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00:35 Hello, friends, we'd like to welcome you
00:37 to Sabbath School Study Hour 00:38 here at the Granite Bay Seventh-day Adventist Church 00:40 in Sacramento, California. 00:42 Very warm welcome to those joining us online, 00:44 our online members, 00:46 and also those who are participating 00:48 in our Bible study across the country 00:50 and around the world, 00:52 also a very warm welcome to our members 00:54 and our visitors here at Granite Bay, 00:56 it's always good to see you week after week 00:58 coming together to study our lesson. 01:00 We've been summing through a great lesson quarterly 01:02 entitled Preparation for the End Times. 01:06 Today we find ourselves on lesson number 7 01:08 that is entitled Matthew 24 and 25. 01:12 It's pretty clear 01:13 what our study is going to be today, 01:14 Matthew 24, 25 01:16 and connected with Preparation for the End Times. 01:20 Well, before we get into our music 01:22 and then get into our lesson, 01:23 we'd like to let those of you who are viewing this 01:26 know about a free offer that we have. 01:28 It is a DVD that is available. 01:31 If you would like to call for the DVD, 01:33 we'll be happy to send it to you, 01:34 it's one of the Formula 4 Faith DVD series. 01:38 The number to call is 866-788-3966. 01:42 And you can ask for offer number 845. 01:45 If you would like to get a DVD download of this sermon, 01:50 what you need to do is text the following code SH069. 01:57 SH069 to the number 40544. 02:02 And you'll be able to get a DVD download 02:05 of this great sermon 02:07 that I think will be a blessing, 02:08 especially as we study together Preparation for the End Times. 02:13 Well, before we get to our study for this morning, 02:15 we're going to have a special musical item, 02:17 you can see the folks behind me today, 02:19 so we'll turn it over to you. 02:30 He is our peace 02:34 Who has broken down every wall 02:40 He is our peace 02:44 He is our peace 02:49 He is our peace 02:53 Who has broken down every wall 02:59 He is our peace 03:03 He is our peace 03:08 Cast all your cares on Him 03:13 For He cares for you 03:17 He is our peace 03:22 He is our peace 03:26 Cast all your cares on Him 03:31 For He cares for you 03:35 He is our peace 03:40 He is our peace 03:47 Peace, peace, wonderful peace 03:53 Coming down from the Father above! 03:59 Sweep over my spirit forever I pray 04:06 In the fathomless billows of love! 04:13 What a treasure I have in this wonderful peace 04:19 Buried deep in the heart of my soul 04:26 So secure that no power can mine it away 04:33 While the years of eternity roll 04:40 Peace, peace, wonderful peace 04:46 Coming down from the Father above! 04:52 Sweep over my spirit forever I pray 04:59 In the fathomless billows of love! 05:07 My peace 05:10 I give unto you 05:16 It's a peace that the world cannot give 05:24 It's a peace 05:26 That the world cannot understand 05:32 Peace to know, peace to live 05:39 My peace I give unto you 05:47 My love I give unto you 05:55 It's a love that the world cannot give 06:03 It's a love 06:04 That the world cannot understand 06:11 Love to know, love to live 06:18 My love 06:20 I give unto you 06:27 Peace to love 06:32 Peace to live 06:38 My peace I give 06:44 Unto you 06:55 Our prayer is going to be offered by Pastor Ross. 06:59 Dear Father in heaven, 07:00 we are indeed grateful for the opportunity 07:02 to gather together this morning 07:03 and open up Your Word and continue our study 07:06 in this important prophetic end time study 07:09 that we are looking at Matthew 24 and 25. 07:12 Father, we ask for the Holy Spirit 07:14 to come and guard our hearts, our minds, 07:15 lead us into a clear understanding 07:17 of these very important truths, in Jesus' name, amen. 07:22 Well, again good morning everyone 07:24 and welcome to our Sabbath School Study hour. 07:27 I'd like to bring greetings 07:29 from Pastor Dough Batchelor and Karen, 07:31 they're over in Uganda doing evangelistic meetings 07:35 and they appreciate our prayers. 07:36 I know from time to time, 07:38 he is able to post different pictures on Facebook 07:40 of some of the things that are taking place. 07:42 One of the challenges they face 07:44 is that this is rainy season there in Uganda 07:47 and they're meeting in a big outdoor stadium. 07:50 So they are praying that the Lord will hold off the rain, 07:52 they've been getting rain during the day, 07:54 but so far so good in the evenings, 07:56 and they'll be finishing up their meeting this, 07:58 actually today, this evening 08:00 will be their final presentation. 08:01 They might even be watching. 08:02 So if you are Pastor Doug and Karen, 08:04 welcome to Sabbath School Study Hour. 08:07 Well, as mentioned before we're studying through 08:10 lesson number 7 08:11 which is entitled Matthew 24 and Matthew 25. 08:16 It's a big passage of scripture 08:18 that we need to cover in the lesson. 08:20 So we're probably not going to be able to cover everything, 08:23 maybe highlight some of the important themes 08:26 that we find in these two chapters. 08:28 And we do have a memory text 08:30 that goes along with our study for today. 08:33 If you have your lesson quarterly, 08:34 you can turn to it 08:35 or open your Bibles to Matthew 24 08:38 and we'll be reading verse 24, that is our memory verse. 08:41 We're going to spend quite a bit of time 08:43 in Matthew 24 08:44 and then a little bit of time in Matthew 25. 08:48 So our memory text is Matthew 24:24 08:51 and it says, the words of Jesus, 08:53 "For false christs and false prophets 08:56 will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, 09:00 if possible," who? 09:02 "Even the very elect." 09:04 Now if you stop and think about that, 09:06 who were the ones that the devil 09:07 really wants to deceive, 09:09 those in the world or those in the church? 09:13 It's really those in the church. 09:14 Those whose names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life, 09:16 that's the one that he's going after in particular, right? 09:19 He's got the world, 09:21 but it's those who are the followers of Christ. 09:23 And that's why Jesus said 09:25 that these false christs and false prophets would appear 09:28 because they're really targeting believers, 09:31 and Jesus warned His disciples in the last days, 09:33 don't be deceived. 09:36 On Sabbath afternoon 09:37 in our little opening introduction there, 09:40 we have the following statement, 09:41 it says in Matthew 24 and 25, 09:43 Jesus reveals important truths about the end times 09:47 and about how to prepare. 09:49 Matthew 24 gives us some signs 09:52 with reference to the end times. 09:54 Matthew 25 in particular, 09:56 it tells us how we can be prepared for the end times. 09:59 We're going to get to that as well. 10:00 In a sense these chapters 10:02 were Christ's teaching on last day events. 10:05 And so that's why we're going to take some time 10:07 to take a look at it. 10:08 It's all part of our general theme 10:09 talking about preparation for the last days. 10:12 Sunday, the title of Sunday's lesson 10:14 is a powerful confirmation of prophecy, 10:18 and so if you have your Bibles, 10:19 let's look at Matthew 24. 10:23 And we're going to start reading here in verse 1. 10:25 We'll read a few verses, 10:26 stop and I'll share few thoughts 10:28 and then we'll keep reading through. 10:31 Matthew 24 beginning verse 1 says, 10:33 "Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, 10:37 and His disciples came up 10:38 to show Him the buildings of the temple." 10:41 Now historians believe that the events described here 10:44 in Matthew 24:1 10:46 where Jesus left the temple for the last time 10:49 was most likely Tuesday evening 10:52 of the week of His betrayal and crucifixion. 10:55 Do you remember they were two cleansings of the temple 10:57 that Jesus performed. 10:58 The first occurred 11:00 at the beginning of His public ministry. 11:02 And when Jesus cleansed the temple for the first time, 11:05 He said, "My Father's house shall be called 11:07 a house of prayer." 11:09 It's interesting that when He cleansed the temple, 11:11 the last time at the end of His three and a half years 11:14 of public ministry referred to the temple as His house, 11:17 said, "My house shall be called a house of prayer." 11:20 But because of the refusal of the religious leaders 11:22 to recognize Jesus and His mission, 11:24 finally when He left the temple, 11:27 He said, "Your house is left to you desolate." 11:30 So these are some of the things that have just happened, 11:32 Jesus had a most passionate appeal to the religious leaders 11:36 and the Jewish people to accept Him, 11:38 they rejected Him 11:39 and Jesus now left the temple for the last time. 11:43 And it says, the disciples came to Him 11:45 probably as they are walking out of the temple 11:47 and they pointed out the magnificent buildings, 11:49 not only of the temple itself 11:51 but surrounding the temple and the court. 11:53 Jesus said to them, "Do you not see all these things? 11:56 Assuredly, I say unto you, 11:58 not one stone shall be left upon another, 12:02 that shall not be thrown down." 12:05 Now the temple courts 12:07 were still under construction to some degree. 12:09 There was a major renovation 12:11 that was taking place during the time of Jesus. 12:13 They were expanding the various buildings 12:16 associated with the court there at the temple. 12:19 The temple itself, Josephus says, 12:21 had white marble on the outside, 12:22 it was a beautiful building, 12:24 even Herod had spent quite a bit of money 12:25 to expand the temple court area. 12:28 This expansion continued for about 60 years 12:31 or actually 50 years was the expansion 12:33 and construction period for the temple. 12:36 And it was finally finished in 63 A.D. 12:42 What happened in 70 A.D? 12:44 Just 7 years before the destruction 12:46 of the temple and Jerusalem, 12:48 the final expansion of the courtyard area 12:50 of the temple was actually completed. 12:53 What a terrible waste, 12:54 because they didn't recognize their Jesus 12:56 that had come to them, Messiah to save them. 12:59 So Jesus' disciples now leave the temple, 13:01 and they make their way through the Kidron Valley, 13:04 and then they begin to zigzag their way up 13:06 on the Mount of Olives. 13:08 Verse 3 says, "And when he sat on the Mount of Olives, 13:11 His disciples came to Him privately saying, 13:13 "Tell us when shall these things be? 13:16 And what shall be the sign of Your coming, 13:19 and of the end of the age?" 13:20 Now there are two questions that the disciples asked Jesus, 13:23 "When shall these things be?" 13:25 Now, what were they thinking about 13:26 when they asked the question? 13:28 They had been pondering the statement of Jesus 13:31 all the way through the Kidron Valley 13:32 and up to the Mount of Olives 13:34 when Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, 13:35 not one of these stones will be left upon another 13:37 that won't be thrown down." 13:39 The disciples thought that for sure 13:41 the destruction of Jerusalem must also be the end of the age 13:45 or the end of the world. 13:47 And so when they asked the question, 13:48 when shall these things be, 13:49 what are the signs of Your coming. 13:51 Jesus then begins to answer both questions, 13:55 signs relating to the destruction of Jerusalem 13:57 which occurred in 70 A.D, 13:58 as well as signs connected with the Second Coming. 14:02 Now, according to Mark 13, 14:05 the disciples who came to Jesus privately 14:07 when He was seated there on the Mount of Olives 14:09 were actually Peter, James, John, and Andrew. 14:12 They were the ones that came to Jesus and said, 14:14 "Tell us when shall these things be? 14:16 And what are the signs of Your coming 14:18 when all these things shall be fulfilled." 14:21 In the book Desire of Ages, page 628, 14:24 we have a very interesting comment 14:26 on how Jesus responded to the question 14:29 asked by the disciples. 14:31 It says, "Jesus did not answer the disciples 14:33 by taking up separately the destruction of Jerusalem 14:36 and the great day of His coming. 14:37 He mingled the description of these two events. 14:40 Had He opened to His disciples future events 14:43 as He beheld them, 14:45 they would have been unable to endure the sight. 14:48 In mercy to them He blended 14:50 the description of the two great crises, 14:53 leaving the disciples to study out 14:55 the meaning for themselves." 14:58 So in Matthew 24, 14:59 Jesus mingled signs connected 15:02 with the destruction of Jerusalem, 15:04 as well as signs connected with the Second Coming. 15:06 Now, some of the signs are clear 15:08 with reference to referencing Jerusalem 15:12 or referencing the Second Coming, 15:14 but there are some other signs given 15:16 that some are described as having a dual application. 15:19 It had a historical application 15:21 for those in Jerusalem, 70 A.D., 15:23 but it also has an application for us 15:25 who are living near the end of time. 15:27 And we gonna be taking a look a little later 15:29 in our study at one of those dual application verses 15:32 that we find in Matthew 25. 15:36 All right, well, let's begin then with what Jesus has to say 15:39 about these signs starting in verse 4, 15:42 "And Jesus answered and said to them: 15:44 "Take heed that no one deceives you. 15:47 For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am Christ,' 15:50 and will deceive many." 15:51 Who are the ones in particular 15:52 that the devil is trying to deceive? 15:54 The followers of Christ, right? 15:56 Those whose names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life. 15:58 How's he going to do it? 16:00 Well, it says, "He's gonna have people coming in his name." 16:03 So there will be those claiming to be Christians, 16:06 their goal is to deceive, 16:09 and they are going to try and deceive 16:10 as many as possible, 16:12 especially of those who are the followers of Christ. 16:15 So Jesus warns us of this. 16:17 I want to have somebody read 16:18 Matthew 24, 25 in just a minute. 16:22 We actually find this warning three times in Matthew 24 16:26 where Jesus says, "Do not be deceived. 16:28 Do not be deceived." 16:29 You have the one here in verse 4, 16:31 you also have it repeated in verse 11, 16:34 when Jesus said, "Then many false prophets 16:37 will rise up, and deceive many." 16:40 Second time Jesus said, "Watch out for false prophets, 16:43 false teachers, 16:45 they are going to try and deceive." 16:46 And then the third reference is Matthew 24, 25, 16:50 and if you can read that for us. 16:52 "For false christs and false prophets will rise 16:56 and show great signs and wonders to deceive, 16:59 if possible, even the elect. 17:02 See, I have told you beforehand." 17:05 Now I think verse 25 is very interesting. 17:08 Jesus basically says the same thing in verse 24 17:11 about watch out for false christs, false prophets, 17:14 they're out to deceive. 17:15 But then He adds in verse 25, "See, I have told you before, 17:20 don't be deceived, 17:22 be on your guard, watch, be ready, 17:24 stay faithful to the Word of God." 17:28 Now, of course, the most compelling deception 17:30 is a deception that looks very much like the truth. 17:34 And a false prophet, if he is to be compelling 17:37 needs to look pretty close to the real prophet. 17:40 Are you with me? 17:42 Needs to look close to the real teacher 17:44 or the real Christian leader 17:47 if there is to be deception. 17:49 So Jesus says, "Watch out, 17:51 test everything by the Word of God, 17:54 don't be deceived in the last day. 17:56 See I have told you beforehand," and Jesus said. 18:00 And then looking up verse 6, Jesus said, 18:03 "And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. 18:06 See that you be not troubled, 18:08 for all these things must come to pass, 18:11 but the end is not yet." 18:14 And, of course, in the last 100 years, 18:17 our world has seen more war 18:19 than probably any other period of time in earth's history. 18:24 The combined death toll of World War I and World War II 18:28 is estimated at, 18:30 it's amazing number, 160 million people. 18:34 And that spanned a period of 25-30 years at the most. 18:39 Of course, the wars were not that long, 18:40 but between World War I and World War II, 18:42 a 160 million people died. 18:45 It's also estimated that only 80%... 18:50 No, the other way around, 18:52 only 20% of the males born in the Soviet Union in 1923 18:59 survived the war. 19:01 So that means 80% of the man 19:04 who from the Soviet Union were born in 1923, why 1923? 19:08 Well, of course they would be 18, 19, 20, 19:11 when the war broke out, 19:13 only 20% of them actually survived the war. 19:15 So the death toll is just staggering 19:17 when you think of that. 19:19 Well, after World War I and World War II, 19:22 we had the introduction of nuclear weapons. 19:24 And since then, there's always been 19:26 that threat of nuclear war, right? 19:29 Rumors of war between the Soviet Union 19:32 and, of course, the Western powers. 19:34 And even recently in the news again, 19:36 there is discussion of a possible nuclear war, 19:39 at least what can be done 19:41 to try and ease tensions with referencing a nuclear war. 19:44 So these words of Jesus have definitely proven to be true 19:48 as it relates to our time. 19:49 All right, looking at verse 7, Matthew 24:7, it says, 19:54 "For nation will rise against nation, 19:56 kingdom against kingdom. 19:57 There will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes." 20:01 I don't have to tell you about all of the famines 20:03 that we hear about, especially back in the '80s, 20:06 terrible famines in North Africa, 20:09 famines in the former Soviet Union, China, 20:12 and different places around the world over the years. 20:15 A pestilence, we had the Ebola outbreak a year or so ago, 20:19 and different diseases that seem to come, 20:22 these are all prophetic signs. 20:24 And then Jesus says, 20:25 "There would be earthquakes in various places." 20:27 You know, there's a few places that you can, 20:30 rather a few events I should say 20:32 that when you heard the news, 20:34 you knew exactly where you were 20:36 when you heard the news and what you were doing. 20:39 How many of you know exactly where you were 20:41 and what you were doing when you heard about 9/11? 20:44 I remember exactly where I was, in the church office 20:47 and I got a phone call, 20:48 my wife said, "You got to turn on the news, 20:50 something just happened." 20:51 I also remember back in 2004, 20:56 driving up to my parent's house for Christmas, 20:58 I think it was the 24th or 25th, 26th 21:02 somewhere in there. 21:04 We were driving up to their house 21:06 and it was at night, the family was sleeping, 21:09 and I was driving listening to the BBC news, 21:13 somewhere there in Iowa on our way, 21:14 and I heard a news report of an earthquake 21:18 that had just struck off the coast of Indonesia 21:20 off the Island of Sumatra. 21:23 And at first they said, "This is a very big earthquake 21:26 and there is a threat of a tsunami." 21:30 And then they kept going over with other news, 21:32 and then suddenly they broke in again 21:33 and they said, "There is a massive wave 21:36 that is making its way not only 21:38 towards the shore in Indonesia, 21:40 but a number of countries in the Indian Ocean." 21:43 Well, you all know the rest of the story 21:45 as a result of that earthquake. 21:48 It is estimated that more than 227,800 people died 21:55 as a result of that earthquake and that tsunami. 21:58 You probably also heard stories about 21:59 as the water pulled back from the shore, 22:02 and it exposed some of the rock, 22:04 and some of the shells, 22:05 and people were curious about this. 22:07 And there were many that actually went down 22:10 to look to see what was going on, 22:12 the next thing they knew this giant wave of water 22:15 was coming straight towards them, 22:17 just a terrible death toll as a result of that earthquake. 22:20 And then it seems from then onwards, 22:21 we've had plenty more earthquakes. 22:24 Yeah, I'm sure you remember the terrible earthquake 22:26 that hit Haiti, 2010, 22:29 an estimated 2 to 250,000 people died 22:33 from that earthquake. 22:35 And then also Japan in 2011, 22:37 you remember that terrible earthquake, 22:38 again a tsunami about 20,000 people lost their lives 22:42 as a result of these earthquakes. 22:44 Jesus said, "There would be an increase in earthquakes." 22:47 These are all signs that we are nearing the end of time. 22:51 Verse 9, "Then they will deliver you 22:54 up to tribulation and kill you, 22:57 and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake. 23:01 And then many will be offended, and will betray one another, 23:04 and they will hate one another." 23:06 So Jesus says, "There's going to be a time of trouble, 23:08 time of tribulation." 23:10 Now, there are two times of trouble 23:12 or two tribulations that we find in scripture. 23:15 The one tribulation is a reference 23:17 to the 1260 years of papal supremacy, 23:21 when those who wanted to follow 23:22 the teachings of the Bible faced persecution in Europe 23:25 because they refused to acknowledge papal supremacy. 23:29 And that's referred to as a time of trouble. 23:32 But in addition to that, 23:33 right at the time of the Christian era 23:35 when it began, Christians faced opposition at first 23:38 from the Jewish religious establishment. 23:41 You remember the story of Saul 23:43 before he was converted to Paul, 23:44 how he went out persecuting the Christians. 23:47 And then after 70 A.D., 23:49 the Christians again faced terrible persecution 23:51 from pagan Rome, Nero, and Diocletian, 23:55 there was a terrible 10-year period of severe persecution 23:58 against the Christians by Diocletian from 303-313, 24:03 until finally Christianity was legalized. 24:05 But then we go into the 1260 years of persecution 24:10 from 538 through till 1798. 24:14 And that time period, you'll find in Revelation 12:6, 24:18 it's also referenced several times, Revelation 12:6. 24:21 And you'll also find it in Daniel, 24:23 talks about the little horn power. 24:25 So that's that 1260 years 24:28 of severe tribulation of persecution, 24:30 but there is another time of trouble, 24:33 we're going to look at that in just a few moments, 24:34 just before Jesus comes. 24:37 And then it says in verse 11, 24:40 "Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many." 24:44 How successful will be the devil's deceptions? 24:47 Very successful. 24:49 He's going to be able to deceive how many? 24:51 Many. And who are the ones that he's going after? 24:55 The elect. 24:56 So is he successful in deceiving some of the elect? 25:00 According to this verse, yes. 25:02 So we need to be on our guard. 25:04 We need to test all things by the Word of God. 25:07 Verse 12 says, "Because lawlessness abounds, 25:09 the love of many will grow cold." 25:12 And it says lawlessness 25:14 that is setting aside of God's Ten Commandment law. 25:17 The Ten Commandments are divided 25:18 into two many parts, 25:19 there are two tables of stone. 25:21 How many commandments written on the first table? 25:24 There are four. 25:25 And what are the first four commandments 25:27 have to do with? 25:29 Our relationship to God, right. 25:30 Have no other gods before Him. 25:32 Don't worship idols. 25:33 Don't take His name in vain. 25:34 Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. 25:36 The last six of the Ten Commandments 25:39 have to do with our relationship to our fellow man. 25:42 And whenever a country 25:45 or a civil power sets aside the principles 25:49 of those last six commandments, 25:52 you have lawlessness in that country. 25:55 You see the Bible tells us in that last six, 25:57 we need to protect the elderly parents, 26:01 do not murder, do not commit adultery, 26:04 don't steal, don't be a false witness, don't covet. 26:07 Civil authorities have responsibility 26:09 to protect people 26:10 and the principles of those last six need to be enforced. 26:14 However, the first four commandments 26:16 cannot be enforced 26:17 because God does not accept worship that is false, 26:21 that has to be freely given. 26:22 So in the last days according to this passage, 26:25 those principles, 26:27 especially the last six of the Ten Commandments 26:29 are being set aside 26:31 and there will be lawlessness, 26:32 it will abound the Bible says. 26:34 But then verse 13 is an important one. 26:37 And we're going to have somebody read 26:38 Revelation 14:12 in just a minute. 26:41 So if you want to get ready for that, verse 13 says, 26:44 "But he that endures to the end, 26:47 the same shall be saved." 26:49 To be a Christian in the last days 26:50 requires a high degree of endurance. 26:55 The devil is going around like a roaring lion 26:57 seeking whom he may devour, 26:59 and we want to be able to endure, to stand fast. 27:02 What does it take to endure in the last days? 27:04 Revelation 14:12 describes a group of people 27:07 in the last days that are able to endure. 27:10 And here's the description given. 27:12 Revelation 14:12. 27:15 "Here is the patience of the saints: 27:17 here are those who keep the commandments of God, 27:19 and the faith of Jesus." 27:21 The word there patience 27:22 can also be translated as endurance. 27:25 Here is the endurance of the patience of the saints, 27:27 here are those who keep the commandments of God. 27:30 And what's the other characteristic that's given? 27:33 They have the faith of Jesus. 27:36 Now you'll find a similar description in Revelation 12:17 27:40 of the remnant that keep God's commandments 27:42 and they have the testimony of Jesus. 27:44 But here specifically it says, they have the faith of Jesus. 27:48 Do you think there's a difference between 27:49 having faith in Jesus and having the faith of Jesus? 27:54 What does it mean to have faith in Jesus? 27:56 What do you have to do to have your name 27:58 written in the Lamb's Book of Life? 28:01 Well, you need to accept Jesus as your personal savior, 28:03 to confess your sins, you make Him Lord of your life, 28:06 you have faith in Jesus, 28:08 your name is written in the Book of Life, 28:10 you are forgiven. 28:11 But what is needed in the last days 28:13 when we're facing all types 28:15 of trials and tribulations, even persecution? 28:18 What kind of faith is needed then as well? 28:21 The faith of Jesus. 28:23 And the faith of Jesus probably 28:25 can best be described in Christ's prayer 28:27 in the Garden of Gethsemane, 28:29 just before Jesus was to be arrested, 28:31 and tortured, and crucified. 28:34 Jesus prayed and He said, "Father if it is possible, 28:36 let this cup pass from Me..." 28:39 And then what did He say? 28:41 "Nevertheless not My will, but Thy will be done." 28:47 The faith of Jesus is a full surrender to the will of God. 28:51 It's not my will, 28:52 but it's Lord whatever Your will is for my life. 28:55 That's what I want, a surrender of self, 28:59 that is the faith of Jesus. 29:01 In order to endure at the end, 29:03 God's people will have that same kind of faith 29:05 that surrendered to the will of God, 29:07 whatever that might be. 29:09 And then verse 14, it says, "And this gospel of the kingdom 29:13 shall be preached in all the world 29:15 as a witness unto all nations, 29:18 and then the end will come." 29:21 Now, there's a parallel verse to this in Revelation 14:6, 29:25 which is actually the fulfillment 29:27 I believe of Matthew 24:14. 29:30 So we're going to read that, 29:32 I think we're familiar with this verse 29:33 Revelation 14:6. 29:36 Revelation 14:6, 29:38 "Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, 29:41 having the everlasting gospel 29:43 to preach to those who dwell on the earth, 29:46 to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people." 29:50 Here we see an angel fly in the midst of heaven 29:52 and what does he have? 29:54 The everlasting gospel 29:56 that is to be preached to everyone, 29:58 to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people. 30:00 And we know that there are three important emphasis 30:03 of this everlasting gospel. 30:05 Fear God, give Him glory, 30:07 the hour of His judgment has come, 30:08 worship Him that made the heavens, the earth, 30:10 the sea and the fountains of water. 30:11 It talks about Babylon being fallen, being fallen. 30:14 It talks about the beast and its mark. 30:15 It talks about false worship. 30:17 And then immediately 30:18 following the proclamation of the Three Angels' Messages, 30:21 the very next thing that John sees in Revelation 14 30:24 is Jesus coming on a cloud, 30:26 and He has a sharp sickle in His hand, 30:29 and He's coming to reap the harvest of the earth. 30:32 Now the harvest of the earth is the Second Coming of Christ. 30:35 So when the gospel is preached to all the world Jesus said, 30:39 then the end will come. 30:41 Specifically what aspects of the gospel 30:44 need to be amplified in the last days? 30:46 It's the Three Angels' Messages. 30:48 So when the Three Angels' Messages 30:50 are proclaimed to all the world, 30:52 to every nation, kindred, tongue and people, 30:54 then the end will come. 30:56 And I think we're living close to that time, 30:58 and the gospel has been proclaimed to all the world. 31:03 Now we move on to Tuesday's lesson. 31:05 Tuesday's lesson is an interesting study, 31:07 it's entitled, The Abomination of Desolation. 31:11 So we want to find out what this is. 31:13 And we're in Matthew 24, 31:16 and I'm going to start reading now in verse 15. 31:19 Matthew 24:15. 31:23 Therefore Jesus said, 31:24 "When you see the 'abomination of desolation,' 31:27 spoken of by Daniel the prophet, 31:29 standing in the holy place," and then he adds, 31:32 "Whoever reads, let him understand, 31:34 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 31:37 And let him that is on the housetop 31:39 not go down to take anything out of his house. 31:42 And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. 31:46 But woe to those who are pregnant 31:47 and those who are nursing babies in those days! 31:50 And pray that your flight be not in winter, 31:53 neither on the Sabbath day." 31:56 Here Jesus is talking about the destruction of Jerusalem 31:58 and He says pray that you don't have to flee in winter, 32:01 nor on the Sabbath. 32:02 This is some 40 years after Jesus said these words, 32:06 He was still expecting His followers 32:08 to be keeping the Sabbath. 32:10 It's little difficult to keep the Sabbath holy 32:12 if you're fleeing for your life, right? 32:15 Now some have suggested why the reason Jesus said that, 32:17 it wasn't because the Christians 32:18 were to be keeping the Sabbath, 32:20 but rather because the gates of Jerusalem 32:23 would be closed on the Sabbath, 32:25 so they wouldn't be able to escape the city. 32:28 Well, who was on the outside of the walls of Jerusalem 32:31 around that time? 32:33 The Romans were outside. 32:35 Where the gates ever opened 32:37 when the Romans lay besieged to Jerusalem? 32:40 No. 32:42 The gates were closed. 32:43 So the idea of Jesus saying pray 32:45 that you don't flee on the Sabbath 32:47 was simply because the gates needed to be open. 32:50 Well, the gates were closed every day 32:52 because the Roman soldiers were on the outside, 32:54 does that make sense? 32:56 So from this verse, we realize that, 32:58 yes, Jesus was still expecting His followers 33:01 to keep the Sabbath. 33:02 Now what about this abomination of desolation. 33:05 We gonna go to a couple verses here 33:07 and Jesus says, "Whoever reads let him understand 33:09 and he's talking about the Book of Daniel. 33:11 So in order to understand this, let's go to Daniel. 33:14 Daniel 9. 33:17 Daniel 9. 33:19 There are actually three references 33:20 in the Book of Daniel 33:21 to the abomination of desolation, 33:24 at least the abomination. 33:25 But I want to look at Daniel 9 33:27 because I think it makes it the clearest for us here. 33:29 And we're going to start reading in verse 26. 33:32 Daniel 9:26 and Jesus says we need to understand 33:38 what the abomination of desolation is. 33:41 Matthew 9:26, it says, 33:44 "And after sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, 33:48 but not for Himself." 33:50 Now let's get the context here if you read a little earlier, 33:53 verse 24, the Angel Gabriel comes to the Prophet Daniel 33:57 and says, "Seventy weeks are for your people." 34:00 This 70 week time period which is 490 literal years, 34:05 7 times 70, one prophetic day is equal to one literal year. 34:09 So here the angel says 490 years is given, 34:12 are given to your people, 34:14 that's probationary time given to the Jews, 34:17 that time period begins with the decree to restore 34:19 and rebuild Jerusalem in 457 B.C.. 34:22 And now it's talking about the last 7 year period 34:26 of that 70 year time period. 34:28 And he says after the 62 weeks, 34:30 now there's a first 7 years 34:32 and then 62 which brings you up to 69, 34:36 and then there's this last week that we're talking about. 34:40 Messiah shall be cut off. 34:41 Who is Messiah? 34:43 It's clearly Jesus, the anointed One, that says, 34:46 "But He will not be cut off for Himself." 34:48 Did Jesus die for any sins that He had committed? 34:50 No. 34:51 Jesus died for the sins of the world. 34:53 So no doubt, 34:54 verse 26 is talking about the coming of the Messiah. 34:57 It's referencing Jesus when He came. 34:59 Now, Jesus was anointed at His baptism in a special sense 35:03 and the Holy Spirit came upon Him in the form of a dove 35:06 and the voice was heard from heaven, 35:07 "This is My beloved Son in whom I'm well pleased." 35:10 That marked the beginning of Christ's public ministry. 35:13 The word Messiah means anointed one. 35:16 And from there Jesus began to preach, 35:18 "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." 35:20 So from 27 A.D., 35:23 there would be a total of 7 years left 35:26 for the Jewish people 35:27 as a nation 35:28 before probation closed for them. 35:32 And will tell us exactly 35:33 when in those 7 last days or years, 35:37 the Messiah would be cut off in just a minute. 35:40 But then in the middle of the verse, verse 26, it says, 35:42 "And the people of the prince 35:43 who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. 35:48 The end shall be with the flood, 35:50 and till end of war desolations are determined." 35:55 Now this is connecting with what Jesus said. 35:58 There are two subjects being addressed in Daniel 9. 36:02 Early on in the prayer, Daniel is praying and he says, 36:05 "Lord, you know, 36:06 when will these things be fulfilled?" 36:08 He heard of time prophecy in Daniel 8 36:10 that he did not understand the 2300 days. 36:12 So he's praying, he's confessing his sins, 36:15 the sins of his people, Israel. 36:16 He's asking about Jerusalem 36:18 and the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem. 36:21 So there are two questions that Daniel has. 36:23 What about my people, 36:25 and what about our city Jerusalem and the temple. 36:28 Those are the two subjects 36:29 that's been addressed here in particular by the angel. 36:32 The first part of verse 26 talks about the Messiah, 36:35 the one that the Jews longed for, 36:37 their deliverer. 36:38 The second part of verse 26 36:40 talks about the city that would be destroyed. 36:43 That city is Jerusalem. 36:45 Now, I don't want you to be confused with the phrase 36:47 and the people of the prince who is to come. 36:50 The prince referenced there in verse 26 36:53 is not the Messiah. 36:55 The people of the prince to come is the Roman soldiers. 36:59 The prince is Titus who came 37:01 and destroyed Jerusalem in 70 A.D. 37:04 Rome is described as the abomination of desolation. 37:08 Now, there are two parts to Rome. 37:10 There is pagan Rome, there is papal Rome. 37:13 And we'll touch on that in just a moment. 37:16 But here where it's talking about 37:17 the destruction of Jerusalem, 37:18 it's talking about pagan Rome, 37:21 the prince being Titus, the people of the prince, 37:23 the Romans, they will come and destroy the city. 37:27 And then if you look in verse 27, 37:29 now he's talking about Jesus, 37:31 "Then he shall confirm a covenant 37:34 with many for one week, 37:36 but in the midst of the week 37:37 he shall bring an end to sacrifice and offerings." 37:41 So we have one week, seven years, 37:44 in the midst of that seven year period, 37:46 Jesus would put an end to sacrifice and offerings. 37:48 How did Jesus do that? 37:50 He died on the cross. 37:52 And when Jesus died on the cross 37:53 exactly three and a half years 37:55 into that seven year period, 37:57 the veil was rent in the temple from top to bottom. 38:00 So Jesus did indeed put an end to sacrifices and offerings. 38:05 And then the subject changes back 38:08 to the destruction of Jerusalem 38:09 in the last part of the verse and this is middle of verse 27. 38:13 "And on the wing of abomination shall be one, 38:16 Titus who makes desolate even until the consummation, 38:20 which is determined, 38:21 is poured out upon the desolate." 38:23 So two subjects are being addressed in these verses. 38:26 Subject A is the Messiah and what the Messiah would do. 38:30 Subject B is Jerusalem and the temple, 38:33 and when it would be destroyed, and who would do it. 38:36 So subject A is the Messiah 38:38 would come sometime after 27 A.D. 38:40 And then it talks about Jerusalem 38:42 would finally be destroyed 38:43 by the abomination of desolation. 38:45 And then it talks about 38:46 when the Messiah will be cut off 38:48 three and a half years into that seven year time period. 38:51 And then finally, 38:53 Rome is going to completely destroy the temple, 38:55 and the city, and desolations are determined. 38:59 So according to the Book of Daniel, 39:01 that's a reference 39:02 to at least one phase of the abomination of desolation. 39:06 Now if you go back to Matthew 24, 39:10 I want you to notice one other thing, 39:12 this is verse 15. 39:13 Matthew 24:15, 39:15 still talking about the abomination of desolation. 39:18 It says, "Therefore when you see 39:19 the abomination of desolation..." 39:21 We know it has something to do with Rome, 39:24 "spoken about the prophet Daniel, 39:26 standing in the holy place." 39:29 Now you might be wondering what is the holy place. 39:33 Where was Jesus when He said these words to His disciples? 39:37 If you look at the beginning of the chapter, 39:38 He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, right? 39:41 Mount of Olives 39:42 was about 300 feet higher than Jerusalem. 39:46 So from the Mount of Olives, 39:47 He had a beautiful view of the temple 39:50 as well as the city of Jerusalem. 39:52 Because Jerusalem was considered the holy city 39:54 because of the temple. 39:56 There was a section of lands 39:58 surrounding the wall of the ancient city of Jerusalem 40:01 that was considered holy ground because the temple was holy. 40:06 The city was considered the holy city. 40:09 Jesus talking to His disciples and as they look at the scene 40:12 spread out in front of them, Jesus says, 40:14 "When you see the abomination of desolation, 40:16 spoken of by Daniel the Prophet, 40:18 stand in the holy place, 40:21 meaning surrounding the walls of Jerusalem, 40:25 then know that its desolation is near." 40:29 Now, did the disciples understand 40:31 what Jesus was talking about? 40:34 Maybe not at first, 40:36 but they did as things began to be fulfilled. 40:39 Turn in your Bibles if you would to Luke 21:20, 40:43 and look at the way it's recorded for us here. 40:47 Was Luke a Jew? 40:50 No, he wasn't. 40:51 He was a convert to Christianity. 40:53 But it is interesting, he understood something 40:56 of what Jesus meant 40:58 when He talked about this abomination of desolation. 41:01 If you look in Luke 21:20, 41:05 it's made very clear with reference 41:08 to what this power is. 41:10 Luke 21:20, it says, 41:15 "But when you see Jerusalem 41:17 surrounded by armies, then know," 41:20 notice the next word that's given, 41:22 "its desolation is near." 41:25 Did Luke understand 41:26 what the abomination of desolation is? 41:29 He understood it, 41:30 it's something to do with the armies 41:31 surrounding Jerusalem, 41:33 armies standing in the holy place, 41:35 outside the walls of the city. 41:37 Then look at verse 21. 41:39 "Then let those who in Judea..." 41:41 It's almost a quote from Matthew 24 here. 41:43 "Then let those who in Judea flee to the mountains, 41:45 let those who are in the midst depart from her 41:48 and let not those 41:49 who are in the country enter in. 41:51 For these are the days of vengeance that all things 41:55 that are written might be fulfilled. 41:57 But woe to those who are pregnant, 41:59 and those who are nursing babies in those days, 42:02 for there will be great distress in the land 42:04 and wrath upon the people. 42:06 And they will fall by the edge of the sword, 42:09 will be led away captive into all nations. 42:11 And Jerusalem will be trampled by the Gentiles 42:14 until times of the Gentiles is fulfilled." 42:18 So it's pretty clear 42:19 from comparing Luke 21 and Matthew 24 42:22 as to what the abomination of desolation 42:25 that Jesus is referencing is really all about. 42:27 Does that make sense with everybody? 42:29 Now, not only does this refer to ancient Rome or pagan Rome, 42:35 but there is also a religious phase 42:38 called papal Rome. 42:40 And just like there was a sign 42:41 that was given to the Christians in Jerusalem 42:43 of impending judgment, 42:45 and they heeded the sign, and they fled from the city. 42:48 So there are signs 42:49 given to God's people today in the last days 42:52 that we need to be watching for that will be to us 42:55 as was the approach of the Roman armies 42:57 around the ancient city of Jerusalem. 42:59 And those signs are outlined in Revelation 13, 43:03 when the beast power tries to enforce a mark, 43:07 that is to be the warning to us in the last days. 43:10 And I think in our later lesson, 43:11 we actually gonna be looking at Revelation 13 43:14 and getting into that a little bit more. 43:17 The Jewish historian Josephus who was actually a... 43:20 He was a Jew, but he was also a citizen of Rome. 43:24 He was actually with the Romans 43:26 at the destruction of Jerusalem. 43:27 And he was appealing to the Jews inside Jerusalem 43:30 to accept the terms that the Romans were offering 43:34 so that the city and the temple wouldn't be destroyed. 43:36 But the Jews inside Jerusalem, 43:38 they cursed and they rejected Josephus. 43:41 Josephus says that at the end of that terrible war, 43:44 a 1 million Jews perished in the destruction of Jerusalem 43:48 and 97,000 were carried away captives. 43:51 Now, the Jews recognized 43:54 or rather the Christians recognized 43:56 the warning that Jesus had given. 43:57 The Romans first came and surrounded 43:59 the ancient city of Jerusalem, 44:01 the Jews and the Christians were still inside the city, 44:04 but they remembered the words of Jesus, 44:06 they couldn't escape, the gates were closed. 44:08 But a little ways into that first siege, 44:11 the Romans retreated. 44:13 And it's not quite clear the reason for them retreating, 44:16 but they did pull back, 44:18 and the gates of the city were open wide, 44:20 and the Jewish soldiers set out after the Romans, 44:24 and gained some rather considerable victories 44:27 against the retreating Roman army. 44:29 And then, of course, they returned 44:30 with much rejoicing back to the city of Jerusalem, 44:33 while the Christians recognized the sign given to them by Jesus 44:37 and they fled when the gates were opened, 44:39 and the Jewish soldiers went out after the Romans, 44:42 the Christians fled from Jerusalem, 44:44 and they went across the Jordan to a city built in a Rock Petra 44:49 where they found safety in hiding. 44:53 And he's told that not one Christian perished 44:55 in the destruction of Jerusalem. 44:57 Now you can just imagine the scene, 44:58 here the Jews are coming back, 45:00 the soldiers are coming back with all their spoils of war, 45:03 and here are the Christians leaving the city, 45:06 and they say, "Where you're going? 45:07 Can't you see God has given us a great victory? 45:09 You shouldn't be fleeing now. 45:11 This is a time of celebration." 45:13 But little did they realize that just a few years later 45:16 the Romans came back this time under Titus. 45:19 And when all was said and done, 45:20 the temple was completely destroyed, 45:23 one million Jews were killed, 45:24 the city was burnt to the ground, 45:26 the words of Jesus met their full completion. 45:29 But the Christians heeded the warning 45:32 and not one of them lost their life. 45:34 Does God give us a warning for the last days? 45:37 Do we as Christians need to heed that warning? 45:40 Absolutely. 45:41 If we do, then God promises 45:43 to take care of us and keep us safe. 45:45 There is an interesting statement 45:46 in the book Great Controversy, page 22, 45:48 it says, "Christ saw in Jerusalem 45:50 a symbol of the world 45:52 hardened in unbelief and rebellion, 45:54 and hastening on to meet 45:55 the retributive judgments of God." 45:58 So in the destruction of Jerusalem, 46:00 there is a type of what's coming upon the world. 46:04 Okay, verse 21. 46:07 It says, "For then there will be a great tribulation, 46:10 such as not being since the beginning of the world 46:13 even until that time no, nor ever shall be." 46:16 Verse 22, Matthew 24:22, 46:19 "And unless those days 46:20 were shortened no flesh would be saved, 46:22 but for the elect sake those days will be shortened. 46:25 If anyone says to you, 'Look here is Christ!' 46:27 or 'There!' do not believe it. 46:29 For false christs and false prophets will rise 46:31 and show great signs and wonders to deceive, 46:34 if possible, even the very elect. 46:36 See, I have told you beforehand. 46:38 Therefore if they say to you, 'Look, He is in the desert!' 46:40 do not go out, or 'Look, He is in the inner rooms!' 46:44 do not believe it." 46:45 So here Jesus talks about a great time of trouble worse 46:49 than the world has ever seen. 46:51 When Jesus stands up according to Revelation 22, 46:55 he says, "He that is holy, let him be holy still, 46:58 he that is filthy, let him be filthy still." 47:01 Then Jesus says, "Behold I am coming quickly, 47:04 and my reward is with Me 47:05 to give to every man according to his deeds." 47:08 So there is a close of probation, 47:10 and then you have the outpouring 47:11 of the seven last plagues, 47:13 a terrible time of trouble and then Jesus comes. 47:16 This is paralleled in Revelation 7. 47:19 I'm just going to read a few verses here, 47:20 Revelation 7. It says, 47:23 "And after these things I saw four angels standing 47:25 on the four corners of the earth, 47:27 holding the four winds of the earth 47:29 that the wind should not blow on the earth, 47:30 on the sea, or on any tree." 47:33 What do wings represent in Bible prophecy? 47:35 War, turmoil, strife, upheaval. 47:39 So here four angels are seen 47:41 holding the four winds of the earth. 47:42 When it says the four corners, 47:43 it's just talking about the four points of the compass. 47:46 And then it says in verse 2, 47:47 "Then I saw another angel ascending from the east," 47:50 east is the direction of deliverance, 47:52 it's the direction of heaven, 47:53 "having the seal of the living God. 47:55 And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels 47:57 to whom it is granted to harm the earth and the sea, 47:59 saying, 'Do not harm the earth, or the sea, 48:03 or the trees till we have sealed the servants of God 48:06 in their foreheads.'" 48:08 And once that sealing is complete, 48:11 then the four angels are told 48:13 to let go the four winds of strife. 48:15 And the verse that we just read in Daniel 12 48:18 meets its fulfillment. 48:19 A time of trouble worse than the world has ever seen, 48:22 but the promise is, at that time your people 48:26 will be delivered every one that is found written where? 48:30 In the Book of Life. 48:31 Where do our names have to be written? 48:34 In the Lamb's Book of Life. 48:36 Well, there's a lot more we can say about Matthew 24, 48:39 but we don't have time to go through all of that. 48:41 I do want to take a look in Matthew 25. 48:45 And I'm going to have to go through this one fairly quick, 48:47 this is a parable, I think most of us are familiar with. 48:51 And here Jesus is telling us 48:53 how we can be ready for these end time events. 48:57 Matthew 25:1, 49:00 we call it The Parable of the Wise 49:02 and the Foolish Virgins. 49:03 Verse 1 says, "Then the kingdom of heaven 49:06 shall be likened unto ten virgins 49:08 who took their lamps 49:09 and they went out to meet the bridegroom." 49:11 How many were there? 49:13 There were 10. 49:14 Any significance of the number 10 in the Bible? 49:17 How many commandments do we have? 49:20 Ten commandments. 49:21 Notice that these maidens are referred to as virgins. 49:24 So here is a group of people who have the Ten Commandments. 49:28 They recognize the importance of the Ten Commandments. 49:32 What else do they have? It says, "They have lamps." 49:34 What does a lamp represent in Bible prophecy? 49:37 The Word of God. 49:38 Revelation chapter... Rather Psalms, not Revelation. 49:41 Psalms 119:105, "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, 49:45 and a light unto my path." 49:48 It says, they went out to meet the bridegroom. 49:51 In Bible prophecy who does the bridegroom represent? 49:54 Jesus is the bridegroom, right? 49:56 So here is a group of Adventists 49:57 waiting for Jesus to come. 49:59 They believe in the Ten Commandments, 50:01 all ten of the commandments. 50:03 They have the Word of God. 50:04 Yes, they read and study the Bible, 50:06 they've got the lamp. 50:08 But Jesus says, "Some are wise, some are foolish." 50:11 We're going to see the difference here. 50:14 Verse 2. 50:15 "Now the five of them who were wise 50:18 and five were foolish." 50:19 Verse 3, "Those who were foolish took their lamps." 50:22 What does the lamp represent? 50:24 The Word of God, so they all had the Bible, 50:26 and took no oil with them. 50:29 So they had some oil in the lamp. 50:31 The lamp is those little clay lamps 50:33 you've probably seen it before 50:34 and there's a wick on the one side, 50:35 it can hold some oil, 50:36 but that oil will eventually burn out, 50:38 and then you need to have extra oil 50:40 to add into the lamp. 50:42 So those who were foolish, they had the Word of God, 50:45 they had some understanding of the Word of God, 50:47 they had a little bit of oil. 50:48 They believed in the Ten Commandments. 50:50 They were looking forward to the coming of Jesus. 50:53 But it was a superficial kind of Christian experience. 50:57 They're considered to be foolish. 50:59 Well, let's read on verse 4, "But the wise took oil 51:02 with their vessels in their lamps." 51:06 I find it interesting in 2 Corinthians 4:7, 51:10 Paul says, "We have this treasure 51:12 in earthen vessels." 51:14 He's talking about the gospel, 51:15 he's talking about the Holy Spirit. 51:17 So in order to be wise in the end time, 51:20 it's not only having 51:21 an understanding of Bible truth, 51:23 it's not only keeping the commandments, 51:25 it's not only looking for the Second Coming of Jesus, 51:27 but we need to have the Holy Spirit where? 51:29 Within us. 51:30 We need to have that personal relationship, 51:33 that connection with Jesus 51:35 if we're going to be amongst the wise. 51:39 Now verse 5 says, "But when the bridegroom was delayed, 51:42 they all slumbered and slept." 51:44 There is a tarrying time. 51:47 If you look in Matthew 24:45 real quick, it says, 51:52 "Then who is a faithful and wise servant, 51:54 whom his master made ruler over his household, 51:56 to give them food in due season? 51:58 Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, 52:01 will find so doing." 52:02 But then if you look in verse 48, 52:04 "But if that evil servant says in his heart, 52:06 'My master is delaying his coming." 52:10 For more than 150 years 52:12 we've been talking about the coming of Jesus. 52:14 And there is a tendency to begin to think, 52:16 well, maybe He's not coming as soon as we think. 52:20 And the delay or the tarrying sort of puts people to sleep. 52:24 What happens to all ten virgins during the delay? 52:27 They all fall asleep, spiritual slumber. 52:31 But then in verse 6, it says, 52:32 "And at midnight a cry was heard: 52:34 'Behold, the bridegroom is coming, 52:36 go he out to meet him." 52:38 Now, I would suggest to you that that midnight cry 52:40 which is closely connected to Revelation 18, 52:44 the first three verses, 52:45 when the earth is illuminated with God's glory, 52:48 and an angel cries Babylon is fallen, is fallen, 52:51 then a voice is heard from heaven, 52:52 come out of her My people, 52:54 that midnight cry really takes on force 52:57 when just like the Christians in Jerusalem 53:00 saw the sign that God gave them. 53:02 So there is a sign that God is giving us in the last days 53:05 and when we begin to see those signs being fulfilled 53:08 that will awaken the church. 53:10 We will study the scriptures, the latter rain comes, 53:14 and you have the loud cry of Revelation 18. 53:18 Verse 7 says, 53:19 "Then all the virgins arose and they trimmed their lamps." 53:21 They all went back to the Word 53:22 and started studying saying, "Is this it." 53:25 Verse 8, "And the foolish said to the wise, 53:27 'Give us of your oil, for our lamps are going out." 53:30 But the wise answered 53:31 and said, "No lest then there 53:32 would be not enough for us and for you, 53:33 but rather go and buy from those 53:36 who sell for yourselves." 53:39 It's interesting in the last days, 53:40 there are going to be many trying to sell oil. 53:44 What does the oil represent? 53:45 A Holy Spirit. 53:47 In the last days there is a counterfeit manifestation 53:51 of the Holy Spirit. 53:53 We want to make sure that we have the genuine oil, 53:55 not the counterfeit. 53:57 So there are those that go looking for some experience, 54:01 looking for something that they don't have. 54:03 Well, the devil is there willing to give them 54:04 a counterfeit manifestation of the Holy Spirit. 54:08 Well, then it goes on, it says, verse 10, 54:14 "And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, 54:16 and those who were ready went in with him, 54:18 and the door was shut." 54:21 What door is that referencing? 54:24 That's the door that we read about 54:25 in Daniel 12:1 in Revelation 22 54:28 when Jesus says, "He that is holy, 54:29 let him be holy still. 54:31 He that is filthy, let him be filthy still, 54:33 that's the door of probation. 54:34 Probation closes. 54:36 Those who were ready went in with him. 54:38 And verse 11 says, 54:39 "And afterwards the other virgins 54:40 also came saying, 'Lord, Lord, open to us. 54:43 But He answered and He said, 54:44 "Assuredly I say unto you, I do not know you." 54:49 So the difference between the wise and the foolish 54:51 is that the wise had a personal connection with Jesus. 54:56 They knew Jesus and Jesus knew them. 54:59 The foolish had an understanding of truth. 55:02 They recognized the binding nature of the Ten Commandments. 55:05 They had the Bible, 55:06 they were looking forward to the coming of Jesus, 55:09 but they didn't have 55:10 that personal connection with Christ, 55:12 and they were unprepared when the final crisis came. 55:17 That's how we prepare for the final crisis, 55:21 getting to know Jesus, spending time with Jesus, 55:25 that is the most important lesson 55:28 that we can learn from Matthew 25, 55:31 The Parable of the Ten Virgins. 55:32 We must get to know Jesus for ourselves. 55:36 Intellectual understanding is not enough. 55:39 I want to close by reading this statement 55:41 from the book Christ Object Lessons. 55:42 I think it's very important. 55:45 And it really highlights what we need to be doing today. 55:47 It says, "The Spirit works upon man's heart 55:50 according to his desire and consent 55:53 implanting in him a new nature, 55:58 but the class represented by the foolish virgins 56:01 have been content with a superficial work. 56:06 They do not know God. 56:09 They have not studied His character." 56:11 And here's the point I want you to note. 56:13 "They have not held communion with Him, 56:17 therefore they do not know how to trust, how to look and love. 56:23 Their service to God degenerates into just a form." 56:29 The most important lesson 56:30 that I think we can take from this study 56:32 is the importance of knowing Jesus. 56:35 Not just knowing about Jesus, 56:37 it's not enough just to know the doctrines, 56:39 Jesus said to the religious leaders, 56:41 you search the scriptures 56:42 and in them you think you have eternal life, 56:44 but these are they that testify of Me, 56:47 but you won't come to Me. 56:49 The essence of being ready for the end 56:51 is having that personal connection with Jesus. 56:54 Amen. 56:55 Is that what you desire? 56:57 Absolutely. 56:58 Well, friends, we want to thank you for joining us 57:00 here at Sabbath School Study Hour today. 57:02 And I hope if you have not studied the lesson, 57:05 you can also take a closer look at some of the lesson 57:08 and some of the points mentioned 57:10 by just going to the Amazing Facts website. 57:12 Just amazingfacts.org. 57:15 Until next week, God bless. 57:18 Let's face it, it's not always easy 57:20 to understand everything you read in the Bible. 57:23 To get biblical straightforward answers, 57:25 call into Bible Answers Live, 57:27 a live nationwide call-in radio program 57:30 where you can talk to Pastor Doug Batchelor 57:32 and ask him your most difficult Bible questions. 57:35 For times and stations in your area 57:37 or to listen to answers online, 57:39 visit bal.amazingfacts.org. 57:44 Can't get enough Amazing Facts Bible study? 57:46 You don't have to wait 57:47 until next week to enjoy more truth filled programming. 57:51 Visit the Amazing Facts media library at aftv.org. 57:56 At aftv.org, you can enjoy video and audio presentations, 58:01 as well as printed material all free of charge, 58:04 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 58:07 right from your computer or mobile device. 58:09 Visit aftv.org. |
Revised 2018-05-30