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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 you're with us today.
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We're looking at how
to study Bible prophecy.
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There's a right way
and many, many wrong ways.
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We're going to
focus on the right way,
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especially as it pertains
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to the stories of
the Old Testament,
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helping us to understand
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what's going on
in the New Testament.
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This week, we are looking
at, actually, lesson number 12.
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We're almost to the
end of our 13-week journey.
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We're not quite there yet,
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but we're looking
at precursors today.
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Gonna spend some time
in the book of Daniel,
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as well as some other places,
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to understand the
book of Revelation.
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Let's begin with prayer.
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Father, we're
grateful to be here again today
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as we delve into Your Word
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and learn new things about
You and Your plan for our lives.
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We ask that You will
bless us abundantly as we do so,
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and we thank You,
in Jesus' name, amen.
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We're blessed once
again to have the author
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of this quarter's
"Sabbath School" lesson with us:
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Pastor Shawn Boonstra.
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Shawn, we're glad
that you are still here.
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You haven't left us yet.
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>>Shawn Boonstra: It's
probably a small "b" blessed,
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you know, and not a
capital "B" blessed,
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but I'm the one blessed.
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I get to be here, still chained
to the chair 12 weeks later.
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I'm not allowed to
leave till this is done,
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but it has been enjoyable.
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Eric, you've been a lot
of fun to hang out with.
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>>Eric: Likewise, Shawn.
It's been a real blessing.
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We are in week 12.
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We've covered a lot
of ground to get here.
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It's given us a
great foundation.
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And we're pulling
together some final few pieces
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this week and next week.
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One of the things that
we really want to focus on
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in this week's lesson
is the book of Daniel.
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>>Shawn: Yeah, and inevitably,
we're going to end up there.
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>>Eric: We are. We have
to. It's a beautiful parallel
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with Revelation. Walk us through
some of what's in Daniel.
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>>Shawn: We've been
spending time looking at stories
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that prefigure last-day events.
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I think I want to
throw in a proviso, though,
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just a little caution.
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Sometimes when we see this,
we get really, really excited.
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And you start drilling down,
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and you try to
make every single detail
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and every story
match with something,
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and that's not
entirely appropriate either.
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You can end up
going down rabbit trails
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that leave you in
really weird places,
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and I've seen
people become obsessed
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with some tiny detail,
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and they build a
theory on the detail.
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What you want to
always make sure you're doing
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is broad-based, big picture.
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And so, yeah, we
looked at last week Ruth,
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and we looked at Esther.
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But I'd be cautious
about making every single word
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and every single detail
try to line up with something.
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Look at big
picture, broad themes
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because that's the
way the Bible works,
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and it gives you so many
repetitions of broad themes
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that you start to get a
clearer picture as you go.
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>>Eric: Good, good. Okay,
Shawn, so with that background,
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that little bit of warning,
let's kind of dig into this.
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In Sabbath's
lesson, you're indicating
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that sometimes converts to
Seventh-day Adventist Church
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find prophecy more hopeful
or less frightening than others.
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How does that background--
how does a person's background
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help us to view Bible prophecy?
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>>Shawn: I don't
have empirical evidence
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for this observation, I
just don't, it's all anecdotal,
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it's 30 years working in
churches all around the world,
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and I've happened to
notice that sometimes,
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or many times, people who
come into the Adventist church
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from another background
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find prophecy far
more exciting and hopeful
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than some of the
people who are raised in it.
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And I've never quite figured
out exactly what's going on.
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I think sometimes, say,
in the 1950s, '60s, '70s,
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some people were raised
being scared with prophecy.
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"You'd better fall in line.
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"You don't want to end
up here, hiding in the dark,
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hiding in the woods."
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And I think sometimes for
converts--I'm one of them,
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so let me speak broadly.
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I came into this movement
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already knowing
the world's a big mess.
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You didn't have to teach me
the world is messy and scary.
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I didn't grow up isolated.
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And then I find that you
guys have hope in your message.
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There's something to hang on to.
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And what I discover when I
come in to that message is like,
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"Oh, wait a minute,
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"as much chaos as
there is in this world,
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"as much suffering as there is,
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"there is a God
who saw it all coming.
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"None of it's
catching Him by surprise.
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And there's actually a
plan at the end of this."
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That's relief. That's hope.
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If you grow up a little isolated
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or somebody sort of
basically emotionally abuses you
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with prophecy and tries
to make you toe the line
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by scaring you, I can understand
how prophecy is like, "Oh, no.
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No, no, no, too scary."
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For me, again,
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it's the fact that
somebody who sees the chaos,
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the mess that
we've made in this world,
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the wind whipping up
the waters in Daniel 7,
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and there's a plan at
the end to stop all of this.
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That's hope. That's hope.
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>>Eric: Okay, so there is
hope that should be found there.
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Let's touch a little
bit on Matthew, chapter 24.
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What's the hope there?
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>>Shawn: Right, a
lot of people read that,
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and they say, "Oh, no,
world's going to fall apart--
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"famine,
pestilence, earthquakes,
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religious
persecution, false messiahs."
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And there's one
way to look at it.
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It's like, "Oh, this
is going to get to be
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a really scary place."
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On the other hand, you can look
at it like this: here we have
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a perfect human being,
Jesus, fully God, fully human.
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And finally, we have somebody
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who's honest
about the situation.
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Mere human beings try
to cover up their sins.
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They try to make
it look not so bad.
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It's kind of like, I
don't know, if government--
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I'm not trying
to get political--
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but if government
goes $40 trillion in debt,
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someone will come out and
say, "It's not all that bad.
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We'll never have to
pay the bill, relax."
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Jesus is honest, and
there's something about honesty.
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You know, there are cultures
where people are polite,
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even if they hate you,
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and I have a hard time
navigating those cultures.
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I'm "sweetie" and "darling,"
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and no matter how much they
hate me, they're being polite.
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I can deal with blunt.
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The Dutch are the
bluntest people on earth.
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People get warnings.
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If you're going to
go to the Netherlands,
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you're going to get
your feelings hurt because
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we prize bluntness and
honesty above all else.
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We figure we're
doing you a favor
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by telling you
what we're thinking.
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So there's a big part of
me--maybe it's cultural--
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I look at Jesus saying
here's the way it's going,
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and I think, "Finally,
somebody's telling the truth."
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I can live with the truth.
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But then He couples that
warning, again, with comfort.
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How often does
Jesus say "fear not"
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when He's talking
about His return in John 14?
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"Let not your
hearts be troubled."
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At His resurrection
in Luke, chapter 24,
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"Why are you troubled?
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"Why do doubts
arise in your heart?
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"See my hands
and feet? It's me."
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So I have to try
and take that over
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into my own realm of worries
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about the way life is
going and my own anxieties.
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And do I fear?
Yeah, inappropriately.
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I think it was Mark Twain said,
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"Half of what you
worry about never happens"--
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or more than that.
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But, you know, how do I
learn to live in "fear not"?
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It's that Jesus says, "I
see the way the world is.
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I've got it. I've got it."
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Now, if He was
covering up and saying,
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"The world's not all
that bad," I'd start to doubt
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that He can protect
me, that He got my back.
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He tells the truth, and
then He says, "I've got you."
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>>Eric: And part of
that truth that He tells
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we find in the book of Daniel.
>>Shawn: Oh yeah. (laughs)
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>>Eric: Daniel is
just an amazing book.
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It's a beautiful parallel, a
twin to the book of Revelation.
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And in Sunday's lesson,
you talk about Nebuchadnezzar
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and the dream of Daniel 2,
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and then you start
going into Daniel 3.
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So bring us
through this experience.
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>>Shawn: Yeah, Daniel 2, the
dream that Nebuchadnezzar has,
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not great for him
from his perspective.
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It's like, "Oh,
you're the head of gold."
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And it's like, I'd be
excited at that point.
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And Daniel says,
"No, wait a minute."
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And this story, by the way,
is why I'm a believer today.
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I could not get past Daniel 2,
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and I had to accept
that God has got to be real.
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There's no
explaining it otherwise.
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He says, "Another
kingdom inferior to yours"--
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well, there, that's
not great, you know?
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At least if I get beaten,
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I want it to be
somebody better than me.
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Nope, Medes and the
Persians are gonna take it.
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And it just deteriorates
from his moment forward.
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Every emperor wants to
think that they're gonna build
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an empire that
lasts a thousand years,
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lasts forever, that
they're going to make
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this mark in this
world that lasts forever,
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and he watches it deteriorate.
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The metals become more brittle
and less valuable as they go,
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and finally the
whole thing crumbles,
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and it's all replaced by Christ.
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That hurts his pride.
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So his first reaction, instead
of bowing the knee to God--
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we know he eventually
does that in Daniel, chapter 4.
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He becomes a
believer. He gets the message.
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God has to deal
with him pretty sternly
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to get him over the line.
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But in Daniel
3, his reaction is,
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"All right, here's a new statue.
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This statue is all gold."
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In other words,
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"Babylon's not going to fall."
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That attitude,
unfortunately, carries forward
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to his grandson,
Belshazzar, later.
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The city is surrounded.
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They know--you can't tell
me Belshazzar had never heard
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that Babylon was going to fall
because it was such a big part
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of his famous grandfather's
repertoire of belief.
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And he brings out
the temple vessels,
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"We can't fall, our gods beat
the God of the Jews," and so on.
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So he builds this
entire statue, saying,
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"Nah, not going to pass away."
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And the lesson for
us is be really careful
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before you build an entire life.
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Jesus says in Luke, chapter 12,
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it doesn't
matter what you build.
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>>Eric: Okay, Shawn,
there's a question there,
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a thought that shows
up in Sunday's lesson.
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How can we be sure
that we're not deluded
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by the mirage of
our own greatness?
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Nebuchadnezzar
thought he was something big.
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Eventually, he
realized he wasn't.
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But how do we
avoid that mistake?
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>>Shawn: Yeah, I
think pride is our--
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is the weakest link in
all of our human traits.
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And sometimes we're blind to it.
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Living honestly will--
even if you're not a believer,
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living honestly,
starting a family,
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having your kids assess you,
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that'll help you
figure out how great you are.
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But as believers, we've
got this gift in Scripture.
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It reminds me of
what my place is.
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I can read a psalm that says,
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"What is man that
You are mindful of him?"
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All right, so all of humanity,
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even if I happen to be
at the apex of humanity,
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I'm nothing in comparison
to the rest of the universe.
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But in particular, what I'm
invited to do as a Christian
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is to compare me to Christ.
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And every time I do that, I
fall so far short of the mark.
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And I think it's one of the ways
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that a lot of
Western modern Christianity
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has begun to fail people,
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because there's one
particular evangelist,
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and he's really famous.
00:10:30.39\00:10:32.13
Names aren't
really going to matter.
00:10:32.16\00:10:35.36
But he's famous for
waiting for a particular moment
00:10:35.40\00:10:38.50
to step out on the stage,
00:10:38.53\00:10:39.83
and this guy draws
massive, massive crowds.
00:10:39.87\00:10:42.14
He puts on a
perfectly white suit.
00:10:42.17\00:10:43.97
He has the choir
sing "How Great Thou Art."
00:10:44.01\00:10:46.17
And he steps into the
spotlight on that line,
00:10:46.21\00:10:48.28
"How great Thou art."
00:10:48.31\00:10:49.68
And I'm
thinking, "Well, please."
00:10:49.71\00:10:52.31
And I've met the
guy and his team,
00:10:52.35\00:10:55.42
so I happen to know
that he kind of is puffed up,
00:10:55.45\00:10:58.92
and he really does think that.
00:10:58.95\00:11:00.36
He might say, "No,
that song's about Jesus."
00:11:00.39\00:11:02.16
But why does he step
into the light at that moment?
00:11:02.19\00:11:04.53
If you're comparing yourself
to Christ, it's pretty obvious
00:11:04.56\00:11:07.40
how far short of
the glory of God I fall.
00:11:07.46\00:11:10.20
And as a minister, I
want to always be doing that.
00:11:10.23\00:11:13.84
I never want to
draw people to me.
00:11:13.87\00:11:15.97
We have such a
consumer mentality
00:11:16.00\00:11:17.97
about
Christianity in North America
00:11:18.01\00:11:20.71
that we run it
like a self-help seminar
00:11:20.74\00:11:23.18
or a Tony Robbins
self-improvement seminar.
00:11:23.21\00:11:25.71
And if we're standing
up front, the thought is,
00:11:25.75\00:11:28.85
"Wow, I'm going to
pattern myself after this guy."
00:11:28.88\00:11:31.85
And that is a horrible thing
that has crept into Christianity
00:11:31.89\00:11:36.56
through its commercialization
here in the West.
00:11:36.59\00:11:39.76
We're to draw people to Christ.
00:11:39.79\00:11:41.60
It's okay to be flawed.
00:11:41.63\00:11:42.93
And I'd say that
about witness, too.
00:11:42.96\00:11:44.43
Nobody wants you to be perfect.
Nobody needs you to be perfect.
00:11:44.47\00:11:48.24
And as a matter of
fact, you're not believable
00:11:48.27\00:11:50.04
because they know in
their gut you're not perfect.
00:11:50.07\00:11:52.97
And if you pretend
to be, you've lost them.
00:11:53.01\00:11:55.18
The perfect one is Jesus,
and if you live in His light
00:11:55.21\00:11:57.95
and you're daily in the Word,
00:11:57.98\00:11:59.28
it's almost
impossible to get a big head.
00:11:59.31\00:12:02.12
>>Eric: Yeah, you've got
to work pretty hard to do that
00:12:02.15\00:12:04.22
and to really take
your eyes off of Christ.
00:12:04.25\00:12:06.62
The more that we learn of Him,
00:12:06.65\00:12:07.96
well, hopefully the more we
realize we fall short of that.
00:12:07.99\00:12:10.93
We're looking at precursors
in this week's lesson.
00:12:10.96\00:12:14.83
We're not covering
everything, we wish we could,
00:12:14.86\00:12:17.30
but there is a
companion book for this quarter.
00:12:17.33\00:12:19.77
Tell us about that.
00:12:19.80\00:12:21.10
>>Shawn: They've titled
it "How to Study Prophecy,"
00:12:21.14\00:12:23.71
and it looks at all of
these themes in more detail.
00:12:23.74\00:12:25.74
I mean, we're barely touching
00:12:25.77\00:12:27.08
the tip of the
iceberg together here,
00:12:27.11\00:12:28.98
and even the
quarterly just gets you started
00:12:29.01\00:12:30.95
on some of these themes.
00:12:30.98\00:12:32.28
I've put supplemental
material in the book
00:12:32.31\00:12:34.05
so that maybe it'll help enrich
your study and your class time.
00:12:34.08\00:12:37.45
>>Eric: And you'll be blessed
if you pick that book up.
00:12:37.49\00:12:39.15
Whether you are
teaching the class
00:12:39.19\00:12:40.66
or participating in the class,
00:12:40.69\00:12:42.49
you'll want to
pick this book up.
00:12:42.52\00:12:43.83
It is found at itiswritten.shop.
00:12:43.86\00:12:46.70
Again, itiswritten.shop.
00:12:46.73\00:12:48.76
Just look for the companion book
00:12:48.80\00:12:50.10
to this quarter's
"Sabbath School" lesson.
00:12:50.13\00:12:51.67
We're going to be right back.
00:12:51.70\00:12:53.00
We're going to delve
into Daniel, chapter 3
00:12:53.03\00:12:55.97
and Revelation, chapter 13
00:12:56.00\00:12:57.87
and see some
incredible parallels,
00:12:57.91\00:13:00.44
and we're going to cover
some more ground as well.
00:13:00.48\00:13:02.08
So don't miss it.
00:13:02.11\00:13:03.41
We'll be right back
here on "Sabbath School,"
00:13:03.45\00:13:05.01
brought to you by It Is Written.
00:13:05.05\00:13:06.85
¤¤¤
00:13:06.88\00:13:08.88
>>John Bradshaw: In one
of the most dramatic stories
00:13:11.32\00:13:13.19
in the Bible, the
world's mightiest kingdom
00:13:13.22\00:13:15.69
gives way in a remarkable
fulfillment of prophecy
00:13:15.72\00:13:19.69
as a bloodless hand
appears from out of nowhere
00:13:19.73\00:13:21.73
and the writing is on the
wall for a king and an empire.
00:13:21.76\00:13:26.50
Don't miss "The
Writing on the Wall"
00:13:26.53\00:13:29.27
as we study Daniel, chapter 5
00:13:29.30\00:13:31.37
in our ongoing series
on the book of Daniel.
00:13:31.41\00:13:34.71
An irresponsible king
parties while a fierce enemy
00:13:34.74\00:13:38.11
is literally at the
gates of his capital city.
00:13:38.15\00:13:41.75
And after his brazen display
of blasphemy towards God,
00:13:41.78\00:13:45.29
heaven declares he has
"been weighed in the balances
00:13:45.32\00:13:47.99
and found wanting."
00:13:48.02\00:13:50.16
"The Writing on the
Wall," Daniel, chapter 5.
00:13:50.19\00:13:53.90
God's prophetic
word is fulfilled
00:13:53.93\00:13:56.43
in a faith-building
story that gives us insights
00:13:56.46\00:13:59.00
into the final
days of earth's history.
00:13:59.03\00:14:01.47
"The Writing on the
Wall," Daniel, chapter 5,
00:14:01.50\00:14:05.14
brought to you
by It Is Written TV.
00:14:05.17\00:14:08.68
>>John: You know
that at It Is Written,
00:14:11.58\00:14:12.91
we are serious about
studying the Word of God,
00:14:12.95\00:14:15.45
and we encourage you
to be serious as well.
00:14:15.48\00:14:18.02
Well, here's what you do
00:14:18.05\00:14:19.35
if you want to dig
deeper into God's Word.
00:14:19.39\00:14:21.26
Go to itiswritten.study
00:14:21.29\00:14:23.49
for the It Is Written
Bible study guides online,
00:14:23.53\00:14:26.36
25 in-depth Bible studies
that will take you through
00:14:26.39\00:14:29.16
the major
teachings of the Bible.
00:14:29.20\00:14:31.30
You'll be
blessed, and it's something
00:14:31.33\00:14:32.97
you'll want to tell
others about as well:
00:14:33.00\00:14:34.90
itiswritten.study.
00:14:34.94\00:14:36.60
Go further: itiswritten.study.
00:14:36.64\00:14:39.31
¤¤¤
00:14:41.31\00:14:45.61
>>Eric: Welcome
back to "Sabbath School,"
00:14:45.65\00:14:47.28
brought to you by It Is Written.
00:14:47.32\00:14:48.78
We're looking at precursors
00:14:48.82\00:14:50.12
to help us
understand Bible prophecy.
00:14:50.15\00:14:53.15
Shawn, let's dig into
the book of Daniel here
00:14:53.19\00:14:55.76
and parallel with
the book of Revelation.
00:14:55.79\00:14:57.56
You spent some time looking
at the story in Daniel 3,
00:14:57.59\00:14:59.66
a favorite story of mine.
00:14:59.69\00:15:01.10
Daniel 3 and the
parallels with Revelation 13,
00:15:01.13\00:15:04.27
walk us through this.
00:15:04.30\00:15:05.60
>>Shawn: Well, obviously,
you know, if you don't bow down
00:15:05.63\00:15:08.14
to the image in
Daniel, chapter 3,
00:15:08.17\00:15:10.11
there's a death penalty for it.
00:15:10.14\00:15:12.07
And the same thing happens
00:15:12.11\00:15:13.58
in the latter
part of Revelation 13.
00:15:13.61\00:15:15.64
The second beast demands
worship of the first beast,
00:15:15.68\00:15:17.91
and if you don't
comply, there's persecution.
00:15:17.95\00:15:20.08
There's deplatforming,
00:15:20.12\00:15:22.08
to kind of throw
a modern spin on it.
00:15:22.12\00:15:24.42
There's demonetization.
00:15:24.45\00:15:26.79
And then there's the
death penalty at the end.
00:15:26.82\00:15:29.12
And with the
three young worthies,
00:15:29.16\00:15:30.99
using an ancient term
00:15:31.03\00:15:32.33
for the Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abednego, I got that right.
00:15:32.36\00:15:35.80
You ever hear
people say "Abendigo"?
00:15:35.83\00:15:37.23
>>Eric: Yes, all the time.
00:15:37.27\00:15:38.63
>>Shawn: And, you
know, God forgives you
00:15:38.67\00:15:40.24
if you say "Abendigo," but
start to say Abednego. (laughs)
00:15:40.27\00:15:46.47
They get in the fiery furnace,
and what I find interesting is,
00:15:46.51\00:15:48.94
"Even if our
God doesn't save us,
00:15:48.98\00:15:50.55
we're not going to do this."
00:15:50.58\00:15:52.48
That's a remarkable attitude,
and I have to ask myself,
00:15:52.51\00:15:55.38
is that where I
am as a believer?
00:15:55.42\00:15:58.35
"Even if God doesn't
spare me, I'm not wavering."
00:15:58.39\00:16:02.89
And that's the point
that God can bring us to.
00:16:02.92\00:16:04.99
I don't think I
can get to that point
00:16:05.03\00:16:06.80
of my own
initiative whatsoever, Eric.
00:16:06.83\00:16:09.10
Like, okay, no matter
what happens here, I'm fine.
00:16:09.13\00:16:12.33
You know, I--as a human being,
00:16:12.37\00:16:13.67
I want to cling to the
hope on the other side.
00:16:13.70\00:16:15.30
But then I remember, "Well, that
was also the attitude of Jesus."
00:16:15.34\00:16:17.77
We've been counseled
that He could not see
00:16:17.81\00:16:19.44
through the portals of the tomb.
00:16:19.47\00:16:21.11
He did not, at that
moment, at least emotionally,
00:16:21.14\00:16:24.95
have a guarantee
that He's coming out
00:16:24.98\00:16:27.35
the other side of the
cross, and He goes there anyway
00:16:27.38\00:16:29.82
for the joy
that's set before Him.
00:16:29.85\00:16:31.39
"My God, my God, why
have You forsaken me?"
00:16:31.42\00:16:34.22
And we're called to
follow in Christ's footsteps.
00:16:34.26\00:16:37.09
"And let this mind be
in you," Philippians 2.
00:16:37.13\00:16:39.43
He humbled Himself all the
way to the point of the cross,
00:16:39.46\00:16:42.53
and I see that in the
three young men in this story.
00:16:42.56\00:16:47.74
The story also reveals a
lot about the devil's mindset
00:16:47.77\00:16:50.84
and how worldly
kingdoms operate.
00:16:50.87\00:16:54.11
And here's the way
that the world deceives us:
00:16:54.14\00:16:57.18
the nations keep
people and pull them in.
00:16:57.21\00:16:59.75
Everybody wants to be
cared for, wants to be led.
00:16:59.78\00:17:04.39
Yeah, on the one
hand, we all crave power.
00:17:04.42\00:17:06.92
We all kind of crave power,
00:17:06.96\00:17:08.26
even if it's just in
your own little dominion.
00:17:08.29\00:17:09.92
You'd like to be king
of your little kingdom.
00:17:09.96\00:17:12.63
We crave power, but
we also, most of us,
00:17:12.66\00:17:15.50
crave leadership from somebody
00:17:15.53\00:17:18.03
who offers us the
promise of a false Eden,
00:17:18.07\00:17:21.04
and that's the way
I've been talking about
00:17:21.07\00:17:23.64
the nations in the
Bible, these city-states.
00:17:23.67\00:17:26.34
It's a counterfeit of Eden.
00:17:26.37\00:17:28.08
We've got food in
here. We've got protection.
00:17:28.11\00:17:30.15
We can replace Eden on our own.
00:17:30.18\00:17:32.38
We want leadership
from somebody who offers,
00:17:32.41\00:17:34.95
well, to use prophetic
language, peace and security.
00:17:34.98\00:17:38.59
So, a strong man
shows up. We hope it's true.
00:17:38.62\00:17:41.32
We think if the guy at the top
00:17:41.36\00:17:42.66
finds everything
that we're looking for
00:17:42.69\00:17:44.16
and he gets all of his power,
00:17:44.19\00:17:45.53
it's gonna
trickle down to all of us.
00:17:45.56\00:17:47.13
It pulls us in.
00:17:47.13\00:17:49.73
The problem
with the whole system
00:17:49.76\00:17:51.10
is that when
somebody rises to the top,
00:17:51.13\00:17:52.77
a Nebuchadnezzar
or Gilgamesh/Nimrod
00:17:52.80\00:17:56.37
in the Old Testament,
00:17:56.40\00:17:57.71
they're also broken,
selfish human beings.
00:17:57.74\00:17:59.77
And they may have
made all these promises,
00:17:59.81\00:18:01.34
they may have even had
00:18:01.38\00:18:02.74
good intentions
at the beginning,
00:18:02.78\00:18:04.15
but when they rise to the top,
00:18:04.18\00:18:06.95
everybody becomes
a means to their end.
00:18:06.98\00:18:10.29
We know that
historically about Gilgamesh.
00:18:10.32\00:18:12.42
When you read the tablets--
and we think he was Nimrod--
00:18:12.45\00:18:15.59
he builds the city of Uruk,
00:18:15.62\00:18:17.63
and he enslaves his
own people in the end.
00:18:17.66\00:18:20.36
"Well, we need to
build these walls.
00:18:20.40\00:18:21.66
Don't forget,
you'll be protected too."
00:18:21.70\00:18:23.03
But he makes
slaves out of the men,
00:18:23.06\00:18:24.37
and while they're
busy building the wall,
00:18:24.40\00:18:25.70
he steals all their wives.
00:18:25.73\00:18:27.57
It's still about a grand--that's
where the system falls apart.
00:18:27.60\00:18:31.47
And because
pride is always hungry,
00:18:31.51\00:18:33.64
the more powerful
that ruler becomes,
00:18:33.68\00:18:35.71
the worse the system becomes.
00:18:35.74\00:18:37.98
And we have seen that play out
over and over and over and over.
00:18:38.01\00:18:42.12
I mean, do we think
Stalin rose to power by saying,
00:18:42.15\00:18:45.39
"You know what,
I'm going to subdue
00:18:45.42\00:18:46.79
20 million people,
put them to death?"
00:18:46.82\00:18:48.56
No, that's where it ended.
00:18:48.59\00:18:50.39
It's the promise of, "I
can hold this empire together.
00:18:50.43\00:18:53.19
I can give you."
00:18:53.23\00:18:54.50
And what they're offering
is what we crave in Jesus,
00:18:54.56\00:18:57.40
if you really
want to put it bluntly.
00:18:57.43\00:18:59.00
We want that peace
and security and a future,
00:18:59.03\00:19:01.57
and we're turning
to the wrong people.
00:19:01.60\00:19:03.74
That's part of the
lesson there in Revelation 13.
00:19:03.77\00:19:07.64
It's going to end badly.
00:19:07.68\00:19:08.98
If you're trusting the
governments of this world
00:19:09.01\00:19:11.21
to solve your problems, God
says, "Here's how that ends:
00:19:11.25\00:19:15.08
"it's going to end the
same way it always has,
00:19:15.12\00:19:17.05
except this time."
00:19:17.09\00:19:18.75
I mean, what you have in
Revelation 13, in particular--
00:19:18.79\00:19:21.82
you've got all
these separate kingdoms
00:19:21.86\00:19:23.36
in Daniel, chapter 7--
00:19:23.39\00:19:25.03
the empires that come and
go and fight over territory,
00:19:25.06\00:19:27.66
and there's conflict.
00:19:27.73\00:19:29.90
In the end, there's
the final amalgamation.
00:19:29.93\00:19:32.10
It's like, all of those
beasts, all in one thing?
00:19:32.13\00:19:34.20
Yeah, this is the end result
of running the world ourselves,
00:19:34.24\00:19:38.17
and God holds it out, saying,
00:19:38.21\00:19:39.91
"If this is where
your peace and security is,
00:19:39.94\00:19:43.28
it's going to end the
same way it always has."
00:19:43.31\00:19:45.91
I think that's
one of the reasons
00:19:45.95\00:19:47.25
that the themes
repeat over and over and over
00:19:47.28\00:19:49.48
in the Bible so we can see,
00:19:49.52\00:19:50.82
my goodness, it ended
this way every single time.
00:19:50.85\00:19:52.72
It ended that way in Daniel 3.
00:19:52.75\00:19:54.59
"Okay, I'm not
going to bow down."
00:19:54.62\00:19:56.79
"I'm going to kill you."
00:19:56.83\00:19:58.06
There's no peace and security
for believers in this empire.
00:19:58.09\00:20:01.03
Same thing
happens in Revelation 13.
00:20:01.06\00:20:03.06
>>Eric: Shawn, let me
ask you this question.
00:20:03.10\00:20:04.73
In both Daniel
and in Revelation,
00:20:04.77\00:20:08.24
we see that God
allows some persecution.
00:20:08.27\00:20:11.41
Why does He
allow this persecution?
00:20:11.44\00:20:13.24
>>Shawn: Right, it bothers
us, it really does bother us
00:20:13.27\00:20:15.51
at a human level, which, again,
we mentioned this earlier.
00:20:15.54\00:20:18.51
It's one of the
reasons I think people cling
00:20:18.55\00:20:20.75
to this falsehood we
concocted in the 19th century,
00:20:20.78\00:20:23.72
that there is a secret rapture,
or there is a pre-trib rapture
00:20:23.75\00:20:27.66
and we're out of here
when the problems start.
00:20:27.69\00:20:29.92
We crave that
'cause, I mean, really,
00:20:29.96\00:20:31.39
who really wants
to go through it?
00:20:31.43\00:20:32.73
I--you know, I
know I'm going to die,
00:20:32.76\00:20:34.46
but I don't particularly
want to be tortured to death.
00:20:34.50\00:20:36.83
You know, I'm a human being.
00:20:36.87\00:20:38.50
So why does God
allow it to get that bad?
00:20:38.53\00:20:42.67
I think there's a
number of reasons,
00:20:42.70\00:20:44.01
and I don't
have the mind of God.
00:20:44.04\00:20:45.64
All I have is what He reveals.
00:20:45.67\00:20:48.68
But I think God puts the
truth about us on full display.
00:20:48.71\00:20:52.28
If we don't see the
end result of our choices,
00:20:52.31\00:20:55.65
that human pride, following
after the prideful angel
00:20:55.68\00:21:00.42
ends very, very badly.
00:21:00.46\00:21:02.29
I think if we aren't allowed
to run the entire course of it,
00:21:02.32\00:21:05.79
would there be a--I mean, we're
always gonna have free will,
00:21:05.83\00:21:08.46
even in the kingdom.
00:21:08.50\00:21:10.03
Would there be a
nagging question like,
00:21:10.07\00:21:11.63
"Maybe it wasn't all that bad.
00:21:11.67\00:21:13.13
"Maybe that
could have worked out.
00:21:13.17\00:21:14.60
"Did we really need to
eliminate all those people
00:21:14.64\00:21:17.21
causing all those problems?"
00:21:17.24\00:21:18.87
God puts the
truth on full display.
00:21:18.91\00:21:21.61
And also, by letting people
run all the way to the end zone,
00:21:21.64\00:21:24.25
nobody can plead ignorance.
00:21:24.28\00:21:25.65
"Well, I wasn't
going to get that evil."
00:21:25.68\00:21:27.15
Yeah, you were.
00:21:27.18\00:21:28.92
And we're not the
only parties to this thing.
00:21:28.95\00:21:31.45
Angels were in heaven
when the rebellion started,
00:21:31.49\00:21:34.16
and I'm guessing--
because they're also not,
00:21:34.19\00:21:37.16
you know, omniscient--
they've got some questions, too.
00:21:37.19\00:21:40.20
You know, like,
"Okay, those angels are gone.
00:21:40.23\00:21:42.93
"We understand
why. We saw the cross.
00:21:42.96\00:21:44.97
"Satan's no longer welcome
here in the kingdom of heaven.
00:21:45.00\00:21:47.54
We understand all that."
00:21:47.57\00:21:49.54
But do you think they
have every question answered,
00:21:49.57\00:21:51.51
or does God let evil play
out until everybody can see it
00:21:51.54\00:21:56.11
for themselves and
say, "All right, enough,
00:21:56.14\00:22:00.48
"I get it, I finally get it.
00:22:00.52\00:22:03.02
"It's true; this is wickedness.
00:22:03.05\00:22:05.22
this can't be
allowed in God's universe"?
00:22:05.25\00:22:07.39
>>Eric: Good, very good.
00:22:07.42\00:22:09.92
Daniel 12, you point us
to the crisis in Daniel 12.
00:22:09.96\00:22:14.93
What is that
passage of Daniel 12
00:22:14.93\00:22:17.77
teaching us to expect?
00:22:17.80\00:22:19.37
>>Shawn: Yeah, big
topic, but here it is.
00:22:19.40\00:22:21.40
It's Daniel 12, verse 1.
00:22:21.44\00:22:23.27
"At that time
shall arise Michael."
00:22:23.30\00:22:25.34
If we had an extra
hour, we could study
00:22:25.37\00:22:27.08
that figure there as well,
00:22:27.11\00:22:29.28
but, "At that time
shall arise Michael,
00:22:29.31\00:22:31.45
"the great prince who
has charge of your people.
00:22:31.48\00:22:35.25
"And there shall
be a time of trouble,
00:22:35.28\00:22:38.39
"such as never has been
00:22:38.42\00:22:39.99
"since there was a
nation [until] that time.
00:22:40.02\00:22:42.72
But at that time your
people shall be delivered"--
00:22:42.76\00:22:45.09
see, again, shows the truth
00:22:45.13\00:22:47.10
about where humanity on
its own course is headed,
00:22:47.13\00:22:49.53
and then here comes the hope:
00:22:49.56\00:22:50.87
"At that time your
people shall be delivered,
00:22:50.90\00:22:52.50
"everyone whose name shall
be found written in the book.
00:22:52.53\00:22:54.87
"And many of those who
sleep in the dust of the earth
00:22:54.90\00:22:57.17
"shall awake, some
to everlasting life,
00:22:57.21\00:22:59.77
...some to shame and
everlasting contempt."
00:22:59.81\00:23:01.58
There we have, in summary form,
00:23:01.61\00:23:03.28
the two resurrections
separated by a thousand years.
00:23:03.31\00:23:05.58
If you read the whole Bible,
00:23:05.61\00:23:06.92
you realize this doesn't
happen at the same moment.
00:23:06.95\00:23:09.08
Again, this is
why it's so important
00:23:09.12\00:23:10.42
to always read the whole thing.
00:23:10.45\00:23:14.26
"At that time your
people shall be delivered,
00:23:14.29\00:23:15.59
"everyone whose name shall
be found written in the book.
00:23:15.62\00:23:17.09
"...Many...who sleep in the
dust of the earth shall awake,
00:23:17.13\00:23:19.16
"some to everlasting life,
00:23:19.19\00:23:20.50
"...some to shame
and everlasting contempt.
00:23:20.53\00:23:22.46
"And those who
are wise shall shine
00:23:22.50\00:23:25.90
"like the
brightness of the sky above;
00:23:25.93\00:23:28.04
"and those who turn
many to righteousness,
00:23:28.07\00:23:30.57
like the stars
forever and ever."
00:23:30.61\00:23:32.34
There is so much
in there that we--
00:23:32.37\00:23:34.24
I mean, we've touched on
all these themes already.
00:23:34.28\00:23:36.58
Number one, we
mentioned this a moment ago:
00:23:36.61\00:23:39.51
God is going to allow wickedness
to run its entire course
00:23:39.55\00:23:43.72
so there are no
more lingering questions.
00:23:43.75\00:23:45.99
There's nobody saying, "If
only we'd waited another year,
00:23:46.02\00:23:49.66
that would have fixed itself."
00:23:49.69\00:23:52.76
The cross, we
discussed this a moment ago,
00:23:52.79\00:23:54.93
settled the entire
matter for the angels.
00:23:54.93\00:23:58.27
Revelation 12 has Satan
kicked out of heaven twice,
00:23:58.30\00:24:00.54
if you read it carefully.
00:24:00.57\00:24:01.87
He's thrown out at the war,
but then in the book of Job,
00:24:01.90\00:24:04.91
he still shows up saying,
00:24:04.94\00:24:06.24
"Hey, I'm
representing Planet Earth now.
00:24:06.27\00:24:07.98
Adam couldn't make it."
00:24:08.01\00:24:09.31
You know, that's kind
of what's happening there.
00:24:09.34\00:24:10.85
At the cross, the angels say,
00:24:10.88\00:24:12.65
"All right, we
are done with that.
00:24:12.68\00:24:13.98
We can see the
truth of the matter."
00:24:14.02\00:24:15.98
You and I, not so
much yet, not so much yet.
00:24:16.02\00:24:19.59
It's interesting, years
ago, Charles Spurgeon said,
00:24:19.62\00:24:22.79
"I can't preach the
cross without hearing people
00:24:22.82\00:24:27.93
quietly crying in
the congregation."
00:24:27.96\00:24:31.40
And I thought, "I still
see that once in a while,
00:24:31.43\00:24:33.70
but he said that
happened all the time."
00:24:33.74\00:24:36.54
And I think that
the absolute onslaught
00:24:36.57\00:24:40.04
of our entertainment industry
00:24:40.08\00:24:42.64
has numbed us to some things.
00:24:42.68\00:24:45.11
And, you know, people say,
00:24:45.15\00:24:46.98
"Well, why is
television so evil so often?"
00:24:47.02\00:24:49.82
"Oh, the devil just
wants you to do bad things."
00:24:49.85\00:24:51.39
I think there's
more to it than that.
00:24:51.42\00:24:52.85
If you can flood the
airwaves, if I can get used
00:24:52.89\00:24:56.02
to a steady diet of violence--
and that's what it is.
00:24:56.06\00:24:58.39
Let's be honest. We
criticize the Romans.
00:24:58.43\00:24:59.86
They went to the theater
00:24:59.89\00:25:01.23
and watched
people stab each other?
00:25:01.26\00:25:02.63
Yeah, because they didn't have
a special effects department,
00:25:02.66\00:25:05.07
but you and I are
doing exactly the same thing.
00:25:05.10\00:25:07.34
We have exactly the
same appetite, right?
00:25:07.37\00:25:10.44
And so, after a diet of violence
00:25:10.47\00:25:14.28
and we become
numb to wickedness,
00:25:14.31\00:25:16.11
even the story of the
cross might not hit us
00:25:16.14\00:25:18.88
like it hit
somebody back in the 1800s.
00:25:18.91\00:25:21.88
And we downplay
sin and we downplay sin
00:25:21.92\00:25:24.05
and we downplay
sin, and God says,
00:25:24.09\00:25:25.39
"I'm going to let
it run its whole course
00:25:25.42\00:25:27.62
"till you get to the point
00:25:27.66\00:25:29.22
"where there's no
denying what you've done
00:25:29.26\00:25:32.26
and why it cost
the life of my Son."
00:25:32.29\00:25:34.86
>>Eric: And that's powerful.
00:25:34.93\00:25:36.50
I want to ask one more question.
We don't have too much time.
00:25:36.53\00:25:38.53
We have very
little time to address it,
00:25:38.57\00:25:40.30
but there is a
discussion question on Friday
00:25:40.34\00:25:42.77
that I wanted to
ask you personally.
00:25:42.80\00:25:44.64
What kinds of things
disturb your peace of mind?
00:25:44.67\00:25:47.58
>>Shawn: Coming on TV, really.
00:25:47.61\00:25:49.44
No. (laughs) No,
honestly, I'm weird this way,
00:25:49.48\00:25:53.55
and maybe it's a quirk.
00:25:53.58\00:25:56.69
Small things set me off.
00:25:56.72\00:25:58.35
I tend to be really
calm in a major catastrophe.
00:25:58.39\00:26:00.79
If you and I are in a car wreck
00:26:00.82\00:26:02.12
and I have to
walk down the highway
00:26:02.16\00:26:03.46
and find Eric's
arm, I'm pretty calm.
00:26:03.49\00:26:06.76
But I can't make
my Ring doorbell work,
00:26:06.80\00:26:09.23
I'm awake at 2 in the
morning, like, anxious about it.
00:26:09.26\00:26:12.30
I have constant insomnia.
00:26:12.33\00:26:14.24
I'm obsessing
about things all night.
00:26:14.27\00:26:17.14
There's the honest truth.
00:26:17.17\00:26:19.74
But I'm starting to
learn-- it's been decades--
00:26:19.77\00:26:23.41
that if you leave it with
God, leave the answer with God,
00:26:23.45\00:26:27.52
I start to
actually let go of stuff.
00:26:27.55\00:26:29.15
It's like, well, He's
big enough to handle my sin.
00:26:29.18\00:26:31.55
I bet He's big enough to
get me through to my casket.
00:26:31.59\00:26:34.96
There's the number one concern.
00:26:34.99\00:26:36.22
Like, when I get old, am I gonna
be in a trailer eating cat food,
00:26:36.26\00:26:39.53
or am I gonna be okay?
00:26:39.56\00:26:41.30
And God says, "Don't you
believe I've got your back?"
00:26:41.33\00:26:44.13
So I worry just
like everybody else.
00:26:44.17\00:26:45.47
Preachers worry, too.
00:26:45.50\00:26:46.80
We've got the same anxieties,
and we're all learning together.
00:26:46.84\00:26:50.11
You know, Jesus talks about,
00:26:50.14\00:26:52.24
"You have enough
to worry about today.
00:26:52.27\00:26:53.71
Leave it, the rest, to me."
00:26:53.74\00:26:56.44
And I'm learning to do that.
00:26:56.48\00:26:57.78
I'm learning to say, "All
right, just today, then, Lord?
00:26:57.81\00:27:01.32
All right, just today."
00:27:01.35\00:27:02.65
And leave Him with the future.
00:27:02.68\00:27:03.99
I think that's one of the
messages of prophecy, too.
00:27:04.02\00:27:06.05
I don't have to
obsess about what's coming.
00:27:06.09\00:27:08.39
Jesus says in the Sermon
on the Mount, "Live today.
00:27:08.42\00:27:11.06
I got the rest."
00:27:11.09\00:27:12.39
And then when tomorrow
comes, I'll live tomorrow.
00:27:12.43\00:27:14.20
And the day after,
I'll live in the present
00:27:14.23\00:27:16.63
and trust God with the future.
00:27:16.67\00:27:18.13
>>Eric: And that's
something that we can--
00:27:18.17\00:27:20.14
in fact, we need to do--
00:27:20.17\00:27:21.64
not just can, not just should,
00:27:21.67\00:27:23.44
but need to trust
Him with the future
00:27:23.47\00:27:25.14
because He has the
future in the palm of His hand.
00:27:25.17\00:27:27.68
So we can live with
that kind of encouragement.
00:27:27.71\00:27:30.18
We're going to continue;
we've got one more lesson,
00:27:30.21\00:27:31.95
one more week left as we look
00:27:31.98\00:27:33.78
at how to study Bible prophecy.
00:27:33.82\00:27:35.32
We're going to
find more encouragement,
00:27:35.35\00:27:37.02
more strength when we
get together again next week.
00:27:37.05\00:27:39.25
We invite you to join us.
00:27:39.29\00:27:40.89
We'll see you again next
time here on "Sabbath School,"
00:27:40.92\00:27:42.96
brought to you by It Is Written.
00:27:42.99\00:27:44.96
¤¤¤
00:27:44.99\00:27:48.96
¤¤¤
00:28:24.97\00:28:26.94
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Captioning www.aberdeen.io]
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