Participants: Pastor Stephen Bohr
Series Code: CGC
Program Code: CGC000032
|
01:13 Shall we pray? Father in heaven, we thank You once again,
01:17 for the awesome privilege of gathering together 01:20 to open Your word. 01:22 What an awesome word it is! 01:25 It reveals the end from the beginning, and how we can 01:30 prepare for the closing events in the history of this world. 01:33 We ask that as we study today about how to choose the right 01:38 church, that Your Holy Spirit will guide our thoughts. 01:41 We thank You for hearing our prayer for we ask it 01:45 in Jesus' name, Amen. 01:47 I have the privilege of traveling quite a bit, 01:52 not only within the United States, but also to other 01:55 countries of the world. 01:56 And I find it very interesting that people choose all different 02:03 kinds of reasons why they want to choose a particular 02:09 church to attend. 02:11 I'd like to share with you, as we begin our study today, 02:14 some of the reasons that people have given me in my travels 02:18 for their belonging to a certain church. 02:21 Some say, well, my friends attend this certain church, 02:26 and that's the reason why I go there. 02:29 Other individuals say, well, my family has belonged to this 02:34 church for generations, and why change a good thing? 02:38 Still others say, I attend such and such a church because 02:43 it has the most members. 02:44 Others say, I choose to go to this church because it has 02:49 upbeat worship services, or it has wonderful programs, 02:54 or it has plenty of felt needs seminars. 02:58 Others say, I attend this church because of the location, 03:02 and because of the wonderful physical plant 03:05 that the church has. 03:06 Others say, I go to this church because it has the most 03:10 charismatic, and wonderful preacher on planet Earth. 03:15 Still others look at the church as a social club. 03:19 They say, well, you know, my social life 03:21 is excellent at church, and that's the reason why 03:24 I go to this specific church. 03:26 My question is, are these really the true criteria which should 03:33 lead us in choosing which church we should belong to? 03:37 I believe that all of these things are important, 03:40 but I believe that there's something which is far more 03:44 important than any one of these that I've mentioned, 03:48 or all of them put together. 03:49 And that is we should choose the church that God specifies 03:55 in scripture, as being the church which is in harmony 04:00 with His truth as it is presented in Holy Scripture. 04:04 And so in our study today we're going to examine the Biblical 04:08 characteristics of the true church, and we're going to allow 04:12 the Bible to tell us if, in this world, there is a true church, 04:17 and whether we can actually find it. 04:20 Now we're going to follow a very carefully reasoned presentation. 04:28 We're going to follow step by step. 04:30 You remember that I mentioned in a previous lecture, 04:33 the principle of historicism. 04:35 Prophecy begins fulfilling in the days when the prophet wrote, 04:38 and it continues fulfilling without interruption 04:41 until the close of time. 04:42 That is going to be the method that we will use for identifying 04:47 the true church in our study today. 04:49 We're going to begin our study in Revelation 12, 04:54 and we're going to move through this chapter and notice 04:57 the different stages that we find here in this wonderful 05:02 symbolic chapter of Holy Scripture. 05:04 Revelation 12, and I want to read verse 1. It says: 05:26 Now I want to dwell on two particular symbols 05:30 in this verse: Symbol 1. the woman; 05:34 and Symbol 2. the twelve stars that she has on her crown. 05:40 or on her garment. 05:41 Now we need to ask the question, what is represented 05:46 by the woman in this verse? 05:49 Well, let's go to the book of Jeremiah 6:2, Jeremiah 6:2. 05:58 Here God is speaking about His church in the Old Testament. 06:02 He's speaking about Israel. 06:04 And it says here; God speaking: 06:10 That is Israel, in other words. 06:17 To what does God compare His Old Testament church? 06:21 To a beautiful and delicate woman. 06:24 In other words, a woman represents the church. 06:28 Now immediately we ask the question, in Revelation 12, 06:33 is this speaking about the Old Testament church, 06:36 or is it speaking about the New Testament church? 06:39 The answer is simple. 06:41 It's referring to the Old Testament church. 06:44 And you say, how do we know that? 06:45 Well, the fact is that when John sees this woman 06:50 in Revelation 12, she has not had the child yet. 06:53 The child is still in her womb, and she's crying out because 06:58 she wants to have the child. 06:59 This represents the fact that Israel was clamoring 07:03 for the Messiah. They were clamoring for the deliverer 07:06 to be born. In other words, the fact that the woman still has 07:09 the child in her womb when John sees her, indicates that 07:14 this woman represents the Old Testament church. 07:17 Now let's pursue another avenue to nail down this point. 07:22 Go with me to Genesis 49:28. 07:25 Why a crown of twelve stars? 07:28 This will help us identify this woman. 07:30 Genesis 49:28. Here we find a reference to the twelve sons 07:37 of Jacob. And I want you to notice what we find in this 07:44 verse that helps us identify, very clearly, this woman 07:49 as the Old Testament church. 07:51 Genesis 49:28. It says this: 08:06 The sons of Jacob. 08:17 So notice that we have the twelve sons of Jacob, 08:21 which become the twelve what? the twelve tribes of Israel. 08:24 Incidentally, it's no coincidence that in 08:28 Genesis 37:9, we're not going to read it, but in Genesis 37:9 08:34 Joseph makes reference to a dream that he had. 08:36 And he said that he saw the sun, the moon, and eleven stars 08:42 bowing to him. And, of course, that's referring to what 08:46 would happen later in Egypt. 08:48 Notice that his brothers are compared to what? to stars, 08:52 according to Joseph. 08:54 And so the twelve stars represent the twelve tribes 08:57 of Israel, which constitutes the Old Testament church. 09:02 Are you with me? 09:03 Now, this woman not only represents the Old Testament 09:08 church, but we're going to notice that it also represents 09:10 the New Testament church. 09:12 You see, God has only one people throughout the course of 09:16 all of history. He doesn't have an Old Testament church, 09:19 and a New Testament church, technically speaking. 09:22 He actually has one true church that begins at the very start 09:27 of human history, with Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden, 09:31 and ends at the very end of time with the faithful remnant 09:35 of God. I want you to notice that Jesus chose, 09:39 according to the Bible, twelve apostles to be the nucleus 09:45 of the Christian church. 09:46 And so you have twelve sons of Jacob, 09:49 which formed the tribes of Israel. 09:50 You have the twelve apostles of Jesus, which formed the 09:54 nucleus of the Christian church. 09:56 Now I must underline, once again, that the woman 09:59 that is seen in Revelation 12:1, at this stage in verse 1, 10:04 represents the Old Testament church, 10:06 because she has not had the child. 10:07 Later on though this woman has to flee into the wilderness, 10:11 and this is referring to the New Testament church. 10:14 But I want you to notice that it's the same woman 10:16 the number twelve identifies both the Old 10:20 and the New Testament church. 10:22 In case someone says, Well, the number twelve isn't 10:25 really that important. 10:26 Jesus chose twelve apostles by coincidence. 10:29 I want to go to the book of Acts 1:16, Acts 1:16. 10:36 When Judas Iscariot fell by the wayside, we find very clearly 10:41 that the disciples felt that they needed to have twelve. 10:44 There was something special about the number twelve. 10:47 Notice Acts 1:16. Here Peter is speaking. 10:53 He says, Men and brethren, this scripture had to be fulfilled 10:57 which the Holy Spirit spoke before by the mouth of David, 11:01 concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested 11:05 Jesus. And then I want you to notice that as the story 11:09 continues, they say, We need to name a successor to Judas. 11:16 There need to be twelve apostles, because twelve is 11:20 the kingdom number. 11:21 It's the number of the church of God in the Old 11:24 and in the New Testament. 11:25 And so they cast lots, and Matthias is actually elected 11:31 as the successor of Judas. 11:33 In other words, he took Judas' place. 11:36 It's no coincidence, also, that according to the book of 11:40 Revelation, in Revelation 21:12, we are told that the gates 11:46 of the holy city have the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. 11:50 And the foundations of the city have the names 11:54 of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. 11:56 Do you notice that there's only one city that includes the 12:01 saints from the Old Testament, and the saints 12:04 from the New Testament? 12:05 There's only one woman. 12:06 The number twelve represents the twelve tribes of Israel, 12:10 and the twelve apostles of the Lamb; one church, 12:14 from the beginning of history, till the end of time. 12:17 One true church. And so in Revelation 12, 12:21 the chapter begins with this woman. 12:23 She has a child in her womb, and she's crying out 12:27 to deliver this child. 12:28 Now I want you to notice who this child is. 12:33 Galatians 4:4 identifies the child. 12:38 By the way, this is very closely connected with Genesis 3:15. 12:44 Galatians 4:4 says: 13:01 Who is the seed that is born from the woman? 13:04 It is Jesus Christ. 13:05 Notice also Revelation 12:2, Revelation 12:2. It says there: 13:20 So she has a child in her womb. 13:22 Now let's go to verse 5 to identify this child. 13:25 It says in verse 5: 13:38 Who is this child? this male child born of a woman, 13:42 who later is caught up to God and to His throne? 13:46 There's no doubt. 13:47 It, obviously, is Jesus Christ. 13:50 Now when Jesus Christ is born, now this woman transitions 13:55 into the New Testament period. 13:57 The same woman. There's not a woman that represents 14:00 the Old Testament church, and then another woman which 14:03 represents the New Testament church. 14:05 There is only one woman; one true church. 14:08 It has different stages, yes. 14:11 It has different periods, yes. 14:13 But it is one church. 14:15 And so the child is born. 14:17 Now I want you to notice what happens when the child is born. 14:21 Let's go, once again, to Revelation 12 and let's read 14:25 verse 3. Revelation 12:3. 14:42 Notice we have a dragon, and what does this 14:44 dragon want to do? Notice verse four. 15:00 So what is the dragon trying to do? 15:03 He's standing next to the woman to devour the child 15:06 as soon as the child is born. 15:08 Question: who is this dragon? 15:11 Well, Revelation 12:7 identifies this dragon. 15:16 It says there: and war broke out in heaven. 15:20 Michael and his angels fought with the dragon, and the dragon 15:23 and his angels fought, and they did not prevail. 15:27 That is the devil and his angels. 15:28 Nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. 15:46 Who is this dragon? 15:48 The dragon is Satan, very clearly identified. 15:53 But now I need to explain something. 15:56 Even though in the primary sense, the dragon represents 16:01 Satan, in a secondary sense, the dragon, or the political, 16:06 or civil powers of the world that the devil uses 16:09 to accomplish his purposes. 16:11 I'll give you an example, which I've mentioned 16:13 in a previous lecture. 16:15 Ezekiel 29:3. We're not going to go there, 16:18 but I'll just mention it. 16:19 You have it in your list of texts. 16:21 There in Ezekiel 29:3, in the King James Version, it calls 16:26 Pharaoh the great dragon. 16:30 Interesting that a civil ruler would be called 16:35 the great dragon. Now when Jesus was born, 16:39 we're told in Revelation 12 that the great dragon stood next to 16:43 the woman to devour the child as soon as the child was born. 16:47 Did the devil stand, personally, next to the woman to destroy 16:52 Jesus when He was born? No. 16:54 How did the devil try to accomplish it? 16:58 Go with me to Matthew 2:16, Matthew 2:16. 17:06 Here we find the way the devil works. 17:08 The devil works in the background. 17:09 He uses political powers of the world. 17:12 He uses civil powers of the world. 17:14 Now notice Matthew 2:16, Matthew 2:16. It says here: 17:43 ...according to the time which he had determined 17:46 from the wise men. 17:47 So who was the one who actually did the dirty work, so to speak? 17:50 It was Herod, and Herod was a ruler of which empire? 17:55 He was a ruler of the Roman empire. 17:58 So in another sense, the dragon represents what? 18:01 The dragon represents Rome. 18:04 Are you following me? 18:05 The same fourth beast of Daniel 7, remember? 18:10 Now that beast that had teeth of iron, and trampled, 18:13 and destroyed everything that he came in contact with? 18:16 That's the same power we have here. 18:19 Now let me ask you, how many horns did the dragon have 18:21 in Daniel 7? The dragon had ten horns. 18:25 How many horns does this dragon have in Revelation 12? 18:29 We just read it in verse 3. 18:31 It says that he had ten horns. 18:33 Is the fourth kingdom of Daniel 7 the same dragon 18:37 of Revelation 12? Absolutely! 18:40 And so notice, we've moved from the Old Testament church. 18:43 The woman has the child. 18:44 The child hasn't been born. 18:45 And now we've moved to the moment which the child is born. 18:49 And when the child is born the dragon, the devil, 18:52 through Herod, tries to destroy the child, but the child escapes 18:58 from the power of Satan, and He's caught up to God, 19:01 and to His throne. And then you notice that the dragon has what? 19:05 The dragon has ten horns. 19:07 Now if you read Revelation 12 you would never get the 19:11 impression that the ten horns come up after the dragon 19:14 has ruled for a period. 19:16 You don't get that from the book of Revelation. 19:18 That's why we need to compare Daniel and Revelation. 19:21 We've studied this before. 19:23 Do you remember that this dragon beast has three 19:25 stages of existence? 19:26 First of all it governs as a dragon beast, 19:29 or a nondescript beast. 19:31 Then in Daniel 7:23, 24 it says that from the head of this 19:36 dragon beast come forth what? ten horns. 19:39 In other words, Rome is divided into what? into ten kingdoms. 19:43 And then among the ten horns rises what? a little horn, 19:49 which rules for time, times, and the dividing of time. 19:53 Now, let's go back to Revelation 12 and continue 19:57 studying the sequence. 19:59 You have the woman in the Old Testament; child not born. 20:02 Then the child is born. 20:04 Then, comparing with Daniel, that dragon sprouts ten horns. 20:09 Rome is divided into ten kingdoms. 20:11 Now my question is, which would be the next stage that you would 20:15 expect to come in Revelation 12? 20:18 It must be the same stage as the little horn. Right? 20:22 And, by the way, before we get to the little horn, 20:24 allow me just to mention two passages: Revelation 12:5, 20:28 speaks of the ascension of Jesus; Jesus ascended to heaven, 20:31 and if you read John 12:31-33 Jesus says: 20:40 And He was talking about His death on the cross. 20:42 And then when Jesus arrives in heaven, 20:45 according to Revelation 12:10- 12, all heaven is singing 20:48 because the accuser of the brethren has been what? 20:51 has been cast out, who accused them day and night. 20:54 And so you have the dragon, and you have the ten horns. 20:57 You would expect the next period to be time, times, 21:01 and dividing of time, if we're following the parallel 21:03 sequence of Daniel 7. 21:05 Now go with me to Revelation 12: 6, Revelation 12:6. 21:14 This is immediately after the period of the dragon 21:17 with ten horns. And you notice that in verse 6 it says: 21:21 Then the woman fled into the wilderness where she has 21:26 a place prepared by God, that they should feed 21:30 her there 1,260 days. 21:36 What comes after the period of the dragon with the ten horns? 21:38 The period when the woman flees to the wilderness for how long? 21:43 1,260 days, which really are what? years. 21:50 Now Revelation 12:13-15 amplifies this point. 21:54 Notice what we find in verse 13. 21:57 Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth,.. 22:00 This was done at the cross. 22:02 ...he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child. 22:06 See, he went after the male child first. 22:09 And when he wasn't successful, now he goes after the woman. 22:12 Verse 14: 22:27 Is this the same period of the little horn of Daniel 7? 22:31 Absolutely! It's expressed even in the same terms: time, times, 22:36 and dividing of time, is the same as 1,260 days or years. 22:40 And so you've moved from the Old Testament to when the dragon 22:45 rules, and Satan, through Rome, tries to kill the child; 22:49 to Rome divided into ten kingdoms, and now to the period 22:54 of the 1,260 years, which, by the way, lasts from 538, 23:00 according to what we've studied, till the year 1798. 23:05 Now let's go to Revelation 12, and examine verses 13-15, 23:11 and then we'll read 16, which is very, very important. 23:15 Revelation 12:13: Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast 23:19 to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth 23:22 to the male child. 23:32 Now notice: 23:42 What do waters represent in scripture? 23:45 Revelation 17:15 says: the waters upon which the woman 23:51 sitteth are multitudes, nations, tongues, and peoples. 23:56 In other words, the dragon used multitudes, nations, tongues, 24:00 and peoples to try and do away with the woman who had 24:04 brought the male child into the world. 24:07 But the Bible says that God gave the church, the woman, 24:11 refuge in the wilderness. 24:14 He was not able to destroy her. 24:16 Who came to the rescue of the woman? 24:20 Notice verse 16; very important. 24:24 It says in verse 16 of chapter 12: 24:29 In other words, when the woman is being persecuted by the 24:34 dragon, who is spewing his multitudes to try and drown 24:38 the woman and destroy her, something comes to the rescue. 24:41 Notice, it's not another beast that comes to the rescue, 24:44 it is the earth; a territory, if you please. And so it says,: 24:53 And what did the earth do? 25:01 And as a result persecution what? ceases, because the earth 25:06 swallowed up the waters of persecution, 25:08 and helped the woman. 25:10 By the way, this must have happened around the end of the 25:14 1,260 years, right? 25:16 Because we're following a sequence. 25:17 The little horn and the beast governed for 1,260 years, 25:22 which means that the earth helping the woman has to come 25:25 towards the end of this period. 25:27 Now I want you to notice Revelation 12:17. 25:31 Do you think the Devil is happy about the Earth helping 25:34 the woman, and swallowing up the waters of persecution? 25:37 Obviously, not! 25:38 And so we have one final stage of warfare. 25:42 Revelation 12:17: 25:49 Why would he be enraged with the woman? 25:51 What does the previous verse say? 25:52 The earth what? helped the woman. 25:56 And because the earth helped the woman, now the dragon 25:59 is further enraged. And notice: 26:08 I like the way the King James says it: 26:10 with the remnant of her seed... 26:20 And so Revelation 12 comes to an end. 26:23 We followed a sequence of events. 26:26 Let's review that sequence of events. 26:29 Chapter 12 of Revelation begins in the Old Testament 26:34 before the child is born. 26:36 Then it moves to the period of the dragon, when the dragon 26:40 tries to kill the child as soon as He is born. 26:42 That dragon, according to Daniel 7, then sprouts ten horns; 26:47 the ten divisions in western Europe. 26:49 Then the woman is persecuted into the wilderness 26:53 for 1,260 years: 538 to 1798. 26:59 But towards the end of this period something known as the 27:02 earth swallows up the waters of persecution, 27:05 and helps the woman. 27:06 This angers and enrages the dragon, and so he goes to 27:11 make a final war against the remnant of her seed, 27:14 who keep the commandments of God, 27:16 and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. 27:19 Do you see how this prophecy has moved from the Old Testament 27:22 till the final persecution of God's people on planet Earth 27:25 without interruption? 27:27 Now, what are the commandments of God that are mentioned here 27:34 as being kept by this remnant? 27:37 Well, let's go to Matthew 19:17, Matthew 19:17. 27:45 Here Jesus is speaking to the rich young ruler, and He uses 27:49 the same terminology as we find in Revelation 12:17. 27:54 Actually, Jesus says to the rich young ruler 27:58 in Matthew 19:17, Why do you call me good? 28:05 No one is good but God, but if you want to enter into life, 28:13 what? keep the commandments. 28:16 The same expression: keep the commandments. 28:18 Now which commandments was Jesus speaking about? 28:20 If you continue reading, the young man says, Which? 28:24 Jesus says, You shall not murder, 28:25 you shall not live in adultery, you shall not steal, 28:27 you shall not bear false witness, 28:29 honor your father and your mother. 28:30 Which commandments is Jesus quoting when He says, 28:32 Keep the commandments? 28:33 He's referring to the ten commandments, which means that 28:37 this final remnant on planet Earth will keep what? 28:40 will keep the commandments of God. 28:43 The nine commandments, all nine of them. 28:46 Oh, thank you very much! 28:48 They will keep all of the commandments of God; 28:51 the ten commandments. 28:53 But notice also that they will have the testimony of Jesus. 28:57 What is that testimony of Jesus, which appears in the remnant 29:01 after the year 1798? 29:02 By the way, did you notice that this remnant has to appear 29:05 when the earth helps the woman at the end of this period? 29:09 Have you noticed that this remnant has to appear after 29:11 1798? And where do they have to appear? 29:14 They have to appear where? on the earth. 29:17 Because that's the place where the woman was helped. 29:21 So you need to look for a people who appear 29:25 on what is called the earth. 29:27 You have to look for a people who arise 29:31 shortly after the year 1798. 29:33 You have to look for a people who teach that you're supposed 29:38 to keep all of the commandments of God. 29:39 And you have to search for a people who have 29:42 the testimony of Jesus Christ. 29:44 Now the question is, What is the testimony of Jesus Christ? 29:47 Let's go and let Revelation itself explain it. 29:50 Revelation 19:10, Revelation 19:10. 29:55 John says this: And I fell at his feet to worship him. 30:00 Because an angel has appeared to him. 30:02 But he said to me, See that you do not do that: I am your fellow 30:07 servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. 30:13 What do John's brethren have? 30:14 The testimony of Jesus. 30:17 Worship God: for the testimony of Jesus 30:21 is what? is the Spirit of Prophecy. 30:25 In other words, the final remnant, against whom the devil 30:30 launches his final onslaught, will keep the commandments 30:35 of God; all of the commandments of God. 30:38 And will have the testimony of Jesus, 30:40 which is the Spirit of Prophecy. 30:43 The reason why it's called the Spirit of Prophecy is because 30:45 prophecy is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. 30:48 It is the Spirit of Prophecy. 30:50 In other words, they will have the gift of prophecy. 30:54 Now do you remember in Daniel 7: 25, the two things that the 31:00 little horn thought that he could change? 31:03 Go back with me to Daniel 7:25, Daniel 7:25. 31:10 Some of you weren't here on that previous presentation, 31:13 so we need to read this, because it's very, very important. 31:16 It says there in Daniel 7:25: 31:27 Or as the King James says, shall think... 31:34 We've already identified the times as God's prophetic 31:38 sequence of events, God's prophetic calendar. 31:41 The way in which He explains how prophecy will be 31:45 fulfilled in the end times. 31:46 We've already identified the law as the law of God, 31:50 as found in the ten commandments. 31:52 Now, are you seeing something interesting? 31:54 The little horn thinks that he can change the law of God, 31:57 and he thinks that he can change God's prophetic calendar. 32:00 Do you know how God counteracts that? 32:02 He says, Okay, I'm going to raise up a people who keep 32:05 the commandments of God, and who have the gift of prophecy. 32:07 In other words, God raises up a people to undo what 32:12 the little horn tries to do. 32:13 A people who will exalt the ten commandments, 32:16 including the one which the papacy tried to change, 32:19 and which will have the gift of prophecy, 32:22 which shows the true way in which final events will develop 32:27 in Bible prophecy. 32:28 And, by the way, if you're interested in knowing how this 32:31 end time scenario is going to develop, you need to read 32:34 the book, The Great Controversy. 32:36 You can pick up a complimentary copy as you go out 32:39 from the lecture today. 32:40 It's a fabulous book. 32:42 It's a book that was written by Ellen White, and if you read 32:45 that book, particularly the last half of it, you say, Wow, 32:48 it's like she lived right now in these days. 32:52 It's like she was seeing the news that you see on television 32:55 today, because things are developing just like she said. 32:59 And, by the way, this book was published in 1911, 33:04 almost one hundred years ago. 33:08 And what she writes is simply amazing, because God gave this 33:12 gift to the remnant church to show how prophecy will truly 33:16 develop, not the way the little horn said that it would develop. 33:20 Now we need to move on to Revelation 13, 33:24 because Revelation 13 is parallel to Revelation 12. 33:28 Go with me to Revelation 13 and let's follow the 33:32 sequence in this chapter. 33:33 Revelation 13, and we will begin at verse 1. 33:37 Then I stood on the sand of the sea and I saw a beast coming up 33:42 out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, 33:46 and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads 33:49 a blasphemous name. 33:51 Now we could take time to explain every one of these 33:53 symbols, but it would take us far beyond the time period 33:56 that we have here. 33:57 Verse 2 is a critical verse. 34:12 What chapter of the Bible does this make you think of? 34:16 Daniel chapter what? 7! 34:19 Do you have a lion in both chapters? Yes. 34:22 Do you have a bear in both chapters? Yes. 34:25 Do you have a leopard in both chapters? Yes. 34:27 Do you have a dragon in both chapters? 34:29 Does the dragon have ten horns in both chapters? Absolutely! 34:34 So Revelation 13 is following the same sequence as 34:39 Revelation 12. And, by the way, Revelation 13 is beginning 34:43 in the Old Testament, isn't it? 34:45 Because Babylon, Media Persia, and Greece are Old Testament 34:47 powers: the lion, the bear, and the leopard are Old Testament 34:51 powers. And then you move to the dragon with ten horns, 34:54 which is the same dragon with ten horns that tried to kill 34:57 the male child when He was born. 34:59 Are you following the sequence? 35:00 Now let me ask you, which would you expect to be the next 35:03 period in Revelation 13, if it's parallel to Revelation 12? 35:07 You've seen the Old Testament: the dragon. 35:12 The dragon has ten horns, and now the dragon gives his power 35:16 to whom? to the beast. 35:18 How long would you expect the beast to govern? 35:20 How about 1,260 days, if you're following the same sequence? 35:25 Yes, you think so? Absolutely! 35:28 Let's go to Revelation 13:5 and you'll see it. 35:31 Revelation 13:5, it says here in verse 5: 35:40 Is that what the little horn did also? Absolutely! 35:49 Is that the same period as time, times, and the dividing of time? 35:53 Absolutely. Is it the same time period as 1,260 days or years? 35:58 Absolutely! So is Revelation 13 running parallel 36:03 to Revelation 12? Absolutely! 36:05 And parallel to Daniel 7. 36:08 No doubt whatsoever! 36:09 And now I want you to notice verse 7 of Revelation 13. 36:13 Verse 7. 36:18 By the way, did you notice here that in Revelation 12 it says 36:23 that the dragon persecuted the woman? 36:26 Here it says that the beast persecuted the saints. 36:29 This is very important. 36:32 What is the woman? It's the church, Yes. 36:38 In Revelation 12 the woman is called in Revelation 13 what? 36:43 the saints. So what is the woman? the saints. 36:47 Are you understanding me? 36:49 In other words, it is the faithful church of God. 36:52 And so it says in verse 7: 37:03 Remember the waters that the dragon spewed out of his mouth? 37:07 By the way, whose emissary is the beast? 37:09 Whose emissary is the little horn? 37:11 Satan's, and that's why God gives us these two chapters: 37:17 Revelation 12 and 13, because Revelation 12 shows that the 37:21 real power behind the persecution of the church 37:24 is the dragon. But chapter 13 shows us that the dragon 37:29 persecutes the woman through using what? the beast. 37:34 In other words, the beast is the emissary of the dragon. 37:38 Now I want us to go to Revelation 13:10, 37:43 Revelation 13:10. At the end of this period, the year 1798, 37:49 this beast power, this little horn power, was going to receive 37:53 a deadly wound. It says in verse 10: 37:58 In other words he's not going to be able to persecute 38:02 the Saints of the Most High anymore, at least for awhile. 38:11 Here is the patience and the faith of the saints. 38:14 We've already studied about the sword. 38:15 What does the sword represent? 38:17 The sword represents the civil power. 38:19 Romans 13 is the critical chapter; the first 9 verses. 38:24 Do you remember that it is the civil power 38:26 that bears the sword? 38:28 And so this power was going to be wounded by the civil power 38:32 which it had used during its 1,260 years of dominion. 38:36 Let me ask you, when did this happen to the Roman Catholic 38:38 Papacy? 1798. The power was removed from the Roman Catholic 38:44 Papacy. It did not cease to exist as a church, but the civil 38:47 power was removed from it. 38:49 It could no longer use the governments of the world 38:52 to accomplish its purposes. 38:54 And the governments of the world have kept that wound in place 38:58 until this day. But in the United States of America, 39:01 slowly but surely, ironically in this country, 39:05 that wound is being helped to heal by people who have 39:10 religious zeal, by people who are sincere in their hearts. 39:14 They want to moralize America, but they are using the state to 39:18 accomplish their purposes, just like the Papacy did 39:21 during the middle ages. 39:22 In other words, they are forming an image, and a likeness 39:25 to what that first beast did. 39:27 You know Friedrich Nietzsche, the great philosopher, 39:32 once said, Be careful when you fight the dragon, 39:36 lest you become a dragon. 39:39 And I would say that to Christians all over the world 39:44 today. Be careful when you fight the dragon of immorality, 39:50 and corruption in society. 39:52 Beware of the methods you use lest you, in the process, 39:56 also become a dragon. 39:59 Now, we've moved from the Old Testament to the period of Rome; 40:05 Rome divided, 1,260 years. 40:10 This beast receives a deadly wound at the end 40:13 of the 1,260 years. 40:15 Do you remember in Revelation 12 it said that the next stage 40:18 was that the earth helped the woman? 40:20 And then it says that the dragon is enraged with the woman? 40:24 So you have two key words there. 40:27 You have the word earth helped the woman. 40:31 And the second is the earth now, the devil, the dragon, 40:36 persecutes the woman in it's final stage of existence: 40:40 earth and woman. Now notice Revelation 13:11. 40:45 Very interesting! Right after this beast receives its deadly 40:49 wound, notice what we find in Revelation 13:11. It says: 41:02 Is that the same earth of Revelation 12? 41:06 Do you know what the only difference is? 41:08 In Revelation 12 the earth is the territory. 41:11 In Revelation 13 the beast is the nation that arises 41:17 in that territory. Are you following me or not? 41:20 Let me ask you, which was the country in the world that gave 41:24 refuge to those who were persecuted in Europe? 41:26 It was the United States. 41:29 Have you ever heard of the pilgrims that fled 41:31 from Europe, from the persecutions in Europe, 41:34 and came to the United States? 41:35 And, by the way, they then became the persecutors. 41:38 That's a stage that people don't talk much about. 41:42 We talk about the Constitutional stage of the United States, 41:44 but we forget that there's the period, the colonial period, 41:46 when you could be fined and thrown into jail for not going 41:50 to church on Sunday. 41:52 Where you could be fined and thrown into jail if you didn't 41:56 pay your tithes, and I say pay your tithes, in this case. 42:00 Where if you were not a Christian, you could not occupy 42:04 an office in the government. 42:06 Is that the kind of America that you want today? 42:10 Do you want to return to Colonial America? 42:12 That's what many ministers want to do. 42:14 They want to return to Colonial America, 42:17 and not to Constitutional America, 42:20 the America of the founding fathers, so to speak. 42:23 And so in Revelation 12 the earth helps the woman. 42:26 The United States provides refuge for those who are 42:29 persecuted. Persecution ceases. 42:31 But Revelation 12 says that then the dragon is enraged because 42:35 the earth helps the woman. 42:36 Does Revelation 13 say that after this nation rises from the 42:40 earth it will speak like a dragon? 42:42 It most certainly does! 42:43 And, by the way, listen to this. 42:45 In Revelation 12 it says that the dragon is enraged against 42:48 the woman, because she keeps the commandments of God, 42:50 and it has the testimony of Jesus. 42:51 Do you know what the devil is going to do? 42:53 He's going to try and counteract that. 42:55 He's going to try and counteract the commandments of God 42:58 by imposing the mark of the beast, which is the same thing 43:01 as the change in the law in Daniel 7. 43:05 And he's going to try to counteract the testimony 43:08 of Jesus, the gift of prophecy, by raising up the second beast, 43:13 which, by the way, is called the false prophet. 43:17 So he's going to raise up a false prophet in Protestantism 43:21 to try and counteract the true gift of prophecy. 43:24 So you have a play and a counter play. 43:26 During the 1,260 years the devil says, I'm going to use this 43:29 power to change the law, and to change the prophetic times. 43:32 God says, Oh, yeah? 43:33 At the end of this period I will raise up a people who exalt 43:37 the law, and keep the commandments, and they have 43:39 the testimony of Jesus to set prophecy straight. 43:41 And the devil says, Is that right? 43:43 I'm going to launch a final persecution, imposing the 43:46 mark of the beast, and also raising up a false prophet 43:50 to deceive people about how prophecy will develop. 43:54 Lead everybody to look to the Middle East. 43:58 Lead everybody to look to Iraq, while the enemy grows in Rome. 44:04 And where, in the United States, people who are sincere, 44:10 I'm not impugning their motives. 44:13 They're sincere, like king Ahasuerus was sincere, 44:18 in the days of Esther. 44:19 People who don't understand the issues, and think that they 44:24 need to listen to what the religious right in this country 44:28 wants, and to impose by law their will. 44:33 I wish I had time, more time to speak about this. 44:36 We're entering a very dangerous period 44:39 in the history of the United States; 44:41 very dangerous period in the history of this country. 44:45 So do you see how Revelation 12 and 13 follow the same 44:48 sequence? Let me ask you, where are we now? 44:51 The Old Testament is past, Yes? Yeah? 44:58 When the child was born. Past? 45:00 Ten division of Rome. Past? 45:03 1,260 years. Past? 45:06 The earth helping the woman. Past? 45:09 What is the last stage? 45:13 The dragon being what? enraged with the woman, with the remnant 45:19 of her seed, who keep the commandments of God, 45:22 and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. 45:26 So where would God expect, where would we expect God 45:30 to raise His end time church, and when, 45:32 and what characteristics would it have? 45:35 Very simple, the true church has to arise in the United States, 45:41 the earth. The true church has to arise shortly after 1798, 45:46 according to the sequence. 45:48 It has to be a church which teaches that you're supposed 45:51 to keep all of the commandments of God. 45:54 And it is a church that has the true prophetic scenario 45:58 of end time events, as reflected in the book, 46:01 The Great Controversy. 46:02 But there are other characteristics which identify 46:05 this true church. Let's go through them quickly. 46:08 Revelation 14 has God's final message to the world. 46:14 It's called the three angels' message. 46:17 It's actually one message with three parts. 46:19 And we're going to go through several characteristics 46:23 very quickly in Revelation 14 of this end time message. 46:28 And, by the way, this is God's final message to the world. 46:30 You say, how do we know that it's God's final message? 46:32 Listen, it's very simple. 46:33 Because the three angels proclaim their messages 46:36 in Revelation 14:6-12. 46:39 That's where the three angels' messages are found. 46:41 Immediately afterwards, in verse 14, Jesus is seen seated on a 46:46 cloud, and He has a sickle in His hand, and He's going to 46:50 harvest the harvest of the earth, and the grapes 46:52 of the earth. The grapes represent the wicked, 46:55 and the harvest represents the righteous. 46:58 So in other words, the whole world has been divided into 47:02 two groups by the three angels' messages. 47:04 And so this is God's end time message. 47:06 Let me ask you, would you expect there to be a church 47:10 which would proclaim this triple message to the world? 47:13 Would that be the true church? 47:15 The church that is proclaiming God's end time message 47:18 to the world? No doubt whatsoever about it. 47:21 Notice Revelation 14:6: 47:32 Must this be a worldwide church? 47:34 Must it have a worldwide system in order to proclaim 47:38 God's message on a global scale? Yes. 47:42 This can't be some local church somewhere. 47:44 It can't be some denomination that works in only one 47:47 little area of the world. 47:48 It has to be a church which has the capacity to preach the 47:53 gospel to every nation on planet Earth. 47:56 It must be a worldwide church. 47:58 Notice verse 7. It says in verse 7: 48:05 I wish I had time to refer to that. 48:07 Fear God means to keep His commandments. 48:11 In the Old Testament, time and again, as well as in the New, 48:14 when the expression: fear God, is used, it is linked with 48:17 keeping God's law, with keeping God's commandments. 48:21 So this first angel is saying, Fear God, 48:23 that is keep His commandments. 48:25 Give glory to Him for the hour of His judgment will come. 48:31 Thank you, thank you. 48:33 The hour of His judgment has come, or is come. 48:37 Let me ask you, will the true church teach that we are now 48:40 living in the judgment? Absolutely! 48:43 So you have to look for a church who teaches that we are now 48:46 living in the judgment; the judgment of the righteous, 48:49 which God is separating the righteous from the unrighteous, 48:52 because when He comes, He's going to take the 48:54 righteous to heaven, so He has to separate them first 48:57 in order to take them home when He comes. 49:01 The hour of His judgment has come. 49:04 And, by the way, along with the doctrine of the judgment 49:07 this church has to teach that the dead are dead. 49:11 You say, why is this? 49:12 Well, it's actually very simple. 49:14 You don't have to be king Solomon to figure it out. 49:16 If God celebrates the judgment at a certain point in time, 49:22 then people didn't go to hell or to heaven when they died. 49:25 Because if they went to heaven or hell when they died, 49:29 they already were judged. 49:31 Are you understanding what I am saying? 49:33 So implicit here is the idea that the true church will teach 49:37 that we are in the judgment, and therefore the dead 49:41 know not anything. 49:43 And, by the way, the first angel continues saying, And worship 49:47 Him who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, 49:51 and the springs of water. 49:52 That is a quotation that comes from the fourth commandment 49:56 of the law of God. 49:57 This church will call people to keep God's Holy Sabbath. 50:01 They will proclaim it to the world; 50:05 to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people. 50:08 Notice the second angel's message, verse 8: 50:23 What will the remnant church do? 50:24 They will call God's people to come out of where? 50:28 To come out of Babylon. 50:30 By the way, do you know what Babylon is? 50:32 Revelation 16, I'll just mention the verse. 50:35 Revelation 16:13 says that Babylon has three parts: 50:40 the dragon, which we've already seen represents Satan, 50:44 but it represents the political powers of the world that Satan 50:47 uses; the civil powers joining the religious power. 50:51 The dragon, the beast,... 50:53 What does the beast represent? 50:55 We've studied this before. 50:56 It represents the Roman Catholic Papacy, 50:58 not individual Catholics. 51:01 Most of God's true people are within the Catholic Church. 51:04 That does not make the Catholic Church the true church. 51:07 Actually, during the 1,260 years, the Roman Catholic Church 51:13 persecuted. Are you following me or not? 51:18 It was the persecutor, not the persecuted. 51:22 And so I want you to notice here that you have the dragon, 51:27 you have the beast, and you have the false prophet. 51:30 What does the false prophet represent? 51:32 It represents apostate Protestantism as it is found 51:35 primarily where? in the United States of America, 51:38 which is going to join the beast to enforce by law what? 51:44 the mark of the beast. 51:46 So is the true church going to call God's true children out of 51:50 these three powers? 51:52 Out of secularism, so to speak? 51:54 Out of the Papal system, out of apostate Protestantism, 52:00 to join God's remnant church. 52:02 Absolutely, according to Bible prophecy, this is exactly 52:06 what was going to happen. 52:07 And then the third angel's message warns about the beast, 52:12 his image, and about receiving the mark of the beast. 52:17 If you want to know what the true church is, you have to find 52:19 the church that is talking to you about the beast, 52:22 about the image of the beast, and that is talking to you about 52:26 the mark of the beast. 52:27 And we've already identified the mark of the beast as that 52:31 mark that the Roman Catholic Papacy says that it has, 52:34 and that is that it has changed God's law, 52:37 in their mind at least, from Sabbath to Sunday. 52:40 And they say, this is the mark of our power, because only God 52:45 could change His Holy Law. 52:47 And so it has to be a system that warns people, a religious 52:53 organization, the church which warns people about these 52:58 apostate powers. And folks, I know it is not politically 53:02 correct to do this. 53:03 But it's not a time for political correctness when 53:07 people's spiritual lives and eternal destiny is in play. 53:13 We need to speak out, not because we hate people, 53:17 we love people in all of these systems. 53:20 And that's why God calls them out incidentally. 53:23 In Revelation 18:4 God says, Come out of her my people. 53:28 Come out of Babylon, my people. 53:30 Isn't it marvelous that God has people in Babylon? 53:32 Would He ever call them out if He didn't have 53:34 people in Babylon? 53:35 Most of His people are in Babylon. 53:38 And let me tell you something, Adventists, do you know that 53:42 the Bible teaches that most of those who are in the Adventist 53:45 Church will eventually leave? 53:49 But the Adventist Church will not see any decrease, 53:54 because the places of those who left will be taken by those who 54:00 come in from all of these religious systems 54:02 to embrace the truth of God. 54:06 So we've noticed several characteristics 54:09 of the remnant church. 54:10 I'll tell you, there's only one church in the world 54:11 that fits these specifications. 54:14 What are the specifications? 54:16 Well, let's review them. 54:18 First of all it must be a church of the same stock of the church 54:23 of all ages. It must be built upon the teachings of 54:26 the apostles, and the prophets; all the New Testament. 54:29 It must be in harmony with the true church in all ages. 54:34 2. It must reappear after the fall of the Papacy in 1798. 54:39 3. It must arise where the earth is. 54:43 In the United States of America. 54:45 4. It must keep the commandments of God; all of them. 54:51 It must have in its midst the gift of prophecy; 54:55 the Spirit of Prophecy. 54:56 6. It must be a global, worldwide church. 55:01 7. It must preach that we are now in the hour 55:06 of God's judgment. 55:07 It must preach God's Holy Sabbath. 55:11 Are you following me? 55:13 Are you starting to catch a picture here? 55:15 It must call God's true children out of these apostate religious 55:19 systems, and it must have as its foundation the pillar 55:25 of the truth that we find in God's Holy Word. 55:29 Now some people might be wondering, Pastor Bohr, 55:33 is it really important that I join the church? 55:37 Yes, it is. Let me tell you why in closing. 55:42 Go with me to Acts 2:41, Acts 2:41. 55:49 Here it's speaking about the harvest of souls that came 55:54 on the day of Pentecost. 55:55 It says in chapter 2 and verse 41: 56:03 What happened with those who received the word? 56:06 They were what? They were baptized. 56:16 What does that mean? 56:17 When they were baptized 3,000 souls were added to them. 56:21 Go with me to verse 47. It says: 56:34 What does it mean, added to them? 56:36 It means to be added to the what? 56:38 It means to be added to the church. 56:40 And baptism means two things. 56:42 It means joining Christ, and it also means joining His body, 56:46 which is the church. 56:47 Colossians 1:18 says that the body of Christ is the church. 56:52 And in 1 Corinthians 12:13, we're told that it's through 56:57 baptism that we join the body of Jesus Christ. 57:01 What a wonderful privilege it is to belong to God's remnant 57:04 church in these last times, to proclaim His message 57:07 to the world, to prepare a people for the glorious 57:11 second coming of Jesus Christ in power and in glory. |
Revised 2014-12-17