Participants: Stephen Bohr
Series Code: HWIS
Program Code: HWIS000022
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00:30 Shall we bow our heads for prayer.
00:34 Father in heaven, thank You that in spite 00:39 of the sinfulness of this world You still care so much about us 00:45 that You send Your sun and You send Your rain 00:51 upon righteous and unrighteous. 00:54 Father, we take these things for granted. 00:57 But each one of these things is a blessing 00:59 that comes directly from Your hands. 01:02 Father, we ask that the rain of Your Holy Spirit 01:06 will fall in this place. 01:08 That through the Spirit You'll make Your message crystal clear. 01:15 We thank You, Father, for the privilege of 01:17 approaching Your throne. 01:18 Thank You for hearing our prayer. 01:21 For we ask it in the precious name of Jesus, amen. 01:27 I'd like to begin by reading a statement that we find 01:30 in that classic history book called, 01:34 Patriarchs and Prophets, page 68. 01:38 Patriarchs and Prophets, page 68. 01:42 Of course, this book was written by Ellen White. 01:45 And she's talking here about the plan of redemption. 01:48 And this is what she says. 01:50 "But the plan of redemption had a yet broader 01:54 and deeper purpose than the salvation of man. 02:00 It was not for this alone that Christ came to the earth. 02:07 It was not merely that the inhabitants of this little world 02:13 might regard the law of God as it should be regarded. 02:18 But it was to vindicate the character of God 02:24 before the universe." 02:27 The purpose of the plan of salvation, yes, was to save man. 02:32 But a broader purpose was that through the salvation of man 02:36 the universe could catch a glimpse of the character of God 02:40 and how God resolves the problem of sin. 02:45 You see, the problem of sin is a universal cosmic problem. 02:51 And therefore, in order to resolve the sin problem 02:54 you need a cosmic and universal solution. 02:59 The Bible tells us that the angels are involved in the 03:03 conflict or the controversy that is taking place. 03:07 In fact, the Bible tells us that the devil was able to deceive 03:11 one-third of the angels of heaven with his lies. 03:15 And the other angels, the two-thirds, even though 03:18 they remained loyal to God, there's no doubt 03:21 that they had questions about the statements of Lucifer 03:27 concerning God. 03:29 Therefore, God decided that because the heavenly beings 03:35 were involved in the controversy, 03:37 because the controversy began in heaven, 03:40 that He would make this little world an object lesson 03:43 that would reveal clearly His character before the universe. 03:47 Let's read about the origin of sin. 03:51 In Revelation chapter 12 and verses 7 through 9 03:54 we find the description of the origin of sin. 03:57 It did not happen on earth. 03:59 It happened in heaven. 04:02 It says there... 04:34 So the controversy originated in heaven. 04:37 Heaven is involved in the great controversy. 04:41 This is a cosmic universal mess. 04:44 And heaven is watching, as we studied in our last lecture. 04:50 The heavenly counsel is contemplating 04:54 things that happen on earth. 04:56 And they're watching how God resolves the problem of sin 05:00 in harmony with His character. 05:04 We're going to notice in our study that the purpose 05:07 of the three stages of the judgment is to clarify 05:13 before the entire universe how God solves the problem of sin. 05:20 The Bible makes it clear that heaven is involved. 05:23 Heaven is watching. 05:25 In fact, allow me to read you several statements 05:28 from Scripture that indicate that heaven is involved 05:32 with the events that are taking place on earth. 05:35 1 Corinthians chapter 4 and verse 9. 05:37 And I'm reading this from the New International Version. 05:41 And some people don't like the New International Version. 05:45 I have issues with this version of the Bible 05:48 because of certain things that are left out. 05:51 But I'll tell you that the translation of 05:52 1 Corinthians 4:9 is good in the NIV. 05:55 Notice what it says. 05:57 "For it seems to me that God has put us apostles 06:03 on display at the end of the procession, 06:07 like men condemned to die in the arena." 06:11 And then notice, "We have been made a spectacle..." 06:17 That Greek word is, "theatron," where we get our word, 06:21 "theater," from. 06:24 In other words, you could translate it, 06:25 "We have been made a theater of the whole universe, 06:32 to angels and to man." 06:37 Are the angels involved in this theatrical presentation 06:42 called sin? 06:43 Absolutely. 06:45 Notice 1 Peter chapter 1 and verses 10 through 12. 06:49 1 Peter chapter 1 verses 10 through 12 06:51 says as much; the angels are watching the way that 06:55 God solves this problem of sin to see what 06:59 God's character is like. 07:00 If God solves the problem in harmony with His character. 07:04 It says there in verse 10, and we'll read several verses, 07:09 it says, "Concerning this salvation, the prophets, 07:13 who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, 07:17 searched intently and with the greatest care, 07:21 trying to find out the time..." 07:23 I'm reading from the NIV this text also. 07:26 "...and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them 07:30 was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ 07:34 and the glories that would follow. 07:37 It was revealed to them," that is, to the prophets, 07:40 "that they were not serving themselves but you 07:44 when they spoke of the things that have now been told you 07:47 by those who preached the gospel to you by the Spirit 07:51 sent from heaven." 07:52 And now notice what the last part of verse 12 says. 07:56 "Even the angels long to look into these things." 08:04 It's speaking about salvation. 08:06 It's speaking about redemption and the prophets who wrote 08:09 about the time of the coming of Christ, 08:11 and the circumstances of the coming of Christ. 08:14 And it says here, "Even the angels long to look 08:18 into these things." 08:20 Do you know that the death of Jesus on the cross 08:23 actually closed the book on the doubts that the heavenly beings 08:28 had concerning the character of God? 08:31 Even those who had remained loyal. 08:33 Because the death of Jesus on the cross not only reconciled 08:37 earth with Him, but it also reconciled heaven. 08:40 Notice Colossians chapter 1 and verses 19 and 20. 08:44 Colossians chapter 1 verses 19 and 20. 08:48 It says here... 08:52 That is, in Jesus. 09:14 Did heaven also need to be reconciled through the 09:18 cross of Jesus Christ? 09:19 This passage clearly says yes. 09:23 Notice also Luke chapter 15 and verse 10. 09:27 When sinners repent on earth, 09:30 the angels are overjoyed in heaven. 09:33 There's a connection between the angels 09:35 and the events of planet earth. 09:38 It says there in Luke chapter 15 and verse 10, 09:41 Jesus is speaking, "Likewise, I say to you, 09:44 there is joy in the presence of the angels of God 09:48 over one sinner who repents." 09:53 I want you to notice also what we find in 09:57 Psalm 51 verses 1 through 4. 10:00 Psalm 51 and verses 1 through 4. 10:02 This is a very interesting passage. 10:05 This is David's penitential psalm after he 10:08 committed adultery and he had his general murdered 10:12 in the battlefield. 10:14 He's praying to God. 10:15 And notice what he says. 10:17 "Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your 10:21 loving kindness. 10:22 According to the multitude of Your tender mercies 10:26 blot out my transgressions. 10:28 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, 10:31 and cleanse me from my sin. 10:33 For I acknowledge my transgressions, 10:37 and my sin is always before me. 10:40 Against You, You only, have I sinned 10:43 and done this evil in Your sight; 10:45 that You may be found just when You speak, 10:49 and blameless when You judge." 10:52 Interesting that David would say, 10:55 "You know, I confess my sin. 10:57 I realize I'm a sinner. 10:59 I'm not lying to you. 11:02 Please forgive my sin. 11:04 I acknowledge it. I repent." 11:06 Now when you go to the book of Romans, this text is quoted. 11:11 And I want you to notice how in the New Testament 11:14 the translation is changed by the apostle Paul. 11:18 See, in Psalm 51 verses 1 through 4, 11:22 it speaks about God being blameless when He judges. 11:26 But notice what we find in Romans chapter 3 and verse 4 11:30 where this passage is quoted. 11:32 "Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar. 11:37 As it is written, 'That You may be justified in Your words, 11:44 and may overcome when You are judged.'" 11:50 Isn't that interesting. 11:53 God is being what? 11:56 God is being judged. 11:58 The devil says, "How can You forgive them, they're sinners? 12:01 You said the wages of sin is death. 12:04 How can You have mercy upon them 12:07 when You said that if they sinned they would die?" 12:11 And so there's a dilemma. 12:12 "If You punish man, You don't love him. 12:15 But if You don't punish him, then You're not just." 12:18 There appears to be a conflict between the justice of God 12:21 and the love and mercy of God. 12:23 And God decides to forgive. 12:25 And the devil says, "Oh He forgives some 12:27 and He doesn't forgive others." 12:29 And so the purpose of the Sanctuary service 12:31 is to show that God was right in the way 12:34 in which He dealt with sin. 12:37 And in Psalm 51 it speaks about God judging, 12:40 but when that is quoted in Romans chapter 3 and verse 4 12:44 it speaks about God being judged. 12:48 In other words, the judgment has the purpose of vindicating 12:52 the character of God before the universe. 12:56 Now there are basically several parties involved 12:59 in the great controversy. 13:01 First of all, you have the loyal heavenly beings. 13:05 Among those are God, the holy angels, 13:09 and the inhabitants of the worlds that never sinned. 13:12 So the first group involved is the group of loyal 13:16 heavenly beings; God, the holy angels, 13:19 and the inhabitants of the other worlds. 13:21 A second group are the penitent sinners who will be saved. 13:28 And in the third place, you have impenitent sinners 13:31 who are going to be lost, and also Satan and his angels. 13:37 Now before the great controversy can come to an end, all of 13:41 these groups have to be absolutely persuaded 13:44 that God resolved the sin problem in harmony 13:48 with His character. 13:50 You see, God does not solve the sin problem quickly. 13:55 He does not implement superficial solutions. 13:59 When God solves the sin problem, He is not going to 14:02 leave any loose ends. 14:04 We live in a society where people want 14:06 immediate gratification. 14:08 They want things, and they want those things now. 14:10 But God does not operate that way. 14:13 God doesn't cut corners. 14:15 When the sin problem is resolved as a result of the 14:19 three stages of the judgment, everyone in the universe; 14:22 the loyal beings in heaven, the loyal beings on earth, 14:26 the rebellious beings on earth, Satan and his angels, 14:30 will all confess that God was right in the way 14:33 in which He dealt with sin. 14:37 The purpose of the judgment is not to inform God 14:40 who is good and who is evil. 14:42 Because God knows the end from the beginning. 14:45 The purpose of the judgment is not to inform God. 14:48 The purpose of the judgment is to inform the universe. 14:52 Because the universe does not know everything. 14:55 And they need to see how God solves the problem of sin. 15:00 Now at each stage of the judgment, God persuades 15:05 a different group. 15:07 We're going to notice that as we study the 15:10 three stages of the judgment. 15:11 Now let's talk about stage number one of the judgment. 15:15 This stage is the pre-advent investigative judgment 15:21 of the righteous. 15:23 Did you understand what I said? 15:25 "Pre-advent" means, before the second coming. 15:28 "Investigative" means that their cases are going to be 15:32 researched or investigated from the books. 15:36 And of course it means that the righteous are the ones 15:40 who are going to be judged before Jesus comes. 15:43 And you say, "Why would the righteous be judged 15:46 before Jesus comes?" 15:47 Well, the answer is very simple. 15:51 You see, Jesus, when He comes again, is going to take 15:54 His faithful people to heaven. 15:57 And so He has to reveal before He comes 16:00 who He has a right to take to heaven. 16:03 Are you with me or not? 16:05 There's an urgency to judge the righteous before He comes. 16:08 Because when He comes He's planning to what? 16:11 He planning to take them to heaven. 16:13 And so He must reveal who truly repented, 16:18 confessed, forsook sin, and by faith claimed the perfect life 16:24 and the death of Jesus Christ as his or hers. 16:28 It needs to be revealed to the universe 16:30 so that when Jesus takes His people home, 16:33 all of the heavenly universe says, "You brought everyone 16:36 that You had a right to bring based on Your character." 16:41 Now the question is, when does this judgment take place? 16:46 This first stage. 16:47 Revelation 14:6-7 makes it very clear. 16:50 Revelation 14 verses 6 and 7. 16:53 We've read this before, it says... 17:05 Question, is there still an opportunity to be saved 17:10 when the everlasting gospel is being preached? 17:13 Absolutely. 17:14 While the gospel is being preached people can be saved. 17:18 But now notice what takes place as the gospel is being preached. 17:23 It says in verse 7, "...saying with a loud voice, 17:26 'Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of 17:30 His judgment will come.'" 17:33 No. "...has come." 17:34 Does the judgment begin while the gospel 17:37 is being preached, yes or no? 17:39 Yes, so must it begin before the close of probation 17:42 and before the coming of Jesus? 17:44 Very clearly. 17:45 And so it says... 17:56 So the judgment takes place while the gospel is 18:00 being preached, before probation closes, before Jesus comes. 18:04 Now where does this judgment take place? 18:07 It takes place in heaven. 18:10 Notice Daniel chapter 7:9-10. 18:12 We read this before, but let's read it again. 18:14 Daniel 7 verses 9 and 10. 18:16 It says... 18:23 Where does the Ancient of Days live? 18:26 "Our Father, which art in heaven." 18:30 So it says... 18:52 Who are these? 18:54 The angels. Where do the angels live? 18:56 In heaven. 18:57 They surround the throne of God the Father. 18:59 And then notice what the verse ends saying, verse 10. 19:08 Where does this judgment take place? 19:10 It takes place in heaven. 19:12 When does it take place? 19:14 Before the close of probation, before Jesus comes, 19:18 while the gospel is being preached. 19:20 Do we have a specific date for the beginning of this judgment? 19:24 We certainly do. We studied it, remember? 19:26 The prophecy of the seventy weeks and the prophecy 19:28 of the 2300 days. 19:30 Daniel 8:14 says, "For 2300 days, then the Sanctuary 19:36 shall be cleansed." 19:37 Which is referring to the judgment. 19:39 And that will be our lecture for tomorrow night. 19:42 We're going to talk about the scapegoat, 19:44 in Leviticus chapter 16, and the millennium. 19:47 Now, who must appear at this stage of the judgment? 19:52 Who must appear? 19:54 Everyone who claimed Jesus Christ as Savior. 19:58 Notice 2 Corinthians chapter 5 and verse 10. 20:02 2 Corinthians chapter 5 and verse 10. 20:05 It says... 20:11 Now what part of "all" don't you understand? 20:14 The apostle Paul says, "we." 20:15 He's speaking to believers. 20:29 Does God keep a record of our good and bad deeds? 20:33 He must keep a record if we all must appear before the 20:35 judgment seat of Christ and we're going to have to render 20:38 an account for what we did good and for what we did evil. 20:41 But now we have a problem. 20:43 This judgment takes place before the second coming of Jesus, 20:46 and it takes place in heaven. 20:49 When are God's people going to go to heaven? 20:53 When Jesus comes. 20:55 So how can they appear before the judgment seat of Christ 20:58 in heaven before Jesus comes? 21:02 Especially those who are in their graves. 21:05 Notice John chapter 5 verses 28 and 29. 21:08 John chapter 5 verses 28 and 29. 21:11 Where are the righteous who die? 21:17 They're in their graves. 21:18 Where are the wicked who have died? 21:20 They're in their graves also. 21:22 Notice John 5:28. 21:24 Jesus is speaking and He says... 21:33 Where are the righteous dead? 21:35 In their graves. 21:48 So here's the question, how can God's people 21:51 appear before the judgment seat of Christ, 21:54 especially those who have died and are in their graves 21:57 and they don't resurrect until Jesus comes, 22:00 and also the living who are walking on planet earth 22:03 until Jesus comes, how can they appear before the 22:06 judgment seat of Christ? 22:08 The answer is that they do not appear in person. 22:10 They appear through their records. 22:14 They appear through what is written in the books. 22:18 Are you with me? 22:19 That extra lecture that I was talking about, don't miss it. 22:22 Because I'm going to talk about the book and the books, 22:24 and how the judgment transpires. 22:26 It's a fascinating message. 22:28 Now I want you to notice Luke chapter 12 and verses 8 and 9. 22:33 Luke chapter 12 verses 8 and 9. 22:36 This gives us an idea about Jesus examining our case 22:41 and confessing us before the angels. 22:43 See, the angels are involved. They're watching. 22:45 They're watching each one of our cases. 22:47 It says there in Luke chapter 12 verses 8 and 9, 22:51 "Also I say to you," Jesus is speaking, 22:54 "whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man 22:58 also will confess before..." Whom? 23:02 "...before the angels of God. 23:04 But he who denies Me before men will be denied before..." Whom? 23:09 "...the angels of God." 23:10 Are the angels of God watching the cases 23:12 of individuals on planet earth? 23:14 Absolutely. 23:15 But now I want you to notice that in Revelation chapter 3 23:18 and verse 5, when Jesus said that he will confess us 23:23 before the angels of God, really what He meant is that 23:26 He's going to confess our name before the angels of God. 23:30 Because we're not there in person. 23:32 Our name will be brought up. 23:34 Notice Revelation chapter 3 and verse 5. 23:37 Here Jesus is speaking, by the way, also. 23:40 He says, "He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, 23:46 and I will not blot out His..." What? 23:49 "...his name from the Book of Life; 23:52 but I will confess his..." What? 23:54 "...his name before My Father and before His..." What? 23:59 "...and before His angels." 24:01 What is Jesus going to confess before His Father? 24:04 He's going to confess our name. 24:06 And where is our name written? 24:08 It is written in the Book of Life. 24:10 So we are not there in person. 24:13 We are there through our records. 24:15 Because God in heaven has an exact record 24:17 of who we are on earth. 24:20 In other word, we appear there through the record of our lives. 24:23 Now listen. 24:25 Most Christians have no need for the idea of a judgment 24:29 before Jesus comes. 24:30 Do you know why? 24:32 It's very simple. 24:33 Because most Christians believe that when you die 24:35 you go to heaven. 24:37 So if when you die you go to heaven, 24:39 why would there have to be a judgment to decide 24:41 whether you're going to go to heaven or not? 24:43 Are you with me? 24:45 So the doctrine of the judgment is related to the doctrine of 24:48 the state of the dead. 24:49 If you believe that the dead, when they die, their soul 24:52 flies off to heaven and receives its reward, 24:55 then you can't believe that there's going to be a judgment 24:58 of everyone before Jesus comes, because people were judged 25:01 when they died. 25:03 Are you following me tonight? 25:05 In other words, if you are wrong on the state of the dead 25:08 you will be wrong about the judgment, and vise versa. 25:12 Now what happens when all of the righteous have been judged? 25:16 When all of the righteous cases have come before the 25:18 judgment bar of God? 25:21 Probation will what? 25:24 Probation will close. 25:27 And every case will have been what? 25:30 Will have been decided for life or for death. 25:33 And there will be no opportunity to change. 25:37 Now let me make something very clear, folks. 25:40 There is a close of probation for the world. 25:45 But there is also an individual close of probation 25:48 before the close of probation for the world. 25:51 Do you know what that individual close of probation is? 25:54 When you die. 25:57 If you don't live to the moment when the world's probation ends, 26:01 but you die, when you die your probation was over. 26:05 Notice what we find in Hebrews chapter 9 and verse 27. 26:08 Hebrews chapter 9 and verse 27, the apostle Paul says, 26:12 "And as it is appointed for men to die once, 26:16 but after this..." What? 26:18 "...after this the judgment." 26:20 So is there going to be a close of human probation 26:23 where people will no longer be able to be saved? 26:26 When all cases will have been decided? 26:28 Absolutely. 26:29 Let me just review a couple of things that we studied 26:32 a couple of lectures ago. 26:34 Let's refer to what happened before the flood. 26:36 Genesis chapter 7 and verse 16. 26:38 It says... 26:50 Did it start to rain as soon as the door closed? 26:53 Absolutely not. 26:54 Seven days passed, and then it began to rain. 26:57 Did probation close before destruction came? 27:01 Absolutely. 27:03 Jesus made it clear in Matthew 24 verses 37 to 39. 27:07 This is review, but we need to review it because 27:09 it's very, very important. 27:10 Matthew 24:37-39, Jesus said... 27:26 That's the first "until." 27:28 First point of time, when the door closes. 27:30 He enters the ark, the door closes. 27:31 And then it says... 27:34 The people did not know that they were lost, in other words. 27:38 There's the second "until." 27:39 That's when it begins to rain. 27:48 Will probation close before Jesus comes? 27:51 Absolutely. 27:52 Will all cases of the righteous have been decided before 27:55 probation closes? 27:56 Absolutely. 27:57 Revelation 22 verse 11 is another verse that we 28:00 looked at in our study a couple of lectures ago. 28:04 It says there... 28:20 Probation closes before Jesus comes. 28:24 All cases are decided. 28:26 All the cases of the righteous have been evaluated, 28:29 and before the universe it's been shown that Jesus 28:32 has a right to bring these people home. 28:35 Now, what happens after the tribulation period? 28:40 Jesus comes. 28:42 And I want you to notice Revelation 22 and verse 12. 28:45 What happens when Jesus comes? 28:48 It says there, Revelation chapter 22 and verse 12, 28:51 Jesus is speaking... 29:00 What is Jesus bringing? 29:03 Can He bring the reward without determining beforehand 29:05 what the reward is? 29:07 Of course not. 29:16 You know, it's a solemn idea that in the Bible 29:18 people are saved by grace through faith, 29:20 but they will be judged by works. 29:22 Because you're works show if you're faith is real or not. 29:26 It's the proof of whether your faith was really 29:29 an active dynamic faith or whether your faith was 29:32 only an intellectual belief and a sham. 29:36 And so when Jesus comes, He brings His reward. 29:39 Which means He must have decided beforehand 29:41 what the reward would be. 29:43 Notice Matthew 16 verse 27 has the same idea. 29:47 Matthew 16 and verse 27. 29:49 It says... 30:00 When is Jesus going to give out the reward? 30:03 When He comes with all of His angels. 30:05 So did He give the reward to people when they died? 30:08 Absolutely not. 30:09 It's when Jesus comes that people receive their reward. 30:12 The apostle Paul expected His reward when Jesus comes. 30:16 Notice 2 Timothy chapter 4 and verses 6 through 8. 30:20 Here, the apostle Paul is in the Mamertine Prison in Rome. 30:23 He knows that soon he's going to be beheaded. 30:26 And I want you to notice what he says. 30:28 2 Timothy 4 verses 6 through 8. 30:51 Is Paul going to be... 30:53 Is his name going to go up through the judgment? 30:56 Absolutely. 30:57 Because here it says... 31:03 So Paul is going to receive a crown on that Day, right? 31:07 Now, when is that date? 31:18 When is it that Paul is going to be rewarded? 31:22 It's not when he died. 31:24 It's when Jesus, what? 31:26 When Jesus comes. 31:28 So when Jesus comes, He's going to bring His reward. 31:32 And of course, He is going to resurrect all of His 31:35 faithful people who died. 31:37 In fact, let's notice that in Revelation chapter 20 31:40 and verse 6. 31:41 Revelation chapter 20 and verse 6. 31:43 Here it's speaking about the resurrection before the 31:47 millennium at the second coming of Christ. 31:49 And it says, "Blessed and holy is he..." 31:56 The second resurrection is after the millennium. 31:58 That's the wicked. 32:14 So what's going to happen to the dead in Christ? 32:16 They are going to, what? 32:17 They are going to resurrect. 32:19 And what's going to happen with the righteous living? 32:21 They are going to be changed, according to 32:23 1 Corinthians chapter 15. 32:26 Now here's the big question. 32:28 Where will the righteous reign for 1000 years? 32:33 Will it be in heaven or will it be on earth? 32:39 It depends what your background is. 32:42 What you believe. 32:45 You see, most Christians today, 32:49 they say Jesus gave two promises. 32:52 First of all, He promised to take His people to heaven. 32:56 Right? 32:57 And secondly, He said the meek will inherit the earth. 33:01 So he promised heaven and He promised the new earth. 33:06 So how can Jesus fulfill both promises? 33:09 Well Christians say, "The only way that He can fulfill 33:12 both promises is if He raptures them to heaven for seven years. 33:18 And then after the seven years He comes, and the 33:20 meek inherit the earth." 33:23 That's the only way they say it can happen. 33:25 But Seventh-day Adventists believe that there's another 33:27 biblical way that can happen. 33:30 And that is that when Jesus comes at His second coming, 33:34 He will take His people to heaven for 1000 years. 33:38 And then after the 1000 years, He will bring them back 33:42 and He will created a new heavens and a new earth. 33:44 And the meek will inherit the earth. 33:46 See, it's because Christians believe that the millennium 33:51 is going to be on earth that they have to come up with 33:55 the rapture idea, because they say, 33:57 "Jesus promised to take His people to heaven. 34:00 Well if Jesus comes only at His second coming 34:03 and He establishes His kingdom on earth, then He never 34:06 fulfilled His promise to take His people to heaven." 34:08 That's why they say, "We need a rapture 34:10 so they can go to heaven for seven years. 34:13 And then they can come down and inherit the earth." 34:15 Are you understanding? 34:17 Scripture makes it very, very clear 34:20 that God's people will be in heaven for 1000 years. 34:24 They will not be here on earth during the 1000 year period. 34:29 You say, "Where does the Bible teach that?" 34:31 Go with me to John chapter 13 verses 36 and 37. 34:34 We're going to notice several verses now. 34:36 John 13 verses 36 and 37. 34:39 And then we'll read chapter 14 and verses 1 to 3. 34:42 Verse 36 says, "Simon Peter said to Him, 34:45 'Lord, where are You going?'" 34:47 Because Jesus said, "I'm leaving." 34:49 "'Where are You going?' 34:50 Jesus answered him, 'Where I am going you cannot 34:52 follow Me now, but you shall follow Me afterward.'" 34:57 Did Jesus promise Peter that he was going to follow Him 35:00 where He was going to go? 35:01 Absolutely. 35:03 Now, notice what we find in verse 1 of chapter 14. 35:13 Where is the Father's house? 35:16 Jesus taught us to pray, "Our Father which art in heaven." 35:40 Did Jesus promise to take His people to heaven? 35:43 Very clearly He did. 35:44 He told Peter, "You're going to go where I'm going, 35:48 but it's not going to be now. 35:49 It's going to be later." 35:51 He promised to take us to His Father's house. 35:54 Now let's notice 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 35:57 and verses 15 through 17. 35:59 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 and verses 15 through 17. 36:04 This is a very clear passage. 36:06 It says there... 36:38 What does that refer to, "with them?" 36:41 With those who died and what? 36:44 With those who died and resurrected, right? 36:46 So did the righteous dead go to heaven before 36:49 those who are alive go to heaven? 36:51 No. They go to heaven how? 36:53 Together, according to Scripture. 36:55 And so it says in verse 17... 37:05 What are those clouds? 37:07 Angels. Very important. 37:15 Is Jesus coming back to this earth to establish His kingdom 37:18 at His second coming? 37:19 No, He is not coming down. 37:21 We are going, what? 37:22 We are going up. 37:24 And so it says... 37:29 This is the reason why Matthew chapter 24, 37:31 the last several verses, when Jesus comes, 37:33 it says He will send forth His angels to gather His elect 37:38 from the four winds. 37:41 And where is He going to gather them? 37:42 We just read in 1 Thessalonians 4. 37:44 He going to gather them in the clouds. 37:46 To meet Him where? 37:48 To meet Him in the air. 37:50 And then what is Jesus going to do? 37:52 He's going to establish His kingdom here on earth 37:54 for 1000 years? 37:55 No, He's going to take His people where? 37:58 He's going to take His people to His Father's house. 38:03 Is all heaven going to be in agreement that God was right 38:06 in taking all these people to heaven? 38:08 Did they see the judgment, did the angels watch the judgment? 38:11 Were the names of the righteous confessed before the holy angels 38:16 and before the Father? 38:17 Absolutely. All cases were examined. 38:19 And the heavenly courts, the heavenly counsel says, 38:22 "You're right in every single case. 38:24 Bring them all home." 38:27 Now there's no special urgency with the wicked, 38:29 because the wicked were left behind. 38:32 And they were left behind all dead. 38:36 Now let's talk about the second stage of the judgment. 38:40 This is the millennial judgment. 38:42 It's a judgment that takes place during the 1000 years. 38:46 Do you know who's going to be judged during the 1000 years? 38:48 It's certainly not the righteous, because 38:50 they were judged before Jesus came. 38:52 And they were taken to heaven. 38:55 So the question is, who is going to be judged 38:57 during the 1000 years? 38:59 The fact is that the Bible tells us that those who are 39:03 going to be judged are the wicked. 39:05 And also Satan and his angels. 39:07 I'm going to read you an interesting text from Scripture. 39:09 Let's go to Revelation chapter 20 and verse 4. 39:13 Revelation chapter 20 and verse 4. 39:15 It says here, "And I saw thrones..." 39:20 And listen carefully. 39:26 Are God's people going to participate in the judgment? 39:30 Absolutely. 39:31 "Judgment was committed to them." 39:52 Are those people going to participate 39:54 in the work of judgment? 39:56 Yes, because it says, "I saw thrones, and they sat on them, 40:00 and judgment was committed to them." 40:03 The question is, who are they going to judge? 40:07 Well let's go to Revelation chapter 20 and verses 11 and 12, 40:11 and then to an interesting text in 1 Corinthians. 40:14 Revelation chapter 20 and verses 11 and 12. 40:18 It says here... 40:40 How can dead people stand before God? 40:45 The text tells us how they stand before God. 40:47 It's not dead people standing before God. 40:50 They stand up there through their records. 40:52 Just like before the second coming, the righteous 40:55 stood before God through their records. 40:57 You say, "Where does it say that?" 40:58 Let's continue reading, verse 12, 40:59 "And I saw the dead small and great standing before God..." 41:02 And what? 41:11 Listen carefully. 41:12 Were they dead or were they alive? 41:14 Dead. 41:22 So how do they appear before the judgment bar of God 41:25 during the 1000 years? 41:27 Through their records. 41:28 Through what is written in the books. 41:30 Because God has an exact transcript of them in heaven. 41:35 Now which dead is this referring to? 41:37 Is this referring to the righteous dead? 41:39 No, we just read about the righteous dead. 41:41 This is speaking about the wicked dead. 41:44 Now go with me to a captivating passage 41:46 in 1 Corinthians chapter 6 and verses 1 to 3. 41:50 Chapter 6 of 1 Corinthians verses 1 to 3. 41:53 Here, the apostle Paul clarifies who God's people 41:56 are going to judge, who the righteous are going to judge 41:59 during the 1000 years. 42:00 It says here in 1 Corinthians 6 verses 1 to 3... 42:13 In other words, should you go to a court of law to 42:15 sue your brother in a secular court of law? 42:18 He continues saying... 42:26 And the word, "world," refers to worldly people. 42:29 It's not talking about, you know, the... 42:31 The mass of the world doesn't need a judgment. 42:33 It's talking about the worldly people. 42:36 And so it continues saying... 42:46 And then notice what it says. 42:54 What are the saints going to judge? 42:56 Angels. 42:57 I suppose those are the good angels they're going to judge. 43:00 No, the good angels don't need a judgment. 43:03 The saints are going to judge which angels? 43:06 Satan and his angels. 43:08 They're going to even look at the record of Satan's 43:10 existence and life, as well as his angels. 43:13 And so it says, "Do you not know that we shall judge angels? 43:16 How much more things that pertain to this life?" 43:20 I like to compare this millennial judgment 43:22 with God's great audit. 43:26 Do you think that when the records are opened in heaven 43:28 the righteous, you know, we're looking at the records 43:30 and we're seeing why these people were lost. 43:34 Because there's people absent in heaven that we thought 43:37 for sure were going to be there. 43:39 And then there's some other people that are there 43:40 and we say, "We thought that they would never make it." 43:43 And so God opens the books and He says, 43:48 "Was the book keeping done right? 43:51 Was I right in excluding all of these people?" 43:55 Let me ask you, what does an auditor do? 43:57 A good auditor doctors the books. 44:01 No, all he does is he examines the books to see if the 44:05 accounting was done correctly. 44:07 And so during the 1000 years, the purpose is to convince 44:11 God's people, as well as the heavenly beings, 44:14 that God was right in every case of those who were left behind. 44:19 Are you following me or not? 44:22 I like to compare it also with an instant replay. 44:25 Don't you think that when we're examining the books in heaven 44:28 we're going to say, "Lord, that guy down there 44:30 should be up here." 44:32 That's not going to happen. 44:34 Because all cases will have been decided correctly 44:38 before Jesus comes. 44:41 It's like an instant replay. 44:42 Does an instant replay change the play? 44:45 No, all it does is reveal whether the umpire 44:49 made the right call. 44:51 And that's what's going to be revealed. 44:53 It's going to be revealed whether God actually 44:56 made the right call in every single case of those 45:01 who were left behind. 45:03 And also we will be able to examine the cases of 45:07 those who are there who we never thought would be there. 45:12 And as we examine the books, we'll say, 45:14 "Lord, You did it right. 45:16 Everybody that's here should be here. 45:18 And everybody that's not here, we now see 45:22 that You gave them an opportunity. 45:24 But they rejected the opportunity." 45:26 And so that's the millennial judgment. 45:28 Every case of every wicked person, and the devil 45:31 and his angels will be examined. 45:34 And now we must go to stage number three. 45:37 Stage number three takes place after the millennium. 45:41 Revelation chapter 20 and verse 5 tells us that 45:44 the rest of the dead did not live again until the 45:47 1000 years were ended. 45:49 Who are "the rest of the dead?" 45:51 When did the righteous resurrect? 45:53 At the second coming, at the beginning of the millennium. 45:55 So who are "the rest of the dead" that don't rise again 45:58 until the 1000 years are finished? 46:00 It must be the wicked. 46:02 So they resurrect after the 1000 years. 46:05 Have they already been judged in heaven? 46:07 They most certainly have. 46:09 Have they seen their case examined? 46:12 No. Has the devil and his angels seen their cases examined? 46:17 Absolutely not. 46:18 Are they convinced about the righteousness of God 46:21 in being outside the holy city? 46:23 Absolutely not. 46:25 And so what's going to happen is the devil is going to go 46:27 in the midst of all of the wicked and he's going to 46:30 persuade them to attack the holy city. 46:33 He's going to say, "Those people in there, 46:35 they've stolen the city. 46:36 It really belongs to us." 46:38 And for a period of time all of the wicked are going to 46:41 buy into the devil's deceptions and they're going to 46:44 prepare for war. 46:46 Notice Revelation chapter 20 verses 7 through 9. 46:49 Revelation 20:7-9. 46:51 At this point the wicked don't know all of the issues. 46:54 It says... 47:00 I wish I had time to talk about that. 47:01 Why is the devil is prison? 47:04 What is the devil's power base? 47:07 His power base is his people, right? 47:10 He's able to deceive people. 47:13 But what happens during the millennium with all his people? 47:16 They're all dead. 47:17 So he's all tied up. 47:19 He has no one to deceive. 47:21 His power base is gone. 47:23 That's what it means when it says that he is bound. 47:26 He's bound while his people are dead. 47:28 And he's unbound when his people are alive. 47:31 So his people come to life after the 1000 years 47:34 and he gets his power back. 47:36 And so it says... 47:56 But there's something that happened before 47:58 the fire devoured them. 47:59 The books are now opened before the devil and his angels 48:03 and the wicked for them to see why they were lost. 48:06 Because God will not destroy them without them admitting 48:09 that God was right in leaving them outside. 48:12 Notice Revelation chapter 20 and verse 13. 48:16 Revelation chapter 20 and verse 13. 48:18 Here it speaks about the resurrection of the wicked, 48:20 and the judgment that is going to take place. 48:23 It says, "The sea gave up the dead who were in it..." 48:26 What does that mean, "The sea gave up the dead?" 48:30 It means that the dead are what? 48:33 Resurrecting. 48:34 "...and Death and Hades," that's the grave, 48:37 "delivered up the dead who were in them." 48:39 In other words, the dead are what? 48:41 They're resurrecting. 48:43 And now what happens? 48:44 "And they were..." What? 48:46 "...judged, each one according to his works." 48:51 Are the wicked going to resurrect and see the 48:53 record of their lives as well? 48:54 Is God going to show and persuade them that He was 48:57 right in the way that He dealt with them? 49:00 Absolutely. 49:01 Now what was written in the books that condemned them? 49:05 Revelation 21 and verse 8 gives a list of some of the things 49:08 that they were guilty of that they did not 49:10 repent of or confess. 49:12 They did not receive Jesus. 49:14 It says... 49:28 Are those the things that they're going to see in the 49:30 records of their lives? 49:31 Absolutely. 49:32 And that's why they are outside the holy city. 49:36 I'd like to read you a passage that we find in, 49:39 Great Controversy, page 666, where this stage of the 49:43 judgment is described. 49:44 Notice what Ellen White describes in this page. 49:49 You'll never forget it; page 666. 49:54 "As soon as the books of record are opened, 49:57 and the eye of Jesus looks upon the wicked, 50:01 they are conscious of every sin which they have ever committed. 50:07 They see just where their feet diverged from the path 50:11 of purity and holiness, just how far pride and rebellion 50:21 have carried them in the violation of the law of God. 50:24 The seductive temptations which they encouraged 50:27 by indulgence in sin, the blessings perverted, 50:30 the messengers of God despised, the warnings rejected, 50:35 the waves of mercy beaten back by the stubborn 50:38 unrepentant heart; all appear as if written in letters of fire." 50:45 They will see the record of their lives. 50:47 And then do you know what's going to happen? 50:50 The Bible tells us in Isaiah 45, and this is quoted also in 50:54 Philippians chapter 2, that every knee will bow 50:57 and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, 51:02 to the glory of God the Father. 51:03 In other words, the whole universe at this moment, 51:05 even the devil and his angels, will bow and they will say, 51:10 "God, we're out here. 51:12 We hate You with a passion. 51:14 But we have to admit that You got it right. 51:17 We're lost because we chose to be lost." 51:21 Philippians chapter 2 verses 5 through 11 says, 51:24 "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 51:27 who being in the form of God did not consider it robbery 51:30 to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, 51:34 taking the form of a bondservant, and coming 51:36 in the likeness of men. 51:38 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself 51:41 and became obedient to the point of death, 51:43 even the death of the cross." 51:45 Ellen White describes this great panoramic view 51:47 above the city where all of the events of the life of Christ 51:51 and the sufferings and the death of Christ are seen 51:53 by the wicked above the city. 51:54 What they could have had if they had accepted Jesus Christ. 51:57 That's what's being described here. 51:59 And then when they see that, what they could have had, 52:02 and how their lives have been a violation of God's law. 52:06 Notice what happens according to verse 9. 52:10 "Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him 52:14 the name which is above every name, that at the 52:16 name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, 52:20 and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 52:24 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ 52:27 is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." 52:32 And now the controversy reaches its climax, 52:34 because the wicked have seen the record of their lives. 52:37 The devil has deceived them into thinking that he is right, 52:40 they are right, and those in the city are wrong, God is wrong. 52:42 But now they've seen the record. 52:44 They've seen what they could have had 52:46 by accepting Jesus Christ. 52:48 They see that they have been excluded by their own choice. 52:52 And they are filled with rage. 52:56 Not against God, but against the deceiver. 53:01 You know, there's this idea in the Adventist Church 53:04 that the wicked are destroyed when they're 53:05 attacking the holy city. 53:08 That is not biblical. 53:10 The wicked die attacking Satan. 53:15 Allow me to read you, first of all, from Great Controversy, 53:17 and then I'm going to read you a passage from 53:19 the book of Ezekiel. 53:21 Ellen White describes this, she says, 53:23 "He rushes into the midst of his subjects 53:26 and endeavors to inspire them with his own fury 53:28 and arouse them to instant battle. 53:32 But of all the countless millions whom he has 53:36 allured into rebellion, there are none now 53:41 to acknowledge his supremacy. 53:43 His power is at an end. 53:46 The wicked are filled with the same hatred of God that 53:49 inspires Satan, but they see that there case is hopeless, 53:53 that they cannot prevail against Jehovah. 53:55 Their rage is kindled against Satan and those who have 53:59 been his agents in deception. 54:01 And with the fury of demons they turn on them." 54:07 And then Ellen White quotes a passage from Scripture 54:10 to back up what she's saying. 54:11 Ezekiel chapter 28 and verses 6 through 10. 54:15 Notice what it says there. 54:18 "Therefore, thus says the Lord God..." 54:19 It's speaking about this glorious being; 54:21 Lucifer, the covering cherub. 54:22 That's the theme of chapter 28 of Ezekiel. 54:25 "Therefore, thus says the Lord God, 54:27 'Because you have set your heart as the heart of God...'" 54:30 Remember he said, "I will be like the Most High." 54:33 "...behold, therefore, I will bring strangers against you, 54:37 the most terrible of the nations; and they shall 54:40 draw their swords against the beauty of your wisdom, 54:43 and defile your splendor. 54:46 They shall throw you down into the Pit, and you shall 54:49 die the death of the slain in the midst of the seas." 54:52 The seas represent multitudes, nations, tongues, and peoples. 54:55 "Will you still say before him who slays you, 'I am God?' 55:00 But you shall be a man, and not a god..." 55:03 Well you say, "Well, the devil isn't a man." 55:06 Sometimes in the Bible angels are called men. 55:08 For example, in Daniel chapter 9, Daniel says, 55:10 "That man, Gabriel, who I had seen in the 55:13 vision at the beginning." 55:14 So don't get thrown off by that. 55:16 Verse 9, "'Will you still say before him who slays you, 55:19 "I am a god?" 55:21 But you shall be a man, and not a god, 55:25 in the hand of him who slays you. 55:27 You shall die the death of the uncircumcised, 55:30 by the hand of aliens. 55:33 For I have spoken,' says the Lord God." 55:39 At this point let me ask you, is all of the universe 55:42 on the same page? 55:45 All agree. 55:47 The righteous, the heavenly beings, Satan, the wicked, 55:55 his angels. 55:57 All have seen the process of judgment. 55:59 Everyone is persuaded that God has been right 56:03 in the way in which He has dealt with sin. 56:07 And then the Bible tells us that the last enemy 56:09 that will be destroyed is death. 56:10 1 Corinthians 15 verse 26. 56:14 "Then Death and Hades..." 56:16 This is Revelation 20:14-15. 56:18 "Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. 56:22 This is the second death. 56:24 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life 56:26 was cast into the lake of fire." 56:29 And then the Bible tells us that God will create a new heavens 56:33 and a new earth. 56:34 And the meek shall inherit the earth. 56:39 And I'd like to end by reading that beautiful passage 56:42 in Revelation 21 verses 3 and 4. 56:44 "And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, 56:47 'Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, 56:50 and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. 56:53 God Himself will be with them and be their God. 56:56 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes..." 57:11 And then God will have a clean universe 57:14 where sin will never rise again. 57:16 Who in his right mind would ever want to 57:18 experiment with sin again after seeing what has happened? 57:23 And God's people will live forever more with the Lord. |
Revised 2014-12-17