Well, welcome back for
our final session today.
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I expected you to say, "Aww."
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~ Aww. - Good, good. Thank you.
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Alright, let's go back to
our study notes, page 168.
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And I'm going to review what
we studied at the very end of
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our last session together.
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Verse 1 reads as follows, "The
fifth angel sounded his trumpet.
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And I saw a star that
had fallen from heaven,
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from the sky, to the earth.
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The star was given the key
to the shaft of the abyss."
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Now there's several
things that we noticed here.
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One is the
"divine passage," right?
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God is allowing this to happen.
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In other words,
God is in control.
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Also we noticed that even though
the King James Version says
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that he saw a
star fall from heaven,
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really the tense of
the verb is that the star
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had fallen from heaven.
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And who is that star
that had fallen from heaven?
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It is Lucifer who is
mentioned in Isaiah chapter 14.
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Then we went to the
comments on verse 2.
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It says, "And he
opened the bottomless pit..."
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With the key, that is.
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So when the pit is
opened with the key,
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there is a deep
darkness, isn't there,
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according to this.
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And we noticed also that
the star is a "he," right?
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It's not an "it." It's a "he."
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And most of the trumpets, it
says that a third was affected.
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Here, there's no
mention of a third.
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So this must be an
overwhelming and total darkness
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wherever it falls.
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Now let's go to verse 3.
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"Then out of the smoke
locusts came upon the earth.
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And to them was given power..."
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Notice once
again, "was given power."
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Who is really in control here?
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Who is allowing
these things to happen?
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It's God who is
allowing them to happen.
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So now we have not only
locusts, but we have what?
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Scorpions; the
locusts are really scorpions.
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Now when the shaft
of the abyss opens,
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all hell breaks loose.
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As we have previously seen when
we studied the fourth trumpet,
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the sun, which is
the greater light,
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the moon, which
is the lesser light,
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representing
Christ and the Scriptures,
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and the stars, which
represent God's people,
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were partially eclipsed.
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There was partial darkness
during the fourth trumpet.
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But it appears that in the
fifth trumpet, the darkness
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is much deeper than
the darkness that was there
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during the period
of the fourth trumpet.
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Now let's read Exodus 10:15
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where we find a
very interesting detail.
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When you read Exodus 10:15,
which speaks about the plague
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of locusts that fell upon Egypt,
the impression that you get
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is that the cloud
that comes from the abyss
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and darkens everything is
really the cloud of locusts.
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So notice what we
find in Exodus 10:15.
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"For they," that is
the locusts in Egypt...
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So what is it that
caused the darkness
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under the fifth trumpet?
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It is the host of
locusts that come up,
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that are related
also to scorpions.
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And it says, this is in Egypt...
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This is, of course, literal.
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So what is it that caused the
darkness in the fifth trumpet?
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The locusts are so pervasive,
there are so many of them,
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that they totally
cover the sun and the moon.
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There's no light on the earth.
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France...
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Now here comes the application
from the spirit of prophecy.
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France had the bright
light of the Reformation,
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and rejected that light.
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And the result was what?
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Great darkness.
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Notice,
Testimonies, v1, page 232.
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"I saw that the greater the
light which the people reject,
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the greater will be..." What?
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"...the power of
deception and darkness
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which will come upon them.
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The rejection of truth
leaves men captives..."
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And the subject of whom?
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"...the subjects
of Satan's deception."
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Did France reject the light?
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It was the one
nation that strongly
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opposed the Reformation.
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You know, slaughtering
so many of the Huguenots
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during the St.
Bartholomew Massacre.
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And so she
reaped what she sowed.
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The words of Jesus that
we find in Matthew 6:22-23
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are a fit description of
how the rejection of the light
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of the Reformation
led to the pitch darkness
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of the French Revolution.
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Are you understanding
that the darkness intensified
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between the fourth
and the fifth trumpet?
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At least there's some
light during the fourth trumpet.
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During the fifth trumpet,
everything on earth is what?
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Darkened.
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Matthew 6:22-23
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That means, if you don't
want to accept the message;
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if your eye is bad.
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So that describes what happens
when people reject the light.
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The darkness
becomes ever more intense.
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Now the next section, I
believe, is very interesting.
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In Scripture, God's
points of the compass
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are the north and the east.
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You read Scripture,
the north and the east.
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Here's some examples.
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When Jesus came the first
time, He came by way of what?
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The rising sun, or the east.
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Luke 1:78-79
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When Jesus went to heaven...
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That is, up.
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Because up is north,
according to Scripture.
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...it was by way of
the Mount of Olives.
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On which side of Jerusalem?
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On the east side of Jerusalem.
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The sealing
angel comes from where?
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From the east.
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When Jesus comes again with His
armies, it will be from where?
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From the east.
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The east is God's
point of the compass.
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Why?
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Because of the
position of the sun.
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Where does light begin?
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Light begins in the east.
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And God is a God of light.
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Are you following me?
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That's why God is
compared with the sun.
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Furthermore,
According to Isaiah 14:13-14,
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as well as Psalm
48:1-2, God's throne is where?
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In the sides of the north.
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In other words, up in heaven.
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Why?
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Because the sun
reaches its brightest intensity
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when it is directly overhead.
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For that reason, in Ezekiel
1 when God comes to judge
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Jerusalem, His
chariot comes from the north,
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according to Ezekiel 1:4,
and arrives by way of the east.
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On the other hand,
the west is the place
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where darkness begins.
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And the south, or the
underworld, is the place where
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darkness reaches
its deepest intensity
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because it's
directly underground.
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Midnight.
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The ancients considered
the south the realm of
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the underworld
where demons thrive,
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because it was the
place of deepest darkness.
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For this reason, darkness in the
fifth trumpet comes from where?
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It comes from the
abyss, which is the underworld.
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Now let's go to Amos 8:11-12
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and notice
something very interesting,
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very, very interesting.
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Amos; that's one of
the little minor prophets
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that is not always easy to find.
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Amos.
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Where are you, Amos?
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You know, just to
give you a little help,
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it's right before Obadiah.
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Okay, Amos 8:11-12.
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Notice where people go
seeking the Word of God.
00:10:08.60\00:10:11.27
Do they go west and south?
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No no, no, no. They
don't go west and south.
00:10:13.34\00:10:15.21
Verse 11 says...
00:10:15.48\00:10:16.81
Because, of course, the
door of probation has what?
00:10:38.63\00:10:41.57
The door of
probation has closed.
00:10:41.90\00:10:44.27
So Amos 8:11-12 tells us that
after the close of probation
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people will run to
the north and the east
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seeking the word of God,
00:10:53.31\00:10:54.78
because the
word of God is light.
00:10:54.98\00:10:57.32
Right?
00:10:57.85\00:10:59.19
"Thy word is a lamp unto my
feet and a light unto my path."
00:10:59.22\00:11:05.36
The ancients would
never think of going
00:11:05.59\00:11:08.36
to the west and the
south because these directions
00:11:08.66\00:11:11.57
are the realm of darkness.
00:11:11.60\00:11:13.07
Darkness begins in the
west where the sun sets,
00:11:13.10\00:11:15.77
and it reaches
its deepest intensity
00:11:15.94\00:11:18.11
when it's directly south.
00:11:18.21\00:11:19.57
That's why Ellen White describes
the period of papal dominion
00:11:19.61\00:11:22.41
as the midnight of the world.
00:11:22.44\00:11:24.38
Because the sun is directly
south in the underworld.
00:11:25.11\00:11:28.82
Now you might wonder what
the directions of the compass
00:11:29.38\00:11:33.19
have to do with
the fifth trumpet.
00:11:33.39\00:11:35.32
You say, "Why do
you introduce this about
00:11:35.86\00:11:37.39
the points of the compass?
00:11:37.43\00:11:38.76
What's the point?"
00:11:38.79\00:11:40.13
Well, now we're
going to the point.
00:11:40.26\00:11:42.00
Well, Egypt was
literally south of Israel.
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And therefore, it
was the king of what?
00:11:48.60\00:11:51.71
The king of the south.
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By the way, if you
want a reference for that,
00:11:53.68\00:11:55.91
you can go to Daniel 11:8-9
where Egypt is identified as
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the king of the south because
Egypt is south of Israel.
00:12:02.32\00:12:05.95
And the king of
the north was Babylon.
00:12:06.05\00:12:08.52
Because Babylon is
actually north and east,
00:12:08.56\00:12:11.66
but in order to arrive
in Israel they couldn't
00:12:11.69\00:12:14.33
cross the Arabian desert.
00:12:14.73\00:12:16.16
They had to go
across the fertile crescent
00:12:16.20\00:12:19.30
and come down by way
of Lebanon to Jerusalem.
00:12:19.40\00:12:23.20
So they would
come from the north,
00:12:23.24\00:12:24.67
the Babylonians
would come from the north.
00:12:24.71\00:12:26.81
So Egypt was
literally south of Israel.
00:12:27.18\00:12:30.15
Which means that
Egypt was the king of what?
00:12:30.18\00:12:34.38
It was the king of the south.
00:12:34.48\00:12:36.28
As we will notice
later in this study,
00:12:36.85\00:12:39.85
it is not
accidental that Revelation 11:8
00:12:41.06\00:12:46.16
refers to the demons
that rose from the abyss
00:12:46.76\00:12:50.00
in the French
Revolution with the name, what?
00:12:50.03\00:12:53.23
Egypt.
00:12:53.54\00:12:55.04
Are you following me or not?
00:12:56.20\00:12:57.84
Darkness became
notorious in Egypt at the
00:12:58.81\00:13:02.31
time of the tenth
plague, didn't it?
00:13:02.34\00:13:04.21
This is persuasive evidence
that there is a connection
00:13:05.11\00:13:08.58
between the fifth trumpet
and the French Revolution
00:13:08.62\00:13:12.12
described in Revelation 11:7-10.
00:13:12.15\00:13:16.52
Now it's also significant
that Daniel 11 verse 40
00:13:17.26\00:13:22.20
describes the king of the
south rising and attacking
00:13:22.46\00:13:26.94
the king of the
north at the beginning of
00:13:26.97\00:13:29.54
the time of the end.
00:13:29.57\00:13:30.91
Let's go there to
Daniel 11 very quickly.
00:13:31.47\00:13:34.94
We don't have time
to really deal with
00:13:34.98\00:13:36.88
Daniel 11 in its fullness.
00:13:36.91\00:13:38.61
We will deal with
that probably tomorrow
00:13:38.65\00:13:42.78
when we talk about
Revelation chapter 10.
00:13:43.28\00:13:46.39
But in Daniel 11:31-39,
00:13:47.36\00:13:56.33
it's speaking about the
period of papal dominion.
00:13:56.36\00:13:59.67
It's speaking
about the 1260 years.
00:13:59.70\00:14:02.37
But then verse 40 tells
us that something happens
00:14:02.87\00:14:05.87
at the time of the end.
00:14:05.91\00:14:07.24
When is the time of the end?
00:14:07.28\00:14:08.94
When does the
time of the end begin?
00:14:08.98\00:14:10.88
1798. And what
event happened in 1798?
00:14:11.31\00:14:16.89
That's when the
papacy received it's what?
00:14:17.52\00:14:19.95
Deadly wound.
00:14:19.99\00:14:21.32
Who gave the
papacy the deadly wound?
00:14:21.36\00:14:23.32
France, the king
of the south. Right?
00:14:23.56\00:14:26.36
Are you following me?
00:14:27.50\00:14:28.83
Now notice...
00:14:29.30\00:14:30.67
Did France attack the papacy?
00:14:36.34\00:14:39.01
Yes.
00:14:39.04\00:14:40.38
Did it take away the civil
power that the papacy had used?
00:14:40.41\00:14:43.85
Yes. That's what
this is referring to.
00:14:43.88\00:14:45.81
Is that the end?
00:14:50.99\00:14:52.39
No, you read the following
verses and the king of the north
00:14:52.69\00:14:56.62
recuperates from the attack.
00:14:56.66\00:14:59.29
And basically he
overwhelms the world.
00:14:59.49\00:15:03.20
As I have noted in
my notes on Daniel 11,
00:15:04.03\00:15:06.94
this attack of
the king of the south
00:15:07.70\00:15:09.80
against the king of the north...
00:15:09.84\00:15:11.17
By the way, this is the
counterfeit king of the north.
00:15:11.21\00:15:13.31
Okay?
00:15:13.34\00:15:14.68
God is the real
king of the north.
00:15:14.71\00:15:16.68
Because His throne is
in the sides of the north.
00:15:16.71\00:15:19.25
This is the man of sin who sits
in the temple of God on earth
00:15:19.28\00:15:23.02
making people think that
he is the king of the north.
00:15:23.49\00:15:26.52
So as I have noted in
my notes on Daniel 11,
00:15:27.22\00:15:30.53
this attack of the
king of the south against
00:15:30.56\00:15:32.63
the king of the
north is a depiction
00:15:32.66\00:15:34.86
of the French Revolution.
00:15:34.90\00:15:36.73
Thus, the fifth
trumpet, Revelation 11:7-10,
00:15:37.13\00:15:43.07
and Daniel 11:40 are
all describing the same
00:15:43.77\00:15:48.71
historical event:
the French Revolution.
00:15:48.74\00:15:52.21
Are you
understanding this point?
00:15:53.31\00:15:54.88
Now, let me just read to
you about what locusts do.
00:15:55.48\00:15:59.92
Locusts have no mercy.
00:16:00.79\00:16:02.89
They finish off
everything that is before them.
00:16:04.36\00:16:08.66
I found this vivid description
in Kitto's Encyclopedia,
00:16:09.50\00:16:13.20
volume 2, page 263.
00:16:13.50\00:16:15.70
"Locusts seem to devour not
so much from a ravenous appetite
00:16:16.37\00:16:22.04
as from a rage for destroying."
00:16:22.24\00:16:25.21
You know, they're not
going to say, "Well, you know,
00:16:28.65\00:16:31.45
let's eat all the
leaves because we're hungry."
00:16:31.49\00:16:34.69
No, it's a rage for destroying.
00:16:35.02\00:16:38.19
"Destruction, therefore, and
not food is the chief impulse
00:16:38.76\00:16:43.00
of their devastations, and
in this consists their utility;
00:16:43.03\00:16:49.20
they are, in fact, omnivorous."
00:16:49.70\00:16:52.14
What does, omnivorous, mean?
00:16:52.17\00:16:53.88
They will eat
anything and everything.
00:16:54.44\00:16:56.98
"The most poisonous
plants are indifferent to them;
00:16:57.48\00:17:01.05
they will prey
even upon the crowfoot,
00:17:01.28\00:17:03.75
whose causticity burns
even the hides of beasts.
00:17:04.05\00:17:08.02
They simply consume
everything without predilection:
00:17:08.46\00:17:12.93
vegetable matter,
linens, woolens, silk, leather.
00:17:13.13\00:17:17.53
And Pliny does not
exaggerate when he says,
00:17:17.83\00:17:20.67
'fores quoque tectorum,'
00:17:20.70\00:17:23.10
which means, 'even
the doors of houses,'
00:17:23.14\00:17:26.07
for they have been
known to consume the very
00:17:26.27\00:17:28.71
varnish of furniture.
00:17:28.74\00:17:31.28
They reduce everything
indiscriminately to shreds,
00:17:32.18\00:17:36.99
which become manure."
00:17:37.09\00:17:39.92
Does that give you a picture
of the French Revolution?
00:17:40.56\00:17:43.46
Why they're
compared with locusts?
00:17:44.06\00:17:46.13
Notice that Exodus describes
the devastating destruction
00:17:48.26\00:17:53.34
caused by the locusts in Egypt.
00:17:53.37\00:17:55.37
You know, this
corroborates what we just read
00:17:55.84\00:17:58.54
from this encyclopedia.
00:17:58.57\00:18:01.44
"For they covered the
face of the whole earth,
00:18:02.41\00:18:05.41
so that the land was..." What?
00:18:05.98\00:18:07.92
"...darkened; and they
ate every herb of the land
00:18:08.22\00:18:12.02
and all the fruit of the
trees which the hail had left.
00:18:12.29\00:18:16.59
So there remained nothing green
on the trees or on the plants
00:18:16.79\00:18:21.36
of the field throughout
all the land of Egypt."
00:18:21.40\00:18:25.37
A fit description
of what happened in the
00:18:26.70\00:18:29.34
French Revolution when Satan
and his angels were released
00:18:29.37\00:18:33.91
to do their work.
00:18:34.41\00:18:35.74
Now Revelation 9:12 tells
us that this cloud of locusts
00:18:36.34\00:18:41.02
had a king who led them.
00:18:41.05\00:18:44.02
And what was the
name of the king?
00:18:44.12\00:18:45.99
In Hebrew, Abaddon;
and in Greek, Apollyon.
00:18:46.79\00:18:51.33
Now normal locusts, according to
those who have studied locusts,
00:18:52.49\00:18:56.16
have no king over them.
00:18:56.20\00:18:58.00
In fact, the
Bible tells us that.
00:18:59.30\00:19:02.04
Notice Proverbs 30:27.
00:19:02.24\00:19:05.84
Proverbs 30:27
00:19:06.17\00:19:09.28
That shows that these
locusts are not literal locusts.
00:19:09.31\00:19:12.68
These are weird locusts.
00:19:12.71\00:19:14.98
Notice Proverbs 30:27.
00:19:15.38\00:19:22.26
Proverbs 30:27 says...
00:19:22.29\00:19:24.99
So they're very
organized, right?
00:19:32.83\00:19:35.10
But not because
they have a king.
00:19:35.44\00:19:37.14
So locusts have
no king over them.
00:19:37.74\00:19:40.78
So these must be what?
00:19:40.94\00:19:42.68
Unusual and
supernatural locusts?
00:19:42.98\00:19:47.15
Now we're going to
skip the next two pages.
00:19:47.62\00:19:51.55
You can read
this at your leisure.
00:19:51.59\00:19:53.66
Let's just read the paragraph
at the top of page 172.
00:19:54.26\00:19:57.99
Some interpreters have
seen in this plague of locusts
00:19:58.53\00:20:02.43
a depiction of the
devastations caused by Mohammad
00:20:02.66\00:20:06.87
and the Muslims in Arabia.
00:20:06.90\00:20:09.00
However, in his commentary
on the book of Revelation,
00:20:10.07\00:20:14.31
Seiss, Joseph Seiss who
wrote an entire commentary
00:20:14.64\00:20:17.75
on Revelation, he's not an
Adventist but this is very good,
00:20:17.78\00:20:21.08
provides a
multiplicity of reasons why this
00:20:21.38\00:20:24.59
interpretation
cannot be accurate.
00:20:24.62\00:20:26.86
So you need to read
those two pages to see why
00:20:27.19\00:20:29.92
this particular trumpet
does not apply to Muhammad
00:20:30.29\00:20:33.70
and the Muslims in Arabia.
00:20:33.73\00:20:36.56
So let's go to page 174,
because time does fly by.
00:20:36.60\00:20:42.20
The Old Testament uses locusts
to describe God's judgments
00:20:43.67\00:20:48.64
against people who are
in rebellion against Him.
00:20:48.88\00:20:52.35
Was France in
rebellion against God?
00:20:52.91\00:20:55.85
Yeah. So God sent
locusts as a punishment
00:20:56.25\00:21:01.32
for their rebellion against Him.
00:21:01.36\00:21:04.69
These locusts make a
raging noise like fire.
00:21:05.16\00:21:08.06
Have you ever heard
locusts doing their work?
00:21:08.10\00:21:10.40
It sounds like the
vegetation is burning.
00:21:11.17\00:21:13.74
Hissing.
00:21:13.77\00:21:15.50
That's why you have the
metaphor of fire here as well.
00:21:16.10\00:21:19.77
These locusts make a
raging noise like fire.
00:21:20.21\00:21:23.14
Because they come from
the abyss where the fire is.
00:21:23.65\00:21:26.45
They look like what?
00:21:26.68\00:21:28.42
Like horses ready for battle.
00:21:28.52\00:21:30.55
So these locusts, they're
going to come on to France,
00:21:30.82\00:21:34.62
and what are they going to do?
00:21:34.66\00:21:35.99
They're going to
totally devastate it,
00:21:36.02\00:21:38.06
spiritually speaking.
00:21:38.09\00:21:39.49
And they devour like what?
00:21:40.10\00:21:42.10
Like lions.
00:21:42.80\00:21:44.40
Have mercy!
00:21:44.43\00:21:45.77
Who is represented by
a scorpion in the Bible?
00:21:46.10\00:21:48.50
Satan and his angels.
00:21:49.80\00:21:51.14
We're going to notice
that in a few moments.
00:21:51.17\00:21:53.01
Who is represented as a lion?
00:21:53.54\00:21:55.31
Not only Satan,
but also his angels.
00:21:56.04\00:21:57.98
We're going to notice that.
00:21:58.01\00:21:59.41
So, these locusts make
a raging noise like fire,
00:22:00.38\00:22:04.52
and they look like
horses ready for battle,
00:22:05.75\00:22:08.49
and they devour like lions.
00:22:08.52\00:22:10.96
This bizarre symbolism describes
the almost absolute destructive
00:22:11.36\00:22:16.36
power of whom?
00:22:16.40\00:22:18.00
Of Satan and
his angels in France
00:22:18.23\00:22:21.10
during the French Revolution.
00:22:21.14\00:22:23.57
These locusts are clearly what?
00:22:24.61\00:22:27.61
Symbolic.
00:22:27.94\00:22:29.28
Because they are a
hybrid combination of locusts
00:22:29.54\00:22:32.65
and scorpions, and they
don't attack vegetation.
00:22:32.68\00:22:35.88
They attack people, not plants.
00:22:35.92\00:22:38.65
So obviously these locusts...
00:22:38.99\00:22:41.12
We're not to look for a
certain place where suddenly
00:22:41.16\00:22:43.93
from the deep come
all of these locusts up.
00:22:43.96\00:22:46.90
No. These are
supernatural locusts.
00:22:47.50\00:22:50.03
They have no king.
00:22:50.07\00:22:51.40
Furthermore, they're
a hybrid combination.
00:22:51.57\00:22:54.60
They're not only locusts,
they have the characteristics
00:22:54.64\00:22:57.51
of scorpions and lions.
00:22:57.54\00:22:59.77
So it continues saying here,
00:23:00.18\00:23:02.18
and they attack
people, not plants.
00:23:03.01\00:23:06.48
According to Jesus, the
scorpion represents whom?
00:23:06.51\00:23:11.12
Satan. And his
angels, I might say.
00:23:11.72\00:23:15.22
Let's go to Luke 10:18-19.
00:23:15.42\00:23:20.10
Luke 10:18-19
00:23:20.43\00:23:24.67
See, we allow the Bible
to interpret itself, right?
00:23:25.63\00:23:28.47
Because the Holy
Spirit placed in the Bible
00:23:29.64\00:23:31.64
everything we need
to understand the Bible.
00:23:31.67\00:23:33.64
Luke 10:18-19
00:23:34.34\00:23:39.05
This is when the
seventy return to Jesus
00:23:39.58\00:23:42.95
and they had the
power to cast out demons.
00:23:42.98\00:23:45.45
They say, "Even
the demons obey us."
00:23:45.89\00:23:48.49
And now notice, it
says in verse 17...
00:23:48.89\00:23:51.43
And by the way, Ellen
White comments that this
00:24:04.87\00:24:07.91
looks at the whole sweep
of Satan's fall from heaven.
00:24:08.01\00:24:11.31
Not only originally,
but also at the cross,
00:24:11.35\00:24:14.22
till the very end of
time when he's destroyed.
00:24:14.58\00:24:17.52
Verse 19,
"Behold, I give you..."
00:24:17.92\00:24:21.39
Who's the enemy?
00:24:31.93\00:24:33.27
Satan and his angels.
00:24:33.64\00:24:34.97
Notice,
"scorpions," not, "scorpion."
00:24:35.00\00:24:38.01
So, the most dangerous
part of a scorpion is what?
00:24:44.01\00:24:48.32
It's tail.
00:24:49.15\00:24:50.49
And what does
the tail represent?
00:24:51.12\00:24:53.42
The tail represents lies.
00:24:53.46\00:24:56.76
You say, "What?"
00:24:57.59\00:24:58.93
Well let's go, first
of all, to Revelation 12.
00:25:00.06\00:25:03.53
Isn't it nice to interpret
the Bible by using the Bible?
00:25:04.67\00:25:07.84
It makes studying
very simple and very easy.
00:25:09.14\00:25:12.84
Revelation 12 and
let's read verse 9.
00:25:13.27\00:25:18.21
12 and verse 9.
00:25:18.31\00:25:21.68
Actually, not verse 9.
00:25:23.69\00:25:25.02
We'll read verse 9 in a moment.
00:25:25.05\00:25:26.55
Let's read verse 3.
00:25:26.59\00:25:28.36
And what is it that drew a
third of the stars of heaven?
00:25:39.40\00:25:42.90
What do the
stars represent here?
00:25:49.81\00:25:52.21
Verse 9...
00:25:52.98\00:25:54.32
So what was it that Satan
used to take all of the angels
00:26:07.50\00:26:10.87
with him, or a third of the
angels, the ones that he took?
00:26:10.90\00:26:13.44
His tail.
00:26:14.77\00:26:16.10
Now what does
the tail represent?
00:26:16.60\00:26:18.31
Well, let's let the
Bible interpret itself.
00:26:18.34\00:26:20.78
Go with me to Isaiah chapter 9.
00:26:21.01\00:26:23.31
Isaiah 9:15
00:26:23.75\00:26:29.52
It says here...
00:26:32.05\00:26:33.39
Now listen to this carefully.
00:26:43.30\00:26:45.30
So what is the tail that drew
a third of the angels of heaven?
00:26:51.57\00:26:55.04
His lies.
00:26:55.54\00:26:57.15
Now in order to
understand this more fully,
00:26:57.55\00:26:59.95
we need to go also
to the book of Ezekiel.
00:27:00.52\00:27:03.25
Go with me to Ezekiel 28.
00:27:03.85\00:27:08.32
Did Jesus say that the devil
is a liar from the beginning?
00:27:09.69\00:27:12.69
John chapter 8, He says,
"There's no truth in him.
00:27:13.29\00:27:16.33
He's a liar from the beginning."
00:27:16.53\00:27:17.97
So how did Satan draw
a third of the angels?
00:27:18.00\00:27:20.94
With his tail,
which means with his what?
00:27:20.97\00:27:23.64
With his lies. That's right.
00:27:23.91\00:27:25.84
So notice Ezekiel 28.
00:27:26.11\00:27:29.04
This is a description
of this majestic being,
00:27:29.74\00:27:33.28
Lucifer, the covering cherub.
00:27:33.31\00:27:35.08
And we are going to
read verses 17 and 18.
00:27:35.55\00:27:38.89
That word,
"trading," is very interesting.
00:28:04.05\00:28:06.95
The root of the word has to do
with a commercial transaction.
00:28:07.62\00:28:13.15
So what did Lucifer do?
00:28:13.62\00:28:15.82
He traded.
00:28:16.59\00:28:17.93
He sold.
00:28:18.29\00:28:19.63
What did he sell?
00:28:20.00\00:28:21.33
He sold lies.
00:28:21.83\00:28:23.26
Have you ever
heard the expression,
00:28:24.97\00:28:26.33
"I don't buy that."
00:28:27.87\00:28:29.20
"You can't sell me that one."
00:28:32.71\00:28:34.74
So what is Satan selling? Lies.
00:28:36.44\00:28:39.38
By the way, the same
root of this word is used
00:28:39.58\00:28:43.18
in the book of Leviticus 19:16.
00:28:43.55\00:28:47.09
Leviticus 19:16
00:28:47.29\00:28:49.79
The same root
word is used there.
00:28:50.03\00:28:52.69
It says there
in Leviticus 19:16,
00:28:53.09\00:28:55.83
God is warning the Israelites...
00:28:55.86\00:28:57.73
"...talebearer..."
00:29:00.24\00:29:01.57
That's the same root word.
00:29:02.14\00:29:03.87
So what was Satan
selling to the angels in heaven?
00:29:04.17\00:29:08.04
His lies.
00:29:08.41\00:29:09.74
His tail draws a third
of the angels with his lies.
00:29:09.78\00:29:13.95
Notice also Ezekiel 22.
00:29:19.25\00:29:22.06
Ezekiel 22 and
we'll read verse 9
00:29:23.02\00:29:29.13
where the same
root word is used.
00:29:29.16\00:29:31.47
Chapter 22 verse 9.
00:29:31.93\00:29:34.00
It says, "In you,"
speaking about Tyre...
00:29:34.60\00:29:37.67
The word, "slander,"
there is the same root word.
00:29:43.45\00:29:46.31
So what did the devil do?
00:29:46.78\00:29:48.12
He was a
talebearer. He was a slanderer.
00:29:48.15\00:29:51.85
He was a liar
from the beginning.
00:29:51.95\00:29:53.96
He lied to the angels.
00:29:54.16\00:29:55.96
And that's what
lead him to what?
00:29:55.99\00:29:57.99
To take all of the
third of the angels,
00:29:58.03\00:30:00.43
which is nearer
to half according to
00:30:00.46\00:30:02.16
the spirit of prophecy,
from heaven and stole them
00:30:02.20\00:30:05.60
from the Lord.
00:30:05.63\00:30:06.97
So in brief, the
middle of page 174,
00:30:08.24\00:30:12.57
This army has all the
biblical characteristics
00:30:12.94\00:30:16.14
that apply to
Satan and his angels.
00:30:16.24\00:30:18.95
Scorpions, serpents,
lions, locusts, sulfur,
00:30:19.15\00:30:24.92
bottomless pit; all
of those in Revelation
00:30:24.95\00:30:28.52
are related to
Satan and his angels.
00:30:28.56\00:30:31.56
Now let's go to...
00:30:32.26\00:30:34.36
So must there be a
special manifestation
00:30:34.40\00:30:36.46
of satanic power
during the fifth trumpet?
00:30:36.50\00:30:38.87
Absolutely.
00:30:39.07\00:30:40.40
Now let's notice the
comments on Revelation 9:4.
00:30:40.44\00:30:43.81
They were commanded not to
harm the grass of the earth
00:30:44.21\00:30:49.04
or any green thing.
00:30:49.91\00:30:51.41
Now is this kind of weird?
00:30:51.45\00:30:53.11
What do locusts eat?
00:30:53.68\00:30:55.35
They eat vegetation, folks.
00:30:57.09\00:30:58.85
That's their main course.
00:30:59.22\00:31:00.89
And then they have the
varnish off doors for dessert.
00:31:01.09\00:31:04.09
So anyway, you know, it says,
00:31:07.70\00:31:10.17
"...don't harm the grass of
the earth, or any green thing,
00:31:10.20\00:31:13.20
or any tree, but..."
00:31:13.23\00:31:15.40
Ahh!
00:31:15.50\00:31:16.84
"...but only those men who
do not have the seal of God
00:31:17.41\00:31:21.34
on their foreheads."
00:31:21.38\00:31:22.71
So what does the green
things, the green grass
00:31:22.74\00:31:26.01
and the tree, represent here?
00:31:26.05\00:31:27.55
It represents
those who have the what?
00:31:27.72\00:31:29.92
Those who have the seal.
00:31:30.52\00:31:31.85
Are you with me or not?
00:31:31.89\00:31:33.22
In this case, the tree
represents the righteous.
00:31:33.39\00:31:36.42
By the way, are God's
people compared to trees?
00:31:36.62\00:31:39.36
Let's read a
couple of statements.
00:31:40.03\00:31:41.40
Psalm 1:1-3
00:31:41.43\00:31:44.63
Many of you
probably have this memorized.
00:31:44.73\00:31:47.40
Psalm 1:1-3
00:31:47.44\00:31:50.31
It speaks about a tree,
00:31:50.61\00:31:51.94
comparing the
righteous to a tree.
00:31:51.97\00:31:53.41
It says there in Psalm 1:1...
00:31:54.44\00:31:56.81
That's a
righteous person, right?
00:32:10.09\00:32:11.53
Are you following me?
00:32:27.98\00:32:29.31
Let's notice also Psalm 92:12,
being that we're in Psalms.
00:32:29.71\00:32:37.02
Psalm 92:12
00:32:37.05\00:32:39.95
It says there in
Psalm 92:12, once again
00:32:41.66\00:32:45.59
comparing a righteous person
with a tree, the following...
00:32:45.63\00:32:50.60
Psalm 92:12 says...
00:32:50.83\00:32:54.60
So these locusts, they
are not given permission
00:33:04.58\00:33:08.35
to touch those who are faithful.
00:33:08.58\00:33:11.12
They are given
permission only to afflict whom?
00:33:11.65\00:33:14.49
Those who do not have the
seal of God on their foreheads.
00:33:14.76\00:33:20.36
Now the question is,
how can the fifth seal
00:33:21.13\00:33:24.53
be speaking about
the seal on the forehead,
00:33:24.57\00:33:28.27
the fifth trumpet be speaking
about the seal on the forehead
00:33:28.30\00:33:30.94
if the sealing doesn't take
place until the sixth trumpet?
00:33:31.51\00:33:35.48
Because we're going to see
the sealing on the forehead
00:33:35.68\00:33:37.71
takes place under
the sixth trumpet.
00:33:37.75\00:33:39.91
So there appears
to be a discrepancy.
00:33:39.95\00:33:42.55
The question was
asked here about that.
00:33:42.58\00:33:45.02
Well, the fact is that the
Bible and the spirit of prophecy
00:33:45.59\00:33:49.06
tell us that when a person
accepts Jesus Christ as Savior,
00:33:49.09\00:33:53.33
they receive a seal.
00:33:53.36\00:33:55.63
It's the gospel seal.
00:33:56.70\00:33:58.40
It's not the end time
seal that will seal the 144,000
00:33:58.93\00:34:03.77
living saints that will go
through the time of trouble.
00:34:03.81\00:34:06.68
That is a final
seal of protection.
00:34:06.94\00:34:09.44
But there's another
seal that people receive
00:34:09.74\00:34:11.95
when they accept Jesus
Christ as Savior and Lord.
00:34:11.98\00:34:16.28
Let's read some verses.
00:34:16.58\00:34:18.49
Ephesians chapter 1.
00:34:18.52\00:34:20.26
Ephesians chapter 1, and
we'll read verses 13 and 14.
00:34:21.22\00:34:26.29
We'll let the Bible speak first.
00:34:26.33\00:34:28.10
Ephesians 1:13-14
00:34:28.40\00:34:33.64
Here, the apostle Paul wrote...
00:34:33.67\00:34:35.77
So were the Ephesians sealed
when they received Jesus Christ?
00:34:50.25\00:34:55.49
Absolutely.
00:34:55.52\00:34:56.86
Notice, being that
we're in the writings of Paul,
00:34:57.03\00:34:59.29
chapter 4 and verse 30.
00:34:59.33\00:35:01.46
Ephesians 4:30
00:35:01.50\00:35:04.50
Notice also 2 Corinthians 1:22.
00:35:12.71\00:35:17.75
2 Corinthians 1:22
00:35:17.78\00:35:22.78
Once again,
there's a gospel seal.
00:35:23.79\00:35:26.25
It says there in verse 22...
00:35:26.55\00:35:28.46
Let's read verse
21 for the context.
00:35:28.49\00:35:30.73
So do believers receive a seal
when they accept Jesus Christ
00:35:45.91\00:35:49.28
as Savior and Lord?
00:35:49.31\00:35:50.65
Absolutely.
00:35:50.75\00:35:52.08
That's the seal that
is being described here.
00:35:52.11\00:35:54.32
Those who are true
believers in Jesus.
00:35:54.35\00:35:57.12
Now, Ellen White
also measures in.
00:35:57.35\00:35:59.92
Ellen White, in,
Selected Messages, v2, page 263,
00:36:00.62\00:36:06.70
referred to a Sister
Hastings who died in 1850.
00:36:06.73\00:36:11.50
It wasn't her
husband, it was her.
00:36:11.53\00:36:12.87
She died in 1850.
00:36:12.90\00:36:14.24
And Ellen White
comforted him, or her, rather,
00:36:14.27\00:36:20.91
by saying in 1850 that
Brother Hastings was sealed.
00:36:21.24\00:36:29.98
So, sealed how?
00:36:30.99\00:36:36.42
Is she alive now?
00:36:38.46\00:36:39.79
So is she going to receive
the seal of Revelation 7?
00:36:40.60\00:36:44.43
No.
00:36:44.87\00:36:46.20
But Ellen White
said she was sealed.
00:36:46.23\00:36:47.94
And that at the
resurrection she would resurrect
00:36:49.00\00:36:53.04
and be among the saved.
00:36:54.31\00:36:55.74
So even Ellen White states
that there is a gospel seal
00:36:56.75\00:37:01.08
and there is an end time seal.
00:37:01.12\00:37:03.35
Now she also
wrote the following in,
00:37:04.02\00:37:06.79
v6, Manuscript
Releases, page 28.
00:37:06.82\00:37:09.29
"Those who thus unite with the
church by baptism are..." What?
00:37:09.66\00:37:16.23
"...are sealed as men and
women who have been born again
00:37:16.70\00:37:20.87
of water and of the Spirit.
00:37:20.90\00:37:22.60
They have
entered upon a new life."
00:37:22.64\00:37:25.31
So we need not to
confuse the gospel seal
00:37:26.01\00:37:31.25
with the final
eschatological or end time seal.
00:37:31.45\00:37:36.08
Now let's go to Revelation 9:5.
00:37:36.58\00:37:40.16
Now here's an
interesting detail.
00:37:54.57\00:37:56.04
Scorpions rarely kill human
beings when they sting them.
00:37:56.07\00:38:00.48
But they do
cause excruciating pain
00:38:01.58\00:38:05.75
by their poison.
00:38:06.75\00:38:08.08
Swelling, suffering, even to the
point of people wanting to die.
00:38:08.75\00:38:15.16
Applying the year/day
principle, the five months
00:38:17.03\00:38:20.43
would be
equivalent to 150 years.
00:38:20.46\00:38:23.20
Notably, the Age of Reason...
00:38:24.03\00:38:26.17
Have you ever heard
of the Age of Reason?
00:38:27.00\00:38:28.90
Or the Enlightenment?
00:38:29.27\00:38:31.01
...began in the early
17th century with the work
00:38:31.34\00:38:35.68
of an individual
called Rene Descartes.
00:38:35.71\00:38:38.71
What country was
Rene Descartes from?
00:38:40.25\00:38:43.02
France. That's right.
00:38:44.59\00:38:46.52
A contemporary of
his, Blaise Pascal,
00:38:47.42\00:38:50.73
wrote the following about
Rene Descartes, the rationalist.
00:38:51.53\00:38:56.83
"I cannot forgive
Descartes; in all his philosophy
00:38:57.07\00:39:01.47
he did his best to
dispense with God."
00:39:01.84\00:39:05.31
Is that atheism?
00:39:07.54\00:39:08.88
"But he could not avoid making
Him set the world in motion
00:39:11.18\00:39:14.78
with a flip of His thumb.
00:39:14.82\00:39:16.22
After that, he had
no more use for God."
00:39:16.65\00:39:21.22
Or for miracles, or
for anything supernatural.
00:39:21.26\00:39:24.49
Descartes' most
famous book was called,
00:39:25.16\00:39:28.46
A Discourse on
Method, published in 1637;
00:39:28.50\00:39:33.27
some 150 years
before the beginning
00:39:33.60\00:39:35.87
of the French Revolution.
00:39:35.90\00:39:37.37
The Age of Reason
jettisoned the need for faith
00:39:37.84\00:39:42.58
and the miraculous in religion.
00:39:42.94\00:39:44.95
It supplanted faith in God
with faith in human wisdom.
00:39:45.31\00:39:50.49
During this period, the sciences
would come to believe that
00:39:50.89\00:39:54.72
all could be resolved
through human ingenuity
00:39:54.76\00:39:58.09
without the need of
an ever interfering God.
00:39:58.29\00:40:01.36
Notably, these philosophies
would not kill people,
00:40:01.80\00:40:05.60
but they would make them what?
00:40:05.63\00:40:07.60
Existentially miserable.
00:40:07.80\00:40:10.54
The Age of Reason
inspired the French Revolution.
00:40:10.97\00:40:14.91
Now let's go to the
next verse which is connected
00:40:15.64\00:40:18.15
with the concept of verse 5.
00:40:18.18\00:40:20.38
Is that what happens
with the person who doesn't
00:40:33.46\00:40:36.00
believe in God?
00:40:36.03\00:40:37.37
Someone who has no
hope for the future,
00:40:37.40\00:40:39.23
no reason to live?
00:40:39.43\00:40:40.77
Absolutely.
00:40:40.94\00:40:42.27
Notice this statement from
Ellen White that I read before.
00:40:42.30\00:40:44.71
I think I read it this morning.
00:40:44.91\00:40:46.34
"Atheism can shed no
ray of light into..." Where?
00:40:47.54\00:40:52.85
"...into the grave.
00:40:53.28\00:40:54.62
It cannot restrain crime
or quicken the moral energies.
00:40:55.18\00:40:59.79
It has no power to elevate the
character or purify the soul.
00:41:00.26\00:41:05.26
On the contrary, it always tends
to degenerate the human race."
00:41:05.96\00:41:10.53
Is that what happened in France?
00:41:10.73\00:41:12.37
Yes.
00:41:12.73\00:41:14.07
"It leads away
from purity and peace.
00:41:14.10\00:41:16.77
An instance of this
is given in the history
00:41:19.64\00:41:21.84
of the French Revolution."
00:41:21.88\00:41:23.21
Now she's going to apply
this to the French Revolution.
00:41:23.24\00:41:25.71
That period when the
existence of God was denied
00:41:26.28\00:41:29.18
and His commandments
were abolished was the most
00:41:29.52\00:41:32.65
revolting that is recorded
on the pages of human history."
00:41:32.69\00:41:37.13
The main characteristic
of contemporary society
00:41:38.93\00:41:41.83
is meaninglessness.
00:41:41.86\00:41:44.20
Do you know that
suicide is greatly increased
00:41:44.60\00:41:46.94
in recent years?
00:41:47.44\00:41:48.80
Why?
00:41:48.90\00:41:50.24
Because life has
no meaning for people.
00:41:50.31\00:41:52.67
This is why people are hungering
and thirsting for what?
00:41:53.31\00:41:56.41
For spirituality.
00:41:56.88\00:41:58.21
But they're looking
for it in the wrong places.
00:41:58.25\00:42:01.98
That's right.
00:42:02.08\00:42:03.42
They're looking
for a reason to live.
00:42:03.95\00:42:06.49
The rise of philosophies such
as deism, ethical relativism,
00:42:07.02\00:42:11.29
nihilism, rationalism,
existentialism, evolutionism,
00:42:11.33\00:42:15.90
and atheistic communism has
led people to be pessimistic
00:42:15.93\00:42:20.30
about the meaning of life.
00:42:20.34\00:42:21.80
After all, if there is no
supernatural divine beginning,
00:42:22.24\00:42:25.97
what hope is there for
a supernatural divine end?
00:42:26.51\00:42:30.35
If there is no creator
God, there is no future.
00:42:31.05\00:42:34.02
And if there is no future, then
life has no ultimate meaning.
00:42:34.05\00:42:38.29
This is the reason why the
psalmist says that the fool
00:42:39.25\00:42:43.06
has said in his
heart, "There is no God."
00:42:43.09\00:42:46.36
Are you catching the picture?
00:42:46.93\00:42:48.36
People wanting to die.
00:42:48.70\00:42:50.70
The scorpions sting.
00:42:51.40\00:42:53.60
They cause
excruciating pain and suffering.
00:42:54.00\00:42:57.24
Spiritually speaking.
00:42:57.27\00:42:58.61
Now notice this
statement from Ellen White.
00:42:59.77\00:43:03.78
I think this TDG is,
Today With God, page 339.
00:43:04.28\00:43:10.12
"There are many ways
in which human beings
00:43:10.55\00:43:12.59
can crucify the
Son of God afresh,
00:43:12.62\00:43:14.82
and put Him to open shame.
00:43:14.86\00:43:16.56
The worship of worldly
business so confuses the mind
00:43:16.89\00:43:21.26
that Satan stealthily approaches
and insidiously gains entrance.
00:43:21.30\00:43:27.07
He has many theories
by which to lead astray
00:43:27.44\00:43:30.01
those who will be led.
00:43:30.04\00:43:31.37
The erroneous views of God
that the world is entertaining
00:43:31.67\00:43:35.24
are skepticism in disguise,
preparing the way for..." What?
00:43:35.28\00:43:39.91
"...for atheism.
00:43:40.22\00:43:41.55
By hasty words
and selfish deeds,
00:43:41.72\00:43:44.12
men often grieve
the heart of Christ.
00:43:44.15\00:43:46.89
Thus Satan works untiringly
to lead them to disloyalty.
00:43:47.09\00:43:52.49
As he gains control of minds,
he makes upon them lasting
00:43:52.73\00:43:57.03
impressions, and the realities
of eternity fade away."
00:43:57.07\00:44:01.70
The book of Ecclesiastes
is a good illustration of
00:44:04.57\00:44:08.58
the spirit that
inspired the French Revolution.
00:44:08.61\00:44:11.25
Have you ever read Ecclesiastes?
00:44:11.71\00:44:13.42
Do you know that's one of
the last books that the Jews
00:44:13.75\00:44:16.22
included in the
canon of Scripture?
00:44:16.25\00:44:18.25
There were three
books that were included
00:44:19.49\00:44:21.52
last by the Jews
in the Old Testament.
00:44:21.56\00:44:24.56
One was Psalm of Solomon.
00:44:24.83\00:44:27.43
It was too..
00:44:27.96\00:44:29.30
Um, how would I say it?
00:44:30.27\00:44:32.57
Too graphic.
00:44:33.10\00:44:34.44
In referring to sensual love.
00:44:36.07\00:44:38.81
The second book which took a
long time to include was Esther.
00:44:39.81\00:44:44.41
Because the name of
God is not mentioned.
00:44:44.45\00:44:46.78
And the third
book is Ecclesiastes.
00:44:47.55\00:44:49.95
Because this appears to be
an extremely pessimistic book.
00:44:49.98\00:44:54.52
"Vanities, vanities;
00:44:55.69\00:44:57.59
all is vanity."
00:44:57.89\00:44:59.29
You know, you read
the book; it's depressing.
00:45:00.40\00:45:03.00
The question is, why is
this book included in Scripture?
00:45:05.27\00:45:09.00
Because Solomon is
describing his life
00:45:09.04\00:45:11.17
when he went astray from God.
00:45:11.21\00:45:12.64
The important thing is
not the pessimism of the book,
00:45:14.28\00:45:16.98
but how he ends the book.
00:45:17.01\00:45:18.41
"The end of the matter is this:
00:45:19.45\00:45:21.25
fear God and
keep His commandments,
00:45:21.68\00:45:24.79
for this is the
whole duty of man.
00:45:24.82\00:45:26.42
For God will bring
every work into judgment."
00:45:26.45\00:45:29.82
And then he counseled the youth.
00:45:30.89\00:45:32.89
He says,
"Remember thou thy Creator
00:45:33.19\00:45:36.67
in the days of their youth."
00:45:36.70\00:45:38.23
Before the evil days come
and you look back and you say,
00:45:38.73\00:45:41.97
"I have no joy in them."
00:45:42.70\00:45:44.61
He's describing his
life separated from God.
00:45:46.27\00:45:50.25
And do you know that Solomon,
Ellen White even said that he
00:45:50.85\00:45:55.05
toyed with the idea of
atheism, of becoming an atheist?
00:45:55.15\00:45:59.45
Notice what we find
at the top of page 177.
00:46:00.22\00:46:03.73
Ecclesiastes 2:17-18
00:46:04.79\00:46:07.03
And I'm reading from the
New International Version
00:46:07.06\00:46:10.83
which I think is more vivid.
00:46:10.87\00:46:12.53
Solomon says,
"So I hated..." What?
00:46:13.27\00:46:15.67
Did he want to die?
00:46:16.57\00:46:17.91
Yes. Was he suffering?
00:46:18.97\00:46:20.71
You better...
00:46:20.94\00:46:22.28
In fact, Ellen White said
that he became effeminate.
00:46:22.31\00:46:24.78
What does, "effeminate," mean?
00:46:26.31\00:46:27.88
He became woman-like.
00:46:29.62\00:46:31.79
Now that's not a bad
thing, unless you're a man.
00:46:32.55\00:46:35.29
It's good for
women to be effeminate.
00:46:41.40\00:46:43.57
It's not good for men.
00:46:44.27\00:46:45.60
So he says, "So I hated life
because the work that is done
00:46:46.17\00:46:50.57
under the sun
was grievous to me.
00:46:50.61\00:46:52.94
All of it is..." What?
00:46:53.58\00:46:56.04
"...meaninglessness,
and chasing after the wind."
00:46:56.41\00:47:01.18
Have you ever
tried to grab the wind?
00:47:01.82\00:47:03.65
And then in verse 18 he
says, "I hated all the things
00:47:05.05\00:47:08.39
I had toiled for under the
sun, because I must leave them
00:47:08.42\00:47:12.53
to the one who comes after me."
00:47:12.56\00:47:15.10
That is the life of the atheist.
00:47:16.56\00:47:18.90
The life of the person
who has gone astray from God.
00:47:19.23\00:47:22.07
That is the spirit of
the French Revolution.
00:47:22.17\00:47:26.41
Ellen White wrote in,
Prophets and Kings, page 58,
00:47:26.44\00:47:29.58
about Solomon.
00:47:29.84\00:47:31.18
"His faith in the living God was
supplanted by atheistic doubts.
00:47:31.21\00:47:36.85
Unbelief marred his..." What?
00:47:37.65\00:47:39.99
"...his happiness,
weakened his principles,
00:47:40.79\00:47:45.26
and degraded his life."
00:47:45.89\00:47:47.93
Does that sound like
what happened to the people
00:47:48.73\00:47:50.57
who participated in
the French Revolution?
00:47:50.60\00:47:52.87
Absolutely.
00:47:53.40\00:47:54.74
A good illustration of
this is Ernest Hemingway,
00:47:55.57\00:47:58.94
who spent a good
share of his life in Cuba.
00:47:59.67\00:48:02.38
A miserable man.
00:48:03.75\00:48:05.45
Drunk a good share of the time.
00:48:06.85\00:48:09.18
Nobel prize winner for
literature in the year 1954
00:48:09.98\00:48:15.26
because of the book that he
wrote, The Old Man in the Sea.
00:48:16.06\00:48:19.06
It's a depressing story.
00:48:20.26\00:48:21.93
Man, you read
that, it's depressing.
00:48:21.96\00:48:23.93
You know, this
fisherman has gone out.
00:48:24.83\00:48:26.70
You know, he's
old, he's over the hill.
00:48:26.74\00:48:28.64
And he's gone out fishing.
00:48:29.20\00:48:30.91
And he can't
catch anything anymore.
00:48:30.94\00:48:32.77
And so his friends
are making fun of him.
00:48:33.24\00:48:35.11
And so one day he goes out
and he catches this huge marlin.
00:48:35.84\00:48:40.22
And, "Wow!" he says.
00:48:41.32\00:48:42.65
"Now I'm going to
take it back to the shore
00:48:42.68\00:48:44.19
and I'm going to show
that life still has meaning."
00:48:44.22\00:48:47.89
And so when he's on his
way back, the sharks attack.
00:48:48.52\00:48:51.23
Because he's put this
huge fish such as nobody has
00:48:51.26\00:48:54.86
ever seen before next to
his boat, and the sharks attack.
00:48:54.90\00:48:58.43
To make a long story
short, by the time that
00:48:59.03\00:49:02.97
gets to the shore, all he
has to show is a skeleton.
00:49:03.64\00:49:08.18
That is a symbolic
depiction of his life.
00:49:09.78\00:49:13.05
Do you know how
Ernest Hemingway died?
00:49:14.02\00:49:16.79
In 1961 he took out a revolver
and shot himself in the head.
00:49:17.85\00:49:24.13
By the way, do you
know that Ernest Hemingway
00:49:25.99\00:49:28.73
was a great student of
the book of Ecclesiastes?
00:49:28.76\00:49:32.47
He wrote a work which
has not been published;
00:49:33.60\00:49:35.70
the title of the work
is, The Sun Also Rises,
00:49:35.74\00:49:39.34
which is a phrase that appears
in the book of Ecclesiastes.
00:49:39.77\00:49:44.68
He was fascinated
by Ecclesiastes because
00:49:44.71\00:49:47.55
he could see in it a
reflection of his own life.
00:49:47.58\00:49:51.59
And at the end,
life had no meaning.
00:49:52.25\00:49:54.86
So he committed suicide.
00:49:55.22\00:49:57.33
Are you with me?
00:49:57.36\00:49:58.69
That's the spirit of
the French Revolution.
00:49:58.83\00:50:00.86
That's what the
world is reaping today.
00:50:00.96\00:50:03.06
Now let's read the statements
here in the middle of page 177.
00:50:04.60\00:50:09.04
Have you ever heard
of Hume, the philosopher?
00:50:09.70\00:50:13.17
"It is said that Hume the
skeptic was, in early life,
00:50:14.34\00:50:19.61
a conscientious
believer in the Word of God.
00:50:19.65\00:50:22.78
Being connected
with a debating society,
00:50:23.62\00:50:26.35
he was appointed to
present the arguments
00:50:26.76\00:50:28.92
in favor of infidelity."
00:50:28.96\00:50:31.23
Be very careful about defending
what you don't believe in.
00:50:31.89\00:50:34.40
He studied with
earnestness and perseverance,
00:50:36.93\00:50:40.50
and his keen and
active mind became imbued
00:50:40.80\00:50:44.44
with the
sophistry of skepticism.
00:50:44.47\00:50:47.48
Erelong, he came to
believe its delusive teachings,
00:50:48.01\00:50:52.01
and his whole afterlife bore
the dark impress of infidelity."
00:50:52.05\00:50:57.45
Voltaire, one of the key figures
in the French Revolution,
00:50:58.35\00:51:01.96
we're told, "When
Voltaire was five years old,
00:51:01.99\00:51:04.56
he committed to
memory an infidel poem..."
00:51:04.76\00:51:07.66
"Infidel," means faithless.
00:51:08.53\00:51:10.83
"...and the pernicious influence
was never effaced from his mind.
00:51:12.43\00:51:18.11
He became one of
Satan's most successful agents
00:51:18.41\00:51:21.98
to lead men away from God.
00:51:22.01\00:51:24.11
Thousands will rise in
the judgment and charge
00:51:24.45\00:51:27.95
the ruin of their souls
upon the infidel Voltaire."
00:51:27.98\00:51:32.52
Rationalism even came
to the point of denying
00:51:35.96\00:51:38.76
the story of creation.
00:51:39.63\00:51:41.03
You can read the next
statement that begins at the
00:51:41.06\00:51:44.83
bottom of page 177 and
ends at the top of page 178,
00:51:44.87\00:51:49.00
because we need to
finish this particular chapter.
00:51:49.04\00:51:52.27
Let's notice the
comments on Revelation 9:7.
00:51:53.14\00:51:58.21
"The shape of the locusts was
like horses prepared for battle.
00:51:58.68\00:52:02.38
On their heads were
crowns of something like gold,
00:52:02.92\00:52:07.02
and their faces were
like the faces of men."
00:52:07.26\00:52:10.33
Where is the
backdrop to this in the Bible?
00:52:11.09\00:52:13.16
The backdrop of this
imagery is in Joel 2:4-10
00:52:13.19\00:52:18.30
where God compares an invading
army with a plague of locusts.
00:52:18.87\00:52:23.61
This is an interesting thing,
00:52:24.21\00:52:26.54
that the Italian word for,
"locust," is, "cavalletta."
00:52:26.74\00:52:30.58
What does
"cavalletta" mean in Italian?
00:52:31.81\00:52:34.15
Little horse.
00:52:34.35\00:52:35.68
Interesting.
00:52:36.48\00:52:37.82
The locust is
related to the horse.
00:52:37.85\00:52:39.85
In fact, in some ways it
looks a little bit like a horse.
00:52:39.89\00:52:42.92
And the German peasants
call the locust, "hupferde,"
00:52:43.16\00:52:46.86
which means, "hay horses."
00:52:46.90\00:52:49.53
At this point, Satan
and his angels are already
00:52:50.00\00:52:52.93
gathering their forces for what?
00:52:52.97\00:52:55.00
For the final battle
against God, the Bible,
00:52:55.30\00:53:00.58
and His people.
00:53:00.61\00:53:02.44
"Their hair was
like women's hair,
00:53:03.68\00:53:06.31
and their teeth
were like lion's teeth.
00:53:06.72\00:53:09.58
They have breastplates
like breastplates of iron,
00:53:09.95\00:53:12.65
and the sound of their
wings," they're flying,
00:53:13.09\00:53:16.29
"was like the
thundering of..." What?
00:53:16.32\00:53:18.49
"...of many horses and
chariots rushing into battle."
00:53:18.59\00:53:22.16
Were they ready to go to
France and do their work?
00:53:22.36\00:53:26.23
Yes.
00:53:26.33\00:53:27.67
"They had tails and
stings like scorpions,
00:53:27.70\00:53:31.44
and in their
tails they had..." What?
00:53:31.64\00:53:33.81
"...power to torment
people for five months."
00:53:33.84\00:53:36.54
So let me ask you, are
their lies a torment to people?
00:53:36.58\00:53:40.82
The doctrines of
the French Revolution.
00:53:41.28\00:53:43.32
Absolutely.
00:53:43.35\00:53:44.69
Now what does a lion represent?
00:53:44.99\00:53:46.69
It says here that
they had lion's teeth?
00:53:46.72\00:53:49.49
What does the lion
represent in the Bible?
00:53:49.52\00:53:51.33
Well it can represent Christ.
00:53:51.36\00:53:52.76
It can represent Babylon.
00:53:52.79\00:53:54.20
It can represent
Judah, the son of Jacob.
00:53:54.23\00:53:57.23
But it can also represent whom?
00:53:57.33\00:53:59.73
Satan who goes
forth as a roaring lion
00:54:00.07\00:54:02.57
seeking whom he may devour.
00:54:02.67\00:54:04.24
But his angels also
are compared with lions.
00:54:04.27\00:54:07.74
Notice this statement
from, Early Writings, page 191.
00:54:08.34\00:54:12.11
This is after Jesus
gained the victory over Satan
00:54:12.95\00:54:16.32
and ascended to heaven.
00:54:16.35\00:54:17.69
"Satan related to his
angels that Jesus had given
00:54:17.72\00:54:20.56
His disciples power to
rebuke them and cast them out,
00:54:20.59\00:54:24.39
and to heal those
whom they should afflict.
00:54:24.93\00:54:27.56
Then Satan's angels
went forth like..." What?
00:54:28.33\00:54:33.00
"...like roaring
lions seeking to destroy
00:54:33.10\00:54:37.41
the followers of Jesus."
00:54:37.44\00:54:39.57
In Scripture, as I mentioned,
the tail represents lies.
00:54:41.91\00:54:45.45
It is significant
that during the 1260 years
00:54:46.28\00:54:49.18
Satan deceived
people by the lie of what?
00:54:49.22\00:54:52.62
False religion.
00:54:53.02\00:54:54.42
But during the Age of Reason,
Satan deceived and hurt people
00:54:55.92\00:54:59.29
by the lies of what?
00:54:59.33\00:55:01.26
Secularism.
00:55:01.40\00:55:02.90
Or atheism.
00:55:03.33\00:55:04.70
And here comes
the interesting part.
00:55:06.03\00:55:08.34
You know, let me ask you,
who are going to be the greatest
00:55:09.34\00:55:12.57
enemies of God's people, the
liberals or the conservatives?
00:55:12.61\00:55:16.18
Well it all
depends whether you support
00:55:19.65\00:55:21.72
Joe Biden or Donald Trump.
00:55:21.75\00:55:24.75
No, actually, who are
the liberals in Christ's day?
00:55:27.09\00:55:29.92
The liberals were the Sadducees.
00:55:30.73\00:55:32.79
Who were the
staunch conservatives?
00:55:33.73\00:55:36.00
The Pharisees.
00:55:36.36\00:55:37.70
They hated each other.
00:55:38.07\00:55:39.40
And they had
different doctrines.
00:55:39.80\00:55:41.50
But when it came to destroying
public enemy number one,
00:55:42.40\00:55:45.67
they joined forces.
00:55:46.47\00:55:47.88
So let's not get
politically involved and say,
00:55:48.74\00:55:50.85
"Oh, we need to side
with the conservatives."
00:55:50.88\00:55:53.42
Or, "We need to
side with the liberals."
00:55:53.72\00:55:55.55
You know, because the
Bible tells us that the
00:55:55.75\00:55:58.45
king of the south and the king
of the north will join forces
00:55:58.49\00:56:02.29
to persecute God's people.
00:56:02.82\00:56:04.43
The final
comment, Revelation 9:11.
00:56:05.29\00:56:08.50
The king who
rules over the locusts
00:56:09.46\00:56:12.33
is the angel of the abyss.
00:56:12.53\00:56:14.27
Who is identified in
the Bible with the abyss?
00:56:14.30\00:56:17.41
Satan, in Revelation 20. Right?
00:56:18.91\00:56:22.78
He's put in the abyss.
00:56:23.41\00:56:24.75
Or the bottomless
pit, as it's mistranslated.
00:56:24.81\00:56:27.55
So the king who rules over
the locusts, over this army
00:56:27.68\00:56:30.69
that is going to unleash on
France in the fifth trumpet,
00:56:31.09\00:56:34.46
his name is in Hebrew, Abaddon;
and in Greek, the equivalent
00:56:34.76\00:56:41.06
Greek word is, Apollyon.
00:56:41.10\00:56:43.10
The names, Abaddon
and Apollyon means what?
00:56:43.87\00:56:48.70
The destroyer.
00:56:49.00\00:56:50.34
Is that exactly what happened
in the French Revolution?
00:56:50.37\00:56:52.97
Oh yes, absolutely.
00:56:53.27\00:56:55.38
The New Testament
describes Satan as the
00:56:56.31\00:56:58.78
ruler or prince of demons.
00:56:58.81\00:57:02.15
Isn't that true?
00:57:02.18\00:57:03.52
So who is the
leader of this host?
00:57:03.85\00:57:05.75
Satan.
00:57:06.19\00:57:07.52
And Jesus referred
to him as the what?
00:57:07.96\00:57:11.29
As the destroyer in John 10:10.
00:57:11.86\00:57:16.56
Which is the verse
with which we will end
00:57:17.17\00:57:19.63
our study this afternoon.
00:57:19.67\00:57:21.10
John 10:10, Jesus
said the following...
00:57:21.14\00:57:26.98
Tomorrow we will study the
interlude of Revelation 11.
00:57:47.20\00:57:51.93
And then maybe tomorrow
we'll study Revelation 10,
00:57:52.33\00:57:56.00
which is also
part of the interlude.
00:57:56.10\00:57:58.97