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Doug Batchelor: Good morning,
friends, and happy Sabbath.
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I want to welcome you to the
Granite Bay Hilltop Seventh-day
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Adventist Church and a
special welcome to any that
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may be visiting
with us this morning.
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Also, always want to remember to
welcome those who are joining us
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on Facebook, Amazing Facts
Television, YouTube, or one of
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the other channels, and we also
have a number of online members.
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For several years now,
the Granite Bay church has had
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members, sort of
a digital church.
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Around the world, people that
have no local church, they can
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attend, and we want
to welcome you as well.
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We're continuing today with
lesson number 12 in our study on
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Hebrews, and the lesson
today is a very important one.
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It's going to be dealing with
the subject of "Receiving an
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Unshakeable Kingdom," and in a
moment Pastor Brummund will come
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out and be sharing
with you in that lesson,
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but we have a
free offer as always.
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And the offer
today is designed to
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help enhance your
study of this subject.
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It's called "The Final
Verdict." "The Final Verdict."
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It's a very
important book that talks about
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the culmination of
the judgment subject.
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And if you'd like to receive
that, simply dial 866-788-3966.
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That amounts to 866-Study-More.
Ask for offer number 162.
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Now, if you're in North America
you can download this by texting
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"SH078" and you
text that to "40544."
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And so, of
course, you can also go to
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aftv.org, and
that's study.aftv.org.
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Sometimes the lesson presenters
also will post their notes
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there, I know I do, if
you're interested in any
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of the notes
related to the lesson.
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Well, we're going
to get into our study
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so let's have a word of prayer.
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Father in heaven, thank You
so much for the Word of truth
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that changes
lives and sets us free.
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We pray that Your
Spirit will be present.
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Be in a special way with Pastor
Brummund as he shares, and we
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pray we can gather insights to
help us be more like our Savior.
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We pray this in His name, amen.
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Shawn Brummund: You know, I
want to start our lesson, as we
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look at lesson number 12 today,
by sharing with you a bit of
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a--couple of
different experiences.
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And the first one is when
I was just moved to Toronto.
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Some of you know that I was born
and raised in Canada, and so I'm
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an import here in Sacramento
in the US and so I was just a--
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I think was, let me see
now, grade 5 it would be.
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And so it was grade 5.
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My family had just moved from
the West in British Columbia,
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from our home town of
Kelowna, all the way over to the
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big city of
Toronto towards the East.
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And when we arrived in the big
city of Toronto, I started going
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to this new school
right in more of the heart of
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the city, and it
was a very large school.
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I was very intimidated.
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I was always the
smallest guy in every class,
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going through grade school.
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I was always the shortest.
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Up until my later years in
grade school, I was always the
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smallest, the skinniest,
and so I was an easy target.
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I was a natural
target for the bullies.
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And so, not only was I
intimidated by this large school
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and this large city life
that I'd never been exposed
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to 'cause I was
living in the country before
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that, there was
a couple of twins.
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They were--I think they were
Chinese and so there was these
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two boys, these
twins, that were in my class.
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Maybe they were
a grade before me.
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This was grade 5.
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And so, anyway, they were quite
proud of the fact that they were
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experts, in their mind at least,
in judo or some kind of martial
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arts, and they made it very
clear to me that they intended
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on beating me up
on a regular basis.
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And so I have to say, you
know, when you combine all those
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things together, I was, you
know, I was shaking in my boots.
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It was a very traumatic
experience for a young boy.
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But speaking of shaking in your
boots, I want to share with you
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another even more
traumatic experience than that.
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I had a friend of mine and he
was a church member in my home
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city, again in British Columbia,
Canada, and this goes back about
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20 years or so, but he was in
one of those ATM rooms, you know
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the ones that extend
at the front of the bank?
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Yeah, even when the bank is
closed, you can approach that
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first room late at
night and make your withdrawal
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or do your banking
business and so on.
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And so he was doing that at one
of those ATM or automatic teller
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machines and, when he was
doing that late one night,
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doing his
withdrawal, whatever it was,
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another man came
in and joined him.
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And the worst
happened that night.
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Fortunately--unfortunately,
the man drew a gun and, to my
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friend's horror, he put it
to his head and he said, "You're
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going to withdraw the
maximum amount of cash that you
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can from all your
accounts and you're
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going to give it
to me here tonight."
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Well, as you can
imagine, he didn't hesitate.
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He went ahead and
just did exactly that.
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And fortunately, that was all
that the man was looking for.
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Because he cooperated, the man
with the gun disappeared into
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the dark and, of course, my
friend was shaking in his boots
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during the whole experience, and
throughout the rest of the night
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he was very shaken
up at the same time.
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In fact, it took him several
days, maybe even weeks, to be
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able to shake that off
because it was so traumatic.
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And, in fact, I remember
him sharing that he said
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it was more
traumatic than he would have
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guessed before it
actually took place.
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And so, he definitely
experienced something very
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traumatic that shook him up,
that caused him to shake in his
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boots, and it took
him long to shake it off.
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You know, today we're
talking about shaking.
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Speaking about shaking, I want
to talk a little bit about a
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physical shaking, and I went and
reviewed something that I knew
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and studied in the
past, but was relevant to our
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key verse today in
Hebrews chapter 12.
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And so I'm going to read
with you a couple different
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excerpts from one
of my favorite books.
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It's entitled, "The Great
Controversy," and it's written
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by Ellen White,
and I'm on page 304.
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I forget what chapter.
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It's called
"Heralds of the Morning."
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And so, this particular chapter
was covering the different signs
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that precedes just
before, in the bigger picture,
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just before Jesus comes again.
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And so the first sentence
I'm reading from says that the
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Revelator, that is John who
wrote the book of Revelation,
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thus describes the
first signs--the first
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of the signs to
precede the Second Advent.
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Jesus, during His ministry, it
said that you will see signs in
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the sun and the moon and the
stars just before you see the
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Coming of the Son of
Man in the clouds of heaven.
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And so there's going to be
different kinds of signs that
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both Jesus taught as well
as Jesus added in the book of
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Revelation that I just read,
different physical signs on the
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earth that would be harbingers,
that would be flags to be able
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to get the attention of as many
people as possible to study the
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Scriptures and understand
that Jesus is coming soon.
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And then she quotes from
Revelation, chapter 6 and verse
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12, and says, "There was a great
earthquake and the sun became
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black as sackcloth of hair,
and the moon became as blood."
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And so, of these physical
harbingers that we are to look
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for, God says the first one
would be this massive earthquake
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that would get the attention
of a great part of the world.
00:08:03.48\00:08:07.35
And thus it did.
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It says, "In fulfillment,"
she goes on, "of this prophecy,
00:08:08.72\00:08:11.59
there occurred in the
year 1755 the most terrible
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earthquake that has
ever been recorded."
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Now, friends, this
date, 1755, is no small date.
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The reason being is that
it is only 43 years before the
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conclusion of one of the
longest, most important time
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prophecies that God revealed in
prophecy, both in Daniel as well
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as in the book of
Revelation, the 1260
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symbolic days that
represent 1260 literal years,
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that were to find
a conclusion in 1798.
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And, sadly, that time period was
to represent, and God made it
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clear represented, the reign and
the influence and the power that
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would be exercised in a
very negative way towards God's
00:08:56.26\00:08:59.70
people by the papacy,
represented by the little horn
00:08:59.73\00:09:02.90
of Daniel chapter 7, as
well as the first beast,
00:09:02.94\00:09:05.21
symbolic beast, of
Revelation chapter 13.
00:09:05.24\00:09:09.38
So coming back to that
statement, she says, "In
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fulfillment of the prophecy,
there occurred in the year 1755
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the most terrible earthquake
that has ever been recorded.
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The conclusion of
the 1260 years in 1798."
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And then we find ourselves just
46 more years into the future
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and the last time prophecy
of Daniel chapter 8 and verse 14
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comes to its conclusion in
20--the 2300-year prophecy that
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declares that the cleansing of
the sanctuary has begun, which
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symbolizes a--and points us to a
judgment scene and process that
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would take place in heaven as
the final phase of God's work in
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heaven before He comes
back to earth in judgment.
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And so again, this is a
instrumental time in history in
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which this greatest
earthquake ever took place.
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"Though commonly known as
the earthquake of Lisbon, it is
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extended to the greater part
of Europe, Africa," now, we have
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to remember that Lisbon is the
largest city and it is a port
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city on the Atlantic
coastline of Portugal.
00:10:03.20\00:10:06.13
Portugal and Spain, which is
the neighbor of Portugal, wraps
00:10:06.17\00:10:09.10
around Portugal, is
just a stone's throw
00:10:09.14\00:10:11.74
north of the
northern tip of Africa.
00:10:11.77\00:10:16.21
So she goes on and says, "Though
it's commonly known as the
00:10:16.24\00:10:18.28
earthquake of
Lisbon, it is extended to the
00:10:18.31\00:10:19.75
greater part of
Europe, Africa, and America.
00:10:19.78\00:10:22.95
It was felt in Greenland, in the
West Indies, in the island of
00:10:22.98\00:10:27.09
Madeira, in Norway,
Sweden, Great Britain, Ireland."
00:10:27.12\00:10:32.93
Later, we're going to read
about the great tsunami, massive
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tsunami, that swept across the
Atlantic Ocean and actually hit
00:10:36.73\00:10:39.90
the shores of Ireland, hit the
shores of Great Britain, among
00:10:39.93\00:10:43.17
other places, the
Caribbean islands.
00:10:43.20\00:10:45.77
Finland is also reported to
have felt the effects of it.
00:10:45.81\00:10:49.24
The Caribbean islands, the
Portuguese colony of Brazil also
00:10:49.28\00:10:53.31
has reports that came out
of a tsunami and minor shocks
00:10:53.35\00:10:59.35
and so on from
this massive earthquake.
00:10:59.39\00:11:02.49
It goes on and says, "It
pervaded to an extent of not
00:11:02.52\00:11:05.09
less than 4
million square miles.
00:11:05.13\00:11:09.70
In Africa the shock was
almost as severe as in Europe.
00:11:09.73\00:11:13.47
A great part of Algiers
was destroyed, and a short
00:11:13.50\00:11:16.71
distance from Morocco,
a village containing 8,000
00:11:16.74\00:11:19.14
or 10,000
inhabitants was swallowed up.
00:11:19.17\00:11:22.31
A vast wave swept over the coast
of Spain and Africa, engulfing
00:11:22.34\00:11:27.62
cities, and
causing great destruction."
00:11:27.65\00:11:30.59
Now, today we call that
wave a tsunami, don't we?
00:11:30.62\00:11:34.42
Okay, back in Ellen White's day
and when she wrote this book in
00:11:34.46\00:11:38.16
the late 1800s, this was
not a word that they used.
00:11:38.19\00:11:43.26
"It was in Spain and
Portugal that the shock
00:11:43.30\00:11:45.73
manifested its
extreme violence."
00:11:45.77\00:11:48.34
So the most extreme violence
was found in Spain and Portugal.
00:11:48.37\00:11:53.81
The actual spot of the
earthquake, most earthquake
00:11:53.84\00:12:01.05
engineers and geologists and so
on all agree that it was about
00:12:01.08\00:12:03.79
120 miles southeast
or southwest of--yeah,
00:12:03.82\00:12:09.42
I should say
southwest of Portugal.
00:12:09.46\00:12:15.30
Yeah, so that's where the most
extreme violence took place.
00:12:15.33\00:12:17.67
"At Cadiz," the Spanish
city, "the inflowing wave," the
00:12:17.70\00:12:21.87
tsunami, "was said
to be 60 feet high.
00:12:21.90\00:12:25.77
Mountains, 'some of the
largest,'" and now she's quoting
00:12:25.81\00:12:28.14
from Sir Charles Lyell from his
book, "Principles of Geology,"
00:12:28.18\00:12:31.48
and he says, "Some of the
largest in Portugal," some of
00:12:31.51\00:12:33.78
the largest mountains in
Portugal, "were impetuously
00:12:33.82\00:12:38.39
shaken," and again, this is
a key word for our study today.
00:12:38.42\00:12:42.29
"Impetuously shaken as it were,
from their very foundations,"
00:12:42.32\00:12:46.36
and some of them
opened up at their summits,
00:12:46.39\00:12:48.76
at the very peaks
of those mountains.
00:12:48.80\00:12:50.63
There were split--they
were split and rent in
00:12:50.67\00:12:53.60
a wonderful manner,
huge masses of them being
00:12:53.64\00:12:56.67
thrown down into
the adjacent valleys."
00:12:56.71\00:12:58.97
So, big chunks, massive chunks
of these summits and large parts
00:12:59.01\00:13:03.35
of the top of these mountains in
Portugal were breaking off and
00:13:03.38\00:13:06.78
rolling and falling
down into the valleys.
00:13:06.82\00:13:09.15
Flames are related to have
issued from these mountains.
00:13:09.18\00:13:13.42
And now we're
quoting from the same author.
00:13:13.46\00:13:14.86
He says that "Lisbon, a sound
of thunder was heard underground
00:13:14.89\00:13:18.53
and immediately afterwards,
a violent shock threw
00:13:18.56\00:13:21.03
down the greater
part of that city.
00:13:21.06\00:13:24.20
In the course of
about six minutes,
00:13:24.23\00:13:25.97
60,000 persons perished.
00:13:26.00\00:13:29.57
The sea first retired
and laid the bar dry."
00:13:29.60\00:13:32.81
Now, "and then it rolled in."
00:13:32.84\00:13:35.41
Now, friends, if you've
seen any of the footage, the
00:13:35.44\00:13:37.25
descriptions, the
remakes that different films and
00:13:37.28\00:13:40.82
documentaries have made
concerning the more modern
00:13:40.85\00:13:44.05
recent tsunami, the one that hit
Indonesia, the worst amongst--
00:13:44.09\00:13:48.06
of their nations in that part
of the world, there was this
00:13:48.09\00:13:51.73
uncanny kind of rapid,
unexpected tide that kind of--as
00:13:51.76\00:13:56.36
they first interpreted it, the
residents, the tourists, this
00:13:56.40\00:13:59.43
tide that just--kind of this
unexpected tide and rapid tide
00:13:59.47\00:14:02.47
that just kind of
sucked the ocean way out
00:14:02.50\00:14:04.47
further and faster
than it normally did.
00:14:04.51\00:14:07.38
And this is exactly what
happened just before the tsunami
00:14:07.41\00:14:10.35
then came back in full force
against the Portugal seaside.
00:14:10.38\00:14:16.95
It is said that there was a
number of--I've read different
00:14:16.99\00:14:18.92
sources and it talked about this
uncanny kind of--this uncovering
00:14:18.95\00:14:22.99
of these different shipwrecks
that were exposed on the ocean
00:14:23.02\00:14:25.96
bottom as the ocean kind of
sucked back out into the ocean,
00:14:25.99\00:14:30.50
and exposed these shipwrecks
that had never been seen since
00:14:30.53\00:14:33.47
they sunk and then there was all
this cargo that had fallen off
00:14:33.50\00:14:36.40
ships by mistakes over
the years that was exposed
00:14:36.44\00:14:38.97
on the sea
bottom, on this dry land.
00:14:39.01\00:14:45.48
And so it says, "The
sea first retired and laid
00:14:45.51\00:14:48.12
the bar dry, it
then rolled in, rising 50
00:14:48.15\00:14:51.12
feet or more above
its ordinary level.
00:14:51.15\00:14:53.62
Among other extraordinary events
related to having occurred at
00:14:53.66\00:14:58.46
Lisbon during the catastrophe
was the subsidence of a new
00:14:58.49\00:15:03.37
quay, built entirely of marble
at an immense expense, a great
00:15:03.40\00:15:08.80
concourse of people had
collected there for safety as a
00:15:08.84\00:15:11.61
spot where they might be beyond
the reach of falling ruins, but
00:15:11.64\00:15:14.98
suddenly the quay sank down with
all the people on it and not one
00:15:15.01\00:15:18.11
of the dead bodies ever
floated to the surface."
00:15:18.15\00:15:22.48
And then she quotes
from another source, the
00:15:22.52\00:15:24.15
"Encyclopedia
Americana," the edition of 1831.
00:15:24.19\00:15:28.29
So this source is not very far
removed from the actual event,
00:15:28.32\00:15:32.16
and goes on and says, "The shock
of the earthquake was instantly
00:15:32.19\00:15:35.50
followed by the fall of
every church and convent,
00:15:35.53\00:15:38.30
almost all the
large public buildings and
00:15:38.33\00:15:40.54
more than
one-fourth of the houses.
00:15:40.57\00:15:43.37
In about two hours after
the shock, fires broke out in
00:15:43.41\00:15:46.68
different quarters and raged
with such violence for the space
00:15:46.71\00:15:49.68
of nearly three days that the
city was completely desolated.
00:15:49.71\00:15:55.25
The earthquake happened on a
holy day, when the churches and
00:15:55.28\00:15:59.39
convents were full of people,
very few of whom escaped."
00:15:59.42\00:16:03.86
Now, as it turns out, that holy
day was called "All Saints Day"
00:16:03.89\00:16:07.00
by the Catholics which was the
predominant population of the
00:16:07.03\00:16:10.67
people there and, because it was
All Saints Day, in honor of the
00:16:10.70\00:16:14.74
saints, many of the homes and
all the convents, the churches,
00:16:14.77\00:16:17.51
and so on, were full of
different worshipers and so on,
00:16:17.54\00:16:21.14
and they had lit candles and so,
when the earthquake came, it was
00:16:21.18\00:16:25.21
the worst scenario that you can
imagine 'cause all those candles
00:16:25.25\00:16:27.88
went flying while they were
still lit and they started to
00:16:27.92\00:16:30.22
light all these buildings on
fire, and so what the earthquake
00:16:30.25\00:16:33.32
didn't get, what the tsunami
didn't destroy, the fires had
00:16:33.36\00:16:36.42
destroyed during
that same period.
00:16:36.46\00:16:39.33
And so it was catastrophic.
00:16:39.36\00:16:42.43
And it is by far, one
of the largest shaking.
00:16:42.46\00:16:45.20
Now, they didn't have
instruments that was able to
00:16:45.23\00:16:47.34
measure the
size of it, you know?
00:16:47.37\00:16:49.30
And of course, the
million-dollar question is,
00:16:49.34\00:16:50.71
"What was the Richter scale
rating of that earthquake?"
00:16:50.74\00:16:55.81
And we don't know.
00:16:55.84\00:16:57.55
Now, the seismologists
tell us that they estimate--the
00:16:57.58\00:17:00.72
estimates range
anywhere from 7.7 to 9.
00:17:00.75\00:17:04.55
Now, the largest earthquakes
that have ever been recorded
00:17:04.59\00:17:08.02
since we've been able to record
on the Richter scale with our
00:17:08.06\00:17:11.09
instruments is 9.1 and
so, seeing it in the light of
00:17:11.13\00:17:15.90
prophecy, when you look at
the actual original sources,
00:17:15.93\00:17:18.47
including the great controversy
that quotes some of those as
00:17:18.50\00:17:20.90
well as give some inspired
information on this, we find
00:17:20.94\00:17:24.37
that I would estimate
that 9 is probably the minimum.
00:17:24.41\00:17:27.84
It could be more like a 9.2,
9.3 or something to that effect.
00:17:27.88\00:17:31.98
Just reading the effects and the
reports from all over the world
00:17:32.01\00:17:35.95
and almost every
continent in the world
00:17:35.98\00:17:37.79
that was affected
by that earthquake.
00:17:37.82\00:17:40.76
Massive prophetic harbinger
of Jesus's soon Coming.
00:17:40.79\00:17:44.89
Massive shaking, the most
far-reaching shaking in history.
00:17:44.93\00:17:51.17
Well, the bottom line
is that life involves a
00:17:51.20\00:17:52.93
lot of different
kinds of shaking.
00:17:52.97\00:17:54.84
That comes from living in
a broken world, doesn't it?
00:17:54.87\00:17:57.74
You know, these are just some
examples that I'm shared and I'm
00:17:57.77\00:18:00.44
sure if we open the floor, you
could share some different ways
00:18:00.48\00:18:02.84
in which we can think about
negative shaking that takes
00:18:02.88\00:18:05.61
place in this planet, in
this world, and this life.
00:18:05.65\00:18:09.88
The memory text for this week's
study of the book of Hebrews
00:18:09.92\00:18:12.65
brings us to something
that we can look forward
00:18:12.69\00:18:16.09
to, which is a shake-free world.
00:18:16.12\00:18:18.69
One day, Jesus says, we can live
in a day where we will never be
00:18:18.73\00:18:21.66
shaking in our boots, we
will never be shaken up, we will
00:18:21.70\00:18:24.80
never have to shake something
negative off, we will never
00:18:24.83\00:18:27.50
experience the earth
shaking beneath our feet.
00:18:27.54\00:18:32.54
All these different negative
shakings will disappear.
00:18:32.57\00:18:35.11
Let's go to our
lesson number 12 and
00:18:35.14\00:18:36.88
it's Hebrews
chapter 12 and verse 28.
00:18:36.91\00:18:41.85
In Hebrews 12, verse 28, it
says, "Therefore, since we are
00:18:41.88\00:18:44.72
receiving a kingdom which cannot
be--cannot be shaken, let us
00:18:44.75\00:18:50.56
have grace, by
which we may serve God
00:18:50.59\00:18:52.86
acceptably with
reverence and godly fear."
00:18:52.89\00:18:57.50
So in response of this
good news, in response of the
00:18:57.53\00:18:59.67
promise, in response of this
life of peace and shake-free
00:18:59.70\00:19:04.84
existence that God has for us,
God says that we should approach
00:19:04.87\00:19:08.48
God with great
reverence and with godly fear.
00:19:08.51\00:19:12.45
And we should remember
that God is the God that
00:19:12.48\00:19:15.32
can shake the
heavens and the earth.
00:19:15.35\00:19:17.12
He is the one that
made it, He is the one that
00:19:17.15\00:19:18.85
lifts up kings
and brings down kings.
00:19:18.89\00:19:20.49
He is the one that gives life,
00:19:20.52\00:19:21.82
He is the one
that takes away life.
00:19:21.86\00:19:23.49
And we are to worship
Him even as He is our King
00:19:23.53\00:19:27.23
and our Lord and our Savior.
00:19:27.23\00:19:31.57
Well, as it turns
out, the memory verse is
00:19:31.60\00:19:33.10
at the end of our
passage that we're studying
00:19:33.13\00:19:35.10
this week in
Hebrews 12--chapter 12.
00:19:35.14\00:19:38.37
And so let's go back to
the beginning of that passage
00:19:38.41\00:19:40.18
and read,
starting with verse 12.
00:19:40.21\00:19:43.14
So we're going to read the first
seven verses of the passage
00:19:43.18\00:19:46.45
and so we're going to
Hebrews, the 12th chapter.
00:19:46.48\00:19:52.05
And in Hebrews the
chapter--the 12th chapter,
00:19:52.09\00:19:53.86
we're going to pick
it up with verse 18.
00:19:53.89\00:19:57.16
Okay, Hebrews, the 12th chapter,
picking it up at verse 18, it
00:19:57.19\00:20:01.33
says, "For you have not come to
the mountain that may be touched
00:20:01.36\00:20:05.30
and that burned with fire,
into the tempest--and to the
00:20:05.33\00:20:09.04
blackness and the darkness and
the tempest, and the sound of a
00:20:09.07\00:20:13.34
trumpet and the voice of words,
so that those who heard it
00:20:13.38\00:20:17.15
begged that the word should
not be spoken to them anymore.
00:20:17.18\00:20:21.38
(For they could not
endure what was commanded."
00:20:21.42\00:20:23.85
And then quoting from the book
of Exodus, is--and is, "'And if
00:20:23.89\00:20:27.22
so much as a beast touches the
mountain, it shall be stoned or
00:20:27.26\00:20:30.93
shot through with an arrow.'
00:20:30.96\00:20:33.96
And so terrifying
was the sight that
00:20:34.00\00:20:35.73
Moses said, 'I am exceedingly
afraid and trembling.')"
00:20:35.76\00:20:41.17
In verse 22, it goes on
and says, "But you have come to
00:20:41.20\00:20:43.67
Mount Zion and to the city
of the living God, the heavenly
00:20:43.71\00:20:48.18
Jerusalem, and to an innumerable
company of angels, to the
00:20:48.21\00:20:52.48
general assembly and church of
the firstborn who are registered
00:20:52.51\00:20:56.02
in heaven, to God the Judge of
all, to the spirits of just men
00:20:56.05\00:21:00.26
made perfect, to Jesus the
Mediator of the new covenant,
00:21:00.29\00:21:04.63
and to the blood
of the sprinkling that
00:21:04.66\00:21:05.99
speaks better
things than that of Abel."
00:21:06.03\00:21:10.13
And so as we look at
the first seven verses of
00:21:10.17\00:21:11.80
our passage of study
this week, we want to ask
00:21:11.83\00:21:14.47
ourselves what is
Paul trying to say?
00:21:14.50\00:21:16.91
I have to confess that the first
time that I read this, years
00:21:16.94\00:21:19.34
ago, and even coming back to it,
you know, it's one of those ones
00:21:19.37\00:21:21.98
where you have to stop and
think a little bit carefully,
00:21:22.01\00:21:24.65
a little bit more carefully.
00:21:24.68\00:21:25.98
You have to kind of ask
yourself, "What in the world is
00:21:26.01\00:21:28.78
God and Paul trying to tell us
here in this particular book?"
00:21:28.82\00:21:32.42
Well, as it turns out, these
first few verses is actually
00:21:32.45\00:21:36.06
doing what the rest of Hebrews
has been doing all along, as a
00:21:36.09\00:21:39.43
pattern, and that is that God is
comparing the Old Testament and
00:21:39.46\00:21:44.03
the functions and the elements
that are found in the Old
00:21:44.07\00:21:46.84
Testament to that of
the newer, fuller, and more
00:21:46.87\00:21:49.30
superior New
Testament that Jesus Himself
00:21:49.34\00:21:52.97
is the mediator
and the initiator of.
00:21:53.01\00:22:01.12
And so we have in the New
Testament and the New Covenant,
00:22:01.15\00:22:06.05
it tells us of a
person of Jesus that is a new
00:22:06.09\00:22:08.36
and better
mediator and He is a new and
00:22:08.39\00:22:11.03
better sacrifice
at the same time.
00:22:11.06\00:22:15.36
And that's why we find in verse
24 that God here is, again,
00:22:15.40\00:22:19.47
pointing us to the better
part of the New Testament,
00:22:19.50\00:22:22.67
which is in the
person of Jesus Christ.
00:22:22.70\00:22:26.84
Yes, the Old
Testament holy priesthood, the
00:22:26.88\00:22:29.48
descendants of
Aaron, was holy, was sacred.
00:22:29.51\00:22:31.68
It was
God-given, it was important.
00:22:31.71\00:22:33.08
But there is something that is
so much better, and that is in
00:22:33.11\00:22:36.42
the person of Jesus,
the priesthood, the ultimate
00:22:36.45\00:22:39.32
priesthood, in the
ultimate place which is the
00:22:39.35\00:22:42.26
headquarters of the
universe called heaven.
00:22:42.29\00:22:46.59
And He does this, as he compares
the Old Testament and the
00:22:46.63\00:22:49.50
elements of the Old Testament
to that of the New Testament.
00:22:49.53\00:22:52.33
In that comparison, he's
using two symbolic mountains.
00:22:52.37\00:22:55.60
Did you pick that up? The
first symbolic mountain is?
00:22:55.64\00:22:58.71
Now, they're literal
mountains but they symbolize
00:22:58.74\00:23:00.18
something very
deep, and what is that?
00:23:00.21\00:23:02.81
It's Mount Sinai.
00:23:02.84\00:23:04.51
So the first
mountain that Paul here
00:23:04.55\00:23:06.01
is speaking
about is Mount Sinai.
00:23:06.05\00:23:07.85
The second
mountain is Mount Zion.
00:23:07.88\00:23:11.52
Okay, now they're in two
different places, aren't they?
00:23:11.55\00:23:14.16
Okay, so the Old
Testament was cut.
00:23:14.19\00:23:17.39
God cut the Old Testament.
00:23:17.43\00:23:18.86
He had sealed it
with the symbolic blood
00:23:18.89\00:23:21.20
of the sacrifices
through the leadership of Moses
00:23:21.23\00:23:23.37
and Aaron at a place at
the foot of Mount Sinai.
00:23:23.40\00:23:29.47
And in the midst of cutting that
New--that Old Testament with the
00:23:29.50\00:23:33.38
Israelites, with that generation
of Moses and the Jews,
00:23:33.41\00:23:37.18
Israelites, and generations that
were to follow, He was doing
00:23:37.21\00:23:41.45
that through some very dramatic
exhibitions of His power.
00:23:41.48\00:23:47.79
He wanted to be
able to demonstrate
00:23:47.82\00:23:49.46
to the Israelites
not only He was real.
00:23:49.49\00:23:51.43
He already gave them more than
abundant evidence to be able to
00:23:51.46\00:23:53.36
see that, but He just wanted to
really impact with them that He
00:23:53.40\00:23:56.80
was the one that can
shake heaven and earth.
00:23:56.83\00:23:58.87
He is the King of
kings. He is the Lord of lords.
00:23:58.90\00:24:02.67
And they would do well
to be able to give their
00:24:02.70\00:24:06.34
worship to Him and
that He is the only true God
00:24:06.37\00:24:09.41
in which they can
believe in and trust.
00:24:09.44\00:24:14.88
So let's go back to verse
18 and we'll just carefully
00:24:14.92\00:24:17.75
unpack that just
a little bit more.
00:24:17.79\00:24:19.15
In verse 18 it says, "For you
have not come to the mountain
00:24:19.19\00:24:23.02
that may be touched and that
burned with fire, and to the
00:24:23.06\00:24:27.13
blackness and darkness and
tempests, and the sound of a
00:24:27.13\00:24:30.97
trumpet and the voice of words,
so that those who heard and
00:24:31.00\00:24:34.70
begged that the word should
not be spoken to them anymore."
00:24:34.74\00:24:41.64
And again, this is reflecting
what we're going to look at in
00:24:41.68\00:24:44.08
Exodus in just a moment,
the events that surrounded Mount
00:24:44.11\00:24:47.65
Sinai on that very powerful
morning on a very powerful day
00:24:47.68\00:24:51.65
when God spoke with His
own voice the Ten Commandments
00:24:51.69\00:24:56.22
of God, when God
demonstrated His power with
00:24:56.26\00:25:00.30
lightnings and
thunder and smoke and fire.
00:25:00.33\00:25:03.70
And not only that, but
as we're going to discover
00:25:03.73\00:25:05.27
in Exodus, there
was also a great shaking
00:25:05.30\00:25:08.97
that took place
that morning as well.
00:25:09.00\00:25:11.74
And so, all of nature, God was
demonstrating that He is the God
00:25:11.77\00:25:15.84
of nature, He is the God of all
things, and that He was there to
00:25:15.88\00:25:19.75
make His presence
known in a very dramatic way.
00:25:19.78\00:25:23.95
And so, because of that, He
had instructed the Israelites.
00:25:23.99\00:25:26.79
He said, "Do not
touch the mountain.
00:25:26.82\00:25:28.59
This is a holy consecrated
place, the very presence
00:25:28.62\00:25:31.39
and glory of God is
going to be exposing
00:25:31.43\00:25:33.56
Himself in a very powerful way.
00:25:33.60\00:25:36.26
For your own benefit and
for your self-preservation, make
00:25:36.30\00:25:39.03
sure that no one
touches the mountain."
00:25:39.07\00:25:43.91
And so there was
very specific instruction.
00:25:43.94\00:25:46.04
Now that can almost seem
confusing, at least it was for
00:25:46.07\00:25:48.04
me when I came to verse
18, says, "For you have not
00:25:48.08\00:25:50.15
come to a mountain
that may be touched."
00:25:50.18\00:25:52.05
And I said,
"Well, wait a minute.
00:25:52.08\00:25:53.38
Didn't God say not
to touch the mountain?"
00:25:53.42\00:25:55.82
But then it dawned
on me, "Wait a minute.
00:25:55.85\00:25:57.15
God is talking about in
the--when He said 'A mountain
00:25:57.19\00:25:59.05
that can be touched,' He's
talking about earthly, present,
00:25:59.09\00:26:01.52
physical, you know, a mountain
that you can actually physically
00:26:01.56\00:26:04.89
see and touch on a day-to-day
basis, outside that one day
00:26:04.93\00:26:09.00
where God consecrated it
for demonstrating His power and
00:26:09.03\00:26:12.17
giving the testimony of
His law and His government
00:26:12.20\00:26:14.90
that day through
the Ten Commandments."
00:26:14.94\00:26:18.67
And so the Bible's not
contradicting himself when he
00:26:18.71\00:26:20.71
later on, Paul here, quotes in
verse 20 that God did instruct
00:26:20.74\00:26:23.61
the Israelites,
"Don't touch the mountain,"
00:26:23.65\00:26:25.48
on that particular one
very special powerful day.
00:26:25.51\00:26:31.15
And by the way, it
says in verse 20 that "they
00:26:31.19\00:26:33.39
could not endure
what was commanded."
00:26:33.42\00:26:35.32
And again, we can take away,
if we don't know the larger
00:26:35.36\00:26:37.39
context, and this is why the
context of the original scene
00:26:37.43\00:26:40.86
that Paul here is talking about
and quoting from, is important
00:26:40.90\00:26:43.93
to see in its
full--in its full picture.
00:26:43.97\00:26:46.77
Now Paul, of course, can't
take the time and the words to
00:26:46.80\00:26:50.27
describe and re-write the
entire record of Exodus but he's
00:26:50.31\00:26:53.71
assuming that you know that very
well because, of course, Paul
00:26:53.74\00:26:57.08
knows and he assumes that
you know, that God not only
00:26:57.11\00:26:59.78
commanded them not to touch the
mountain, lest they be killed,
00:26:59.81\00:27:03.05
but He also had told
them that you shall not kill.
00:27:03.08\00:27:07.09
You shall have no
other gods before Me.
00:27:07.12\00:27:09.49
You shall not bow down and
worship idols, nor make anything
00:27:09.52\00:27:12.26
of the likeness
of heaven or earth.
00:27:12.29\00:27:14.20
You shall not
use My name in vain.
00:27:14.23\00:27:15.83
You shall remember the
Sabbath day to keep it holy.
00:27:15.86\00:27:18.47
You shall honor your
father and your mother.
00:27:18.50\00:27:20.24
You shall not kill. You
shall not commit adultery.
00:27:20.27\00:27:23.81
You shall not
steal. You shall not lie.
00:27:23.84\00:27:25.67
You shall not covet.
00:27:25.71\00:27:27.01
And so these were the things
that intimidated and revealed
00:27:27.04\00:27:30.28
the hearts of the Israelites and
which they said, "Tell Him not
00:27:30.31\00:27:33.95
to speak to us
directly anymore, lest we die."
00:27:33.98\00:27:40.62
In verse 21, it says, "And
so terrifying was the sight that
00:27:40.66\00:27:43.16
Moses said, 'I am exceedingly
afraid and trembling.'"
00:27:43.19\00:27:49.36
Now, some scholars, and even the
marginal references here, try to
00:27:49.40\00:27:52.57
point us to Deuteronomy where
Moses was afraid of the anger of
00:27:52.60\00:27:56.77
the Lord that was to burst
out against the Israelites after
00:27:56.81\00:27:59.44
they had failed God so miserably
when they had made this golden
00:27:59.47\00:28:03.35
calf and began to worship it
and engage in all these immoral,
00:28:03.38\00:28:07.55
sexually immoral, idolatrous
practices around that calf, and
00:28:07.58\00:28:12.05
so on, but it just doesn't even
come close in Deuteronomy in
00:28:12.09\00:28:16.16
some of the attempts to be able
to quote Moses here as if Paul
00:28:16.19\00:28:19.83
is quoting from Moses as some
words that Moses spoke and were
00:28:19.86\00:28:24.33
recorded in the books of Moses
in the beginning of the Bible.
00:28:24.37\00:28:28.70
The fact of the
matter, it's not.
00:28:28.74\00:28:30.51
But just like we find in a
classic example is in Hebrews
00:28:30.54\00:28:33.94
chapter 11 that we reviewed last
week, where we find here that
00:28:33.98\00:28:37.41
there's some very important
information that is given to us
00:28:37.45\00:28:40.28
concerning the thought process
of Abraham when God had told him
00:28:40.32\00:28:45.02
to take his son,
his only begotten son,
00:28:45.05\00:28:47.02
and take him to the top
of Mount Moriah and take
00:28:47.06\00:28:48.92
his life as a
sacrifice before the Lord.
00:28:48.96\00:28:52.56
Now Genesis's record doesn't
record the thought process that
00:28:52.59\00:28:55.16
went through
Adam--Abraham's mind.
00:28:55.20\00:28:57.23
Doesn't record all the words
that Abraham certainly would
00:28:57.27\00:28:59.57
have shared with his wife
and his household as he was
00:28:59.60\00:29:02.54
wrestling with this
command from the Lord.
00:29:02.57\00:29:06.98
And so it records in Hebrews
chapter 11 that, indeed, Abraham
00:29:07.01\00:29:12.08
in thought process thought,
"Okay, wait a minute, God has
00:29:12.11\00:29:14.15
always promised that through
my promised miraculous son,
00:29:14.18\00:29:17.35
my only begotten
son, I will have as many
00:29:17.39\00:29:20.12
descendants as
the sand of the sea.
00:29:20.16\00:29:22.12
If God indeed has called
me to sacrifice him, He will
00:29:22.16\00:29:25.86
inevitably bring him back to
life and, indeed, Isaac will not
00:29:25.89\00:29:29.43
only live, he will be
married, he will have children,
00:29:29.46\00:29:31.60
and his children
will have children,
00:29:31.63\00:29:33.10
and the promises of
God will be fulfilled."
00:29:33.13\00:29:35.60
And again, that information
is not found in Genesis.
00:29:35.64\00:29:38.27
Is it true? Yes.
00:29:38.31\00:29:39.81
Was it orally
passed on through the
00:29:39.84\00:29:41.64
centuries of the
Israelite generations?
00:29:41.68\00:29:44.25
Almost for certain.
00:29:44.28\00:29:46.48
And then when we come back
to our passage here in Hebrews
00:29:46.51\00:29:49.15
chapter 12, where it says in
verse 21, "And so terrifying was
00:29:49.18\00:29:52.62
the sight that Moses himself
even said, 'I am exceedingly
00:29:52.65\00:29:55.82
afraid and trembling.'"
00:29:55.86\00:29:57.26
It tells us that this
demonstration of God's power
00:29:57.29\00:30:00.16
was so overwhelming
that even the very friend of
00:30:00.20\00:30:03.00
God, the one that was the only
one that spoke to God face to
00:30:03.03\00:30:08.24
face, even Moses
himself, was exceedingly
00:30:08.27\00:30:11.14
terrified and afraid of
this great grand exhibition
00:30:11.17\00:30:14.74
that was taking
place before him.
00:30:14.78\00:30:18.18
This is why when we come back to
verse 28 in the same passage, it
00:30:18.21\00:30:21.85
says, "Therefore, since we have
received a kingdom which cannot
00:30:21.88\00:30:24.69
be shaken," our memory
text, "let us have grace,
00:30:24.72\00:30:26.96
which we may serve
God acceptably," with?
00:30:26.99\00:30:30.53
"With reverence
and with godly fear."
00:30:30.56\00:30:35.93
You see, that demonstration that
God gave both to the Israelites
00:30:35.96\00:30:38.90
and to Moses, and we're going
to talk a little bit if we have
00:30:38.93\00:30:41.57
time here, about why Moses also
needed to be found--find himself
00:30:41.60\00:30:47.11
overwhelmed by this
demonstration of God and as we
00:30:47.14\00:30:50.58
go to Exodus, it will
reveal to us why God did this in
00:30:50.61\00:30:53.98
this manner, and why
even Moses needed it.
00:30:54.02\00:30:56.99
And all of it was to point the
Israelites and now also to the
00:30:57.02\00:31:00.06
Jew--no, to the Christian
generations including you and
00:31:00.09\00:31:03.66
me, as it says in verse 28 at
the end, "Serve God acceptably
00:31:03.69\00:31:07.50
with reverence
and with godly fear."
00:31:07.56\00:31:12.70
And so let's go back to Exodus.
00:31:12.73\00:31:14.04
Before we go on to the
second mountain in verse
00:31:14.07\00:31:15.84
22 of Mount Zion, and
which is being contrasted
00:31:15.87\00:31:18.74
here, let's go back to Exodus.
00:31:18.77\00:31:20.41
Exodus chapter 19 and verse 16.
00:31:20.44\00:31:24.31
Exodus chapter 19 and
verse 16, and we're just going
00:31:24.35\00:31:29.15
to quickly read
through four verses there.
00:31:29.18\00:31:32.32
So, Exodus 19 and verse 16, it
says, "And then it came to pass
00:31:32.35\00:31:35.19
on the third day, in
the morning, that there were
00:31:35.22\00:31:37.53
thunderings and lightnings, a
thick cloud on the mountain; and
00:31:37.56\00:31:40.53
the sound of a trump that
was very loud, so that all the
00:31:40.56\00:31:43.16
people that were
in the camp trembled.
00:31:43.20\00:31:47.24
And Moses brought the people out
of the camp to meet with God,
00:31:47.27\00:31:50.54
and they stood at
the foot of the mountain.
00:31:50.57\00:31:52.34
Now Mount Sinai was
completely in smoke,"
00:31:52.37\00:31:56.71
it was engulfed in
this great cloud of smoke,
00:31:56.75\00:31:59.55
"because the Lord
descended upon it in fire.
00:31:59.58\00:32:02.92
Its smoke ascended like
the smoke of a furnace, and the
00:32:02.95\00:32:05.29
whole mountain
quaked," it shook.
00:32:05.32\00:32:09.22
There was a shaking that took
place, "and it shook greatly.
00:32:09.26\00:32:15.13
And when the blast of the
trumpet sounded long and became
00:32:15.16\00:32:18.27
louder and louder," it kept
blasting long, long blasts, and
00:32:18.30\00:32:23.00
the volume kept
increasing, "Moses spoke,
00:32:23.04\00:32:26.41
and God answered him by voice."
00:32:26.44\00:32:29.68
And then of course, this is
leading to the climax of that
00:32:29.71\00:32:32.48
encounter that God had with
the Israelites including Moses,
00:32:32.51\00:32:35.48
and revealing
the Ten Commandments.
00:32:35.52\00:32:37.72
And then we come to chapter 20
and verse 18, and so as we come
00:32:37.75\00:32:42.39
to the next chapter, in verse
18 it says, "Now all the people
00:32:42.42\00:32:44.93
witnessed the thunderings, the
lightning flashes, the sound of
00:32:44.96\00:32:47.30
the trumpet, and the mountain
smoking; and when the people saw
00:32:47.36\00:32:50.27
it, they
trembled and stood afar.
00:32:50.30\00:32:54.84
And then they said to Moses,
'You speak with us, and we will
00:32:54.87\00:32:57.74
hear; but let not God
speak with us, lest we die.'
00:32:57.77\00:33:03.58
And Moses said to the
people, 'Do not fear.'"
00:33:03.61\00:33:08.42
Now, Moses, it says in Hebrews
we just read, he was overwhelmed
00:33:08.45\00:33:11.75
and he was afraid exceedingly,
but he was not afraid of God.
00:33:11.79\00:33:16.42
He was just afraid of the
overwhelming exhibition of
00:33:16.46\00:33:19.03
nature and its
powerful way around him.
00:33:19.06\00:33:22.66
But Moses,
unlike the Israelites,
00:33:22.70\00:33:24.40
was not afraid of God Himself.
00:33:24.43\00:33:27.54
The Israelites, on the other
hand, were afraid both of the
00:33:27.57\00:33:29.74
exhibition and of
God, and so Moses here is
00:33:29.77\00:33:33.94
giving them advice,
giving them counsel.
00:33:33.98\00:33:36.04
He says, "Don't--do not fear."
00:33:36.08\00:33:37.68
Don't fear God,
don't be afraid of God.
00:33:37.71\00:33:39.98
"For God has come to test
you, and that His fear may
00:33:40.02\00:33:44.29
be before you, so
that you may not sin."
00:33:44.32\00:33:50.69
And so God is doing this for
their character sanctification.
00:33:50.73\00:33:54.46
God is doing this to be able to
impact upon him that He is the
00:33:54.50\00:33:58.07
true God, He is the
all-powerful God, He is
00:33:58.10\00:34:00.94
the one that can
shake heaven and earth.
00:34:00.97\00:34:03.30
And you would do well, it would
be to your benefit, to be able
00:34:03.34\00:34:05.94
to give your heart
and your life to Jesus.
00:34:05.97\00:34:09.81
And not only that, but
then this would also be
00:34:09.84\00:34:11.61
a great motivation
that we may not sin.
00:34:11.65\00:34:15.35
You see, to fear God is to
do the opposite of sinning.
00:34:15.38\00:34:19.22
To fear God is to reverence
Him and to submit to Him and to
00:34:19.25\00:34:21.96
worship Him and to make
Him the King and the Master
00:34:21.99\00:34:24.93
of your life, your
Lord and your Savior.
00:34:24.96\00:34:29.30
And so, in so doing that, of
course, you want to avoid sin.
00:34:29.33\00:34:32.87
You do not want
to displease and you
00:34:32.90\00:34:34.94
do not want to
disappoint our Maker.
00:34:34.97\00:34:38.24
And so the question is
did Moses even need this?
00:34:38.27\00:34:41.64
Is it important that
day for Moses also to
00:34:41.68\00:34:44.15
be overcome as
it says in Hebrews.
00:34:44.18\00:34:46.08
Hebrews is confirming
that even Moses had a moment
00:34:46.11\00:34:48.68
in which he was
shaking in his boots.
00:34:48.72\00:34:51.69
He also experienced a shaking.
00:34:51.72\00:34:53.29
He also was traumatized in a
very helpful and beneficial way.
00:34:53.32\00:34:57.03
Did Moses need this?
00:34:57.06\00:34:58.36
Was Moses a
sinner? Sure, he was.
00:34:58.39\00:35:02.63
Did Moses have a
battle with his carnal nature
00:35:02.66\00:35:04.67
in the same way
that you and I have?
00:35:04.70\00:35:06.67
Sure, he did.
00:35:06.70\00:35:08.00
Now, he was the most
humble man that ever lived.
00:35:08.04\00:35:09.34
He was one that was able
to speak--he had a tremendous
00:35:09.37\00:35:13.17
privileged experience
and position in history
00:35:13.21\00:35:16.91
and in God's plan
and with God's people.
00:35:16.95\00:35:20.05
But he was still a sinner.
00:35:20.08\00:35:22.72
He still had that
battle, didn't he?
00:35:22.75\00:35:24.92
He still also
needed to be reminded how
00:35:24.95\00:35:27.06
important it was
for Moses to fear God
00:35:27.09\00:35:29.92
and to give Him
godly fear and reverence.
00:35:29.96\00:35:34.46
And we see that demonstrated
in Numbers chapter 20.
00:35:34.50\00:35:36.87
We have that
sad moment in Moses.
00:35:36.90\00:35:38.37
He was at his wit's end.
00:35:38.40\00:35:39.70
He had it up to
here with the Israelites.
00:35:39.73\00:35:41.27
He'd been dealing
with them for 40 years now,
00:35:41.30\00:35:44.07
their whining, their
complaining, their mumbling,
00:35:44.11\00:35:46.57
their slandering,
their false accusations.
00:35:46.61\00:35:49.08
He had it up to here.
00:35:49.11\00:35:51.01
And when he and his brother
stood before the Israelites
00:35:51.05\00:35:52.98
that were complaining
again and said, "Why is
00:35:53.01\00:35:54.68
it that you
brought us out here?"
00:35:54.72\00:35:56.32
And "You promised all
these presents and goodies
00:35:56.35\00:35:58.62
and everything
else, and here we are,
00:35:58.65\00:35:59.95
40 years later,
and still nothing."
00:36:00.06\00:36:02.99
So Moses had it up to
here, and so God said,
00:36:03.02\00:36:04.86
"Go and give them water.
00:36:04.89\00:36:06.23
Go and speak
reverently before the rock.
00:36:06.26\00:36:08.20
In the name of Jesus Christ,
tell the rock to produce water."
00:36:08.23\00:36:13.87
Moses let them have it. He
ripped into the Israelites.
00:36:13.90\00:36:16.77
He said, "You bunch of shysters.
00:36:16.81\00:36:18.51
You're nothing but a
bunch of stiff-necked rebels,"
00:36:18.54\00:36:21.18
and then he took his rod,
and he didn't do it reverently.
00:36:21.21\00:36:24.71
He lost his temper,
and he took that rod
00:36:24.75\00:36:27.42
and he just smack, whack, whack.
00:36:27.45\00:36:31.79
He hit the rock.
He'd lost his temper.
00:36:31.82\00:36:36.42
Did Moses sin
against the Lord that day?
00:36:36.46\00:36:39.59
Sure, he did.
00:36:39.63\00:36:41.50
He had done the opposite of what
he had just told--40 years later
00:36:41.53\00:36:44.97
at Mount Sinai, he had done the
opposite of what God had told
00:36:45.00\00:36:48.30
him to tell the
Israelites, "Do not fear for God
00:36:48.34\00:36:50.74
has done these
things that you might fear
00:36:50.77\00:36:52.74
and reverence Him,
that you may not sin."
00:36:52.77\00:36:58.35
And so, did Moses
need to be impacted
00:36:58.38\00:37:00.85
in a powerful
way at Mount Sinai?
00:37:00.88\00:37:02.82
Yes, yes, Moses
was a sinner as well.
00:37:02.85\00:37:06.96
He also had that battle.
00:37:06.99\00:37:09.22
And he also sometimes had to
come before the Lord, as you and
00:37:09.26\00:37:11.49
I did, and say, "Lord, please
forgive me for the irreverent
00:37:11.53\00:37:14.93
way in which I acted
or way I've disappointed.
00:37:14.93\00:37:17.13
I've sinned
against heaven and earth
00:37:17.17\00:37:18.50
in this manner or this way."
00:37:18.53\00:37:20.24
And just like Moses, we
also can have that assurance
00:37:20.27\00:37:23.37
that God knows the
heart and He forgives us
00:37:23.41\00:37:25.31
and cleanses us by
the blood of Jesus Christ.
00:37:25.34\00:37:31.51
So let's go to mountain number
two before we run out of time.
00:37:31.55\00:37:33.75
We're just wrapping up.
Hebrews chapter 12, verse 22.
00:37:33.78\00:37:37.45
So we're coming
back to the key passage
00:37:37.49\00:37:39.02
of Hebrews chapter 12,
and we come to verse 22.
00:37:39.05\00:37:43.36
We come to the second mountain.
00:37:43.39\00:37:44.69
The second mountain
represents the New Testament.
00:37:44.73\00:37:46.66
The Old Testament
mountain is Mount Sinai
00:37:46.70\00:37:48.90
that we looked
at in some detail.
00:37:48.93\00:37:50.40
Now we come to verse 22.
00:37:50.43\00:37:51.67
In verse 22 it says, "But you
have come to Mount Zion and to
00:37:51.70\00:37:55.97
the city of the living
God, the heavenly Jerusalem,"
00:37:56.00\00:37:59.07
we want to underline "heavenly."
00:37:59.11\00:38:00.58
"The heavenly Jerusalem, to an
innumerable company of angels."
00:38:00.61\00:38:07.15
And so when we come to Mount
Zion, the location, of course,
00:38:07.18\00:38:10.69
of the original Mount Zion was
the Jerusalem that we think of
00:38:10.72\00:38:13.66
in the Middle East
that exists even today.
00:38:13.69\00:38:16.36
But this is not
the Jerusalem that
00:38:16.39\00:38:17.69
is being spoken of here, is it?
00:38:17.73\00:38:19.83
The Jerusalem that we are being
pointed to here is not the one
00:38:19.86\00:38:22.60
that's in the Middle East,
but it's in heaven, isn't it?
00:38:22.63\00:38:25.93
It's the heavenly Jerusalem.
00:38:25.97\00:38:27.27
It is the
ultimate eternal capital
00:38:27.30\00:38:29.07
that God has
built for you and I.
00:38:29.10\00:38:31.17
This is the Holy City in which
Jesus, in John chapter 14 in
00:38:31.21\00:38:34.64
those first verses, where He
gives the promise that--to His
00:38:34.68\00:38:37.55
disciples and says, "Listen, I
am going to My Father but where
00:38:37.58\00:38:40.52
I'm going, I am going
to prepare a place for you.
00:38:40.55\00:38:44.79
In My Father's
house are many mansions."
00:38:44.82\00:38:49.32
Those mansions were
already built, by the way.
00:38:49.36\00:38:51.23
Sometimes we think Jesus went to
heaven after He ascended, after
00:38:51.26\00:38:55.06
He resurrected and ascended
to His Father, then He went
00:38:55.10\00:38:57.10
and began to
build those mansions.
00:38:57.13\00:38:58.67
No, He says, "In My
Father's house already
00:38:58.70\00:39:01.00
are mansions--
are many mansions.
00:39:01.04\00:39:04.54
And I am going to
prepare a place in those
00:39:04.57\00:39:06.64
mansions for you
as your High Priest."
00:39:06.68\00:39:09.94
This is the heavenly
Jerusalem that we are pointed to
00:39:09.98\00:39:11.98
and that Paul is
pointing to his generation
00:39:12.01\00:39:13.98
of believers and
Christians as well.
00:39:14.02\00:39:15.75
"But you have
come to Mount Zion."
00:39:15.78\00:39:17.32
Mount Zion was a
very special hill.
00:39:17.35\00:39:20.19
Now we have to remember, in
North American terms, a mountain
00:39:20.22\00:39:23.22
here is much different in
the mind of a mountain when
00:39:23.26\00:39:26.39
you use the word
"mountain" in Israel.
00:39:26.43\00:39:28.36
And I discovered that very
quickly when I did a tour in
00:39:28.40\00:39:30.43
Israel about 15
years ago, 10 years ago.
00:39:30.47\00:39:33.70
And they said, "Well, we're
going to go--" Now, they do have
00:39:33.74\00:39:36.24
some bigger mountains in
the North, you know, and so on.
00:39:36.27\00:39:41.01
So they do have some larger
00:39:41.04\00:39:42.84
mountains, what we
would call a mountain.
00:39:42.88\00:39:44.18
But what they call a
mountain in most places
00:39:44.21\00:39:46.05
of Israel, we
would call a little hill.
00:39:46.08\00:39:48.38
And so when you get to Israel
and you get to Jerusalem and you
00:39:48.42\00:39:50.82
say, "Well, where
are these mountains?
00:39:50.85\00:39:52.15
Where's Mount Zion?"
00:39:52.19\00:39:53.49
And they say, "Well, that's that
tiny little hill over there."
00:39:53.52\00:39:55.02
"That's a mountain?"
00:39:55.06\00:39:56.79
You know, Mount
Moriah where Abraham brought,
00:39:56.83\00:39:59.89
you know, his son for
the sacrifice and so on.
00:39:59.93\00:40:04.00
Mount Moriah where the temple
of God and the Jews were built,
00:40:04.03\00:40:08.10
again it's just a small hill in
our perspective compared to the
00:40:08.14\00:40:11.77
Rockies and some of
these other mountains.
00:40:11.81\00:40:15.54
But Mount Zion originally was
the city that King David and the
00:40:15.58\00:40:19.21
Israelites took
over from the Jebusites.
00:40:19.25\00:40:21.55
Now we call it
the City of David.
00:40:21.58\00:40:23.49
Once the Jews had
built a permanent temple
00:40:23.52\00:40:25.62
on top of Mount
Moriah, then that became
00:40:25.65\00:40:28.62
recognized and
was called Mount Zion.
00:40:28.66\00:40:31.46
And so there's a little
bit of shifting that took place
00:40:31.49\00:40:33.90
concerning which hill in
which--there is a number of
00:40:33.93\00:40:36.87
hills in which Jerusalem is
built on, but you have just to
00:40:36.90\00:40:40.30
the south of what is now called
Mount Zion--well, no, now they
00:40:40.34\00:40:44.61
call Mount Zion back at the City
of David, so it started as Mount
00:40:44.64\00:40:47.81
Zion at the City of David, then
it was shifted later and the
00:40:47.84\00:40:49.98
New--Old Testament prophets
called Mount Moriah where the
00:40:50.01\00:40:52.75
temple was now existing as Mount
Zion because it was the ultimate
00:40:52.78\00:40:56.02
of Zionism and
the Judaic religion.
00:40:56.05\00:41:00.92
And then it shifted
back in modern times,
00:41:00.96\00:41:03.22
back to the ancient
tel, or archeological site
00:41:03.26\00:41:06.36
of King David,
the City of David.
00:41:06.39\00:41:09.86
But the Mount Zion that is being
pointed to here is symbolized by
00:41:09.90\00:41:14.84
the temple in Jerusalem, the
City of God's ancient earthly
00:41:14.87\00:41:19.51
kingdom, but is representing now
the ultimate kingdom in which
00:41:19.54\00:41:22.54
all believers enter, including
the Hebrews of Paul's generation
00:41:22.58\00:41:26.41
that accepted Christ
as their Lord and Savior,
00:41:26.45\00:41:29.08
and that is Mount
Moriah, or Mount Zion I
00:41:29.12\00:41:31.09
should say, the
City of the Living God.
00:41:31.12\00:41:33.19
And then he points us to angels.
00:41:33.22\00:41:34.62
The general
assembly of the church
00:41:34.66\00:41:36.12
of the firstborn who
are registered in heaven.
00:41:36.16\00:41:38.33
All of you are
firstborn in the eyes of God.
00:41:38.36\00:41:40.50
We are all equal in
the eyes of God, whether
00:41:40.53\00:41:42.30
you're male or
female, as Paul said.
00:41:42.33\00:41:45.07
Whether you're
a Greek or Jewish.
00:41:45.10\00:41:46.67
Whether you're rich or poor.
00:41:46.70\00:41:48.20
All of us are equal, and
so all of us in God's eyes are
00:41:48.24\00:41:50.87
firstborn in our registration
in the books of heaven.
00:41:50.91\00:41:56.51
And Jesus is our mediator
as we looked at as well.
00:41:56.54\00:42:00.82
Well, friends,
this is a very powerful
00:42:00.85\00:42:03.15
passage that
God has given to us.
00:42:03.18\00:42:05.59
Of course, we
could spend a whole
00:42:05.62\00:42:06.92
lot more time looking at that.
00:42:06.96\00:42:08.79
There's a few other verses there
that, if we had time, we'd be
00:42:08.82\00:42:11.53
able to look at, but I trust
that you looked at the Quarterly
00:42:11.56\00:42:14.30
over the week and, if you
haven't, go back and spend some
00:42:14.30\00:42:16.90
time going through
the rest of that chapter.
00:42:16.93\00:42:20.04
It's a powerful chapter.
00:42:20.07\00:42:21.47
It's one that will
continue to build your
00:42:21.50\00:42:24.07
understanding of the hope
that God gives to us, that we
00:42:24.11\00:42:26.94
have received a kingdom
that will not be shaken.
00:42:26.98\00:42:31.88
And so all these negative
shakings that we experience in
00:42:31.91\00:42:34.62
different measures today,
will not take place any longer.
00:42:34.65\00:42:38.59
I want to invite
you again to take
00:42:38.62\00:42:39.92
advantage of
our free gift offer.
00:42:39.95\00:42:41.62
For those of you who are
watching, we have a little
00:42:41.66\00:42:44.33
booklet and it's
entitled, "The Final Verdict."
00:42:44.36\00:42:47.03
And so please
take advantage of that.
00:42:47.10\00:42:48.96
All you have to do is call into
1-866-788-3966 and ask for free
00:42:49.00\00:42:54.70
offer number 162, and we'll be
happy to send that out to you if
00:42:54.74\00:42:58.84
you're in the United States or
any of the US territories, and
00:42:58.87\00:43:02.94
also in Canada
and North America.
00:43:02.98\00:43:05.88
If you want a digital copy of
that, all you have to do is text
00:43:05.91\00:43:07.98
the code "SH078" and you
want to dial that to 40544.
00:43:08.02\00:43:15.56
And that will hook
you up to a link that
00:43:15.59\00:43:16.89
will give you a
free digital download.
00:43:16.93\00:43:18.86
Again, if you're
in North America,
00:43:18.89\00:43:20.70
the US
territories, that's available.
00:43:20.73\00:43:22.83
And then as you see on the
screen, there's also a website
00:43:22.86\00:43:25.43
there for anybody anywhere
in the world can get a free
00:43:25.47\00:43:28.74
download on the
Amazing Facts website and you
00:43:28.77\00:43:32.44
can continue to
study in the Word of God.
00:43:32.47\00:43:35.68
So until we come together the
next week, I want to wish you a
00:43:35.71\00:43:37.78
blessing throughout the
rest of your day, your week,
00:43:37.81\00:43:40.08
and we look forward
to having you join us
00:43:40.12\00:43:41.98
again in our
next Sabbath School.
00:43:42.02\00:43:44.12
male announcer: Don't
forget to request today's
00:43:47.69\00:43:48.99
life-changing free resource.
00:43:49.02\00:43:51.23
Not only can you receive
this free gift in the mail,
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you can download a
digital copy straight
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to your computer
or mobile device.
00:43:54.93\00:43:57.23
To get your digital copy of
today's free gift, simply text
00:43:57.27\00:44:00.64
the keyword on your screen to
40544 or visit the web address
00:44:00.67\00:44:05.47
shown on your screen
and be sure to select the
00:44:05.51\00:44:07.94
digital download
option on the request page.
00:44:07.98\00:44:10.65
It's now easier than ever
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And most important,
to share it with others.
00:44:17.09\00:44:20.46
announcer: "Amazing
Facts" Changed Lives.
00:44:25.29\00:44:28.26
¤¤¤
00:44:28.30\00:44:33.27
Roy: I grew up here in New
York City, I guess, dealing with
00:44:33.30\00:44:36.81
all the temptations that
you would have in a big city.
00:44:36.84\00:44:40.24
Everything that you
could imagine that you could
00:44:40.28\00:44:42.31
run into, drugs,
crime, was always here.
00:44:42.34\00:44:47.68
When I was at a young age, I
actually got into trouble with
00:44:47.72\00:44:50.49
the law and my only out
was to join the military
00:44:50.52\00:44:54.72
at the time in
order to not do time.
00:44:54.76\00:44:57.69
So I left New York
and traveled the world a
00:44:57.73\00:45:00.80
little bit while I
was in the military.
00:45:00.83\00:45:03.90
Eventually, I came back.
00:45:03.93\00:45:06.03
Having grown up as a hip hop
kid, I eventually found myself
00:45:06.07\00:45:09.97
working in the
music business actually.
00:45:10.01\00:45:12.31
I worked at a couple of major
radio stations, hip hop, reggae.
00:45:12.34\00:45:15.54
I was in all the big
reggae shows, working them.
00:45:15.58\00:45:17.91
No matter what I did
to try and satisfy myself,
00:45:17.95\00:45:20.85
nothing really worked.
00:45:20.88\00:45:23.92
I remember I used to play
at this one club in Manhattan.
00:45:23.95\00:45:27.42
We used to play
there every Friday night.
00:45:27.46\00:45:29.79
So I came home one Saturday
morning after leaving the club
00:45:29.82\00:45:33.80
and I turned on the video
channel like I usually do.
00:45:33.83\00:45:37.17
So there was this guy in
the video channel talking
00:45:37.20\00:45:39.03
and he was definitely
out of place, but the things
00:45:39.07\00:45:41.60
that he was saying
just totally amazed me.
00:45:41.64\00:45:46.01
I had never heard anyone speak
00:45:46.04\00:45:47.91
about the Bible
like this before.
00:45:47.94\00:45:49.84
So I started
coming home early on
00:45:49.88\00:45:51.35
Saturday mornings
just to catch this show.
00:45:51.38\00:45:54.42
I found the things that he was
saying absolutely amazing, to
00:45:54.45\00:45:58.32
the point where it
literally made me stop
00:45:58.35\00:46:01.69
and start to think about
how I was living my life.
00:46:01.72\00:46:05.49
So I found that all of
these things that I had
00:46:05.53\00:46:07.03
been doing to try
and find happiness were
00:46:07.10\00:46:10.67
actually not
making me happy at all.
00:46:10.70\00:46:12.90
But were really just
leaving me empty inside.
00:46:12.93\00:46:15.77
When I started reading
the Bible and it started
00:46:15.80\00:46:18.07
to make sense, I
started to make changes.
00:46:18.11\00:46:21.24
I even tried to keep the Sabbath
which I failed at miserably.
00:46:21.28\00:46:26.15
So I was actually invited
by Amazing Facts to go to see a
00:46:26.18\00:46:29.95
live series at one of the local
churches but after going the
00:46:29.98\00:46:34.06
first night, I ended up going
another night and another night.
00:46:34.09\00:46:37.89
I stayed for the entire series.
00:46:37.93\00:46:39.73
That was the day I
made a decision that
00:46:39.76\00:46:41.03
changed the rest
of my life forever.
00:46:41.06\00:46:43.57
I gave my life to
Christ and everything
00:46:43.60\00:46:45.63
was different after that.
00:46:45.67\00:46:47.57
I made a decision to
give up the music business,
00:46:47.60\00:46:49.84
stop hanging out
at all of the clubs.
00:46:49.87\00:46:51.61
I made a
decision that was eternal
00:46:51.64\00:46:53.38
for me and for my family.
00:46:53.41\00:46:56.81
I started going to church.
00:46:56.85\00:47:00.05
I got a position in church
where I was actually in charge
00:47:00.08\00:47:02.35
of the personal
ministries department.
00:47:02.38\00:47:05.65
And the same Amazing Facts
studies that changed my life, I
00:47:05.69\00:47:09.29
actually got to share
them with people and sit down
00:47:09.32\00:47:12.43
with them and
tell them about Jesus.
00:47:12.46\00:47:15.20
¤¤¤
00:47:15.23\00:47:23.74
¤¤¤
00:47:23.77\00:47:26.64
announcer: "Amazing
Facts" Changed Lives.
00:47:26.68\00:47:30.98
Reuben: You know, we grew up
in a neighborhood up in the Mid
00:47:35.25\00:47:37.79
West that was a
pretty bad neighborhood.
00:47:37.82\00:47:40.16
And when I became a
teenager, I started using drugs.
00:47:40.19\00:47:44.29
I was on--I started
using meth when I was, like,
00:47:44.33\00:47:46.83
I think 16, 15,
something like that.
00:47:46.86\00:47:49.63
I was having some
problems in my life I
00:47:49.66\00:47:51.10
really didn't
know how to deal with.
00:47:51.13\00:47:54.94
The only thing I
really knew was violence.
00:47:54.97\00:47:58.24
So, this night here I was going
to inflict violence on myself.
00:47:58.27\00:48:02.14
I was really high and really
depressed, so I took, you know,
00:48:02.18\00:48:06.15
I had this .40 caliber so
I remember, I put one in the
00:48:06.18\00:48:08.75
chamber and I stuck it to
the side of my head like this.
00:48:08.78\00:48:13.49
And that gun had a
hair trigger, you know?
00:48:13.52\00:48:17.53
I remember I was
tapping it, 'cause a part
00:48:17.56\00:48:20.70
of me said, "No, I
don't want to do this."
00:48:20.73\00:48:24.23
But there was
something very evil
00:48:24.27\00:48:25.73
present there saying, "Do it."
00:48:25.77\00:48:27.77
I just said to
myself, I said, "God,
00:48:27.80\00:48:30.64
if You're real,
show Yourself to me."
00:48:30.67\00:48:36.01
My mother took me to church when
I was a little kid and we used
00:48:36.04\00:48:40.25
to sing, "Jesus loves me,"
and I remembered that song.
00:48:40.28\00:48:44.52
It started playing in my mind.
00:48:44.55\00:48:47.32
And I almost had, like, a vision
of me as a little kid, you know,
00:48:47.36\00:48:53.56
and in Sabbath
School we used to bang those
00:48:53.60\00:48:57.83
sticks together and
sing, "Jesus loves me."
00:48:57.87\00:49:03.94
And I heard that in my
mind. So I said, "Wow."
00:49:03.97\00:49:12.75
So I just kind of like, put the
gun down and I kind of fell on
00:49:12.78\00:49:15.58
my bedside there
and I said, "Lord."
00:49:15.62\00:49:19.62
I just basically, just
prayed this crazy prayer.
00:49:19.65\00:49:22.06
I says, you know,
I told Him everything
00:49:22.09\00:49:23.76
that was wrong with me.
00:49:23.79\00:49:25.36
And I remember one
day I was driving around,
00:49:25.39\00:49:27.10
I kind of felt lost
and I drove by this church.
00:49:27.13\00:49:30.20
And I seen Tom out there.
00:49:30.23\00:49:31.73
Tom was just out there,
watering the flowers, you know?
00:49:31.77\00:49:35.54
Tom: So I caught a vision out
of the side of my eye, this big
00:49:35.57\00:49:39.64
husky guy with a tattoo, walking
up and he's saying, "Hello," and
00:49:39.67\00:49:45.55
I said--so I asked
him if I can help him.
00:49:45.58\00:49:49.88
He told me that he drives by
the church on occasion and every
00:49:49.92\00:49:55.92
time he goes by, he's
thinking if he should stop in.
00:49:55.96\00:49:59.06
Reuben: After he showed me
around the church, you know, I
00:49:59.09\00:50:03.67
was like, "Okay, man, it's nice
meeting you," and this and that.
00:50:03.70\00:50:07.74
So I jumped in my car and
I started heading down the
00:50:07.77\00:50:10.74
driveway and the next thing
you know in, like, my peripheral
00:50:10.77\00:50:15.24
vision, I see him
coming around the corner
00:50:15.28\00:50:18.91
like Jerry Rice
running a football.
00:50:18.95\00:50:21.18
No, not that fast but, you know,
he was taking off after me, and
00:50:21.22\00:50:25.99
he says, "Hey, hey,
hey, hold on, hold on."
00:50:26.02\00:50:28.42
Tom: I asked if he
would like to have some
00:50:28.46\00:50:29.92
Bible studies
and he said, "Yeah."
00:50:29.96\00:50:32.63
Reuben: He would
come by the house.
00:50:32.66\00:50:33.96
We'd all start--we'd start
hiding the beer cans and trying
00:50:34.00\00:50:37.77
to air out the weed smell and
there was a presence that came
00:50:37.80\00:50:40.97
with Tom that was comforting,
you know what I mean?
00:50:41.00\00:50:46.64
Even though I wasn't taking the
Bible studies as serious as I
00:50:46.68\00:50:49.24
should have, looking back, there
was just a presence about him
00:50:49.28\00:50:53.62
being there in the
house that was comforting.
00:50:53.65\00:50:57.72
I told Tom, I said, "Tom, you
know you can't win everybody."
00:50:57.75\00:51:00.99
Tom: I looked at him and I knew.
00:51:01.02\00:51:02.49
I said to him,
"Reuben, I never get anybody."
00:51:02.52\00:51:07.50
I says, "The Holy Spirit will
do that," and I kind of, in my
00:51:07.50\00:51:13.07
heart knew that the Holy Spirit
was going to work on Reuben.
00:51:13.10\00:51:16.47
Reuben: So then Tom kind of
left the picture for a while and
00:51:16.50\00:51:20.28
then I think one day at
my mother's house they were
00:51:20.31\00:51:22.44
watching "The Final
Events of Bible Prophecy."
00:51:22.48\00:51:25.28
So I watched that and I remember
the scene where they had the
00:51:25.31\00:51:32.32
hellfire and stuff, you know,
they're outside the city and it
00:51:32.35\00:51:36.96
showed the hellfire
coming down and burning people
00:51:36.99\00:51:41.40
and stuff and I
remember saying to myself,
00:51:41.43\00:51:45.77
"That's where I
would be, right there."
00:51:45.80\00:51:48.20
After the hellfire scene, I saw
the saints in the city, in the
00:51:48.24\00:51:54.68
New Jerusalem and
Jesus recreating the earth.
00:51:54.71\00:51:59.51
And I said, "I want that
to be my--me and my family."
00:51:59.55\00:52:06.65
There was something
about the way Doug preached
00:52:06.69\00:52:08.42
and things that I felt
that touched me because
00:52:08.46\00:52:13.53
he's kind of
like myself, you know?
00:52:13.56\00:52:15.16
He's--he didn't grow
up like that, you know?
00:52:15.20\00:52:18.90
He done drugs and things,
so I kind of found these common
00:52:18.93\00:52:23.10
grounds that I had with him and
I liked how he just kind of like
00:52:23.14\00:52:27.01
kept it real with his preaching
and then Pastor Rodney came to
00:52:27.04\00:52:30.85
the church and I got
to know him very well
00:52:30.88\00:52:34.98
and we started doing
some finishing studies.
00:52:35.02\00:52:38.42
He wanted to
make sure I understand
00:52:38.45\00:52:39.75
what I was doing and things.
00:52:39.79\00:52:42.72
And he baptized me,
my wife, my brother.
00:52:42.76\00:52:46.90
No matter what
you've done, where
00:52:46.93\00:52:49.40
you come from,
where you've been.
00:52:49.43\00:52:52.80
No matter how bad of a sinner
you think you are, the Lord
00:52:52.83\00:52:57.51
Jesus loves you no
matter what you've done.
00:52:57.54\00:53:00.94
Doug Batchelor: Friends, it's
because of God's blessing and
00:53:00.98\00:53:03.31
your support, thousands
of others, just like Reuben,
00:53:03.35\00:53:06.85
have found Jesus
and eternal life.
00:53:06.88\00:53:09.32
¤¤¤
00:53:09.35\00:53:19.33
¤¤¤
00:53:19.36\00:53:24.30
¤¤¤
00:53:24.33\00:53:30.57
Heather Shurtliff: We can
do nothing without God, and
00:53:30.61\00:53:33.24
sometimes He lets you get
to that place where you realize
00:53:33.27\00:53:36.24
there is nothing left and you're
just wondering if you even want
00:53:36.28\00:53:39.81
to live because it
hurts and life is dark.
00:53:39.85\00:53:42.85
When He lets you get to that
place and that's when He can
00:53:42.88\00:53:45.49
break through to you
and let you know He's there.
00:53:45.52\00:53:47.62
And then He can work
with you to bring beauty
00:53:47.66\00:53:51.23
out of ashes, and
hope out of darkness.
00:53:51.26\00:53:53.90
My mom, when she was pregnant
with me, was diagnosed with
00:53:53.93\00:53:58.03
bipolar and the times when
my mom would be struggling, they
00:53:58.07\00:54:03.07
might be trying her
on different medications
00:54:03.10\00:54:06.14
to help her
with the mood swings.
00:54:06.17\00:54:08.74
I kind of had a savior complex
and had like a guilt complex
00:54:08.78\00:54:11.88
that somehow that my family's
problems were my own fault or
00:54:11.91\00:54:15.62
I'm the one that was supposed
to try to help her fix it,
00:54:15.65\00:54:18.72
which is impossible
for any human to do.
00:54:18.75\00:54:20.82
Only Jesus can do that.
00:54:20.86\00:54:22.46
But I believe stuffing all of
those emotions and for so long,
00:54:22.49\00:54:26.23
my world had started
to crumble around me.
00:54:26.26\00:54:27.56
I started having
a nervous breakdown.
00:54:27.60\00:54:28.86
I could not stuff any longer
00:54:28.90\00:54:30.20
everything that
I'd grown up with.
00:54:30.23\00:54:31.80
I just slowly but surely, just
started to withdraw completely
00:54:31.83\00:54:35.47
and it got to the extent where
I was like a prisoner of my own
00:54:35.50\00:54:39.41
house, of my own affairs, and if
it wasn't for my mom making me
00:54:39.44\00:54:41.98
come out of the basement, and
sometimes, you know, making me
00:54:42.01\00:54:45.55
eat, I would just stay
down in my room in the basement.
00:54:45.58\00:54:47.88
And I remember how
awful the darkness was
00:54:47.92\00:54:52.42
and how terrible it
is to live without hope.
00:54:52.45\00:54:56.52
I can still feel that
in my throat, in my heart.
00:54:56.56\00:54:59.83
I remember what that feels like.
00:54:59.86\00:55:03.93
I had been still contemplating
suicide on and off for several
00:55:03.97\00:55:07.40
months and I knew it was getting
worse and I was going to be
00:55:07.44\00:55:11.07
successful unless
something happened.
00:55:11.11\00:55:13.78
And, you know, just trying to
talk to yourself out of it every
00:55:13.81\00:55:16.58
day but still just--it just
always being there, haunting me.
00:55:16.61\00:55:20.12
And I just went to bed feeling
really, really sick and just
00:55:20.15\00:55:24.32
told myself, in counseling
they'll tell you, you know, it
00:55:24.35\00:55:26.96
always--don't do it,
make any impulsive decisions.
00:55:26.99\00:55:30.49
It'll always be
brighter in the morning.
00:55:30.53\00:55:32.39
You know, just see
it through the night.
00:55:32.43\00:55:34.10
Sometimes the night are
the longest, darkest hours.
00:55:34.10\00:55:36.60
And I just went to
sleep, telling myself that.
00:55:36.63\00:55:39.87
And when I woke up in the
morning, there was no relief.
00:55:39.90\00:55:42.50
It was worse than it was.
00:55:42.54\00:55:43.84
I--it was just like I
knew it was waiting for
00:55:43.87\00:55:45.74
me when I woke
up in the morning.
00:55:45.77\00:55:47.28
And so then I went to class and
as soon as the class was getting
00:55:47.31\00:55:52.55
going, I asked the teacher if
I could go get a drink of water,
00:55:52.58\00:55:55.05
and I went into the
kitchen and I started
00:55:55.08\00:55:57.85
drinking some of
the different cleaners.
00:55:57.89\00:55:59.82
And as I was there drinking
the cleaners, choking on the
00:55:59.85\00:56:02.82
cleaners, just such
an awful place to be in,
00:56:02.86\00:56:09.80
the chaplain--we
have a very kind chaplain.
00:56:09.83\00:56:11.73
He flipped on the
kitchen lights and he comes in
00:56:11.77\00:56:14.30
with his bright smile
and he's like, "Heather."
00:56:14.34\00:56:16.20
He's like, "How
are you doing today?"
00:56:16.24\00:56:18.14
And I'm like, you
know, I'm killing myself.
00:56:18.17\00:56:22.88
And I look at
his face and I can't
00:56:22.91\00:56:24.58
lie to him, such a kind man.
00:56:24.61\00:56:26.41
I just look at him
and I just start sobbing.
00:56:26.45\00:56:29.12
And he just--he
doesn't make a big deal.
00:56:29.15\00:56:32.52
He just kindly and sweetly helps
pick me up off the floor and
00:56:32.55\00:56:36.12
walks me to his office and
so he just--he talked to me.
00:56:36.16\00:56:40.06
I told him what I drank,
and he called the ambulance.
00:56:40.10\00:56:42.80
After that hospital stay, you
know, everybody was so scared
00:56:42.83\00:56:44.73
for me 'cause it
was not expected at all.
00:56:44.77\00:56:47.14
But after that, somehow I knew
that suicide was not an option
00:56:47.17\00:56:51.27
anymore, that I
had closed that door.
00:56:51.31\00:56:52.97
Even though I still had that
same pain and fear and I had no
00:56:53.01\00:56:55.48
idea how God's going
to pick up the pieces,
00:56:55.51\00:56:57.31
and I still had to
be honest with God.
00:56:57.35\00:56:58.65
I was like, "Okay, God,
obviously You care, obviously.
00:56:58.68\00:57:01.82
I know that You spared my life.
00:57:01.85\00:57:03.82
And I don't have any
idea how You're going
00:57:03.85\00:57:05.59
to help me fix
this mess in my life."
00:57:05.62\00:57:07.59
But it was the beginning
of me trusting Him again
00:57:07.62\00:57:10.86
and just shutting
that door to suicide.
00:57:10.89\00:57:13.66
It's not ever
been an option again.
00:57:13.70\00:57:16.26
God used Amazing Facts and
Pastor Doug in a powerful way to
00:57:16.30\00:57:22.44
make His love for me, His soon
Coming for me, and that He was
00:57:22.47\00:57:26.51
calling me to share
that with others, real.
00:57:26.54\00:57:29.28
And it was making it personal,
God's love for me, and that
00:57:29.31\00:57:33.05
was--really, that's a seed that
I will--I'll never forget and
00:57:33.08\00:57:36.38
that I'm so grateful that my
family didn't have to go through
00:57:36.42\00:57:39.19
the pain and the tragedy of me
taking my life and that I have
00:57:39.22\00:57:43.02
the joy of being
able to encourage
00:57:43.06\00:57:44.69
other people that
there's always hope.
00:57:44.73\00:57:48.13
Amazing Facts
just changed my life.
00:57:48.16\00:57:50.93
I am so grateful
for their ministry.
00:57:50.97\00:57:53.80
It's a precious blessing.
00:57:53.84\00:57:55.24
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00:57:55.27\00:58:05.25
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00:58:05.28\00:58:13.76
¤¤¤
00:58:13.79\00:58:23.37
¤¤¤
00:58:23.40\00:58:27.04