Father in heaven, we thank
You so much for the awesome
00:01:14.14\00:01:16.90
privilege of coming into Your
presence on Your Holy Sabbath.
00:01:16.93\00:01:21.11
Father, we know that this
privilege is going to come to an
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end, sooner rather than later,
but we thank You that we can
00:01:26.07\00:01:30.41
still meet freely to open
Your word and to study it.
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We ask that as we study this
morning the story of Jacob and
00:01:33.47\00:01:38.79
Esau, that Your Holy Spirit
will help us learn the lessons
00:01:38.82\00:01:42.76
which will help us in
our personal walk with Jesus.
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We thank You for hearing
our prayer, for we ask it in the
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precious name of Your
beloved Son, Jesus, Amen.
00:01:51.75\00:01:56.51
During the course of this
seminar we have been studying
00:01:59.71\00:02:05.06
stories in Genesis which
have a prophetic dimension.
00:02:05.09\00:02:09.88
And our theme verse in this
series has been Genesis 3:15,
00:02:09.91\00:02:17.57
that famous text that speaks
about the warfare between the
00:02:17.60\00:02:22.93
serpent and the woman,
and between the serpent's seed
00:02:22.96\00:02:26.87
and the woman's seed.
00:02:26.90\00:02:28.14
Now, you've probably noticed
that the book of Genesis has a
00:02:28.17\00:02:33.02
series of twosomes.
00:02:33.05\00:02:35.49
You have the
serpent and the woman.
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You have the serpent's
seed and the woman's seed.
00:02:38.92\00:02:42.16
You have Cain and Abel.
00:02:42.19\00:02:44.64
The sons of God and
the daughters of men.
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Isaac and Ishmael, Jacob and
Esau, Joseph and his brothers.
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Basically the book of
Genesis is an amplification
00:02:55.11\00:02:59.67
of Genesis 3:15.
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The story of Esau and
Jacob is actually a microcosm
00:03:02.95\00:03:12.26
that illustrates the issues
in the great controversy between
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good and evil on planet Earth.
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I would like us to notice how
this controversy is introduced
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in Genesis 25:22, 23.
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You see, this story is
more than about Jacob and Esau.
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Jacob and Esau are
typological, they're symbolic.
00:03:35.26\00:03:40.11
They represent two worldwide
groups at the end of time.
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Their characters illustrate
the characters of two classes
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of people that will
exist till the end of time.
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And we catch this from the
very beginning of the story,
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from the moment of their birth.
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Notice Genesis 25:22, 23.
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Was there a great controversy
from the womb? Absolutely!
00:04:07.35\00:04:11.01
Now we find very clearly
from the very beginning that the
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strong will lose, and the
weak will win in this battle,
00:04:44.41\00:04:50.69
or this controversy.
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We'll notice a little bit
later on in the story that Jacob
00:04:51.93\00:04:57.62
acquired the birthright, whereas
Esau, to whom it originally
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belonged, lost it.
00:05:03.76\00:05:05.52
Jesus, by the way,
expressed this same principle
00:05:05.55\00:05:08.96
when He said, The
first shall be last,
00:05:08.99\00:05:11.79
and the last first.
00:05:11.82\00:05:14.88
In other words, in this
battle between good and evil,
00:05:14.91\00:05:18.85
between righteousness
and unrighteousness,
00:05:18.88\00:05:21.40
those who appear to be
strong will be the losers,
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and those who appear to
be weak will be the winners.
00:05:25.21\00:05:29.22
Now I want you to notice the
difference of the characters of
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Jacob and Esau in Genesis 25:27.
00:05:35.43\00:05:40.39
We're told there
in Genesis 25:27:
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In other words, he was
hardened by his experiences.
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And our second text
book, Patriarchs and Prophets,
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says that he loved to go
and hunt, and when he came back
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he would tell his father about
all of his encounters with wild
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animals, and all of his
wild experiences while he was
00:06:08.28\00:06:11.91
out in the field.
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He was kind of a
barraging type of an individual.
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But notice Jacob.
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It says, but Jacob was a
mild man, dwelling in tents.
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One mild mannered
man, and another a wild,
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raging individual.
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Two different characters.
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In the book, Story
of Redemption, page 97,
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we find these
very significant words:
00:06:39.84\00:06:43.09
Now the whole controversy
in the story of Jacob and Esau
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is found in the
issue of the birthright.
00:07:00.88\00:07:04.19
Now, more properly, this
can be called the primogeniture.
00:07:04.22\00:07:09.25
It's a word that we
don't use much in English.
00:07:09.28\00:07:12.07
In Spanish the word is used.
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It's the word primogenitura.
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The individual who was
born first had certain duties,
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and certain responsibilities,
and certain privileges,
00:07:21.57\00:07:26.27
I might say. Basically, the
pimogeniture, or the firstborn,
00:07:26.30\00:07:31.19
had three privileges:
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1. He was going to be the
ruler of his father's household
00:07:32.69\00:07:38.81
when his father should die.
00:07:38.84\00:07:39.98
2. He was going
to be the priest.
00:07:40.01\00:07:43.91
He was going to be the
spiritual leader of the family.
00:07:43.94\00:07:47.19
And in the 3rd place he would
have the privilege of being
00:07:47.22\00:07:51.82
the progenitor of the Messiah.
00:07:51.85\00:07:54.20
Three huge privileges: govern
his house according to the
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will of God, lead his
household spiritually,
00:08:00.46\00:08:04.66
and have the privilege of
eventually bringing the Messiah
00:08:04.69\00:08:09.65
into the world from his
lineage, or from his line.
00:08:09.68\00:08:14.94
Now lets read about one day that
Esau came in from the field,
00:08:14.97\00:08:20.88
and was just starving,
at least in his concept.
00:08:20.91\00:08:26.95
Lets go to Genesis
25:29-34. It says here:
00:08:26.98\00:08:33.94
Evidentially he was a good
cook, according to scripture.
00:08:35.70\00:08:39.06
You would expect so because he
was a home boy, if you please.
00:08:39.09\00:08:43.95
In other words, he was docile.
00:08:43.98\00:08:45.41
He enjoyed
being with his mother.
00:08:45.44\00:08:47.24
And, of course, he learned
culinary skills from his Mom.
00:08:47.27\00:08:51.06
And so now Jacob cooked
the stew, and Esau came in from
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the field and he was weary.
00:08:55.64\00:08:58.44
And Esau said to Jacob:
00:08:58.47\00:09:01.79
By the way, the
name Edom means red.
00:09:11.12\00:09:13.86
In a moment we're going to
find out that everything related
00:09:13.89\00:09:16.98
to Esau is red, and there's a
very specific purpose for that.
00:09:17.01\00:09:21.90
And now Jacob sees
his moment of opportunity.
00:09:21.93\00:09:27.40
But Jacob said,:
00:09:27.43\00:09:29.24
Now if Esau had been
in tune with the Lord
00:09:33.83\00:09:37.44
what would he have said?
00:09:37.47\00:09:38.50
No way, I would rather starve
than not have the privilege
00:09:38.53\00:09:43.86
of leading my family
in the fear of the Lord,
00:09:43.89\00:09:45.90
being the spiritual leader,
being the ruler, and having the
00:09:45.96\00:09:48.28
privilege of, from my
line, bringing the Messiah
00:09:48.31\00:09:50.64
into the world. I can't
sell my spiritual privileges.
00:09:50.72\00:09:53.92
But notice the type of person
that Esau was. But Jacob said,
00:09:53.95\00:10:00.63
Of course, that was hyperbole,
that was an exaggeration.
00:10:08.35\00:10:11.04
He didn't give
it a second thought!
00:10:41.22\00:10:43.80
You see, the problem with
Esau is that he looked at the
00:10:49.50\00:10:52.75
privileges of the birthright,
but he did not understand
00:10:52.78\00:11:00.90
the responsibilities involved.
00:11:00.93\00:11:04.32
In other words, Esau wanted
the power without the necessary
00:11:04.35\00:11:08.82
character. Now Ellen White,
in Patriarchs and Prophets,
00:11:08.85\00:11:13.88
page 178... By the way, this is
the second textbook that we've
00:11:13.91\00:11:17.12
used in this seminar.
00:11:17.15\00:11:18.18
The first is the Bible.
00:11:18.21\00:11:19.24
...says this about
the character of Esau:
00:11:19.27\00:11:22.11
In other words, being
the leader of the household,
00:11:43.45\00:11:47.35
being the spiritual leader,
bringing the Messiah into
00:11:47.38\00:11:50.06
the world; he had
no interest in that.
00:11:50.09\00:11:52.86
He wanted the power, the
rulership, yes, but not the
00:11:52.89\00:11:57.19
responsibilities and the duties.
00:11:57.22\00:11:58.91
She continues saying:
00:11:58.94\00:11:59.98
How did he look at the law?
as a what? as a yoke of bondage.
00:12:11.98\00:12:17.16
He believed the law of
God was a yoke of bondage.
00:12:44.86\00:12:49.80
He wanted to eat, drink, and
be merry, for tomorrow, he said,
00:12:49.83\00:12:56.42
I will die, and that's it.
00:12:56.45\00:12:59.18
Now we can catch a glimpse
of what Esau was like when he
00:12:59.21\00:13:05.49
decided whom he
was going to marry.
00:13:05.52\00:13:07.56
You see, his father said, when
you marry, marry women not from
00:13:07.59\00:13:14.83
Canaan, but from
our own parentage.
00:13:14.86\00:13:17.34
And I want you to notice what
Esau did in his father's face.
00:13:17.37\00:13:21.52
Notice Genesis 28:6-9.
00:13:21.55\00:13:26.93
He was defiant, and
disobedient to his father,
00:13:26.96\00:13:29.94
as well as to God's
prescription, that he needed
00:13:29.97\00:13:33.03
to marry someone from
the household of faith.
00:13:33.06\00:13:35.50
He became unequally yoked, and
to more than one, I might say.
00:13:35.53\00:13:39.36
It says in verse 6:
00:13:39.39\00:13:41.47
Because she was from
the household of faith.
00:13:49.89\00:13:52.05
And now notice what Esau does.
00:14:04.81\00:14:06.97
And if you go to chapter 36,
you'll find that he married four
00:14:25.40\00:14:29.08
women from Canaan,
in his father's face!
00:14:29.11\00:14:33.64
In other words, he was defiantly
disobedient to the will of God,
00:14:33.67\00:14:38.57
and to the will of his father.
00:14:38.60\00:14:40.42
He did not want any restraint.
00:14:40.45\00:14:42.21
He lived for this present
life, with no regard whatsoever
00:14:42.24\00:14:47.07
for the future life.
00:14:47.10\00:14:48.75
Now I mentioned that the
color red is very closely linked
00:14:48.78\00:14:53.72
with Esau. The reason why is
because Esau lived by the sword.
00:14:53.75\00:15:00.03
He was a violent man.
00:15:00.06\00:15:02.58
I want you to notice
the following examples from
00:15:02.61\00:15:06.23
scripture. We're not going
to read them, but we're going
00:15:06.26\00:15:08.31
to just mention them.
00:15:08.34\00:15:09.37
Genesis 25:25 says
that when Esau was born,
00:15:09.40\00:15:13.86
he was born red all over.
00:15:13.89\00:15:15.65
Evidentially he was
hairy, and his hair was red.
00:15:15.68\00:15:18.95
And that's the reason why
his parents called him Edom.
00:15:18.98\00:15:25.06
He was called Esau, of course,
but another name of his was
00:15:25.09\00:15:29.33
Edom. And do you
know what Edom means?
00:15:29.36\00:15:31.55
Edom means red.
00:15:31.58\00:15:33.80
Not only that, we just
read in Genesis 25:30 that Esau
00:15:33.83\00:15:40.70
sold his birthright
for some red lentils.
00:15:40.73\00:15:44.71
Furthermore, we find
that the name Bozrah,
00:15:46.90\00:15:51.81
another name for
Edom, means ripe grapes.
00:15:51.84\00:15:57.50
Significant! And if you go to
Isaiah 63:1-5 you'll find that
00:15:57.53\00:16:05.13
both Edom and Bozrah
are mentioned in the context
00:16:05.16\00:16:11.70
of the sufferings of Christ,
and trampling the wine press,
00:16:11.73\00:16:15.21
and blood splattering
all over his clothes.
00:16:15.24\00:16:17.75
In other words, the
color red emphasizes bloodshed.
00:16:17.78\00:16:21.84
And this was the type
of person that Esau was.
00:16:21.87\00:16:25.12
And eventually he would
come against his brother
00:16:25.15\00:16:29.06
to try and destroy him.
00:16:29.09\00:16:31.40
Now as we look at the Bible,
and other places where the
00:16:31.43\00:16:35.48
Edomites appear, we discover
several characteristics of what
00:16:35.51\00:16:40.04
Esau's descendents were like.
00:16:40.07\00:16:42.00
I'm only going to share
these with you in passing.
00:16:42.03\00:16:44.59
All of these characteristics
show an impulsive,
00:16:44.62\00:16:49.10
violent people. For example,
they were proud and arrogant,
00:16:49.13\00:16:55.08
according to Jeremiah 49:6.
00:16:55.11\00:16:58.32
They were cruel,
Obadiah, verse 3.
00:16:58.35\00:17:01.99
They were vengeful; they liked
to get revenge, Isaiah 26:12.
00:17:02.02\00:17:07.87
They were idolatrous,
2 Chronicles 25:10, 14.
00:17:07.90\00:17:13.37
They were superstitious.
00:17:13.40\00:17:15.92
In other words, they
were involved in spiritualism.
00:17:15.95\00:17:19.13
Jeremiah 27:3, 9.
00:17:19.16\00:17:22.02
They were wheeler-dealers.
00:17:22.05\00:17:24.34
They were very much
involved in commerce,
00:17:24.37\00:17:27.90
according to Ezekiel 27:20.
00:17:27.93\00:17:31.21
And one of the worst
characteristics is that they
00:17:31.24\00:17:33.73
were traitors to their
brothers, in other words,
00:17:33.76\00:17:37.49
to the Israelites, according
to Ezekiel 35:5, 10-15.
00:17:37.52\00:17:44.02
And so we begin to catch a
glimpse of what this first son
00:17:44.07\00:17:51.54
represents. He represents
people who live for the present
00:17:51.57\00:17:55.96
time, without any
regard for the future;
00:17:55.99\00:17:58.47
who could care less about
their birthright of beings kings
00:17:58.50\00:18:03.30
and priests, and having their
lives linked with the Messiah;
00:18:03.33\00:18:06.99
people who live
for the present moment,
00:18:07.02\00:18:10.80
who only live for pleasure, with
no regard to what's going to
00:18:10.83\00:18:15.94
take place in the future.
00:18:15.97\00:18:17.83
And, of course, we
all know the story.
00:18:17.86\00:18:21.45
Jacob's mom, Rachel, said,
We cannot allow Esau to have
00:18:21.49\00:18:30.94
the blessing. And so she
prepared this plot where Jacob
00:18:30.97\00:18:37.08
deceived his father.
00:18:37.11\00:18:38.52
I'm not going to
go over that story.
00:18:38.55\00:18:40.53
Because Rachel said, If we allow
Esau to have the birthright,
00:18:40.56\00:18:46.37
it's going to be a disaster.
00:18:46.40\00:18:47.46
By the way, Esau had
already sold his birthright.
00:18:47.49\00:18:51.09
So Jacob wasn't really taking
anything from him that Esau
00:18:51.12\00:18:55.40
had not already sold.
00:18:55.43\00:18:56.46
But the conniving
methods that he used were wrong,
00:18:56.49\00:18:59.90
and Jacob committed
this terrible sin of lying,
00:18:59.93\00:19:04.11
of hiding his identity.
00:19:04.14\00:19:07.32
And, of course, God would have
worked it out in His own way
00:19:09.20\00:19:14.95
if Jacob and his
mother had just been patient.
00:19:14.98\00:19:18.26
By the way, this shows that the
end does not justify the means.
00:19:18.29\00:19:23.21
You've heard the expression,
All's well that ends well?
00:19:24.95\00:19:27.86
No way! Not if you
use the wrong methods.
00:19:27.89\00:19:32.69
You see, situation
ethics is off base.
00:19:32.72\00:19:36.98
The idea that you can
do something that's wrong,
00:19:37.01\00:19:40.77
as long as what
comes from it is right.
00:19:40.80\00:19:44.02
I call it Robin Hood ethics,
because it's okay to steal from
00:19:44.05\00:19:51.38
the rich, as long as
you give it to the poor.
00:19:51.41\00:19:54.47
No way! God would have
worked it out according to
00:19:54.50\00:19:59.43
His own calendar, but Jacob
and his mother jumped the gun,
00:19:59.46\00:20:03.72
and Jacob committed
this terrible sin that caused
00:20:03.75\00:20:07.45
separation between him and
his father, between him and his
00:20:07.48\00:20:10.67
household, between
him and his brother.
00:20:10.70\00:20:12.96
Now when Esau came back from
hunting and brought the venison
00:20:14.77\00:20:20.10
to his father, and his father
told him that he had already
00:20:20.13\00:20:25.20
blessed Jacob, we find Esau
crying out with bitter tears.
00:20:25.23\00:20:34.23
In fact, let's notice that
in Genesis 27:34, Genesis 27:34.
00:20:34.26\00:20:43.49
It says:
00:20:43.52\00:20:44.61
Notice also
chapter 27, and verse 38:
00:20:59.11\00:21:02.82
Was he repentant? Was he sorry?
00:21:19.84\00:21:25.92
He was sorry of the consequences
of his decision, but he was not
00:21:25.95\00:21:33.45
sorry that he had
made the wrong decision.
00:21:33.48\00:21:36.03
He was sad about the results
of sin, but not the sin itself.
00:21:36.06\00:21:41.46
You know, in my Sabbath School
class today, I was mentioning
00:21:43.28\00:21:45.64
the case of Judas and Peter.
00:21:45.67\00:21:48.12
You know they are
very similar in some ways.
00:21:48.15\00:21:50.39
Both of them
betrayed Christ, didn't they?
00:21:50.42\00:21:55.33
Both of them betrayed Christ.
00:21:55.36\00:21:58.92
Both of them repented,
according to scripture.
00:21:58.95\00:22:03.38
The word
repentance is used for both.
00:22:03.41\00:22:06.00
Where was the difference
between the repentance of Peter,
00:22:06.03\00:22:09.55
and the repentance of Judas?
00:22:09.58\00:22:11.25
Judas repented of the
fact that his plan backfired.
00:22:11.28\00:22:14.99
He repented that things didn't
work out the way he wanted.
00:22:15.02\00:22:19.66
By the way, he wanted Jesus
to retaliate, and to escape,
00:22:19.69\00:22:23.56
and to sit on the throne.
00:22:23.59\00:22:24.63
In other words, he
wanted to push Jesus into
00:22:24.66\00:22:28.10
proclaiming Himself king.
00:22:28.13\00:22:29.37
When it didn't work out,
the Bible says that he threw
00:22:29.40\00:22:32.73
the money down, and he
went and he hung himself.
00:22:32.76\00:22:35.57
That's the type of
repentance of Esau.
00:22:35.60\00:22:39.96
In fact, we find a
reference to this in the book of
00:22:39.99\00:22:43.95
Hebrews 12:14-17.
00:22:43.98\00:22:48.04
Let's read those verses:
Hebrews 12:14-17. It says here:
00:22:48.07\00:22:55.31
By the way, Esau
was just the opposite.
00:22:58.97\00:23:00.61
He was at war with his brother,
he was at war with everyone.
00:23:00.64\00:23:03.44
Like Esau. How was he described?
00:23:35.40\00:23:37.05
a fornicator and a
what? a profane person.
00:23:37.08\00:23:41.70
He had crossed
the line of no return.
00:24:02.92\00:24:07.62
Concerning this, we find
in Patriarchs and Prophets,
00:24:07.65\00:24:11.39
page 181, the following words
about the repentance of Esau.
00:24:11.42\00:24:16.64
In other words, he was sorry
that he made the wrong choice,
00:24:36.62\00:24:41.19
because of the
results, not because the choice
00:24:41.22\00:24:44.39
in itself was wrong.
00:24:44.42\00:24:45.87
This is a
counterfeit repentance.
00:24:45.90\00:24:48.98
Now it's interesting to notice
that this vile, profane person,
00:24:49.01\00:24:54.03
fornicator, violent, idolatress,
arrogant, living for this
00:24:54.06\00:24:58.71
present moment, for the here
and now, rather than for the
00:24:58.74\00:25:01.46
sweet by and by; when
he saw that Jacob had taken
00:25:01.49\00:25:06.00
his birthright he
said, I am going to get even,
00:25:06.03\00:25:11.44
and I am going to
kill my own brother.
00:25:11.47\00:25:14.61
By the way, do you
notice that this is a battle
00:25:14.64\00:25:16.92
between brothers?
00:25:16.95\00:25:18.03
It's not an outsider versus
an insider; both are brothers.
00:25:18.06\00:25:23.77
Do we find this
constantly in Genesis?
00:25:23.80\00:25:27.05
We most certainly do!
00:25:27.08\00:25:28.24
Cain and Able were brothers.
00:25:28.27\00:25:30.78
Joseph and his brothers.
00:25:30.81\00:25:32.99
Isaac and Ishmael were brothers.
00:25:33.02\00:25:36.30
And in every case the
older brother wants to do what?
00:25:36.33\00:25:40.20
The older brother wants to
destroy the younger brother.
00:25:40.23\00:25:43.71
Now I want you to
notice here, Genesis 27:41.
00:25:45.89\00:25:50.76
And so, from the very beginning
he pronounces the death sentence
00:26:15.22\00:26:18.34
against his brother Jacob.
00:26:18.37\00:26:20.74
Now as a result of his sin,
Jacob had to flee from his home.
00:26:20.77\00:26:26.98
Lets notice that
in Genesis 27:43.
00:26:27.01\00:26:33.57
This is by
recommendation of his mother.
00:26:33.60\00:26:36.06
He now has to leave his
happy home because of his sin.
00:26:36.09\00:26:39.10
He has to go to a far away land.
00:26:39.13\00:26:41.65
And as he's traveling,
undoubtedly, he's shedding tears
00:26:41.68\00:26:45.66
because he's lost his
home because of his sin.
00:26:45.69\00:26:48.95
Notice Genesis 27:43.
00:26:48.98\00:26:52.81
And now I want you to notice
something which is of critical
00:27:02.61\00:27:05.28
importance in this story.
00:27:05.31\00:27:06.54
As Jacob is traveling
to the household of Laban,
00:27:06.57\00:27:12.06
God now gives Jacob a dream,
because at this point Jacob is
00:27:12.09\00:27:19.70
feeling like God has
forsaken him because of his sin.
00:27:19.73\00:27:22.73
That God cannot
forgive what he's done.
00:27:22.76\00:27:25.84
And he's fleeing from home.
00:27:25.87\00:27:27.88
He's agonizing, he's
saying, Has God forsaken me?
00:27:27.91\00:27:31.53
But when he lays down to sleep,
puts his head on some stones,
00:27:31.56\00:27:35.54
and God gives him a dream.
00:27:35.57\00:27:39.71
I want you to notice Genesis
28: 12 and following. It says:
00:27:39.74\00:27:47.03
God is saying, See, you're not
separated because of your sin.
00:28:02.96\00:28:05.73
At this point
Jacob was repentant.
00:28:05.76\00:28:07.64
He had cried out to the
Lord for forgiveness. He says:
00:28:07.67\00:28:12.00
Does God promise to
give him the land back,
00:28:21.01\00:28:23.37
to bring him back to
the land? Absolutely!
00:28:23.40\00:28:26.59
Do you see the same promises
that God gave to Abraham?
00:28:42.42\00:28:44.91
He's saying,
first of all the land;
00:28:44.94\00:28:49.15
you will have the land back.
00:28:49.18\00:28:50.46
Secondly, you will have
an innumerable posterity that
00:28:50.49\00:28:56.26
will live in the land.
00:28:56.29\00:28:57.33
In the third place, all of your
descendents will be blessed.
00:28:57.36\00:29:02.08
And then there's
a fourth promise.
00:29:02.11\00:29:03.74
Notice verse 15:
00:29:03.77\00:29:05.11
Did God give Jacob
definite promises? Yes, He did.
00:29:15.85\00:29:20.95
He said, You've sinned,
yes, but you are not forsaken.
00:29:20.98\00:29:24.93
I promise that someday
you will have the land,
00:29:24.96\00:29:27.37
an innumerable prosperity, the
blessing, and I will protect you
00:29:27.40\00:29:32.13
and I will keep you from
the power of your enemies.
00:29:32.16\00:29:35.06
Jacob could take these promises
to the bank, and he was going to
00:29:35.09\00:29:39.28
need them later
on in this story.
00:29:39.31\00:29:41.24
He's going to remind God of
these promises that God gave
00:29:41.27\00:29:45.86
as he left home.
00:29:45.89\00:29:46.92
So notice that when he has to
leave home because of his sin,
00:29:46.95\00:29:49.86
his happy home because of
his sin, God gives promises,
00:29:49.89\00:29:52.72
and he says,
You'll be coming back.
00:29:52.75\00:29:54.67
I have not forsaken you.
00:29:54.70\00:29:56.35
And, of course, that
ladder represents whom?
00:29:56.38\00:30:00.82
It represents Christ.
00:30:00.85\00:30:03.31
Through whom will all of
these blessings be gained?
00:30:03.35\00:30:07.08
Not the land of
Canaan, but the earth.
00:30:07.12\00:30:10.21
Through whom will we have an
innumerable host of saved people
00:30:10.24\00:30:15.42
that cannot be numbered,
according to Revelation 7?
00:30:15.45\00:30:18.53
Through whom will all of
the human race be blessed
00:30:18.56\00:30:21.46
when the curse is removed?
00:30:21.49\00:30:23.35
There will be no more curse.
00:30:23.38\00:30:24.51
And who will deliver His
people from their enemies?
00:30:24.54\00:30:27.63
It wasn't Jacob, it
wasn't Abraham, it wasn't Isaac,
00:30:27.66\00:30:34.05
it was a prophecy about
what Jesus would do on a global,
00:30:34.08\00:30:39.52
worldwide scale. And then,
of course, Jacob leaves home.
00:30:39.55\00:30:42.36
He has these promises when
he leaves home that God says,
00:30:42.39\00:30:45.49
I'm going to restore you.
00:30:45.52\00:30:46.55
Someday you're
going to come back.
00:30:46.58\00:30:47.67
And he ends up in Laban's house.
00:30:47.70\00:30:51.85
There is no more satanic
figure in the Bible than Laban.
00:30:51.88\00:30:56.69
When you read the character
of Laban, it's just like you're
00:30:56.72\00:31:01.15
reading about the devil.
00:31:01.18\00:31:02.63
Now let me mention a
few things about Laban.
00:31:02.66\00:31:06.18
He was a hypocrite.
00:31:06.21\00:31:07.85
He feigned love for his
daughters when Jacob left.
00:31:07.88\00:31:12.22
He could care less
about his daughters.
00:31:12.25\00:31:14.62
He was a liar, he was a
deceiver, he was an accuser,
00:31:14.65\00:31:23.74
he was a thief; all
characteristics that are
00:31:23.77\00:31:28.27
mentioned in
scripture about the devil.
00:31:28.30\00:31:30.84
In other words, Jacob ends up in
the household of an individual
00:31:30.87\00:31:35.21
who has a character just like
the devil, and makes the life of
00:31:35.24\00:31:38.45
Jacob what? miserable
while he's away from home.
00:31:38.48\00:31:43.28
In fact, notice Genesis 31:7.
00:31:43.31\00:31:46.64
Notice the episode about
his daughters, Genesis 31:26-29:
00:31:58.98\00:32:04.37
What a hypocrite! He was
only concerned with appearances.
00:32:34.84\00:32:40.11
Notice Genesis 31:41, 42,
the dishonesty of this man,
00:32:40.14\00:32:46.24
self-serving, that made
the life of Jacob difficult.
00:32:46.27\00:32:51.08
By the way, was this
experience in Laban's house
00:32:51.11\00:32:53.81
useful to Jacob? Did he
learn to be industrious?
00:32:53.84\00:32:58.45
Did he learn to
trust evermore in the Lord?
00:32:58.48\00:33:01.54
He most certainly did.
00:33:01.57\00:33:03.24
So it wasn't wasted time
to live in the house of this
00:33:03.27\00:33:06.73
conniving,
self-serving individual.
00:33:06.76\00:33:09.36
It was actually helpful for
him to keenly sharpen his powers
00:33:09.39\00:33:14.23
of discernment
and his work ethic.
00:33:14.26\00:33:17.50
Notice Genesis 31:41, 42.
00:33:17.53\00:33:20.99
Every time he prospers he
says, now we've got to reduce
00:33:34.90\00:33:37.16
your salary a little bit.
00:33:37.19\00:33:38.31
Now this sounds
familiar in our world today.
00:33:38.34\00:33:41.62
And so Jacob spends twenty years
in the house of this demonic
00:33:56.88\00:34:02.12
figure. But at the end of the
twenty years, Jacob decides that
00:34:02.15\00:34:08.06
it's time to return to Canaan.
00:34:08.09\00:34:12.36
And here's where this
story becomes very interesting,
00:34:12.39\00:34:15.80
and unless you come to our next
lecture, you're only going to
00:34:15.84\00:34:18.54
have half of the story.
00:34:18.58\00:34:19.77
Because today we're just
dealing with Jacob and Esau,
00:34:22.00\00:34:25.00
their characters, how
Jacob had to leave home.
00:34:25.03\00:34:27.68
He ended up in the household
of the enemy, and so on.
00:34:27.72\00:34:29.98
We're just going to
briefly touch upon the events
00:34:30.01\00:34:33.96
that take place immediately
before Jacob re-enters the land
00:34:33.99\00:34:39.36
of Canaan that
lost because of his sin.
00:34:39.39\00:34:42.89
In Genesis 32:6 we find the
story of Esau, still bent on
00:34:42.92\00:34:50.72
destroying his brother, because
his brother had the birthright,
00:34:50.75\00:34:54.56
because his brother now
was going to be the king,
00:34:54.59\00:34:56.72
and the priest, and the
progenitor of the Messiah.
00:34:56.76\00:34:59.54
Now he's coming with four
hundred men, with the intention
00:34:59.57\00:35:03.32
of killing his
brother, and everybody with him.
00:35:03.36\00:35:06.86
In Genesis 32:6
we find these words:
00:35:06.89\00:35:10.36
What do we call this?
00:35:27.17\00:35:28.52
We call it the
time of Jacob's trouble.
00:35:28.55\00:35:34.20
when his brother, who lived
with only regard to this life,
00:35:34.23\00:35:40.59
is now preparing to come
and destroy his own brother;
00:35:40.62\00:35:45.01
the one who has the birthright,
the one who has the promises
00:35:45.04\00:35:50.25
and the
blessings of the covenant.
00:35:50.28\00:35:52.17
He's now coming, and Jacob is
now afraid, and he's distressed.
00:35:52.20\00:35:56.42
He's afraid that God is not
going to be able to protect him,
00:35:56.45\00:35:59.74
or to take care of him,
because of the great sin
00:35:59.77\00:36:02.84
that he had
committed twenty years earlier.
00:36:02.87\00:36:07.61
Had God already told him
that his sin was forgiven?
00:36:07.64\00:36:11.10
Had God told him
that his sin was forgiven?
00:36:11.13\00:36:13.37
Why did God even
bother to give him the dream?
00:36:13.40\00:36:15.99
God was saying,
listen, you're forgiven.
00:36:16.02\00:36:19.13
You're going to
get the land back.
00:36:19.16\00:36:20.40
You're going to
have a large posterity.
00:36:20.43\00:36:22.72
The blessing is
going to come upon you.
00:36:22.75\00:36:24.56
I'm going to take care of you.
00:36:24.59\00:36:25.95
I'm going to protect you.
00:36:25.98\00:36:27.01
Don't worry about it.
00:36:27.04\00:36:28.75
Your enemies are not going
to have ascendency over you.
00:36:28.78\00:36:31.01
But here we find Jacob afraid.
00:36:31.04\00:36:33.24
He says, I'm afraid that
my brother, along with these
00:36:33.27\00:36:36.45
four hundred men,
is going to destroy me,
00:36:36.49\00:36:39.17
along with my family.
00:36:39.20\00:36:40.23
And so Jacob now pours out
his heart in prayer to the God
00:36:40.64\00:36:46.14
who had spoken to him in
the dream twenty years earlier.
00:36:46.17\00:36:50.68
Notice Genesis 32:9-12.
00:36:50.71\00:36:53.89
Do you notice
what his attitude is?
00:37:13.86\00:37:16.46
He feels his what?
00:37:16.49\00:37:18.71
I want you to
remember these details.
00:37:18.74\00:37:20.37
He feels his total unworthiness.
00:37:20.40\00:37:22.87
I have no right to pray to You.
00:37:31.91\00:37:34.37
I am a sinner. I have no
right to claim Your protection.
00:37:34.40\00:37:38.01
It's only because I
lay myself on Your mercy
00:37:38.04\00:37:42.47
that I even
come and address You.
00:37:42.50\00:37:44.51
Verse 11: Deliver me, I pray
from the hand of my brother,
00:37:44.54\00:37:52.49
not because I have any merit,
but because of Your mercy.
00:37:52.52\00:37:55.65
Deliver me, I pray...
00:37:55.68\00:37:56.89
What is Jacob claiming
during this period of agony,
00:38:14.05\00:38:18.66
and struggle, and prayer?
00:38:18.69\00:38:20.49
He's claiming God's
what? God's promises.
00:38:20.52\00:38:26.12
In his unworthiness he's
claiming the promises of God.
00:38:26.15\00:38:30.37
Remember that! You know,
there's an interesting passage,
00:38:30.40\00:38:33.77
if I can get ahead
of myself a little bit.
00:38:33.80\00:38:35.53
There's an interesting passage
in The Great Controversy,
00:38:35.56\00:38:38.24
actually it's a
whole chapter called,
00:38:38.27\00:38:39.78
The Time of Jacob's Trouble.
00:38:39.81\00:38:42.24
And all of the elements
that we're looking at now,
00:38:42.27\00:38:46.00
plus what we're going to study
more fully in our next lecture,
00:38:46.04\00:38:48.92
are found in that chapter
of The Great Controversy.
00:38:48.95\00:38:51.30
In other words, what
took place once with Jacob,
00:38:52.24\00:38:56.41
is going to take place at the
end of time with God's remnant
00:38:56.44\00:39:00.55
people, as the wicked of
the earth come to destroy
00:39:00.58\00:39:03.33
God's people from
the face of the earth.
00:39:03.36\00:39:05.69
Now as Jacob is
pouring out his prayer to God,
00:39:07.56\00:39:10.53
in his unworthiness...
00:39:10.56\00:39:11.88
By the way, the only way we
can approach the throne of God
00:39:11.91\00:39:13.96
is in our unworthiness.
00:39:13.99\00:39:15.17
We can't make
any demands on God.
00:39:15.20\00:39:17.78
We're sinners; He's Holy.
00:39:17.81\00:39:21.00
It's only because of
God's mercy, and because God has
00:39:21.03\00:39:24.15
promised that we
can claim His promises.
00:39:24.18\00:39:25.90
If God promises, we can claim
them, because God never gives
00:39:25.93\00:39:29.88
a promise that He's not
able, or willing to fulfill.
00:39:29.92\00:39:31.27
Now notice Genesis 32, as
he's pouring out his soul to God
00:39:32.65\00:39:38.14
asking for forgiveness for a sin
that he committed twenty years
00:39:38.17\00:39:40.71
earlier. And as he's asking God
to protect him, we find that a
00:39:40.74\00:39:47.17
man caught up to him, and
started wrestling with him.
00:39:47.20\00:39:51.37
Notice Genesis 32:24-26:
00:39:51.40\00:39:54.20
Quite a wrestling match!
00:40:00.99\00:40:03.39
That who didn't
prevail against whom?
00:40:08.63\00:40:11.68
That the man could
not prevail against him,
00:40:14.85\00:40:17.04
because it continues saying:
00:40:17.07\00:40:19.82
Who touched the
socket of his hip?
00:40:22.58\00:40:24.80
The man that he
was struggling with.
00:40:24.83\00:40:27.30
Do you think Jacob
was in excruciating pain?
00:40:33.59\00:40:36.47
Have you ever had a dislocated
hip, or a dislocated shoulder?
00:40:36.50\00:40:43.45
You're talking about
an excruciating pain.
00:40:43.49\00:40:45.79
It would have been very easy...
00:40:45.82\00:40:46.85
By the way, at this point
does Jacob know that he's not
00:40:46.88\00:40:49.38
struggling with a
common, ordinary human being?
00:40:49.41\00:40:51.46
Oh, yes, he does.
00:40:51.49\00:40:53.62
Just by touching
him dislocating his hip?
00:40:53.65\00:40:56.07
He says, there's something
more than meets the eye here.
00:40:56.10\00:40:59.13
And yet in spite of the fact
that he's in excruciating pain,
00:40:59.16\00:41:02.58
does Jacob let him lose? No!
00:41:02.61\00:41:06.31
Notice chapter 32 and verse
26, this being says to him:
00:41:06.34\00:41:15.03
Do you know that Jacob, at
this point, had not been able to
00:41:30.08\00:41:32.84
to forgive himself?
00:41:32.87\00:41:33.90
Do we need to learn a
lesson about forgiveness folks?
00:41:35.91\00:41:38.91
You know, sometimes we commit
a sin, and after we've committed
00:41:38.94\00:41:44.87
the sin, we repent
and we confess it to God,
00:41:44.90\00:41:48.30
but in the course of time we're
never able to forgive ourselves.
00:41:48.33\00:41:52.29
We always keep bringing
it up and remembering it.
00:41:52.32\00:41:55.56
I once had a parishioner,
she came to me, she says,
00:41:55.59\00:41:58.89
Pastor Bohr, I have this sin,
and I don't feel that God has
00:41:58.92\00:42:03.00
forgiven me for it.
00:42:03.03\00:42:04.06
I said, Oh really?
00:42:04.09\00:42:05.12
Have you repented of it? Yes.
00:42:05.15\00:42:06.48
Have you confessed it? Yes.
00:42:06.51\00:42:07.85
I said, If you've repented
and confessed, the Bible says,
00:42:07.88\00:42:12.36
if we confess our sins, He is
faithful and just to forgive us
00:42:12.39\00:42:14.88
our sins, and to cleanse
us from all unrighteousness.
00:42:14.91\00:42:18.10
I said, so you're forgiven.
00:42:18.13\00:42:22.29
She says, but Pastor,
I don't feel forgiven.
00:42:22.32\00:42:24.87
And I said to her,
listen, feelings have nothing
00:42:24.90\00:42:28.07
to do with it. You don't
believe that you're forgiven,
00:42:28.10\00:42:31.63
because you feel it,
but because God says so.
00:42:31.66\00:42:34.42
If God says, if we confess our
sins, He is faithful and just
00:42:36.44\00:42:40.39
to forgive us our
sins, and cleanse us from all
00:42:40.42\00:42:42.27
unrighteousness, you can take
it to the bank, not because you
00:42:42.30\00:42:45.12
feel it, but
because God says it.
00:42:45.15\00:42:47.52
We have to learn to
live by what God says,
00:42:47.56\00:42:50.94
not by our feelings; by
every word that proceeds
00:42:50.97\00:42:55.28
from the mouth of God.
00:42:55.31\00:42:57.06
And so He says, Let me
go, and Jacob says, No way
00:42:57.09\00:43:00.53
until I have the assurance that
I'm forgiven, and that You're
00:43:00.56\00:43:03.26
going to be able to
protect me and my family
00:43:03.29\00:43:05.85
from the enemy who is coming.
00:43:05.88\00:43:07.63
And now notice
Genesis 32:27, 28.
00:43:07.66\00:43:12.69
He says to Jacob...
00:43:16.68\00:43:18.37
By the way, the name
Jacob means supplanter.
00:43:18.40\00:43:21.95
Do you know that Jacob actually
tried to supplant his brother
00:43:21.98\00:43:27.03
from the moment
that he was in the womb?
00:43:27.06\00:43:28.63
It says that he grabbed
his brother by the heel,
00:43:28.66\00:43:32.37
because he was trying to
pull Esau down so that he
00:43:32.40\00:43:36.35
could be born first.
00:43:36.38\00:43:37.43
And then, of course,
he supplanted his brother
00:43:37.46\00:43:40.98
by taking his birthright.
00:43:41.01\00:43:42.23
But had the
character of Jacob changed?
00:43:42.26\00:43:47.55
Yes, it had. He was a repentant
man, claiming the promises
00:43:47.58\00:43:52.50
of God, humbled by his
experience, having learned
00:43:52.54\00:43:56.53
for twenty years in
the household of the enemy.
00:43:56.56\00:43:59.83
And so it says in
chapter 32 and verse 28:
00:44:03.10\00:44:08.42
The name Israel
means, Prince of God.
00:44:16.50\00:44:20.32
You have struggled
with men, and with whom?
00:44:28.00\00:44:31.62
Who was that man that
Jacob was struggling with?
00:44:31.65\00:44:35.19
That man was nothing less
than Michael the Archangel.
00:44:35.22\00:44:42.75
You say, How do you know that?
00:44:44.00\00:44:45.03
Go with me to the
book of Hosea 12:3, 4.
00:44:45.06\00:44:49.13
There it comes
through very clearly.
00:44:49.16\00:44:50.81
Genesis says it was a man.
00:44:50.84\00:44:52.33
Hosea explains who this man was.
00:44:52.36\00:44:56.01
It says there in Hosea
12:3, 4, speaking about Jacob,
00:44:56.04\00:45:01.69
He took his brother
by the heel in the womb,
00:45:01.72\00:45:05.75
and in his strength
he struggled with God.
00:45:05.78\00:45:08.95
He struggled
with whom? with God.
00:45:08.98\00:45:13.17
Yes, he struggled with
the angel and prevailed.
00:45:13.20\00:45:17.57
He wept, and
sought favor from him.
00:45:17.60\00:45:22.08
Favor from whom? from the angel.
00:45:22.11\00:45:26.55
Did you catch that or not?
00:45:26.58\00:45:28.98
It says he struggled with God,
then it says that he struggled
00:45:29.01\00:45:33.12
with the what? with the angel,
and he wept and sought favor
00:45:33.15\00:45:37.60
from him; that
is from the angel.
00:45:37.63\00:45:39.03
Who is this angel?
This angel is Jesus.
00:45:39.06\00:45:42.34
By the way, as we'll
notice in our next lecture,
00:45:42.44\00:45:44.72
in Daniel chapter 3, when
Nebuchadnezzar sees four men
00:45:44.75\00:45:49.58
in the furnace, he says, I
see four men, and the fourth man
00:45:49.61\00:45:52.69
looks like the Son of God.
00:45:52.72\00:45:54.94
But a little bit later on,
Nebuchadnezzar said that God
00:45:57.09\00:46:00.08
sent his angel to
deliver His servants.
00:46:00.11\00:46:02.93
So who is the angel?
00:46:02.96\00:46:04.82
The angel is the Son of God.
00:46:04.85\00:46:06.88
This is Michael, the
archangel; Christ in His
00:46:06.91\00:46:09.98
pre-incarnate state.
00:46:10.01\00:46:11.79
Who was Jacob wrestling with?
00:46:11.82\00:46:14.64
He was wrestling with Jesus.
00:46:14.67\00:46:16.99
By the way, is this story
going to be repeated again?
00:46:17.02\00:46:23.28
Allow me to go now
through this story very quickly
00:46:23.31\00:46:28.66
to see how it is going to
be re-enacted in the end time
00:46:28.69\00:46:32.21
with God's people.
00:46:32.24\00:46:33.73
Are there going to be two groups
in the world at the end of time
00:46:33.76\00:46:38.92
that manifest the
characteristics of Jacob
00:46:38.95\00:46:42.01
Esau? Absolutely!
00:46:42.19\00:46:44.59
Is the final war going to
be brother against brother,
00:46:44.62\00:46:49.66
spiritually speaking?
00:46:49.70\00:46:52.28
Is the weaker going to
have ascendency eventually
00:46:52.31\00:46:57.61
over the stronger? Absolutely!
00:46:57.64\00:47:01.50
You can notice, for example,
Revelation 3:9 where it says
00:47:01.53\00:47:04.60
that the synagogue of
Satan, which are the powers
00:47:04.63\00:47:06.64
of the world that have
ascendency, will come and they
00:47:06.67\00:47:10.62
will worship before the feet
of those whom God has loved.
00:47:10.65\00:47:16.08
Has God promised those
of His followers that they
00:47:17.84\00:47:22.00
will be kings and priests?
00:47:22.03\00:47:23.62
Revelation 1:5 says that Jesus
has made us kings and priests.
00:47:23.65\00:47:29.11
Are we the
firstborn then? Absolutely!
00:47:29.14\00:47:32.23
Do we have the privilege someday
of living with the Messiah?
00:47:32.26\00:47:36.10
Absolutely! So the Birthright
that belonged to Jacob actually
00:47:36.13\00:47:41.68
is our birthright in Christ.
00:47:41.71\00:47:43.88
The right, someday, of being
kings and priests, and dwelling
00:47:43.91\00:47:48.82
with the Messiah, who
gave us that birthright.
00:47:48.85\00:47:52.63
Will those who have the
character of Esau in the end
00:47:52.66\00:47:58.84
time despise God's holy law?
00:47:58.87\00:48:02.06
Will they consider that the
law of God is a yoke of bondage?
00:48:02.09\00:48:06.87
Will they live in this world
as if there is no other world,
00:48:06.90\00:48:10.85
for the present pleasures
of life, and sell their eternal
00:48:10.88\00:48:15.25
birthright as kings and priests,
the privilege of living with the
00:48:15.28\00:48:19.68
Messiah forever; sell it, so to
speak, for a plate of lentils,
00:48:19.71\00:48:24.07
for temporary, momentary
pleasures, things in this life?
00:48:24.10\00:48:31.97
Absolutely! By the
way, did we lose our home
00:48:32.00\00:48:35.96
as a result of our sin?
00:48:35.99\00:48:37.56
What was our home? Eden.
00:48:38.88\00:48:42.19
Did God promise Adam and Eve
the very day that they sinned
00:48:42.22\00:48:46.77
that Eden would be recovered?
00:48:46.80\00:48:48.69
Did He give them a
Messianic prophecy? Absolutely!
00:48:48.72\00:48:53.08
Genesis 3:15, He says, I'm going
to send a seed to the world,
00:48:53.11\00:48:57.53
and He's going to do battle with
the serpent, and He's going to
00:48:57.56\00:49:00.35
crush the serpent's head, and
you are going to be restored.
00:49:00.38\00:49:04.93
So God's people
receive a Messianic prophecy,
00:49:04.96\00:49:07.84
a glimmer of hope just like
Jacob did when he had to flee
00:49:07.87\00:49:11.96
his home. Where did we end
up when we left our Eden home?
00:49:11.99\00:49:16.88
In whose house? In
Laban's house, so to speak.
00:49:16.91\00:49:22.53
What kind of a being is Satan?
00:49:22.56\00:49:25.20
Is he like Laban?
He most certainly is.
00:49:25.23\00:49:27.87
Is he a conniver?
00:49:27.90\00:49:29.15
Is he a deceiver?
00:49:29.18\00:49:31.36
Is he a liar? He
has all of those traits.
00:49:31.39\00:49:35.75
Is he self-serving?
00:49:35.78\00:49:37.66
Will he make it look like he's
doing things for your good, and
00:49:37.69\00:49:42.09
someone else's good, when he's
really doing it for himself?
00:49:42.13\00:49:44.88
He's just like Laban.
00:49:44.91\00:49:47.26
Will he want to keep us serving
him forever to serve his own
00:49:47.29\00:49:52.74
purposes? Yes. In other words,
we ended up in Laban's house.
00:49:52.77\00:49:56.73
Is it a blessing to
be in Laban's house,
00:49:59.22\00:50:00.98
in a certain sense?
00:50:01.01\00:50:03.72
What does God want us to do
while we're in Laban's house?
00:50:03.75\00:50:06.96
Work hard, occupy until I come,
Jesus said, and keep our eyes
00:50:06.99\00:50:13.74
open to the possibility of
deception, and not allow Laban,
00:50:13.77\00:50:19.32
so to speak, to gain
the ascendency over us,
00:50:19.35\00:50:21.75
and have the assurance
that God is going to bless us,
00:50:21.78\00:50:23.95
and He's going to
keep us like He did Jacob,
00:50:23.98\00:50:26.18
even in the midst of being
in Laban's conniving household.
00:50:26.21\00:50:30.52
Are God's people going to go
through a severe time of trouble
00:50:32.97\00:50:36.42
shortly before we return to our
home which we lost? Absolutely!
00:50:36.45\00:50:42.20
It's called the time of Jacob's
trouble, and it's mentioned in
00:50:42.23\00:50:48.05
Daniel 12:1. We're
going to study about
00:50:48.08\00:50:49.80
this time of trouble.
00:50:49.83\00:50:50.86
It's an amazing story;
very profoundly biblical.
00:50:50.89\00:50:54.30
If you've wondered where
Ellen White is getting her
00:50:54.33\00:50:55.92
information from when
she has that chapter in
00:50:55.95\00:50:58.19
The Great Controversy, you've
got to come to the next lecture,
00:50:58.22\00:51:00.69
because we're going
to study this in detail.
00:51:00.72\00:51:03.63
The fulfillment is found in
Daniel 11:44 where the powers
00:51:03.66\00:51:08.41
of the earth go out bent
on destroying God's people
00:51:08.44\00:51:13.78
at the end of time.
00:51:13.81\00:51:14.84
And then it says, At that
time Michael shall stand up.
00:51:14.87\00:51:19.44
That's the angel.
00:51:19.47\00:51:21.11
Michael shall stand up,
that prince which stands watch
00:51:21.14\00:51:25.98
over the
children of Your people.
00:51:26.01\00:51:27.64
And there will be such a
time of trouble such as never
00:51:27.67\00:51:31.12
has been seen. But at that
time Your people will be what?
00:51:31.15\00:51:37.90
delivered, everyone who
is found written in the book.
00:51:37.93\00:51:41.85
This story, once again,
is going to be repeated.
00:51:41.88\00:51:47.37
What are God's people
going to claim during this time
00:51:47.40\00:51:51.55
of severe trouble?
00:51:51.58\00:51:52.61
Will they in humility say to
God, We depend on Your mercy,
00:51:52.64\00:51:57.10
we depend on Your
promises? Absolutely!
00:51:57.13\00:52:00.58
And it will be only thing
that will sustain God's people
00:52:00.61\00:52:03.07
as the powers of the earth come
with the intention of destroying
00:52:03.10\00:52:07.06
God's people. And, by the way,
do you know that God's people,
00:52:07.09\00:52:12.50
will struggle in the time
of trouble, struggle with Jesus
00:52:12.53\00:52:16.51
spiritually in prayer,
because at the end we're dealing
00:52:16.54\00:52:19.43
with worldwide spiritual events.
00:52:19.46\00:52:22.47
That little
microcosm back there,
00:52:22.50\00:52:25.42
that little maudlin miniature
story, really illustrates
00:52:25.45\00:52:28.67
worldwide global
events and spiritual issues.
00:52:28.71\00:52:32.64
It's no longer literal
Israel, and literal Esau.
00:52:32.67\00:52:37.44
It is spiritual Israel, and
people who have the character
00:52:37.47\00:52:41.99
of Esau. And, by the way, when
God's people eventually prevail,
00:52:42.02\00:52:46.85
do you know that Revelation
3:12 says that they will
00:52:46.88\00:52:51.90
receive a new name?
00:52:51.93\00:52:56.87
Those who overcome will
receive a what? a new name.
00:52:56.90\00:53:03.76
And then let me ask you, will
God's people once again return
00:53:03.79\00:53:09.05
to the land which
God promised? Absolutely!
00:53:09.08\00:53:12.36
The meek will inherit the earth.
00:53:12.40\00:53:15.14
Will God's people be in a
land where there's no longer
00:53:15.17\00:53:19.07
any curse? Revelation
22:3 says the curse is gone.
00:53:19.10\00:53:23.04
All is blessing. Was that one
of the promises that God made
00:53:23.07\00:53:26.89
to Abraham, to
Isaac, and to Jacob? Yes.
00:53:26.92\00:53:31.24
Will God's people have been
delivered from their enemies,
00:53:31.27\00:53:34.50
and now be safe in
the kingdom? Absolutely!
00:53:34.53\00:53:38.32
And will God's people be
in the midst of a multitude
00:53:38.35\00:53:42.23
which no man can number?
00:53:42.26\00:53:44.00
According to Revelation 7, Yes.
00:53:44.03\00:53:47.56
All of these promises, claimed
during the time of trouble
00:53:47.59\00:53:52.20
by God's people, will be
eventually fulfilled on a global
00:53:52.24\00:53:56.85
worldwide scale
with God's people.
00:53:56.88\00:53:59.70
Now before we bring this
to a close, I need to ask
00:53:59.73\00:54:06.78
the question, are we
living for this present age?
00:54:06.81\00:54:12.20
Are we living for the here and
now, rather than looking to the
00:54:12.23\00:54:15.93
sweet by and by?
00:54:15.96\00:54:18.93
The houses we buy.
00:54:19.69\00:54:21.41
The automobiles we drive.
00:54:21.44\00:54:24.36
The money we keep stored in
the bank, while the work of God
00:54:24.39\00:54:29.28
languishes. The
luxurious clothing that we wear.
00:54:29.32\00:54:35.04
The expensive toys that we buy.
00:54:35.07\00:54:39.49
Is this, perhaps, telling us
that maybe we're looking to the
00:54:39.52\00:54:45.31
here and now rather
than to the sweet by and by?
00:54:45.34\00:54:48.16
Notice what the apostle Paul
says in 2 Corinthians 4:17, 18.
00:54:48.19\00:54:55.18
Are we selling our heavenly
birthright for temporal,
00:54:55.21\00:54:58.77
present pleasures?
00:54:58.81\00:55:01.16
Could it happen to me?
00:55:01.19\00:55:03.45
It certainly could.
00:55:03.48\00:55:05.67
Notice what the
apostle Paul says:
00:55:05.71\00:55:07.85
See, our affliction
now is but for a moment.
00:55:12.64\00:55:14.29
See, our present
affliction is light.
00:55:19.61\00:55:22.02
It's small compared to the
glory that's going to come.
00:55:22.05\00:55:24.66
Notice this.
00:55:24.69\00:55:27.40
What do we look at?
00:55:34.72\00:55:36.10
Not what's seen,
but what's not seen.
00:55:36.13\00:55:39.21
That's our houses, our
cars, our money, our clothes,
00:55:41.84\00:55:45.28
our toys,
whatever it is. It says:
00:55:45.31\00:55:47.99
One final story. We find in
Hebrews 11 the story of Moses.
00:55:59.85\00:56:03.65
You know, Moses was in line
to be the next Pharaoh of Egypt,
00:56:03.68\00:56:06.99
and God said to him, I
want you to go to the desert
00:56:08.88\00:56:10.69
with a rebellious people
who are always going to be
00:56:10.72\00:56:12.50
criticizing you.
There's going to be heat,
00:56:12.53\00:56:14.30
there's going to
be snakes, you know.
00:56:14.33\00:56:15.36
They're going to want to
stone you all of the time.
00:56:16.02\00:56:18.38
Instead of becoming the next
Pharaoh of Egypt, and have all
00:56:18.41\00:56:23.40
of the wealth, and all of
the fame, and all of the power,
00:56:23.43\00:56:26.12
I want you to choose
to go out into the desert
00:56:26.15\00:56:28.31
with this people.
00:56:28.34\00:56:29.64
What would you have
chosen? Good question.
00:56:29.67\00:56:34.17
Better a bird in
hand than two in the bush?
00:56:34.21\00:56:38.70
That's the philosophy of many.
00:56:38.73\00:56:41.39
But it says in Hebrews 11
that Moses preferred affliction
00:56:41.43\00:56:49.62
with the people of God,
than having the temporary,
00:56:49.65\00:56:54.15
and momentary pleasures of sin.
00:56:54.18\00:56:57.56
In fact, he was sustained,
it says in Hebrews 11,
00:56:57.59\00:57:02.83
by seeing Him who is invisible.
00:57:02.86\00:57:07.60
Invisible means you can't see
it, but he was sustained seeing
00:57:09.06\00:57:12.53
Him who is invisible.
00:57:12.56\00:57:14.41
May that be our
experience as well.
00:57:14.44\00:57:19.74