Participants: David Down
Series Code: DUTP
Program Code: DUTP000018
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00:01 2000 years ago, Rome ruled an empire stretching
00:04 from England to Persia. Christ beloved disciple 00:08 John lived during those momentous days and God took 00:11 him behind the scenes in symbolic vision and showed him 00:15 the sin is to forces at work to shake the destiny 00:18 of the empire. In this program, David 00:21 explains this fascinating Revelation. 01:06 This is Roman Forum and this is at the very Hat 01:09 of the Old Roman Empire. This is where Caesars 01:13 Random ruled over the vast empire. 01:17 He found the very centered house that Julius Caesar 01:22 was assassinated in. The arch of Titus in which 01:26 has depicted the conquest of Jerusalem mankind 01:30 the Seven Golden Campbell Sticks back from the 01:33 Temple and he where inactive the great scenes 01:36 of Roman History. Historians like Gibbon in his decline 01:42 and fall of the Roman Empire have analyzed the 01:45 reasons for the rise and the fall of this great empire, 01:49 but if you really want to know the reason behind 01:51 it at all, you need to tend to the Bible because 01:54 that takes us behind the scenes and let us know 01:57 just what was happening in reality. 02:00 In Revelation chapter 12 in particular is a very 02:03 interesting prophecy, where it says in verses 1 to 3, 02:06 now a great sign appeared in heaven: 02:10 a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under 02:13 her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars. 02:17 Then being with child, she cried out in labor and in 02:20 pain to give birth. And another sign appeared in 02:24 heaven: behold, a great, fiery red dragon having 02:27 seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems 02:32 on his heads. Now you might say you can't make it 02:35 a tale of that. Well the only way to really understand 02:38 Bible prophecy is to allow the Bible to interpret 02:42 its own symbols and we can do that. 02:45 For instance in verse 9 it tells us concerning 02:47 this great red dragon, the great dragon was cast 02:51 out that serpent of old called the Devil and Satan. 02:56 Now I don't want you to think that the Devil actually 02:58 looks like this. This is simply a symbol depicting 03:02 his very nasty character, but he does take us 03:06 behind the scenes and enable us to know what 03:09 is going on there. Do you remember it said 03:12 in Revelation 12 that he had 7 heads? 03:15 Well it explains that in chapter 17 and in verse 9, 03:18 the seven heads are seven mountains on which the 03:22 woman sits. There are also seven kings. Five have fallen, 03:27 one is, and the other is not yet come. 03:31 Now these kings or kingdoms must refer to the 03:34 five great kingdoms, which oppose the people 03:37 of God. First of all of course they were the Egyptians, 03:40 who cast the Israelites into slavery, 03:44 and then they were the Assyrians, 03:46 who came down like the wolf on the fold, 03:49 and took the 12 of 10 tribes of Israel into captivity 03:52 then came the Babylonians, who conquered 03:54 Babylon and then came the Medo Persians. 03:58 Remember the people of God the Jewish people 04:00 were nearly destroyed by the Medo Persians, 04:05 who tried to wipe them out in one day and then 04:08 came the Greeks with entire course of Euphonies, 04:12 who persecuted the Jewish people and then finally 04:15 came Rome. Now, those are the five of fallen 04:19 Rome is and that is the kingdom that is here referred 04:23 to. So, here we are talking in Revelation 12 about, 04:27 the Dragon or the Devil working behind the scenes 04:32 against the people of God. Now, what about the 04:36 woman who is attacked by this great red dragon? 04:40 Well in Bible prophecy, a woman represents a church 04:44 or the people of God generally. For instance in 04:47 II Corinthians chapter 11 and in verse 2, 04:51 where Paul was writing to the Christian church 04:54 Corinth he said, for I am jealous for you with 04:57 Godly jealousy: for I have betrothed you to one 05:01 husband, that I may present you as a chaste 05:04 virgin to Christ. So you see a good woman 05:08 represents a good church of the people of God. 05:12 Now it tells us here in Revelation 12 and in verse 5, 05:15 she bore a male child, who was to rule all nations 05:19 with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up to God, 05:23 and to his throne. Jesus Christ was destined 05:27 to be the ruler of the universe. 05:30 Rule all nations one day he will come again and then 05:34 he will be King of Kings, Lord of Lords, 05:36 and he will rule all the nations of the earth. 05:39 And he of course was the child that was caught 05:42 up to God unto his throne, after his crucifixion 05:46 and burial he rose from the dead and was carried 05:50 up into the highest Heavens and so he is the child 05:52 referred to here the woman is the Church or the 05:56 people of God into whose midst he was born. 05:59 Now it says in verse 13, when the dragon saw that 06:03 he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted 06:06 the woman, who gave birth to the male child. 06:09 You see when Jesus was caught up to God unto 06:12 his throne the Devil could no longer tempt him, 06:15 annoy him or persecute him, and so the Devil now turns 06:20 his attention on the woman, all that people of God. 06:24 And we are told in verse 6, then the woman 06:27 fled into the wilderness, where she has a place 06:30 prepared by God, that they should feed her 06:33 there a 1260 days. And so the church was obliged 06:39 to flee into the wilderness that doesn't necessarily 06:43 mean a sandy desert. It's simply means some 06:44 uninhabited place and that is where the people of God, 06:48 where obliged to flee from the persecution of if 06:53 you please not pagans, but rather fellow Christians. 06:57 And so they were obliged to flee to the mountains 07:01 of Northern Italy and other places, 07:03 where they could escape from this persecution 07:06 and the Bible says that they were to be in hiding 07:09 there in refuge take refuge there for one 1260 days. 07:15 Now in prophetic time, we notice that there is a period 07:18 of 360 days, so one time would be 360 days 07:28 that's 12 months of 30 days each, 07:30 the Jewish calendar was a Lunar Calendar actually 07:33 about 29 and a half days in prophetic time. 07:36 It's apparently usually worked out as 360 times or 07:40 two times would be 720 days and half a time 07:46 oh here we are, half is what I should put there 07:52 and that would be half of the 360 as 180 add it 07:56 all up and we have a period of 1260 days. 08:01 Now just in case you think, I'm fixing the figures, 08:04 it specifically tells us here. In Revelation 12:6, 08:09 the woman fled into the wilderness, 08:10 where she has a place repaired by God that they 08:12 should feed her there 1260 days. 08:16 Now in Ezekiel chapter 4 and in verse 6 we are 08:20 told a day in prophecy represents a year. 08:22 So here is a period of 1260 years, it commenced when 08:28 the Papal power became a political stronghold. 08:35 Now you see it always was a religious church, 08:36 but in the year 538, the Emperor Justinian placed 08:43 his armies at the disposal of the Pope of Rome 08:45 to destroy 3 nations, which had opposed the Papal 08:51 teaching. The Vandals in North Africa and the 08:55 Helvetians in Switzerland and the Ostrogoths 08:58 in Italy and they were liquidated by the 09:02 Roman Armies at the order of the Pope of Rome. 09:05 So, here is a period of 1260 years adding this 09:10 together will come to 1798 A.D. Now 09:15 instantly this is the same period referred to in 09:18 Daniel chapter 7 concerning the same power, where it 09:22 all so speaks about a time, times, 09:24 and the dividing of time. Alright, now what happened 09:27 in 1798, it was in that year that Napoleon Bonaparte 09:32 sent his armies on to General Bonaparte down 09:34 to Rome. They occupied the Rome occupied 09:37 the Vatican and took the Pope prisoner and exalt 09:41 him to France and he died there the following year. 09:44 It looked as though the Papal power was finished 09:46 of course we know it wasn't. And so, here is a 09:49 period of 1260 years during which there were 09:54 to be long centuries of terrible persecution 09:57 against the true people of God. So, the true 10:01 Christians were to seek refuge in the wilderness, 10:05 in the uninhabited places of the earth and in places 10:08 where they could escape from their persecutors 10:10 and in particular, I think this refers to the people 10:15 who lived in Northern Italy escaping from Papal 10:18 persecution. They were called the Waldenses 10:20 and they lived in what is known as the Waldensian 10:23 Mountains, it's a rugged place and a visit there 10:28 certainly make you feel that you are in the 10:30 uninhabited places of the world and here they 10:33 sort refuge, they were sometimes hounded 10:37 and were oblige to worshipping caves 10:40 and in valleys, where nobody lived and sometimes 10:45 the persecutors did catch up with them and then 10:48 they mercilessly put them to death, 10:50 but these courageous people witness for God. 10:52 They were named after Peter Waldo, 10:55 their leader who dare to stand up against the might 11:00 of Rome and he left this very interesting monument 11:04 or rather this monument has been made to him 11:06 the statue of Peter Waldo up there in the Waldensian 11:09 Mountains and there is also a very interesting 11:14 pillar, it's a natural pillar actually, 11:15 but down at the bottom there is a verse from the 11:18 Bible and it says there it quotes actually from this 11:22 very prophecy in Revelation chapter 12 and in verse 13 11:28 where it says "And they overcame him by the blood 11:31 of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; 11:33 and they did not loved their lives to the death." 11:36 There in verse 11 it tells us that they were willing 11:39 to lay down their lives and that's the inscription 11:42 that is found at the bottom of this pillar, 11:44 and so these Waldensian people faithfully witness 11:48 for God. Now we are told here in Revelation 12 11:52 and verse 15, the serpent spewed water out of his 11:56 mouth like a flood after the woman. 11:59 In Psalm 18 and verse 4 it speaks of floods 12:02 of ungodly men, and these people were hounded 12:06 by people who had a lot of so called Christianity, 12:10 but not much really true hard religion and they 12:14 were ought to kill these Waldenses, but it says, 12:17 that the earth helped the woman and the earth 12:21 opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which 12:24 the dragon had spewed out of his mouth time 12:25 and again, when they are obliged to flee and their 12:28 persecutors where hot on their heels. 12:30 It just seems that the mists of the mountains 12:32 roll down and swallow them up just exactly as the Bible 12:36 prophecy says. This building is known as the 12:40 Castle of Sant'Angelo. It's a very old building 12:42 and at one stage it was occupied by the popes as 12:46 residence. It was a place, where people were imprisoned 12:52 for their faith and tunnels underneath where their 12:56 bodies were washed out into tunnel when they 12:58 are died. Today, it is a museum and inside there 13:02 is some interesting relics from the era of persecution. 13:06 I'm sure you've all heard of the Spanish inquisition. 13:10 Well some of the torture methods that were used 13:11 there were really quite sophisticated. 13:13 For instance, in the ornament museum in London, 13:17 where I'm at the present time, there is this torture 13:20 chair, just have a look at it will you. 13:22 The victim was fastened in there, 13:26 his head was fastened in that contraction there, 13:29 this thing was screwed up to hold his mouth 13:32 open and there was a clip that was forced onto his nose, 13:37 on the side are these screws which has screw right 13:40 into the ears. And you can imagine just what agony 13:43 that would produce, these are the just some 13:45 of the tortures that were used during the Spanish 13:47 Inquisition and other places of persecution during 13:52 the period of the back ages. Then came the great 14:01 protestant reformation. Men like Martin Luther 14:04 in Germany; John Wesley in England in fact just at the 14:08 moment I'm standing in front of Wesley's church 14:11 and Wesley's statue here underneath that is written 14:15 the world is my parish. What a great man he was 14:19 and there was John Knox in Scotland, 14:23 great man of God, but I think the protestant 14:26 reformation needed to go further. 14:29 You see in the very last verse of this fascinating 14:31 prophecy of Revelation chapter 12 bringing us right 14:34 down to the end of time. It says and the dragon 14:37 was enraged with the woman now that means that 14:40 the Devil was really angry with the Church of God 14:44 and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring 14:46 or the remnant of her offspring. 14:49 Now let's write down at the end of time, 14:51 the end of the churches experience, 14:52 and we are told who these people are, 14:55 who keep the Commandments of God. 14:58 Now they distinguish by the fact that they keep the 15:00 Commandments of God. Well the traditional 15:03 protestant church as always profess to keep 15:05 the Ten Commandments. But this is speaking 15:09 about the church that not only professes too, 15:11 but actually keeps not some of them not nine of them, 15:15 but the whole ten and that would include the 15:18 Seventh-Day Sabbath. And I consider that this must 15:22 refer to the Seventh Day Adventist Church, 15:26 which not only professes but actually observes 15:29 all the Commandments including the Seventh-Day. 15:32 Now the Adventist church sprang up in the year 15:35 1844 and it observed the Seventh Day Sabbath 15:40 from then on. Seventh Day Adventist had small 15:43 beginnings, but today they have a worldwide 15:45 membership that extends everywhere, 15:48 and they worship in churches large churches like this 15:51 or little humble churches in countries and villages. 15:55 They also operate in a very extensive educational 15:58 and medical work all over the world. 16:01 I'm on the campus of Andrews University, 16:04 which is an educational institution operated 16:07 known by Seventh Day Adventist in Michigan 16:10 in the United States of America. It's quite large 16:12 university that has over 3000 students enrolled 16:15 here and they come from 80 different countries 16:18 around the world or more, which means that it is, 16:21 the most, one of the most Cosmopolitan Education 16:24 Institutions in the United States of America. 16:26 The courses offered here are not only on Theology, 16:31 but on the sciences, arts, on education, 16:35 business lines you name it was a good educational 16:39 program here. Not only the Seventh Day Adventist 16:42 operates this university, there are some 80 colleges 16:47 and universities around the world operated by 16:49 Adventists and some 800 secondary educational 16:53 institutions and 4000 primary educational schools. 16:58 And that means that Seventh Day Adventists 17:01 operate the most extensive educational system 17:05 of any protestant denomination in the world. 17:09 I'm standing in front of Sydney Adventist Hospital 17:11 in Australia. This is one of more than 50 such well 17:16 equipped hospitals that are owned and operated 17:17 by Seventh Day Adventists around the world. 17:20 And this particular hospital is very well equipped. 17:24 For instance, it has as cancer unit for caring 17:26 for patients not only with chemotherapy, 17:28 but also with radium treatments. It does open heart 17:32 surgery here, has an excellent department of 17:35 physiotherapy and also hydrotherapy and are those 17:39 good treatments that hot and cold water that make 17:41 you feel so good afterwards and there is also a 17:46 blood transfusion facility here. 17:49 Now Jehovah's witnesses don't believe in blood 17:52 transfusions. Well Seventh Day Adventist do and 17:55 often it's a life saver of course the blood needs 17:58 to be well screened and tested, 18:01 but often it can save lives and so this is a church 18:04 that is doing things and going places and after 18:08 all let's what we should expect you now, 18:09 because in Revelation 14 and in verse 6 there is later day 18:14 prophecy that says, And I saw another angel fly 18:17 in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting Gospel 18:20 to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, 18:22 and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, 18:25 and people,. Well Seventh Day Adventist feel a 18:29 responsibility to the whole world and we feel that there 18:32 is a prophecy symbolizing the work that we 18:35 doing. So, it's a good church to belong too. 18:39 The rise and growth of the Adventist church 18:41 in the world is one of the greatest miracles of 18:43 modern mission. When the church first came into 18:47 existence, there were hand full of believers. 18:50 Now the Adventist church is the most wide spread 18:52 single protestant denomination in the whole 18:56 world, solidly planted in over 190 counties in the world. 19:01 What are the reasons for the particular spread 19:03 and its success? Firstly, the people who are involved 19:07 in the Adventist Mission have a powerful vision, 19:10 they doesn't mean of course that the Adventist 19:12 believe that we are the only ones, who are instruments 19:15 in the hands of God to accomplish his kingdom 19:17 to the country. Adventists hold to an inclusive 19:21 understanding of mission between we do recognize 19:24 other instruments and channels of God's grace, 19:27 but we cannot leave to others what God and his mercy 19:30 has specifically entrusted to this church. 19:34 Second, an hallmark of the Adventist Mission 19:36 is its Universalism, not only heavy penetrated 19:40 now over 190 countries in the world and this beautiful 19:44 message being proclaimed in over 700 languages 19:48 in the world, but the message doesn't stop also 19:51 at cultural boundaries or boundaries of politics. 19:54 One of most fascinating aspects of the Adventist 19:56 Mission is that they have churches planted into 19:59 communist world, the world behind the iron curtain 20:02 into Buddhist world, in the Islamic world, into 20:05 big cities, into rural areas, and stone age to gain stem 20:09 and that universalism of course create certain 20:12 difficulties and tensions, but one-third aspect of the 20:15 Adventist Mission is that it has kept in spite of this 20:18 a tremendous unity. A unity, which is not only 20:21 stimulated by a particular world organization 20:24 with this headquarters into different continents 20:28 of the world, but it's the unity of the spirit, 20:30 unity of the one God and the one belief. 20:34 One striking aspects; however, 20:36 is this that Adventist Mission is characterized 20:39 by a comprehensiveness that is unique among 20:43 the missionary bodies in the world today and that 20:46 comprehensiveness goes back to two sources 20:48 in the first place to the Bible itself. 20:51 Adventists believe that men as a hold is a unity, 20:55 so is life and therefore when you approach man 20:58 and life they ought to be approached holistically, 21:01 comprehensively, and that means an Adventist 21:04 mission from the very beginning has not only be 21:06 concerned about people salvation the relationship 21:09 with God, sin, but also with how they live, 21:12 what they shall eat and what they shall not eat. 21:15 Concerned about their education,about their health, 21:18 so the Adventist church from the very beginning 21:20 has begun programs in agricultural development, 21:23 in school systems, in many areas in the world 21:27 that there is the first where we started in the 21:28 hospital system and the reason is of course 21:31 this holistic view of man and life. 21:35 Second is that it goes back to the founder of the 21:38 Adventist mission namely Mrs. Ellen G. White, 21:41 who from the very beginning has always stressed 21:44 that Adventist mission must be comprehensive. 21:49 The result is not only that millions of people have 21:52 found a new way of life, a new meaning in life, 21:55 a new sense and direction in their life, conversion, 21:58 salvation with all the joy and the peace that 22:01 it brings into person's life, but also society at large 22:04 has been strongly influenced by whatever the 22:07 Adventist church has planted its mission. 22:10 In some areas in the world for instance laws became 22:13 changed even the constitution became change 22:15 as a result of the Adventist work. In other areas, 22:19 a new work ethic for instance began to develop. 22:21 Whole countries, whole Island communities 22:23 from the south Pacific through the Caribbean 22:26 have found a new economic basis of their life because 22:29 Adventist taught them how to behave, 22:32 how to live and accept a new lifestyle. 22:36 Adventist whatever they worked had influenced 22:38 society a new agrarian in economic reforms. 22:42 One of the most exciting events that is coming out of 22:45 Northern Ghana for instance is that where is in most 22:49 areas in the world people are drifting out of the 22:52 rural areas into the big city, where they crowd 22:55 into the slum areas in the world. 22:57 Adventists have had a great concerned about it 23:00 and it started here in agricultural development 23:03 program. The result was that instead of leaving 23:06 the area, the rural areas as they did before now the 23:09 people stay there. They have founded the new 23:11 income there. The government of Ghana 23:13 is so excited about it that they had made a study 23:16 on the effects of this mission and they discovered 23:18 not only that people found a new joy and a new 23:21 happiness in life, but in particular that people 23:24 found a new economic existence in Northern 23:28 Ghana which prevented 1000s and 1000s of people 23:31 from flocking into the slum areas of the big cities 23:34 like anywhere else in the world. 23:37 Other organizations like aid organizations who 23:40 have been watching Adventist mission both in its 23:43 influence on individuals as well as in society 23:45 at large now pouring literally millions of dollars 23:49 into the Adventist churches mission with the request 23:52 to continue this particular work not only for the 23:55 benefit of individuals or to establish a particular 23:58 religion, but in particularly because they have 24:00 seen what good and what effect it has had on 24:03 society at large. And one of the new developments 24:07 in Adventist mission therefore is a movement, 24:10 which we called ADRA Adventist Development 24:13 and Relief Agency. The millions of dollars are being 24:16 spent here in agricultural development and 24:18 industrial development not just to be competing 24:21 with industries or with nation building, 24:24 but rather to help the people in their holistic 24:27 understanding of themselves and of life to find 24:30 a better living as a whole. 24:32 Now the important thing is that here is a church 24:34 that not only believes in Jesus Christ as the 24:38 savior from sin, but who shows their faith in 24:41 Christ by obedience to the Ten Commandments 24:44 including the Seventh Day Sabbath. 24:46 And that's the way it should be you know because 24:49 in Revelation 14 and in verse 12, it says, 24:53 here are they that keep the commandments 24:56 of God and have the faith of Jesus. 24:59 You wouldn't like to be among those people 25:02 that God points to and says here they are, 25:04 here are those that keep the Commandments 25:06 of God and have the faith of Jesus. 25:09 Now there are some people who might say, 25:10 well yes that would be good, but you know its 25:13 bit hard to change, a lot of sacrifice involved. 25:18 I don't think there is really. There is not a lot 25:20 of sacrifice involved in following truth, 25:23 but on this question of sacrifice, you know, 25:26 while I was in Jerusalem I purchased a crown 25:29 of thorns and the Bible tells us that when Jesus Christ 25:34 was crucified the soldiers plated the crown 25:37 of thorns and put it on his head, I don't think 25:41 they just sat it there like crushed it down 25:43 and these points of poisonous bob on the end 25:47 of them, you know, and it must have been very 25:50 painful that's the sacrifice that Jesus Christ made 25:53 for us, so that we could have eternal life. 25:56 Remember the sacrifices the Waldenses made, 26:00 they shed their blood for their faith. 26:02 So if you're talking of that sacrifice really, 26:04 what God is asking us to do today is not very much 26:08 and it will be great to be numbered among those, 26:11 who keep the commandments of God 26:13 and have the faith of Jesus Christ. 26:17 In our next program, we will be leaving the Island 26:19 of Patmos in the Mediterranean for the 26:22 United States of America. There David will 26:25 be discussing the meaning of the mark of the beast. |
Revised 2014-12-17