Participants: Pr. Stephen Bohr
Series Code: TTE
Program Code: TTE000003
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00:33 Let's bow our heads for prayer.
00:36 Our Father and our God, 00:37 what a joy it is to come into Your presence. 00:40 How wonderful it is to have Your word, 00:44 which is a certain guide in this world of confusion rebellion. 00:48 We ask Father, that as we study about 00:50 what took place in the Middle Ages, 00:53 that Your Holy Spirit will help us learn the lessons 00:55 which will be useful to know 00:57 what's gonna happen soon on the scene of this world. 01:02 We ask for the presence of Your spirit, 01:04 and we thank You, for hearing our prayer 01:05 for we ask it in Jesus name, amen. 01:11 The Book of Revelation Chapters 2 and 3 01:16 describes seven churches which are known 01:18 as the seven churches of Asia Minor. 01:23 Now the number seven is not an arbitrary choice, 01:26 there were other Christian churches in Asia Minor. 01:30 But the purpose for which God chose 01:32 these seven churches is because the number seven 01:36 represents totality or completeness. 01:40 In fact, most conservative biblical scholars 01:44 believe that the seven churches represent 01:47 seven consecutive periods 01:49 in the history of the Christian church. 01:52 I'd like to begin by reading a statement 01:55 that we find in the book Acts of the Apostles page 585. 02:02 There, Ellen White was the author of this book 02:05 or the writer any way, 02:07 has this to say about the seven churches. 02:10 "The names of the seven churches 02:14 are symbolic of the church 02:17 in different periods of the Christian Era. 02:22 The number seven indicates completeness, 02:26 and is symbolic of the fact 02:29 that the messages extend to the end of time, 02:34 while the symbols used reveal the condition of the church 02:39 at different periods in the history of the world." 02:43 So this author clearly believes 02:45 that the seven churches represents seven consecutive 02:49 periods in the history of the Christian church 02:53 from the days of the apostles till the very end of time. 02:58 Now Ellen White, the author of Acts of the Apostles 03:00 is not alone in this assessment. 03:03 There are many writers today, 03:06 who have a different view of Bible prophecy than I do, 03:09 who believe the same about the seven churches. 03:13 I could mention two of the most prolific writers 03:15 on Bible prophecy today, Hal Lindsey and Dave Hunt, 03:21 both of them have gone in the record 03:23 in their publications saying 03:26 that the seven churches represent seven consecutive 03:30 periods in the history of the Christian church. 03:35 What this means is that the first church 03:37 Ephesus would represent the church of the apostles. 03:41 And the church of Laodicea would be the church of the last days. 03:47 The fourth church, the church of Thyatira 03:50 must really represent a church 03:54 that is found somewhere in the middle, 03:57 a period that is found somewhere in the middle 03:59 of the history of the Christian church. 04:02 In fact, as I've read from Dave Hunt and from Hal Lindsey, 04:07 I've noticed that they believe that the church of Ephesus, 04:11 which is the first church, represents the Apostolic Church. 04:16 The second church, which is Smyrna, 04:18 represents the church that was persecuted 04:22 under the Roman Emperors, the Pagan Roman Emperors. 04:26 The Third church, Pergamum, 04:28 actually represents the church when doctrines of darkness, 04:32 when error came into the church 04:34 during the period of the Emperor Constantine. 04:37 And the fourth church Thyatira 04:39 is believed to be the church of the Middle Ages, 04:42 the period of the Dark Ages, 04:44 not only in the writings of Ellen White, 04:47 but in the writings of many contemporary scholars. 04:52 Now it's important to realize 04:53 that in connection with the church of Thyatira, 04:57 you have the name of Jezebel. 05:00 Now that's significant, it cannot be literal Jezebel. 05:05 Because Jezebel died in the 8th century B.C, 05:09 we already studied about that. 05:11 So if the church of Thyatira 05:13 has that woman Jezebel influencing the church, 05:17 it cannot be literal Jezebel, 05:20 it has to be spiritual Jezebel. 05:23 Because literal Jezebel at that point was already dead. 05:28 Now I'd like to read the passage 05:30 that we find on the church of Thyatira 05:32 in Revelation 2:20-23, 05:36 and so I invite you to go there with me. 05:39 Revelation 2:20-23. 05:43 And we're not gonna read the whole message to Thyatira, 05:46 we're only gonna read these verses from 20 to 23. 05:50 Here Jesus says to this church, the church of the Middle Ages, 05:54 the middle church, the forth church. 05:56 You have three churches before 05:58 and you have three churches after, 06:00 and you have Thyatira which is right in the middle, 06:02 which fits perfectly with the Middle Ages. 06:05 And according to most conservative protestant scholars 06:08 Thyatira is covering that period of the Christian church. 06:13 It says there, "Nevertheless I have a few things against you, 06:17 because you allow that woman Jezebel." 06:21 This is Thyatira during the Christian age, 06:23 this isn't the Old Testament, 06:24 and literal Jezebel is already dead. 06:27 "You allow that woman Jezebel, 06:29 who calls herself a prophetess, 06:33 to teach and seduce My servants 06:36 to commit sexual immorality." 06:38 Other-- the King James says, "To commit fornication 06:42 and eat things sacrificed to idols." 06:46 So you notice two problems with Jezebel. 06:48 Number one, she commits fornication and number two, 06:53 she introduces into God's people idolatry. 06:57 Notice, verse-- what it continues saying in verse 21. 07:01 "And I gave her time" the Greek word is Cronos, 07:05 where we get the word Chronology from. 07:08 "I have given her " Chronology " time 07:12 to repent of her sexual immorality" 07:16 or fornication, "and she did not repent." 07:22 Therefore God says what He's gonna do with her. 07:24 "I will cast her into a sickbed." 07:27 In other words, for a while 07:28 she's gonna be out of commission. 07:29 "I will cast her into a sickbed, 07:32 and those who commit adultery" 07:34 or fornication "with her into great tribulation, 07:39 unless they repent of their deeds." 07:42 And then I want you to notice 07:43 that this harlot woman Jezebel has children. 07:49 It says in verse 23, 07:51 "I will kill her children with death, 07:56 and all the churches shall know 07:58 that I am He who searches the minds and hearts. 08:01 And I will give to every one of you according to your works." 08:06 So in the church of Middle Ages, 08:07 you have this woman Jezebel. 08:10 She introduces apostasy in the church. 08:14 The apostasy includes fornication 08:17 and it includes idolatry. 08:20 And the Bible tells us 08:21 that God gave her Chronology time to repent, 08:24 but she didn't repent. 08:26 So God says, "I'm gonna throw her into a sickbed." 08:29 She is gonna be out of commission for a while. 08:31 And He also says, "Those who commit fornication with her 08:35 will go into great tribulation, 08:38 and I will kill her children with death." 08:42 Now what does all of this mean? 08:44 Well, you notice that it actually 08:47 is echoing what we studied 08:49 in the Old Testament story of Elijah. 08:53 Now I want you to notice as we begin our study 08:58 then that Jezebel is the figure 09:01 who introduces apostasy into the period of the fourth church. 09:06 Let me ask you who was it 09:08 that introduced apostasy into Israel in the Old Testament? 09:13 Jezebel. 09:14 Let's read it, 1 Kings 16:30, 31. 09:19 1 Kings 16:30, 31. 09:26 By the way, do you have an illicit relationship 09:28 between Jezebel and the king, 09:30 between the civil power and Jezebel, 09:32 the harlot woman? 09:33 Yes. 09:34 It says, "Now Ahab the son of Omri 09:37 did evil in the sight of the Lord, 09:40 more than all who were before him. 09:43 And it came to pass, 09:44 as though it had been a trivial thing for him 09:47 to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, 09:51 that he took as wife Jezebel 09:54 the daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians, 09:58 and he went and served Baal and worshiped him." 10:02 And so you have here, 10:04 Jezebel introducing the apostasy into Israel. 10:07 She is committing fornication with the king 10:10 and through the help of the king 10:12 she is imposing the worship of Baal. 10:15 And of course, Baal was the sun-god. 10:19 She's implementing the worship of the sun-god in other words. 10:24 Now Revelation 2:20, I want to read it again, 10:27 because we're gonna do a series of parallels. 10:29 Jezebel introduced the apostasy in the Old Testament. 10:32 Jezebel introduced the apostasy 10:35 into the period of the fourth church, 10:37 the church of the Middle Ages. 10:38 Revelation 2:20, 10:41 "Nevertheless I have a few things against you, 10:45 because you allow that woman Jezebel 10:49 who calls herself a prophetess, 10:51 to teach and seduce My servants to commit sexual immorality." 10:56 This is the New King James, 10:58 the King James says, "To commit fornication 11:02 and eat things sacrifice to idols." 11:06 Two great sins, 11:08 that is fornication or sexual immorality 11:12 and also eating things sacrificed to idols, 11:17 which means that there was a practice of idolatry. 11:21 Actually, during this period, 11:23 we find this Jezebel system doing three thing 11:28 just like happened in the Old Testament. 11:31 First of all, there was a controversy over the gospel. 11:37 Do you remember that in the Old Testament 11:40 Elijah had to repair the altar of the Lord? 11:44 Do you remember that John the Baptist 11:46 had to introduce the true Lamb of God, 11:49 who takes away the sin of the world? 11:52 Well, during the period of this church, 11:55 you have a false gospel 11:58 or a false prospective of the gospel. 12:02 Secondly, during this period of the church of the Middle Ages, 12:06 you have counterfeit worship. 12:09 You have false worship which needs to be renounced. 12:12 And in the third place, 12:14 this system we're gonna notice 12:16 thought that he could medal, 12:18 or thought that it could medal with the holy law of God. 12:22 Was this the problem in the days of Elijah? 12:26 Did he have to deal with false worship 12:28 by implementing true worship? 12:30 Yes. 12:31 Did he have to reinstitute the true gospel 12:33 by building the altar of the Lord? 12:36 Yes. 12:37 Did he have to restore the commandments of God? 12:39 We study this, when we notice the historical Elijah. 12:44 Now let's notice these three errors which Jezebel, 12:48 spiritual Jezebel introduced 12:51 during the period of the Middle Ages. 12:54 Revelation Chapter 13 and I want you to notice, 12:59 a couple of verses here in Revelation Chapter 13. 13:04 It's speaking about this period, forty-two months. 13:06 We're gonna to come to that a little bit later. 13:08 This is the same period 13:09 that has described under the fourth church. 13:12 Revelation Chapter 13 13:15 and I would like to read beginning with verse 4. 13:22 "So they worshipped the dragon." 13:25 By the way, the dragon here is the devil, 13:29 but it is also Pagan Rome, which tried to kill Jesus. 13:33 "So they worshiped the dragon 13:36 who gave authority to the beast, 13:38 and they worshiped the beast, 13:41 saying, 'Who is like the beast? 13:44 Who is able to make war with him?'" 13:48 So was there a problem of worship during the period 13:51 that the beast governed on planet earth? 13:54 Yes. 13:55 Now how long did this beast rule or govern? 13:59 Notice Revelation 13:5. 14:04 It says, "And he," that is the beast, 14:07 "was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, 14:11 and he was given authority to continue for" how long? 14:15 "For forty-two months." 14:18 Was this beast given chronological time? 14:20 Yes, forty-two months. 14:23 Now if you do the calculations, 14:25 forty-two months is equal to 1,260 days. 14:30 And it is also equal to a period 14:32 which is called time times and the dividing of time. 14:36 This is the chronological time 14:38 which is mentioned in the period of the fourth church. 14:42 So was worship an issue during this period? 14:45 Yes. 14:46 It says, "They worshipped the dragon 14:48 who had given authority to the beast, 14:50 and they worshipped the beast." 14:53 Now let me ask you, was the issue of the law 14:57 a problem during this period? 15:00 Daniel 7:25, go with me, it's a same period. 15:03 In Revelation, it speaks about forty-two months 15:05 of the ruler ship of the beast. 15:07 In Daniel Chapter 7, 15:08 it speaks about time times and the dividing of time. 15:11 But notice what this power does. 15:14 It says in Daniel 7:25, 15:16 "He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, 15:20 shall persecute the saints of the Most High, 15:24 and shall intend to change times and" what? 15:29 "Times and law." 15:30 Was there a problem with the law during this period? 15:33 Yes. 15:34 Was there a problem with worship during this period? 15:37 Yes. 15:38 It says, "Then the saints shall be given into his hand 15:40 for a time and times and half a time." 15:43 This is the period of the church of Thyatira. 15:46 This is the time that God gave this system 15:49 to repent the chronological time, 15:52 forty-two months, 1,260 days or years 15:56 and time times and the dividing of time. 15:59 By the way, during this period 16:01 was the true gospel also trampled upon? 16:05 Did it need to be restored? 16:07 Absolutely. 16:09 Notice Daniel 8:11, 16:11 where this same little horn is spoken off, 16:15 as trampling on the sanctuary 16:17 and trampling upon the plan of salvation in the sanctuary. 16:21 It says in Daniel 8:11 16:24 "He even exalted himself 16:28 as high as the Prince of the host," that is Jesus. 16:32 "And by him" that is by the little horn, 16:36 "the daily sacrifices" 16:39 A better translation would simply be the daily, 16:41 everything that happens in the court 16:43 and in the holy place, 16:45 where God's people are saved by the work of Jesus. 16:49 It says, "And by Him the daily was taken away, 16:52 and the place of His sanctuary was," what? 16:57 "Was cast down." 17:00 Was the altar cast down in the days of Elijah? 17:03 Did he had to take the 12 stones 17:05 and restore the altar of the Lord? 17:07 Absolutely. 17:09 And so we find the same identical problems 17:12 in the church of the Middle Ages 17:14 as existed in the days of Elijah. 17:17 The true gospel had been forgotten, 17:19 the gospel of salvation, through the Lamb of God 17:22 who takes away the sin of the world, 17:23 the church institute of the mass 17:25 and human priest intercessors in place of the work of Jesus. 17:30 In the second place counterfeit worship, 17:33 worship to images and to ideals 17:36 instead of worship to the true God. 17:38 And in the third place, a system that claimed 17:41 to have the right to change God's holy law, 17:44 the very problems that existed in the days of Elijah. 17:50 Now do you remember 17:51 what happened as a result of the apostasy of Israel 17:54 in these three areas in the Old Testament? 17:56 God withheld from heaven rain. 18:01 Go with me to 1 Kings 17:1. 18:04 1 Kings 17:1. 18:07 We're gonna do a series of parallels. 18:09 We're gonna take the Old Testament story 18:11 then we're gonna look at the fulfillment 18:13 in the Book of Revelation during the period 18:15 of this fourth church, the church of Thyatira. 18:19 It says there 18:23 "And Elijah the Tishbite, 18:25 of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, 18:29 'As the Lord God of Israel lives, 18:32 before whom I stand, there shall not be dew 18:36 nor rain these years, except by my word." 18:41 So let me ask you, were the heavens shut 18:43 so that they would be no rain 18:44 during the period of Elijah's prophecy? 18:47 Absolutely. 18:48 But now let's go to Revelation 11:6. 18:52 And I'm gonna show you that during the period 18:53 of this church of the Middle Ages, 18:55 the same phenomenon happened. 18:58 Only it's not talking about literal rain, 19:00 you see rain symbolizes what? 19:03 Rain symbolizes the Holy Spirit. 19:07 Now notice Revelation 11:6, 19:10 its speaking about the two witnesses. 19:12 "These have power to shut heaven, 19:18 so that no rain falls in the days of their prophecy," 19:22 did the two witnesses shut the heavens 19:24 just like Elijah did in the Old Testament? 19:27 Absolutely, so that there would be no rain. 19:29 Now let me ask you, 19:30 why is it that there was no rain in the Old Testament? 19:34 It was because of the apostasy of Israel. 19:37 God said that if apostasy came among His people, 19:40 He will withdraw the rain. 19:42 In fact, let's notice 2 Chronicles 7:13, 14. 19:47 2 Chronicles 7:13, 14. 19:50 God is speaking here and He says, 19:52 "When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, 19:56 or command the locusts to devour the land, 19:59 or send pestilence among My people." 20:02 Notice, God says, if I send locusts, 20:05 if there is pestilence among My people, 20:07 if I shut up the heaven so that there is no rain. 20:10 "If My people who are called 20:12 by My name will humble themselves, 20:17 and pray and seek My face, 20:20 and turn from their wicked ways, 20:23 then I will hear from heaven, 20:25 and will forgive their sin and heal their land." 20:29 Why was there this famine in the Old Testament? 20:31 Because of the apostasy of the Israel. 20:33 Why was there no rain during the period of the Middle Ages? 20:36 It was, because of the apostasy of the Christian church. 20:40 Now what is meant by the fact that there is no rain? 20:42 Listen, when there's no rain what comes as a result? 20:46 Drought. 20:47 And as a result of the drought, what? 20:49 Famine, right. 20:51 People start starving to death. 20:54 Now go with me to Amos 8:11, 12. 20:57 I want to show you, 20:58 what the famine in scripture represents 21:02 when there is no rain. 21:04 It says there in Amos 8:11, 12 the following, 21:09 "'Behold, the days are coming,' says the Lord God, 21:13 'That I will send a famine on the land, 21:18 not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, 21:23 but of hearing the words of the Lord.'" 21:26 What is the famine? A scarcity of, what? 21:29 A scarcity of the word of the Lord, 21:31 because there is a scarcity of rain. 21:33 Verse12, "They shall wander from sea to sea, 21:37 and from north to east. 21:40 They shall run to and fro, 21:41 seeking the word of the Lord, 21:44 but shall not find it." 21:45 Let me ask you, what was scarce 21:47 during the period of the fourth church, 21:49 the church of the Middle Ages? 21:51 What was scarce was the word of God. 21:54 There was famine in the land, 21:55 because there was no rain. 21:57 To a great degree, God withdrew His Holy Sprit. 22:01 And as a result the word of God did not have effect, 22:04 because they live by the traditions of men. 22:07 And as a result, there was famine for the word of God. 22:10 So in Revelation, the rain is symbolic of the Holy Spirit 22:14 and the famine is symbolic of the fact 22:17 that the word of God is scarce. 22:19 You're not talking about literal rain and literal bread. 22:22 You're dealing with spiritual realities 22:24 in the Book of Revelation. 22:25 Now the question is how long did it not rain 22:29 in the Old Testament during the period of Elijah? 22:32 Notice James 5:17. 22:35 James 5:17, speaking about the experience of Elijah. 22:41 And it says this, 22:42 "Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, 22:47 and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, 22:52 and it did not rain on the land" for how long? 22:56 "For three years and" what 22:58 "For three years and six months." 23:02 How long is that by the way? Three and a half years. 23:07 So for how long did not 23:09 any literal rain fall in the days of Elijah? 23:13 It was three and a half years. 23:15 Now let me ask you, 23:16 how long did the rain not fall during the period 23:19 of the Middle Ages of the church of the Dark Ages? 23:22 How long did rain not fall? 23:25 You think around the same amount of time? 23:27 Yes. 23:29 But in this period, 23:30 the time is symbolic, it's not literal. 23:34 That which was literal now becomes what? 23:36 Symbolic. Elijah is symbolic. 23:39 Jezebel is symbolic, because she is not alive. 23:42 The false prophets of Baal will find are symbolic. 23:45 Ahab is symbolic. 23:47 Israel represents spiritual Israel. 23:49 In other words, we need to understand the principle 23:51 that that which was literal during the Middle Ages 23:54 and at the end of time has a spiritual meaning, 23:57 a spiritual dimension. 23:59 Now how long did God give Jezebel to repent? 24:02 We already have read this. Let's read it again. 24:04 Revelation 2:21, 24:07 it says, "And I gave her time." 24:11 That word time is the Greek word chronos. 24:17 And we get in English from that word, the word chronology. 24:22 Do you know what chronology is? 24:24 Chronology, we speak of chronological time, 24:27 it's a specific measurable time, 24:29 its not indefinite time. 24:31 So how much time did God give Jezebel to repent? 24:35 He gave her chronological time. 24:36 How long was that time? 24:40 Three ways it is expressed, 24:42 42 months, 1,260 days 24:46 and time times and the dividing of time 24:49 which is three and half times. 24:51 Let's read those verses. 24:52 Go with me to Revelation 11:3. 24:55 Revelation 11:3, it says there, 25:00 "And I will give power to my two witnesses." 25:03 By the way that's the Old and the New Testament. 25:06 "And they will prophesy 25:08 one thousand two hundred and sixty days, 25:14 clothed in sackcloth." 25:16 So was our testimony gonna be open 25:18 and powerful during this period? 25:20 No. 25:21 There were gonna be testifying in mourning. 25:23 There was gonna be a scarcity of the word of God, 25:26 because there was famine. 25:28 And the reason for the famine is because there was no what? 25:31 No rain, spiritually speaking. 25:33 So how long were the two witnesses 25:35 going to proclaim their message in sackcloth? 25:39 One thousand two hundred and sixty days, 25:42 which represent years. 25:45 Notice also Daniel 7:25. 25:48 Daniel 7:25, speaking about 25:51 the same period as the two witnesses, 25:53 the same period as the beast, 25:55 the same period as the little horn. 25:58 Daniel 7:25 says this, 26:02 "He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, 26:05 shall persecute the saints of the Most High, 26:09 and shall intend to change times and law. 26:13 Then the saints shall be given into his hand," for how long? 26:18 "For a time and times and half a time." 26:22 How many times is that? Three and half years. 26:26 How long did the drought last in the days of Elijah? 26:29 Three and half literal years. 26:31 How long did the drought last with the church-- 26:34 the fourth church, the church of the Middle Ages? 26:37 It lasted for three and half years, 26:39 but these are symbolic years. 26:42 Three and half, you multiply three and half times 360 26:46 and what do you get? 26:48 1,260. 26:50 You divide 42 months by 30 days each month 26:54 and what do you have? 26:59 What do you have? 27:00 If you take 42 months 30 days each, 27:03 how many years is that? 27:06 Its 1,260 years. 27:09 These three periods are the same period, 27:13 in other words, in which this church rule. 27:15 So in the days of Elijah 27:16 and in the church of the Middle Ages, 27:18 you have the very same time period. 27:21 Now let me ask you in the days of Elijah, 27:24 was there a faithful remnant to God 27:27 that had not bowed the knee to Baal? 27:31 Yes, let's read about it. 1 Kings 19:18. 27:35 1 Kings 19:18. 27:42 It says here, God is speaking to Elijah, 27:45 "Yet I have reserved seven thousand in Israel, 27:51 all whose knees have not bowed to Baal 27:55 and every mouth that has not kissed him. 27:59 "So was there a faithful remnant in Israel? 28:02 Yes, there was. 28:03 Elijah and seven thousand others. 28:06 Question in this church during the Middle Ages, 28:09 was there a faithful remnant that rebuke the fornication, 28:13 exalted the law of God, 28:16 taught true worship and rebuked false worship? 28:20 Yes, there was. 28:21 Notice Revelation 2:24, 25 28:25 it's speaking here about the church of Thyatira, 28:28 the church of the Middle Ages. 28:29 It says there, "Now to you I say, 28:35 and to the rest in Thyatira," 28:37 the word rest there is the Greek word 28:39 loipos which means remnant. 28:42 It could be translated remnant. 28:44 "Now to you I say, and to the remnant in Thyatira, 28:49 as many as do not have this doctrine." 28:52 That is the doctrine of Jezebel. 28:54 "Who have not known the depths of Satan, 28:57 as they say, I will put on you no other burden. 29:00 But hold fast what you have till I come." 29:05 So did God have a remnant in the church of Thyatira, 29:08 the church of the Middle Ages? 29:09 Yes, like He had a remnant 29:11 in the church of the Old Testament 29:13 where Elijah and Ahab and Jezebel 29:18 and the false prophets of Baal existed. 29:21 Now in the Old Testament, who was blamed 29:24 for the calamities that were taking place, 29:26 and who was sort everywhere as a result of being blamed? 29:32 Elijah. 29:33 Did that same thing happened with the church 29:35 during the Middle Ages? 29:36 Absolutely. 29:38 Let's read, first of all, from the Old Testament. 29:40 1 Kings Chapter 18 29:43 and we're going to read verse 10. 29:46 1 Kings 18:10, 29:48 and then we'll jump down to verse 17. 29:52 "As the Lord your God lives, 29:54 there is no nation or kingdom 29:56 where my master has not sent" 30:00 this is Obadiah speaking. 30:02 "Where my master has not sent someone to hunt for you, 30:06 and when they said, 'He is not here,' 30:09 he took an oath from the kingdom 30:12 or nation that they could not find you." 30:15 So were they seeking Elijah 30:17 everywhere to take care of him? 30:19 Absolutely. 30:20 Notice 18:17, 30:24 when Elijah finally appears before King Ahab. 30:29 We find these words, "Then it happened, 30:31 when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said to him, 30:35 'Is that you, O troubler of Israel?'" 30:41 So who is blamed for the calamities? 30:43 Elijah was blamed. 30:44 Do they seek him out every where? 30:46 They almost certainly did. 30:47 Let me ask you, did the same thing happen 30:49 with the church of the Middle Ages? 30:52 Go with me to Revelation 12:6. 30:54 Revelation 12:6, and there are several elements in this verse 30:59 but I'm only gonna underline them one by one as we go along. 31:02 It says there, in verse 6 of Revelation 12, 31:06 "Then the woman" 31:07 which is the symbol of the church, 31:09 the faithful church. 31:10 "Fled into the wilderness, 31:12 where she has a place prepared by God, 31:14 that they should feed her there 31:16 one thousand two hundred and sixty days." 31:20 Is that the same time period 31:22 that we noticed for the church of Thyatira 31:24 and that we noticed for the little horn, 31:26 the beast and all these powers that are mentioned 31:29 that describe the church in the Middle Ages? 31:31 Absolutely. 31:32 And so the woman which is the faithful church 31:36 flees into the wilderness and why would she flee? 31:42 Do you think she's going on vacation? 31:43 Absolutely not. 31:45 She flees, because she's being, what? 31:47 Persecuted. 31:48 In fact, we read already from Daniel 7:25, 31:52 where it says, "That the saints 31:54 would be given into his hands, 31:56 he would persecute the saints of the Most High 31:58 and he would be given into his-- 32:00 they would be given into his hands for time times 32:03 and the dividing of time." 32:05 Daniel 8 paints a picture also 32:07 of this power persecuting God's people 32:09 and God's people running for the mountains. 32:11 And I could mention for example the Waldenses, 32:15 who were persecuted by this system. 32:18 Now where did Elijah flee to, 32:22 when He was persecuted, 32:23 because he was blamed for what was happening? 32:26 He fled to the Wilderness. Notice 1 Kings 17:3. 32:31 1 Kings 17:3. 32:35 "Get away from here and turn eastward, 32:39 and hide by the Brook Cherith, 32:43 which flows into the Jordan." 32:45 And so Elijah flees into the wilderness. 32:48 Where did the true church flee 32:51 during the period of the Middle Ages, 32:53 during the church of Thyatira 32:54 which is dominated by that woman, Jezebel? 32:58 Revelation 12 and we're gonna read verse 6 33:01 and then we're gonna jump down to verse 14. 33:04 Revelation 12:6 says, 33:06 "Then the woman fled into" where? 33:09 "Into the wilderness, 33:12 where she has a place prepared by God." 33:13 Let me ask you, was there a place 33:14 prepared for Elijah, when he fled? 33:17 Did God have a place already and He say go there, 33:19 because that's where I'm gonna protect you. 33:21 Absolutely. 33:22 "Where she has a place prepared by God, 33:24 that they should feed her there 33:25 one thousand two hundred and sixty days." 33:28 Verse 14, "But the woman was given 33:30 two wings of a great eagle, 33:32 that she might fly 33:33 into the wilderness to her place, 33:35 where she is nourished for a time and times 33:39 and half a time, 33:40 from the presence of the serpent." 33:43 So did the true church during this period 33:45 flee into the wilderness, into the desolate places, 33:49 just like Elijah did? 33:50 Absolutely. 33:51 Now let me ask you, in the Old Testament 33:53 who sustained and fed Elijah and gave him his water? 33:59 God did miraculously. 34:02 How about during the Middle Ages 34:03 is that what happened when Jezebel was working 34:05 in the fourth church Thyatira, 34:07 the beast, the little horn, 34:09 the harlot, if you please? 34:11 Absolutely. 34:12 Notice what we find in 1 Kings 17:4-6, 34:15 speaking first of all about Elijah. 34:17 1 Kings 17:4, it says, 34:20 "And it will be that you shall drink from the brook." 34:23 This is what God has a place prepared for Elijah. 34:26 "And I have commanded the ravens to feed you there." 34:30 And then it says, following 34:33 "The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, 34:38 and bread and meat in the evening, 34:41 and he drank from the brook." 34:43 Was he sustained miraculously by God? 34:46 Was he fed there by God? He most certainly was. 34:48 How about the church during the Middle Ages? 34:51 Was it fed and sustained by God? 34:53 Notice Revelation 12:6, 14 once again. 34:56 Revelation 12:6, it says, 34:59 "Then the woman fled into the wilderness, 35:01 where she has a place prepared for God, 35:03 that they should" what? 35:06 "Feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days." 35:12 Same time period that Elijah was feed. 35:14 Now let's jump down to verse 14, 35:17 "But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, 35:19 that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, 35:23 where she is," what? 35:25 "Nourished for a time and times and half a time, 35:30 from the presence of the serpent." 35:32 Question, in the days of Elijah, 35:35 was there an adulterous relationship 35:37 between the king and Jezebel? 35:40 Yes, there was. 35:41 During the Middle Ages, 35:42 was there an adulterous spiritual relationship 35:45 between the church and the state? 35:47 Yes. 35:48 You see the fornication is not literal 35:50 during the Middle Ages. 35:51 The fornication is what? Spiritual. 35:54 In fact, let's go to Revelation Chapter 17. 35:56 Revelation Chapter 17 and I want to read verse 2. 36:00 Revelation 17:2, 36:02 it's speaking about this great harlot, 36:04 who is sitting on many waters 36:06 and we're gonna study this 36:07 in our last lecture in this series. 36:09 It speaks about this harlot and then we'll find in verse 2, 36:12 "With whom the kings of the earth committed," what?" 36:17 Fornication," there it is. 36:19 "And the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk 36:23 with the wine of her fornication." 36:26 So in the Old Testament, 36:29 there was this adulterous relationship 36:31 between Elijah and-- 36:33 between Jezebel, excuse me, and Ahab. 36:36 And during the period of the Middle Ages, 36:37 there is this spiritual adultery relationship 36:42 between the church, 36:44 represented by Jezebel and the state, 36:47 which the church used to accomplish its purposes. 36:50 By the way, did Jezebel use Ahab 36:54 to accomplish her purposes 36:55 to try and kill God's people during the Old Testament period? 36:59 Is that the same thing that happened 37:00 during the Middle Ages, 37:01 the church appeal to the state in order to kill God's people? 37:05 Absolutely. 37:06 Let's read from the Old Testament 37:07 about this adulterous relationship. 37:09 1 Kings 16:30, and we'll read through verse 32. 37:15 "Now Ahab the son of Omri 37:17 did evil in the sight of the Lord, 37:19 more than all who were before him. 37:21 And it came to pass, 37:23 as though it had been a trivial thing 37:25 for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, 37:28 that he took as wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal, 37:33 king of the Sidonians, 37:35 and he went and served Baal and worshiped him." 37:38 Notice, God's Israelite king 37:41 join this harlot woman in marriage. 37:44 That's what the Bible calls fornication. 37:48 Is this true also of the church of Middle Ages? 37:50 Notice Revelation 2:20, 21. 37:54 Revelation 2:20, 21, 37:57 we read it before, but let's read it again. 38:00 "Nevertheless I have a few things against you, 38:04 because you allow that woman Jezebel." 38:06 See this makes the connection 38:08 between the church of the Middle Ages 38:10 and the Old Testament story. 38:12 It tells you that there is a connection 38:13 between these two stories. 38:16 "Nevertheless I have a few things against you, 38:18 because you allow that woman Jezebel, 38:20 who calls herself a prophetess, 38:23 to teach and seduce My servants to commit," what? 38:27 "Sexual immorality or fornication 38:30 and eat things sacrificed to idols. 38:34 And I gave her time to repent 38:36 of her fornication and she did not repent." 38:39 And of course, the text that we read in Revelation 17:2 38:43 says that the fornication that she had 38:45 was with the kings of the earth according to scripture. 38:51 Now, how long did the church remain in exile? 38:54 It remained in exile for time times 38:58 and the dividing of time. 39:00 How long did Elijah remain in exile? 39:04 Elijah remained in exile 39:06 like we read in James 5:17 for how long? 39:10 For three years and six months. 39:12 In other words three and half years. 39:15 In both cases in the Old Testament, 39:17 Elijah is an exile for three and half years. 39:20 In the period of the fourth church, 39:22 the Middle Ages church, 39:24 the church was in exile also 39:26 for three and half spiritual or symbolic times. 39:30 And by the way, this period begins 39:32 in the year 538 and it ends in 1798, 39:37 when the pope was taken prisoner 39:40 and he was taken to France 39:41 where he died in 1799, at that movement, 39:44 the church and the state were separated, 39:48 the state hated the church so to speak. 39:52 Now let me ask you, did Jezebel 39:54 in the Old Testament, 39:55 massacre God's prophets and God's Saints? 40:00 Yes. Notice 1 Kings 18:4. 40:04 1 Kings 18:4, it says, "For so it was, 40:10 while Jezebel massacred the prophets of the Lord, 40:13 that Obadiah had taken one hundred prophets 40:16 and hidden them, fifty to a cave, 40:18 and had fed them with bread and water." 40:21 Notice that Jezebel massacred the saints 40:24 or massacred the prophets. 40:26 Did she give a death decree against Elijah? 40:28 Yes. Notice chapter 19:1, 2. 40:32 Chapter 19:1, 2, "And Ahab told Jezebel 40:36 all that Elijah had done," This is after Mount Carmel. 40:40 "Also how he had executed all the prophets with the sword. 40:44 Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, 40:49 'So let the gods do to me, and more also, 40:53 if I do not make your life as the life of one of them 40:57 by tomorrow about this time.'" 41:00 And when he saw that he arose and ran for his life 41:04 and went to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah 41:07 and left his servant there. 41:09 She proclaimed the death decree against Elijah 41:11 and Elijah had to flee for his life. 41:16 Is that true also of God's church 41:18 during the Middle Ages? 41:19 It most certainly is. 41:21 The Bible says that this system 41:23 persecuted the saints of the Most High. 41:26 They trampled the saints of the Most High. 41:29 And so you find the same experience 41:31 of this Jezebel system 41:33 as what happened in the Old Testament. 41:36 Now we have spoken about Ahab and Jezebel, 41:39 but there was a third group 41:40 that helped Jezebel in her endeavor. 41:44 And what was that third group? The false prophets of Baal. 41:49 Jezebel used the false prophets 41:51 to extend her religion and she used the king, 41:55 in order to influence him to persecute those 41:58 who are apposed to her agenda. 42:01 Now in the Book of Revelation, 42:03 do you find a third power 42:06 besides the kings of the earth and the harlot? 42:09 You most certainly do. 42:10 Let's read, first of all, the story in the Old Testament 42:13 about the false prophets 42:14 and who actually fed the false prophets. 42:17 1 Kings 18:19. 42:21 1 Kings 18:19, here Elijah says to Ahab, 42:28 "Now therefore, send and gather 42:31 all Israel to me on Mount Carmel, 42:34 the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal, 42:37 and the four hundred prophets of Asherah," 42:40 and now notice this telling last phrase, 42:43 "Who eat at Jezebel's table." 42:47 Who's agenda that the false prophets implement? 42:49 The agenda of Jezebel. They did what she said. 42:53 She fed them. 42:55 By the way, you don't bit the hand that feeds you. 42:58 You know the expression. 43:00 And so she not only uses the civil power of the king, 43:02 but she had also false prophets that aided her 43:07 that did exactly what she told them to do. 43:10 Question, in the Book of Revelation, 43:13 do we have another power 43:16 that helps this beast recover the power which it lost? 43:21 Absolutely. Notice Revelation 16:13. 43:26 Revelation 16:13, I want you to notice 43:30 that there is a three fold alliance here. 43:32 How many enemies did Elijah have in the Old Testament? 43:35 He had three, the king, the harlot queen 43:39 and the false prophets. 43:41 In Revelation, how many enemies 43:44 does God's Elijah have? 43:46 Three. 43:47 Notice Revelation 16:13, 43:50 "And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs 43:53 coming out of the mouth of the dragon." 43:56 We'll study more about this in our next lecture. 43:59 "Out of the mouth of the beast," 44:01 which is this harlot power, 44:03 the dragon represents the kings of the earth, 44:06 the beast represents the harlot. 44:08 "And out of the mouth of," whom? 44:11 "Of the false prophet." 44:13 How many powers apposed against God's people? 44:16 Three, the dragon, the beast and the false prophet. 44:21 By the way, do you know that this is picked up 44:23 in Revelation 17 and it uses different symbols, 44:27 because it's speaking about the end time? 44:30 Notice Revelation 17:5, it speaks about a great harlot. 44:38 The great harlot is sitting on many waters. 44:40 The waters represent multitudes, nations, 44:43 tongues and people. 44:47 And it says that she's fornicating with whom? 44:50 With the kings of the earth. 44:51 So you have Jezebel, you have the kings 44:55 that she fornicates with, and you have the nations, 44:58 tongues and peoples that she sits on, 45:00 she controls, she dominates. 45:02 But I want you to notice Revelation 17:5, 45:05 something very interesting. 45:06 It says, "And on her forehead a name was written: 45:10 Mystery, Babylon the great." 45:12 And then what does it say, the what? 45:15 "The mother of harlots 45:17 and of the abominations of the earth." 45:22 So what is she called? The mother. 45:25 Now let me ask you this, how many of you 45:27 have ever met a mother that has no children? 45:33 Now I know woman who have no children. 45:37 But I haven't had the privilege of meeting 45:40 a mother who never had children, 45:43 because mother means that she had, what? 45:45 Children. 45:46 So the question is, does this beast system, 45:50 does this Jezebel of the Middle Ages, 45:53 does this middle horn power, 45:55 they're all pointed to the same time period. 45:58 Does Jezebel who ruled for time 46:02 that God gave her to repent, does this system have children? 46:07 It certainly does have children. 46:09 Now let me ask you, do the children arise 46:12 at the same time that the mother does 46:15 or are they born later? 46:22 That's a dumb question, 46:24 because the mother has to exist first. 46:28 She has to get to the age where she can be a mother 46:32 and then she has children. 46:34 So let me ask you this Jezebel system 46:36 that ruled during this period towards the end of her period, 46:40 would you expect her to have children? 46:45 A false prophet so to speak. 46:48 You see, here the Book of Revelation 46:50 picks up on both stories, 46:51 the Old Testament Elijah and the New Testament Elijah. 46:54 Do you remember the Old Testament Elijah, 46:56 you have Ahab the king, 46:58 Jezebel the harlot and the false prophets. 47:02 In the New Testament Elijah, you have Herod the king, 47:07 Herodias the harlot and her, what? 47:10 Her daughter. Are you catching this? 47:13 Who is an image and likeness of her mother. 47:16 In Revelation 12:13, you have the dragon, 47:19 which is the kings of the earth. 47:21 You have the beast, which is the same as the harlot 47:24 and you have a false prophet, 47:26 which is the same as the daughters of the harlot. 47:33 Notice Revelation 2:23, 47:37 did we read that this system was gonna have children? 47:41 Absolutely. 47:42 The fourth church, 47:43 remember this is the church of Jezebel, 47:45 the church of the Middle Ages. 47:47 It says there in Revelation 2:23 47:49 "I will kill her," what? 47:53 "Her children with death." 47:56 If she is the mother of harlot, does she have children? 47:58 Yes. 47:59 Are her children going to reflect her character 48:02 like Salome reflected the character of Herodias? 48:06 Yes. 48:07 Like the false prophets ate at Jezebels table 48:10 and reflected the desires of Jezebel. 48:12 Absolutely. 48:15 And so we find in the Middle Ages Elijah. 48:22 It's not Elijah in person. 48:25 The rain is not literal rain. 48:28 Jezebel is not literal Jezebel. 48:31 The false prophets are not literal false prophets. 48:35 There's not one literal king, it's the kings of the earth. 48:40 No longer, are you dealing with literal Israel. 48:43 You're dealing with what? 48:44 You're dealing with spiritual Israel. 48:47 In other words, what happens 48:50 during the period of the Middle Ages 48:52 is a repetition of the story of Elijah, 48:55 but on a broader scale. 48:57 And by the way the scale is basically in Europe. 49:04 Not the rest of the world, in Europe. 49:05 You know, it begins small, 49:07 begins in the land of Israel literally, 49:10 Old Testament, New Testament Elijah 49:12 then it broaden to where? 49:15 To Europe. 49:16 In our final lecture we're gonna notice that in Revelation, 49:19 it broadens to include the whole world. 49:22 Jezebel will be a worldwide system. 49:25 Ahab will represent the kings of the earth in the whole world. 49:29 The false prophet will have worldwide clout. 49:33 And it will no longer be literal Baal, the sun-god, 49:36 but it will-- be in apostasy 49:37 having something to do with the sun. 49:40 Not the literal sun, but a spiritual 49:43 understanding of the sun. 49:45 Now let me ask you, did this story 49:50 of the Middle Ages actually exhaust the meaning of Elijah? 49:55 Was everything fulfilled, 49:57 concerning the Elijah of the Old Testament 49:59 and the Elijah of the New Testament? 50:00 No. 50:03 The conclusion to this story has not been written yet. 50:07 Was Jezebel slain at the end of this period? 50:10 At the end of the 1,260 years, was she slain? 50:13 She'll never exist again? 50:16 No, she was given a deadly wound, right? 50:19 How about the false prophet? 50:20 Was a false prophet slain at the end of a period? 50:23 No. 50:25 Did the great and terrible day of the Lord come? 50:28 No. 50:30 Was a church translated from among the living? 50:32 No. 50:35 So the question is, are we to expect 50:36 the final Elijah to consummate 50:40 and fully fulfill the story of the Elijah of the Old Testament 50:44 and the Elijah of the New Testament? 50:45 Absolutely. 50:47 Let's go the Book of Malachi 4:1-3. 50:51 We've already read that in the last days 50:53 God is gonna send Elijah 50:55 before the great and terrible day of the Lord, right? 50:58 Now what is the great and terrible day of the Lord 51:01 before which God is gonna send Elijah the prophet? 51:05 It says there in Malachi 4:1 51:08 "'For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, 51:11 and all the proud, yes, 51:12 all who do wickedly will be stubble. 51:15 And the day which is coming shall burn them up,' 51:18 says the Lord of hosts, 'That will leave them 51:21 neither root nor branch. 51:24 But to you who fear My name the Sun of Righteousness 51:26 shall arise with healing in His wings, 51:28 and you shall go out and grow fat 51:31 like stall-fed calves. 51:33 You shall trample the wicked, 51:35 for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet 51:38 on the day that I do this, says the Lord of hosts.'" 51:43 So question, in 1798, 51:46 was this aspect of the Elijah's prophecy fulfilled? 51:50 No. 51:52 The great and terrible day of the Lord, didn't come. 51:55 The church was not translated. 51:58 Jezebel's final end didn't come. 52:01 Her daughters did not come to their final end, 52:06 which means that we are to expect 52:08 a final Elijah to fully fulfill the story of Elijah 52:14 as it is written in the scripture. 52:17 Now allow me to explain something 52:19 that's very important, a very important principle. 52:23 The harlot Jezebel has two stages of existence, 52:27 according to scripture. 52:29 The beast at the end of her first period of dominion 52:32 after the three and half years receives a, what? 52:37 Deadly wound. 52:39 And for a while, she is out of commission. 52:42 Did we find that in the story of Thyatira? 52:45 God says, "After I gave her time to repent, 52:47 I'm gonna through her in her," what? 52:49 "Sickbed." 52:52 Is that the end of her? 52:53 That's not the end of her, because we're 52:55 told in Revelation 13 that her deadly wound, 53:01 where she was thrown into the sickbed 53:02 is going to be, what? 53:04 Is going to be healed. 53:06 And all the world will wonder and worship the beast. 53:11 So is Jezebel going to have another phase of existence? 53:15 She most certainly is. 53:16 Now if Jezebel is gonna have another phase of existence, 53:19 must Elijah also or does Jezebel appear by herself? 53:24 No. 53:25 Must Ahab also? Yes. 53:28 Must the false prophets or the daughter 53:30 appear again also? 53:32 Yes. 53:34 You see, this last Elijah has two stages of existence, 53:37 they're not two separate Elijahs, 53:39 they are one Elijah, separated by the period 53:42 of a deadly wound. 53:44 The first stage is what we studied now, 53:47 the church of the Middle Ages where Jezebel, 53:50 spiritual Jezebel dominated for three and half 53:53 spiritual years. 53:54 There was spiritual famine, no spiritual rain. 54:00 But very, very soon the rest of the story 54:04 is gonna be written, because Jezebel 54:05 is gonna resurrect from her sickbed. 54:07 And so Elijah will come once again. 54:10 The false prophets and the daughters of the harlot 54:12 will once again enter into the arena 54:15 and also the kings of the world will once again 54:18 ally themselves with the harlot 54:21 according to the Book of Revelation. 54:23 By the way, this is the reason why in Revelation 6:9-11, 54:27 we don't have time to go there. 54:29 But in Revelation 6:9-11, 54:32 you have two groups of martyrs. 54:35 There's one group of martyrs 54:36 that were killed under the fourth horse 54:38 that's parallel to the fourth church. 54:41 And after they're killed they're crying out Lord, 54:43 until when will You not avenge our death? 54:48 And those who shed our blood on the earth until when? 54:51 And God says, "Rest a little while. 54:54 Here you have your white robes. 54:56 In other words, you are secure, rest a little while, 54:58 until the rest of the martyrs 55:00 who are gonna be killed as you were, is completed." 55:03 So how many periods of martyrs are you going to have? 55:07 You are gonna to have two periods of martyrs. 55:09 Those, during the 1,260 years 55:11 and those who will be killed at the very end of time, 55:17 slightly before the close of probation. 55:22 You notice Revelation 2:22, where God said, 55:26 "I'll throw or I'll cast her into a sickbed" 55:30 that's the deadly wound in the series of the churches. 55:34 "And those who commit adultery with her" 55:37 or fornication with her, those are the kings of the earth, 55:40 "with her into great tribulation." 55:43 What would that great tribulation be 55:45 in the light of what we've studied? 55:46 What happened when Jezebel, 55:48 when that spiritual Jezebel received a deadly wound? 55:51 That happened at the time of the French revolution, right? 55:55 Was France thrown into tremendous 55:57 tribulation and convolution? 55:59 You can read in the Revelation verse-- 56:00 Chapter 11, it says there was a great earthquake. 56:05 Ellen White says, that France was shaken 56:09 as by a mighty earthquake. 56:12 The state and the church were separated 56:14 and there was tremendous tribulation in Paris, 56:18 particularly in France. 56:21 And that's what this is talking about. 56:23 In deed, I'll cast her into a sickbed, 56:25 that's the deadly wound and those who commit 56:27 adultery with her, that's the kings 56:29 into great tribulation unless they repent of their deeds. 56:37 Do you know that after this period of 56:38 1,260 years the Bible says 56:40 that God is gonna raise up His end time Elijah? 56:43 Revelation 12:17 says that there will be a group 56:45 who keep the commandments of God. 56:48 There are group, who have the testimony of Jesus Christ, 56:51 which is the spirit of prophecy, 56:52 the gift that Elijah had. 56:54 They will proclaim the first angels message, 56:56 "Fear God and give glory to Him 56:58 for the hour of His judgment has come. 56:59 Worship the Creator." 57:02 There will be a group that will keep 57:03 the Commandments of God which is found 57:06 at the conclusion of the third angel's message. 57:09 They will denounce Babylon and they will call 57:11 God's people to come out form the apostasy. 57:15 And like on Mount Carmel, 57:16 you have that glorious flash of light 57:18 that persuaded Israel that God that Jehovah was the true God. 57:23 You will have that mighty column of fire fall 57:25 from heaven in Revelation Chapter 18, 57:27 filling the earth with His glory. |
Revised 2014-12-17