Well, we are continuing our
study on the Book of Revelation,
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we've actually
entered into the churches,
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we've moved past chapter
one, we've laid the foundation
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and we're in the Seven Churches,
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Revelation chapter
2 is where it begins,
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we began though by looking
at Christ among the churches,
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the fact that Christ is
among all seven churches
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even though five of
them have major problems,
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two of them are... you
know... doing pretty good,
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but five of them
have major problems,
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reminded us of the grace
of God, of the love of God...
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the unconditional love of God,
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we looked at some illustrations
of that in the Bible,
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with the woman at the
well and with the disciples
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who forsook Christ even
though He would not forsake them
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and we recognize that
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one of the
preeminent foundational truths
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of the gospel is
that God is with us
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even though we've forsaken Him,
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that when we ate of the
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Tree of the
Knowledge of Good and Evil,
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we were hiding from
God in the Garden...
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He came looking for us,
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we had changed
but He hadn't changed,
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"I'm your Lord your
God, I change not...
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and therefore, ye sons
of Jacob are not consumed"
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and this is the picture that
Revelation's presenting to us,
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we look at the church in Ephesus
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and we understood to
be the early Apostolic age
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and we see in that church
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a group of people
who are on fire for Jesus
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and they've got
faith, they've got love,
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they've got works,
they've got patience,
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they tried those and say they're
apostles... they're not...
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we found them
liars and got more faith
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and more love but
they've lost what...?
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All: Their first
love... James: Their first love,
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they've lost their
first love and without that,
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all the other
stuff is meaningless
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and so, we identified
this as the apostolic church
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in the Historicist's
understanding of prophecy
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but we also recognize
as a message for us today
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and so we want to
go from there now,
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we want to move
into the next church
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which is the church of Smyrna,
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and we want to identify
some of the characteristics here
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historically and then look
at how it applies to us today.
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Remembering where we
are... time and location...
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keeping those
two things in mind,
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what time period are we in?
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Are we looking at one of
the three time prophecies?
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70 weeks...
1,260... or the 2,300...
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and... where in the
Sanctuary are we located
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and we've already determined
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that we are
located in the Holy Place
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at this time which
means pre-1844, right.
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Definitely, and we're
going to be moving now
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from the 70-week prophecy,
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we're going to be moving
into that 1,260-day period
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and we'll identify this, okay,
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so we should start with a
word of prayer... always...
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and Jason, would
you like to pray for us?
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All right...
"Dear Heavenly Father,
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thank you so much for blessing
us with another day of life
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and another
opportunity to study your Word,
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now as we study your Word,
please lead, guide and direct us
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in Jesus' name we pray, amen. "
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All: Amen...
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So let's start in verse...
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let me just get
my glasses on here...
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verse 8, Yvonne, would
you like to read for us,
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verses 8, all the way...
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just let's read all the verses
all the way through to verse 11?
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Sure, "And unto the angel
of the church in Smyrna write;
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These things saith
the first and the last,
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which was dead, and is alive;
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I know thy works, and
tribulation and poverty
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but thou art rich, and I
know the blasphemy of them
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which say they
are Jews, and are not,
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but are the synagogue of Satan.
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Fear none of those
things which thou shalt suffer:
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behold, the devil shall
cast some of you into prison,
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that ye may be tried:
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and ye shall have
tribulation ten days:
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be thou faithful unto death,
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and I will give
thee a crown of life.
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He that hath an
ear, let him hear
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what the Spirit
saith unto the churches;
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He that overcometh shall not
be hurt of the second death. "
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All right, it's short and sweet,
one, two, three, four verses...
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and basically this
church is the first church
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that we're going to read about
of two churches in the seven
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that have nothing said
against it, nothing negative,
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it's all affirmative
and the reason for that is
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because we're going to
find that in the Bible,
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Old and New Testament...
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that when God's people
undergo heavy persecution,
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it purifies the church,
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so the two
characteristics of the churches
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that have
nothing against them is,
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persecution and love,
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when God's church
is filled with love,
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now, Ephesus has
lost it's first love,
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it's losing it's first love and
yet the church in Philadelphia
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has that... that love...
and the church in Smyrna...
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this church right here is
undergoing heavy persecution,
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that purifies the church
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so what we have here... is we
have four verses that describe
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the condition of the
church, the Christian church
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during a period of time
that we're going to label
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from about a 100
A.D. to about 313 A.D.
00:05:04.90\00:05:08.87
313 A.D. ends the
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heavy persecution of the
pagan Roman Emperor Diocletian
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and makes a
transition to Constantine
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and a drastic change takes place
in the church under Constantine,
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you can read a little bit
about that in the prophetic book
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of Daniel chapter 11,
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where this
transition takes place
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and the church gets back
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all of the things
that were taken from it
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under the Diocletian
rule but going back here,
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I just want to look at this...
this first... this first section
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"I know thy works and thy
poverty and yet thou art rich"
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how can you be in
poverty and yet be rich?
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What is that
"wealth" that they have?
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Yvonne: It has to be the
knowledge of Jesus... right?
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James: Yeah.
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Yvonne: They
might... they have...
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might be broke finally...
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they might be broke
but they're not poor.
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James: And I love
that... that's basically what...
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doesn't James say
something about that...
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let me just look
here, he talks about how
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we are rich in faith,
I'm looking for the verse
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I have it marked here,
James chapter 2 verse 5...
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Yvonne: Hmmm... hmmm...
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James: "Hearken,
my beloved brethren,
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Hath not God chosen
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the poor of this
world rich in faith... "
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"the poor of this
world... rich in faith... "
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okay, I just want
to make this point,
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the Book of Revelation...
we've said this before
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it's worth repeating,
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the Book of Revelation is
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boring from the
rest of the Bible,
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it's not off on
an island by itself,
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it's not a book that should be
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separate from the
rest of the cannon,
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it is a summation of
the rest of the Bible
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and so when we
see this phrase here,
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"I know that your... your
poverty but you're rich...
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I know your poverty...
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it's borne from
the Book of James,
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it's borne from the
picture that God has given us
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which is... and
that connection is vital
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because that helps us
to interpret the book,
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what does it mean? "You're
poor and yet you're rich"
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well, James tells what it means.
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Jesus says, "Blessed
are the poor in spirit
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for theirs is
the kingdom of God"
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so, this... this...
poverty and yet richness,
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there's
persecution and yet faith
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is being presented
here in this period
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and that's what
they're going through...
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this time period where
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Rome began to heavily
persecute the Christian church
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beginning about 195 A.D.
John is sent out of Patmos
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where he, of course,
receives the Revelation
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but then you have
this persecution of Rome
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trying to destroy
and wipe out Israel,
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what is significant about that
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is that there was
another persecution
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in the Old Testament
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where someone tried
to wipe out Israel...
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tried to basically destroy
00:08:04.28\00:08:05.61
and just really keep
down the children of Israel
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and that was Pharaoh
during the time of...
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the Children of
Israel being in Egypt,
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what's happening is,
you have the first church
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which was perfect
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and then fell
from its first love
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and we already said,
"Wow! that kind of reminds us of
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the beginning of
creation of mankind...
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perfect but then
fell in Creation"
00:08:28.57\00:08:31.31
and then that's Genesis,
the next book is Exodus,
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where we now have
this spirit of persecution
00:08:34.64\00:08:37.15
and we're looking at
church one and two, we're going,
00:08:37.18\00:08:39.98
"Wow, this is like
history repeating itself... "
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now will that pattern hold out
for the rest of the churches?
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We'll find out...
but what we see so far
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is look, "This history is almost
like it's being repeated...
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the things that
happened to Old Testament...
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the Old Testament people of God
looks like it's being repeated
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in the history
of Spiritual Israel,
00:09:00.64\00:09:03.07
so they're being persecuted
but God is telling them,
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"Listen, be faithful
even in this persecution
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and going back to the
theme of the Book of Revelation
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as a love story,
what I see happening here,
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is that... it's
almost like Satan's saying,
00:09:16.99\00:09:21.42
"Yeah, you love Jesus?
00:09:21.46\00:09:22.79
All right, well let's
see how much you love Jesus,
00:09:22.82\00:09:25.16
let's see how
much you love Jesus
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when they put you in the
Coliseums with the lions,
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let's see how much you love... "
and... I mean... think about it,
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Jesus is here
looking at His church
00:09:34.14\00:09:36.81
during this period of
time stand faithful...
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rathering to suffer
with lions and fire and...
00:09:40.64\00:09:44.38
now, what that
must do to His heart?
00:09:44.41\00:09:46.72
How can He have something
to say against this church?
00:09:46.75\00:09:49.62
It's a demonstration of the love
of the church during this period
00:09:49.65\00:09:55.56
for their... for that husband...
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Two things here...
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Ivor, just
building on what you said,
00:10:01.73\00:10:03.83
one of them is in Ecclesiastes,
00:10:03.87\00:10:05.20
and I just
wanted to bring this out
00:10:05.23\00:10:06.57
so that we can all see it,
00:10:06.60\00:10:07.94
because it is a
Biblical principle,
00:10:07.97\00:10:09.30
"The thing that has been,
is that which shall be... "
00:10:09.34\00:10:13.31
verse 9 of Ecclesiastes 1,
00:10:13.34\00:10:15.48
"and that which is done
is that which shall be done:
00:10:15.51\00:10:18.65
and there is no new
thing under the sun.
00:10:18.68\00:10:20.82
Is there any thing whereof it
may be said, See, this is new?
00:10:20.85\00:10:23.49
it hath been
already of old time,
00:10:23.52\00:10:24.85
which was before us. "
00:10:24.89\00:10:26.22
In other words,
"Yes, we're seeing these...
00:10:26.25\00:10:29.16
this repeat
principle over and over again,
00:10:29.19\00:10:32.09
why? because human
nature is the same,
00:10:32.13\00:10:35.00
human beings are the same,
00:10:35.03\00:10:36.67
the history of the Bible is
the history of human nature,
00:10:36.70\00:10:40.80
it's the history of us,
00:10:40.84\00:10:42.30
yes, there's some
variations here and there
00:10:42.34\00:10:44.34
and sometimes people say,
00:10:44.37\00:10:45.71
"Well, how come God selected
00:10:45.74\00:10:47.68
that history and that
history... and that history,
00:10:47.71\00:10:50.11
there's a lot more
history in the world... "
00:10:50.15\00:10:51.48
well, because,
He just pulled out
00:10:51.51\00:10:53.11
some history that was
basically illustrative...
00:10:53.15\00:10:56.52
illustrating the
history of all of us,
00:10:56.55\00:10:59.49
here it is and He
stepped into that history
00:10:59.52\00:11:01.82
to show us how He can
change the course of our history
00:11:01.86\00:11:04.96
and make us... bring us back
00:11:04.99\00:11:07.76
to the image in
which we were created.
00:11:07.80\00:11:09.56
And one thing we
can also see is that
00:11:09.60\00:11:11.33
Satan doesn't change
either, so we can look and say,
00:11:11.37\00:11:15.57
"Okay, well, if we can figure
out what it is that Satan did
00:11:15.60\00:11:18.97
in the Old Testament,
00:11:19.01\00:11:20.94
and how he attacked the people
of God in the Old Testament,
00:11:20.98\00:11:23.51
then ah... we're
going to have a better idea
00:11:23.55\00:11:25.85
of what he's trying to
do in the Book of Revelation
00:11:25.88\00:11:28.58
and in the New Testament. "
00:11:28.62\00:11:29.95
So God is showing us,
that's why He says that...
00:11:29.98\00:11:32.79
that the things that
were written for Israel,
00:11:32.82\00:11:35.76
are written for our admonition
00:11:35.79\00:11:37.93
upon whom the ends
of the world are come.
00:11:37.96\00:11:40.13
So, let us take heed
lest our promise being left us
00:11:40.16\00:11:44.43
we should fail to enter into it
00:11:44.47\00:11:46.70
because of the same mistakes
that they made in the past.
00:11:46.74\00:11:50.77
And then the other thing
here I think that's significant
00:11:50.81\00:11:53.98
in... along the lines of
what we're talking about is
00:11:54.04\00:11:57.18
in verse 9 it says,
"Okay, I know thy works,
00:11:57.21\00:12:00.05
thy tribulation, thy
poverty, but thou art rich,
00:12:00.08\00:12:02.85
I know the blasphemy of
them which say they are Jews,
00:12:02.88\00:12:06.42
and are not, but are
the synagogue of Satan. "
00:12:06.45\00:12:08.56
So, part of the reason why this
persecution is taking place is
00:12:08.59\00:12:12.73
because it is
actually separating
00:12:12.76\00:12:15.30
those who are and
those who aren't...
00:12:15.36\00:12:17.17
those who are named
and those who aren't.
00:12:17.20\00:12:19.80
This phrase, "those
that say they're Jews,"
00:12:19.83\00:12:22.34
we need to understand
that in the spiritual sense,
00:12:22.37\00:12:25.24
at this point in time,
the church has settled in,
00:12:25.27\00:12:27.98
and the new Christian
church has settled in with...
00:12:28.01\00:12:30.68
to the fact that
they are spiritual Jews...
00:12:30.75\00:12:33.85
that they are spiritual Israel,
00:12:33.88\00:12:35.25
and we know that
from a couple of verses,
00:12:35.28\00:12:37.55
one of them is found in Romans
chapter 2 verses 28 and 29
00:12:37.59\00:12:43.02
and maybe Jason, would you like
to read those verses for us?
00:12:43.06\00:12:48.46
Romans 2:28 and 29...
00:12:48.50\00:12:50.50
Jason: I'm not there yet.
00:12:50.53\00:12:52.47
James: That's okay...
we'll wait... with all patience.
00:12:52.50\00:12:56.44
Waiting for Jason
to find the verse.
00:12:56.47\00:13:01.51
Jason: Let's see
here... all right...
00:13:01.54\00:13:06.51
"For he is not a Jew,
which is one outwardly;
00:13:06.55\00:13:10.39
neither is that circumcision,
which is outward in the flesh:
00:13:10.42\00:13:14.19
But he is a Jew,
which is one inwardly:
00:13:14.26\00:13:16.83
and circumcision
is that of the heart,
00:13:16.89\00:13:19.49
in the spirit,
and not in the letter;
00:13:19.53\00:13:22.20
whose praise is not
of men, but of God. "
00:13:22.23\00:13:24.80
Okay, so here Paul is
identifying who Jews really are,
00:13:24.83\00:13:29.94
it's no longer the literal Jews
and the literal circumcision,
00:13:29.97\00:13:33.31
Jews are those who are
circumcised in the heart
00:13:33.34\00:13:36.91
and so when it says in
Revelation and this is now...
00:13:36.95\00:13:41.08
we're in the second
century, third century,
00:13:41.12\00:13:43.92
it says in Revelation
chapter 2 and verse 9,
00:13:43.99\00:13:46.69
"I know those who
say they are Jews... "
00:13:46.72\00:13:48.72
it's not talking
about literal Jews,
00:13:48.76\00:13:50.73
it's talking about those
who say they're spiritual Jews,
00:13:50.76\00:13:52.83
who say they're
circumcised in the heart,
00:13:52.86\00:13:54.76
who say that
they're Abraham's seed,
00:13:54.80\00:13:56.20
who say they're part
of the Christian church,
00:13:56.23\00:13:57.67
but they are of
the synagogue of Satan,
00:13:57.70\00:14:00.10
"don't worry... I
know who they are...
00:14:00.14\00:14:02.47
this persecution
you're going through right now
00:14:02.50\00:14:05.54
is going to show
who those people are
00:14:05.57\00:14:08.08
because those who are not
truly a 100 percent in the heart
00:14:08.11\00:14:12.48
converted to Christ
00:14:12.51\00:14:14.28
and dedicated to Him aren't
going to survive through this,
00:14:14.32\00:14:16.62
they're going to compromise"
and that's what takes place
00:14:16.65\00:14:18.89
as we follow in the next church
00:14:18.92\00:14:20.26
that's what's
going to take place.
00:14:20.29\00:14:21.62
And when you think about it...
when the Children of Israel,
00:14:21.66\00:14:24.99
the Jews, left out of Egypt,
00:14:25.03\00:14:27.50
out of persecution,
there was a separating...
00:14:27.53\00:14:30.87
there were those who
weren't "Jews" in name
00:14:30.90\00:14:34.54
but you see a lot of
separation happening...
00:14:34.60\00:14:38.21
James: Mixed multitude...
00:14:38.24\00:14:39.57
Ivor: Mixed multitude,
00:14:39.61\00:14:40.94
those who are
claiming to be of God
00:14:40.98\00:14:42.44
but stirring up rebellion
and doing these kinds of things
00:14:42.51\00:14:46.28
so again we see that
history being laid out
00:14:46.31\00:14:48.78
and God is
saying, "Look, look...
00:14:48.85\00:14:50.29
and what happened
in the Old Testament
00:14:50.32\00:14:51.79
because those
things are going to be
00:14:51.82\00:14:53.56
important for you to understand
00:14:53.62\00:14:54.96
in reference to what
will happen at the end of time
00:14:54.99\00:14:58.03
or throughout history
00:14:58.06\00:14:59.93
or of the history of
the New Testament Church. "
00:15:00.00\00:15:02.16
Now, I love this next
verse and I have to say...
00:15:02.20\00:15:04.33
I really like the way,
Yvonne, that you read it,
00:15:04.37\00:15:07.64
"Fear none of those
things which you shall suffer:"
00:15:07.67\00:15:10.91
I love that...
"behold, the devil will cast
00:15:10.94\00:15:13.41
some of you in the prison,
00:15:13.44\00:15:14.78
you will be tried;
00:15:14.81\00:15:16.18
and you will have
tribulation ten days:
00:15:16.24\00:15:18.05
be thou faithful unto death,
00:15:18.08\00:15:19.41
and I will give
thee a crown of life. "
00:15:19.45\00:15:20.82
We read that that way
because we have experienced
00:15:20.85\00:15:24.39
some of this verse
ourselves, we understand,
00:15:24.42\00:15:28.19
this verse is personal,
00:15:28.22\00:15:29.56
we're not just reading this
verse as we read other verses,
00:15:29.59\00:15:33.16
we recognize that the
devil is coming against us
00:15:33.19\00:15:36.60
and the devil
sought to persecute us
00:15:36.63\00:15:38.47
and the devil sought to
destroy our faith, our grasp,
00:15:38.53\00:15:42.44
our dependence on Christ
00:15:42.47\00:15:44.84
and he's done it
through various means
00:15:44.87\00:15:47.38
and through tribulation
00:15:47.41\00:15:48.74
and the
tribulation that we face today
00:15:48.78\00:15:50.38
may not be
thrown into a colosseum
00:15:50.41\00:15:52.05
filled with lions
who are ready to eat us,
00:15:52.08\00:15:54.05
sometimes it's just words and
words can be harder to endure
00:15:54.08\00:15:58.92
than martyrdom at
times, they can, you know,
00:15:58.95\00:16:01.92
"Sticks and
stones may break my bones
00:16:01.96\00:16:03.29
but words will never hurt me"
00:16:03.32\00:16:04.66
that's not true,
00:16:04.69\00:16:06.46
words hurt and they go deep,
especially as God restores in us
00:16:06.49\00:16:10.40
his image and we
become more sensitive
00:16:10.43\00:16:13.44
because His love renews in
us the feelings and emotions
00:16:13.47\00:16:17.74
that he created us to have
and or that we're afraid to have
00:16:17.77\00:16:20.71
and we try to numb them
with drugs and with the world
00:16:20.74\00:16:25.38
because this world is painful,
00:16:25.41\00:16:27.58
it's a painful place to
be when you have feelings.
00:16:27.62\00:16:28.95
Yvonne: Yeah.
00:16:28.98\00:16:30.32
Jason: Are those ten
days symbolic of anything?
00:16:30.35\00:16:32.09
The ten... all these numbers...
00:16:32.12\00:16:34.26
James: hmmm...
hmmm... hmmm... hmm...
00:16:34.32\00:16:35.66
that's a good question,
00:16:35.69\00:16:37.03
it's interesting that
00:16:37.06\00:16:39.23
in the controversy
00:16:39.26\00:16:41.63
over the idea of these
churches being literal churches
00:16:41.66\00:16:45.83
in John's day which is Preterism
00:16:45.87\00:16:47.80
versus them being symbolic
of the church in the ages
00:16:47.84\00:16:51.64
from the Apostolic Age all
the way down to Second Coming
00:16:51.67\00:16:55.41
which is Historicism,
there is... there are little
00:16:55.44\00:16:59.35
evidences, if you will,
00:16:59.38\00:17:01.98
that Historicism is the
one that bears sway here
00:17:02.05\00:17:05.65
and this is one
of those evidences,
00:17:05.69\00:17:07.29
I mean, if John is writing
a letter to these churches
00:17:07.32\00:17:11.06
and he says to Smyrna,
00:17:11.09\00:17:12.43
"You're going to
suffer for ten literal days
00:17:12.46\00:17:14.16
under persecution, be faithful,
I'll give you a crown of life,"
00:17:14.20\00:17:16.83
and it's like, "Ten days?
00:17:16.87\00:17:18.20
well, why are they the only
church that's suffering ten...
00:17:18.23\00:17:20.14
what about Ephesus,
00:17:20.17\00:17:21.67
what about all
the other churches?"
00:17:21.70\00:17:23.07
So, yes, this period of time
00:17:23.10\00:17:25.77
is one of the places
00:17:25.81\00:17:27.48
where we see the
principle of "day for a year,"
00:17:27.51\00:17:29.64
so when we study
this prophecy we think,
00:17:29.68\00:17:32.78
"Okay, this... if this
isn't ten literal days,
00:17:32.81\00:17:35.32
then it must be
ten literal years...
00:17:35.35\00:17:37.85
each day must
represent a year... "
00:17:37.89\00:17:40.36
now in order for
us to affirm that,
00:17:40.39\00:17:42.82
in order for that to be
confirmed in our interpretation
00:17:42.86\00:17:45.39
in our understanding...
to be confirmed...
00:17:45.46\00:17:47.40
our
interpretation being confirmed,
00:17:47.43\00:17:48.86
we would need to
find a place in history
00:17:48.90\00:17:50.90
where that actually
happened where for ten years
00:17:50.93\00:17:54.67
God's church... some
time after the Apostolic Age
00:17:54.70\00:17:57.97
underwent heavy
persecution and we find it...
00:17:58.01\00:18:01.24
we find it from the year
303 A.D. to the year 313 A.D.
00:18:01.28\00:18:06.18
and it happened
under Diocletian,
00:18:06.21\00:18:09.58
heavy persecution took place
00:18:09.62\00:18:11.89
and the church was
not only persecuted
00:18:11.92\00:18:16.29
but if you remained a Christian,
00:18:16.32\00:18:18.53
your land was
taken away from you,
00:18:18.56\00:18:20.40
your houses were
taken away from you,
00:18:20.43\00:18:22.33
churches were
taken away from you,
00:18:22.36\00:18:23.97
everything was
torn away from you,
00:18:24.00\00:18:25.37
everything earthly
was taken away from you,
00:18:25.40\00:18:27.04
it was heavy-duty persecution
00:18:27.07\00:18:28.84
and it was in this
time... that the period of time
00:18:28.90\00:18:33.34
that the church in Smyrna
was described as, I think,
00:18:33.38\00:18:37.81
going under... undergoing...
00:18:37.85\00:18:39.18
well the word Smyrna itself
means, "bitter sweet myrrh"
00:18:39.21\00:18:42.12
and it's the kind of stuff that
was used from embalming people
00:18:42.15\00:18:45.42
there was a lot of death,
there was a lot of persecution
00:18:45.45\00:18:48.69
they had a
bitter-sweet experience,
00:18:48.72\00:18:50.46
the bitterness, of course,
going through the persecution,
00:18:50.49\00:18:53.53
sweet experience...
being rich in faith
00:18:53.56\00:18:55.43
and having the church purified
00:18:55.46\00:18:57.50
and having
nothing said against it
00:18:57.53\00:18:59.50
and I think that we
as people, Christians...
00:18:59.53\00:19:03.91
that we are
afraid of persecution
00:19:03.94\00:19:06.88
but at the same time,
00:19:06.91\00:19:08.24
"Fear none of those things
which shall come upon you"
00:19:08.28\00:19:10.61
because I want to
make a distinction
00:19:10.65\00:19:12.18
between those who
say they're this...
00:19:12.21\00:19:13.62
"they are Jews"
and those who aren't,
00:19:13.65\00:19:14.98
and you're going
to be rich in faith,
00:19:15.02\00:19:16.82
your faith is going to
grow through this time,
00:19:16.85\00:19:18.72
I remember the story years
ago and this is going way back
00:19:18.75\00:19:22.46
before your time,
Jason, perhaps... to the 1980s
00:19:22.49\00:19:27.96
when the USSR was a
prominent power in the world,
00:19:28.03\00:19:33.44
Communism in
Eastern Europe and Russia
00:19:33.47\00:19:36.84
had its iron grip
on many, many people
00:19:36.87\00:19:40.18
and there were people
that would get our of Russia...
00:19:40.24\00:19:43.38
they considered
themselves fortunate,
00:19:43.45\00:19:45.91
there was an Adventist
family that got out of Russia
00:19:45.95\00:19:48.02
and came to the United
States during that time
00:19:48.05\00:19:50.05
and they considered
themselves fortunate,
00:19:50.09\00:19:52.19
a few years later they
decided to go back to Russia
00:19:52.22\00:19:54.72
and their conclusion was that...
00:19:54.79\00:19:57.63
"It was easier for us to be
faithful to Christ in Russia
00:19:57.66\00:20:01.73
than it is for us to
be faithful to Christ
00:20:01.76\00:20:03.73
here in the United States
00:20:03.77\00:20:05.10
because it was easier
for us to be Christians
00:20:05.13\00:20:07.90
under that
persecution than it was for us
00:20:07.94\00:20:10.44
to live a Christian
life in this wealthy,
00:20:10.47\00:20:12.91
compromising environment
that is the U.S... USA"
00:20:12.94\00:20:17.11
so they... they
went back to Russia
00:20:17.15\00:20:18.65
and that's what
we're talking about here,
00:20:18.71\00:20:21.15
sometimes we're
afraid of persecution,
00:20:21.18\00:20:23.59
persecution can
actually be a good thing.
00:20:23.62\00:20:25.42
Yvonne: When you
think... oh sorry...
00:20:25.45\00:20:27.19
Ivor: No, no, no, you go...
00:20:27.22\00:20:28.56
When you think about...
00:20:28.59\00:20:29.92
when is it that you find
yourself drawing closer to God?
00:20:29.96\00:20:35.50
Not necessarily
in the good times...
00:20:35.53\00:20:38.37
but in the bad times
00:20:38.43\00:20:40.74
when you really
need to reach out to Him
00:20:40.77\00:20:43.84
that's when... when you...
everything is honky dory...
00:20:43.87\00:20:48.14
we tend to... we can put God on
the back burner which is wrong,
00:20:48.18\00:20:52.35
but... but when
you're going through it
00:20:52.38\00:20:56.35
and that's when you
reach out, "God help me... "
00:20:56.38\00:20:59.85
and you're on your knees,
00:20:59.89\00:21:01.29
you're on your
knees for your children
00:21:01.32\00:21:03.69
or you're on your knees
for your spouse or your...
00:21:03.73\00:21:06.59
whatever it is... your
job... whatever it is...
00:21:06.63\00:21:09.43
you're on your knees
so that persecution...
00:21:09.46\00:21:12.10
that suffering...
though we don't want it,
00:21:12.13\00:21:14.70
I found for me
that the closest times
00:21:14.74\00:21:18.27
that I have with the Lord
are when I'm going through...
00:21:18.31\00:21:21.48
and you don't want that,
it's not like you pick that
00:21:21.51\00:21:24.41
and say, "Okay, I
want to suffer now,"
00:21:24.48\00:21:27.18
no, you don't want that
but when you are suffering
00:21:27.22\00:21:31.79
the only place to go is God.
00:21:31.82\00:21:35.32
You're going to
find that principle
00:21:35.36\00:21:38.49
to be revealed to be true
when we get to the next church,
00:21:38.53\00:21:42.00
because when things
ease up and things get good,
00:21:42.03\00:21:46.03
it's human nature
to begin the compromise
00:21:46.07\00:21:50.27
but looking at this
reward for the church of Smyrna,
00:21:50.31\00:21:55.71
the reward is a crown of life
00:21:55.74\00:21:57.71
and it's interesting
that God uses that reward
00:21:57.75\00:22:01.78
because He
realizes and recognizes
00:22:01.85\00:22:03.95
what they're going through here,
00:22:03.99\00:22:06.05
He acknowledges what
they're going through
00:22:06.09\00:22:07.42
and says, "Listen, even though
00:22:07.46\00:22:10.09
you're
suffering death right now"
00:22:10.13\00:22:12.83
in fact it's the
last verse, verse 11,
00:22:12.86\00:22:16.06
"He that has an ear,
00:22:16.10\00:22:17.53
let him hear what the
Spirit saith unto the churches;
00:22:17.57\00:22:19.43
he that overcometh shall not
be hurt of the second death. "
00:22:19.47\00:22:23.34
So, Jesus is
telling the church here,
00:22:23.37\00:22:27.61
"Even though you're
suffering the first death,
00:22:27.64\00:22:29.74
don't worry about it... you're
going to have a crown of life,
00:22:29.78\00:22:31.68
you're not going to
experience the second death. "
00:22:31.71\00:22:35.98
The second death
is... death forever,
00:22:36.02\00:22:38.65
right, there's not
return from that second death
00:22:38.69\00:22:41.19
so... so, He's saying,
00:22:41.22\00:22:42.56
"Listen, what you're going
through now is just a sleep,
00:22:42.59\00:22:45.76
I'm going to wake
you up in the morning
00:22:45.79\00:22:48.06
I'm going to put a crown on
your head... and be faithful. "
00:22:48.10\00:22:52.03
so that's the reward,
00:22:52.10\00:22:53.90
that's the encouragement
He's giving to His church
00:22:53.94\00:22:56.54
in this stage,
He's telling them,
00:22:56.57\00:22:58.84
"Be faithful...
and don't worry about
00:22:58.87\00:23:01.08
what the devil is
throwing in your face
00:23:01.11\00:23:03.21
because I'm going to
give you something better. "
00:23:03.24\00:23:05.11
James: Let's build
on that a little bit,
00:23:05.15\00:23:06.78
Ivor...
00:23:06.82\00:23:08.95
really the only place
that the phrase, "Second death"
00:23:08.98\00:23:13.69
is used in the Bible is
in the Book of Revelation,
00:23:13.72\00:23:18.26
the only place,
00:23:18.29\00:23:19.96
it's used in
Revelation chapter 2
00:23:20.00\00:23:22.23
and it's also in
Revelation chapter 20,
00:23:22.26\00:23:24.73
so, the reason why God did that
00:23:24.77\00:23:28.10
and it's clear
in the Book of John
00:23:28.14\00:23:31.04
when you read about
the story of Lazarus,
00:23:31.07\00:23:34.31
it's very clear
that God identifies death
00:23:34.34\00:23:37.55
in relation to
what we experience
00:23:37.58\00:23:41.05
as mortals, He
identifies it as a sleep...
00:23:41.08\00:23:44.79
He identifies it as a sleep,
00:23:44.82\00:23:46.92
so, over and over
again, He tells the disciples,
00:23:46.96\00:23:49.59
"Lazarus is
sleeping... Lazarus is sleeping,
00:23:49.62\00:23:52.19
Lazarus is sleeping" and
the disciples don't get it,
00:23:52.23\00:23:54.63
they don't get it,
00:23:54.66\00:23:56.00
"Well, if he's
sleeping, he's doing good
00:23:56.03\00:23:57.60
because when you're sick...
when you got a sore throat...
00:23:57.63\00:24:00.44
and you need to
sleep... you need a rest... "
00:24:00.47\00:24:04.01
so, finally, Jesus says to
them, "Plainly... " verse 11,
00:24:04.04\00:24:10.35
John 11 verse 11,
Jesus says to them,
00:24:10.38\00:24:14.28
"Plainly...
our... " excuse me...
00:24:14.32\00:24:17.42
that's not the
verse I'm looking for,
00:24:17.45\00:24:20.52
it's verse 14...
00:24:20.56\00:24:23.43
"Jesus said unto them
plainly, Lazarus is dead. "
00:24:23.46\00:24:27.33
He didn't say, "second death,"
00:24:27.36\00:24:28.70
they didn't get... that
sleep and death are synonymous,
00:24:28.73\00:24:34.30
they didn't get that, okay,
00:24:34.34\00:24:36.10
so then Jesus tries to
clarify a little bit more,
00:24:36.14\00:24:38.07
a little bit later here,
00:24:38.11\00:24:39.44
He's talking to Martha...
to the sister of Lazarus,
00:24:39.47\00:24:42.28
and He says in verse
23, "Jesus said unto her,
00:24:42.31\00:24:46.45
Thy brother shall rise again.
00:24:46.48\00:24:47.82
And Martha said to him, I
know that he shall rise again
00:24:47.85\00:24:50.39
in the
resurrection at the last day,"
00:24:50.42\00:24:51.75
which is what we
were talking about
00:24:51.79\00:24:53.12
and then He goes on...
00:24:53.15\00:24:54.56
"Jesus said unto her,
I am the resurrection,
00:24:54.59\00:24:56.36
and the life: he
that believes in me
00:24:56.39\00:24:58.19
though he were dead,
yet shall he live... "
00:24:58.23\00:25:00.16
now get this, verse 26,
00:25:00.20\00:25:01.53
"And whosoever liveth and
believeth in me shall... " what?
00:25:01.56\00:25:04.07
Jason: Never die...
00:25:04.10\00:25:05.57
Then He asks a question,
what's the question He asks?
00:25:05.60\00:25:07.60
All: "Believest thou this?"
00:25:07.64\00:25:09.47
James: "Do you believe
that... do you believe that?
00:25:09.50\00:25:11.04
Do you believe that
you will never die?"
00:25:11.07\00:25:14.31
So really, in this
church statement here,
00:25:14.34\00:25:17.35
okay, when you read Revelation
chapter 2 and verse 10,
00:25:17.38\00:25:20.95
"Fear none of those
things which thou shalt suffer:
00:25:20.98\00:25:23.62
behold the devil shall
cast some of you into prison,
00:25:23.65\00:25:26.25
and ye may be tried;
00:25:26.29\00:25:27.62
and you shall have
tribulation ten days:
00:25:27.66\00:25:29.62
be thou faithful unto... "
00:25:29.66\00:25:31.19
Ivor: Sleep...
00:25:31.23\00:25:33.43
James: Sleep...
right? Yvonne: Hmmm... hmmm..
00:25:33.46\00:25:35.96
James: because you
won't be hurt of... death...
00:25:36.03\00:25:38.53
Yvonne: Right...
00:25:38.57\00:25:39.90
James: That's the way a
Christian reads these verses,
00:25:39.93\00:25:43.27
"be faithful unto sleep...
00:25:43.30\00:25:45.27
because you won't
be hurt of death... "
00:25:45.31\00:25:46.74
Yvonne: Yes...
00:25:46.78\00:25:48.14
James: The only reason why
it's death and second death
00:25:48.18\00:25:49.78
is because we never
got to sleep that part
00:25:49.81\00:25:51.65
and so this is
clarification for us.
00:25:51.68\00:25:54.28
The first death is a sleep.
00:25:54.32\00:25:56.65
So that's even more powerful
00:25:56.69\00:25:58.95
because that's basically
what Jesus is saying to us,
00:25:58.99\00:26:00.56
He's saying, "Hey
you're just going to sleep,
00:26:00.59\00:26:01.92
just be faithful,
you're just going to sleep
00:26:01.96\00:26:03.46
you won't be hurt of
death, you won't die,
00:26:03.49\00:26:05.29
if you believe in
me, you'll never die. "
00:26:05.33\00:26:07.10
Yvonne: So we're not
saying... we need to clarify...
00:26:07.13\00:26:10.03
we're not saying that you
don't go to sleep in death
00:26:10.07\00:26:13.87
but that death is "a sleep..
" it's a temporary sleep...
00:26:13.90\00:26:17.67
just like you
go... you go to bed...
00:26:17.71\00:26:19.04
you go to sleep and you
wake up the next morning
00:26:19.07\00:26:22.94
you've been asleep but
you're not permanently gone.
00:26:22.98\00:26:26.92
James: But the second death...
or death itself is permanent.
00:26:26.95\00:26:29.68
Yvonne: Right.
00:26:29.72\00:26:31.05
Ivor: Let's just recap
something very quickly,
00:26:31.09\00:26:33.25
first church... 31 A.D.
roughly to about a 100 A.D.
00:26:33.29\00:26:37.96
that brings the 70-Week Prophecy
into view... the first church...
00:26:37.99\00:26:42.26
the second church...
we're in an interim...
00:26:42.30\00:26:44.67
between the 70
Weeks and the 1,260...
00:26:44.70\00:26:48.10
we've left the 70-Week...
we're not yet at 1,260...
00:26:48.14\00:26:51.71
so we're in an interim...
00:26:51.74\00:26:53.07
and so we just want to
keep that in mind as we move on.
00:26:53.11\00:26:56.34
James: Timeless...
Yvonne: Time and location...
00:26:56.41\00:26:58.25
James: And again
we want to emphasize,
00:26:58.28\00:27:00.55
questions, questions, questions,
send in your video questions.
00:27:00.58\00:27:04.95
Jason: There you go... to...
00:27:04.99\00:27:06.89
sss@3abn. org
00:27:06.92\00:27:10.23
"s" as in Salvation
in Symbols and Signs.
00:27:10.26\00:27:12.73
James: Salvation
in Symbols and Signs.
00:27:12.76\00:27:14.53
Yvonne: Yeah!
00:27:14.56\00:27:15.90
James: So we are excited...
this is just a great journey...
00:27:15.93\00:27:20.00
I think... it's... I'm
learning as I'm going...
00:27:20.04\00:27:23.14
and I think we all are
and we're taking our time...
00:27:23.17\00:27:26.27
we're not... we
don't have an agenda
00:27:26.31\00:27:27.64
we're just moving
through it and God is blessing
00:27:27.68\00:27:29.84
so Yvonne, close us out with
a word of prayer, would you?
00:27:29.88\00:27:32.51
Yvonne: Sure...
"Father, thank you so much
00:27:32.55\00:27:34.92
for the richness of your Word
00:27:34.95\00:27:37.29
and for allowing us to
just break bread together,
00:27:37.32\00:27:40.66
thank you, Lord... we just
praise you and bless your name
00:27:40.69\00:27:43.89
and help us to be ready
when you come back, Lord Jesus,
00:27:43.93\00:27:47.06
in Jesus' name we pray, amen."
00:27:47.10\00:27:48.80
All: "Amen..."
00:27:48.83\00:27:50.23