Participants: Pastor Stephen Bohr
Series Code: CGC
Program Code: CGC000037
|
01:12 Shall we bow our heads for prayer?
01:15 Our Father in heaven, we thank you for the awesome 01:18 privilege of being here once again 01:20 to study about Genesis and the gift of prophecy. 01:24 We ask that as we open Your holy book 01:27 that Your Holy Spirit will be with to instruct us. 01:31 Help us to realize that we're living at the very end of time 01:34 and that we need special guidance from You. 01:39 We thank you for the privilege of prayer 01:41 and we ask that You will answer us 01:44 because we ask it in the precious name of Jesus, Amen. 01:49 We'd like to begin our study today at Genesis chapter 5 01:54 and verse 24. 01:56 Genesis chapter 5 and verse 24. 02:01 Here it's speaking about an individual called Enoch. 02:06 And by the way, Enoch is the 02:08 only person in Genesis 5 02:10 who did not die. 02:12 You'll find in the list there 02:13 that it says: "he died, he died, he died, he died. " 02:17 But when it comes to Enoch Enoch did not die. 02:23 It says there in Genesis chapter 5 and verse 24 02:27 the following: 02:29 "So all the days of Enoch 02:33 were 365 years... " 02:36 I'm starting at verse 23 for the context. 02:39 It says in verse 24: 02:52 It doesn't say that Enoch died. 02:54 It says he walked with God and God took him. 02:58 Now in the book of Hebrews we have additional information 03:02 about Enoch. Go with me to Hebrews chapter 11 03:07 and we want to read verse 5. 03:10 Hebrews 11 and verse 5. 03:14 It says here: 03:38 So Genesis tells us that Enoch walked with God. 03:42 In the book of Hebrews it explains that walking with God 03:46 means that he pleased God. To walk with God 03:50 is to please God. 03:52 Now a detail which many people have missed 03:57 is that according to the Bible Enoch was the first prophet. 04:04 Go with me in your Bibles to the book of Jude... 04:08 Jude 14 and 15. 04:12 And I only mentioned the verses because Jude has only 1 chapter. 04:16 Jude 14 and 15. 04:22 It says there: 04:30 So was Enoch a prophet? 04:31 Sure he was. 05:06 Now do you notice in these verses 05:09 the number of times that the word "ungodly" is used? 05:13 3 or 4 times in this passage the word "ungodly" is used. 05:18 And the emphasis is that Enoch - this man 05:22 who walked with God, this man who pleased God - 05:26 actually rebuked the evil which was in the world 05:31 before the flood and prophesied about the final judgment 05:36 against those who practice wickedness and who live 05:40 ungodly lives in the end time. 05:43 We begin to catch the picture that God's prophets 05:46 are raised up by God to rebuke wickedness, 05:51 to proclaim God's judgment, 05:53 and to call the world to obey and to serve God. 05:58 So we are told in Jude 14 and 15. 06:04 Now obviously Enoch was speaking about the end-time generation 06:10 because it says there that the Lord was going to come 06:14 with ten thousand of His saints. 06:16 It describes the second coming of Jesus Christ 06:20 in power and glory. 06:22 And it says there that he prophesied about those who 06:25 would be living ungodly lives and warned them that God was 06:29 going to come in judgment upon the wicked world. 06:34 Now as we go to the New Testament 06:37 we discover that in the end time there are also 06:41 going to be prophets... 06:44 true prophets as well as false prophets. 06:48 Go with me to the gospel of Matthew chapter 24 06:51 and verse 24. Matthew chapter 24 and verse 24. 06:57 This is the chapter which is speaking about the signs of the 07:01 second coming of Christ. 07:04 And I want you to notice in verse 24 that Jesus has 07:08 a dire warning. And by the way, He's speaking 07:11 to His own disciples. He's speaking to His followers. 07:14 He's warning His followers. 07:17 He says this: 07:40 Question: are there going to be false prophets in the end time? 07:45 Absolutely. 07:46 Now if there are going to be false prophets in the end time, 07:50 do you believe that God is also going to bring about 07:53 in His church the true gift of prophecy? 07:56 Obviously. Because if all prophets were going to be 07:59 false prophets then you could say every prophet we have to 08:03 reject because he's a false prophet. 08:05 But the fact that the devil is going to raise up false prophets 08:09 indicates that God is going to raise up the true gift 08:13 of prophecy at the end of time as well. 08:15 And I want you to notice that Jesus says that the purpose 08:19 of these false prophets will be to deceive 08:22 if possible the very elect. In other words, 08:26 God's chosen people are the target of these false prophets. 08:30 Now go with me also to Matthew chapter 7... 08:33 Matthew chapter 7 and let's notice what else 08:38 Jesus said about these false prophets in the end time. 08:42 Matthew chapter 7 and let's read verse 15. 08:48 Jesus says: 09:04 Let me ask you: what does a sheep represent 09:08 in scripture? It represents Christ. 09:12 Remember we've talked about the coverings that God made 09:15 for Adam and Eve from the skins of the lamb 09:18 represented the righteousness of Christ? 09:21 So let me ask you: are these false prophets going to claim 09:24 to be Christians? Yes they are 09:27 because they come clothed with sheep's clothing 09:31 but inside they are what? They are ravenous wolves. 09:37 So are these end-time prophets going to claim to be Christians? 09:42 These false prophets? Absolutely according to Jesus. 09:46 And then Jesus goes on to say "By their fruits ye shall 09:50 know them. " And a little bit later on in the chapter 09:53 He says: "Whoever does not hear these words of Mine 09:57 and does not do them I will compare to a man 10:00 who build his house upon the sand. " 10:02 That's speaking about the false prophets. 10:05 They build upon the sand. They don't build upon the rock 10:08 Jesus. And so the Bible makes it clear that in the end time 10:13 there are going to be false prophets... which must mean 10:16 that God is also going to raise the true gift of prophecy. 10:22 Now the big question is: how can you distinguish 10:26 between a true prophet and a false prophet? 10:30 How do you know that a true prophet is called by God 10:34 and that a false prophet is being used as an instrument 10:38 of Satan? Well, the fact is 10:41 the Bible tells us that we are 10:42 supposed to test the prophets. 10:45 Go with me to I Thessalonians chapter 5 10:48 and verses 20 to 22. 10:51 I Thessalonians chapter 5 10:54 and verses 20 through 22. 10:59 Here we find the apostle Paul giving some very wise counsel 11:02 to the church. He says: 11:15 "Abstain from every form of evil. " 11:19 What are we supposed to do with the prophecies? 11:22 We are supposed to test the prophecies. 11:24 That means we're supposed to test the prophets to see 11:27 if they are true prophets or if they are false. 11:31 This means that we should not outright reject anyone 11:35 who claims to have the gift of prophecy. 11:37 We should examine that individual's teachings 11:41 and then if their teachings square with scripture 11:45 we will accept what they teach. 11:48 If their teachings do not square with scripture, 11:50 then we cannot accept what they teach. 11:56 Now I would like us to review some things that we have studied 12:00 previously. What we're going to do 12:02 in our study is go to two prophecies 12:07 that we've studied previously in this seminar. 12:10 We're going to examine the sequence of Revelation 12 12:13 and we're going to examine the sequence of Revelation 13. 12:17 And most of this will be review. 12:19 And what I want to show you is that God predicted 12:23 exactly when and where the gift of prophecy 12:29 would arise in the end time. 12:31 And He also taught what that prophet would teach 12:37 or what that prophet would tell God's people to do. 12:41 In other words, by examining the sequence of Revelation 12 12:45 and Revelation 13 we know exactly when, where 12:49 the gift of prophecy is going to appear 12:51 and what that prophet is going to teach. 12:55 Now go with me to Revelation chapter 12 12:58 and let's follow the sequence of this chapter. 13:01 We've done it before but now we need to do it in the context 13:04 of what we're studying in our lecture today. 13:07 Revelation chapter 12 and verse 1. 13:10 "Now a great sign appeared in heaven: 13:13 a woman clothed with the sun with the moon under her feet 13:18 and on her head a garland of twelve stars. 13:21 Then, being with Child, she cried out in labor 13:27 and in pain to give birth. " 13:30 We've already studied that this woman represents the church. 13:34 At this stage it represents the Old Testament church 13:37 because the Child is Jesus and the Child has not been born yet. 13:41 So Revelation 12 begins with the Old Testament church. 13:45 Now let's go to Revelation chapter 12 and verse 4. 13:51 In verse 3 you have the reference to a dragon. 13:54 And then verse 4 tells us this: 13:57 "His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven 14:00 and threw them to the earth. 14:11 So you have moved from the Old Testament. 14:13 The woman who was with Child, the Child has not been born yet, 14:16 and now there's a dragon that stands next to the woman 14:20 to devour her Child as soon as the Child is born. 14:24 By the way, how many horns does this dragon beast have? 14:28 We've studied this before. 14:29 The dragon beast has ten horns. 14:31 It does not have them when it arises to power. 14:35 The ten horns come out later as we studied in Daniel chapter 7. 14:39 So Revelation 12 begins in the Old Testament 14:42 before the woman has the Child. 14:44 Then you have the period when the dragon is going after 14:49 the woman to devour her Child. 14:52 And then this dragon beast according to Revelation 12 14:56 sprouts ten horns. 14:59 And then I want you to notice what the next stage is. 15:02 Notice verse 5: 15:14 This is the ascension of Christ, right? 15:17 Jesus gained the victory at the cross 15:19 and 40 days after His resurrection according to 15:22 Acts chapter 1 He ascended to heaven. 15:24 Now I want you to notice the next stage in verse 6. 15:28 It says: 15:43 Which represent what? 15:44 Represent years. 15:47 Now what have we studied so far? 15:49 This prophecy begins in the Old Testament 15:52 before the woman has the Child. 15:54 Then the dragon stands next to the woman to devour her Child 15:58 as soon as He is born. 16:00 The Child is born. 16:02 Later on we find that this dragon beast comparing with 16:05 Daniel 7 sprouts ten horns. 16:07 After it sprouts the ten horns 16:10 and the Child is caught up to God's throne, 16:13 then we're told that the dragon - who can no longer 16:15 go after the Child because the Child has ascended to God - 16:18 now he goes after the woman 16:20 and the woman flees for 1,260 years 16:25 which we have already studied ended in which date? 16:29 1798 AD. 16:32 Now I want you to notice how this chapter continues. 16:36 Verse 16... 16:37 Revelation chapter 12 and verse 16. 16:41 And you say: "Why are we jumping all the way from verse 6 16:44 to verse 16? " Simply because the rest of the chapter 16:47 repeats the same material that we have early in the chapter. 16:50 We've noticed this before. 16:52 Now notice Revelation chapter 12 and verse 16 16:55 when the woman is being persecuted. It says: 17:10 So at the end of this period the earth spoken of here 17:15 helps the woman who is being persecuted. 17:18 And the earth does it by swallowing up 17:21 the waters of persecution. 17:23 We've already studied that the United States 17:27 provided a territory of refuge for those who were being 17:31 persecuted in Europe. 17:32 In other words, the earth here in Revelation 12 and verse 16 17:36 represents the territory of the United States 17:39 where the Pilgrims and those who were persecuted in Europe 17:43 fled to find refuge... to find a place where they could worship 17:47 God according to the dictates of their conscience. 17:50 But then notice that the devil launches a final onslaught 17:55 against the woman. After the earth helps the woman 17:59 for a period persecution ceases. 18:01 The waters are swallowed up. Notice verse 17: 18:30 Now do you see the sequence here? 18:32 Let's review it again. 18:33 I want to review it because it's important. 18:35 The sequence is of vital importance 18:38 because it lets us know exactly 18:40 where we are in the flow 18:41 of prophetic history. 18:43 This chapter begins in the 18:44 Old Testament before the Child is born. 18:46 Then you see the dragon which is Rome... 18:49 Satan working through Rome... 18:51 who stands next to the woman to devour her Child. 18:54 The devil did that through Herod, incidentally. 18:56 Then that dragon beast sprouts ten horns. 18:59 That's the year 476 AD. 19:01 Then you have the woman fleeing to the wilderness 19:04 for 1,260 years. 19:07 This takes us to 1798 AD. 19:09 But when this period comes to an end, the earth - 19:13 the territory of the United States - 19:15 helps the woman by receiving all of those who are persecuted 19:18 in Europe, and the waters of persecution are swallowed up. 19:22 But then the dragon is enraged with the woman 19:26 because the earth has helped her 19:28 and he goes out to make a final war against her. 19:31 And notice the characteristics: 19:40 Now, let's notice four characteristics here. 19:44 Characteristic number 1: does this woman... 19:48 is this woman, rather, persecuted in its final stage 19:54 after the year 1798? 19:57 Sure. 20:00 Is this final onslaught against the woman 20:04 on the earth? 20:07 Yes. And what does the earth represent? 20:09 The territory of the United States. 20:12 And the characteristics are that this woman 20:16 or the remnant of this woman 20:17 keeps the commandments of God 20:20 and has the testimony of Jesus Christ. 20:23 So we have four characteristics. 20:26 Characteristic number 1: this remnant of her seed 20:29 must rise after 1798 AD. 20:32 This remnant must rise on the earth. 20:36 This remnant must keep the commandments of God. 20:41 And this remnant must have what? 20:44 The testimony of Jesus Christ. 20:47 Four characteristics of this end-time remnant of her seed. 20:53 Now what does Revelation 12:17 mean when it says 20:56 they "keep the commandments of God? " 20:59 Go with me to the gospel of Matthew chapter 19 and verse 17. 21:05 Matthew chapter 19 and verse 17. 21:09 What is this issue of keeping the commandments of God? 21:13 Here Jesus is speaking to a rich young ruler and I want you 21:17 to notice what Jesus says to this rich young ruler. 21:38 The same expression. 21:39 What commandments was Jesus referring to? 21:43 If you continue reading, you'll find that Jesus 21:46 actually quotes five of the last six commandments 21:50 in the Decalogue... in the Ten Commandments. 21:52 So when Jesus says to him "keep the commandments" 21:56 He's referring to the Ten Commandments. 21:59 So in Revelation 12:17 when it says that this remnant 22:02 of her seed keeps the commandments of God 22:05 what commandment is it referring to? It must be the what? 22:10 It must be the Ten Commandments. 22:14 Not the nine commandments. 22:16 Not nine commandments plus one changed commandment... 22:19 but the commandments of God. 22:22 But notice also it says that she has or she possesses 22:26 something... she possesses the testimony of Jesus. 22:30 Now the question is: what is the testimony of Jesus? 22:34 Go with me to Revelation chapter 19 and verse 10. 22:38 Revelation chapter 19 and verse 10. 22:43 Here we find an explanation of what the testimony 22:46 of Jesus is. See, the Bible explains the Bible. 22:49 We're told there... By the way, an angel appears to John 22:53 and John kneels to worship him. 22:55 And we're going to notice that the angel says 22:56 "Don't worship me.. I'm your fellow servant. " 22:58 And so it says in verse 10: 23:16 What do the brethren of John have? 23:18 They have the testimony of Jesus. Don't forget that. 23:21 The brethren of John have the testimony of Jesus. 23:24 And then notice: 23:37 So what is the testimony of Jesus? 23:39 The spirit of prophecy. 23:41 Now you say: "What is that... the spirit of prophecy? 23:45 And why it is called the spirit of prophecy? " 23:48 Go with me to II Peter chapter 1 23:51 and let's find the explanation in the Bible itself. 23:54 II Peter chapter 1 23:57 and we'll read verses 20 and 21. 24:01 II Peter 1:19... 24:06 actually 20 and 21. 24:08 It says there: 24:10 "Knowing this first: that no prophecy 24:14 of scripture is of any private 24:19 interpretation. For prophecy never came 24:24 by the will of man but holy men of God 24:28 spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. " 24:33 Who spoke through the prophets? 24:36 The Holy Spirit. 24:37 Do you understand now why it's called the spirit of prophecy? 24:41 Who gives prophecy? The Spirit according to this. 24:46 And so it is the Holy Spirit who is speaking 24:49 through this final remnant through the gift of prophecy. 24:54 Now I want you to notice also Revelation 22 and verses 8-9. 25:00 Revelation chapter 22 and verses 8 and 9. 25:05 Do you remember that the brethren of John had the 25:08 testimony of Jesus? 25:10 Now let's notice who the brethren of John are 25:14 according to Revelation 22:8-9. 25:16 Once again you have this angel appearing to John 25:18 and he feels the inclination 25:20 to fall at his feet and worship him. 25:22 Notice what the angel says. Verse 8: 25:53 According to this verse who are the brethren of John? 25:57 The prophets. 26:00 According to Revelation 19:10 what do the brethren of John 26:03 have? The testimony of Jesus. 26:06 So the testimony of Jesus is to be a what? 26:10 Is to be a prophet 26:12 when you compare these two passages. 26:15 And so what God is saying 26:17 is that this remnant of the woman's seed 26:20 was going to keep all of the commandments of God 26:24 and was also going to possess or going to have 26:28 in its midst the testimony of Jesus 26:31 which is the spirit of prophecy 26:33 or was going to have a prophet in their midst. 26:38 Are you clear so far? 26:40 So if you are going to look 26:43 for God's final remnant on earth 26:47 the remnant of the woman's seed, 26:49 you need to look for a people who teach that we're supposed to 26:53 keep all of the commandments of God 26:55 and you're supposed to look for a remnant who have 27:00 the gift of prophecy in their midst. 27:03 Now let's go to Revelation chapter 13 27:07 and notice the sequence that we find in Revelation chapter 13. 27:12 It follows the same order of Revelation 12. 27:15 Let's begin with verse 1. 27:18 It says: "Then I stood upon the sand of the sea 27:22 and I saw a beast rising up out of the sea 27:26 having 7 heads and 10 horns 27:28 and on his horns 10 crowns 27:32 and on his head a blasphemous name. " 27:35 Now verse 2 is very important: 27:52 Now we've already studied that the lion, the bear, and the 27:56 leopard represent Babylon, Medo-Persia, and Greece. 27:59 Are these Old Testament powers by the way? 28:01 Certainly. We've already noticed that the dragon beast 28:05 of Revelation 12 represents what nation? 28:07 It represents Rome. 28:09 So my question is: in Revelation 13 28:12 is this dragon Rome? 28:15 It most certainly is. 28:16 Now how many horns does this dragon have? 28:19 It has ten horns. 28:21 Is this following the same sequence that we have in 28:24 Revelation chapter 12? Absolutely! 28:26 Revelation 12 begins in the Old Testament. 28:28 The woman hasn't had the Child. 28:30 Then you have the dragon who wants to devour the Child. 28:33 Then the dragon sprouts ten horns. 28:36 Then the woman flees to the wilderness for 1,260 years. 28:41 At the end of that period the earth helps the woman. 28:44 Persecution ceases. 28:46 And then after persecution ceases for a while 28:49 the dragon is enraged with the woman and goes to make war 28:53 with the final remnant of her seed who keep the commandments 28:56 of God and have the testimony of Jesus. 28:58 Now Revelation 13 once again begins in the Old Testament. 29:02 Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece... the three beasts. 29:05 Then you have the dragon beast just like in Revelation 12. 29:08 And this dragon beast has what? He has ten horns 29:12 just like in Revelation 12. 29:14 And then I want you to notice that this dragon beast 29:17 gives his seat and his power and his authority 29:21 to another beast. It's called the sea beast. 29:25 And the question is: how long does this beast rule? 29:29 Go with me to verse 5. Revelation 13:5. 29:34 It says: 29:46 Is that the same period that the woman fled to the wilderness? 29:50 Absolutely. Is Revelation 13 following the same sequence 29:54 of Revelation chapter 12? Absolutely! 29:57 Now listen up: 29:59 what would you expect to be the next stage 30:03 if Revelation 13 is following the same order of Revelation 12? 30:08 You would expect a reference to the earth 30:11 and you would expect a reference to the final rage of the dragon. 30:16 Correct? Now go with me to Revelation chapter 13 30:19 and verse 11. Revelation chapter 13 and verse 11. 30:24 It says here... and by the way you read verse 10 30:27 it speaks about the deadly wound. 30:29 We've already discussed that, right? 30:31 The deadly wound was given in 1798 AD 30:34 when the civil power of France arose against the papacy, 30:38 took the pope captive, and withdrew the civil power 30:41 from the Roman Catholic papacy. 30:43 But notice verse 11. It says: 30:53 See? You have the earth - the next point in the sequence 30:57 is the earth. Now the only difference between the earth 30:59 in Revelation 12 and the earth in Revelation 13 31:02 is that the earth in Revelation 12 is the territory. 31:06 There's no beast there. It's just the earth... the territory. 31:09 But in Revelation 13 you have a beast rising from the earth. 31:14 It represents a nation or a kingdom which rises 31:17 in that territory. Are you understanding what I'm saying? 31:20 And then notice what happens. 31:23 It says there in the last part of Revelation 13 verse 11: 31:36 And then you read the succeeding verses 31:39 and it speaks about the perse- cution against God's people. 31:43 Is that the same thing that we noticed in Revelation 12:17? 31:47 Absolutely. 31:49 And so Revelation chapter 12 and Revelation chapter 13 31:53 follow the same order or the same sequence of events. 31:56 Now why have I taken the time to give these parallels? 32:01 Because I want you to see exactly when and where 32:06 the gift of prophecy was going to appear. 32:08 It was going to appear after 1798 AD 32:11 and it was going to appear in the United States of America. 32:15 And it was going to appear among a people 32:18 who keep the commandments of God 32:21 and it was going to be a gift given to those people: 32:24 the gift of prophecy. 32:26 In other words, a prophet was going to rise in their midst. 32:31 Now, go with me to Daniel 7 and verse 25 32:34 and let's notice two character- istics of the little horn. 32:38 Daniel chapter 7 and verse 25. 32:42 There are two characteristics here that I want to underline. 32:46 It says there in verse 25 speaking about this little horn: 33:14 Two points: he thinks he can change what? Times and law. 33:21 And notice the time reference 33:23 that we find at the end of the verse. 33:25 It says: 33:40 Question: was the little horn going to intend to change 33:45 the times and the law during the 1,260 years? 33:49 During the time, times, and dividing of time? 33:51 Was he going to intend to change the law 33:53 and to change the time? 33:55 Absolutely... the Bible is clear on that. 33:57 Now do you suppose that at the end of the 1,260 years 34:01 God was going to raise up a people that would rectify 34:05 what the little horn tried to do? 34:09 Now we've already studied what it means that he would think 34:12 he could change the law. What is the law there? 34:16 It is God's Ten Commandments. 34:18 Did the Roman Catholic papacy attempt to change God's law? 34:23 It testifies itself. We've noticed this. 34:27 It says: "We, through the authority given to us by 34:29 tradition, have changed the day of worship 34:32 from Saturday to Sunday. " 34:34 And furthermore, out of their catechisms 34:37 they take the 2nd commandment - 34:39 You can't find it in the catechism 34:41 even though it's in the Roman Catholic Bible - 34:43 and they eliminate that 34:45 commandment and so they have to split the 10th commandment 34:47 in two. You shall not covet your neighbor's goods 34:50 and you should not covet your neighbor's wife. 34:53 In other words, the papacy placed its hand 34:56 in the law of God to attempt to change the law of God. 35:00 We've also studied that the Roman Catholic papacy attempted 35:03 to change God's times. We studied the word times. 35:06 It means to try and change God's prophetic calendar... 35:10 God's delineation of prophetic events. 35:13 We noticed that the Roman Catholic papacy established 35:16 a system known as Preterism, the idea that the antichrist 35:19 appeared in the distant past 35:21 with an individual called Antiochus IV Epiphanies. 35:24 And they originated on the other hand a system 35:27 of interpretation known as Futurism 35:29 where they taught that the antichrist hasn't risen to power 35:33 yet. He's going to arise at the very end of time. 35:36 A literal individual over in the Middle East 35:39 who is going to re-build the temple. 35:41 And so the Roman Catholic papacy through the Jesuits 35:44 after the Protestant Reformation attempted to change 35:47 God's times or God's prophetic calendar. 35:50 Do you suppose God was going to raise up a people 35:54 who would set the record straight and exalt 35:56 the commandments of God and would have the gift of prophecy 36:00 to rectify the wrong inter- pretation of Bible prophecy? 36:03 Absolutely! And that's where Revelation 12:17 comes in. 36:08 By the way, you say: "How can you connect 36:10 Revelation 12:17 where it says that they keep the commandments 36:13 of God and they have the testimony of Jesus Christ, 36:16 how can you connect that with Daniel 7 verse 25 36:19 where this little horn thinks he can change the times 36:23 and the law? " Are you understanding what I'm saying? 36:26 The change in the law is rectified by raising up 36:29 a people who keep the commandments. 36:30 The change in the times is rectified by God raising up 36:34 the gift of prophecy to correct and to rectify 36:38 the wrong interpretations of Bible prophecy. 36:40 Are you understanding what I'm saying? 36:42 You say: "How can you connect those two verses? " 36:44 It's very, very simple. 36:45 Daniel 7 verse 25 says 36:49 that the times and the law were going to be given into the 36:52 hands of the little horn for time, times, and 36:56 the dividing of time. 36:58 comes immediately after... 37:05 after the woman has fled to the wilderness 37:08 for 1,260 years. 37:11 In other words, it's the same context. 37:14 In the Old Testament you have the 1,260 years 37:18 expressed as time, times, and the dividing of time. 37:20 The little horn thinks he can change the times and the law. 37:23 At the end of this period, according to Revelation 12 and 37:25 13, God raises up a people who keep the commandments of God 37:30 to rectify the change in the law 37:32 and a group of people who have the testimony of Jesus 37:35 or the true gift of prophecy to rectify the change 37:38 in God's prophetic calendar. 37:40 Raise your hand if you're understanding what I'm saying. 37:42 This is of critical importance 37:44 as we'll notice as we continue our study. 37:47 Now let me ask you: do you suppose the devil 37:50 was going to take this lying down? 37:52 This rectification of God? 37:54 You see, history's a play and a counter play. 37:57 God says: "Oh, your little horn thought it could change 37:59 the times and the law? OK, I'm going to raise up 38:01 the final remnant of her seed who keep the commandments of God 38:04 and have the true gift of prophecy. 38:06 And they're going to rectify that the law is still binding 38:08 and they're going to correct your 38:09 false views about prophecy. " 38:12 But is the devil going to take that on the chin lying down? 38:15 Of course not. So what does the devil do? 38:18 If you read Revelation chapter 13, you discover 38:22 that this beast power aided by the second beast 38:27 which is a symbol of the United States 38:29 enforces what? Enforces the mark of the beast. 38:35 Question: is the mark of the beast in the end time 38:39 the same thing as the change of the law by the little horn 38:42 during the 1,260 years? 38:45 We've studied that. 38:46 It is the imposition of Sunday by force as the day of worship. 38:50 So the devil says to God: 38:51 "You're going to raise up a remnant who exalt the law? 38:54 And You're going to raise up a remnant that has a true prophet 38:57 in its midst? Well, I'm going to counteract that 39:00 by enforcing the mark of the beast by law. " 39:03 And the mark of the beast is the change in the law 39:06 which was done during the 1,260 years. 39:08 Are you following me? 39:10 But the devil is going to try and counteract the true 39:14 interpretation of God's prophetic calendar by raising up 39:18 a false prophet. 39:21 Notice that the second beast has a very interesting name. 39:25 Revelation chapter 16 and verse 13. 39:28 Revelation chapter 16 and verse 13. 39:33 It speaks about the same powers that we noticed in Revelation 12 39:36 and 13. It says here in Revelation 16 and verse 13: 40:00 So is the devil going to raise up a false prophet 40:04 to counteract God's raising up of a true prophet? 40:07 Absolutely yes. 40:09 And is this false prophet going to teach all kinds of 40:14 divergent prophetic scenarios to distract from the true 40:17 fulfillment of prophecy as God has delineated? 40:21 Absolutely. 40:23 But God's isn't going to take this on the chin just lying 40:27 down. God is going to respond to this also. 40:30 He is going to respond to the enforcement of the mark of the 40:35 beast; He is going to respond to this teaching by the false 40:40 prophet where he directs the eyes of everybody to the 40:43 Middle East or to the distant past to Antiochus IV Epiphanies 40:47 God is going to correct this by proclaiming a global message 40:52 which is found in Revelation 14 and verses 6 through 12. 40:59 Have you ever read that passage? 41:02 Well, let's notice several verses here. 41:04 Revelation chapter 14 and verse 6: 41:08 "Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven 41:12 having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell 41:16 on the earth to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people. 41:22 Saying with a loud voice: 'Fear God and give glory to Him 41:27 for the hour of His judgment has come. 41:30 And worship Him who made the heaven, the earth, 41:33 the seas, and the springs of water. ' " 41:35 Does the first angel call attention to the Creator? 41:39 It actually is a direct reference to the 4th commandment 41:43 of the law of God. Why do you suppose that God 41:45 would draw the attention of the whole world 41:50 to God the Creator and His sign, the Sabbath? 41:54 Because the powers of the world are doing just the opposite. 41:58 They're going to enforce a false day of worship. 42:02 And so God says: "Worship the Creator. " 42:05 And then notice verse 8: "And another angel 42:09 followed saying: 'Babylon is fallen, is fallen. ' " 42:13 By the way, Babylon has three parts. 42:15 Three parts of Babylon? The dragon, the beast, and 42:17 and the false prophet. So Babylon has three divisions. 42:21 And so it continues saying: 42:23 "And another angel followed saying: 'Babylon is fallen, 42:26 is fallen. That great city because she has made all nations 42:30 drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. ' " 42:33 And then notice verse 9: 42:35 "Then a third angel followed them saying with a loud voice: 42:40 'If anyone worships the beast and his image 42:43 and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, 42:47 he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God 42:50 which is poured out full strength into the cup of 42:53 His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and 42:56 brimstone in the presence of the holy angels 42:59 and in the presence of the Lamb. 43:00 And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever 43:03 and they have no rest day or night 43:05 who worship the beast and his image and whoever receives 43:09 the mark of his name. ' " 43:12 Question: is God going to have a people who rebuke the beast? 43:17 Who present the true scenario about who the beast is? 43:22 Yes. Is God going to have 43:23 a people who clearly teach 43:25 the world who the image to the beast is? 43:27 Absolutely. 43:29 Is God going to have a people 43:30 who announce what the mark of the beast is? 43:33 Absolutely. 43:35 And notice how the three angels' messages ends. 43:38 Notice verse 12 of Revelation 14. 43:42 It says: "Here is the patience of the saints. 43:46 Here are those who keep the commandments of God 43:50 and the faith of Jesus. " 43:53 Now are you seeing what's happening here? 43:56 Let's review because it's extremely important. 43:59 The little horn thinks he can change the law of God 44:04 and the times or God's prophetic calendar. 44:06 So God says: "After these 1,260 years 44:10 I'm going to raise up a people on the earth 44:13 after 1798 AD and these people - contrary to what the little horn 44:17 has said - are going to keep the law of God 44:20 as it is written. 44:22 And secondly, they are going to have a prophet in their midst 44:25 that shows what the times really mean... 44:29 the true interpretation of Bible prophecy. " 44:33 And the devil says: "I don't like that. " 44:35 So in Revelation chapter 13 44:37 he's going to enforce what? The mark of the beast 44:40 which is the change in the law. 44:42 And he's going to raise up a false what? 44:44 The false prophet which is this second beast: 44:47 apostate Protestantism. 44:49 And in that way he's going to teach a false scenario 44:54 of Bible prophecy. Are you understanding what I'm saying? 44:57 That's why it's called the false prophet. 44:59 But God isn't going to take this lying down 45:01 because in the three angels' messages God rebukes 45:05 the power that enforces the mark of the beast 45:08 and He also brings to view a people who keep 45:12 the commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus. 45:17 So you see very clearly that you have a play and a 45:20 counter play in history here. 45:23 So if you're looking for where the gift of prophecy 45:26 was going to appear, when it was going to appear, 45:29 and what characteristics it would have, 45:31 you have to look for it after 1798 AD in the United States. 45:36 You have to look for a people who keep the commandments of God 45:40 and a people who have in its midst 45:44 the gift of what? The gift of prophecy. 45:49 Now the question is: does this prophet 45:54 actually bring any new information 45:58 that is not contained in holy scripture? 46:01 The fact is, folks, and we don't have time to read 46:04 all the verses but I'm going to mention them. 46:06 The fact is that in the Bible prophets are called 46:10 to restore that which has not been obeyed. 46:15 They're restorers. 46:17 They are not innovators. 46:19 They don't bring new truth. 46:21 They don't bring new doctrines. 46:23 What they do is try to bring God's people 46:26 back once again to the foundations of truth 46:29 which God's people have forgotten or which they ignore. 46:34 Now notice Deuteronomy chapter 13 and verses 1-5. 46:39 Deuteronomy chapter 13 and verses 1 through 5. 46:43 It speaks here about character- istics of false prophets. 46:47 And I'm going to read these verses very quickly. 46:50 Deuteronomy chapter 13 and verses 1 through 5. 46:54 It says here: 47:06 Didn't we see that somewhere before? 47:08 Sign or wonder? 47:11 Did Jesus say in Matthew 24 47:13 that there will be false prophets and they will show 47:15 signs and wonders? So how do you know? 47:17 If they do signs and wonders they must be God's, right? 47:20 They must be following God because they do signs and 47:22 wonders. Uh-uh. Notice what it continues saying: 48:13 And now notice verse 4: 48:58 Do you see the difference between a true prophet 49:00 and a false prophet? 49:01 Can a false prophet do many signs and wonders 49:04 and yet not be an instrument of God? 49:07 Absolutely. What is the test of a true prophet 49:11 according to this passage? 49:12 It's not the signs or the wonders. 49:15 It is whether the prophet leads God's people to what? 49:18 To obey the commandments of God. 49:21 To obey the voice of God. 49:23 That is the sign of a true prophet. 49:27 He calls God's people who have gone astray - 49:29 who are in apostasy - he calls them back 49:32 to worship the true God. 49:35 And by the way, repeatedly in the Bible 49:37 we find references where true prophets 49:40 exalt the law of God. 49:43 Notice for example Zechariah chapter 7 and verse 12. 49:46 Zechariah chapter 7 and verse 12. 49:50 Here the idea of a prophet exalting the law of God 49:54 is brought forth very clearly. 49:57 It says there in Zechariah chapter 7 and verse 12 50:01 the following: 50:20 What did God send with His prophets? 50:23 He sent His what? His law through His prophets. 50:28 You see, if any prophet tells you that the law of God has 50:31 been changed. If any prophet tells you 50:34 that you don't have to keep the law of God because you're 50:36 under grace you're not under law, 50:38 if any prophet tells you that one of the commandments 50:42 is not important to keep, no matter how many signs 50:45 and wonders he performs he is not of God. 50:49 Because false prophets lead God's people astray 50:52 from the light which God has given. 50:56 Now before we bring this to a 50:58 close allow me to tell you 51:01 something about a prophet that God raised 51:03 within the Seventh-day Adventist church. 51:06 Her name? Ellen White. 51:10 Let me tell you a few things about Ellen White. 51:12 Some people outright reject her 51:16 and say: "I don't want to hear that name. " 51:17 Then you're not obeying what God said in 51:19 I Thessalonians 5. He says that we're supposed to 51:22 examine the prophets. We're supposed to test the prophets 51:25 to see whether they're true or not. 51:28 And Ellen White deserves that from us as well. 51:31 Now allow me just to say a few things about Ellen White. 51:36 She was raised up a prophet when she was just 17 years old. 51:41 She was a woman... 51:43 which at that time was absolutely not very good 51:48 because it was a male-dominated society. 51:52 Now not only that, not only was she a woman, 51:54 not only was she young, 51:56 but she was poor and she was sick and she was weak 52:03 and she was uneducated. 52:04 Two and a half years of primary education. 52:08 Furthermore, she arose within an environment where 52:11 people didn't want anything to do with people who claimed 52:14 to be prophets. In other words, she had 52:16 everything going against her. 52:19 But in December of 1844 God gave her a vision. 52:23 And in the course of her ministry she had approximately 52:26 2,000 visions and dreams. 52:30 She wrote a very famous book. 52:33 It's the book The Great Contro- versy Between Christ and Satan. 52:38 Every person in this world needs to read this book 52:41 because this book basically is a commentary on the book 52:46 of Revelation... especially Revelation chapter 14: 52:51 the three angels' messages. 52:53 Now if you read this book from cover to cover, 52:55 you're going to discover that Ellen White 52:59 exalts the gospel and she exalts the holy law of God. 53:05 She points out who the beast is. 53:08 She points out who the false prophet is. 53:11 She points out what the mark of the beast is. 53:13 She points out what the wine of Babylon is. 53:16 She points out who the dragon is. 53:19 She speaks about the two witnesses. 53:21 She speaks about the seven churches. 53:23 In other words, this book is a commentary 53:27 on the book of Revelation with special emphasis 53:30 on the closing scenes of this earth's history. 53:34 Now if you read this book you're going to discover that 53:37 her perspective is very different than the perspective 53:40 that's being taught today in the Protestant world. 53:44 You see, very recently the pope was buried in Rome. 53:50 And those of you who were able to see on television 53:54 the ceremonies, for about 10 days all you could get 53:57 on the news was what was happening in Rome in Vatican 54:02 City with the pope. There was pomp and there was circumstance 54:05 and there was just glorious music 54:07 and everybody who was ever interviewed 54:09 had just glorious things to say about this system 54:12 and about this individual. 54:14 Even many Protestant pastors. 54:16 All of the comments that I heard were good. 54:18 Now the question is: is this system God's system 54:23 according to scripture? 54:24 Not according to scripture. 54:26 Not according to the book The Great Controversy. 54:28 It's just the opposite. 54:30 How in the world could the Protestants of the world, 54:34 how could people who belong to the Muslim religion, 54:39 how could people of the Hindu religion, 54:43 how could Roman Catholics almost without dissenting voice 54:47 praise this system when this system is predicted in scripture 54:53 as the final antichrist system? 54:55 I hate to have to say that but it's the truth. 54:58 How could people be so deceived? Let me tell you why. 55:03 Because they have a totally different way of interpreting 55:07 Bible prophecy. They believe that prophecy 55:10 will be fulfilled... most of the prophecies of Revelation 55:12 will be fulfilled after the church has been raptured 55:14 to heaven. See, the church is raptured 55:17 and then Revelation 4 through 20 takes place. 55:20 And it's going to take place in the Middle East 55:23 with a nasty individual sitting in the literal Jerusalem 55:26 temple raising up a literal image. 55:29 And so the eyes of everybody is looking to the Middle East 55:32 for the fulfillment of these prophecies 55:35 when all of these powers exist in the West - in Rome 55:39 and in the United States - and they can't see it 55:42 because they're looking in the wrong place. 55:45 And these same systems say: "You can't keep the law. 55:49 You know, you really can't be perfect. Nobody's perfect. " 55:53 And most of these Christian denominations 55:57 observe which day of the week? 55:59 They observe the first day of the week. 56:00 They day of the sun, Sunday, 56:02 which was established by the Roman Catholic system 56:05 by their own admission. 56:07 How in the world could Protestantism keep Sunday 56:11 as the day of worship and point everybody's eyes 56:13 to the Middle East? Simply because they have been 56:17 deceived by this power. They have been deceived by 56:20 the change in the law and by the change in the times. 56:24 But God has raised up a people. He's raised up 56:27 a people who teach that we're supposed to keep all 56:30 of the commandments of God through the power of God. 56:32 Not because we have to but because we want to. 56:35 Because we love God. As Jesus said: "If you love Me 56:38 you will keep My commandments. " 56:40 And God has raised up also the gift of prophecy 56:44 to correct the change in the times. 56:46 And this gift of prophecy is manifested in books such as 56:50 The Great Controversy. Every person in the world should 56:54 read this book because this book points out the true 56:57 prophetic scenario in the end time. 57:00 And if you read it with a prayerful attitude 57:03 God will show you history such as you have never seen it 57:07 in your life. It will all come together 57:11 and God will show you His light for these last days. 57:15 I pray to God that we will all read this book 57:17 and read the scriptures 57:19 that we might withstand 57:21 the devil's temptations in these last days. |
Revised 2014-12-17