Participants: Pastor Stephen Bohr
Series Code: CGC
Program Code: CGC000034
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01:10 In our last lecture, we studied about
01:15 the mission of Jesus. 01:17 We noticed Jesus had to come to this world, 01:23 basically to accomplish two things. 01:28 Number one, to live a life without sin. 01:33 Number two, to die for sin. 01:38 Jesus accomplished his mission. 01:42 Let us pray, father in heaven, as we open your word today, 01:45 We ask for the precents of your holy spirit. Give us clarity 01:49 of thought, and receptive hearts. 01:52 We pray in Jesus' name. Amen 01:57 Let's begin our study in the book of Psalms reviewing what we 02:01 studied in our last lecture. 02:03 Psalms 8:3-5 02:07 It says here... 03:17 God placed Adam as king on planet Earth. 03:23 As we noticed in our last study Adam allowed himself to be 03:28 Over come by an enemy, the devil. 03:31 On the mount of temptation, 03:34 according to Luke 4:5-7 03:38 Jesus, embattled with Satan. Satan says to Christ 03:41 when he shows him all he kingdoms of the world 03:45 All of the kingdoms of the world will I give to you 03:50 because they have been delivered unto me and to whom ever 03:55 I wish, I give them. 03:58 In other words, this world had a new king 04:02 and the territory was taken over by Satan. 04:07 The human race needed a 04:11 redeemer. The problem is, that scripture tells us that every 04:15 single descendent of Adam also 04:19 became a servant to this new 04:21 king, a servant of Satan. 04:24 We find in the book of Romans 3:10 04:43 In other words, all of the descendents of Adam, also became 04:47 servants or slaves of Satan. There was no one within the 04:52 human race that could recover, that which was lost. 04:56 The human race needed a redeemer 05:01 and of course, the redeemer appeared. 05:05 I need to tell you something about the redeemer 05:09 and who he needed to be. 05:12 Turn with me to Leviticus 25, and 05:16 notice a characteristic of those who could redeem the lost 05:22 possession of their relatives. 05:24 Notice Leviticus 25:25. 05:29 What would happen if somebody sold 05:32 his inheritance in Israel? Their plot of land? 05:37 What would happen if a Israelite sold himself into slavery? 05:41 There was a way in which everything could be recovered 05:44 There were laws of redemption among the Hebrews 05:47 I want you to notice in 25:25, 05:53 what happened when an 05:54 individual sold his land. 06:27 The word redeemed here, is a Hebrew word that means to buy 06:31 back, by paying a price. 06:34 In other words, if an individual sold his inheritance 06:37 the only way to get it back, is if a next of kin or close 06:42 relative, preferably a brother, would pay the price 06:46 to buy it back. 06:48 Notice verses 48-49, what would happen if a person sold himself 06:52 into slavery or sold herself into slavery. 06:56 It says in Leviticus 25:48-49 07:27 The only person who could redeem a lost possession 07:30 and who could redeem a slave from bondage, was a relative 07:36 paying the price to buy back, that, which had been lost. 07:41 The problem is, there was no one in the human race who 07:45 had not sold his possession. 07:48 There was no one in the human race that had not become a slave 07:52 of Satan. The human race needed a redeemer, but there was 07:56 no one within history who could perform the work of redemption 08:03 Notice what we find in John 1:1 and 3. 08:09 Speaking about Jesus here 08:11 It says there... 08:35 In other words, the bible tells us that Jesus the creator was 08:37 God. Now, did Jesus belong to our family? 08:42 Did he belong to the human race when he created this world? 08:46 No he didn't. He belonged to God's family, not ours. 08:51 So, Jesus could not fulfill the laws of redemption, because 08:55 Jesus was not our next of kin. 08:59 He did not belong to our lineage. In order to redeem the 09:04 human race, in order to redeem us from slavery, and buy back 09:09 the lost possession, he had to be our blood brother. 09:14 Flesh of our flesh and bone of our bone. 09:17 Which he was not when he created the world because he was God. 09:22 The human race needed a human being to redeem, what was lost. 09:27 That's why we find in John 1:14, we find these words 09:52 In other words, Jesus who was God, became man. 09:56 He became part of our lineage. Now, he could fulfill 10:01 the laws of redemption, because he was one of us. 10:06 In fact, we find this very interesting characteristics 10:10 in Revelation 22:16, we are told that Jesus is 10:16 the root and offspring of David. 10:22 Now, you tell me. Is it possible for me to be 10:28 father of my son and son of my son? 10:33 You say, that is ridiculous pastor. That can't be 10:37 Yet, Jesus is the father of David 10:42 and also the son of David 10:44 He is the father of David by creation and the son of David 10:48 as man. Do you know that we 10:52 have the same characteristic 10:54 as we talk about Abraham? You read Matthew 1:1. 11:00 We are told there that Jesus is the son of Abraham. 11:06 Yet, in John 8:58, we find Jesus 11:10 meeting with the Jewish leaders 11:21 Do you notice this very interesting characteristic? 11:23 Jesus is the father of David and He is the son of David. 11:28 Jesus is the father of Abraham and He is the son of Abraham. 11:32 He's the father of David and Abraham as God. He is the son 11:36 of David and Abraham as man. He incorporated Himself 11:41 into the human race. 11:45 We notice, in our last lecture 11:49 Jesus came down to this world, took our flesh, our blood 11:54 took our nature, battled with Satan, lived a perfect life 11:59 died the death all of us should die, 12:04 and as He hung on the cross 12:06 He said, Father it is finished. Into your hands I command 12:11 my spirit. He was saying, father you have promised to raise me 12:14 from the dead, if I am faithful. I am placing my existence 12:19 into your hands. Into your hands I commit my spirit. 12:24 Then He rested in the tomb on Sabbath, early on the first day 12:29 of the week, that mighty angel descended from heaven 12:32 rolled away the stone, and said. Oh, thou son of God 12:35 thy father calleth thee, and suddenly out of the tomb 12:40 comes Jesus, proclaiming those words, I am the resurrection 12:44 and the life. 12:47 We noticed in our last study together that Jesus did not come 12:50 out of the grave by Himself. 12:53 According to Matthew 27:51-53 12:57 Go there with me, just for a moment. 13:03 We find this interesting description about those who 13:07 resurrected with Christ. It says there... 13:49 Have you ever wondered what happened to those people 13:54 who resurrected with Jesus? 13:58 Some people ask, did they die again? 14:01 Where did they go? 14:04 What did they do? They appear to disappear from history 14:10 This morning, we are going to talk about this group of people. 14:16 After Jesus resurrected with this group of individuals, 14:20 We are told in Acts 1:3, 14:23 that Jesus spent 40 days 14:28 upon this earth. He showed Himself after His passion. 14:32 To many of his disciples with infallible proofs, it says there 14:37 For 40 days, He was there with his disciples. 14:40 At the end of the 40 days, we find Jesus gathered with His 14:46 disciples on the Mount of Olives. 14:49 He will bid farewell to His disciples. Now you can imagine 14:52 what this must have been like. 14:55 33 years earlier, Jesus had gathered the heavenly angels 15:00 and the heavenly beings, and said, I'm going down to that 15:03 little planet and I'm going to do battle with the enemy. 15:05 I'm going to take away the throne he robbed from Adam 15:08 and I'm going to recover the territory. I'm going to live a 15:10 life without sin, I'm going to die to pay the debt for them. 15:15 Now, 33 years later, having come forth from the tomb 15:19 victorious He is going to return. How do you suppose the 15:23 heavenly beings felt? Do you think they were waiting to 15:27 welcome Him? Absolutely, no doubt We are going to talk about 15:31 the welcoming party in a few moments. Let's read about the 15:35 assention of Christ. 15:36 Notice, Acts 1:9-11. 16:17 Do you notice a cloud received Jesus out of their sight? 16:22 What was that cloud? 16:24 That cloud was a cloud of angels 16:30 Now Jesus departs from planet earth, 16:33 and He ascends to heaven. 16:36 What must that reception been like? Who was waiting for this 16:42 war hero to return? Jesus was a war hero. He had the scars to 16:48 prove it. He was wounded in battle. Now he comes back 16:53 to where He had left 33 years before. What was that reception 16:57 like? We have a clear description in the Bible. 17:01 Turn to Revelation 4. 17:07 We are going to move though this very 17:10 quickly. Revelation 4, is the preparation of the heavenly 17:15 throne room for the reception of Jesus. You need to have that 17:20 in mind. It's the preparation of the heavenly throne room 17:23 for Jesus, before Jesus actually arrives. 17:27 Notice Revelation 4:1. 17:49 John is shown a door opened in heaven. 17:53 Last I knew, a door 17:56 leads into a building. The question, where did that door 18:00 lead into? I want to leave that question with you for now. 18:03 There was a door in heaven, not the door of heaven. 18:06 this is a door in heaven. There is a certain building in heaven 18:11 where this door leads into, John sees this door open in heaven 18:16 What does he see inside this door? 18:19 Notice verse two... It says in verse two 18:55 Where did Jesus go when he ascended to heaven? 18:57 To what location did Jesus go? 19:01 If you read Revelation 3:21, go with me to the previous 19:05 chapter for a moment. 19:32 Now we have a problem in Revelation 4:2 19:37 We are told there, there is only one who is seated on the throne 19:43 It becomes clear as we study this that the one that is seated 19:47 on the throne is God the Father and He is by himself 19:51 and immediately we ask the question, Where was Jesus? 19:57 If he ascended and sat at the right hand of God on his throne 20:02 Why is He absent in Rev. 4:2? 20:06 It must be, He has not arrived. 20:12 Lets go to verse three... 20:30 Lets go to verse four... 21:04 We are going to talk about this verse in our next lecture 21:08 The 24 elders. There are many interesting characteristics in 21:13 this verse. First of all. they have crowns and they sit on 21:15 thrones, so they must be what? They must be kings. 21:19 The question is, kings of where? 21:22 They also have white apparel. They are not angels 21:26 because we are not told in scripture that angels have crown 21:30 and sit on thrones and angels are always standing in the 21:34 presence of God, they are in movement. 21:37 You say, Who were these 24 elders, who were called 21:41 together in God's reception room? 21:45 Notice what we find in verse 6.. 22:12 I want you to imagine this. There's one sitting on throne 22:14 Around the throne, there are 24 thrones with 24 elders 22:19 In the midst of the throne, you find the four living creatures 22:24 Now, who were these four living creatures? Go with me to verse 22:27 8, to help us interpret who they are. Verse 8 says... 22:53 Two characteristics, 1, they have six wings. Number 2, they 22:55 sing holy,holy,holy. 22:57 Go back to the book of Isaiah 6. 23:01 This is the chapter that describes the call of Isaiah 23:07 Notice some interesting characteristic that we find here 23:11 Isaiah 6:1-3 It says there. 23:59 So, who are the four living creatures? They are seraphims. 24:02 If you go to Ezekiel chapter 10 and 11, you'll notice that the 24:05 cherubim are also described in very similar terminology 24:09 it seems as though the cherubim and the seraphim are there 24:12 in the immediate presence of God in the midst of the throne 24:15 You have the seraphim in the midst of the throne the 24 elder 24:20 on thrones around the throne, 24:22 and you have beyond that the one 24:26 seated upon the throne, but Jesus is missing. 24:30 Do you know what else is missing in chapter four? 24:33 There is no reference to the angelic host. 24:37 Impossible, that John wouldn't have seen the angels. 24:41 There are ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of them 24:46 according to the Bible, yet, we notice that in chapter 4 24:51 they are totally absent. 24:53 Notice the hymn that is sung to the one sitting on the throne. 24:58 Go to chapter 4 and verse 10. 25:01 The four and twenty elders fell down before Him, that sits 25:06 on the throne and worshiped Him that liveth forever and ever 25:09 and cast their crowns before the throne, saying: 25:30 The hymn sung in honor of the one seated on the throne, 25:34 is sung because He is the, what? 25:36 He is the creator. If you look in chapter 4, you find no 25:42 reference to redemption. 25:45 All of the references have to do with creation. You say pastor 25:49 You said that Jesus was the creator. If this is the Father 25:52 it says, the Father is the creator. You'll notice that the 25:55 Father devises the plan and Jesus implemented the plan 25:58 Lets read carefully, the last part of verse 11... 26:01 ...and for thy pleasure they are and were created. 26:06 It was by the authority of the Father, that Jesus created 26:10 Jesus was the active agent in creation, but the plan was 26:14 devised by the absolute monarch of the universe, God the Father. 26:19 So, chapter 4 ends. 26:23 One sitting on the throne, in the midst of the throne, 26:27 cherubim and seraphim, around the throne 24 elders. 26:32 No reference to redemption, Jesus doesn't appear in chapter 26:37 4 In fact, the angelic host is absent, and you say. Where was 26:41 Jesus and where were the angels? 26:45 Is it perhaps true, that Jesus 26:49 and the angels were not there 26:52 because the angels had come 26:56 to this earth to pick up 26:59 Christ? 27:02 I'll leave that question in your mind for a few moments. 27:05 Lets go to chapter 5. 27:09 And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne 27:15 a book. A better translation is 'a scroll'. 27:20 They wrote books 27:22 on scrolls. They didn't have codices like we have. 27:40 Could the contents of that scroll be read 27:44 if the scroll remained sealed? Of course not. 27:47 In order to read the contents of the scroll, you would have to 27:51 break the seals and then open the scroll to reveal what it 27:55 contains. You have this scroll sealed with seven seals 27:59 Verse two... 28:16 Who is worthy to break the seals and to reveal the contents 28:21 of the scroll? A better translation would be, 28:24 Who is qualified? 28:29 Who has the necessary characteristics? 28:33 To break the seals and open the scroll and reveal the contents? 28:38 Now there's a crisis. Notice verse 3. 29:15 Obviously, not even God the Father 29:17 was qualified to open that scroll. It says no one 29:22 in heaven. At that time we just read that the Father 29:26 was in heaven. Even the Father was not qualified. 29:30 He was qualified to receive praise as the creator. 29:33 He was not qualified to break the seals and read the scroll. 29:41 When this crisis ensues, 29:43 John is very, very concerned 29:48 and worried. Notice verse 4. 30:30 A universal crisis. How many of you believe that there was 30:33 something was very important in that scroll? 30:37 Do you think John would just start crying over nothing? 30:39 Just because he was curious to know what was in the scroll? 30:42 John knew what was in that scroll. Now what was in it? 30:47 Allow me just to say that 30:50 Romans wrote their wills and 30:55 testaments in the exact way that is described in Rev. 5. 30:59 They would write the testament or will on a scroll 31:02 Then they would put seven pieces of string around the scroll 31:06 then they would put a blob of wax or wet clay where the 31:10 two ends of the string met. The clay or the wax would 31:15 stick to the scroll and the two ends of the string 31:18 that way they would know if someone had tampered with the 31:22 will. Can just anyone open a will? 31:27 Must there be someone who is qualified to open the will? 31:32 Somebody must be qualified. What does a will reveal? 31:37 A will reveals who is going to what? Who is going to inherit 31:43 and what they are going to inherit. John knows that this 31:48 scroll is a will. Allow me to read you a couple of statements 31:54 quickly from scholars, about this scroll. 31:58 First of all, I'm going to read from Ranko Stefanovic 32:00 "Revelation of Jesus Christ", pg 197 is very recent book 32:04 He explains how in the Roman Empire they would prepare these 32:09 scrolls and how they would put the strings around and they 32:13 would seal it. He says this... 33:02 We know that is the way Roman wills were prepared. 33:05 I would like to read statement by Kenneth Strand 33:08 in his book "Interpreting the Book of Revelation" pg 55 33:11 He dedicated years and years to the study the book of Revelation 33:16 in fact, the literary structure we study today is due in great 33:20 degree to Kenneth Strand. He says this on page 55 in his book 33:24 about the contents of this scroll. 34:24 If the scroll remained sealed, no one inherits the lost 34:26 possession. Everyone is lost in the mind of John. 34:31 So, John is wailing because the human race is lost 34:34 There is no one that can open the will to reveal its contents. 34:41 Then comes the good news. 34:44 Notice Revelation 5:5. 35:25 The lamb has overcome, he has prevailed, he is worthy 35:27 because of what he did, he is worthy and qualified to break 35:32 the seals to open the will to reveal who will inherit the lost 35:37 inheritance and lost possession. 35:40 In verse 6, we find a strange scene. That lion who can open 35:46 the scroll, is actually a lamb. Notice verse 6... 36:18 Where did the lamb come from? It wasn't there in chapter 4. 36:21 Suddenly, John sees a lamb in the midst of the throne. 36:22 Obviously, between chapter 4 and chapter 5 he arrives. 36:26 We have evidence for that. Notice verse 7... 36:39 Notice that Jesus comes to the one that is seated on the throne 36:42 Question is, where did he come from? 36:47 Lets go back to verse 6 37:07 This lamb now come into the presence of God as though he had 37:11 been slain. Where was he slain? He was slain on planet earth. 37:16 He was slain in the battle. 37:21 Allow me to read you a couple very 37:23 interesting statements that we find in the spirit of prophecy 37:27 on this scroll. The first of these is found in 37:32 Manuscript Releases, vol 9, pg 7 37:36 She says about the contents of this scroll. 38:31 The scroll contains a complete record of human history. 38:35 The decision that each individual and each nation have 38:40 made within the course of history which will reveal what 38:44 they will inherit. Are you understanding what I am saying? 38:49 I thank the Lord we have one more statement from the writings 38:53 of Ellen White about this scroll. It is found in 38:57 Christ Object Lessons pg 294. 39:00 She describes a precise historical 39:04 assurance that is written in that scroll. Remember when 39:07 Pontius Pilate brought Jesus forth and placed him next to 39:12 Barabbas, and he said chose who you want. Jesus or Barabbas. 39:16 The crowd, instigated by the religious leaders, said release 39:21 unto us Barabbas. Do you know what happened at that moment? 39:27 Allow me to read it. She says, thus the Jewish leaders made 39:31 their choice. Their decision 39:34 was registered in the book 39:37 that John saw in the hand of Him that sat upon the throne. 39:41 The book which no man could open. 39:45 Notice this. 40:02 Question... Ellen White wrote this around 1900, had the scroll 40:06 been opened in 1900 yet? 40:10 No, because Ellen White saying in 40:12 the day when this scroll will be opened by the lion of the 40:16 tribe of Judea. Furthermore, where are those people who 40:20 said, release unto us Barabbas and crusify Jesus. Where are 40:23 they now? They are in the grave. So, in order to see the decision 40:28 that has been written in the book it would have to be, what? 40:31 They would have to be alive. When are they going to be alive? 40:37 Actually, after the millennium. I don't have time to dwell 40:42 on this point. It is very interesting if you read the book 40:45 The Great Controversy, pg 666-668, approximately 40:49 Ellen White describes, after the millennium this huge 40:53 panorama of the holy city where the whole history of the human 40:55 race is seen. She says from Adam to the very close of human 40:59 history The experience of Christ while he was on earth and how he 41:05 was miss treated by the religious leaders. All of this 41:08 appears above the holy city. This is the actual unfurling of 41:13 the scroll because all of human history is being seen. Who is 41:18 going to inherit the lost possession and who is not because of the choice 41:23 that has been made in human history, but if this scroll 41:26 remains sealed, no one will inherit anything. 41:30 Everybody is doomed. 41:32 I want to go farther in this chapter 5 41:37 It says here in verse 7, and he went and took the book out of 41:42 the right hand of him that sat upon the throne. Now notice... 42:41 What is it that qualified Jesus to regain the lost possession 42:45 and to deliver his people from slavery? The fact that he became 42:49 one of us and died on the cross to pay the price of redemption 42:54 Therefore, when he unfurls the scroll it will be revealed 42:58 who will inherit life and who, as a result of rejecting Christ, 43:04 will receive the sentence of death. 43:10 Then suddenly, in verse 11, we find something very interesting. 43:15 Suddenly the angels appear. Impossible that John would not 43:20 have seen the angels in chapter 4. Notice verse 11. 43:45 Where did they come from? Where did Jesus come from? 43:47 In chapter 4, you have only one seated on the throne, you have 43:51 the 24 elders, you have the living creatures, and the one on 43:55 throne being praised because he is the creator. In chapter 5, 43:59 says that the lamb comes. Where do you think he is coming from? 44:04 He is coming from the earth, where he has been involved in a 44:07 battle. He has the scars to prove it. 44:10 He is being brought back to heaven by the angels. That were 44:14 sent to pick him up. Remember the cloud that received Jesus 44:18 and He ascends to the heavenly city. In chapter 5, he enters 44:22 into the presence of the Father and the purpose is to unfurl 44:26 the scroll to show that he will be able to bring his people back 44:31 because of what he has done on earth. 44:35 I want you to notice the hymn in verse 12. All these hymns are 44:40 hymns of redemption. Suddenly, redemption comes to view. 44:43 In the chapter 4, creation. Here, redemption. Verse 12. 45:18 They're praising the lamb, because he has redeemed 45:20 Now he is coming into the presence of his father to open 45:24 the last will and testament of the human race to reveal 45:27 those that he will be able to bring home with him. 45:33 Is your name there? 45:38 Very important question? 45:40 I'd like to read an extensive 45:44 passage from the Desire of Ages. 45:50 I want you to notice how Ellen White caught the significance 45:54 of what we talked about. How Jesus on earth, and in chapter 4 46:00 Heaven is being prepared for the return of the war hero. 46:04 The one, who by shedding his blood, and living a perfect life 46:08 has made it possible for me to appear before my father 46:12 in his righteousness and who suffered the death penalty 46:16 that I should suffer. Thus winning back a lost inheritance 46:21 and won my deliverance from slavery. 46:26 Then in chapter five Jesus comes into the presence of his father 46:31 brought by the angels and all of the hymns are in honor of 46:35 the redeemer and all of the angels are singing in honor of 46:38 the redeemer and the 24 elders and the four living creatures 46:41 as well. Allow me to read this statement. It is powerful. 46:47 This is in Desire of Ages, that classic book pgs 832-834. 46:53 She says this. 46:55 All heaven was waiting to 47:00 welcome the savior to the 47:02 celestial courts. I like that. I can imagine them saying, 47:07 "He's coming back". 47:09 He was gone 33 years, he defeated that old foe, he bought 47:14 it back, and they're ready for the party. 47:19 She says, he led the way and the multitude of captives 47:24 set free at his resurrection followed 47:28 Now we know who those people are that resurrected and where they 47:32 went. They were following Jesus like a general, he is delivered 47:37 from the hands of the enemy. Now he is coming back as a general. 47:42 Victorious, a war hero. Behind him are all of those 47:47 individuals who resurrected from the tomb. 47:52 She says, the heavenly host with shouts and acclamations of 47:57 praise and celestial song attended the joyous train. 48:01 Did you notice, the heavenly host attended the joyous train. 48:06 That means they are coming up with Jesus. 48:08 That's why their not in chapter four. 48:11 They came to get Jesus. 48:15 There was no one on earth, under earth 48:19 or in heaven, but Jesus was on his way at this point. 48:22 She continues saying, as they 48:25 drew near to the city of God 48:30 the escorting angels cry out, 48:33 Lift up your heads, oh ye gates 48:38 and be ye lift up your ever- lasting doors the King of glory 48:42 shall come in. 48:45 Joyfully, the waiting sentinels respond, Who is this King of 48:50 glory? This they say, not because they know not who he is, 48:54 but because they will hear the answer of exhausted praise. 48:57 The Lord, strong and mighty. The Lord mighty in battle 49:01 Why would it say the Lord mighty in battle? 49:04 Because he just came back from the battle and he has the scars 49:07 to prove it, but he's alive. 49:12 So, the answer comes, the Lord strong and mighty 49:14 the Lord mighty in battle, lift up your heads, all ye gates 49:17 even lift them up ye everlasting doors and the King of glory 49:21 shall come in. Again, is heard the challenge, Who is this King 49:25 of glory? For the angels never weary hearing his name exalted. 49:28 The escorting angels make the reply, Lord of hosts, he 49:33 is the King of glory. Then the portals of the city 49:37 of God are opened wide, and the angelic throng sweep through 49:41 the gates, amid the burst of rapturous music. 49:44 This whole scene is taking place of the holy place of 49:48 the sanctuary. That's the throne room. How do we know 49:53 that? I'll go though it quickly before I finish reading this 49:55 statement. In Revelation chapter 4, it said that the seven 50:00 candlesticks are there in front of the throne The candlesticks 50:03 were in the holy place. Besides that, cups with incense are 50:07 there in the holy place, according to Rev. 5:8. That's 50:12 the golden alter which was in the holy place. The reception 50:15 room is in the holy place. In 1844, there was another party. 50:19 Everybody moved from the holy to the most holy. 50:24 Notice what she continues saying Then the portals of the city 50:27 of God are opened wide and the angelic throng sweep through 50:30 the gates amid the burst of rapturous music. Notice this. 50:35 There is the throne and around it the rainbow of promise 50:41 There are cherubim and seraphims. See Ellen White 50:44 doesn't say living creatures, she interprets it. She says 50:47 cherubim and seraphims. In fact we are going to notice 50:51 that Rev 4 and 5 speaks about one seated on the throne. 50:55 It doesn't identify him, but Ellen White says it's the 50:58 Father. Ellen White interprets what these groups are. 51:03 She says, there are cherubim and seraphim Then what about the 51:07 24 elders, we'll come back to that later. The commanders of 51:11 the angel hosts, the sons of God, the representatives of 51:16 the unfallen worlds are assembled. 51:20 Wow! An invitation was given 51:24 to all of the representatives 51:27 of the unfallen worlds, the sinless worlds. Each one of them 51:31 has their Adam, so to speak. She says the heavenly 51:35 counsel before which Lucifer had accused God and his son 51:38 The representatives of those sinless realms over which Satan 51:42 had thought to establish his dominion. All are there to 51:47 welcome the redeemer. They are eager to celebrate his triumph 51:51 and glorify their King. 51:54 He waves them back. Not yet 51:58 he can not now receive the coronet of glory and royal robe 52:02 He enters into the presence of his Father, Rev 5:7. 52:05 He enters into the presence of his Father, He points to 52:09 his wounded head, to his pierced side, the marred feet 52:13 He is presenting himself, as a what? As a lamb, Revelation says 52:17 Lamb, Ellen White says the wounds of Jesus. Ellen White is 52:22 interpreting this. She is explaining the symbols. She says 52:25 he points to his wounded head, the pierced side the marred feet 52:29 He lifts his hands barring the print of the nails, he points 52:34 to the tokens of his triumph, he presents to God the wavesheff 52:38 those raised with him as representatives of that great 52:42 multitude, who shall come forth from the grave at his second 52:45 coming. 52:47 Now with a down payment. 52:50 There's a little sample, of all 52:55 the redeemed that come forth 52:57 from the grave when Jesus returns because of what he has 53:04 done. She says, he approaches the Father. The one on the 53:08 throne is the Father. With whom there is joy over one sinner who 53:13 repents Who rejoices over one with singing. Before the 53:18 foundation of the earth were laid, the Father and the Son had 53:21 united in a covenant to redeem man if he should be overcome by 53:24 Satan. They had clasped their hands in a solemn pledge that 53:30 Christ should become the surety for the human race. This pledge 53:34 Christ has fulfilled. When upon the cross he cried 53:38 out it is finished, he addressed the Father, the compact 53:43 had been fully carried out. Now, he declares. 53:46 Remember we talked about the will? It reveal who will be with 53:50 him. The passion of Jesus is that opening of the scroll 53:53 revealing who he legally has a right to bring back. 53:59 She says, Now he declares 54:04 Father, it is finished 54:05 I have done thy will, oh mighty God. I have completed the 54:09 work of redemption. If thy justice is satisfied, thy will 54:14 that they also who thou hast given me, be with me where I am. 54:21 There you have it. I want now the assurance that my people 54:24 can come home with me someday, because of what I have done 54:28 That they will get back the lost inheritance, once again 54:32 regain dominion, I need that assurance, Father. 54:36 The voice of God is, proclaiming that justice is satisfied. 54:41 Satan is vanquished. Christ's toiling struggling ones on earth 54:46 are accepted in the beloved. Before the heavenly angels 54:51 and the representatives of the unfallen worlds, they are 54:55 declared, they are justified. Where he is, there his church 55:00 shall be. Mercy and truth are met together, righteousness and 55:05 peace have kissed each other. The Fathers arm encircle his son 55:10 and the word is given, Let all the angels of God worship him. 55:18 With joy unutterable, rulers and principalities, and powers 55:23 acknowledge the supremacy of the Prince of Light. The angel 55:27 hosts prostrate themselves before him, while the glad shout 55:31 out, fills throughout heaven. Worthy is the lamb that is slain 55:36 to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength 55:39 and honor and glory and blessing Revelation 5:12, in case 55:44 you are wondering what Ellen White is commenting on here. 55:47 She says Songs of triumph mingle with the music from angel harps 55:51 until heaven seems to overflow with joy and praise 55:55 love has conquered, the lost is found, heaven rings with voices 56:00 and lofty strains proclaiming, blessing and honor and glory 56:05 and power be unto him that sit upon the throne and on to the 56:09 lamb for ever and ever. 56:13 Would you have liked to have been there? Well let me tell you 56:17 something, there's going to be an even greater party very soon. 56:23 This party, all of the redeemed 56:28 will join in the celebration 56:31 Remember the parable of the lost sheep? We usually think of 56:34 that when somebody goes astray from the church. You have to go 56:37 and bring them back to church. The greater application of this 56:40 parable, is that the 99 that are secure are the worlds that 56:44 worlds that never sinned. The one sheep that went astray 56:48 is another world. The sheperd leaving the safety of the fold 56:51 to seek for the lost one, represents Jesus coming to this 56:55 dangerous earth to recover this world. 56:59 The bringing back of the sheep, where there is a party 57:03 in the household, represents Jesus bringing all the redeemed 57:07 back to heaven. Once again the angels will come to planet earth 57:10 with Jesus. Jesus and the angels make a trip back to 57:14 heaven with all of the redeemed. I pray to God, 57:20 that we will all be there. That we are making our 57:24 reservation and our plan. May God bless us. |
Revised 2014-12-17