Good evening, once again,
and welcome to The Presence
00:01:09.58\00:01:12.13
with Shawn Boonstra,
It is Written Television.
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I'm going to say a
special welcome to all of you
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who are here in
our studio audience,
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and a special welcome
also to those of you who
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are joining us by satellite or
by DVD somewhere in this world.
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You know, there was a
news story that some of you
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may have heard about
where a little girl in India
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was trapped, 60 feet
down in a well shaft.
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This little girl was trapped
down there, scared, you can
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imagine the emotions she
must have been going through,
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and the whole nation of
India, as well as the world,
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was focused on this
particular event, trying to get
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this little girl
out of that well shaft.
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They even drilled a
vertical shaft down along side
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so they wouldn't injure
her at all, and they had to go
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across, and they had
to target it just right,
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and they were successful
in finally pulling her through
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and bringing her up the
other shaft, can you imagine
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as she broke the
surface of the earth
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how her family and
friends were so glad to see her?
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Not only that, can you
imagine how glad she was
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to see them?
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Tonight's presentation
is called "The Deliverance".
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I tell that little story to
give you a little bit of a sense
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of what it may be like,
just a little idea of what
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it might be like, and we
can't imagine what that is,
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but when Jesus comes
the second time to rescue us
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from this sin laden
planet and all the difficulties
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and problems that we have, isn't
that going to be a glorious day?
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Tonight Pastor Boonstra's
topic is "The Deliverance".
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Would you please
welcome Pastor Shawn Boonstra.
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[Audience Claps]
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Good evening.
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Welcome back to
The Presence, night #5,
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and wherever you're joining
us around the world tonight,
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I'm glad you're here.
Can you believe we are on our
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final subject? Now,
just because we're on
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our final subject
that doesn't mean that you
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can't keep studying.
Right there where you are
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across the world tonight,
there are activities planned
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in the hall, the location,
the church where you are at.
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You can keep studying
the prophecies of the Bible,
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and you can keep unpacking
what we've only had time
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to skim the surface of.
Now, tonight's subjects is one
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of my all-time
favorites: "The Deliverance",
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and we're going to delve
into the big picture tonight
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and look at what the Sanctuary's
basic, underlying message is.
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But before we do that, because
it will be based on the word
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of God, let's bow our
heads for a word of prayer.
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Gracious Father in
heaven, tonight it's with joy
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in our hearts that we
turn to the pages of the Bible
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because we know that as
we listen to these words
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we are hearing
the voice of Jesus;
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we're hearing a message
of love, You're telling us
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that You have a plan to
save us for all eternity,
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that we can be in Your presence.
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It's our prayer tonight
that You would bless our study,
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we would hear Your
voice, and that we would know
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Jesus better, for we ask
it in His precious name, amen.
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Tonight, let me start with a
famous promise that Jesus made
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almost 2000 years ago, so famous
that I'm guessing that most
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of you watching and listening
tonight around the world
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can recite this promise
by heart, and the reason
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I want to start with
this promise is because
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it really shows us
what God has been up to
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all these years with
the underlying purpose
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for the whole Sanctuary
and it's services has been.
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It's found in John 14:1,
most of you know this by heart:
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[text on screen]
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There it is, that's
what it's all been about.
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This has all been about
God wanting sinful human beings
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back in His
presence for all eternity.
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Jesus tells us that He
went to prepare a place for us
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and He's coming again, why?
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Because God doesn't
want to be separated from us
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by the veil, He
doesn't want to be inside
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the Most Holy Place with
His people on the outside.
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God doesn't enjoy the
barrier that was thrown up
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by human rebellion and sin, God
desires to be with His people
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above all else, and
the Sanctuary proves it
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beyond the shadow of a doubt.
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Tonight let's
review for just a moment
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some of the things that we've
studied in the last few nights
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together. On one night we looked
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at the Sanctuary with all of its
furniture, where it was laid out
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and what that furniture
meant, and we walked through
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the Sanctuary seeing
that everything there
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pointed without a shadow
of a doubt to Jesus Christ.
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There was the altar of
burnt offering in the courtyard,
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which pointed to what Jesus
did on the cross of Calvary.
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There was the laver, which
showed us that Jesus not only
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died for us, but He washed
us from our sins so that we can
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step again into
the presence of God.
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Inside the Sanctuary was
the lamp stand with its 7 lamps,
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its 7 lights, showing us that
Jesus is that light of the world
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and then on the
other side, on your right
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as you walked in, was
the table of the show bread,
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also known as the
Table of the Presence,
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with 12 loaves of bread
on it, pointing to Jesus,
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because Jesus said "I
am the bread of life. "
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Then there was the altar of
incense, the smoke from this
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altar of incense would go
up over the curtain, the veil,
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into the Most Holy Place,
and we discovered that that
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represents the
prayers of God's people.
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In the Sanctuary there
was sweet smelling incense,
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certain spices that
were added to that fire
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to make the smoke sweet
smelling and we discovered
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that even though our prayers
and personalities are tainted
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by sin, Jesus mixes them
with His own righteousness
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and makes us perfectly
acceptable before the throne
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of God.
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Then, in the Most Holy Place
we had the Ark of the Covenant,
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it had the 10 Commandments
inside, it had the Mercy Seat
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on top - made of solid
gold, and 2 angels on top,
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certain kind of angels,
who knows what kind of angel
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it was? Cherubim on top.
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This was a symbol of the throne
of God, and the presence of God
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would literally be manifested
between those 2 cherubim.
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This whole structure, all
the furniture, showed us how God
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intends to bring us
back into His presence;
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it's through the sacrifice of
Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God.
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It all points to
Jesus. Then, on another night
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we looked at the feasts of
the Sanctuary, and this didn't
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show us exactly how
God intends to bring us in,
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as much as it tells us when
God intends to bring us into
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His presence again.
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We saw the Passover, which
pointed to the Cross of Christ,
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Jesus is the Passover Lamb;
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we looked at The
Feast of First fruits
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where Jesus rose again
from the dead on the third day
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as a pledge that one day
when He returns all graves
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will be opened and we will
live again, death having been
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conquered. Then we looked at
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The Feast of Pentecost where
Jesus in heaven's Sanctuary
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was anointed as
heaven's Great High Priest,
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at the same time, the
church on earth was anointed
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to go and spread the
gospel, share the good news
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of what Christ had
done with the whole world,
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that was the feast of Pentecost.
Then we had a long period
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of time, the Church Age,
just like there was long summer
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period during the feast times.
In the fall we had The Feast
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of Trumpets, which was a
great awakening, a warning
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that something was coming, and
we discovered that here on earth
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there was indeed in the
late 1700's, 1800's, a warning
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that went to the whole world,
that Jesus was coming soon.
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Then The Feast of the
Day of Atonement took place,
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The Solemn Day of Judgment,
and we discovered the other
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night that that is where
we sit in history right now:
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The Solemn Day of Atonement,
the great judgment in heaven
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is already under way.
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Then as we closed the meeting
last night I shared with you
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that there is only 1 more
feast to go in Leviticus 23,
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and that last feast is
the feast of Tabernacles.
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Leviticus 23, and what
was The Feast of Tabernacles?
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It was the last
feast in the religious year
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for the nation of Israel, and
not only was it the last feast,
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it was probably the
happiest feast of all
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because The Feast of
Tabernacles finishes off
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where the Feast
of Passover began.
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If you remember, The
Feast of Passover celebrated
00:10:02.23\00:10:05.32
the Exodus from
Egypt. When they left slavery
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and headed for
the Promised Land,
00:10:08.45\00:10:10.62
and The Feast of Tabernacles
really celebrates the fact
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that Israel got there safely
and God took care of them.
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How does The Feast
of Tabernacles celebrate
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that God took care
of them and brought them
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to the Promised Land
safely? Well, for an entire week
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the nation of Israel
would move into little huts
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made out of branches, this is
why sometimes it's referred to
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as The Feast of Booths.
In essence, the entire nation
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of Israel went
camping in huts for a week,
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and they were
remembering as they did that
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the exodus, they
were celebrating the fact
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that God had kept
them safe in the wilderness
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when they had to live in
tents on their way to the land
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of Canaan, The Promised
Land. It's a celebration,
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The Feast of Tabernacles,
of a successful journey.
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It is a celebration of
God making good on His promise
00:11:00.42\00:11:04.00
to Abraham. The
Israelites are celebrating
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in The Feast of Tabernacles
the fact that they made it
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home, so how does
that apply to you and I?
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This is easy, most of you have
already figured this one out.
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One day soon, you will
and I are going to be home.
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Listen to what the
book of Revelation says,
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and this has got to be,
without a doubt, my favorite
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passage in the entire
Bible. Revelation 21:1,
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listen carefully, John
is writing: [text on screen]
00:11:34.68\00:11:38.28
Let me pause there for a moment,
it used to really bother me
00:11:47.64\00:11:50.93
that John said there was
no more sea, because frankly,
00:11:50.96\00:11:54.04
I like the beach, I like
to go to the beach and listen
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to the waves crash on
the rocks, and stick my toes
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in the water, although I have
noticed that here in California
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the water is much colder than
it is in the Gulf of Mexico.
00:12:03.49\00:12:07.17
I love the beach! And
it's always bothered me:
00:12:07.20\00:12:10.10
no more sea? Why would
there not be any more sea?
00:12:10.13\00:12:12.93
And then it occurred to
me, John is in exile when he
00:12:12.97\00:12:15.66
writes this, he's
sitting on the Isle of Patmos.
00:12:15.69\00:12:18.31
The Roman emperor tried to
boil him alive in a cauldron
00:12:18.35\00:12:21.61
of oil, history tells us,
and when he failed to kill him
00:12:21.65\00:12:24.70
that way, exiled him to
this little rock in the middle
00:12:24.74\00:12:27.73
of the Aegean Sea, hoping
that if he got rid of John,
00:12:27.77\00:12:30.69
he could kill off Christianity.
John sat there day after day
00:12:30.73\00:12:35.03
looking across the
ocean, knowing full well
00:12:35.06\00:12:37.56
that his church, his family, his
friends were on the other side
00:12:37.60\00:12:40.29
of the water.
00:12:40.32\00:12:41.31
And as he looks at the
new Jerusalem, the New Earth,
00:12:41.35\00:12:44.51
the New Heavens, John says
in heaven there is no more sea,
00:12:44.55\00:12:48.35
there's no more separation
in the Kingdom of God,
00:12:48.38\00:12:51.19
you will be with
your loved ones for ever.
00:12:51.22\00:12:53.83
He continues: [text on screen]
00:12:53.86\00:12:56.14
Now this is very very important:
00:13:06.86\00:13:08.76
In the book of Revelation,
where is John's focus?
00:13:08.80\00:13:13.65
John's focus is on the
heavenly city of Jerusalem.
00:13:13.69\00:13:18.51
John's focus is on
heaven, not on earth.
00:13:18.54\00:13:21.51
Everything in the
New Testament shifts
00:13:21.55\00:13:24.45
from the earthly Sanctuary
to the heavenly Sanctuary.
00:13:24.49\00:13:27.89
His focus is not on the
literal city of Jerusalem
00:13:27.93\00:13:31.26
in the Middle East, it's on
the New Jerusalem in heaven.
00:13:31.30\00:13:34.16
The focus in the New Testament
shifts away from the Tabernacle
00:13:34.20\00:13:37.24
of the Old Testament,
to the Sanctuary in heaven
00:13:37.27\00:13:40.60
where Jesus is the High
Priest. And I bring that up
00:13:40.63\00:13:43.93
because today there's
a lot of focus on Israel
00:13:43.96\00:13:46.54
and the Middle East -
that's understandable,
00:13:46.57\00:13:49.08
it's quite a tinderbox,
there's always something new
00:13:49.12\00:13:51.75
happening in the Middle East,
and there's a lot of talk today
00:13:51.79\00:13:55.70
about rebuilding
the Temple in Israel.
00:13:55.73\00:13:58.83
Now, I'm not going to
guess that that never happens,
00:13:58.87\00:14:01.15
I'm not going to guess
that at all, it might well,
00:14:01.19\00:14:03.49
almost anything could
happen in the Middle East,
00:14:03.52\00:14:05.75
but I would like to suggest
that as you study the Bible,
00:14:05.79\00:14:08.73
if you dwell on the
literal city of Jerusalem,
00:14:08.76\00:14:11.34
and the earthly temple, your
focus is in the wrong place.
00:14:11.38\00:14:15.61
In the New Testament, and
in the book of Revelation,
00:14:15.64\00:14:18.41
the primary focus is
on the heavenly city.
00:14:18.44\00:14:21.36
It shifts from the ancient,
literal temple, to the temple
00:14:21.40\00:14:24.16
in heaven; it shifts
from the literal ancient city
00:14:24.19\00:14:27.29
of Jerusalem to the New
Jerusalem that God gives us.
00:14:27.33\00:14:30.40
It shifts from the
earthly land of promise
00:14:30.43\00:14:32.65
that Abraham went to, to
the heavenly land of Canaan.
00:14:32.69\00:14:36.80
The focus is all in
heaven, that is very important.
00:14:36.84\00:14:40.92
This is the focus of
the book of Revelation,
00:14:40.95\00:14:43.53
and Bible prophecy.
Now, if you think about this,
00:14:43.57\00:14:47.68
it was all just a symbol,
the Tabernacle was a symbol,
00:14:47.72\00:14:51.63
the Sanctuary, it's
services were a symbol
00:14:51.66\00:14:54.64
and even the nation
of Israel was a symbol.
00:14:54.67\00:14:57.58
Think about this carefully,
everything that happened
00:14:57.62\00:15:00.04
to the nation of Israel points
us forward to Jesus Christ.
00:15:00.08\00:15:04.35
If you examine it
carefully, you can see this.
00:15:04.38\00:15:07.39
The whole journey of
Israel through the wilderness
00:15:07.42\00:15:10.66
is the story of you and I
on our way to Jesus Christ.
00:15:10.70\00:15:14.81
We are leaving the slavery
of sin to go to the heavenly
00:15:14.85\00:15:18.93
promised land, just like Israel.
00:15:18.96\00:15:20.49
So, Israel's experience
definitely points to us,
00:15:20.53\00:15:23.84
but more than that,
the experience of Israel
00:15:23.88\00:15:27.16
also points us to
Jesus Christ Himself.
00:15:27.19\00:15:30.28
Think about the
story: Israel comes out of
00:15:30.32\00:15:33.56
the land of Egypt,
they go through the Red Sea
00:15:33.60\00:15:36.81
and in 1
Corinthians 10, I believe it is,
00:15:36.84\00:15:40.09
Paul says that
that was like a baptism.
00:15:40.13\00:15:43.31
Israel went through the
Red Sea and then spent 40 years
00:15:43.35\00:15:46.60
wondering in the desert.
Now, compare that to the story
00:15:46.63\00:15:49.85
of Jesus. His
family had to flee to Egypt
00:15:49.88\00:15:52.58
to avoid Herod and his
persecution of the infants.
00:15:52.62\00:15:56.17
At some point, Jesus
comes out of Egypt, He goes
00:15:56.20\00:15:59.68
to the Jordan River and
He's baptized, and immediately
00:15:59.72\00:16:02.72
after His
baptism where does He go?
00:16:02.75\00:16:04.93
40 days into the wilderness.
00:16:04.96\00:16:06.96
We know that in prophecy
a day represents a year.
00:16:07.00\00:16:10.71
You find the
principle all through the Bible.
00:16:10.75\00:16:13.93
Israel points to you
and I, but it also points
00:16:13.96\00:16:17.11
to Jesus Christ.
As a matter of fact,
00:16:17.14\00:16:19.12
at some point somewhere in
the Old Testament, and I can't
00:16:19.16\00:16:23.01
remember where, God says of
Israel: "Israel is My Son. "
00:16:23.04\00:16:26.95
Israel points to us, and it
also points to Jesus Christ.
00:16:26.98\00:16:30.86
Let's keep reading,
all the focus is on Jesus
00:16:30.89\00:16:33.54
in the book of
Revelation: [text on screen]
00:16:33.58\00:16:36.20
Here's the whole point
of the entire Sanctuary
00:16:56.90\00:17:01.18
of the Old Testament, here's
the whole point of The Feast
00:17:01.22\00:17:04.87
of Tabernacles, The
Feast of Tabernacles points us
00:17:04.90\00:17:08.25
to the second coming of Jesus
Christ, because that is when
00:17:08.29\00:17:12.84
the veil is gone, that
is when we are escorted
00:17:12.87\00:17:16.04
into the presence of
God, that's the whole point
00:17:16.08\00:17:19.89
of the whole Sanctuary,
it's all about God's plan
00:17:19.92\00:17:23.70
to bring you and I
back into His presence.
00:17:23.73\00:17:26.85
His heart, the Sanctuary
says, has been aching for you
00:17:26.89\00:17:31.64
for years. Let me
show you something
00:17:31.67\00:17:34.68
tonight, that a lot
of people haven't noticed
00:17:34.72\00:17:37.76
in the book of Genesis,
back in the original story
00:17:37.80\00:17:41.47
of our rebellion against God.
00:17:41.50\00:17:43.96
In Genesis 3:24,
man has just sinned.
00:17:44.00\00:17:49.26
For the first time in
human existence, when man hears
00:17:49.30\00:17:53.37
God coming to visit with Him,
he feels the need to go and hide
00:17:53.41\00:17:57.22
in the bushes, and
put some kind of a barrier
00:17:57.25\00:17:59.82
between himself and
God. For the first time
00:17:59.85\00:18:02.35
in human history man feels
fear, he never felt it before
00:18:02.39\00:18:06.58
that day, and he's
hiding in the bushes.
00:18:06.61\00:18:09.15
And God, the Bible says,
in the cool of that evening
00:18:09.19\00:18:11.95
walks into the Garden and
cries out "Adam, where are you?"
00:18:11.99\00:18:17.93
"What have you done?"
00:18:17.96\00:18:20.46
You can almost hear
the tears in God's voice,
00:18:20.50\00:18:23.40
He's just lost His family,
and now He has to drive Adam
00:18:23.44\00:18:27.22
and the human family
right out of the Garden,
00:18:27.25\00:18:30.09
and that broke God's heart.
Now pay attention carefully
00:18:30.13\00:18:34.23
to what the Bible says
God does in Genesis 3:24.
00:18:34.26\00:18:38.57
The Bible says: [text on screen]
00:18:38.60\00:18:41.27
Now here's a big question:
based on what you've just read,
00:18:52.19\00:18:56.01
what did God do with
the way to the tree of life?
00:18:56.04\00:18:59.53
What did He do with the
path to the tree of life?
00:18:59.57\00:19:03.03
Did He abolish it, yes or no?
00:19:03.06\00:19:05.59
Did He cut it off, yes or no?
00:19:05.62\00:19:08.08
No, the Bible says God guarded
the way to the tree of life.
00:19:08.12\00:19:11.53
He wasn't saying to Adam "it's
over now for all eternity",
00:19:11.57\00:19:14.70
He's saying "Adam, you can't
come now, but I have a plan"
00:19:14.74\00:19:18.01
"to keep the path open, you
will come back to Paradise;"
00:19:18.04\00:19:21.28
"you will be in
My presence again. "
00:19:21.31\00:19:23.36
And how did God do it?
He guarded it with Cherubim.
00:19:23.40\00:19:28.31
And what do we
know about Cherubim?
00:19:28.34\00:19:31.60
Cherubim are always
where God's throne is.
00:19:31.64\00:19:35.87
Remember this passage?
Psalm 80:1: [text on screen]
00:19:35.91\00:19:39.39
Is it a coincidence that there
are 2 cherubim at the gates
00:19:46.18\00:19:50.42
to the Garden of Eden,
and a brilliant flashing sword
00:19:50.45\00:19:53.56
of light between them?
00:19:53.59\00:19:55.22
Is it a coincidence that
they are the angels who stand
00:19:55.26\00:19:58.42
by God's throne at the
gates to the Garden of Eden?
00:19:58.46\00:20:01.59
Not at all. It's
quite deliberate.
00:20:01.62\00:20:05.27
Think about this
carefully, here at the gates
00:20:05.31\00:20:08.89
to the Garden of Eden is
a picture of God's throne:
00:20:08.93\00:20:13.51
2 cherubim, a
brilliant presence between them.
00:20:13.54\00:20:16.95
God is giving Adam a
little glimpse of the Sanctuary.
00:20:16.99\00:20:22.09
Already at the gates
to the garden of Eden,
00:20:22.12\00:20:25.20
just as all hope is
gone, just as man is driven out
00:20:25.24\00:20:28.24
to live a life of despair,
just as Adam has to go out
00:20:28.27\00:20:31.20
and dig the soil for a living
now, and get his hands dirty,
00:20:31.24\00:20:34.76
and thorns in his
flesh, just as Adam has to bury
00:20:34.79\00:20:37.90
his own son and
lay him in a grave,
00:20:37.93\00:20:40.73
Adam can look over
his shoulder at the gates
00:20:40.77\00:20:43.20
to the Garden of Eden, and
he can see that God has a plan.
00:20:43.24\00:20:47.06
God sets 2 angels, 2 cherubim,
and a brilliant, flashing sword
00:20:47.10\00:20:50.89
of light between,
and God is saying:
00:20:50.92\00:20:54.03
"Adam, don't give
up, I've got a plan. "
00:20:54.06\00:20:57.14
"There's a way to come back. "
00:20:57.17\00:20:59.22
Now, a lot of scholars over
the years have noticed this:
00:20:59.26\00:21:02.48
there was a Sanctuary at
the gates to the Garden of Eden.
00:21:02.51\00:21:05.70
Jamieson, Faucett
and Brown, for example,
00:21:05.73\00:21:07.76
the famous commentator said:
"The passage" - Genesis 3:24,
00:21:07.80\00:21:11.79
"should be rendered
thus", and then they give
00:21:11.82\00:21:14.31
a literal translation
from the original language:
00:21:14.34\00:21:16.80
[text on screen]
00:21:16.83\00:21:18.96
"Shekinah" - that word's always
used for the presence of God,
00:21:22.45\00:21:26.37
[text on screen]
00:21:26.40\00:21:28.87
God places cherubim at the
gates to the Garden of Eden,
00:21:42.70\00:21:45.76
as a matter of fact,
when it says "God placed",
00:21:45.79\00:21:48.80
the word is "shaken" in
the original Hebrew language,
00:21:48.84\00:21:52.31
it's the same root word as
"Shakinah", the very presence
00:21:52.35\00:21:55.79
of God. It's like at the gates
00:21:55.82\00:21:58.11
of the Garden of Eden the
very first Feast of Tabernacles
00:21:58.15\00:22:01.44
takes place; God sets up
a Tabernacle with the sinful
00:22:01.48\00:22:04.74
human race.
Before we every sinned,
00:22:04.77\00:22:06.96
God is already celebrating
the fact that Christ would come.
00:22:07.00\00:22:09.98
Remember, He was slain from
the foundation of the world.
00:22:10.02\00:22:12.97
He already had a
plan, God at the gates
00:22:13.00\00:22:15.28
of Eden says: "I'm celebrating
already that there is hope,"
00:22:15.32\00:22:18.58
"and you will come back
into the garden of Eden. "
00:22:18.61\00:22:21.85
"Don't lose hope Adam,
you're going to come back in. "
00:22:21.89\00:22:25.40
But that's not all, go through
the history of the Bible.
00:22:25.43\00:22:28.91
In Genesis 15
God promises Abraham,
00:22:28.94\00:22:32.86
"Abraham, you are going to
have lots and lots and lots"
00:22:32.90\00:22:37.17
"of descendants, so many
you will have as many children"
00:22:37.20\00:22:41.44
"and grand children
and great grand children"
00:22:41.47\00:22:43.52
"as the stars in the sky,
and all of your descendants"
00:22:43.56\00:22:46.94
"are going to
inherit the Promised Land. "
00:22:46.97\00:22:49.02
Now, we know God made good
on that, that was His promise
00:22:49.06\00:22:52.17
to Israel, and The Feast of
Tabernacles celebrates the fact
00:22:52.21\00:22:55.29
that Israel came
back to the Promised Land.
00:22:55.32\00:22:58.19
But was it really the land
of Canaan in the Middle East
00:22:58.23\00:23:01.54
that Abraham was looking for?
Is that really what the promise
00:23:01.58\00:23:04.70
was about? Not at all.
00:23:04.73\00:23:07.14
Ultimately, the Bible
says that Abraham was looking
00:23:07.18\00:23:09.83
for something else, as
the book of Hebrews tells us
00:23:09.86\00:23:12.48
in Hebrews 11:10, it
says: [text on screen]
00:23:12.51\00:23:16.44
Abraham, yes, he was looking
for the literal land of Canaan,
00:23:23.68\00:23:26.61
but ultimately, according
to the Bible, He knew what God
00:23:26.64\00:23:29.54
was promising. He
was looking forward
00:23:29.57\00:23:31.49
to the New Jerusalem
when God would lift the veil,
00:23:31.53\00:23:34.77
and we would be again
in the presence of God.
00:23:34.80\00:23:38.19
Genesis 15:17 talks
about the night that God makes
00:23:38.23\00:23:41.85
this promise with
Abraham, it's fascinating.
00:23:41.88\00:23:44.50
[text on screen]
00:23:44.53\00:23:46.64
Abraham had just
offered sacrificial animals
00:23:54.00\00:23:56.55
and put the pieces on
the ground [text on screen].
00:23:56.59\00:23:59.78
"Lord, I believe there's
going to be a promised land. "
00:24:04.57\00:24:06.91
"I believe my descendants
are going to be there. "
00:24:06.94\00:24:11.04
"How do we sign the
deal? Sign me up Lord. "
00:24:11.07\00:24:14.77
God tells him to sacrifice
animals, and sacrificial animals
00:24:14.81\00:24:18.13
pointed to who? To
Jesus Christ, no question.
00:24:18.16\00:24:20.90
And the animal pieces
are put on the ground,
00:24:20.93\00:24:23.60
and then in the darkness
of the night the very presence
00:24:23.64\00:24:25.96
of God shows up and
passes over those offerings.
00:24:25.99\00:24:28.89
What is God trying to say?
00:24:28.92\00:24:31.38
He's trying to tell Abraham:
"My promise is permanent. "
00:24:31.42\00:24:34.32
"It's as permanent as
death, just like these animals"
00:24:34.35\00:24:37.27
"will never come back from
the dead, My promise is good. "
00:24:37.30\00:24:40.19
"You can count on
it for all eternity. "
00:24:40.22\00:24:42.26
"And just like My Son will
die on the cross of Calvary,"
00:24:42.30\00:24:45.07
"you can't change that
covenant once it's been made. "
00:24:45.11\00:24:48.96
It is as final as death,
God never changes a promise.
00:24:48.99\00:24:52.20
As a matter of fact, you
know that expression we use
00:24:52.23\00:24:55.64
"to cut a deal", you can
date that back, linguistically,
00:24:55.68\00:24:59.06
all the way back to
the days of Abraham,
00:24:59.09\00:25:01.40
when to make a covenant
they would cut up the animals
00:25:01.44\00:25:03.96
and lay them out on the ground.
00:25:03.99\00:25:05.76
They called it cutting a deal,
00:25:05.80\00:25:07.50
we still speak that way
today, and God's is saying
00:25:07.54\00:25:10.08
that's how reliable
this promise to you is.
00:25:10.11\00:25:12.86
Jesus, if He says you
will come back from the grave,
00:25:12.90\00:25:15.54
He means it, you can
count on it, He cuts the deal.
00:25:15.57\00:25:18.14
And Jesus, if He says: "I
go to prepare a place for you,"
00:25:18.18\00:25:20.85
"and if I go I will come
again" you can count on that,
00:25:20.88\00:25:23.52
it's reliable,
Jesus cuts the deal.
00:25:23.55\00:25:25.84
Check the Bible, the
whole Book, the entire Bible
00:25:25.88\00:25:30.04
is the story of God, His
presence, desperate to be
00:25:30.07\00:25:34.20
reunited with the
sinful human race.
00:25:34.23\00:25:36.71
Think about the burning
bush, the Bible makes it clear
00:25:36.75\00:25:39.70
who's in that burning bush,
we studied that the other night,
00:25:39.74\00:25:43.28
it's God's presence,
it's God in the burning bush,
00:25:43.31\00:25:46.16
and specifically, it is
Jesus Christ in that bush,
00:25:46.19\00:25:49.01
we know that, we
studied it the other night.
00:25:49.04\00:25:51.24
Jesus said to the rulers of
Israel: "Before Abraham was"
00:25:51.28\00:25:55.69
"I am. " He
just told the leaders
00:25:55.72\00:25:57.96
of Israel He was the
one in the burning bush
00:25:58.00\00:25:59.92
who told Moses "I am that I am",
00:25:59.95\00:26:02.44
"go tell them
the I am sent you".
00:26:02.48\00:26:04.90
It's Jesus in that
bush, and if you read Exodus 3
00:26:04.94\00:26:08.59
there's another
little clue that it's Jesus.
00:26:08.62\00:26:10.96
It's something that I don't
have conclusive evidence for,
00:26:11.00\00:26:14.00
but it's very interesting.
If you read Exodus 3,
00:26:14.03\00:26:17.50
Jesus calls Moses from the bush
and He does it in a special way,
00:26:17.54\00:26:21.71
He calls him twice: "Moses,
Moses", I've gone all through
00:26:21.74\00:26:25.07
the Bible and I find
there's one person in particular
00:26:25.10\00:26:28.42
that had the habit of
using people's names twice.
00:26:28.46\00:26:31.71
"Martha, Martha", He does
it all the time, "Saul, Saul,"
00:26:31.75\00:26:35.87
"why do you persecute Me?"
Oh, Jesus has character traits,
00:26:35.90\00:26:39.99
I believe it's
Jesus in the burning bush,
00:26:40.02\00:26:42.15
you can hear Him calling
"Moses, Moses, there's hope,"
00:26:42.19\00:26:45.61
"I'm with the nation of
Israel. Israel will come out"
00:26:45.64\00:26:49.03
"of slavery and go
to the Promised Land",
00:26:49.06\00:26:51.30
and that same voice
calls your name tonight twice.
00:26:51.34\00:26:54.87
Come out of sin, you
can be in the Promised Land,
00:26:54.91\00:26:58.41
God moved heaven
and earth to save you.
00:26:58.44\00:27:01.06
Think in the Bible of
the story of the first temple
00:27:01.10\00:27:03.94
that was built in Israel,
when the Ark of the Covenant
00:27:03.98\00:27:06.79
had a permanent home.
The Israelites are now in
00:27:06.82\00:27:09.80
the Promised Land and
they built this great temple
00:27:09.84\00:27:12.75
and Solomon dedicates
it, and the Bible tells us
00:27:12.79\00:27:15.63
that as Solomon prays and
comes to the end of his prayer,
00:27:15.67\00:27:18.90
fire falls from
heaven, consumes the sacrifice
00:27:18.93\00:27:21.73
and the glory of God
fills the temple such
00:27:21.76\00:27:24.50
that everybody has to
back off and run away.
00:27:24.54\00:27:27.21
God says: "I'm taking up
residence among My people. "
00:27:27.25\00:27:30.08
"I know I have to be in
the temple, I know there's"
00:27:30.12\00:27:32.88
"a barrier now, but I want you
to know I need to be with you,"
00:27:32.92\00:27:36.65
"I can't think of any
place I'd rather be", says God,
00:27:36.68\00:27:39.84
"than with you. " Then
the story takes a rather
00:27:39.87\00:27:43.39
sad turn. Israel
turns its back on God.
00:27:43.42\00:27:47.49
In specific, as we read
the writings of Jeremiah
00:27:47.53\00:27:50.07
we know that Israel
began to deliberately break
00:27:50.11\00:27:52.66
the 10 commandment law
that was located inside
00:27:52.70\00:27:55.18
the Ark of the Covenant,
they turned their backs on God.
00:27:55.22\00:27:58.10
Because they turned
their backs on God, God says:
00:27:58.13\00:28:00.39
"I'm not going to force you
into the kingdom of heaven;"
00:28:00.43\00:28:02.73
"I'm not going to
force you to love Me,"
00:28:02.76\00:28:04.45
"I'm going to let you go",
00:28:04.48\00:28:05.92
but what does God
do? He sends Israel back
00:28:05.96\00:28:09.19
to where Abraham came
from. Abraham came from the land
00:28:09.23\00:28:12.19
of the Chaldees, and God
says: "I'm going to let you go"
00:28:12.23\00:28:15.16
and He sends them back
to the nation of Babylon,
00:28:15.19\00:28:18.70
at least for the time being.
And that's the last we ever hear
00:28:18.74\00:28:22.90
of the earthly
Ark of the Covenant.
00:28:22.93\00:28:25.19
After that it's simply missing.
The years go by, 70 years
00:28:25.23\00:28:29.41
of Babylonian
captivity, the Persians destroy
00:28:29.44\00:28:32.16
the Babylonian government,
and as we saw the other night,
00:28:32.20\00:28:35.49
the Persians, Artaxerxes
in 457 B.C. allows Israel
00:28:35.52\00:28:39.48
to go back to the Promised
Land, and when they get there,
00:28:39.52\00:28:42.88
using Artaxerxes'
money, they rebuild the city
00:28:42.91\00:28:46.11
and they rebuild the temple.
00:28:46.14\00:28:48.48
But this time, when
they rebuild the temple,
00:28:48.52\00:28:52.28
there is no
Shekinah, presence of God.
00:28:52.31\00:28:54.99
There is no glory of God
that falls on the temple,
00:28:55.03\00:28:57.43
imagine the disappointment.
00:28:57.46\00:28:59.46
When they dedicate the
temple and the presence of God
00:28:59.50\00:29:02.56
doesn't show up,
what does it mean?
00:29:02.59\00:29:05.70
Does it mean that
God has abandoned them
00:29:05.74\00:29:07.39
for all time, that they've
just gone too far this time
00:29:07.43\00:29:10.21
and God's not interested?
00:29:10.24\00:29:11.89
Not at all.
Through the prophet Haggai
00:29:11.93\00:29:14.27
He sends them an interesting
message, listen to this
00:29:14.31\00:29:18.15
in Haggai 2:9, God promises
Israel: [text on screen]
00:29:18.18\00:29:21.99
God says: "This
temple's going to be greater",
00:29:26.69\00:29:28.87
and Israel says: "How can that
be? There is no glory of God,"
00:29:28.91\00:29:32.51
"the presence of God
didn't show up this time. "
00:29:32.54\00:29:34.89
"That's not
possible, how can it be?"
00:29:34.92\00:29:36.80
"Oh yes" says God, "it's true.
" He says in the same passage,
00:29:36.84\00:29:40.86
back in verse
7: [text on screen]
00:29:40.89\00:29:43.86
What's that a prophecy of?
It's a prophecy of Jesus Christ.
00:29:50.50\00:29:55.19
God comes in the flesh, He
steps out from behind the veil
00:29:55.22\00:29:59.84
in the Sanctuary and He says:
"I want to be with you so badly"
00:29:59.88\00:30:03.33
"I'm going to take on
human form", and He steps out
00:30:03.36\00:30:06.08
from behind the veil, and begins
to literally walk the streets
00:30:06.12\00:30:10.06
with His people, Israel.
00:30:10.09\00:30:11.47
Now we can see God,
and we can hear God,
00:30:11.51\00:30:14.16
and we can touch God,
and we can be with Him
00:30:14.20\00:30:16.82
on a daily basis, imagine that:
00:30:16.85\00:30:18.81
God in human flesh.
00:30:18.84\00:30:22.47
And then we put Him to death.
00:30:23.42\00:30:26.36
And that moment, the veil
in the temple was torn in 2
00:30:26.40\00:30:29.97
because the earthly
Sanctuary was finished
00:30:30.00\00:30:32.45
and the focus now shifts
away from the earthly Sanctuary,
00:30:32.49\00:30:35.71
with its lambs and
sacrifices and festivals,
00:30:35.74\00:30:38.27
and it shifts to our
earthly High Priest in heaven's
00:30:38.31\00:30:41.12
Sanctuary, who pleads His blood
for sinful human beings, why?
00:30:41.16\00:30:44.83
Because it is still, even after
the cross, the desire of God
00:30:44.87\00:30:48.51
to be with you for all eternity.
00:30:48.54\00:30:51.38
Jesus, our Heavenly High Priest.
00:30:51.41\00:30:54.18
And after many years, as He
serves in heaven's Sanctuary,
00:30:54.22\00:30:57.40
pleading His blood,
and as God's people spread
00:30:57.43\00:31:00.36
the good news of the
Gospel to the entire world,
00:31:00.40\00:31:03.63
the judgment hour
begins, and Daniel 7 tells us
00:31:03.67\00:31:06.87
that at the end
of the judgment hour
00:31:06.90\00:31:09.22
Jesus is given His
kingdom and He comes in glory,
00:31:09.26\00:31:13.60
the second coming,
and at the second coming
00:31:13.63\00:31:16.19
of Christ, God will
Tabernacle with us for ever.
00:31:16.23\00:31:21.88
The Feast of Tabernacles is
the second coming of Christ,
00:31:21.92\00:31:25.90
and it is the
only one left to go.
00:31:25.93\00:31:29.70
Jesus said: "I go to
prepare a place for you,"
00:31:29.74\00:31:32.21
"and if I go, I will
come again. " Jesus said:
00:31:32.24\00:31:34.62
"In My Father's
house are many mansions. "
00:31:34.65\00:31:36.96
What's He saying? "I
want you to live with Me"
00:31:37.00\00:31:40.43
"and be in My
presence for ever",
00:31:40.46\00:31:42.24
and that's the whole point!
00:31:42.27\00:31:43.90
That is the entire
point of the Sanctuary,
00:31:43.94\00:31:46.15
if we walk away from the
Sanctuary with nothing else,
00:31:46.19\00:31:49.21
we should know that in
His heart, God is desperate
00:31:49.25\00:31:52.24
to be with you.
00:31:52.27\00:31:53.98
Listen tonight to the
voice of God, Revelation 21:3:
00:31:54.02\00:31:58.25
[text on screen]
00:31:58.28\00:32:00.12
It's the whole point. God says:
"I want to dwell with you,"
00:32:15.02\00:32:18.15
"I want my presence among you,
I want you to live with Me,"
00:32:18.19\00:32:21.29
"I want the veil to be
gone. " It's the next event
00:32:21.32\00:32:25.15
in God's great
Sanctuary prophetic calendar.
00:32:25.18\00:32:29.01
God is going to show up
on this earth in person,
00:32:29.04\00:32:33.04
Jesus is coming again,
and that's what was behind it
00:32:33.08\00:32:37.05
the whole time.
00:32:37.08\00:32:38.58
Let me show you
something absolutely amazing.
00:32:38.62\00:32:43.08
There's this picture of heaven
found in the book of Revelation,
00:32:43.12\00:32:46.97
a description of the New
Jerusalem, the heavenly city
00:32:47.00\00:32:51.00
that will be our home. I
want you as we study this,
00:32:51.03\00:32:55.00
to pay very careful
attention to the details
00:32:55.03\00:32:57.66
in the New
Jerusalem, the heavenly city,
00:32:57.70\00:33:00.26
Revelation 21:12:
"Also she" - that's the city,
00:33:00.30\00:33:05.22
[text on screen]
00:33:05.25\00:33:07.30
The Holy City has 3
gates on each side of it.
00:33:29.26\00:33:33.66
It has 3 gates and above
those gates are the names
00:33:33.70\00:33:37.43
of the tribes of Israel,
and that is very very important.
00:33:37.47\00:33:44.60
Why? Let me show you something:
00:33:44.63\00:33:47.11
in the book of Numbers
2, there's this description
00:33:47.15\00:33:51.34
of the camp of Israel
that tells us that on each side
00:33:51.37\00:33:55.49
of the Old Testament Tabernacle
3 tribes would pitch camp.
00:33:55.53\00:33:59.85
Now, they had to
pitch camp a long ways back
00:33:59.88\00:34:03.68
from that Sanctuary, my good
friend Palmer point this out
00:34:03.72\00:34:06.53
to me just the
other day, he said:
00:34:06.56\00:34:08.85
"You know, they're at
least 1 km, or 0.6 miles away"
00:34:08.89\00:34:12.37
"from that
Sanctuary. " This about that,
00:34:12.40\00:34:14.97
that means if you sin, if you
stole your neighbors lawn mower,
00:34:15.01\00:34:20.19
or I suppose they
wouldn't have a lawn mower,
00:34:20.22\00:34:21.74
you stole his broom, and
you had to make things right,
00:34:21.78\00:34:24.74
you couldn't sneak
down to the Sanctuary.
00:34:24.77\00:34:27.19
You had to take your lamb
and walk that great open space
00:34:27.23\00:34:29.99
and publicly confess
your sin, so all would know
00:34:30.02\00:34:32.78
you were a sinner, amazing.
00:34:32.81\00:34:34.40
3 tribes camped on each
side, you read it in Numbers 2.
00:34:34.44\00:34:38.77
Now, even though 3
tribes camped on each side,
00:34:38.80\00:34:41.66
there was 1 dominant tribe
on each side of the Sanctuary,
00:34:41.70\00:34:45.16
and the group of tribes
on each side of the Sanctuary
00:34:45.19\00:34:48.62
was known by the 1
tribe that was dominant,
00:34:48.65\00:34:52.25
this is
fascinating. Each one of them
00:34:52.28\00:34:54.07
flew a flag and it had a
symbol of that tribe on it.
00:34:54.11\00:34:57.01
The dominant tribe on the East
side was the tribe of Judah,
00:34:57.05\00:35:00.80
and everybody knows the
symbol for the tribe of Judah,
00:35:00.83\00:35:03.93
it is the lion, that is
the flag that flew on the East.
00:35:03.97\00:35:07.04
To the south, the
tribe of Reuben, their flag
00:35:07.07\00:35:09.55
was the symbol of a man.
Over on the western side,
00:35:09.59\00:35:13.14
the tribe of Ephraim,
their symbol flying on the flag
00:35:13.17\00:35:16.58
representing that whole
camp on that side, was a bull.
00:35:16.62\00:35:19.91
To the north was the
tribe of Dan, who flew an eagle
00:35:19.95\00:35:23.21
on their flag. You
see all the symbols
00:35:23.24\00:35:24.97
of the tribes, by the way,
and I believe it's Genesis 49,
00:35:25.01\00:35:28.45
but Dan was originally known
as a snake, and history tells us
00:35:28.49\00:35:31.90
and the Jews tell us,
they changed it to an eagle,
00:35:31.93\00:35:34.00
they would rather be known
as a snake killer than a snake.
00:35:34.04\00:35:37.65
And they would fly the
eagle, now this is fascinating.
00:35:37.68\00:35:41.26
Notice what's dominant
on each of the 4 sides of
00:35:41.29\00:35:43.57
the Sanctuary, the Lion,
the Man, the Bull and the Eagle.
00:35:43.61\00:35:46.85
What's it trying to tell
us? Pay attention to the book
00:35:46.89\00:35:50.06
of Revelation, and you'll notice
those are the living creatures
00:35:50.10\00:35:52.72
around the throne of
God: [text on screen]
00:35:52.75\00:35:55.89
The camp of Israel was
not just where they met God,
00:36:04.61\00:36:08.00
it was a picture of
God's plan for heaven itself.
00:36:08.04\00:36:11.43
It was a picture of
God's people in His throne room
00:36:11.46\00:36:14.82
in the New
Jerusalem for all eternity.
00:36:14.85\00:36:17.86
It's a picture of you with God,
but there's more, it's amazing.
00:36:17.90\00:36:25.67
3 tribes on each side,
at the center of the camp
00:36:25.70\00:36:29.10
is the Most Holy
Place, and what's inside
00:36:29.13\00:36:31.31
the most Holy
Place? What's inside there?
00:36:31.35\00:36:33.46
The Ark of the Covenant,
the very throne of God.
00:36:33.50\00:36:35.77
Here's what's fascinating,
that Most Holy Place
00:36:35.80\00:36:38.00
is 15 feet deep, it is 15 feet
wide, and it is 15 feet high.
00:36:38.04\00:36:42.72
What does that mean?
It is a perfect cube,
00:36:42.75\00:36:45.15
and the presence
of God is inside.
00:36:45.18\00:36:47.31
What's really interesting
is that when you read
00:36:47.35\00:36:49.94
Revelation 21:16 and
you see the description
00:36:49.97\00:36:52.53
of the Holy City,
the New Jerusalem,
00:36:52.56\00:36:54.87
it is as high as it is wide
and deep, it also is described
00:36:54.91\00:36:58.20
as a perfect cube, and on
each side there are 3 tribes,
00:36:58.23\00:37:01.66
and the gates are open to
those tribes, what is it saying?
00:37:01.69\00:37:05.09
Back in the desert
God is saying to Israel:
00:37:05.12\00:37:07.82
"I want to be with you, I'm
sorry about the sin problem"
00:37:07.86\00:37:11.60
"you've caused,
I've got a solution. "
00:37:11.63\00:37:13.76
"Watch the lambs being slain,
I've got a plan to remove"
00:37:13.80\00:37:16.74
"the veil. Yes,
you've got to be"
00:37:16.77\00:37:18.15
"camped all that distance from
Me, and there has to be a veil",
00:37:18.19\00:37:21.48
but in the end when Jesus
comes back, God throws open
00:37:21.51\00:37:25.31
all the gates on the city
and says: "Now, you can come in"
00:37:25.35\00:37:30.12
"and you never
have to leave again!"
00:37:30.15\00:37:32.87
The Holy City, New Jerusalem,
was shown to us already
00:37:32.91\00:37:36.72
in the camp of Israel,
and it shows us God's plan
00:37:36.75\00:37:40.13
is no more veils, God
is saying to you tonight:
00:37:40.16\00:37:43.47
"Come on now, it's over, I
want to wipe away your tears. "
00:37:43.51\00:37:47.94
"Step in to the heavenly city. "
00:37:47.97\00:37:50.11
That's what The Feast of
Tabernacles is all about.
00:37:50.15\00:37:55.46
And it is the
only feast left to go.
00:37:55.49\00:37:59.47
The Major of Edgetown
threw a big Christmas party
00:37:59.97\00:38:03.41
for everybody, every year,
it was held in the town hall.
00:38:03.45\00:38:06.16
The people would gather,
and they would eat the best food
00:38:06.20\00:38:09.40
they had had all year, and
enjoy themselves very much.
00:38:09.43\00:38:12.73
Each year as the major threw
the party, Patty also came,
00:38:12.77\00:38:16.04
but she stood outside
the hall, out in a snow bank,
00:38:16.07\00:38:18.82
in the shadows under a tree,
where nobody could see her.
00:38:18.86\00:38:22.11
And as she stood there, the
winter wind, whipping through
00:38:22.15\00:38:25.37
the shawl her mother had
made her, and as her hands
00:38:25.40\00:38:28.40
grew white in the
frosty night, she would listen
00:38:28.44\00:38:31.55
to the festivals that
went on inside that town hall.
00:38:31.58\00:38:34.66
She could smell the
food they were eating,
00:38:34.69\00:38:36.58
and she remembered the Yorkshire
Puddings her mom used to make
00:38:36.62\00:38:39.58
when she was a little girl.
She could her the laughter,
00:38:39.61\00:38:42.17
and she would hum
along as she listened to them
00:38:42.20\00:38:44.56
singing the carols
inside that warm hall.
00:38:44.59\00:38:47.40
She would stand there in
the shadows until at the end
00:38:47.44\00:38:49.80
of the night she would
watch the people come out,
00:38:49.84\00:38:52.13
some of them carrying parcels
in brightly colored paper,
00:38:52.17\00:38:55.39
climbing into their
slays, underneath warm
00:38:55.42\00:38:57.81
buffalo robes, and they
would disappear for the night.
00:38:57.85\00:39:00.83
Then in that cold
night, she would crunch her way
00:39:00.86\00:39:03.50
through the snow back
to her single roomed cabin,
00:39:03.54\00:39:06.11
and there, in her cabin, she
would light just a small fire
00:39:06.15\00:39:09.09
so she didn't use too
much fuel, and she would hum
00:39:09.12\00:39:11.86
a few more of those Christmas
carols as she fell asleep.
00:39:11.90\00:39:15.02
Years went by, every year
she showed up, nobody knew
00:39:15.06\00:39:18.11
she had been standing in the
shadows, and then it came time
00:39:18.15\00:39:21.96
for Patty's life
to draw to a close.
00:39:21.99\00:39:24.25
And somebody found out,
so they sent the minister
00:39:24.29\00:39:25.99
to her house. The
minister sat and visited
00:39:26.02\00:39:28.14
with her, he read her her
favorite passage, Psalm 23.
00:39:28.18\00:39:32.26
They sat and sang
her favorite hymn,
00:39:32.29\00:39:34.76
"What a friend
we have in Jesus",
00:39:34.80\00:39:37.20
they prayed together,
and at the end of the evening
00:39:37.24\00:39:39.02
as the minister
was putting on his coat
00:39:39.05\00:39:41.05
and Patty was
still lying on her bed,
00:39:41.09\00:39:43.02
as he was going he
turned to her and said:
00:39:43.06\00:39:44.67
"Patty, I'm just really curious,
as you look back over your life"
00:39:44.71\00:39:48.60
"tonight, is there
anything you really regret?"
00:39:48.63\00:39:52.43
She said: "Not really
Pastor, well, just one thing:"
00:39:52.47\00:39:57.81
"I've always wished
that I'd had an invitation"
00:39:57.84\00:40:00.83
"to that big
Christmas party every year. "
00:40:00.86\00:40:03.25
The pastor stopped
for a moment in disbelief,
00:40:03.28\00:40:05.60
he said: "Patty, I'd always
wondered why you hadn't come. "
00:40:05.64\00:40:10.16
"The whole town was
invited every year,"
00:40:10.19\00:40:12.91
"your ticket was at the
door, and all you had to do"
00:40:12.95\00:40:16.06
"was come in. "
00:40:16.09\00:40:18.22
God says to you tonight:
"I know there's a veil,"
00:40:18.26\00:40:20.85
"I know there's
sin in your life. "
00:40:20.88\00:40:22.60
God says: "I want to pull
that veil away, and I want you"
00:40:22.64\00:40:25.59
"to come in, Jesus bought
your ticket, it's time for you"
00:40:25.62\00:40:28.50
"to come home, and My plan is to
be with you for all eternity. "
00:40:28.54\00:40:34.76
Tonight, as we
close on our last meeting,
00:40:35.18\00:40:37.92
this doesn't have to be the
end, you can give your heart
00:40:37.96\00:40:40.86
to Jesus Christ, you
can begin a journey with Him
00:40:40.89\00:40:43.79
and study so much
more. I want to invite you
00:40:43.82\00:40:46.34
wherever you are tonight to
pull out Lesson 5 at this time.
00:40:46.38\00:40:52.15
We want to go through
these passages of Scripture,
00:41:22.34\00:41:25.15
fasten them in our minds
by taking and writing down
00:41:25.18\00:41:27.92
some of these Biblical answers
to the Biblical questions.
00:41:27.96\00:41:31.86
I want to begin with
question 1: [text on screen]
00:41:31.89\00:41:35.77
We're going to go to that
famous passage of Scripture
00:41:40.10\00:41:43.04
that Pastor Shawn was
saying most of us know by heart.
00:41:43.08\00:41:45.35
If you don't, we're going
to read it through together,
00:41:45.38\00:41:47.62
John 14:1-3: [text on screen]
00:41:47.65\00:41:50.94
Doesn't that have
a good ring to it?
00:42:13.73\00:42:16.19
I want you to write down
the answer: [answer on screen]
00:42:16.34\00:42:19.23
What good news!
00:42:26.94\00:42:29.36
The purpose of Christ's return
is so He can prepare a place
00:42:29.53\00:42:32.88
where we can be
with Him for ever.
00:42:32.91\00:42:36.15
Question 2: [text on screen]
00:42:36.18\00:42:39.01
Can you imagine what
it would have been like
00:42:46.81\00:42:48.95
to have had God over for
supper? [continues reading]
00:42:48.99\00:42:52.40
We're going to
look at Genesis 3:24:
00:43:06.95\00:43:10.30
[text on screen]
00:43:10.33\00:43:12.09
So we answer that
question: [text on screen]
00:43:22.82\00:43:26.66
Remember Pastor Boonstra said
it wasn't "to never be able"
00:43:37.68\00:43:40.48
"to go back", it
wasn't "for ever off limits",
00:43:40.51\00:43:43.09
but just to keep it for
another generation of people,
00:43:43.13\00:43:46.04
and for all those who
would be resurrected one day,
00:43:46.07\00:43:48.91
with all the human family back
together at the tree of life.
00:43:48.95\00:43:52.71
I love that idea!
00:43:52.74\00:43:54.55
Question 3: [text on screen]
00:43:54.59\00:43:56.87
We're going to look at
Genesis 3:22 [text on screen]
00:44:02.22\00:44:05.59
Can you imagine evil with
no boundaries, no balances?
00:44:26.24\00:44:31.56
Can do anything that
it wants, lives for ever.
00:44:31.59\00:44:35.04
God could not allow that
kind of corruption to occur
00:44:35.08\00:44:38.65
in His universe. So He
takes man out of there,
00:44:38.68\00:44:43.15
and here is the answer to
our question, you want to write
00:44:43.19\00:44:45.31
this down in your
lesson: [text on screen]
00:44:45.34\00:44:48.00
He's not going to allow
us to have more than what
00:44:52.95\00:44:55.21
we can handle, and
He wanted to make sure
00:44:55.24\00:44:58.74
that in this process
evil was held in check.
00:44:58.78\00:45:02.25
Question 4: [text on screen]
00:45:02.28\00:45:04.26
Those first animals
that God brought down
00:45:20.73\00:45:23.62
and had Adam and Eve
actually kill as an inauguration
00:45:23.66\00:45:28.65
of the Sacrificial
System. [text on screen]
00:45:28.68\00:45:31.20
...because they found
out that the robes of light
00:45:35.36\00:45:38.30
that they had were
gone, they were naked.
00:45:38.33\00:45:40.99
The Bible says they
were naked all of a sudden,
00:45:41.03\00:45:43.16
and realized they
didn't have any covering,
00:45:43.19\00:45:45.25
so God made them tunics
out of the skins of the animals
00:45:45.29\00:45:50.20
that they had had to kill.
00:45:50.23\00:45:52.07
[text on screen]
00:45:52.10\00:45:54.22
Genesis 3:24: [text on screen]
00:46:04.91\00:46:06.72
Sin had separated them,
He had to take them through
00:46:15.75\00:46:18.63
the very first stages
of the sacrificial system.
00:46:18.67\00:46:22.01
Now He blocks access so
they can't live for ever
00:46:22.04\00:46:25.31
in a sinful condition, and
we find out that the answer is:
00:46:25.35\00:46:29.60
[text on screen]
00:46:29.63\00:46:31.59
Isn't it interesting how
all these things tie together
00:46:36.85\00:46:40.19
when you start to examine them.
00:46:40.22\00:46:42.46
Question 5: [text on screen]
00:46:42.49\00:46:44.70
We're not going to read
every one of those verses,
00:47:33.23\00:47:34.63
but there's about 4 highlights
we're going to look at, alright?
00:47:34.67\00:47:37.36
Numbers 2:3: [text on screen]
00:47:37.39\00:47:39.41
So on one side Judah
is the standard bearer.
00:47:51.66\00:47:54.75
[text on screen]
00:47:54.78\00:47:56.43
Let's go and look at
the next one, verse 18:
00:48:04.25\00:48:06.51
[text on screen]
00:48:06.54\00:48:08.51
I believe we have 1
more: [text on screen]
00:48:16.91\00:48:19.20
The Sanctuary was given
as a demonstration of how God
00:48:40.47\00:48:43.29
is working through the plan
of salvation, so that we can
00:48:43.32\00:48:46.88
get the picture in our minds,
but it also is a miniature
00:48:46.92\00:48:50.45
of heaven, isn't that awesome?
00:48:50.48\00:48:53.94
Question 6: [text on screen]
00:48:54.48\00:48:56.97
We want to read this
passage very carefully:
00:49:06.50\00:49:09.60
[text on screen]
00:49:09.63\00:49:11.48
Does that sound like a
picture of God with His people,
00:49:46.75\00:49:50.68
and His people with
God? I think it does.
00:49:50.71\00:49:54.18
[text on screen]
00:49:54.21\00:49:56.51
I don't know about you, but
I'm looking forward to that day.
00:50:09.56\00:50:13.87
Number 7: [text on screen]
00:50:14.53\00:50:16.93
Several passages of
Scripture again, very important
00:50:25.19\00:50:29.20
to note these, Isaiah
65:17,18: [text on screen]
00:50:29.23\00:50:33.21
And we're going to go on to
the next verse: [text on screen]
00:50:52.66\00:50:55.90
Isn't that a beautiful picture
of what God wants to recreate
00:51:42.47\00:51:45.42
for His people.
00:51:45.45\00:51:47.83
I want to go on
to Revelation 21:27:
00:51:48.17\00:51:51.20
[text on screen]
00:51:51.23\00:51:53.07
All of a sudden,
the Lamb's Book of Life,
00:52:01.18\00:52:05.03
the book that Jesus
keeps, becomes very important
00:52:05.07\00:52:07.48
for you and I, doesn't it?
00:52:07.51\00:52:09.27
Because only those who
are written in the Lamb's
00:52:09.31\00:52:12.50
Book of Life are
going to be a part of this
00:52:12.53\00:52:14.37
recreation process.
Revelation 7: [text on screen]
00:52:14.41\00:52:17.74
And here's one of the most
beautiful passages of Scripture:
00:52:45.73\00:52:49.78
[continues reading]
00:52:49.81\00:52:51.90
Do you think that He sees
the tears that come to your eyes
00:52:54.08\00:52:58.78
when you face the
disappointments in life?
00:52:58.81\00:53:01.16
When you have
something that just crushes you,
00:53:01.20\00:53:03.52
maybe a child
that has experienced
00:53:03.55\00:53:06.86
a tragedy, and you're
just aching for that child?
00:53:06.90\00:53:10.09
Or maybe it's the loss
of a parent or a loved one?
00:53:10.12\00:53:13.73
We all, as human
beings, have opportunity to cry,
00:53:13.76\00:53:16.81
but God has promised
that He is going to wipe away
00:53:16.85\00:53:19.87
every tear from our
eyes, that's good news.
00:53:19.90\00:53:23.99
[text on screen]
00:53:25.04\00:53:27.37
Have you ever had
to live with pain?
00:53:38.00\00:53:40.53
Pain is a horrible
thing to have to live with.
00:53:40.70\00:53:44.46
He even says Scripture
He's going to take that away.
00:53:44.50\00:53:46.80
The answer that we have for
this question: [text on screen]
00:53:46.84\00:53:49.55
I want you to note what
is conspicuously missing:
00:53:58.21\00:54:03.23
what is it
folks, what is missing?
00:54:03.63\00:54:06.06
Sin is missing from
that beautiful picture.
00:54:06.10\00:54:10.37
Praise God.
00:54:10.51\00:54:12.75
Next question: [text on screen]
00:54:12.79\00:54:15.72
His longing is to be reunited
with His separated people.
00:55:07.86\00:55:14.28
The sinful family that
got caught up in the mess
00:55:14.31\00:55:18.18
so many years ago.
He longs to be with us,
00:55:18.21\00:55:20.81
and He looks forward
to a day, and He even says
00:55:20.85\00:55:24.31
in the Scripture: "I'm
going to be with you again. "
00:55:24.35\00:55:27.78
[text on screen]
00:55:27.81\00:55:29.63
God Himself, dwells with
us for eternity, and we'll be
00:55:38.42\00:55:40.70
with His presence. Question 9:
00:55:40.73\00:55:43.21
[text on screen]
00:55:43.24\00:55:45.31
Very important
question for us tonight.
00:55:47.85\00:55:51.26
Revelation 3:5: [text on screen]
00:55:51.29\00:55:53.73
I've been written up
on some lists before,
00:56:05.43\00:56:08.47
and maybe you have been
on somebody's list as well.
00:56:08.51\00:56:11.70
This is one place where
I want to make sure that
00:56:11.74\00:56:14.90
I am written on the
list. I want to be in
00:56:14.93\00:56:19.02
that Book of
Life. Revelation 21:27:
00:56:19.05\00:56:22.01
[text on screen]
00:56:22.04\00:56:24.10
Here's the good news folks,
because all of us sitting here
00:56:31.79\00:56:34.96
find ourselves in the
same situation, and all of you
00:56:34.99\00:56:37.19
that are watching this, wherever
you are, by satellite or DVD,
00:56:37.23\00:56:40.48
you're in the same boat with
all of us here, the same way.
00:56:40.52\00:56:43.74
[text on screen]
00:56:43.77\00:56:45.64
Can you say "amen"
to that? [Audience] Amen
00:56:53.86\00:56:56.27
So our answer to this
question: [text on screen]
00:56:56.31\00:56:59.20
I want to read this
passage of Scripture
00:57:11.40\00:57:12.78
as we close our lesson
tonight, Revelation 3:20,21:
00:57:12.82\00:57:18.49
[text on screen]
00:57:18.52\00:57:20.49
I want to suggest to you
tonight that that little sound
00:57:52.60\00:57:56.87
that you hear, that
little sense that you have
00:57:56.90\00:57:59.65
of knocking on
the door of your heart
00:57:59.68\00:58:03.05
is this very Saviour
who put together this entire
00:58:03.09\00:58:06.43
Sanctuary system to
demonstrate that He wants you
00:58:06.47\00:58:09.72
to be with Him. And
wherever you are tonight,
00:58:09.75\00:58:13.82
right now, I want to
invite you to respond
00:58:13.85\00:58:17.72
as that knock comes
to your heart's door.
00:58:17.76\00:58:20.60
I want to invite you
to respond to that Lord
00:58:20.64\00:58:23.45
who loves you with
an everlasting love.
00:58:23.48\00:58:26.43
If you want to respond
right now, I want you to bow
00:58:26.47\00:58:28.23
your heads with me as I pray,
and ask God to knock right now
00:58:28.27\00:58:32.45
on your heart's door.
00:58:32.48\00:58:34.45
Holy Father in
Heaven. As your Holy Spirit
00:58:34.49\00:58:37.56
is present with us, and
You're knocking on the door
00:58:37.60\00:58:43.72
of our heart
through Your Spirit,
00:58:43.75\00:58:46.35
I pray that everyone
within the sound of my voice
00:58:46.39\00:58:50.77
would respond and say:
"I want my name written"
00:58:50.80\00:58:54.57
"in the Lamb's Book of
Life," and would be there
00:58:54.61\00:58:58.20
to enjoy being in the
presence of the Creator,
00:58:58.23\00:59:01.92
God of all the
universe, for all eternity.
00:59:01.96\00:59:05.58
Thank you for the
promise, thank you for revealing
00:59:05.62\00:59:08.41
Your love the way that
you have in this series.
00:59:08.45\00:59:11.17
Lord, let Your presence be
with us from this day forward,
00:59:11.21\00:59:15.29
and always, I pray
in Jesus' name, amen.
00:59:15.32\00:59:20.64