Participants:
Series Code: SSP
Program Code: SSP190007A
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00:31 Hello, I'm Shelley Quinn, and we are so excited
00:33 that you're joining us today for the 3ABN Sabbath School Panel 00:37 as we study this Quarterly which is the "Book of Revelation." 00:42 Today we will be covering lesson #7 on "The Seven Trumpets" 00:46 and you'll want to stay tuned, I'm sure. 00:49 If you have not yet received your Sabbath School Quarterly, 00:53 we encourage you to go to this website: 00:57 ABSG.Adventist.org and download your own copy. 01:03 You'll find it most helpful in this study or you can go 01:07 to your local Seventh-day Adventist Church; 01:10 ask them to give you a Quarterly, they'll be happy 01:13 to do that and even study with you if you would like. 01:16 Let me introduce our wonderful panel today... 01:19 I have next to me, my pastor, John Lomacang, my dear friend 01:24 and sister Jill Morikone, and another precious pastor, 01:29 and that would be Kenny Shelton and Pastor Ryan Day. 01:33 We're so glad that each one of you are here and I enjoy 01:38 so much hearing what each of you bring to the table 01:42 because you're all students of the word and it's 01:44 going to be an exciting study. 01:46 John, if ever we needed prayer, if we're going to cover 01:49 the trumpets, we need prayer, could you ask the Lord? Sure. 01:52 Loving Father in Heaven... We commit our hearts to You 01:55 this morning. We know that this is Your Word and You said, 01:58 "If anyone lack wisdom, let him ask." Give us wisdom 02:02 this morning, Father. There is such a diversity of 02:05 understandings of even this particular prophecy, but 02:09 we want Jesus to be exalted, and so come and unify 02:12 us and may the understanding be followed by a desire 02:17 to commit our hearts to Christ. In Jesus name, we pray... Amen 02:23 I think it would behoove us to have a quick review. 02:27 A couple of weeks ago, we studied the seals and the 02:30 scene of the fifth seal... so let me go through that 02:32 real quickly - this is found in Revelation 6:9-10. 02:38 It says, "When He opened the fifth seal (and this would be 02:41 Jesus who is opening the seals) I saw under the altar the souls 02:46 of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the 02:49 testimony which they held, and they cried with a loud 02:52 voice saying, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You 02:57 judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?" 03:02 We see here the cry of God's oppressed people from all ages; 03:08 now these people aren't really alive and crying out. 03:10 This was like the blood of Able that is crying out and they're 03:14 portrayed as souls under the altar of God crying for 03:18 justice and vindication and what we must remember is that 03:24 God hears these cries. 03:27 God is going to answer our prayers and this scene 03:32 that represents the suffering of God's people throughout 03:35 history is going to have a conclusion. 03:39 Now the opening of the sixth seal, in Revelation 6:12-17, 03:44 pictured Jesus return to the earth and bringing 03:47 judgment upon those who did evil on His followers. 03:51 Now let me pause and say this... 03:54 As Seventh-day Adventist Christians, we employ 03:58 the historicist method of interpretation to Revelation. 04:02 That's what Jesus used, Paul, Daniel, the prophets, 04:05 and what this means is that we believe that apocalyptic 04:11 prophecy covers the span from ancient times right up till 04:17 the coming of Jesus. 04:19 And we were going to apply that to the trumpets 04:23 and recognize some have been fulfilled; some are in the 04:27 process of fulfillment and some are soon to be fulfilled. 04:32 Now Revelation is written in visionary circles, 04:35 we call it recapitulation. 04:37 It's repeat and enlarge and we see that... Boy, I mean, 04:43 if you look at Daniel 2, Daniel 7, Daniel 8, and Daniel 11, 04:47 you'll see that in each one, Daniel states a summary 04:52 of a main point and then develops it a little further. 04:57 So the trumpets recapitulate the eras (the eras not errors) 05:06 but the different time periods of earth's history, 05:09 and they parallel other prophecies in Revelation. 05:14 Each parallel analyzes the historical period from 05:19 different and yet supplemental angles. 05:23 However, the purpose of the trumpets is clearly 05:28 different than that of the seven plagues. Amen? Amen. 05:32 So we haven't studied the plagues yet, that's coming up 05:34 in Revelation 16. 05:36 But the trumpets are limited to one-third of the earth, 05:40 so we see that there is still a redemptive purpose in this. 05:46 When the plagues are poured out, when God pours out 05:50 those final seven last plagues, that there is no redemptive 05:55 purpose - this is after probation has ended and He 05:59 is going to annihilate the wicked. 06:01 So Revelation chapters 8-11, I think you all will agree, 06:08 is one of the most difficult group of passages or 06:13 visionary cycles to interpret. 06:16 The language and the imagery is very complex and it has 06:21 resulted in a variety of views in application to specific 06:26 historical events, but it is still compatible with 06:30 the historicist method of interpretation. 06:32 So as we look at the apocalyptic nature of the 06:38 vision, we know that it is going to aim at a specific 06:46 time specific-enough to be located in one historical 06:51 event or another. 06:52 The vision of the seven trumpets demonstrates throughout 06:58 history, God has intervened on behalf of His oppressed 07:02 people and has judged those who harm them. 07:07 The purpose of the seven trumpets is to ensure God's 07:11 people that He's not indifferent to their suffering. 07:14 So let's look at our memory verse... Revelation 10:7, 07:22 "But in the days of the sounding of the seventh 07:25 angel, when he is about to sound, the mystery of God 07:29 would be finished as He declared to His servants 07:35 the prophets." 07:36 I have Sunday's lesson, "The Prayers of the Saints" 07:42 And if you open your Bibles to Revelation 8:1-2, 07:48 we'll go through the prayer of the saints quickly. 07:50 "When He opened the seventh seal, there was silence 07:55 in heaven for about half an hour. 07:58 And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, 08:00 and to them were given seven trumpets." 08:05 So this opens with the picture of seven angels, 08:08 and they are standing before God ready to blow their 08:11 trumpets... but before the trumpets are blown, 08:15 another scene is inserted that is going to explain 08:20 the theological meaning of the trumpets. 08:23 Revelation 8 continuing in verse 3... "Then another angel, 08:28 having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. 08:32 What altar would this be, if we've got the golden censer, 08:36 he's standing at the altar... This is the altar of incense. 08:40 He was given much incense that he should offer it with 08:43 the prayers of the saints upon the golden altar 08:46 which was before the throne. 08:47 And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, 08:50 ascended before God from the angel's hand. 08:55 Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the 09:00 altar and he threw it to the earth. And there were noises, 09:05 thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake." 09:10 Now we have mentioned on several occasions that the imagery, 09:15 the symbolic imagery of Revelation is found throughout 09:20 the Bible - more specifically in the Old Testament. 09:23 In Revelation 8:3-5, that we just read, 09:28 is language of the evening temple service. 09:33 A Jewish Commentary on the Bible explains the evening sacrifice; 09:38 the lamb was placed upon the altar of burnt offering; 09:43 blood was poured at the base of the altar, and an appointed 09:48 priest would take the golden censer inside the temple 09:53 and he would offer incense on the golden altar of incense. 09:59 Now that was the third piece, you remember we had 10:03 the table of showbread, the seven candles, 10:06 and then right in front of the veil was the altar of incense, 10:12 so when the priest would come out, he would take 10:16 that censer throw it down on the pavement and it would 10:22 produce a loud noise, and at that point, the rest of the 10:28 priests would blow their trumpets - marking the end 10:32 of the temple services for the day. 10:34 So we see that same imagery in our passage in 10:39 Revelation 8. 10:41 So the incense represents the prayers of God's people. 10:47 Let me read Revelation 5:8... "When He had taken the scroll, 10:51 the four living creatures and the 24 elders fell down 10:55 before the Lamb, each having a harp and golden bowls 11:00 full of incense which are what? The prayers of the saints. 11:05 It's just like in Psalm 141 when he said, "Let my prayer 11:10 be set before you as incense, lifting up of my hands 11:15 as the evening sacrifice." 11:17 So the golden altar of incense represents the prayers 11:22 of the saints in the intercessory ministry of Jesus 11:27 Christ whose prayers are continually 11:30 offered on our behalf. 11:32 He intercedes for us and is able to save to the uttermost. 11:37 Now Revelation 8:3 said that the angel that had the golden 11:42 censor came and stood at the altar and it says that he was 11:48 given much incense that he should offer it with 11:54 the prayers of the saints. 11:55 I think that incense is Jesus' intercessory ministry. 12:00 It think it's the prayers of Jesus, you know, as 12:04 Hebrews 7:25 says... "He is interceding for us always." 12:09 So this is a beautiful thing that we see and the angel 12:13 that offers these prayers before God, God is now 12:20 hearing the prayers of His persecuted people. 12:22 So the seven trumpets are God's judgment... 12:28 this is setting us up to see they're God's judgment on the 12:33 rebellious people of humanity in response to the prayers 12:39 of His oppressed people. 12:41 The trumpets follow the death of Jesus as the Lamb, 12:45 and they run consecutively throughout history 12:49 until the second coming. 12:51 In this last minute, let me show you one thing... 12:54 If we compare Revelation 8:5 with Ezekiel 10:2, 12:59 we find what is the source of this fire that's thrown upon 13:05 the enemies of God. 13:07 So we said in Revelation 8:5, "The angel took the censer, 13:10 filled it with fire from the altar and threw it to the earth; 13:13 Ezekiel 10:2 says, "... Go in among the wheels, under the 13:19 cherub, fill your hands with coals of fire from among 13:23 the cherubim and scatter them over the city." 13:27 So the angel is filling this censer with fire from the 13:32 altar, hurls it down to the earth and it shows 13:38 that the seven trumpets that are about to be blown 13:41 will be judgments on the inhabitants of the earth 13:45 who persecuted God's people. 13:48 The whole idea is that God doesn't forget His people. 13:53 He is going to answer their prayers and intervene 13:57 on their behalf. Amen! John... 13:58 Thank you Shelley, what a wonderful opening 14:01 and each one of us is going to contribute something 14:03 different to the understanding of the seven trumpets. 14:06 When I say different, a harmonious connection 14:08 but each has a link in the chain. 14:11 The seven trumpets has been a subject of so much 14:14 misunderstanding and I'm so thankful that 14:18 Dr. Ranko Stefanovic and the committee that worked on 14:21 this lesson has taken the time to calibrate our understanding, 14:26 to give the context and the clear meaning. 14:30 Shelley was very apropos that you mentioned that 14:32 the seven trumpets is God's response in answer 14:36 to the prayers of the saints. 14:37 But when you look at the history of the people of God, 14:40 you'll find that one thing is for sure - the Lord has always 14:44 defended His people. Yes, Amen! 14:47 And throughout each component of time in history, 14:50 whenever the people of God have come up against 14:52 oppression or a nation that's rebellious or a people 14:55 that are trying to stamp them out, 14:57 God always stood in behalf of His people... 14:59 as he said to them when they were in the wilderness, 15:01 He said, "The battle belongs to the Lord." Amen! 15:03 And so the battle tools of God are symbolized in natural 15:07 elements. 15:08 And so you see here... if I go ahead and peek at 15:12 the imagery, one of the things that is pointed out in 15:16 the lesson is that trumpets have a tremendous role 15:20 to play throughout the Bible. 15:22 I think one of the first things I'd like to do is establish 15:25 trumpets throughout the Bible. 15:27 One of the things we pointed out, and this is true throughout 15:29 the whole study of Revelation, is anytime the Bible gives 15:33 a symbol, the Bible also defines the symbol. Amen! 15:36 No prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, 15:39 1 Peter 1:20-21. 15:42 Everything that happens in Scripture has to have 15:44 it's interpretation in Scripture. 15:47 So you'll see that the picture that is given here, 15:49 in the interlude between the silence in heaven, 15:52 in Jewish literature, they call that silence in heaven, 15:55 "The great pause," before God steps in behalf of His people; 15:59 before God steps in and now begins to respond to the 16:04 prayers of His saints. 16:06 But look at Numbers 10:8-10, showing how the trumpets 16:10 had such a role to play in many areas because, remember, 16:15 Revelation is a book that was written in the mindset 16:20 of the Old Testament because when John wrote this 16:23 there was no New Testament. 16:25 He would later become a part of the New Testament. 16:28 And so we have to find the language in the Old Testament 16:30 that endorses the imagery that is revealed in Revelation. 16:34 The overview: Numbers 10:8-10, do you have that Jill? Yes! 16:39 "The sons of Aaron, the priests, shall blow the trumpets, 16:42 (that's #1) and these shall be brought you as an 16:44 ordinance forever throughout your generations. (keep going) 16:47 When you go to war in your land against the enemy who 16:49 oppresses you, then you shall sound an alarm with the trumpets 16:53 and you will be remembered before the Lord your God, 16:55 and you will be saved from your enemies. 16:57 Also in the day of your gladness, in your appointed 17:00 feasts, and at the beginning of your months, you shall 17:03 blow the trumpets over your burnt offerings and offer 17:05 the sacrifices of your peace offerings; and they shall be 17:08 a memorial for you before your God: I am the Lord your God." 17:12 Notice how the trumpets all throughout various activities 17:16 shall blow them in an ordinance, announcing the ordinances; 17:21 also sounding of the trumpet when it comes to war. 17:25 Recently, this is not too long ago actually, a few months ago, 17:30 when President Bush's funeral took place, there's a 17:35 difference between the sound of a trumpet for war; 17:38 the sound of a trumpet for Taps, 17:40 and the sound of a trumpet for a memorial... dada-da, dada-da, 17:44 we know that's not the sound of war, 17:46 we can tell just by the sound of the trumpet and the 17:49 Apostle Paul says the trumpet has to give a certain sound. 17:52 And so we find the overview in the economy of the Jews, 17:55 trumpets played a major role. 17:57 So because the Book of Revelation is written in 17:59 sanctuary language, it cannot omit the applications 18:03 the trumpets established in the Old Testament. 18:06 Another reason for trumpets in Ezekiel 33, 18:09 trumpets is a warning of coming destruction, 18:13 verse 3 and 4 says, speaking about the watchman... 18:15 "... when he sees the sword coming upon the land, 18:17 if he blows the trumpet and warns the people, 18:20 then whoever hears the sound of the trumpet and does not 18:22 take warning, if the sword comes and takes him away, 18:25 his blood shall be on his own head." 18:27 So the trumpet is used again for a warning... 18:30 destruction is coming. 18:32 Another one, the trumpet symbolizes the preaching 18:36 of the gospel, Isaiah 58:1, "Lift up your voice 18:39 like a "trumpet;" shew My people their transgression 18:42 and the house of Jacob their sins." 18:43 Once again the trumpets' imagery and I'm 18:45 reiterating this because we cannot depart from the 18:48 language of the Scriptures when the interpretation 18:50 is sought for. 18:52 The Bible establishes it in such a wonderful cadence, 18:54 to go outside of that framework, 18:56 is a private interpretation. 18:58 The other application for trumpets is the announcement 19:00 of coming judgments. 19:01 Joel 2:1-2, I'll read that because of the importance 19:05 of time... It says, "Blow the trumpets in Zion and sound 19:08 an alarm in My holy mountain! 19:10 Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; 19:12 For the day of the Lord is coming." 19:14 In the day of the Lord motif, the trumpets are used by 19:19 Joel and also Zephaniah, warning of the coming of 19:22 the day of the Lord and it shows that when these 19:25 trumpets are sounded, you have a day of darkness and 19:28 gloominess, a day of thick clouds and you see that it's 19:31 preceded by the judgments of God on the land. 19:35 But Joel is saying, "When you hear that, you'll know 19:38 these signs indicate these trumpets being sounded 19:41 indicate the coming of God's judgments. 19:44 Another one, we talked about that - the Day of Atonement. 19:47 Leviticus 23:23, the announcement of the 19:50 atonement work... verse 23 says, "Then the Lord spoke to 19:54 Moses, saying, "Speak to the children of Israel, saying: 19:57 "In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, 19:58 you shall have a Sabbath-rest, a memorial of blowing of 20:03 trumpets, a holy convocation." 20:05 And so we find again, once again it's used in the 20:08 atonement services. 20:09 When the trumpet was sounded, they knew they had nine 20:11 more days left before the Day of Atonement. 20:14 That trumpet was an indication that probation is closing, 20:17 and it's time to repent your sins so that when the 20:20 atonement work is over, your sins will be blotted out. 20:24 Then you'll be allowed in the Feast of Tabernacles, which was 20:28 a seven-day celebration. 20:29 Another application, the trumpet 20:31 sound indicates the noise of war. 20:33 We know Joshua, the battle of...? Jericho. 20:36 And we find clearly, when they walked around and they 20:40 continued blowing the trumpets and when they got 20:42 to the seventh day; seven times on the seventh day, 20:44 the blowing of trumpets, the sound of war, 20:46 preparation for victory. 20:47 Also, the trumpets are used when Jesus returns. 20:51 "He shall send His angels with a great sound of a...? Trumpet, 20:55 Matthew 24:31. 20:57 So the trumpets, once again... 1 Thessalonians, "The Lord, 20:59 Himself, will descend from heaven with a shout, 21:01 with the trumpet of God." 21:03 So the Bible is continuing, and then Revelation 1:10... 21:07 "I heard the sound of the Lord 21:08 behind me like as of a...? Trumpet! 21:10 So you find the Bible is not elusive on the application, 21:14 but the Bible is replete with the understanding 21:17 of what the trumpets mean. 21:19 So when you begin to see these judgments... 21:20 and there's a quotation here I want to read from Manuscript 59. 21:27 And thank you, Shelley, for giving us the preview in 21:30 Revelation 6 and 7 because the trumpets 21:33 are a part of the seals. 21:36 It starts unfolding onto the seventh seal. 21:39 Listen to this, it says, "Revelation 6 and 7 are full 21:43 of meaning; "Terrible are the judgments of God revealed." 21:47 Manuscript 59- 1895, p. 26. 21:51 "The seven angels stood before God to receive their commission. 21:55 To them were given seven trumpets. 21:57 The Lord was going forth to punish the inhabitants 22:00 of the earth for their iniquity. 22:02 And the earth was to disclose her blood and no more 22:04 cover her slain." 22:05 And so when you talk about that, she goes on further 22:08 to say... "But there are mercies mixed with judgments." 22:11 One-third, the one-third, these are redemptive 22:15 judgments that will be followed by executive judgments. 22:19 The Lord is saying - You need to know that time is winding up, 22:22 and if you take advantage of the blowing of the trumpets, 22:25 9 days before the Day of Atonement, 22:27 if you make provision for your sins to be forgiven, 22:30 they will be blotted out; but if they're not blotted out, 22:33 the mercy is moved and then the seven last plagues. 22:37 So the same period... the seven churches, the seven seals, 22:40 the seven trumpets, they run concurrent unfolding 22:44 the history of God. 22:46 The seven trumpets, however, specifically talks about God's 22:49 intervention in behalf of His people. 22:52 Making it very clear... in other words, it's apropos, 22:55 I'm not going to keep silent anymore 22:58 than a trumpet is silent. 22:59 The Lord shall come and shall not keep silent. 23:01 He's never silent in behalf of His people. 23:04 In summary, it says, the first two trumpets herald 23:08 judgments upon the nation that crucified Christ 23:10 and persecuted the early church. 23:12 Rebellious Jerusalem and the Roman Empire - they united 23:15 in the persecution of Christ. 23:16 The third and fourth trumpets portray heaven's 23:19 judgments against the apostasy of the Christian 23:21 Church in the medieval period. 23:22 And the fifth and sixth trumpets describe the warring factions 23:26 in the religious world during the late medieval and 23:28 post reformation periods. 23:30 These periods are characterized by increasing demonic activity 23:34 that ultimately draws the world into the battle of Armageddon. 23:38 And lastly, Revelation 9, speaks about the introduction of 23:43 that demonic activity when it says, "I saw a star that had 23:47 fallen from heaven to the earth, to him was given the key 23:49 to the bottomless pit." 23:51 The first time the bottomless pit is introduced, but is only 23:54 seven times in Revelation, and it's defined as the 23:57 angel of the bottomless pit, the only star that fell 24:00 from heaven that the Bible substantiates is Satan himself. 24:04 Ezekiel, Revelation, John chapter 10, Luke 10:18, 24:09 and also Revelation 9... the angel of the bottomless pit 24:15 that brings about this demonic activity is Satan himself. Amen! 24:19 Oh John, thank you, you are so well versed in Revelation 24:22 and I know the trumpets is one of your favorite topics. 24:26 Well we have to take just a quick break. 24:29 Don't go away, we'll be right back! 24:36 Ever wish you could watch a 3ABN Sabbath School Panel 24:39 again or share it on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter? 24:42 Well, you can... by visiting 3ABN Sabbath School Panel.com 24:47 A clean design makes it easy to find the 24:50 program you're looking for. 24:52 There are also links to the Adult Bible Study Guide 24:55 so you can follow along. 24:57 Sharing is easy, just click "share," and choose your 25:00 favorite social media. 25:02 Share a link, save a life, for eternity! 25:08 Now we will continue with our study with Jill Morikone on 25:11 "The Angel With an Open Book" 25:14 Amen, thank you so much, Shelley and Pastor John 25:17 for what a wonderful introduction 25:18 to the Seven Trumpets. Amen! 25:19 I could listen to Pastor John teach on the Seven Trumpets 25:21 all day because of your knowledge of the Word of God, 25:24 specifically the Seven Trumpets. 25:26 I have "The Angel With an Open Book" 25:28 which begins in Revelation 10, so just turn over a page 25:32 to Revelation 10. 25:34 The sixth trumpet brings us to the time period of the 25:37 time of the end and there's an interlude, as it were, inserted 25:41 right after the sixth trumpet and we just finished 25:43 that in Revelation 9. 25:44 In Revelation 10 and part of Revelation 11 is this interlude. 25:49 Remember when we studied the seals, we had an interlude 25:51 from Revelation 6, the end of the sixth seal. 25:55 Remember they said, "The great day of His wrath is coming, 25:57 who is able to stand?" 25:58 And then it talked about the sealing of the saints of God 26:02 and the 144,000, and then we jumped into the seventh seal. 26:06 So the similar thing happens here and that there's a little 26:08 interlude inserted between the sixth trumpet 26:12 and the seventh trumpet. 26:13 So "The Angel With an Open Book," let's just pick up 26:15 with verse 1... "I saw still another mighty angel coming 26:21 down from heaven, clothed with a cloud. 26:23 And a rainbow was on his head, his face was like the sun, 26:26 and his feet like pillars of fire." 26:29 So who is this mighty angel who has come down? 26:32 He has four descriptive words that describe him, 26:36 and this is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Amen! 26:40 The description is clothed with a cloud, a rainbow on his head, 26:45 face shining like the sun and feet like pillars of fire. 26:49 If you think about clothed with a cloud, the Scriptures 26:53 associate clouds with the appearance of Christ. 26:56 Daniel 7:13, Daniel was in vision and he's watching 27:00 in the night vision and "Behold, One like the Son of Man 27:02 coming with the clouds of heaven." 27:05 Acts 1:9, when Jesus descended, "Now when He had spoken 27:09 these things, while they watched, He was taken up, 27:11 and a cloud received Him out of their sight." 27:15 Revelation 1:7, the second coming of Christ... 27:17 "Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye 27:21 will see him, even they who pierced Him." 27:25 Revelation 14:14... "I looked and behold a white cloud, 27:28 and on the cloud sat One like the Son of Man." 27:31 So here this mighty Angel is clothed with a cloud. 27:35 The cloud associates in Scripture with the appearance 27:38 of Christ. Then there's a rainbow on His head. 27:41 Revelation 4, we talked about the throne room of heaven. 27:45 Remember God the Father was there in the throne room. 27:47 And then Revelation 5, the Lamb, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, 27:51 joined the scene. 27:52 Revelation 4:3, "One sat on the throne, (this is God the Father) 27:57 and He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone 28:00 in appearance and there was a rainbow around the throne, 28:04 in appearance like an emerald." 28:05 There's the rainbow around the throne. 28:08 Ezekiel 1:28 says the same thing, with "A rainbow 28:12 around the throne." 28:13 Then "the face shining like the sun," that reminds me of 28:16 the vision John had in Revelation 1. 28:19 Christ among the lampstands. 28:22 Revelation 1:16 says, "His countenance was shining 28:25 like the sun in its strength." 28:28 And the fourth description is "feet like pillars of fire." 28:31 We think of Revelation 1:15, the same description of Christ 28:36 amongst the lampstands... His feet were like fine brass, 28:40 as if we find in a furnace. 28:41 So let's read verse 2 and we get to the little book. 28:44 Before you do that, let me insert because some people 28:46 are confused in saying, "How can you call Christ 28:49 an Angel?" The word "Angel" 28:51 just means messenger, we're not talking about Christ being 28:54 a created Angel. Good. 28:56 So I just wanted to make sure... that used to confuse me. 28:59 Thank you so much, Shelley, 29:01 for that clarification, I appreciate that. 29:02 So we jump into the little book which is Revelation 10:2. 29:06 We'll just read the first part. 29:08 And it says, "And he had in his hand, a little book open..." 29:13 Now, contrast this with the closed scroll that was in 29:18 Revelation 5, remember? Revelation 5:1-4, "I saw in the 29:22 right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll written 29:24 inside and on the back sealed with seven seals. 29:28 And a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, 29:30 "Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?" 29:34 Now we know... who was worthy? 29:35 Jesus, the Lion of the tribe of Judah. 29:38 A part of a book that was previously sealed... what book 29:43 was sealed in the past, 29:44 but then it was opened at the end of time. 29:47 That's right, the Book of Daniel. 29:49 We see this in Daniel 12:4. 29:52 "But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book." 29:56 So the Book of Daniel was to remain sealed until a certain 29:59 point or period of time. 30:02 "Shut up the words and seal the book 30:03 until the time of the end. 30:06 Many shall run to and fro and knowledge shall increase." 30:10 We know there are certain time prophecies in the Book of Daniel 30:13 that were sealed... "until the time of the end..." 30:16 the 1,260 time prophecy, the 2,300 day time prophecy 30:21 which we'll look at again in just a moment. 30:23 After the little book is open, you see here Christ is here 30:25 holding the little open book in His hand - the Book of Daniel. 30:29 The Book of Daniel is featured very prominently throughout 30:33 the rest of the Book of Revelation. Amen! 30:36 We see the comparisons between Daniel and Revelation. 30:40 The beast with ten horns... we see that in Revelation 12:3 30:44 representing the dragon. 30:46 Revelation 13:1, representing the sea beast. 30:48 That's a reference all the way back to Daniel 7. 30:52 I think of kingdom and dominions given to Christ and His people 30:55 in Revelation 11:15. 30:57 Well, Daniel 7 talks about that, verses 14 and 15. 31:01 The lion and the bear and the leopard representing the 31:04 world empires - that's Revelation 13. 31:06 With the description of the sea beast? 31:08 Well that refers us back to Daniel 7. 31:12 There's a description of the second coming of Christ 31:15 in Revelation 14 and we see that in Daniel 7. 31:18 There's the whole issue of worship in Revelation 13. 31:22 Worship the beast and his image or you are going to be killed, 31:25 and that reminds us of Daniel 3 and the three Hebrew worthies 31:30 who had to worship another image or they were going to be killed. 31:35 There is the 1,260 day prophecy and persecution 31:38 of God's people in both of these books. 31:41 There's the focus on the sanctuary and the temple 31:43 in both of them. 31:45 So let's look at the angel's stance. 31:47 We're still in verse 2. 31:49 He is holding the open book in his hand. 31:54 And he set his right foot on the sea, 31:57 and his left foot on the land and cried with a loud voice, 32:02 as when a lion roars." 32:04 So one foot is on the sea; one foot is on the land. 32:09 This stands on both sea and land. 32:11 It signifies the worldwide proclamation 32:13 of the contents of this book. 32:16 It signifies the universal significance of the message 32:20 that is being proclaimed. 32:21 It signifies the universal rule of the angel, 32:24 the Lord Jesus Christ. 32:26 And he cried with a loud voice, like a lion - it reminds me of 32:30 Revelation 5:5, "Do not weep, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, 32:34 the Root of David has prevailed to open the seals. 32:38 Let's look at "time no longer" because I'm running out of time. 32:42 If we jump down to verse 5, we see the angel whom I saw 32:46 standing on the sea and on the land 32:48 raised up his hand to heaven and swore by Him who lives 32:51 forever and ever, who created heaven and the things 32:54 that are in it, the earth and the things that are in it, 32:58 and the sea and the things that are in it." 33:01 So Creator of everything, this is heaven and earth 33:04 and sea and everything! 33:05 That (what does it say?) there should be delay no longer, 33:09 or King James would say, "time no longer." 33:12 I remember learning that as a kid growing up. 33:14 There would be time no longer. 33:16 "But in the days of the sounding of the seventh angel, 33:18 when he is about to sound, the mystery of God would be 33:21 finished, as He declared to His servants the prophets." 33:24 So let's look at this "time no longer." 33:27 That means the time prophecies have reached their fulfillment. 33:32 The time prophecies of the Book of Daniel, the 1,260, 33:35 and the 2,300 time prophecy 33:37 have been fulfilled at this point and there is coming 33:41 no more time prophecy. 33:43 People say, "Well I know when the second coming of Christ 33:46 is coming and He's going to be this day, 33:47 and this month, and this year..." 33:50 There is no more time prophecy. 33:53 This says "there's time no longer." 33:55 Not only are the prophecies fulfilled but there will be 33:58 no more time prophecy coming in the future. 34:01 Daniel 12:6-7, we'll look at the two time prophecies quickly. 34:05 This is the 1,260 time prophecy. 34:09 "And one said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the 34:12 waters of the river, "How long shall the fulfillment of these 34:16 wonders be?" Then I heard the man clothed in linen, 34:18 who was above the waters of the river, when he held up his 34:21 right hand and his left hand to heaven, and swore by Him 34:24 who lives forever, that it shall be for a time, times, and 34:28 half a time; and when the power of the holy people has been 34:31 completely shattered, all these things shall be finished." 34:35 Now we don't have time to unpackage all of that, 34:38 but if you apply the day for a year principle, 34:40 where a day equals a year in Bible prophecy... 34:43 it says 3-1/2 years = 1,260 days or 1,260 years. 34:48 This is symbolic of the Dark Ages, the dark period from 34:53 538 to 1798 when the Roman Church 34:57 held full sway, as it were. 34:59 The 2,300 day prophecy in Daniel 8:14, "He said to me, 35:03 "For 2,300 days, then shall the sanctuary be cleansed." 35:09 We know this is from 457 B.C. until 1844 A.D. when 35:15 Christ entered His heavenly ministry 35:17 in the heavenly sanctuary. 35:19 Pastor Kenny, what happens with the little book? 35:21 Amen, wow, well covered, well covered. 35:23 I have Wednesday's lesson because we have a book. 35:26 Jesus is holding the book and then all of a sudden, 35:29 He's talking about "Eat the book." 35:32 So we're looking at eating the scroll because what 35:36 does that really mean? 35:38 Revelation 10:8-11, this will give us a little foundation, 35:42 we'll read it as quickly as we can. 35:43 Revelation 10, we're going to look at verses 8-11. 35:47 "And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me 35:50 again, and said, "Go and take 35:52 the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which 35:55 standeth upon the sea and upon the earth." 35:57 And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, 36:00 "Give me the little book." And he said unto me, "Take it 36:03 and eat it up; it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall 36:07 be in thy mouth sweet as honey;" 36:09 And I took the little book out of the angel's hand 36:12 and ate it up and it was, in my mouth, sweet as honey; 36:16 As soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter." 36:20 Now these are interesting words when we're eating and tasting 36:24 in the Bible. 36:27 It is used to describe a message and accepting the message. 36:30 And here, it's getting the message, eating it up, 36:34 it's good when you first eat it, and then all of a sudden 36:36 something happens. 36:39 If it's sweet and it's good, you want to give it to others. 36:42 What I found in the message we have 36:43 in Adventism, it's a sweet and good message 36:45 and you want to give this message, but here, we're 36:47 looking at here.. it's kind of like my wife, you know at home, 36:50 I'm a taster - I don't know if any of you are tasters. 36:54 She'll whip up something good, you know, and then put it 36:56 out there and she'll say, "Kenny, come and taste this 36:59 thing and see what you think, see if it tastes good." 37:01 "If it tastes good, I'm going to give it to others." 37:05 Now think about what we're talking about here. 37:06 If it tastes good, we'll give it to others. 37:08 And then if not, wow... if not, then that's probably 37:12 what I'll have for the next week! Laughter 37:16 No sharing! Yeah, I mean you have to 37:18 kind of think along that line and this is nothing new. 37:22 And it's always good, by the way I better make that clear 37:25 that what she makes is always good, praise God! 37:27 In the Book of Psalms 34:8, it's very clear, it says... 37:31 "O taste and see that... what? That the Lord is good. 37:34 So this is not unusual there for the angel. 37:36 Jesus said, "Here it is, take it, eat it up" and then... 37:38 except it seemed like it was really good then all of a sudden 37:40 it's not so good. 37:41 "Taste and see that the Lord is good." 37:43 Jeremiah 15:16 says, "Thy words were found... what happened? 37:47 I did eat them, Thy word was to me the joy 37:50 and rejoicing of my heart." Amen. 37:53 Jesus referred to Himself as, many times, the Bread of Life, 37:57 and He invites us to take and to eat. 38:00 You know, in John 6, I think it is 6:58, he said, "He that 38:03 eateth this bread, think about, will live forever." 38:07 John 6, you can see the verse is verse 35, verse 41, verse 48, 38:12 and verse 51 and then, of course, in verse 58, 38:15 He's still referring to Himself as the bread that we need 38:18 to take and taste it and see if it's not good. 38:21 So this all fits in with what we're talking about here. 38:23 John's experience then in eating this scroll was first 38:27 sweet, then it says it became bitter. 38:30 And, of course, this has to do with the unsealing of Daniel 38:34 and the end-time prophecies, this is what's happening here. 38:37 One dealing with the prophecy that you mentioned, 1,260 day 38:41 or year prophecy; the 42 months, or the 3-1/2 years, 38:45 or the time and the times and dividing of times. 38:49 We look at it as - this is where God's church was really 38:52 commissioned to get in there and to spread the gospel 38:55 to the whole world; coming out of the Dark Ages 38:58 there was a mission for us to do here. 39:00 And as you mentioned, we realize at 538 to 1798 39:05 is the 1,260 year period of time that I can't really 39:08 get into that, but it was when the papacy was really 39:11 finally established in there. 39:13 You know, you had the 3 of the 10 nations; the Ostrogoths, 39:16 the Heruli, the Vandals, 538 as it went down, that was 39:19 538, that was the beginning of that prophecy and of that time. 39:23 So we know that it stands good in history background 39:26 that we have to dig into. 39:28 Then that simply goes into the bitterest experience 39:31 would be what we're talking about is the 2,300 day 39:34 year prophecy, Daniel 8:14. 39:37 It's something we should be studying, if you don't know it.. 39:40 "Then shall the sanctuary be cleansed," we're in that 39:43 timeframe - it tells me that Jesus certainly is coming. 39:46 The numbers all add up, so what is it that you 39:48 take this and it's good, tastes good, then all of a 39:51 sudden it becomes bitter and no longer people want that. 39:55 The numbers added up, when you go into prophecy 39:57 and you look at the numbers, add it up. 39:59 We realize we had to go from the spring to the fall and so on, 40:02 so it takes us a little bit, but the numbers were there, 40:05 and people were excited. 40:06 And I think I understand a little bit how excited they were 40:10 because they believed with their whole heart, under the 40:11 Millerites, John Miller and the way he brought that 40:17 message, people really believed it and they caught the vision; 40:19 they studied it for themselves and they said Jesus was coming. 40:22 If we really believed it like they believed it then, 40:25 would we be like they were then - when they sold 40:28 their property; when they gave 40:30 everything to the cause of Christ. 40:31 They left their crops in the field because they just 40:34 knew that Jesus was coming. 40:35 Even though, I always look and I say, "Only one little small 40:38 detail - "No man knows (you mentioned it) the day 40:40 or the hour," and so this kind of cuts a little bit raw, 40:43 so how did they get past that? 40:45 It's an interesting message, sweet but became bitter. 40:48 And again, you have 457, under Artaxerxes, 40:51 we realize that's when that started. 40:52 We realize the prophecy extended to the baptism of Jesus 40:56 in 27, then to 31 A.D. to the cross of Calvary, right? 41:00 And then, of course, to 34, the stoning of Stephen, 41:03 and also with the gospel going to the Gentiles, 41:06 and then 1810...left means 1844 the judgment hour. 41:10 I mean these things are all good, Jesus would not come 41:14 back, they found that He would not come back 41:16 to gather the saints at that time but what He did was move 41:19 from what? He moved from the holy to the most holy place. 41:23 The judgment hour began - we realize that as we talk 41:27 about the Day of Atonement or the atoning work of Christ 41:31 is being carried on in the heavenly sanctuary. 41:33 And, in fact, it's the investigative phase of the 41:37 judgment which most people deny in a lot of churches. 41:40 They say, "There's not any such thing," 41:41 but certainly, the Bible proves it. 41:43 John was told that he must what? Prophesy again. 41:47 He must prophesy again. 41:49 And what does that mean, ...Revelation 10:11? 41:52 So after the disappointment, as he totaled everything up, 41:55 Jesus was supposed to come; He didn't come; 41:57 people became discouraged with that 42:00 and a lot of them just fell by the wayside. 42:02 So they went back, they re-studied the prophecies 42:05 and found that the end of the 2,300 days of prophecy 42:09 or the cleansing of the sanctuary - getting rid of sin, 42:12 was in the heavenly sanctuary, not anything to do with the 42:16 earthly, but the sanctuary of the new covenant, 42:19 the Bible said which the Lord did what? The Lord pitched, 42:23 isn't that right? Hebrews 8:2. 42:24 This is one that we should be looking to. 42:26 Christ is our High Priest, Hebrews 8:1. 42:30 Think about the priest in the earthly sanctuary served 42:34 unto the example of shadow of what? 42:36 Of heavenly things, Hebrews 8:5. 42:39 Now quickly with a few moments left, 42:43 Revelation 11:1-2, it says here, "And there was given 42:49 me a reed like unto a rod; and the angel stood saying, 42:53 "Rise and measure the temple of God, and the altar, 42:56 and them that... what? Them that worship therein. 43:00 But the court which is without the temple leave out, 43:03 measure it not; for it is given to the Gentiles; 43:06 and the holy city which shall 43:07 tread under foot forty and two months." 43:12 What is God telling us? 43:13 He telling us... "and measure the temple." 43:15 Who is He measuring here when we look at this thing? 43:18 Who is He really measuring? 43:19 I'd like for us just to remember this in Manuscript 4-1888. 43:23 This is real counsel here. 43:25 "Remember when you were walking in the street 43:27 about your business, God is measuring you. 43:30 When you are attending your household duties; 43:33 when you are engaged in the conversation, 43:35 God is doing... what? God is measuring you." 43:39 You see, (notice this), to see who will stand 43:42 in the last great day. 43:43 This is what the measuring is all about. 43:45 Measuring takes place at a specific period, we know, 43:48 in the history of the church. 43:50 This, to me, suggests a work of judgment - so after the 43:55 Great Disappointment on October 27, 1844, 43:58 Advent believers directed their attention to the 44:02 heavenly sanctuary. 44:03 Now think about this, is that what we should be doing? 44:06 Absolutely! That's where the work is going on right now 44:09 in behalf of mankind. 44:10 We need to understand this message. 44:13 You know, if you look at this great work, 44:15 what happened is, the work wasn't completed. 44:18 Our job wasn't completed and that's why it said here 44:21 that what we need to go and do is - give this message again. 44:25 We have to go back, why? 44:26 Because we have to give the Three Angels Message once again. 44:29 That's including the First and the Second and the Third 44:31 Angel's Message again. 44:33 Prophesy again - is what we are told to the world 44:38 before Jesus comes and that would be giving 44:40 Revelation 14 wouldn't it? 44:43 Not only the Third Angel's Message but the First, 44:45 Second and Third Angel's Message. 44:47 Why? To simply prepare a people for the coming of Jesus. 44:50 And so, you know, I think that's where we're at right now 44:53 in the history of the world, God has given us a message... 44:55 It's going to test and try the people of God, 44:57 just like they were in 1844. 45:00 There may be a little delaying in the time, but we need to 45:02 remain faithful to the coming of Jesus - realizing we do have 45:06 a specific job - work to be done - messages to proclaim 45:11 to the world and by God's grace we need to proclaim 45:14 those messages - not get discouraged, not get 45:16 down and out, don't get beside ourself, 45:18 but get with Jesus and listen to the message 45:21 that He has for us today and proclaim it to the world, 45:24 and to be ready for His coming. 45:25 To me, that's the most important thing... to be ready 45:27 for the coming of Jesus. Amen! Amen! 45:29 Praise the Lord! 45:31 Well I have the wonderful task of doing the impossible, 45:34 and that's communicating an entire 45:36 chapter in less than 10 minutes, but we know that we're 45:39 simply giving a brief overview and so we're going to do that 45:43 just right now. 45:44 My topic is Thursday's lesson on "The two witnesses," 45:48 and also I'm going to be covering Friday's 45:50 "Further Thought" on the seventh trumpet. 45:53 And so, you know, it interesting looking at this layout 45:57 of the Book of Revelation because while there is a 46:00 sense of chronology from chapter to chapter, 46:03 we also know that you can't take from Revelation 1 46:07 all the way to Revelation 22 as a strict 46:11 chronological sequence because there are times 46:13 that God will back up and He will obviously... 46:15 that repeat and enlarge method. 46:17 He will review something and expound on that, 46:19 and we find, as Jill mentioned beautifully, that Revelation 46:24 10 and Revelation 11 is kind of an interlude between 46:29 the sixth trumpet and the seventh trumpet. 46:32 And so when we get to Revelation 11, we are introduced 46:35 to these two witnesses and this is one of the most popular 46:39 questions that I got again on the road traveling as an 46:41 evangelist all those years; Ryan, who are the two witnesses? 46:45 The most common popular explanation of the two 46:48 witnesses throughout the evangelical Christian world 46:51 today is most people think that they are the literal beings 46:54 of Moses and Elijah that God will allow to come back 46:57 to this planet and they're going to witness on this 47:00 earth for 3-1/2 literal days and then they're going to be 47:03 killed and then they're going to be resurrected... 47:05 and where they get this from is the layout of Revelation 47:09 11, you'll see that verses 1-6 is simply introducing to us, 47:14 who these two witnesses are and then when you read verses 47:17 7-10, it tells us about how these two witnesses are killed. 47:20 And then of course, verses 11-14 these two witnesses are 47:27 resurrected and so, you know, is it literal, is it symbolic? 47:30 And you'll see in just a few moments that you cannot read 47:33 this chapter about these two witnesses and take it every 47:36 single word literal, and I'll show you even with the 47:39 application that is literal, the persons of Moses and Elijah. 47:43 There is some symbolism involved 47:45 and you'll see that as we go through. 47:46 I'm going to start in verse 3 and then we're just going to 47:48 kind of unpack a few things, I know I'm not going to be able 47:51 to cover this entire section but we'll do what we can. 47:54 Revelation 11:3 says, "And I will give power to my two 47:59 witnesses and they will prophesy 1,260 days 48:05 clothed in sackcloth." 48:07 So we have some context clues here that kind of 48:11 gives us some insight on who these two witnesses 48:14 could possibly be. 48:15 Now obviously the two witnesses, I believe, 48:18 there is sufficient evidence that the two witnesses 48:20 represent the Bible, both the Old and New Testament, 48:24 and even though we call it the Old and New Testament, 48:26 we know that there's no such thing as an old or a new, 48:28 it's all the Word of God and it flows very smoothly 48:31 from one side to the next, but just a 48:34 few Scriptural references here... 48:36 we have a reference of the law and the prophets 48:38 in Matthew 7:12, "Jesus referred to the law and the prophets, 48:42 and most people believe that these two witnesses are 48:44 Moses and Elijah and in a sense they are... not the literal 48:48 beings, but obviously Moses represents the law and 48:52 of course, Elijah would represent the prophets, 48:54 and there's some Scriptural evidence of that in Malachi 4 48:58 and Matthew 17. 48:59 The two olive trees in Zechariah 4 which we're about to 49:03 read about... again representing the Old and New Testament, 49:06 this biblical application; the two candlesticks; 49:09 the two-edged sword all a reference 49:12 of the Bible, the Word of God. 49:14 So the 1,260 days obviously would represent as 49:18 Pastor Kenny mentioned as we mentioned several times 49:20 here... that period from about 538 A.D. to 1798 A.D. 49:25 when the Catholic Church State reigned supreme all over the 49:28 world and it was indeed a dark time. 49:32 We call it the "Dark Ages" for a reason and we'll see 49:34 a little bit of why we call it the "Dark Ages" 49:36 in just a few moments as we get through this. 49:38 The sackcloth - notice how it says that these were 49:42 clothed were sackcloth. 49:43 Sackcloth simply is a representation - it is closely 49:46 associated to a time of mourning and distress. 49:49 I think of the Day of Atonement when on that special day 49:53 of judgment - the children of Israel would sit in sackcloth 49:56 and ashes as they would pray towards the temple 49:58 pleading and searching the soul, you know, searching 50:01 themselves - "Lord, forgive my sins," presenting 50:03 themselves before the Lord... 50:05 so a time of mourning, a time of distress. 50:08 Look at Revelation 11:4... "These are the two 50:13 olive trees and the two lampstands standing before 50:17 the God of the earth." 50:19 Now, I think this Scripture here even further alludes to 50:22 the fact that this is for sure the word of God for we know 50:25 the two olive trees are a symbol drawn from 50:28 Zechariah 4:1-6, and they are portrayed as a furnishing 50:33 of oil for the lamps of the sanctuary. 50:35 And I have to add here again, I know I've said this 50:38 several times, but it's quite impossible to understand 50:41 the Book of Revelation without having been exposed 50:43 to or a previous knowledge of the sanctuary. 50:45 That's why I encourage our viewers at home, 50:48 all of those who are studying with us around the world... 50:49 study the sanctuary message, it will help you understand 50:53 the Book of Revelation so much 50:54 better when you get to these chapters. 50:56 The reason why there's so much confusion about much of this 50:58 symbolism, is people don't understand the sanctuary 51:02 that is primarily established in the Old Testament... 51:04 we have a lot of people today that consider themselves 51:06 "New Testament Christians." 51:08 They say, "I don't need the Old Testament." 51:10 When we know that the Word of God is the Word of God, 51:12 we have to take the whole pie, not just half of it. 51:14 And we also know that this lampstand... okay, the two 51:18 trees - let's go back to that for a moment. 51:19 Zechariah 4:1-6 establishes the fact the furnishing 51:24 of the oil for the lamps; the oil is a representation 51:26 of the Holy Spirit in Scripture, that is the symbolism 51:29 of the Holy Spirit. 51:30 Now these lampstands, we know for sure, is pointing 51:33 directly to the Word of God for we have in Psalm 119:105. 51:37 You guys know the Scripture... "Thy word, O Lord, is a lamp 51:40 unto my feet and a light unto my path." 51:43 And, you know, referring to them as being two witnesses... 51:45 Is the Word of God a witness? Oh you better believe it! 51:50 Notice Matthew 24:14, I want to establish that one first. 51:54 "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all 51:56 the world for a...? witness unto all nations." 51:59 So there's no doubt in our minds that when we read 52:02 through here, about these two witnesses, 52:04 it's talking about the Word of God. 52:05 When it says that these witnesses were killed, 52:08 as we go on to verse 7, notice what it says here... 52:11 "And when they finished their testimony, the beast, that 52:13 ascends out of the bottomless pit, 52:14 will make war against them." 52:16 A beast in Bible prophecy represents a power, 52:19 significant nations or kingdoms and so there was a kingdom 52:23 in history and I'll just say it for the sake of time... 52:26 I encourage you to study this because what we're reading 52:28 here in Revelation 11 is a time period in which we're 52:32 studying, historically, the French Revolution. 52:35 If you go back and study the time period of the French 52:37 Revolution, the latter part of the 1700s from about 52:40 1793 through to 1797-98, again, the time of the end. 52:46 You will study that time period, you will see that the 52:48 Word of God was actually being oppressed by the 52:51 French assemblies, by the French governments. 52:54 And so when it says that they were killed... you go study 52:57 history from about 1793-1797 for a period of about 53:02 3-1/2 years, as it says here that their dead bodies 53:05 lie in the streets for about 3-1/2 days - a day for a year 53:09 principle, 3-1/12 years, from 1793 to 1797, 53:14 that 3-1/2 year period, the Word of God was 53:17 oppressed, it was taken away. 53:19 The Bibles were heaped up in the middle of the streets 53:21 and set afire. 53:23 That's why it said that their bodies were burned. 53:25 Incredible time in history! 53:26 I encourage you to study this. 53:28 And then it says that their bodies were resurrected. 53:30 When you get to around verse 11, notice what verse 11 says here. 53:33 "Now after 3-1/2 days, (there it is) the breath of life 53:36 from God entered them and they stood up on their feet and 53:39 great fear fell on those who saw them." 53:41 Because while they did try to oppress the Word of God, 53:44 for 3-1/2 years, around 1797-1798, you start to see 53:50 this resurgence, this revival of the Word of God being 53:53 printed all over the place. 53:55 Notice this right here, this is incredible... 53:57 Soon after the French Revolution, various national 54:00 Bible societies were established, particularly 54:02 notable among those were the "British and Foreign Bible 54:05 Societies" founded in 1804, notice the timeframe here... 54:08 and the "American Bible Society" organized in 1816. 54:12 These organizations help translate the Bible 54:15 into more than 1,500 languages 54:17 in a very short period of time. 54:19 You want to talk about a revival of the Word of God 54:22 after it had been oppressed, this is powerful stuff here. 54:25 And it gets me excited because, you know, when you try to 54:27 wage war against truth, TRUTH always prevails. Amen! 54:31 Truth always will prevail! 54:34 Check this out... Voltaire, a notable French atheist, 54:37 he had said, (in his time), he died in 1778, 54:41 and this is what he said within 100 years of his time, 54:44 "Christianity would be swept away from existence 54:46 and pass into the obscurity of history." 54:49 Yet 50 years after his death, the "Geneva Bible Society" 54:52 used his house and printing press to produce thousands 54:55 of Bibles! So the Word of God will always prevail. 54:59 I have about 40 seconds and I'm going to quickly 55:01 cover just the very basis of the seventh trumpet 55:04 which is basically Christ receiving His kingdoms 55:07 and launching us into this judgment time 55:10 period 1844 and forward. 55:12 I just want to give a quick summary. 55:13 I'm not going to be able to read any Scripture there, 55:15 but read verses 15-19 for yourself. 55:19 The seventh trumpet represents the time period from 55:21 1844 into the second coming of Jesus. 55:24 During this time, attention is focused upon the 55:26 High Priestly Ministry of Jesus in the Most Holy Place. 55:31 We are living in a "Most Holy Place" time period. Amen! 55:35 And I think that's where we're actually setting up as we 55:37 continue on through the Book of Revelation, chapter 12 55:40 and onward, we're focusing on that High Priestly Ministry 55:43 of Jesus in the Most Holy Place. Amen and Amen! 55:46 Thank you so much! That was wonderful and 55:48 it occurs to me though as I'm listening, that for those 55:51 of you who may not be familiar with Revelation, 55:56 you're probably going... "Where are they getting 55:58 all of this?" We will unpack, I know, in a future lesson, 56:04 we'll be explaining about the time periods and things. 56:07 But one of the chief contributors for this Quarterly 56:11 was "Ranko Stefanovic," he has a program on 56:14 3ABN, "The Revelation of Jesus Christ." 56:17 He has a commentary called, "The Revelation of Jesus Christ" 56:21 You may want to Google that... 56:24 "The Revelation of the Coming King," it's called. 56:26 "The Revelation of the Coming King" is our program. 56:28 Yes, thank you. 56:30 Quick comment from everybody, we've got about a minute. 56:33 Well the trumpet will sound and the dead in Christ will rise. 56:37 I'm looking forward to the last trump! Amen! 56:40 That's what I'm looking forward to. 56:41 They'll be many trumpets, but I'm waiting and getting 56:44 ready for the LAST TRUMP! Amen! Praise God for that. 56:47 I love the fact that the trumpets, even though there's 56:49 judgment, there's redemption and mercy mingled 56:53 with it because God calls each one of us to repentance. 56:56 Amen! In "Selected Messages," Book 1, p. 188, 56:58 says, "We are not to know the definite time either for the 57:02 outpouring of the Holy Spirit or for the coming of Christ." 57:05 Just something good, to remember as we study prophecy. 57:08 "Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God." 57:11 "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word 57:14 that proceeds out of the mouth of God." 57:16 Now more than ever, we need to be focused on 57:18 truth and uplift the truth in this time. Amen! 57:21 Absolutely! You know, the Bible promises, in Revelation, 57:25 actually the opening chapter of Revelation promises 57:27 that blessed is he who hears, who reads, 57:32 who applies this Word. 57:35 So we hope that you have been blessed today as you're 57:39 hearing and even if you don't understand fully, 57:41 just say, "Oh Lord, thank You 57:43 that You will bring me that understanding." 57:46 And my comment is just that I want you to remember 57:49 Jesus is standing at the right hand of the throne 57:52 of the Father in the Most Holy Place right now. 57:55 He is interceding on your behalf and He is 57:59 able to save to the uttermost. 58:03 We hope you'll join us again next time. Bye, bye. |
Revised 2024-08-19