Participants:
Series Code: TPP
Program Code: TPP000007A
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00:10 Aloha.
00:11 Aloha. 00:12 Good to see all of you here again. 00:15 Thanks for coming. 00:17 We have a very important subject 00:19 of study in this session. 00:21 I just like to mention that 00:24 this first session is going to be 00:27 the conclusion of the historical study. 00:29 We've been dealing with a lot of history, 00:32 because we need to know 00:33 how the counterfeit prophetic scenarios came in. 00:36 And the only way that you can know that 00:38 is by studying history. 00:40 Beginning in our second session today, 00:42 we are gonna begin studying portions of the Bible 00:47 that are misused by those who believe 00:50 in a future application of the Antichrist. 00:53 So we're gonna delve into the scriptures 00:55 and we're going to look at the arguments that they use. 00:59 We're gonna consider them and we are going to 01:03 let the Bible speak as to whether they are 01:05 accurate or not. 01:06 Before we begin this evening, 01:08 we do want to have a word of prayer, 01:10 as we always do. 01:12 So I invite you to bow your heads reverently 01:14 as we pray. 01:15 Father in heaven, we thank You 01:17 for the privilege of being here in this beautiful place. 01:21 We thank You 01:22 because You have given us Your word. 01:25 What would it be like to live in this world 01:27 without Your word. 01:29 We would not know where things are trending. 01:31 But we have no reason to be distressed, 01:35 no reason to be concerned because we know exactly 01:39 where things are leading 01:40 and how the story will end. 01:42 We ask that as we study Your word 01:44 in this session that Your Holy Spirit 01:46 will be with us to guide our thoughts 01:47 and open our hearts. 01:49 And we pray this in the precious name of Jesus, 01:51 amen. 01:55 The best explanation that I have ever found 01:59 on the historical method of interpreting prophecy 02:03 was written by Ellen White. 02:07 In the book Education, pages 178 and 179, 02:13 Ellen White defined 02:15 what the historical method is. 02:19 And I'd like to read this statement 02:21 as we begin our study 02:23 in the next few minutes. 02:27 I quote, "The history that the great I AM 02:32 has marked out in His word, 02:35 uniting link after link 02:39 in the prophetic chain," 02:42 do you notice that? 02:44 "Link by link in the prophetic chain 02:48 from eternity in the past, to eternity in the future, 02:53 tell us where we are today 02:57 in the procession of the ages 03:00 and what may be expected in the time to come. 03:05 All that prophecy has foretold as coming to pass, 03:09 until the present time, 03:12 has been traced on the pages of history, 03:16 and we may be assured 03:18 that all which is yet to come 03:21 will be fulfilled in its order." 03:26 Isn't that a magnificent description 03:28 of the historical method? 03:30 Everything that was supposed to be 03:32 fulfilled in the past was fulfilled. 03:35 Prophecy tells us where we are in the present 03:38 and exactly what's gonna happen in the future. 03:41 And she states that prophecy is a chain 03:46 composed of links 03:48 and one event links to another beginning with Babylon 03:53 and ending with a setting up of Christ 03:55 everlasting kingdom. 03:57 Now some people 03:58 wonder whether Ellen White knew 04:00 that people would miss apply prophecy 04:04 and take prophecies that were 04:05 fulfilled in the past and project them to the future. 04:09 And the answer to this question is, yes. 04:13 Ellen White knew 04:14 that some people were going to take events 04:17 that were fulfilled in prophecy in the past 04:20 and they were going to miss apply them to the future. 04:23 In fact, Ellen White wrote a very long letter. 04:28 It is composed of two parts, to a teacher, 04:32 a school teacher, by the name of John Bell. 04:35 You can read the entirety of this letter 04:38 that she wrote to this teacher 04:40 about his method of interpreting prophecy 04:43 in Manuscript Releases, 04:45 volume 17, and pages 1 to 23. 04:50 And there she basically tells Professor Bell, 04:55 that he's taking things that were fulfilled in the past 04:58 and he is projecting them to the future 05:00 and warns him not to do that. 05:03 There are some in the Adventist Church today 05:06 that are doing something very, very similar. 05:09 For example, they are saying 05:11 that the seven trumpets are still in the future 05:15 that they haven't been fulfilled yet. 05:17 Well, the Seventh-day Adventist view, 05:19 traditional view, beginning with the pioneers 05:21 is that the trumpets describe consecutive events 05:25 of church history 05:26 and that we are now 05:28 in the period of the sixth trumpet. 05:30 And yet individuals are reinterpreting the trumpets 05:33 and applying them to the future 05:35 when at least the first five have been fulfilled 05:38 and we are living in the period of the sixth. 05:41 I wanna read just a portion of that letter 05:44 that Ellen White wrote to Professor John Bell. 05:48 This is what she wrote. 05:49 I quote, "Some will take the truth 05:53 applicable to their time, 05:56 and place it in the future. 05:58 Events in train of prophecy 06:02 that had their fulfillment away 06:05 in the past are made future, 06:08 and that's by these theories, 06:10 the faith of some is undermined." 06:14 She continues, 06:16 "All that God has in prophetic history 06:19 specified to be fulfilled in the past has been, 06:25 and all that has yet to come 06:27 in its order will be." 06:32 Now I encourage you to read the entire two letters 06:35 that Ellen White wrote to John Bell. 06:37 They are very enlightening about the proper way 06:41 of interpreting Bible prophecy. 06:44 Now it's no coincidence that futurism took hold 06:50 in the late 1820s 06:52 and early 1830s in England 06:56 because at that period, most of the immigrants 07:01 that came into the United States 07:04 were from Great Britain. 07:06 I believe that was the devil's intention 07:09 for this movement towards futurism 07:12 in England in the 1830s, 07:15 to be transported to the new world, 07:18 to be transported 07:19 to the United States of America. 07:22 You see, at the very time, 07:25 when futurism was taking hold in Britain, 07:29 in the 1830s, 07:31 on the other side of the Atlantic, 07:34 in the United States, in New England, 07:38 there was a great religious revival 07:42 spearheaded by a man whose name 07:45 I'm sure you're acquainted with, 07:48 William Miller. 07:50 This movement was known as 07:52 the Great Second Advent Movement. 07:55 And the method that William Miller 07:58 used to interpret prophecy 08:01 was the method that we are using here. 08:05 In other words, in Britain, 08:08 futurism was invading the church, 08:11 immigrants to the United States would bring it here, 08:15 at the same time in the United States, 08:18 the Millerite movement 08:20 was using the historicist method to interpret 08:24 Bible prophecy, two rival methods. 08:29 Now it's no secret that during the times 08:34 of this Great Second Advent Movement, 08:37 protestant denominations fought William Miller 08:42 and his fellow laborers, tooth and nail. 08:47 The mainline churches expelled entire families 08:51 for embracing the Millerite message. 08:55 When Jesus failed to come as expected, 08:58 Protestantism forsook historicism 09:02 and embraced futurism in its place. 09:06 In other words, the fact that Jesus 09:08 did not come in 1844, 09:11 after William Miller and his fellow laborers 09:14 had used the historicist method 09:16 to predict that Jesus would come. 09:19 The Protestant world said, see, we told you so, 09:23 that method does not work. 09:27 You're wondering whether that's true. 09:30 I wanna read now several statements 09:33 from Protestant scholars that tell us 09:38 that the reason why historicism died 09:42 in the 1840s 09:44 is simply because of The Great Disappointment 09:48 of the Millerite movement. 09:50 And these scholars are not Seventh-day Adventists, 09:52 these scholars are clergy 09:56 and scholars from other denominations. 09:59 The first individual that I want to read from 10:01 is called Richard Kyle. 10:04 He wrote a book, "The Last Days Are Here Again." 10:08 And Richard Kyle once belonged to the Plymouth brethren. 10:13 In other words, he was once a futurist, 10:15 but he abandoned the movement. 10:17 And he wrote this book, 10:19 which is critical of the Plymouth Brethren 10:22 and it's critical of futurism. 10:26 He wrote in his book, "The Last Days Are Here Again," 10:29 page 91, the following words. 10:33 And I quote. 10:34 "Despite its visibility, the Millerite movement 10:40 had little influence 10:42 on subsequent end-time thinking." 10:46 Once again, I'll read that. 10:47 It's important that we catch what he's saying. 10:50 "Despite its visibility the Millerite movement 10:54 had little influence on subsequent 10:57 end- time thinking." 10:58 In other words, Millerism had no impact 11:00 on concepts that people had regarding Bible Prophecy 11:04 after the Millerite movement. 11:06 He continues, "It did, however, 11:10 have three long term effects." 11:12 Millerism had three long term effects. 11:15 What were they? 11:16 "Number one, Millerism spawned 11:20 the Seventh-day Adventist Church. 11:23 Second, it discredited 11:27 historicist premillennialism, 11:31 causing it to fade out almost entirely after 1844." 11:37 Did you catch that? 11:38 Once again number two. 11:40 "It discredited historicist premillennialism," 11:45 that's historicism, "causing it to fade out 11:48 almost entirely after 1844. 11:52 And number three, "The Millerite fiasco 11:56 demonstrated the perils of setting definite dates 12:00 for Christ's return." 12:03 So Richard Kyle, who was once a futurist is saying, 12:06 the Millerite movement had little impact 12:09 on the thinking about end-time events 12:12 after the Millerite movement. 12:14 It spawned the Seventh-day Adventist Church, 12:17 and it made historicism fade 12:23 after the great disappointment. 12:26 In a further statement, Richard Kyle wrote something 12:31 very interesting once again concerning historicism. 12:35 In his book, The Last Days Are Here Again, page 102, 12:39 he wrote, and I quote, 12:41 "The Great Disappointment of 1844 12:45 had decimated 12:48 historicist premillennialism." 12:52 What is it that was decimated? 12:57 Historicist, what? 12:59 Premillennialism. 13:00 He says that was The Great Disappointment 13:02 that decimated it. 13:04 And then he says this, 13:06 "But a futurist premillennialism 13:10 called dispensationalism 13:12 soon arrived on the scene." 13:16 In other words, after 1844, historicism fades away, 13:20 but there's another system that's coming in at that 13:23 same time, futurism. 13:26 Another scholar, who is a futurist by the way, 13:30 he wrote... 13:32 He actually, he was a co-author of a book titled 13:34 "The Great Tribulation, past or future page 6. 13:39 Once again, he refers to The Great Disappointment 13:42 in 1844 as the reason why historicism faded away. 13:47 This is a longer statement, 13:49 but it has several very significant points. 13:53 And I quote, "Historicism, 13:57 once the dominant view of Protestants." 14:01 Notice, he's admitting that 14:02 historicism was the dominant view 14:05 of Protestants. 14:06 So, "Historicism, once the dominant view 14:09 of Protestants from the Reformation 14:12 until the middle of the last century," 14:13 and by the way, 14:15 he's not writing in the 21st century, 14:16 he's writing this in the 20th century. 14:19 So the previous century would be the 19th century. 14:22 So he states, "Historicism, 14:24 once the dominant view of Protestants 14:26 from the Reformation, 14:27 until the middle of the last century, 14:30 appears to exert little attraction 14:34 as a system of prophetic interpretation 14:38 to conservative Christians." 14:40 And then he adds in parentheses, 14:42 "Outside of Seventh-day Adventist circles." 14:46 Are you understanding the statement? 14:49 The conclusion is remarkable. 14:52 He wrote, "Within evangelicalism 14:56 during the last one hundred fifty years, 15:01 futurism has grown to dominate 15:06 and overcome historicism." 15:10 That's a remarkable admission. 15:13 He's saying that the method 15:14 that Miller used was historicism. 15:17 When Jesus did not come, 15:19 as Miller predicted, people said, 15:21 "The method was wrong." 15:23 And so they threw away the baby with the bathwater, 15:27 if you please. 15:29 And another system came in, in its place, futurism, 15:33 imported from Great Britain, around the same time 15:37 by individuals like Irving and Darby, 15:40 and others. 15:42 Folks, Satan is an avid student 15:46 of prophecy 15:48 because Satan wants to know 15:50 how prophetic events will occur 15:53 so that he can attempt to destroy 15:57 the sequence of events that God has established. 16:00 Satan wants to confuse people's minds. 16:03 So Satan studies prophecies in order to lead people 16:09 to wrong conclusions about Bible prophecy. 16:13 You know, in 1844, there was a tremendous number 16:19 of religious movements taking place in Europe 16:24 and in the United States. 16:26 In fact, New England, where William Miller 16:30 mostly preached was called the burned 16:35 over district because there were so many movements, 16:39 so many religious movements that people didn't even know 16:42 what was truth and what wasn't truth, 16:44 because every movement claimed to have the truth. 16:49 Let me just mention some of these movements 16:51 that arose around the same time 16:53 as the Millerite movement. 16:55 Satan influenced these movements to appear 16:58 because he wanted people to not know 17:00 where the truth was because he knew that 17:03 the true church was about to reappear 17:07 after the year 1844. 17:09 Around this same period, you have Mormonism appearing 17:14 with their Prophet, Joseph Smith. 17:18 At the same time you had Christian Science 17:21 appearing with its prophet Mary Baker Eddy. 17:25 During this time, Theosophy appeared, 17:28 with its champion, Helena Blavatsky. 17:33 During this time, the Bahá'í originated 17:36 with its founder, 'Abdu'l-Bahá. 17:39 During this time, spiritualism became prevalent 17:44 through the Fox sisters and Andrew Jackson Davis. 17:48 During this time, Pentecostalism had its origin 17:52 in the United States with its champion 17:54 Margaret MacDonald. 17:56 During this radius of time, the Jehovah's Witnesses 18:00 appeared with their prophet, Charles Taze Russell. 18:05 During this time, futurism took a hold 18:09 through John Nelson Darby and Edward Irving. 18:13 And of course, we all know that during this time, 18:16 evolutionism through Charles Darwin and Marxism, 18:21 through Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels 18:24 had their origins. 18:26 Let me ask you, 18:28 was Satan doing everything possible 18:30 to confuse the minds of people 18:33 so that they could not interpret prophecy correctly 18:37 and they would not know where to turn? 18:39 It becomes very obvious historically that this was 18:43 what Satan was attempting to do. 18:46 Let me ask you, do you think that 18:49 Satan knew when the 2300 days began? 18:55 Do you think Satan knew when the decree 18:57 was given to build 18:59 and restore Jerusalem? 19:01 Of course he did. 19:03 Did he know that 19:04 Daniel received the revelation from God, 19:07 that from the going forth of the word to build 19:11 and restore Jerusalem 19:12 until the coming of the Messiah, 19:15 there would be 69 weeks and then during the last week, 19:19 Messiah would be anointed, that's the baptism of Jesus 19:22 in the middle of the week, Messiah would be cut off 19:26 and at the end of the last week, 19:28 the Jewish nation would be rejected as God's theocracy? 19:32 Did Satan know all of that by his study of prophecy? 19:36 He most certainly did. 19:37 Therefore, did the devil know that 19:39 the 2300 days were going to end in the year 1844? 19:44 Of course he did. 19:46 And of course, we all know that 19:47 the Millerites were correct with regards to the date. 19:52 The date that was established, October 22, 1844, 19:56 was the correct date. 19:59 The problem was that they had the event wrong. 20:03 You see they believed 20:04 that the cleansing of the sanctuary 20:06 was that Jesus was gonna come to cleanse the earth. 20:08 Nowhere does the Bible say that 20:10 the earth is the sanctuary. 20:12 It was just an assumption. 20:14 But Jesus did do something in 1844 on October 22. 20:18 He did not come to this earth to cleanse the earth. 20:21 He went into the Most Holy Place 20:24 to cleanse the sanctuary 20:26 from the sins of God's people. 20:29 But the Protestant world rejected 20:32 the message of the Millerites. 20:36 Now I want to read you some statements from scholars, 20:39 non-Adventist scholars that describes, 20:44 that each of them describes where preterism 20:48 and futurism come from. 20:50 You remember that we studied that, you know, 20:53 preterism comes from an individual called 20:56 Luis de Alcasar, a Jesuit from Spain. 21:00 And futurism originates with another Jesuit scholar 21:04 Francisco Ribera. 21:06 And you might be saying, well, 21:07 that's just Pastor Ribera's interpretation, 21:09 that's just Le Roy Edwin Froom. 21:12 Well, allow me to read you from several scholars 21:16 who tell us where preterism and futurism originated. 21:22 The first that I'm gonna read 21:24 is from a Roman Catholic scholar. 21:27 Interesting. 21:29 His name is G.S. Hitchcock 21:32 and this is what he wrote. 21:35 "The futurist school, 21:38 founded by the Jesuit Ribera in 1591, 21:44 looks for Antichrist, Babylon 21:49 and a rebuilt temple in Jerusalem, 21:52 at the end of the Christian dispensation." 21:56 Did you catch that? 21:58 What is this Roman Catholic scholar saying? 22:01 He's saying that the futuristic school 22:03 was founded by the Jesuit Ribera in 1591. 22:09 And he's saying that this system looks 22:11 for the Antichrist to rise 22:13 in a rebuild Jerusalem temple 22:16 at the end of the Christian dispensation, 22:18 which then means that 22:20 it does not apply to the papacy. 22:22 He continued writing, "The Preterist School," 22:26 that is the school that says that prophecy 22:28 was fulfilled in the distant past, 22:30 "The Preterist School founded by 22:34 the Jesuit Alcazar in 1614, 22:38 explains the Revelation 22:40 by the Fall of Jerusalem, 22:42 or by the fall of Pagan Rome in 410 A.D." 22:48 There you have it from a Roman Catholic himself. 22:51 He's telling us that futurism and preterism 22:56 comes from the womb of the Roman Catholic papacy 23:00 more specifically, Jesuit scholars. 23:05 Let me read you a statement by Dean Henry Alford. 23:09 In the Prolegomena of his Greek testament, 23:12 he described the origins of preterism. 23:16 This is what he wrote and I quote. 23:20 "The preterist view found no favor 23:25 and was hardly so much as thought of, 23:28 in the times of primitive Christianity." 23:31 In other words, in the early church, 23:33 preterism did not awaken much interest. 23:38 Then it continued, "The view is said to 23:40 have been first promulgated in anything like completeness 23:45 by the Jesuit Alcazar in 1614." 23:49 There you have another scholar saying that in 1614, 23:53 the Jesuit Alcazar 23:55 originated the idea of preterism. 23:59 The same writer spoke about 24:01 or wrote about the origins of futurism. 24:06 Once again, he says, "The founder of this system 24:10 in modern times appears to have been 24:13 the Jesuit Ribera about A.D. 24:17 1580." 24:19 There you have another scholar saying that futurism 24:23 and preterism had its origin 24:27 in the Roman Catholic Church 24:30 by two Jesuit scholars of the Roman Catholic Church. 24:35 Let me read you from Richard Kyle 24:38 who I mentioned before. 24:40 He wrote about the origins of futurism. 24:46 And I quote, "Among the Jesuits 24:50 who insisted that the Antichrist 24:52 was still to come, 24:54 the approach of the Spaniard Franciscus Ribeira," 24:59 he's giving his Latin name, 25:01 "had significant implications 25:04 for future millennial thought." 25:07 Now he's saying something that the others didn't say, 25:10 and that is that the views of Francisco Ribera 25:14 had significant implications for future millennial thought. 25:18 In other words, that was gonna 'cause a future impact 25:20 in the interpretation of prophecy. 25:22 He continues writing, 25:24 "Both Catholics and Protestants, 25:27 who identified the Antichrist as a contemporary pope 25:32 or leader generally took a historicist interpretation 25:37 of John's Revelation." 25:39 Ribeira reintroduced 25:42 a somewhat literal interpretation 25:45 of John's Revelation." 25:47 Ribeira reintroduced a somewhat literal 25:51 futuristic approach to the Apocalypse of John. 25:55 In doing this, he concluded that 25:57 the Antichrist 25:59 was a future renegade Jew." 26:04 So there you have another scholar. 26:06 We've quoted three of them so far. 26:09 Let me quote now from George Eldon Ladd. 26:13 He wrote a very important book 26:16 that has many, many good things. 26:18 It's called "The Presence Of The Future." 26:20 And he wrote many books, but that's the one 26:22 that I think I appreciated the most. 26:25 He was once a futurist but he also abandoned futurism. 26:31 You see, there are many scholars 26:32 that have abandoned futurism 26:34 because they say it doesn't make any sense, 26:36 because it abuses the scriptures that 26:38 twist the scriptures, it offers all kinds of 26:40 private interpretations 26:41 as we will see in our next study. 26:44 From George Eldon Ladd, he wrote the following, 26:47 and I quote. 26:49 "It will probably come as a shock 26:53 to many modern futurists to be told," 26:58 it will be a shock to futurists, 26:59 did you know that? 27:01 "It would probably be a shock 27:02 to many modern futurists to be told 27:06 that the first scholar in relatively modern times 27:10 who returned 27:12 to the patristic futuristic interpretation 27:15 was a Spanish Jesuit named Ribera. 27:19 In 1590, Ribera published a commentary 27:23 on the Revelation as a counter-interpretation 27:28 to the prevailing view among Protestants 27:31 which identified the Papacy with the Antichrist." 27:36 What was the purpose of futurism? 27:37 It was to what? 27:39 To offer a counter-interpretation 27:42 different than the view that Protestants had. 27:45 And the Protestants of course, 27:46 used the historicist method 27:48 to identify the Papacy as the Antichrist. 27:52 The quotation ends by saying 27:55 and this is the view of futurism. 27:57 "Antichrist would be a single evil person 28:02 who would be received by the Jews 28:04 and would rebuild Jerusalem, 28:07 abolish Christianity, deny Christ, 28:11 persecute the Church and rule the world 28:14 for three and a half years." 28:19 So there you have it from scholars 28:21 who are not Seventh-day Adventists. 28:23 Where did preterism originate? 28:26 It originated with Alcazar, 28:30 a Spaniard Jesuit 28:33 and it is the official Roman Catholic view now. 28:37 Where did futurism originate from? 28:40 It originated once again with the Jesuits, 28:43 with Francisco Rivera, 28:45 who wrote a commentary in Revelation, 28:48 saying that the Antichrist 28:50 would be a future nasty individual 28:52 who would rebuild the Jewish temple, 28:54 persecute the Jews and rule 28:57 for three and a half literal years. 29:00 And Protestantism has imbibed 29:04 these counterfeit ways of interpreting prophecy. 29:07 In fact, Dave Hunt, as we noticed yesterday, 29:10 was so explicit on this. 29:12 He said, "Yes, the Protestant reformers," 29:15 unanimously is the word that he uses. 29:17 "The Protestant reformers unanimously 29:19 believed that the Pope was the Antichrist." 29:21 But he says, "They were wrong." 29:25 Even though he gives a quotation 29:27 where he gives a description 29:28 of what Antichrist will be like. 29:30 He's not your run of the mill futurist 29:32 because he doesn't believe that the future Antichrist 29:35 will be a nasty individual necessarily. 29:37 It's gonna be someone that is gonna infiltrate the church, 29:40 and he's gonna claim to be the representative 29:43 of Christ on earth. 29:45 And yet he could not see or maybe he didn't wanna see 29:49 that there was in Rome, an individual 29:51 who claims to be the successor of Jesus Christ 29:55 and sits within the Christian Church, 29:59 incredible blindness. 30:02 Now we have previously identified 30:06 the little horn and the beast 30:10 as the Roman Catholic papacy, 30:11 the first beast of Revelation 13, 30:14 the beast that rises from the sea. 30:17 However, we have also said 30:19 that another beast rose after this first beast. 30:24 It is a beast that did not rise from the sea, 30:27 it rather rose from the earth. 30:30 And we have identified this beast 30:33 as representing which nation? 30:36 It represents the United States of America. 30:41 The beast has two horns like a lamb, 30:45 but it ends up speaking like a dragon. 30:49 The two horns of course, 30:51 represents civil and religious liberty. 30:53 The two horns represent 30:55 the separation of church and state 30:57 because when you join church and state, 30:59 there is neither civil nor religious liberty. 31:02 And our founders of the United States 31:04 knew this very well. 31:06 And so they radically separated church and state, 31:09 and they guaranteed full civil and religious liberty. 31:12 It's called Republicanism and Protestantism, 31:17 that is a state without a king and a church without a pope, 31:21 if you want a description of what that means. 31:24 Now this beast that rises 31:26 from the earth will speak like a dragon 31:30 but this beast is given another name in Revelation. 31:33 Not only is it the beast that rises from the earth, 31:37 but this beast has another name 31:40 in the Book of Revelation. 31:41 You see... Now wait a minute. 31:43 What's the name that has given, 31:45 the other name that has given to this beast? 31:48 Well, let's go to Revelation 16:13. 31:53 Revelation 16:13. 31:58 Now you remember 31:59 that in Revelation, Chapter 12 and 13, 32:01 there are three beasts. 32:03 In Revelation Chapter 12 you have the dragon. 32:08 In Revelation 13:1-10, you have the beast. 32:12 And in Revelation 13:11-18, 32:14 you have the beast from the earth. 32:17 So how many are God's enemies? 32:20 God's enemies are three, right? 32:22 The dragon... What does the dragon represent? 32:26 Come on. What does the dragon represent? 32:28 It represents Satan but there's more to the story. 32:33 Who tried to kill the child when the child was born? 32:38 Was it Satan? 32:40 Did Satan stand next to Mary with a pitchfork in his hand 32:43 and his tail sticking out, ready to kill Jesus 32:46 when Jesus was born? 32:47 By the way, the devil is not like that. 32:49 I'm just... 32:51 You know, giving you a description 32:53 of what many people think the devil looks like 32:54 but he was a beautiful angel according to scripture. 32:57 But Ellen White says that he's aged. 33:00 You wanna read it in Early Writings page 152, 33:02 he's getting old, his hair is receding. 33:06 Anyway, I'm not gonna get into that description. 33:08 But in Revelation Chapter 12, it says that the dragon 33:12 stood next to the woman to devour a child 33:14 as soon as the child was born. 33:16 Well, the fact is, 33:17 the devil did not do that in person. 33:19 What did he use? 33:20 He used the ruler of the Roman Empire, Herod. 33:23 So the dragon even though primarily 33:26 it represents Satan, it represents Satan 33:29 working through Pagan Rome. 33:32 So the dragon in Revelation 12 is Pagan Rome. 33:35 Then in Revelation 13:1-10, 33:38 you have the beast that rises from the sea. 33:40 That beast that rises 33:41 from the sea blasphemes against God, 33:45 he persecutes the saints of the most High 33:48 and he rules for 42 months, 33:49 the same thing that the little horn did. 33:53 So the beast from the sea represents the same thing 33:55 as the little horn. 33:57 And we know that that beast represents 33:59 the Roman Catholic papacy. 34:02 But then you have the next beast 34:04 whether as the first beast of Revelation 13 34:07 is receiving its deadly wound, 34:09 that's when the next beast rises 34:11 from the earth. 34:13 And it's the beast that has two horns like a lamb 34:14 and speaks like a dragon. 34:16 Now let's notice that these three powers 34:20 are mentioned here in Revelation 16:13. 34:23 Notice what it says. 34:26 John is seeing something, 34:28 "Then I saw three evil spirits 34:32 that look like frogs. 34:35 They came out of the mouth of the dragon..." 34:38 Is that one of the powers 34:40 that's mentioned earlier in Revelation? 34:42 Yes. 34:43 And out of the mouth of whom? 34:46 Of the beast. 34:48 Is that the second power that is mentioned 34:50 in Revelation 13:1-10? 34:51 Absolutely. 34:53 "And out of the mouth 34:54 of the false prophet." 34:58 So what is the name of this beast 35:00 that rises from the earth? 35:02 It is what? It is the false prophet. 35:06 But the question is, whose false prophet? 35:10 Well, it's gonna claim to be God's false prophet, 35:14 or God's Prophet, God's true prophet. 35:18 But really, it is someone else's prophet. 35:21 And you see, "Now, 35:22 whose profit would it be really?" 35:24 Even though he claims to be God's prophet, 35:27 this power actually is the prophet of someone else. 35:31 He's a false prophet. 35:35 Let me ask you, whose false prophet is he? 35:38 He is the false prophet of the beast 35:41 that rises from the sea. 35:43 He is the false prophet of the papacy. 35:46 You say, well, how do you know that? 35:49 We already covered this before 35:51 but we need to look at it again. 35:53 Everything that this second beast 35:56 of Revelation 13 does, 35:59 it does to help the first beast. 36:03 It speaks for the first beast 36:05 and it acts for the first beast. 36:08 Are you following me or not? 36:10 So basically, this beast that rises 36:13 from the earth is the messenger 36:16 or the emissary of the first beast 36:20 of Revelation 13. 36:21 It is the spokesperson for the papacy. 36:24 It is the papacy's false prophet, 36:27 even though it claims to be God's true prophet. 36:31 Now you'll remember Revelation Chapter 13. 36:34 It tells us that this beast from the earth, 36:36 the false prophet, 36:38 exercises all of the authority of, whom? 36:43 Of the first beast. 36:45 It commands everyone to worship the first beast. 36:49 You can read it in Revelation 13:11-18. 36:53 Everything that it does, 36:54 it does in the presence of the first beast. 36:59 In many Bible versions believe that that expression 37:01 in the presence means on behalf of, 37:05 for example, the New International Version. 37:07 And that would be very significant 37:08 because then this beast would act in favor of 37:12 or in behalf of the first beast. 37:15 In those verses, it also tells us that 37:18 this beast from the earth, the false prophet 37:21 makes an image of the first beast 37:25 and it also imposes the mark of the first beast. 37:30 So whose spokesperson is this beast 37:33 that rises from the earth? 37:34 This false prophet. 37:36 He's the spokesperson for the first beast, 37:39 for the Roman Catholic papacy. 37:41 Are you catching the picture? 37:43 That's why he's called the false prophet. 37:45 He claims to speak for God, 37:47 but he's actually speaking for whom? 37:50 He's actually speaking for the beast. 37:53 Now let's pursue that just for a minute. 37:56 What day of worship does the papacy 38:00 say that we're supposed to keep? 38:03 Sunday. 38:05 Where do they get that idea from? 38:08 From Exodus 20? 38:11 From Genesis Chapter 2? 38:14 No. 38:15 They get it from church tradition. 38:18 Where do Protestants get it from? 38:21 From the Bible? 38:23 They might claim to get it from the Bible. 38:25 They might misuse texts from the Bible but really, 38:30 where did it come from? 38:32 It came from the Roman Catholic papacy, 38:34 from the mother. 38:36 And they still have a lock of her hair 38:39 like we read last night. 38:41 They have never been able 38:42 to get totally loose of the papacy, 38:45 because they keep the same day. 38:46 They are an image of the papacy in the day 38:49 that they keep. 38:51 What does the papacy believe concerning the dead? 38:56 Basically, they believe that the dead know everything. 39:00 The Bible says that the dead know not anything. 39:03 But the papacy teaches 39:05 that the soul of man is immortal. 39:07 And when a person dies, if they were evil, 39:10 they go to hell. 39:12 If they were righteous, they go to heaven, 39:14 their soul goes to heaven. 39:16 And if they were semi righteous or semi wicked, 39:19 they go to purgatory. 39:22 And if they have not reached the age 39:23 of accountability, their soul goes to limbo. 39:28 It's amazing 39:29 how they invent different spheres. 39:32 But really, what the papacy is doing 39:36 is they're contradicting 39:37 the clear testimony of the Bible, 39:39 where we are told the living know 39:41 that they will die, 39:43 but the dead know not anything. 39:46 They're sleeping according to scripture, 39:48 until Jesus comes to resurrect them, 39:50 they are neither in heaven nor in hell. 39:54 What do Protestants generally believe 39:56 about the state of the dead? 39:59 Do they believe that the dead know nothing? 40:02 No. 40:03 They believe what? 40:05 That the dead aren't dead. 40:07 They believe in the immortality of the soul. 40:10 They also believe that if a person is righteous, 40:12 their soul goes to heaven at death. 40:14 If they were unrighteous, 40:15 their soul goes to hell to burn in the fires. 40:19 Where did they get that from? 40:20 From the Bible? No. 40:23 They got it from the Roman Catholic papacy. 40:25 They were never able to break loose 40:28 totally from the errors of the papacy, 40:30 they did not finish the Reformation. 40:33 And so doctrinally, 40:36 Protestantism is an image of the papacy in many regards. 40:42 But as we've studied, Protestantism is also an image 40:47 of the papacy in the method it uses to interpret prophecy. 40:52 It is an image of the papacy 40:55 in its prophetic interpretation, 40:57 because the Roman Catholic Church 41:00 through the Jesuit Alcazar, 41:03 said that all of the Antichrist prophecies 41:05 were fulfilled in the distant past. 41:10 Do the mainline Protestant churches teach that same thing? 41:14 Yes, they do. 41:16 The Jesuit Ribera said that 41:18 all of these prophecies will be fulfilled in the future 41:22 after the rapture of the church. 41:25 Do conservative Protestants believe that? 41:28 Yes, they do. 41:30 Where did Protestants get preterism and futurism? 41:33 From sitting down and studying the Bible? 41:35 No, they got it from the Roman Catholic papacy. 41:39 And so Protestants are an image of the papacy doctrinally, 41:45 because of the Sabbath and the state of the death 41:47 and their view of hell, 41:48 and also in their method of interpreting prophecy. 41:52 Are you with me? 41:54 Raise your hand if you're understanding 41:55 what I'm saying. 41:57 Now if Protestantism had not gone astray 42:02 from its roots, do you think Billy Graham 42:05 would say that the Pope John Paul II 42:07 was the greatest moral leader of the world? 42:11 If Protestantism had not gone astray from its roots, 42:14 its prophetic roots, would Robert Schuller, 42:18 the founder of the famous Crystal Cathedral, 42:20 have said that he hopes that the day will come 42:23 when the entire Christian world 42:25 will accept the pope as its leader? 42:28 If Protestantism had not forsaken historicism, 42:32 would Paul Crouch, the Founder of TBN, 42:35 the largest religious chain of television stations 42:39 in the world have said, I'm not protesting anything. 42:44 Interesting. 42:45 I'm deleting the word Protestant 42:48 from my vocabulary is what he said. 42:51 If Protestantism still accepted historicism, 42:56 would the Lutherans have signed a joint declaration 42:59 of righteousness by faith with the Catholics? 43:02 Would they have signed the Joint Declaration 43:06 and righteousness by faith? 43:07 Would they have signed Evangelicals 43:09 and Protestants together? 43:13 Would Tony Palmer have said that 43:15 the protest is over 43:16 and now we are all Catholics again? 43:20 If Protestantism had hung on to its prophetic system 43:23 of interpretation, would Kenneth Copeland 43:25 say to the Pope, 43:27 we bless you with all our hearts, 43:28 we bless you with all our souls, 43:30 we bless you with all our might. 43:32 And we thank you, sir, we thank God for you. 43:35 And so all of us declare together, be blessed. 43:39 If Protestantism had hung on 43:41 towards prophetic historicist roots, 43:43 would Ralph Reed have said, "The truth, 43:45 my friends is this, Catholicism never has been, 43:49 is not today, and never will be a threat 43:52 to American democracy." 43:54 It was and remains the most colorful 43:57 and the most vibrant thread running through the tapestry 44:00 of American democracy. 44:02 If Protestantism had hung on to its roots of historicism, 44:06 would Rick Warren have said, "We are on the same team." 44:10 If Protestantism had hung on 44:12 to their prophetic interpretation 44:14 that points to the papacy as the Antichrist, 44:17 would James Robison had said, "Pope Francis, 44:20 let me just say to you, that I see Jesus in you, 44:24 in Christ we are brothers, we are family." 44:29 You tell me. 44:31 If Protestants had hung on to the historicist way 44:34 of interpreting prophecy, 44:36 which clearly identifies the papacy as the Antichrist, 44:39 would these leaders of the Protestant world 44:42 be saying such things? 44:44 They would not but they have totally lost 44:47 their prophetic roots. 44:49 Now let's go to Daniel 7:25. 44:55 Daniel 7:25. 44:58 We've read this verse before. 44:59 Now let's read it again. 45:02 Speaking about the little horn which represents the papacy, 45:06 we are told, "He shall speak great words 45:09 against the most high and shall wear out 45:13 the saints of the most high, 45:15 and think to change times and laws, 45:21 and they shall be given into his hand until a time, 45:24 times and the dividing of time." 45:29 So you'll notice that the papacy did two things 45:32 according to Daniel 7:25, actually did more but the ones 45:35 that I wanna focus on are that he thought he could change, 45:39 what? 45:41 The times and the law. 45:44 We've already noticed how the papacy claims 45:46 to have changed the law, by changing supposedly 45:49 the day of worship from Sabbath to Sunday. 45:52 We've also noticed the change in the times has to do 45:55 with supplying 45:57 a counterfeit prophetic scenario, 45:59 preterism and futurism in place of the proper method, 46:03 which is historicism. 46:05 Now here's my question. 46:07 Do you think that at the end of the 1260 years 46:12 of the time times and dividing of time, 46:15 God would raise up a movement to correct 46:19 these false views concerning the change 46:22 in the law and the change in the times? 46:26 Absolutely. 46:27 Go with me to Revelation 12:17. 46:30 Revelation 12:17. 46:34 In this verse, we're gonna find 46:36 God's response to the papacy's change 46:39 in the times and in the law. 46:41 God is going to raise up a remnant, 46:44 and that remnant is going to restore 46:46 the two things which the papacy ruined. 46:49 Notice Revelation 12:17. 46:53 "And the dragon was wroth with the woman 46:56 and went to make war with a remnant of her seed." 47:01 And this remnant has two characteristics, 47:03 which, what? 47:05 Keep the commandments of God. 47:09 How many of them? All 10. 47:13 Who keep the Commandments of God... 47:15 And not only do they keep the Commandments of God, 47:18 but they have another characteristic, 47:19 and what is it? 47:21 And have or possess the, what? 47:25 Possess the testimony of Jesus Christ. 47:31 In contrast to the little horn, 47:32 we thought it could change God's law. 47:34 God raises up a remnant of the woman's seed, 47:37 who keep the commandments of God. 47:41 And in contrast to the change in the times, 47:43 God raises up a remnant 47:45 with who has the testimony of Jesus 47:48 to correct the false prophetic views of the papacy. 47:53 Now what does the testimony of Jesus mean? 47:57 Well, let's go in our Bibles to Revelation 19:10, 48:01 because you're wondering, you're saying, "Okay, 48:03 keep the Commandments of God, 48:04 that would certainly be the correction 48:06 in the change of the law." 48:07 But is the testimony of Jesus, is that a correction 48:11 in the change of the times? 48:13 Well, let's notice what the testimony of Jesus is. 48:17 Revelation 19:10. 48:20 An angel appears to John and John is so overwhelmed 48:24 that he feels like he wants to bow down and worship. 48:28 It says there in Revelation 19:10. 48:31 "And I fell at his feet to worship Him. 48:35 However, he said to me, see that you do not do that. 48:38 I am your fellow servant." 48:41 And now notice this carefully, 48:43 "And of your brethren 48:46 who have the testimony of Jesus." 48:47 What do the brethren of John have? 48:51 The brethren of John have the testimony of Jesus. 48:55 And then notice, it continues saying, 48:57 "Worship God for the testimony of Jesus 49:00 is the Spirit of Prophecy." 49:04 So what would the remnant church have? 49:06 It would teach to keep the commandments of God, 49:08 including the fourth, thus counteracting 49:11 the change in the law and it will 49:13 also have the Spirit of Prophecy 49:16 to correct the wrong method of interpreting prophecy. 49:21 Now let's go to Revelation 22:8-9. 49:25 This is a parallel verse to Revelation 19-10. 49:29 Revelation 22:8-9. 49:34 It says here... 49:37 Once again an angel appears to John 49:39 and he feels the urge to worship this angel. 49:42 It says, "Now I John saw and heard these things. 49:45 And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship 49:49 before the feet of the angel who showed me these things. 49:53 Then he said to me, see that you do not do that, 49:57 for I am your fellow servant and of your brethren," 50:02 the what? 50:03 The prophets. 50:05 Now let's compare the two verses. 50:07 What did the brethren have in Revelation 19-10? 50:11 The testimony of Jesus. 50:14 But what do they have in Revelation 22:9? 50:19 They are what? 50:20 Your brethren the prophets. 50:23 So what does it mean that the testimony of Jesus? 50:25 It means that you are a prophet. 50:29 So it says, in of your brethren, 50:30 the prophets, 50:32 and of those who keep the words of this book, 50:34 worship God. 50:36 Are you catching the picture? 50:39 Now somebody might say, well, Pastor Bore, you know, 50:42 maybe you're just linking 50:43 Revelation 12:17 haphazardly, 50:48 with, you know, Daniel 7:25. 50:52 How do you know that these two verses are related? 50:54 It's very simple. 50:56 If you go back to Revelation Chapter 12, 50:59 immediately before verse 17, I want you to notice 51:02 what we have, immediately before verse 17. 51:06 It says, "Now when the dragon 51:08 saw that he had been cast to the earth, 51:11 he persecuted the woman 51:12 who gave birth to the male child. 51:15 But the woman was given two wings 51:16 of a great eagle that she might fly 51:18 into the wilderness to her place, 51:20 where she is nourished for a time and times, 51:24 and half a time 51:25 from the presence of the serpent." 51:28 So Revelation 12:13-14 refers to the time times 51:34 and the dividing of time. 51:35 And then 12:17 says that there will be people 51:38 that keep the commandments of God 51:40 and that will have 51:41 the prophetic gift in their midst. 51:44 Do we find in Daniel Chapter 7, 51:47 a reference to the time times and dividing of time 51:49 when it comes to changing the law 51:52 and also changing the times? 51:54 Are you seeing the connection? 51:56 In other words, 51:57 the Seventh-day Adventist Church 51:59 did not appear like any other church. 52:02 The Seventh-day Adventist Church rose 52:05 in fulfillment to a specific Bible prophecy. 52:08 Revelation 12:17. 52:10 The Seventh-day Adventist Church teaches that 52:12 all of the commandments must be kept correcting 52:16 the supposed change in the law that the papacy did. 52:20 And the Seventh-day Adventist Church 52:22 also has in its midst, 52:24 a prophet that corrects the false 52:28 prophetic views of preterism and futurism. 52:32 Let me ask you, have you ever read the book 52:36 "The Great Controversy?" 52:39 Ellen White stated that there was... 52:41 If there's one book that God wants to go 52:45 to the whole world, it is "The Great Controversy" 52:49 and not the abbreviated one. 52:53 No, the full and complete "Great Controversy." 52:57 And you say why the full and complete one? 52:59 Simply folks because Ellen White 53:02 in that book follows the historicist method. 53:06 She's correcting the change in the law 53:09 by the Roman Catholic papacy. 53:11 She begins with the destruction of Jerusalem, 53:15 then she deals briefly with pagan Rome, 53:18 then she deals with the rise of the papacy, 53:22 then she speaks about the United States in prophecy, 53:26 then she speaks 53:28 about the healing of the deadly wound, 53:30 the image of the beast, the mark of the beast 53:34 and this beast, establishing something 53:38 or many things in support of the first beast. 53:42 And then she describes the terrible time of trouble 53:45 that will come upon God's people, 53:47 once the deadly wound is healed. 53:49 Then she describes how Michael will stand up 53:51 to defend his people. 53:53 Then she describes the seven last plagues 53:56 and then next she describes the moment 53:58 when Jesus comes to deliver his people from their enemies. 54:03 Then she goes on to describe the Millennium, 54:05 the events that take place during the millennium 54:08 and then the events that take place 54:10 after the millennium, 54:11 concluding with the new heavens and the new earth. 54:15 What method is Ellen White using? 54:17 Historicism. 54:20 The method of linking prophetic history, 54:23 link after link in the chain, 54:28 so that you can see at each moment 54:30 where you are in the flow of Bible prophecy. 54:35 Now we know why Ellen White stated 54:37 that she would want "The Great Controversy" 54:39 to go to the whole world. 54:42 Because I'll tell you folks, people might not read 54:46 "The Great Controversy" 54:47 right now but at the right time, 54:50 they will shake the dust off of those books 54:54 and they will say, you know, I have this book 54:56 "Great Controversy" and I just wonder 54:59 if it addresses any of the things 55:01 that are happening today. 55:03 And they will come to the chapter 55:05 on the United States in Bible prophecy. 55:08 And their eyes will be open. 55:09 They'll say, well, we're living that time right now. 55:13 And they will understand the things that are gonna come 55:17 and they will prepare a character fit 55:19 for the second coming of Jesus Christ. 55:23 Is the study of Bible prophecy important? 55:26 You know, these days people say, oh, no, 55:28 just talk to me about Jesus. 55:31 Well, prophecy is about Jesus, isn't it? 55:35 You know, once an individual, 55:38 a minister at a minister's meeting said, 55:42 they're in presence of all the ministers. 55:44 He says, I'm not interested in what's coming, 55:47 I'm only interested in who is coming. 55:51 Well, if you don't know what's coming, 55:53 you might accept the wrong who 55:57 because Satan is going to 55:58 counterfeit the second coming of Jesus Christ. 56:01 You better know how Jesus is gonna come, 56:05 or else you will accept the false Christ. 56:08 And so folks, what I want you to see 56:11 in these seven studies, 56:13 these seven historical studies that we've gone through so far, 56:16 is the tremendous importance of studying Bible prophecy, 56:20 understanding prophecy. 56:22 It makes us what we are as a church. 56:25 We originated with prophecy and we will end with prophecy. 56:30 Love, yes, we need to talk about love. 56:34 But prophecy is a revelation of Christ's love. 56:37 He tells us what's gonna happen 56:39 so that we can prepare. 56:41 Or we'll just think that Jesus is too loving, 56:43 He says, oh, no, what's coming is terrible. 56:45 I don't want to traumatize them. 56:48 And so I won't say anything. 56:50 Is that love? 56:52 People say don't preach the Third Angels' Message, 56:55 it scares people. 56:56 And by not talking about, you're gonna scare them 56:59 right into hell or not scare them 57:02 right into hell rather. 57:04 Folks, we need to recover as Adventists, our message. 57:08 The reason for our existence, our mission. 57:12 Hawaii needs to know about this, 57:14 not only Hawaii, but the rest of the world. 57:17 The Three Angels' Messages need to go to every nation, 57:21 kindred, tongue, and people. 57:26 The Seventh-day Adventist Church 57:27 is historicism last stand in the world. 57:31 There is no other church 57:33 that is strictly historicist church. 57:36 There might be individuals 57:38 who have elements of historicism 57:40 but the Seventh-day Adventist Church 57:42 is the last great hope for the world understanding 57:46 Bible prophecy and woe to us. 57:49 If we don't take what God has given us 57:52 and prepare ourselves 57:54 and also proclaim it to the world, 57:56 so that people in the world can also 57:59 be ready for that awesome event, 58:02 the second coming of Jesus Christ 58:04 in power and glory. |
Revised 2019-11-14