[uplifting music]
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[uplifting music]
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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 today.
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We are beginning
a brand new series
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of studies on the book
of Mark, a fascinating book,
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and we're going
to be diving into it.
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As we begin our journey,
though, I think it's appropriate
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that we begin with
prayer. Let's pray together.
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Father, we want to thank
You for giving us an opportunity
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to learn more about
You through our study
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of the book of Mark.
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We ask that You will
guide us on this journey,
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that You'll help us to
gain insights into You,
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Your character,
Your love for us,
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and how we can be strengthened
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for the journey
through Your Spirit,
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and we thank You
in Jesus' name, amen.
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Well, we're
grateful to have leading us
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along this journey the
author of this quarter's
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"Sabbath School"
study, Tom Shepherd.
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He is the senior
research professor
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of New Testament at
the Theological Seminary,
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Andrews University, also
pastors a couple of churches
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up in Michigan.
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Tom, welcome, we're
glad to have you with us.
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>>Dr. Thomas R. Shepherd:
It's good to be with you, Eric,
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and to be with you
here on It Is Written.
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>>Eric: Tom, this book of Mark,
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you've been
studying the book of Mark
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for a little while. What is
it that has made you passionate
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about the book of Mark?
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Why is it something
that you have delved into,
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and what is it really
that touches your heart
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about the book of Mark?
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>>Tom: Well, 30 years ago
when I was doing my PhD studies
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at Andrews University, I
studied the Gospel of Mark
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with Robert Johnston; he
was one of the professors there.
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I remember, actually,
that's where I ended up
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doing my dissertation
was in the book of Mark,
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and it all revolves
around certain stories,
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and so when I was trying
to decide what I would write
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my dissertation
on, I ended up focusing
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on Mark, and so I
became a Mark scholar.
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I've been involved in the
Society of Biblical Literature
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for 25 years
working with Mark studies,
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and it's just a great book.
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It's got a--it's a short gospel,
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but it's got a
lot of power in it.
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>>Eric: So, what
we're looking at here
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over the course of
these next 13 weeks
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is the result of 30
years of research and study
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and passion on the book of Mark.
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Now, when you started studying
the book of Mark 30 years ago,
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you didn't know that
you were going to be writing
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this particular
quarter's lesson,
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but how did that come to pass?
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How did you get connected
with what we're holding
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in our hands right now?
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>>Tom: Well, since I
did my dissertation in Mark
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and I guess there
haven't been a lot of Adventists
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who have done so--
I've written a commentary
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on Mark for the new
SDA Bible Commentary,
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and so it seemed
natural, evidently, for them
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to ask me to write the
"Sabbath School" lesson.
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>>Eric: Very good, very good,
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and that was what,
four or five years ago,
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something along those
lines? >>Tom: Yep, it's about
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like that, and I think it
was, like, about two years ago
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when I finished writing it.
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>>Eric: Excellent,
well, we're glad to have it.
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Let's dig into it now.
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The book of Mark, lesson one
is the beginning of the gospel,
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and we get an
introduction to Mark.
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Who was Mark?
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Help us get to know Mark
as we're beginning to study
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in the book of Mark. Who was he?
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>>Tom: Yeah, so,
none of the authors
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of our gospels list
their name in the book,
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so they're all
anonymous in that sense,
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but the early church traditions
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have tied them
with particular authors,
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and the Gospel
of Mark, early on,
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in our early manuscripts
say just "according to Mark"
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or "the gospel
according to Mark,"
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and the Mark
that's likely the author
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of this book is a
young man named John Mark,
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who is introduced in the
book of Acts, chapter 12.
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Peter is in
prison, and he's released
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from prison by an
angel, and he goes to the house
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of a lady named Mary, and
her son was named John Mark.
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He becomes a traveling companion
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with the Apostle
Paul and Barnabas
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on their first
missionary journey,
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and there's
quite a story about him
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where he leaves their mission,
he doesn't stay with them,
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and when they're gonna do
their second missionary journey,
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Barnabas wants to take
him along and Paul says no,
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and the two of them split apart,
and Barnabas takes John Mark
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and goes off to Cyprus.
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And so, he is redeemed from
failure by Barnabas, his cousin.
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>>Eric: So, we're
gonna kind of journey along
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with Mark here and allow him
to help us to get to know Jesus
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a little bit better.
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Let's talk for a little bit
about some of the experiences
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that he had in his
early life that kind of helped
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shape the gospel
that we're reading here.
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What were some of
those experiences,
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and how does
that kind of help us
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understand the picture
that he gives us of the gospel?
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>>Tom: Yeah, so I mentioned that
he went with Paul and Barnabas
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on their first
missionary journey,
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and
unfortunately, for some reason--
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maybe it was just
too hard for him--
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he split away from
them, went back home
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to Jerusalem early on
in the missionary travels.
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And Barnabas, whose name
means "son of encouragement,"
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helps redeem this young
fellow, takes him on a journey,
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and interestingly
enough, later in life he becomes
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useful to the Apostle Paul.
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So, [laughs] Barnabas was
right in helping to redeem
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this young
fellow. And when you read,
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he eventually ends up in Rome,
he ends up linked up with Peter,
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Peter refers to him in chapter 5
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of his first epistle
and calls him "my son."
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So, there's also a
tradition that the book of Mark
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reflects a lot
of Peter's memories
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or Peter's
understanding of the gospel.
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So, what's
interesting is that, of course,
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Peter failed terribly.
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He denied Jesus three times,
and Mark failed as a missionary,
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and you sort of
get maybe a sense that,
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well, these two had
something in common.
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And so, Mark shows us
that, and at the very end
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of his gospel, when Jesus
sent a message through the angel
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for the disciples to
meet Him in Galilee, He says,
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"Tell the disciples and
Peter to come and see me."
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So, Peter and
Mark both had failure,
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but eventually both
became great leaders
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of the early Christian church.
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>>Eric: And we
know much about them
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through the
Bible; it's fantastic.
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So, the book of Mark doesn't
start like a lot of the other,
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like the other gospels; it
starts a little bit differently.
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It talks about Jesus' baptism,
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His temptation
in the wilderness.
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How do those events
kind of shape the direction
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that the Gospel of Mark goes?
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>>Tom: All
right, so I'm gonna open
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to the Gospel of
Mark, chapter 1, and--
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it's really interesting,
the Gospel of Mark starts
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with an incomplete sentence,
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"The beginning of the gospel
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"of Jesus
Christ, the Son of God.
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"As it is written
in Isaiah the prophet,
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"'Behold, I send my
messenger before Your face,
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"'who will prepare Your way,
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"'the voice of one
crying in the wilderness:
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"'"Prepare the way of the Lord,
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make His paths straight."'"
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And of course, this introduces
John the Baptist, who points
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to Jesus as being
somebody that's gonna, you know,
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be greater than him. Now,
what's really interesting is
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you read this carefully--
kind of, like, you go in between
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the lines a little
bit-- you find that Jesus
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is this both strong
and weak, surprisingly,
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strong and weak character,
and people are like, "Weak?
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How could Jesus be weak?"
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Well, when you think
about it, who baptizes whom?
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Well, John the
Baptist baptizes Jesus,
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and we usually think, well,
the person with more authority
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is the baptizer, you know?
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Now, over in Matthew, of
course you read that John says,
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"No, you should baptize me,"
but Mark doesn't present that.
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And then Jesus is
baptized, and He goes out
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into the
wilderness, where He is fasting,
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and He's tempted by Satan,
and He's with wild animals,
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and angels minister to Him.
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Now, so when
somebody ministers to you,
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what's that mean?
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It means that, well, you're
on the weak side, you see?
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So, what we see is
there's all these powerful
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kind of statements about
Jesus, that He's the Son of God,
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He's the Messiah,
He's greater than John,
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and on the other side,
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we see this side
of weakness as well.
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Now, that's kind
of-- what should I say?--
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under the radar a little bit.
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Most people don't
sort of catch that
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at the beginning
of reading the book,
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but it kind of forecasts
where things are headed.
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Jesus is gonna die on
the cross, and of course
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that's the ultimate
weakness, the ultimate shame
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that you would have
in the Roman Empire.
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And so, we have this
strong, weak Messiah,
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so that His Messiahship
isn't going to be like
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what everybody
expected, not the powerful man,
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the strong, you know,
macho guy that they wanted
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to free them from the Romans.
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He's gonna be a
different kind of Messiah,
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and you get that sort
of already from seeing
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what's beginning here.
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>>Eric: So, Mark's giving
us some insights that maybe
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some of the other gospel writers
don't bring out quite so much,
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that strong, weak motif.
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When we see what John
does, the baptism and so forth,
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anything that we can
grab, anything additional
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that we can grab
from this experience
00:10:06.63\00:10:09.30
that Jesus has
with John the Baptist?
00:10:09.34\00:10:12.01
>>Tom: Well, there's a
very strong impetus here
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or presentation.
00:10:15.64\00:10:16.95
When you start with
the baptism of Jesus,
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that He is
baptized, and here in verse--
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well, let me just
read verses 9 through 11.
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It says, "In those days
Jesus came from Nazareth
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"of Galilee and was
baptized by John in the Jordan.
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"And when He came
up out of the water,
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"immediately He saw the heavens
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"being torn open and the Spirit
descending on Him like a dove.
00:10:35.93\00:10:39.40
"And a voice came from
heaven, 'You are my beloved Son;
00:10:39.43\00:10:43.24
with You I am well pleased.'"
00:10:43.27\00:10:45.37
So, we have here the Father,
the Son, and the Holy Spirit
00:10:45.41\00:10:49.38
all present at the
baptism of Jesus, and wherever
00:10:49.41\00:10:52.91
the Father, Son,
and Holy Spirit appear,
00:10:52.95\00:10:55.42
something important is going on.
00:10:55.45\00:10:57.95
And so, we'll
talk a little bit more
00:10:57.99\00:11:00.12
about the meaning of all this
00:11:00.16\00:11:01.46
as we get a little
further into this chapter.
00:11:01.49\00:11:03.43
But the concept
of the word "trinity"
00:11:04.99\00:11:08.66
of course is never used there,
nor anywhere in the Scripture,
00:11:08.70\00:11:12.43
but actually
that is the Trinity;
00:11:12.47\00:11:14.94
it's the Father, the
Son, and the Holy Spirit,
00:11:14.97\00:11:16.60
and They appear
more than 40 times
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in the New Testament
in one form or another
00:11:18.64\00:11:20.78
being referred to, and
this is the reference here
00:11:20.81\00:11:23.78
in the Gospel of Mark for
the baptism that points to us
00:11:23.81\00:11:26.78
that this is an important
event, and it's the beginning
00:11:26.82\00:11:29.62
of Jesus'
ministry, the commencement
00:11:29.65\00:11:31.65
of His work for
us as our Savior.
00:11:31.69\00:11:35.26
>>Eric: Very good. Tom, as
we're beginning our journey
00:11:35.29\00:11:38.26
through the Gospel of
Mark, we have our quarterly,
00:11:38.29\00:11:41.70
our lesson study in front
of us that we're going through
00:11:41.73\00:11:44.03
day by day, but
there's also a companion book
00:11:44.07\00:11:46.33
to this study
that you have written.
00:11:46.37\00:11:49.80
Why might someone want to
pick up that companion book?
00:11:49.84\00:11:52.47
What would be in it
that we're not getting
00:11:52.51\00:11:55.08
out of the
lesson study each week?
00:11:55.11\00:11:57.91
>>Tom: Okay, so when I
wrote my commentary on Mark
00:11:57.95\00:12:02.45
in my Word document--
it'll be a little shorter
00:12:02.48\00:12:05.29
when it gets into print--
but it was about 650 pages,
00:12:05.32\00:12:11.46
250,000 words,
and then I was asked
00:12:11.49\00:12:15.16
to write the lesson quarterly,
and each lesson is, like,
00:12:15.20\00:12:19.00
2,500 words for one
lesson and the next lesson,
00:12:19.03\00:12:24.01
so you couldn't
put a lot in there;
00:12:24.04\00:12:26.27
you had to kind
of squeeze things.
00:12:26.31\00:12:27.44
So, they asked me to
write this companion book
00:12:27.48\00:12:30.45
on the Gospel of
Mark-- with the same title--
00:12:30.48\00:12:33.55
and each chapter is--
there's 13 chapters goes along--
00:12:33.58\00:12:36.89
chapter one goes
with lesson number one,
00:12:36.92\00:12:39.22
and I added extra details.
00:12:39.25\00:12:41.29
It'll be like a little foretaste
00:12:41.32\00:12:42.79
of reading the
commentary once it's published.
00:12:42.82\00:12:45.69
But it adds extra details,
it gives you more information
00:12:45.73\00:12:48.66
about--well, if
you're a teacher,
00:12:48.70\00:12:51.97
it's kind of nice
to-- I mean, you have
00:12:52.00\00:12:54.57
the "Sabbath School" lesson;
you have the teacher's edition;
00:12:54.60\00:12:57.24
you have how to
teach the lesson;
00:12:57.27\00:12:59.27
you have this companion book.
00:12:59.31\00:13:01.74
There's all kinds
of things available,
00:13:01.78\00:13:03.45
the Ellen White comments,
so it really helps teachers
00:13:03.48\00:13:07.65
in getting, you know, material
for giving presentations,
00:13:07.68\00:13:12.29
helps them look smart.
00:13:12.32\00:13:14.12
>>Eric: Very good, so if you
want to teach more effectively,
00:13:14.16\00:13:17.46
make sure you pick
up that companion book,
00:13:17.49\00:13:19.46
and if you
happen to be a student
00:13:19.49\00:13:21.10
in a class and you want
to appear more knowledgeable,
00:13:21.13\00:13:25.10
then you can pick that up,
too, and you can have access
00:13:25.13\00:13:27.34
to some of the stuff that
maybe some of the teachers
00:13:27.37\00:13:28.90
aren't even getting into.
00:13:28.94\00:13:30.67
But there's a lot more
in that companion book.
00:13:30.71\00:13:32.94
How do you pick it up?
It's very, very easy to do.
00:13:32.97\00:13:35.41
Just go to itiswritten.shop,
00:13:35.44\00:13:37.95
itiswritten.shop, and
look for the companion book
00:13:37.98\00:13:40.55
to this quarter's
"Sabbath School" study.
00:13:40.58\00:13:42.62
It is of course by Tom Shepherd.
00:13:42.65\00:13:44.92
We're going to be
back in just a moment
00:13:44.95\00:13:46.55
as we continue
looking at week number one
00:13:46.59\00:13:49.09
of our study in
the book of Mark.
00:13:49.12\00:13:51.06
We'll be back in just a moment.
00:13:51.09\00:13:52.56
[uplifting music]
00:13:52.59\00:13:55.40
>>John Bradshaw: Thank
you for remembering that
00:13:56.70\00:13:58.00
It Is Written exists
because of the kindness
00:13:58.03\00:14:00.10
of people just like you.
00:14:00.14\00:14:02.47
To support this international
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00:14:02.50\00:14:05.01
please call us
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00:14:05.04\00:14:09.21
You can send your
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00:14:09.24\00:14:11.15
to the address on your screen,
or you can visit us online
00:14:11.18\00:14:14.12
at itiswritten.com.
00:14:14.15\00:14:16.32
Thank you for your prayers
and your financial support.
00:14:16.35\00:14:18.52
Our number
again is 800-253-3000,
00:14:18.55\00:14:22.39
or you can visit us
online at itiswritten.com.
00:14:22.42\00:14:26.26
[uplifting music]
00:14:27.23\00:14:31.67
>>Eric: Welcome
back to "Sabbath School,"
00:14:31.70\00:14:33.03
brought to you by It Is Written.
00:14:33.07\00:14:34.37
We are looking at
lesson number one,
00:14:34.40\00:14:37.14
week number one, the
beginning of the gospel,
00:14:37.17\00:14:39.61
and we've kind
of looked at where
00:14:39.64\00:14:41.44
this Gospel of Mark begins,
with an incomplete sentence,
00:14:41.48\00:14:45.95
and we've got a little bit
of a background on who Mark is,
00:14:45.98\00:14:50.02
but Tom, we want
to dig into something
00:14:50.05\00:14:51.52
really important
now in the context
00:14:51.55\00:14:54.29
of the book of Mark,
not that Mark himself
00:14:54.32\00:14:56.19
isn't important,
but Mark doesn't want us
00:14:56.22\00:14:58.76
to get to know him
as much as he wants us
00:14:58.79\00:15:00.96
to get to know Jesus.
00:15:01.00\00:15:03.26
And the gospel message
that Jesus has to share,
00:15:03.30\00:15:08.07
and that Mark helps us
to understand in this book,
00:15:08.10\00:15:11.67
is one that we
don't want to miss.
00:15:11.71\00:15:13.48
What is Jesus' gospel
message, and what do we gain
00:15:13.51\00:15:18.35
from Mark's
perspective on this that maybe
00:15:18.38\00:15:21.15
we don't see in
quite the same way
00:15:21.18\00:15:23.85
in some of the other gospels?
00:15:23.89\00:15:25.19
>>Tom: Okay, so I
want to turn to Mark 1,
00:15:25.22\00:15:28.36
and we've just kind of
laid the groundwork here.
00:15:28.39\00:15:32.96
We had John the
Baptist presented Jesus;
00:15:32.99\00:15:36.60
he's the
forerunner, goes before Him;
00:15:36.63\00:15:39.27
he's an
Elijah-like figure, actually.
00:15:39.30\00:15:41.97
Then he baptizes Jesus,
and Jesus begins His ministry
00:15:42.00\00:15:46.74
with this baptism
where the Holy Spirit
00:15:46.78\00:15:49.48
comes down on Him
descending like a dove,
00:15:49.51\00:15:52.35
and the Father speaks to
Him interestingly, individually.
00:15:52.38\00:15:56.52
"You are my beloved Son;
with You I am well pleased."
00:15:56.55\00:15:59.49
We'll come back to some of that
a little later on as we talk
00:15:59.52\00:16:02.32
about the meaning of
these kinds of words,
00:16:02.36\00:16:05.96
but then Jesus'
very brief statement
00:16:05.99\00:16:08.10
about His
temptation in the wilderness,
00:16:08.13\00:16:11.00
and then we
come to His beginning
00:16:11.03\00:16:13.40
of His ministry
in verse 14 and 15.
00:16:13.44\00:16:16.67
Eric, why don't you read
for us Mark 1, verses 14 and 15.
00:16:16.71\00:16:20.38
>>Eric: "Now after
John was put in prison,
00:16:20.41\00:16:22.24
"Jesus came to
Galilee, preaching the gospel
00:16:22.28\00:16:24.65
"of the kingdom
of God, and saying,
00:16:24.68\00:16:26.82
"'The time is fulfilled, and
the kingdom of God is at hand.
00:16:26.85\00:16:30.22
Repent, and
believe in the gospel.'"
00:16:30.25\00:16:31.95
>>Tom: Okay, so
John is arrested;
00:16:31.99\00:16:34.96
that already foretells
what's going to happen to John,
00:16:34.99\00:16:38.13
who we'll find out
foretells what's going to happen
00:16:38.16\00:16:40.80
to Jesus, but
Jesus comes and proclaims
00:16:40.83\00:16:44.17
His gospel message.
00:16:44.20\00:16:45.93
It has three
parts; it's very simple.
00:16:45.97\00:16:48.27
"The time is
fulfilled,... the kingdom of God
00:16:48.30\00:16:50.64
is at hand. Repent,
and believe in the gospel."
00:16:50.67\00:16:53.94
Now, this three-part message,
we can divide it up in this way.
00:16:53.98\00:17:00.42
The reference to "the
time is fulfilled" is actually
00:17:00.45\00:17:02.95
a reference to time prophecy.
00:17:02.98\00:17:05.12
Over in Daniel, chapter 9,
we have the wonderful prophecy
00:17:05.15\00:17:09.42
about the coming of the Messiah,
00:17:09.46\00:17:12.43
and it says,
00:17:12.46\00:17:14.40
"Seventy weeks [have been]
decreed [upon] your people."
00:17:14.46\00:17:17.07
It's prophetic weeks, so
these are a day for a year,
00:17:17.10\00:17:20.94
and so 70 weeks will
lead us to the Messiah.
00:17:20.97\00:17:25.51
Actually, 69 weeks will
bring us to the Messiah.
00:17:25.54\00:17:28.51
It's 483 years
"from the going forth
00:17:28.54\00:17:31.41
of the decree to
rebuild and restore Jerusalem."
00:17:31.45\00:17:34.25
That starts in 457 B.C.
00:17:34.28\00:17:37.19
And it reaches, if you
add up 483 years to it,
00:17:37.22\00:17:41.29
remembering that
there's no zero year
00:17:41.32\00:17:42.96
between A.D. and
B.C., you end up at A.D. 27.
00:17:42.99\00:17:48.96
Now, people kind
of scratch their head
00:17:49.00\00:17:50.27
and say, "Well, wait a minute,
00:17:50.30\00:17:51.77
Jesus wasn't born in
A.D. 27, so what's going on?"
00:17:51.80\00:17:56.94
Well, that's when
His ministry begins.
00:17:56.97\00:17:59.47
That's when He's
anointed with the Holy Spirit,
00:17:59.51\00:18:02.28
and so the time is fulfilled.
00:18:02.31\00:18:04.61
It's a time prophecy
that's been fulfilled,
00:18:04.65\00:18:06.61
and that's part of
Jesus' gospel message.
00:18:06.65\00:18:08.95
Then he says, "The
kingdom of God is at hand."
00:18:08.98\00:18:11.02
The kingdom of
God is a big topic,
00:18:11.05\00:18:13.96
but basically we can
say it's God's rulership
00:18:13.99\00:18:16.83
over His people and
His covenant with them.
00:18:16.86\00:18:21.80
He's going to rescue them.
00:18:21.83\00:18:23.63
So, there's a covenant promise;
there's a covenant relationship
00:18:23.67\00:18:27.47
that God
establishes with His people.
00:18:27.50\00:18:29.60
And the last part,
"Repent, and believe
00:18:29.64\00:18:31.94
in the gospel," is a
call to discipleship.
00:18:31.97\00:18:36.78
"Repent" means "to turn."
00:18:36.81\00:18:39.28
It basically
means to turn around;
00:18:39.31\00:18:40.65
you're going the wrong
way-- you go back, turn back,
00:18:40.68\00:18:43.45
go the right way.
00:18:43.49\00:18:44.95
And that comes through believing
in the gospel message of Jesus.
00:18:44.99\00:18:47.96
So, it's three
parts, a time prophecy,
00:18:47.99\00:18:51.99
a covenant promise,
or covenant relationship
00:18:52.03\00:18:55.06
between God and His people,
and a call to discipleship.
00:18:55.10\00:18:58.40
So, it's a very, very
simple, basic message,
00:18:58.43\00:19:01.44
and there it is with Jesus.
00:19:01.47\00:19:03.10
Now, this has a
fascinating kind of relationship
00:19:03.14\00:19:09.91
with the first angel's
message in Revelation 14.
00:19:09.94\00:19:13.68
So, if we turn over
there to Revelation 14,
00:19:13.72\00:19:16.95
the three angels'
messages has been a key
00:19:16.99\00:19:21.79
to all of Adventist
believers for a long, long time,
00:19:21.82\00:19:27.66
and the first angel's
message, we should read that,
00:19:27.66\00:19:30.27
verses 6 and 7 of Revelation 14.
00:19:30.30\00:19:32.27
Why don't you read that for us?
00:19:32.30\00:19:33.60
>>Eric: "Then I
saw another angel
00:19:33.64\00:19:34.94
"flying in the midst of heaven,
having the everlasting gospel
00:19:34.97\00:19:38.14
"to preach to those
who dwell on the earth--
00:19:38.17\00:19:40.08
"to every nation,
tribe, tongue, and people--
00:19:40.11\00:19:42.74
"saying with a loud voice,
'Fear God and give glory to Him,
00:19:42.78\00:19:46.82
"'for the hour of His judgment
has come; and worship Him
00:19:46.85\00:19:50.39
"'who made heaven
and earth, the sea
00:19:50.42\00:19:52.62
and [the] springs of water.'"
00:19:52.65\00:19:53.96
>>Tom: Okay,
now, this angel brings
00:19:53.99\00:19:57.46
what's called the "everlasting,"
or eternal, "gospel."
00:19:57.49\00:20:00.96
It's the only place in the
Bible where the gospel here
00:20:00.96\00:20:04.20
is called eternal,
everlasting, so it's really
00:20:04.23\00:20:07.24
a cosmic kind of a message
that goes all the way back,
00:20:07.27\00:20:10.07
you can say, to creation,
where the Lamb is "slain from
00:20:10.11\00:20:14.51
the foundation of the world"
and all the way to the end.
00:20:14.54\00:20:17.88
But what surprises
people is when you read this,
00:20:17.91\00:20:22.62
it doesn't sound like
gospel to most people.
00:20:22.65\00:20:26.19
I've seen or heard
preachers when they preach about
00:20:26.22\00:20:29.12
the three angels'
message, and they say,
00:20:29.16\00:20:30.46
"This is the
everlasting gospel,"
00:20:30.49\00:20:32.63
and then they don't
talk about the words here;
00:20:32.66\00:20:36.20
they'll go to the
Apostle Paul, you know,
00:20:36.23\00:20:38.10
righteousness by faith.
00:20:38.13\00:20:39.80
I ask people, you
know, "So, what words
00:20:39.83\00:20:42.10
would you
associate with the gospel?"
00:20:42.14\00:20:43.77
Love, Jesus, forgiveness,
repentance, you know, salvation,
00:20:43.81\00:20:48.74
the cross, things like
that, and then I ask them,
00:20:48.78\00:20:50.98
"Well, how many of
those words do you find here
00:20:51.01\00:20:52.65
in Revelation 14, verse 7?"
00:20:52.68\00:20:55.18
And the answer is zero. [laughs]
00:20:55.22\00:20:58.65
None of those words
are there, so they're like,
00:20:58.69\00:21:00.12
"Uh...so how is
this the gospel?"
00:21:00.16\00:21:04.46
Well, if we kind of take Jesus'
words over in Mark, chapter 1
00:21:04.49\00:21:09.76
as the paradigm--remember,
there were three steps.
00:21:09.80\00:21:12.33
There was time prophecy,
00:21:12.37\00:21:15.17
there was a covenant
relationship with God,
00:21:15.20\00:21:18.27
and then there was a
call to discipleship, right?
00:21:18.31\00:21:21.61
So, then I have people--I say,
"Well, let's look here and see.
00:21:21.64\00:21:24.68
Is there any reference to
time prophecy in verse 7?"
00:21:24.71\00:21:29.45
And sure enough, it says,
00:21:29.48\00:21:31.45
"Because the hour of
His judgment has come."
00:21:31.49\00:21:35.29
Now, we referred to
Daniel 9 when we read
00:21:35.32\00:21:39.29
Jesus' words in Mark, chapter 1.
00:21:39.33\00:21:42.90
Now, when the first
angel, the reference
00:21:42.93\00:21:45.40
to the judgment
beginning actually brings us
00:21:45.43\00:21:48.07
back to Daniel, chapter
7 and Daniel, chapter 8.
00:21:48.10\00:21:52.27
Daniel 7 is the judgment scene
00:21:52.31\00:21:55.11
and Daniel 8 has
the 2,300-day prophecy.
00:21:55.14\00:21:58.95
So, that goes
from-- its starting point
00:21:58.98\00:22:01.62
is actually with
the 70-weeks prophecy,
00:22:01.65\00:22:03.28
so it starts in 457 B.C.,
and it stretches 2,300 years
00:22:03.32\00:22:08.62
to A.D. 1844, so
there is a reference
00:22:08.66\00:22:12.73
to time prophecy in
the first angel's message.
00:22:12.76\00:22:16.80
"Okay," somebody says,
"all right, good enough,
00:22:16.83\00:22:18.73
"what about that
covenant promise?
00:22:18.77\00:22:21.70
"I don't see any
reference to a covenant promise.
00:22:21.74\00:22:23.74
I don't see any reference
to the kingdom of God."
00:22:23.77\00:22:26.07
Well, the word "judgment."
00:22:26.11\00:22:29.28
Now, for most
people the word "judgment"
00:22:29.31\00:22:31.18
sounds like, well,
that's a very negative word.
00:22:31.21\00:22:34.22
You don't want judgment;
you don't want to go to court.
00:22:34.25\00:22:36.69
But if we turn
over-- keep your hand here
00:22:36.72\00:22:38.62
in Revelation 14--turn
over to Daniel, chapter 7,
00:22:38.65\00:22:45.39
Ezekiel, Daniel,
chapter 7, and we want to read--
00:22:45.43\00:22:50.17
well, first we
want to kind of fill in
00:22:50.20\00:22:51.60
what's going on in Daniel.
00:22:51.63\00:22:53.23
All right, so in
Daniel 7 is the picture
00:22:53.27\00:22:55.90
of the four
beasts, of four kingdoms
00:22:55.94\00:22:58.27
that come along that
are trying to destroy
00:22:58.31\00:23:00.28
and persecute God's people.
00:23:00.31\00:23:01.94
And then we see
the judgment scene,
00:23:01.98\00:23:04.61
where the Ancient
of Days takes His seat.
00:23:04.65\00:23:06.95
Now, in describing or
explaining the vision,
00:23:06.98\00:23:09.62
if we turn over to
verse 22, Daniel 7, verse 22--
00:23:09.65\00:23:14.66
maybe, Eric, you
could read that for us.
00:23:14.69\00:23:17.39
>>Eric: "Until the
Ancient of Days came,
00:23:17.43\00:23:19.33
"and a judgment was
made in favor of the saints
00:23:19.36\00:23:22.33
"of the Most
High, and the time came
00:23:22.36\00:23:24.83
for the saints to
possess the kingdom."
00:23:24.87\00:23:26.84
>>Tom: Now, there
you have it, okay?
00:23:26.87\00:23:28.60
The judgment for God's people
is not negative; it's positive.
00:23:28.64\00:23:32.94
Judgment is given
in favor of the saints.
00:23:32.97\00:23:35.11
Of course it's
negative for the beasts,
00:23:35.14\00:23:37.31
they're going down, but
God's people are going up,
00:23:37.35\00:23:41.38
and it says the
time came when the saints
00:23:41.42\00:23:43.69
possessed the kingdom.
00:23:43.72\00:23:46.22
So, here we have in the judgment
00:23:46.25\00:23:48.86
back in
Revelation 14, when it refers
00:23:48.89\00:23:51.06
to the judgment,
it's referring to
00:23:51.09\00:23:53.93
that Daniel 7,
Daniel 8 kind of a picture.
00:23:53.96\00:23:56.63
And then someone
says, "All right, well,
00:23:57.97\00:24:00.90
"I guess I see that,
00:24:00.94\00:24:02.40
but what about this
call to discipleship?"
00:24:02.44\00:24:06.27
Is there a call to discipleship
in the first angel's message?
00:24:06.31\00:24:09.51
Well, you'll
notice in Jesus' words
00:24:09.54\00:24:11.95
in Mark, chapter 1, He said,
00:24:11.98\00:24:13.28
"Repent, and
believe the gospel," right?
00:24:13.31\00:24:16.95
Now, those are
in English grammar
00:24:16.99\00:24:19.59
what we would call imperatives.
00:24:19.62\00:24:21.96
This is something
you're supposed to do, okay?
00:24:21.99\00:24:24.46
Are there any imperatives
in the first angel's message?
00:24:24.49\00:24:30.20
Well, actually there are.
00:24:30.23\00:24:32.47
There are three of them.
00:24:32.50\00:24:34.17
Fear God, give glory to Him,
00:24:34.20\00:24:38.01
and worship Him who
made heaven and earth.
00:24:38.04\00:24:40.94
So, fear God--it's a
very God-centered message.
00:24:40.98\00:24:43.28
Fear God, glorify God,
and worship God, right?
00:24:43.31\00:24:47.62
So, the first angel's
message, quite parallel
00:24:47.65\00:24:51.02
to the preaching of
Jesus, has those three aspects
00:24:51.05\00:24:55.39
of gospel message.
It has time prophecy.
00:24:55.42\00:24:58.39
Don't let anybody ever
tell you that time prophecy
00:24:58.43\00:25:01.13
has no part to play
in the gospel message.
00:25:01.16\00:25:05.93
It does. It has
an important part.
00:25:05.97\00:25:08.64
So, the time prophecy tells us
that we're at the end of time;
00:25:08.67\00:25:11.94
we have to get
ready for Jesus to come.
00:25:11.97\00:25:13.94
Time prophecy is here, the
hour of His judgment has come,
00:25:13.98\00:25:17.28
and so is the covenant
promise in the judgment.
00:25:17.31\00:25:20.62
God's people will be
rescued from the beasts.
00:25:20.65\00:25:23.12
Now, of course if you
read Revelation 12:13 and 14,
00:25:23.15\00:25:27.16
you'll see all these beasts
trying to destroy God's people,
00:25:27.19\00:25:30.76
you know, trying
to persecute them.
00:25:30.79\00:25:32.79
God is not going to
leave His people alone.
00:25:32.83\00:25:34.86
God will come to the
rescue of His people,
00:25:34.93\00:25:37.13
and in the light of this
message in Revelation 14,
00:25:37.17\00:25:42.17
we have God's call
to us individually.
00:25:42.20\00:25:46.47
Fear God--don't fear the beast.
00:25:46.51\00:25:49.28
Glorify
God--don't glorify the beast.
00:25:49.31\00:25:52.38
Worship God--certainly
don't worship the beast--
00:25:52.41\00:25:55.28
and stay faithful to God.
00:25:55.32\00:25:56.62
It's a beautiful
parallel between the two,
00:25:56.65\00:25:58.79
and it ties us all
back to the commencement
00:25:58.82\00:26:01.36
of Jesus' ministry
and the end of our world
00:26:01.39\00:26:03.99
to those prophecies
of Daniel 7, 8, and 9.
00:26:04.03\00:26:07.96
>>Eric: So, the three
parts that we see again,
00:26:07.96\00:26:10.43
we have the time prophecy,
we have the covenant promise,
00:26:10.47\00:26:15.44
and then we have the
call to discipleship,
00:26:15.47\00:26:18.41
and we see that in
Mark; we see it in Revelation;
00:26:18.44\00:26:20.94
it all ties back
into Daniel as well.
00:26:20.98\00:26:23.01
So, beautiful,
everything coming together,
00:26:23.04\00:26:25.41
and this is just the
beginning of the gospel.
00:26:25.45\00:26:29.35
Give us an idea--foreshadow
where we're going.
00:26:29.38\00:26:33.29
We've got 13 weeks that
we're going to be together.
00:26:33.32\00:26:36.19
In just a couple of sentences,
00:26:36.22\00:26:38.59
where are we
going on this study?
00:26:38.63\00:26:40.26
Why do we want to
push forward week by week?
00:26:40.30\00:26:42.93
>>Tom: Well, I'm glad
you said, where are we going?
00:26:42.96\00:26:45.20
The book of Mark
is about a journey.
00:26:45.23\00:26:47.94
It's called the way of the
Lord, and the way of the Lord
00:26:47.97\00:26:50.61
is headed towards the cross,
where our salvation is sealed,
00:26:50.64\00:26:56.01
and that's where we're headed,
and we're just at the beginning,
00:26:56.04\00:26:59.71
but there's already
forecasting what's coming ahead.
00:26:59.75\00:27:03.42
>>Eric: And so, we are excited
to have you on this, well,
00:27:03.45\00:27:06.29
this journey with us.
00:27:06.32\00:27:07.96
We're going to see
an action-packed journey
00:27:07.99\00:27:10.46
that leads us to the
cross through the book of Mark,
00:27:10.49\00:27:14.30
through the eyes of someone
who had a unique perspective,
00:27:14.30\00:27:18.67
tied many things together,
and we're going to get to go
00:27:18.70\00:27:22.34
on this journey
with Mark together.
00:27:22.37\00:27:25.04
It's something that
you don't want to miss.
00:27:25.07\00:27:27.51
So, 13 weeks, 13
episodes, helping us to get
00:27:27.54\00:27:31.18
a better
understanding of the gospel,
00:27:31.21\00:27:34.12
who Jesus is, and this
journey is going to be something
00:27:34.15\00:27:37.92
that will perhaps change
the way that you see Jesus
00:27:37.95\00:27:41.96
in a very positive way.
00:27:41.99\00:27:43.32
We're excited to have
you join us on this journey.
00:27:43.36\00:27:45.56
We look forward to
seeing you again next week
00:27:45.59\00:27:47.73
here on "Sabbath School,"
brought to you by It Is Written.
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