Participants: Pr. Shawn Boonstra
Series Code: TPR
Program Code: TPR000003
|
01:08 Good evening once again, and welcome to "The Presence"
01:11 with Pastor Shawn Boonstra of "It is Written" TV. 01:14 Tonight is our third session, and you're going to hear him 01:17 talk about "It's Closer than you think". 01:19 Have you ever been driving down the road 01:21 and you're looking over into your rear view mirror 01:24 on the right had side of your car and if you look in 01:27 that rear view mirror, there's a little statement 01:29 right there along the bottom, and what does it say? 01:32 It says: "Objects in the mirror are closer than you think." 01:37 Tonight as Pastor Boonstra is going to be talking 01:39 about the presence, he's going to remind us and show us 01:44 that the presence of God is closer than we think. 01:48 Please welcome tonight Pastor Shawn Boonstra. 01:51 [Audience claps] 01:55 Good evening. 01:58 Thank you so much for being here tonight. 02:01 I'm just glad you've come back for night Nr.3 of "The Presence" 02:05 Tonight's subject: "Closer than you think." 02:08 Tonight's subject is doing to build on the subjects 02:11 that we have already studied for the past couple of meetings 02:14 together. On the 1st night we looked 02:16 at the Ark of the Covenant, which we discovered 02:19 was a scale down model of what? 02:22 It was a scaled down model of God's throne. 02:25 Then on the 2nd night we studied that the sanctuary 02:28 where they kept the Ark of the Covenant showed us 02:32 God's plan to restore us to His presence, 02:35 bit by bit, starting with the altar outside, and the courtyard 02:38 which represented the cross of Christ, where He gave His life 02:42 for us, all the way through the sanctuary, we discovered 02:45 it revealed God's plan to bring sinful human beings 02:48 back into His presence. So we've looked 02:51 at God's presence, we've looked at God's plan to restore us 02:54 to His presence, and tonight we're going to look at when 02:58 God plans to restore us to His presence, 03:01 but before I begin that subject, because it will be based 03:05 on the Bible, which I believe to be the word of our Creator God, 03:09 I'd ask for you to just bow your heads for a brief word of prayer 03:14 Father in heaven, this evening as we open the pages 03:17 of the Bible, we know in our hearts that You long 03:19 to be with us. You long to speak to us, 03:23 and we know that You inspired people in ancient times 03:26 to write these words, so as we read them we know 03:30 we are hearing Your voice. Our desire tonight is to hear 03:33 the voice of Jesus, to understand Him better, 03:37 to see His face, so I ask that tonight You would speak 03:41 to our hearts, for I ask it in Jesus' name, amen. 03:46 Every human being loves a good timeline. 03:50 We like to known where we are in the progress of events, 03:53 we like to mark time and put "X"s on our calendar. 03:56 One of the strongest pieces of evidence I have 03:59 that human beings love to keep track of time 04:02 comes from my own 2 children, 6 and 4, who ride 04:05 in the back seat as my wife and I drive from point 04:08 to point. A little while back 04:10 we were driving, it was a trip of about 1 hour and 15 minutes, 04:15 and about 15 minutes into that trip, from the back seat 04:19 came a little voice saying: "Daddy, how much further?" 04:24 I said: "Honey, it is 60 minutes to our destination." 04:28 "Daddy, how much is 60 minutes?" 04:30 "It's an hour." "That's a long time daddy." 04:34 I said: "We'll get there soon." A couple of minutes went by, 04:37 literally 2 more minutes, and a voice pipes up 04:40 in the back seat and says: "How much further now daddy?" 04:46 I said: "Well, 2 minutes ago it was 60 minutes," 04:49 "so now it is 58." "Oh..." 04:52 2 more minutes went by, and another voice pops up 04:56 in the back seat: "Daddy, how much longer now?" 04:59 I said: "56 minutes." Another 2 minutes went by 05:02 and another voice pops up: "Daddy, how much further now?" 05:05 I said: "8 and a half hours." [Audience laughs] 05:08 I figure that way she'll be pleasantly surprised 05:11 when we're there in a few minutes. 05:13 We love to keep track of time because in our hearts 05:16 we have this sense that history is actually headed somewhere, 05:20 it means something, we're all driving it some point 05:23 and the human race is on its way somewhere. 05:26 That's why in the Bible a number of times you find 05:30 God laying out the entire history of the human race 05:33 in advance. There are at least 8 passages 05:36 in the Bible where God gives the history of the human race 05:39 and our civilizations in advance, and it lays it out 05:43 all the way from ancient civilizations, down through 05:46 the course of time, right up to the second coming 05:49 of Jesus Christ. Now, we don't have time 05:52 tonight to look at all of those prophecies in detail, 05:55 but let me give you a quick survey of one of them 05:58 found in the book of Daniel 7. 06:03 In Daniel 7, Daniel has a dream and a number of animals 06:07 start crawling up out of the waters of the ocean: 06:11 a lion, a bear, a leopard, a fearsome beast 06:15 with a bunch of horns on its head, and as you study 06:17 Daniel 7 you discover that it was laying out the history 06:22 of the world in advance. Daniel discovers that the lion 06:25 represented the kingdom of Babylon, the bear represents 06:29 the kingdom of Medo-Persia, which succeeded Babylon, 06:33 the leopard represented Greece, and Alexander the Great, 06:36 which succeeded the Medo-Persians. 06:39 This terrible beast with horns on its head represented Rome, 06:43 both in its united faze, and also in its divided faze 06:46 as it becomes the nations of western Europe. 06:50 I'd love to spend some time with you tonight, 06:52 and get into the details of that, and show you how we know 06:55 that, but we don't have that kind of time. 06:59 That doesn't mean you can't study it, 07:00 wherever you are tonight watching, by satellite, 07:03 ask those at your hall, speak to those who are moderating 07:07 your meeting and they'd be delighted to show you 07:10 how you can keep studying even after these meetings 07:13 are over, and figure out how we know that Daniel 7 07:15 is speaking about all these kingdoms. 07:18 In Daniel 7 it lays out all these kingdoms from Babylon 07:21 down to the divided Roman Empire. 07:23 That's the age we live in today because the nations 07:26 of Western Europe are a result of Rome breaking 07:29 into pieces. The next even in Daniel 7 07:32 described 3 times, is the heavenly judgment scene 07:36 where the books of judgment are opened, the angels gather 07:40 around the throne of God, Jesus shows up 07:43 and at the end of the judgment He is given a kingdom 07:46 so that the second coming can take place. 07:49 It is one of those timelines in the Bible with stunning 07:53 accuracy laying out all of the kingdoms of the earth 07:57 in a timeline from the days of ancient kingdoms 07:59 right down to the second coming of Christ. 08:02 It happens 8 times in bold detail, but there is 1 timeline 08:07 in the Bible that a lot of people really haven't noticed. 08:11 That timeline is buried in the rituals that take place 08:16 in the ancient sanctuary of the Old Testament. 08:19 It lays out a timeline from the days of Jesus 08:22 all the way down to the second coming of Christ. 08:26 Would you like to see a timeline like that tonight. 08:29 - [Audience] Yes. - Only 3 of you wanted 08:31 to see a timeline like that tonight...would you like to see 08:34 - something like that tonight? - [Audience louder] Yes. 08:37 Alright, now I'll show you. 08:40 In addition to all of the offerings and sacrifices 08:44 and rituals that they held in the sanctuary every single day, 08:47 we looked at these last night, the offerings: they would take 08:51 a little lamb and they would offer them for sin, 08:54 and you remember the sinner would put his hands 08:57 on the head of the lamb and confess his sins 08:59 and the sins would symbolically be transferred to the lamb, 09:03 then they would take the life of that little lamb 09:06 and bring its blood inside the temple. 09:09 That little lamb represented Jesus Christ, 09:12 and it pointed to the fact that everyday of your life 09:15 you can pray to Christ and He covers your sins 09:17 with His blood. Those rituals took place 09:20 every single day, but in addition to those daily rituals 09:25 that took place in the Old Tabernacle, 09:28 there were also a number of annual celebrations, 09:31 or feasts, that took place on an annual basis, 09:34 kind of like Christmas, or Easter, or your birthday, 09:37 they happened once a year on a specific day. 09:40 You read about them in Leviticus 23, 09:45 one of those feasts, the first on you mentioned 09:48 is The Feast of The Passover, and with The Feast 09:50 of the Passover they had something known as 09:52 a Feast of Unleavened Bread, and after that was The Feast 09:55 of Firstfruits, and then The Feast of Pentecost, 09:58 and then The Feast of Trumpets, and after that The Day 10:02 of Atonement, known today as "Yom Kippur", 10:05 and lastly The Feast of Tabernacles. 10:08 Now, these were annual celebrations, and they weren't 10:11 just parties, they weren't like the 4th of July, 10:14 or just a national holiday, these were festivals that God 10:18 told the Israelites to keep. God had something specific 10:22 to teach them, He wanted them to observe these holidays 10:26 in a very special way, so that they could learn something 10:29 about the God who was on the other side of the veil 10:32 inside the Tabernacle, and not only was God trying to teach 10:36 them something about Himself with these annual festivals, 10:40 it also gives us a very detailed prophecy, taking us 10:44 from the days of Christ all the way down to the second coming, 10:48 when He returns in glory and we are finally ushered again 10:52 into the presence of God. So tonight I thought 10:55 we would look at the feasts or festivals of Israel 10:58 in their order, to see what kind of a picture God paints 11:03 with them. The first one you read about 11:06 in Leviticus 23 is The Feast of The Passover. 11:12 This feast dates back prior to the time that the children 11:15 of Israel were in the desert, in fact it dates back 11:18 to the time that they were slaves in the land of Egypt, 11:21 about to leave for the land of Canaan. 11:24 If you remember the stories you learnt as a kid, 11:27 the pharaoh of Egypt was very reticent to let 11:30 the Israelites go. Moses would appear before 11:32 the Pharaoh's throne and say: "Let my people go!" 11:36 And the pharaoh would say: "No way!" 11:38 God would send a plague, say a plague of lice, 11:41 and as the pharaoh was scratching himself, 11:43 and picking the lice out of his hair he'd say: 11:46 "Well, maybe Moses, I will let you go." 11:49 And the lice would disappear and the pharaoh would change 11:52 his mind, just like most people today in hard times, 11:56 have an easy time praying to God, and asking Him for things 12:00 and falling into line with His will, but the moment 12:03 the hardship disappears, we go right back 12:06 to the way things were. As soon as the plagues would 12:09 disappear, a plague of lice, a plague of frogs, 12:12 a plague of blood, the pharaoh would change his mind 12:15 and say: "Moses, I'm not letting your people go," 12:17 "you're staying here as slaves." 12:21 Then the last plague comes and this one is a plague of death. 12:27 The Bible tells us an angel walks through the land 12:29 of Egypt, and the first born in every house 12:32 drops dead that night. In the morning 12:35 when the Egyptians wake up, they go and discover 12:38 their eldest sons dead, not just their sons, 12:41 but the oldest of their livestock, all across the land, 12:45 every first born child in the land of Egypt is dead. 12:48 The angel of death hits absolutely every home 12:53 with 1 exception. It doesn't touch a single 12:57 Israelite home. Why? 12:59 Because of a strange ritual the Israelites observed 13:04 as the Passover was about to happen. 13:08 Exodus 12:3, the Bible says: Which day? 13:11 - [Audience] Tenth. - The 10th day, 13:13 that's very important, tuck that day behind 1 ear, 13:16 you're going to need it in a minute. 13:18 [text on screen] 13:23 What does a lamb point to? Jesus Christ. 13:26 [continues reading] 13:30 Every house had to have its own lamb. 13:32 [continues reading] 14:04 Every family was to take its own lamb 14:08 and on the 10th day of the month they were to tie it to a post 14:12 so that everybody would examine each family's lamb 14:14 to make sure that it really was a lamb without blemish. 14:19 On the 14th day they would kill that little lamb 14:23 and offer it as a sacrifice. We already know 14:26 that a lamb represents Jesus Christ, and when did Jesus 14:32 shed His blood for us? 14:33 He did it at the cross of Calvary. 14:37 This Feast of The Passover points us to the death 14:41 of Christ and it shows us that those who accept 14:45 the death of Christ, those who, symbolically, take the blood 14:49 of Jesus Christ, and place it on the door posts of their heart 14:53 will avoid the plague of death. We know that the wages 14:56 of sin is death. Jesus dies in our place 15:00 and we are spared the wages of sin because the Lamb of God 15:03 takes our place. The Passover ritual points us 15:07 specifically to the crucifixion, 15:10 the death of Christ at the cross, 15:12 and the apostle Paul makes this absolutely crystal clear 15:17 in something he says in 1 Corinthians 5:7, Paul writes: 15:21 [text on screen] 15:28 Paul said Jesus is our Passover. 15:31 The whole reason that they took the life of that little lamb 15:34 and wiped the blood on the door posts 15:36 was to point forward to the day that Jesus Christ 15:39 would die for our sins at the cross of Calvary, 15:42 sparing us the wages of sin, which is death. 15:45 Thereby, the angel of death passes over the Christian's home 15:51 Just in case there's any lingering doubt 15:54 that the Passover points to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, 15:58 Jesus makes is crystal clear one night as He shares 16:02 the Passover dinner with His disciples. 16:05 We read about this in Mark 14:22, 16:09 listen to what the Bible says: [text on screen] 16:22 The bread of the Passover Feast points to Jesus' body, 16:26 not only is He the sacrificial lamb of the Passover meal, 16:30 He is also the bread of that meal, and we saw the other night 16:35 how Jesus said: "I am the bread of life." 16:39 Here's a question, and it's one that I'm sure you know 16:42 the answer to: what kind of bread 16:45 did the Israelites eat at the Passover Feast, 16:47 what kind of bread was it? It was unleavened bread, 16:50 it was flat bread, no yeast, no baking soda, 16:53 it was like pita, or tortillas. It was a flat bread. 16:57 Why did it have no yeast in it, no rising agent, 17:02 why is that? 17:03 It's because in the Bible leaven, or yeast, 17:07 is used as a symbol of sin, and Jesus, our Passover Lamb, 17:13 had absolutely no sin. This is why the Passover 17:16 Lamb had no blemish, and this is why the bread had no yeast. 17:21 Leaven represents sin, and that's why Jesus 17:25 speaks sometimes of the leaven of the Pharisees. 17:29 He was speaking of their sins, He was saying: 17:32 "Your sins are like yeast, you put a little bit of yeast" 17:36 "in a lump of dough, and very quickly it spreads to the rest" 17:40 "of the lump of dough", it multiplies, it's a living thing. 17:43 Jesus said your sin is like a living thing, and the longer 17:46 you harbor it and nurture it and crave it, 17:49 the bigger and bigger it grows. 17:52 That's why Paul says in 1 Corinthians 5:7: 17:57 [text on screen] 18:10 There was no leaven because Jesus had no sin. 18:13 Additionally, the Israelites at the feast of the Passover 18:17 had a ritual called the purging of the leaven 18:20 and they would go through the house with a candle 18:23 and very carefully inspect every corner of their house 18:26 and remove every last trace of leaven out of the house, 18:29 all yeast, baking soda, whatever it might be, 18:32 any leavening agent, why? 18:34 Because not only did Jesus die to pay the penalty of our sins, 18:38 He also gives us a new life, He gives us the ability 18:41 to walk a new life with Him and become a new creature, 18:44 and He helps us clean up the things in our life 18:47 that are not pleasing to God, He helps us with our 18:50 sin problem, that's why it is when you get to know 18:53 who Jesus is that you kind of start to hate the things 18:56 you used to love and start to love the things 18:58 you used to hate. He gives you a new heart, 19:01 He helps you purge out all the leaven. 19:04 Jesus is the Passover Lamb, in fact, He was actually 19:09 crucified on the very day of the Passover. 19:13 That's not an accident, that was designed by God, 19:17 and even more interesting than the fact the He was crucified 19:21 on the very Passover day, is the fact that on the 9th day 19:26 of that month, Jesus rode into Jerusalem on something 19:30 that today they call Palm Sunday. 19:33 He rides into Jerusalem and from the 10th to the 14th 19:36 He teaches publicly in the temple, everybody can hear Jesus 19:40 for themselves, and when Jesus is on trial, 19:43 the authorities ask Him: "What do You believe?" 19:45 "What do You stand for?" And Jesus said 19:48 "why don't you ask the people, they heard Me preaching" 19:51 "in the temple and they can tell you what I believe." 19:54 The Passover lamb was tied to a stake in public on the 10th 19:57 of the month, everybody could inspect it to see if it had 19:59 any blemish, and on the 14th it was put to death. 20:03 Jesus, from the 10th to the 14th teaches publicly 20:06 so that everybody can see for themselves 20:08 that He really is the spotless Son of God, the Lamb of God 20:12 without blemish, and on the 14th He gives His life 20:15 for the human race. 20:16 The Feast of the Passover points us 20:20 to the cross of Christ, and begins a prophecy 20:23 of the sanctuary. The Passover is the moment 20:27 that Jesus dies on the cross of Calvary. 20:31 That is the first festival in Leviticus 23. 20:35 It's the Festival of Passover along with the Festival 20:38 of Unleavened Bread, or the Purging of the Leaven. 20:42 The next festival that you come to is the one called 20:45 the Feast of the Firstfruits. This was a harvest festival. 20:51 Before this festival took place they would go into 20:54 the barley fields and they would choose a few sheaves 20:57 of barley and set them aside. On the Feast of First fruits, 21:01 which happened on the 3rd day after the Passover, 21:05 they would take a sheaf of barley and the priest 21:08 would wave it before the Lord, that's why sometimes 21:11 you hear it called the Feast of the Wave Sheaf Offering, 21:15 and why was he waving it before the Lord? 21:18 It's because it was a symbol of a harvest that was 21:20 going to come, they were saying: "Lord, this sheaf is ready" 21:24 "and that means by faith we believe that You're" 21:27 "going to make the rest of the harvest ready for us too." 21:30 Now, why did God have them wave that Wave Sheaf Offering? 21:34 Was it just an Israelite thanks giving day? 21:37 Was it just really a harvest festival? 21:39 Not at all, it points to something very specific. 21:43 The Passover happened on the 14th, the Feast of First fruits 21:47 happened on the 3rd day, Jesus dies on the 14th, 21:52 what happens on the 3rd day? 21:54 What happens? He rises from the dead. 21:57 That's why the Bible calls Jesus "our firstfruits". 22:01 1 Corinthians 15: [text on screen] 22:12 Jesus is the firstfruits, why is He called 22:14 the firstfruits? It's easy, He's first in line. 22:17 He rises from the dead, it's kind of like taking 22:21 1 sheaf out of the barley field, saying: 22:23 "Lord, because we have this 1 sheaf, we believe" 22:26 "we will have the rest of the harvest." 22:28 Jesus rises from the dead and it's as if God is saying: 22:31 "Look, I raised My Son from the dead, and you can know" 22:34 "in faith that one day all the graves are going to open" 22:37 "and there will be a great harvest." 22:40 That's why Jesus, over and over again in the gospels, 22:43 and in the book of Revelation, speaks of the second coming 22:47 as a harvest. Jesus rises as the firstfruits, 22:50 everyone else comes at His second coming, 22:53 as a matter of fact, that's what the Bible says 22:55 in 1 Corinthians 15:22: [text on screen] 23:11 Think about what this means, the resurrection of Jesus 23:14 was a real event, Jesus became God in the flesh, 23:19 a real flesh and blood human being, 23:21 He died a real death, like we have to die a real death, 23:25 and He actually rises from the dead, 23:27 it's the most documented fact of ancient history, 23:30 the tomb of Jesus is empty. Now, because the tomb of Jesus 23:34 is empty, God says: "that's the feast of firstfruits" 23:37 If My Son rose from the dead, you can count on it, 23:40 you're going to rise from the dead too, 23:42 and not only you, but your family, and everybody 23:45 you've ever lost, with faith in Jesus Christ 23:47 there's going to be a great harvest and the dead 23:50 will come back to life. 23:53 Jesus didn't come back to life after clinical death, 23:56 He didn't come back to life after 5, 6, 10 or 20 minutes, 24:00 He comes back to life on the 3rd day, and no matter 24:03 how long our loved ones have been in the grave, 24:07 when Jesus returns the feast of Firstfruits tells us 24:10 hundreds and thousands of years in advance, 24:12 the dead will rise again. Alright, that is the feast 24:16 of Firstfruits, is it clear so far, yes or no? 24:19 - [Audience replies] Yes. - Good. 24:20 You can explain it to me later. The Firstfruits points 24:25 to the resurrection of Christ. The next feast we read about 24:30 in Leviticus 23 is the Festival of Pentecost. 24:36 Now, a lot of people think of Pentecost in the book of Acts, 24:39 but its a much older ritual than that. 24:42 This is a ritual that points way back in history, 24:46 it's also known as the Feast of Weeks. 24:49 Why? Because 7 weeks after Israel 24:52 leaves Egypt, they arrive at Mount Sinai, 24:55 and as the come to Mount Sinai, God meets them there 24:59 and gives them the 10 commandment law, 25:02 which was later put into the Ark of the Covenant. 25:04 This happened on the day that came to be known 25:08 as the Feast of Pentecost. They celebrated Israel 25:11 at Mount Sinai. Just because God gave them 25:15 the 10 commandments at Sinai doesn't mean that those laws 25:18 weren't there before. God gave them to them, 25:21 but they were already in existence and we know that 25:23 because Lucifer was kicked out of heaven for breaking 25:26 those laws. He lied to the angels, 25:28 he coveted the throne of God. Cain got in trouble 25:31 for breaking that law because he murdered his brother 25:33 and God's law says: "You shall not kill." 25:36 God's moral laws have always been there, 25:38 always will be there, but on that day at Mount Sinai 25:42 He gives them a copy of those laws in 2 tables 25:45 of stone. Let's look at what the Bible 25:47 says actually happened that day as Israel is gathered 25:50 around the mountain. Exodus 19: [text on screen] 26:28 Think about what happens on the day of Pentecost, 26:31 the original one at Mount Sinai, all of God's people 26:35 are gathered together in 1 place at Mount Sinai. 26:38 There is a loud noise, the sound of trumpets, 26:42 and then there is fire that falls on the mountain. 26:45 If any of that rings a bell it's because it's exactly 26:49 what happens in the New Testament Day of Pentecost. 26:52 Pay attention to this now in Acts 2: [text on screen] 27:18 It happens exactly the same way all those hundreds of years 27:21 later. All of God's people 27:23 are gathered in 1 place, they're in 1 accord, 27:26 there is a loud noise, this time it's like a mighty, rushing wind 27:29 instead of trumpets, but still, it's a loud noise 27:32 and now again, there is fire, it doesn't fall on a mountain, 27:36 it falls on the head of each disciple in the room. 27:40 What just happened? 27:45 This is the anointing of God's church. 27:48 I want to show you something interesting that a lot of people 27:51 have missed as they study the day of Pentecost. 27:54 Peter says something remarkably interesting 27:57 a little later in the chapter as he explains to the audience 28:00 what has just happened, what they've just witnessed. 28:03 Listen carefully, he's speaking of Jesus: [text on screen] 28:16 Who just received the Holy Spirit according to Peter? 28:19 Jesus did, very interesting. [text on screen] 28:25 What's Peter saying? He said: "What's really" 28:28 "going on here today is that Jesus just received" 28:31 "the Holy Spirit, and He poured it out on us," 28:34 "and that explains what you've just seen: the tongues of fire," 28:37 "and the mighty rushing wind." 28:40 Peter is saying Jesus, heaven's great High Priest, 28:43 has just been anointed with the Holy Spirit in heaven. 28:47 It is poured over Jesus and it has fallen 28:49 on the church beneath. Listen carefully to what 28:53 the Bible says in Exodus 29. When the High Priest 28:56 in the Old Testament began to work in the sanctuary, 29:00 he had to undergo a special ritual. 29:02 It's said of Aaron the High Priest: [text on screen] 29:10 What is oil a symbol of in the Bible? 29:12 It's a symbol of the Holy Spirit. 29:14 Before Aaron could work inside the sanctuary, he had to be 29:17 anointed with oil. Jesus is the great High Priest, 29:21 He goes to heaven, He's anointed with the Holy Spirit. 29:24 There's a description of this in the book of Psalms, 29:27 Psalm 133: [text on screen] 29:34 Just like on the day of Pentecost, [continues reading] 29:41 "Aaron" - that was the High Priest in the Old Testament. 29:44 [continues reading] 29:46 It described the anointing of Aaron in the Old Testament 29:49 as oil being poured on his head, it runs down his beard 29:52 and down his garments onto the ground. 29:54 Jesus, our great High Priest after His resurrection 29:57 goes to heaven and He's anointed with the Holy Spirit 30:00 so He can begin working in heaven's sanctuary. 30:02 It pours over Him, down over Him onto the church beneath. 30:06 Jesus has been anointed as the great High Priest 30:09 in heaven's sanctuary, and at the same time the church 30:12 has also been anointed. Jesus begins His work 30:15 in heaven's sanctuary on behalf of sinners, 30:18 pleading his blood for those who repent and ask 30:20 for forgiveness, and at the same time, 30:22 the church has been told: "You now have the gift" 30:25 "of the Holy Spirit, go to the world and tell them" 30:27 "what Jesus is doing in heaven's sanctuary." 30:30 That's why Jesus said: "don't go anywhere," 30:33 "wait in Jerusalem until you've received the gift: 30:37 "of the Holy Spirit." The Day of Pentecost 30:39 is the great anointing, both of heaven's High Priest, 30:43 and of the church here on earth, and it's the beginning 30:46 of the church age. 30:49 All these feasts happen in the spring of the year. 30:52 We have a summer time, and then some more fall feasts. 30:55 This summer time is the Church Age, the church is now sent 30:59 loose out to go and share the gospel of Jesus Christ 31:02 across the face of the planet. Then we come to the fall feasts, 31:07 and the first one we read about in Leviticus 23 31:11 is the Feast of Trumpets. This is the first 31:15 of the fall feasts, and we read about it in Leviticus 23:23: 31:20 [text on screen] 31:28 Now, what was God trying to warn the Israelites about? 31:32 In 10 short days the most solemn day of the year 31:37 was going to come, it was a day of judgment, 31:40 and on that day all the Israelites had to make 31:44 everything right with their God. They had to make sure they had 31:47 confessed all their sins, made everything right with God, 31:50 or they would be driven on of the camp of Israel, 31:52 cast out for ever, never more to be a part of the people of God. 31:56 As they drew to the end of the year there was a finality to it. 32:00 There came a moment when they had to be right with God 32:04 or they were out of luck. Now, what does this point us to? 32:08 God is telling us that as we that as we move down 32:10 through history towards the end of the world, 32:12 before the judgment begins, the whole world will be warned. 32:19 Here's what's really interesting: as you come 32:21 through the church age, down through the centuries 32:24 and you come down to the late 1700's and the early 1800's 32:28 something interesting begins to happen all over the face 32:32 of the planet. A little girl in Wales 32:34 inspires men to start the Bible society for starters, 1802, 32:39 and the Bible which had been available in 1802 32:41 in only 67 languages suddenly is translated into 2233 languages, 32:47 and they print 100 million copies just like that. 32:50 At the same time, a sure cobbler in the British Isles 32:53 by the name of William Carrey launches the modern 32:55 missionary movement, and all those new Bibles are carried on 32:58 foot all across the face of the planet. 33:00 At the same time, all over the world, independent 33:03 of each other, people begin to open those Bibles 33:06 and study the prophecies of the book of Daniel and Revelation. 33:10 As they begin to study the books of Daniel and Revelation, 33:14 what do they begin to preach? 33:16 For the first time in centuries, studied Christian history, 33:19 for the first time in centuries Christians around the world 33:23 begin to talk again about the second coming of Christ. 33:26 Even in countries where it was outlawed, in particular, 33:29 believe it or not, there were countries 33:30 in Northern Scandinavia where it was illegal to preach 33:33 the second coming of Christ. When the adults weren't 33:36 allowed to do it, miraculously, 5 and 6 year old children 33:39 began to stand up and preach the second coming of Christ 33:43 all around the earth. Then, as the second coming 33:45 of Christ is being studied, and the prophecies of the Bible 33:49 are being studied, all of a sudden, 1755, there's a great 33:52 earthquake in Lisbon that shakes the world, and in 1780 33:55 there's a dark day in the new world that leaves 33:57 everybody scared, and in 1833 there's the Great Leonid 34:01 meteor shower, 250,000 falling stars every single hour. 34:05 There is a dark day, an earthquake, 34:07 and the falling of the stars, just like is described 34:10 in the book of Revelation 6, just prior to the second coming 34:14 of Christ. The message goes out, 34:17 the warning to the world, Jesus is coming, 34:21 the trumpets are blown all over the world, 34:25 and Daniel predicted it. Daniel 12:4: [text on screen] 34:36 As Daniel writes His book, the angel says: 34:39 "Now seal that book, nobody's going to understand it" 34:41 "for a very long time, not until the time of the end" 34:44 "when many will run to an fro, and knowledge will increase." 34:48 Now, some people think that knowledge increasing, 34:51 and running to and fro is a reference to technology. 34:54 I don't believe that it is, not in its context. 34:57 Daniel is told to close up his book until the time of the end, 35:01 and when you look at the original language, 35:03 "many shall run to and fro" in the original language, 35:05 it says: "many will leaf back and forth", 35:07 as if they're reading a book. All of a sudden at the end 35:10 of time people will begin to study the Scriptures again, 35:12 and the book of Daniel, and they'll understand it, 35:15 and the warning will go to the world: "Jesus is coming", 35:18 it's prophetic knowledge that all of sudden increases 35:21 all around the world at the same time. 35:23 The trumpets are blown. 35:25 Here's the timeline now, the crucifixion of Christ, 35:28 the resurrection of Christ, the entire Church Age, 35:31 and the last day great awakening, a warning 35:33 to the world that Jesus is coming again. 35:36 The next feast that they celebrated, Leviticus 23, 35:40 is the great day of atonement, we've already mentioned this. 35:44 This is the great day of judgment, the most solemn 35:46 day in the entire year for Israel. 35:50 This is the day you had to be right with God, 35:52 and if you weren't, you were removed from the camp 35:55 of the Israelites. The Bible says, 35:57 Leviticus 23:27: [text on screen] 36:07 It's the annual day of judgment, all year they sacrifice lambs 36:10 and they carried the blood inside the sanctuary, 36:13 but as they did that, symbolically they were 36:16 defiling the place where God's presence was, 36:18 so once a year the high Priest would go into 36:21 the Most Holy Place, and he would sprinkle blood 36:24 on the mercy seat, just 1 day a year, and cleanse 36:27 the entire sanctuary of all the sins of the people of Israel 36:31 that had been symbolically transferred in there. 36:33 It was the day of judgment, you had to be right with God 36:36 and it was a day that they annually cleansed 36:39 the entire temple. It was the only day the high priest 36:42 ever went into the Most Holy Place, it was solemn, 36:46 sacred, known as a day of judgment. 36:49 As a matter of fact, the Israelite people were known 36:51 to greet each other on that day by saying: "May your name" 36:56 "be inscribed in the book of life." 36:58 It was the end of the year, the great day of judgment. 37:01 Now let's review what we've talked about. 37:04 Daniel 7 showed us all the kingdoms ending 37:06 with the judgment. In Daniel 8 we have another 37:09 prophecy with all the world kingdoms, this time beginning 37:12 with Medo-Persia. You've got to study this, 37:14 wherever you are, ask if you can study this chapter 37:16 in more detail. Medo-Persia, Greece, 37:19 Rome in all of its fazes, and at the end of Daniel 8 37:22 there's a prophecy about 2300 days. 37:27 We read about it in Daniel 8:14 [text on screen] 37:38 We already know when that happened on the day of Atonement 37:41 when they purged the entire sanctuary of the sins of Israel. 37:45 Is this a prophecy of the judgment? 37:48 There's no question about it, Daniel 8 gives us more evidence 37:52 to let us know beyond a shadow of a doubt that it is. 37:54 Daniel 8:17: [text on screen] 38:01 It's a last day prophecy. There's a little more evidence, 38:04 Verse 19, Gabriel says to Daniel [text on screen] 38:16 There's 1 time in the Bible that's spoken of 38:18 as an appointed time. Acts 17:31. 38:21 Speaking of God it says: [text on screen] 38:30 God said there's a day appointed for judgment. 38:33 The Bible says that there's a feast pointing to the day 38:36 the sanctuary was cleansed, it was the great Day of Judgment. 38:39 Is God trying to tell us something about 38:42 the judgment hour? You better believe it. 38:45 Most mind bogglingly of all, Revelation 14:6, 38:48 shows us a message that goes to the whole world 38:50 just before Jesus comes. [text on screen] 39:08 Not is coming, not will come, but has already begun. 39:14 What does it mean? At some point the world 39:17 will know the judgment has already begun, 39:19 and at the end of that judgment, Jesus returns. 39:23 Has the judgment been scheduled? If so, when should be expect it? 39:28 You'll find out tomorrow night. 40:03 Those of you who are joining us by satellite 40:06 in the satellite audience, please take out your lessons, 40:08 The Presence Nr.3: "Closer Than You Think." 40:14 Pastor Boonstra tonight began by talking about 40:18 a series of mysterious plagues that took place in the land 40:21 of ancient Egypt. [text on screen] 40:38 I'd like to have you look at Exodus 12:21-23, 40:43 we're going to read this together, [text on screen] 41:08 The lintel is a word for the post that goes across the top 41:12 of the door, and then the 2 door posts. 41:15 So basically what he's telling them to do is to dip 41:18 the hyssop into the blood and mark the door of their home 41:22 over the top and over both sides with that blood. 41:25 [continues to read] 41:54 I just wonder tonight how many of you have taken the blood 41:59 of Jesus Christ and symbolically painted the door posts 42:03 of your home with that blood, just like what the Israelites 42:07 had done so many years ago. What was different about 42:10 their home? They had sprinkled the blood. 42:13 [text on screen] 42:18 We're going to look at Revelation 5:6: 42:21 [text on screen] 42:32 We also want to look at 1 Corinthians 5:7: 42:35 [text on screen] 42:51 So what did the Passover lamb represent? 42:53 [text on screen] 43:06 Question 3: [text on screen] 43:18 What did Pastor Shawn tonight, and what does the Bible 43:21 tell us the leaven represents? [Audience replies] Sin. 43:24 We want to look at the Scriptures, 1 Corinthians 5:6-8 43:27 to begin with: [text on screen] 43:35 Ladies, whenever you bake bread, how much yeast 43:38 does it take to make that bread rise? 43:41 Just a tiny little bit, a little tiny bit of yeast, 43:45 or leaven, will leaven the whole batch, the whole lump. 43:49 [continues to read] 44:12 Now 1 Peter 1:18-19: [text on screen] 44:26 1 more text, 1 John 1:9: [text on screen] 44:38 What is the answer here? [text on screen] 44:48 So symbolically the leaven comes out of the home 44:51 because that represents sin, the good news is that you can't 44:56 get rid of it by yourself, but by the blood 44:58 of Jesus Christ, it can be gone from your home 45:01 and from your heart. 45:03 Question 4: [text on screen] 45:10 You saw Pastor Shawn do the wave up here, 45:13 a different kind of a way than what you're used to, 45:15 [continues to read] 45:22 We're going to look at Leviticus 23:9-11: 45:26 [text on screen] 45:49 Notice that was the establishment of the wave, 45:51 now we want to go to the question again: 45:55 [text on screen] 46:00 The 3rd day of the Passover... now remember, 46:02 it's not a trick questions, on the day of Passover 46:06 what took place the year Christ died? 46:09 The crucifixion. Christ as the Passover lamb, 46:13 was sacrificed on Calvary's cross on the Passover day, 46:17 the 1st day of Passover. On the 3rd day of Passover, 46:21 what was it that happened? The resurrection. 46:25 We're going to look in Luke 24: [text on screen] 46:51 On the 3rd day exactly according to the feasts 46:54 that Pastor Boonstra was showing us tonight, 46:58 on the 3rd day Jesus Christ was resurrected. 47:02 Okay, next question: [text on screen] 47:10 1 Corinthians 15: [text on screen] 47:32 And on in 1 Corinthians 15:51: [text on screen] 47:48 Isn't that a wonderful promise? 47:51 So the answer to this question: [text on screen] 48:07 I don't know about you, but I have seen some people 48:13 that have passed away into death in this life, 48:17 some people that were close to me. 48:19 I can tell you that I take great comfort, as I'm sure you 48:23 must too, in the fact that this firstfruits 48:27 of Christ's resurrection is a pledge, a promise, 48:30 that one day all those who are in Him will be resurrected 48:34 and enjoy life again. Isn't that wonderful? 48:37 Can you say amen to that? [Audience] Amen. 48:39 Okay, next question: [text on screen] 48:47 The anointing of oil, and you heard Pastor Boonstra 48:50 talking about how the oil was poured over his head 48:53 and flowed all the way down unto the ground, 48:56 there's the anointing oil. They also anointed 48:59 ancient kings that same way, when they were set apart 49:02 for a special purpose. Exodus 29: [text on screen] 49:16 Our next passage: [text on screen] 49:25 We're going to look at Hebrews 8:1-2: [text on screen] 49:46 What was it that happened down here that told us 49:48 that the anointing had taken place in heaven? 49:50 We're going to look at Acts 2: [text on screen] 50:29 When Christ was in heaven and was anointed, 50:31 received the anointing in heaven, 50:35 the evidence of that was that He turned around 50:37 and poured back out. So the answer to this: 50:40 [text on screen] 50:45 Next question, Nr.7: [text on screen] 51:03 Leviticus 23: [text on screen] 51:19 I want to talk about trumpets just a minute. 51:21 Here you have the trumpet fanfare that is announcing 51:26 that trumpets are being blown for a purpose. 51:28 This is a Feast of Trumpets, and they are being blown 51:30 to announce a special event, which we're going to go get to 51:33 in our next question. [text on screen] 51:38 We're going to continue on with Leviticus 23: 51:41 [text on screen] 52:24 The trumpets were sounded to warn that the Day of Judgment 52:29 was only 10 days away. 52:32 Our next question: [text on screen] 52:54 Revelation 14:6-7: [text on screen] 53:07 Notice it goes everywhere throughout the world. 53:11 [continues to read] 53:26 This message is to blanket the entire globe before Jesus comes, 53:31 to let everyone know that there is a judgment in session 53:35 because right after the judgment we know that Jesus 53:40 is coming back again. So really, the judgment 53:43 is nothing to be afraid of, the judgment is where God brings 53:47 everything into balance, it is something that is good news, 53:50 and isn't the gospel good news? 53:53 In Revelation 14:6-7, this message that is to go 53:56 to the entire world is about the gospel, it says: 53:59 "the everlasting gospel be preached into all the world", 54:03 and that is very good news. So the answer is: 54:07 [text on screen] 54:17 What was this great and solemn judgment day 54:20 on the Day of Atonement? 54:23 Leviticus 16:16: [text on screen] 54:36 This was a time where God is getting rid of sin 54:41 from the camp because God can't coexist with sin. 54:46 It's a time to get rid of it, put it aside, 54:49 and start all over on a new leaf. 54:52 I want to ask you a question, we're going to get to the answer 54:53 in just a second, but I want to ask you a question: 54:55 have you ever made a New Year's resolution? 54:58 Have you ever said: "You know what? I want to put" 55:00 "all that in the past, and I want to start all over again" 55:03 "right now, and start doing something new," 55:05 "and I want to not make all the mistakes that I made." 55:09 We have these things called New Year's resolutions. 55:12 Well, God is doing one better than that 55:15 in the judgment. He is actually setting up 55:18 a time and place where He deals with sin completely 55:21 through the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ, as we have been 55:25 looking at and studying in this series on The Presence. 55:29 He is making it into al that, so: [text on screen] 55:45 This was when sin was being dealt with. 55:48 [text on screen] 55:54 Acts 17:31: [text on screen] 56:06 God already has set in motion the fact that He has appointed 56:10 a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness 56:14 by the Man He has ordained. [text on screen] 56:20 God has had this on His timeline from the very beginning, 56:24 it is right on schedule. 56:28 Our last question tonight: [text on screen] 56:38 Let's look at 1 John 2:1-2: "My little children", 56:44 I like the tone of that, it's a gentle, it's a drawing, 56:49 it's a compassionate entry to this text: [text on screen] 57:18 Aren't you glad for Jesus? Aren't you grateful 57:22 for what He has done and for the blood that He has shed 57:25 on this? 57:27 Now, I have a question for you as we come to the conclusion 57:30 of this study tonight: what do you want to do 57:35 with Jesus Christ? This One who has made provision 57:39 for you to be covered by His blood in the judgment. 57:44 What would you like to do with Him? 57:47 I would pray, and I would hope that each one of you 57:49 here in this studio audience, as well as those who may be 57:52 watching in a church, in a hall, in your home, 57:56 wherever you may be, to just bow your heads right now 58:00 with me and say: "God, I want to thank You for Jesus." 58:04 "What am I going to do with Him? I'm going to accept Him" 58:06 "into my heart right now," if you'd just bow your heads 58:09 with me right now as we pray that prayer. 58:12 Holy Father in Heaven, we thank You for Jesus. 58:14 We thank You for this timeline, we thank You for the way 58:17 in which You have revealed Yourself through history, 58:21 through prophecy, through the feasts of the ancient 58:24 Israelite system. I thank You Lord that You're 58:27 right on time, and that You are bringing a judgment 58:31 that will put everything right and that will deal with sin 58:34 so that You can come and bring a conclusion to this entire 58:37 matter and restore us to the existence that You have 58:41 in mind for us, and I thank You for that in Jesus' name, 58:45 amen. |
Revised 2014-12-17