Participants: Phillip Sizemore (Host)
Series Code: LOE
Program Code: LOE000027
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00:01 Harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few.
00:04 Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, 00:06 that He will send forth laborers into His harvest. 00:10 Also I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 00:13 "Whom shall I send? 00:15 And who will go for us?" And said I, 00:19 "Here am I. Send me, send me!" 00:23 Life on the edge will enable you to be infected 00:26 harvest before Lord. 00:28 We now invite you into our classrooms to come, 00:31 experience life. 00:43 Welcome again to the Lay Institute for Evangelism. 00:46 Our life on the edge Bible study course, 00:48 I am glad you decided to join us again 00:50 to come back here as we're going through 00:51 the second half of our study on the Spirit of Prophecy. 00:54 I do want to encourage you that, 00:55 if you haven't seen the first half 00:56 of the Spirit of Prophecy 00:57 that you go get-- go back and stop this DVD 01:01 and go back to the prior DVD 01:02 and make sure you see the first half of it. 01:03 And also if you're just joining us for the first time, 01:05 you can download 01:06 and watch all these videos on the internet 01:09 at our website at comeexperiencelife.com. 01:12 And you can also get our study guide 01:13 that go along with these-- with the videos 01:17 you're watching at a same place at comeexperiencelife.com. 01:21 Our study guides, oh I want to, 01:22 I want to give you something here, 01:23 our study guides the way they're written, 01:24 they're not written just to give it to someone to study, 01:27 they're also, they're written with a, 01:28 with a--in the format that you yourself 01:30 can know how to give the study. 01:31 So actually the study guide is prepared in a way 01:34 that you can give the study 01:35 and not just to hand it to somebody, 01:36 because it has a lot of extra notes and things on it, 01:38 they may say you know, tell this or do this or. 01:41 So it has extra notes on it 01:42 just for you as the person presenting the Bible study. 01:44 Because what we're trying to get accomplished here 01:46 at the Lay Institute for Evangelism 01:48 not just for our students, 01:49 but for you at home is you can take your Bible 01:51 into a home without one piece of paper 01:53 and just have your Bible 01:54 and give a Bible study with only your Bible, 01:56 that's probably we're going through marking your Bibles 01:58 and so you can be at any place at anytime 02:01 and may be you don't have your amazing facts, 02:02 or it is written or when you study guides hand to you, 02:05 you discover study guides you don't have one of those, 02:07 but you want to give a study, 02:08 you can do it just from your Bible. 02:09 And so all of our students here 02:10 are getting through that, may not do that themselves. 02:12 So, here what we're doing now 02:14 is we're going into the second half 02:15 of the "Spirit of Prophecy Study" 02:17 it's abbreviated "SP" 02:19 you've seen up there abbreviated "SP" 02:20 and we're going in the second half of it. 02:23 We have already covered up to a certain point, 02:24 we're gonna do just a little bit 02:25 of review at the beginning here, 02:27 it's kind of refresh ourselves and then we're gonna get 02:29 into the final part of this, of this study. 02:31 So, let us continue on if you notice here 02:33 we already give the purpose, 02:34 the purpose was to show that God-- 02:36 that the gift of prophecy has been given to God's 02:39 people through all ages. 02:40 And He continues to do that even today. 02:43 And the Center It part of the study is we're gonna-- 02:46 the prophecy is a gift from God, 02:47 because He loves us. 02:49 If you remember in our previous study 02:50 we talked about some of the prophets, 02:52 prophets that were in-- they had contemporaries. 02:55 In other words the people that lived in the same 02:56 time frame as the prophets, 02:58 they usually the prophets weren't appreciated. 03:02 They weren't appreciated by their contemporaries 03:04 by the people who lived in the same time frame. 03:06 We're gonna find it that's been consistent 03:07 not only through history, 03:08 but it's also is the same thing in our very day 03:11 that prophets aren't appreciated by the people 03:13 who lived in the same time frame. 03:14 Remember, you remember when Jesus one time 03:16 He was talking to the religious leaders of his day 03:18 and He says, you all-- 03:19 I think its Matthew Chapter 23 03:21 if you want to get the idea what's in the Bible, 03:23 I believe that's what it said in that area. 03:25 What He says you guys, 03:26 you decorate the tombs of the prophets 03:27 and you do all these things, 03:28 He said can you say things like 03:30 if we were there in a days of our fathers, 03:31 we would not have persecuted the prophets. 03:33 And he says, but basically 03:35 you're doing the same thing they did today, 03:37 because you're still persecuting the prophets 03:38 and then as today often times 03:40 we look back with this pious holiness, 03:41 we'll say oh, if I lived back in that time 03:44 I wouldn't have persecuted John the Baptist, 03:45 or Jeremiah, or Isaiah and those prophets, 03:48 I would have listened to them, right. 03:49 We kind of like to say that, but yet today 03:51 we're guilty of doing the same thing often times, 03:53 we like to stone the prophets. 03:55 And so we're gonna--as we continue through the study, 03:56 we're gonna find out that things 03:58 haven't change like Solomon said, 04:00 "There's nothing new under the sun", right? 04:02 It's all the same thing just recycled over again, 04:05 has to do with our falling human nature I guess? 04:07 All right here's the text that, 04:09 we 're gonna have reviews in our study. 04:11 We're actually up to Daniel 8:14 04:13 our ninth Spirit of Prophecy study 04:15 we're up to number nine right now, 04:17 we're picking up in the second half. 04:18 You can get an idea of how many texts 04:19 we have left to use 04:21 and we get through those in about an hour's time. 04:23 So we have about an hour to go to finish up the study. 04:25 And hopefully, prayerfully by the time 04:28 we get through the study, 04:29 you get it marked in your Bible. 04:30 You can go give an intelligent, 04:31 a good Bible study on this subject on the, 04:33 of the Spirit of Prophecy, or the subject of prophets. 04:36 So, let us get back in I want to do a quick review now. 04:40 You remember what we've discovered, 04:41 we started in back in the Book of Genesis. 04:42 Does anybody remember what Chapter in Genesis? 04:45 Genesis Chapter, Chapter 5 04:47 that's exactly right 04:48 and we found that we start looking 04:49 at the ages of certain people and we found out that, 04:52 that when Noah was born that Methuselah was how old? 04:57 369, He was 369 when Moses was born, 05:01 when Noah was born, when Noah was born, 05:03 yeah, when Noah was born. 05:04 So at 369 years old and then Noah got to be 600 years old 05:08 and the flood came and then how old was Methuselah then? 969. 05:12 So and so Methuselah dies and the flood comes 05:15 and so God gives a timeline prophecy 05:17 and He raises up a prophet at the end by the name of Noah. 05:19 Say, hey it's coming to an end 05:20 and He'd done the same thing with Abraham. 05:22 Abraham gets the timeline prophecy, 05:23 how long was that timeline prophecy for? 05:25 400 years at the end of 430 years, 05:29 after the 400 years it says after 400 years 05:31 it will be delivered and they were, 05:33 because God rose up another prophet by the name of Moses 05:36 and Moses comes and he announces hey, 05:38 God sent me here to deliver 05:39 you out of bondage and he did just that. 05:40 God used Moses to deliver them out of bondage. 05:43 And then, and then we've found 05:44 another prophet Jeremiah and I told you this 05:46 is one of my most favorite prophets in the Bible, 05:48 it's because you learn to really appreciate 05:50 the fact that no one listened to anything he had to say, 05:52 but yet he faithfully continue to give the message. 05:54 Well, that's something for us to learn, isn't it? 05:56 So Jeremiah, he has given the faithful message, 05:58 he says, hey, don't listen 05:59 to your prophets and your dreamers 06:01 and the people around in you day 06:02 saying that nothing is gonna happen to us, 06:04 because something is going to happen to you. 06:05 You gonna go into bondage for how long? 06:07 Seventy years. Seventy years, now one person answering 06:09 all the questions, thanks, Mike. 06:10 Seventy years they're gonna go into bondage 06:13 and at the end of the 70 years nothing happened. 06:16 No, God pulled the attention of who? 06:20 Daniel, Daniel said look 06:21 I was studying the books of Jeremiah, 06:22 the prophet, who by the way my, 06:24 my relatives even myself 06:26 wasn't really listening to when I was a kid. 06:27 We didn't really pay attention to him, 06:29 because he was a contemporary and, you know, 06:30 we don't like prophets in our time frame, 06:32 we like to look at the old prophets 06:33 and when God raises them one up in our timeframe 06:35 we really tend not to listen to him too much. 06:39 Anyway that's what happened, 06:40 Daniel repents and he says, 06:41 oh, I've been reading the book of Jeremiah, 06:43 Daniel 9:2 I've been reading the book of Jeremiah 06:45 and Jeremiah said, 06:46 we'll be 70 years here in bondage. 06:48 Seventy years is about up, 06:49 exciting things are getting ready to happen. 06:50 So he goes into this prayer forgive us 06:52 for not listening to your prophets 06:53 and then Daniel himself at the end of that prayer, 06:55 God comes to him 06:57 and gives him another time line prophecy. 06:59 How long is this time line prophecy for? 07:00 Seventy weeks. Seventy weeks, 07:02 actually that is 69, it's a 70 week prophecy, 07:05 but he says in 69 weeks what's gonna happen? 07:08 The Messiah is going to come. 07:09 And so God keeps His pattern going right? 07:12 He keeps the same pattern going 07:13 and so at the end of the 69 weeks here, 07:16 God says, okay to the people 07:17 something is getting ready to happen, 07:18 but you have to figure it out on your own. 07:21 No, he raises up another guy 07:22 that no one wanted to listen to 07:24 and who was that guy? 07:26 John the Baptist, so, John the Baptist, 07:27 comes to the town 07:28 and he starts preaching the message and he says, 07:30 hey the Messiah is coming, the time is fulfilled, 07:32 you better get ready the Messiah is here 07:33 and no one listened to him. 07:35 Oh, a few people did, 07:36 peoples were getting baptized by him 07:38 but the majority of people kind of rejected his message. 07:40 And then Jesus comes along and said, 07:42 John the Baptist was right the time is fulfilled. 07:44 The timeline prophecy comes to an end, 07:45 so God gives this pattern of prophets 07:47 all the way down through time 07:49 and then Daniel himself gives another timeline prophecy. 07:52 Daniel gives another timeline prophecy, 07:53 we've already covered it as we studied the judgment part II, 07:56 we've already just studied the judgment part II. 07:58 And we've figured out that this timeline prophecy 08:00 has an ending and we're gonna go into it now. 08:02 Daniel Chapter 8 in verse 14. 08:05 Is that a pretty good review? Everybody up to SP, 08:07 even if you didn't watch the first DVD, 08:09 may be that reviewed enough at least, 08:10 you know, what we're doing here. 08:11 So Daniel Chapter 8 in verse 14, 08:14 I believe Jessica, can read that for us. 08:17 No, let me, let me, let's have Mike read, 08:19 let's just start with Mike there, I am sorry. 08:20 Daniel 8:14, no, 08:22 no Mike don't open your Bible to it, 08:23 just quote it brother? 08:26 And He said unto me, right? 08:28 He said unto me after 2300 days 08:31 and then shall the sanctuary be cleansed. 08:33 That's exactly right and he said unto me after 2300 days 08:36 then shall the sanctuary be cleansed. I know you knew, 08:37 you just had to get into your mind there right? 08:40 We know that text pretty well don't we? 08:41 And when did that timeline run out? 08:45 Does anybody remember? We studied it, 08:46 we picked it up, when did it began? 08:48 Let me put this way first, when did it began? 08:50 457 BC when the decree goes out to restore 08:53 and built Jerusalem, right? And we studied that, 08:55 when we studied the 2300 day timeline prophecy. 08:58 Now here's what fascinating. 09:00 God now gives another timeline prophecy, 09:03 2300 days then shall sanctuary be cleansed. 09:05 If He is gonna be consistent, let us look at it real quick, 09:08 I'm just gonna put it up on the screen. 09:09 If God is gonna be consistent 09:10 as He has done all through the Bible Enoch to Noah, 09:12 Abraham to Moses, Jeremiah to Daniel, 09:14 Daniel to John, 09:16 Daniel gives a 2300 day timeline prophecy 09:18 that expires in what year? 1844. 09:22 What is, what is God gonna do in 09:24 and around the year 1844 09:26 if He is gonna be consistent 09:27 with what He has done all through the Bible. 09:29 Yeah, and who else might recognize this? The devil. 09:33 I mean if you were the devil, 09:34 who do you suppose knows 09:37 the Bible better me or the devil? 09:40 How about all of us combined with the devil. 09:42 The devil right? And do you suppose 09:44 it may be the devil recognizes this, this, 09:45 this pattern it's going on in the Bible. 09:47 So if you're the devil, 09:48 I'm gonna let you play devil's 09:49 advocate here just for a minute. 09:51 If you're the devil 09:53 what would you do in and around, 09:55 somewhere around the year 1844 what would you do? 09:56 Getting distractions. Distractions, 09:59 I would muddy the waters, wouldn't you, 10:00 I would do everything, I could and yet people would say 10:02 oh just reject all prophets, you know, just don't 10:06 accept any prophets, just reject them all, 10:08 because they're all bunch of phonies, right? 10:10 And it's funny because all through 10:12 the Bible as you go through, if we looked at, 10:14 we spend more time studying in the detail about 10:16 Enoch and Noah, Abraham and Moses, 10:17 Jeremiah and Daniel, especially when you get to 10:19 Jeremiah and Daniel and Daniel and John, 10:21 that's exactly what was going on in their time frames, 10:23 like when there was cut comes time 10:24 for God raise up another prophet, 10:26 there will be all kinds of false prophets rising up, 10:27 like the devil knew something was going to be happening, 10:29 he tried to muddy the water, 10:31 so they would all be rejected. 10:32 See, he doesn't care how he gets us. 10:34 The devil doesn't care how he gets this, 10:36 this as long as he does. 10:38 And so as we look here, we gonna ask the question, 10:41 who is it that's gonna come up if you look at back 10:43 at the screen here is prophetic pattern. 10:44 Who is it that's gonna come up at the end 10:46 somewhere around the end of 1844 10:48 at the end of Daniel's timeline prophecy 10:50 that's gonna be announcing. 10:52 What is this person gonna be talking about mainly? 10:55 The 2300 day prophecy. 10:57 If you have a prophet come up 10:58 and claiming to be a prophet in around that time 11:00 and they don't mention the 2300 days, 11:02 they don't mention Daniel 8:14, 11:04 can they fit this timeline prophecy? 11:05 Can they be the prophet that God is raising up? 11:07 No, no because you will notice 11:09 Noah, Moses, Daniel, and John all though, 11:11 even though they had other things they talked about, 11:13 the main trust of their ministry 11:14 was what God called them to do. 11:16 They talked about other things, 11:17 but they also their main trust 11:19 was what God called them specifically to do 11:21 and God used them to prophecy 11:22 other things and do other things. 11:23 So let us look at this, 11:24 I want to show you some things. 11:25 "Prophetic Movements" in and around 1844, 11:28 some Prophetic Movements, 11:29 some things that happened in and around 1844. 11:32 Now, for the sake of time 11:33 we're gonna keep it kind of brief, 11:34 it's gonna be a short list I'm gonna give you. 11:36 There's a really a good book out 11:38 written by Ron du Preez. 11:39 And it's I think the book 11:40 if I remember the title exactly right it's 11:42 "1844 The Day that Changed the World". 11:44 And you understand 11:45 "1844 The Day that Changed the World" 11:47 it's like a, it's like a play on words there you know, 11:49 because a day is a year in Bible Prophecy. 11:51 So he says, you know, 11:52 the year 1844 is a day that changed the world. 11:54 And he actually does a real interesting study 11:55 where he goes through 11:57 and this shows all the things that come up 11:59 and happen in and around that time frame 12:00 of 1844 is fascinating. It's fascinating 12:03 and I'm gonna through just some of them right now 12:05 and some of the movements that rose up 12:06 and some of things that happened 12:08 and it's just unbelievable to me in my view 12:10 anyway that what all the devil 12:12 did around that time frame to try to get a distraction, 12:15 to try to have a distraction, 12:16 he knew that God was gonna do something. 12:18 So the first one that comes up 12:19 is and it's real popular today, 12:22 Darwin's Origin of the Species 12:23 first published in what year? 1844. 12:25 Isn't that fascinating? Now, some people say, 12:27 well that's not a prophet or religion, no, no. 12:30 Listen it takes more faith to believe 12:32 that you evolve from rain pouring upon rocks 12:35 and lightning striking, 12:36 it takes more faith to believe that than really that 12:38 a "Creator Created Us" it is a religion, 12:40 when you have to have faith in something, its religion. 12:42 That people like to say that ho, 12:44 that ho evolution and everything, 12:46 it's like scientific, but they have nothing-- 12:48 they kind like go into laboratory and demonstrate 12:51 scientifically. So in that case 12:52 it's not science as much as we-- 12:55 we try to shy away from saying anything about that, 12:57 because we don't want people thinking 12:58 we're foolish for saying 12:59 we don't believe in evolution, but you know, 13:00 I don't believe that the earth is flat. 13:02 I don't believe that the sun rotates around the earth 13:05 and I don't believe in global warming. 13:11 And I don't believe that we evolve from rocks 13:14 and monkeys and apes and things like that. 13:16 Now, some people say that may sound foolish, 13:18 but you know, people used to believe 13:20 that the sun rotated around the earth 13:22 and if he didn't believe you thought I was a fool. 13:25 And people used to believe that the earth is flat, 13:27 if he didn't believe that you're kind of a foolish 13:28 because of course science and everybody told us today 13:30 that the earth is flat, right? 13:32 And the same foolish people believe in evolution 13:35 and other things, its foolishness. 13:38 And so when this comes up as a--it is a religion 13:42 because people it takes faith to believe 13:44 that you evolved as much more so than 13:46 it does you're created, so it is religion. 13:49 And knew Darwin is their prophet, you can say that. 13:52 They worship the guy, right? So, I think it's fascinating 13:54 that it comes up around this time frame. 13:55 The devil is trying to, now if you remember 13:57 we've already studied about 13:58 the "Three Angles Messages" right and we don't get into 14:00 the remnant church on another study, 14:02 but I think something is fascinating 14:03 because when you read 14:04 the "Three Angles Messages" in Revelation Chapter 14. 14:07 The cry is they call back God-- 14:10 call people back to worshiping God as the Creator. 14:13 But Darwinism says don't worship any God as creator, 14:16 because you evolved, you see, you see 14:18 the conflict in the religions there? 14:20 Christianity and Darwinism 14:21 can't match in anyways 14:22 as much as Christians try to do it today 14:23 because they want to look smart. 14:24 If you want to look smart in front of man 14:26 the Bible says that's foolishness to God 14:28 and I can go and preach about that I just love doing that. 14:30 And I usually do this when I'm giving my Bible study 14:31 on this particular thing or I'm preaching about it, 14:33 I spend a lot of time on this here too, 14:35 because many people they want to think themselves 14:38 looking smart in the world's eye. 14:39 And if you want to do that, 14:41 you will never look smart in God's eyes. 14:43 So, you have to just simply take what God has said 14:45 and so spend a little time on that, 14:46 when you give the study and just make the points 14:48 and if you want another really good point to make 14:50 when you bring this up is 14:52 if you believe in evolution 14:53 any at all other than what we call micro English, 14:56 and you are like a fish may if it's born in a cave 14:58 after certain generations or two they will born blind, 15:00 because it doesn't need it's eyes, 15:02 you know, because it's in dark. 15:04 I've learned something just recently listen to this. 15:07 There's never been--they have nothing to prove of evolution 15:10 where there's actually any genes added to anything, 15:13 things are just taken away. 15:15 In other words though evolved we evolved negatively, 15:18 if I'm sailing like a fish doesn't get or bird 15:21 whatever it doesn't have like better eyes, 15:22 because it needs them or anything like that, 15:24 everything always degenerating, 15:26 is that make sense? 15:27 So, to believe in evolution to say 15:29 that you believe that one thing evolved 15:31 from one to another through a death and death process, 15:33 if you had that, 15:35 if you had death before sin then God is a tyrant. 15:40 If you had death before sin then God is a tyrant. 15:42 So, for Christian to say and I'll explain myself, 15:44 for Christian to say 15:45 that they believe in Darwinism in anyway, 15:47 they believe in evolution in anyway, 15:49 what you're actually saying is you believe 15:50 that there was death before sin. 15:51 The Bible says in Genesis 15:53 that death is the result of sin 15:57 and so if God allowed things to die 15:59 before they were sin that saying that, 16:01 that he will punish things with death 16:04 before there was any reason to punish them, right? 16:06 That's the punishment for sin is death 16:09 and so you got to reject that flatly as a Christian. 16:11 And again when I get in the Bible study 16:14 or even teaching this in anyway, 16:15 I spend a little bit of time there, 16:16 because it is such a heavy thing in our earth today 16:18 and it's fascinating that it was in, 16:21 doing a "Three Angles Messages" 16:22 that they call will be going out. 16:24 They call people back to worshiping God as their 16:25 Creator, it's like God knew what will be going on. 16:28 Well, of course He did. 16:30 And so-- that you have to be 16:31 one of those people that's standing firm 16:32 even if it's against in a face 16:34 of what is called modern reason and modern science 16:37 which is not science at all, 16:38 so called science you could say. 16:39 It's going in the face of all that, 16:41 we have to be preaching that message 16:42 that God wants us to preach 16:43 and that is to call back 16:44 to worshiping God as the creator, 16:47 and He created us. Darwinism said He didn't. 16:49 Let's go to the next snap, 16:50 spend enough time on that I guess. 16:51 Siyyid Ali-Mohammad, the Baha'i' Faith 16:54 and it's like a shoot off from Islam and Baha'i 16:59 that means Gate there. May 23rd 1844, 17:02 he has his first vision so called 17:06 and he announces who he is and what he is doing 17:08 and that he was the herald of the new messenger of God, 17:10 fascinating that he rises up in this time frame, 17:12 I think this is counterfeit 17:14 that the devil brought in the Muslim world here, 17:16 they have over two million followers today, 17:18 two million plus of these followers of the Baha'i 17:20 and they thought he was the, he was the one coming, 17:23 he was the prophet who was being raised up 17:25 and it's in 1844 he has his first vision, 17:27 it's interesting point. Joseph Smith 17:30 "is martyred or shot to death, 17:32 what year? 1844 And even though 17:35 he was raised up a little bit prior to 1844 17:38 so to speak he has raised up, 17:39 he became like when he was "martyred" 17:42 then like the followers 17:44 really doubled or tripled because oh, 17:46 look here this was the prophet 17:47 that's been martyred. Let's carry on. 17:51 Andrew Jackson Davis 17:52 the "American Spiritualist Movement" 17:53 he lived the time frame there is 1826-1910 and just, 17:58 another false prophet, 17:59 let us put it that way, another false prophet. 18:01 Here's another one Mary Baker Eddy 18:03 and definite counterfeit here, 18:05 the Christian scientist, 1821 to 1910, 18:08 wrote a lot about health and things like that 18:10 and health with "TH" not help 18:13 but health with the "TH" 18:15 I saw Roberto writing in his notes there 18:17 and I want to make sure he understood 18:18 that I put the TH on the end of that. 18:20 So, she wrote a lot about health and things like that, 18:22 and then it's Ellen White 18:25 Seventh-day Adventist 1827-1915. 18:28 Now, this is a short list we there, 18:30 there is a longer list 18:31 but I got to the point I wanted to make right now 18:33 that the devil is muddying the water isn't he? 18:35 Is God gonna raise up a true prophet around that time. 18:38 So, our question that we're looking for, 18:39 we're not looking for-- 18:41 we're not trying to answer that question 18:42 and saying okay is there gonna be a prophet 18:45 or is there not gonna be a prophet, right? 18:46 The Bible is pretty clear through the prophetic pattern 18:49 we've looked at that there is gonna be a prophet, 18:51 isn't that pretty clear? 18:52 We've looked at a pattern here. 18:53 So, the question we have that we need to answer is not 18:56 if there is gonna be a prophet in this time frame, 18:58 but who it's gonna be, right. 19:02 You know with this list right here 19:03 just this list I can narrow 19:05 it down to one by just fitting one, 19:08 one part of the, of the description 19:10 we're gonna be looking for it. 19:11 Now, remember in order for the timeline prophecy 19:15 in order for to fit this. What one thing 19:16 that they definitely gonna have to write about? 19:19 Daniel 8:14 the 2300 days they definitely 19:22 gonna have to write about that, aren't they, 19:23 because that's the pointing 19:24 to the end of the timeline prophecy, isn't it? 19:26 And what was gonna happened 19:27 at the end of that timeline prophecy? 19:28 The judgment will begin, 19:29 remember so they gonna be writing about the judgment 19:31 beginning and all-- that's gonna be a main trust 19:34 of their message right? 19:35 They if, it's gonna keep the same pattern 19:37 as they look through the Bible, 19:38 fascinatingly enough it's like, 19:40 it's like God held over the eyes of the devil 19:43 and his false prophets during the time. 19:45 So, they would not recognize it, 19:46 it would not know to write about that, 19:48 because of this list here 19:50 and the list can be a lot longer, 19:52 you can put a lot more in there. 19:53 Only one speaks even writes about anything about 19:56 the judgment hour message in 1844 and Daniel 8:14 19:59 only one and that one being obviously 20:02 Ellen White of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. 20:05 Ellen White, now some people is like 20:07 oh, I can't believe this 20:09 now they're gonna go jump on the internet 20:10 and they gonna type Ellen White 20:11 and they gonna find page after page of a bunch of garbage 20:13 about how she was a false prophet 20:15 and how this and before they ever listened 20:17 to anything else, but I want to ask you at home, 20:19 I want you to think about something 20:20 as we went through the Bible we have already recognize it 20:23 if the internet, if Google was around 20:25 back in the time of Noah, in the back of time of Moses 20:28 and the time of Jeremiah and Daniel and John the Baptist 20:31 what would they be saying about these guys? 20:33 Right, Google have been slamming them wouldn't it, 20:35 especially, especially when you got 20:36 to the more modern prophet of John the Baptist, 20:38 you know, he is wearing strange cloths, 20:39 preaching the strange message, eating strange food, 20:42 not what the rest of the world is doing. 20:44 And so if you gonna be looking for a prophet 20:46 what we're gonna be looking for, 20:48 I mean, one of the things going pretty 20:49 consistent guys and girls here. 20:51 What's gonna be something that 20:52 if we are looking for consistency, 20:53 what we're gonna be looking for 20:54 about them on the internet. 20:56 Everybody gonna love him, right. 20:58 Every time God raise up a prophet, 21:00 everybody loved him, haven't, didn't they? 21:01 They just had so many nice things 21:02 to say about them, right? 21:04 No, you're gonna find lot of objections, aren't you? 21:07 But here is the thing, 21:09 can the objections be answered? Yes they can. 21:13 Now for those of you that have come to Life, 21:16 we're gonna have a whole class 21:17 covering the Sprit of Prophecy here in about four weeks. 21:20 And so those folks at home if they wanna come to Life 21:22 and hear the whole class on the Spirit of Prophecy, 21:24 the whole week long class. 21:25 Then you have to come during the next semester 21:27 that we have you go on our website, 21:28 find out when that's gonna be. 21:29 But for those who are here, we are gonna cover 21:31 all those so called objections 21:32 you find on the internet and things like that. 21:34 And they are, really are simply answered. 21:37 I can remember when I first was studying the Bible, 21:38 and I learned all these truths 21:40 as I am sharing in a Bible study 21:42 and I get to this point, I share my experience, right. 21:46 And I just tell them simply, as I learned these truths 21:48 that you have learned here as we went to this Bible study, 21:49 we went through study after study, Mike, 21:51 you know, we've come to this point now 21:53 and for I remember the first time I heard 21:55 somebody mentioned that the Spirit of Prophecy 21:57 or Ellen White I thought oh, you know, 21:59 it's just like why had to be this you know, 22:01 everything is so good, it's so right, 22:03 everything fit the Bible so perfectly 22:05 but, you know, I found out that the Bible 22:07 actually does teach that God will still guide His church 22:10 through prophecy even in the last days. 22:12 If the Bible teaches that it will be wrong for me 22:14 just to flatly reject it. 22:15 And so I said okay, I'll investigate 22:17 and you know what I did, 22:19 shortly after I learned about this 22:21 I went on the internet I find all the bad things 22:23 that the internet had to say about Ellen White. 22:25 But, you know, what I did it with those things. 22:27 I investigated to see if they were true, 22:29 and I found out what ever one of those so called objections 22:32 there is a really simple clear answer, 22:36 you have an answer to it, biblical answer or, 22:37 you know, or just commonsense answer, 22:39 you know, it's like, you know, 22:41 I've seen all kinds of strange things out there 22:43 I don't want to get into those right now but. 22:44 Ellen White, she is the only one out of all these prophets 22:48 that wrote specifically detailed about the prophecy 22:50 of the investigative judgment, the 1844, 22:53 we have already studied this whole study, 22:54 we've done a judgment to study. 22:56 I want to give you a small example now of her writing 22:58 and it's found here in the book "Great Controversy" 23:00 I will give you that, the reference as we get 23:01 to the second half of this. 23:03 The question, what is the sanctuary? 23:06 Is clearly answered in the Scriptures she says. 23:08 The term "sanctuary" as used in the Bible, refers, 23:11 first to the tabernacle built by Moses, 23:13 as a pattern of heavenly things. 23:15 Now she is quoting there from the book of Hebrews, 23:17 the pattern of the heavenly things, 23:19 and secondly, to the "true tabernacle" in heaven, 23:23 to which the earthly sanctuary has pointed. 23:25 At the death of Christ the typical service ended. 23:28 The "true tabernacle" in heaven 23:30 is the sanctuary of the new covenant. 23:32 Going on to the next slide. 23:35 And as the prophecy of Daniel 8:14 23:37 is fulfilled in this dispensation, 23:39 the sanctuary to which it refers 23:41 must be the sanctuary of the new covenant. 23:43 At the termination of the 2300 days, in 1844, 23:48 there had been no sanctuary on earth for many centuries. 23:50 Thus the prophecy, "Unto two thousand 23:52 and three hundred days, 23:53 then shall the sanctuary be cleansed," 23:55 unquestionably points to the sanctuary in heaven. 23:58 That's Great Controversy page 417 of book Ellen White wrote. 24:01 She is writing in detail right now 24:03 about the whole investigative judgment 24:05 the sanctuary in 1844, and the 2300 day prophecy. 24:09 None of these others so called prophets even touched it. 24:13 They don't even begin to elaborate on it 24:15 or talk about it, because they don't understand it. 24:18 But God has come in and He has given us understanding here. 24:20 Now, when we done the 2300 day prophecy, 24:23 when we studied that judgment too, 24:25 Tom did we use Ellen White? 24:28 No, if you go back and watch the DVD yourself at home, 24:29 if you go watch the DVD we never used Ellen White 24:31 to come up with 2300 days ending in 1844, 24:34 we use the Bible and that's what 24:36 and that's how we determined that. 24:37 And remember what we found, 24:38 if you remember what we found in the, 24:40 in that study was just assure as Jesus came on time, 24:43 because the beginning of the timeline prophecy was 457 BC, 24:47 which brought us up to the time of Jesus. 24:49 That was cut off from the rest of the 2300 days 24:51 and so just assure as Jesus came on time, 24:54 the judgment began on time, in 1844. 24:56 so as just assure as Jesus came, so did the judgment. 25:02 They're linked together you understand that right? 25:04 And so it's a powerful idea to kind of get in your head 25:07 that if you believe in Jesus came 25:09 when He is supposed to come, 25:10 you also have to believe that the judgment began 25:12 when it's supposed to begin. 25:13 And so the judgment is being going on now 25:15 since the year 1844, 25:17 where Jesus moved from the holy place 25:19 to the most holy place in heaven 25:20 and He is cleansing the sanctuary, 25:22 remember what sanctuary He is actually cleansing? 25:24 Us. He is cleansing us, getting us ready, 25:27 preparing us for heaven. 25:28 So, there you go from the Great Controversy. 25:29 Now, the Bible does warn us, 25:32 we're gonna go and now that I've kind of reveal 25:34 this a little bit, we're gonna see 25:35 some of the ways that she actually 25:37 fits the determination in the Bible for being a prophet. 25:40 But as we're linking, excuse me, 25:42 as we're linking into that Matthew Chapter 24, 25:45 I want you to open your Bible to Matthew Chapter 24 25:47 and Daniel is gonna read verse 4 for us, 25:49 Matthew Chapter 24 and verse 4. 25:53 Notice that Jesus gives us a warning 25:55 right when the disciples ask Him about the end of time 25:57 and things like that, Jesus says something 25:59 very interesting, Daniel what is it? 26:01 "And Jesus answered and said unto them, 26:03 Take heed that no man deceive you." 26:06 So, what's the first warning that Jesus gives 26:07 when they ask Him about the end of time? 26:09 Beware of deception and what's specific Daniel 26:11 don't put that down yet. 26:12 What specific deception all we would be looking for verse 11. 26:17 "And many false prophets shall rise, 26:19 and shall deceive many." Verse 24. 26:22 "For there shall arise false Christs, 26:24 and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders, 26:28 insomuch that, if it were possible, 26:29 they shall deceive the very elect." 26:31 So, Jesus warns his followers don't be deceived 26:34 about these false prophets, right, 26:36 He warns us don't be deceived about false prophets. 26:38 Now, if He says don't be deceived about false prophets 26:40 what would that automatically indicate? 26:44 And there will also be true prophets, 26:46 otherwise Jesus would say something like this, 26:49 beware of all prophets just reject them all, 26:51 don't listen to any of them 26:52 because I'm like the last one here, right? 26:55 After the disciples then don't, 26:57 don't hear anybody else because this is it. 27:00 But He is speaking specifically here 27:01 of the last days, He says it's gonna rise up 27:03 false prophets and then you could 27:04 also just add in there if you wanted to. 27:05 Now somebody is gonna write me a letter and say 27:07 you're adding to the Bible, false prophets, 27:09 He says beware of but then, you can just add in there 27:11 and say but you don't have to be beware of true prophets. 27:15 Now, that's not really adding to it, 27:16 it's just, it's just automatically there 27:17 because He says beware of false ones, 27:19 then it must gonna be some true ones, right? 27:22 And so He warns that right here, so we have to beware. 27:23 Now, if He's beware, if He is telling us 27:26 to beware of false prophets 27:28 and we know there is gonna be true ones, 27:29 how do we identify a false prophets? 27:33 And if we identify a false prophet 27:35 and Ellen White, who were looking at here right now, 27:38 we're gonna really go in the detail in her little bit, 27:39 if she falls into any of the category 27:41 of false prophets any of them, 27:43 then we got to reject her. 27:44 But let me, let me throw this out here right now. 27:47 If we come to the conclusion 27:49 that Ellen White is a false prophet, 27:50 I've got a challenge for you and I got a question for you, 27:53 if not her then who? 27:57 Because remember we're not looking, 27:58 we're trying to determine about whether or not 28:00 there's gonna be prophet in the last days, 28:01 especially around 1844, 28:03 that timeframe leading God's church, 28:04 we're not trying to determine whether or not 28:05 there is gonna be one, because there is, 28:06 we have it established in the Bible a pattern, right, 28:09 the biblical pattern, and God is consistent, right. 28:11 God doesn't change He says, 28:12 and so, if we say, okay, 28:14 reject her she is not a prophet, 28:16 forget it, she is not a prophet. 28:18 I'm gonna do that, I really am, 28:20 I'm willing to say no, she is not, 28:21 if I found a reason that I would believe and say, 28:23 oh, she wrote this totally against the Bible forget it, 28:26 she is not a prophet. 28:27 I'm willing to do that, no problem, 28:28 but if it's not her then who is it? 28:32 If is it not her then who? 28:33 So that's interesting question to be thinking about, 28:36 we're not, we're no longer looking here 28:37 as to whether or not we're going to have one, 28:39 but who is going to be. 28:40 And so right now we've already covered that, 28:42 the fact that so called prophecy, 28:44 we're in and around her day 28:46 that I believe we were raised up by the enemy. 28:48 Those so called prophets, 28:50 none of them wrote about Daniel 8:14, none of them. 28:54 And so what we're gonna be looking at now 28:56 is some of the identifying 28:57 characteristics of a true prophet. 28:58 In the next text we're gonna go to is one, 29:00 everyone you should be able to quote from memory, 29:02 so there's gonna be pressure on you, 29:03 we call one of you quote from memory, 29:04 now I'm just kidding I won't do that. 29:06 Isaiah 8:20, Spirit of Prophecy here, 29:08 number 11 in our study, Isaiah 8:20, 29:10 does anybody know what it says right off? 29:12 To the word, to the law, to the testimony, yeah. 29:18 There is no light in them, 29:20 to the law unto the testimony, 29:21 they're speaking, now I'm quoting this word 29:23 is because there is no light in them. 29:25 So in order for a prophet to be a prophet, 29:26 they have to speak according to what 29:29 the law and the testimony. 29:30 What is the law and the testimony? 29:31 Or you could say the law and the prophets, 29:33 what is that? Yeah, when Isaiah is writing it, 29:36 was he talking about specifically though, 29:38 you have to agree with the Old Testament 29:41 as well as the New, we know its the New Testament as well, 29:43 but when Isaiah is writing this, 29:44 he says, hey, if we don't speak 29:46 according to the law into the testimonies. 29:48 So if someone comes along as a prophet 29:50 and they disagree with the Bible, 29:52 can he be a prophet? 29:53 No, so they have to agree with the Bible, 29:55 they have to be pointing people to the Bible 29:57 and I want to bring up one of the, 29:58 and one of the Ellen White's quotes here 29:59 that I think is one of my favorite ones 30:01 that especially in our day and age. 30:03 And I have to try to control myself at this point 30:04 because I get very excited when I read this 30:07 due to the things that are going on both in the church 30:10 and in many churches around the world. 30:13 You've heard that the term called 30:14 "Higher Criticism?" Well, people says, 30:17 well, you know, the Bible says this 30:19 but you can't really believe that, 30:21 you know, one of the popular ones is the whole Quail story, 30:23 you know, you read there 30:24 and when the children of Israel in the Quail 30:26 or flying above the earth like three feet above the earth, 30:29 and the critics say, well, if you have that many quail 30:31 that means every person of that-- 30:35 each one of the children of Israel in order to eat 30:37 the quail not have a big major hazard 30:40 there with unclean things and diseases 30:42 and things like that with all these birds. 30:43 They would have to eat like 700 quail a day per person 30:46 and something like that is outrageous. 30:47 So it's impossible and critics will say, 30:49 well, the Bible writers were exaggerating that story, 30:52 you know, it's higher criticism, 30:53 they are criticizing the Bible. 30:55 And then they lead from there, 30:56 by the way that does have a good answer to that. 30:58 You had to come to Life to our homiletics class 31:00 to find out what the answer to that is. 31:02 And so you guys are over here but they will take things 31:05 like that the stories and they will put doubt 31:06 in people's mind about the Bible, right. 31:09 People do that today. 31:10 They start putting doubts in people's mind 31:11 like one gospel says there were two angels at the tomb. 31:13 Another gospel say there was one angle at the tomb. 31:15 Have you heard that argument? 31:16 So therefore you get throughout the whole Bible. 31:18 You've heard things like this, right? 31:19 So Ellen White commenting on this thing. 31:22 She says it better than I could 31:23 and I would like to say with a little passion. 31:25 She says, "Cling to your Bible 31:26 as it reads and stop your criticism 31:29 in regard to its validity and obey the word, 31:31 and then it says, and not one of you will be lost." 31:34 That is the work of a prophet 31:36 In that one sense, that's the great 31:37 heeds work of the prophet. 31:38 I wish our pastors would have the same work. 31:41 I wish our preachers, and our leaders, 31:42 and our elders, and our churches would do 31:43 the same thing that she is saying right here 31:45 and help people to quit criticizing the Bible, 31:48 and just obey the word and not one of us will be lost. 31:52 So remember Isaiah 8:20 31:55 "To the law and to the testimony 31:56 If they speak not according to this word, 31:58 there is no light in them. 31:59 Does she speak according to the word, 32:00 according to her own confession? 32:02 Yeah, listen to the Bible. 32:04 Do what the Bible says and not one of you will be lost, 32:06 quit criticizing, quit thinking 32:07 you are smarter than God. 32:09 Do you know any time you study the Bible 32:12 as we are doing in our studies here. 32:15 If you find something that seems not to be agree, 32:19 you've seen something it seems contradict? 32:20 You know, the Bible doesn't have a problem, you do. 32:24 Just because I don't understand, 32:25 it doesn't make the Bible wrong, 32:26 you know, how we are humans, right. 32:28 If it is something I can't understand, 32:29 or I cannot explain then therefore it must be wrong. 32:33 Yeah, because, of course, 32:34 we are the smartest creatures on earth, aren't we? 32:37 I love it that God says in First Corinthians Chapter 1 32:41 that the wisdom of men is foolishness to God. 32:44 it's foolishness and so let us just accept the Bible 32:47 it is the prophet tells us and if we will do that, 32:49 we won't be lost. You want to be saved? 32:52 Simply accept the Bible. 32:53 So, you know, what she is saying there right 32:56 throughout evolution, because the Bible doesn't teach it. 33:00 Now our next one, Jeremiah 28 verse 9, 33:02 Jeremiah Chapter 28 and verse 9. 33:08 The next part of identifying a prophet 33:11 is the thing they prophesy must come to pass, 33:15 Isaiah, Jeremiah, and we are looking at 33:18 Chapter 28 verse 9, 33:21 and Mike or-- Jessica, 33:28 Jessica you read it for me, I am sorry. 33:30 Forgot your name there for a second, Jessica. 33:33 Jeremiah 28 and verse 9, go ahead. 33:36 "So a prophet who predicts peace 33:38 must carry the burden of proof. 33:41 Only when his predictions come true can it be known 33:44 that he is really from the LORD." 33:47 That's a good translation, I don't know what that one is 33:49 but that said pretty well. 33:50 In King James, it says 33:52 "When the word of prophet comes to pass 33:54 then you know, then shall the prophet be known, 33:57 that the Lord has truly sent him." 34:00 So in order for to be a true prophet 34:01 according to the Bible they had to predict things 34:03 and those things they predict must come to pass, right. 34:07 So if someone want to give a timeline prophecy 34:10 or someone give a prophecy 34:11 and the prophecy doesn't come to pass, 34:13 are they saint of God? 34:15 No, the answer is obviously no, they can't be. 34:17 So the things they have, they prophesy, 34:18 the things they predict must come to pass, 34:21 it must take place. 34:22 So does Ellen White fit inside this category 34:26 that mean-- Can you look at the writings 34:27 that she has written, and say 34:29 oh, yeah, yeah. She predicted these things 34:31 and these things came be pass that she have things 34:32 that she predicted that are true, 34:34 they come to pass, and that's what 34:36 we're going to looking at now. 34:37 I'm gonna show you one of them right now. 34:38 It's a good one. 34:40 In 1902, Ellen White warned that San Francisco 34:42 and Oakland would be visited by the Lord 34:44 because they were becoming like Sodom and Gomorrah. 34:47 So she says in her days, 34:48 she looks at Sodom and Gomorrah 34:50 and that she looks at actually San Francisco and Oakland 34:53 and she says, oh, things are getting bad. 34:55 Can you imagine what she must say today 34:57 But she says God has shown me 34:58 that He has getting ready to visit them 34:59 because of this, and she has some visions 35:02 about what was going to happen. 35:03 Four years later, four years after this in 1906, 35:07 the terrifying rumble of an earthquake shattered 35:08 the early morning silence of April 18 at 5:15 AM. 35:12 The quake lasted only a minute 35:14 but cause the worst natural disaster 35:15 in the nation's history. 35:17 Modern analysis estimates it registered 8.25 35:20 on the Richter scale that they had on right. 35:22 By comparison, the quake that hit San Francisco 35:24 on October 17 in 1989 that destroyed the city pretty bad, 35:27 right, was only 6.7. 35:30 And here's what I think is interesting about this, 35:32 I was reading a book one time, 35:33 it's about on the life of Ellen White a little bit 35:36 and it gives a description of her. 35:38 Whenever this took place, 35:39 she got her carriage in a buggy 35:41 and went there to San Francisco 35:44 I believe, she went to San Francisco 35:45 and as they took her around that she saw the destruction, 35:47 she kept same things like this is exactly what I saw, 35:49 this is what God showed me, this is exact-- 35:51 And she had been describing it 35:52 for right four years prior to this. 35:53 She was explaining to the people to the world 35:56 basically saying hey, they need to repent, 35:57 they need to turn back because if they don't, 35:59 they were going to be visited. 36:00 And she was seeing these things 36:01 what happened and it happened. 36:03 So that's just one example 36:05 We can go through, I can give you 36:06 one after another after another of the things 36:07 that she said what happened that took place. 36:09 Some other things she wrote about health and more, 36:11 I think some of them may on the slide, 36:12 if they are not, in case, then I go ahead 36:14 and give you a couple of descriptions. 36:16 It was in her day that she said that 36:19 cigarette smoking was a very terrible, 36:22 terrible malignant-- people who smokes cigarettes 36:27 they didn't see the affects right away, 36:29 but it was because of the way it worked 36:32 it was a slow malignant thing, 36:34 in another words, it will kill you slowly, 36:36 and I'm impair for just a little bit 36:37 because I don't remember exactly how she has written. 36:39 It's a poison, it's right, 36:40 it's a poison and it kills people, right. 36:43 Now you and I are saying that's not a Revelation. 36:46 Really, is that a Revelation? 36:47 I mean, it's like in the 60s, 36:48 they started to call, I believe coffin nail, 36:50 because you smokes cigarettes 36:51 you're gonna kill yourself, right. 36:53 That was going on but in her day, 36:56 doctors were prescribing cigarette smoking 36:59 for people with asthma, it's good for you. 37:02 Smoke a cigarette and you feel better, 37:03 it will help your asthma. 37:04 The smoke gets in and cleanse everything out, right. 37:05 It was killing people becoming 37:06 addicted to cigarettes and killing people. 37:08 And so she was saying even though 37:09 science was saying in her day, 37:11 oh, no, no, no, no, smoke cigarette is good for you. 37:14 She was saying no, it's not good for you, 37:15 it's killing you. And then it was like in, 37:17 it was in the year 1956, I believe was the year, 37:21 when the American Heart Lung Association 37:23 decided that cigarette smoking was a causative 37:24 factor for cancer. Science catches up 37:27 with the prophet with the third grade education. 37:30 Okay, let us go on here, 37:32 Deuteronomy Chapter 13 verse 1, 2, 3 37:34 is another identifying mark of a prophet. 37:36 Deuteronomy Chapter 13 verse 1, 2, 3. 37:41 Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, 37:43 Deuteronomy 13:1, 2, 3. 37:48 Who is going to read that one for me? 37:50 All right, Miss Gloria. 37:51 I am glad you volunteered, all right? 37:54 Get that microphone there and get them ready. 37:56 Verse 1, 2, 3, go ahead. 37:59 "If there arises among you a prophet 38:02 or a dreamer of dreams, 38:05 and he gives you a sign or a wonder, 38:09 and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, 38:13 of which he spoke to you, saying, 38:18 Let us go after other gods 38:21 which you have not known and let us serve them, 38:26 you shall not listen to the words of that prophet 38:30 or that dreamer of dreams, 38:33 for the LORD your God is testing you 38:36 to know whether you love the LORD your God 38:42 with all your heart and with all your soul." 38:46 Fascinating, in other words, it says, 38:47 okay, this is how you are going to determine 38:49 a prophet whether or not God has sent them. 38:51 If someone comes along and they make a prophecy, 38:53 a prediction and it comes to pass. 38:55 Does that make him a prophet of God. 38:57 The Bible says not necessarily, right. 38:59 So what we're reading here, it says, 39:01 okay, what they said comes to pass. 39:02 It actually does take place but now, 39:04 now after takes place, they are telling you 39:06 to go after other Gods and do things, 39:07 break the commandments of God, 39:09 then God hasn't sent them. 39:10 You know, of all the lists you could put up there 39:13 of the so-called prophet around that time frame 39:15 that rose up in 1844, 39:17 not one of them promoted keeping all Ten Commandments. 39:23 So, yes, they did, no they didn't. 39:25 Because not any of those except for Ellen White 39:28 promoted keeping the Seventh-day Sabbath 39:30 which is the fourth commandment 39:32 and so according to the Bible here, 39:33 we've already covered these things, 39:34 that's why I'm able to say this so freely. 39:36 Now I don't have to go back and prove 39:37 the Seventh-day Sabbath and prove we ought 39:38 to keep the Ten Commandments because 39:39 the Bible proves that in our earlier study. 39:41 So if you are watching this study right now, 39:42 it's first time you are watching us, 39:43 you need to back and do the previous lessons, 39:46 so you will understand why I am saying, 39:48 what I am saying at this point? 39:49 And even the Bible says, that if they speak 39:53 and they have a prophecy and the prophecy comes to pass, 39:57 if they try to tell you to follow other Gods, 40:00 which it breaks which commandment? 40:03 Well, the very first one, 40:04 "Thou shalt have no other gods before me." 40:06 All right and they tell you to go-- and the second one 40:08 we had grave and images and you're bowing down 40:10 and doing that kind of thing, right. 40:11 Don't listen to them. 40:13 If they try to get you to break the commandments 40:14 even if what they says is true. 40:16 I am seeing that happens even in my personal life. 40:18 You know, this person is on TV and they prophesied 40:20 this would happen and it happened just like they said. 40:23 He must be a prophet of God, let's go follow them, right. 40:25 And so people say, oh, this must be a prophet, 40:27 that's not how you determine a prophet. 40:31 That's one way to determine a prophet. 40:33 The second thing here also is they must also point us 40:36 back to the word of God, you know, many-- 40:38 you think of the people that, it's funny to me when I, 40:41 when I think of prophets in our day, 40:43 and you think people talking about the Nostradamus guy right. 40:46 And they take his writings 40:47 and they take all his convoluted things, 40:48 they pulled out and say, oh we prophesied this 40:49 and prophesied that. 40:50 People are so happy to accept 40:52 someone as a prophet who is not, 40:54 because a true prophet of God will not only be pointing us, 40:58 to things that's going to take place, 41:00 it's going to happen, but they also point you 41:02 back to the scriptures, to the word of God. 41:04 And people aren't comfortable with that part of it, right. 41:07 All through history people have been comfortable 41:08 with prophets except when they say hey, 41:10 you know, what? You are living a life of sin. 41:12 A case in point was one prophet 41:13 we looked at being John the Baptist. 41:15 You know, the John the Baptist had-- 41:16 he was a prophet and then he told Herod, 41:18 he said, what you are living in sin 41:20 so what happened to the John. 41:21 He had his head removed that's right Mike, 41:23 and so true prophets of God 41:25 will not only be making prophecies 41:26 that's come in to pass, 41:27 but they also call people back to the Bible 41:30 and so you have that two fold thing 41:31 found here in Deuteronomy 13 41:32 if they tell you to turn away from God in any way. 41:34 In the word of God, I haven't sent them He says. 41:37 Now let's look at another identifying mark here 41:39 in First John Chapter 4 and verses 1 and 2. 41:42 First John 4:1 and 2, and this is going to be here 41:46 about they had to uphold Christ, 41:49 uplift Jesus as the Messiah. 41:51 So, First John Chapter 4 verse 1 and 2. 41:54 Tom, would you like to read that for us, 41:56 First John 4 verses 1 and 2? 42:01 "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, 42:04 but test the spirits whether they are of God, 42:08 because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 42:12 By this you know the Spirit of God, 42:15 every spirit that confesses 42:17 that Jesus Christ has come into the flesh is of God." 42:22 So, is that mean that everybody that claims 42:24 that Jesus is the Christ come into the flesh 42:26 that makes him a prophet. 42:27 It almost sounds like that, otherwise word, isn't it? 42:29 Because it says, it says, 42:32 every spirit that confesses that Jesus is the Christ 42:35 in the flesh is of God. 42:36 So if the Spirit of Prophecies Jesus Christ 42:38 is in the flesh He is of God. 42:40 John, he was addressing something was going on his day. 42:43 You know, there were people claiming that, 42:44 that they were following God or prophets or whatever, 42:46 but they were claiming 42:48 that Jesus hadn't actually come in the flesh, 42:50 they were claiming that he wasn't actually God, 42:51 different things like that, right. 42:52 And he was dressing that. 42:54 They don't claim that he is actually God, 42:55 they just rejected Him outright. 42:56 This is just one of the identifying marks. 42:58 You know, they also have to, 42:59 also be by the word to the testimony, 43:00 they had to speak according to this, right. 43:02 Their prophecies have to come to pass. 43:04 They if-- even if the prophecies come to the pass, 43:06 they point you away from obeying God's commandments 43:08 so they can't be sent from God 43:09 and John you simply gives a another one, Tom. 43:11 And this other one that he gives us is the very fact 43:13 is that they have to claim that Jesus is the Christ. 43:15 He is the messiah. He has come in the flesh. 43:17 He didn't, I'm so spiritual 43:18 first coming or anytime like that. 43:20 He was actually here, he actually died for our sin, 43:22 they had to uplift Christ. 43:24 And Ellen White also fits that description, 43:26 one of the best books you can read on the life on Christ. 43:28 According to the Library of Congress, 43:29 the librarian works around understand Library of Congress 43:32 that they say that the most popular book, 43:33 most checked out book, 43:34 the most popular book on the life of Christ 43:36 actually is one called the "Desire of Ages" 43:38 written by Ellen White, and it's a powerful book. 43:41 It uplifts the life of Christ, 43:42 it's the commentary on the Bible 43:45 and it's a very powerful insights on that, 43:47 you know, and so you can get that book 43:49 called the "Desire of Ages" written by Ellen White 43:51 and test that part of it. 43:53 Does she oppose the scripture, 43:54 does she oppose the Christ. 43:56 You know, I've had many times talking to the many people 43:58 and right away as soon as they start hearing this study 44:01 they just, without even reading they start rejecting. 44:04 You know, they started rejecting 44:05 because it's kind of feels funny doesn't it 44:07 when you talk about a prophet? 44:08 It feels little funny. 44:10 Anything well, this is the most strange thing 44:12 but as we given as we continue through this 44:14 and especially as we get into the whole teaching 44:16 on the remnant church, you know, 44:19 it's interesting point there 44:21 made in the remnant church that it says 44:24 in Revelation Chapter 12 and verse 17, right. 44:29 Here they keep the commandments of God 44:30 and have the, Testimony of Jesus Christ, 44:33 since he is talking about the remnant church 44:34 having testimony of Jesus 44:36 and they keep the ten commandments 44:37 obviously and then you say 44:39 what is this testimony of Jesus 44:40 and do you know where you go to from there 44:42 Revelation 19:10 and it says the testimony of Jesus 44:45 is the Spirit of Prophecy or the gift of prophecy. 44:48 So, when you, when you 44:50 as you're thinking about these things 44:51 and we're showing, we shown already 44:52 that God's going to have definitely have a prophet 44:54 in the last days, right, 44:55 at the end of the 2300 time frame, 2300 day time, 44:59 year of time prophecy in 1844, 45:01 we've shown that already and then 45:02 when you see this other half of this 45:04 and you realize that God also says that His people, 45:06 you know, last days are going to have a prophet, 45:08 there's a two fold connection there. 45:10 God's true people is gonnna have a true prophet 45:12 and also that the prediction of the prophecy, 45:14 the prophet is going to come up 45:15 at the end of the 2300 days, 45:16 and she fits both of those, hand in gloves. 45:19 So you're following where we're going, 45:20 she lifts up Christ. 45:21 the book "Desire of Ages" there is another one 45:22 called "Steps to Christ", powerful little book, 45:25 not a big read at all. 45:26 If you want to get these books by the way, 45:28 and I am going to talk to the folks at home 45:29 just for a second, If you like to have these books, 45:31 you can if you go on our website and send us an email 45:34 or get contact us whatever, 45:36 and you don't have one of those books you like one, 45:37 I will see what we can do to get one send out to you 45:40 especially of the "Step to Christ" 45:41 or even the "Desire of Ages." 45:43 We can-- I am sure you get it arrange 45:44 you can have one of those books 45:45 if you can't find it. 45:46 You can probably find them, 45:47 you can go to a book store and get any of those books, 45:50 any Christian no, maybe not any Christian book store, 45:53 you go to ABC, the Adventist book store, 45:54 on the Internet, the website 45:55 you can find that on there, but its powerful book, 45:57 just you go read and find out more about him. 46:01 You can actually read those books online. 46:03 If you Google "Desired of Ages" or Google "Steps to Christ" 46:05 you can find those online and read there. 46:07 So I've done myself. 46:08 Now let's look at the next identifying mark here 46:10 of the true characteristic of a prophet. 46:12 Numbers Chapter 12 and verse 6. 46:14 Numbers is in the Old Testament, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, 46:19 Numbers Chapter 12 and verse 6. 46:25 Roberto, would you like to read that for us? 46:29 "Then I said, Hear now my words, 46:34 is there a prophet among you, 46:37 I the Lord make myself known to him in a vision, 46:42 I speak unto him in a dream." 46:46 So, so God says if there is a prophet 46:47 going to rise among you. 46:48 I'm going to have prophet rise up. 46:50 I am going to speak to them in visions and dreams, 46:53 and in the context, this is pretty interesting 46:54 because it's a time 46:55 when Mariam and Aaron was complaining to Moses, 46:58 you know, and there was a kind a coveting his position 47:00 or whatever and they were complaining about him 47:03 and God says, hey, a prophet, 47:05 I know there is a prophet up, 47:06 I am going to speak to them in visions and dreams. 47:08 But not so with my servant, Moses, he says 47:10 in the next verse because of my servant, Moses, 47:12 who is faithful on my house I am going to speak to him 47:14 mouth to mouth, so there is an exception there 47:17 where God actually spoke to Moses mouth to mouth, 47:18 but he says for the rest of the people, 47:20 for the rest of the things what we saw, 47:21 that the prophecy we're talking about here, 47:23 for the rest of them. 47:25 I am going to speak to them in visions and dreams. 47:28 And as you study more on the life of Ellen White, 47:31 you will find out this, you study little bit about her, 47:33 you will find out that's exactly 47:34 how God spoke to her in visions and dreams. 47:37 So there was a lot of skeptics around her day. 47:39 I am just going to tell you some stories. 47:40 And you have to go and look about 47:41 if you want to find out. 47:43 But in her day there were lots of skeptics around 47:45 and so some of these guys were skeptic, 47:46 kept saying, oh, this is all fake, its all phony, 47:48 and they had these doctors and nurses 47:50 who choose to this place at one time 47:51 she went into vision. 47:52 And so the skeptic was invited, 47:54 this doctor was invited to come forward 47:56 and investigate it right, and so she is in this vision, 47:59 she is, her eyes are like open and he test, 48:02 looks at her, she is not breathing, 48:04 and this is for a long amount of time, you know, 48:05 he like they hold candles up to her nose and you know, 48:08 put a glass up there to see if it fogs it up, 48:10 nothing she is not even breathing, 48:11 she is moving her arms and doing things 48:12 and supernatural strength 48:14 like they tried to hold her arms still, 48:15 she still move past and things like that, 48:16 watches in vision and what's interesting 48:18 when you look at the historical record of this. 48:20 This was done not with people 48:22 that were church members and saying oh, 48:23 she is a prophet. 48:24 These were done with people 48:25 that were skeptical, not believing. 48:27 And then the one guy I remember the story, 48:29 I remember the details of this. 48:31 We will get to details of this 48:32 when we do this class on the Spirit of Prophecy. 48:34 So if you want to hear the details of this 48:35 and find out all this, the names and everything, 48:38 you have to come to Life at our next semester 48:40 and go through the Spirit of Prophecy class 48:43 like these guys are all doing. 48:44 But what was interesting about it was this guy 48:46 after just a few minutes of looking out her 48:48 and one of the vision she had, he ran out, 48:50 far as he goes, he said, you know, 48:51 he didn't want anything to do with it, 48:52 because it scared him that much. 48:54 She was so skeptical and he thought it was just a put on, 48:56 but then he realized that they were real. 48:58 And so many times she had over-- had thousands of visions, 49:01 you know, literally like a couple of thousand visions 49:03 if the numbers are correct in my head 49:05 and all these visions 49:06 that she had differ to different times. 49:08 She would have revelations 49:09 and then she would write things that would just be 49:11 deep scholarly works. 49:13 You know, some of the things if you read 49:14 some of the writings that Ellen White had just 49:16 deep scholarly works and so you find here 49:18 in Numbers 12 verse 6 49:21 that God speaks to His true prophets 49:23 through visions and dreams. 49:24 So they had to have visions and dreams, 49:26 that kind of thing and she fits those as well. 49:30 Now as we are coming down to the end of this, 49:32 the Spirit of Prophecy study here. 49:34 I want you to think about a few things 49:35 that we've learned through here. 49:37 One of them is the very fact that God is definitely 49:40 going to raise up a prophet 49:42 in and around the time frame of 1844. 49:44 We know its going to happen. 49:46 The Bible has said, it was going to happen, 49:47 you know, the consistent, 49:48 the prophetic pattern all throughout, right. 49:50 And the question that I like to ask 49:53 when you are given the study, I will ask you here, 49:55 ask you at home or whatever, when you are giving the study, 49:57 if it's not her then who? 50:01 And then I asked them, do you believe 50:02 that God's gonna be consistent? 50:05 Do you believe, He is gonna keep the same pattern up? 50:08 Of course, you believe that right? 50:09 And I want to get the person 50:10 I am studying with Roberto. 50:11 I want to get them to either say no. 50:13 I don't believe that pattern is valid or say, yeah, 50:16 I can see how that's gonna work, 50:17 you want to get an answer from them at that point. 50:19 You know, you say, oh, yeah, 50:20 I can see that's valid, and say, okay. 50:22 If you come to the conclusion that you don't believe, 50:24 I am just asking you to investigate 50:26 to prove the prophets and I will tell you 50:27 why I am asking you to do that just a minute, 50:29 but I want you just check it out for yourself 50:31 and what we shown, what I've shown 50:34 and I believe to be true is, then we have to accept it 50:37 as part of God's word. 50:39 If God's word says, there is going to be 50:40 prophets in the last days, 50:42 then is it gift for us to reject prophets, no. 50:45 How do we know that? 50:47 We will go to our next text. 50:48 First Thessalonians Chapter 5, 50:49 this is the last text in this study part here. 50:51 First Thessalonians Chapter 5 verse 20 and 21. 50:54 It's in the New Testament the "T" is in the New Testament, 50:57 remember that we went through that several times. 50:59 So we get to-- Timothy, 51:01 which way I need to go from, Timothy? 51:03 Move to the left, right, First Thessalonians 5:20 and 21. 51:09 Look at the counsel 51:10 that Paul gives to us as his church, as his people would, 51:13 that he has given to the Thessalonians 51:14 in First Thessalonians 5:20 and 21. 51:17 Now, Bill, I'm gonna let you read this. 51:18 Now, whenever I am reading this in a Bible study, 51:21 I am doing this, when I am preaching it, 51:22 I'll make sure, I'll make sure, 51:24 I make the point, I mean, 51:25 I want to make an appeal with this. 51:27 That's the point I want to make, I want to make an appeal, 51:29 and so you are going to ask them 51:30 to make a decision based on this text. 51:32 So as you read it, I will put you on a spot 51:35 just a little bit if you want to. 51:36 You can try to make an appeal to me just like 51:37 read it through and then you're gonna ask me 51:39 a question at the end of it, right. 51:40 If you can't think of it, I will give to you, go ahead. 51:43 "Do not despise prophecies. 51:45 Test all things, hold fast what is good." 51:48 And so then I would, 51:49 I try to read that or I'll have a person read that, 51:52 you know, I usually read the last text, 51:53 the closing one here. 51:54 But what's the Bible tell us to do, Bill? 51:57 Test the prophets. Test the prophets. 51:59 Yeah, test them and that's all I am asking you 52:01 do right now in the close. 52:02 It's all I am asking you to do. 52:04 You know, as you are given the study or whatever. 52:06 I am asking you to test to see if it fits. 52:08 Now when you go to test the prophet, 52:10 do you go and find out all the things 52:13 that people wrote against the prophet 52:14 and that's how you test the prophet, 52:16 or do you go to what the prophet wrote 52:17 and find out for yourself. 52:20 I will give a little illustration 52:21 that I can use with people. 52:23 Gloria, let supposed, you're going to go buy 52:25 brand new Ford pickup truck, right. 52:28 You want a new Ford pickup, 52:31 so as you get ready to go buy it, 52:32 where you're gonna go, who you're gonna go 52:34 talk to find out about that Ford pickup truck? 52:37 Who you're gonna talk to? 52:40 I will talk to the Ford dealers. 52:41 You mean, you don't go to the Chevy dealership. 52:44 No. Why? 52:45 Because they specialize in Chevy's. 52:47 So if you go the Chevy dealership 52:49 and you ask them about the Ford, 52:50 what do you think they are gonna tell you? 52:51 All good stuff. 52:52 You go to the Chevy dealership 52:54 and ask them about the Ford, what are they gonna tell you? 52:55 All bad stuff. That's exactly right. 52:57 They're gonna tell you all bad stuff, 52:58 because they don't want you to buy a Ford, 53:00 they want to you to buy? Chevrolet. 53:01 That's exactly right. They want you buy Chevy, right. 53:03 And so the reason I bring this out in this point, 53:05 because many people at this point when you ask them, 53:07 they will and you get this appeal 53:08 and he will say, you know, 53:09 I am just asking you to test the prophet. 53:11 They will go on Internet, they go to Google, 53:13 and they'll go to find the anti-Seventh-day Adventist 53:15 or anti-Ellen White website, and he will say okay, 53:18 what I am gonna study about Ellen White, 53:21 oh, oh, she had-- this anti-Ellen White website, 53:25 you know what it says. 53:26 It says that she didn't really have visions, 53:27 but she had seizures. 53:29 So apparently you got a whole movement 53:31 going all over the world, 53:32 because this woman 53:34 with third-grade education had seizures. 53:35 Well, I reject that I feel comfortable myself now. 53:38 That's what many people do, they will actually do 53:39 something just like that. 53:40 They wanted that-- we tend to be the kind of people 53:43 who want to reject anything like that because it's sounds, 53:46 sounds strange to us in our corrupt minds, 53:48 our nature, right. 53:49 And so just to find the reason to reject it, 53:51 they will go to the Chevy dealerships, 53:52 so they don't have to buy the Ford, 53:54 or they go to an anti-Ellen White website 53:57 to find out that they don't have to follow 53:59 what the prophet is saying. 54:00 Here is my challenge to you and my challenge to them. 54:04 Before we go find the anti against 54:08 the Spirit of Prophecy, against Ellen White websites 54:10 and read that stuff and I encourage you to do 54:11 that by the way, go right ahead. 54:13 But before you do that read 54:14 what she actually wrote herself 54:17 and said herself before you go and find out 54:19 what people say against her, 54:21 it makes perfect sense, you know, 54:22 I have no problem if I am going buy a Ford pickup truck 54:24 and I kind of sold on the Ford. 54:26 After I go to the Ford dealership 54:27 there is nothing wrong with them. 54:28 We're going to the Chevy dealership 54:29 and comparing, is it? 54:31 There is nothing always doing that 54:32 because you want to find out, oh, maybe this one is better. 54:35 And I want to encourage you o do the same thing. 54:36 The Bible teaches us that we should go 54:39 and prove the prophets. 54:40 What it says there again in First Thessalonians? 54:42 "Do not despise prophecies." 54:47 That's what the people did in the days of Daniel, 54:49 that's what the people did in the days of Jeremiah 54:51 and Moses and all through history, 54:54 the contemporaries of prophets, 54:56 flatly rejected them. 54:59 And it will be the people much later in the future 55:00 that would say, oh, they were true prophets 55:02 and if I would been there, I wouldn't rejected them, 55:04 but they will flatly reject one 55:06 that's given in their day because, 55:07 because they don't want to, 55:09 they don't want to be different. 55:11 You know, they don't want to be caught 55:12 following an error or anything like that but God says 55:17 to prove the prophets, to test the prophets, 55:21 and through God, he says prove all things 55:24 and hold fast that which is good. 55:27 And so that's my challenge, that's the challenge 55:28 I give to the people in the Spirit of Prophecy study, 55:30 you know, I am giving you the same challenge right now. 55:32 Right now, few books that she has written 55:34 that are good books to kind of yet to read, 55:38 Great Controversy is the powerful book. 55:40 If you get the book called Great Controversy, 55:42 it takes you through a history of basically 55:44 from starts off from the time of Jesus there, 55:47 you know, it takes you through the history, 55:48 the reformers and things like that 55:50 and how they were persecuted, 55:51 lot of interesting things through history persecutions, 55:53 but it takes you all the way up 55:55 to the second coming of Christ and things 55:56 that will going on His earth then, 55:58 powerful book to read. 56:00 I know many people that their whole lives has been changed, 56:03 that they found this book and they were basically atheist, 56:06 I remember a guy myself. 56:07 He basically just didn't believe in God 56:09 or anything hardly at all and he read this book 56:12 and right after he read this book, 56:13 you know, what he did? You know, what he did? 56:15 He didn't join the church, 56:17 he went out and brought a Bible that he didn't have. 56:20 That book calls him to go buy a Bible. 56:22 He says I got to find this out for myself 56:23 and he goes and reads the Bible 56:25 and then he becomes a Seventh-day Adventist Christian. 56:27 He is baptized, part of God's people 56:29 and he does this not because, not because 56:32 it was some kind of a crazy thing 56:33 that led him of wrong way, 56:34 but actually that book led him to study the Bible. 56:38 And there's people out there, 56:39 they will pick up, pick up a book 56:40 written by Ellen White like a Great Controversy 56:42 or Desire of Ages or Steps to Christ 56:44 or Acts of the Apostles, many of these books 56:47 like commentaries on the Bible. 56:48 They will read that book and then they will go, 56:50 they have to go and check it out with the Bible, 56:51 they will get a Bible. 56:53 And like good brains, if it goes with the word of God 56:56 they accept it and that's why I encourage all you to do too. 56:59 And again in the close, "If not her then who?" 57:05 Who it would be? 57:07 Any little short questions about the study right off? 57:10 Nothing, all right. 57:12 We'll cover more in the detail we go, 57:14 we do our class on the Spirit of Prophecy here at Life, 57:16 here in a few weeks, we'll cover all the details 57:18 of some of the things we just filled in there. 57:20 I want to encourage you people at home 57:21 to come to Life, comeexperiencelife.com, 57:24 actually you can go to our website, 57:25 you can fill out an application 57:27 and prepared to be coming through Life 57:28 at our next semester that we have. 57:31 You can learn both this class in person, 57:33 there is nothing like being here in person 57:34 and then you can also be here 57:35 when we do our Spirit of Prophecy study, 57:37 the full study. 57:38 So, thanks for joining us today 57:40 and we hope to see you again back here on our next study. |
Revised 2014-12-17