Participants:
Series Code: SSP
Program Code: SSP180016A
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00:01 The Bible tells us, "In the beginning was the Word,
00:03 and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." 00:07 It says, "To receive with meekness the implanted Word 00:11 which is able to save your souls, 00:13 and to be diligent to present yourself approved to God, 00:17 rightly dividing the Word of truth." 00:20 Join us now for the 3ABN Sabbath School Panel. 00:25 Our study today is Preparation for the End Time. 00:31 Hello, I'm CA Murray, 00:32 and it is my privilege and pleasure 00:34 to welcome you to 3ABN's Sabbath School Panel. 00:39 This is our continuing 00:40 and in-depth study of the Word of God. 00:42 And, of course, we're studying 00:44 this particular quarter under the title, 00:47 the heading, preparation or preparing for the end times, 00:51 and if ever there was a lesson, 00:55 a series of lessons that are needed, 00:56 it would be this lesson at this time, 00:59 preparing for the end times, 01:01 for truly the time of the end is upon us, 01:04 and we are in that time even now. 01:05 So we ask you, we encourage you to join us in the study. 01:09 Grab your Bible, some paper, something to take notes on, 01:11 whatever device you use. 01:14 And should you want a Sabbath School study guide, 01:18 we encourage you to go to ABSG.Adventist.org, 01:23 and you can download Sabbath School study guide 01:26 to study with us, to join us in the study, 01:28 make notes, and keep... 01:29 These are the kinds of things that if you write them down, 01:31 take notes, you will refer to them over and over again 01:34 particularly, if you are a Sabbath School teacher, 01:36 or one who has a chance to give a lesson study, 01:39 or maybe a talk. 01:41 These are the kind of things that can fortify you 01:42 and give you notes and ammunition for your talk. 01:45 So we encourage you to do that even now, 01:47 as together we look at this 01:49 very, very, very important topic, 01:52 getting ourselves ready for the end times. 01:54 I am in the company of some very intelligent 01:56 and articulate students of the Word, 01:59 Ms. Mollie Steenson, good to have you here. 02:01 Thank you. Thank you. 02:02 The lady, Shelley Quinn, good to have you here. 02:05 Greg Morikone, Greg, good to have you here. 02:07 Thank you. 02:08 And Jill Morikone, last but certainly not least. 02:13 Let's go right to prayer, and then we could... 02:15 'Cause there's a lot to say and so much to cover 02:17 as we look at Jesus and the Book of Revelation. 02:20 Of course, the very first line tells us 02:22 why the book is written. 02:23 It is an expose of who Christ is. 02:26 It is an introduction of who Christ is. 02:28 And Christ is woven throughout this wonderful, wonderful book. 02:32 And so, Jill, would you lead us in prayer please? 02:33 Sure. 02:35 Holy Father, we come before You in the name of Jesus, 02:37 and we just thank You for the privilege 02:39 for the opening up Your Word. 02:41 We thank You for anointing in Your Word, 02:44 the creative power in it, 02:45 and we just ask right now 02:47 that You would give us clean hands and a pure heart, 02:50 that You would open up our minds and hearts 02:53 to receive what You have for us. 02:56 Give us ears to hear, 02:57 and we thank You in the precious 02:59 and holy name of Jesus, amen. 03:01 Amen and amen. 03:03 Our memory text comes from the Book of Revelation 3:21. 03:09 Shall we read starting together from the NIV? 03:12 The Bible says, "To the one who is victorious, 03:16 I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, 03:21 just as I was victorious 03:23 and sat down with my Father on his throne." 03:28 You know, what is interesting, and we, of course, 03:30 all knows that the New Testament was written in Greek. 03:33 But it was written in Koine Greek which is, 03:36 for one of the better terms, street Greek. 03:38 It's common language Greek. 03:40 And so it's not unusual to know 03:42 and to think that when you're using 03:44 street language, or common language, 03:46 or vernacular to try to communicate thoughts 03:49 that you use things that are very, very familiar to people. 03:54 I found something in the King James, 03:57 of course, the word victorious is overcomer or overcometh. 04:02 I have a series of sermons 04:03 called the theme of the overcomer, 04:05 and there is a theme of overcoming throughout 04:07 the Book of Revelation that if you overcome, 04:09 there are certain things that are laid down for you. 04:12 But in searching the street Greek, 04:15 I found something 04:16 that I thought was very, very interesting. 04:19 The word overcomer, 04:21 does anybody know what that word is in the Greek? 04:23 No, I don't. Yeah. 04:26 Anyone know what this is? Let me show you this way. 04:29 That's a tennis shoe. Yeah, it's a tennis shoe. 04:31 We know that, what that symbol is? 04:33 That's Nike. 04:35 That's a word for overcomer in the Greek, Nike. 04:38 Nike, it is Nike. 04:40 Nike was the Greek god of victory and overcoming. 04:46 In Rome, in Latin, it's Victoria. 04:50 But in Greek, it's Nike. 04:52 She was the god of overcoming, a winged goddess. 04:56 And, so that was used for overcoming. 04:59 So other words therein, 05:03 to subdue, to vanquish a foe, 05:08 not only was she the success, 05:10 she was also the means of success, 05:12 and the primary root is Nike. 05:15 Very, very curious. 05:18 Pronounced Nike. 05:19 But when you bring it into the English, 05:21 Nike becomes Nike, 05:22 it's N-I-K-E, or if I, Nike. 05:26 I thought that was very, very curious. 05:28 So to those who are overcomers... 05:32 We see this in the Book of Revelation, 05:34 there is much that is promised, 05:36 and also there is promise in the Book of Revelation, 05:38 the means for overcoming, 05:40 not only what you get when you overcome. 05:42 I'm so glad that God doesn't say, 05:44 "Do that, and you're on your own to do that." 05:47 He gives us the ability, 05:49 the right to become sons of God. 05:50 He helps us to do what He calls us to do. 05:53 He equips you when He calls you to do. 05:56 So we move now into the study of the lesson. 06:02 What I thought was interesting in looking at Revelation, 06:05 looking at the New Testament, 06:06 in looking at the crucial aspects 06:09 of Old and New Testament, 06:10 33% of the New Testament comes from the Old. 06:15 It's a great amount. 06:17 Some books go as high, 06:18 Hebrews, 69% of Hebrews is Old Testament. 06:22 1 Peter, 69% of Peter is Old Testament. 06:26 Jude, 68% of Jude is Old Testament. 06:31 Most of the books except for just a couple are over 10%. 06:34 So when we talk about the Old Testament and the New, 06:38 the New Testament is just an exposition of, 06:42 a revelation of what was happening in the Old. 06:45 We don't jettison the Old in favor of the New 06:50 because the New is built 06:51 on a foundation of the Old Testament. 06:53 And when quotes were made in the New Testament, 06:56 they were quoting from the Old Testament. 07:00 There are 850 direct quotes 07:01 in the New Testament from the Old Testament. 07:04 And I thought this was interesting... 07:05 Matthew has 96 direct quotes, these are direct quotes. 07:09 Romans, 74 direct quotes, Hebrews, 86 direct quotes, 07:13 Revelation, 249 direct quotes, 07:17 150% of Revelation is from the Old Testament. 07:20 How do you get 150%? 07:22 Because sometimes it quotes twice. 07:25 It takes the same quote 07:27 or it quotes twice in the same text. 07:29 So when we look at Revelation, it's not brand new, 07:32 it's not something hidden, 07:33 it is just a Revelation of Jesus Christ 07:35 who is throughout the whole Bible. 07:37 And when Christ taught Cleopas 07:41 and his friend on the road to Emmaus, 07:44 the Bible says he started at Moses 07:46 and went through the prophets. 07:48 He was teaching them from the Old Testament, 07:51 He was teaching them from the Bible 07:52 that He knew which was the Old Testament. 07:57 So you cannot separate one from the other. 08:00 The New Testament simply finishes 08:03 what the Old Testament begins and pulls it all together. 08:06 And the lesson says, 08:09 the same thing can be said for the Book of Revelation. 08:12 Of all books, it is the one that really spends 08:15 a lot of time bringing Old Testament 08:17 things to fruition and to fulfillment. 08:19 And as we saw in the last couple of weeks, 08:21 certainly the Book of Daniel, 08:22 you cannot really answer all of the questions 08:26 in the Book of Daniel 08:27 until you peg it and tie it to Revelation, 08:31 and it makes a nice tight package of understanding 08:34 when you put them both together. 08:38 On Sunday's lesson, we are talking about 08:42 the structure of the Book of Revelation. 08:49 The lesson is asked 08:50 or the lesson asked the question... 08:54 In the verses that we have, in 1 Corinthians 10:1-11. 08:58 We're not going to read them all. 09:00 How do we see the principles talked about 09:03 that we talked about from above? 09:05 And in that text, there is... 09:09 In those scriptures, there is this part that says 09:11 those things which are written 09:13 are written for examples for us. 09:16 So the Old Testament and the New Testament 09:19 are written for examples for our learning, 09:22 for our teaching, for affirmation, 09:24 and for our conduct. 09:28 They are written so that God's people will know what to do. 09:32 And I remember, we had this discussion once, Shelley, 09:35 that unless you are spending considerable time 09:38 in the Word of God, Old Testament and New, 09:40 you don't even know what promises to claim. 09:43 You know, it's like you have this bank account, 09:44 and you don't have a PIN number, 09:46 it's the money sitting there but you don't have access 09:48 because you don't know that you have this account. 09:51 So you can't even claim the promises 09:54 unless you know the promises. 09:56 And a lot of those promises start at the Old 09:59 and are reiterated in the New. 10:00 They're not brand new in the New, 10:02 they're reiterated over. 10:03 When you look at Hebrews 13:5 and 6, 10:06 and the Lord says, 10:08 "I will never leave you nor forsake you," 10:10 that's a direct quote from Joshua 1:9. 10:13 It's not brand new in Hebrews, that's an age old quote. 10:16 So a lot of the things that are in the Old 10:19 are reiterated in the New, 10:20 and it's important for God's people to study Old and New 10:23 so that they can be well rounded and balanced, 10:26 and they can know what promises to claim 10:28 and know the wealth of spiritual gold 10:31 that they have and lay access to that goal, 10:34 so that they can be prepared to serve the Lord in peace. 10:37 Let me read something here that I found very interesting. 10:40 As we found last week, some of the stories in Daniel 10:45 were localized, historical incidents 10:47 that reflect somewhat the end time events 10:50 depicted in Revelation. 10:51 And that was one of the days 10:52 that I had that we look at the drama and trauma 10:57 as I said of the Hebrew worthies 10:59 and Daniel there in Babylon. 11:02 But it gives us somewhat of an idea of the kinds of things 11:05 that God's people will have to traverse in the last days 11:08 as we come down to the last days of history. 11:12 We are all going to be called to stand. 11:15 You know, I question myself on this, 11:17 the idea that I'm going to have 11:20 to give an account for the faith that I have, 11:23 not only with my words or with my deeds. 11:28 Those things that I hold dear, 11:29 those things that I believe in God, 11:31 I'm going to have to articulate in word 11:33 and deed before Christ comes. 11:35 My belief systems are going to be tested. 11:38 My walk with Christ is going to be tested. 11:41 My love for Jesus is going to be tested. 11:43 And as it is with me so it will be with all of you, 11:47 and all of those who name the name of Jesus. 11:50 Years ago, I had a teacher, said, 11:51 "You're not going to heaven on roller skates, 11:54 you're going on your knees." 11:55 And what he was saying is that 11:57 all of us who have to pray 11:58 our way in and then stand up and walk with Jesus. 12:01 There is no pass on trial, 12:03 there is no pass on tribulation. 12:05 In fact, it is through trial, and testing, 12:07 and tribulation that our faith is made strong, 12:09 and this is affirmed in the Old Testament, 12:12 reaffirmed in the New. 12:13 And my time is running very quickly, 12:16 just a couple more things. 12:21 When we read Revelation 12:1-17, 12:26 the lesson asked the question, 12:28 "Is it historical or is it apocalyptic?" 12:30 Because, of course, Revelation is divided 12:33 into historical sections and apocalyptic sections, 12:36 as is the Book of Daniel. 12:37 I see it personally as a bridge chapter 12:40 containing some of both elements. 12:43 It is a part apocalyptic, so it is symbolic. 12:47 But it is also historical 12:49 because there was war in heaven, 12:51 and Satan was cast out to this earth, 12:53 and he did tempt God's people, 12:56 and he was ultimately responsible 12:58 for the death of the Son of God, 13:00 and the persecution of the Latter-day Saints. 13:02 This is all very, very real. 13:05 And so we have this bridge chapter, 13:07 and then we move into 13, 13:08 historical, move into 14 which is, 13:12 to me, the pinnacle of Revelation 13:14 when you get to the messages of those three angels. 13:18 But they are... 13:20 There are historical sections, 13:22 and there are apocalyptic sections, 13:24 and together they weave a picture of where we are, 13:27 and where we are going, and how we are to get there. 13:29 Last question, then I'm done. 13:33 The lesson says, we seem 13:35 to keep repeating ourselves in history. 13:37 What can we do as a people of God 13:40 so that we don't continue to make the same mistakes 13:43 that our forefathers made. 13:45 It occurs to me that we need to stop often 13:48 on the road to heaven, 13:50 and look over our shoulder and see from whence we've come. 13:53 God does not call us to live in the past. 13:56 In fact, that's dangerous to spend too much time 13:58 looking over your shoulder when you're going forward, 14:00 that's how you have an accident. 14:02 But you don't want to forget about the past. 14:04 To my mind, the only thing 14:05 worse than nostalgia is amnesia. 14:10 You don't want to forget about the past, 14:13 but you don't want to live in the past. 14:15 And, of course, Ellen White says, 14:16 the only thing we have to fear for the future 14:18 is that we forget God's leading in our past history. 14:21 So the secret to moving forward 14:23 is to know where you are in the span of time, 14:27 to know where you're going, 14:29 and to focus on that, and keep focused on that, 14:32 and that will allow you to traverse the bumps and nicks 14:36 and other things that come to every Christian 14:39 as we walk the road that leads to glory, Mollie. 14:41 Amen, and amen. 14:43 I'm going to give a quote from your lesson, 14:46 and it's about history. 14:49 It says, "One of the lessons we learn from history 14:52 is that we never learn from history." 14:54 And that's a pitfall. 14:57 We need to learn from history. 14:59 I have Monday, and it's images of Jesus. 15:03 And our lesson this week is Jesus 15:06 in the Book of Revelation. 15:08 So I hope you're in the Book of Revelation. 15:11 Excuse me. 15:12 We are going to look at images of Jesus 15:16 in the Book of Revelation. 15:18 Scripture in the Book of Revelation 15:21 that gives us a description of Jesus, 15:23 what He has done, is doing, and will do, 15:28 these are scriptures that teaches about Jesus. 15:31 So I'm going to run through some scriptures, 15:34 and then I'm going to do what Jill Morikone does. 15:37 I'm going to give you four points, 15:39 point one, point two, point three, and point four. 15:42 That way, I think, we'll hold on to it. 15:44 But let's look in Revelation 1. 15:47 Again, images of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 15:51 You know, CA, something you said 15:54 was that Jesus is throughout the scriptures, 15:59 Old Testament and New Testament. 16:03 And these images in the Book of Revelation 16:06 are sharp clear images. 16:08 Excuse me, just a moment. 16:13 So I've got you, in Revelation 1:4 through 5. 16:18 "John, to the seven churches which are in Asia, 16:21 grace to you and peace from Him who is, and who was, 16:26 and who is to come." 16:27 Who is, who was, and is to come. 16:31 "And from the seven Spirits who are before His throne 16:34 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness." 16:37 Faithful, write that word down 16:39 because that's a word you're going to hear 16:41 repeated many times in these images of Jesus. 16:45 "The firstborn from the dead," he's what? 16:48 The firstborn from the dead. 16:50 "And the ruler over the kings of the earth. 16:53 To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins," in what? 16:58 "In His own blood." He's the spotless lamb. 17:02 Okay, this is something that Jesus says about Himself. 17:06 This is in Revelation 1:18. 17:10 "I am He who lives," that was before the cross, 17:16 "and was dead," where did He die? 17:18 At the cross. 17:19 "And behold, I am alive for evermore," after the cross. 17:24 Amen. 17:25 And Jesus says about Himself, 17:28 "I have the keys of Hades and of death." 17:32 Okay, now we're going to go to Revelation 5, 17:35 and we're going to look at verses, 17:38 starting with verse 1. 17:39 But let me, kind of, give you a little setting here. 17:42 John was on the aisle of Patmos. 17:46 Okay. 17:47 And the scripture says 17:49 that while John was on the Isle of Patmos, 17:52 a voice came to him, and the voice said, 17:55 "Come up, hither, 17:57 and I will show you what must take place." 18:00 And it says that immediately, John went into the spirit. 18:05 Now this is what John says that he saw. 18:08 "And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne." 18:13 Now as he went into the spirit, he went before a throne, 18:17 a scroll written inside and on the back, 18:20 sealed with seven seals. 18:23 "Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, 18:27 'Who is worthy to open the scroll 18:29 and to loose the seals? 18:32 And no one in heaven, or on the earth, 18:34 or under the earth was able to open the scroll 18:37 or to look at it. 18:39 So while I wept much 18:41 because no one was found worthy to open 18:44 and read the scroll or to look at it. 18:47 But one of the elder said to me, "Do not weep. 18:50 Behold, the lion of the tribe of Judah, 18:54 the root of David has prevailed to open the scroll 19:00 and to loose its seals. 19:01 And I looked and behold, in the midst of the throne 19:06 and of the four living creatures 19:07 and in the midst of the elders, stood," what? 19:10 "Stood a lamb as though it had been slain." 19:13 Who are we talking about here? Jesus. 19:15 The lamb that has been slain, 19:17 the lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David. 19:20 "Then he came and took the scroll 19:23 out of the right hand of Him who sit on the throne." 19:26 And now, let's go on to verses 8 and 9. 19:32 Now when He had taken the scroll, 19:34 the four living creatures 19:36 and the twenty four elders fell down before," what? 19:40 "Before the lamb, each having a heart and golden bowls 19:44 full of incense which are of the prayers of the saints. 19:48 And they sang a new song saying, 19:50 'You are worthy to take the scroll 19:53 and to open its seals, 19:54 for you were slain and have redeemed us to God 19:58 by your blood out of every tribe, 20:02 and tongue, and people, and nation,'" out of what? 20:06 Every tribe, and tongue, and peoples, and nation. 20:10 You know what this is telling us. 20:11 Salvation through the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ 20:15 is an exclusive. 20:17 It doesn't just belong to one group. 20:19 Who does it belong? 20:20 It's all inclusive, it's not by race, it's by... 20:24 Grace. Let's hear it. It's by grace. 20:26 It's all inclusive, 20:28 every tongue, and nation, and peoples. 20:32 Okay, now let's go to Revelation 19. 20:36 We're going to look at verses 11 through 15. 20:40 Revelation 19:11-15. 20:44 And remember that word I said to write down 20:46 that you're going to hear. 20:48 Faithful. 20:50 "Now I saw heaven opened. 20:52 And behold, a white horse, 20:55 and He who sat on him was called faithful and true, 21:01 and in righteousness, He judges and makes war." 21:04 Now remember, these are images of Jesus in Revelation. 21:08 We see several images. 21:10 He's a lamb that was slain. 21:12 but here it says that He judges and makes war. 21:17 His eyes were like a flame of fire, 21:19 and on his head were many crowns, 21:21 He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. 21:25 He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood. 21:29 And His name is called the Word of God," 21:32 in the beginning was the Word, 21:33 and the Word was with God, and Word was God, 21:37 "called the Word of God 21:38 and the armies in heaven clothed in fine linen, 21:41 white and clean followed Him on white horses. 21:45 Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword that with it, 21:49 He should strike the nations, 21:51 and He himself will rule them with a rod of iron. 21:55 He himself treads the winepress 21:58 of the fierceness of wrath of Almighty God." 22:02 Now remember, where is John? 22:04 He's on the Isle of Patmos, he's in the spirit, 22:08 and when he went in the spirit, he came before a throne. 22:12 And we've been reading about this one 22:14 that is sitting on the throne, 22:16 our memory verse says, "To him who sits on the throne, 22:21 He says 'I will make you to be victorious.'" 22:25 I think that word was Nike, make us victorious, 22:29 overcomers if we are faithful. 22:32 And He will make us to sit on the throne, 22:36 do you know what? 22:37 We get to reign with Him. Okay. 22:41 So the one that is sitting on the throne 22:44 now looks to John and He speaks to John. 22:47 Revelation 21:5 through 7, "Then He who sat on the throne 22:53 said, 'Behold, I make all things new,' 22:56 and He said to me." 22:57 John is saying this. 22:59 "And He said to me, 'Write, for these words are true'", 23:01 and there's that word, "Faithful. 23:04 And He said to me, 'It is done. 23:06 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. 23:10 And I will give up the fountain of the water of life 23:13 freely to him who thirsts. 23:16 He who overcomes shell inherit all things. 23:19 And I will be his God and he shall be my son.'" 23:23 Now, let's recap. 23:25 Number one, He is the lamb 23:28 which points to His first coming. 23:31 Do you know what? He came voluntarily. 23:35 Nobody forced Him to, He came because He wanted to, 23:40 and He knew His end, did He not? 23:42 He was the Lamb, 23:45 slain from the foundation for you and me. 23:48 Number two, He was dead, 23:51 He suffered a cruel and painful death on Calvary. 23:54 Do you remember the scribes and Pharisees 23:56 and those that were passing by? 23:58 They were mocking Him. You know what they said to him? 24:01 They said, "If you be the Son of God, 24:04 come down off that cross." 24:06 And you know what? He didn't say a word. 24:08 But it was this. 24:09 Though in His silence, He said, 24:11 "You just wait till Sunday morning." 24:13 You're going to find out it's better to come down off 24:16 of a cross than to come up out of a grave, 24:19 There in is our victory. 24:20 He didn't have to come down off of that cross, 24:23 He was resurrected in newness of life. 24:26 Yet, number three, 24:29 yet, He is alive for evermore, he arose. 24:32 He is the King of kings, He is the Lord of lords. 24:35 He is seated where? 24:37 At the right hand of the Father. 24:39 What's He doing? 24:40 Forever making intercession for us. 24:43 He's the lamb, He was dead, He is resurrected, 24:46 and now He's at the right hand of the Father, 24:50 and He's praying for you and for me. 24:52 There's some images of our Lord and Savior. 24:55 Amen. 24:56 Thank you, Mollie, it's very good. 24:58 Tuesday's lesson is the sanctuary motive in Revelation. 25:03 And as CA brought out, 25:05 the Book of Revelation has two major divisions, 25:08 the historical and the apocalyptical. 25:11 But there's another structural layer, 25:14 and that is the sanctuary motive. 25:18 This is built around the sanctuary, 25:20 and that goes through both of the divisions of Revelation. 25:24 Let me just quickly do a sanctuary primary. 25:28 In Exodus 25, God said to His people, He told Moses, 25:32 "Let them build me a sanctuary that I might dwell among them." 25:35 And He tells Moses to build according to the pattern 25:38 that He is going to show him. 25:41 And just like He gave Noah instructions 25:44 how to build the ark, 25:45 He gave Moses instructions how to build the tabernacle. 25:49 Hebrews 8:5 says that this sanctuary is just 25:52 a copy and shadow of that which was in heaven. 25:58 Hebrews 9:24 said that Jesus has not entered 26:04 into the sanctuary made with human hands, 26:07 referring to what was made on earth, but that... 26:12 And again, it says only a copy and pattern 26:15 and type of the true one that's in heaven. 26:18 But he says, He entered into heaven itself. 26:23 I think one of my favorite verses on sanctuary 26:26 is Psalm 77:13, 26:29 because he says, "Your way, O Lord, 26:32 is in the sanctuary." 26:35 The sanctuary was theology in physical form. 26:40 It was three-dimensional 26:42 lifelike pictures of God's plan of salvation. 26:46 And all of its structures 26:48 and its ceremonies served as symbols of the, 26:53 illustrating the process of salvation, 26:55 so that the people who could not read at the time 27:00 but they could comprehend God's plan of salvation. 27:03 And it shows how God deals with sin, 27:08 and it shows the sinner's journey, 27:10 the way of the journey back to God. 27:12 Now everything about the earthly sanctuary 27:18 just symbolized the heavenly sanctuary. 27:21 And in case, I don't have time to get through all of this, 27:23 I want to read this. 27:24 In Revelation 11:19, it says, 27:27 "The temple of God was opened in heaven. 27:30 And the ark of His covenant was seen in His temple." 27:35 See, the image of the Ark of the Covenant 27:39 in the heavenly sanctuary 27:43 is just indisputable reference 27:45 to the most holy place, is it not? 27:47 So we're going to look at 27:52 this sanctuary motive. 27:55 Jesus was the central theme 27:59 of the sanctuary, His ministry. 28:03 But what we'll look at now 28:06 is the three main areas of the sanctuary, 28:10 and how they correspond 28:11 with the three phases of Christ's ministry in heaven. 28:14 So we're going to go through this rapidly. 28:17 When you first walked in to the earthly tabernacle, 28:21 the sanctuary, you were out in the outer court, 28:24 what did you see? 28:26 The altar of burnt offering. 28:28 This is where all of the animals 28:29 were slain as sacrifices for sin. 28:32 This was symbolic of the cross, 28:35 the animals were symbolic of the Lamb of God. 28:38 And what happened and transpired there, 28:41 this was all about justification 28:43 with a substitutionary sacrifice. 28:46 You went beyond that, and then you saw the laver. 28:49 This was between the altar of burnt offerings 28:52 and the two-compartment tabernacle. 28:55 This is where the priests washed, 28:57 and this symbolizes both baptism 28:59 and the living water of the Holy Spirit. 29:02 But now as you enter 29:03 into the two-compartment tabernacle, 29:07 when you look to... 29:09 And by the way, I... 29:13 Yeah, I'll say this. 29:15 The two-compartment tabernacle 29:18 was the holy place and the most holy place. 29:22 This represented daily service and annual service. 29:28 So we're looking at in the holy place, 29:32 this is symbolic of sanctification. 29:35 To the south on the left 29:37 was a seven-branched candlestick. 29:41 Jesus said, "I am the light of the world 29:44 and he who follows after me will never walk in darkness." 29:49 And the oil in the candlestick represented the Holy Spirit. 29:54 Now, if you look to the north side, 29:57 on the right was the table of showbread 29:59 with the 12 little things of bread stacked up. 30:05 What did Jesus say, "I am the bread of life." 30:09 That's right. Right? 30:10 And also he said in Matthew 4:4, 30:14 "Man shall not live by bread alone 30:16 but by every word that proceeds from my mouth." 30:20 So that table of showbread was symbolic of Jesus, 30:24 the Living Word of God as well as the Bible, 30:28 the written Word of God. 30:30 Now, if you looked directly in front of you 30:33 as you entered into this holy place, 30:37 you got the candelabra over here, 30:39 you've got the showbread, 30:40 but right in front of you was the altar of incense. 30:44 And what this altar of incense, 30:46 we just read in the lesson that the bowl of incense 30:50 before this represents the prayers. 30:53 And how I look at this is, our prayers as they... 30:57 This is where they prayed, at the altar of incense. 31:00 But the priest would take this incense 31:02 and add to our prayers, 31:04 and it was the sweet smelling aroma. 31:08 So you think of Hebrews 7:25 that says that Jesus, 31:14 I look at Him as our incense. 31:16 It is His prayers added to ours 31:18 that make it a sweet smelling aroma. 31:22 So in Hebrews 7:25, it says that He lives forever. 31:29 I mean, He's able to save to the uttermost 31:31 because He lives forever to intercede on our behalf. 31:35 And we also know that the Holy Spirit 31:38 does some intersession for us. 31:42 So when the priest entered the first compartment, 31:47 he was modeling what Jesus did in the heavenly sanctuary 31:52 right after His ascension. 31:54 This was represented in Revelation 1:13 32:00 where we see Jesus walking among the seven candlesticks. 32:04 Let's look at that. 32:05 Revelation 1:12 and 13. 32:07 And John says, "Then I turned to see 32:09 the voice that spoke with me. 32:10 And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands. 32:13 And in the midst of the seven lampstands 32:16 One like the Son of Man, 32:18 clothed with a garment down to his feet 32:20 and girded about the chest with a golden band." 32:24 So Jesus ascended 32:26 and He went immediately to work. 32:29 And by the way, I have to say this. 32:33 He went to work immediately in the holy place. 32:36 What I want to say is this. 32:38 Many Christians believe when Christ cried out, 32:42 "It is finished," that that was the end of the work 32:46 of the atonement. 32:47 No, it was the end of the work of the sacrifice 32:52 for the atonement. 32:53 He made the perfect sacrifice once for all. 32:56 But atonement was not only to do with the sacrifice, 33:01 it was to do with the priestly ministry. 33:05 So this is why we see Jesus doing His priestly ministry. 33:10 Now then there is the most holy place 33:13 which was a perfect cube. 33:14 Just as the New Jerusalem we're told in Revelation 21:16, 33:19 it's the perfect cube. 33:20 And they went in there once a year. 33:23 There was only one priest, 33:25 the high priest went in there once a year 33:26 on the Day of Atonement. 33:28 One piece of furniture in there, 33:30 and that was the ark, 33:32 which represented the ark of God, 33:34 represented His throne. 33:36 Inside the ark with the Ten Commandments 33:38 written by Christ's own finger. 33:42 There was Aaron's rod that was dead and butted 33:46 representing Jesus Christ, 33:48 the rod who was dead and then came back, 33:52 it was resurrected to life, and the pot of manna. 33:57 On the lid of the ark was the mercy seat. 34:02 And I think we talked about this 34:04 in the last lesson that the mercy seat, 34:06 this is the seat of propitiation. 34:09 And the Bible says that Jesus is our propitiation. 34:14 So there was a veil that separated 34:17 these two compartments, the holy from the most holy, 34:19 that veil represented Jesus' body. 34:22 And when Jesus died on the cross 34:24 and His flesh was torn, 34:26 the veil was torn from the top to the bottom. 34:30 And that symbolized 34:32 that the Levitical priesthood was over, 34:34 and we all had direct access to God. 34:37 So everything that we see, and I'm just out of time, 34:42 but let me just say this. 34:43 The two compartments, 34:45 Christ's atoning sacrifice was accomplished 34:48 once and for all at the cross, 34:51 but the full meaning of atonement includes 34:53 both the sacrifice and the priestly ministry. 34:56 And the two compartments 34:58 that we find in the sanctuary and in Revelation, 35:04 this is corresponding to the two separate rituals 35:08 that the daily, and the yearly services, 35:10 the two phases of Christ's heavenly ministry 35:15 after His ascension in AD 31 to 1844, 35:19 He was in the holy place. 35:22 But post 1844 which is the end of the 2300 year day, 35:27 prophecy of Daniel 8, His investigative began. 35:32 We're out of time, 35:34 but this is such a beautiful theme in Revelation. 35:38 Well done, Shelley, you know, this is... 35:39 I don't know how about you all but feels like I'm in church. 35:42 I know this is Sabbath School Panel, 35:44 looks like I'm having all these little mini sermons. 35:46 I mean, it's just great. I mean, praise the Lord. 35:47 Isn't it great to study God's Word. 35:49 It just really comes alive 35:50 and there's just, wow, so much to learn from it. 35:54 I have Christ in Revelation part one. 35:57 My dear wife has part two of Christ in Revelation. 36:01 And I know here in Southern Illinois, 36:03 it's springtime 'cause this is mid April. 36:05 And the farmers start to plough the fields, 36:08 and there's so much, you know, as you dig. 36:11 And I feel that when we open God's Word, 36:13 you can dig and dig and dig and dig, 36:16 and never find the end to what can be found in the Bible. 36:20 So we're going to go today, Revelation 1:1-8. 36:24 And I'll tell you, we're just hitting some of these texts, 36:25 and I want to encourage you at home... 36:28 'Cause I know, Shelley, Mollie, Pastor CA, I know my wife Jill, 36:30 you know, we're just brushing 36:32 just like hitting the tip of the iceberg and all this stuff. 36:34 So we encourage you as you're like, "Oh, wow. 36:35 What was that!" 36:37 We encourage you to study God's Word 36:38 'cause there is so much to be found out. 36:40 So anyway, I better get into this, 36:41 or I would run out of time. 36:42 Revelation 1:1- 8, and it says, 36:47 "The Revelation of Jesus Christ," 36:50 I'm gonna start right there. 36:51 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, and now that's powerful. 36:54 We've been talking about that already. 36:56 It's revealing who Christ is, 36:58 and Christ as throughout all of Revelation. 37:00 When I think about a work of art, 37:02 you know, an artist has done 37:04 or I don't know, a sculpture, maybe you're a sculptor. 37:06 And they have like this great unveiling or revealing, 37:10 they'll usually have it draped in some beautiful cloth. 37:13 And it's like three, two, one. 37:15 And somebody goes like that. 37:16 And wow, and everyone goes, whoa! 37:18 Usually, when there's something like a famous artist 37:21 or something like that, 37:22 it's been revealed their work of art. 37:25 There's a lot of people. 37:26 They're there to see this event. 37:28 And I believe here, the Revelation of Jesus Christ, 37:31 I believe the unveiling of Christ in Revelation 37:33 and throughout all the Bible will draw many people. 37:36 I think, is it John 12:32, says, 37:40 "And I, if I be lifted up would draw all men unto me." 37:42 So anyway, the Revelation of Jesus Christ 37:44 is the revealing, the unveiling of Jesus. 37:47 And I think it's interesting too 37:48 because really it's about Jesus Christ 37:50 and a lot of people feel that the Book of Revelation 37:52 is like, "Man, that's too complicated. 37:54 There are scary beasts and stuff I don't understand, 37:56 these prophecies. 37:58 I don't know, that's for some other time." 37:59 Do you know, Jesus Christ 38:00 should be studied every single day, 38:02 and the Book of Revelation is relevant to us, 38:03 so don't be afraid of it, study opening God's Word. 38:07 All right, we've already started verse 1, 38:09 we're not getting very far very fast, are we? 38:11 So let's see, okay, "The Revelation of Jesus Christ 38:15 which God gave unto Him to show unto His servants things 38:19 which must shortly come to pass. 38:22 And He went and signified 38:24 by His angel unto His servant, John." 38:26 Now I should have said this earlier 38:28 but the lesson asked the question, 38:30 and I think it's a good question, 38:31 and we'll look at some of these answers. 38:32 It says, "What do these verses teach us about Jesus?" 38:36 So hopefully, you're following 38:38 along in your Sabbath School lesson. 38:39 Revelation 1:1-8, 38:41 what do these verses teach us about Jesus? 38:42 And again, this is just one thing 38:44 I just picked out is that 38:45 it says here, shortly come to pass. 38:48 Basically, it's talking about end time events, 38:50 and that Jesus is in these end time events. 38:53 Verse 2, again, going quickly here. 38:55 "Who bore record of the Word of God 38:58 and of the testimony of Jesus Christ 39:01 and of all things that he saw? 39:04 I picked up on the word testimony, 39:05 which to me is a message from Jesus. 39:09 So what do these verses teach us about Jesus? 39:11 He has a special message for us. 39:13 Verse 3, it starts with the word blessed. 39:17 "Blessed is he that readeth, 39:19 and they that hear the words of this prophecy, 39:22 and keep those things which are written therein: 39:25 for the time is at hand." 39:27 And I want to just hit on something here. 39:28 Do you know it's the word, it says blessed. 39:30 When you think of the Book of Matthew 39:32 and you think of the word blessed, 39:33 what do you think of, Shelley? 39:34 The beatitudes, right? 39:36 I mean, yeah, and I didn't realize this. 39:38 I'm learning as we're studying the Sabbath School lesson, 39:40 so this was a lot of fun. 39:41 There are seven beatitudes in the Book of Revelation, 39:45 so I want to look at those quickly here. 39:47 And I actually... 39:49 My wife is a really fast typist, 39:51 so I had her type all the scriptures in here. 39:53 So I'm not turning through all the scriptures in my Bible 39:56 just to try and save a little bit of time. 39:57 So let's go, the seven beatitudes. 39:59 Number one, Revelation 1:3, write that down. 40:03 It says, "Blessed is he that readeth," 40:05 we just read that now, 40:06 "and they that hear the words of this prophecy 40:08 and keep those things that are written therein: 40:10 for the time is at hand." 40:12 I have the blessing, there is a blessing 40:14 to those who read and hear the Word of God. 40:18 Beatitude number two is Revelation 14:13, 40:22 and it says, "Blessed are the dead 40:25 which die in the Lord from henceforth. 40:28 'Yea,' saith the spirit that they may rest from their labors 40:32 and their works do follow them." 40:35 Okay, there is a blessing to those who die in Christ 40:39 because they held fast their faith and hope. 40:42 Praise God. 40:44 And then we have beatitude number three, Revelation 16:15. 40:48 It says, "Behold, I come as a thief. 40:51 Blessed," there's that word, "blessed is he that watcheth 40:55 and keepeth his garments, 40:56 lest he walk naked and they see his shame." 41:00 So there's a blessing to those who keep persistently awake. 41:04 I know I want to stay awake. 41:07 is our beatitude number four. 41:10 Right, "Blessed are they which are called 41:13 unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. 41:15 And he saith unto me, 41:17 'These are the true sayings of God.'" 41:21 So there's a blessings to those who, what? 41:23 Who are part of the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. 41:26 Amen. 41:27 And we have number five, Revelation 20:6, 41:30 "Blessed and holy is he that hath part 41:33 in the first resurrection. 41:36 On such the second death, it has no power," praise God, 41:40 "but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, 41:42 and shall reign with Him a thousand years." 41:45 There is a blessing to those 41:47 who have part in the first resurrection, 41:49 that's for sure. 41:50 Then we have beatitude number six 41:52 in the Book of Revelation, 41:54 and that is Revelation 22:7, "Behold, I come quickly. 41:58 Blessed is He that keepeth 42:00 the sayings of the prophecies of this book." 42:03 All right, I ask you at home, what is that blessing? 42:07 That's right, it's blessing to those who treasure 42:09 the words of Revelation and the whole Bible. 42:13 And then the last one, Revelation 22:14, 42:16 just a couple verses down. 42:18 "Blessed are they that do His commandments 42:22 that they may have right to the tree of life 42:24 and may enter in through the gates into the city." 42:27 And basically there's a blessing to those who obey. 42:30 And let's... 42:31 Wow, there's a lot to be studied for sure. 42:34 Let's look at... 42:37 Continuing on with Revelation, Revelation 1:5-6. 42:42 And it says, "And from Jesus Christ 42:45 who is the faithful witness," Mollie read that earlier, 42:48 "and the first begotten of the dead 42:50 and the prince of the kings of the earth, 42:52 unto Him that loved us 42:54 and washed us from our sins in His own blood, 42:57 and hath made us kings and priests 42:59 unto God and his Father, 43:01 to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. 43:05 Amen." 43:06 And the lesson asked a great question. 43:09 It says... 43:10 Well, basically, how do we find Jesus again 43:12 in all of these verses? 43:14 And I have here, "To him," 43:15 who begins a list of Jesus' actions 43:19 in our behalf and that's powerful. 43:22 Verse 5 says, He, what? 43:24 He loved us. 43:25 You know, He loves you, 43:26 He loves me, He loves all of us. 43:28 Praise the Lord for that, 43:29 and He woos us with His love for sure. 43:31 Verse 5 also says, "He washed us 43:33 from our sins in His own blood." 43:36 Boy! What a sacrifice! 43:38 So grateful for that. 43:39 You can also look up 1 Corinthians 6:11. 43:43 And it says, "And such were some of you 43:46 but you were washed, but you were sanctified, 43:48 but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus 43:51 and by the spirit of our God." 43:54 You know, to me, this gives us assurance 43:55 because it says, He washes us. 43:57 Sometimes, I know, I try and wash myself of the sins, 44:00 but you know, it's Jesus Christ. 44:01 And that takes the pressure off, 44:02 we just have to submit our life to Jesus Christ and say, 44:05 "God, I'm dirty, take me. 44:07 Thank you for washing of my sins." 44:08 That's great encouragement. 44:10 He died for us. 44:11 Verse 6 says, "He made us priests and kings." 44:15 And I'm just telling you, I'm skipping some stuff here. 44:18 So, yeah, I want to get to verse 7. 44:20 And verse 7 says, "Behold, He cometh with clouds 44:24 and every eye shall see Him, 44:26 and they also, which pierced Him, 44:28 and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him. 44:32 Even so, Amen." 44:34 What does that say to you at home? 44:36 It says, "Jesus Christ, He's coming. 44:39 He's coming soon. 44:40 And I think what's neat here too, 44:42 John, when he writes this, says, "Behold, He cometh." 44:45 You know, that's present tense. 44:47 So in other words, the Apostle John 44:49 is stressing the certainty of Christ's second coming. 44:53 And I believe that He is nearer than ever before. 44:55 Amen. Praise God for that. 44:57 And let's go down to verse 8 45:00 which is the last of the 1-8 here 45:02 that we're looking at. 45:03 And it says, "I am Alpha and Omega, 45:06 the beginning and the ending,' saith the Lord, 45:08 'which is and which was and which is to come.'" 45:12 The Almighty. 45:14 The part here that says which is, which was, 45:17 and which is to come, 45:18 basically, we've got a God without explicit limit. 45:24 I mean, it's amazing for me even... 45:25 You can't even fathom that. 45:28 And I have here, "The same God who now continually exists 45:32 has always existed and will always exist. 45:37 God's existence transcends time." 45:40 And then at the very end here, 45:42 I want to focus on the Alpha and the Omega, says... 45:44 You know that's the first letter of the alphabet, 45:46 A for us, Omega would be Z for us. 45:49 Everything in between... In Greek. 45:51 In Greek, thank you. Thank you for that, in Greek. 45:53 So it says, "The first letter of the Greek alphabet 45:55 which represents the Lord as the unoriginated originator 46:00 of all life, and that is all eternal. 46:03 Omega, the last letter of the Greek alphabet, 46:05 God's infinity, endless referring 46:08 to His absolute limitlessness 46:11 to meet all the needs of finite limited people. 46:15 Praise the Lord. 46:16 Is Jesus in the Book of Revelation? 46:18 Absolutely, He's throughout the entire Bible. 46:20 My time is gone. 46:21 But anyway, praise the Lord, 46:23 let's continue to study His Word. 46:24 Amen, thank you so much, sweetheart. 46:25 What a powerful study. 46:27 God is in the entire Bible, because God wrote the Bible. 46:31 He spoken and it was done, the Word, 46:34 that we hold in our hands always never ceases to amaze me 46:38 at the creative energy in God. 46:40 The creative energy that when He spoke in the beginning, 46:42 the world's came into an existence 46:45 and the same energy is in the Word of God. 46:47 My passage is Jesus in the Book of Revelation, 46:50 Christ in Revelation. 46:52 We are looking at part two which is Revelation 1, 46:56 we're looking at verses 9-18, 46:59 and we've touched on some of this already. 47:03 Verse 9, "I, John, both your brother and companion 47:06 in tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, 47:11 was on the island that is called Patmos 47:13 for the Word of God 47:14 and for the testimony of Jesus Christ." 47:17 Now Mollie already touched on that that John... 47:19 This is probably AD 95 or so 47:22 exiled to the Island of Patmos. 47:25 And it's interesting, he said, "I'm your brother 47:27 and I'm your companion in the tribulation. 47:30 Now, the word for tribulation in Greek is thlipsis. 47:33 I'm not sure I'm pronouncing that correctly. 47:36 But it means persecution or tribulation. 47:40 But interestingly, it refers to someone 47:43 who would be hemmed in, 47:45 in a narrow place. 47:46 It refers to internal pressure. 47:50 So there's another Greek word 47:52 used for tribulation, persecution, 47:54 and that is external pressure. 47:56 So it's interesting to me that John, when he is writing, 47:59 he says, "I'm your companion in tribulation, 48:01 meaning the early Christian churches 48:04 under great mental persecution. 48:07 Now we know about the physical persecution 48:10 'cause that's clear from history 48:12 but obviously, they were enduring 48:13 mental persecution as well. 48:17 And he's writing this exhortation, 48:20 this encouragement, the Book of Revelation to them. 48:23 Verse 10, "I was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day, 48:25 and I heard behind me a loud voice, 48:28 as of a trumpet," 48:29 we'll discover who this is, 48:30 "saying, 'I am the Alpha and the Omega.'" 48:34 Greg just talked about that. 48:35 The first letter of the Greek alphabet and the last letter. 48:38 "I am the beginning and the end. 48:40 I am Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, 48:45 and, what you see, write in a book 48:47 and send it to the seven churches 48:48 which are in Asia, to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, 48:52 to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, to Laodicea." 48:56 Now that's Revelation 2 and 3, 48:58 we don't have time to discuss the seven churches there. 49:02 But they are representative of... 49:05 Of course, they were churches in Asia Minor at that time 49:08 but they're representative of churches 49:10 all the way down the stream of time 49:13 to the present day church today, 49:16 the church of Laodicea. 49:18 Verse 12, "Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. 49:22 And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands, 49:26 and in the midst of the seven lampstands, 49:28 one like the Son of Man..." 49:31 Now first of all, what are the seven golden lampstands. 49:34 Now, Shelley talked about this already 49:36 with the sanctuary language 49:38 that we see here in Revelation 1, 49:41 but the Bible is very clear if you're not sure 49:43 what the lampstands are, Revelation 1:20. 49:47 It says, "The mystery of the seven stars 49:49 which you saw in My right hand, 49:50 and the seven golden lampstands. 49:52 The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, 49:56 and the seven lampstands 49:57 which you saw are the seven churches." 50:00 Now, of course, there is the sanctuary language here. 50:03 But in addition, he's saying that one like the Son of Man 50:07 appeared in the midst of the seven churches. 50:10 You know what that says to me. 50:12 In the midst of our internal pressure, 50:15 in the midst of whatever 50:16 we are going through as a church, 50:18 Jesus is there. 50:21 Jesus is right in the middle 50:23 of whatever you are going through, 50:25 whatever circumstance, 50:27 these seven churches all represent 50:29 a different time period 50:30 but different struggles they all have. 50:32 And in the midst of all of them, 50:34 Jesus was there in the midst of them. 50:37 And it says, "One like the Son of Man." 50:38 Now it's interesting to me, 50:40 I think the Son of man is one of Jesus' 50:42 favorite self descriptions in the gospels, 50:46 He referred to Himself quite often as the Son of Man. 50:50 Mark 2:28, Jesus speaking, the Sabbath was made for man, 50:54 we can quote this, and not man for the Sabbath. 50:57 Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath. 51:00 He's mentioning that Himself as the Son of Man. 51:03 Luke 19:10, the Son of Man 51:05 has come to seek and to save that which was lost. 51:10 Now I think there's a danger, you could say, 51:13 when we look at Jesus Christ. 51:15 And I know in my own experience, 51:17 I have been guilty of this. 51:19 Sometimes we look at Jesus as the savior and the servant, 51:23 and He is the savior and the servant. 51:28 Sometimes we look at Him as the king and the judge, 51:32 and He is the king and the judge. 51:34 But sometimes we look at either one aspect 51:37 to the exclusion of leaving out the other aspect 51:40 but the truth is Jesus is our savior, 51:42 He is the suffering servant. 51:44 He also is king, 51:46 and He is coming as judge to this world again. 51:50 So He encompasses all aspects of His character. 51:55 We looked here, what is He clothed in? 51:57 "Clothed with the garment down to the feet." 51:59 This is sanctuary language again. 52:01 "And girded about the chest with a golden band." 52:04 Now in ancient times, either a priest 52:08 or a judge would wear those long robes 52:11 all the way down to their feet. 52:13 "And then He was girded about the chest with a golden band." 52:16 And again, either a priest or a judge 52:19 would wear the golden band. 52:21 The priest often wore right around the waist 52:24 so they could tuck up the skirt if they were, 52:26 you know, the end of the robe 52:27 if they were involved in some sort of service. 52:30 Now, the judge would wear it 52:31 across the shoulder and across the chest, 52:34 symbolizing that authority. 52:36 Verse 14, "His head and hair were white like wool, 52:39 as white as snow, 52:41 and His eyes like a flame of fire." 52:43 We see a double illustration of the purity 52:47 and holiness of Jesus. 52:49 "White like wool, white as snow, 52:51 and His eyes like a flame of fire." 52:54 Now, fire in scripture is often used as a symbol of judgement. 52:59 We see that in 1 Corinthians 3:12 and 13. 53:03 "If anyone builds on this foundation 53:06 with gold, silver, precious stones, 53:07 wood, hay, straw. 53:09 Each one's work will become clear, 53:11 for the day would declare it 53:12 because it will be revealed by fire." 53:15 Fire is often that symbol of judgement. 53:18 The fire would test each one's work of what sort it is. 53:23 "His feet," we're continuing, "were like fine brass, 53:26 as if refined in a furnace, 53:27 His voice as the sound of many waters. 53:30 He had in His right hand seven stars, 53:32 out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword..." 53:35 I want to pause a moment on the two-edged sword. 53:37 In the Bible, the sword represents, Hebrews 4:12, 53:40 the Word of God, right? 53:42 The Word of God is quick and powerful, 53:43 sharper than an two-edged sword, 53:45 but that sword is a different Greek word 53:48 than the sword used here. 53:49 The sword for the Word of God is a short sword or a dagger. 53:53 In this case, it's a long sword used, 53:57 the Greek word, is the long sword that cuts and pierces. 54:01 And this sword, when you see it in the Word of God, 54:05 it's used for executing justice and vengeance. 54:08 So this is showing Jesus coming 54:10 as that executing justice and vengeance. 54:14 "His countenance," it says, 54:15 "is like the sun shining in its strength." 54:18 In the beginning, the Lord made the sun to rule the day, 54:21 Christ is to rule the world reference not only to the deity 54:26 but to the holiness of Christ. 54:28 So John is overwhelmed, 54:30 he collapses as one dead right here. 54:32 And then let's pick it up, verse 17, 54:37 "Jesus laid His right hand on John saying, 54:39 'Do not be afraid, I am the First and the Last. 54:41 I am He who lives, and was dead, 54:43 behold, I am alive forevermore. 54:46 Amen. I have the keys of Hades and of death." 54:50 Three takeaways, Jesus is eternal, 54:52 He is the First and Last, the Alpha and the Omega. 54:56 Number two, Jesus is divine. 54:59 "I am" indicates His oneness with God, 55:03 His deity, His divinity. 55:06 Number three, Jesus is victorious. 55:09 He says, "I am alive for ever more. 55:11 I am the resurrection and the life." 55:14 It reminds me of John 11. 55:16 Jesus is victorious. 55:18 He has won because He was raised from the dead, 55:21 you and I have hope, 55:22 and we can have the gift of eternal salvation. 55:26 Wow. Amen, amen. 55:27 Jill, thank you so very, very much. 55:29 As you are reading that description of our Lord 55:32 there in John's wordings, 55:34 I was thinking back to Daniel 10 55:37 when Jesus came to home school Daniel there right in his room, 55:41 you know, He came to explain some things. 55:43 How wonderful it is that in these last days, 55:46 these truths have been unsealed. 55:49 Revelation is not a book to be scared of, 55:51 it's not one to have fear of. 55:53 The gold nuggets are not lying on the surface in Revelation, 55:56 you got to dig to get the understanding 55:58 but if you dig, your digging will be rewarded. 56:02 Does anyone have a closing thought 56:03 in their own mind that they'd like to share? 56:07 Well, I have a quick story. 56:09 Imagine that you are at the zoo, 56:11 and a lamb came up and licked your hand, 56:13 and you think, "Oh, that's really sweet." 56:15 And then you heard a loud roar behind you, 56:18 and you turned around and there's a lion, 56:20 and there's no way that you could escape him, 56:22 and you shut your eyes and think, "I'm gonna die." 56:24 And then all of a sudden, the lion licks your hand. 56:26 Now, which lick means more? 56:28 The lick of the lion, right? 56:30 So I think the primary reason 56:32 that we are not astonished 56:34 at the lamb of God's forgiveness 56:36 for our sins as that we have no sense 56:40 of the lion's raging fury against that sin. 56:44 Boy, that's really... 56:46 Very powerful. Very, very, well said. 56:49 In these last days, we need to come very close to Jesus. 56:52 Our Bibles need to be opened constantly, 56:55 we need to be constantly in prayer, 56:57 for as I mentioned before our beliefs, 57:00 our very love for the Lord will be challenged, 57:02 and will be tested but we can be overcomers. 57:06 We can be victorious in Christ Jesus. 57:09 In fact, Christ has guaranteed 57:12 that victory to those who will abide in Him. 57:16 Stay in Jesus, stay in the Word. 57:20 Let Christ be in you and do all He can for you, 57:24 and He will indeed save you. 57:26 Join us next time on Sabbath School Panel, we'll be here. 57:29 You join us, we'll be blessed together. 57:31 God bless. |
Revised 2018-04-23