
00:46:39.19\00:46:40.61
They keep His commandments,
do you think that God
00:46:40.64\00:46:43.47
in order to be
faithful to His covenant
00:46:43.50\00:46:45.52
would have to
intervene and destroy those
00:46:45.55\00:46:48.46
who want to destroy them,
so that he could save them.
00:46:48.49\00:46:51.06
Of course.
00:46:51.09\00:46:52.34
Jesus gave those who
want destroy His people
00:46:52.37\00:46:55.03
the opportunity to be saved.
00:46:55.06\00:46:57.00
But they've
rejected the opportunity.
00:46:57.03\00:46:59.22
The issues became very clear.
00:46:59.25\00:47:01.54
The seal of God
was clearly understood
00:47:01.57\00:47:04.14
to represent the observance
of God's Holy Sabbath.
00:47:04.17\00:47:07.53
The mark of the beast
was clearly understood
00:47:07.56\00:47:10.16
as observing the
day that was changed
00:47:10.19\00:47:11.89
by the Roman Catholic papacy.
00:47:11.92\00:47:13.90
The issues were clear
to everyone on planet Earth
00:47:13.93\00:47:17.00
and yet some people
in the fullness of light
00:47:17.03\00:47:20.21
chose to continue
keeping the day of rest
00:47:20.24\00:47:23.63
that God did not established
from the very beginning.
00:47:23.66\00:47:28.40
And so basically Jesus
has to come to this Earth
00:47:28.43\00:47:31.44
to destroy the
wicked because if He doesn't
00:47:31.47\00:47:34.43
the wicked will
destroy the people of Jesus.
00:47:34.46\00:47:37.76
I might give you an example.
00:47:37.79\00:47:39.82
In the Old
Testament the model shepherd
00:47:39.85\00:47:41.76
of course besides God
who is the model shepherd
00:47:41.79\00:47:45.21
but humanly
speaking, the good shepherd
00:47:45.24\00:47:48.65
in the Old Testament was David.
00:47:48.68\00:47:50.14
He was conceived to
be the model shepherd
00:47:50.17\00:47:53.31
or the ideal shepherd.
00:47:53.34\00:47:54.92
You know, when a lion or a bear
00:47:54.95\00:47:57.20
came to kill one of
the little lambs of David,
00:47:57.23\00:48:01.87
what did David do?
00:48:01.90\00:48:04.56
Well, you know what he did.
00:48:04.59\00:48:05.62
The Bible says that he
would go after the bear
00:48:05.65\00:48:07.72
and he would go after
the lion and he would attack
00:48:07.75\00:48:10.28
the bear and lion
and he would kill them,
00:48:10.31\00:48:12.79
so that they would
not kill his little lamb.
00:48:12.82\00:48:15.48
Do you think
that David did right?
00:48:15.51\00:48:17.22
You know, David
could say, well, you know,
00:48:17.25\00:48:19.34
the fight of a lion and the bear
00:48:19.37\00:48:20.94
is against the
lamp that doesn't have
00:48:20.97\00:48:22.47
anything to do with
me, let them kill the lamb.
00:48:22.50\00:48:25.49
That wouldn't be
very nice, would it?
00:48:25.52\00:48:27.14
Because the lamb
was David's lamb.
00:48:27.17\00:48:30.80
And in order for
the lamb to survive,
00:48:30.83\00:48:33.45
it was necessary for
David to intervene and destroy
00:48:33.48\00:48:36.90
the lion and the bear
00:48:36.93\00:48:37.96
that wanted to
destroy his little lamb.
00:48:37.99\00:48:40.91
And so it is at the end of time,
00:48:40.94\00:48:42.73
God is gonna have a
people there are His sheep,
00:48:42.76\00:48:45.62
they are His lambs,
00:48:45.65\00:48:46.79
they have the seal of
God on their foreheads
00:48:46.82\00:48:49.19
and yet the wicked
like roaring lions will come
00:48:49.22\00:48:52.19
and want to destroy
the people of Jesus.
00:48:52.22\00:48:54.96
So Jesus will say, hey,
don't you touch my lambs,
00:48:54.99\00:48:59.01
don't you destroy my lambs.
00:48:59.04\00:49:00.79
If you try and destroy them,
00:49:00.82\00:49:02.77
I am going to become
involved in the battle.
00:49:02.80\00:49:06.58
The Bible says
that Jesus is the head
00:49:06.61\00:49:09.24
and His church is the body.
00:49:09.27\00:49:10.81
Listen when the wicked come
to attack the body of Jesus,
00:49:10.84\00:49:14.05
they're really
attacking the head,
00:49:14.08\00:49:15.61
they're attacking Jesus
and Jesus has to intervene
00:49:15.64\00:49:19.02
to deliver His people
00:49:19.05\00:49:20.23
because He needs to be
faithful to His covenant.
00:49:20.26\00:49:23.04
His people have formed
00:49:23.07\00:49:24.49
a covenant
relationship with Him.
00:49:24.52\00:49:27.99
Now let's read
Jeremiah 25:30 to 38
00:49:28.02\00:49:32.04
where we have an
additional picture
00:49:32.07\00:49:34.56
of this winepress symbolism.
00:49:34.59\00:49:37.20
It says in verse 30,
00:49:37.23\00:49:39.52
"Therefore prophesy
against them all these words,
00:49:39.55\00:49:44.33
and say to them, 'The
Lord will roar from on high,
00:49:44.36\00:49:50.19
and utter His voice
from His holy habitation,
00:49:50.22\00:49:53.89
He will roar
mightily against His fold.
00:49:53.92\00:49:57.52
He will give a shout...'"
00:49:57.55\00:49:59.00
You remember
that when Jesus comes
00:49:59.03\00:50:00.41
in 1 Thessalonians
4, He will give a shout,
00:50:00.44\00:50:02.86
He will speak with the
voice of the archangel?
00:50:02.89\00:50:05.11
So it says, "He will
roar mightily against His foe.
00:50:05.14\00:50:08.12
He will give a
shout, as those notice this,
00:50:08.15\00:50:11.60
"as those who tread the grapes,
00:50:11.63\00:50:15.29
against all the
inhabitants of the earth.
00:50:15.32\00:50:18.13
A noise will come to
the ends of the earth,
00:50:18.16\00:50:20.33
For the Lord has a
controversy with the nations,
00:50:20.36\00:50:23.08
He will plead His
case with all flesh.
00:50:23.11\00:50:25.72
He will give
those who are wicked
00:50:25.75\00:50:27.43
to the sword, says the Lord.
00:50:27.46\00:50:29.63
Thus says the Lord of hosts,
00:50:29.66\00:50:31.50
'Behold, disaster shall go forth
00:50:31.53\00:50:34.19
from one nation
to another nation,
00:50:34.22\00:50:36.37
and a great
whirlwind shall be raised up
00:50:36.40\00:50:38.64
from the farthest
parts of the earth.
00:50:38.67\00:50:40.85
And at that day
the slain of the Lord
00:50:40.88\00:50:43.35
shall be from
one end of the earth
00:50:43.38\00:50:45.20
even to the
other end of the earth.
00:50:45.23\00:50:47.01
They shall not be lamented,
or gathered, or buried,
00:50:47.04\00:50:50.81
they shall become
refuse on the ground."
00:50:50.84\00:50:53.61
And there's a special group
00:50:53.64\00:50:55.13
that God has a controversy with.
00:50:55.16\00:50:57.31
Notice what we find in verse
34 "Wail, shepherds, and cry.
00:50:57.34\00:51:04.34
Roll about in the ashes,
you leaders of the flock!"
00:51:04.37\00:51:07.35
He's talking about
the leaders of Israel
00:51:07.38\00:51:08.97
the ministers of Israel.
00:51:09.00\00:51:11.05
"For the days of your slaughter
00:51:11.08\00:51:12.86
and your
dispersions are fulfilled,
00:51:12.89\00:51:15.10
You shall fall
like a precious vessel.
00:51:15.13\00:51:18.07
And the shepherds
will have no way to flee,
00:51:18.10\00:51:21.58
nor the leaders of
the flock to escape."
00:51:21.61\00:51:24.26
Notice that God's
controversy is against those
00:51:24.29\00:51:27.17
who did not protect their sheep,
00:51:27.20\00:51:29.35
those who perhaps
even deceive their sheep,
00:51:29.38\00:51:32.57
those who told their
sheep that the law was nailed
00:51:32.60\00:51:35.38
to the cross that
it's not necessary
00:51:35.41\00:51:37.68
for Christians
to keep the Sabbath
00:51:37.71\00:51:39.19
because it was for the Jews.
00:51:39.22\00:51:40.81
It says in verse 36.
00:51:40.84\00:51:42.58
"A voice of the
cry of the shepherds,
00:51:42.61\00:51:45.41
and a wailing of the leaders
to the flock will be heard.
00:51:45.44\00:51:49.12
For the Lord has
plundered their pasture,
00:51:49.15\00:51:51.53
and the peaceful
dwellings are cut down
00:51:51.56\00:51:53.80
because of the
fierce anger of the Lord.
00:51:53.83\00:51:56.27
He has left His
lair like the lion,
00:51:56.30\00:51:59.46
For their land is desolate
00:51:59.49\00:52:01.13
because of the
fierceness of the Oppressor,
00:52:01.16\00:52:03.71
and because of
His fierce anger."
00:52:03.74\00:52:07.54
These are vivid pictures
00:52:07.57\00:52:08.97
of the destruction of the wicked
00:52:09.00\00:52:10.58
who want to
destroy God's people,
00:52:10.61\00:52:12.76
who have formed a
covenant relationship with God.
00:52:12.79\00:52:16.58
Now we need to deal
with one final thing
00:52:16.61\00:52:18.58
before we bring this to an end.
00:52:18.61\00:52:20.36
What about 1,600 Stadia?
00:52:20.39\00:52:24.18
Allow me to read you
first of all a statement
00:52:24.21\00:52:26.43
this is not from the Bible,
00:52:26.46\00:52:27.65
it's from the
Apocrypha but it shows
00:52:27.68\00:52:30.13
that the imagery of
horses treading a winepress
00:52:30.16\00:52:33.08
and wading in
blood is a common symbol
00:52:33.11\00:52:36.71
that was used back in that time.
00:52:36.74\00:52:38.49
It says in 1 Enoch 100:3 by
the way this is an inspired,
00:52:38.52\00:52:43.20
I'm just showing you that
this kind of conception existed
00:52:43.23\00:52:46.51
in the times that John wrote.
00:52:46.54\00:52:49.38
It says "The horse shall walk
00:52:49.41\00:52:52.20
through the blood of
sinners up to his chest."
00:52:52.23\00:52:55.33
See that's very
similar to Revelation 14.
00:52:55.36\00:52:57.69
"And the chariot shall
sink down up to its top.
00:52:57.72\00:53:03.21
In those days the
angels-- See that's the angels
00:53:03.24\00:53:05.88
that are doing this
"In those days the angels
00:53:05.91\00:53:08.18
shall descend
into the secret places.
00:53:08.21\00:53:10.77
They shall gather
together into one place
00:53:10.80\00:53:13.42
all those who gave aid to sin."
00:53:13.45\00:53:15.66
And we know that's the winepress
00:53:15.69\00:53:17.20
"And the most High will arise
00:53:17.23\00:53:19.29
on that Day of
Judgment in order to execute
00:53:19.32\00:53:22.58
a great judgment
upon all the sinners."
00:53:22.61\00:53:26.11
So you have this
imagery already contained
00:53:26.14\00:53:28.89
in these books from the
time in which John wrote.
00:53:28.92\00:53:33.07
Now what about the 1,600 Stadia?
00:53:33.10\00:53:37.78
The fact is that the
Bible in the Book of Revelation
00:53:37.81\00:53:41.51
specifically intensifies numbers
00:53:41.54\00:53:44.12
to represent that these
numbers are not literal,
00:53:44.15\00:53:47.90
but they express
something much greater
00:53:47.93\00:53:50.59
something which is universal.
00:53:50.62\00:53:52.97
Now 1,600 is 4
times 4 times 100.
00:53:53.00\00:53:59.17
Now number four is the
number of universality,
00:53:59.20\00:54:02.93
the four angles of the earth.
00:54:02.96\00:54:04.92
But what John is doing
00:54:04.95\00:54:06.71
inspired by the Holy Spirit
is intensifying the number 4,
00:54:06.74\00:54:09.93
he is multiplying 4
times 4 times 100 to express
00:54:09.96\00:54:14.05
the fact that the winepress
covers the whole earth.
00:54:14.08\00:54:17.80
In fact the Bible does
this also with 144,000.
00:54:17.83\00:54:21.72
The 144,000 is 12
times 12 times 1000.
00:54:21.75\00:54:26.59
In other words it represents
00:54:26.62\00:54:28.24
a much larger group than
literally 144,000 people.
00:54:28.27\00:54:34.20
So basically the 1,600 stadia
is a multiple of 4 intensified
00:54:34.23\00:54:40.76
which represents
the fact that the wicked
00:54:40.79\00:54:43.39
will be found
globally in the winepress
00:54:43.42\00:54:46.48
of the world surrounding
God's faithful people
00:54:46.51\00:54:49.91
they're in spiritual
Jerusalem on a global
00:54:49.94\00:54:52.85
or a worldwide scale.
00:54:52.88\00:54:55.14
Now there's an
interesting commentary
00:54:55.17\00:54:57.04
made by Jamieson,
Fausset, and Brown.
00:54:57.07\00:55:00.14
This is a very well
known Bible commentary.
00:55:00.17\00:55:03.63
It's not written by
Seventh-day Adventist,
00:55:03.66\00:55:06.35
but they grasped this
idea that 1,600 represent
00:55:06.38\00:55:10.56
something that
happens on a worldwide scale.
00:55:10.59\00:55:13.53
They say in
their commentary this.
00:55:13.56\00:55:16.05
1,600 a square number 4X4X100
00:55:16.08\00:55:23.51
the four quarters they explain,
00:55:25.49\00:55:27.72
north, south, east
and west of the Holy Land
00:55:27.75\00:55:32.82
or else of the world.
00:55:32.85\00:55:35.50
The
universality of the worldwide
00:55:35.53\00:55:38.87
destruction being indicated.
00:55:38.90\00:55:41.82
And so basically they're saying
that 1,600 stadia represents
00:55:41.85\00:55:46.90
an intensified
number 4 symbolizing
00:55:46.93\00:55:50.54
the fact that this
is gonna take place
00:55:50.57\00:55:53.15
on a global over a wide scale.
00:55:53.18\00:55:55.76
So it's not necessary for us
00:55:55.79\00:55:59.14
to look over to
the literal Middle East
00:55:59.17\00:56:01.64
for the fulfillment
of these prophecies.
00:56:01.67\00:56:03.97
The final issue is not
Jews against the Russians
00:56:04.00\00:56:08.15
and the Arabs,
or the Palestinians.
00:56:08.18\00:56:11.20
The final issue
does not have to do
00:56:11.23\00:56:13.63
with the oil of the Middle East.
00:56:13.66\00:56:15.68
The final issues are
not of a political nature.
00:56:15.71\00:56:19.20
The final issues are
whether you have the seal of God
00:56:19.23\00:56:22.15
or the mark of the beast.
00:56:22.18\00:56:23.38
Whether you are obedient
to the commandments of God
00:56:23.41\00:56:26.03
or whether you are disobedient.
00:56:26.06\00:56:27.74
Whether you
worship God on His holy day
00:56:27.77\00:56:30.35
or whether you
worship on the day
00:56:30.38\00:56:32.05
that the beast has established
00:56:32.08\00:56:33.79
as a counterfeit day of worship.
00:56:33.82\00:56:36.00
In other words, the final
issues will not be material
00:56:36.03\00:56:39.72
or financial or economic,
00:56:39.75\00:56:41.90
they will have to do
with deep spiritual issues.
00:56:41.93\00:56:45.85
Who do you obey?
00:56:45.88\00:56:47.68
Who do you
worship will determine
00:56:47.71\00:56:50.21
on which side you are.
00:56:50.24\00:56:52.79
And I pray that as we
come to an end of this study,
00:56:52.82\00:56:58.03
this fascinating study
from Revelation 14:14-20
00:56:58.06\00:57:03.33
that all of us will make
the decision to worship God,
00:57:03.36\00:57:08.01
to obey the commandments of God,
00:57:08.04\00:57:10.21
to keep His Holy
Sabbath, not because we have to,
00:57:10.24\00:57:13.78
not because we're forced to,
not in order to earn salvation,
00:57:13.81\00:57:17.91
but because we love
Jesus and because we love Him,
00:57:17.94\00:57:22.07
we want to obey Him.
00:57:22.10\00:57:24.28