(inspiring music)
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>>Welcome to "Sabbath School,"
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brought to you by It Is Written.
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We're delighted to
have you back one more time,
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this time for lesson number six.
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We are looking at
"The Hour of His Judgment."
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We're about halfway
through our quarter together,
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looking at three cosmic
messages, the three angels'
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message, and we're digging into
some of the meat of it right
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now, and we're glad
that you are joining us.
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Why don't we begin with prayer?
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Father, we thank You
for the opportunity again
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that You give us to
delve into Your Word,
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into subjects that pertain
to us today in a very real way.
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Thank You for helping us to
understand that there's nothing
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to fear but
everything to look forward to,
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and especially as we're looking
at the topic of judgment,
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we ask that You would
make that clear to us,
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and we thank You in Jesus' name.
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Amen. >>Amen.
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>>Well, our guest
this week once again
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is Pastor Mark Finley.
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He is an international
speaker and evangelist
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and has quite the positive
history here at It Is Written.
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Welcome back once again.
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>>Thank you so
much, Pastor Eric.
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>>So this subject, "The Hour
of His Judgment," is a big one.
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It's a big one because
every person who has ever lived
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or died is
ultimately going to be judged.
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Now, for some people
that's a scary thought,
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but my suspicion is
by the time we get done
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with this week's lesson
it's not going to be quite
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so scary, though
certainly meaningful.
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Now, we're on
week number six of 13,
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which means we've
already covered five lessons,
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five weeks worth of lessons.
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Can you help bring us
up to speed, kind of recap,
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review what we've
been through so far
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to bring us up to speed today?
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>>Sure, be happy to.
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You know, actually you
mentioned that the judgment
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is scary to some people.
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I was thinking of a
statement by Daniel Webster,
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the famous American
statesman of yesteryear.
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He was asked
once, "What's the most
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solemn thought that
ever passed your mind?"
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And he said, "The
thought of judgment."
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So it is true what,
pastor, that the judgment
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does scare people but we
can be absolutely confident
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that Christ is there
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as both our
Judge and our Lawyer.
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But let's go
directly to your question,
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Revelation, chapter 14.
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We're studying
verses six and seven,
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and we'll kinda of summarize
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where we are up
until this point,
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a look at the
first five lessons.
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You remember that Revelation
14 is divided into three parts.
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The first part is a
people who are redeemed
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with Christ stand
in heaven with Him.
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The second part is
a message to prepare
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that people to
stand with Christ,
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and the third has
to do with the event,
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the second coming of Christ.
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The Revelation 14:6-12
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prepares us to be
ready when Jesus comes.
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It begins in
chapter 14, verse six,
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the three angels'
messages begin there,
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by saying, "Then
I saw another angel
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flying in the midst of heaven,"
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so as we point out,
this is an urgent message,
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it's not something
that is done in a corner,
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it's an urgent message,
"...having the everlasting
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gospel to preach to
those that dwell on the earth."
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First and foremost, the message
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of the three
angels is the gospel.
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What is the gospel?
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It's the incredible good
news that Christ lived the life
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that I should have lived,
defeated Satan in my behalf,
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died the death
that I should have died,
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is my High Priest in heaven
above, interceding for me,
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and will come again for me.
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The gospel has to do
with everything Christ was,
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is, and will be
as He comes again.
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It's the totality of
the message of Jesus,
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His grace, His
goodness, His mercy, His power.
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So it's the everlasting
gospel, who is it preached to?
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"To every nation, ...kindred,
...tongue, and people."
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We spent time on that
in one of our lessons,
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talking about the fact
that this message is powerfully,
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through the
ministry of the Spirit,
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to go to the ends of the earth.
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Now the message says,
"With a loud voice, 'Fear God,'"
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which we looked at
in a lesson that means
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"give the totality of
your allegiance to God."
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It's not being afraid of
God but fearing God is a state
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of mind where I declare that
God is number one in my life.
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"Give glory to Him."
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"Fear God" has to
do with what I think,
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and giving glory to God
has to do with what I do.
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Fearing God is a state of mind,
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giving glory to
God is a lifestyle.
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So as a
Christian, I wanna give glory
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to God in my lifestyle,
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but it says, "For the
hour of His judgment has come,"
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and that's the
lesson we're on this week.
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Notice this is a
present tense judgment,
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the hour of God's judgment,
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it doesn't say "will come,"
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when I say present
tense, actually the verb there,
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"has come," is an
"aorist" in the Greek language.
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It means it's past, it
has already taken place
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or is in the
process of taking place,
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but the hour of
God's judgment has come,
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in other words, it has arrived,
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it is here, we are presently
living in the judgment hour.
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Now, that may raise a question.
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Why does God need a
judgment before He comes?
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If God is omniscient,
if God knows everything,
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doesn't He know
everything about me
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and why does He need a judgment?
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In the controversy
between good and evil,
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in the controversy
between Christ and Satan,
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in this cosmic
conflict, Lucifer,
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a being of dazzling
brightness, rebelled against God
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in heaven and was
cast out of heaven,
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therefore, why was Lucifer cast
out? What was his challenge?
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Lucifer challenged
the authority of God,
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he challenged
the goodness of God,
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he said that God was
an arbitrary dictator,
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a vindictive judge,
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He wanted
allegiance from His creatures
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but did not give love.
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The purpose of the judgment
is not because God doesn't know
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who's saved or lost, but is
to reveal before a waiting world
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and a watching universe,
that in every single life,
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God reached out in
loving kindness and compassion
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to save them for His kingdom.
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On the cross of Calvary,
Christ revealed corporately,
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to the entire
universe, His love.
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The love of God could not
be questioned by the universe,
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but the question was, was
God fair and just in every life?
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And so the judgment pauses,
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and one of the
things about the judgment
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that I think is so
incredibly encouraging is this,
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that within the
judgment it reveals
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to the whole universe
the importance of every life,
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the value of every life,
the sanctity of every life,
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because the
whole universe pauses,
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and Jesus says,
"This is how I've tried
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"to reach every person.
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"I've sent my Holy
Spirit to their heart
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wherever they are in the world."
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He is the light that lights
every man born into the world,
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He's placed eternity in the
hearts of every human being,
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and He reveals that
He's been guiding since birth
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through His Holy Spirit, that
He's revealed through nature,
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that He's revealed
through the creative works
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His love and grace and goodness.
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Christ reveals in the judgment
how through the providences
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of life, He's tried
to win every person,
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and through the
proclamation of the gospel
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which is the clearest
revelation of His love,
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the proclamation of His word.
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So the hour of God's judgment,
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that is the
present tense judgment,
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reveals before the whole
universe His goodness and grace.
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When that is complete and
every human being on earth
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has had a chance to respond
to His love, He then comes.
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>>You know, there may
be some people watching,
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I'm sure you and I have
both run into people who wonder
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about their own value. >>Sure.
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>>You know, I've been
going through this trial
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and that trial and does God
really love me and so forth.
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When it comes to the judgment,
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a lot of things are
going to be revealed
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that we can't
necessarily see today,
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evidence of God's
love and watch care.
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How would you respond
to somebody who's feeling
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kind of like
they've been overlooked,
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maybe that they don't
have a chance at making it?
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>>Life is not always fair.
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Because of the
brokenness of our world,
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because of the sin of our world,
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there are birth
anomalies that take place,
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but that person is
just as valuable to God,
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just as--they have
worth in God's sight.
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There are times that a very
tragic divorce may take place;
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a woman has a
husband who has an affair,
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a man has a wife
that has an affair,
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and the husband or wife is
just brokenhearted over that
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and maybe they leave
them for somebody else.
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Somebody who's tried to
be faithful to their health
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develops a life-threatening
disease and dies.
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You know, a child in a terrible
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car accident, quadriplegic.
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Every life is
incredibly valuable to God,
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and what the judgment will
reveal is that although life
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was not fair,
God is always fair,
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and God provides
the strength, courage,
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the hope to cope with that.
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And I think there's
another aspect of the judgment,
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whatever unrighteousness,
whatever unfairness,
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whatever
challenges I've faced in life,
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in the judgment God's
gonna make all things right.
00:09:47.55\00:09:50.62
God will explain that
He has been there with me
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in the trials of life to
give me hope and encouragement,
00:09:53.72\00:09:57.43
but life is short,
70 years, 80 years,
00:09:57.43\00:10:01.50
you know, pastor, I
am now 77 years old,
00:10:01.50\00:10:05.43
and it's amazing how
quickly my life has gone by;
00:10:05.43\00:10:08.44
I've been in
ministry 55 years now
00:10:08.44\00:10:10.77
and my life has
just gone by so quickly,
00:10:10.77\00:10:13.54
I mean, I can't
believe as I look back on life
00:10:13.54\00:10:17.05
how fast it's gone,
00:10:17.05\00:10:18.38
but yet we have
an eternity to live,
00:10:19.51\00:10:21.68
millions and millions of years.
00:10:21.68\00:10:23.99
So there may be trials,
there may be difficulties,
00:10:23.99\00:10:26.79
there may be challenges,
but the judgment says
00:10:26.79\00:10:30.23
that evil will be condemned,
00:10:30.23\00:10:32.99
the judgment says that
Satan will be defeated,
00:10:32.99\00:10:36.73
the judgment says that Christ
is gonna set all things right
00:10:36.73\00:10:40.20
and set up His
eternal, everlasting kingdom,
00:10:40.20\00:10:42.30
and that's incredibly good news.
00:10:42.30\00:10:44.81
>>It is, and I hope
that that encourages you.
00:10:44.81\00:10:47.78
You know, looking at the
judgment, the book of Revelation
00:10:47.78\00:10:50.78
is not the only place
that talks about the judgment,
00:10:50.78\00:10:53.48
and when we talk
about the judgment,
00:10:53.48\00:10:54.92
one of the other books
that comes up frequently
00:10:54.92\00:10:56.58
is the book of Daniel.
00:10:56.58\00:10:58.12
How do these two judgments
that we read about in Daniel
00:10:58.12\00:11:00.82
and in Revelation, how do
they relate one with another?
00:11:00.82\00:11:03.29
>>You know, there
are two prophetic books
00:11:03.29\00:11:04.36
in the Bible,
Daniel and Revelation.
00:11:04.36\00:11:06.56
And in the book of
Revelation, Jesus, through John
00:11:06.56\00:11:10.07
as we've described,
mentions that the hour
00:11:10.07\00:11:11.87
of God's judgment has come,
00:11:11.87\00:11:14.00
but it doesn't tell us
when the clock struck the hour,
00:11:14.00\00:11:16.97
it doesn't tell us
when the judgment began.
00:11:16.97\00:11:20.01
But if you go back to
Daniel, chapter seven,
00:11:20.01\00:11:23.78
chapter eight, and chapter nine,
00:11:23.78\00:11:26.58
you find the
outline of history revealed,
00:11:27.72\00:11:31.99
the history of the
planet's salvation in Christ,
00:11:31.99\00:11:35.16
and in Daniel, chapter
seven, we have the scene
00:11:35.16\00:11:38.76
of the judgment being set.
00:11:38.76\00:11:40.60
In Daniel, chapter seven, you
have a vision of four beasts,
00:11:42.06\00:11:45.73
the lion, the bear,
the leopard, the dragon
00:11:45.73\00:11:49.47
or the dragon-like beast,
00:11:49.47\00:11:52.57
and with 10 horns, you
have a rise of a little horn.
00:11:52.57\00:11:55.51
So in Daniel,
chapter seven, prophetically,
00:11:55.51\00:11:58.95
you have the same four empires
00:11:58.95\00:12:00.68
that are
mentioned in Daniel two,
00:12:00.68\00:12:01.95
you have the Babylon,
Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome,
00:12:01.95\00:12:05.05
you have the
breakup of the Roman Empire
00:12:05.05\00:12:07.36
depicted in the
10 toes of the image
00:12:07.36\00:12:09.69
and in the 10 horns
of Daniel, chapter seven.
00:12:09.69\00:12:13.19
But in Daniel, chapter
seven, you have the rise
00:12:13.19\00:12:14.93
of this little horn, a
religious political power
00:12:14.93\00:12:17.70
that will try to
change God's law.
00:12:17.70\00:12:20.84
But then you have the opening
of the scenes of the judgment;
00:12:20.84\00:12:23.54
so Daniel is looking first
at what takes place on earth,
00:12:23.54\00:12:28.44
then he looks up and
sees this judgment scene
00:12:28.44\00:12:32.21
that's
incredibly good news to him
00:12:32.21\00:12:34.65
because the earthly
powers that have opposed
00:12:34.65\00:12:37.02
and oppressed God's
plan and God's purposes
00:12:37.02\00:12:41.52
and God's people are destroyed.
00:12:41.52\00:12:42.96
So you look there at
Daniel, chapter seven,
00:12:42.96\00:12:44.89
and can you
read verses 9 and 10?
00:12:44.89\00:12:48.86
>>Verse nine says, "I
watched till thrones were put
00:12:48.86\00:12:51.63
"in place, and the
Ancient of Days was seated;
00:12:51.63\00:12:54.27
"His garment was
white as snow, and the hair
00:12:54.27\00:12:56.81
"of His head was like pure wool.
00:12:56.81\00:12:58.94
"His throne was a fiery flame,
its wheels a burning fire;
00:12:58.94\00:13:02.88
"a fiery stream issued and
came forth from before Him.
00:13:02.88\00:13:06.01
"A thousand
thousands ministered to Him;
00:13:06.01\00:13:08.75
"ten thousand times ten
thousand stood before Him.
00:13:08.75\00:13:11.99
The court was seated,
and the books were opened."
00:13:11.99\00:13:15.29
>>So here you have
Daniel sees the opening
00:13:15.29\00:13:18.13
of the judgment that
Revelation talked about.
00:13:18.13\00:13:21.20
>>So a beautiful connection,
00:13:21.20\00:13:22.53
we're gonna dig into
that a little bit more,
00:13:22.53\00:13:25.57
but before we go to
break, I wanna share with you
00:13:25.57\00:13:27.94
something that you
do not want to miss.
00:13:27.94\00:13:30.14
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to this quarter's
Sabbath School lesson.
00:13:33.51\00:13:35.74
It is "Three Cosmic
Messages" by Mark Finley,
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a very powerful book
that will add deeper insight,
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00:13:43.12\00:13:45.65
You don't want to
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Where can you find
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Again, that's itiswritten.shop.
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Look for "Three Cosmic
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00:13:55.60\00:14:00.07
and it will add an
immense amount of value
00:14:00.07\00:14:02.60
to your study of
this quarter's subject.
00:14:02.60\00:14:06.14
We're gonna be
back in just a moment
00:14:06.14\00:14:07.41
as we continue
looking at this judgment,
00:14:07.41\00:14:10.38
something not to fear
but to look forward to.
00:14:10.38\00:14:13.38
We'll be back in just a moment.
00:14:13.38\00:14:15.02
(inspiring theme music)
00:14:15.02\00:14:17.92
>>He spent 32 years
in prison for a crime
00:14:19.12\00:14:21.89
he did not commit, more
than half his life behind bars
00:14:21.89\00:14:25.46
even though he
was an innocent man.
00:14:25.46\00:14:27.93
Junk science, false testimony,
and shoddy investigative work
00:14:27.93\00:14:32.00
came together to
send a man to prison
00:14:32.00\00:14:34.57
for more than three decades.
00:14:34.57\00:14:36.64
Join me for "Not Guilty," where
you'll hear from the people
00:14:36.64\00:14:39.77
at the center of the
exoneration of an innocent man.
00:14:39.77\00:14:43.24
We'll look not only at
innocent people being freed
00:14:43.24\00:14:46.05
but at the phenomenon of
guilty people being pardoned,
00:14:46.05\00:14:49.25
people who committed the
offense, who broke the law,
00:14:49.25\00:14:51.82
and yet were set
free by God Himself.
00:14:51.82\00:14:54.86
Every person alive
has sinned and comes short
00:14:54.86\00:14:57.09
of the glory of God,
and yet God offers pardon
00:14:57.09\00:14:59.66
and forgiveness to
all, absolutely free.
00:14:59.66\00:15:02.86
Don't miss "Not Guilty," where
you'll learn that no matter
00:15:02.86\00:15:05.90
your past, no matter your
present, you can face the future
00:15:05.90\00:15:09.10
with confidence, without
fear, and with absolute hope.
00:15:09.10\00:15:13.31
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00:15:49.81\00:15:52.71
>>Welcome back
to "Sabbath School,"
00:15:54.48\00:15:56.15
brought to you by It Is Written.
00:15:56.15\00:15:57.25
We are looking at
the judgment this week,
00:15:57.25\00:15:59.35
this is lesson number six,
00:15:59.35\00:16:01.56
and Pastor Mark, we've
been, in the book of Daniel,
00:16:01.56\00:16:04.59
looking at the
setting of the judgment.
00:16:04.59\00:16:07.86
You mentioned,
though, that in Revelation
00:16:07.86\00:16:09.33
we don't know the
timing of the judgment;
00:16:09.33\00:16:11.37
fortunately for
us, Daniel talks about
00:16:11.37\00:16:13.77
the timing for the judgment.
00:16:13.77\00:16:15.20
Where do we find that?
00:16:15.20\00:16:16.57
>>We find that in Daniel,
chapter eight. Daniel 8:14.
00:16:16.57\00:16:21.21
Daniel 8 starts with
the vision of the ram
00:16:21.21\00:16:24.65
and the he-goat,
00:16:24.65\00:16:26.35
describing the rise
of Medo-Persia, Greece,
00:16:26.35\00:16:30.42
and then after that both
pagan Rome and papal Rome.
00:16:30.42\00:16:35.49
The angel asks a question
00:16:36.29\00:16:38.79
in Daniel,
chapter eight, verse 13.
00:16:38.79\00:16:41.23
"How long [will] be the vision
00:16:41.23\00:16:43.16
concerning the
daily sacrifice[s]...?"
00:16:43.16\00:16:45.27
Now, the word
"sacrifices" is an added word,
00:16:45.27\00:16:49.14
the word "daily" is
a Hebrew word "tamid,"
00:16:49.14\00:16:52.64
that has to do with everything
00:16:52.64\00:16:53.91
that goes on in the sanctuary,
00:16:53.91\00:16:55.28
it has to do with the lights
00:16:55.28\00:16:57.58
in the
sanctuary, the candlesticks,
00:16:57.58\00:16:59.61
it has to do with the
incense in the sanctuary,
00:16:59.61\00:17:01.82
it has to do
with the priesthood,
00:17:01.82\00:17:03.22
it's something
that's continually happening
00:17:03.22\00:17:05.15
in the sanctuary,
00:17:05.15\00:17:06.25
so Daniel points
us to the sanctuary.
00:17:06.25\00:17:10.66
The religious political
power has trampled down
00:17:10.66\00:17:15.40
the truth about the sanctuary,
00:17:15.40\00:17:17.87
they've trampled down
on the truth about Jesus
00:17:17.87\00:17:20.60
as our sacrifice, Jesus
as our priest, high priest,
00:17:20.60\00:17:25.17
and here it says in verse 14,
00:17:25.17\00:17:29.54
"He said to me,
00:17:29.54\00:17:30.65
"'For two thousand
three hundred days;
00:17:30.65\00:17:33.18
then the sanctuary
will be cleansed,'"
00:17:33.18\00:17:34.82
or restored to
its rightful place.
00:17:34.82\00:17:36.52
So at the end of the 2,300 days,
00:17:36.52\00:17:40.02
the sanctuary would be restored.
00:17:40.02\00:17:42.76
Now, what did the Jews
understand about this idea
00:17:44.09\00:17:46.80
of the cleansing
of the sanctuary?
00:17:46.80\00:17:48.40
At the end of the
Jewish year, there was a day
00:17:48.40\00:17:51.27
called the Day of Atonement,
which was a day of judgment,
00:17:51.27\00:17:54.97
where all sin was
cleansed from the sanctuary.
00:17:54.97\00:17:59.07
So we see here a concept of
the cleansing of the sanctuary,
00:17:59.07\00:18:04.15
we see the idea of judgment,
it's embedded in that concept.
00:18:05.51\00:18:08.88
So the sanctuary would be
restored, the truth about Jesus
00:18:08.88\00:18:13.36
as His death, His
high-priestly ministry, His law,
00:18:13.36\00:18:17.33
all of that would be restored
at the end of the 2,300 days.
00:18:17.33\00:18:22.30
Now, in Bible
prophecy, Ezekiel 4, verse 6,
00:18:22.30\00:18:24.90
Numbers 14:32,
00:18:24.90\00:18:27.77
talk about one prophetic day
00:18:27.77\00:18:30.64
equaling one literal year,
00:18:30.64\00:18:32.67
so the 2,300 days
are actually 2,300 years.
00:18:33.81\00:18:36.81
Now, when Daniel saw this,
he didn't fully understand it;
00:18:36.81\00:18:40.78
he's wondering is this
cleansing of the sanctuary
00:18:40.78\00:18:43.75
my people leaving Babylonian
and Medo-Persian captivity
00:18:43.75\00:18:48.36
and going back to Jerusalem?
00:18:48.36\00:18:51.96
Is that what it's talking about?
00:18:51.96\00:18:53.09
So he doesn't understand it,
00:18:53.09\00:18:54.20
he's thinking
2,300 days, 2,300 years,
00:18:54.20\00:18:57.37
and you come to the end of
this chapter, and Daniel faints
00:18:57.37\00:19:02.17
at the end of
Daniel, chapter 8, verse 27.
00:19:02.17\00:19:06.94
"And I, Daniel,
fainted," Daniel 8:27,
00:19:06.94\00:19:09.31
"...was sick for days;
00:19:09.31\00:19:10.98
"afterward I arose and
went about the king's business.
00:19:10.98\00:19:14.05
I was astonished by the vision,
but no one understood it."
00:19:14.05\00:19:17.89
So here you have Daniel fainting
00:19:17.89\00:19:20.06
and he doesn't
understand the vision.
00:19:20.06\00:19:21.52
>>You know, when
you start talking about
00:19:21.52\00:19:22.99
some of these
prophecies, especially the ones
00:19:22.99\00:19:25.16
related to dates, a lot
of times people get confused,
00:19:25.16\00:19:28.26
and though I've
shared this with many people,
00:19:28.26\00:19:30.23
I haven't had
anybody faint on me yet.
00:19:30.23\00:19:32.57
So Daniel was
having a rough time,
00:19:32.57\00:19:34.50
and if Daniel ended at the
end of Daniel, chapter eight,
00:19:34.50\00:19:37.71
we'd kind of be
in a bit of a pickle,
00:19:37.71\00:19:39.71
but it doesn't and it
goes into Daniel, chapter nine.
00:19:39.71\00:19:43.41
What happened after
Daniel was struggling
00:19:43.41\00:19:45.88
with understanding this?
00:19:45.88\00:19:47.85
How did God help
him through that?
00:19:47.85\00:19:49.82
>>You know, it says,
pastor, that Daniel fainted
00:19:49.82\00:19:52.82
because he didn't
understand the vision.
00:19:52.82\00:19:54.72
The ram and he-goat,
Medo-Persia and Greece,
00:19:54.72\00:19:57.99
they were clearly explained,
00:19:57.99\00:19:59.39
the little horn
power's clearly explained,
00:19:59.39\00:20:00.96
the portion of the vision
that was not clearly explained
00:20:00.96\00:20:04.43
to Daniel was the
2,300 days that has to do
00:20:04.43\00:20:08.80
with the
cleansing of the sanctuary,
00:20:08.80\00:20:10.84
the setting of all
things right, the judgment,
00:20:10.84\00:20:13.48
that's what
needed to be explained.
00:20:13.48\00:20:15.54
So time goes on and
Daniel begins to pray
00:20:15.54\00:20:18.91
as this magnificent
prayer in Daniel, chapter 9,
00:20:18.91\00:20:22.55
verses 1 through 19,
00:20:22.55\00:20:25.79
and while he's praying,
in verse 20 of Daniel nine,
00:20:25.79\00:20:29.06
it says, "Now while I
was speaking, praying,
00:20:29.06\00:20:30.89
"and confessing my sin and
the sin of my people Israel,
00:20:30.89\00:20:34.40
"and presenting my
supplication[s] before the Lord
00:20:34.40\00:20:37.60
my God," verse 21,
00:20:37.60\00:20:39.13
"...while I was [praying]
in prayer, the man Gabriel,
00:20:39.13\00:20:40.64
[who] I...[saw] in the
vision at the beginning...."
00:20:40.64\00:20:42.97
What's the
vision at the beginning?
00:20:42.97\00:20:44.81
It's the vision of Daniel 8.
00:20:44.81\00:20:46.37
So he says Gabriel
comes back now to explain
00:20:46.37\00:20:50.05
the vision that he
did not understand.
00:20:50.05\00:20:52.35
Verse 22, "He informed me,
and talked with me, and said,
00:20:52.35\00:20:55.58
"'O Daniel, I am now come forth
00:20:55.58\00:20:57.29
to give [you] skill
and understanding.'"
00:20:57.29\00:21:00.36
That's pretty
exciting, isn't it?
00:21:00.36\00:21:01.69
He faints in Daniel 8, verse 27,
00:21:01.69\00:21:04.93
Gabriel comes back
to explain the portion
00:21:04.93\00:21:07.96
of the vision that
he doesn't understand,
00:21:07.96\00:21:09.60
and Gabriel begins, can
you read verse 24 for us?
00:21:09.60\00:21:13.03
>>He says, "Seventy weeks
are determined for your people
00:21:13.03\00:21:15.87
"and for your holy city,
to finish the transgression,
00:21:15.87\00:21:19.11
"to make an end of
sins, to make reconciliation
00:21:19.11\00:21:21.74
"for iniquity, to bring
in everlasting righteousness,
00:21:21.74\00:21:25.48
"to seal up vision and prophecy,
00:21:25.48\00:21:27.65
and to anoint the Most Holy."
00:21:27.65\00:21:29.92
>>So, "Seventy weeks are
determined [on] your people."
00:21:29.92\00:21:32.69
The word "determined"
00:21:32.69\00:21:33.76
is an interesting
Hebrew word "chathak,"
00:21:33.76\00:21:35.86
which means "cut off."
00:21:35.86\00:21:37.33
So 70 weeks are cut
off from the 2,300 days
00:21:37.33\00:21:41.53
or the 2,300 years.
00:21:41.53\00:21:43.43
So if you look at the
day-year principle, 70 weeks,
00:21:43.43\00:21:48.00
seven days in a
week, seven times 70,
00:21:48.00\00:21:50.71
seven times zero is
zero, seven times seven, 49,
00:21:50.71\00:21:53.04
we learned that,
didn't we, in multiplication?
00:21:53.04\00:21:55.31
So you get 490 days or years,
00:21:55.31\00:21:58.55
490 years of this
prophecy, whenever it begins,
00:21:58.55\00:22:03.25
relate to the Jews.
00:22:03.25\00:22:04.79
The rest of the 2,300
years, after you subtract 490,
00:22:04.79\00:22:08.76
take us down to the
opening of the judgment.
00:22:08.76\00:22:11.36
Now if we can figure out when
this begins, it will help us,
00:22:11.36\00:22:14.30
so now notice what it says too,
00:22:14.30\00:22:16.73
that "seventy
weeks are determined
00:22:16.73\00:22:18.47
[on] your people," the
Jews, "to make an end of sins,
00:22:18.47\00:22:21.67
to make
reconciliation for iniquity."
00:22:21.67\00:22:23.27
Who would make
reconciliation for iniquity?
00:22:23.27\00:22:24.91
The Messiah, Christ.
00:22:24.91\00:22:26.17
Who would bring in
everlasting righteousness?
00:22:26.17\00:22:28.04
The Messiah, Christ.
00:22:28.04\00:22:29.54
Who would anoint the
Most Holy in the sanctuary
00:22:29.54\00:22:31.55
to begin His priestly ministry?
00:22:31.55\00:22:32.91
Christ. When does
this prophecy begin?
00:22:32.91\00:22:35.88
"Know therefore and understand,
...from the going forth
00:22:35.88\00:22:38.39
"of the command to
restore and build Jerusalem
00:22:38.39\00:22:41.32
"until Messiah the Prince,
00:22:41.32\00:22:43.12
"shall be seven
weeks and sixty-two weeks;
00:22:43.12\00:22:46.26
"[and] the street shall
be built again, and the wall,
00:22:46.26\00:22:49.86
even in [troublous] times."
00:22:49.86\00:22:51.93
"Know therefore and understand,
...from the going forth
00:22:51.93\00:22:55.44
of the command to
restore and build Jerusalem...,"
00:22:55.44\00:22:57.61
if we can figure out
when that took place.
00:22:57.61\00:23:00.21
There were three commands
to restore and build Jerusalem;
00:23:00.21\00:23:03.38
the last of these
commands, found in Ezra 7,
00:23:03.38\00:23:06.41
was given by Artaxerxes.
00:23:06.41\00:23:07.82
The uniqueness of this
command, this last one,
00:23:07.82\00:23:10.39
was the Jews could go
back and establish worship
00:23:10.39\00:23:14.12
and build their temple again;
00:23:14.12\00:23:16.73
they were given the
national right as a people.
00:23:16.73\00:23:20.46
That decree
went forth in 457 BC,
00:23:20.46\00:23:24.33
so if you take 457
BC as the starting point
00:23:24.33\00:23:27.54
and you go forward
on the timeline 69 weeks
00:23:27.54\00:23:31.54
or seven times 69, 483 years,
00:23:31.54\00:23:35.41
it takes you to 27 AD,
00:23:35.41\00:23:37.05
there's no zero
years, it takes you to 27.
00:23:37.05\00:23:39.08
What happens in the fall of 27?
00:23:39.08\00:23:41.58
>>In the fall of 27,
there was a significant
00:23:41.58\00:23:43.89
baptism that took place.
00:23:43.89\00:23:45.22
>>Yeah, Jesus is
baptized in the fall of 27 AD.
00:23:45.22\00:23:48.32
It is amazing that
hundreds of years ahead of time,
00:23:48.32\00:23:51.33
and the word "Messiah" means...?
00:23:51.33\00:23:53.29
>>The anointed
one. >>The anointed one.
00:23:53.29\00:23:54.30
So Jesus,
according to Acts 10:38,
00:23:54.30\00:23:56.33
is anointed by the
Holy Spirit at His baptism.
00:23:56.33\00:24:00.57
So, you have 27 AD.
00:24:00.57\00:24:02.70
Then verse 26,
"After sixty-two weeks,"
00:24:02.70\00:24:06.51
that is after this last
portion, sometime after 27 AD,
00:24:06.51\00:24:09.81
"Messiah [will] be cut off,"
00:24:09.81\00:24:10.95
or crucified,
"but not for Himself."
00:24:10.95\00:24:13.11
When would that
take place? Verse 27.
00:24:13.11\00:24:15.78
"He shall confirm [the] covenant
with many for one week."
00:24:15.78\00:24:18.99
So if you have 69
weeks that run out in 27 AD,
00:24:18.99\00:24:23.53
you have one prophetic
week left, seven years,
00:24:23.53\00:24:26.80
and at the end of that
time, He confirms the covenant
00:24:26.80\00:24:29.46
He's made with Israel
as a corporate nation,
00:24:29.46\00:24:31.97
as His chosen people,
00:24:31.97\00:24:33.67
then it says, "...in
the middle of the week...."
00:24:33.67\00:24:36.07
So it's the
middle of this last week,
00:24:36.07\00:24:37.41
in the middle of this last
week, you have half of seven,
00:24:37.41\00:24:41.01
which is three and a half,
00:24:41.01\00:24:42.08
so if you have 69
weeks running out in 27 AD
00:24:42.08\00:24:47.25
and you have three
and a half weeks left
00:24:48.32\00:24:49.65
from the fall of 27... >>331.
00:24:49.65\00:24:52.19
Yeah, 331. >>1831.
00:24:52.19\00:24:53.19
>>In the spring.
>>In the spring, right.
00:24:53.19\00:24:54.22
>>And what event
happens in the spring?
00:24:54.22\00:24:55.92
>>Well, there was
a significant death.
00:24:55.92\00:24:57.66
>>Yeah. >>And that was
00:24:57.66\00:24:58.66
Jesus' death on the cross.
00:24:58.66\00:24:59.89
>>Yeah, and the
Passover. >>The Passover.
00:24:59.89\00:25:01.26
>>And so Christ is the Passover
Lamb who sacrificed for us,
00:25:01.26\00:25:05.00
and then you go three
and a half years from that
00:25:05.00\00:25:07.57
and you get 34 in the
fall, Stephen is stoned.
00:25:07.57\00:25:11.07
>>Stephen's stoned and the
gospel going to the Gentiles.
00:25:11.07\00:25:13.11
>>Yeah, and the high
priest rents his robe,
00:25:13.11\00:25:15.04
and you have the
lawsuit covenant speech,
00:25:15.04\00:25:19.65
and so let's review that.
00:25:19.65\00:25:21.12
There would be 490
years that would relate
00:25:22.15\00:25:25.02
to the Jewish nation,
first part of the prophecy.
00:25:25.02\00:25:28.76
Along that
timeline, you have events
00:25:29.82\00:25:31.79
that would take
place, the baptism of Christ,
00:25:31.79\00:25:34.00
Christ was baptized
exactly on time, AD 27,
00:25:34.00\00:25:37.47
crucified exactly on time,
spring of 31, Passover Lamb,
00:25:37.47\00:25:41.60
the gospel goes to the
Gentiles, 34, exactly on time,
00:25:42.87\00:25:46.41
and if 490 years
run out in--in 34 AD,
00:25:46.41\00:25:51.11
we got, of the 2,300
years, 490 from 2,300,
00:25:52.21\00:25:56.02
it's real math
lesson today, >>Yes.
00:25:56.02\00:25:57.25
>>isn't it?
00:25:57.25\00:25:58.35
You got 1,810
years left. >>Right.
00:25:58.35\00:25:59.72
It takes you to 1844. >>1844.
00:25:59.72\00:26:01.96
>>Wow, the judgment
would begin in 1844.
00:26:01.96\00:26:06.06
That means we're
living in the judgment hour,
00:26:06.06\00:26:08.23
a time when the
truth of God's Word
00:26:08.23\00:26:09.90
is to be restored
to the entire world,
00:26:09.90\00:26:12.27
a time when the
truth of God's Word
00:26:12.27\00:26:14.07
is to go forth to
the ends of the earth,
00:26:14.07\00:26:16.17
a time to be sure our
hearts are right with God.
00:26:16.17\00:26:19.31
>>So if there's somebody
watching today who says,
00:26:19.31\00:26:22.44
"Okay, all that math
makes sense," which it does,
00:26:22.44\00:26:26.11
"and I see that this
applies to the judgment
00:26:26.11\00:26:27.92
"and I'm living in this time,
00:26:27.92\00:26:30.45
in the judgment
hour, since 1844,"
00:26:30.45\00:26:34.16
that's you and me, we're
living in this time period,
00:26:34.16\00:26:36.73
what kind of words of
encouragement would you give
00:26:36.73\00:26:38.83
to someone to be prepared
for the day when their name
00:26:38.83\00:26:43.63
comes up in the
courts of heaven?
00:26:43.63\00:26:46.23
>>Sure, the encouragement
I would give is this,
00:26:46.23\00:26:49.20
in Christ, by
Christ, through Christ,
00:26:50.24\00:26:54.88
there's no possibility
that we could be lost.
00:26:54.88\00:26:58.15
In ourselves, in our
sinful, proud, arrogant nature,
00:26:58.15\00:27:02.68
the heart is
sinful above all things,
00:27:02.68\00:27:04.49
deceitful of all
things, desperately wicked.
00:27:04.49\00:27:07.02
I would give you the
encouragement that my friend
00:27:07.02\00:27:09.66
Pastor George
Vandeman used to give,
00:27:09.66\00:27:12.43
the founder and
director of It Is Written.
00:27:12.43\00:27:14.36
This is what George
used to tell me all the time
00:27:14.36\00:27:16.46
and he told his audiences,
00:27:16.46\00:27:18.50
he said, "As I look at myself,
I see no way I can be saved.
00:27:18.50\00:27:22.64
"As I look at Jesus, I can
see no way that I can be lost.
00:27:22.64\00:27:27.44
In Christ, salvation is yours."
00:27:27.44\00:27:30.21
>>Pastor Mark,
thank you once again
00:27:30.21\00:27:31.61
for joining us this week.
00:27:31.61\00:27:32.95
We are on an incredible journey
through an incredible series
00:27:32.95\00:27:35.68
of messages in
Revelation, chapter 14,
00:27:35.68\00:27:38.02
and we've still got
00:27:38.02\00:27:38.99
a few weeks to go. >>We do.
00:27:38.99\00:27:39.79
>>So exciting stuff ahead of us,
00:27:39.79\00:27:41.96
and we're excited to
have you join us as well.
00:27:41.96\00:27:44.86
Incredible things
in store as we look
00:27:44.86\00:27:47.50
at the message
that God has for us.
00:27:47.50\00:27:50.13
Thanks for joining us again
this week on "Sabbath School,"
00:27:50.13\00:27:52.47
brought to you by It Is Written.
00:27:52.47\00:27:54.40
We'll see you again next week.
00:27:54.40\00:27:56.44
(inspiring music)
00:27:56.44\00:27:59.34
(music ends)
00:28:27.20\00:28:29.50