Greetings, it's good to have
you here at Anchor Bible school.
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Have you been
having a good time?
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Praise the Lord.
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It's wonderful to
study the Word of God.
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And we're thankful that
you're here to take this class,
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this very important class
on how to study Bible prophecy.
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Now what we're going
to do today as we begin
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is finish what we left
unfinished in the last session.
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We were talking about
the ending point of the
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prophecy of the 70 weeks.
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And so we want to
finish this particular study
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on the stoning of Stephen.
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Because basically what we said
is that the stoning of Stephen
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in the year 34 is what ends
the prophecy of the 70 weeks.
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Now we were at the
place where the material says,
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The Stoning of
Stephen, The Last Straw.
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So go with me there and
we're going to finish studying
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this ending point for
the prophecy of the 70 weeks.
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Now we must examine
more closely the trial
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and condemnation of Stephen.
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As we have already
seen, God undertook
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many covenant lawsuits.
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You remember we
studied the covenant lawsuits;
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the structure, the way
that they functioned in Israel?
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And there were
many covenant lawsuits
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throughout the Old
Testament against Israel.
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But an examination of
these lawsuits reveals
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that they were not final.
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They were not
definitive and irrevocable.
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In fact, the prophets usually
called Israel to repentance
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so that God, in His mercy, could
drop His lawsuit against them.
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But in the case of
Stephen, this is different.
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There is a sense of
finality when it comes
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to the experience of Stephen
that is lacking in the previous
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covenant lawsuits that
God brought against Israel.
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Stephen was taken
before the Sanhedrin,
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the highest earthly
authority of the Jewish nation.
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It was the
final court of appeal.
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The Supreme
Court, if you please.
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There in fine prophetic fashion,
and in harmony with the covenant
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lawsuit pattern,
Stephen presented his defense
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by appealing to
the history of Israel
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from the time of Abraham
till the coming of the Just One.
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Is he doing the same
thing as the covenant lawsuits
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in the Old Testament?
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He most certainly is.
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He's telling the story
of God's benevolent acts
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towards Israel.
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Now it's interesting that
at the end of his discourse,
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the accused becomes the accuser.
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The Sanhedrin
presumed to indict Stephen,
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but he ended up indicting them.
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I want us to read the
denunciation of Stephen
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to the Sanhedrin.
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It's found in Acts
chapter 7 and verses 51 to 53.
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Notice that he is the
accused, but now he is going to
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become the accuser.
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He's God's lawyer
in a court of law.
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And he's bringing this
covenant lawsuit against Israel.
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This is what he says.
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"Ye stiff-necked and
uncircumcised in heart and ears,
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ye do always
resist the Holy Ghost:
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as your fathers did, so do ye.
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Which of the prophets have
not your fathers persecuted?
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And they have slain
them which shewed before
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the coming of the
Just One; of whom ye have
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now become the
betrayers and murderers,
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who have received the
law by the disposition
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of angels, and
have not kept it."
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Are you noticing the
number of times that he says,
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"ye," "your," "ye," "your."
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In other words, he is
God's lawyer in court and he is
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accusing them of
violating the covenant
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in spite of all of the
benevolent acts of God.
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Now significantly, up to
this point in his discourse,
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Stephen has
spoken of the fathers
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in terms of, "our fathers."
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Now you can read
verses 11, 19, 38, 44, and 45
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in Acts chapter 7.
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And it's interesting
that Stephen, when he refers
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to the fathers, he
says, "our fathers."
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But after these verses where
he refers to, "our fathers,"
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he suddenly begins
saying, "your fathers."
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I want you to notice.
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In good prophetic fashion,
at first he includes himself
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as part of the
historical patrimony of Israel.
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As did Daniel.
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You know, remember
Daniel said, "We have sinned,"
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in Daniel chapter 9.
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He included
himself in the problem.
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But at the
conclusion of his speech,
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Stephen
disassociates himself from them
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by saying, "your fathers."
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Notice also that Jesus
made the same statement
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in Matthew 23 verse 32.
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Jesus also spoke to the Jewish
leaders when He indicted them
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by saying, "your fathers."
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In other words,
Stephen could no longer
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in good conscience be in
solidarity with literal Israel.
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In other words, he
was distancing himself
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from the patrimony of
literal Israel because he knew
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that after they killed him, they
would no longer be God's people.
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The theocracy would have
come to an ignominious end.
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Are you
understanding this point?
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Also of great importance
is the fact that Stephen,
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unlike the prophets before him,
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did not make a
call to repentance.
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See, there's all
kinds of interesting details
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in this episode in Acts 7
about the stoning of Stephen
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different from
previous covenant lawsuits.
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He did not make a
call to repentance.
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This would seem to
indicate that the Jewish leaders
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were beyond the
point of repentance.
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They had made their
final and irrevocable
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decision to reject the Messiah.
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This is indicated by the
expressions that Stephen used
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in his indictment, as well
as the reaction of the Sanhedrin
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to his words.
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Notice that he
called them stiff-necked
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and uncircumcised
in hearts and ears,
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and accused them of
resisting the Holy Spirit.
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He also accused them of
betraying and murdering Jesus
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and breaking the covenant.
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There is no mention of future
messengers or opportunities.
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The reaction of the leaders
of the Sanhedrin is important
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because it reveals
their incurable rejection
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of the Messiah.
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Instead of receiving
the message of Stephen,
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who spoke with the fullness
of the power of the Holy Spirit,
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with uncontrollable rage they
gnashed on him with their teeth,
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and cried out with a loud
voice and stopped their ears,
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and ran upon him with
one accord, and cast him
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out of the city, and stoned him.
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This is Acts 7 verse 54,
and also verses 57 and 58.
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Notice that the
verdict was unanimous.
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The Sanhedrin, the
governing body of Israel,
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was unanimous
without a dissenting vote.
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They were all of one accord.
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The apostles were one
accord on the side of Christ.
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And the Sanhedrin was of
one accord against Christ.
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The apostles were on one side,
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and the
Sanhedrin was on the other.
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The Jewish
Sanhedrin made its choice.
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By stoning Stephen, they
silenced the last prophet
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who would ever be sent to them.
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Truly, prophecy came to an end
for literal Israel at this time.
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Do you remember yesterday
we studied the expression,
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"to make an end of
vision and prophecy."
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Well this is the last prophet.
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Vision and prophecy
came to an end literally
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for the nation of
Israel when Stephen was stoned.
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But the prophecy of the 70
weeks indicated that vision
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would also come to an end at
the conclusion of the last week.
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Not only the last prophet,
but also the last vision.
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Did this happen as predicted?
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Was Stephen the last
prophet who had a vision?
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Well let's take a look.
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The answer is a resounding yes.
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Acts chapter 7 not
only indicates that Stephen
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was the last
prophet sent to Israel,
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but it also leaves no
doubt that he was the one
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who received the last vision as
well, the last prophetic vision.
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It seems, when you
examine this story,
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that what particularly incensed
the members of the Sanhedrin
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was that Stephen claimed to
have a vision of Jesus in heaven
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standing on the
right hand of God.
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Would that have been a vision?
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Of course.
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This was a vision, for
there is no evidence that anyone
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other than Stephen saw
this particular experience.
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The critical question
is, did Stephen see Jesus
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as He was and where He
was at that very moment,
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or was he transported
in vision to the future
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to see Jesus as He will
appear when he comes again.
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The evidence seems to indicate
that this was a prophetic vision
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where Stephen was carried
to the future to see Jesus
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coming as the Son of Man.
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And I'll interject here,
do you remember that Jesus,
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when He was standing
before Caiaphas, He says that,
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"You will see the Son of
Man at the right hand of power
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and coming on the
clouds of heaven."
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In other words, Jesus
also stated the same thing.
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He referred to the
future to Caiaphas when He
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was before the Sanhedrin.
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Jesus had said
something similar to Caiaphas
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that enraged the
Jewish Sanhedrin when He
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was condemned to death.
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And of course, here's
the verse that I referred to.
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Let's read it.
Matthew 26 verse 64.
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"Jesus said to
him, 'It is as you said.
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Nevertheless, I say to
you, hereafter you will see the
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Son of Man sitting at
the right hand of the Power,
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and coming on the
clouds of heaven.'"
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As we have previously studied,
Jesus taught His parables
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that when the kingdom
should be taken from the Jews,
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it would be
given to the Gentiles.
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This being the case, we
should find an event to mark the
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end of the 70 weeks, which
not only closes the door of
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probation for the Jewish
theocracy, but also opens
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the door of the
gospel to the Gentiles.
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Are you
understanding this point?
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So the ending point of the
70 weeks not only has to be the
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ending point for
the Jewish theocracy,
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it also has to be the
open door for the Gentiles.
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Because Jesus said, "The
kingdom will be taken from you
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and given to a nation that
produces the fruits thereof."
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So there's two things.
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Number one, the
kingdom taken away.
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And the kingdom
given to somebody else.
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Does the stoning of Stephen
fulfill this specification?
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Once again, the
answer is a resounding yes.
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It can hardly be a coincidence
that the ringleader in the
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stoning of Stephen was a
champion of orthodox Judaism;
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Saul of Tarsus.
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This is the amazing thing.
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At the precise
moment probation was closing
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for the Jewish theocracy,
God, irony of ironies,
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had chosen His
champion to the Gentiles.
00:12:15.99\00:12:19.32
And that champion was present
at the stoning of Stephen.
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Paul later
reminisced about this experience
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with the following
words, "And when the blood
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of thy martyr, Stephen, was
shed, I also was standing by
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and consenting unto his
death, and kept the raiment of
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them that slew him.
00:12:37.40\00:12:38.70
And He said unto me,
'Depart, for I will send thee
00:12:39.39\00:12:43.01
far hence...'" To whom?
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"...unto the Gentiles."
00:12:45.05\00:12:46.89
Interesting.
00:12:46.93\00:12:48.23
The door closes
when Stephen is stoned,
00:12:48.33\00:12:51.45
but the door opens.
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And the champion
that's going to go to the
00:12:53.19\00:12:54.95
Gentiles is right there.
00:12:54.98\00:12:56.95
So is the stoning of
Stephen a significant event?
00:12:58.13\00:13:00.76
Is that the closing? Absolutely.
00:13:00.79\00:13:02.71
Now let's continue.
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The sequence of
events in Acts 1 through 11
00:13:05.78\00:13:08.98
clearly reveals that
the stoning of Stephen
00:13:09.08\00:13:12.01
was a watershed event.
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In Acts 1 verse 8,
Jesus said to His disciples...
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This verse,
folks, has the summary of
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the entire book of Acts.
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This one verse
summarizes the whole book.
00:13:22.69\00:13:25.20
What did Jesus say?
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"But ye shall receive
power, after that the Holy Ghost
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is come upon you.
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And ye shall be witnesses
unto me both in Jerusalem..."
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Notice the sequence.
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"...in Jerusalem, and in
all Judea, and in Samaria,
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and unto the
uttermost part of the earth."
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Notice the ever
broadening concentric circles
00:13:48.21\00:13:51.54
in this verse.
00:13:51.57\00:13:52.86
The gospel is preached, first
of all, in Jerusalem and Judea.
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And you know what's interesting?
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The first six
chapters of the book of Acts
00:13:59.32\00:14:03.07
refer to events that
took place only in Jerusalem.
00:14:03.77\00:14:07.54
Acts 1 through 6 is Jerusalem.
00:14:09.00\00:14:11.49
Then in Acts chapter 7, this
is also happening in Jerusalem,
00:14:11.90\00:14:15.93
it's the stoning of Stephen.
00:14:15.96\00:14:17.64
And of course, Saul of
Tarsus is present there.
00:14:18.18\00:14:21.42
Then if you read Acts chapter
8 verses 1 and 2, the gospel
00:14:22.08\00:14:27.09
goes to Judea.
00:14:27.12\00:14:28.60
Let's go there and
notice the book of Acts
00:14:29.28\00:14:33.02
chapter 8 and verses 1 and 2.
00:14:33.05\00:14:35.56
I didn't write this specific
detail there in the sequence,
00:14:35.59\00:14:38.63
but I want to read it now.
00:14:39.00\00:14:40.06
Notice Acts chapter
8 and verses 1 and 2.
00:14:40.09\00:14:43.62
"Now Saul was
consenting to his death.
00:14:44.53\00:14:47.14
At that time a
great persecution arose
00:14:47.95\00:14:50.42
against the church
which was at Jerusalem;
00:14:50.45\00:14:53.11
and they were all
scattered throughout
00:14:53.38\00:14:55.52
the regions of..." What?
00:14:55.55\00:14:57.22
"...of Judea and
Samaria, except the apostles."
00:14:57.89\00:15:02.15
So where does the
gospel go now because of the
00:15:02.18\00:15:04.76
persecution in Jerusalem?
00:15:04.79\00:15:06.32
It goes to Judea, and
it also goes to where?
00:15:06.55\00:15:09.95
It goes to Samaria.
00:15:10.09\00:15:11.26
In fact, the rest
of chapter 8 deals
00:15:11.29\00:15:15.58
with the gospel
going to Samaria.
00:15:15.61\00:15:17.22
So you see, Acts 1 through
6; the gospel in Jerusalem.
00:15:17.25\00:15:21.43
Chapter 7; Stephen is martyred,
and God has chosen who is
00:15:21.57\00:15:25.85
going to take the
gospel to the Gentiles.
00:15:25.88\00:15:27.78
In chapter 8, the gospel
goes to Judea and to Samaria.
00:15:27.93\00:15:32.01
Then in chapter 9, the
apostle Paul is converted on
00:15:32.25\00:15:35.87
the road to Damascus.
00:15:35.90\00:15:37.18
And in chapter 10, the
message goes to the Gentiles;
00:15:37.28\00:15:40.54
first with Peter,
and then to the uttermost
00:15:40.57\00:15:42.75
parts of the earth.
00:15:42.78\00:15:44.01
And so, is the stoning of
Stephen a watershed event?
00:15:44.77\00:15:48.58
It is the crucial event
in the book of Acts, in fact.
00:15:48.61\00:15:53.30
Now the bottom of the page.
00:15:53.60\00:15:55.25
It will be noticed
that the gospel went to the
00:15:55.28\00:15:57.74
uttermost parts of
the earth only after the
00:15:57.77\00:16:00.82
conversion of Saul of Tarsus.
00:16:00.85\00:16:03.00
In fact, it was Paul who
took the gospel to every region
00:16:03.22\00:16:07.08
of the Roman Empire
through his missionary journeys.
00:16:07.11\00:16:10.98
Thus in Acts 7, probation
closes for the Jewish theocracy.
00:16:11.25\00:16:15.80
And in chapter 9, the champion
to the Gentiles is converted.
00:16:16.01\00:16:20.03
That is to say, one door
closed, and shortly thereafter
00:16:20.53\00:16:24.53
the other door opened.
00:16:24.56\00:16:26.29
The official
beginning of Paul's ministry
00:16:26.52\00:16:28.74
is described in
Acts 13 verses 1 and 2
00:16:28.94\00:16:31.80
where he and Barnabas were
ordained to the gospel ministry.
00:16:31.93\00:16:35.95
Paul and Barnabas then
traveled to Antioch of Pisidia
00:16:36.35\00:16:40.67
where Paul preached
a long gospel sermon,
00:16:40.83\00:16:44.14
this is interesting, to
the Jews in the synagogue.
00:16:44.17\00:16:46.91
The Gentiles then
begged Paul to preach to them.
00:16:47.17\00:16:50.18
The next Sabbath,
almost the whole city came out
00:16:50.42\00:16:53.15
to hear the Word of God.
00:16:53.18\00:16:54.62
This provoked the
jealousy of the Jews, and they
00:16:55.25\00:16:58.24
contradicted and blasphemed.
00:16:58.27\00:17:00.19
This led Paul to say
some very significant words.
00:17:00.48\00:17:03.67
Words very similar to the ones
that Jesus spoke in Matthew 21.
00:17:04.04\00:17:07.46
Listen to what the words were.
00:17:07.49\00:17:08.94
"It was necessary
that the word of God should
00:17:09.88\00:17:12.71
first have been spoken to you."
00:17:12.74\00:17:14.88
"I am not sent but to the
lost sheep of the house of
00:17:16.15\00:17:19.40
Israel," Jesus said.
00:17:19.80\00:17:21.32
So Paul is
going along with that.
00:17:22.03\00:17:23.67
He says, "The gospel had
to be preached to you first."
00:17:23.70\00:17:26.88
That's Acts 1 through 6.
00:17:27.47\00:17:29.83
But then he says this,
"But seeing ye put it from you,
00:17:30.85\00:17:35.44
and judge yourselves
unworthy of everlasting life,
00:17:35.64\00:17:39.11
lo, we turn to the Gentiles."
00:17:39.14\00:17:41.48
Is that the sequence
that Jesus mentioned?
00:17:41.51\00:17:43.62
"The kingdom will be
taken from you and it will be
00:17:43.65\00:17:46.81
given to a nation that
produces the fruits thereof."
00:17:46.84\00:17:49.98
And so Paul says, "Lo,
we turn to the Gentiles.
00:17:50.32\00:17:53.33
For so hath the Lord
commanded us, saying,
00:17:53.36\00:17:56.13
'I have set thee to be
a light of the Gentiles,
00:17:56.16\00:17:58.89
that thou
shouldest be for salvation
00:17:58.92\00:18:01.18
unto the ends of the earth.'"
00:18:01.21\00:18:03.31
Now to the final paragraph.
00:18:03.64\00:18:05.35
Notice that according to Paul,
the gospel was to be preached
00:18:05.68\00:18:09.28
to the Jews first.
00:18:09.31\00:18:10.83
And why was this?
00:18:11.35\00:18:12.65
Simply because, as we have
seen, 70 weeks had been measured
00:18:12.95\00:18:17.70
off for the Jewish nation.
00:18:17.73\00:18:19.25
But when the Jewish
nation rejected the Messiah,
00:18:19.87\00:18:22.60
by divine command Paul and
Barnabas turn to the Gentiles.
00:18:23.05\00:18:28.20
Notice that the door
of mercy did not close
00:18:28.67\00:18:31.52
for individual Jews
after the year 34 AD.
00:18:31.55\00:18:34.45
This can be seen by the
fact that Saul of Tarsus
00:18:34.73\00:18:37.89
was converted after
probation had closed
00:18:37.92\00:18:40.79
for the corporate
Jewish nation in the year 34.
00:18:40.82\00:18:43.64
So was Saul of Tarsus converted
after the door of probation
00:18:44.30\00:18:48.05
was closed for the
Jews, for the Jewish nation?
00:18:48.08\00:18:50.45
Yeah. So was the door
still open for individual Jews?
00:18:50.48\00:18:53.50
Of course it was.
00:18:53.53\00:18:54.91
So it is important to take into
account all of this information
00:18:55.15\00:19:00.20
about the stoning of Stephen,
because this is the event
00:19:00.23\00:19:03.55
that closes the door to
the Jewish nation as God's
00:19:03.58\00:19:06.27
instrument to take
the gospel to the world.
00:19:06.30\00:19:08.36
And now, the
gospel goes to the world
00:19:08.46\00:19:11.09
through a nation that
produces the fruits thereof.
00:19:11.12\00:19:13.75
That is, the Gentiles.
00:19:13.78\00:19:15.40
Spiritual Israel, if you please.
00:19:15.43\00:19:17.96
So was this clear?
00:19:18.12\00:19:19.65
Okay. Very, very good.
00:19:20.37\00:19:22.06
This ends our
principle that Israel today
00:19:23.00\00:19:26.72
is global and spiritual,
no longer literal and local.
00:19:26.92\00:19:30.97
Now we want to go
to principle number 11.
00:19:31.47\00:19:36.52
I'm going to skip
number 10, as I mentioned,
00:19:36.55\00:19:39.47
because we're going to
have to study some materials
00:19:39.72\00:19:43.88
which was not distributed.
00:19:43.91\00:19:45.52
And so we're going to distribute
those materials later on today
00:19:46.14\00:19:50.12
so that you can study
them, and then we'll be prepared
00:19:50.22\00:19:53.83
to study principle number 10.
00:19:53.86\00:19:55.89
So we're going to jump
to number 11 that does not
00:19:55.92\00:19:58.90
require a lot of
reading material.
00:19:58.93\00:20:01.56
And then we are also, today,
going to do principle number 12.
00:20:01.77\00:20:07.17
So the main thing that we want
to study today is principle 11
00:20:07.20\00:20:10.77
and principle 12.
00:20:10.80\00:20:12.35
Principle number 11 has
to do with how to interpret
00:20:12.38\00:20:16.77
Bible symbols.
00:20:16.80\00:20:18.09
And this in on page
26 of your syllabus.
00:20:18.50\00:20:21.57
And we're going to go
through this material,
00:20:21.77\00:20:23.98
it has several pages.
00:20:24.01\00:20:25.37
It has principles about how
to interpret symbols correctly
00:20:25.89\00:20:30.39
within prophetic context.
00:20:30.42\00:20:32.28
Now let's deal first of all
with some introductory matters.
00:20:32.59\00:20:36.57
Bible study
takes time and effort.
00:20:38.17\00:20:42.37
We must search for truth
as for a hidden treasure.
00:20:43.52\00:20:46.96
You don't find
treasures laying on the street.
00:20:47.19\00:20:49.71
You have to dig
deep to find treasures.
00:20:50.17\00:20:52.51
And so it is with Bible study.
00:20:52.75\00:20:54.54
And that includes the
study of Bible symbols.
00:20:54.82\00:20:58.27
The next point
that I want us to notice
00:20:58.89\00:21:00.68
is that the message of
Daniel and Revelation is not
00:21:00.71\00:21:04.13
hidden or concealed.
00:21:04.16\00:21:05.96
In fact, the name, "Revelation,"
means, "to unveil."
00:21:06.51\00:21:11.89
So the message of
Revelation can be understood.
00:21:12.36\00:21:15.09
And Revelation actually
decodes the book of Daniel.
00:21:15.29\00:21:18.91
In Revelation, the
book of Daniel is opened
00:21:18.94\00:21:21.55
and unsealed.
00:21:21.58\00:21:23.26
So the book of Daniel
is actually unsealed in the
00:21:23.68\00:21:27.23
book of Revelation.
00:21:27.26\00:21:28.54
So we have to study both
Daniel and Revelation together.
00:21:28.75\00:21:32.78
Many of the symbols in
Revelation come from Daniel.
00:21:33.15\00:21:35.99
And so Daniel would be
the source that we would
00:21:36.31\00:21:38.60
have to use in order to
understand those symbols
00:21:38.63\00:21:41.53
in the book of Revelation.
00:21:41.56\00:21:43.07
The third point that I
want us to notice is that the
00:21:43.84\00:21:46.02
book of Revelation is the
revelation of Jesus Christ.
00:21:46.05\00:21:49.49
It is not about dragons,
monsters, mysterious numbers,
00:21:49.96\00:21:55.05
and esoteric symbols.
00:21:55.08\00:21:56.83
Its central focus is
not end time politics,
00:21:57.08\00:22:00.78
or a treatise to
satisfy our futurist curiosity.
00:22:00.88\00:22:05.55
Its central purpose
is to help us know Jesus
00:22:06.06\00:22:09.49
and be ready for His coming
by knowing what is coming.
00:22:09.52\00:22:13.86
Incidentally, Martin
Luther wrote commentaries
00:22:14.49\00:22:18.64
on every book of the Bible
except James and Revelation.
00:22:18.67\00:22:22.80
He didn't write on James because
he felt very uncomfortable
00:22:23.86\00:22:26.79
because James said
that Rahab was justified
00:22:26.82\00:22:30.74
not by faith but by works.
00:22:30.94\00:22:32.77
And Abraham; "Was not our father
Abraham justified by works?"
00:22:33.06\00:22:37.16
And of course,
Luther was fighting against
00:22:37.19\00:22:39.45
a church who's system
was based totally on works.
00:22:39.70\00:22:42.98
And so Luther, he says, "You
know, James, this doesn't rhyme
00:22:43.13\00:22:47.52
with what I'm fighting against.
00:22:47.55\00:22:49.54
You know, James says
that you're saved by works,
00:22:49.57\00:22:52.72
that you're justified by works.
00:22:52.75\00:22:54.29
And it just doesn't
square with the idea that
00:22:54.32\00:22:57.16
you're justified by
grace through faith."
00:22:57.19\00:22:59.04
What Luther didn't understand
is that James and Paul
00:22:59.50\00:23:03.97
were not fighting each other.
00:23:04.00\00:23:05.28
They were fighting two
different enemies of the gospel.
00:23:05.60\00:23:08.10
You see, Paul when he says
that we're justified by faith
00:23:08.42\00:23:11.47
without works of law,
he was speaking to people
00:23:11.50\00:23:15.78
who felt that they
would be saved by works.
00:23:15.81\00:23:18.38
James, on the other
hand, is fighting with a
00:23:18.73\00:23:20.88
different enemy of the gospel.
00:23:20.91\00:23:22.34
James is saying, "Hey, if
you say that you have faith,
00:23:22.72\00:23:26.32
and you don't have works,
then that's not real faith."
00:23:26.35\00:23:29.45
So in other words,
Paul is speaking of the root
00:23:29.50\00:23:32.06
of salvation, and
James is speaking of the
00:23:32.09\00:23:34.55
fruit of salvation.
00:23:34.58\00:23:36.14
If you don't have the
fruit, you don't have the root.
00:23:36.57\00:23:39.18
And of course, Luther, he
couldn't really grasp that
00:23:39.60\00:23:43.31
because of the
battle that he had.
00:23:43.34\00:23:44.60
And we can't be real
hard on Luther because
00:23:44.63\00:23:46.62
he was fighting a tremendous
battle with a system that
00:23:46.72\00:23:49.19
depended on works for salvation.
00:23:49.22\00:23:51.22
He didn't write a commentary on
the book of Revelation either.
00:23:51.54\00:23:54.73
Because he says, "I
don't find Christ in this book.
00:23:54.83\00:23:57.45
All I find is dragons
and mysterious numbers
00:23:57.48\00:24:00.96
and esoteric symbols."
00:24:00.99\00:24:02.58
He said, "I can't
find Jesus Christ there."
00:24:02.61\00:24:05.27
Of course, we can't
be too hard on Luther,
00:24:06.25\00:24:08.45
because Martin Luther
did not live in our time
00:24:08.87\00:24:11.76
when the book of Daniel
and the book of Revelation
00:24:11.79\00:24:14.44
have been opened so
that we can understand them.
00:24:14.56\00:24:16.95
His battle was not to understand
Daniel and Revelation.
00:24:17.11\00:24:20.07
His battle was to re-establish
the idea that we're saved
00:24:20.10\00:24:24.06
by grace through faith.
00:24:24.09\00:24:25.25
That was present
truth in his day.
00:24:25.28\00:24:27.11
It's not necessarily
present truth in our day.
00:24:27.21\00:24:29.70
Now let's continue here.
00:24:31.27\00:24:32.84
A special blessing is
pronounced upon those who read,
00:24:33.45\00:24:38.09
hear, and obey what is
said in the book of Revelation.
00:24:38.72\00:24:44.56
And I might say, of
course, the whole Scripture.
00:24:44.59\00:24:47.30
Next point, we must be
careful about the way we study
00:24:48.54\00:24:52.66
the book of Revelation.
00:24:52.69\00:24:54.06
There is a dreadful
curse pronounced upon those
00:24:54.99\00:24:57.91
who add or take
away from the book.
00:24:57.94\00:25:00.16
You know, it's a serious thing
to study Daniel and Revelation.
00:25:00.19\00:25:03.73
We better interpret
the symbols correctly.
00:25:05.10\00:25:08.05
Futurists and preterists don't
realize the terrible curse that
00:25:09.24\00:25:18.15
God pronounces upon those who
add or take away from this book.
00:25:18.18\00:25:22.02
It's a serious matter.
00:25:22.69\00:25:24.24
In fact, let's read that text.
00:25:24.34\00:25:26.18
It's found in
Revelation 22 verses 18 and 19.
00:25:26.38\00:25:31.13
Revelation chapter
22 verses 18 and 19.
00:25:31.33\00:25:35.18
And it says there,
"For I testify to everyone
00:25:36.08\00:25:39.94
who hears the words of
the prophecy of this book:
00:25:39.97\00:25:42.45
If anyone adds to these
things, God will add to him
00:25:42.90\00:25:47.12
the plagues that are
written in this book."
00:25:47.15\00:25:49.23
God says, "You
add, and I will add."
00:25:49.92\00:25:52.56
Verse 19, "And if anyone
takes away from the words of
00:25:53.38\00:25:57.21
the prophecy of this book,
God shall take away his part
00:25:57.24\00:26:00.69
from the Book of
Life, from the holy city,
00:26:00.72\00:26:03.08
and from the things which
are written in this book."
00:26:03.11\00:26:05.54
God says, "You take
away, and I take away.
00:26:05.57\00:26:07.88
You add, and I add."
00:26:08.43\00:26:10.37
So it's very serious.
00:26:10.72\00:26:12.92
We must be very careful
about the way that we interpret
00:26:12.95\00:26:16.68
the book of Revelation,
and the way that we interpret
00:26:16.71\00:26:19.75
the symbols particularly.
00:26:19.86\00:26:22.19
Now the books of Daniel and
Revelation, to a great degree,
00:26:23.25\00:26:26.28
are saturated with symbols.
00:26:26.31\00:26:28.72
In fact, Revelation 1 verse
2 has a very interesting word.
00:26:29.77\00:26:33.65
It uses the word in
the King James Version
00:26:33.86\00:26:36.24
that God "signified"
the book of Revelation.
00:26:36.27\00:26:40.03
What are the first
four letters of, "signify?"
00:26:40.44\00:26:44.12
Sign.
00:26:44.50\00:26:45.69
In other words,
the book of Revelation
00:26:45.91\00:26:47.46
is written in sign language.
00:26:47.49\00:26:50.01
And the sign
language has to be decoded.
00:26:51.08\00:26:54.04
For example, if I do this...
00:26:54.75\00:26:58.12
...what does that mean?
00:26:59.71\00:27:00.94
It means,
"love," in sign language.
00:27:05.35\00:27:08.02
Would you ever be able to figure
that out unless you had a way
00:27:08.77\00:27:11.56
of decoding the symbol?
00:27:11.59\00:27:13.04
No.
00:27:13.30\00:27:14.33
You see, this is the
symbol, but the symbol has
00:27:14.36\00:27:16.92
a meaning beyond itself.
00:27:16.95\00:27:18.73
Now what is a symbol?
00:27:19.36\00:27:21.33
Let's go to our next section.
00:27:21.36\00:27:22.71
What is a symbol?
00:27:22.74\00:27:24.25
A symbol is something
that stands for or represents
00:27:25.06\00:27:29.56
something else.
00:27:29.59\00:27:30.96
For example, in
our parlance of today,
00:27:31.78\00:27:35.22
the lion represents what?
00:27:35.61\00:27:37.88
Courage.
00:27:38.43\00:27:39.61
The lamb represents meekness.
00:27:39.64\00:27:43.57
The olive branch
represents peace.
00:27:44.10\00:27:47.74
And the cross
represents Christianity.
00:27:48.35\00:27:51.81
You see, one thing is
the symbol, but you have to
00:27:52.45\00:27:54.88
decode the symbol and
see what it represents,
00:27:54.91\00:27:58.36
the larger reality
that it represents.
00:27:58.39\00:28:01.53
You know, we
frequently use symbolic language
00:28:01.74\00:28:04.63
even in our every day speech.
00:28:04.66\00:28:06.36
For example, we
say, "Ugly as sin."
00:28:06.39\00:28:09.43
That's symbolic language.
00:28:12.22\00:28:13.95
We say, "Easy as pie."
00:28:14.15\00:28:15.89
I've never been
able to understand why,
00:28:15.92\00:28:18.07
where that comes
from, "Easy as pie."
00:28:18.31\00:28:20.32
It's easy to eat.
00:28:20.35\00:28:21.94
But I'm not sure
that it's easy to make.
00:28:23.86\00:28:27.06
Because I've
seen my wife make pie.
00:28:27.09\00:28:29.16
It takes some effort.
00:28:29.19\00:28:31.17
Maybe it's because it's
easy to eat, I don't know.
00:28:32.11\00:28:34.48
But you know the
expression, "Easy as pie."
00:28:34.51\00:28:36.80
We say, "White as snow."
00:28:36.89\00:28:38.76
You see, snow is the
symbol that points to a
00:28:38.97\00:28:41.48
greater reality beyond itself.
00:28:41.51\00:28:43.92
And we say,
"Dead as a door nail."
00:28:43.95\00:28:46.20
You know, and that
is symbolic language.
00:28:46.89\00:28:49.01
In other words,
symbols are language
00:28:49.04\00:28:51.48
that have to be decoded
to determine what they mean
00:28:51.51\00:28:55.47
in a larger sense.
00:28:55.50\00:28:56.98
A symbol is a similitude.
00:28:57.50\00:29:00.09
It is a comparison.
00:29:00.60\00:29:02.39
It is an analogy.
00:29:02.87\00:29:04.80
Symbols cannot be
taken at face value.
00:29:05.38\00:29:08.28
They have a
meaning beyond themselves.
00:29:08.59\00:29:11.48
The parables of Jesus are
couched in symbolic language.
00:29:12.15\00:29:16.67
Frequently, Jesus uses
the words, "like," or, "as."
00:29:17.42\00:29:23.33
"The kingdom of God is
like a certain individual."
00:29:23.36\00:29:29.05
You see that all the
time in the parables.
00:29:29.08\00:29:31.15
So what is Jesus doing?
00:29:31.18\00:29:32.62
Jesus is using
symbolic language.
00:29:32.98\00:29:36.51
Let me just give
you an illustration.
00:29:36.81\00:29:38.97
We have here Luke
chapter 18 verses 1 through 8.
00:29:39.07\00:29:42.10
You remember the story
of the widow that kept on
00:29:42.41\00:29:44.36
coming and coming
and coming to the judge
00:29:44.39\00:29:46.43
because she had lost everything?
00:29:46.46\00:29:47.86
Her enemy had taken
everything from her.
00:29:47.89\00:29:49.88
And she kept on coming and
coming and coming to the judge
00:29:50.74\00:29:53.42
so that the judge
would do justice to her.
00:29:53.45\00:29:55.58
And the judge, for a while,
would not answer her plea.
00:29:56.17\00:30:00.08
And finally the judge says, you
know, "I'm sick of this woman.
00:30:00.38\00:30:03.58
She comes and bothers me,
she pesters me all the time.
00:30:03.61\00:30:06.02
I'm going to give
her what she asks for
00:30:06.26\00:30:08.16
to get her off my back."
00:30:08.19\00:30:09.82
So the question is,
what did Jesus want to
00:30:12.17\00:30:14.57
teach with this parable?
00:30:14.60\00:30:16.07
Well you have,
first of all, the judge.
00:30:16.10\00:30:18.60
You have to find out
what the judge represents.
00:30:18.63\00:30:20.43
He symbolizes something.
00:30:20.46\00:30:21.98
You have to figure out
what the widow represents.
00:30:22.60\00:30:26.55
You have to figure
out what the delay is.
00:30:26.75\00:30:29.39
See, you have to interpret
each individual symbol,
00:30:29.83\00:30:32.50
what they
represent beyond themselves.
00:30:32.53\00:30:34.46
And when you
study this parable...
00:30:34.49\00:30:35.83
And by the way, you received
one material that has this
00:30:35.93\00:30:40.66
development of this story.
00:30:40.69\00:30:41.84
I hope you'll study that.
00:30:41.87\00:30:43.23
Because this parable of
Jesus applies especially
00:30:43.52\00:30:46.82
to the end time.
00:30:46.85\00:30:48.06
Because before this
parable, you have Jesus talking
00:30:48.74\00:30:51.70
about the second coming.
00:30:51.73\00:30:52.97
And the parable ends by saying,
"When the Son of Man cometh,
00:30:53.00\00:30:55.83
shall He find
faith in the earth?"
00:30:55.86\00:30:57.52
And in between,
you have this parable.
00:30:58.09\00:31:00.06
And so, really the
widow in this parable
00:31:00.72\00:31:03.20
is symbolic of God's church.
00:31:03.43\00:31:05.86
After all, she's a woman.
00:31:05.89\00:31:07.31
But she's a woman in distress
because she has lost everything.
00:31:08.44\00:31:13.52
So she represents God's
people in the time of trouble
00:31:13.75\00:31:16.88
that have lost everything.
00:31:17.12\00:31:18.43
The judge represents God.
00:31:18.94\00:31:21.53
You say, "Now how can
the judge represent God?"
00:31:21.89\00:31:24.14
Because this judge
says, "Oh, I'm just going to
00:31:24.43\00:31:26.13
answer her pleas to
get her off my back."
00:31:26.16\00:31:28.26
Well does God say, "I'm going
to answer My people's pleas
00:31:28.36\00:31:30.98
just to get them
off My back." No.
00:31:31.01\00:31:32.70
You see, this is
comparison by way of contrast.
00:31:32.87\00:31:35.70
In other words, Jesus is
saying, "Hey, if an unjust judge
00:31:36.02\00:31:39.31
will answer a widow's
plea because he wants to
00:31:39.86\00:31:45.45
get her off his back,
how much more will God
00:31:45.48\00:31:48.69
give us what we ask
because He loves us?"
00:31:48.72\00:31:50.64
In other words, it's
comparison by way of contrast.
00:31:51.30\00:31:54.56
So the widow represents
God's people going through
00:31:55.26\00:31:57.63
this severe time of trouble.
00:31:57.66\00:31:59.37
People have lost everything.
00:31:59.64\00:32:00.81
And by the way, there's
another symbol in this story.
00:32:00.84\00:32:03.24
It's the antidikon.
00:32:03.27\00:32:05.25
The adversary.
00:32:06.14\00:32:07.78
Do you know where that
word is used, the adversary?
00:32:08.16\00:32:10.59
"Your adversary, the
devil, goes around seeking whom
00:32:10.95\00:32:14.17
he may devour."
00:32:14.20\00:32:15.51
It's the same word,
antidikon, in Greek.
00:32:15.88\00:32:18.32
So who was it that
took everything away
00:32:18.72\00:32:20.66
from the woman, from
the church, so that she
00:32:20.69\00:32:23.47
would be left desolate?
00:32:23.50\00:32:25.28
Ah, it was the devil.
00:32:26.28\00:32:28.49
Who is going to take everything
away from God's people
00:32:29.07\00:32:31.28
at the end of time?
00:32:31.31\00:32:32.38
The devil.
00:32:32.41\00:32:33.44
Are God's people going
to come to God and say,
00:32:33.47\00:32:35.66
"Lord, Lord, please deliver us."
00:32:35.76\00:32:38.72
Absolutely.
00:32:38.77\00:32:39.80
Is God going to
answer the pleas immediately?
00:32:39.83\00:32:41.92
No. No.
00:32:42.13\00:32:44.20
There's going to be a delay.
00:32:44.23\00:32:45.58
And Ellen White says that the
delay is the greatest blessing
00:32:45.61\00:32:48.68
for God's people.
00:32:48.71\00:32:49.81
She says they need
to develop their faith.
00:32:50.01\00:32:51.96
They need to learn
to depend upon God.
00:32:51.99\00:32:54.19
And so this whole parable,
once you understand what the
00:32:54.22\00:32:57.17
widow represents,
what the judge represents,
00:32:57.20\00:32:59.35
who the antidikon
is, what the delay is,
00:32:59.38\00:33:01.88
you put all of the symbols
together, and now you know
00:33:01.91\00:33:04.49
what Jesus wanted to
teach with this story.
00:33:04.52\00:33:06.60
Are you following me?
00:33:06.63\00:33:07.69
This is symbolic language.
00:33:08.48\00:33:10.17
We have to decode the symbols
and find out what they mean
00:33:10.20\00:33:13.82
in a broader sense.
00:33:13.85\00:33:15.29
Now back to the material.
00:33:16.29\00:33:17.56
Each symbol has a literal
meaning and a symbolic value.
00:33:17.59\00:33:22.80
The literal meaning
is, you know, the widow.
00:33:23.73\00:33:26.86
But the widow
has a symbolic value.
00:33:28.02\00:33:30.96
She represents something beyond
the literal, beyond herself.
00:33:30.99\00:33:35.04
Sign language is
symbolic language
00:33:35.59\00:33:38.25
where each sign
represents a particular concept.
00:33:38.49\00:33:42.41
Jesus used many
symbols to represent Himself,
00:33:43.19\00:33:46.34
such as shepherd.
00:33:46.64\00:33:48.31
Is Jesus a shepherd?
00:33:49.01\00:33:50.54
Literally a shepherd?
00:33:51.47\00:33:52.72
No. But is He like a shepherd?
00:33:53.29\00:33:55.22
Of course He is.
00:33:55.82\00:33:56.97
Now what characteristics
does a shepherd have?
00:33:57.28\00:34:01.59
Well you have to look at the
characteristics of a shepherd
00:34:01.76\00:34:04.51
to see why this type
or this symbol is used
00:34:04.54\00:34:09.21
to illustrate the
work of Jesus Christ.
00:34:09.24\00:34:11.28
Jesus is called the vine.
00:34:11.31\00:34:14.38
"I am the vine,
you are the branches."
00:34:15.28\00:34:17.78
You have to know
something about growing grapes.
00:34:17.81\00:34:20.44
I have a Thompson
seedless vine in my back yard.
00:34:21.30\00:34:25.40
And last year we
had a bumper crop.
00:34:25.89\00:34:28.14
We would go out every
morning and eat fresh grapes
00:34:28.52\00:34:31.62
late in the summer.
00:34:31.65\00:34:33.46
And you know, we
have orange trees.
00:34:33.64\00:34:35.12
This morning I went out and
picked some Valencia oranges
00:34:35.15\00:34:37.86
and I made fresh orange juice.
00:34:37.96\00:34:39.99
You know, and so
you have to know what it
00:34:40.30\00:34:43.15
means to prune the vine.
00:34:43.18\00:34:44.33
You have to know about the
vine in order to understand
00:34:44.36\00:34:47.25
why Jesus called
Himself the vine.
00:34:47.28\00:34:49.86
In other words, you
have to know the symbol first
00:34:50.79\00:34:54.97
in order to understand
why that symbol was used
00:34:55.50\00:34:58.32
to express a concept.
00:34:58.35\00:34:59.84
Jesus said, "I am the door."
00:35:00.06\00:35:01.92
Why would Jesus say
that, "I am the door?"
00:35:03.13\00:35:05.56
Jesus said He is the bread.
00:35:06.34\00:35:08.64
Jesus said, "I am the way."
00:35:09.51\00:35:11.31
Jesus said, "I am the rock."
00:35:12.19\00:35:14.10
So why would
Jesus use these symbols?
00:35:14.94\00:35:17.39
There's something in
the symbol that points
00:35:17.42\00:35:19.64
to something beyond themselves.
00:35:19.67\00:35:21.40
And we need to know,
first of all, what the symbol,
00:35:21.77\00:35:23.96
the characteristics of
the symbol, to understand
00:35:23.99\00:35:26.53
why Jesus used the
symbol to refer to Himself.
00:35:26.63\00:35:30.66
Actually, all of the symbols,
what they do is they give us
00:35:30.69\00:35:33.55
a different portrait of Christ.
00:35:33.58\00:35:35.42
Christ is like a
many faceted diamond.
00:35:35.45\00:35:38.18
You know what makes
a diamond beautiful?
00:35:39.76\00:35:41.09
All the cuts.
00:35:41.12\00:35:42.49
And so you have all of
these symbols that point to a
00:35:43.52\00:35:46.23
different
function of Jesus Christ.
00:35:46.26\00:35:48.48
And when you put
them all together,
00:35:48.58\00:35:49.95
you have a
complete picture of Jesus.
00:35:49.98\00:35:52.23
Now people in Biblical times
lived in an animated universe.
00:35:53.87\00:35:57.88
Rivers, the sun,
mountains, stars, trees, sheep
00:35:58.69\00:36:03.34
all had symbolic value.
00:36:03.37\00:36:05.06
We have lost that
in Western culture.
00:36:05.09\00:36:07.72
We have very, very few
symbols from nature that we use
00:36:08.43\00:36:11.81
in the world today.
00:36:12.12\00:36:13.22
But in Biblical times, all
of these things spoke of God,
00:36:13.44\00:36:17.97
had lessons for
Israel about God.
00:36:18.18\00:36:21.58
We must distinguish between
a live and a dead symbol.
00:36:22.97\00:36:26.80
A live symbol is
one which we use today,
00:36:27.61\00:36:31.70
and thus has a
contemporary meaning for us.
00:36:31.73\00:36:34.89
A dead symbol is one
which was used in the past
00:36:35.54\00:36:39.20
and has lost its value
for present day persons
00:36:39.35\00:36:43.51
because we don't use it anymore.
00:36:43.54\00:36:45.32
In other words, we have
to rescue symbols today.
00:36:47.14\00:36:50.90
Because the Bible
uses many, many symbols
00:36:51.16\00:36:53.93
that we don't use today.
00:36:53.96\00:36:55.11
So we have to discover
how that symbol was used
00:36:55.14\00:36:58.68
in biblical times and not
impose some artificial meaning
00:36:58.71\00:37:03.38
to that symbol that was not
intended by the original writer.
00:37:03.41\00:37:07.08
So a dead symbol is one
which was used in the past
00:37:08.05\00:37:11.08
and has lost its value
for present day persons.
00:37:11.11\00:37:13.91
Most symbols in the
Bible are dead symbols
00:37:14.20\00:37:17.51
in the sense that we
don't use them anymore.
00:37:17.90\00:37:20.60
This is why we must let
the Bible give us the meaning
00:37:21.11\00:37:24.32
of these symbols so
that they can come alive
00:37:24.35\00:37:27.77
in today's world.
00:37:27.80\00:37:29.52
So far so good?
00:37:29.55\00:37:30.96
Now let's ask the question,
why does the Bible use symbols?
00:37:31.43\00:37:38.11
Well, I have
several reasons here.
00:37:39.72\00:37:41.65
Number one, a picture
is worth a thousand words.
00:37:42.17\00:37:47.19
Have you ever
heard that expression?
00:37:47.91\00:37:49.34
Yes, of course.
00:37:50.70\00:37:52.25
Symbols are used
instead of abstract language
00:37:52.28\00:37:56.49
because the message
is remembered longer.
00:37:56.92\00:37:59.62
For example, take the
parable that Jesus gave of the
00:38:00.84\00:38:04.60
man who built his
house upon the rock.
00:38:04.63\00:38:07.18
You know, Jesus could have said,
"You know, when difficulties
00:38:08.51\00:38:11.69
come, stand firm, folks."
00:38:11.72\00:38:13.86
He could have said that.
00:38:14.67\00:38:15.77
And of course, how long
would you remember that?
00:38:16.96\00:38:19.06
"Hang in there,
folks. Hang in there.
00:38:19.09\00:38:21.40
Everything will be alright."
00:38:21.43\00:38:22.82
No, Jesus didn't do that.
00:38:23.27\00:38:24.50
Jesus gave a
story, a symbolic story.
00:38:24.60\00:38:27.37
He says, you know, "To what will
I compare the kingdom of God?
00:38:27.47\00:38:30.40
Well, I'll compare it
to a man who built his
00:38:30.43\00:38:33.47
house upon the rock."
00:38:33.50\00:38:35.03
And would the
Jews have understood
00:38:35.97\00:38:37.57
what the rock represented?
00:38:37.60\00:38:38.86
Of course.
00:38:38.89\00:38:39.92
They knew Deuteronomy
32; the rock is the Lord.
00:38:39.99\00:38:42.20
And His word, incidentally.
00:38:42.23\00:38:43.97
Because the rock is
the Lord, and His word.
00:38:44.34\00:38:46.53
So they say, "Oh, that
means to build upon God."
00:38:46.90\00:38:49.79
And then the storms
come and the floods come.
00:38:50.00\00:38:52.78
And they beat
against that house.
00:38:53.21\00:38:55.52
And the house doesn't fall
because it's built on the rock.
00:38:55.55\00:38:58.53
And then there was another house
that was built on the sand.
00:38:59.52\00:39:01.79
And if you read, Mount
of Blessings, Ellen White
00:39:01.82\00:39:03.94
says that this actually happened
literally in biblical times.
00:39:03.97\00:39:08.81
People did build on the
rock, and when floods came
00:39:09.35\00:39:12.09
the house stood firm.
00:39:12.30\00:39:13.36
But there were some
people that were foolish
00:39:13.39\00:39:15.35
and they build their
houses in places where
00:39:15.38\00:39:17.79
when the rains came, it flooded,
and the house was taken away.
00:39:17.82\00:39:21.24
So people could identify
with what Jesus was saying.
00:39:21.29\00:39:24.13
And so you have this man who
built his house upon the sand.
00:39:24.57\00:39:27.58
And the storm came
and took it all away.
00:39:27.78\00:39:30.09
Let me ask you, would people
remember this a lot longer
00:39:30.12\00:39:33.26
the lesson that
Jesus wanted to teach?
00:39:33.29\00:39:35.33
Of course.
00:39:35.57\00:39:36.62
Every time that they
went by a house that was built
00:39:36.72\00:39:39.75
on the rock, they'd say,
"Ah, I remember the lesson."
00:39:39.78\00:39:42.51
Every time that they saw
the flood come and sweep away
00:39:43.68\00:39:46.40
a house, they'd say, "Ah-ha,
because you built on the sand."
00:39:46.43\00:39:49.70
And so one of the reasons
for using symbolic language
00:39:50.64\00:39:55.05
is because symbolic
language is remembered longer.
00:39:55.08\00:39:58.40
And people, when
they saw the objects,
00:39:58.43\00:40:00.27
they'd remember
the teachings of Jesus.
00:40:00.30\00:40:02.46
Furthermore, every
time a symbol is observed,
00:40:03.77\00:40:06.16
its meaning is remembered.
00:40:06.19\00:40:07.95
Symbols are also used so
that the message can transcend
00:40:11.95\00:40:17.31
time and space.
00:40:17.34\00:40:18.69
For example, if God had
spoken to John about capitalism,
00:40:19.56\00:40:24.38
communism, the United
States, nuclear weapons, tanks,
00:40:25.17\00:40:32.60
machine guns, he would not
have understood the message
00:40:33.05\00:40:37.38
because these things did
not exist in biblical times.
00:40:37.74\00:40:40.76
So what does God do?
00:40:41.56\00:40:43.02
He gives symbols.
00:40:43.05\00:40:44.34
Instead of saying, "communism,"
00:40:44.83\00:40:46.45
He says, "the
king of the south."
00:40:46.48\00:40:48.05
And of course, Israel knew what
the attitude of Pharaoh was.
00:40:48.68\00:40:52.01
"Who is the Lord? I
don't know the Lord.
00:40:52.11\00:40:54.02
And I'm not going
to let His people go."
00:40:54.05\00:40:55.83
Ellen White
said this is atheism.
00:40:55.86\00:40:57.80
So when Egypt is mentioned,
they would understand that.
00:40:58.21\00:41:00.95
When, for example,
Revelation 11 speaks of Sodom,
00:41:00.98\00:41:04.32
you know, that's a
universal language.
00:41:06.60\00:41:08.65
Because Sodom was characterized
by crass immorality.
00:41:09.42\00:41:13.04
And so Sodom is a
symbol, and Egypt is a symbol.
00:41:13.58\00:41:17.96
The king of the
north is a symbol,
00:41:18.42\00:41:20.31
the king of the
south is a symbol.
00:41:20.34\00:41:21.92
It's universal language
that we can understand today.
00:41:21.95\00:41:24.82
The king of the
south in 1798 was France.
00:41:24.85\00:41:27.65
And we can understand
that the king of the north
00:41:29.10\00:41:30.80
was the papacy.
00:41:30.90\00:41:32.13
And we can understand
that France was characterized
00:41:33.21\00:41:35.92
by Egypt because, you
know, France discarded God.
00:41:35.95\00:41:40.94
And we know that
France, at least during the
00:41:41.94\00:41:44.25
French Revolution,
was crassly immoral.
00:41:44.28\00:41:47.61
Immorality was
practiced in the streets.
00:41:47.81\00:41:50.05
And so, symbolic
language helps us understand
00:41:50.44\00:41:54.92
things that
transcend time and space.
00:41:55.12\00:41:58.23
And we have to be
very careful because,
00:41:58.72\00:42:01.83
you know, some futurists,
for example, that take the
00:42:01.86\00:42:04.67
picture in Joel where
in Joel it speaks about the
00:42:04.70\00:42:07.30
locusts, you know, in chapter
2 it speaks about the locusts,
00:42:07.33\00:42:11.05
they say, "Well, the
locusts are helicopters."
00:42:11.08\00:42:14.01
Well, I think that you should
allow the Bible to explain
00:42:15.55\00:42:17.90
what locusts are and not simply,
00:42:17.93\00:42:19.87
and you ask, "Why are
the locusts helicopters?"
00:42:19.90\00:42:23.17
"Well because locusts
fly, and so do helicopters."
00:42:23.20\00:42:26.22
You know, that's not the
way to interpret symbols.
00:42:27.29\00:42:29.51
Symbols are used
within a biblical context
00:42:29.96\00:42:33.97
in order for us to understand
in all time what those
00:42:34.00\00:42:38.62
symbols represent.
00:42:38.65\00:42:40.08
Now final point here as to
why the Bible uses symbols.
00:42:40.51\00:42:44.86
Symbols are used
to conceal the message
00:42:45.40\00:42:48.22
from those who would oppose
it if literal language was used.
00:42:48.48\00:42:52.93
Isn't it right that Jesus spoke
in parables to hide the meaning
00:42:54.24\00:42:58.33
from those who were
not sincere and honest?
00:42:58.36\00:43:00.62
Of course He did.
00:43:00.65\00:43:01.79
Because He knew that if He
came right out and He said it,
00:43:02.24\00:43:06.18
His ministry would
have been in danger,
00:43:06.67\00:43:09.85
because they would
have wanted to take Him
00:43:09.88\00:43:11.76
and kill Him before the time.
00:43:11.79\00:43:13.10
And so Jesus spoke many
parables where the Pharisees
00:43:13.20\00:43:16.44
knew that He was speaking
about them, but they couldn't
00:43:16.47\00:43:18.56
put their finger on it.
00:43:18.59\00:43:19.76
Because Jesus was
using symbolic language.
00:43:19.79\00:43:22.65
You know, we have also
the experience of Paul.
00:43:23.87\00:43:28.17
You know, the apostle
Paul spoke about a restrainer
00:43:28.50\00:43:30.83
in 2 Thessalonians 2.
00:43:30.86\00:43:32.40
He says the antichrist is
ready to manifest himself.
00:43:32.71\00:43:35.79
He's there, the mystery
of iniquity already is here.
00:43:36.14\00:43:39.14
He says, "Only waiting until
the restrainer is taken away,
00:43:39.46\00:43:42.70
and then he will
manifest himself.
00:43:42.73\00:43:44.57
And the man of sin
will be seen openly."
00:43:44.60\00:43:47.00
He will unveil himself.
00:43:47.03\00:43:48.44
Well why didn't the apostle Paul
tell us who the restrainer was?
00:43:49.08\00:43:53.06
Well the restrainer,
folks, was the Roman Empire.
00:43:53.35\00:43:56.18
You see, while the
Roman Empire ruled,
00:43:57.35\00:43:59.51
the pope couldn't rule.
00:44:00.08\00:44:01.36
The Roman Empire and the emperor
had to be taken out of the way.
00:44:02.62\00:44:06.09
Which the
barbarians did, by the way.
00:44:06.12\00:44:08.00
And then when the
Roman Empire was taken away
00:44:08.36\00:44:11.38
as the restrainer, then the
man of sin, which is the papacy,
00:44:11.41\00:44:16.34
could manifest its
power because the previous
00:44:16.37\00:44:18.82
power had been removed.
00:44:18.85\00:44:20.25
Are you following me?
00:44:20.28\00:44:21.33
Now why didn't Paul
just come out and say,
00:44:21.54\00:44:23.60
"Folks, you know that the Roman
Empire is restraining right now.
00:44:23.70\00:44:28.28
But then the Roman
Empire is taken out of the way,
00:44:28.31\00:44:30.77
then the man of sin
will manifest himself."
00:44:30.97\00:44:33.46
What do you suppose would have
happened if Paul had said that?
00:44:34.49\00:44:36.71
The Roman
Empire would have said,
00:44:37.58\00:44:38.97
"The Roman Empire
is going to what?"
00:44:39.17\00:44:41.26
He would have ended
his ministry a lot faster.
00:44:43.98\00:44:46.36
Right?
00:44:46.64\00:44:47.67
And so Paul says to them, "You
know what I'm talking about."
00:44:47.73\00:44:51.26
But he does not
clearly reveal it.
00:44:51.93\00:44:54.05
He just speaks
of the restrainer.
00:44:54.08\00:44:56.01
Because symbolic language,
you know, enlightens those
00:44:56.32\00:45:01.92
who are informed,
those who are wise,
00:45:01.95\00:45:05.31
in the biblical
sense of being wise.
00:45:05.43\00:45:07.49
"The wise will understand,"
it says several times
00:45:07.52\00:45:10.42
in the book of Daniel.
00:45:10.45\00:45:11.48
But the unwise
will not understand.
00:45:11.51\00:45:13.12
So the language
is coded language.
00:45:13.15\00:45:15.85
Symbolic language is
coded language that the
00:45:15.88\00:45:18.57
initiated understand,
but those who do not wish
00:45:18.60\00:45:21.79
to understand or accept,
they will not understand.
00:45:21.82\00:45:24.38
Now, how do we
interpret symbols?
00:45:25.47\00:45:28.33
That's our next point;
how do we interpret symbols.
00:45:28.46\00:45:31.59
Well we must go where?
00:45:32.26\00:45:34.86
To the original source
of the symbol to discover
00:45:35.89\00:45:38.72
what the symbol means.
00:45:38.75\00:45:40.31
Now most symbols in
the book of Revelation
00:45:40.97\00:45:43.80
come from the Old Testament.
00:45:43.83\00:45:45.48
So we must use what?
00:45:47.31\00:45:49.44
A Bible concordance.
00:45:50.95\00:45:53.27
Which is the best one?
00:45:53.93\00:45:55.27
Strong's is for the strong.
00:45:56.15\00:45:58.59
I'm just kidding. Any
Bible concordance is good.
00:45:59.84\00:46:02.60
So we must use a
concordance, and what else?
00:46:03.58\00:46:06.25
The marginal references
to discover the original
00:46:06.79\00:46:10.32
source of a symbol.
00:46:10.35\00:46:11.82
There are some 2000
allusions to the Old Testament
00:46:12.61\00:46:16.95
in the book of Revelation.
00:46:16.98\00:46:18.53
That is amazing.
00:46:19.15\00:46:20.30
The meaning of some
symbols, however, are explained
00:46:22.52\00:46:26.28
in the immediate
context of the passage.
00:46:26.31\00:46:29.33
You don't have to go
to the Old Testament.
00:46:30.02\00:46:31.75
They're explained in
the immediate context.
00:46:32.44\00:46:34.81
I have one example here.
00:46:36.28\00:46:37.86
Revelation 17 verse 1.
00:46:38.50\00:46:40.49
It says that the harlot
is sitting on many waters.
00:46:41.02\00:46:44.65
Is that
explained in the context?
00:46:45.70\00:46:47.74
Yes, you go to verse
15, and verse 15 says
00:46:48.10\00:46:52.55
the waters upon which
the woman sits are multitudes
00:46:52.58\00:46:56.59
nations, tongues, and peoples.
00:46:56.62\00:46:58.94
So the context itself
provides the explanation of what
00:47:00.00\00:47:03.76
the symbol means.
00:47:03.79\00:47:05.13
And incidentally, we usually
use, when we talk about waters,
00:47:05.39\00:47:08.42
we always use Revelation
chapter 17 and verse 15.
00:47:08.45\00:47:12.09
However, there are
other passages which are even
00:47:12.38\00:47:15.44
more powerful than just
saying that waters represent
00:47:15.54\00:47:19.42
multitudes, nations,
tongues, and peoples.
00:47:19.45\00:47:21.29
Actually, when you read other
passages, the waters represent
00:47:21.32\00:47:25.92
multitudes,
nations, tongues, and peoples
00:47:25.95\00:47:28.41
of individuals who are
hostile to God's people.
00:47:28.61\00:47:32.86
They're not just simply waters.
00:47:33.15\00:47:34.72
Because the harlot
sits on the waters,
00:47:34.75\00:47:36.32
she governs the waters,
she manipulates the waters.
00:47:36.35\00:47:39.10
And the waters want to
slay and drown God's people.
00:47:39.13\00:47:41.58
I want to take you,
just to give you an example,
00:47:42.03\00:47:44.28
of another text that
speaks about the waters.
00:47:44.31\00:47:46.38
Go with me to Isaiah 17,
Isaiah 17 verses 12 and 13.
00:47:46.41\00:47:51.06
Isaiah 17 verses 12 and 13.
00:47:52.25\00:47:54.71
Notice the comparison here.
00:47:54.81\00:47:56.38
The waters in Revelation 17
are not simply lots of people.
00:47:56.41\00:48:01.25
No, they are people that
are hostile to God's people.
00:48:01.28\00:48:04.14
They're enemies of God's people
because they're instigated
00:48:04.17\00:48:06.75
by the harlot to
persecute God's people.
00:48:06.78\00:48:08.75
It says there in
Isaiah 17 verse 12,
00:48:09.02\00:48:11.55
"Woe to the multitude of
many people, who make a noise
00:48:11.58\00:48:16.60
like the roar of the seas,
and to the rushing of nations
00:48:16.63\00:48:22.23
that make a rushing like
the rushing of mighty waters."
00:48:22.33\00:48:26.16
Are you understanding
the symbolism here?
00:48:27.53\00:48:29.52
It's saying that
nations rush like many waters.
00:48:29.82\00:48:33.04
Verse 13, "The nations
will rush like the rushing
00:48:33.83\00:48:38.11
of many waters; but
God will rebuke them
00:48:38.14\00:48:41.61
and they will flee away..."
00:48:42.25\00:48:43.72
In other words,
they're going to be dried up.
00:48:43.75\00:48:45.37
"...and be chased like
the chaff of the mountains
00:48:45.84\00:48:48.76
before the wind, like a rolling
thing before the whirlwind."
00:48:48.79\00:48:52.46
So what is God going to do?
00:48:53.34\00:48:54.76
He's going to dry up the waters.
00:48:54.79\00:48:56.48
These raging waters.
00:48:56.86\00:48:58.19
Because they thunder, it
says in Isaiah chapter 17.
00:48:58.22\00:49:02.09
Let's go to one
other example on waters
00:49:02.23\00:49:04.63
in Isaiah chapter 8.
00:49:04.66\00:49:06.56
Isaiah chapter 8 verses 7 and 8.
00:49:07.52\00:49:09.86
Isaiah 8:7-8
00:49:09.89\00:49:11.73
This is speaking about
the invasion of Sennacherib
00:49:13.39\00:49:16.08
into the land of Judah.
00:49:16.11\00:49:18.58
And of course, he ends
up surrounding Jerusalem.
00:49:18.61\00:49:21.16
And it looks like
Jerusalem is going to fall.
00:49:21.42\00:49:23.64
And, you know, they pray inside.
00:49:23.81\00:49:26.44
And the king, you know,
he declares an emergency
00:49:26.97\00:49:29.89
and they plead to God.
00:49:29.92\00:49:31.17
And that's when the
angel comes and kills 185,000
00:49:31.20\00:49:34.44
soldiers in one
night outside the city.
00:49:34.47\00:49:37.61
But notice how the
invasion is described.
00:49:38.21\00:49:40.50
Verse 7, "Now therefore, behold,
the Lord brings up over them
00:49:40.53\00:49:45.51
the waters of the River..."
00:49:45.54\00:49:47.39
That is, over God's
people; the waters of the River.
00:49:48.68\00:49:51.14
Incidentally, do you notice,
at least in the New King James,
00:49:51.24\00:49:54.42
the word,
"River," is capitalized?
00:49:54.52\00:49:56.42
Do you know why
it's capitalized?
00:49:57.44\00:49:59.09
Because this is
a particular river.
00:49:59.41\00:50:01.40
This is the river Euphrates.
00:50:01.43\00:50:03.59
And of course,
Assyria was in the region
00:50:07.48\00:50:09.86
very close to Babylon.
00:50:10.06\00:50:11.75
So the waters are flooding.
00:50:12.69\00:50:14.00
They're coming from
Assyria, from Babylon,
00:50:14.03\00:50:16.31
into Judah to flood God's
people and destroy God's people.
00:50:16.43\00:50:19.75
Sennacherib says, "What
God is going to deliver you?"
00:50:19.85\00:50:22.24
And so they're pleading inside.
00:50:22.80\00:50:24.42
And so God answered
by saying, "I will."
00:50:25.43\00:50:27.67
So it says, "Now therefore,
behold, the Lord brings up
00:50:28.77\00:50:31.18
over them the waters of
the River, strong and mighty."
00:50:31.21\00:50:34.49
What are the waters?
00:50:34.52\00:50:35.78
Let's notice.
00:50:37.12\00:50:38.15
"The king of
Assyria and all his glory;
00:50:38.18\00:50:41.00
he will go up
over all his channels
00:50:41.48\00:50:43.99
and go over all his banks."
00:50:44.02\00:50:46.50
So what is the king
and what are his armies?
00:50:48.91\00:50:52.83
A river.
00:50:52.86\00:50:53.89
And what is the river doing?
00:50:54.69\00:50:56.44
It's flooding.
00:50:57.12\00:50:58.17
It's going over its banks.
00:50:58.20\00:50:59.64
Verse 8, "He will
pass through Judah,
00:51:00.80\00:51:03.25
he will overflow and pass over,
he will reach up to the neck."
00:51:03.28\00:51:08.14
Let me ask you, when the
water comes up to your neck,
00:51:10.28\00:51:12.65
it doesn't have much
other place to go, does it.
00:51:14.29\00:51:18.56
I mean, this is a crisis.
00:51:19.78\00:51:21.58
And then I want you to
notice the symbolism here.
00:51:22.52\00:51:24.60
When the river
floods, it sprouts wings.
00:51:24.78\00:51:29.33
See, that's the
dragon of Revelation 17.
00:51:30.15\00:51:32.28
The dragon is the river.
00:51:32.48\00:51:33.93
The armies are the
body of the dragon.
00:51:34.95\00:51:38.35
And of course, the
water's come from the mountains,
00:51:39.66\00:51:41.98
or the heads.
00:51:42.01\00:51:43.56
This is exotic symbolism.
00:51:44.35\00:51:47.27
That unless you go to the way
it was understood back there,
00:51:47.71\00:51:50.44
there's no way you can
make sense out of Revelation 17.
00:51:50.70\00:51:53.14
It's impossible.
00:51:53.17\00:51:54.24
Without understanding
this symbolism from back there.
00:51:54.77\00:51:57.68
Because for us,
these are dead symbols.
00:51:57.71\00:52:00.14
They make no sense.
00:52:00.66\00:52:01.99
So it says, "He
will pass through Judah,
00:52:03.59\00:52:06.34
He will overflow and pass over,
He will reach up to the neck;
00:52:06.37\00:52:09.85
and the stretching out
of his wings will fill the
00:52:11.15\00:52:15.06
breadth of Your
land, O Immanuel."
00:52:15.09\00:52:18.57
So, we must go to the
Old Testament for some of
00:52:20.72\00:52:26.92
the symbols, the meaning.
00:52:26.95\00:52:28.62
Some of the
symbols are interpreted
00:52:29.30\00:52:31.71
in the immediate context.
00:52:32.15\00:52:34.10
And there's
another important point
00:52:35.17\00:52:36.62
that I want to share with
you, particularly having to do
00:52:36.65\00:52:40.77
with the book of Revelation.
00:52:40.87\00:52:42.37
And that is our next point.
00:52:42.40\00:52:43.74
There are concepts and
stories in the Old Testament
00:52:44.28\00:52:47.57
that saturate the
book of Revelation.
00:52:48.20\00:52:50.18
There are four
stories that we have to know
00:52:50.21\00:52:51.89
backwards and forwards.
00:52:51.92\00:52:53.26
You have to go back
to the Old Testament
00:52:53.45\00:52:55.18
and you have to study in
their entirety these stories.
00:52:55.44\00:52:59.57
Because Revelation is saturated
with these four stories.
00:53:00.00\00:53:03.79
Let's notice what they are.
00:53:04.13\00:53:05.37
Number one, the
Hebrew Sanctuary.
00:53:05.90\00:53:08.22
You cannot
understand Daniel or Revelation
00:53:08.75\00:53:11.68
unless you fully understand
the Sanctuary service.
00:53:11.71\00:53:14.83
It's indispensable.
00:53:14.86\00:53:15.95
And that's going to
be our next principle
00:53:15.98\00:53:17.32
that we're going
to take a look at.
00:53:17.35\00:53:18.49
Number two, the story of Elijah.
00:53:19.31\00:53:21.99
The book of Revelation is
saturated with Elijah symbolism.
00:53:22.90\00:53:27.62
So you have to know the entire
story in the Old Testament.
00:53:27.84\00:53:31.43
Number three, the
exodus of Israel from Egypt.
00:53:32.33\00:53:35.87
Revelation, in many places,
is saturated with symbolism that
00:53:36.97\00:53:42.27
comes from the exodus story.
00:53:42.30\00:53:44.63
And number four, the
release of Israel from
00:53:45.49\00:53:48.43
Babylonian captivity.
00:53:48.46\00:53:50.01
Particularly when you
discuss the sixth plague.
00:53:50.98\00:53:54.14
And we're going to
cover this a little bit
00:53:54.17\00:53:55.92
later on in this course.
00:53:55.95\00:53:57.44
When you deal with the sixth
plague, the drying up of the
00:53:57.47\00:53:59.97
river Euphrates, you have to
go back to the fall of Babylon
00:54:00.00\00:54:04.01
in Daniel chapter 5.
00:54:04.04\00:54:05.40
Because that's
where it comes from.
00:54:05.78\00:54:07.22
And so these four
stories, you have to go back
00:54:07.59\00:54:10.10
to the Old Testament and
you have to saturate yourself
00:54:10.13\00:54:13.53
with the details of
these stories because they are
00:54:13.73\00:54:16.74
symbolic of larger
realities in the future.
00:54:16.77\00:54:20.27
For example, in the
Old Testament, the literal
00:54:20.30\00:54:24.27
city of Babylon was literally
sitting on the river Euphrates,
00:54:24.62\00:54:28.94
on a literal river.
00:54:28.97\00:54:30.37
In the end time, the
river and Babylon are symbolic.
00:54:32.61\00:54:39.19
Babylon is a global system.
00:54:40.24\00:54:42.92
And if it's global and
it sits on the Euphrates,
00:54:43.90\00:54:46.50
the Euphrates
must also be global.
00:54:46.53\00:54:49.18
Are you
understanding the principle?
00:54:50.24\00:54:51.67
But you cannot understand
the drying up of the Euphrates
00:54:52.49\00:54:55.20
in Revelation unless
you understand the drying up
00:54:55.23\00:54:58.06
of the Euphrates in
the historical context
00:54:58.09\00:55:00.52
in which it appears.
00:55:00.55\00:55:01.72
So in order to
understand symbols,
00:55:03.04\00:55:05.21
we have to go to the source.
00:55:05.24\00:55:06.62
And folks, let me say this,
when I say, "Go to the source,"
00:55:06.65\00:55:09.99
don't only go to the verse where
that symbol is referred to.
00:55:10.67\00:55:15.30
Because sometimes in Revelation,
it will only give you a hint.
00:55:15.33\00:55:18.89
It'll give you, like, one word.
00:55:20.26\00:55:21.64
And it would be a mistake
just to study that one word
00:55:23.14\00:55:26.10
in the Old Testament.
00:55:26.13\00:55:27.16
What Revelation is saying is...
00:55:27.19\00:55:29.75
For example, it mentions Balaam.
00:55:30.07\00:55:31.83
It says, "Go
study the whole story.
00:55:31.86\00:55:34.29
Because the whole
story of Balaam is symbolic
00:55:36.24\00:55:40.73
of this stage."
00:55:40.84\00:55:41.94
Jezebel.
00:55:42.92\00:55:44.17
Well when you find
Jezebel, what do you have to do?
00:55:45.77\00:55:48.18
Just study Jezebel?
00:55:48.43\00:55:50.00
No, because
Jezebel had individuals
00:55:50.34\00:55:54.45
who were linked with her.
00:55:54.76\00:55:55.83
The king, the
false prophets of Baal.
00:55:55.86\00:55:58.80
You have to include Elijah too.
00:55:59.07\00:56:00.54
Because Jezebel
can't appear by herself.
00:56:00.57\00:56:02.46
Whenever she appears,
she appears in company.
00:56:02.56\00:56:05.12
And so Revelation
will say, "Jezebel."
00:56:06.47\00:56:08.67
So don't just study Jezebel.
00:56:08.97\00:56:10.26
You say, "Now that's just
a hint that I'm suppose to
00:56:10.29\00:56:12.65
study the entire story."
00:56:12.68\00:56:13.94
Because the entire
story is typological.
00:56:13.97\00:56:16.53
Are you with me?
00:56:16.56\00:56:17.59
So you have to study the entire
story in the Old Testament,
00:56:17.67\00:56:21.21
not just the word
that is used in Revelation.
00:56:21.24\00:56:23.41
I mean, if Revelation took the
time to tell all the stories,
00:56:23.44\00:56:26.15
we would have an encyclopedia.
00:56:26.35\00:56:28.04
We wouldn't have
a 22 chapter book.
00:56:29.23\00:56:31.33
And so what the writer does,
inspired by the Holy Spirit, is
00:56:31.95\00:56:35.96
give us a hint and say,
"Hey, look, here is Balaam.
00:56:36.07\00:56:40.10
Now go study the whole story."
00:56:40.13\00:56:41.55
And then you'll know why this
symbol was used in Revelation.
00:56:41.58\00:56:45.41
So far so good?
00:56:46.25\00:56:47.40
Now, let's deal
with our final point.
00:56:48.03\00:56:51.62
We have 58 seconds,
let me introduce it.
00:56:51.65\00:56:54.46
I can introduce
it in 49 seconds.
00:56:59.34\00:57:01.82
It must be kept in mind
that symbols are liquid.
00:57:04.02\00:57:07.25
Does liquid take
different shapes?
00:57:07.80\00:57:09.69
Depending on the
context in which it appears?
00:57:10.19\00:57:12.47
Of course.
00:57:12.50\00:57:13.53
That is, they take
on a different form
00:57:13.88\00:57:16.27
depending on the
context in which they are found.
00:57:16.30\00:57:19.53
Like liquid changes its
shape depending on the container
00:57:20.14\00:57:23.35
it's found in, so symbols do not
always have the same meaning.
00:57:23.38\00:57:26.65
They can mean different
things in different context.
00:57:26.73\00:57:30.15
And so in our next session,
we are going to take a look at
00:57:30.58\00:57:34.08
some examples of the
fluidity of a symbol.
00:57:34.11\00:57:37.34
This is a mistake
that many people make,
00:57:37.40\00:57:39.07
is they think that a symbol
means the same thing everywhere.
00:57:39.28\00:57:42.36
And so they misinterpret
passages from Scripture.
00:57:42.63\00:57:46.15
So that will be our
next point of study.
00:57:46.25\00:57:48.59