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>>Eric Flickinger:
Welcome to "Sabbath School,"
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brought to you by It Is Written.
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We're glad that you could
join us again as we continue
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our journey through the theme
of "The Great Controversy."
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This week is week
number 7, "Motivated by Hope,"
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a very encouraging
lesson that kind of gets us
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over the hump of
our 13-lesson study,
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something to look forward to.
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Let's begin today with prayer.
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Father, we want to thank
You for guiding us thus far
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as we've been looking
at the Great Controversy,
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the challenges
that we face today
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and how we can
learn from the past
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to give us hope for the future.
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We ask that You'll
bless our time together today
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and encourage us and
strengthen our walk with You,
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and we thank You
in Jesus' name, amen.
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Well, we're grateful
once again to have with us
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the author of this quarter's
"Sabbath School" lesson,
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Pastor Mark Finley.
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Pastor Mark,
welcome back once again.
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>>Mark Finley: It is
always a delight to be
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at It Is Written, a
ministry that I love,
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that I spent many years
at, as you're well aware,
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and I just
appreciate John and you, Eric,
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and the
evangelistic heart and ministry
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that It Is Written has.
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>>Eric: Well, we do
absolutely have that,
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and you set the
precedent many years ago,
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and we continue to carry
that torch by the grace of God.
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This week, lesson number
7 is "Motivated by Hope."
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You know, if you
take a look at the Bible,
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there are two great
centers in the Bible,
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two great subjects or points
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to which everything
else kind of directs,
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and that's the first and
the second coming of Christ.
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When we look at that
and the importance of it,
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in the first paragraph
here of this week's lesson,
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you draw us to
something significant.
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Share with us a
little bit more about that
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and why you called this
lesson "Motivated by Hope."
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>>Mark: You know, somebody
said you can go through anything
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if you know there's light
at the end of that tunnel,
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if you know that
there is hope at the end.
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Somebody said that
what oxygen is to the body,
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hope is to the soul.
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So hope lifts our vision
from what is to what will be.
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And when you see the
challenges in our world today,
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wars and rumors of wars
and famines and earthquakes
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and pestilences and
rising crime and violence,
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you can often become discouraged
as you look around you.
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But the Bible
talks in Titus, chapter 2
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about "the blessed hope,"
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and it's that hope
of the coming of Jesus,
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hope of a better world.
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In that first paragraph
of lesson 7, we point out
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that "the
second coming of Christ
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is one of the central
themes" of the entire Bible.
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It's the "golden thread
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"that runs through
the Bible's sacred pages.
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"One scholar has estimated
that there are 1,845 references
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to [the] second coming [of
Christ] in the Old Testament."
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And that "in the 260
chapters of the New Testament,
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"there are...300 references
to the return of [Jesus].
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"[Once] in every 25 verses"
the Bible in the New Testament
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speaks about
the coming of Jesus.
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The New Testament has 27 books,
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and 23 of them feature
the second coming of Christ.
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So the second coming of Christ
is a major mountain peak theme,
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along with the cross of Calvary,
of course, in the entire Bible.
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>>Eric: And we can understand
why that would be hopeful.
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If we look at the world
that we live in right now
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and the history of this world,
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we've got to have
something to look forward to.
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And that second coming of Christ
is very much that for us today.
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You talk in this week's
lesson about William Miller
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and his role in the
Second Advent movement.
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What was the
significance of his role?
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There were other
people who were talking
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about the second
coming of Christ as well.
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But William Miller kind of--
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I don't know if we could
say he was on a pinnacle,
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but he was up
there sharing this,
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and he's a
significant figure in history.
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>>Mark: In the early
1800s, the common belief
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was that there would be
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a 1,000-year
millennium on earth.
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So, preachers of
the traditional churches
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were preaching
that this millennium
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would take place
very soon on earth,
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the 1,000 years of peace.
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As the result of that,
people did not have the passion,
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the urgency to prepare for
the second coming of Christ.
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There's gonna be 1,000
years of peace on earth,
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and, you know, that
will be a joyous time,
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so there was
not this motivation.
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As Miller began to study
the Bible passages--for example,
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he studies John
14, verse 1 to 3.
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And as Miller studied these--
and you know this passage well,
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Eric; you've
preached on it numerous times.
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But Jesus says, "Let
not your heart be troubled;
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"you believe in
God, believe also in me.
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"In my Father's
house are many mansions;
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"if it were not so,
I would have told you.
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"I go to
prepare a place for you.
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And if I go and prepare a place
for you, I will come again."
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Miller saw that. He
didn't see 1,000 years of peace.
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He saw the promise
of Christ's coming.
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Maybe you can read for us
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1 Thessalonians,
chapter 4, verse 13 through 18,
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1 Thessalonians 4. So as William
Miller studied these things,
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he came to the
conclusion that Christ's coming
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would not be coming to the earth
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to establish
1,000 years of peace
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but coming to
take His children home.
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>>Eric: This is verses 13
to 18? >>Mark: Yes, please.
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>>Eric: "But I do not want
you to be ignorant, brethren,
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"concerning those
who have fallen asleep,
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"lest you sorrow as
others who have no hope.
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"For if we believe that
Jesus died and rose again,
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"even so God will bring with
Him those who sleep in Jesus.
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"For this we say to you
by the word of the Lord,
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"that we who
are alive and remain
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"until the coming of the Lord
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"will by no means
precede those who are asleep.
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"For the Lord Himself
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"will descend from
heaven with a shout,
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"with the voice of an archangel,
and with the trumpet of God.
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"And the dead in
Christ will rise first.
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"Then we who are alive
and remain shall be caught up
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"together with
them in the clouds
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"to meet the Lord in the air.
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"And thus we shall
always be with the Lord.
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Therefore comfort one
another with these words."
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>>Mark: As Miller
read these prophecies,
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studying the Bible
chapter by chapter,
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verse by verse,
his heart was thrilled.
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He believed that Christ
was coming; He was coming soon.
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He'd read Matthew, chapter
24, the signs of Christ coming,
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Luke 21, the
signs of Christ coming.
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And particularly, he
was particularly impressed
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with the need for preparation
for the coming of Christ
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when he read passages
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like Titus,
chapter 2, verses 11 to 14:
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"For the grace of
God that brings salvation
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"has appeared to all
men, teaching us that,
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"denying
ungodliness and worldly lusts,
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"we should live
soberly, righteously,
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"and godly in the present age,
looking for the blessed hope
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"and glorious appearing
of our...[Lord] Jesus Christ,
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"who gave Himself for us,
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"that He might redeem
us from every lawless deed
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"and purify for
Himself His own special people,
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zealous for good works."
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When Miller saw
passages like this,
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he sensed the
need for repentance,
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the need for confession,
the need for consecration,
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the need for godly living.
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And so, as he began to preach
about the coming of Christ,
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he preached not
only about the timing
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of the coming of Christ,
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but he preached about
the need for godliness,
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the need for spirituality,
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and revival broke
out throughout America.
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And he was one of
many advent preachers,
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but I think the significance
of Miller's preaching
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was the fact of the
urgency of the coming of Christ.
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>>Eric: So it was not
something that was viewed
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as far off or insignificant,
but it was something that was--
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something that was
very real and soon,
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in fact, very, very
soon. >>Mark: Mm-hmm.
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>>Eric: If you knew
something was coming very soon,
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you would take it much
more seriously as well.
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And that's one of
the great elements
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that Miller added to this.
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You've mentioned,
Pastor Mark, several times
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about William Miller
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coming across this verse
and that verse as he studied.
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Share with us a little bit more
about how William Miller studied
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that allowed these verses
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to really come up
and catch his attention.
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What--how did he study?
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>>Mark: Well, Miller's
background was a deist.
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The deists believed
that God started the world,
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maybe created it.
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But He kind of wound it up like
a clock and just lets it run,
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so He was not
interfering with the world.
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Miller had a unique
experience in the War of 1812
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where he was almost killed.
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A shell blew up
and exploded by him.
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And it led him to
begin to think about the fact
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that God had a
purpose for his life.
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So that led him to
begin to study the Bible.
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As he studied--
as he called himself,
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he said he was a
gentleman farmer.
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You know, he considered himself
really not to be a theologian,
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but he took a notebook
and he took a concordance,
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and he began to study, started
with the book of Genesis.
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What he didn't
understand, he would write down
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and look for
other Bible passages
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that helped to explain that.
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He believed that the Bible
should be its own interpreter
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and that the Holy
Spirit would guide him
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as he put the texts
of the Bible together.
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And as he did that,
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he came up with
truths of the Bible.
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Now, did everything
that William Miller say
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or teach or write,
was it all 100% accurate?
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No, it wasn't.
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There were some things
that he did not fully understand
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at the time he wrote.
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But the essence, the
essence of what he studied,
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the essence of what he
wrote was indeed inspired by God
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to prepare people
for the coming of Christ.
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>>Eric: So that's something that
we can still latch on to today,
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that we can learn
from today. >>Mark: Mmm.
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>>Eric: We may not understand
everything perfectly ourselves
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as we study through the Bible,
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but if we can
get the big pieces,
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that will help us to understand
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the other pieces
that come together.
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>>Mark: Yeah, the big
picture of William Miller was
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that there was not going
to be 1,000 years of peace,
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that Christ was
leading His people
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to prepare for His soon return,
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and God was calling them
to godliness and holiness
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and commitment and repentance
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and confession
and sanctification.
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So Miller's--the result
of William Miller's preaching
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was tens of
thousands of conversions.
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He may not have had
every nuance of prophecy right,
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but the thrust to prepare people
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for the coming
of Jesus was there.
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>>Eric: So God was
able to work through him.
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He shared what he
understood. >>Right.
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>>Eric: And
through that sharing,
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God was able to bring people
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to a better
understanding of salvation
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and the imminence
of Christ's return.
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>>Mark: Right, and he was
a Christ-centered preacher.
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I mean, he preached
on the love of Christ.
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He preached on the
sacrifice of Christ.
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So it wasn't that he only
preached numbers and prophecy,
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as important as they were,
but he was very Christ-centered.
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>>Eric: And if
we want to be saved,
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we have to understand--
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we have to have that
relationship with Christ.
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It's very, very important.
00:11:52.44\00:11:54.11
We're looking this
week at "Motivated by Hope"
00:11:54.14\00:11:57.15
and the significance
of Christ's second coming.
00:11:57.18\00:12:00.32
We have X amount of
time to try to cover that.
00:12:00.35\00:12:02.82
We can't cover everything,
but we do have a companion book.
00:12:02.85\00:12:05.19
Share with us a little bit
more about that companion book
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and why it would be
beneficial for somebody to have.
00:12:07.39\00:12:09.42
>>Mark: Well, the
companion book's title is
00:12:09.46\00:12:10.89
"The War Between Good and Evil."
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And what I've done
in that companion book
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is taken a lot of the
history of the Advent movement
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and fleshed it out,
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so you--it's
filled with stories,
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biblical passages,
filled with opportunities
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to deepen your
understanding of the lesson.
00:12:27.78\00:12:31.71
And take William
Miller, for example--
00:12:31.75\00:12:34.15
I go into some of
his background in deism,
00:12:34.18\00:12:37.35
look at how God led him during
the years of his searching,
00:12:37.39\00:12:42.59
and we see
ourselves in that picture.
00:12:42.62\00:12:45.96
We see--we all are
seekers, we're searchers,
00:12:45.99\00:12:49.10
and when you study
William Miller's life
00:12:49.13\00:12:51.40
or any of the reformers,
00:12:51.43\00:12:52.93
you find a God that
takes you where you are
00:12:52.97\00:12:57.01
to lead you where
He wants you to be.
00:12:57.04\00:12:59.04
>>Eric: Thank you, Pastor Mark.
00:12:59.07\00:13:00.74
And if you'd like
to pick that book up,
00:13:00.78\00:13:02.41
it's very easy to do.
00:13:02.44\00:13:04.15
Just go to itiswritten.shop.
00:13:04.18\00:13:06.68
Again, that's itiswritten.shop.
00:13:06.72\00:13:08.68
You can find the companion book
00:13:08.72\00:13:10.42
to this quarter's
"Sabbath School" lesson there,
00:13:10.45\00:13:12.12
and it will be
a blessing to you.
00:13:12.15\00:13:14.22
We're going to be
back in just a moment
00:13:14.26\00:13:15.56
as we continue
looking at lesson number 7,
00:13:15.59\00:13:18.79
as we study "The
Great Controversy."
00:13:18.83\00:13:21.26
We'll be back in just a moment.
00:13:21.30\00:13:22.60
¤¤¤
00:13:22.63\00:13:24.73
>>Announcer: If you'd like
to deepen your understanding
00:13:26.90\00:13:28.47
of the powerful themes
brought out in this program,
00:13:28.50\00:13:31.07
we invite you
to explore the book
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"The Great Controversy."
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For more information, simply
text the code "GC24" to 71392.
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This book delves into
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essential for
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Discover how "The
Great Controversy"
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can illuminate your path
in these uncertain times.
00:13:52.26\00:13:55.33
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00:14:27.30\00:14:31.73
>>Eric: Welcome
back to "Sabbath School,"
00:14:31.77\00:14:33.17
brought to you by It Is Written.
00:14:33.20\00:14:35.24
I'm here with
Pastor Mark Finley,
00:14:35.27\00:14:36.57
the author of this quarter's
"Sabbath School" lesson.
00:14:36.60\00:14:38.44
We're taking a
look at lesson number 7,
00:14:38.47\00:14:40.91
"Motivated by Hope."
00:14:40.94\00:14:43.31
When we talk about hope,
00:14:43.35\00:14:44.65
obviously, we're talking about
the second coming of Christ;
00:14:44.68\00:14:46.78
we're talking about
things being made new
00:14:46.82\00:14:49.22
and an ultimate deliverance
00:14:49.25\00:14:51.82
from the
challenges that we face today.
00:14:51.85\00:14:54.29
There's a significant verse
00:14:54.32\00:14:57.36
in the book of Daniel, chapter 8
00:14:57.39\00:14:59.29
that may be, might be a
little bit cryptic to somebody
00:14:59.33\00:15:03.37
who thinks, "How
does this give us hope?
00:15:03.40\00:15:05.87
Why is this a verse about hope?"
00:15:05.90\00:15:07.87
And it's in Daniel,
chapter 8, verse number 14.
00:15:07.90\00:15:11.21
I'll read this,
and then I'll let you
00:15:11.24\00:15:13.11
respond to it a little bit
00:15:13.14\00:15:14.51
and explain why this is
significant for us today.
00:15:14.54\00:15:17.91
In Daniel 2--
Daniel 8, verse 14,
00:15:17.95\00:15:20.92
it says, "And he said to me,
00:15:20.95\00:15:22.25
"'For two thousand
three hundred days;
00:15:22.28\00:15:24.59
then the sanctuary
shall be cleansed.'"
00:15:24.62\00:15:27.62
So what does the
cleansing of a sanctuary
00:15:27.66\00:15:30.06
have to do with giving
us hope in the world today?
00:15:30.09\00:15:33.93
>>Mark: Well, if
you look at the context
00:15:33.96\00:15:35.23
of Daniel, chapter 8,
00:15:35.26\00:15:36.80
it starts with the idea
of the ram and the he goat.
00:15:36.83\00:15:39.60
The Bible clearly explains
00:15:39.63\00:15:41.07
that the ram
represents Medo-Persia;
00:15:41.10\00:15:44.67
the he goat represents Greece.
00:15:44.71\00:15:46.94
After you look
at the--at Greece--
00:15:46.98\00:15:50.01
and it talks about the
notable horn coming up,
00:15:50.05\00:15:53.62
representing
Alexander the Great,
00:15:53.65\00:15:55.65
the four horns representing
the four generals of Alexander,
00:15:55.68\00:15:59.32
Cassander, Lysimachus,
Seleucus, and Ptolemy--
00:15:59.35\00:16:03.26
then it talks about
this little horn power,
00:16:03.29\00:16:07.46
pagan Rome, coming
from one of the winds,
00:16:07.50\00:16:10.97
and then as pagan
Rome spreads horizontally--
00:16:11.00\00:16:16.17
that's Daniel 8, verse 9:
00:16:16.20\00:16:18.34
"out of one of
them came a little horn
00:16:18.37\00:16:20.68
"[that] grew exceeding
great toward the south,
00:16:20.71\00:16:23.14
toward the east, and
toward the Glorious Land."
00:16:23.18\00:16:25.71
Glorious Land, of
course, is Israel.
00:16:25.75\00:16:27.75
So out of one of these
winds, a little horn comes,
00:16:27.78\00:16:30.89
a power that's small at
first, but it grows to be
00:16:30.92\00:16:33.69
exceeding great,
the Roman Empire.
00:16:33.72\00:16:36.12
It comes from
the west, northwest,
00:16:36.16\00:16:38.93
because it grows
toward the south,
00:16:38.96\00:16:40.66
toward the east.
00:16:40.70\00:16:42.00
But then it
changes and it grows up
00:16:42.03\00:16:45.17
to the host of heaven.
00:16:45.20\00:16:46.50
It casts down the host of
some of the stars to the ground.
00:16:46.53\00:16:49.97
Daniel explains that those
hosts that is cast to the ground
00:16:50.01\00:16:53.21
are the people of God.
00:16:53.24\00:16:54.71
So here you have now
not simply a political power
00:16:54.74\00:16:57.58
but a religious power.
00:16:57.61\00:16:59.18
He exalts himself to "the
Prince of the host"--verse 11,
00:16:59.21\00:17:02.32
that's Christ.
00:17:02.35\00:17:03.65
And then he casts the truth
of God "down to the ground."
00:17:03.69\00:17:08.12
So the context of Daniel 8:14
00:17:08.16\00:17:11.19
is the rise of a
religious political power
00:17:11.23\00:17:14.46
that would exist
during the Middle Ages,
00:17:14.50\00:17:17.30
the medieval church, that
would cast truth to the ground.
00:17:17.33\00:17:20.64
Sometime after the Middle Ages,
after 1798, the scripture says,
00:17:20.67\00:17:27.61
"He said to me"--verse 14--
00:17:27.64\00:17:29.78
"'[Unto] two
thousand three hundred days;
00:17:29.81\00:17:31.21
then the sanctuary
[will] be cleansed.'"
00:17:31.25\00:17:34.15
So the question becomes,
00:17:34.18\00:17:35.48
what is the
cleansing of the sanctuary?
00:17:35.52\00:17:37.05
The word "cleanse" there means
00:17:37.09\00:17:38.42
restored to its
rightful place, vindicated.
00:17:38.45\00:17:42.92
So the
cleansing of the sanctuary
00:17:42.96\00:17:45.36
would have to do
with God setting right
00:17:45.39\00:17:48.70
in the light of the
judgment His love and grace
00:17:48.73\00:17:52.73
through the whole universe,
00:17:52.77\00:17:54.07
God demonstrating
that He was worthy
00:17:54.10\00:17:56.27
to be honored and praised.
00:17:56.30\00:17:58.41
When we look at
Daniel, chapter 8
00:17:58.44\00:18:01.81
and compare it to
Daniel, chapter 7,
00:18:01.84\00:18:05.15
the cleansing of the sanctuary
has to do in the ancient times
00:18:05.18\00:18:09.82
with the Day of Atonement.
00:18:09.85\00:18:11.49
The Day of Atonement was
the last day of the Jewish year.
00:18:11.52\00:18:14.59
All of Israel
gathered around in repentance.
00:18:14.62\00:18:17.46
So the truth of
God about Jesus Christ
00:18:17.49\00:18:20.13
is going to be restored
at the end of the 2,300 days.
00:18:20.16\00:18:23.33
The truth about the
sanctuary is gonna be restored,
00:18:23.37\00:18:26.50
which, of course, as
Jesus as the dying Lamb,
00:18:26.53\00:18:29.80
Jesus as the living Priest,
if you talk about the sanctuary,
00:18:29.84\00:18:32.94
you talk about the
Shekinah glory of God,
00:18:32.97\00:18:35.28
and you talk about the
covenant, and you talk about
00:18:35.31\00:18:39.61
the law of God in
the ark of the covenant.
00:18:39.65\00:18:43.08
So it has to deal
with the law of God.
00:18:43.12\00:18:45.15
The Sabbath is
the heart of that law.
00:18:45.19\00:18:47.46
So this
cleansing of the sanctuary
00:18:47.49\00:18:50.19
is the restoration
of truth at end time
00:18:50.23\00:18:53.56
in the light of the judgment.
00:18:53.60\00:18:54.93
And now, here's
one thing about Miller.
00:18:54.93\00:18:57.77
When he looked at the
cleansing of the sanctuary,
00:18:57.80\00:19:00.54
he didn't understand
that this talked about
00:19:00.57\00:19:03.00
the restoration of divine truth
about the heavenly sanctuary.
00:19:03.04\00:19:06.37
The popular idea at that time
00:19:06.41\00:19:08.88
was that the
earth was the sanctuary.
00:19:08.91\00:19:11.48
He thought at the
end of the 2,300 days,
00:19:11.51\00:19:13.82
the earth would
be cleansed by fire.
00:19:13.85\00:19:15.38
Therefore, when he began to do
00:19:15.42\00:19:17.02
the calculations
of the 2,300 days,
00:19:17.05\00:19:20.92
he thought, "Ah, we're
living, and Jesus is gonna come
00:19:20.96\00:19:24.79
and cleanse the earth by fire."
00:19:24.83\00:19:26.73
He mistook the nature
00:19:26.76\00:19:31.20
of the cleansing
of the sanctuary.
00:19:31.23\00:19:33.17
>>Eric: So he had
some ideas that were right,
00:19:33.20\00:19:35.10
that were headed in
the right direction,
00:19:35.14\00:19:36.71
but because of a
small misunderstanding,
00:19:36.74\00:19:39.64
there were some
significant misunderstandings,
00:19:39.67\00:19:42.88
but still a great
deal of truth in there.
00:19:42.91\00:19:45.25
In Daniel, chapter 8,
verse 14, we have this verse
00:19:45.28\00:19:48.95
that talks about the
cleansing of the sanctuary.
00:19:48.98\00:19:51.45
You've shown the connection
00:19:51.49\00:19:52.79
between Daniel 7
and Daniel, chapter 8.
00:19:52.82\00:19:54.89
What about the connections
00:19:54.92\00:19:56.22
between Daniel, chapter
8 and Daniel, chapter 9?
00:19:56.26\00:19:59.16
How does Daniel 9 help
us to better understand
00:19:59.19\00:20:01.40
what's going on in
Daniel 8 and give us more hope?
00:20:01.43\00:20:03.70
>>Mark: Well,
that's a great question.
00:20:03.73\00:20:05.23
And you know, the
angel Gabriel is commissioned
00:20:05.27\00:20:08.24
to make Daniel
understand the vision.
00:20:08.27\00:20:09.97
Daniel 8, verse 16:
"And I heard a man's voice
00:20:10.01\00:20:12.77
"between the banks of the
Ulai, who called, and said,
00:20:12.81\00:20:15.31
'Gabriel, make this man
understand the vision.'"
00:20:15.34\00:20:17.88
So Gabriel has an assignment.
00:20:17.91\00:20:19.45
When angels are
given assignments by God,
00:20:19.48\00:20:21.12
they carry them out. So
Gabriel begins to explain.
00:20:21.15\00:20:23.92
He explains
everything about the vision.
00:20:23.95\00:20:25.62
He explains about the ram.
He explains about the he goat.
00:20:25.65\00:20:28.19
He says, for
example, in verse 19,
00:20:28.22\00:20:33.06
"Look, I am making
known to you what shall happen
00:20:33.09\00:20:35.86
"in the latter
time of the indignation;
00:20:35.90\00:20:37.70
for at the appointed
time the end shall be."
00:20:37.73\00:20:39.67
So whatever this 2,300 days,
prophetic days or literal years,
00:20:39.70\00:20:44.24
it has to take you
down to the time of the end.
00:20:44.27\00:20:46.47
So it can't be
fulfilled in Daniel's day.
00:20:46.51\00:20:50.05
It has to be
beyond Daniel's day,
00:20:50.08\00:20:52.38
the complete fulfillment.
00:20:52.41\00:20:53.72
Talks about the ram,
00:20:53.75\00:20:55.05
he names them,
kings of Media and Persia.
00:20:55.08\00:20:57.52
Verse 20 talks
about the male goat.
00:20:57.55\00:20:59.82
Verse 21 names Greece.
00:20:59.85\00:21:02.19
He talks about pagan
Rome in verses 23 and onward.
00:21:02.22\00:21:06.49
But as he--and then he talks
00:21:06.53\00:21:08.16
about this little
horn of papal Rome.
00:21:08.20\00:21:10.63
Then he says in verse
26-- could you read verse 26?
00:21:10.67\00:21:14.97
>>Eric: "And the vision
of the evenings and mornings
00:21:15.00\00:21:16.81
"which was told is true;
therefore seal up the vision,
00:21:16.84\00:21:20.38
for it refers to
many days in the future."
00:21:20.41\00:21:23.21
>>Mark: So, notice the wording.
00:21:23.24\00:21:25.48
Verse 17, Gabriel says,
"Understand, son of man...
00:21:25.51\00:21:29.42
the vision [will be
at] the time of the end."
00:21:29.45\00:21:31.39
Verse 26 says that
it'll be in the future.
00:21:31.42\00:21:35.96
So it's not fulfilled
totally in Daniel's day.
00:21:35.99\00:21:38.23
You come to verse 27,
the angel's explaining it,
00:21:38.26\00:21:41.13
and Daniel faints,
00:21:41.16\00:21:43.33
he's sick many days, and
it says, "I was astonished
00:21:43.37\00:21:47.47
by the vision, but
[none] understood it."
00:21:47.50\00:21:49.57
So at the end of
Daniel, chapter 8,
00:21:49.60\00:21:51.44
you have everything
in the vision explained
00:21:51.47\00:21:53.94
except the 2,300 days.
00:21:53.98\00:21:56.24
You have the ram, the he
goat explained. Daniel faints.
00:21:56.28\00:21:59.01
Daniel 9 begins
with Daniel's prayer
00:21:59.05\00:22:01.95
in the first 20 verses.
00:22:01.98\00:22:04.69
But as he's praying,
the angel Gabriel comes back
00:22:04.72\00:22:07.86
to explain to him
00:22:07.89\00:22:09.19
the unexplained
portion of the vision.
00:22:09.22\00:22:11.03
>>Eric: Which
is that 2,300 days.
00:22:11.06\00:22:12.93
So Daniel 9 gives
us that explanation,
00:22:12.96\00:22:15.40
helps us to kind of
break down the 2,300 days.
00:22:15.43\00:22:18.40
And here at the end of Daniel 8,
00:22:18.43\00:22:20.47
Daniel's trying
to understand this.
00:22:20.50\00:22:21.80
He gets so sick he
faints. >>Mark: Right.
00:22:21.84\00:22:23.54
>>Eric: It took Daniel--or
it took Gabriel a little while
00:22:23.57\00:22:25.54
to get back to him,
00:22:25.57\00:22:26.88
but he does come
back in Daniel, chapter 9
00:22:26.91\00:22:28.54
and give him that explanation
00:22:28.58\00:22:30.68
which is very
beneficial for us today.
00:22:30.71\00:22:34.72
So Daniel, chapter 9,
00:22:34.75\00:22:38.15
what's the
significance of this chapter
00:22:38.19\00:22:40.59
with respect to both
the first coming of Christ
00:22:40.62\00:22:43.29
and the second coming of Christ?
00:22:43.32\00:22:45.43
>>Mark: It is one of
the most amazing prophecies
00:22:45.46\00:22:47.50
in all the Bible.
00:22:47.56\00:22:48.83
You know, when
Jesus came, Paul says,
00:22:48.86\00:22:51.27
"The fullness of time
had come," Galatians 4:4.
00:22:51.30\00:22:55.07
Just after Jesus'
baptism, Jesus says,
00:22:55.10\00:22:58.11
"The time is fulfilled."
00:22:58.14\00:22:59.94
When Christ died,
in Romans 5 it says,
00:23:00.04\00:23:03.45
"In due time"--
at the right time--
00:23:03.48\00:23:05.01
"Christ died for the ungodly."
00:23:05.05\00:23:06.65
So this prophecy
in Daniel 9 predicts
00:23:06.68\00:23:09.28
the exact timing of
the coming of Christ.
00:23:09.32\00:23:12.02
Let's look at it
just momentarily here.
00:23:12.05\00:23:14.42
It says Daniel's
praying in verse 20,
00:23:14.46\00:23:17.39
and as he's praying,
in verse 21, it says,
00:23:17.43\00:23:20.33
"Yes, while I was speaking
in prayer, the man Gabriel,
00:23:20.36\00:23:23.13
"whom I had seen in the
vision at the beginning,
00:23:23.16\00:23:25.60
"being caused to
fly swiftly, reached me
00:23:25.63\00:23:27.94
[at] the time of
the evening offering."
00:23:27.97\00:23:29.70
So he names the vision
he saw at the beginning,
00:23:29.74\00:23:32.47
which was Daniel,
chapter 8. Gabriel comes back.
00:23:32.51\00:23:35.68
Verse 22: "He informed me,
and talked with me, and said,
00:23:35.71\00:23:38.61
"'O Daniel, I
have now come forth
00:23:38.65\00:23:40.08
to give you skill
[and understanding].'"
00:23:40.12\00:23:42.48
So he didn't
understand in Daniel 8:27,
00:23:42.52\00:23:45.92
but in Daniel 9:22, the
angel Gabriel comes back
00:23:45.95\00:23:49.82
to enable him to understand.
00:23:49.86\00:23:51.89
Then he says in verse 24,
"Seventy weeks are determined"--
00:23:51.93\00:23:55.73
the word "determined"
there means "cut off."
00:23:55.76\00:23:58.50
It's the Hebrew word
"chathak," or amputated,
00:23:58.53\00:24:01.54
"for your people."
00:24:01.57\00:24:02.87
And so, 70 weeks are cut
off. They are cut off from what?
00:24:02.90\00:24:07.81
The larger
prophecy of the 2,300 days.
00:24:07.84\00:24:11.35
If you take 70 weeks, you
have seven days in a week,
00:24:11.38\00:24:14.52
seven times 70 are 490.
00:24:14.55\00:24:16.58
So you have 490 prophetic
days or literal years that apply
00:24:16.62\00:24:21.96
to Daniel's people, the Jews.
00:24:21.99\00:24:23.96
Then, what would take place?
00:24:23.99\00:24:27.40
During that time,
everlasting righteousness
00:24:27.40\00:24:29.93
would be ushered in.
00:24:29.96\00:24:31.83
And then he says, verse 25:
"Know therefore and understand,
00:24:31.87\00:24:35.00
"...from the going
forth of the command
00:24:35.04\00:24:36.74
"to restore and build Jerusalem
[unto] Messiah the Prince,
00:24:36.77\00:24:39.94
shall be seven weeks
and sixty-two weeks."
00:24:39.97\00:24:42.98
So, if we can find
out the command to restore
00:24:43.01\00:24:45.75
and build Jerusalem,
which was precisely Ezra 7,
00:24:45.78\00:24:49.12
457 B.C.--69 prophetic
weeks, 7 times 69, 483 years,
00:24:49.15\00:24:55.56
takes you right down to 27 AD,
00:24:55.59\00:24:58.13
the exact year of
Christ's baptism in the fall.
00:24:58.16\00:25:01.26
Then the scripture says
in 3 and 1/2 more years,
00:25:01.30\00:25:04.63
the middle of the
week, the Messiah would cause
00:25:04.67\00:25:06.84
the sacrifice oblation to
cease. Jesus is 33 years old.
00:25:06.87\00:25:10.64
It's 31 AD, the spring,
the exact day of the Passover.
00:25:10.67\00:25:14.54
Christ indeed is crucified.
Gospel goes to the Gentiles.
00:25:14.58\00:25:19.38
Four hundred ninety years
take you down from 457 to 34.
00:25:19.41\00:25:24.19
There's 1,810 years
left of the 2,300 years
00:25:24.22\00:25:28.29
because the 490
is the smaller part,
00:25:28.32\00:25:30.63
takes you down to 1844.
00:25:30.66\00:25:32.49
What is the
significance of this?
00:25:32.53\00:25:34.60
The significance
is we, since 1844,
00:25:34.63\00:25:37.97
have been living at a time when
God wants to restore the truth
00:25:38.00\00:25:41.64
about the sanctuary.
00:25:41.67\00:25:42.97
Christ is our dying Lamb.
Christ is our living Priest.
00:25:43.00\00:25:46.17
We're living in
the judgment hour.
00:25:46.21\00:25:48.08
We can have our
lives committed to Christ.
00:25:48.11\00:25:50.41
The Bible says
judgment is "passed
00:25:50.45\00:25:52.38
in favor of the
saints of [God]."
00:25:52.41\00:25:55.15
In the judgment,
Christ is deemed worthy
00:25:55.18\00:25:58.35
of receiving His kingdom.
00:25:58.39\00:26:00.39
That is incredibly good news.
00:26:00.42\00:26:04.03
William Miller
failed to understand
00:26:04.06\00:26:06.16
the cleansing of
the sanctuary in heaven.
00:26:06.19\00:26:09.83
He did understand
that Christ was coming
00:26:09.86\00:26:13.10
and the need to
prepare for His coming.
00:26:13.13\00:26:15.40
And that's the appeal
to God's people today:
00:26:15.44\00:26:17.37
to be ready for
the coming of Jesus.
00:26:17.41\00:26:19.51
>>Eric: Let me ask you
this question in closing.
00:26:19.54\00:26:21.38
Pastor Mark, if somebody
00:26:21.41\00:26:22.81
is watching
this, listening to it,
00:26:22.84\00:26:24.31
and they're
thinking, "Wow, we're living
00:26:24.35\00:26:25.65
"in the judgment hour
just before Christ comes back;
00:26:25.68\00:26:27.85
I'm not good
enough to be saved,"
00:26:27.88\00:26:30.75
what encouragement would you
give that person to help them
00:26:30.79\00:26:35.62
look forward to Christ's coming
with hope rather than dread?
00:26:35.66\00:26:39.59
>>Mark: I would give
them the same encouragement,
00:26:39.63\00:26:41.43
Pastor, as
Pastor George Vandeman,
00:26:41.46\00:26:44.23
founder of It Is
Written, used to always say.
00:26:44.27\00:26:47.17
He would say,
"When I look at myself,
00:26:47.20\00:26:49.10
"I see no way I can be saved.
00:26:49.14\00:26:51.61
When I look at Jesus, I
see no way I can be lost."
00:26:51.64\00:26:54.78
I would say, look to Jesus.
00:26:54.81\00:26:56.48
Jesus is your righteousness.
Jesus is your Savior.
00:26:56.51\00:27:00.88
Jesus is the one that guarantees
00:27:00.92\00:27:04.59
that if you give
your life to Him,
00:27:04.62\00:27:06.59
He will get you
through to eternity.
00:27:06.62\00:27:09.79
>>Eric: Pastor Mark, thank you
00:27:09.82\00:27:11.13
for those words
of encouragement.
00:27:11.16\00:27:12.66
And thank you for
joining us once again this week
00:27:12.69\00:27:16.06
as we are being
motivated by hope,
00:27:16.10\00:27:18.33
looking forward
with anticipation
00:27:18.37\00:27:21.34
to that day in
the very near future
00:27:21.37\00:27:22.94
when Jesus is going to
come and take His children home.
00:27:22.97\00:27:27.38
But before that time comes,
00:27:27.41\00:27:29.01
we've still got
a few more lessons,
00:27:29.04\00:27:30.58
and we're going to continue
studying this great theme
00:27:30.61\00:27:32.68
of "The Great
Controversy" next week
00:27:32.71\00:27:34.88
as we come together once again
00:27:34.92\00:27:36.22
here on "Sabbath School,"
00:27:36.25\00:27:37.55
brought to you by It Is Written.
00:27:37.59\00:27:39.39
¤¤¤
00:27:39.42\00:27:43.43
¤¤¤
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