Shall we pray.
00:00:31.87\00:00:33.24
Almighty, glorious,
and omniscient Father,
00:00:35.47\00:00:41.69
what a joy it is to
be in Your presence.
00:00:42.64\00:00:45.65
We thank You, Father,
that we can gather together
00:00:46.68\00:00:49.43
as one to open Your holy
Word and learn about Your love,
00:00:50.08\00:00:56.64
and also learn what You
expect from us as Your children.
00:00:57.20\00:01:01.05
We ask, Father, that as we
open the pages of Your holy Book
00:01:01.87\00:01:05.37
that the Holy Spirit
will be present through the
00:01:05.85\00:01:08.62
ministry of the angels.
00:01:08.65\00:01:10.29
I ask, Lord, that You
will give us understanding
00:01:10.80\00:01:13.54
that we might be able
to properly and correctly
00:01:13.95\00:01:17.97
trace the word of truth.
00:01:18.00\00:01:20.68
And we thank You,
Father, for hearing our prayer.
00:01:21.25\00:01:23.85
For we ask it in
Jesus' name, amen.
00:01:24.15\00:01:28.00
I just want to review briefly
the chronology of the events
00:01:29.64\00:01:34.09
of the life of Christ
that we have been studying
00:01:34.12\00:01:37.81
in the Sanctuary service.
00:01:37.84\00:01:40.08
The first point that I would
like to review is that Jesus
00:01:41.00\00:01:44.89
came to this earth to
live in the camp with us.
00:01:44.92\00:01:49.74
And in the camp,
Jesus lived the perfect life
00:01:50.08\00:01:55.45
that the law
demands from all of us.
00:01:55.75\00:01:59.48
In other words, Jesus lived
the life that we should live.
00:01:59.51\00:02:04.50
And then we noticed
that Jesus went from the camp
00:02:05.11\00:02:07.83
into the Court.
00:02:07.86\00:02:09.26
And in the Court at
the altar of sacrifice,
00:02:09.73\00:02:13.01
Jesus died for our sins.
00:02:13.42\00:02:17.56
He died for all.
00:02:17.59\00:02:19.79
So in the camp, He lived
the life that we should live.
00:02:20.16\00:02:23.12
In the Court, He died the death
that all of us should suffer.
00:02:23.63\00:02:29.01
And then we noticed that
Jesus resurrected at the laver.
00:02:29.58\00:02:33.58
That's the second item
of furniture that was found
00:02:33.94\00:02:37.00
in the Sanctuary Court.
00:02:37.03\00:02:39.20
So He resurrected in the laver.
00:02:39.23\00:02:41.32
And then we
noticed in our last study
00:02:41.66\00:02:44.87
that Jesus went from earth
and entered which apartment
00:02:44.90\00:02:50.91
of the Sanctuary, of
the heavenly Sanctuary?
00:02:50.94\00:02:53.67
He entered the Holy Place
of the heavenly Sanctuary.
00:02:54.07\00:02:59.10
Now between the
resurrection of Jesus
00:02:59.28\00:03:02.71
and His ascension, we
have a period of 40 days.
00:03:03.04\00:03:09.59
Forty days between
when Jesus resurrected
00:03:09.62\00:03:13.12
and when Jesus
ascended to heaven.
00:03:13.15\00:03:16.34
After spending those 40
days with His disciples,
00:03:16.77\00:03:20.02
the Bible says, speaking to
them about things pertaining
00:03:20.05\00:03:23.44
to the kingdom of God...
00:03:23.47\00:03:24.84
In other words, explaining
the Bible prophecies to them.
00:03:24.87\00:03:27.97
...the Bible tells us
that Jesus ascended to heaven
00:03:28.52\00:03:33.85
from the Mount of Olives.
00:03:33.88\00:03:35.78
Let's read the
description that the Bible gives
00:03:35.81\00:03:38.40
of the ascension of Jesus
40 days after His resurrection.
00:03:38.43\00:03:43.55
It's found in Acts chapter
1 and verses 9 through 11.
00:03:43.58\00:03:48.16
Acts chapter 1 and
verses 9 through 11.
00:03:48.19\00:03:52.00
It says here...
00:03:52.79\00:03:54.16
Notice, "This same Jesus..."
00:04:25.43\00:04:28.34
And so Jesus
disappeared from their sight.
00:04:38.68\00:04:42.76
The Bible tells us that
the disciples then returned
00:04:43.36\00:04:47.63
to the city of Jerusalem
from the Mount of Olives
00:04:47.66\00:04:50.62
and went back to the upper room
where Jesus had instituted the
00:04:50.65\00:04:56.30
Lord's Supper with them.
00:04:56.33\00:04:58.25
The Bible tells us
that for the next ten days
00:04:58.61\00:05:01.63
after the ascension of Christ
the disciples gathered together
00:05:01.66\00:05:06.34
in one accord in the upper room.
00:05:06.37\00:05:09.36
The Bible tells us
that they prayed together.
00:05:09.74\00:05:12.80
The Bible tells us that they
studied the prophecies together.
00:05:13.05\00:05:16.88
The Bible tells us that they
ironed out their differences.
00:05:17.18\00:05:21.22
They emptied themselves
of self through the power
00:05:21.25\00:05:24.98
of the Holy Spirit.
00:05:25.01\00:05:26.42
In other words, they
prepared during those ten days
00:05:26.45\00:05:29.98
for the outpouring
of God's Holy Spirit.
00:05:30.01\00:05:34.36
Meanwhile, during those
ten days, Jesus in heaven
00:05:35.05\00:05:39.90
was being invested as the
High Priest over His people.
00:05:39.93\00:05:44.17
In other words, Jesus
had entered the Holy Place
00:05:44.42\00:05:47.32
of the Sanctuary in order
to begin His ministration there
00:05:47.35\00:05:52.28
to pour out the benefits
of what He had done on earth.
00:05:52.31\00:05:56.75
Now it's interesting to
notice who was present there
00:05:57.36\00:06:01.73
in the upper room
during those ten days.
00:06:01.76\00:06:04.44
Go with me to Acts
chapter 1 and verse 13.
00:06:04.47\00:06:09.35
Acts chapter 1 and verse 13.
00:06:09.38\00:06:12.95
And by the way, if
you have Acts 2 verse 13
00:06:13.42\00:06:18.44
on your list,
that is a misprint.
00:06:18.47\00:06:20.79
Now who was present
there in the upper room?
00:06:20.82\00:06:23.74
It says there in
Acts 1 verse 13...
00:06:24.14\00:06:27.39
And now notice
the enumeration of the
00:06:35.49\00:06:38.37
apostles that
were present there.
00:06:38.40\00:06:40.50
Peter is always mentioned
first on all of the lists.
00:06:42.03\00:06:44.94
Because he was
always the first to speak.
00:06:44.97\00:06:46.83
He had leadership abilities.
00:06:46.86\00:06:48.78
Now as we examine this list, it
is very interesting that we have
00:07:09.29\00:07:13.99
only eleven apostles.
00:07:14.02\00:07:17.45
How many
apostles did Jesus choose?
00:07:17.90\00:07:20.65
Jesus chose twelve apostles,
but here we have listed
00:07:20.85\00:07:25.70
only eleven apostles.
00:07:25.73\00:07:27.88
One of the twelve was missing.
00:07:27.91\00:07:29.87
Now the question is, who was
missing there in the upper room?
00:07:29.90\00:07:34.70
Well the answer is obvious.
00:07:35.06\00:07:37.59
It was Judas Iscariot.
00:07:37.62\00:07:40.56
In fact, let's read the
description that Peter gave
00:07:40.59\00:07:44.79
about what
happened to Judas Iscariot
00:07:44.82\00:07:47.89
and why he wasn't there.
00:07:47.92\00:07:49.56
Acts chapter 1 and beginning
with verse 16 tells us the sad
00:07:49.59\00:07:54.78
and tragic story of
Judas, one of the twelve.
00:07:54.81\00:07:58.84
It says here,
Peter is speaking...
00:07:59.05\00:08:02.42
I want you to
remember the word "numbered."
00:08:19.45\00:08:20.82
That's a key word.
00:08:20.85\00:08:22.22
Notice, Judas was
numbered with the twelve.
00:08:27.34\00:08:29.96
That word "numbered"
is very, very important.
00:08:29.99\00:08:33.20
Now notice what it
continues saying in verse 18.
00:08:33.77\00:08:36.49
This is a
parenthetical description about
00:08:36.92\00:08:39.10
what happened to Judas.
00:08:39.13\00:08:40.56
A pretty vivid description.
00:08:53.67\00:08:55.28
Now the Bible
appears to be contradictory
00:09:06.69\00:09:09.82
with regards to
the end of Judas.
00:09:09.85\00:09:11.90
Because here it says
that he fell headlong
00:09:12.19\00:09:15.08
and his stomach exploded
and his entrails came out.
00:09:15.38\00:09:20.81
Other texts say that
Judas went off and did what?
00:09:21.11\00:09:25.12
He hung himself.
00:09:25.36\00:09:26.77
So how do you
reconcile these two ideas?
00:09:26.80\00:09:30.31
Well, Ellen White
explains in a beautiful way
00:09:30.34\00:09:34.78
how both of these
statements are true.
00:09:34.81\00:09:37.90
She says that Judas
hung himself over a ledge
00:09:38.23\00:09:42.16
on a branch of a tree.
00:09:42.19\00:09:43.68
In other words, he put
the rope over that branch
00:09:43.71\00:09:50.02
and he hung himself by
throwing himself off the cliff.
00:09:50.05\00:09:54.08
And he was so heavy
that the branch broke.
00:09:54.57\00:09:58.89
And he fell a great
distance to the ground.
00:09:59.43\00:10:01.78
And when he fell to the
ground, his belly burst open
00:10:01.81\00:10:05.44
and his entrails came out.
00:10:05.47\00:10:06.93
And she says that later on
when Jesus was coming on the
00:10:06.96\00:10:09.99
Via Dolorosa to
die on Mount Calvary,
00:10:10.02\00:10:14.36
the people were horrified
because they saw that the
00:10:14.86\00:10:17.17
dogs were eating
the entrails of Judas.
00:10:17.20\00:10:21.37
And that's how
Judas ended his existence.
00:10:21.40\00:10:25.09
So I want you to notice that
there were only eleven apostles
00:10:25.47\00:10:29.19
in the upper room, because
Judas had committed suicide
00:10:29.22\00:10:33.08
and he had
fallen a great distance.
00:10:33.11\00:10:35.58
And he, of course,
was not numbered among
00:10:35.61\00:10:40.16
the twelve anymore.
00:10:40.19\00:10:41.96
Now we need to ask a
very important question.
00:10:42.50\00:10:45.86
And it's this.
00:10:45.89\00:10:47.26
After Peter told the tragic
story, the sad story, of Judas,
00:10:47.97\00:10:53.36
Peter stated to the disciples
that they needed to elect
00:10:53.88\00:10:59.39
a successor for Judas.
00:10:59.42\00:11:02.15
They needed to elect someone
to take the place of Judas.
00:11:02.18\00:11:06.81
In fact, Peter said,
"This is absolutely mandatory.
00:11:06.84\00:11:10.61
We must elect a successor.
00:11:10.64\00:11:13.32
We must elect an
apostle number twelve."
00:11:13.35\00:11:17.03
Now the question
is, why did Peter feel
00:11:17.33\00:11:20.02
that they had to
elect a successor for Judas,
00:11:20.05\00:11:24.15
or an apostle number twelve?
00:11:24.18\00:11:26.08
The fact is that Bible
prophecy made it imperative
00:11:26.56\00:11:31.76
to elect a successor for Judas.
00:11:31.79\00:11:34.57
In other words,
Peter and the disciples had
00:11:34.60\00:11:36.73
studied Bible prophecy.
00:11:36.76\00:11:38.29
And they knew that
Bible prophecy had predicted
00:11:38.59\00:11:41.54
what was going to happen
to Judas, and also predicted
00:11:41.57\00:11:44.72
that somebody
needed to take His office,
00:11:44.75\00:11:47.26
somebody needed
to take his place.
00:11:47.29\00:11:50.25
Now let's read that in
Acts chapter 1 and verse 16.
00:11:50.28\00:11:54.26
Acts chapter 1 and verse 16.
00:11:54.29\00:11:57.62
Here, Peter is still
speaking and he says...
00:11:57.65\00:12:02.61
Did prophecy have to
be fulfilled, yes or no?
00:12:19.05\00:12:22.04
Peter says this is not optional.
00:12:22.29\00:12:24.63
This had to happen.
00:12:24.66\00:12:26.63
The Holy Spirit spoke
it and it had to happen.
00:12:26.66\00:12:29.95
Now let's jump down to
verse 20 so that we can see
00:12:30.31\00:12:34.45
which prophecies that
David wrote made it mandatory
00:12:34.48\00:12:38.99
to elect a successor for Judas.
00:12:39.02\00:12:40.97
Verse 20...
00:12:41.00\00:12:42.37
See, this is where
the prophecies come from.
00:12:46.36\00:12:48.55
Speaking about Judas.
00:12:52.14\00:12:53.60
In other words, that
says that he was no longer
00:13:01.68\00:13:04.75
going to come to his house.
00:13:04.78\00:13:06.30
But there was another prophecy.
00:13:06.33\00:13:07.91
By the way, that prophecy
is in Psalm 69 and verse 25.
00:13:07.94\00:13:11.81
But another prophecy in
Psalm 109 and verses 7 and 8
00:13:12.49\00:13:16.42
states that his place needed
to be taken by somebody else.
00:13:16.45\00:13:21.39
In fact it says, "Let
another take his office."
00:13:21.61\00:13:27.75
And so the reason why Peter
felt that it was indispensable,
00:13:28.04\00:13:31.35
mandatory, for a
successor to be named for Judas
00:13:31.38\00:13:35.53
was because prophecy predicted
what was going to happen
00:13:35.56\00:13:38.97
to Judas, and
prophecy made it mandatory
00:13:39.00\00:13:41.67
to elect someone
to take his office.
00:13:41.70\00:13:44.37
Now there's this myth
that some Christians have.
00:13:44.61\00:13:49.27
And that is that the
disciples in the upper room
00:13:49.67\00:13:52.51
rushed to elect a
successor for Judas.
00:13:52.72\00:13:56.91
In fact, they think
that it was God's plan
00:13:57.12\00:14:00.13
that they wait awhile and
deliberate and pray longer
00:14:00.33\00:14:05.38
about this before the
elected whom they elected.
00:14:05.41\00:14:09.54
In fact, many of
these Christians think
00:14:09.95\00:14:13.35
that it was the apostle
Paul who should have been
00:14:13.38\00:14:16.70
apostle number twelve.
00:14:16.73\00:14:18.53
But the disciples, you know,
they rushed and they elected
00:14:18.56\00:14:21.86
Matthias when it was not
in harmony with God's plan.
00:14:21.89\00:14:24.84
So the argument goes.
00:14:24.87\00:14:26.80
But I sustain that this
is not true, this is a myth.
00:14:27.10\00:14:31.84
In other words, this is
an unwarranted assumption
00:14:32.16\00:14:36.04
that God wanted Saul of Tarsus
to be apostle number twelve.
00:14:36.07\00:14:39.94
The fact is that the
apostle that was elected
00:14:39.97\00:14:42.83
is the one that God
wanted to be elected.
00:14:42.86\00:14:45.17
And you say,
"How do we know this?"
00:14:45.20\00:14:46.62
For three reasons.
00:14:46.65\00:14:48.35
Let's notice reason
number one in Acts chapter 1
00:14:48.45\00:14:51.62
and verses 21 and 22.
00:14:51.65\00:14:53.86
Acts chapter 1
and verses 21 and 22.
00:14:54.11\00:14:58.30
And by the way, where is
Jesus while this is happening?
00:14:58.33\00:15:01.08
During these ten
days where is Jesus?
00:15:01.73\00:15:04.35
Jesus is in the Holy Place.
00:15:04.61\00:15:06.65
And what's happening there?
00:15:06.68\00:15:08.28
Jesus is being invested and
prepared on the day of Pentecost
00:15:08.48\00:15:13.32
to begin His service as what?
00:15:13.35\00:15:15.15
As High Priest to pour out
the benefits of His atonement.
00:15:15.64\00:15:19.65
Notice Acts chapter 1 verse 21.
00:15:19.68\00:15:22.09
Here is the
qualification that was needed
00:15:22.45\00:15:25.21
for the successor of Judas.
00:15:25.24\00:15:26.88
Peter is speaking.
00:15:26.91\00:15:28.98
What was the qualification
that was indispensable?
00:15:53.13\00:15:56.07
It had to be somebody
that was with the apostles
00:15:56.10\00:15:58.97
from the preaching of
John the Baptist until when?
00:15:59.00\00:16:01.99
Till Jesus resurrected
and ascended to heaven.
00:16:02.02\00:16:05.13
Question, does Saul of
Tarsus meet that specification?
00:16:05.16\00:16:09.35
Absolutely not.
00:16:09.61\00:16:12.00
There's a second reason.
00:16:12.35\00:16:13.72
There's three that
I'm going to share.
00:16:13.75\00:16:15.12
A second reason.
00:16:15.15\00:16:16.52
The fact is that the
Bible record tells us that the
00:16:16.55\00:16:19.58
disciples, the apostles,
followed the correct process.
00:16:19.61\00:16:23.44
Notice Acts chapter 1
and verses 24 through 26.
00:16:23.63\00:16:27.83
Acts chapter 1 and
verses 24 through 26.
00:16:27.86\00:16:32.00
It says here...
00:16:32.69\00:16:34.06
Show us what?
00:16:49.02\00:16:50.39
"...which of these
two You have chosen..."
00:16:50.42\00:16:53.11
Casting lots was the way
of doing it in biblical times.
00:17:03.41\00:17:06.29
And now notice this
very important expression.
00:17:10.66\00:17:13.48
Now notice that we
were told that Judas was
00:17:19.06\00:17:21.86
numbered with the twelve.
00:17:21.89\00:17:23.42
Here it says that Matthias,
when he was elected, was what?
00:17:23.45\00:17:26.99
Was numbered with the twelve.
00:17:27.02\00:17:28.97
Is the number
twelve extremely important?
00:17:29.00\00:17:32.69
Absolutely, according
to the biblical record.
00:17:32.72\00:17:35.34
Now there's a
third reason why we know
00:17:35.71\00:17:38.66
that Matthias was God's choice.
00:17:38.69\00:17:41.60
And that is a statement
that was made by Ellen White
00:17:41.80\00:17:45.29
in confirmation of what
we've seen from Scripture.
00:17:45.32\00:17:47.92
See, first we go to
Scripture and then we see what
00:17:47.95\00:17:50.54
Ellen White has to say about it.
00:17:50.57\00:17:52.18
Ellen White does not
add anything to Scripture
00:17:52.21\00:17:54.69
that is not contained
in Scripture in principle.
00:17:54.72\00:17:56.87
She is not another Bible.
00:17:56.90\00:17:58.54
She doesn't add information that
is not contained in the Bible.
00:17:58.57\00:18:01.68
She simply
amplifies, explains, simplifies,
00:18:01.71\00:18:05.55
and helps us understand
better what is already
00:18:05.58\00:18:08.28
contained in Scripture.
00:18:08.31\00:18:09.88
Now notice what she
says in "Spirit Of Prophecy,"
00:18:09.91\00:18:12.93
volume 3, page 264.
00:18:12.96\00:18:15.79
Listen carefully.
00:18:16.57\00:18:17.94
In the what?
00:18:27.66\00:18:29.03
"...careful
judgment of the believers..."
00:18:29.42\00:18:31.68
Who selected
Matthias for the office?
00:19:09.09\00:19:11.19
The Spirit of God selected
Matthias for the office.
00:19:11.53\00:19:15.99
So was it God's plan
that Matthias be numbered
00:19:16.20\00:19:20.09
with the other eleven apostles?
00:19:20.12\00:19:21.90
Absolutely, for the three
reasons that I've mentioned.
00:19:21.93\00:19:25.06
Now let's review.
00:19:25.09\00:19:26.46
Two points that we've
covered so far, two key points.
00:19:26.88\00:19:29.48
Number one, Old Testament
prophecy had announced that
00:19:29.51\00:19:33.67
Judas was going to apostatize.
00:19:33.70\00:19:35.66
And Old Testament prophecy
had said that a successor
00:19:35.69\00:19:40.68
needed to be elected.
00:19:40.71\00:19:42.08
Second point is that
the disciples followed the
00:19:42.41\00:19:45.92
correct steps in electing
the successor for Judas.
00:19:45.95\00:19:51.31
But now we need to ask
another very important question.
00:19:51.34\00:19:54.98
We already asked the question
why they felt it was necessary
00:19:55.20\00:19:57.87
to elect a successor.
00:19:57.90\00:19:59.27
Well, because prophecy said so.
00:19:59.30\00:20:01.20
But now, here is a
very important question.
00:20:01.52\00:20:04.23
Why did the apostles feel like
they needed to elect a successor
00:20:05.29\00:20:10.70
for Judas before
the day of Pentecost?
00:20:10.73\00:20:14.66
Are you understanding
the difference between the
00:20:14.69\00:20:16.50
first question and
the second question?
00:20:16.53\00:20:18.22
The first question
is, why did they feel like
00:20:18.25\00:20:20.38
they had to elect a successor?
00:20:20.41\00:20:22.03
The answer is,
because prophecy said so.
00:20:22.06\00:20:24.44
But the question is, why did
they feel it was indispensable
00:20:24.67\00:20:28.31
to elect a successor before
the day of Pentecost had come?
00:20:28.34\00:20:33.85
Why not just wait for a while?
00:20:34.41\00:20:37.04
You know, why not just
pray and study together
00:20:37.07\00:20:40.31
and wait for God to
pour out His Holy Spirit?
00:20:40.34\00:20:42.87
And then after God
pours out His Holy Spirit,
00:20:42.90\00:20:45.22
they could take a little
while longer, maybe to pray more
00:20:45.25\00:20:48.67
and to find out
what God's will was.
00:20:48.70\00:20:51.70
Why would they feel
it was urgent to name
00:20:51.73\00:20:54.70
a successor for
Judas immediately before
00:20:54.73\00:20:58.71
the day of Pentecost had come?
00:20:58.74\00:21:01.29
Why did they feel it
was absolutely indispensable
00:21:01.32\00:21:04.35
to elect apostle number
twelve to be numbered with the
00:21:04.38\00:21:09.82
other eleven before the
Holy Spirit was poured out
00:21:09.85\00:21:13.65
on the day of Pentecost?
00:21:13.68\00:21:15.52
The fact is that in the next
few minutes, you're going to see
00:21:16.11\00:21:19.17
that whenever the
Bible has details,
00:21:19.20\00:21:21.01
every detail is
vitally important.
00:21:21.04\00:21:23.22
What we're going to
study now proves, to me anyway,
00:21:23.87\00:21:27.53
that the Bible doesn't
miss any important details.
00:21:27.73\00:21:31.02
The Bible, when you study it
carefully, you find a reason for
00:21:31.05\00:21:34.51
everything that it states.
00:21:34.54\00:21:36.07
Why things are done in
the way that they're done,
00:21:36.36\00:21:38.65
and when they are
done, and why they are done
00:21:38.68\00:21:42.31
in a certain way.
00:21:42.34\00:21:43.71
Now in order to understand
why the felt it was absolutely
00:21:43.96\00:21:47.36
urgent to elect a successor for
Judas before the Holy Spirit was
00:21:47.39\00:21:52.37
poured out on the day
of Pentecost, we need to
00:21:52.40\00:21:55.12
understand the significance in
the Bible of the number twelve.
00:21:55.15\00:22:00.21
What do we need to understand?
00:22:01.43\00:22:02.81
The significance
of the number twelve.
00:22:03.34\00:22:05.77
See, there had to be twelve.
00:22:05.80\00:22:07.90
Judas was
numbered with the twelve.
00:22:08.95\00:22:11.47
Matthias was
numbered with the twelve.
00:22:11.50\00:22:14.31
The number twelve
is vitally important.
00:22:14.34\00:22:16.80
So what does the
number twelve represent?
00:22:16.83\00:22:20.12
Well go with me to Revelation
chapter 12 and verse 1.
00:22:20.32\00:22:23.65
Revelation
chapter 12 and verse 1.
00:22:24.14\00:22:27.33
This is a verse that
we're going to take a look at
00:22:28.94\00:22:32.20
a little more closely
later on in the seminar.
00:22:32.23\00:22:35.01
But now I want to underline
just two points in this verse.
00:22:35.04\00:22:38.80
Revelation 12 verse 1 says...
00:22:39.09\00:22:41.15
...and on her head a
garland of thirteen stars.
00:22:54.74\00:22:58.99
Thank you, I just wanted to
see if you were still with me
00:22:59.73\00:23:02.23
and if you're
looking up the verses.
00:23:02.26\00:23:04.32
It says, "...and on her head
a garland," that is a crown.
00:23:04.35\00:23:07.58
Of what? "...of twelve stars."
00:23:07.61\00:23:10.50
Now let's ask a question.
00:23:10.88\00:23:12.45
What does this woman represent?
00:23:12.75\00:23:15.52
Immediately the
answer is correct.
00:23:16.69\00:23:19.08
The woman represents the church.
00:23:19.11\00:23:22.09
Now the question is, how do we
know that in symbolic prophecy
00:23:22.12\00:23:27.03
a woman represents the church?
00:23:27.06\00:23:29.11
And by the way,
it's just not any church.
00:23:29.14\00:23:31.89
It's not the
entirety of the church.
00:23:31.92\00:23:33.96
It is the true faithful
church that is represented
00:23:33.99\00:23:38.15
by this woman.
00:23:38.18\00:23:39.55
You say, "How do you know that?"
00:23:39.58\00:23:40.95
Let's compare two verses.
00:23:40.98\00:23:42.95
One is found in Daniel 7:25.
00:23:42.98\00:23:45.81
And the other is in
Revelation 12:13-14.
00:23:46.12\00:23:49.34
We're going to compare
these two verses to determine
00:23:49.37\00:23:52.45
what is meant by
the woman here in
00:23:52.48\00:23:54.70
Revelation
chapter 12 and verse 1.
00:23:54.73\00:23:56.36
You know, whenever I ask
what does the woman represent in
00:23:56.56\00:23:58.75
prophecy, the answer is
always, "Oh, the church."
00:23:58.78\00:24:01.53
And we usually use
Ephesians 5 where it says,
00:24:01.76\00:24:04.16
"Husbands love your wives
as Christ loved the church."
00:24:04.19\00:24:06.54
And that's a good verse.
00:24:06.57\00:24:07.94
But, you know, we don't even
have to go outside of Daniel
00:24:08.18\00:24:11.74
and Revelation to discover what
a woman represents in prophecy
00:24:11.77\00:24:15.77
because Daniel and Revelation
themselves explain what
00:24:15.80\00:24:19.15
the woman represents.
00:24:19.18\00:24:20.57
Now go with me to
Daniel 7 verse 25.
00:24:20.87\00:24:23.62
This is a prophecy
we're going to study
00:24:23.65\00:24:25.39
in a couple of lectures.
00:24:25.42\00:24:26.79
It's speaking
about a little horn.
00:24:26.82\00:24:28.44
Many of you went through this
evangelistic series recently.
00:24:28.47\00:24:31.18
What does the
little horn represent?
00:24:31.21\00:24:32.82
The little horn represents what?
00:24:33.44\00:24:35.41
What power?
00:24:35.44\00:24:36.81
It represents the Roman church,
the Roman Catholic Papacy.
00:24:36.84\00:24:40.24
Now notice Daniel 7:25.
00:24:40.79\00:24:43.02
The little horn will persecute
the saints of the Most High.
00:24:55.20\00:24:58.01
And the question is, how
long were the saints going to be
00:25:00.71\00:25:03.04
persecuted by this power?
00:25:03.07\00:25:04.97
Notice...
00:25:05.17\00:25:06.54
Who is it that
persecuted the saints
00:25:16.18\00:25:19.55
for time,
times, and half a time?
00:25:19.58\00:25:21.52
The little horn, right?
00:25:21.55\00:25:23.24
But now let's go to
Revelation chapter 12,
00:25:23.34\00:25:25.76
Revelation chapter 12, and
let's read verses 13 and 14.
00:25:25.79\00:25:31.73
This is a parallel prophecy.
00:25:32.09\00:25:34.31
And I want you to notice
something very interesting here.
00:25:34.34\00:25:36.68
It says there in Revelation
chapter 12 and verse 13...
00:25:37.19\00:25:41.35
Now listen carefully.
00:25:46.05\00:25:47.43
He persecuted whom?
00:25:48.37\00:25:52.29
The woman.
00:25:52.98\00:25:54.38
So in Daniel 7, it's the little
horn that persecutes the saints.
00:25:55.24\00:25:59.71
Right? Did you notice that?
00:25:59.74\00:26:01.81
In Daniel 7, the little
horn persecutes the saints.
00:26:01.84\00:26:04.81
Here, it's the
dragon persecuting whom?
00:26:05.36\00:26:08.73
The woman.
00:26:09.35\00:26:10.72
Now you say, but how
do you know that the woman
00:26:11.18\00:26:13.68
is the same as the saints?
00:26:13.71\00:26:15.22
Let's continue reading.
00:26:15.25\00:26:16.62
Are you catching
the parallel here?
00:26:38.17\00:26:40.58
In Daniel chapter 7,
it's the little horn that
00:26:41.16\00:26:43.46
persecutes whom?
00:26:43.49\00:26:45.04
The saints.
00:26:45.14\00:26:46.51
For how long?
00:26:46.54\00:26:47.91
Time, times, the
dividing of time.
00:26:47.94\00:26:50.07
Revelation 12, it's the
dragon who persecutes whom?
00:26:50.10\00:26:53.92
The woman for time,
times, the dividing of time.
00:26:54.29\00:26:57.62
So the question is this.
00:26:57.65\00:26:59.11
What does the woman represent?
00:27:00.48\00:27:02.33
She represents,
according to Daniel 7, the what?
00:27:03.17\00:27:07.26
The saints.
00:27:07.55\00:27:09.41
Did you catch that parallel?
00:27:09.44\00:27:10.96
So the woman
represents the saints.
00:27:11.63\00:27:13.69
So is this woman just
the church in general?
00:27:13.72\00:27:16.32
Faithful and unfaithful?
00:27:16.53\00:27:18.03
No, it represents the
faithful church of Jesus Christ.
00:27:18.31\00:27:23.95
The woman represents what?
00:27:24.16\00:27:27.09
She represents the saints.
00:27:27.12\00:27:29.54
Now we need to ask the question.
00:27:30.54\00:27:32.33
At what stage of the
history of God's people
00:27:32.93\00:27:38.55
does this woman of
Revelation chapter 12 represent?
00:27:39.44\00:27:42.95
You know, God's people...
00:27:44.01\00:27:45.38
Did God have a
people in the Old Testament?
00:27:45.41\00:27:47.25
What was the name of
His Old Testament people?
00:27:47.83\00:27:50.05
Israel.
00:27:50.46\00:27:51.83
Does He have a
New Testament people?
00:27:51.86\00:27:53.49
Yes. It's called, the what?
00:27:53.93\00:27:55.84
It's called the
Christian church.
00:27:56.24\00:27:58.08
And so we have two stages.
00:27:58.11\00:27:59.54
God has His Old
Testament people and He has
00:27:59.57\00:28:01.53
His New Testament people.
00:28:01.56\00:28:02.93
Now the question is,
in Revelation chapter 12
00:28:02.96\00:28:05.01
and verse 1, which
stage is being described?
00:28:05.04\00:28:08.34
The Old Testament
faithful church or the
00:28:08.37\00:28:11.33
New Testament faithful church?
00:28:11.36\00:28:13.47
The fact is that Revelation
12 verse 1 is describing
00:28:13.71\00:28:16.94
the Old
Testament faithful church.
00:28:16.97\00:28:19.45
And you say, "How
do you know that?"
00:28:19.79\00:28:21.80
Well let's go back to Revelation
chapter 12 and verse 1.
00:28:22.48\00:28:27.23
And then if you
read verse 2 and verse 3,
00:28:35.22\00:28:38.30
it says very clearly that
the woman had what in her womb?
00:28:38.33\00:28:44.24
She had what kind of a child?
00:28:44.99\00:28:47.25
A male child in her womb.
00:28:47.75\00:28:50.96
Right?
00:28:51.75\00:28:53.12
And who does that
male child represent?
00:28:53.15\00:28:55.35
Who is that male child?
00:28:55.38\00:28:56.75
That male child is Jesus Christ.
00:28:57.06\00:28:59.60
And then it says that the
dragon stands next to the woman
00:28:59.63\00:29:02.88
to devour her child as
soon as her child is born.
00:29:02.91\00:29:07.74
Let me ask you, does the woman
exist before the child is born?
00:29:07.77\00:29:11.60
Of course she does.
00:29:12.42\00:29:13.79
So which church is this?
00:29:13.82\00:29:15.19
Is it the New Testament church
or the Old Testament church?
00:29:15.22\00:29:18.08
It has to be the
Old Testament church.
00:29:18.26\00:29:20.05
You can't have a New
Testament church without
00:29:20.08\00:29:21.84
Jesus being born yet.
00:29:21.87\00:29:23.37
So when John sees
her, Revelation chapter 12
00:29:24.24\00:29:26.87
and verse 1, this is
the Old Testament church.
00:29:26.90\00:29:30.01
By the way, did the
Old Testament church
00:29:30.22\00:29:31.91
bring Jesus into the world?
00:29:31.94\00:29:33.53
Was Jesus a descendent
of Abraham, yes or no?
00:29:34.62\00:29:37.47
Was Jesus a
descendent of David, yes or no?
00:29:37.87\00:29:41.01
Was Jesus born from the
faithful Old Testament church?
00:29:41.22\00:29:45.00
That's why there are
genealogies in Scripture.
00:29:45.03\00:29:48.69
The genealogy of the
faithful of the Old Testament
00:29:48.72\00:29:51.84
from whom Jesus Christ comes.
00:29:51.87\00:29:54.03
Are you with me so far?
00:29:54.06\00:29:55.43
Now, we find then that this
woman in Revelation 12 verse 1
00:29:55.72\00:30:01.94
represents the
Old Testament church.
00:30:01.97\00:30:04.33
But we're going to
notice a little bit later on
00:30:05.18\00:30:07.27
that later in the story
the woman comes to represent
00:30:07.30\00:30:10.96
also the New Testament church.
00:30:10.99\00:30:12.78
Now we've noticed that the woman
represents the faithful church
00:30:12.98\00:30:18.78
from where the Messiah is born.
00:30:18.81\00:30:20.61
The woman in Revelation
12 verse 1 represents the
00:30:21.02\00:30:23.65
Old Testament church because
the child has not been born
00:30:23.68\00:30:26.89
from the woman yet.
00:30:26.92\00:30:28.29
But you'll notice
that the woman has a crown,
00:30:28.51\00:30:33.09
and the crown
has how many stars?
00:30:33.49\00:30:35.74
The crown has twelve stars.
00:30:36.23\00:30:38.54
Now the question is, what
do the twelve stars represent?
00:30:38.57\00:30:41.43
They help us identify
what this woman represents.
00:30:41.46\00:30:45.88
Now you say,
"Twelve stars, twelve stars.
00:30:46.37\00:30:48.59
What could that represent?"
00:30:48.62\00:30:50.01
Go with me to Genesis 37:9-10.
00:30:50.04\00:30:53.25
It's amazing how many
times you have to go to Genesis
00:30:53.45\00:30:56.02
to find the
meaning of Scripture.
00:30:56.32\00:30:57.88
Genesis 37 and verses 9 and 10.
00:30:57.91\00:31:01.89
You remember that
Joseph had a dream.
00:31:02.66\00:31:05.72
Actually he had two dream before
he was taken captive to Egypt.
00:31:06.48\00:31:11.68
But there's one dream
that has sun, moon, and stars.
00:31:12.04\00:31:16.88
Now let's
notice Genesis 37:9-10.
00:31:16.91\00:31:20.20
By the way, do we have
the sun, moon, and stars
00:31:35.73\00:31:38.24
in Revelation 12?
00:31:38.27\00:31:39.64
We most certainly do.
00:31:39.88\00:31:41.25
So there's a connection.
00:31:41.51\00:31:42.91
You say, "Ah, it doesn't
say twelve, it says eleven."
00:31:49.15\00:31:51.59
But let me ask you,
who was star number twelve?
00:31:51.62\00:31:54.21
It was Joseph, of course.
00:31:54.74\00:31:56.74
How many sons did Jacob have?
00:31:56.77\00:31:59.81
He had twelve.
00:32:00.14\00:32:01.51
And so he's saying the
eleven stars bow to Joseph.
00:32:01.81\00:32:05.83
Now let's continue reading.
00:32:05.86\00:32:07.23
So it says in verse 10...
00:32:07.36\00:32:09.20
Did his father understand
very well what the dream meant?
00:32:24.52\00:32:28.09
Absolutely.
00:32:28.30\00:32:29.67
So the twelve stars,
Joseph being star number twelve,
00:32:29.70\00:32:32.81
represents what?
00:32:32.84\00:32:34.60
It represents the
twelve sons of Jacob.
00:32:34.63\00:32:38.97
Question, were
these the founders of the
00:32:39.00\00:32:41.27
Old Testament church?
00:32:41.30\00:32:42.67
Did all of Israel
come from these twelve?
00:32:42.93\00:32:45.44
You have twelve individuals,
and all of Israel later
00:32:45.70\00:32:49.81
springs from these
twelve individuals.
00:32:49.84\00:32:52.35
In fact, let's
read Genesis 49 verse 28
00:32:52.74\00:32:56.31
where it speaks now, not
only about the sons of Jacob,
00:32:56.34\00:32:59.86
but it also speaks
about once they proliferated
00:32:59.89\00:33:02.73
into the twelve tribes.
00:33:02.76\00:33:04.38
Genesis 49 and verse 28 says...
00:33:04.58\00:33:07.62
Because he gives a description
of what their character
00:33:17.60\00:33:19.82
is going to be like before this.
00:33:19.85\00:33:21.38
So you have the founders
of the Old Testament church.
00:33:27.47\00:33:30.68
How many of them?
00:33:30.71\00:33:32.08
Twelve founders of
the Old Testament church,
00:33:32.27\00:33:34.53
twelve literal individuals.
00:33:34.56\00:33:36.02
But from those
twelve literal individuals
00:33:36.22\00:33:39.07
comes all of Israel, all of
the twelve tribes of Israel.
00:33:39.10\00:33:42.69
In other words, they multiply
and they become a great nation.
00:33:42.72\00:33:47.29
Now, the number
twelve also represents
00:33:48.17\00:33:52.71
the New Testament church.
00:33:53.07\00:33:55.01
You say, "How do you know that?"
00:33:55.56\00:33:57.08
Well listen up.
00:33:57.11\00:33:58.48
The Bible tells us that
after the child is born,
00:33:58.67\00:34:01.78
in Revelation chapter
12, what does the woman do?
00:34:01.81\00:34:06.39
We read it, she
flees into where?
00:34:07.14\00:34:09.20
She flees into the
wilderness for 1260 years,
00:34:09.63\00:34:14.14
or time, times, and
the dividing of time.
00:34:14.17\00:34:16.31
Let me ask you, what church
is this when the woman flees?
00:34:16.34\00:34:19.11
Is this still the Old
Testament church or is this the
00:34:19.14\00:34:21.58
New Testament church?
00:34:21.61\00:34:22.98
This is the New
Testament church.
00:34:23.17\00:34:25.04
Because the child has been born.
00:34:25.31\00:34:27.04
Verse 5 of Revelation 12
says that the child has been
00:34:27.49\00:34:30.28
caught up to God
and to His throne.
00:34:30.31\00:34:32.15
In other words, He
has ascended to heaven.
00:34:32.18\00:34:34.09
And now the woman has to flee.
00:34:35.09\00:34:36.82
So now the
woman represents what?
00:34:37.08\00:34:40.38
The New Testament church.
00:34:40.72\00:34:43.00
Does she still have a
crown with twelve stars?
00:34:43.03\00:34:46.03
Absolutely.
00:34:46.28\00:34:47.65
She has a crown with twelve
stars all across her history.
00:34:47.68\00:34:51.12
I want you to notice
that God has only one people.
00:34:51.15\00:34:54.48
He doesn't have two women;
00:34:56.14\00:34:57.66
one Old Testament people
and one New Testament people.
00:34:58.11\00:35:01.03
He has one people composed
of His Old Testament church
00:35:01.06\00:35:05.91
and His New Testament church.
00:35:05.94\00:35:07.31
Because one woman
represents God's people
00:35:07.41\00:35:10.62
in all of its stages.
00:35:10.65\00:35:12.02
Are you understanding me?
00:35:12.05\00:35:13.42
Because many Christians
say that, "God has one plan for
00:35:13.45\00:35:15.94
literal Israel and He has
another plan for the church.
00:35:15.97\00:35:18.68
In fact, God has an
earthly plan for the Jews and
00:35:20.26\00:35:23.50
He has a heavenly
plan for the church.
00:35:23.53\00:35:25.65
God is going to
rapture the church to heaven
00:35:26.42\00:35:28.45
and then He's going to
pick up with His other people,
00:35:28.48\00:35:30.99
the literal Jews on earth."
00:35:31.02\00:35:32.61
The Bible doesn't teach that.
00:35:33.19\00:35:34.58
The Bible teaches
that God has one people;
00:35:35.13\00:35:38.33
Old and New Testament.
00:35:38.36\00:35:39.87
Messiah's people
represented, not by two woman,
00:35:40.09\00:35:44.27
but by what?
00:35:44.30\00:35:45.67
But by one woman.
00:35:45.70\00:35:47.07
And in both stages,
Old and New Testament,
00:35:47.56\00:35:49.70
she has the crown
with twelve stars.
00:35:49.73\00:35:51.98
Because there's no evidence
that the crown was taken off
00:35:52.01\00:35:54.62
after the Old
Testament church and there's
00:35:54.65\00:35:56.24
no longer twelve stars.
00:35:56.27\00:35:57.71
Now let me ask you,
how many apostles were
00:35:57.74\00:36:00.75
appointed by Jesus Christ?
00:36:00.78\00:36:02.63
Of course, that's coincidental.
00:36:04.43\00:36:05.87
Jesus thought, "Oh
let's see, how many apostles?
00:36:07.09\00:36:10.12
Oh, twelve is a good number."
00:36:10.15\00:36:12.00
No.
00:36:12.03\00:36:13.40
The number twelve is
the number of His people.
00:36:13.43\00:36:16.61
In fact, let's
notice Mark chapter 3
00:36:16.88\00:36:19.39
and verses 14 through 19.
00:36:19.42\00:36:21.61
And you're saying,
"Pastor Bohr, when are we
00:36:21.64\00:36:23.77
coming back to Pentecost
and the successor of Judas?"
00:36:23.80\00:36:27.15
See, we have to have
all of this background
00:36:27.18\00:36:29.09
or else we won't understand why
the apostles felt it was urgent
00:36:29.12\00:36:34.48
and indispensable to
elect apostle number twelve
00:36:34.51\00:36:37.93
before the day of Pentecost.
00:36:37.96\00:36:39.36
There is a biblical reason,
a prophetic reason for that.
00:36:39.39\00:36:43.06
Mark chapter 3
verses 14 through 19.
00:36:43.09\00:36:46.61
Notice what it says.
00:36:47.45\00:36:48.82
Speaking about Jesus.
00:36:49.60\00:36:51.11
How many apostles formed
the New Testament church,
00:37:38.60\00:37:42.65
the nucleus of the
New Testament church,
00:37:42.68\00:37:44.97
from where the whole
New Testament church comes?
00:37:45.00\00:37:47.71
Twelve literal individuals
later proliferate through
00:37:47.91\00:37:53.29
preaching the gospel and
they form the Christian church.
00:37:53.32\00:37:57.05
Just like you have twelve
sons of Jacob that proliferate
00:37:57.33\00:38:00.93
and form the
twelve tribes of Israel.
00:38:00.96\00:38:04.03
Now listen to
what Ellen White had to
00:38:04.40\00:38:05.82
say about the number twelve.
00:38:05.85\00:38:07.22
You know, I never cease to
marvel when I study Scripture.
00:38:07.25\00:38:09.80
Because what I do first is I
always go and I study Scripture,
00:38:09.83\00:38:12.87
and then after I
study Scripture I say,
00:38:12.90\00:38:14.55
"I wonder what Ellen
White had to say about this?"
00:38:14.58\00:38:16.75
I want you to notice
what she says in the book,
00:38:17.17\00:38:18.94
Acts Of The Apostles, page 19.
00:38:18.97\00:38:21.12
The twelve patriarchs
are the twelve sons of Jacob.
00:38:32.36\00:38:34.43
Isn't that simple?
00:38:47.28\00:38:48.65
The twelve sons of
Jacob represented what?
00:38:49.59\00:38:53.14
The Old Testament church.
00:38:53.86\00:38:55.36
The twelve
apostles represented what?
00:38:55.83\00:38:58.71
The New Testament church.
00:38:59.07\00:39:00.57
But it's one church.
00:39:00.87\00:39:02.24
Because it is
represented by a single what?
00:39:02.58\00:39:06.55
It is represented
by a single woman.
00:39:06.58\00:39:10.12
Now we need to go back
to our original question.
00:39:11.01\00:39:13.84
Why did the disciples feel that
it was absolutely indispensable
00:39:14.60\00:39:20.83
and urgent to elect a successor
of Judas before the Holy Spirit
00:39:20.86\00:39:25.56
was poured out on
the day of Pentecost?
00:39:25.59\00:39:28.13
There is a very
important prophetic reason.
00:39:28.16\00:39:30.84
You see, as we
studied in our last lecture,
00:39:31.47\00:39:34.09
when Jesus ascended to heaven,
during the ten days before the
00:39:34.85\00:39:39.33
Holy Spirit was poured
out Jesus was being invested
00:39:39.36\00:39:44.55
as the High
Priest over His people.
00:39:44.94\00:39:47.84
In other words, Jesus now,
as the Bible says, sat at the
00:39:48.28\00:39:52.67
right hand of God to give what?
00:39:52.70\00:39:56.01
Repentance to Israel. And what?
00:39:56.04\00:39:59.24
And forgiveness of sins.
00:39:59.27\00:40:00.77
In other words, Jesus had begun,
at the end of the ten days,
00:40:01.04\00:40:05.19
His intercessory ministry
for those who come to Him
00:40:05.22\00:40:09.73
in faith claiming His
life and claiming His death
00:40:09.76\00:40:13.77
as their own.
00:40:13.80\00:40:15.17
In other words, they
could now receive the benefits
00:40:15.20\00:40:20.06
of the atonement of Christ.
00:40:20.09\00:40:22.05
During those ten days, Jesus
was actually being invested
00:40:22.08\00:40:27.41
as the High
Priest over His people.
00:40:27.44\00:40:30.01
You see, on earth He had
come into the camp to live
00:40:30.04\00:40:35.12
a life as a simple Priest.
00:40:35.15\00:40:37.34
And then Jesus
officiated His own sacrifice
00:40:38.33\00:40:42.54
as a simple Priest.
00:40:42.57\00:40:44.32
He resurrected at the
laver as a simple Priest.
00:40:44.75\00:40:48.80
But now on the day of Pentecost,
He is invested as the what?
00:40:49.11\00:40:53.62
As the High
Priest over His people.
00:40:53.84\00:40:57.17
And you say, "Where
does the Bible say that?"
00:40:57.70\00:41:01.04
Well go with me to Hebrews
chapter 8 and verses 1 and 2.
00:41:01.34\00:41:05.76
Hebrews chapter
8 verses 1 and 2.
00:41:05.79\00:41:09.41
Here, I believe the apostle Paul
is behind the book of Hebrews.
00:41:10.31\00:41:16.08
I believe that it's Pauline.
00:41:16.11\00:41:17.83
It says the following.
00:41:18.53\00:41:19.97
"Now this is the main point
of the things we are saying:
00:41:20.00\00:41:25.13
We have..."
00:41:25.44\00:41:26.88
He's writing this decades
after Jesus ascended to heaven.
00:41:27.27\00:41:30.49
"We have such a..." What?
00:41:30.52\00:41:32.81
"...a High Priest
who is seated..." Where?
00:41:33.29\00:41:38.02
"...at the right hand of the
throne of the Majesty..." Where?
00:41:38.20\00:41:42.67
"...in the heavens, a Minister
of the sanctuary and of the
00:41:42.98\00:41:48.62
true tabernacle which the
Lord erected, and not man."
00:41:48.65\00:41:53.00
What did Jesus do in
heaven when He ascended
00:41:54.20\00:41:56.65
after His ascension?
00:41:56.68\00:41:58.05
He what?
00:41:58.08\00:41:59.45
He became the High Priest.
00:41:59.48\00:42:02.57
In which Sanctuary?
00:42:02.86\00:42:04.35
Not the shadowy copy, but
in the original Sanctuary.
00:42:04.80\00:42:09.65
In other words,
Jesus, during those ten days,
00:42:09.68\00:42:12.31
was invested as the
High Priest over His people.
00:42:12.34\00:42:15.74
And on the day of Pentecost, the
outpouring of the Holy Spirit
00:42:15.77\00:42:19.43
was the earthly announcement
that the Sanctuary was now
00:42:19.46\00:42:23.97
open for business.
00:42:24.00\00:42:26.10
Are you understanding me?
00:42:26.54\00:42:27.92
Now here comes a
very important point.
00:42:28.20\00:42:31.33
If Jesus was going to be
High Priest, would He have to be
00:42:32.03\00:42:39.30
clothed as a High Priest?
00:42:39.33\00:42:41.99
Yes or no?
00:42:45.15\00:42:46.52
Would He have that miter that
says, "Holiness to the Lord?"
00:42:47.15\00:42:51.22
Sure, would He have the
multicolored beautiful garment
00:42:52.02\00:42:54.95
of different colors?
00:42:54.98\00:42:56.35
Absolutely.
00:42:56.38\00:42:57.75
Do you know what
else He would have?
00:42:58.03\00:42:59.46
He would also
have the breastplate.
00:43:00.26\00:43:04.00
Now let me read from Scripture a
description of the breastplate.
00:43:05.68\00:43:10.11
Exodus 28.
00:43:10.14\00:43:11.86
Exodus chapter 28 and let's
begin our reading at verse 15.
00:43:11.89\00:43:16.95
By the way, for those who
say that Jesus went directly
00:43:16.98\00:43:19.22
into the Most Holy Place, here
I'm going to read from Scripture
00:43:19.25\00:43:24.04
that He went as High
Priest into the Holy Place.
00:43:24.07\00:43:27.64
The Scripture makes
it absolutely certain.
00:43:27.67\00:43:29.79
And we also noticed that
in Revelation that Jesus was
00:43:29.82\00:43:32.48
walking among the candlesticks
and He was also where
00:43:32.51\00:43:35.24
the altar of incense was.
00:43:35.27\00:43:36.64
But now it's
explicit in Exodus chapter 28.
00:43:36.67\00:43:39.93
Let's begin reading at verse 15.
00:43:39.96\00:43:42.30
Speaking about the breastplate
that a High Priest wore
00:43:42.77\00:43:46.39
over His heart, it says...
00:43:46.42\00:43:47.94
Interesting. The
breastplate of what?
00:43:51.83\00:43:53.93
Of judgment.
00:43:54.33\00:43:55.70
Whose judgment did Jesus bear?
00:43:55.73\00:43:57.90
He bore our judgment.
00:43:59.08\00:44:01.19
Did He go to heaven to represent
us before the Father and say,
00:44:01.22\00:44:03.91
"Father, I was
judged in his place.
00:44:03.94\00:44:06.69
I was judged in her place.
00:44:06.72\00:44:08.44
Please accent him
or her in the beloved."
00:44:08.47\00:44:11.26
Absolutely. So it says...
00:44:11.75\00:44:13.41
In other words, it was a square.
00:44:38.21\00:44:39.99
Verse 17.
00:44:40.02\00:44:41.39
So you have this
square breastplate that has
00:45:09.91\00:45:12.95
how many stones on it?
00:45:12.98\00:45:14.59
It has twelve, not eleven.
00:45:14.62\00:45:16.96
It has twelve stones.
00:45:16.99\00:45:18.36
What do those
twelve stones represent?
00:45:18.39\00:45:20.31
They represent God's what?
00:45:20.66\00:45:22.59
God's people.
00:45:22.62\00:45:24.02
From the Old and
from the New Testament.
00:45:24.32\00:45:26.59
Notice what it
continues saying in verse 21.
00:45:26.62\00:45:30.88
So what does Jesus
wear over His heart?
00:45:41.90\00:45:44.25
The names of the
twelve sons of Jacob.
00:45:45.00\00:45:48.78
But also what?
00:45:48.81\00:45:50.18
The twelve apostles of the Lamb.
00:45:50.21\00:45:52.38
In other words, where
does Jesus hold His people?
00:45:53.53\00:45:56.46
Dear close to His what?
00:45:57.14\00:45:59.49
To His heart.
00:45:59.52\00:46:00.89
And it's the
breastplate of judgment.
00:46:00.92\00:46:02.29
What did Jesus
bear in our place?
00:46:02.32\00:46:04.02
He bore our judgment.
00:46:04.47\00:46:05.94
And so it says in verse 21...
00:46:06.20\00:46:07.88
Let's jump down to verse 29.
00:46:19.61\00:46:21.38
Listen carefully.
00:46:21.41\00:46:22.78
What was Aaron, by the way?
00:46:23.56\00:46:25.06
He was the high priest.
00:46:25.72\00:46:27.48
Now listen carefully.
00:46:37.83\00:46:39.20
And by the way, I
wondered if that translation,
00:46:47.80\00:46:50.34
"Holy Place," is
the right translation.
00:46:50.37\00:46:52.07
I went to every Bible
version that I could find.
00:46:52.10\00:46:54.65
And every Bible
version says, "Holy Place."
00:46:54.68\00:46:58.33
So where does the high
priest wear the breastplate
00:46:58.81\00:47:02.53
of judgment close to his heart?
00:47:02.56\00:47:04.12
Not in the Most Holy, but where?
00:47:04.41\00:47:07.04
In the Holy
Place of the Sanctuary.
00:47:07.07\00:47:09.72
Verse 29...
00:47:09.75\00:47:11.12
We won't get into
the Urim and the Thummim.
00:47:26.10\00:47:27.47
Now we understand why they had
to have apostle number twelve
00:47:45.96\00:47:49.75
before Jesus was
invested as High Priest.
00:47:49.78\00:47:52.93
See, there's a biblical reason.
00:47:52.96\00:47:54.66
What would have happened if
they had only eleven apostles
00:47:55.61\00:47:58.93
before the day of Pentecost?
00:47:58.96\00:48:00.59
Jesus could not
wear the breastplate,
00:48:01.29\00:48:03.83
which had twelve stones.
00:48:03.86\00:48:06.38
Are you understanding me?
00:48:06.60\00:48:07.97
The breastplate
had to have what?
00:48:08.07\00:48:10.60
Twelve stones
symbolic of God's people.
00:48:10.86\00:48:14.29
But there were
only eleven apostles.
00:48:14.32\00:48:16.55
So what did they have to do
before Jesus could be clothed
00:48:16.58\00:48:20.10
as the High
Priest over His people?
00:48:20.13\00:48:21.98
Apostle number
twelve had to be elected.
00:48:22.22\00:48:26.05
In other words, there's
a biblical reason for this.
00:48:26.29\00:48:28.97
Isn't the Bible marvelous?
00:48:29.14\00:48:30.86
I mean, it's amazing.
00:48:31.83\00:48:33.20
These are things that
show me that the Bible
00:48:34.08\00:48:35.93
is inspired by God.
00:48:35.96\00:48:37.50
It doesn't miss a beat.
00:48:37.53\00:48:38.90
Now notice this
comment by Ellen White.
00:48:39.36\00:48:42.25
Gospel Workers, page 34.
00:48:42.64\00:48:44.83
I love this
statement. She says...
00:48:45.04\00:48:46.72
And then she makes
this comment after writing
00:49:04.36\00:49:06.41
Exodus 28 verse 29.
00:49:06.44\00:49:08.30
She says...
00:49:08.33\00:49:10.33
And then she says
to the ministers...
00:49:29.95\00:49:31.71
By the way, all of us are
ministers to share the gospel.
00:49:31.74\00:49:34.65
Do you know, there is
nothing closer to Jesus Christ
00:49:43.26\00:49:46.91
than His church, than the
individuals in His church.
00:49:46.94\00:49:50.79
You see, the twelve sons of
Jacob and the twelve apostles
00:49:51.23\00:49:54.79
of the Lamb represent
God's people in all ages.
00:49:54.82\00:49:59.05
And the thing that is
closest to the heart of Jesus
00:49:59.68\00:50:03.45
are His people.
00:50:03.48\00:50:04.85
In fact, when Jesus was raising
up His high priestly prayer
00:50:05.04\00:50:09.46
in the garden of Gethsemane,
He was interceding for His
00:50:11.03\00:50:14.83
disciples and those who
would believe in Him afterwards.
00:50:14.86\00:50:17.71
He expressed at the
climax of His prayer
00:50:18.46\00:50:20.70
what His great desire was.
00:50:20.73\00:50:22.49
He said in John
chapter 17 and verse 24,
00:50:23.43\00:50:26.35
"Father, I desire that
they also whom You gave Me
00:50:26.38\00:50:33.16
may be with Me where I am..."
00:50:33.19\00:50:36.46
What does Jesus want?
00:50:36.76\00:50:38.13
He wants His people where?
00:50:38.16\00:50:39.88
With Him.
00:50:39.91\00:50:41.28
"...that they may behold My
glory which You have given Me.
00:50:41.47\00:50:45.12
For You loved Me before
the foundation of the world."
00:50:45.15\00:50:47.75
And you know,
sometimes we read that passage,
00:50:47.78\00:50:49.89
which we'll come back
to later on in this series,
00:50:49.92\00:50:51.93
in John 14:1-3 where Jesus says,
"Let not your heart be troubled;
00:50:51.96\00:50:56.29
you believe in
God, believe also in Me.
00:50:56.32\00:50:58.83
In My Father's
house are many mansions."
00:50:58.86\00:51:00.64
And usually we
focus on the mansions.
00:51:00.67\00:51:03.24
"Oh, we're going to
have a mansion up there."
00:51:03.27\00:51:05.44
"If it were not so,
I would have told you.
00:51:06.64\00:51:08.65
I go to prepare
a place for you."
00:51:08.68\00:51:10.46
And many people think
that Jesus is doing some
00:51:10.49\00:51:12.98
heavenly contracting up there.
00:51:13.01\00:51:14.68
He's building houses.
00:51:15.28\00:51:16.65
Listen, Jesus doesn't
need 2000 years to build houses
00:51:16.68\00:51:19.62
when He made this
world in six days.
00:51:20.52\00:51:22.93
He can speak and it is done.
00:51:23.80\00:51:25.97
He went to the Sanctuary
to apply the benefits of
00:51:26.53\00:51:30.29
His atonement to individuals.
00:51:30.32\00:51:31.84
Are you understanding?
00:51:31.87\00:51:33.24
Is the work of Jesus
in the heavenly Sanctuary
00:51:33.32\00:51:35.86
as important as
His death on the cross?
00:51:35.89\00:51:38.14
Absolutely, you cannot be
saved without administration
00:51:38.17\00:51:41.42
in the heavenly
Sanctuary in the Holy Place.
00:51:41.45\00:51:43.75
And later, we're going to talk
about His ministration in the
00:51:43.78\00:51:46.44
Most Holy Place that
begins in the year 1844.
00:51:46.47\00:51:51.05
John 14 verse 3 expresses what
Jesus is really concerned about.
00:51:53.56\00:51:57.86
He said, "And if I go
and prepare a place for you,
00:51:58.40\00:52:02.37
I will come again..."
00:52:02.40\00:52:03.80
And now listen carefully.
00:52:03.83\00:52:05.20
"...and receive you
to Myself that where I am
00:52:05.23\00:52:10.50
there you may be also."
00:52:11.06\00:52:13.36
What is the passion of Jesus?
00:52:13.39\00:52:14.94
The passion of Jesus is
that we are there where He is.
00:52:15.37\00:52:19.70
Listen, the
beautiful city and the mansions
00:52:19.73\00:52:25.14
are the icing and the cake.
00:52:25.34\00:52:27.44
They are the dessert.
00:52:27.94\00:52:29.46
But if there was
nothing in heaven, none of those
00:52:29.95\00:52:32.84
fringe benefits so to
speak, and Jesus was there,
00:52:32.87\00:52:36.14
it would be worthwhile going.
00:52:36.17\00:52:38.48
Notice Ephesians
chapter 5 verses 25 to 27.
00:52:39.40\00:52:42.84
You know, I get kind
of aggravated when I hear
00:52:42.87\00:52:45.46
people criticizing the church
00:52:45.49\00:52:47.80
and being
critical of the church.
00:52:48.77\00:52:50.52
Listen, Jesus loves His church
and He takes it personally.
00:52:50.55\00:52:53.85
That doesn't mean that we
don't have to correct wrongs
00:52:54.33\00:52:56.79
that are
committed in the church.
00:52:56.82\00:52:58.19
But it's Christ's church.
00:52:58.22\00:52:59.59
And there will be
wheat and there will be tares
00:52:59.62\00:53:02.16
until probation closes.
00:53:02.19\00:53:04.68
But let's not be critical.
00:53:05.10\00:53:06.69
Let's not shoot our wounded
00:53:06.72\00:53:08.67
like many times happens.
00:53:09.96\00:53:11.33
Notice Ephesians 5:25-27.
00:53:11.36\00:53:13.85
What did Jesus
do for His church?
00:53:20.40\00:53:22.06
He what? He gave Himself.
00:53:22.09\00:53:24.21
He didn't give us
something, He gave us Himself.
00:53:24.24\00:53:26.90
This is the reason
why Ellen White wrote in
00:53:53.29\00:53:55.25
Testimonies To
Ministers, page 15...
00:53:55.28\00:53:57.42
Now one final thing
that I want to deal with.
00:54:30.06\00:54:32.13
And that is that our home
in eternity, both in heaven
00:54:33.64\00:54:40.14
and on the new earth,
will be the New Jerusalem;
00:54:40.17\00:54:44.88
the holy city.
00:54:45.37\00:54:46.74
Now let me ask you, is
the Old Testament church
00:54:48.25\00:54:51.29
and is the New
Testament church, are they both
00:54:51.32\00:54:53.59
represented in the holy city?
00:54:53.62\00:54:55.29
Absolutely.
00:54:55.91\00:54:57.28
Let's finish by
reading two verses.
00:54:57.31\00:54:58.68
Revelation
chapter 21 and verse 12.
00:54:58.81\00:55:03.10
It's speaking about the
gates of the New Jerusalem.
00:55:03.13\00:55:05.94
This isn't old Jerusalem,
this is the New Jerusalem.
00:55:05.97\00:55:08.59
And notice the names
that are on the gates.
00:55:08.85\00:55:12.00
It says there in
Revelation 21 verse 12...
00:55:12.03\00:55:14.37
Is the Old Testament
church going to be represented
00:55:32.47\00:55:34.28
in the city?
00:55:34.31\00:55:35.68
Absolute, how about
the New Testament church
00:55:35.71\00:55:37.72
in the same city?
00:55:37.75\00:55:39.12
Revelation
chapter 21 and verse 14.
00:55:39.15\00:55:44.00
It's speaking
about the foundations
00:55:44.03\00:55:46.40
of the holy city now.
00:55:46.43\00:55:47.80
The gates have the
names of the sons of Jacob.
00:55:47.83\00:55:52.01
But the foundations
have different names.
00:55:52.28\00:55:55.15
Notice
Revelation 21 and verse 14.
00:55:55.18\00:55:58.07
One city that
contains all of God's people.
00:56:11.55\00:56:16.11
Old Testament
saints, New Testament saints.
00:56:16.77\00:56:20.13
Everyone will live in
the presence of Jesus Christ
00:56:20.83\00:56:24.88
forever more.
00:56:24.91\00:56:26.28
And the Bible says that we
will come from month to month
00:56:26.76\00:56:31.13
to eat from the tree of life.
00:56:31.93\00:56:33.58
And the Bible says that we will
come from Sabbath to Sabbath
00:56:35.31\00:56:38.94
to worship our
wonderful Creator, Jesus Christ.
00:56:39.90\00:56:43.72
And we shall live
with Him forever more
00:56:44.08\00:56:47.76
in that land where
there is no sorrow, no crying,
00:56:47.79\00:56:52.02
no suffering, no
illness, no death.
00:56:52.05\00:56:55.88
That land where
everything is joy forever more.
00:56:55.91\00:57:00.56
And the greatest joy, of course,
is the joy of spending eternity
00:57:00.59\00:57:06.25
with our wonderful and
beloved Savior, Jesus Christ,
00:57:06.28\00:57:10.03
who did not give us something,
but actually gave us Himself.
00:57:10.06\00:57:14.89
He did not lend Himself to
us, He gave Himself for us.
00:57:14.92\00:57:19.35
Not for a while,
but for eternity we have
00:57:19.38\00:57:24.22
an elder Brethren
sitting on the throne.
00:57:24.25\00:57:27.40