Participants: Stephen Bohr
Series Code: TGCC
Program Code: TGCC000007A
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00:15 Well hello again, everybody.
00:17 It's nice to see you here today for session number seven. 00:21 I can hardly believe it. 00:23 Session number seven in our series, 00:25 The Great Cosmic Controversy. 00:28 And the subtitle is, How God Clears His Name 00:32 From All False Charges. 00:34 Before we begin our study, which is part 2 of the judgment 00:38 in the Most Holy Place, we want to ask for the Lord's blessing. 00:42 And so I ask you to bow your heads with me as we 00:45 implore God's presence. 00:47 Father in heaven, we have a very solemn and important subject 00:51 to study this evening, 00:53 and we need the help of the Holy Spirit. 00:55 So we ask that you'll be present through the Spirit 00:58 and through the angels, that You will give us understanding. 01:01 There are many complex things that we're 01:03 going to take a look at. 01:04 I ask, Lord, that You will make everything clear 01:07 to each person gathered here this evening. 01:09 That You'll make it clear also to those who are 01:12 watching the live streaming, and those who will watch on YouTube, 01:16 and on DVD, and on television. 01:18 I ask, Lord, that You will make this absolutely clear, 01:20 for Your honor and Your glory. 01:22 And we thank You for hearing our prayer. 01:24 For we ask it in the precious name of Jesus, amen. 01:28 Well, last evening we were studying about 01:32 the biblical concept of the judgment. 01:35 And we answered a series of questions in our 01:39 introductory subject yesterday. 01:42 Number one, we answered the question, 01:44 when does the judgment take place? 01:47 And of course, the answer is that it takes place 01:49 before the second coming of Christ. 01:52 More specifically, it begins on October 22, 1844. 01:57 Then we asked where the judgment takes place. 02:00 And of course, the answer is that the judgment takes place in 02:04 the Most Holy Place of the heavenly Sanctuary. 02:08 We also asked the question, who is judged in this stage 02:13 of the judgment? 02:15 And we noticed that those who are judged are only those 02:19 who claim the name of Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. 02:24 The cases of the wicked are looked at later on in history. 02:29 We also answered the question, why does God perform a work of 02:33 judgment if God already knows everything? 02:36 And the reason is because God needs to prove that 02:39 He's been right in every case before the heavenly universe. 02:43 Because they are not omniscient. 02:46 Then we noticed just very briefly the evidence that is 02:50 examined in the judgment. 02:52 And of course, the evidence is our life. 02:55 The Bible calls it, our works. 02:57 And finally we answered the question, 03:00 can forgiveness be revoked? 03:02 Once forgiveness has been given, can forgiveness be revoked? 03:07 And we noticed that the Bible clearly teaches 03:10 that if a person was not sincere in repenting, 03:14 and in confessing their sin, and had crocodile tears, 03:18 so to speak, then that individual, when their 03:20 name comes up in the judgment, the forgiveness that was granted 03:25 without God questioning at that point in the daily service 03:28 will be reversed or will be revoked. 03:32 Now this evening we're going to study a little bit more 03:35 about the process of the judgment. 03:38 How does the process of the judgment take place? 03:42 I'd like to begin by mentioning that the judgment began 03:47 with those who first lived upon the earth. 03:52 In other words, the judgment takes place chronologically. 03:56 It takes place with those who first lived, 03:59 it continues with successive generations, 04:02 and finally ends up with the judgment of the living. 04:06 I'd like to read a statement that we find in the book, 04:08 The Great Controversy, page 483, where Ellen White makes it very 04:13 clear who was first judged and how the judgment 04:17 proceeds chronologically. 04:20 This is how it reads. 04:39 Not the wicked. The righteous. 04:42 She concludes the statement by saying... 04:57 So there's several interesting details here 04:59 that are very important. 05:01 The judgment is of those who believed on Jesus. 05:06 And the judgment begins with those who first lived. 05:08 Which means that the first person to be judged 05:11 would have been Adam. 05:13 And then God takes up chronologically 05:16 each successive generation. 05:18 And finally before the close of probation, He ends with 05:22 the judgment of the living. 05:24 Now let's go in our Bibles to John 5:28-29. 05:30 If I was to ask you, where are the dead today, 05:35 I'm sure that as good Seventh-day Adventists, 05:37 good Bible students, you would say that the dead 05:40 are in their graves until Jesus comes. 05:44 Not only the righteous, but also the wicked are in their graves. 05:47 But we're concerned especially about the righteous. 05:51 Now John 5:28-29 clearly tells us where the dead are. 05:55 I read, these are the words of Jesus... 06:06 So where are the dead? 06:08 In their graves. 06:10 And then it says... 06:22 And of course, we know that takes place 06:24 after the thousand years. 06:25 Jesus is not concerned here about the 06:28 chronology of the two stages. 06:29 He's simply saying that there are going to be 06:31 two resurrections. 06:33 So where are the dead today, according to the 06:36 testimony of Jesus? 06:37 They are in their what? 06:40 In their graves. 06:41 What does the Christian world generally teach about the dead? 06:45 If they were good, they went where? 06:48 To heaven. 06:49 If they were bad, they go where? To hell. 06:52 And at least one church says that if you are half bad, 06:54 or maybe half good, you go to purgatory. 06:57 And if you had not reached the age of accountability, 07:00 you go to limbo. 07:01 All kinds of different spheres invented by human beings. 07:05 But the Bible is clear that the dead are in their graves 07:09 until the moment of the resurrection. 07:12 But now we have a problem. 07:15 We mentioned that the first individual to be judged 07:18 in 1844 would have been whom? 07:21 Adam. 07:23 Now the question is, where was Adam in 1844 07:27 when the judgment began? 07:29 He was in his grave. 07:30 So here is the big question. 07:32 How could he be the first to appear before the judgment seat 07:36 of Christ if he was dead and he was buried? 07:40 Are you understanding my problem? 07:42 Now it's not really a problem when we look at what the Bible 07:45 has to say about this. 07:47 I want to read from, Great Controversy, page 482, 07:51 where Ellen White explains how Adam appeared before 07:55 Christ's judgment seat in 1844. 07:58 This is how it reads... 08:10 So notice again... 08:17 In other words, the judgment takes place first 08:19 to show that they are what? 08:21 That they are worthy. 08:22 And after that, they are given their reward. 08:25 She finishes the statement by saying... 08:39 So how did Adam appear before the judgment 08:41 seat of Christ in 1844? 08:43 It was through his records. 08:46 It was through the record of his life. 08:48 He did not appear there personally. 08:50 He appeared there through his biographical record 08:53 that God kept in heaven. 08:57 Now when we read the Bible, we find that the Bible 09:00 speaks of books, plural, and book, singular, 09:06 in relationship to the judgment. 09:08 Now when the Bible speaks about the book, singular, 09:12 it's referring to a book that contains the names 09:16 of all of those who claim to have received Jesus Christ 09:19 as Savior and Lord. 09:20 So the book, singular, has names. 09:23 The books, plural, contain the life record or the biography 09:30 of the individual. 09:31 Now I want us to notice, for example, that our good deeds 09:36 are kept in a book, according to the Bible. 09:39 We find this in a very important text. 09:44 It read in the following way, this is Psalm 56:8... 09:49 "In the book..." 09:50 Actually, this is from Ellen White. 09:51 And then we'll notice a text from Scripture. 09:54 It is from Psalm 56:8, but I'm commenting now from Ellen White. 10:29 That's, Great Controversy, page 481. 10:32 So the question is, are the good deeds of those who 10:36 receive Jesus Christ written in a book? 10:39 Yes. 10:41 But also, in other books the evil deeds are written as well. 10:46 Now let's notice several text in Scripture 10:50 that refer to the books, plural. 10:53 2 Corinthians 5:10 11:11 Does God keep a record of our actions 11:13 whether they are good or bad? 11:15 He most certainly does. 11:16 What about our words? 11:18 Does God keep a record of our words in heaven as well? 11:21 Certainly. 11:22 Notice Matthew 12:36-37. 11:26 Jesus is speaking, and He says... 11:43 Does God keep a record of our words, good and evil? 11:46 According to Matthew 12, the testimony of Jesus, 11:50 absolutely. 11:52 God also keeps a record of the secrets of our hearts. 11:56 Notice Ecclesiastes 12, and we'll read verses 13 and 14. 12:01 Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 12:04 It reads there... 12:15 So if God is going to bring works into judgment, 12:17 does God keep a record of our works? 12:18 Of course. 12:28 So does God keep a record also of the secret things 12:31 that human beings don't see? 12:33 Absolutely. 12:34 Notice 1 Corinthians 4:5. 12:37 Once again it tells us that the secrets will come back 12:40 to face us in the judgment. 12:42 1 Corinthians 4:5 speaks about God unsealing 12:47 the secrets of hearts. 12:50 By the way, it has nothing to do with Secrets Unsealed. 12:52 He's going to unseal the secrets of the hearts. 12:55 This is how it reads... 13:13 So does God keep a record of us inside and out? 13:16 Words, actions, secret things, good deeds. 13:21 That's what is contained in the books, plural. 13:25 Books. 13:27 Now notice Daniel 7:9-10. 13:30 Now the context of this is that the little horn... 13:33 And the little horn, of course, represents the papacy. 13:35 Does the papacy profess to serve Christ? 13:38 Does the papacy profess to be a Christian system? 13:41 It most certainly does. 13:42 So would those who belong to this system 13:45 appear in the judgment before the second coming? 13:48 Absolutely. 13:49 So in Daniel 7:9-10, it's speaking about 13:53 the judgment sitting to take care of the cases 13:56 of all of those individuals who were mistreated 13:59 and who were persecuted by this little horn system. 14:02 And God, in the judgment, is going to set things right. 14:05 Now notice Daniel 7:9-10. 14:35 "...books..." Plural. 14:38 So all of the cases of those individuals who persecuted 14:42 God's people during the 1260 years are going to 14:46 come forth in the judgment. 14:47 Now that doesn't mean that only that is going to be looked at 14:51 in the judgment before the second coming of Christ. 14:54 Simply, Daniel 7 is emphasizing that it's those who were 14:58 persecuted by the little horn, because that is the subject 15:01 that is being discussed. 15:02 It's kind of like people say, just to digress a little bit, 15:05 people say, "Well you know, the Sabbath was for the Jews 15:08 because God gave it to the Jews." 15:10 But no where in the Bible does it say that God gave it 15:13 exclusively to the Jews. 15:15 It does say that God gave it to the Jewish nation 15:17 because they were God's people at the time when the 15:19 Ten Commandments were given. 15:21 But it doesn't mean that it applied only to them. 15:23 And so this judgment of the little horn doesn't mean 15:26 that only those who lived during the 1260 years 15:30 are being looked at. 15:31 Leviticus 16 tells us that all of those who profess 15:36 the name of Jesus before the second coming of Christ 15:40 come into this judgment. 15:42 Now notice Revelation 20:12-13. 15:46 I want you to see that there's a difference between 15:48 the books which contain the biographical record 15:51 of the individual and book, singular, which contains names. 15:56 It says here... 15:57 And by the way, this is speaking about the judgment 15:59 after the millennium. 16:00 However, in principle, that judgment is going to 16:04 function in the same way as the judgment 16:06 before the second coming of Christ. 16:08 It says there... 16:20 Do you see that there are "books" and "book"? 16:23 It says, "Another book was opened..." 16:34 So what is it that is found written in the books? 16:36 People's what? Works. 16:38 It says they were judged by their works, 16:40 by the things which are written in the books. 16:42 So the books contain the life record. 16:45 And the book, singular, contains the names of individuals 16:50 in chronological order according to when 16:54 they receive Jesus Christ, or claimed to receive Jesus Christ 16:58 as Savior and Lord. 17:01 In other words, in the heavenly books, 17:03 God has a complete record of the life of every single individual. 17:08 Every act, every word, every motive, every thought, 17:12 every emotion, even every opportunity to do good 17:16 which perhaps we did not take advantage of. 17:19 There is a complete biographical record in heaven, 17:23 inside and out, without missing a single detail. 17:29 In other words, there is another Stephen Bohr in heaven 17:33 in written form. 17:35 That doesn't mean that he's up there living. 17:36 Doesn't mean that there's a guy living here 17:38 and another one of me up there living also. 17:41 It simply means that God keeps in heaven a biographical record 17:45 of myself without missing anything inside or out. 17:50 Now Ellen White used the example of photography 17:54 when she talked about God keeping records. 17:57 You see, God speaks to the prophet in the language 17:59 that the prophet is accustomed to in his day and age. 18:02 You know, if John had talked about God keeping records 18:05 by photography, they would have said, "What's that?" 18:08 So they used the word, "books," because that's the way 18:11 records were kept. 18:12 But I believe that if God today wanted to explain to us 18:16 how He keeps records and how He retrieves them, 18:19 He would probably speak about video cameras, and hard drives, 18:24 and computers, because that's what we are accustomed to. 18:27 It's our way of storing information. 18:29 Which, by the way, is much more efficient than written records. 18:32 But Ellen White used the example of photography, 18:34 because photography was coming in when Ellen White lived. 18:37 I want to read you a couple of statements. 18:39 The first is found in the devotional book, 18:41 In Heavenly Places, page 360. 19:06 The second statement is in the book, 19:08 Testimonies on Sexual Behavior, Adultery, and Divorce, page 62, 19:12 where she states... 19:18 We don't use that word any more. 19:19 It means photograph, basically. 19:36 And so God keeps an exact transcript and record 19:40 of our lives, inside and out, good deeds, bad deeds, 19:45 words, actions, motivations, feelings, you name it, 19:48 everything is written in the books. 19:52 So do you understand what is contained in the books? 19:56 I hope so. 19:58 Now let's talk about what is contained in the book. 20:00 I mentioned that what is in the book is names. 20:03 Let's read several verses. 20:05 Philippians 4:3. Philippians 4:3. 20:10 Here, Paul is talking about several of his fellow laborers 20:14 in the gospel. 20:15 And he states the following... 20:32 So what does the book of life contain? 20:35 Not the actions. It contains what? 20:37 The names. 20:39 Notice Revelation 3:5. 20:41 Revelation 3:5 20:57 So once again, what does the book contain? 20:59 The book contains names. 21:02 Notice Revelation 13:8. 21:05 Revelation 13:8. 21:07 It's speaking about those who worship the beast. 21:10 It says... 21:22 Once again, what is written in the book? 21:24 Names are contained in the book. 21:27 You remember when Moses was on the mount that Israel 21:31 worshiped the golden calf? 21:33 And God said, "I'm going to wipe out these people. 21:35 I going to chose another nation." 21:37 You remember that Moses interceded before the Lord. 21:40 And notice what Moses had to say. 21:43 This is Exodus 32:31-33. 21:58 Moses is speaking to the Lord. 22:09 In other words, "Strike my name from Your book 22:11 if You cannot save these people." 22:14 One more text on the book itself. 22:18 Daniel 12:1 22:20 Daniel 12:1 is speaking about the deliverance of God's people 22:26 from the powers of the earth at the end of time. 22:28 It says there in Daniel 12:1... 22:47 They need to be delivered because according to 22:49 the previous verses the king of the north and his cohorts 22:52 wanted to obliterate them from the earth. 22:54 So it says, "...your people shall be delivered..." 23:03 So what does the book contain? 23:05 Names. 23:06 In the chronological order in which they received 23:09 Jesus Christ or claimed to receive Jesus Christ as Savior. 23:13 What is it that is contained in the books? 23:16 It is the biographical record. 23:18 An exact transcript of the life of the people. 23:22 Now we need to take a look at something 23:25 which is very, very important. 23:27 You know, Seventh-day Adventist evangelists, 23:29 when they preach about the state of the dead, 23:33 basically they say the spirit that returns to God 23:36 is simply the breath. 23:38 Now I believe that the spirit has to do with the breath, 23:41 but there's more to the spirit than just the breath. 23:45 And you're saying, "What are you talking about?" 23:47 You see, the spirit is the breath, but when God 23:52 returns the breath, if a person should die, 23:56 He's not only going to return the capacity to breathe, 24:00 He is going to return to that person who they were 24:03 while they were alive. 24:05 In other words, along with the breath of life 24:08 God is going to give them their biographical record. 24:10 Are you following me? 24:11 And that is the spirit. 24:13 The spirit is the breath, along with the identity 24:18 that the person formed during their life. 24:20 I want to prove that from Scripture and from 24:22 the spirit of prophecy. 24:24 You remember the daughter of Jairus. 24:27 She died and people were mourning her. 24:30 And I want you to notice the end of the story in Luke 8:52-56. 24:48 So was the little girl dead? 24:50 Clearly. 24:52 People knew she was dead. 25:00 In other words, "Little girl, resurrect." 25:03 Now sometimes, you know, my glasses don't allow me to 25:07 read things exactly the way they're written. 25:09 So if I read something wrong, you please correct me, okay? 25:12 So it says in verse 55, "Then the spirit returned..." 25:18 Is that what it says, "Then the spirit returned?" 25:21 No. A possessive pronoun is used. 25:25 "...her spirit returned..." 25:34 See, when she died she was hungry. 25:37 And so when she was resurrected she picked up 25:40 where she left off. 25:41 Why? 25:42 Because along with her breath, what was she given? 25:46 Her personal identity that she had while she was alive. 25:49 Are you following me or not? 25:50 Very important point. 25:52 Let me ask you, would it be kind of tragic if the Lord, 25:56 when He resurrected me, He only would give me the 25:58 capacity to breathe and wouldn't make me who I was 26:01 while I was alive? 26:03 That would be kind of funny, wouldn't it? 26:05 Imagine me receiving the breath of life and being Barney. 26:11 You say, "Now come on, wait a minute. 26:13 There's something incongruous here." 26:16 Now notice another example. 26:18 This is the stoning of Stephen, Acts 7:57-60. 26:23 It says, speaking about those who wanted to stone 26:26 and kill Stephen, it says... 26:40 "And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, 26:43 'Lord Jesus, receive the spirit.'" 26:48 No. He said, "Receive my spirit." 26:51 What is Stephen saying? 26:53 He's saying, "Preserve my self-identity. 26:56 Keep the record, Lord." 26:59 Verse 60... 27:09 Once again, the possessive pronoun. 27:11 "My spirit." 27:13 Notice the third example, Luke 23:46. 27:17 This is referring to the death of Jesus on the cross. 27:20 It says there... 27:26 "...into Your hands I commit the spirit." 27:30 It does not say, "the spirit." 27:32 It's a possessive pronoun. 27:40 What was Jesus saying to His Father, 27:42 "into Your hands I commit My spirit"? 27:43 He was saying, "Father, preserve My identity. 27:46 Because You promised that You were going to..." What? 27:48 "...that You were going to resurrect Me." 27:50 When Jesus resurrected, was it still Jesus? 27:53 Could He remember His disciples? 27:55 Did He remember where He had been? 27:57 Did He remember that Peter had betrayed Him? 27:59 Did He remember that Judas had betrayed Him as well? 28:04 Yeah. He knew all of those things. Why? 28:06 Because along with His breath, what was given to Him? 28:10 His personal self-identity which was preserved or kept in heaven. 28:15 Now allow me to read you an extraordinary statement 28:17 written by Ellen White. 28:19 The little lady knew this. 28:21 She had only two and a half years of primary education, 28:24 and yet she knew this very clearly. 28:26 This is found in the book, Maranatha, 28:28 a devotional book, page 301. 28:36 What is preserved in the resurrection? 28:37 Our personal identity. 28:40 Then she says... 28:46 God doesn't have to return to us the identical 28:49 particles of dust that composed our body. 28:51 She continues saying... 29:07 What is it that God preserves? Our character. 29:09 Who we are, she's saying. 29:11 And she calls it, the spirit. 29:14 She continues saying in this statement... 30:00 A perfect body, by the way. 30:03 In fact, on the same page 301 of the book, Maranatha, 30:07 Ellen White explains, "Paul illustrates this subject..." 30:11 Of the new body that God is going to give us. 30:48 Now we can understand a little bit better Job 19:25-27. 30:53 I use to wonder about this. 30:54 It sounded kind of selfish on the part of Job, 30:57 what he was saying. 30:59 But now I understand why he used all these personal pronouns. 31:02 He says in Job 19:25-27... 31:24 So nobody else is going to see Jesus 31:26 when He comes, according to Job. 31:27 He says, "My eyes are going to see Him, and no one else." 31:30 You know what he's really saying? 31:31 He's really saying, "It's going to be me 31:34 that is going to see Him. 31:35 It's not going to be somebody else. 31:37 Because God is going to return to me..." What? 31:40 "...the identity that I had while I was..." What? 31:43 "...while I was alive." 31:45 Are you understanding this? 31:46 So how do people appear before the judgment seat of Christ? 31:49 Do they appear there personally beginning in 1844? 31:52 No. 31:54 They appear there through their what? 31:55 Through their records. 31:57 Does this have anything to do with the state of the dead? 32:01 It's a total contradiction of the concept that the 32:05 Christian world has of the state of the dead. 32:07 Because if you believe that people go to heaven or to hell, 32:10 then you can never believe that the judgment began 32:13 at a certain point. 32:14 Because when people die is when they receive their reward. 32:17 Are you following me or not? 32:18 So if you believe that the judgment begins at a 32:20 certain point, and God begins to judge beginning with Adam 32:25 through the course of history, and people are in their graves, 32:28 then it must be that people are being judged 32:30 by the record of their lives and not because 32:33 they are there personally. 32:34 And then when Jesus comes, He will give the reward 32:37 personally depending on what was revealed in the books. 32:41 Are you following me or not? 32:42 It's actually very simple. 32:44 Now there's another point that I want us to notice 32:46 about the judgment. 32:48 Sometimes we emphasize so much what the high priest 32:53 did in the Most Holy Place on the Day of Atonement 32:57 that we forget that there was a response that was expected 33:01 by the people outside the Sanctuary. 33:05 We virtually ignore what the people had to be doing 33:09 on the Day of Atonement because we're so intent on 33:11 saying that Jesus is in heaven, He's cleansing the heavenly 33:15 Sanctuary from the sins of the people. 33:19 Ellen White, in the book, Great Controversy, page 425, 33:23 had this to say... 33:45 There is to be a parallel work here. 33:47 While Jesus is cleansing the heavenly Sanctuary 33:50 from the sins of the people, the people on earth should be 33:54 cleansing their lives from sin. 33:56 The soul temple from sin, if you please. 34:00 Let's read in Leviticus 23:27-32 what the people were suppose 34:06 to do on the Day of Atonement. 34:08 We're not talking now about the work of the high priest 34:10 in the Most Holy Place. 34:12 He would examine the records, in figure. 34:14 And then he would cleanse the Sanctuary from the 34:16 sins of the people. 34:18 Now we're going to take a look at what the people 34:19 were expected to do. 34:21 Once again, Leviticus 23 and beginning with verse 27. 34:32 Everybody was expected to gather around the Sanctuary 34:35 and to focus their minds on what the high priest was doing. 34:38 That's why the high priest had bells around the 34:40 the bottom of his garment. 34:42 So that people could follow him. 34:43 So that people knew what he was doing at any given moment. 34:47 It continues saying, "...you shall afflict your souls..." 34:51 Beat your chest because of your sins, in other words. 35:02 Because of they were working, they could not concentrate 35:04 on what was happening in the Sanctuary. 35:06 It was a day in which they were to be focused 35:09 on what the high priest was doing. 35:10 He was going to cleanse the Sanctuary from sin. 35:13 And so the time was coming when they could not continue 35:16 putting sin into the Sanctuary. 35:18 It continues saying here in the book of Leviticus, verse 28... 36:00 So what were they suppose to do? 36:02 They were suppose to, first of all, afflict their souls. 36:08 They were to fast. 36:10 They were to congregate and focus on what was happening 36:13 in the Sanctuary. 36:15 They were to be searching their lives to see if their lives 36:19 had sin that had not entered into the Sanctuary, 36:22 and therefore could not be cleansed from the Sanctuary. 36:27 It's interesting to notice that this festival was announced 36:32 by the sound of trumpets. 36:33 I'm going to give several characteristics now, 36:35 because we're going to go to another passage in a moment. 36:38 The Day of Atonement was announced by 36:41 the blowing of trumpets so that everybody would prepare 36:44 for the Day of Atonement. 36:46 As I mentioned, while the high priest was purifying 36:49 the Sanctuary or cleansing the Sanctuary from the sins 36:52 of the people, the people were suppose to be gathered outside 36:56 afflicting their souls and doing all in their power 37:02 that God had given them to overcome sin. 37:05 Also, they were suppose to fast. 37:08 You say, "Well, do we fast since 1844?" 37:11 Well, we'd all be dead if we were fasting since 1844. 37:15 We need to understand what fasting is. 37:17 The Bible defines fasting in two ways. 37:20 Medical Ministry, page 283, Ellen White explains... 37:37 That's the true fast. 37:39 So in other words, health reform is the true fast. 37:43 Another definition that the Bible gives of fasting 37:45 is that we take our clothing and we take our food 37:49 to feed those who are in need. 37:51 Notice Isaiah 58:6-7. 37:54 God speaking to Israel. 38:20 In other words, fasting is practical Christianity. 38:24 It's practicing healthful living, according to 38:27 Scripture and the spirit of prophecy. 38:29 So it doesn't mean that we have to abstain from 38:33 foods since 1844 when we understand what fasting is. 38:38 Now we also noticed that Israel was suppose to 38:41 abstain from work. 38:42 Does that mean that we don't have to work from 1844 forward? 38:45 Some people would like that, but that's not what it means. 38:48 The reason why they were not suppose to work 38:50 is because nothing was to interfere with there having 38:53 their minds focused on what was happening in the Sanctuary. 38:57 And therefore, anything today that distracts us 39:00 from what is taking place in the Most Holy Place 39:02 of the heavenly Sanctuary we should discard and do away with. 39:06 Because our mind should be in there with Jesus, 39:09 knowing that He's cleansing the Sanctuary 39:12 from the record of sin. 39:13 And therefore, through His grace and power 39:15 we should be doing a parallel work 39:18 through the power of the Holy Spirit to overcome sin 39:21 in our lives. 39:22 Incidentally, you noticed that people who did not sympathize 39:26 on the Day of Atonement with what was happening 39:29 in the Sanctuary, the Bible says that they would be cut off 39:33 and destroyed from among the people. 39:36 How serious is it then that God's people be doing this 39:41 during the Day of Atonement? 39:43 You know, you have Adventist churches today 39:45 that think that the worship service should be 39:48 jumping up and down, and rolling in the aisles, 39:50 and laughing, and shouting, and having drums, and 39:53 dancing in church, and everything, you know, 39:55 because we should be filled with joy and with happiness. 39:58 I'm not saying that we shouldn't be joyful. 40:00 What I'm saying is that the Day of Atonement 40:02 is a day of affliction. 40:04 It's a day of fasting. 40:05 It's a day of soul searching. 40:08 It's a day to focus on the cleansing of the Sanctuary. 40:11 Following Jesus by faith and overcoming sin in the life. 40:16 Does God expect victory over sin from His people 40:19 in the end time generation? 40:22 Notice Revelation 6. 40:24 I'm not going to read verses 14-17, 40:27 I'm only going to read verse 17. 40:29 But verse 14 through verse 16 is describing the second coming 40:33 of Jesus Christ. 40:35 And I want you to notice that after describing 40:37 the second coming, a solemn question is asked. 40:41 That's found in verse 17. 40:51 So the question is, when Jesus comes, 40:53 who shall be able to stand? 40:56 Where would you expect to find the answer to that question? 40:59 How about in the very next chapter? 41:00 Do you think that would be a good place to look? 41:03 You look in the very next verse, it speaks about the sealing 41:06 of the 144,000. 41:09 The 144,000 are those who will be alive when Jesus comes. 41:13 They are the ones who are going to 41:15 go through the time of trouble. 41:17 They are the ones who will live on the earth 41:19 without an Intercessor. 41:20 They will be the ones who will be subjects of a death decree. 41:25 They will be individuals who will suffer the anguish 41:29 of the time of Jacob's trouble. 41:32 And the question is, when Jesus comes, 41:34 who shall be able to stand? 41:36 The answer is, the living saints, the 144,000, 41:41 will be able to stand. 41:43 Now, Revelation 7 does not give us the characteristics 41:47 of the 144,000. 41:49 It says that they are sealed before the winds of strife 41:52 are released and the tribulation comes. 41:54 But Revelation 14 gives us their character qualities. 41:58 I'll mention only four of them. 42:00 You can read the whole passage; Revelation 14:1-5. 42:03 They follow the Lamb wherever He goes. 42:08 They were not defiled with women. 42:10 That doesn't mean that they didn't get married, 42:12 because marriage doesn't defile you. 42:14 Unless you commit adultery. 42:16 Then that defiles. 42:17 In other words, they did not have illicit relations 42:20 with the apostate churches. 42:21 Because women represent what? 42:23 Harlots represent apostate churches. 42:27 We are also told that there is not deceit in their mouths. 42:31 So if there is no deceit in their mouths, 42:32 is there any deceit in their hearts? 42:34 No, because from the abundance of the heart 42:36 the mouth speaks, according to the Bible. 42:39 And we are told there that they are without fault 42:43 before the throne of God. 42:47 They will be totally victorious over sin. 42:50 Because they will have followed Jesus into the Most Holy Place 42:53 of the heavenly Sanctuary. 42:55 They will have gained totally the victory. 42:57 And therefore, in the great day of God's wrath 43:00 they will be able to stand. 43:04 By the way, do you know that this is not the only time 43:06 that this question is asked: "The great day of His wrath 43:10 is come, who shall be able to stand?" 43:12 If you read Joel 2:1-10, you find a description 43:18 of the second coming of Jesus Christ. 43:20 I wish we had time to read those ten verses, but we don't. 43:23 But you can read them at leisure. 43:24 The first ten verses of Joel 2 describe the 43:27 second coming of Christ. 43:28 And then you come to verse 11, which is the culmination 43:32 of this passage regarding the second coming. 43:36 And it says there in verse 11... 43:42 Remember in Revelation 19 it says that the armies 43:44 of heaven follow Jesus when He comes on white horses? 43:47 Well that is what this is referring to. 43:57 And then notice the question. 44:07 Is that a similar question to Revelation 6:17? 44:10 Yes, very similar. 44:11 Where would you expect to find the answer 44:13 to that question in verse 11? 44:15 How about verses 12 and 17? 44:18 Now we don't have time to read those verses. 44:20 But I'll give you a summary of what those verses contain. 44:24 They contain everything relating to the Day of Atonement. 44:27 For example, they contain the sound of trumpets 44:33 which sounded before the Day of Atonement. 44:36 It says there that it was a convocation. 44:39 People needed to gather around the Sanctuary, 44:41 there it says in Joel. 44:43 It speaks about God's people returning to God with all their 44:48 hearts, with fasting and weeping and mourning. 44:52 Does that sound like the Day of Atonement? 44:53 Absolutely. 44:55 It says that they should rend their hearts 44:58 and not their garments. 45:00 We're told there that an assembly, a fast, 45:03 should be called. 45:04 The assembly should be sanctified. 45:07 It also tells us that the ministers should weep 45:11 between the porch and the altar, saying, 45:13 "Lord, spare Your people." 45:15 It's parallel to Ezekiel 9 where it speaks about those who 45:20 sign and cry because of the abominations 45:22 that are being done in the earth. 45:24 That's what ministers should be doing today; 45:26 sighing and crying because of the abominations 45:29 that are being committed among God's people. 45:32 So the question is, once again, in Joel 2:11, 45:34 "For the day of the Lord is great and very terrible. 45:37 Who can endure it?" 45:38 The following verses tell us it is those who experience 45:43 the Day of Atonement. 45:44 Those who go through the steps that are spoken of 45:47 in Leviticus 23. 45:50 By the way, these are not the only two passages 45:53 where you find this question. 45:55 Let's notice a few other passages that have 45:58 the same question. 45:59 Psalm 15 46:02 Notice how Psalm 15 begins. 46:08 That's the Sanctuary, right? 46:12 And then a second question. 46:16 What is God's holy hill? 46:18 Zion. 46:20 Where do the 144,000 stand, 46:21 according to the book of Revelation? 46:23 Zion. 46:24 Where do they serve God? 46:25 In His temple day and night, right? 46:27 So is there any connection here? Absolutely. 46:29 Now notice the answer. 46:30 The answer has to do with your lifestyle. 46:32 You say, "Well, Pastor Bohr, you're saying then that 46:34 we're saved by our lifestyle." 46:35 No, no. What I'm saying is, you're saved because 46:38 your mind is with Jesus in the Most Holy Place 46:40 of the heavenly Sanctuary. 46:42 And because of that you're seeing His perfection 46:44 and His holiness, how much sin costs. 46:47 And by His grace you're overcoming sin in your life 46:50 because your mind is focused there. 46:52 Are you following me or not? 46:54 Now notice what the answer is. 46:56 It has to do with our conduct. 46:58 It says there in verse 2... 47:33 Who shall be able to stand? 47:35 This kind of person shall never be moved. 47:37 Are you seeing the connection or not? 47:40 Does this have anything to do with our lifestyle? 47:43 It most certainly does. 47:45 The lifestyle does not save us, but our lifestyle shows 47:48 our connection to Jesus. 47:51 Notice another place where the question is asked. 47:53 Isaiah 33:14-16 47:56 All of these are describing the second coming of Jesus. 47:58 And the question is, who will be able to stand? 48:00 Who will be able to live with the Lord? 48:03 Isaiah 33:14-16 48:22 Do you know what most Christian churches would answer? 48:25 "Oh, it's the wicked that are going to be 48:27 in the everlasting burnings." 48:29 That's not what the Bible teaches. 48:30 See, the wicked could never live with the devouring fire 48:34 and the everlasting burnings 48:35 because the fire would burn them up. 48:38 But here it says the righteous will live 48:40 in the presence of the fire. 48:41 And now I want you to notice why? 48:43 Verse 15 has the answer. 49:05 That's Mount Zion, by the way. 49:15 Are you catching the picture? 49:16 Ah, I want to share one more place 49:18 where the question is asked. 49:20 Psalm 24:3-6 49:23 This is the psalm of the ascension of Christ, 49:25 but it also is the song that is going to be sung 49:27 when Jesus comes to take His people home. 49:30 Notice Psalm 24:3. 49:35 That's Mount Zion, right? 49:40 Notice the answer. 50:01 Are you catching the picture? 50:03 Will the end time generation be totally victorious over sin 50:06 in action and in thought? 50:08 Yes. And you say, "It's impossible." 50:10 Then you're saying that your sin is more powerful than God. 50:14 No. 50:16 See, people say, "Well you know, we have a sinful nature. 50:19 We have a sinful nature that sins, so it's not possible 50:21 to stop sinning before Jesus comes." 50:23 You're not really saying that man has a weak sinful nature. 50:27 What you're saying is that God is not powerful enough 50:30 to give you the victory over your sinful nature. 50:32 You're limiting the power of God, is what you're doing. 50:36 Great Controversy, page 623. 50:39 Ellen White makes this remarkable statement. 50:41 And you know, those who don't believe that the victory 50:43 over sin can be gained before Jesus comes, 50:45 they cringe when they read this statement. 50:48 Great Controversy, 623. 51:08 Not even by a thought. 51:27 Now listen carefully. 51:43 And now comes the amazing conclusion. 51:53 Not even by a sinful what? 51:56 By a sinful thought, according to the spirit of prophecy. 52:00 You say, "That's impossible." 52:01 No, it's not impossible if we meet the conditions. 52:04 If we behold the perfection of Christ 52:07 and stop looking at all that garbage that we see everywhere, 52:12 and stop listening to all the garbage that we listen to. 52:16 If we focus on Jesus, His perfection, and what sin cost, 52:19 the pain that it causes, then we can gain victory over sin. 52:24 Now allow me to mention one more thing as we close. 52:28 And that is, that the distinctive beliefs of the 52:32 Seventh-day Adventist Church are centered in the Most Holy Place. 52:37 The very doctrines that the Christian world despises 52:40 are found in the Most Holy Place. 52:42 And do you know why? 52:43 Because they have not entered the Most Holy Place with Jesus. 52:47 Let's review these. 52:50 Let me ask you, where is the law of God 52:53 to be found in the Sanctuary? 52:55 It is found in the Most Holy Place of the Sanctuary. 53:01 Let me ask you, what is at the very center of the law? 53:05 The seal. 53:07 The Sabbath is at the center of the law. 53:11 By the way, did God give the Sabbath to Israel as a test? 53:18 Yes. 53:19 Do you know that in the ark in heaven there is a pot 53:22 that contains manna? 53:24 Perhaps God is trying to tell us that the Sabbath in the end time 53:27 will not only be one of God's commandments, 53:30 but the Sabbath is going to be a what? 53:33 A test to see if God's people will walk in His what? 53:37 In His law, as it says in Exodus 16. 53:39 Ellen White says that the Sabbath will be a 53:41 test at the end of time. 53:42 There you have the manna in the ark of the covenant 53:45 in the Most Holy Place, which is a symbol of the 53:48 Sabbath as a test. 53:53 Is a healthful diet revealed in the Sanctuary? 53:58 The pot of manna also teaches healthful living, doesn't it? 54:01 You remember in Numbers 11 the experience of Israel? 54:04 They were tired of eating manna. 54:06 This vegan food. 54:08 They said, "Blah." 54:10 You know, "We remember all the rich delicious food in Egypt. 54:13 You know, all the fleshpots and all this rich food. 54:16 And we just wish we could have that food instead of having 54:18 this simple diet that God has given us." 54:21 And what happened? 54:22 They got sick and they died. 54:24 Is God trying to teach health reform in the Most Holy Place 54:28 of the Sanctuary? 54:30 He most certainly is. 54:31 Let me ask you, does the Most Holy Place 54:32 have anything to say about the judgment? 54:36 Of course. 54:37 It's done in the Most Holy Place. 54:38 Does it have anything to say about the state of the dead? 54:41 We've noticed that, folks. 54:43 Listen carefully. 54:44 If Adam was the first to be judged in 1844, 54:50 then He's not in heaven. 54:53 Are you following me? 54:54 If in 1844 it begins with Adam and it goes through all of the 54:58 succeeding generations, where are the dead? 55:02 The dead are in their graves. 55:03 How are they judged? 55:05 Through their records. 55:07 When will they go to heaven? 55:08 When Jesus comes. 55:10 Are you following me? 55:11 So does a correct concept of the judgment 55:14 gives us a correct concept of the state of the dead? 55:17 Absolutely it does. 55:19 And of course, God also wanted to teach 55:21 this issue of the state of the dead through Aaron's rod 55:27 that miraculously sprouted to life though it was dead. 55:31 By a miracle of God it sprouted to life. 55:33 Just like Jesus says, "Though you are dead, 55:36 yet you shall..." What? 55:37 "...you shall live by a miracle of God." 55:40 Now let me ask you, what does the Christian world 55:44 have to say about God's law? 55:47 "Oh, it was nailed to the cross." 55:50 Yeah. 55:51 "You know, Christ kept the law for us." 55:56 "You know, we're not under law, we're..." What? 55:58 "...we're under grace." 56:00 "We don't live by the letter, we live by the spirit." 56:04 The law is despised. 56:06 What does the Christian world say about the Sabbath? 56:09 "Oh, the Sabbath was for the Jews." 56:12 "The Sabbath is a legalistic day." 56:15 "We keep Sunday in honor of the resurrection." 56:17 If their minds were in the Most Holy Place, 56:19 which day would they be keeping? 56:21 The Sabbath, because they would see that the earthly Sanctuary 56:24 was a copy of the heavenly. 56:25 The ark of the covenant on earth had the law on the Sabbath, 56:28 therefore the ark of the covenant in heaven, 56:31 which Revelation 11:19 says is there, also must have the law. 56:35 And it also must contain what? 56:37 The Sabbath. 56:38 What does the Christian world say about healthful living? 56:41 They say, you know, "The only thing you have to do 56:44 for your pork chops to be blessed is simply to say 56:47 a little prayer." 56:49 And so the unclean pork chop suddenly will become clean 56:52 by a miracle of God. 56:54 And they use like the experience of, 56:57 "Arise. Kill and eat." 56:59 You know, and they use text outside of the 57:02 context of Scripture to defend the idea of eating 57:05 anything and everything. 57:07 What does the Christian world say about the state of the dead? 57:10 Oh they say, the state of the dead simply means that when 57:12 a person dies, if they were good they go to heaven, 57:15 and if they were bad they go straight to hell. 57:18 Are you following me or not? 57:20 What does the Christian world have to say about 57:23 all of these things? 57:25 They're totally opposed to the distinctive doctrines of the 57:29 Seventh-day Adventist Church 57:31 because they have refused to what? 57:33 To enter the Most Holy Place where these truths are revealed. 57:36 And these are the truths that are going to divide the world 57:39 at the end of time. 57:41 Do we have a special message as the Seventh-day Adventist Church 57:46 to share these truths with the world? 57:49 We most certainly do. 57:50 And woe to us if we don't lead people in the world 57:54 to a Most Holy Place experience where they can see 57:57 the fullness of truth and make a decision, 58:00 a final decision, to receive Jesus Christ and live for Him. |
Revised 2016-10-06