Participants: Stephen Bohr
Series Code: TGCC
Program Code: TGCC000008A
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00:16 Well hello, everybody.
00:17 Welcome back. 00:19 This is presentation number eight in a series of ten. 00:24 You'll notice that the subject that we're studying is, 00:27 The Great Cosmic Controversy. 00:30 The subtitle is, How God Clears His Name of All False Charges. 00:37 Now in our study this evening our topic will be, 00:40 Living Without an Intercessor. 00:43 We will deal with the close of probation 00:46 and briefly with events that take place 00:49 after the close of probation. 00:51 But before we do, we want to do what we always do 00:54 before we open God's Word. 00:56 And that is to pray that the Spirit who reveals Scripture 01:00 will come back to explain it to us. 01:02 And so I invite you to bow your heads reverently as we pray. 01:06 Father in heaven, we thank You for the many blessings 01:09 that You have poured out upon us. 01:11 We can't even begin to number the blessings that we have 01:15 received from Your hand. 01:16 We especially thank You for Your Word, 01:19 which is a sure guide in a world that is so confused. 01:22 We ask, Father, that You will be with us through the 01:25 ministration of Your Holy Spirit. 01:27 Open our minds and hearts so that we might understand 01:30 and receive the seed of truth that You would plant 01:33 in our hearts and in our minds. 01:36 And we thank You, Lord, for hearing our prayer, 01:37 for we ask it in the precious name of Jesus. 01:40 Amen. 01:43 I'd like to invite you to turn in your Bibles with me to the 01:45 book of Daniel 7, and we are going to read verses 9 and 10, 01:51 and then we'll jump down to verses 13 and 14. 01:56 We've read these verses before, but now we are going to 01:59 summarize a few things that we've mentioned before 02:02 and move on to new territory. 02:05 Now Daniel 7 has a certain sequence of events. 02:09 We have the lion that represents Babylon, 02:12 we have the bear that represents Medo-Persia, 02:15 the leopard symbolizes Greece, 02:17 the dragon beast is the Roman Empire. 02:20 Then the dragon beast sprouts ten horns, 02:22 which is the division of the Roman Empire. 02:25 And then you have a little horn that rules for 1260 years 02:29 that ends in the year 1798. 02:33 And then we have the following event immediately mentioned 02:39 after the little horn's first period of rule comes to an end. 02:45 Daniel 7:9-10 02:55 Who is the Ancient of Days? 02:57 God the Father. 02:59 And where does God the Father live? 03:00 "Our Father which art in heaven," we pray. 03:03 So it says... 03:33 So after which date does the judgment begin? 03:36 It has to begin sometime after what date? 03:38 After 1798. 03:40 And we've specified that it began when? 03:43 October 22, 1844. 03:47 Now this is not the end of the story. 03:49 Because it says the court was seated 03:52 and the books were opened, but then there's another person 03:56 that is going to join the Ancient of Days 03:58 in the throne room in the Most Holy Place. 04:00 Let's go down to verse 13. 04:06 "...and behold, One like the Son of Man..." 04:08 Who is that? 04:09 That's Jesus Christ. 04:15 What are the clouds? 04:16 The angels. 04:17 Coming with the clouds of heaven. 04:23 Is this the second coming of Jesus? 04:25 It can't be the second coming because Jesus here 04:28 comes on the clouds but not to the earth. 04:30 He comes to where? 04:31 To the Ancient of Days in the Most Holy Place. 04:34 So it says here... 04:42 Now why did Jesus go in there? 04:45 What was the purpose of Jesus going into the place 04:48 where the court was seated and the books were opened? 04:51 Verse 14 tells us why He went into the presence of the Father. 04:56 Verse 14 reads, "Then to Him..." To whom? 05:00 To Jesus. Very well. 05:10 So what did Jesus go there for? 05:12 He went there to receive what? The kingdom. 05:14 So it says... 05:32 Now the question is, what is Christ's kingdom? 05:35 We've touched on this point before. 05:37 Usually we think of a kingdom in territorial terms. 05:41 Don't we? 05:42 The territory or the geographical area over which 05:46 an individual rules. 05:48 But when it comes to Jesus, His kingdom is composed of 05:52 the people that belong to His kingdom. 05:55 In other words, His kingdom are His people. 05:57 So what did Jesus go to do before the Father? 06:00 He went to perform a work of judgment to decide 06:03 who is truly a member of His kingdom. 06:06 Are you following me or not? 06:08 And after the last person who has professed Jesus Christ 06:11 as Savior has been judged, the kingdom of Jesus is what? 06:17 The kingdom of Jesus is complete. 06:20 So in other words, the judgment process reveals 06:24 who was a true follower of Jesus and who wasn't. 06:27 And as soon as all cases have been decided, 06:30 then the kingdom of Jesus is made up. 06:33 That's what Jesus went before the Father to receive; 06:37 to receive the kingdom. 06:38 To determine who are the subjects of His kingdom. 06:42 I want to read a statement from, Great Controversy, page 428, 06:47 where Ellen White describes this judgment process 06:52 and what happens when every case has been decided. 06:56 It's a short statement, but very meaningful. 07:02 That is, when everybody who has professed the name of Christ 07:05 has been evaluated in the judgment. 07:21 Are you catching that? 07:23 So how many people are judged? How many of those? 07:25 All. 07:27 And who are the ones that are judged? 07:29 Not only true believers, but those who have what? 07:32 Professed to be followers of Christ. 07:34 So she says again... 07:55 Are you with me? 07:56 Now when the door of mercy is shut, that's the moment 08:00 when the sentence is pronounced. 08:03 Either for life or not for life. 08:08 When do those people who have been judged 08:10 favorably receive their reward? 08:13 They receive the reward when Jesus comes. 08:17 Is there a period of time between when the 08:19 sentence is given and when those who are faithful to Jesus 08:24 receive their reward? 08:25 Yes. 08:27 In between those two points, when probation closes 08:30 and when Jesus comes to reward His people 08:33 by taking them to heaven, there is what the Bible calls, 08:37 the time of trouble. 08:39 Now that will be the subject of study for our next lecture. 08:43 Lecture number nine in this series. 08:46 But we're not going to deal specifically with that now. 08:49 But I want you to catch the chronology. 08:51 You have the close of probation, then later you have the 08:56 receiving of the reward. 08:57 And in between, you have the seven last plagues 09:01 and the tribulation, or the time of trouble. 09:04 Now let's discuss the close of probation. 09:08 Let's go in our Bibles to Daniel 12:4. 09:12 Daniel 12:4 09:14 Now this verse is not directly related to what we're studying, 09:18 but I'm reading it for a specific purpose. 09:19 And you're going to see why. 09:21 It says there in Daniel 12:4... 09:31 Now was the book going to be sealed forever? 09:33 No. 09:35 Because it says, "...seal the book until..." When? 09:38 "...until the time of the end." 09:41 So if the book is shut and sealed, can people 09:46 get a message from the book? 09:48 Can the people read the book and understand the book? 09:50 No, because it's shut and it's sealed. 09:52 So if the book is shut, a message cannot come from it. 09:56 Now notice, it says... 10:04 And that's been severely misinterpreted. 10:07 Because basically the way that it is generally used 10:10 is that when it says, "knowledge shall be increased," 10:13 it's talking about airplanes, and missiles, 10:18 and electric toothbrushes, and all of this technology stuff. 10:22 But that's not what the text is saying. 10:24 What the text is saying is that the book, 10:27 in this case it's a particular portion of the book of Daniel, 10:32 is shut and sealed. 10:33 In other words, it cannot be understood, 10:35 a message cannot come from it, 10:37 until the time of the end. 10:39 But at the time of the end, people are going to 10:40 run to and fro, and knowledge of the book 10:45 is going to increase. 10:46 Because the book will then be what? 10:48 The book will then be unsealed. 10:50 The book will be opened. 10:53 Would it be too much to say that the secrets will be unsealed? 10:58 Now let's go to Revelation 22:10-12. 11:03 Revelation 22:10-12 11:05 And what I want you to notice is that there are three points 11:08 of time in these verses. 11:10 Three points of time. 11:12 Revelation 22:10-12 11:14 You'll see why I read that verse about the book being sealed, 11:17 about the book being shut. 11:19 "And he said to me, 'Do not seal...'" 11:23 That's the opposite, isn't it? 11:28 It's talking about Revelation. 11:31 Now what does that mean, "Don't seal the words 11:33 of the prophecy of this book." 11:35 Can the book of Revelation be understood? 11:37 Can a message come forth from it? 11:39 Can people receive the message and be saved 11:41 by studying the book of Revelation? 11:43 Yes, because it says here, "Don't shut up the book." 11:47 So if the book is open, a message of salvation 11:49 can come from it. 11:51 That's the first point of time. 11:53 The book is open, everybody can read it and understand it, 11:56 and be saved. 11:57 But now comes the second point. 11:59 It says, "...for the time is at hand." 12:04 In other words, the book is open now, but there's a time 12:08 a certain event is going to take place at a certain time. 12:11 What is that event that is going to take place? 12:14 Let's read the rest of verse 10. 12:38 Does this sound pretty determinative? 12:42 Does this sound like all cases are decided? 12:45 Absolutely. 12:46 In other words, when this takes place, 12:49 the book will no longer be open to present a message 12:52 that will bring salvation. 12:54 The time has come where all cases have been decided. 12:58 The unjust will continue to be unjust, 13:01 the filthy will continue to be filthy, 13:03 the righteous will continue to be righteous, 13:06 and the holy will continue to be holy. 13:08 But there's a third point of time. 13:10 And that's in verse 12. 13:12 Notice, it says there in verse 12, 13:14 and Jesus is speaking... 13:26 That's the second coming of Christ, isn't it? 13:29 So do you notice three points of time in these verses? 13:32 First of all, the book is open. 13:33 A message of salvation can come from it. 13:35 Oh, but the time is going to come when all cases are what? 13:39 Decided. 13:40 And then Jesus is going to what? 13:43 He's going to come and He's going to bring His reward. 13:46 So does probation close before Jesus comes 13:50 to reward the saints? 13:51 Absolutely. 13:52 Now let's go to Revelation 15:5-8. 13:56 Revelation 15:5-8 13:59 Now let me just mention that at this point 14:01 the three angels' messages have been proclaimed. 14:04 You know, the three angels' messages are God's last 14:06 message to the world. 14:08 They're found in Revelation 14:6-12. 14:12 As long as the three messages are being preached, 14:15 the door of probation is open. 14:18 But the time is coming when the door of probation 14:20 is going to close. 14:22 Notice Revelation 15:5-8. 14:27 Do you remember that we read once before 14:30 in Revelation 11:19 that the temple of God was opened 14:34 in heaven and the ark of His covenant was seen? 14:37 And that refers to the beginning of the judgment. 14:40 Could people enter by faith to follow what Jesus was doing 14:43 in the Most Holy Place? 14:44 Absolutely. We studied that. 14:46 But now I want you to notice that the temple is 14:48 going to be opened again. 14:49 The Most Holy Place is going to be opened again, 14:52 but this time it's not opened for people to be able 14:55 to go in by faith to see what Jesus is doing, 14:58 to sympathize with His work. 15:00 Remember what the people did on the Day of Atonement? 15:02 This time it is opened to let the plague angels come out 15:07 to pour their plagues out upon the earth. 15:10 Notice Revelation 15:5. 15:22 Now I want you to understand what the temple 15:24 of the tabernacle of the testimony is. 15:27 The tabernacle of the testimony is the tent. 15:31 It's called the tabernacle. 15:33 The Holy and the Most Holy Place. 15:35 But what is the temple of the tabernacle? 15:39 The temple of the tabernacle is the Most Holy Place. 15:43 So what is being opened here? 15:45 The Most Holy Place of the heavenly Sanctuary. 15:48 And now notice verse 6. 16:14 Why is the temple opened? 16:15 It's not opened for people to go in now and be saved. 16:18 It's opened to let the plague angels out. 16:21 Has probation closed when the plagues begin to be poured out? 16:24 Absolutely. 16:26 So this is talking about the close of human probation. 16:29 Now will God's people be able to enter the Most Holy Place 16:33 by faith once this takes place? 16:36 No. Notice verse 8. 16:38 "The temple..." That's the Most Holy Place. 16:58 Are God's people, the living saints, are they going to 17:01 be able to serve God in the temple day and night, 17:03 according to the book of Revelation, after Jesus comes? 17:06 Yes. But after probation closes and until the plagues 17:10 are all poured out, is anybody going to be able to enter 17:13 the temple to be saved, to claim Jesus as the Mediator 17:18 or the Intercessor? 17:19 No. It says, "No one was able to enter the temple 17:23 till the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed." 17:26 And the reason why is because when the seven angels 17:29 are pouring out the bowls, when they're pouring out the plagues, 17:32 probation has closed. 17:34 Jesus has finished His ministration, and no one 17:37 can enter there by faith. 17:39 You say, "Well, can we really enter the Most Holy Place?" 17:41 Of course we can. 17:43 We enter by faith, don't we? 17:45 Doesn't the Bible say that we can draw near 17:48 to the throne of God, in Hebrews 4? 17:50 Yes. We don't do so physically, because it says that this 17:53 temple is in heaven, but we do it in our mind. 17:56 We do it by following Jesus in the Sanctuary 18:00 in the work that He is performing. 18:01 Now let's go to Daniel 12. 18:04 Daniel 12, and I want to read verse 1. 18:08 Daniel 12:1 18:11 It says, "At that time..." 18:13 Incidentally, let me give you a little bit of context 18:15 before I finish reading this. 18:17 If you read the previous verses, 18:18 it talks about the king of the north. 18:21 The king of the north represents the papacy. 18:23 It's the same thing as the little horn, the beast, 18:26 the man of sin, the harlot, the abomination of desolation, 18:29 you know, the antichrist. 18:31 All are names of this system. 18:34 Different names given in different context. 18:36 And so it says there in the previous verses, 18:38 Daniel 11:44-45, that the king of the north will go out 18:42 with the intention of destroying and slaying God's people. 18:45 It's the same as Revelation 13 where it says that a 18:47 death decree is given against God's people. 18:50 People will not be able to buy or sell. 18:52 And those who do not worship the image of the beast will be what? 18:55 Will be killed. 18:57 So those two text are to be studied together. 19:00 So it says here, "At that time..." 19:02 When the king of the north goes out to destroy God's people. 19:05 "...Michael shall stand up..." 19:09 Now the question is, what does that mean, 19:11 "Michael shall stand up"? 19:14 Well, we need to go to Daniel 11:2-3, 19:19 where the identical expression is used. 19:22 Daniel 11:2-3 19:26 It says there... 19:36 Now unfortunately, the translation doesn't reflect 19:39 the fact that it's the same word. 19:40 In other words, the word, "arise," that is used here 19:43 in Daniel 11:2 is the same identical word, "stand up," 19:48 that is used in Daniel 12:1. 19:51 So what does this mean when it says, "three more kings 19:54 will arise in Persia"? 19:55 It means that three more kings are going to 19:58 rule in Persia, right? 19:59 Three more kings are going to reign in Persia. 20:03 Now let's continue reading. 20:15 There's the same expression. 20:16 A mighty king shall stand up. 20:18 What does that mean? 20:20 It means He's going to begin to what? 20:21 He's going to begin to rule or to reign. 20:24 That's what it says. 20:26 "...who shall rule with great dominion, 20:28 and do according to his will." 20:30 So the question is, what does it mean that Michael will stand up? 20:34 Michael is whom? 20:35 Jesus Christ. 20:37 "Who is like God," is the name Michael. 20:40 So what does it mean for Michael to stand up? 20:43 It means that Jesus is going to begin to what? 20:47 He's going to begin to reign or rule. 20:49 Why? 20:50 Because probation has just closed and His kingdom is what? 20:54 His kingdom is made up. 20:56 Are you following me or not? 20:58 His kingdom is made up because the judgment has finished. 21:01 Now He's going to stand up, which means He's going to 21:03 begin to rule over His kingdom which has been established 21:08 during the investigative judgment. 21:11 So does probation close before Jesus comes? 21:18 Let's finish reading Daniel 12:1. 21:25 He begins to rule because His kingdom is complete. 21:32 And now listen carefully. 21:33 "...and there shall be a time of trouble..." 21:35 Does this come after He stands up, after He begins to rule? 21:38 Yes. 21:40 "...and there shall be a time of trouble such as never was 21:43 since there was a nation..." 21:45 So is there going to be a time of trouble 21:46 after probation closes and before Jesus comes? 21:50 Yes. It continues saying... 22:04 That's the coming of Jesus. "...shall be delivered..." 22:10 Why are they written in the book? 22:12 Because they were judged and they were accounted worthy 22:15 to be in the book. 22:16 In the judgment that was done previously. 22:18 Are you with me or not? 22:19 All of this fits together and it makes sense. 22:22 Now there's another story in the Bible that shows 22:25 that probation will close and there will be a period of time 22:29 between the close of probation and the coming of Jesus. 22:33 I'm referring to what happened in the days of Noah. 22:36 Noah preached a powerful message, didn't he? 22:39 For 120 years. 22:41 Could we say that the book was opened, so to speak, 22:44 during those 120 years? 22:46 Was the message shared? Could people be saved? 22:48 Most certainly. 22:50 But then what happened? 22:51 Notice Genesis 7:16. 22:53 When Noah finishes his preaching, something happens. 22:57 Genesis 7:16 says... 23:02 Talking about the animals. 23:12 So was the door shut? 23:14 Who shut the door? 23:16 The Lord shut the door. 23:17 So as soon as the door was closed, it started to rain. 23:23 Nope. 23:24 How long went by between when the door closed 23:26 and it started to rain? 23:28 When the destruction came? 23:29 Seven days. 23:31 Do you think that during that period the faith of Noah 23:34 and his family was severely tested? 23:36 How do you think that the people outside behaved 23:39 for each day that went by? 23:40 They became more and more violent. 23:43 And more and more daring. 23:45 Was there a time of trouble, so to speak, for Noah 23:47 and his family inside the ark? 23:49 Was it a day of victory for the wicked who were outside? 23:52 Yes it was. 23:54 Jesus referred to this in Matthew 24:37-39. 24:00 Go with me to Matthew 24:37-39. 24:10 Do you see the two events that are being compared? 24:13 "As it was in the days of Noah, 24:15 so will it be at the coming of the Son of Man." 24:31 So the first, "until," marks the moment when 24:33 Noah entered the ark. 24:35 And the door was what? 24:36 And the door was closed. 24:38 But now notice, "...and they did not know..." 24:41 Who didn't know? 24:42 The people outside. 24:44 What didn't they know? 24:46 That they were lost. That's right. 24:56 So is the door of probation going to close 24:58 before Jesus comes? 25:00 Is there going to be a time of trouble in between 25:02 where the faith of God's people will be tested 25:05 and the wicked will become more and more 25:07 daring against God's people? 25:08 Absolutely. Because Jesus says, "As it was back then, 25:12 it will be at the end of time." 25:13 Incidentally, Jesus spoke of His coming 25:16 like the coming of a thief. 25:18 And people say, "Oh, the second coming is going to 25:20 be like the coming of a thief." 25:23 Not exactly. 25:25 Not the way that we generally think of it, anyway. 25:28 I want you to imagine it's one of those cold nights in Fresno. 25:32 There's not very many of them. 25:33 But it's in December and it's 30 degrees. 25:38 And you've come back from work and, you know, 25:40 you've had supper and you jump into bed. 25:43 You know, you lowered the thermostat 25:44 and you jumped into bed, and you're under the covers. 25:47 And all of a sudden you say, "Oh no, I forgot to lock the door. 25:53 Oh it's so nice and warm under these covers. 25:56 I just hate to get out to lock the door. 25:59 I've lived here for 25 years, and the thief has never 26:02 come in 25 years." 26:04 So the person stays in bed. 26:06 Lo and behold, unexpectedly, while everybody in the house 26:10 is sleeping, the thief comes and he finds the door open. 26:15 He goes in and he steals the television, praise the Lord. 26:24 He steals the video camera, he steals your cell phone, 26:26 he steals some money. 26:28 Oh, he has a heyday. 26:29 Does anybody in the house know that the thief has come? 26:33 No, because everybody is what? Sleeping. 26:35 That's why Jesus said, "Watch." 26:37 He's not saying watch for the second coming. 26:39 He's saying watch for the close of probation. 26:42 When do the people inside the house realize 26:44 that the thief has been there? 26:46 Is there a period of time that passes between when 26:48 the thief comes and when the people discover 26:50 that the thief has come? 26:52 Yes. When do they discover it? 26:54 In the morning when they wake up. 26:56 But then it is too late. 26:58 You know, the whole Christian world thinks that they can be 27:01 saved up to the moment that Jesus is coming in the clouds. 27:04 You know, they'll just say, "I'm Yours, Lord." 27:06 It's not going to happen that way. 27:08 Because probation will close before the second coming of 27:12 Jesus and there will be a severe time of trouble in between. 27:16 Must we prepare for that time of trouble? 27:18 By the way, that's going to be our next study together. 27:21 We're going to study about that time of trouble. 27:24 In fact, let's say a few things about the time of trouble. 27:28 You see, Satan complains that God has never allowed him 27:32 to fully implement his style of government. 27:36 He says to God, "You always interfere. 27:39 You don't give me free reign. 27:41 If You allowed me free reign to attack Your people, 27:46 You would see that they serve You, not because they love You. 27:50 They serve You because of the loaves and the fishes. 27:53 But You just don't let me get at them. 27:55 But if You gave me just one chance to have full control 27:59 of the planet, I would show that my style of government 28:03 is better than Yours." 28:05 So what is God going to do? 28:08 God is going to say, "Is that the case?" 28:10 You remember the story of Job, by the way? 28:12 In our next lecture, we're going to take a closer look 28:14 at that story of Job. 28:16 That is a prophetic story. 28:18 Are all of the heavenly beings observing what is happening 28:21 in this story in the book of Job? 28:24 Is the heavenly jury there? Yeah. 28:26 And Satan comes, he says, "Oh you know, Job serves You. 28:29 Of course he's blameless and perfect. 28:31 Because You give him everything. 28:33 You don't let me touch him. 28:34 You protect him. 28:36 But he serves You out of self-interest. 28:38 If You allowed me access to him, he would blaspheme You 28:41 to Your face." 28:43 Now God could have said, "You're a liar," 28:44 and left it at that. 28:46 And the heavenly beings probably would have wondered, 28:48 "Umm, what is God afraid of?" 28:50 So God says, "Okay, go for it. 28:53 Only you can't touch him." 28:55 And so the devil takes everything away from Job. 28:58 And then you have a second meeting in heaven. 29:00 The heavenly beings have seen that God is right. 29:03 Because Job says, "God gave, and God has taken away. 29:05 Praise be the name of the Lord." 29:06 In this, Job did not sin. 29:08 And so when you have the second meeting, 29:11 God says, "Oh, have you seen My servant Job? 29:13 He's still faithful in spite of the fact that you 29:15 turned Me against him." 29:16 "Ha," the devil says. "Of course. 29:18 Because You didn't let me touch him. 29:20 But if You let me touch him, You would see he serves You 29:23 because You're good to him." 29:25 God could say, "You're a liar. 29:27 Don't believe him." 29:29 But God knows that the heavenly beings would say, 29:31 "Well, you know, maybe the devil is right." 29:34 So God says, "Go for it. 29:37 Do whatever you want to him. 29:38 Except I will not allow you to kill him. 29:40 Because if you kill him, the trial is over." 29:43 And so the devil goes out and he afflicts Job with boils 29:46 from the tip of his head to the soles of his feet. 29:50 He loses the support of his wife. 29:52 He loses the support of his friends. 29:54 And he even appears to lose his support of God. 29:58 And he cries out chapter after chapter, 30:00 Why have You turned against me, O God?" 30:02 But he doesn't give up his faith. 30:04 He says, "I know my Redeemer lives." 30:07 He says, "Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him." 30:10 He never let's go of the hand of God 30:12 even though he's asking, "Why have You forsaken me?" 30:16 Incidentally, did Jesus ask that same question, 30:18 "Why have you forsaken Me"? 30:20 Absolutely. Jesus went through the experience of Job. 30:24 So the Bible tells us that after Michael stands up, 30:27 after Jesus begins to reign, there's going to be a 30:29 time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation, 30:34 even to that time. 30:35 Notice how it's described in Matthew 24:21-22. 30:40 Matthew 24:21-22 30:43 Jesus described this tribulation in terms 30:46 similar to Daniel 12:1. 30:48 It says... 31:00 And it's going to be so terrible, 31:01 according to verse 22... 31:13 Now listen up folks, God is going to allow Satan 31:18 to afflict His people. 31:20 He is going to allow the devil to try them and test them 31:24 to the utmost. 31:26 They will lose everything, like Job did. 31:29 They will lose possessions, they will lose houses, 31:31 they will lose lands, they will lose their health, 31:34 they will lose the support of family and friends. 31:36 And they will even begin to fear that they have lost 31:39 their best Friend, which is God. 31:41 And they will struggle with whether they have any sins 31:45 that stand between them and God. 31:49 The devil will be given free reign, except that God will 31:52 say to the devil, "You can test them to the utmost 31:55 so that the heavenly universe can see that they serve Me 31:58 because they love Me, and not out of self-interest." 32:01 Is God giving a revelation of His character in contrast 32:04 to the character of Satan and the time of trouble?" 32:06 He most certainly is. 32:07 And we're going to study this a little bit more 32:09 in our next lecture together. 32:12 So the devil will be allowed to implement his plan 32:15 without any interference by God, except that God will not allow 32:20 His people to be slain. 32:24 God's people will go through an experience 32:26 similar to that of Job. 32:28 And they will not let loose of the hand of the Lord. 32:33 In fact, Ellen White has explained that God's people 32:36 will go through a similar experience to the experience 32:39 that Jesus went through in Gethsemane and on the cross. 32:43 Let me read you this statement from, Review and Herald, 32:45 April 14, 1896, where Ellen White is describing 32:49 what is going to happen with God's people. 33:14 Wow! 33:16 So are God's people going to cry out, "Why have You forsaken me?" 33:19 Absolutely. 33:20 Do you know, when Jesus hung on the cross He had nothing. 33:22 Not even His clothes. 33:25 He had lost everything. 33:26 And it appeared like He had lost the support of His Father too. 33:29 But His Father was close by. 33:31 Jesus did not go by His feelings. 33:34 He went by the promises of His Father, that if He was faithful, 33:37 His Father was going to resurrect Him on the third day. 33:40 That's why He commended His spirit 33:42 into the hands of His Father. 33:43 So she says... 33:57 That is, men will become demons. 34:16 That's what this world is going to be like 34:18 in the time of trouble. 34:19 And you know, sometimes preachers try to scare people 34:22 into serving the Lord and saying, "You're not going to 34:24 have an Intercessor. 34:26 God's going to leave you here." 34:27 Listen, folks, we are not going to have anybody to intercede 34:30 for our sins, but Jesus will be our Protector. 34:33 Because if Jesus is not the Protector, nobody would survive. 34:38 Now, after probation closes and the time of trouble 34:45 is about to begin, a special ceremony takes place. 34:50 The last ceremony on the Day of Atonement. 34:54 It's known as the scapegoat ceremony. 34:57 You see, two goats were chosen. 34:59 One for the Lord; that one was sacrificed. 35:01 The blood was shed. Represents the death of Christ. 35:04 The other goat, the other male goat, was not slain. 35:11 That goat was brought to the entrance to the tent. 35:15 In other words, he's in the court of the Sanctuary. 35:19 And the high priest would come through the Most Holy Place, 35:23 and then through the Holy Place to the door of the Holy Place 35:26 where the scapegoat was waiting in the court. 35:29 And you say, "Where does the Bible say that?" 35:32 Leviticus 16:7 tells us, "He," that is the high priest... 35:46 Are you catching the picture? 35:48 What does the court represent? 35:50 The court represents the earth. 35:52 In heaven there is no court. 35:54 Because the work of the court was performed by Jesus on earth. 35:58 You see, Jesus died on earth, and He resurrected on earth, 36:01 and He lived in our camp on earth. 36:03 So the heavenly Sanctuary has a Holy and Most Holy Place, 36:06 but there's no court because the work represented by the court 36:09 was fulfilled by Jesus while He was here on the earth. 36:12 Are you following me or not? 36:14 And so where will the scapegoat be 36:16 when this is finally fulfilled? 36:18 He will be on earth. 36:20 And Jesus, the High Priest, will come out and He will perform 36:25 this Azazel ceremony, this scapegoat ceremony. 36:30 He will bring all of the sins that were introduced 36:34 into the Sanctuary through the blood of Jesus, 36:37 all of the sins that were forgiven, 36:39 and He's going to bring all of those sins to the entrance 36:43 of the tabernacle of meeting and He will place both hands 36:47 on the head of the scapegoat. 36:49 In this case, what does the scapegoat represent? 36:52 The scapegoat represents Satan. 36:54 And all of the sins of the righteous that were placed 36:59 in the Sanctuary through the blood will be placed 37:02 upon the head of the scapegoat, who is ultimately responsible 37:06 for the origin and the perpetuation of sin. 37:11 Now some people say, "Well, Pastor Bohr, Adventist believe 37:13 that Satan is their savior because the sins are 37:15 placed on the head of the scapegoat." 37:18 Well the fact is that those who say that are not 37:22 careful in their analysis. 37:23 Let me tell you the reason why just because the final 37:27 responsibility for the sins that Satan led God's people to commit 37:31 are placed on the head of the scapegoat, 37:33 it doesn't mean that the scapegoat is our savior. 37:36 Five points that I want to mention. 37:38 Number one, clearly the two goats are opposites. 37:45 Some scholars say both goats represent Jesus. 37:47 No, no, no. 37:48 It says in Leviticus 16:8-10 that one is for the Lord 37:54 and the other is for Azazel. 37:56 Incidentally, in Jewish tradition... 37:59 And we don't go by Jewish tradition, but it's interesting 38:01 to notice that, for example, in the Ethiopian book of Enoch, 38:06 it states that Azazel was a malignant being, 38:12 the originator of sin, and the leader of the rebellious angels. 38:16 So the Jews understood that Azazel represented 38:20 a malignant spirit. 38:22 Furthermore, when the sins are placed upon the scapegoat, 38:26 the Sanctuary had already been cleansed. 38:30 So the scapegoat is not cleansing the Sanctuary. 38:33 The blood of Jesus cleansed the Sanctuary. 38:35 And then the final responsibility is placed 38:38 on the head of the scapegoat. 38:39 Furthermore, the blood of the scapegoat was not shed. 38:44 And it says in Hebrews 9:22 that without the shedding of blood, 38:48 there is no remission or forgiveness of sins. 38:51 So the scapegoat was not sacrificed to forgive sin. 38:55 He bore the ultimate responsibility for sin. 38:59 And finally, the scapegoat was sent to the wilderness 39:03 where there was no inhabitant. 39:06 You can find that in Leviticus 16:22. 39:09 Can you think of a passage in the book of Revelation 39:11 where a certain being is sent to a desolate wilderness 39:15 where there are no inhabitants? 39:17 Revelation 20 39:20 It says that a mighty angel descends from heaven 39:22 with a chain in his hand, and he's going to chain the devil 39:25 to a desolate planet which is without form and void, 39:29 according to Jeremiah 4. 39:31 And where all of his followers are what? 39:34 Are dead. 39:35 And so, clearly the one who bears the ultimate 39:38 responsibility for the sins of the righteous is Satan. 39:44 Now the wicked, they're going to suffer their own penalty. 39:47 Because they did not place their sins into the Sanctuary. 39:50 Now there's a question that comes up many times. 39:54 And that is, did Jesus suffer the second death? 39:59 You know, I once had a conversation 40:01 with an evangelical. 40:03 He was not a Seventh-day Adventist. 40:05 And I asked him this question: 40:08 Which death is the wages of sin, 40:11 the first death or the second death? 40:14 And of course he says, "Oh, it's very clear 40:17 that the wages of sin, the final penalty for sin, 40:20 is second death." 40:21 I said, "Well, that's a good answer." 40:23 Then I asked him, "What is second death?" 40:27 And he was pretty well versed, theologically. 40:29 He says, "Well, second death is eternal separation from God." 40:35 And I looked at him and I said, "Yeah, okay. 40:39 It's a good answer." 40:40 And then I asked him, "Did Jesus suffer the second death?" 40:46 And he didn't answer as quickly now. 40:49 He said, "Well, yes He did." 40:53 And so then I asked him the question, I said, 40:56 "If Jesus suffered the second death, 40:59 and the second death is eternal separation from God, 41:02 why isn't Jesus separated from God?" 41:06 Are you understanding my question? 41:08 There was a long silence. 41:12 He said, "I don't now." 41:14 I said, "I do." 41:16 He says, "What do you mean?" 41:18 I told him about the scapegoat ceremony. 41:21 Who is it that's going to suffer second death for all of the sins 41:25 that he led God's faithful people to commit? 41:28 Satan. 41:29 Are the wicked also going to suffer second death 41:31 for their own sins because they did not 41:33 place them in the Sanctuary? 41:34 Absolutely. 41:35 So the scapegoat ceremony is the only way that we can explain 41:39 why Jesus is not eternally separated from His Father. 41:43 It's because the ultimate originator and perpetuator 41:46 of sin is going to. 41:47 Are you following me or not? 41:49 Now, when Jesus returns the second time, 41:54 He will be free of the stain of sin. 41:58 Because He will have cleansed the Sanctuary 42:00 and placed the sins where they belong. 42:03 Notice Hebrews 9:27-28. 42:06 Hebrews 9:27-28 42:28 Why will He appear apart from sin? 42:30 Because all of the sins have been placed where? 42:32 On the head of the scapegoat. 42:35 And then I'll tell you what the high priest would do. 42:37 After he had placed all of the responsibility upon 42:40 the head of the scapegoat, then the high priest 42:43 would return to the Most Holy Place 42:46 and he would change his garments. 42:50 He would take off his high priestly garments 42:54 and he would change. 42:56 Now, I was once talking to some Seventh-day Adventist pastor 43:02 who didn't much believe in what Ellen White says. 43:04 You know, Ellen White explains that Jesus, before He comes, 43:10 He's going to change His garments from His high priestly 43:12 garments, He's going to change to His kingly garments. 43:15 So he says, "Ellen White says that, but where does 43:17 the Bible say that?" 43:19 And you know, he was being facetious in his question. 43:21 He was being somewhat sarcastic. 43:23 So I decided I would be sarcastic too. 43:24 I said, "Well, if you used half of that gray matter 43:27 that God put in your brain, you would be able to figure it out." 43:30 He says, "What do you mean?" 43:32 I said, "Listen, what is Jesus doing now? 43:36 What is the function of Jesus in heaven now?" 43:38 "Oh," he says, "that's simple. 43:39 He's High Priest." 43:40 I said, "Good." 43:42 I said, "If He's the High Priest, how is He clothed?" 43:45 "Well, if He's serving as the High Priest, 43:47 He must be clothed then as the High Priest." 43:49 I said, "Good. Two for two." 43:52 And then I said, "When Jesus returns to this earth, 43:55 how is He clothed?" 43:57 Ooh, there was a long time of silence. 44:00 Because he knew all about Revelation 19 44:03 that speaks about the second coming of Jesus Christ. 44:06 Let's read Revelation 19:11-15. 44:10 Revelation 19:11-15 44:12 This is the second coming of Christ. 44:14 How does Jesus come clothed at the second coming? 44:17 Does He come clothed as the High Priest? 44:19 No. 44:20 So it's very simple. 44:22 If Jesus is not clothed as the High Priest, 44:24 but when He returns again He returns clothed as a King, 44:29 some time before He came as a King He must have changed. 44:33 Notice Revelation 19:11. 45:22 So is Jesus going to come again clothed as a High Priest? 45:26 No. So He must have changed at some moment before that. 45:32 Now let me read you a rather long statement from Ellen White. 45:37 The little lady had it straight. 45:39 This is from, Early Writings. 45:42 This is the early Ellen White. 45:44 Because some people say, "Well, Ellen White, as she matured, 45:48 you know, she clarified certain things that she didn't 45:51 make clear early in her ministry." 45:54 This is, Early Writings. She makes it very clear. 45:57 In fact, Early Writings, is even clearer, I believe, than, 45:59 The Great Controversy, because it's done in a very 46:01 synthetic short form. 46:02 So you can follow the sequence a lot easier. 46:05 Notice... 46:10 This is at the conclusion of the judgment. 46:23 Now listen carefully. 46:24 "Christ had received His kingdom..." 46:25 That's Daniel 7:13-14. 46:36 So what does it mean that He received His kingdom? 46:38 "The subjects of His kingdom were made up." 47:14 If Jesus takes off His high priestly garments 47:17 when probation closes, is there going to be any Intercessor 47:20 during the time of trouble? 47:22 No, because He's no longer a High Priest. 47:25 She continues saying... 47:51 See, that's what we were talking about. 47:53 Like Job. 47:54 God says, "Okay, you say that you can rule better than Me? 47:58 Show it." 48:00 How do you think heaven is going to look at it? 48:02 They'll say, "Man are we ever glad we didn't 48:04 let this guy take over God's throne. 48:06 What a mess!" 48:09 She continues writing... 48:45 Some Adventist theologians cringe when they read this. 48:49 Because it means that you can no longer send your sins 48:52 to the Sanctuary. 48:54 She continues writing... 49:14 See, there's the scapegoat ceremony. 49:33 He left heaven for where? 49:35 He left heaven for planet earth. 49:37 Because that is His second coming. 49:40 Is this clear? 49:42 I mean, the Bible makes it absolutely clear. 49:44 And the spirit of prophecy explains it 49:47 in such a simple way. 49:49 She puts all of the pieces together 49:51 in a way that can be easily understood. 49:54 And then of course, probation is closed. 49:58 The sentence has been given. 50:00 The time of trouble, Satan has full control 50:03 over the finally impenitent. 50:05 God allows the devil to try His people to the utmost. 50:09 They go through the severe time of trouble. 50:12 There is no Intercessor, no Mediator. 50:14 Which means they have totally gained the victory over sin. 50:17 And at the end of the time of trouble, 50:19 then Jesus will come to bring His reward to His saints 50:23 which He showed in the judgment before 50:26 were worthy of receiving the reward of everlasting life. 50:30 Let's notice John 14:1-3. 50:44 So Jesus didn't go to build mansions. 50:46 They were already there when He was speaking. 50:54 How does He prepare the place? 50:55 By His work in the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place. 51:11 Now listen carefully. 51:13 Jesus made two promises to His people 51:16 about their final inheritance. 51:18 First of all, He clearly said that He was going to 51:22 take them to heaven. 51:23 Is that clear from John 14? 51:25 He says, "I'm going to prepare a place. 51:27 And then I will go there with you. 51:29 I'll receive you unto Myself and we'll be in heaven together." 51:32 Did Jesus promise to take His people to heaven? 51:35 That was His first promise with regards to inheritance. 51:37 But did Jesus also say that the meek will inherit the earth? 51:41 So the question is, what are we going to inherit? 51:44 Is it heaven or is it the new earth? 51:47 You know, this causes a severe problem for those 51:50 who believe in the rapture. 51:53 Because those who believe in the rapture believe that 51:56 Jesus will reign on this earth during the millennium. 52:00 And they say, "Well that's the fulfillment of the promise 52:03 that Jesus would give the saints the earth to inherit." 52:08 But they say, "What about the first promise that He was 52:10 going to take them to heaven?" 52:13 So they have to invent a pre-tribulation rapture, 52:17 seven years before Jesus comes, to stay on this earth. 52:21 They have to create a pre-tribulation rapture. 52:23 They say, "Oh yeah, Jesus is going to fulfill His 52:25 first promise taking His people to heaven for seven years, 52:29 and then He's going to come here during the millennium, 52:32 and the meek will inherit the earth." 52:34 It's not necessary to invent a pre-tribulation rapture 52:37 to understand that Jesus fulfills both promises. 52:41 You see, Adventists have it in a much clearer way. 52:44 How does Jesus fulfill the promise to take 52:47 His people to heaven? 52:48 He comes the second time, He takes them to heaven, 52:51 where they spend how long? 52:52 A thousand years. 52:54 So in other words, the problem with the ones who believe in 52:56 the pre-tribulation rapture is that they got 52:58 the millennium wrong. 53:00 If you get wrong where Jesus is going to be during the 53:03 millennium, you have to have a pre-tribulation rapture. 53:06 I don't know if you're understanding what I'm saying. 53:08 But if you go by what the Bible says, 53:10 if you believe that Jesus is going to be in heaven 53:12 and the saints are going to reign with Him, 53:14 and they're going to perform a work of judgment 53:16 during the thousand years, and then after the thousand years 53:19 Jesus will come and set up His kingdom here, 53:22 and the meek will inherit the earth, 53:23 it's much more natural to understand how Jesus 53:26 fulfills both promises. 53:28 Are you understanding what I'm saying? 53:30 Now let's read Revelation 22:12. 53:33 Revelation 22:12. 53:35 We're still referring to the reward when Jesus comes. 53:48 Now if Jesus brings the reward, must He have determined 53:51 before He came what the reward will be? 53:54 Must there have been a judgment before to determine the reward? 53:57 Of course. 53:58 Notice 2 Timothy 4:6-8. 54:01 You know, Christians today, they say, "Oh, you know, 54:03 the apostle Paul, he was a good guy. 54:05 When he died, he went right to heaven." 54:08 That's not what Paul believed. 54:10 When did Paul believe he was going to get his reward? 54:13 When was he going to get his crown? 54:16 Let's read what He had to say shortly before his death 54:18 when he was in the Mamertine Prison in Rome. 54:21 2 Timothy 4:6 54:42 "...which the Lord, the righteous Judge, 54:44 will give to me when I die..." 54:47 No. 54:48 "...on that Day..." 54:56 So when is it that Paul was going to receive 54:59 the crown of life? 55:00 At the appearing of Jesus. 55:02 It's another way of saying, at the coming of Jesus. 55:06 Notice Matthew 16:27. 55:08 Matthew 16:27 55:11 The Bible is clear as to when people receive their reward. 55:13 Listen, if you receive your reward when Jesus comes, 55:16 you did not receive it when you died. 55:18 It's that simple. 55:19 So if you understand the judgment, 55:21 you understand the state of the dead. 55:23 Notice Matthew 16:27. 55:31 Is that the second coming? 55:32 Yes. 55:44 So when is it that people are going to receive their reward? 55:48 Not at death, but when Jesus comes again. 55:51 The Bible is so clear on this point. 55:53 And when was it determined what reward would be given? 55:57 In the judgment that was done before. 55:59 Were the names of God's people retained in the book 56:03 during that judgment? 56:05 Yes, because He will deliver those who are written where? 56:08 In the book, according to Daniel 12:1. 56:12 Let's read one final passage on the reward. 56:16 This is read at every funeral that I have ever attended 56:20 in the history of my life. 56:22 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 56:25 Beautiful promise. 56:36 The living are not going to go to heaven 56:38 before those who died, in other words. 56:51 So where are the dead? In heaven? 56:53 No. 57:00 Those who are alive when Jesus comes. 57:05 With those who died and resurrected. 57:14 And then God's people will receive their reward. 57:17 They will be taken to heaven for a thousand years. 57:22 What are they going to do during the thousand years? 57:26 It is going to be a working vacation. 57:29 This will be our final study. 57:32 We're going to discover what God's people are going to do 57:35 during the millennium. 57:36 There is going to be an investigative judgment 57:38 of Satan, his angels, and the wicked 57:40 during the thousand years. 57:42 And then after the thousand years, when Satan and his angels 57:45 are there, and all the wicked have resurrected, 57:47 God will once again open up the records 57:50 and show the wicked, and Satan, and his angels their records. 57:53 And then they will kneel and they'll say, 57:55 "Righteous and true are Your ways, O God." 57:58 For the first time since sin came in, 58:02 everybody will be on the same page in the great controversy. 58:06 So don't miss the next exciting episode. |
Revised 2016-10-11