Participants:
Series Code: SSH
Program Code: SSH021905A
|
00:35 Hello, friends, and welcome again
00:37 to Sabbath School Study Hour 00:38 here at the Granite Bay Seventh-day Adventist Church 00:41 in Sacramento, California. 00:43 I'd like to welcome our friends 00:44 who are joining us across the country 00:45 and around the world. 00:46 I know we have a number of online members 00:48 who tune in every week 00:50 to participate in our Bible study. 00:52 And again, welcome to you 00:53 also those watching on the various TV networks, 00:56 thank you for being a part of our study time today. 00:59 I'd like to welcome our regular members, 01:01 our Sabbath School members as well as the visitors 01:03 who are joining us today. 01:05 We're delighted that you're here. 01:06 We have a very important subject 01:08 that we're going to be studying this morning 01:10 on the Book of Revelation. 01:12 I think many of you know, 01:13 we're studying through our lesson 01:14 quarterly entitled, "The Book of Revelation." 01:17 We've had a great study so far 01:19 dealing with some very important subjects, 01:21 but today we're going to be 01:22 looking at the seven seals of Revelation. 01:26 The prime passage of study for today 01:28 is Revelation Chapter 6. 01:30 So we'll be looking at the seven seals. 01:32 But before we get to our study, we'd like to have friends know 01:35 who are watching us about a free offer that we have, 01:38 a study guide entitled "Saved from Certain Death." 01:41 And this is our free offer today. 01:43 If you'd like to receive this study guide, 01:45 all you need to do is give us a call. 01:47 Our resource phone line is 866-788-3966 01:52 and you can ask for offer number 109. 01:55 And we'll be happy to send it to anyone 01:56 who calls and asks 01:58 or if you like, you can send us a text, 02:00 and we'll be able to send you a digital copy of the study. 02:03 All you have to do is text the code "SH060" 02:08 to the number 40544, 02:11 and you'll be able to get a link, 02:13 and you'll be able to download and study, 02:15 the study guide called "Saved from Certain Death." 02:19 Well, before we get to our study this morning, 02:20 we need to ask God's guidance whenever we open up His Word. 02:24 So let's bow our heads for prayer. 02:26 Dear Father, once again, we are grateful 02:28 that we have this opportunity 02:29 to open up and study 02:30 this very important passage of scripture 02:32 found in the last book of the Bible, 02:34 the Book of Revelation. 02:35 Father, we pray that You give us understanding. 02:37 Sometimes it can be challenging studying this book, 02:39 so we need the Holy Spirit to guide our thoughts, 02:41 our hearts, lead us into a clear understanding 02:44 of what You're telling us and teaching us, 02:46 for we ask this in Jesus' name, amen. 02:50 Our lesson today is going to be brought to us by Pastor Doug. 02:57 Thank you, Pastor Ross, and welcome everybody. 03:01 Glad to see you at our Sabbath School Study Hour. 03:04 This is my... 03:06 I think it's my first opportunity 03:07 in 2019 to be teaching, 03:10 and I'm especially looking forward 03:11 to getting into our study today 03:13 dealing with the seven seals. 03:16 Now, that's actually a misnomer because we're going to be 03:19 focusing on Chapter 6 of Revelation today 03:22 which goes through six of the seven seals. 03:25 It's kind of interesting, you got a whole chapter 03:27 in Revelation between seal six and seal seven. 03:32 Sounds like military terms, right? 03:33 Seal six. 03:35 But so we're going to do our best to get into that. 03:38 And we have a memory verse to begin with. 03:40 The memory verses from Revelation 5:9 and 10, 03:44 here in your lesson that's out of the New King James Version. 03:47 You want to say that with me, that'd be great. 03:49 Revelation 5:9 and 10, are you ready? 03:53 "You are worthy to take the scroll, 03:56 and to open its seals, 03:58 for You were slain, 04:00 and You have redeemed us to God 04:02 by Your blood out of every tribe, 04:05 and tongue, and people, and nation, 04:07 and have made us kings and priests to our God, 04:11 and we shall reign on earth." 04:14 By the way, if you're wondering where the righteous 04:16 will ultimately live, it tells you right there. 04:19 Blessed are the meek, they will inherit, heaven? 04:22 No, inherit the earth. 04:23 So the New Jerusalem comes down, 04:25 and we'll be here on earth. 04:26 And another point it says, 04:28 "You have made us kings and priests." 04:31 That's a term that is quoted from the Old Testament 04:33 where God told the children of Israel, 04:35 I've called you to be a nation of kings and priests. 04:39 And so, so much of Revelation 04:41 you're going to find in the Old Testament. 04:43 Well, let's dive right into our lesson 04:47 and find out about the seven seals, 04:50 what do they mean, 04:51 and what can we learn about them. 04:53 Now, I thought it would be appropriate 04:55 before we get very deep into the seven seals, 04:57 and Pastor Ross may have talked 04:58 about this a little in the prior lesson, 05:01 to talk about what are seals. 05:04 We're getting ready to understand 05:06 what the seven seals are. 05:08 You remember in earlier passages, 05:10 there's this conundrum in heaven. 05:14 There's this scroll that's got seven seals, 05:17 and nobody can open it. 05:19 There's much weeping, and they're saying, 05:22 "Who's going to open this?" 05:23 And finally, it points to this lamb that was slain, 05:26 very strange lamb, 05:27 it had seven horns, and seven eyes, 05:30 and, of course, this is all symbolic here, 05:32 but it's talking about Christ and the gospel, 05:35 and it's only the lamb that can open the seals. 05:38 So what are the seals? 05:40 Now, whenever you want to understand Revelation, 05:42 first thing you need to do is what? 05:46 Well, pray, go to the Old Testament, 05:49 find similar passages. 05:52 Revelation is something of a kaleidoscope 05:54 of other Old Testament prophecies and books. 05:58 So can you find a place in the Old Testament 06:02 where there is one document with many seals? 06:08 The Book of Nehemiah. 06:11 If you go to the book Of Nehemiah Chapter 9, 06:13 the people of God had kind of drifted from God. 06:16 They've been carried off to Babylon, 06:17 coming back under the leadership of Ezra 06:19 and Nehemiah, 06:21 they're wanting to renew the covenant, 06:22 not to make the mistakes they've made before. 06:25 And they said, "Look, 06:27 let's be serious about our commitment to God 06:30 to embrace the gospel, to obey the covenant." 06:33 And you read in Nehemiah 9:38, 06:36 it's the last verse of Nehemiah Chapter 9. 06:38 "And because of all this, 06:40 we make a sure covenant, and write it. 06:42 Our leaders are Levites, and our priests seal it. 06:46 Then go to 10:1, 06:49 "Now those who place their seal on the document 06:53 were: Nehemiah the governor, the son of Hacaliah, 06:56 and Zedekiah," and then it goes through, 06:58 and I'm not going to read them all for you 06:59 because I don't think I can pronounce them. 07:01 Then it goes through 44 names, 07:04 and I think there's like 21 priests, 07:06 they've got Levites, there's leaders, 07:07 and the leaders of the people 07:10 that had come back from captivity said, 07:12 "Let's make a covenant with God." 07:15 And now did they dream up a new covenant? 07:17 What was the covenant that they made? 07:19 Go to the Book of Nehemiah Chapter 10, 07:21 and let me see where I would start 07:24 because here you got an example of a one document 07:26 with several people affixing their seals to it, 07:30 and you go to, let's see Nehemiah 10, 07:33 and if you go to verse 29, 07:37 "These joined with their brethren, 07:39 their nobles, and entered into a curse 07:41 and an oath to walk in God's law, 07:45 which He had given by Moses." 07:46 So are they coming up with a new covenant, 07:49 or they renewing the old covenant? 07:52 "The servant of God to observe 07:53 and do all the commandments of the Lord, 07:55 our God, and His ordinances, 07:57 and His statutes 07:58 that we would not give our daughters." 08:00 Now they get specific 08:01 with some problems they've made. 08:02 "We'll not give our daughters as wives 08:04 to the people of the land 08:05 or take their daughters for our sons. 08:07 And if the people of the land 08:08 bring wares or any grain to sell on the Sabbath, 08:11 that we would not buy it from them on the Sabbath 08:13 or on a holy day, 08:15 and we would forego the seventh year's produce." 08:17 Now it's very interesting, 08:18 in this covenant they're renewing, 08:20 they're specifying areas 08:22 where they had been compromising in the old law. 08:26 The old law said, "They should let the land rest 08:27 every seventh year." 08:28 The old law said, "You shouldn't buy 08:29 and sell on the Sabbath." 08:31 But it's interesting, they're highlighting things 08:34 where they've been making compromise, 08:35 let's renew the covenant, 08:36 and let's be serious about it. 08:38 And you can read through everything there. 08:40 They're not dreaming up a new covenant, 08:42 they're basically renewing the things 08:44 that God had given Moses. 08:45 So you've got this document that 44 people sealed. 08:50 It's a document with 44 seals on it. 08:53 Think, we got a few pictures, 08:54 they may have put them up already 08:57 of what a scroll might look like 08:58 with seven seals. 09:00 Marsh, I don't know if you've got that handy there 09:03 in the studio, 09:05 but there's a couple of examples. 09:06 There's one, that's Revelation. 09:08 This now, in this case, 09:09 and these are just artist's concepts, 09:11 every time you open a seal, it opens a new chapter. 09:14 And then there's another example, 09:15 I think we're going to put up on the seal 09:17 where you've got one document, 09:18 but it's sealed seven times 09:20 like it's got seven different authorities 09:21 that are preventing you from opening it. 09:23 And so we're not exactly sure, 09:26 you know, what they have in mind here. 09:28 But we know that as each seal is broken, 09:30 a new page seems to be opened 09:33 that gives more information. 09:37 Isaiah 8:16, 09:40 "Bind the testimony, 09:42 seal the law among my disciples." 09:47 Now, is a seal a good thing? 09:50 What did the lost have in the last days? 09:53 The what of the beast? 09:56 The mark of the beast. 09:57 And what do the saved have? 10:00 The seal of God, so seal's a good thing there. 10:04 A seal was... 10:08 An official, a king, a general would send some orders, 10:11 and nobody could open it except the appropriate person. 10:14 If you try to open a seal without the right authority, 10:17 you could be executed. 10:18 One case I'll give you, for example is David, 10:23 when he had that affair with Bathsheba, 10:25 he sent orders to Joab 10:27 the general by Uriah of all people. 10:31 And in the orders 10:32 it's basically the death warrant of Uriah, 10:34 it says, "Put him at the front of the hottest battle 10:37 and then retreat, don't cover him, 10:38 that he's smitten and he dies." 10:40 Now David knows he can trust Uriah so much 10:43 that Uriah will not peek at that document 10:45 because it's been sealed 10:46 and only Joab the general can open it. 10:48 So he carries this document 10:50 that's got his death warrant in it, 10:53 and he will not break that seal 10:54 because he doesn't have the authority. 10:56 And that's why it'd say nobody had the authority 11:00 to open this document 11:02 in heaven except for lamb. 11:04 Some have said, "Well, this book, 11:05 it's the book of life." 11:06 It's really the gospel, 11:07 which the book of life is contained in it, 11:10 and it tells the history of the church. 11:12 So as we begin to open up the seals, 11:14 we'll see that. 11:16 All right, so we go now into Sunday study. 11:18 It's the first study, and it's the first seal. 11:21 And if you read in Revelation 6:1 and 2, 11:25 "Now I saw when the lamb opened one of the seals, 11:29 and I heard the four living creatures," 11:31 these are earlier described around the throne, 11:34 "saying, with a voice like thunder, 11:36 'Come and see,'" in unison, 11:37 these creatures are saying, come and see. 11:39 So John now has taken off in vision, 11:41 and he shown 11:42 what's revealed through this first seal. 11:44 "I looked, and behold a white horse, 11:48 and he who sat on it had a bow, and a crown was given to him, 11:52 and he went forth conquering, and to conquer." 11:55 Now, you've probably heard 11:56 about the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. 12:01 Everyone's here had heard of the Four Horsemen, 12:04 and Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. 12:05 It's kind of interesting, 12:07 people think the four horsemen are sort of a vision by itself. 12:09 The four horsemen 12:10 are really the first four of the seven seals. 12:15 They are part of the seven seals. 12:19 And everyone always thinks about the four horsemen 12:21 riding off together to wreck havoc on the earth, 12:24 but they come in stages at different times in history. 12:28 Why four, and why horsemen, 12:33 before I get into what the first one means. 12:35 If you want to understand Revelation, 12:37 what do you do? 12:40 Go somewhere else in the Bible, okay? 12:43 Look in the Book of Zachariah. 12:45 Who are these horses, 12:46 we're going to read about four horses 12:48 in just a minute. 12:49 So before I explain the first one, 12:50 let's find out what horses mean. 12:52 Zachariah 1:8 starts with a vision of horses, 12:57 "And I saw by night, 12:58 and behold a man riding a red horse." 13:00 Tells the color of the horse. 13:02 "It stood among the myrtle trees in a hollow, 13:04 and behind him were horses red, and sorrel," 13:07 that's like brown, "and white. 13:09 Then I said, 'My Lord, what are these?' 13:13 So the angel who talked with me said, 13:15 'I will show you what these are.'" 13:16 You know something interesting happening here? 13:19 A prophet having a symbolic vision 13:22 with horses of different colors, 13:25 and he asked the angel, what does it mean? 13:27 This is what's happening in Revelation. 13:29 John, a prophet, has a vision 13:31 in some symbolic language with horses, 13:33 different colors, and he asks what it means. 13:35 That doesn't happen that often, 13:36 there must be a connection, right? 13:38 Who are they? 13:39 "These are the ones whom the Lord 13:41 has sent to walk to and fro throughout the earth." 13:44 Now the number four in the Bible 13:46 typically designates 13:48 the four corners of the compass. 13:51 Bible says, "The Lord will send His angels 13:53 to the four corners of the earth 13:55 to gather together His elect, north, south, east and west." 14:00 So it's talking about the spread of the church. 14:03 And now let me give you another one here. 14:05 If you go to Zachariah 6:1, 14:10 it says, "I turned, and I raised my eyes, 14:13 and looked, and behold, 14:14 four chariots 14:16 coming from between the mountains, 14:18 and the mountains were of bronze. 14:20 With the first chariot were red horses, 14:22 the second chariot, black horses, 14:24 the third chariot, white horses, 14:26 and the fourth chariot, dappled horses." 14:29 Now this is very similar except Revelation has one horse, 14:34 here it's got two horses per chariot. 14:37 In Revelation, it's got... 14:39 You've got the black, and you've got the red, 14:42 and you've got the white, and then you have a pale. 14:45 The last one here is spotted, it's not pale. 14:48 So you'll notice that you go back and forth 14:51 between the Old Testament, 14:52 Revelation, some of the visions are... 14:54 It's a little different. 14:56 But the horses are representing. 14:59 And what does he say? He asks then. 15:01 You go to verse 4, Zachariah 6:4, 15:05 "I answered and said to the angel 15:06 who talked with me, 15:07 'What are these, my Lord?' 15:09 And the angel said, 'These are the four spirits of heaven 15:11 who go forth from their station 15:14 before the Lord of all the earth.'" 15:16 And so it's like messengers that are going out. 15:20 Now you find other places 15:21 where you find chariots in the Bible? 15:25 Someone's going to read this for me. 15:27 Hoftis, I didn't give you much warning, 15:28 but go ahead and let's get a camera over here. 15:30 You go ahead and read for me 2 Kings 2, 15:33 and I think it's verse 11. 15:35 2 Kings 2:11, 15:37 "Then it happened as it continued on and talked, 15:41 that suddenly a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, 15:45 and separated the two of them, 15:47 and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven." 15:52 So when we read in the Bible 15:53 that a chariot of fire came down, 15:57 it's like that spiritual, 15:59 I looked over Jordan, 16:00 and what did I see coming forth to carry me home? 16:02 A band full of angels coming after me. 16:04 But it's described in the Bible as chariots and horses of fire. 16:08 Does the Lord get around in heaven in chariots? 16:13 Or does the Lord use that term 16:14 because there were several thousand years 16:17 where chariots were the way that people got around? 16:21 And so I don't know that God has to wait for next chariot 16:25 before He can go anywhere in heaven. 16:28 I think that it's talking about the power of God, 16:31 the armies of God. 16:34 When Elijah went to heaven, 16:39 Elijah said, "My Father, my Father, 16:41 the chariot of Israel and its horsemen." 16:46 King Solomon was told, and... 16:48 No, the all the kings of Israel were told. 16:50 When you come into power, 16:51 don't be sending down to Egypt for horses. 16:53 Your trust is not in the horse and the chariot. 16:55 That was their word, the supreme tank back then. 16:59 They didn't have aircraft, it was all the chariot. 17:02 And when Elisha died, 17:05 the king came, and he wept over Elisha, 17:07 he said, "My father, my father, 17:09 the chariot of Israel and its horseman there of." 17:12 And so those chariots 17:13 and those horses represented the power of God, 17:17 the armies of God. 17:19 And so one thing I want you to notice 17:21 as we look at this first horseman, 17:23 it's talking about 17:25 a conquering force that goes out. 17:27 What color is the first horse? White. 17:30 What does Revelation tell us white is a symbol of? 17:34 Superiority and righteousness. 17:37 And it says, "This first ride, it goes forth on a white horse, 17:42 and this really represents the church 17:44 going forth in its infancy there from Pentecost, 17:48 from about 31 AD to the death of the last apostle, 17:52 John, which would be about 100 AD, 17:55 and they went forth conquering, and to conquer, 17:57 and the gospel went almost everywhere 18:00 in that first generation. 18:02 You know, you can read 18:03 where the Bible says that in the first generation, 18:07 it says that the gospel had gone into all the world, 18:10 and to every creature under heaven. 18:12 That doesn't mean the whole planet, 18:13 that means the then known civilized world 18:15 as far as the ships and the commerce took them, 18:18 the gospel was going. 18:20 And so this is the gospel in its purity. 18:24 That time is, like I said, from about 31 AD to 100 AD, 18:29 it corresponds with the first church, 18:32 the Church of Ephesus. 18:34 Now, if you look in Psalm 45:3, 18:38 again, comparing Revelation with the Old Testament. 18:43 Here the psalm says, Psalm 45:3, 18:46 "Gird your sword upon your thigh, 18:47 O Mighty One, 18:49 with your glory and your Majesty, 18:51 and in your majesty ride prosperously." 18:54 So here's a picture of a king riding on a horse, 18:57 "Because of truth, humility, and righteousness, 19:01 and in your right hand 19:02 shall teach you awesome things." 19:05 It's talking about teaching, righteousness. 19:07 It is portrayed as a rider, a king on a horse, 19:10 "your arrows are sharp," again, the bow in Revelation here, 19:13 it's got arrows are sharp, 19:15 "in the heart of the king's enemies, 19:17 the people fall under you." 19:19 So in the first century was the church to go forth, 19:21 and try to kill unbelievers? 19:23 Or were they to kill falsehood with truth? 19:28 And in the armor of God, 19:31 does it talk about a bow of strength 19:34 or actually, it's... 19:35 The bow is a symbol of the strength, 19:36 it talks about that in Jonathan. 19:37 So this was something 19:39 where you'd fire your, the arrows of truth, 19:41 the devil fires darts or arrows of temptation. 19:45 That's in Ephesians there. 19:46 All right, first horse, 19:49 early church riding forth impurity. 19:51 Go to Monday, second seal is open. 19:55 And this is talking about conflict on the earth. 19:59 Let me read it to you now. 20:00 Revelation 6:3-4, 20:04 we're going to do our best 20:05 to get through all six of these seals today. 20:09 "When He opened the second seal, 20:11 I heard the second living creature say, 20:14 'Come and see.'" 20:15 Now, how many living creatures are there? 20:20 There's four living creatures, 20:22 and you've got how many horsemen? 20:25 You have four horsemen. 20:26 All right, so here now the second living creature says, 20:28 "Come and see.' 20:29 And another horse, fiery red went out. 20:33 And it was granted to the one 20:35 who sat on it to take peace from the earth, 20:38 and that people should kill one another. 20:40 And there was given to him a great sword.'" 20:43 Jesus said, "I came not to send peace, 20:45 but a sword." 20:47 And as the church went forth prospering 20:49 in that first 100 years or so, 20:53 then the devil, what did he do? 20:56 He stirred up persecution. 20:59 So this corresponds 21:00 with the age of the Church of Smyrna. 21:02 I should probably stop here and say something 21:04 that bears repeating many times when you're studying prophecy. 21:08 In the prophecies such as Revelation, 21:11 Zachariah, Daniel, 21:12 and some of the other apocalyptic prophecies 21:14 that use images and pictures, 21:17 what they do is they take a particular truth. 21:19 Here's your truth, okay? 21:22 And they look at it from different angles. 21:25 For instance, in Daniel, 21:26 what is the central truth in the Book of Daniel? 21:29 What's going to be the history of God's kingdom? 21:32 God's kingdom is going to be at war 21:33 with all these pagan kingdoms. 21:34 So firstly, they got this metal image, 21:37 and it's got Babylon, 21:38 and Medo-Persia, and Greece, and Rome, 21:41 and the divisions of Rome, 21:42 and it's given them the metal image. 21:43 Then you come over here, 21:45 it's the same battle about the kingdoms, 21:47 but it's in, it's given in the lion, 21:48 and the leopard, and the bear, I'm sorry. 21:50 Lion, and bear, and leopard, and then the strange beast, 21:53 then you come over here, 21:54 it's got the same truth 21:55 about those struggling God's kingdoms, 21:57 gives more detail every time. 21:59 But now it's got the goat, and the ram, 22:02 and the divisions of the horns that happen. 22:05 See what's happening? 22:06 Then by the time you get into Chapter 10 and 11, 22:08 the detail is becoming very precise. 22:11 And it's barely even using any symbolism at that point. 22:14 In Revelation, 22:16 giving the history of the church now, 22:17 not just the kingdom, 22:18 but more specifically the church. 22:20 We've looked now at the seven churches 22:23 in Revelation 2 and 3. 22:24 Now we're going through the seven seals, 22:26 and you're going to end up 22:27 then going through the seven trumpets, 22:28 and they're all giving different perspectives 22:31 on the same truth. 22:32 Revelation 12 and 13 do the same thing. 22:36 So God doesn't want us to miss it, 22:38 and He's showing it to us different ways. 22:41 Okay, 22:43 so here the second church is the Church of Smyrna. 22:46 The red church is a symbol of blood. 22:50 There's great persecution that happens during that time. 22:53 The rider has a sword, 22:54 he's allowed to take peace from the earth, 22:56 which opens a way for people to kill one another. 22:59 So this is a time of persecution, 23:01 we learned, 23:04 during the Church of Smyrna. 23:06 It's drawn from the word, mur, 23:08 which means incense or sacrifice. 23:11 And so here you've got your red horse. 23:14 Oh, then you go, now under Monday, 23:15 you've got two seals. 23:16 You see, the writer of the lesson had a challenge, 23:19 he had to cover six seals in five days, 23:21 so he had to double up on one of them. 23:23 So you've also got the third seal, 23:25 and let's read it together, 23:27 Revelation 6:5 and 6, 23:30 "When He opened the third seal, 23:32 I heard the third living creature say, 23:34 'Come and see.' 23:36 So I looked and behold a black horse. 23:39 And he who sat on it 23:40 had a pair of scales in his hand. 23:43 And I heard a voice in the midst 23:44 of the four living creatures say, 23:46 'A quart of wheat for a denarius, 23:48 and three quarts of barley for a denarius, 23:51 and do not hurt the oil and the wine.'" 23:55 It's talking about a scarcity. 23:56 Now this is what's happening to the church 23:59 from roughly 313 to 538. 24:02 I want to remind everybody that what we do is, 24:06 we'll post my lessons that I'm reading from right now, 24:08 it's a summary, an overview. 24:10 We'll be posting those at the Amazing Facts website 24:13 where you see Sabbath School, 24:14 you'll see a little place you can click for 24:16 to download the lesson notes 24:18 'cause you may not remember all of the dates. 24:21 But what happened between 313 and 538? 24:25 Well, first 100 years of the church, 24:28 the apostles were alive, 24:30 you know, about 100 AD, I should say. 24:34 Paul had been killed by Nero. 24:36 Peter had been killed by Nero. 24:38 There's great persecution, but under the persecution, 24:40 the church was faithful, it was righteous, 24:42 it went forth, 24:43 their risk of losing their first love, 24:45 but they were faithful to the word. 24:47 But then after the last of the apostles died, 24:49 then a great persecution, a lot of bloodshed, 24:52 and that took place until about 313. 24:54 Matter of fact, 24:55 there was a very intense persecution 24:57 from 303 to 313. 25:00 You remember reading in Revelation Chapter 3 25:02 or Chapter 2, it said, 25:04 "You will have a great trial of 10 days." 25:06 During the 10 years or Diocletian's rule, 25:10 he sought to exterminate Christians. 25:13 But then with a conversion of Constantine, 25:16 which happens shortly after 313, 25:20 now the church 25:22 has started to become the in thing. 25:24 Now, when the devil can't destroy 25:26 the church from the outside, 25:27 he destroys it from the inside by joining it. 25:30 The church became institutionalized. 25:33 Are we ever at risk of that? 25:36 Instead of having the passion of a message, 25:37 it just becomes an institution. 25:42 And so it was a time of great scarcity. 25:46 And so when he says, he's got scales in his hand, 25:50 and he says that a quart of wheat for a denarius, 25:53 that's a great price, and three quarts of barley, 25:55 barley was the food 25:57 that you fed the animals for a denarius, 26:00 and do not hurt the oil and wine. 26:01 He says even though there'd be great scarcity. 26:04 What does the oil represent? 26:07 Holy Spirit, and the wine, the blood of the covenant. 26:12 And so in spite of this scarcity, 26:14 in spite of the compromise that they lost their fervor, 26:17 and that becomes sort of a government 26:19 accepted church institution, 26:23 the gospel would still be held by faithful in its group, 26:27 even during every time of the church history, 26:30 the oil and the wine, the gospel, 26:31 it's still there doing this work. 26:33 It was not affected by this compromise. 26:36 So this is the church 26:38 similar to the time of Pergamum, 26:40 the church third seal time of scarcity, 26:43 and this is the black horse. 26:46 Now moving on, if you go on to Tuesday, 26:50 it opens the fourth seal. 26:53 And this is a time where there is widespread death, 26:57 538, roughly it covers from 1517. 27:01 And, you know, some of these dates 27:03 might just float a little bit, 27:04 but this is roughly the time period. 27:06 I don't think there was an angel 27:07 that pulled a page off the calendar and said, 27:09 "Now we begin the time of the gray horse." 27:13 So it's just talking about stages of history. 27:16 And you can't always draw hard lines in history. 27:22 So he opens the fourth seal, 27:24 and I heard the voice 27:26 of the fourth living creature saying, 27:28 you know, you get the first, second, 27:29 third, fourth living creatures. 27:30 These are creatures around the throne. 27:32 You remember what these creatures look like? 27:34 And you find them repeated in Ezekiel also. 27:38 One is like lion, an eagle, calf, and a man, 27:43 you've got faces, and many eyes, 27:45 and there are symbols of the different attributes 27:48 of God's character. 27:50 And so then another of these creatures said, 27:53 when he opens, "Come and see.' 27:55 So I looked and behold a pale horse.'" 27:59 Now, the word pale, 28:01 it probably helps for us to explain that a little bit. 28:04 It's an interesting color. 28:06 In the original Greek, 28:07 it describes something that is tepid, 28:10 it's like the color of... 28:14 Any of you ever put potatoes down 28:16 somewhere cool, and forget it there. 28:18 And you come and you look at the potatoes. 28:20 And if there's any light hitting the potatoes, 28:22 they start to put out these pale stalks, 28:25 you know, what I'm talking about? 28:26 Little shoots start coming out, 28:28 and they're sort of translucent gray, 28:32 they're not getting any sunshine, 28:35 so there's like no chlorophyll 28:36 and you can almost see through them. 28:38 That's what that word means. 28:40 It's also identified with the color of a corpse 28:43 when the blood is drained out. 28:45 It's often called the Angel of Death 28:48 on the fourth horse 28:50 because it was a time of great death. 28:51 But it's also talking about like a plant with no life. 28:55 It's struggling to live like a potato stalk, 28:58 but it can't find the light. 29:00 And this is what happened during this time. 29:03 You've heard of the Dark Ages. 29:05 Do you know why the Dark Ages were dark? 29:10 "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, 29:14 and a light unto my path." 29:16 What happened during this age of the church 29:18 is they said that only the clergy has a right, 29:21 and not even all the clergy, 29:22 but certain high ranking clergy 29:24 have the right to access the scriptures. 29:27 The Bibles were taken away from the people, 29:29 a lot of tradition came to substitute. 29:31 There was great spiritual death and lifelessness. 29:35 But these plagues and descriptions 29:38 often describe real things that happened as well. 29:41 For example, during this time of the church, 29:45 it says, it was a pale horse, 29:48 this deathly looking color, 29:50 and the name of him 29:51 who sat on it was Death and Hades. 29:53 Now, what does the word Hades mean? 29:56 It's like the grave. 29:58 It doesn't mean, you know, 29:59 when you tell someone to go to Hades, 30:00 I hope you don't tell anybody that, 30:02 you know, 30:03 you're thinking about this place of torment. 30:05 Biblically, the name Hades is like a Greek, 30:09 it's a New Testament way of saying Sheol, 30:11 and Sheol was the grave. 30:12 So it's talking about death and the grave followed, 30:15 wherever this writer goes. 30:17 You've probably seen or heard stories 30:20 and illustrations of the angel of death. 30:24 You know, this is this ominous looking creature, 30:26 he's wearing a black cape 30:28 and usually has no face to kind of see through, 30:30 and he carries a big scythe in his hand. 30:33 He's going to harvest souls. 30:35 And all of that is drawn from this fourth writer 30:38 on the fourth verse. 30:39 And many times, you'll see artists, when... 30:41 I should have put a picture up there, 30:43 some of the different artists' concepts for writers, 30:46 Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, 30:48 the fourth writer's often this black cloaked 30:52 being who has got this... 30:54 He's called the Angel of Death. 30:55 He's got the scythe 30:56 going through because death follows. 30:58 Well, one reason it's portrayed as a time of great death, 31:02 this church age is from 538 to about 517, as I mentioned. 31:07 Guess what happened then. 31:09 It said here, "Death and hell followed him, 31:11 and power was given them over a fourth of the earth," a 25%, 31:17 "to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, 31:21 and beasts of the earth." 31:24 Now we know what happened during this time, 31:26 you had two of the greatest scourges 31:30 that went through history principally in Europe 31:32 'cause this is where the church was rooted during this time. 31:35 You've got the great famine 31:36 that took place from 1315 to 1320 in Europe. 31:41 Do you know what they believe 31:42 brought about that great famine? 31:45 A volcanic eruption, I heard someone say it, 31:47 in New Zealand 31:49 that created an artificial winter 31:51 that messed up the season so much 31:54 that the crops just did not sprout in time 31:56 or they planted them too early, 31:58 and there was late snows 32:00 and it just caused terrible famine 32:02 in which millions died, 32:04 one of the greatest famines that happened 32:06 during that time, and the black death, 32:10 you know, the black death 32:12 is better known as the Bubonic plague 32:14 that took place between, 32:15 roughly, the worst was 1343 through 1400. 32:20 And then not only happened in Europe, 32:21 but because ships were going to the Orient and other places, 32:25 the Bubonic plague was really happening 32:27 in any port around the world. 32:29 It happened in ports in Africa, 32:31 in Asia, 32:34 and all throughout Europe. 32:36 They say... 32:37 they estimate that up to one-third of Europe died 32:43 during the time of the black plague. 32:45 That's in encyclopedia, you can read that. 32:48 Can you imagine that? 32:49 I mean, what would that do like our country right now, 32:51 one out of three people died. 32:54 And, you know, we have a plane go down, 32:58 50 people die, 32:59 it's national, it's headline news. 33:02 You and I can't comprehend it, 33:03 and they didn't understand what spread it, 33:06 so a lot of people 33:07 that were then taking care of the dead 33:09 and the dying were then contracting it, 33:12 and it just kept... 33:14 Do you know how they finally found a cure 33:16 for the black plague 33:17 or they brought it to under control? 33:21 They read in Leviticus, 33:25 what the Bible said about contagion 33:27 and separation from contaminated individuals, 33:31 they began to do that, they began to burn 33:33 instead of burying the bodies, 33:34 they began to burn the clothes, and the bodies, 33:36 and everybody that was infected, 33:37 they maintained separation, 33:38 they tried to practice some sanitation, 33:41 they finally brought it under control, 33:43 even though there were periodic outbreaks 33:44 because the Bubonic plague 33:46 comes from a flea 33:48 that's found on rats. 33:51 And one interesting fact of history 33:56 is in Italy, 33:57 some of the churches 33:58 began to teach that cats were connected with witches 34:02 and were of the devil. 34:03 So they began to exterminate all the cats in Italy. 34:06 There are a lot of ports in Italy 34:07 that went to other places in Europe. 34:09 When the cat's away, what will happen? 34:12 The rats proliferated. 34:15 And the plague just really spread. 34:18 You know somewhere in North America, 34:19 where they got a plague of rats? 34:22 New York City, 34:25 they have been trying everything in the book 34:27 to get rid of the rats in New York City, 34:29 but there is a literal plague of rats, 34:32 there's much underground in New York City 34:34 and so much garbage out on the streets, 34:35 they're just everywhere. 34:38 Anyway, and believe it or not, 34:40 there are people in New York City 34:43 that are so concerned about the welfare of the rats 34:48 that they won't let the exterminators do their job, 34:50 they think it's inhumane. 34:52 So there are people campaigning for rat rights. 34:58 So I probably made some of you mad 34:59 listening right now because you think that's right, 35:01 they should have rights too. 35:03 Anyway, all right, that drifted a little bit, 35:05 but it was interesting. 35:07 Going under Wednesday, opening the fifth seal, 35:11 now here you've got the cry of the martyrs, 35:13 and this is one we'll take a little time with. 35:15 Let's read it together, Revelation Chapter... 35:19 Someone's going to get ready in a minute to read... 35:21 Yeah, you'll be doing Genesis, and someone else will do Luke. 35:24 In Revelation 6:9-11, 35:28 "When He opened the fifth seal, 35:29 I saw under the altar the souls of those," 35:32 now you notice something? 35:34 During the first Four Horsemen, the first four, it says, 35:38 "One of the living creatures said, 35:39 one of the living creature said," 35:41 'cause there's only four living creatures. 35:42 Now they stopped that. 35:44 Now it says, "He opened the fifth seal, 35:45 and I saw under the all the altar, 35:47 the souls of those 35:48 who had been slain for the Word of God 35:50 and for the testimony which they held, 35:52 and they cried with a loud voice, 35:53 saying, 'How long, O Lord, holy and true, 35:57 until you judge and avenge our blood 36:00 on those who dwell on the earth,' 36:02 then a white robe was given to each of them. 36:04 And it was said to them, 36:06 they should rest a little while longer 36:07 until both the number 36:10 of their fellow servants and their brethren, 36:12 who would be killed as they were is completed." 36:15 So it's in the midst of this terrible persecution. 36:18 All right, now is this a symbol? 36:20 Are there really souls that are under an altar 36:25 that are crying in heaven? 36:26 So far, everything we're reading 36:27 is pretty symbolic. 36:28 Yet, you'd be surprised how many pastors read this, 36:31 and they say, "This is proof that the dead are conscious 36:36 after they die." 36:37 Well, first of all, 36:38 who here would want to be a soul 36:41 under the altar crying? 36:43 And these are the saved. 36:45 And so obviously, this is a symbol. 36:47 Now what does it mean? 36:50 Look in Revelation 11:18, 36:53 "The nations were angry, 36:55 and your wrath has come, 36:56 and the time of the dead that they should be judged, 37:00 and that you should reward your servants, and prophets, 37:02 and the saints, 37:03 and those who fear your name is small and great, 37:05 and destroy those who destroy the earth." 37:07 It says there's a time of judgment, 37:09 that would come 37:10 when this vindication would happen. 37:12 So here you've got these souls 37:14 that are crying out for justice. 37:16 If you want to understand Revelation, 37:17 what do you do? 37:19 I've asked you three times now. Go where? 37:21 Go to the Old Testament. 37:22 Okay, go ahead and read your verse for us. 37:24 Genesis 4:10, 37:26 "And He said, 'What have you done? 37:29 The voice of your brother's blood 37:30 cries out to Me from the ground.'" 37:33 Remember when Cain killed Abel, 37:36 and God says, 37:37 "The voice of your brother's blood cries." 37:40 Were the little blood cells there in the Garden of Eden 37:42 crying out or is that symbolic language 37:47 that whenever innocent blood was shed, 37:50 it was crying out for justice. 37:53 And so here, it's talking about a symbol. 37:57 Now where was Abel slain? 37:59 What was the argument between Cain and Abel? 38:02 About worship. 38:03 They built two altars, am I right? 38:06 One offered his way, the other offered God's way. 38:11 And when Abel tried to appeal to his brother, 38:14 probably standing by an altar, and saying, 38:18 you know, you need to follow God, 38:19 and He'll bless and receive your offering. 38:21 Cain got mad, killed Abel, 38:24 and there you've got this dead brother 38:27 with the blood by the altar. 38:28 So when it talks about souls under the altar, 38:31 that's a little clue. 38:33 Look, for instance, in Hebrews 12:24. 38:38 "To Jesus, the mediator of the New Covenant 38:41 and to the blood of sprinkling 38:43 that speaks better things than that of Abel." 38:47 Abel's blood spoke, and here it says, 38:50 the blood of Christ speaks better things. 38:52 Isn't this obviously a metaphor? 38:54 The blood doesn't talk, it's talking about... 38:56 It speaks the righteousness of the blood of Christ. 39:00 Let me give you another one. 39:01 Matthew 23:35, 39:04 Christ when He walked down to the temple, 39:06 He pronounces a curse on the false leaders. 39:10 And He said, "That on you and on this generation," 39:13 that He was talking to back then, 39:15 "may come all of the righteous bloodshed on the earth, 39:19 from the blood of righteous Abel 39:22 to the blood of Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, 39:25 whom you murdered between the temple and the altar." 39:29 So here again, we're talking about souls 39:31 under the altar, just people killed. 39:35 Now you may not know the story off hand, 39:40 the one that Jesus is referring to here. 39:42 There was a high priest by the name of Jehoiada, 39:45 the matter of fact, 39:46 he's the longest living individual 39:48 from the time of Moses onward. 39:50 Moses lived how long? Hundred and twenty years. 39:53 But during the time of King Joash, 39:57 Jehoiada the priest, lived 130 years. 40:02 That was a super duper record. 40:04 He's a very godly priest. 40:05 And as long as Jehoiada was alive 40:07 and advising the young king, 40:08 remember, he was a boy king, 40:09 seven years old, 40:10 his youth was very good, 40:12 but after Jehoiada died, 40:14 Joash went bad. 40:15 He started to listen to bad counselors, 40:17 he started to persecute the prophets, 40:19 he even persecuted the sons of Jehoiada 40:22 that had saved his life. 40:24 And Zechariah was a son of Jehoiada, 40:29 who Joash had slain between the porch and the altar. 40:34 And God said, "I saw that. 40:36 I made a note of that blood. 40:37 It's crying out for justice. 40:39 And on this generation, 40:40 that vengeance is going to come." 40:42 When Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 AD, 40:44 Jesus had said, 40:45 "All of the righteous blood 40:47 would be required of that generation. 40:49 That was a terrible judgment that came. 40:52 Well, there's more righteous blood 40:53 that's going to be required 40:54 at the second coming 40:55 for the martyrs who have perished. 40:57 God's very patient, 40:58 but a day of reckoning comes. 41:00 So is this talking about the literal state of the dead 41:03 or is that a symbol? 41:04 Got another verse, 41:05 why don't you read this verse, Bill? 41:07 I think it's Luke 18:7. 41:09 Luke 18:7, 41:12 "And shall not the Lord avenge His own elect, 41:16 which cry day and night unto Him 41:18 that we bear along with them." 41:22 And it says, "Yes, He will surely avenge them." 41:24 So you get these souls onto the altar 41:26 that are crying out for justice. 41:28 And here God says, God may bear long, 41:32 but there's going to be a time 41:34 when He, of course, answers prayer, 41:35 and when He visits judgment. 41:38 And so here we've got the... 41:40 That is the fifth seal. 41:42 Now we're going to just finish up the sixth seal. 41:44 This takes us through verse 17, and this... 41:47 By the way, this seal, I want to repeat, 41:49 covers from 517 to 1798. 41:54 This is a time where there was, by the way, 41:57 Spanish inquisition was going on during this time. 42:02 So there was a time, 42:03 it's the cry of the martyrs taking place. 42:07 And, you know, there were not only martyrs that died 42:10 under the persecution of the Catholic Church, 42:13 there were martyrs that died from Protestant persecution. 42:17 You know your history. 42:19 Even Calvin, 42:20 who was a great man of the word, 42:22 he was involved in having Baptist killed, 42:27 who believed that you shouldn't baptize 42:28 before you're an adult 42:30 or you shouldn't baptize babies. 42:31 He thought that was a heresy. 42:32 He approved their being killed. 42:34 The Church of the England that broke away, 42:37 they were persecuting and killing. 42:39 And you read the bloody history in North America, 42:43 some of the pilgrims, the early church, 42:45 it's Roger Williams who fought against this, 42:47 people were imprisoned, they were tortured, 42:49 they were killed, if they were preaching heresy, 42:51 they bore through their tongues, 42:52 they cut off their ears, it's terrible, 42:54 the stuff that happened. 42:56 And so yes, even up until 1798, 42:59 there was a time of great persecution. 43:02 Now if you go to the last seal, the Revelation 6:12, 43:05 "I looked in when He opened the sixth seal, 43:08 behold there was a great earthquake, 43:10 and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair." 43:13 Let me just pause here. 43:14 Sackcloth can be made out of burlap. 43:17 Anyone remember the old burlap potato bags? 43:19 Now they're plastic. 43:22 You could see through that burlap, 43:25 it's like a rough cord. 43:30 Sackcloth made of hair was very tightly woven, 43:33 no light would get through. 43:35 And so it's telling us that the sun is completely obscured, 43:39 and the moon became like blood. 43:40 I want to pause right here. 43:42 You'll see many times Joel, several times in the Bible, 43:45 talks about sun darkened moon blood, 43:46 sun darkened moon blood, 43:47 sun darkened moon blood, that usually is a sign of war. 43:53 When cities were set on fire, 43:54 the skies went black with smoke. 43:57 How many of you remember this? 43:58 The Paradise fires this year, 44:00 we were just enshrouded in smoke. 44:04 Karen and I got to miss some of it 44:05 'cause we were in Canada at that part of the time, 44:07 we came back we couldn't believe it, 44:08 the sun was red, 44:10 the moon at night was red. 44:12 Sun was blocked out during the day, 44:14 not as obscure as some of this, 44:16 but it was pretty serious. 44:19 And so this was always a symbol for war. 44:21 But it's talking about 44:22 a great time of persecution here. 44:25 And then it goes on to say, 44:26 "And the stars of heaven fell to the earth 44:28 as a fig tree drops its late figs 44:30 when shaken by a mighty wind." 44:32 They kind of pluck away. 44:35 "And the sky receded as a scroll." 44:37 If you want to know where we are in history, 44:39 we are living between verse 13 and 14 right now 44:42 'cause that has not happened 44:44 where the sky received it as a scroll. 44:46 "When it is rolled up and every mountain 44:48 and island was moved out of its place, 44:50 and the kings of the earth, and the great men, 44:52 and the rich men, and the commanders, 44:54 and the mighty men, and every slave, 44:55 and every free man hid themselves in the caves, 44:58 and the rocks, and the mountains, 45:00 and said to the rocks and the mountains, 45:02 'Fall on us, and hide us 45:03 from the face of Him that sits on the throne, 45:06 and from the wrath of the Lamb, 45:08 for the great day of His wrath has come, 45:10 and who is able to stand?'" 45:13 Now when you get to chapter 7, it answers the question. 45:16 Who is able to stand? 45:17 There's a pause right there, and it introduces the 144,000. 45:21 That's our subject next week. 45:22 You don't get to the seventh seal 45:24 until you get to the end of chapter 7 45:27 and into chapter 8. 45:28 And then it says, and then seventh seal is opened, 45:31 and then it goes into the seven trumpets. 45:34 And Pastor Ross gets to deal with that. 45:37 Then what does it mean here 45:38 when it talks about a great earthquake? 45:42 First of all, the sun going dark, 45:44 the moon turning to blood, the stars falling from heaven, 45:47 the heavens being rolled back as a scroll, 45:49 and a great earthquake, 45:50 those things will happen in quick succession 45:53 at the second coming. 45:56 But they have happened historically over time. 46:01 You ought to read the records of this 46:03 in The Great Controversy. 46:04 The great earthquake 46:05 it's talking about that affected the regions here 46:08 where the gospel was being proclaimed 46:10 and the persecution was happening, 46:12 it's probably the Lisbon earthquake, 46:14 1755, 20,000 people were killed. 46:18 It wasn't as deadly as some, but it was felt. 46:22 North Africa, across Europe, even in the Atlantic 46:26 'cause, of course, there are people... 46:29 Excuse me, there are people in 1755 in North America, 46:32 New England. 46:35 The Encyclopedia Americana states, 46:37 it extended from Greenland to Africa to America. 46:40 That's a big earthquake. 46:42 You know, we have an earthquake in Eureka, 46:44 you won't feel it in Sacramento. 46:47 They can have tremors. 46:48 I remember we felt one here, 46:50 but they had over in Reno couple of years ago. 46:54 But for it to go across the ocean like that, 46:56 that was massive. 46:57 Probably the Lisbon earthquake. 46:58 Then it says a sun became black. 47:00 This is a great dark day of history 47:02 that was May 19, 1780. 47:05 When they woke up in the morning, 47:06 there's not a cloud in the sky. 47:08 It wasn't smoke from any fires that they could find, 47:11 it's just the sun just started going dark. 47:13 And they've never been able 47:14 to find a good explanation for that. 47:17 And chickens went back into the pen to roost, 47:22 the cows went back to the barn, 47:24 they could not see outdoors without artificial light. 47:28 It was just the most uncanny thing 47:29 that had happened across New England. 47:31 Now you notice what happens, 47:32 these signs seem to follow 47:34 the centers of where the gospel is. 47:37 Because in Europe, 47:39 that's when the earthquake happened, 47:40 now you're in the Americas. 47:41 By the way, you know, I won't say that yet. 47:46 Yeah, the Dark Day in 1780, 47:49 John Adams and some others comment on this. 47:54 A lot of the founding fathers, they... 47:55 It was a phenomenon that is... 47:57 they just... 47:58 They thought the world was ending. 48:00 That night when the moon came up, 48:02 it was blood red. 48:04 Many took this as a harbinger 48:06 that the end of the world had arrived. 48:10 Then you got the stars falling from heaven. 48:12 Now this happened in 1833. 48:14 It's better known as the Leonid meteorite shower. 48:19 And you could stand out in the sky, 48:22 the eastern seaboard of the US, 48:25 and it was a constant barrage. 48:27 It's like planet Earth 48:28 had gone through an asteroid belt. 48:31 And it was just... 48:32 many thought again, the world was ending. 48:35 I remember one little statement where Abraham Lincoln, 48:37 someone woke him up, 48:39 and they said, "Abe, 48:40 the world is ending, come and look at this." 48:42 And he went outside, and he looked for a while, 48:44 and he said, 48:45 "No, I don't think the world's ending 48:46 because I can see behind the shower of stars, 48:50 the great constellations 48:52 are still fixed in their places, 48:54 which means God is still on the throne," 48:55 And he went back in, and went to sleep 48:57 after watching it for a while. 48:59 But so many people commented on this, it was... 49:02 So these things seem to happen historically, 49:04 so God could get our attention 49:06 and tell us where we are on the track of time. 49:09 Do we all know that God, 49:11 that the wheel of prophecy sometimes moves slowly, 49:15 but it moves surely. 49:16 A day with the Lord is as 1,000 years 49:19 in 1,000 years as a day. 49:22 And so but we can see over the course of time 49:24 that we're nearing the end. 49:25 And all you've got to do is look at the signs 49:29 of what's going on in the world today. 49:31 The knowledge is increased. 49:33 And then, of course, 49:34 we haven't seen the heavens depart as a scroll, 49:36 when the Lord comes, these things happen. 49:39 The great men of the earth will call for the rocks 49:41 and mountains to hide them 49:43 from the face of Him that sits on the throne 49:45 that is actually happening in the context of Jesus coming. 49:48 They're seeing His coming, and the Christ said, 49:52 all the tribes of the earth will mourn, 49:54 then they will see the Son of Man 49:56 coming in the clouds of heaven, 49:58 and this describes the two final classes. 50:00 One that says, "Lo, this is our God. 50:02 We've waited for Him, and He will save us." 50:04 And the other that runs from His coming. 50:07 Anyway, friends, we've gotten where we... 50:09 I think we've got through most of chapter 6 of Revelation 50:14 talking about the seals. 50:15 I want to remind you that we do have a free offer. 50:18 If you did not catch this 50:19 at the beginning of the broadcast, 50:20 it's a great study guide, beautifully illustrated 50:23 called Saved from Certain Death. 50:25 And you can simply call and ask for it 50:27 by calling 866-788-3966 50:31 or you can text and look at it on your phone, 50:34 download it, by texting, "SH060," 50:38 and you text that to 40544. 50:42 More and more people are doing things 50:43 on their phone right now when they study. 50:46 And if you want us to mail, well, 50:47 that's just for North America and its territories. 50:49 God bless you, friends. 50:51 We have an interesting study next week on the 144,000. 50:54 Don't forget to request 50:55 today's life changing free resource. 50:58 Not only can you receive this free gift in the mail, 51:00 you can download a digital copy straight to your computer 51:03 or mobile device. 51:04 To get your digital copy of today's free gift, 51:07 simply text the keyword 51:08 on your screen to 40544 51:11 or visit the web address shown on your screen 51:14 and be sure to select the digital download option 51:16 on the request page. 51:17 It's now easier than ever for you 51:19 to study God's Word with Amazing Facts 51:22 wherever and whenever you want, 51:24 and most important, to share it with others. 51:32 My name is Diana Dixon. 51:34 I'm a professional truck driver. 51:35 On August the 4th, 2011, 51:38 I stopped to help in an accident. 51:39 Diana Dixon also tried to help. 51:41 She parked her semi, jumped out, 51:44 and headed toward the pickup, 51:45 that's when she saw vehicles barreling toward her, 51:48 so she reacted by jumping off 475 to a road below. 51:53 Well, pick up clipped to semi, 51:55 and I stopped to help, 51:56 and I saw a mirror, so I walked back. 51:57 Gentleman told me, he says, 51:59 "Hey, you know, everything's okay." 52:00 They called 911. 52:01 And I looked over at the pickup, 52:03 and there was a black pickup over there, 52:05 and he was okay. 52:06 At about that time, I don't know how far I walked. 52:08 But I walked far enough and a semi hit him, 52:11 and it imploded. 52:14 I knew it was going to hit me. 52:15 I had 30 seconds to decide. 52:17 And I decided to jump. 52:18 You know, I jumped off the bridge. 52:21 My back is broke. 52:23 Where are you at? 52:25 I don't know. 52:27 Fractured my pelvis in 24 places, 52:29 5 broken ribs, 52:30 C5 neck fracture, I had a collapsed lung, 52:34 I had a lacerated bladder, I was bleeding internally. 52:37 I had no marks on the outside of me at all 52:40 but a scraped on my arm and scraped the concrete. 52:42 From the chest down, I was on fire. 52:45 I was a dispatcher for a year after the accident. 52:48 And I went back, finished my degree. 52:51 And I went to Pittsburgh through a backpack on my back, 52:54 walked back like all the other students, 52:57 I ran a marathon, and I'm... 52:59 Since then I've been back to truck driving. 53:02 There was a gentleman I worked with, 53:03 and one day he was walking in, and he walked up to my desk, 53:07 and I was reading my Bible. 53:08 And he says, "Are you a believer?" 53:11 And I said, "Yes." 53:12 And he gave me some Amazing Facts study guides. 53:16 And it just... 53:17 It was an eye-opening experience for me. 53:19 I mean, I started reading them. 53:20 And I had bunch of questions to ask him, 53:22 so I got online. 53:23 And I got on the Amazing Facts webpage. 53:27 And I just found that information 53:29 just that I'd never known. 53:31 I went back to work as a truck driver 53:33 because that was my ministry. 53:35 It was my ministry before the accident. 53:37 And I was driving down the road, 53:39 and I just needed a connection. 53:41 And I was flipping through, 53:42 and somehow I ended up on YouTube. 53:44 And next thing I know, Amazing Facts, 53:47 one of those things would come up during night, 53:49 and I'd listened to it. 53:50 I'm driving down the road. 53:51 I got 11 hours of driving. 53:54 So I listened to one, I listened to another one, 53:57 and the more I listened to him, 53:58 everything that I thought in my heart, 54:00 I just clicked on the one on YouTube's, 54:02 and there he was giving me the answer. 54:04 I walked in Seventh-day Adventist Church 54:05 for the first time, and I felt at home. 54:09 I was baptized in the Seventh-day Adventist church 54:12 because I had found the truth that I just was searching for 54:16 and I've been praying about. 54:17 Amazing Facts has been such an inspiration 54:20 and important 54:22 for my coming back into ministry 54:25 that I want to be able to give back 54:26 to anyone that I can. 54:27 And Amazing Facts is the backbone of my ministry. 54:33 My name is Diana Dixon. 54:35 Thank you for changing my life. 54:54 What can be more irresistible than a kitten? 54:57 These guys might look cute now 54:58 but some of their ancestors have grown into man-eaters. 55:06 We're here in a lion park in South Africa now 55:08 where we can view these creatures 55:10 in well of a safety, but there's a reason 55:12 they're known as the king of beasts. 55:15 So what is it that people find so enchanting 55:17 and frightening about lions? 55:18 Is it their speed, their claws, 55:21 their sharp teeth or all of the above? 55:23 Might also be some of the stories 55:25 about man-eating lions, 55:27 like in 1898, right here in Africa, 55:30 they were building a bridge over the Tsavo River in Kenya, 55:33 and two brother lions 55:35 terrorized the construction process 55:37 eating 135 workers. 55:41 Did you know lions are mentioned in the Bible 55:43 over a hundred times? 55:44 And you can find them all the way 55:46 from Genesis to Revelation. 55:48 It's usually in reference to their ferocity 55:50 and how dangerous they are. 55:52 Of course, Samson killed a lion with his bare hands, 55:55 David killed a lion, 55:56 there are man-eating lions in the Bible. 55:58 The way that they punish criminals 56:00 was by throwing them in the lion's den. 56:02 And early Christians were even fed to Lions. 56:05 But amazingly, 56:07 as the Bible mentions not all lions are to be feared, 56:10 there had been a few friendly lions in history. 56:12 For example, in the 1950s, 56:15 a couple, George and Margaret Westbeau, 56:18 who lived up at a ranch near Seattle, Washington, 56:21 adopted an abandoned lion cub. 56:23 They named it Little Tyke 'cause they felt sorry for it. 56:26 But they discovered as they tried to feed her, 56:29 she refused to eat any meat at all. 56:32 They were concerned thinking 56:33 there was no hope 56:34 for this little lioness to survive, 56:36 and everybody told them the same 56:38 because we know in the wild, 56:39 lions survive on almost entirely meat diet. 56:43 Then someone showed the Westbeaus 56:44 that verse in the Bible that talks about in heaven, 56:47 the animals are vegetarians, 56:49 and the lion will eat straw like the ox. 56:52 That encouraged them, 56:54 and so they began to feed Little Tyke 56:56 a purely vegetarian diet. 56:58 Not only did she survive, 57:00 she thrived growing into a lion 57:02 that was over 352 pounds and over 10 feet long. 57:07 In fact, zoologists that examined Little Tyke 57:09 when she was full grown said, 57:11 they had never seen 57:12 such a perfect specimen of a lioness in their life, 57:15 a pure vegetarian. 57:18 You know, when we hear incredible stories 57:19 about that of Little Tyke, 57:21 it reminds us that God's original plan 57:23 was to make a world of total peace. 57:26 It describes it here in the Bible on Isaiah 11:6, 57:29 "The wolf also will dwell with the lamb, 57:32 the leopard will lie down with the young goat. 57:34 The calf and the young lion and the fatling together, 57:37 and a little child will lead them." 57:40 Nothing is going to hurt and destroy in the new heavens 57:42 and the new earth that God is going to create. 57:44 Wouldn't you like to live in a kingdom 57:46 with His perfect peace 57:47 where there's no more death or killing or pain? 57:50 God says that He wants you in that kingdom. 57:53 The Lamb of God made it possible for you 57:56 to have an encounter 57:57 with the lion of the tribe of Judah. 57:59 Wouldn't you like to meet Him today? |
Revised 2019-01-22