(upbeat 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 are glad to have
you back again this week
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and every week with
us as we journey through
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an incredible series
on three cosmic messages,
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looking at the
three angels' messages
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in the heart of
the book of Revelation.
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And this week we're
looking at lesson number eight,
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"The Sabbath and the End."
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We're going to find out
why the Sabbath is so important
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in our time and going forward,
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and you're going to
be impressed, inspired,
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encouraged, amazed, we've
got an exciting study this week,
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but let's begin with prayer.
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Father, we thank You for
bringing us back together again
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this week, and we
anticipate a blessing
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as we dive into the
significance of the Sabbath,
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and we ask that You
will bless our time together.
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We thank You in Jesus' name.
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Amen. >>Amen.
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>>Well, we're
blessed once again this week
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to have the author of
this quarter's Sabbath School
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lesson with us.
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Pastor Mark Finley, he
is an international speaker
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and author, no
stranger to It Is Written,
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great to have you
back, Pastor Mark.
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>>It's always a joy to be here
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at It Is Written and
I've especially appreciated,
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Pastor Eric, the
opportunity to share with you,
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two evangelists
sharing together.
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>>That's right.
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And yet somehow we've
managed to keep each study
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to a half an hour,
which is a minor miracle.
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This study on "The
Sabbath and the End,"
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why is the Sabbath
so significant to God?
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What role does it play?
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What does it mean to Him
and what should it mean to us?
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>>The Sabbath significance
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is really outlined
in the Ten Commandments,
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where God Himself wrote
them on the tables of stone
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with His own finger and He said,
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"Remember the Sabbath day....
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"Six days shalt thou
labor, and do all thy work:
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but the seventh day is the
Sabbath of the Lord thy God."
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Then the Sabbath
commandment concludes with,
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"For in six days the
Lord made heaven...earth,
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"the sea, [and the
fountains of waters]
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and all that in them is."
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So the Sabbath
points us back to Creation.
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Creation is the very
basis of all worship.
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If God did not create
us, if we simply evolved,
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then life would have
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no real purpose and meaning.
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If we came from lower
forms of life and evolved
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and then simply die
and go into the grave
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and there is no future for us,
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life has little
purpose or meaning,
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it's the
survival of the fittest.
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But the Sabbath
pointing us back to Creation,
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enables us to
keep clearly in mind
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that life does have a purpose,
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that we were created
by God, a loving God.
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It also gives
value to every life.
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The Sabbath as a
memorial of Creation,
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reminds us that
life is valuable.
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I write about that
in the introduction
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to the Sabbath School lesson,
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and I do wanna give a
little clarification there.
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It says, and could you read
that first paragraph for us?
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>>"The essence of humanity's
dignity is a common Creation.
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"The fact that we are
uniquely created by God
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"places value on
every human being.
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"The unborn in the mother's
womb, the quadriplegic teenager,
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"the...Down
syndrome [young adult],
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"and the
Alzheimer-afflicted grandmother
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"all have immense value to God.
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"God is their Father. They
are His sons and daughters.
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"'God, who made the
world and everything in it,
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"'since He is Lord
of heaven and earth,
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"'does not dwell in
temples made with hands....
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"'And He has made from
one blood every nation of men
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to dwell on all the
face of the earth.'"
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>>Creation
enables us to recognize
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that every
human being has worth,
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every human being has dignity,
every human being has value.
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Now let me tell you what we
don't mean by this statement,
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we don't mean that
there are no anomalies,
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we do not mean that
there are no birth deformities,
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we do not mean that God
creates the Down syndrome child,
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or that God Himself works
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in the genes and chromosomes
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to create birth
defects, we don't mean that.
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These situations
take place because
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of living in a sinful world,
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and we live in a broken world.
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What we do mean is this,
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that the unborn
child has value to God,
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that the Down syndrome
child has value to God,
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that the Alzheimer's
patient has value to God.
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And if we recognize the
fact that God is our Creator,
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then even in a sinful world
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every human life
has sanctity and value
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and that's one of the things
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that we say when
we celebrate Sabbath.
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We praise the Creator God,
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we thank God for
the gift of life,
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and we see the value
of every human being.
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>>Now, there are loud
voices in the world today
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who would have us believe
that we were not created,
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that we got here through
the process of evolution,
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macro evolution, we might
call it, over long ages of time.
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How does that, does that
mesh with the Bible picture,
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or if it doesn't, why doesn't
it and how can it not mesh?
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>>Let's go to
Revelation, chapter 14.
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It is quite remarkable
that the message of Revelation,
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particularly the
Revelation, chapter 14,
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the rise of the advent movement,
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the Seventh-day
Adventist Church,
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the proclamation of
the three angels' messages
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was taking place
at the exact time
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that the evolutionary hypothesis
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was being
presented to the world.
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One of the first
drafts of Charles Darwin's
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"Origin of the
Species" was published in 1844.
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Later it was further refined
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and published in 1859.
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But the three angels' messages,
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after talking about the gospel
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and the message going to
the ends of the earth says,
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"Fear God,"
we've looked at that,
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take Him seriously, give
Him glory in your lifestyle.
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"The hour of His judgment
has come; and worship Him
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"who made heaven
and earth, the sea
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and [the fountains
of] springs of water."
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Worship the Creator.
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So a message to
worship the Creator
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goes out in harmony
with the judgment hour.
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Those who've
studied the book of Daniel
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recognize from Daniel 8:14,
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"Unto two
thousand...three hundred days;
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then shall the
sanctuary be cleansed."
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To the ancient Jew the
sanctuary was the judgment,
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the cleansing of the sanctuary
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on the day of
atonement was a day of judgment.
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And so we have here
this clock striking the hour
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in a present-tense judgment,
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that the hour of God's
judgment has come from 1844,
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and at the same
time a message to go out,
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to worship the Creator.
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So this message is
critically important
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in a time of evolution.
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Now you've asked why is
it that you cannot harmonize
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the evolutionary,
macro evolutionary,
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in that
hypothesis with Creation?
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If you go back to
Genesis, chapter one,
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there are a number of
reasons why that cannot be done.
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In Genesis one, verse one,
would you read that, please?
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>>"In the beginning God created
the heavens and the earth."
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>>This is the
first verse of the Bible,
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it's the basis of all the Bible.
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If God is not our Creator,
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what qualifications does
Christ have as our Redeemer?
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If God is not our Creator,
why does life exist at all?
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Is it some divine joke?
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Is it some cosmic accident?
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And then the Bible goes down
with the six days of Creation,
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God resting on the seventh day.
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If indeed there are no
literal six days of Creation,
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if they're long periods of time,
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then the seventh-day
Sabbath is totally irrelevant.
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If indeed you don't have
six literal days of Creation,
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that are 24-hour periods,
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how do you deal
with the Ten Commandments
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written with the finger
of God on tables of stone?
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Because it says,
"Remember the Sabbath day,
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to keep it holy. Six
days shalt thou labour."
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The Ten Commandments
written with the finger of God
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on tables of stone presuppose
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that the days were
literal 24-hour periods,
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because you can't have a
Sabbath, which is a 24-hour
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period, if the first six
days that it memorializes
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are not a 24-hour period.
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The other thing is this,
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it says first day,
second day, third day,
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fourth day,
fifth day, sixth day.
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The word for "day" in
the Hebrew language is "yom,"
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and every time a numeral is
used before that word "day,"
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as an adjective, like
first day, second day,
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it qualifies it
as a 24-hour period.
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Now, the way some people get
around this is they say, well,
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Moses wrote in the
language of humanity
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and that's what
we could understand,
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and so therefore,
Moses wrote in harmony
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with the culture of his time,
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and Moses thought it
was a six-day creation,
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but really we know
scientifically it wasn't.
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What that does, it
takes the presupposed,
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the supposed "facts of science"
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and it tries to cram
them into the biblical record.
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I think to be
honest with oneself,
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it would be almost impossible,
and I would say impossible,
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you know, to harmonize
the long ages of Creation
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with the biblical narrative.
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Psalm 33, verse
6 and verse 9 says,
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"By the word of the Lord
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"were the heavens made....He
[spoke], and it was done;
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He commanded,
and it stood fast."
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Hebrews 11 says
that, verse 1 and 2,
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we understand that
the worlds were created
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not from things that we
see but by the word of God.
00:10:05.60\00:10:08.84
So the Bible is clear
that God created the world
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in six literal days
and rested the seventh.
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>>So that's one clear picture of
00:10:14.31\00:10:17.05
why the Sabbath is important,
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it reminds us of the
fact that He is our Creator.
00:10:18.41\00:10:22.35
You mentioned also in this
week's lesson about the judgment
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and you made mention
of it just a moment ago.
00:10:25.12\00:10:27.82
What relationship does the
Sabbath have to the judgment?
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Elements of it are
probably clear, some less so,
00:10:32.33\00:10:35.16
but why is it really
integral to the judgment?
00:10:35.16\00:10:38.10
>>The Sabbath reminds
us that God created us
00:10:38.10\00:10:41.17
and He fashioned us.
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If we are created by
God and did not evolve,
00:10:43.74\00:10:47.34
we are not merely products
of our heredity and environment,
00:10:47.34\00:10:51.25
but we are moral creatures
00:10:51.25\00:10:53.11
that have
responsibility for choices.
00:10:53.11\00:10:56.08
So the judgment
presupposes again,
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that God created us,
00:10:59.69\00:11:01.69
that we are rational
beings with conscience,
00:11:01.69\00:11:04.76
reason, and judgment,
00:11:04.76\00:11:06.56
and as the Holy
Spirit impresses our mind,
00:11:06.56\00:11:08.93
we can make positive decisions.
00:11:08.93\00:11:11.60
So if you simply evolve
00:11:11.60\00:11:15.84
from lower to
higher forms of life,
00:11:15.84\00:11:18.34
if that's what happens,
00:11:18.34\00:11:20.54
and if you do not have
conscience, reason, and
00:11:20.54\00:11:24.38
judgment, you're
not a moral creature,
00:11:24.38\00:11:26.35
but you're simply
an advanced animal,
00:11:26.35\00:11:30.15
then there is no
light in the judgment,
00:11:30.15\00:11:33.25
because you're not
responsible for your actions.
00:11:33.25\00:11:36.62
>>So if we are created,
then we are moral beings,
00:11:36.62\00:11:40.63
then we are
responsible for our actions,
00:11:40.63\00:11:42.83
and our actions are
called, one day, into judgment.
00:11:42.83\00:11:46.47
And fortunately, the
judgment is not something
00:11:46.47\00:11:48.30
that we need to
fear if we are indeed
00:11:48.30\00:11:51.17
walking in the light
that Christ has given to us
00:11:51.17\00:11:54.01
and embracing Him.
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Any other thoughts on
that? >>I do. I summarize this,
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I think pretty
succinctly, on Sunday's lesson
00:12:00.25\00:12:03.28
called "The Judgment,
Creation, and Accountability."
00:12:03.28\00:12:07.39
It's right under the
questions that are asked there,
00:12:07.39\00:12:11.06
that show the relationship
between Revelation 14:7
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and Romans 14:10, James 2.
00:12:14.30\00:12:17.50
It says, "Since we
were created by God
00:12:17.50\00:12:19.73
"with the capacity
to make moral choices,
00:12:19.73\00:12:22.67
"we are responsible
for the decisions we make.
00:12:22.67\00:12:25.64
"If we were merely a
random collection of cells,
00:12:25.64\00:12:29.21
"products of our
heredity and environment only,
00:12:29.21\00:12:32.61
"our actions would
largely be determined by forces
00:12:32.61\00:12:36.42
"over which we
[have] no control.
00:12:36.42\00:12:39.22
But judgment implies
moral responsibility."
00:12:39.22\00:12:44.23
So the first angel's
message that calls us
00:12:44.23\00:12:46.16
to worship the Creator,
calls us as moral beings,
00:12:46.16\00:12:50.97
as intelligent beings, as
rational beings that can choose
00:12:50.97\00:12:55.20
to make positive
choices prompted by the Spirit,
00:12:55.20\00:12:58.91
filled with the grace of God,
00:12:58.91\00:13:02.24
empowered by God's Spirit
00:13:02.24\00:13:05.58
to make positive
choices for His kingdom.
00:13:05.58\00:13:08.15
>>And praise the Lord for that,
00:13:08.15\00:13:09.35
He gives us the
opportunity to do that.
00:13:09.35\00:13:12.32
We're going to take a
break in just a moment,
00:13:12.32\00:13:13.89
but before we do, I
want to encourage you
00:13:13.89\00:13:16.19
if you haven't already done so,
00:13:16.19\00:13:17.49
to pick up the companion book
00:13:17.49\00:13:18.93
to this quarter's
Sabbath School lesson.
00:13:18.93\00:13:21.06
It is called "Three Cosmic
Messages" by Pastor Mark Finley.
00:13:21.06\00:13:25.30
You can find this
book at itiswritten.shop,
00:13:25.30\00:13:28.87
and it goes into
greater detail, greater depth,
00:13:28.87\00:13:31.91
on the subject that we
are looking at week after week
00:13:31.91\00:13:35.01
in this quarter.
"Three Cosmic Messages"
00:13:35.01\00:13:37.68
by Pastor Mark Finley,
available at itiswritten.shop.
00:13:37.68\00:13:42.52
We're going to come
back in just a moment
00:13:42.52\00:13:43.89
as we continue looking at
the significance of the Sabbath
00:13:43.89\00:13:47.92
as it pertains to the
three angels' messages.
00:13:47.92\00:13:50.76
We'll be right back.
00:13:50.76\00:13:51.73
(upbeat music)
00:13:51.73\00:13:53.43
>>Throughout the Bible,
00:13:56.33\00:13:57.93
mothers have
played an important role
00:13:57.93\00:14:00.10
in advancing the kingdom of God.
00:14:00.10\00:14:02.60
Eve, Sarah, Rebekah, Jochebed,
00:14:02.60\00:14:07.34
Naomi, Elizabeth, Mary,
00:14:07.34\00:14:10.71
but no mother has
had a greater impact
00:14:10.71\00:14:13.42
on the growth of God's kingdom
00:14:13.42\00:14:15.65
than a mother found in
the heart of Revelation.
00:14:15.65\00:14:19.79
Don't miss "A Mother at War."
00:14:19.79\00:14:22.89
As we trace history
from the war in heaven
00:14:22.89\00:14:25.86
all the way down
to earth's last days,
00:14:25.86\00:14:28.73
you'll encounter
a great red dragon
00:14:28.73\00:14:31.03
with seven heads and 10 horns,
00:14:31.03\00:14:33.64
a pregnant
woman who has to fight
00:14:33.64\00:14:36.04
to save the life of her newborn,
00:14:36.04\00:14:38.41
you'll be witness to
the battle of the ages
00:14:38.41\00:14:41.18
and see the ultimate victory
of Christ and His church.
00:14:41.18\00:14:46.11
"A Mother at War,"
00:14:46.11\00:14:48.55
brought to you
by It Is Written TV.
00:14:48.55\00:14:51.75
>>You know that at It Is Written
00:14:56.86\00:14:58.26
we are serious about
studying the Word of God
00:14:58.26\00:15:00.70
and we encourage you
to be serious as well.
00:15:00.70\00:15:03.40
Well, here's what you do
00:15:03.40\00:15:04.40
if you wanna dig
deeper into God's Word,
00:15:04.40\00:15:06.50
go to itiswritten.study
00:15:06.50\00:15:08.74
for the It Is Written
Bible study guides online,
00:15:08.74\00:15:11.71
25 in-depth Bible studies
00:15:11.71\00:15:13.61
that will take you through the
major teachings of the Bible.
00:15:13.61\00:15:16.61
You'll be blessed,
00:15:16.61\00:15:18.01
and it's something you'll want
to tell others about as well.
00:15:18.01\00:15:19.91
itiswritten.study, go
further, itiswritten.study.
00:15:19.91\00:15:24.49
(upbeat music)
00:15:26.82\00:15:29.86
>>Welcome back
to "Sabbath School,"
00:15:31.46\00:15:32.83
brought to you by It Is Written.
00:15:32.83\00:15:34.50
We are looking at the
Sabbath and how it pertains
00:15:34.50\00:15:37.53
to the three angels' messages.
00:15:37.53\00:15:40.00
Pastor Mark, I'm going to
quote you back to yourself
00:15:40.00\00:15:44.17
and give you an
opportunity to explain
00:15:44.17\00:15:46.68
something that you
penned in Monday's lesson.
00:15:46.68\00:15:50.41
Several paragraphs
down, you write this,
00:15:50.41\00:15:53.08
"Scripture calls us to rest
00:15:53.08\00:15:55.48
"in His love and
care each Sabbath.
00:15:55.48\00:15:58.19
"Sabbath is a symbol
of rest, not of works;
00:15:58.19\00:16:01.62
"of grace, not legalism; of
assurance, not condemnation;
00:16:01.62\00:16:06.39
"of depending upon
Him, not upon ourselves.
00:16:06.39\00:16:10.13
"Each Sabbath, we rejoice
in His goodness, and praise Him
00:16:10.13\00:16:13.74
for the salvation that
can be found only in Christ."
00:16:13.74\00:16:17.51
Now, you and I
have both been informed
00:16:17.51\00:16:21.71
that Sabbath is a sign of
legalism, it's salvation by
00:16:21.71\00:16:25.98
works; when a
person keeps the Sabbath,
00:16:25.98\00:16:27.92
we're trying to
earn our salvation,
00:16:27.92\00:16:29.85
it's somehow legalistic
or something like that.
00:16:29.85\00:16:31.92
We've both been
accused of that, I'm sure.
00:16:31.92\00:16:34.72
But keeping the
Sabbath is not about legalism.
00:16:34.72\00:16:37.99
Rightly understood, what is it?
00:16:37.99\00:16:41.93
>>First, the Sabbath, as we've
talked in the first segment,
00:16:41.93\00:16:45.87
is a memorial of Creation.
00:16:45.87\00:16:47.94
When we come to
worship on Sabbath,
00:16:47.94\00:16:50.47
we come in this
world of commercialism,
00:16:50.47\00:16:54.34
this world of
secularism and godlessness,
00:16:54.34\00:16:56.98
we come to an oasis in time.
00:16:56.98\00:17:00.28
It is our oasis in
the desert where we come
00:17:00.28\00:17:03.22
to drink from the
well of salvation,
00:17:03.22\00:17:07.09
we come to have our inner hunger
00:17:07.09\00:17:10.89
satisfied by Christ,
00:17:10.89\00:17:13.26
we come to worship
the One that made us.
00:17:14.30\00:17:16.63
We say, "Lord, I'm not
some speck of cosmic dust,
00:17:16.63\00:17:20.00
"I'm not some pebble by
the road, not some tin can,
00:17:20.00\00:17:25.07
"pop can that's been
run over by some car.
00:17:26.17\00:17:27.98
"I'm not a cow, not a mosquito,
00:17:27.98\00:17:32.31
but I'm created
in the image of God."
00:17:32.31\00:17:34.38
So we come with a sense
of sacredness on Sabbath,
00:17:34.38\00:17:38.82
with our hearts
filled with praise
00:17:38.82\00:17:40.59
for the fact
that God created us.
00:17:40.59\00:17:42.52
We did not choose to
be born, but He chose us.
00:17:42.52\00:17:46.43
So we come with that sense.
00:17:46.43\00:17:47.76
But we come also resting in
His love, resting in His care.
00:17:47.76\00:17:52.47
On Sabbath we rest in the
One, not only that created us,
00:17:53.80\00:17:58.27
but the One that redeemed us.
00:17:58.27\00:18:00.11
We rest in His
works, we rest in His grace,
00:18:00.11\00:18:04.35
we rest in His
assurance of salvation.
00:18:04.35\00:18:08.05
So the Sabbath is
not a symbol of legalism,
00:18:08.05\00:18:12.52
it is a symbol of righteousness
by faith in Jesus Christ.
00:18:12.52\00:18:17.29
You know, it's very
interesting, when Cain and Abel
00:18:17.29\00:18:21.50
brought their offerings,
00:18:21.50\00:18:23.37
Cain brought an offering
of the fruits of the ground,
00:18:23.37\00:18:27.07
Abel brought the offering of--
00:18:27.07\00:18:31.07
by faith in Christ,
00:18:31.07\00:18:33.24
in the animal sacrifice.
00:18:33.24\00:18:35.68
Cain's offering represented
righteousness by works,
00:18:35.68\00:18:40.05
Abel's offerings
represented righteous by faith.
00:18:40.05\00:18:43.39
I'm gonna be bold here.
00:18:43.39\00:18:44.65
If you worship on Sunday,
you may not know it or not,
00:18:46.02\00:18:50.53
but that's a symbol of
righteousness by works.
00:18:50.53\00:18:52.96
You say, "Mark,
that is too bold,"
00:18:54.03\00:18:56.60
let me explain.
00:18:56.60\00:18:58.27
Now, you may be
saved by faith in Christ,
00:18:58.27\00:19:00.14
you may be a wonderful
Christian, and I praise God for
00:19:00.14\00:19:02.47
that, but what I'm saying is
this, Sunday is the work of man,
00:19:02.47\00:19:06.81
because Sunday is not
established in the New Testament
00:19:06.81\00:19:10.85
as the day of worship.
00:19:10.85\00:19:12.48
It was initiated by
priests and prelates
00:19:12.48\00:19:16.95
and Roman emperors
00:19:16.95\00:19:18.72
back in the early centuries.
00:19:18.72\00:19:21.52
So Sunday is the work of man,
00:19:21.52\00:19:24.69
Sabbath is the work of Christ.
00:19:24.69\00:19:27.10
So you can never be legalistic,
00:19:27.10\00:19:29.20
trusting in the work of Christ.
00:19:29.20\00:19:31.73
It was Jesus who was the
Creator, Ephesians 3, verse 9,
00:19:31.73\00:19:34.87
Christ created us,
Christ redeemed us,
00:19:34.87\00:19:37.24
so when we come on Sabbath,
00:19:37.24\00:19:39.21
we are coming in
faith in Christ's work,
00:19:39.21\00:19:42.94
resting in His love,
and it's not legalism.
00:19:42.94\00:19:46.51
>>That's encouraging,
00:19:46.51\00:19:47.92
and never thought of
it in quite that context,
00:19:47.92\00:19:50.62
so that's illuminating.
00:19:50.62\00:19:52.62
Thank you for sharing that.
00:19:52.62\00:19:54.36
We know that Sabbath is
also going to play a role
00:19:54.36\00:19:56.76
down at the very end of time.
00:19:56.76\00:19:58.83
There's going to be a
conflict between days of worship
00:19:58.83\00:20:02.00
and so forth.
00:20:02.00\00:20:03.60
And you go into that
in this week's lesson,
00:20:03.60\00:20:05.90
what role does the Sabbath
have to play in end-time events?
00:20:05.90\00:20:10.11
>>It's outlined in
Revelation, chapter 14.
00:20:10.11\00:20:13.24
And we will
study, in the future,
00:20:13.24\00:20:16.24
in this Sabbath School
series, on specifically
00:20:16.24\00:20:19.31
the mark of the beast,
what that is, et cetera.
00:20:19.31\00:20:21.85
But when you
come to Revelation 14,
00:20:21.85\00:20:24.32
there are three verses that I
think we have to put together.
00:20:24.32\00:20:28.49
And if you would
look at them for us,
00:20:28.49\00:20:30.23
Revelation 14, verse 7,
then verse 9, then verse 12,
00:20:30.23\00:20:35.26
And I'll kind of--you
can read them, Pastor Eric,
00:20:36.73\00:20:38.53
and then I'll
kind of summarize them.
00:20:38.53\00:20:40.90
>>Verse seven begins,
"Saying with a loud voice,
00:20:40.90\00:20:43.34
"'Fear God and
give glory to Him,
00:20:43.34\00:20:45.37
"'for the hour of
His judgment has come;
00:20:45.37\00:20:48.08
"'and worship Him who
made heaven and earth,
00:20:48.08\00:20:50.55
the sea and springs of water.'"
00:20:50.55\00:20:53.15
Verse nine, "Then a
third angel followed them,
00:20:53.15\00:20:55.58
"saying with a loud voice,
00:20:55.58\00:20:56.82
"'If anyone worships
the beast and his image,
00:20:56.82\00:20:59.32
and receives his mark on
his forehead or on his hand.'"
00:20:59.32\00:21:02.82
Verse 10 describes some things
that happened, then verse 12,
00:21:02.82\00:21:05.49
"Here is the
patience of the saints,
00:21:05.49\00:21:07.56
"here are those who
keep the commandments of God
00:21:07.56\00:21:10.50
and the faith of Jesus."
00:21:10.50\00:21:12.30
>>The conflict
between good and evil
00:21:12.30\00:21:14.27
in the book of
Revelation is over worship.
00:21:14.27\00:21:16.50
Is Christ worthy of
worship as our Creator?
00:21:16.50\00:21:19.21
Is Christ worthy of
worship as our Redeemer?
00:21:19.21\00:21:21.94
Jesus reveals His
worthiness for worship.
00:21:21.94\00:21:26.01
Then here,
00:21:26.01\00:21:27.95
in Revelation 14, verse 7,
00:21:27.95\00:21:32.09
it's a call to
worship the One who is worthy,
00:21:32.09\00:21:35.42
to worship the
One who did create us,
00:21:35.42\00:21:37.93
worship Him who
made heaven, earth, sea,
00:21:37.93\00:21:40.36
and the fountains of
water, worship the Creator.
00:21:40.36\00:21:43.60
You remember in
Revelation 4, verse 11, it says,
00:21:43.60\00:21:46.23
"Thou art worthy, O Lord,
00:21:46.23\00:21:48.00
"to receive
glory...honour and power;
00:21:48.00\00:21:49.27
[because you]
created all things."
00:21:49.27\00:21:51.21
How do we worship the Creator?
00:21:51.21\00:21:53.81
By worshiping Him on
the memorial of Creation
00:21:53.81\00:21:57.71
that He has given, the Sabbath.
00:21:57.71\00:21:59.85
So the call to
worship the Creator
00:21:59.85\00:22:01.85
is a call to Sabbath worship.
00:22:01.85\00:22:04.59
Now, in verse 9, it says,
"If anyone worships the beast."
00:22:04.59\00:22:09.66
So the call to worship the beast
00:22:10.46\00:22:13.29
is in opposition
00:22:13.29\00:22:15.13
to the call to
worship the Creator.
00:22:15.13\00:22:17.40
There are two worships,
the worship of the Creator,
00:22:17.40\00:22:20.57
the worship of the beast.
00:22:20.57\00:22:21.60
There are two
signs, the Sabbath,
00:22:21.60\00:22:23.71
and that which is
opposite of the Sabbath,
00:22:23.71\00:22:26.91
Sunday, or the day of the sun,
00:22:26.91\00:22:30.08
which came in
through sun worship.
00:22:30.08\00:22:32.45
But all of this conflict
between worshiping the Creator,
00:22:32.45\00:22:35.68
worshiping the
beast, comes to focus,
00:22:35.68\00:22:38.39
it comes to a focal point
in verse 12, where it says,
00:22:38.39\00:22:42.36
"Here is the
patience of the saints,"
00:22:42.36\00:22:44.63
that is the
endurance of the saints
00:22:44.63\00:22:46.73
who've endured this great crisis
over the mark of the beast.
00:22:46.73\00:22:51.00
"Here are they that
keep the commandments of God
00:22:51.00\00:22:53.77
and the faith of Jesus."
00:22:53.77\00:22:55.74
So here are those who,
through the faith of Christ
00:22:57.14\00:22:59.07
living in their hearts,
keep the commandments of God.
00:22:59.07\00:23:01.41
But what is it
00:23:01.41\00:23:02.78
that enables them to
keep the commandments of God?
00:23:02.78\00:23:04.78
It, of course,
the grace of Christ.
00:23:04.78\00:23:06.72
But true and false
worship, worshiping Creator,
00:23:06.72\00:23:10.72
worshiping the
beast, come to a focal point
00:23:10.72\00:23:13.09
in the keeping of
the commandments of God.
00:23:13.09\00:23:14.89
So this is part
of the last day--
00:23:14.89\00:23:18.33
the last day,
end-time message of Christ.
00:23:19.39\00:23:23.33
And here, in the
Sabbath school lesson,
00:23:23.33\00:23:27.34
I point out right
on Wednesday's lesson,
00:23:27.34\00:23:32.14
these passages, that is,
Revelation 14:7, 9, and 12.
00:23:32.14\00:23:36.95
"These passages make it
clear that the central issue
00:23:36.95\00:23:40.12
"in the conflict in the
last days between good and evil,
00:23:40.12\00:23:42.78
"Christ and Satan, is worship.
00:23:42.78\00:23:44.55
"Do we worship the
Creator or the beast?
00:23:44.55\00:23:46.76
"And because Creation forms
the ground for all our beliefs
00:23:46.76\00:23:50.83
"(after all, what do we
believe that makes any sense
00:23:50.83\00:23:55.13
"apart from God
as our Creator?),
00:23:55.13\00:23:56.83
"the seventh-day Sabbath--
00:23:56.83\00:23:58.07
"embedded in the
Genesis Creation account...,
00:23:58.07\00:24:00.64
"--stands as the eternal
00:24:00.64\00:24:02.80
"and immutable
sign of that Creation.
00:24:02.80\00:24:05.34
"It's the most basic symbol
of the most basic teaching.
00:24:05.34\00:24:09.51
"The only thing more fundamental
to it is God Himself.
00:24:09.51\00:24:13.15
"Hence, to usurp
the seventh-day Sabbath
00:24:13.15\00:24:15.58
"is to usurp
the Lord's authority
00:24:15.58\00:24:17.89
"at the most
prime level possible,
00:24:17.89\00:24:20.62
that of His
identity as Creator."
00:24:20.62\00:24:23.02
>>So it plays a significant role
00:24:23.02\00:24:24.76
and gets down at the
very, very heart of things
00:24:24.76\00:24:27.50
and plays a significant
role at the very end of time.
00:24:27.50\00:24:30.40
Let's jump to
another significant question.
00:24:30.40\00:24:35.37
What about eternity?
00:24:36.20\00:24:37.81
What role does the Sabbath play
00:24:37.81\00:24:40.38
in pointing us
forward to eternity?
00:24:40.38\00:24:43.35
That's where
we're wanting to go,
00:24:43.35\00:24:44.78
that's where
we're longing to go.
00:24:44.78\00:24:46.85
What role does it play in
helping us understand eternity?
00:24:46.85\00:24:49.28
>>Every time, as
we worship on Sabbath,
00:24:49.28\00:24:50.99
we say, "God, You
created the world once,
00:24:50.99\00:24:52.89
"and You're gonna
re-create it again.
00:24:52.89\00:24:54.56
You're gonna re-create a
new heavens and a new earth."
00:24:54.56\00:24:58.23
Heaven is a slice of eternity.
00:24:58.23\00:25:02.03
Abraham Heschel, the
very famous Jewish author,
00:25:02.03\00:25:05.13
wrote a book called
"The Palace in Time."
00:25:05.13\00:25:07.44
And he said every
Sabbath, the palace from heaven
00:25:07.44\00:25:11.74
descends to earth and
God beckons us to enter
00:25:11.74\00:25:14.84
into this palace.
00:25:14.84\00:25:17.21
Most palaces are
made in literal space,
00:25:17.21\00:25:20.68
they have physical features,
00:25:20.68\00:25:23.28
but the Sabbath
is a palace in time
00:25:23.28\00:25:25.42
that God
invites us to come into.
00:25:25.42\00:25:26.92
And you know,
Abraham Heschel's daughter
00:25:26.92\00:25:29.62
wrote an
introduction to his book.
00:25:29.62\00:25:32.89
It's found here in "The
Sabbath and Eternal Rest,"
00:25:32.89\00:25:36.73
you may have it, her
name is Susannah Heschel,
00:25:36.73\00:25:40.14
and it's the second paragraph
on page 69, if you have that.
00:25:40.14\00:25:44.71
It says, in the
introduction of Heschel's book,
00:25:44.71\00:25:47.11
and just read
that one paragraph.
00:25:47.11\00:25:48.64
You know, when I was studying
00:25:48.64\00:25:49.74
for these
Sabbath school lessons,
00:25:49.74\00:25:51.51
I had not been familiar
with this concept of Judaism,
00:25:51.51\00:25:55.88
and it's just remarkable.
00:25:55.88\00:25:57.12
So go ahead and read it.
00:25:57.12\00:25:58.19
>>"In the
introduction to Heschel's book
00:25:58.19\00:25:59.82
"on the beauty and
solemnity of the Sabbath,
00:25:59.82\00:26:01.89
"Susannah Heschel, his daughter,
00:26:01.89\00:26:03.26
"writes of the significance
of the Sabbath in these words:
00:26:03.26\00:26:05.93
"'The Sabbath is a
metaphor for paradise
00:26:05.93\00:26:09.16
"'and a testimony
[of] God's presence;
00:26:09.16\00:26:11.37
"'in our prayers, we
anticipate a messianic era
00:26:11.37\00:26:14.54
"'that will be a
Sabbath, and each Shabbat
00:26:14.54\00:26:17.47
"'prepares us
for that experience:
00:26:17.47\00:26:20.31
"'Unless one learns how to
relish the taste of Sabbath...
00:26:20.31\00:26:23.71
"'one will be unable to
enjoy the taste of eternity
00:26:23.71\00:26:27.55
in the world to come.'"
00:26:27.55\00:26:28.82
>>Isn't that amazing?
00:26:28.82\00:26:30.39
In other words,
Sabbath is a slice of eternity.
00:26:30.39\00:26:33.12
So when I come to
worship on Sabbath,
00:26:33.12\00:26:34.86
what three
things are in my mind?
00:26:34.86\00:26:36.22
First, God, You're my Creator,
00:26:36.22\00:26:38.63
and I'm worshiping with
my brothers and sisters here,
00:26:38.63\00:26:41.83
that all
barriers are broken down.
00:26:41.83\00:26:43.97
Secondly, Jesus,
You're my Redeemer,
00:26:43.97\00:26:46.13
You are the One that died for
me, I'm resting in Your grace,
00:26:46.13\00:26:49.40
Your love, Your goodness.
00:26:49.40\00:26:50.54
And thirdly,
Jesus, eternity is coming,
00:26:50.54\00:26:54.71
and Sabbath is a
slice of eternity
00:26:54.71\00:26:56.71
where I can
fellowship with You now,
00:26:56.71\00:26:58.48
preparation to fellowship
with You through all eternity.
00:26:58.48\00:27:01.68
>>Amen.
00:27:01.68\00:27:02.98
A slice of heaven, a
slice of what is to come,
00:27:02.98\00:27:06.82
a taste of what God
has in store for us.
00:27:06.82\00:27:10.73
Pastor Mark, thank you
for helping us to understand
00:27:10.73\00:27:12.93
the significance of the Sabbath
00:27:12.93\00:27:14.36
with respect to the
three angels' messages.
00:27:14.36\00:27:17.07
We're going to
continue looking at these
00:27:17.07\00:27:19.03
three incredible cosmic messages
00:27:19.03\00:27:22.07
as our studies go on.
00:27:22.07\00:27:24.77
We still have a few weeks left
00:27:24.77\00:27:26.81
as we bring
everything together in a better,
00:27:26.81\00:27:29.91
more complete, more personal
00:27:29.91\00:27:32.61
understanding of what
these three angels' messages
00:27:32.61\00:27:36.48
mean to you and
to me, and to really,
00:27:36.48\00:27:39.09
honestly, everyone on
the face of the earth.
00:27:39.09\00:27:42.52
So we pray that
God will bless you
00:27:42.52\00:27:44.36
between now and next week
when we get together again.
00:27:44.36\00:27:47.60
Until then, we look
forward to seeing you next time
00:27:47.60\00:27:50.53
on "Sabbath School,"
brought to you by It Is Written.
00:27:50.53\00:27:53.77
(upbeat music)
00:27:54.54\00:27:58.04
(music ends)
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