[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 are here today.
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We are taking a look at
how to study Bible prophecy
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and this week, "The
Foundations of Prophecy."
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What is prophecy founded upon?
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That's where we're going to go
today, but not without prayer.
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So let's begin there.
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Father, thank You
for being with us today
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and through our journey so far.
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We anticipate that You're
going to bless us once again
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as we look today at the
foundations of prophecy.
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We thank You, in
Jesus' name, amen.
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>>Shawn Boonstra: Amen.
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>>Eric: And here to
guide us through our study
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is the author of this quarter's
"Sabbath School" study,
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Pastor Shawn Boonstra.
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>>Shawn: Either guide you
or leave you more confused
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than when you first arrived.
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>>Eric: One of the two,
but we will be on a journey.
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There's no question about that.
No question. [Shawn laughs]
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>>Shawn: Last week
we barely got through
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the first week's--day's lesson.
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>>Eric: We didn't, but we
covered some significant ground.
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>>Shawn: It was
really foundational.
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>>Eric: Very significant. So,
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this week, "The
Foundations of Prophecy."
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So last week we were kind
of-- at least the quarterly
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was going through
Revelation 4, Revelation 5.
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We touched on it a little bit.
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Why two weeks on
this section of the Bible?
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>>Shawn: Well,
okay, a couple of reasons.
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Number one, the atonement
clearly is very central.
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Without the atonement,
there is no plan of salvation.
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Without the plan of
salvation, there is no prophecy.
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And at the end of the
day, prophecy is about God
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achieving His
promises or keeping them.
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And that involves the cross.
But then Revelation 4 and 5,
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everybody's got
favorite passages of the Bible.
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This is one of those
ones that brings me back
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over and over and over and over
again. And I could probably--
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we could probably
take the entire half-hour
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with what I think is
happening in Revelation 4 and 5
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and what day it happens,
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but that might
be for another show.
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Maybe we'll come
back to it, I don't know,
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but it's content rich;
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4 and 5 are one of those
sections in Revelation if you--
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when I'm teaching prophecy
publicly, I say that night
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that we're gonna do 4 and 5,
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"If you don't get this,
you'll never get the rest."
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This is that important.
This is that important.
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>>Eric: So we're spending some
time in here and looking at,
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well, looking at justification
and sanctification.
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That's kind of where we want to
sink our teeth into right now.
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Is there a paradox
between justification
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and sanctification, or is
there an apparent paradox?
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How does this work?
>>Shawn: Yeah, there is.
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There is a bit of
a--you know, this is why
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you've got to build your reason
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and your empirical observations
on what the Word of God says,
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or you're going to go astray.
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And last week we
touched on this idea
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that sometimes we
want to downplay sin
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when we begin to
realize how awful it really is
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and why it requires our
removal from God's perfect
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and loving universe.
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And then there's this
idea you said last week--
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look, you come to
Christ, and He forgives you,
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and He cleanses you
from all unrighteousness.
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That's the
beginning of the story.
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From there on in, I like the
way one preacher described it:
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If you're walking
with Christ consistently,
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then you begin to hate
the things you used to love
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and love the
things you used to hate.
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And I know that from experience.
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I was--I'm still a
recovering heathen.
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There's still things that I wish
didn't still pop into my mind.
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I'm still in recovery.
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But I did notice
certain things disappear.
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And I don't want
to disappoint people.
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But, you know, for example,
man, at one point in my life--
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I want to put this gingerly--
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and if you're
young people watching,
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don't think you'll
get away with this.
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There's no such thing as
getting away with anything.
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But I used to
cuss like a sailor.
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And then one day, I noticed
I'm not doing that anymore.
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Not that I've achieved
anything, it just disappeared.
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Not because I
tried to make it go away,
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but because in a
relationship with Christ,
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He's like, "Yeah, clean it
up." So here's the paradox.
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There's a tendency in
some corners of Christianity:
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"I gotta focus on me.
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And I gotta get all
the sin out of my life."
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Now, does God want sin
out of your--of course,
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what kind of loving God
would want it to stay there?
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But we can become
obsessive about it.
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And here's the problem with it.
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The closer you get to Christ,
the worse your sin seems.
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I always say I'm not
worried about the ones
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who are under conviction when
I'm holding a public meeting.
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They're writhing in their--
in agony, or they're mad at me.
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I could live with that.
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That's born of conviction.
There's something going on.
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It's the apathetic that
worry me. They don't care.
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So, as you're coming to--
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the story I put in
the quarterly is this.
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I was a member of a church,
and we were going to renovate
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the basement, and
we were so excited.
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It looked awful down there.
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The first thing we
did was put in new lights.
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Oh, this is
going to look so great.
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Put in brand-new
lights, and we went down there,
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and we're really
eager, we flick them on,
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and now the basement
looks worse than it ever did.
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Why? Because we
can see every flaw.
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And the closer
you get to Christ,
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the more obvious your
flaws are going to get.
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I'm 30-some years into
a Christian experience,
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and from where I
sit, I look worse today
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than I did 35 years
ago. I just seem worse.
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To the outside observer, it's
like, "Oh, you go to church,
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and, you know, you
have a family, and"--
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yeah, but I know me.
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Focusing on self
is a futile pursuit.
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And when I see people saying,
"I got this checklist of sins,
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"and if I--think God will take
me if I check all these off?
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I gotta get these
all out of my life."
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You're barely getting started.
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The problem that you've
got is that your focus is you.
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That's the problem, and
that's the original problem.
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Lucifer fell in
love with his beauty.
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Let's say you do
achieve a few things.
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"Wow, I speak in
church, I teach Sabbath school,
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I do this, I do that,"
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and you start to fall in
love with your own beauty,
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the beauty that was only
yours by virtue of Christ.
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You have the same problem
we saw in an earlier lesson
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with both Israel in Ezekiel
16 and Lucifer in Ezekiel 28.
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The closer you get--
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so, what does God give us to do?
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Search through the Bible
and you'll find one thing
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and one thing only God
ever gave the church to do,
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and that's win souls to Christ.
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That's a topic, you know, we
could get into how that works,
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but here's a comment. This
is "Steps to Christ," page 80.
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It's one of my favorite summary
books on the plan of salvation
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and the love of Jesus.
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"If you will go to
work as Christ designs
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"that His disciples shall,
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"and win souls for
Him, you will feel the need
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"of a deeper experience
and a greater knowledge
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"in divine things, and...hunger
and thirst after righteousness.
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"You will plead with God,...
your faith will be strengthened,
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"...your soul will
drink deeper drafts
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at the well of salvation."
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It goes on for a full page.
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"The spirit of unselfish
labor for others gives depth,
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stability, and
Christlike loveliness."
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What does God give us to do?
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Here, how about you
focus on other people?
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Why? Well, my eyes aren't on me.
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And they're going to
bring challenges I can't answer.
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It's going to drive
me back to the Bible.
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I've been in
evangelism for 30-some years,
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and I can tell
you every single time
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somebody asks me
something, "I don't know."
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They've got a situation in
their life--"I don't know."
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I'm up half the
night in this book,
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and I'm growing as a Christian
because I'm focused on others.
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And God says, "Oh, good. So
your focus is off of you now.
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"Maybe I can do
something with your sorry self
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while you're
busy working for me."
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The solution is eyes off
of self. That's the solution.
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And if you're wrapped
up in your prayer closet--
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you should be in
your prayer closet.
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I don't mean to dismiss this at
all. Don't write angry letters.
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And if you do,
address them to Eric.
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But Bible study,
you should be doing it.
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Prayer, you should be doing it.
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But the path to growing in Jesus
is not locking yourself away
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from the rest of the
world and praying and studying.
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You should do it. You
know, you should do this,
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don't leave this
undone, but also do the other.
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Focus on others. Then
you're out of the way.
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>>Eric: It's
that old illustration
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of the three-legged stool.
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In order for a Christian
experience to be strong
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and solid, it's like
a stool with three legs:
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prayer, Bible study,
and sharing your faith.
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And if one of
those three is missing,
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then, well, it
leads to an unstable stool
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to begin with, but an
unstable Christian life,
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if you stop and think about it.
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And that--let me not
chase too many rabbits here--
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>>Shawn: No.
>>Eric: ...if you stop
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and ask yourself how
many Christians are actively,
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actually sharing their
faith with others intentionally,
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the statistics are
not real encouraging.
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>>Shawn: In North America,
it's fewer than 2% of believers.
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It's fewer than 2%.
And isn't it strange?
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Because that's the
program God, in the Scriptures--
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I think this is in the
quarterly--it's pretty clear.
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Psalm 51 is ground zero. I
believe that's in the quarterly.
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I think I put it in
there. Otherwise, it's
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in the companion
book. But Psalm 51 is--
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David has been busted.
He has committed adultery.
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He murdered the husband
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when he couldn't
hide what he did.
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Nathan confronts him.
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And in Psalm 51, he comes
clean: "Have mercy on me, O God,
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according to
Your steadfast love."
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It goes on for
verse-- it's heart-rending.
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And you should be able
to see yourself in Psalm 51
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because maybe it's
not adultery and murder,
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but I promise you, you're
in the same category as David.
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And then it comes to this,
after 13 verses of repenting
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and describing how his sin is--
it's not like God doesn't know.
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You need to repent and confess
so that you begin to be aware
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of how far short of
the glory of God you fall.
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God already knows. He
doesn't need you to inform Him.
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He needs you to recognize it.
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Then verse 13: "Then I will
teach transgressors Your ways,
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"and sinners will return to You.
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"Deliver me from
bloodguiltiness, O God,
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"O God of my salvation,
and my tongue will sing aloud
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of Your righteousness."
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Same thing happens in Isaiah 6.
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He sees the throne of God.
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"Woe is me! I'm a
man of unclean lips."
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You would feel
condemned if you were dropped
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right in front of
God's throne right now.
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And they touch his lips
with the coal from of the altar,
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and they say, "Your
sins are atoned for.
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Your guilt is taken away."
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That was our theme last week.
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There is guilt that needs
to be removed. It's a big deal.
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And then He said,
"Who will I send?"
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"Here I am. Send me."
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The natural outgrowth,
the gratitude that we express
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is you can't
keep this to yourself.
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Your neighbors, your friends,
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everybody is also
writhing in agony quietly.
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I don't care how perfect
they seem on the outside.
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They wake up at
2:00 in the morning,
00:10:18.08\00:10:19.38
and they know
they're guilty before God.
00:10:19.41\00:10:20.85
Whether they know
who God is or not,
00:10:20.88\00:10:22.48
they still live with this.
00:10:22.52\00:10:24.15
And so God says, "I've got
the perfect assignment for you.
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"I've got the
perfect assignment for you.
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Help somebody else."
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>>Eric: I like the
term you use there.
00:10:30.36\00:10:32.86
That's the "natural
outgrowth" of recognizing
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what Christ has done for you.
00:10:36.43\00:10:37.73
The natural outgrowth of that
is to share with somebody else,
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which might cause us to
ask an uncomfortable question.
00:10:41.04\00:10:45.84
If that's the natural
outgrowth of us understanding
00:10:45.87\00:10:49.08
what Christ has done for us, and
we're not actively doing that,
00:10:49.11\00:10:53.75
maybe we don't really
understand the magnitude,
00:10:53.78\00:10:56.72
the gravity of what
Christ has done for us.
00:10:56.75\00:11:00.72
>>Shawn: Right, how
expensive was the cross?
00:11:00.76\00:11:03.29
And that's the
thing we have trouble
00:11:03.32\00:11:04.63
wrapping our mind around.
00:11:04.66\00:11:05.96
Last week we talked a
little bit about those
00:11:05.99\00:11:07.93
who want to downplay it:
"Ah, it's just a nice gesture."
00:11:07.96\00:11:10.07
No, it's not. It
cost Him everything.
00:11:10.10\00:11:13.30
We're told that He couldn't see
through the portals of the tomb.
00:11:13.34\00:11:15.47
He was willing to not
come back from that if it meant
00:11:15.50\00:11:17.67
that you could be saved.
00:11:17.71\00:11:19.97
The magnitude of that--I
see people get off on tangents.
00:11:20.01\00:11:24.01
And I get off on tangents, too--
watch me run the clock down.
00:11:24.05\00:11:26.85
But I see people
get off on tangents,
00:11:26.88\00:11:29.72
and they've got this idea
in their head, whatever it is,
00:11:29.75\00:11:32.39
and they'll approach
me when I'm somewhere,
00:11:32.42\00:11:33.89
and it's like--and they'll
run down this theory that has
00:11:33.92\00:11:35.89
nothing to do with anything, and
they're really obsessed by it.
00:11:35.92\00:11:38.56
And I remember one guy
saying-- I said to one guy,
00:11:38.59\00:11:41.76
"That's a nice
theory; it's interesting.
00:11:41.80\00:11:43.97
How many people have you seen
come to the Lord this year?"
00:11:44.00\00:11:47.34
And he blew up: "That's
not the job of the church."
00:11:47.37\00:11:49.34
I said, "So now we
have evidence that your head
00:11:49.37\00:11:52.01
"is in the wrong
place, and so is your heart.
00:11:52.04\00:11:54.58
"If you really understand
the gift of the cross,
00:11:54.61\00:11:57.31
you can't keep it to
yourself; it's too good."
00:11:57.35\00:12:00.55
It's like--would you, if
you came across a stash of food
00:12:00.58\00:12:04.35
in a starving village, hide
it from everybody? Would you?
00:12:04.39\00:12:08.69
>>Eric: Yeah, it's a
legitimate question to ask.
00:12:08.72\00:12:11.76
We're looking at the
foundations of prophecy.
00:12:11.79\00:12:13.96
>>Shawn: Yeah. [laughs]
>>Eric: We're working our way
00:12:14.00\00:12:16.67
through the week's lesson. We're
not moving real far, day by day,
00:12:16.70\00:12:17.83
but we're getting there.
>>Shawn: No, no, that's right.
00:12:17.87\00:12:21.14
>>Eric: If somebody wants
to dig more deeply into this,
00:12:21.17\00:12:24.14
there's the companion
book. Tell us about that.
00:12:24.17\00:12:25.97
>>Shawn: The
companion book, yep.
00:12:26.01\00:12:27.31
I didn't even realize I
was supposed to write one,
00:12:27.34\00:12:29.31
but they called me and said,
"Would you like to write one?"
00:12:29.34\00:12:31.21
I said, "Man,
that's a lot of work."
00:12:31.25\00:12:32.31
And they said, "Well, we
could get a ghostwriter."
00:12:32.35\00:12:33.95
I said, "No, that feels
dishonest." So I wrote one.
00:12:33.98\00:12:36.28
And in there, we put a lot
of the supplemental material
00:12:36.32\00:12:38.59
that didn't have
room in the quarterly.
00:12:38.62\00:12:40.42
They limit how much you can say.
00:12:40.46\00:12:42.06
Maybe some more food
for thought and discussion
00:12:42.09\00:12:44.79
in your "Sabbath School" class.
00:12:44.83\00:12:46.43
I think you'll
find it a blessing.
00:12:46.46\00:12:47.93
Not that I'm
entirely clear all the time,
00:12:47.96\00:12:49.76
but you'll find something
to debate, at the very least.
00:12:49.80\00:12:52.13
>>Eric: And for that reason, if
no other, it's worth picking up.
00:12:52.17\00:12:55.20
If you would like to
pick it up, you can find it
00:12:55.24\00:12:57.17
at itiswritten.shop.
00:12:57.21\00:12:59.31
Again, that is itiswritten.shop.
00:12:59.34\00:13:01.94
You'll find the
companion book to this quarter's
00:13:01.98\00:13:03.91
"Sabbath School" lesson.
00:13:03.95\00:13:05.71
More incredible stories,
00:13:05.75\00:13:07.05
more insight from the
mind of Shawn Boonstra,
00:13:07.08\00:13:10.85
if that is appealing to
you, and it really should be.
00:13:10.89\00:13:13.66
There's a lot of great
content in there and a lot of
00:13:13.69\00:13:15.82
great content in this quarter's
"Sabbath School" lesson.
00:13:15.86\00:13:18.86
We're glad that
you are joining us.
00:13:18.89\00:13:20.83
We still are going
to continue our study
00:13:20.86\00:13:22.70
of the "Foundations of
Prophecy" here in just a moment.
00:13:22.73\00:13:25.57
So don't go anywhere.
We will be right back here
00:13:25.60\00:13:27.64
on "Sabbath School,"
brought to you by It Is Written.
00:13:27.67\00:13:30.14
¤¤¤
00:13:30.17\00:13:33.17
>>John Bradshaw: Five
women who changed the world,
00:13:34.84\00:13:37.28
five women, heroes of faith,
00:13:37.31\00:13:39.75
five women, each of
them from the margins.
00:13:39.78\00:13:42.85
Don't miss "Five Women
Who Changed the World,"
00:13:42.88\00:13:46.29
the story of five
women remembered by history
00:13:46.32\00:13:49.06
in spite of the
challenges they faced,
00:13:49.09\00:13:51.83
foreigners in some
cases with colorful histories,
00:13:51.86\00:13:55.03
victims in other cases--
00:13:55.06\00:13:56.97
victims of neglect, of
crime, and of shameful behavior.
00:13:57.00\00:14:01.57
Yet in a
remarkable demonstration
00:14:01.60\00:14:03.51
of the power of the gospel,
00:14:03.54\00:14:05.54
each woman stepped into the
calling God placed on her life
00:14:05.57\00:14:09.04
and, as a result, is
recognized by the ages.
00:14:09.08\00:14:13.25
Inspiring stories, stories
of grace for women and men,
00:14:13.28\00:14:17.45
sinners who are
honored of heaven.
00:14:17.49\00:14:19.69
You'll learn that what
God has done for others,
00:14:19.72\00:14:21.96
God can do for you.
00:14:21.99\00:14:23.29
And if you've ever
thought you're too bad for God,
00:14:23.32\00:14:25.39
you'll find out
that can never be true.
00:14:25.43\00:14:27.83
"Five Women Who
Changed the World,"
00:14:27.86\00:14:29.83
brought to you
by It Is Written TV.
00:14:29.86\00:14:32.83
¤¤¤
00:14:35.44\00:14:39.27
>>Eric: Welcome
back to "Sabbath School,"
00:14:39.31\00:14:40.61
brought to you by It Is Written.
00:14:40.64\00:14:42.28
We are taking a look now at
the "Foundations of Prophecy."
00:14:42.31\00:14:45.98
Shawn, you drew
something very interesting out
00:14:46.01\00:14:48.78
in Sunday's lesson
about John the Baptist.
00:14:48.82\00:14:51.69
Talk with us about
cherubim and seraphim
00:14:51.72\00:14:53.96
and what's going on here.
00:14:53.99\00:14:55.29
>>Shawn: Yeah, good luck
to you all studying this.
00:14:55.32\00:14:57.63
I've been at this for decades,
and I fully admit up front
00:14:57.66\00:15:01.23
there are some
scholars that say,
00:15:01.26\00:15:02.60
"Nah, nah,
there's nothing here."
00:15:02.63\00:15:04.20
I'm convinced
there is something here.
00:15:04.23\00:15:05.93
In John 5, verse
35, John the Baptist
00:15:05.97\00:15:10.44
is called a
"burning" one, a "shining" one.
00:15:10.47\00:15:12.74
It's literally the
meaning of the word "seraph."
00:15:12.77\00:15:15.01
It's like, okay, we know
he's the forerunner for Christ.
00:15:15.04\00:15:17.98
He's there to announce Christ.
00:15:18.01\00:15:20.65
And the language
describing him in John 5:35
00:15:20.68\00:15:24.02
is actually the
definition of the word "seraph,"
00:15:24.05\00:15:26.99
or "seraphim" in the plural.
00:15:27.02\00:15:30.49
And what's--interestingly,
you know, burning, shining one,
00:15:30.53\00:15:34.73
"Lucifer" is the Latin name
we've given to Satan, right?
00:15:34.73\00:15:38.87
Lucifer does not actually appear
as a word in the Old Testament.
00:15:38.90\00:15:41.87
It wasn't until
we got the Vulgate
00:15:41.90\00:15:43.81
that it was translated that one.
00:15:43.84\00:15:45.14
But "Lucifer"
means "the light-bearer."
00:15:45.17\00:15:48.24
Oh my goodness, we could
study that for a long time.
00:15:48.28\00:15:51.05
But Lucifer was
a covering cherub.
00:15:51.08\00:15:56.25
We know that from Ezekiel 28.
00:15:56.28\00:15:57.75
We've looked at
that in another lesson.
00:15:57.79\00:15:59.69
What does the
covering cherub do?
00:15:59.72\00:16:01.02
Stands right next
to the throne of God.
00:16:01.06\00:16:04.43
They convey a
sense of God's glory.
00:16:04.46\00:16:06.93
It's like they are a
messenger to the outside world.
00:16:06.96\00:16:09.73
They reflect God's glory.
God dwells between the cherubim.
00:16:09.76\00:16:14.80
And here's what's interesting.
00:16:14.84\00:16:16.37
This is from "The
Great Controversy," page 669.
00:16:16.40\00:16:19.94
And this is fascinating.
00:16:19.97\00:16:21.34
It's one of my
favorite books on Scripture.
00:16:21.38\00:16:24.48
"Satan seems paralyzed
as he beholds the glory
00:16:24.51\00:16:27.22
"and majesty of Christ.
00:16:27.25\00:16:29.15
"He who was once
a covering cherub
00:16:29.18\00:16:32.82
remembers whence he
has fallen"--Ezekiel 28.
00:16:32.85\00:16:36.59
"A shining
seraph," it continues,
00:16:36.62\00:16:38.76
"'son of the morning';
how changed, how degraded!"
00:16:38.79\00:16:41.93
Here's the interesting thing.
00:16:41.96\00:16:44.30
I kind of grew up--okay,
we've got species of angels,
00:16:44.33\00:16:47.07
kind of like we have
species of dogs and species--
00:16:47.10\00:16:50.01
we got this kind of dog--
00:16:50.04\00:16:51.34
a German shepherd
is not a labradoodle,
00:16:51.37\00:16:53.54
and a labradoodle is
not a German shepherd.
00:16:53.58\00:16:55.11
They're both dogs.
And in my thinking,
00:16:55.14\00:16:57.11
okay, we've got cherubim
and seraphim, both are angels,
00:16:57.15\00:16:59.11
but cherubim aren't
seraphim, and seraphim aren't--
00:16:59.15\00:17:01.28
it doesn't work
that way in the Bible.
00:17:01.32\00:17:03.05
It appears that they
aren't species of angels.
00:17:03.08\00:17:05.69
So the question occurred to me--
00:17:05.72\00:17:07.66
and this is the
focus of the study:
00:17:07.69\00:17:11.53
Are cherubim and
seraphim job descriptions
00:17:11.56\00:17:14.00
instead of genus and species?
00:17:14.00\00:17:17.50
And I think there's evidence
for this. There really is.
00:17:17.53\00:17:21.94
Let's have a little
bit of a Bible study.
00:17:21.97\00:17:23.87
I mean, that's why
we're here anyway, right?
00:17:23.91\00:17:25.77
Genesis 3 we've
looked at before.
00:17:25.81\00:17:27.68
At the expulsion of
Adam and Eve from the garden,
00:17:27.71\00:17:31.01
God holds out
hope: "I'm going to keep
00:17:31.05\00:17:32.51
the way to the tree of life."
Not destroy it, not remove it,
00:17:32.55\00:17:34.85
but keep it, guard it.
00:17:34.88\00:17:36.69
You can't have it
yet because sinners,
00:17:36.72\00:17:38.59
if they eat from the
tree, will suffer forever.
00:17:38.62\00:17:41.22
We've touched on that.
00:17:41.26\00:17:42.56
We've looked at the
fact that God places cherubim
00:17:42.59\00:17:45.49
at the gates of Eden
with a shining presence,
00:17:45.53\00:17:48.53
a brilliant
sword in between them.
00:17:48.56\00:17:50.80
The picture--and we
looked at this previously--
00:17:50.83\00:17:53.27
the picture is
that of the sanctuary.
00:17:53.30\00:17:55.47
It's like a prototype
of the sanctuary service
00:17:55.50\00:17:59.07
because we've got
a brilliant presence
00:17:59.11\00:18:00.84
and two
cherubim, and the cherubim
00:18:00.88\00:18:02.61
only ever appear in
association with God's throne.
00:18:02.64\00:18:05.95
I believe it's six
times-- through the Psalms
00:18:05.98\00:18:07.45
and elsewhere--
"God is He who dwells
00:18:07.48\00:18:09.58
between the cherubim," right?
00:18:09.62\00:18:11.09
God says to Moses, "I
will communicate with you
00:18:11.12\00:18:13.69
from between the
cherubim," in Exodus 25.
00:18:13.72\00:18:16.52
Cherubim, He
tabernacled them there.
00:18:16.56\00:18:18.96
We've made
reference to this previous.
00:18:18.99\00:18:20.36
Hugh Martin,
Calvinist, 1866, says,
00:18:20.40\00:18:24.40
"In the first days of
the family of our race,
00:18:24.43\00:18:26.07
"the gate of the garden of Eden,
00:18:26.10\00:18:27.40
"where God placed the
cherubims and the flaming sword,
00:18:27.44\00:18:29.37
"constituted the
seat of...worship;
00:18:29.40\00:18:30.91
"occupying the place...
served by the tabernacle
00:18:30.94\00:18:33.17
in the wilderness."
00:18:33.21\00:18:34.51
So I used to
think only Adventists
00:18:34.54\00:18:35.94
have seen the
sanctuary stuff. Not even close.
00:18:35.98\00:18:38.61
They "guard the way
to the tree of life."
00:18:38.65\00:18:42.42
Now, here's where
it gets interesting,
00:18:42.45\00:18:43.75
and here's where you
might want to get pen and paper
00:18:43.79\00:18:45.59
and spend a few
hours in your Bible
00:18:45.62\00:18:47.32
because all we'll ever
do here is get you started.
00:18:47.36\00:18:50.86
The cherubim show up
in Revelation 4 and 5,
00:18:50.89\00:18:53.46
that passage that we
looked at, at the beginning.
00:18:53.50\00:18:57.07
And how do I
know they're cherubim?
00:18:57.10\00:18:58.57
The word "cherubim" isn't there.
00:18:58.60\00:19:00.87
Well, the same
creatures with the four faces--
00:19:00.90\00:19:03.61
the lion, the ox,
the man, and the eagle--
00:19:03.64\00:19:06.01
they appear in
Ezekiel, chapter 1.
00:19:06.04\00:19:08.18
The wheel within the
wheel and the living creatures
00:19:08.21\00:19:10.01
have these same four faces.
00:19:10.05\00:19:11.91
Ezekiel 1 does not
tell you they are cherubim.
00:19:11.95\00:19:15.12
You have to read the whole
book, which is the biggest key
00:19:15.15\00:19:18.82
to studying
prophecy. Read the whole book.
00:19:18.85\00:19:20.96
Get to Ezekiel 10, and
suddenly Ezekiel 10 says,
00:19:20.99\00:19:23.59
oh yeah, the living
creatures, those are cherubim.
00:19:23.63\00:19:26.43
Okay, take it all together.
00:19:26.46\00:19:27.76
That means we have
cherubim in heaven.
00:19:27.76\00:19:32.20
It also says
they have six wings.
00:19:32.23\00:19:36.10
And in Isaiah, chapter 6,
in the throne room of God,
00:19:36.14\00:19:38.51
it's the seraphim
who have the six wings.
00:19:38.54\00:19:42.84
It all starts to
make a big muddle
00:19:42.88\00:19:45.85
until you really spend a
few hours thinking about this.
00:19:45.88\00:19:49.48
These creatures, these
cherubim with the four faces,
00:19:49.52\00:19:53.12
they sing God's praises.
00:19:53.15\00:19:54.86
They're doing the
job of the cherubim,
00:19:54.89\00:19:56.36
projecting God's glory.
00:19:56.39\00:19:57.69
That's Revelation 4, verse 8.
00:19:57.73\00:19:59.56
They underline in
Revelation 4, verse 11,
00:19:59.59\00:20:01.76
that God is the Creator:
00:20:01.80\00:20:03.16
"Worthy are You,... for
You created all things."
00:20:03.20\00:20:06.00
So they sing the
song of God's glory;
00:20:06.03\00:20:09.20
they underline that
you should worship Him
00:20:09.24\00:20:10.87
because He's the Creator; they
tell the story of salvation;
00:20:10.91\00:20:14.21
they declare that the
Lamb is worthy to save them.
00:20:14.24\00:20:18.75
I'm sorry, save...them?
00:20:18.78\00:20:22.15
"Worthy are You to take the"--
"You were slain, by Your blood
00:20:22.18\00:20:24.49
"You ransomed people
to God from every tribe,
00:20:24.52\00:20:26.15
nation You have made."
00:20:26.19\00:20:28.39
They're singing
the song of salvation.
00:20:28.42\00:20:30.56
They're worshiping
God. Where else do we have
00:20:30.59\00:20:32.26
a group of people
that go out and say,
00:20:32.29\00:20:34.40
"Worship Him who made"?
00:20:34.46\00:20:36.16
It's Revelation, chapter 14.
00:20:36.20\00:20:39.20
So, take all that information.
00:20:39.23\00:20:41.97
Seraph, cherubim, it
seems that some can be both.
00:20:42.00\00:20:46.07
Six wings, the four faces,
00:20:46.11\00:20:48.88
and then the lesson takes
you to Numbers, chapter 2.
00:20:48.91\00:20:51.88
Now, this, this is where I know
some modern scholars are saying,
00:20:51.91\00:20:55.22
"Nah, nah, too far." But many
people know Keil and Delitzsch.
00:20:55.25\00:20:58.75
They put out a really
famous commentary years ago.
00:20:58.79\00:21:02.22
And when they get to Numbers,
chapter 2, it's interesting.
00:21:02.26\00:21:04.39
This describes
the camp of Israel.
00:21:04.43\00:21:05.86
You have the
sanctuary in the middle.
00:21:05.89\00:21:07.20
This is the presence of
God. You have the Levites next.
00:21:07.23\00:21:10.63
Then you have three tribes
on each side of the thing,
00:21:10.67\00:21:13.87
and there's a
dominant tribe on each side.
00:21:13.90\00:21:16.94
So, Numbers 2, verse 3,
to the east you've got Judah.
00:21:16.97\00:21:21.01
Numbers 2, verse 10,
to the south is Reuben.
00:21:21.04\00:21:23.71
Numbers 2:18, to
the west is Ephraim.
00:21:23.75\00:21:27.32
And then to the
north, Numbers 2:25, is Dan.
00:21:27.35\00:21:31.35
And if you read
the passage, it says
00:21:31.39\00:21:32.69
they all flew
their own standard.
00:21:32.72\00:21:35.69
They all flew flags, but
one dominant tribe on each side.
00:21:35.72\00:21:40.16
What was on the
standards, those flags,
00:21:40.20\00:21:43.77
of those four dominant tribes?
00:21:43.80\00:21:45.77
Here's Keil and Delitzsch.
00:21:45.80\00:21:47.60
I think this is
in your quarterly.
00:21:47.64\00:21:48.97
If not, this is the
reason you tuned in today.
00:21:49.00\00:21:52.01
"According to
rabbinical tradition,
00:21:52.04\00:21:54.58
the standard of Judah
bore the figure of a lion."
00:21:54.61\00:21:56.81
So this is what the rabbis
have taught for centuries.
00:21:56.85\00:21:59.41
"Reuben [was] the
likeness of a man,
00:21:59.45\00:22:01.48
"Ephraim the figure of an ox,...
00:22:01.52\00:22:03.12
"Dan the figure of an eagle;
00:22:03.15\00:22:05.39
"so that the
four living creatures
00:22:05.42\00:22:06.72
"united in cherubic
forms described by Ezekiel
00:22:06.76\00:22:08.62
were represented on
these four standards."
00:22:08.66\00:22:11.23
Wait a minute, these
are sinners gathered around,
00:22:11.26\00:22:14.30
and God marks them
00:22:14.30\00:22:15.70
like they're the four
faces of the cherubim.
00:22:15.73\00:22:20.27
If cherub is a job description
and not a species of angel,
00:22:20.30\00:22:23.44
what job did
Israel have in this world?
00:22:23.47\00:22:26.21
Why did God set up
the sanctuary system?
00:22:26.24\00:22:28.34
Why did He place them at
the crossroads of the world?
00:22:28.38\00:22:31.08
They were to herald God's
glory, His name, His character
00:22:31.11\00:22:34.28
and announce the coming Messiah.
00:22:34.32\00:22:36.82
We were functioning as cherubim.
00:22:36.85\00:22:40.26
It's a job--if you think
of it as a job description.
00:22:40.29\00:22:42.66
John the Baptist
heralding the Coming of Christ:
00:22:42.69\00:22:44.83
"Repent, the time is at hand."
00:22:44.86\00:22:46.90
He's a burning and shining one.
00:22:46.93\00:22:49.13
He's a seraph.
00:22:49.16\00:22:52.03
Then it gets
even more fascinating.
00:22:52.07\00:22:53.87
And I'm probably running
ahead of you a little bit,
00:22:53.90\00:22:56.30
but there's the possibility--
00:22:56.34\00:23:00.18
Lucifer is no longer a
covering cherub. He was once.
00:23:00.21\00:23:03.01
So you can lose the position.
00:23:03.04\00:23:04.35
See, it's not a
species. It's a job title.
00:23:04.38\00:23:06.98
He loses it.
00:23:07.02\00:23:08.62
And then I put a
comment in Thursday's lesson
00:23:08.65\00:23:14.36
that suggests that
maybe we get Lucifer's place.
00:23:14.39\00:23:16.96
Now, I want to be really
careful with this because,
00:23:16.99\00:23:19.23
as with all human logic,
00:23:19.26\00:23:20.56
you can go way off in
the wrong direction here.
00:23:20.60\00:23:23.40
But there's a passage
in "Prophets and Kings"
00:23:23.43\00:23:26.37
in the description
that Ellen White gives
00:23:26.40\00:23:28.54
of Zechariah 3
where Satan complains
00:23:28.57\00:23:32.07
as he's looking at sinful
human beings being forgiven.
00:23:32.11\00:23:34.88
"Cover him with
a righteous robe,"
00:23:34.91\00:23:37.78
Satan complains, is the quote,
00:23:37.81\00:23:40.32
"Are these...the people who
are to take my place in heaven?"
00:23:40.35\00:23:44.25
Fascinating.
00:23:44.29\00:23:45.82
Could just be the new
population to replace the old.
00:23:45.85\00:23:49.62
Here's what I find fascinating.
00:23:49.66\00:23:51.23
The Christian church
for centuries has understood
00:23:51.26\00:23:53.56
what I'm describing right
now, and it's only in the last
00:23:53.60\00:23:55.86
few hundred years
that we abandon it.
00:23:55.90\00:23:57.30
We abandoned a lot
since the 19th century.
00:23:57.33\00:23:59.70
Irenaeus, the
church father, said,
00:23:59.73\00:24:01.54
look, of course
there are four Gospels.
00:24:01.57\00:24:04.67
Let me see, it's
"Against Heresies: Book III."
00:24:04.71\00:24:07.18
"David said, when
entreating His manifestation,
00:24:07.21\00:24:08.84
"'[You] that [sit] between
the cherubim, shine forth.'
00:24:08.88\00:24:11.21
"...The cherubim, too,
were four-faced, and their faces
00:24:11.25\00:24:13.01
were images of the
dispensation of the Son of God."
00:24:13.05\00:24:16.05
And Irenaeus goes on to say,
00:24:16.08\00:24:17.65
well, of course
there's four Gospels.
00:24:17.69\00:24:19.99
They tell the story of Jesus,
00:24:20.02\00:24:21.32
and there are four faces to the
cherubim. It only makes sense.
00:24:21.36\00:24:23.66
It's not three, it's not five.
00:24:23.69\00:24:25.33
And historically, if you
go look at Christian ruins
00:24:25.36\00:24:27.30
all over Western Europe,
00:24:27.36\00:24:28.63
you will find that they
assign each of the Gospels
00:24:28.66\00:24:32.13
one of the
faces of the cherubim.
00:24:32.17\00:24:34.20
So you've got Matthew, and
Leslie Hardinge--rest in peace,
00:24:34.24\00:24:38.71
we'll see him again
in the resurrection--
00:24:38.74\00:24:40.38
he lined it up this
way. I've seen alternates,
00:24:40.41\00:24:42.38
especially on some Irish
ruins in the middle of nowhere.
00:24:42.41\00:24:45.05
But Matthew, the lion
of the tribe of Judah,
00:24:45.08\00:24:47.48
this is the king of
Judah, this is the son of David.
00:24:47.52\00:24:51.22
Mark, Jesus, toiling
patiently, he's the ox.
00:24:51.25\00:24:54.89
Luke, this is the Son of Man,
that's the emphasis in there.
00:24:54.92\00:24:58.26
And what is John? It takes
off right at the beginning,
00:24:58.29\00:25:01.30
soars high; here is the Creator,
the "logos" of the universe.
00:25:01.33\00:25:04.73
We have traditionally, over
the years, said the four Gospels
00:25:04.77\00:25:07.37
correspond to the
four faces of the cherubim.
00:25:07.40\00:25:12.31
Okay, this is
suddenly very sobering.
00:25:12.34\00:25:16.58
If God already thinks of
us as having that same job
00:25:16.61\00:25:20.25
as the cherub,
00:25:20.28\00:25:21.95
what responsibility does
that place on God's church?
00:25:21.98\00:25:24.69
There is only one way
to live as a Christian,
00:25:24.72\00:25:28.16
and that's to
share what we have.
00:25:28.19\00:25:30.56
We stand next to
the throne of God.
00:25:30.59\00:25:32.19
We've been invited to go boldly
through the blood of Christ,
00:25:32.23\00:25:34.56
through the veil, go
directly to the throne of God.
00:25:34.56\00:25:37.23
But God sends us back out with
the same job the cherubim had.
00:25:37.27\00:25:41.20
You know, it's not a coincidence
that they show up again.
00:25:41.24\00:25:44.14
One of the biggest
principles in studying prophecy:
00:25:44.17\00:25:46.31
Where have I heard this
before? Go find it everywhere.
00:25:46.34\00:25:49.31
And the picture that
starts to emerge is...
00:25:49.34\00:25:52.61
well, that's breathtaking.
00:25:52.65\00:25:53.95
To think that God thinks
of us in that capacity...
00:25:53.98\00:25:59.69
>>Eric: We have the opportunity,
the job description,
00:25:59.72\00:26:03.36
if we can call it such,
to share Christ with others.
00:26:03.39\00:26:07.50
What would you
tell someone who says,
00:26:07.50\00:26:09.20
"I want to share
my faith with others,
00:26:09.23\00:26:11.77
"but I don't know where to
begin; I don't know the answer
00:26:11.80\00:26:14.44
"to every Bible question,
I'm scared that somebody
00:26:14.47\00:26:16.91
will ask me something"--
what would you tell that person?
00:26:16.94\00:26:20.44
>>Shawn: Welcome to the club.
00:26:20.48\00:26:22.08
People assume because, yeah,
I've been at this 32 years,
00:26:22.11\00:26:25.65
public evangelist, I know
just about everything. I don't.
00:26:25.68\00:26:29.48
The number of times
that I have had to--
00:26:29.52\00:26:31.15
look, before we
went live to air,
00:26:31.19\00:26:32.92
I couldn't find the verse
that called John the Baptist
00:26:32.95\00:26:35.32
a burning and shining
one, and Eric had to help me
00:26:35.36\00:26:37.59
find it back in John, chapter
5. I don't know that by memory.
00:26:37.63\00:26:41.30
If you think you have the
mind of God inside of you,
00:26:41.33\00:26:43.23
you're off on the
wrong foot already.
00:26:43.26\00:26:45.97
All God asks of you is to
share what you know of God.
00:26:46.00\00:26:51.77
Tell them you've been redeemed.
00:26:51.81\00:26:53.78
"I once was lost,
and now I'm found."
00:26:53.81\00:26:55.78
That's the
essence of your testimony.
00:26:55.81\00:26:58.51
What people need
is not a know-it-all.
00:26:58.55\00:27:00.18
They're sick of those.
00:27:00.22\00:27:01.52
Religious know-it-alls,
they need to go away.
00:27:01.55\00:27:03.08
That is not the job of
the Christian or the pastor.
00:27:03.12\00:27:05.99
It's like, "Let me show
you Somebody who helped me.
00:27:06.02\00:27:08.29
"Maybe He'll help you, too.
00:27:08.32\00:27:10.79
I think you'll
find some hope here."
00:27:10.83\00:27:12.49
It's "I once was
lost, but now I'm found,
00:27:12.53\00:27:14.46
was blind, but now I see."
00:27:14.46\00:27:16.70
That's all they need from you.
That's all they need from you.
00:27:16.73\00:27:19.60
You don't have to know it all.
00:27:19.63\00:27:20.94
As a matter of fact,
nobody trusts the know-it-all.
00:27:20.97\00:27:22.44
I've got stories. Nobody
trusts a know-it-all anyway.
00:27:22.47\00:27:25.31
>>Eric: Beautiful testimony:
"Here's what my life was like
00:27:25.34\00:27:27.44
"before Christ.
Here's how I found Him.
00:27:27.48\00:27:30.45
Here's what my life
is like after Christ."
00:27:30.48\00:27:32.51
That's a story that
every Christian can tell.
00:27:32.55\00:27:35.48
You don't have
to know everything.
00:27:35.52\00:27:36.82
All you have to
do is know Jesus.
00:27:36.85\00:27:39.25
We're taking a
look at Bible prophecy
00:27:39.29\00:27:40.82
and how it can be a
blessing to not just you
00:27:40.86\00:27:43.56
but to many, many
others as we go through
00:27:43.59\00:27:46.06
this quarter's
"Sabbath School" lesson.
00:27:46.09\00:27:47.73
We're glad that you
are on the journey with us,
00:27:47.76\00:27:49.60
and we look forward
to seeing you back again
00:27:49.63\00:27:51.77
next week here
on "Sabbath School,"
00:27:51.80\00:27:53.44
brought to you by It Is Written.
00:27:53.47\00:27:55.47
¤¤¤
00:27:55.50\00:27:59.51
¤¤¤
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