[foreboding music plays]
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- Well, welcome
back. Good to see you all!
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It looks like you had
a good lunch. For those
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of you who were not
able to afford it, we
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do have popcorn. [laughter]
And oranges. So, it's all
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part of your registration
fee. [laughs] So, we are
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going to continue
this afternoon with what we
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started this
morning. We are going to begin
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on page 25 of your
study notes. Page 25. We're
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gonna take one session
to study the first trumpet.
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So now, we're gonna
get into the trumpets. And
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then in the second
session this afternoon and the
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first session
tomorrow morning, we will be
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dealing with the
second trumpet. That's gonna
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take us a little
longer than the first trumpet.
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But before we do, we
want to begin each morning
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and evening with a word
of prayer. So, let's pray.
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Father in heaven, as
we approach your throne,
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we do so boldly in the
name of Jesus, knowing that our
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prayer will be mingled
with His perfect righteousness.
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And so, we ask that Jesus
will be with us, that Your
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Holy Spirit will be
with us, as we open Your
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Word. Give us clarity
of thought; give us tender
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hearts. And Lord, empower
us to share this wonderful
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message with so many
people that are confused
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and don't know where
to turn. So, be with us
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and guide us. We pray
in Jesus' precious name,
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amen. [Amen.] Okay, we
want to begin by reading
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Revelation chapter 8
and verse 7. Revelation 8:7.
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We have several symbols
in this verse. It says there,
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"The first angel sounded:
And hail and fire followed..."
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By the way, the hail
is not ice; it is fiery
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hail. Okay? Like
that that fell on Egypt.
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So, it says, "And hail
and fire followed, mingled
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with blood, and they
were thrown to the earth.
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And a third of the trees
were burned up, and all the
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green grass was burned
up." So, here you have several
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symbols. You have hail
and fire, blood, a third
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of the trees, and all
of the green grass. So,
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how do we interpret
these symbols? Well, that's the
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purpose of this particular
lesson. Now, the constant
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use of the passive voice
in the trumpets indicates
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that God is allowing
these things to happen,
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and sometimes God commands
them to happen. 'Cause you
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notice, it says,
for example here, that
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the hail and fire
mingled with blood were thrown
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to the earth. So
in other words, God is
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allowing this to
happen. Time and again, you have
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the passive voice in
the trumpets. It's no
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coincidence that
Ellen White begins the book
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Great Controversy with
the chapter on the destruction
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of Jerusalem, because
that is actually the first
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trumpet. Now, the Bible
tells us that the judgment
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begins where? The
judgment must begin in the house
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of God. So, the question
is, who is the house of God?
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Those who profess to
be followers of whom?
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Those who profess
to be followers of God!
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Now, to whom did
the gospel go first when
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Jesus came to this
earth? The Jews! That's why,
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for example, in Romans
chapter 2 and verses 8 & 9,
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if you go with me there,
Romans 2:8, 9, the apostle
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Paul says something
very interesting. And
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I read there beginning
with verse 8, "But those
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who are self-seeking
and do not obey the truth,
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but obey unrighteousness,"
what is gonna come upon
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them? "Indignation and wrath;
tribulation and anguish on
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every soul of man who
does evil," of whom first?
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"...Of a Jew first
and also of the Greek," or
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of the Gentiles. So,
why does the indignation
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of God fall first of
all upon the Jews? Because
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they were the first
ones to receive what? The
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blessing of the gospel.
Also, notice the book of
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Acts chapter 13. Acts
13. These are some texts
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that I'm just adding
to the notes. Acts 13.
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Here, the apostle
Paul is ministering, and he
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says to the Jews that
are gathered there who
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are rejecting, by
the way, his message...
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Once again, chapter 13
of Acts and verses 46 & 47.
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"Then Paul and
Barnabas grew bold and said, 'It
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was necessary that
the Word of God should be
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spoken to you," what?
"...first"! Speaking to the
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Jews. "But since you
reject it and judge yourselves
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unworthy of everlasting
life, behold, we turn to,"
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whom? "...to the Gentiles."
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And Jesus referred
to this when He said the
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first shall be last, and
the Gentiles who received
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the gospel last will
be what? Will be first.
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So, the judgment of
the first trumpet falls
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first on those who
first received the message
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and then oppressed
God's people. Do you remember
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in the Old Testament-
who were the ones to be
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judged first in the
book of Ezekiel? What did God
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say? Begin where?
"Begin in My sanctuary," right?
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And also, you remember,
that according to Jesus,
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the Jewish nation, by
rejecting Him, God withdrew
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His Spirit from
them and poured out His
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wrath, which is manifested
in the destruction of Jerusalem.
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Now, let's go to page
26. The book of Ezekiel
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portrays the divine
judgment against Jerusalem
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(this is in the Old Testament,
not A.D. 70, but in the
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Old Testament) as a
throwing down of the
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censer, and the consequent...
What is the consequence?
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The burning of the
city with what? With fire.
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You can read that in
Ezekiel 10 verse 2, 6, 7,
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verse 22, 2
Chronicles 36 verses 14-23. The
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second destruction of
Jerusalem parallels the
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destruction of Jerusalem.
And for this, I recommend
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that you read the
first chapter of the book,
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The Great Controversy.
Now, the churches and
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the seals begin when?
They begin in apostolic
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times, right? Ephesus,
the first church, is the
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apostolic church. And
with regard to the seals,
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the white horse represents
the apostolic church. So,
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when must the
trumpets also begin? Must they
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also begin in
apostolic times? They must also
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begin in apostolic
times! Now, furthermore, the
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first trumpet must
refer to a judgment that falls
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upon those who first
oppressed God's people.
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What judgment fell
upon the oppressors of God's
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people in apostolic times?
There's only one possibility,
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and what is that? The
destruction of Jerusalem.
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Now, going to the next
section, right around the
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middle of page
26... According to Jesus,
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the destruction of Jerusalem
was due directly to what?
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To the persecution
against Jesus, and who else?
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His faithful
followers. Let's read Matthew 27
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verses 24 & 25.
"When Pilate saw that
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he could not prevail
at all, but rather that a
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tumult was rising, he
took water and washed his hands
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before the multitude, saying"...
Now, notice the terminology.
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"'I am innocent of the,'"
what? "'...of the blood of this
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just Person. You see
to it.' And all the people
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answered and said," His
what? "'His blood be on us
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and on our children.'"
Is blood one of the key
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terms that we find at
the first trumpet? Fire
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mingled with what?
Mingled with blood. So, the
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representatives of the
Jewish nation are saying, "His
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blood be upon us
and upon our children."
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Luke 19:41-44, Jesus is
predicting what is gonna
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happen to the city
of Jerusalem and to the
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temple. It says
there, "Now as He drew near,"
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that is, drew near
to the city, "He saw the
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city and wept over it,
saying, 'If you had known,
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even you especially in
this your day, the things
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that make for your
peace. But now, they are hidden
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from your eyes. For
days will come upon you when
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your enemies"...
Who are the enemies? The
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Romans, right? God used
the Romans to punish those
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who rejected the
gospel and persecuted Christ
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and His followers. So it
says, "'For days will come
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when your enemies will
build an embankment around
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you, surround you,
and close you in on every
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side, and level you and
your children within you
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to the ground; and they
will not leave in you one
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stone upon another,'" and
what is the reason for this?
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"'...Because you did
not know the time of your
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visitation.'" That
is, you did not recognize
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the Messiah. After
Jesus ascended to heaven, the
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Jewish nation persecuted
and shed the blood of the
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followers of Jesus, as
well. So, not only did the
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Jewish nation reject
the gospel by persecuting
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and killing Christ,
but they also did the same
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thing with the followers
of Jesus all throughout
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the book of Acts.
Let's read Matthew 23 verses
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34 to 39. This is
the discourse of Jesus to
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the scribes and
the Pharisees. It's the
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culmination of that
chapter that deals with the woes
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on scribes and
Pharisees. Here, Jesus stated,
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"Therefore indeed, I
send you prophets." What Jesus
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is saying from that
point on, this is just a few
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days before His death,
by the way. He's saying,
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"I send you prophets."
In other words, "I will
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send you prophets,
wise men, and scribes." So,
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the crucifixion of
Christ was not the close of
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probation for the
Jewish nation, because Jesus is
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promising after His
death to do what? To send them
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prophets, wise men,
and scribes! The prophets
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would be like Stephen.
Did he have a prophetic
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vision? [Yes.] Was
Peter also a prophet? Did he
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have a vision? Yes,
he most certainly did.
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What about wise men?
The Seven Deacons are
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described as men
full of wisdom. And who is
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the scribe or the theologian?
The apostle Paul! So,
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Jesus is saying, "I'm
gonna send you additional
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witnesses." And what
will they do with them?
00:11:36.99\00:11:39.36
The same thing that they
did with Christ. "Some of
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them, you will kill
and crucify; and some of
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them, you will
scourge in your synagogues and
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persecute from city to
city." And what is gonna
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be the sentence as a
result of persecuting
00:11:54.11\00:11:56.44
Christ, and then His
people? It says in verse
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35, "That on you may
come all the righteous," what?
00:12:00.38\00:12:04.99
Blood. See, that's
one of the symbols in the
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first trumpet. "...All
the righteous bloodshed
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on the earth from the blood
of the righteous Abel to the
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blood of Zechariah,
son of Berechiah, whom you
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murdered between the
temple and the altar.
00:12:17.07\00:12:21.27
Assuredly, I say to you
all these things will come
00:12:21.67\00:12:25.37
upon this generation."
Are you catching the
00:12:25.44\00:12:29.71
picture? Fire mingled
with blood. Now, notice
00:12:29.74\00:12:34.02
Ellen White's comment.
This is in Great Controversy,
00:12:34.12\00:12:37.72
page 28. Almost all of
the statements that I'm
00:12:37.82\00:12:40.42
gonna read from Ellen
White are from the chapter,
00:12:40.49\00:12:42.36
"The Destruction of
Jerusalem". Notice this
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statement. "The longsuffering
of God toward Jerusalem
00:12:45.39\00:12:49.16
only confirmed the Jews in
their stubborn impenitence.
00:12:49.86\00:12:53.87
In their hatred and
cruelty toward the disciples of
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Jesus, they rejected the
last offer of mercy. Then,
00:12:58.54\00:13:03.98
God withdrew His protection
from them and removed His
00:13:04.08\00:13:09.18
restraining power
from Satan and his angels,
00:13:09.32\00:13:12.59
and the nation was left
to the control of the leader
00:13:12.65\00:13:16.12
she had chosen." And,
by the way, the book of
00:13:16.22\00:13:20.40
Acts, you find a
whole series of verses here
00:13:20.50\00:13:23.43
in your study
notes. You read the book of
00:13:24.07\00:13:26.47
Acts, and you'll
see that the Jews were
00:13:26.53\00:13:28.64
constantly appealing
to the Roman rulers to
00:13:28.74\00:13:32.67
persecute the Christians.
In other words, they did
00:13:32.77\00:13:35.88
the same thing that they
did to Christ. So in other
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words, God gave them
great light first before
00:13:38.85\00:13:42.85
the Gentiles. They rejected
the light by persecuting
00:13:42.95\00:13:45.95
God's people. And for
that reason, what did God
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do? We studied this in
our previous lesson. God
00:13:48.76\00:13:52.26
allowed them to
reap what they what? What
00:13:53.29\00:13:56.33
they sowed, which is
the judgment of the first
00:13:56.43\00:13:59.57
trumpet. Now, let's
take a look at the symbol of
00:13:59.67\00:14:03.54
thirds. You'll notice
that the trumpets only
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afflict thirds. The trumpets
don't afflict everything
00:14:07.18\00:14:12.11
like the plagues. It's
not the fullness of God's
00:14:12.21\00:14:15.88
wrath; it's only
partial. A third of the trees
00:14:15.95\00:14:19.95
means that the
trumpets were what? Partial and
00:14:20.06\00:14:23.59
preliminary
judgments that point forward to
00:14:23.69\00:14:26.80
greater judgments in
the future. The trumpet
00:14:26.86\00:14:30.03
judgments fell on
limited geographical areas, and
00:14:30.10\00:14:35.14
they foreshadow the
plagues that will fall globally.
00:14:35.20\00:14:39.41
Ellen White repeatedly
stated that the destruction
00:14:39.91\00:14:42.58
of Jerusalem foreshadows
the final destruction
00:14:42.68\00:14:45.68
of the world. Now, let's
look at a couple of texts
00:14:45.75\00:14:48.08
that use the word,
"a third". By the way,
00:14:48.18\00:14:52.39
the word 'third'
means, "a portion", simply.
00:14:52.45\00:14:55.32
It doesn't
represent 33.33%! [laughter]
00:14:55.86\00:15:00.33
It means "a
portion". In other words, these
00:15:00.40\00:15:02.76
judgments don't
afflict everyone everywhere.
00:15:02.83\00:15:05.83
Notice Zechariah 13:8,
first of all, in the King
00:15:06.50\00:15:09.00
James Version: "'And
it shall come to pass that
00:15:09.10\00:15:11.51
in all the land,'
saith the Lord, 'two parts
00:15:11.61\00:15:14.94
therein shall be cut
off and die, but the third
00:15:15.54\00:15:18.01
shall be left
therein.'" So notice, it doesn't
00:15:18.11\00:15:22.52
say,
"two-thirds"; it says two what?
00:15:22.58\00:15:24.69
"Two parts shall be
cut off." But the third-
00:15:25.15\00:15:27.92
it's understood
that it's the third part-
00:15:28.56\00:15:30.46
the third part shall
be left therein. Notice
00:15:30.56\00:15:33.76
Yang's literal translation:
"And it shall come to pass
00:15:33.86\00:15:37.33
in all the land on affirmation
of Jehovah. Two parts
00:15:37.43\00:15:42.00
in it are cut off.
They expire, and the third"
00:15:43.07\00:15:46.54
that is understood,
the third part is what?
00:15:46.64\00:15:49.38
Is left in it. So
to understand the word,
00:15:49.48\00:15:53.42
'a third' to refer
to what? To a part,
00:15:53.52\00:15:56.62
or a portion. Now
you say, "How do we know
00:15:56.75\00:16:00.26
that?" Well, let's take
a look at an interesting
00:16:00.36\00:16:03.69
detail that Ellen
White presents. The Bible
00:16:03.79\00:16:06.59
tells us that God
casts Satan out of heaven
00:16:06.66\00:16:09.60
with how many of
His angels? With a third
00:16:09.70\00:16:12.27
of the angels of
heaven. But according to Ellen
00:16:12.33\00:16:15.80
White, "a third"
actually means nearly one-half.
00:16:15.90\00:16:19.87
Thus, "a third" does
not mean 33.3%! Not one
00:16:20.81\00:16:25.21
more, not one less.
But rather, a fraction
00:16:25.31\00:16:28.22
or a part of the
angels. Notice this statement
00:16:28.35\00:16:31.55
from The Story of Redemption,
pg. 18. "Satan had proved
00:16:31.65\00:16:36.29
himself unworthy of a
place in heaven. Then,
00:16:36.39\00:16:39.43
Satan exaltingly
pointed to his sympathizers,
00:16:39.53\00:16:42.33
comprising nearly half
of all the angels." Not 33%.
00:16:42.43\00:16:49.44
Nearly half of the angels.
"...And exclaimed, 'These
00:16:49.97\00:16:53.64
are with me! Will
you expel these, also,
00:16:53.74\00:16:56.61
and make such a
void in heaven?' He then
00:16:57.18\00:16:59.48
declared that he was
prepared to resist the
00:16:59.58\00:17:01.88
authority of Christ
and to defend his place in
00:17:01.98\00:17:04.72
heaven by force of might,
strength against strength."
00:17:04.82\00:17:09.29
So, a third simply means
that it's not an affliction
00:17:09.32\00:17:11.83
that falls upon
everyone everywhere! It means
00:17:11.89\00:17:14.63
that it's a partial
judgment that affects only some;
00:17:14.66\00:17:18.63
it's a preliminary
judgment. So, a third
00:17:18.70\00:17:22.07
of the trees in the
first trumpet doesn't mean
00:17:22.10\00:17:25.31
that we're supposed to
look for a place on earth
00:17:25.37\00:17:27.48
where a third of
the trees were burned
00:17:27.54\00:17:29.81
up, literally
speaking. No! "A third of the
00:17:29.91\00:17:34.25
trees" means "a
partial judgment upon people,"
00:17:34.32\00:17:38.29
we're going to
notice, that foreshadows a
00:17:38.35\00:17:41.29
greater global
destruction at the end of time.
00:17:41.32\00:17:46.06
Notably, in the seven
last plagues, God will
00:17:46.90\00:17:49.90
pour out what? He will
pour out the fullness of
00:17:49.96\00:17:54.14
His wrath. Notice Revelation
chapter 15:1. The contrast
00:17:54.20\00:17:58.57
between a third and the
fullness. It says in Revelation
00:17:58.61\00:18:02.44
15:1, "Then I saw another
sign in heaven, great and
00:18:02.48\00:18:07.58
marvelous: seven angels
having seven last plagues,"
00:18:07.62\00:18:12.05
just like you have seven
angels with seven trumpets,
00:18:12.09\00:18:14.59
pouring out partial
judgments represented
00:18:15.56\00:18:18.46
by the word, "a
third", "a part"... How may
00:18:18.49\00:18:21.80
do the plagues
affect? Ohh, it says here,
00:18:21.90\00:18:24.97
"For in them, the wrath of
God is," what? "...complete."
00:18:26.10\00:18:30.24
By the way, a better
translation would be,
00:18:30.77\00:18:32.87
"The wrath of God is
full." In other words,
00:18:33.31\00:18:36.98
it will affect
everyone, everywhere. Of course,
00:18:37.08\00:18:41.78
excepting the
remnant. Now, Ellen White wrote
00:18:41.85\00:18:47.02
that the destruction
of Jerusalem was the first
00:18:47.12\00:18:49.26
draft. So, that would
indicate something partial,
00:18:49.32\00:18:52.99
too, right? Ellen White
said that the destruction
00:18:53.09\00:18:56.50
of Jerusalem, which
we believe is the first
00:18:56.56\00:18:58.23
trumpet, was the
first draft of the cup that
00:18:58.33\00:19:01.27
the wicked will have
to drink fully during
00:19:01.37\00:19:04.04
the plagues. Here
is the statement, Great
00:19:04.14\00:19:06.37
Controversy, 21-
by the way, all these
00:19:06.47\00:19:08.24
statements that I'm
gonna read are from the chapter
00:19:08.31\00:19:10.08
on the destruction of
Jerusalem, interestingly
00:19:10.18\00:19:12.18
enough. She wrote on
page 21, "In the temporal
00:19:12.25\00:19:16.18
retribution about to
fall upon her children, He
00:19:16.28\00:19:20.69
saw but the," what?
"He saw but the first draft
00:19:20.76\00:19:24.43
from that cup of wrath,
which at the final judgment,
00:19:25.03\00:19:28.83
she must drain to its
drakes." Are you catching
00:19:28.86\00:19:34.57
the picture? So,
what fell upon Jerusalem
00:19:34.60\00:19:37.64
was only the first
draft- a local judgment of God
00:19:37.71\00:19:43.31
pointing forward to a
much greater judgment.
00:19:43.35\00:19:46.28
In fact, Ellen White
has repeated statements
00:19:46.31\00:19:48.78
where she says that the
destruction of Jerusalem
00:19:48.85\00:19:51.29
was a small-scale
model, a partial model, of what
00:19:51.35\00:19:56.66
will happen all over
the world, with all of
00:19:56.73\00:19:58.89
the wicked at the
end of time. Notice these
00:19:58.96\00:20:01.00
statements here
that Ellen White uses,
00:20:01.06\00:20:03.57
and these are from the
chapter on the destruction
00:20:03.67\00:20:06.80
of Jerusalem. It says,
"Christ saw in Jerusalem
00:20:06.84\00:20:10.21
a symbol." What is
greater, a symbol or what the
00:20:10.27\00:20:14.04
symbol symbolizes?
What the symbol symbolizes.
00:20:14.11\00:20:18.81
You know, in the
Old Testament, you have
00:20:18.85\00:20:20.22
a lamb. It represented
a much larger and greater
00:20:20.25\00:20:23.15
reality, doesn't it?
So, "Christ saw in Jerusalem
00:20:23.22\00:20:26.45
a symbol of the
world, hardened in unbelief
00:20:26.49\00:20:29.52
and rebellion and hastening
on to meet the retributive
00:20:30.26\00:20:33.96
judgments of God."
And then, she speaks about
00:20:34.03\00:20:37.33
the sin of the Jews and
compares it with the sin
00:20:37.40\00:20:39.70
of the Christian
world at the end of time.
00:20:39.77\00:20:42.07
And by the way, they
look like two different
00:20:42.47\00:20:44.47
eras, but they
really are the same era when
00:20:44.54\00:20:46.37
you look at it, carefully.
On page 22, Ellen White
00:20:46.44\00:20:49.88
wrote, "Jesus, looking
down to the last generation,
00:20:49.94\00:20:54.22
saw the world
involved in a deception similar
00:20:54.58\00:20:58.92
to that which
caused the destruction of
00:20:59.82\00:21:01.49
Jerusalem." So, the
world is gonna be guilty of a
00:21:01.56\00:21:04.73
similar sin to the sin
that was being practiced
00:21:04.79\00:21:07.90
in Jerusalem. What was
it? "The great sin of the
00:21:07.96\00:21:11.43
Jews was the
rejection of," whom? Of Christ.
00:21:11.47\00:21:15.54
The great sin of the
Christian world would
00:21:16.34\00:21:18.54
be the rejection of
what? Of the law of God, the
00:21:18.57\00:21:22.78
foundation of His
government in heaven
00:21:22.84\00:21:24.71
and on earth. You
say, "Well, those are two
00:21:24.75\00:21:27.45
different
rejections." No, they're not.
00:21:27.52\00:21:29.18
Let me ask you: the law
is a reflection of whom?
00:21:29.68\00:21:32.62
The law is a transcript
of the character of Christ!
00:21:33.92\00:21:36.36
So, how can you
say, "I love Jesus, but
00:21:36.93\00:21:38.29
I hate the law!" "I love
the reality, but I hate the
00:21:38.39\00:21:42.06
reflection!" It's the
same sin. The Jews rejected
00:21:42.13\00:21:45.93
Christ; the
Christian world will reject the
00:21:46.03\00:21:48.97
reflection of Christ in
His law. Are you with me
00:21:49.04\00:21:51.77
or not? Notice this other
statement, Great Controversy,
00:21:51.87\00:21:55.04
pg. 25-also in the chapter
on the Destruction of Jerusalem-
00:21:55.14\00:21:58.71
"The prophecy which
He uttered was two-fold
00:21:59.18\00:22:02.68
in its meaning.
While foreshadowing the
00:22:02.75\00:22:05.62
destruction of Jerusalem,
it prefigured also the
00:22:05.69\00:22:09.46
terrors of the Last
Great Day. So, the judgment
00:22:09.56\00:22:11.99
that fell on
Jerusalem, was that a total and
00:22:12.09\00:22:13.60
complete worldwide
judgment? No! It was
00:22:13.63\00:22:16.53
partial, indicated
by the word, "a third",
00:22:16.56\00:22:20.17
right? Now, notice
this other statement.
00:22:20.27\00:22:23.10
Great Controversy, 36 &
37: "The Saviour's prophecy,"
00:22:23.24\00:22:28.04
this is Matthew 24, "concerning
the visitation of judgments
00:22:28.14\00:22:31.85
upon Jerusalem is to
have," what? "...another
00:22:31.95\00:22:35.75
fulfillment of which
that terrible desolation was,"
00:22:35.88\00:22:40.09
what? "...but a
faint shadow. In the fate
00:22:40.22\00:22:43.86
of the chosen city we
may behold the doom of,"
00:22:43.99\00:22:46.09
what? No longer local-
impartial. "The doom of the
00:22:46.26\00:22:50.37
world that has rejected
God's mercy and trampled
00:22:50.47\00:22:53.67
upon His law. Dark are
the records of human misery
00:22:53.80\00:22:57.67
that earth has witnessed
during its long centuries
00:22:57.77\00:23:00.71
of crime-the results
of rejecting the authority
00:23:00.88\00:23:04.71
of heaven. However,
a scene yet darker is
00:23:04.81\00:23:08.35
presented in the revelations
of the future. The records
00:23:08.45\00:23:11.89
of the past-the long
procession of tumults,
00:23:11.99\00:23:14.36
conflicts, and revolutions-
the 'battle of the warrior...
00:23:14.42\00:23:18.06
with confused noise and
garments rolled in blood'-
00:23:18.13\00:23:21.03
what are these, in contrast
with the terrors of that
00:23:21.10\00:23:25.37
day when the restraining
Spirit of God shall be
00:23:25.43\00:23:29.90
wholly withdrawn from
the wicked, no longer to
00:23:29.97\00:23:33.24
hold in check the
outburst of human passion and
00:23:33.27\00:23:35.98
satanic wrath. The world
will then behold, as never
00:23:36.04\00:23:39.38
before, the result of
Satan's rule." Have you
00:23:39.45\00:23:42.28
ever read chapter 1 of
the book Great Controversy?
00:23:42.32\00:23:45.09
Satan was in control
of the nation. Mothers
00:23:46.25\00:23:49.79
ate their children!
People gnawed at the
00:23:49.86\00:23:53.50
leather on their belts
and their sandals because
00:23:53.60\00:23:56.53
of the hunger!
People betrayed one another.
00:23:56.56\00:24:00.60
It was terrible! And yet,
that was only a foreshadowing
00:24:01.60\00:24:05.37
of what is gonna happen
globally at the end of time,
00:24:05.41\00:24:08.91
indicated by "a third".
A portion, in other words.
00:24:08.98\00:24:13.01
So, only a portion
of God's wrath fell.
00:24:13.08\00:24:16.02
Now, let's talk about
the fire in the symbolism.
00:24:16.99\00:24:19.82
Fire falling from heaven
signifies what? A judgment
00:24:20.52\00:24:25.19
from God against
apostate Jerusalem. Now, did
00:24:25.26\00:24:29.33
apostate Jerusalem persecute
God's faithful people, even
00:24:29.40\00:24:32.83
in the Old
Testament? Oh, yeah! Jesus says,
00:24:32.90\00:24:35.47
"You kill the
prophets and all the messengers
00:24:35.50\00:24:37.31
that I sent to you!"
Notice Exodus 9:22-26-
00:24:37.34\00:24:41.98
this is one of the
plagues that fell upon Egypt.
00:24:42.58\00:24:46.25
Why did God sent
the plagues upon Egypt?
00:24:46.31\00:24:48.18
Because what? They were
oppressing God's people,
00:24:50.15\00:24:53.25
right? They are
God's punishment because
00:24:53.29\00:24:56.02
of the oppression of
God's people. It says
00:24:56.09\00:24:58.43
there-and notice
the symbolism similar to
00:24:58.49\00:25:00.80
what we find in the
first trumpet-it says,
00:25:00.86\00:25:05.70
"Then the Lord said to
Moses, 'Stretch our your
00:25:05.73\00:25:08.34
hand toward heaven, that
there may be," what? "...hail."
00:25:08.40\00:25:12.61
And by the way, it was
burning hail, if you read
00:25:13.17\00:25:15.24
the story. "...hail
in all the land of Egypt-
00:25:15.34\00:25:18.95
on man, on beast, and
on every herb of the field,
00:25:19.11\00:25:22.45
throughout the land of
Egypt. And Moses stretched
00:25:22.55\00:25:25.72
out his rod toward heaven;
and the Lord sent thunder,"
00:25:25.85\00:25:29.96
and what? Hail, and what
else? Fire. Are those two
00:25:31.13\00:25:34.56
symbols that we find
in the first trumpet?
00:25:34.63\00:25:36.40
[Yes.] Absolutely! "...and
fire darted to the ground.
00:25:36.53\00:25:40.34
And the Lord rained
hail on the land of Egypt. So
00:25:40.90\00:25:44.54
there was hail, and
fire mingled with the hail,
00:25:44.64\00:25:49.54
so very heavy that there
was none like it in all the
00:25:49.64\00:25:53.85
land of Egypt since it
became a nation. And the hail
00:25:53.95\00:25:57.89
struck throughout the
whole land of Egypt, all
00:25:58.69\00:26:01.16
that was in the field,
both man and beast; and the
00:26:01.29\00:26:04.23
hail stuck every herb of
the field and broke every tree
00:26:04.36\00:26:07.70
of the field. Only in
the land of Goshen, where the
00:26:07.83\00:26:11.20
children of Israel
were, there was no hail." How
00:26:11.30\00:26:16.37
many Christians were
destroyed in the destruction
00:26:16.47\00:26:18.27
of Jerusalem? How many
Christians died? None died!
00:26:18.37\00:26:22.34
Because they were like
the children of Israel in
00:26:22.44\00:26:24.55
Goshen. They were protected
from the wrath of the Lord.
00:26:24.65\00:26:28.48
So, fire mingled with
hail represents a judgment
00:26:30.29\00:26:34.42
of God upon
apostasy, especially those who
00:26:34.56\00:26:37.19
persecute His people.
Notice Psalm 18:12 & 13.
00:26:37.29\00:26:41.20
"From the brightness before
Him, His thick clouds passed
00:26:41.73\00:26:45.37
with hailstones and
coals of fire. The Lord
00:26:45.47\00:26:49.77
thundered from heaven,
and the Most High uttered
00:26:49.90\00:26:52.61
His voice, 'Hailstones
and coals of fire,'" symbols
00:26:52.74\00:26:58.35
of God's judgment.
Now, are you noticing the
00:26:58.45\00:27:01.32
method that we're
using here? We are allowing
00:27:01.42\00:27:06.19
the Bible to explain its
symbols; we're not taking
00:27:06.29\00:27:10.83
Uriah Smith... Bless
his heart; he's resting in
00:27:10.93\00:27:13.60
the Lord till Jesus
comes. We're not allowing anyone
00:27:13.70\00:27:17.00
to interpret the
trumpets for us; we interpret
00:27:17.10\00:27:20.14
the symbols in the
light of Scripture, and
00:27:20.20\00:27:22.80
therefore we gain a
picture of what this is talking
00:27:22.94\00:27:24.77
about. Now, notice
something else which
00:27:24.91\00:27:28.68
is very interesting.
Repeatedly, the latter
00:27:28.74\00:27:32.01
prophets of the Old
Testament- and I put
00:27:32.11\00:27:34.05
only the references. I
can't include all of the
00:27:34.12\00:27:36.28
references, because
then we would have to have
00:27:36.38\00:27:38.55
two volumes. In all of
these texts, it tells us that
00:27:38.62\00:27:42.82
God's judgments on
apostate Israel fall
00:27:42.96\00:27:45.53
because they had forsaken
the covenant of the Lord.
00:27:46.23\00:27:51.03
By the way, was the
city of Jerusalem burned with
00:27:51.57\00:27:55.34
fire? Was it? Absolutely!
You remember the parable
00:27:55.44\00:28:00.81
of Matthew 22:7 where
messengers are sent out
00:28:00.91\00:28:04.08
to invite the Jews to
the wedding, and they said,
00:28:04.15\00:28:07.78
"No, we're not interested,"
so he sends out other
00:28:07.88\00:28:10.69
messengers-that's
after the death of Christ-and
00:28:10.75\00:28:13.42
they do likewise. They
say, "We're not interested,"
00:28:13.46\00:28:15.02
and they kill the messengers.
And so then, the parable
00:28:15.09\00:28:19.46
tells us in Matthew 22
that the king who represents
00:28:19.56\00:28:22.66
God the father was
angry. And so what did he do?
00:28:22.76\00:28:28.10
Well, Matthew 22:7
tells us what happened to
00:28:29.07\00:28:32.11
Jerusalem. "But when
the king heard about it, he
00:28:32.24\00:28:34.81
was furious and he sent
out his armies, destroyed
00:28:34.91\00:28:39.05
those murderers," and
what did he do? "...and
00:28:39.15\00:28:42.35
burned up their city."
Was Jerusalem punished with
00:28:42.48\00:28:45.59
fire? Yes, it was. Was
there great shedding of
00:28:45.72\00:28:48.12
blood? Ooh, we're gonna
see that in a few moments.
00:28:48.19\00:28:51.19
Now, it is of
interest that just before the
00:28:51.29\00:28:55.83
destruction of Jerusalem,
signs and wonders appeared
00:28:55.93\00:28:59.83
in the heavens. One of
the signs was the appearance
00:28:59.93\00:29:04.21
of chariots of fire
and men of war gathering
00:29:04.34\00:29:07.61
for battle. So, above
the city, you have the
00:29:07.71\00:29:09.88
clouds, and there are
armies marching on the
00:29:09.98\00:29:13.68
clouds. Now, what
are these armies that are
00:29:13.75\00:29:18.59
marching on the
clouds? Well, let's notice what
00:29:18.69\00:29:21.02
Ellen White has to
say, and then we'll look at
00:29:21.12\00:29:22.92
some biblical
texts. Great Controversy,
00:29:23.02\00:29:24.66
pg. 29. "Signs and wonders
appeared, foreboding," what?
00:29:24.76\00:29:29.43
"...disaster and doom.
In the midst of the night,
00:29:30.37\00:29:33.60
an unnatural light
shone over the temple; and on
00:29:33.67\00:29:37.11
the altar, upon the
clouds at sunset were pictured
00:29:37.21\00:29:40.98
chariots and men of
war, gathering for battle."
00:29:41.08\00:29:44.68
Let me ask you: who are
the chariots? The chariots
00:29:45.71\00:29:48.82
are the angels. In fact,
you'll notice in the next
00:29:48.92\00:29:51.52
line that we have here,
the Bible describes God's
00:29:51.65\00:29:54.62
chariots as
chariots of what? Chariots of
00:29:54.72\00:29:57.93
fire! And you can read
all of these texts. So,
00:29:58.03\00:30:01.00
what were people
seeing above Jerusalem on the
00:30:01.10\00:30:04.63
clouds? They were seeing
the heavenly armies preparing
00:30:04.73\00:30:08.60
for the destruction
of the city. Ellen White
00:30:08.70\00:30:12.07
described the fiery
inferno that destroyed
00:30:12.21\00:30:15.54
Jerusalem in the year
70. Notice this description
00:30:15.64\00:30:18.78
that she gives. Once
again, the emphasis on fire that
00:30:18.88\00:30:21.45
you have in the
first trumpet. Pg. 34: "The
00:30:21.55\00:30:25.12
whole summit of the
hill, which commanded the city,
00:30:25.22\00:30:28.82
blazed like a," what?
"...like a volcano. One
00:30:29.46\00:30:34.06
after another, the buildings
fell in with a tremendous
00:30:34.16\00:30:37.60
crash, and were swallowed
up in the," what? "...fiery
00:30:37.73\00:30:42.37
abyss. The roofs of
the cedar were like," what?
00:30:42.44\00:30:45.97
"...sheets of
flame. The gilded pinnacles
00:30:46.57\00:30:49.61
shone like the spikes of
red light, the gate towers
00:30:49.68\00:30:53.25
sent up tall columns of,"
what? "...of flame and smoke."
00:30:53.35\00:30:57.72
Is there our great emphasis
on fire and the destruction
00:30:58.35\00:31:00.22
of Jerusalem? There
most certainly is. What about
00:31:00.32\00:31:03.93
the blood symbolism?
Because this is blood
00:31:04.03\00:31:05.83
mingled with fire. Well,
as we've previously seen,
00:31:05.93\00:31:09.43
the Jews in Pilate's
judgment hall clamored
00:31:10.10\00:31:13.40
for Christ's crucifixion,
and what did they say?
00:31:13.50\00:31:15.90
They say, "His
blood be upon us and upon
00:31:16.47\00:31:20.11
our children." Jesus
also predicted that God would
00:31:20.21\00:31:24.85
require from that generation
all the what? All the righteous
00:31:24.95\00:31:28.55
blood, shed from the
time of Abel. According
00:31:28.65\00:31:33.49
to Revelation 16, by
the way, God will pour
00:31:33.59\00:31:36.56
out the third plague
upon the fountains of
00:31:36.66\00:31:39.93
fresh water for
the wicked to drink,
00:31:40.06\00:31:42.86
because they shed the
blood of God's people.
00:31:43.37\00:31:45.97
So, because the
Jewish nation shed the blood
00:31:46.40\00:31:49.20
of Christ, what is happening?
So to speak, symbolically,
00:31:49.30\00:31:53.38
God is giving them
what? Blood to drink. It's a
00:31:53.51\00:31:57.18
terrible judgment of
God. In fact, let's read
00:31:57.25\00:31:59.38
Revelation 16.
Revelation chapter 16, the third
00:31:59.45\00:32:02.48
plague. It explains the
reason why the fountains
00:32:02.58\00:32:05.89
of waters are turned
into blood. Revelation chapter
00:32:06.02\00:32:08.42
16, and notice
verse 4. "Then the third
00:32:08.49\00:32:12.13
angel poured out
his bowl and the rivers
00:32:12.26\00:32:14.03
and springs of water,
and they became," what?
00:32:14.13\00:32:16.56
Blood. Did God have a
moral reason for doing
00:32:17.07\00:32:20.67
that? For turning
the fountains of water
00:32:20.77\00:32:22.60
into blood? Absolutely!
"And I heard the angel
00:32:22.70\00:32:25.74
of the waters
saying, 'You are righteous,
00:32:25.84\00:32:27.74
O Lord; the One who
is and who was and who
00:32:27.84\00:32:30.41
is to be, because You
have,'" what? "'...judged
00:32:30.51\00:32:33.68
these things, for
they have shed the blood of
00:32:33.78\00:32:36.82
saints and
prophets, and You have given
00:32:36.95\00:32:39.89
them blood to drink,
for it is their just due.'"
00:32:39.99\00:32:44.99
Are you following
me? Now, let's read a few
00:32:47.00\00:32:49.70
statements from the
Spirit of Prophecy in
00:32:49.76\00:32:51.63
the chapter on the
destruction of Jerusalem,
00:32:51.73\00:32:54.00
once again. "The
leaders of the opposing factions
00:32:54.10\00:32:57.27
at times united to
plunder and torture the wretched
00:32:57.37\00:33:01.54
victims. And again,
they fell upon each other's
00:33:01.68\00:33:04.68
forces," and what's
the next word, and what?
00:33:04.75\00:33:07.42
"...and slaughtered
without mercy. Even the
00:33:07.48\00:33:10.79
sanctity of the temple
could not restrain their
00:33:10.89\00:33:12.95
horrible ferocity. The
worshipers were stricken
00:33:13.09\00:33:16.32
down before the
altar, and the sanctuary was
00:33:16.46\00:33:20.10
polluted with the bodies
of the," what? "...of the
00:33:20.20\00:33:23.03
slain." On pg. 32,
Ellen White wrote, "The Roman
00:33:23.16\00:33:27.74
leaders endeavored to
strike terror to the Jews
00:33:27.84\00:33:30.01
and thus cause them to
surrender. Those prisoners
00:33:30.11\00:33:33.24
who resisted when taken
were scourged, tortured,
00:33:33.34\00:33:36.28
and crucified before
the wall of the city."
00:33:36.34\00:33:39.58
Is that what they
had done to God's people?
00:33:39.68\00:33:41.58
Yes! "Hundreds were daily
put to death in this manner,
00:33:42.25\00:33:47.06
and the dreadful
work continued until along
00:33:47.19\00:33:50.13
the valley of Jehoshaphat.
And at Calvary, crosses
00:33:50.23\00:33:53.29
were erected in so
great numbers that there was
00:33:53.40\00:33:56.56
scarcely room to move
among them. So terribly
00:33:56.70\00:34:02.84
was visited the
awful imprecation uttered
00:34:02.90\00:34:05.94
before the judgment
seat of Pilate. His blood be
00:34:06.04\00:34:08.64
on us and upon our
children." Let's read a few more
00:34:08.74\00:34:13.78
statements. "Like one
entranced, he," that is,
00:34:13.88\00:34:17.69
Titus, "looked from the
crest of Olivet upon the
00:34:17.79\00:34:21.46
magnificent temple
and gave command that not
00:34:21.52\00:34:24.46
one stone of it be touched.
Before attempting to gain
00:34:24.53\00:34:28.16
possession to this stronghold,
he made an earnest appeal
00:34:28.26\00:34:31.53
to the Jewish
leaders not to force them to
00:34:31.60\00:34:33.40
defile the sacred place
with," what? "...with blood."
00:34:33.47\00:34:38.04
On pg. 33, Ellen White
wrote, "In the struggle
00:34:38.17\00:34:42.04
[of the Jews against
Titus], a firebrand was
00:34:42.11\00:34:46.25
flung by a soldier
through an opening in the porch.
00:34:46.35\00:34:49.38
And immediately,
the cedar-lined chambers
00:34:49.48\00:34:52.22
about the holy house
were in a," what? "...blaze."
00:34:52.29\00:34:55.46
Notice once again,
fire. "Titus rushed to the
00:34:55.56\00:34:58.36
place, followed by his
generals and legionaries,
00:34:58.49\00:35:00.70
and commanded the soldiers
to quench the flames. His
00:35:00.80\00:35:04.70
words were unheated. In
their fury, the soldiers
00:35:04.83\00:35:08.54
hurled blazing
brands into the chambers
00:35:08.67\00:35:11.24
of joining the
temple. And then with their
00:35:11.34\00:35:13.61
swords, they slaughtered
in great numbers those who
00:35:13.71\00:35:17.05
had found shelter
there. Blood flowed down the
00:35:17.15\00:35:19.91
temple steps like
water!" Fire mingled with what
00:35:20.02\00:35:25.09
in the first trumpet?
With blood. "Thousands upon
00:35:25.15\00:35:29.09
thousands of Jews perished.
Above the sound of battle,
00:35:29.16\00:35:32.69
voices were heard,
shouting, 'Ichabod! The glory is
00:35:32.83\00:35:36.46
departed.'" On page
35, Ellen White wrote-she's
00:35:36.56\00:35:41.54
quoting Milman here-
"The slaughter within
00:35:41.64\00:35:45.17
was even more dreadful
than the spectacle from
00:35:45.27\00:35:47.74
without! Men and women,
old and young, insurgents
00:35:47.84\00:35:51.35
and priests, those
who fought and those who
00:35:51.45\00:35:53.95
entreated mercy were
hewn down in indiscriminate
00:35:54.05\00:35:57.89
carnage. The number of
the slain exceeded that
00:35:57.95\00:36:01.39
of the slayers.
The legionaries had to
00:36:01.52\00:36:04.99
clamber over heaps of
dead to carry out the work
00:36:05.13\00:36:10.70
of extermination." And
one final one, page 35, "In
00:36:10.80\00:36:15.34
the siege and the slaughter
that followed, more than
00:36:15.44\00:36:18.41
a million of the
people perished. The survivors
00:36:18.51\00:36:21.34
were carried away as
captives, sold as slaves,
00:36:21.44\00:36:25.31
dragged to Rome to
grace the conqueror's triumph,
00:36:25.41\00:36:28.08
thrown to wild
beasts in the amphitheaters,
00:36:28.18\00:36:30.79
or scattered as homeless
wanderers throughout the
00:36:30.89\00:36:34.02
earth." Are you
catching a picture of what the
00:36:34.12\00:36:37.69
first trumpet is
dealing with? Now, what about
00:36:37.83\00:36:40.96
the tree and grass
symbolism? The tree
00:36:41.06\00:36:44.10
and grass symbolism.
Third of the trees are
00:36:44.20\00:36:47.00
burnt, and all the
green grass. Well, we need to
00:36:47.10\00:36:50.87
understand a few historical
events that took place
00:36:50.94\00:36:56.75
during the ministry of
Christ. Six months before
00:36:56.88\00:37:00.05
Jesus began His ministry,
John the Baptist compared
00:37:00.15\00:37:03.82
the Jewish nation to
a tree, and warned that
00:37:03.92\00:37:09.39
if the tree did
not produce good fruit,
00:37:09.49\00:37:12.19
it would be what? It
would be cut down and
00:37:12.29\00:37:15.40
thrown where? Into the
fire. John was specifically
00:37:15.50\00:37:19.83
referring to the Jewish
nation. Let's read Matthew
00:37:19.93\00:37:23.37
3 verses 7-12.
[reads on-screen text]
00:37:23.44\00:37:29.51
"And do not think to
say for yourselves, 'We have
00:37:39.69\00:37:41.62
Abraham as our father.'" To whom
is John the Baptist speaking?
00:37:41.76\00:37:45.16
He's speaking to the
Jewish nation. "Don't
00:37:46.06\00:37:48.40
say we have Abraham as
our father, for I say to
00:37:48.50\00:37:51.27
you that God is able
to raise up children to
00:37:51.37\00:37:53.74
Abraham from
these," what? "...from these
00:37:53.84\00:37:56.24
stones." By the way,
when it says, "stones",
00:37:56.34\00:37:58.24
it's not talking
about rocks. Ellen White
00:37:58.34\00:38:02.81
explains in Desire
of Ages that Jesus was
00:38:02.91\00:38:05.01
pointing to the Gentiles,
because the Jews considered
00:38:05.08\00:38:07.78
the Gentiles having
stony hearts! The Jews were
00:38:07.88\00:38:13.12
not very complimentary
when it came to the Gentiles;
00:38:13.25\00:38:15.29
they called them
pigs, or swine...right? They
00:38:15.39\00:38:21.36
referred to them as dogs...
Very politically incorrect.
00:38:21.46\00:38:25.33
[laughter] And
they referred to them as
00:38:25.43\00:38:27.64
rocks! Because they had
stony hearts. They could
00:38:27.74\00:38:30.64
not be reached with
the message. Verse 10:
00:38:30.74\00:38:33.17
"And even now, the axe
is laid to the root of the,"
00:38:33.91\00:38:36.81
what? Trees. That deals
with individuals, doesn't it?
00:38:36.91\00:38:40.28
Every tree that does
not produce fruit will be
00:38:40.85\00:38:43.85
cut down in the
fire. So, it says, "The axe
00:38:43.99\00:38:46.55
is laid to the root
of the trees. Therefore,
00:38:46.65\00:38:48.96
every tree which
does not bear good fruit
00:38:49.06\00:38:52.03
is cut down," and
what? And is thrown into the
00:38:52.13\00:38:57.33
fire. It's thrown into
the fire, not right after
00:38:57.40\00:39:00.10
it's cut down,
because it's green wood; it's
00:39:00.24\00:39:02.84
thrown into the
fire after it what? After
00:39:02.97\00:39:05.31
it dries up. We'll come
back to that in a moment.
00:39:05.44\00:39:07.74
Now, it's interesting:
John the Baptist began
00:39:08.38\00:39:11.01
his ministry six
months before Jesus did.
00:39:11.11\00:39:14.22
Two-and-a-half years
into the ministry of Christ.
00:39:15.75\00:39:17.89
Two-and-a-half years
into His ministry, we meet
00:39:18.92\00:39:21.79
this tree again.
Let's go to Luke chapter 13.
00:39:21.92\00:39:25.49
Luke chapter 13 and
verse 1. Luke chapter 13
00:39:26.09\00:39:30.03
and verse 1. This is
two years into the ministry
00:39:30.13\00:39:34.24
of Christ-two-and-a-half
years-after John the Baptist
00:39:34.34\00:39:37.17
spoke about the
tree being cut down and
00:39:37.27\00:39:39.17
thrown into the
fire. Luke 13:1 says...
00:39:39.27\00:39:42.84
[reads text on screen]
00:39:42.94\00:39:46.98
So, Pilate had done
this to a group of Jews.
00:39:56.09\00:39:58.79
So now Jesus says in
verse 2... [reads text]
00:39:59.39\00:40:05.17
Then Jesus says in
verse 3... [reads text]
00:40:10.41\00:40:15.58
And then Jesus tells a
parable. "He also spoke
00:40:35.33\00:40:38.43
this parable: "A certain
man had a fig tree planted in
00:40:38.50\00:40:41.70
his vineyard.'"
There's the same tree that John
00:40:41.80\00:40:44.64
the Baptist spoke about.
"'...and he came seeking,'"
00:40:44.77\00:40:47.91
what? Fruit on it!
Which you would expect, right?
00:40:48.01\00:40:53.38
By the way, Ellen White
explains that the fig tree
00:40:53.52\00:40:57.89
that we're gonna look at later,
it had leaves but it didn't
00:40:58.02\00:41:03.73
have any fruit. And those
of you who have fig trees,
00:41:03.83\00:41:06.53
you know the fruit comes
out first and then the leaves
00:41:06.63\00:41:08.60
come out afterwards.
A couple of days ago,
00:41:08.70\00:41:10.67
I was in Modesto [California]
at someone's home, and
00:41:10.80\00:41:13.23
the fig tree has the fruit
and just the budding leaves
00:41:14.27\00:41:17.17
coming out. But anyway,
it says in verse 7, "Then
00:41:17.31\00:41:21.51
he said to the keeper
of his vineyard..." By
00:41:21.64\00:41:23.65
the way, the keeper
of the vineyard is Jesus;
00:41:23.75\00:41:25.08
the owner of the vineyard
is the Father. "He said to
00:41:25.21\00:41:27.62
the keeper of his vineyard,
'Look, for three years I
00:41:27.72\00:41:29.78
have come seeking fruit
on this fig tree and find
00:41:29.88\00:41:32.49
none. Cut it down; why
does it use up the ground?"
00:41:32.65\00:41:36.46
So actually, you
have six months that John
00:41:36.56\00:41:40.10
the Baptist had preached.
And at this point, I said
00:41:40.16\00:41:42.90
two years but it's
actually two-and-a-half years
00:41:43.03\00:41:44.77
that Jesus has been ministering
to the Jewish nation.
00:41:44.87\00:41:48.80
Verse 8. [reads text on screen]
00:41:49.40\00:41:53.84
So what is the vinedresser
saying? He's saying, "Leave
00:41:57.91\00:42:01.68
it for one more
year." How much longer did
00:42:01.78\00:42:04.49
Jesus have to minister
at this point? One more
00:42:04.59\00:42:07.69
year. That's right.
[reads text further]
00:42:07.79\00:42:11.56
The parable ends. You
don't know whether the
00:42:15.56\00:42:18.07
tree bore fruit or
not. But the last week of
00:42:18.20\00:42:21.04
Jesus before He
dies, we meet the fig tree
00:42:21.17\00:42:24.14
again. Jesus sees a
fig tree in the distance
00:42:24.24\00:42:27.04
and He says, "Hey,
I'm hungry. Let's go get
00:42:27.14\00:42:31.25
some figs off of
that tree." Well, the tree
00:42:31.45\00:42:33.78
must've had an
abundance of leaves, right? And
00:42:33.92\00:42:36.32
Ellen White
emphasizes that there were other
00:42:36.45\00:42:37.99
trees that were
totally bare. They didn't have
00:42:38.09\00:42:42.09
any leaves. So,
Jesus isn't gonna
00:42:42.19\00:42:44.69
look for fruit. Those
represent the Gentiles,
00:42:44.79\00:42:46.46
by the way. He was gonna
look for fruit on this tree
00:42:46.53\00:42:48.83
that was supposed
to produce fruit first!
00:42:48.93\00:42:52.87
And when Jesus comes,
He finds that the tree
00:42:53.57\00:42:55.64
has bunches of
leaves, but it has no what?
00:42:57.17\00:43:00.04
It has no fruit. So
what happens? The tree dries
00:43:00.64\00:43:05.65
up by its roots.
What happens when a tree
00:43:05.71\00:43:10.09
dries up from the
roots? That's it. It's dry
00:43:10.25\00:43:14.06
forever. And what happens-
what do you do with a tree
00:43:14.16\00:43:17.59
that dries up? You
cut it down and you use it
00:43:17.69\00:43:21.16
for firewood. Now,
you say, "It doesn't say
00:43:21.26\00:43:24.87
here that the tree
was thrown into the
00:43:25.00\00:43:26.67
fire." True enough.
But let's notice another
00:43:26.77\00:43:30.04
parallel passage that
speaks about what happens
00:43:30.17\00:43:32.94
when a plant does not
bear fruit. Notice John
00:43:33.04\00:43:36.98
15 verses 5 and 6.
John 15:5-6. You know that
00:43:37.08\00:43:42.52
the vineyard is a
symbol of Israel, right? Now,
00:43:42.65\00:43:45.65
notice John 15:5-6. Jesus
is speaking to His disciples,
00:43:45.79\00:43:49.96
and He says... [reads text]
00:43:50.13\00:43:52.73
But what happens to
a branch that doesn't
00:44:01.80\00:44:03.27
bear fruit? Not only
is it cut off, but what
00:44:03.37\00:44:07.98
happens then? It is
burnt; thrown into the fire.
00:44:08.08\00:44:11.28
It says in verse
6: "If anyone does not
00:44:11.41\00:44:13.92
abide in Me, he is
cast out as a branch and is
00:44:14.02\00:44:17.59
withered," just like the
fig tree. "And they gather
00:44:17.69\00:44:20.56
them and throw them,"
where? "...into the fire,
00:44:20.66\00:44:23.66
and they are burned." Are you
with me? So, the burning of the
00:44:23.79\00:44:29.73
fig tree represents
the destruction of what?
00:44:29.86\00:44:32.53
Of Jerusalem with
fire, because the king sent
00:44:32.67\00:44:37.31
his armies to burn
their city because they
00:44:37.41\00:44:40.28
had rejected the invitation
to the son's wedding. Now,
00:44:40.38\00:44:45.21
Ellen White wrote this:
"Terribly was it realized
00:44:45.31\00:44:48.98
in the destruction
of Jerusalem; terribly
00:44:49.12\00:44:52.49
has it been manifested
in the condition of the
00:44:52.59\00:44:55.42
Jewish nation for
1,800 years. A branch severed
00:44:55.56\00:45:00.26
from the vine-a dead,
fruitless branch-to be
00:45:00.36\00:45:05.07
gathered up and," what?
"...and burned. From land
00:45:05.17\00:45:08.47
to land throughout
the world, from century to
00:45:08.60\00:45:10.81
century...dead. Dead
in trespasses and sins."
00:45:10.87\00:45:15.81
Notice Luke
23:27-31. [reads text]
00:45:16.85\00:45:23.89
When is that gonna
take place? When are people
00:45:51.08\00:45:55.35
gonna cry for the rocks
and the hills to fall upon
00:45:55.45\00:45:58.32
them? At the Second
Coming. So, was what
00:45:58.39\00:46:02.02
happened to them
in Jerusalem a partial
00:46:02.12\00:46:03.79
judgment, and there's
gonna be a far greater
00:46:03.86\00:46:05.56
one in the future?
Absolutely! And then
00:46:05.66\00:46:10.30
Ellen White quotes a
Bible verse, which is Matthew
00:46:10.40\00:46:13.84
23:39. "For if they,"
that is, the Jewish nation,
00:46:13.94\00:46:17.97
"do these things in the
green wood,"-by the way,
00:46:18.11\00:46:22.24
the "green wood"
is a symbol of Christ-
00:46:22.31\00:46:23.68
"what will be done in
the dry?" Are you following
00:46:24.25\00:46:29.08
me or not? Now, let
me read from Ellen White
00:46:29.15\00:46:32.82
the explanation of this
last verse that is mentioned
00:46:32.92\00:46:35.76
here in verse 31 where
it says, "For if they do
00:46:35.86\00:46:41.36
these things in the
green wood, what will
00:46:41.46\00:46:43.93
be done in the
dry?" Ellen White explains
00:46:44.03\00:46:46.40
in Desire of Ages, [pg.] 743.
"From the fall of Jerusalem,
00:46:47.24\00:46:51.37
the thoughts of
Jesus passed to a," what?
00:46:51.47\00:46:53.38
"...a wider
judgment. In the destruction of
00:46:54.58\00:46:57.08
the impenitent city,
he saw a symbol of the
00:46:57.15\00:46:59.78
final destruction
to come upon the world.
00:46:59.91\00:47:02.62
He said they shall
begin to say to the mountains,
00:47:03.18\00:47:05.75
'Fall on us,' and to the
hills, 'Cover us,' for if
00:47:05.85\00:47:08.82
they do these things
in a green tree, what
00:47:08.92\00:47:11.13
shall be done in the
dry?" By "the green tree",
00:47:11.23\00:47:14.40
Jesus represented
what? Himself! The innocent
00:47:14.50\00:47:19.43
Redeemer. "God suffered
His wrath against transgression
00:47:19.50\00:47:22.70
to fall on His beloved
Son. Jesus was to be crucified
00:47:22.80\00:47:26.74
for the sins of man.
What suffering, then,
00:47:26.81\00:47:30.01
would the sinner
bear who continued in sin?
00:47:30.08\00:47:33.31
All the impenitent
and unbelieving would know
00:47:33.75\00:47:36.58
a sorrow and misery that
language would fail to express."
00:47:36.62\00:47:41.96
What is the "dry
wood"? The dry wood represents
00:47:42.49\00:47:46.06
those who reject
Christ. If they did this to the
00:47:46.09\00:47:49.26
green wood, to Jesus,
what's gonna happen when
00:47:49.33\00:47:51.23
the wood is dry? Let
me read you two statements
00:47:51.33\00:47:54.14
from individuals who are
not Adventist: a Methodist
00:47:54.17\00:47:58.07
commentator, Adam Clarke,
from many, many years ago.
00:47:58.14\00:48:02.01
He explains what
this verse means. Luke
00:48:02.61\00:48:06.38
chapter 23 and verse
31. "This seems to be
00:48:06.45\00:48:09.65
a proverbial expression,
the sense of which is this:
00:48:09.68\00:48:14.82
if they spare not a
tree, which, by the beauty
00:48:15.36\00:48:18.99
of its foliage,
abundance and excellence of its
00:48:19.03\00:48:22.36
fruits deserves to
be preserved. Then, the
00:48:22.40\00:48:26.07
tree which is dry and
withered"-remember the
00:48:26.13\00:48:29.07
fig tree-"will surely
be," what? "...cut down.
00:48:29.10\00:48:33.21
If a people who profess
to be governed and directed
00:48:33.71\00:48:35.98
by divine laws, what
desolation put an innocent
00:48:36.01\00:48:40.88
man to death in the
very face of justice
00:48:40.92\00:48:43.42
in opposition to all
its dictates and decisions,
00:48:43.49\00:48:46.25
injustice and
oppression, may not be expected
00:48:46.32\00:48:49.22
when anarchy and
confusion sit in the place where
00:48:49.29\00:48:52.69
judgment and
justice formally presided.
00:48:52.73\00:48:55.63
Our Lord alludes prophetically
to these retributions
00:48:56.33\00:48:59.17
which fell upon
the Jewish people about
00:48:59.23\00:49:01.97
40 years after." The
dry tree to be burned.
00:49:02.04\00:49:07.98
Another commentator,
the Presbyterian pastor
00:49:09.88\00:49:12.11
Albert Barnes wrote
the following about this
00:49:12.15\00:49:15.28
verse. "This seems to
be a proverbial expression.
00:49:15.35\00:49:19.32
A green tree is not
easily set on fire. A dry one is
00:49:19.92\00:49:24.46
easily kindled and
burns rapidly. And the meaning
00:49:24.49\00:49:28.10
of the passage is, 'If
they,'" the Romans, "'do
00:49:28.20\00:49:32.23
these things to Me, who
am innocent and blameless,
00:49:32.33\00:49:35.47
if they punish Me in
this manner in the face of
00:49:35.60\00:49:38.17
justice, what will
they do in relation to this
00:49:38.27\00:49:41.31
guilty nation? What
security have they that heavier
00:49:41.41\00:49:46.01
judgments will not come
upon them? What desolations
00:49:46.11\00:49:49.58
and woes may not be
expected when justice
00:49:49.68\00:49:52.69
and oppression have
taken the place of justice
00:49:52.79\00:49:55.36
and have set up a rule
over this wicked people?
00:49:55.46\00:49:58.59
Our Lord alludes evidently
to the calamities that would
00:49:59.23\00:50:02.36
come upon them by,'"
whom? "'...by the Romans in
00:50:02.43\00:50:06.33
the destruction of
Jerusalem, in the destruction of
00:50:06.50\00:50:09.10
their city and
temple.' The passage may be
00:50:09.20\00:50:11.77
applied, however, without
impropriety and with great
00:50:11.87\00:50:15.48
beauty and force to the
punishment of the wicked
00:50:15.58\00:50:18.11
in the future
world." So, you've seen that
00:50:18.21\00:50:21.65
what happened in Jerusalem
foreshadows what's gonna
00:50:21.75\00:50:24.02
happen at the end of
time. Then he finishes
00:50:24.12\00:50:27.59
the comment by saying,
"'Thus applied' means that
00:50:27.69\00:50:30.73
the suffering of the
Saviour as compared with
00:50:30.83\00:50:33.23
the sufferings of the
guilty were like the burning
00:50:33.33\00:50:35.56
of a green tree as
compared with," what?
00:50:35.66\00:50:38.80
"...with the burning of
one that is dry. A green
00:50:39.23\00:50:41.60
tree is not [adapted]
to burn; a dry one is. So
00:50:41.70\00:50:45.17
the Saviour,
innocent, pure, and holy, stood
00:50:45.27\00:50:47.98
in relation to
suffering." So far so good? So,
00:50:48.08\00:50:55.42
what is this
symbolism of the first trumpet
00:50:55.55\00:50:57.99
pointing to? It's
pointing to the destruction
00:50:58.05\00:51:00.56
of Jerusalem when you
allow the Scripture to
00:51:00.66\00:51:03.69
explain itself. Now,
you'll notice also that all the
00:51:03.76\00:51:08.03
green grass is
burnt. Now, what does the
00:51:08.10\00:51:12.60
word 'grass' mean? What
is the symbol 'grass'? Well,
00:51:12.67\00:51:18.07
let's notice several
verses here. The first
00:51:18.17\00:51:21.11
is in Isaiah
chapter 40 and verses 6-8.
00:51:21.14\00:51:25.01
"The voice said,
'Cry out.' And he said,
00:51:25.48\00:51:29.02
'What shall I cry?'
'All flesh is,'" what?
00:51:29.05\00:51:32.89
So grass represents
what? People. "'And all
00:51:33.46\00:51:37.33
its loveliness is like
the flower of the field.'"
00:51:37.39\00:51:40.36
What happens with the
grass? The grass withers, the
00:51:41.03\00:51:44.93
flower fades, because
the breath of the Lord
00:51:45.00\00:51:48.94
blows upon it.
Surely, the people are what?
00:51:49.00\00:51:52.27
Grass. The grass withers,
the flower fades, but the
00:51:52.77\00:51:56.41
Word of our God,
what? Stands forever. Psalm
00:51:56.44\00:52:01.82
37 describes the destruction
of the wicked. It says here,
00:52:01.88\00:52:05.89
"Do not fret
because of evildoers, nor be
00:52:05.95\00:52:09.76
envious of the workers
of iniquity." So what's
00:52:09.82\00:52:13.13
gonna happen with evildoers
and the workers of iniquity?
00:52:13.19\00:52:16.73
"For they shall soon
be," what? "...cut down,"
00:52:17.17\00:52:20.94
and what is it compared
with? "...like grass, and
00:52:21.60\00:52:25.27
wither as the green
herb." Psalm 90: 5-7, once
00:52:25.34\00:52:30.45
again, describes the
wicked under the symbol
00:52:30.51\00:52:33.72
of grass. It says
there: [reads text]
00:52:33.75\00:52:40.12
And then one final
verse that I have in here, and
00:52:59.64\00:53:02.94
you can look for
others in a concordance, Psalm
00:53:03.04\00:53:05.71
92 and verse 6 and
7... [reads more text]
00:53:05.81\00:53:10.29
So, it's kinda
speaking about people who are
00:53:14.49\00:53:17.03
not followers of the
Lord, right? A senseless man,
00:53:17.09\00:53:20.90
and a fool does not
understand this. [reads further]
00:53:20.96\00:53:26.07
So, the question is,
to what does the first
00:53:40.45\00:53:43.39
trumpet point? To what
historical event? It points
00:53:43.49\00:53:47.26
to the destruction of
Jerusalem. Now, is this
00:53:47.36\00:53:51.59
during apostolic
times? Does the first trumpet
00:53:51.66\00:53:54.66
begin during apostolic
times? Absolutely! Some
00:53:54.76\00:53:58.57
of the apostles were
still alive at this point.
00:53:58.67\00:54:00.74
The gospel is still
being preached at this point.
00:54:01.24\00:54:03.71
So, the first trumpet
in harmony with all of
00:54:04.17\00:54:07.01
the series that we
find in Scripture, all the
00:54:07.08\00:54:09.91
prophetic series,
begins in the days when the
00:54:09.98\00:54:12.61
prophet wrote. And,
of course, John wrote in
00:54:12.71\00:54:16.62
the '90s-in the mid-'90s.
So, this description of
00:54:16.72\00:54:22.76
what happened with
Jerusalem is covering from
00:54:22.86\00:54:25.66
the time of Christ,
the persecution of His
00:54:25.73\00:54:28.36
followers in the church,
culminating, finally with
00:54:28.46\00:54:31.80
the destruction of
Jerusalem. So notice
00:54:31.90\00:54:34.67
once again the symbols:
hail and fire. Are those
00:54:34.74\00:54:38.94
symbols of God's
judgment upon His own apostate
00:54:39.01\00:54:41.84
people? Yes. Mingled
with blood-is that true
00:54:41.94\00:54:46.35
of what happened to
the city of Jerusalem
00:54:46.45\00:54:48.28
and the inhabitants
of Jerusalem? Absolutely!
00:54:48.38\00:54:51.59
Now, trees. What do
the trees represent?
00:54:52.05\00:54:55.86
Trees that don't produce
fruit-it's speaking about
00:54:55.99\00:54:58.99
the individuals-the
tree is the nation, but then
00:54:59.13\00:55:02.53
it refers to "trees"-
it refers to individuals
00:55:02.60\00:55:05.83
in the nation. What happens
if they don't bear fruit,
00:55:05.93\00:55:09.00
the Fruit of the Spirit
by receiving the Messiah?
00:55:09.10\00:55:11.87
They are cut down, and
they are thrown into what?
00:55:11.97\00:55:15.74
They are thrown
into the fire. And what
00:55:15.88\00:55:19.28
happens to all of
the wicked symbolized by
00:55:19.35\00:55:21.62
the green grass?
The green grass withers,
00:55:21.72\00:55:25.35
and it is also burnt
up. So, clearly, the first
00:55:25.45\00:55:30.83
trumpet points to the
destruction of Jerusalem.
00:55:30.93\00:55:34.60
And you know, there's
something very interesting.
00:55:34.70\00:55:36.56
If you read the article
that I mentioned-[let's]
00:55:36.67\00:55:39.83
see if I have it here-
the article that you got
00:55:39.93\00:55:42.27
on loose pages; I
don't have it with me. But
00:55:42.37\00:55:45.17
that article has the different
concepts that Adventist
00:55:45.27\00:55:49.38
scholars have about the
trumpets. There's a chart
00:55:49.48\00:55:51.88
there with many of the
scholars of the Seventh-day
00:55:51.98\00:55:56.42
Adventist Church, and
you'll notice that even
00:55:56.48\00:55:58.82
C. Mervyn Maxwell...
Have you ever heard of
00:55:58.92\00:56:01.89
C. Mervyn Maxwell? You
know of the famous Maxwell
00:56:01.99\00:56:05.36
family? He was my
teacher at the seminary-staunch
00:56:05.46\00:56:09.00
believer in the
Spirit of Prophecy, staunch
00:56:09.10\00:56:11.33
believer in the historicist's
view of Bible prophecy.
00:56:11.43\00:56:14.97
If you look at that
chart, you'll notice that he
00:56:15.07\00:56:17.77
deviates from the concept
of Uriah Smith, concerning
00:56:17.87\00:56:21.74
the first trumpet. Uriah
Smith says the first trumpet
00:56:21.84\00:56:24.65
is fulfilled in the fourth
century with the barbarian
00:56:24.78\00:56:28.25
invasions. But C.
Mervyn Maxwell, he among others
00:56:28.32\00:56:33.05
says, "No, this trumpet,"
the first trumpet, "represents
00:56:33.15\00:56:37.06
the destruction of Jerusalem
by the Romans." How did
00:56:37.16\00:56:41.93
he reach this conclusion?
Simply by allowing the
00:56:42.03\00:56:44.93
Bible to interpret
itself! And by taking what Ellen
00:56:45.03\00:56:48.47
White says in the Spirit
of Prophecy in conjunction
00:56:48.54\00:56:51.01
with the Bible in amplification
of what the Bible has to
00:56:51.11\00:56:54.34
say! So, the first
trumpet deals with the
00:56:54.48\00:56:58.11
destruction of
Jerusalem because Jerusalem has
00:56:58.25\00:57:02.05
done what with God's
people? First of all,
00:57:02.15\00:57:04.85
it cried out for the
blood of Christ. "Let
00:57:05.55\00:57:08.32
His blood be upon us
and upon our children."
00:57:08.42\00:57:11.93
Jesus said, "All of the
righteous' blood will fall
00:57:12.46\00:57:14.86
upon the nation." And
as a result, the nation
00:57:14.96\00:57:18.43
was burnt with
fire, the blood was shed,
00:57:18.57\00:57:22.37
and the green grass,
those who were wicked
00:57:22.47\00:57:26.41
in the city, were destroyed,
and the trees that did not
00:57:26.51\00:57:30.91
bear fruit were
cut down and were burnt
00:57:30.98\00:57:34.98
in the fire. So, I hope
that you're understanding
00:57:35.08\00:57:38.59
the first trumpet,
which is the beginning point
00:57:38.65\00:57:41.29
of the seven
trumpets. If we don't have a
00:57:41.39\00:57:44.49
starting point, it's
hard to know where we're
00:57:44.59\00:57:46.59
moving to. Now, in
our next study together,
00:57:46.70\00:57:49.20
we're gonna see
that the second trumpet
00:57:49.30\00:57:50.63
does deal with the barbarian
invasions and the fall of
00:57:50.73\00:57:54.74
the Roman Empire that
oppressed God's people.
00:57:54.87\00:57:57.64