Hartland Summer Campmeeting 2017: Abiding in Christ

<p>Preparing to meet Jesus in the endtimes.</p>

<p>Free sharing permitted under the Creative Commons <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/">BY-NC-ND 3.0 (US)</a> license.</p>

Hartland Institute of Health and Education

Stephen Bohr

The Good News in the Time of Trouble- Part 2

And this will be basically a review and I'm going to go quite quickly.

You remember we dealt with Daniel 7 and we're just going to review the powers that we find in Daniel 7 and then we're going to go beyond this chapter.

So first of all we have a lion which represents what kingdom?

Babylon, then we have a bear which is Medo-Persia, then we have a leopard beast, Greece, a terrible dragon beast, Rome, the 10 horns that come out on the head of the dragon beast, the divisions of the Roman Empire, then comes up a little horn and uproots 3 of the horns, that's between 476 and 538, and then once the little horn rises to power without any rivals because it's uprooted 3 it rules for how long?

Now the book of Daniel does not give us all the details.

Daniel takes us primarily to the period of the 1260 years and the judgment that begins afterwards, but the book of Revelation adds to the scenario that we find in the book of Daniel, particularly when it comes to the end time.

Daniel is a prophecy and the book of Revelation is a revelation according to the spirit of prophecy, Revelation amplifies what we find in the book of Daniel.

So in 1798 when the papacy received its deadly wound we are told in Revelation 13 verse 11 that another beast rises from the earth, That's not mentioned in Daniel Chapter 7, it's not mentioned in Daniel Chapter 2, it is an additional element that we find in the book of Revelation because Revelation amplifies and completes the picture that we have in Daniel.

So you have this beast that rises from the earth and this beast has 2 horns like a lamb but it ends up speaking like a dragon.

I have a series called God's Prophetic Chain where I dedicate an hour basically to each of these elements, but I'm assuming that because we're all Adventists and we are Bible students that this afternoon this is all review for us.

So we have this beast that rises from the earth, it's the United States, this beast has 2 horns like a lamb, but it's going to end up speaking like a dragon.

So the next event in the prophetic chain is the United States already rose around the same time that the first beast received its deadly wound, but the next step is when this nation is going to end up speaking like a dragon.

And then after this nation speaks like a dragon there will be a trial we know over the issue of Sabbath and Sunday whether you accept human authority or whether you accept divine authority when it comes to the day of worship, and then as we studied yesterday After all decisions are made the kingdom of Jesus is made up, and then you have the close of human probation.

After the close of human probation we have the time of trouble such as never has been seen, and at the end of the time of trouble God's people are delivered, everyone who is found written in the book.

Now we need to say a few things about this beast that rises from the earth, particularly the 2 horns of this beast that rises from the earth.

The 2 horns as I've shown in several of my presentations, the 2 horns represent civil and religious liberty, they represent in other words separation of church and state, the secular power operating as a secular power and the religious power acting as a religious power, civil and religious liberty.

But we know that this beast that at first guaranteed civil and religious liberty is going to repudiate those 2 principles of civil and religious liberty, in other words it's going to repudiate its Constitution.

Now let me say something about the Constitution of the United States particularly the First amendment to the Constitution, by the way the amendments are part of the Constitution I'm sure that you're aware of that it's not an appendix to the Constitution the amendments are part of the Constitution.

So the first amendment to the Constitution actually contains the 2 horns like a lamb, the First Amendment.

The first clause says Congress shall make no law which establishes religion, regarding the establishment of religion.

In other words, the civil power cannot establish any religious observance, secular power can't do that.

The second clause says or forbidding the free exercise thereof.

The civil power cannot forbid people from practicing their religion, It cannot enforce religion, religious observance, and it cannot forbid people from practicing their religion.

And then the third clause of the First Amendment guarantees civil liberties.

Basically the third clause says that Congress shall make no law respecting an abridging of the freedom of speech, is that a civil liberty?

Or of the press, is that a civil liberty?

Or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, is that a civil liberty?

And to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

Can you ask the government to do you justice if you've been wronged?

And so the third clause of the First Amendment guarantees civil liberty, the first 2 clauses guarantee religious liberty.

The first 2 clauses say Congress cannot make any law which establishes any religious observance, and it cannot make any law that forbids you from practicing your religion according to the dictates of your conscience, the third clause guarantees full civil liberties.

But we know that the day is coming when the first 2 clauses of the first amendment to the Constitution are going to be repudiated.

In other words we know that the civil power is going to establish Sunday as the day of worship, but we also know that the civil power is going to forbid the free exercise of keeping the Sabbath.

Ellen White says not only is the civil power going to enforce Sunday observance she says it's going to forbid Sabbath observance.

There you have the first 2 clauses to the first amendment to the Constitution, and here's a very important point.

When the civil power violates any of the first 2 clauses of the first amendment the automatic result is that you lose your civil liberties.

So religious liberty and civil liberty are connected.

Let me ask you when the Sunday law is enacted and when the law which eventually will come which forbids the observance of the Sabbath, are God's people going to lose the freedom of speech?

Are we going to be able to defend the Sabbath freely in our speech?

Are we going to be able to legally publish anything having to do with defending the Sabbath?

Are we going to have freedom to assemble freely?

Are we going to be able to ask the civil power for a redress of grievances?

So when the first 2 clauses of the first amendment are violated the result is that the third clause of the first amendment is violated as well.

When your religious liberties are taken away the result is that your civil liberties are taken away as well.

Now the reason I bring this to view is because we're going to study 2 stories in the book of Daniel that illustrate what happens when the first 2 clauses of the first amendment are violated.

I believe that the first amendment to the Constitution of the United States was divinely inspired.

You say, what are you saying then that Thomas Jefferson and company were prophets that were inspired?

No, I'm saying that God actually worked upon their minds to enact the first amendment.

It is based on divine principles, and we're going to notice 2 stories in the book of Daniel that illustrate what happens when the first 2 clauses of the first amendment are violated and how you lose your civil liberties at the same time.

But before let's review the 6 common denominators that we looked at yesterday afternoon.

First of all there's a faithful come on, do you have it written down?

There is always a faithful remnant, there you go, faithful remnant.

Secondly the enemy, the remnant has what?

Enemies, very well, and the enemies want to annihilate the remnant and so God's people then go through a severe time of trouble, and during this time of trouble what happens with their faith?

No, He delays in delivering them, But finally after the delay what does God do?

He intervenes and He delivers His people.

In all of the passages of scripture that speak about the time of trouble you have this same pattern, this same scenario, these 6 common denominators, and we're going to take some more examples this afternoon of that.

Go with me to Daniel Chapter 3, Daniel Chapter 3.

Here we're going to see what happens when the secular power establishes religion, What happens when the secular power establishes a religious observance that it commands everybody to obey that religious observance?

Now Daniel Chapter 3 took place historically, literally, but what happened literally in the Old Testament becomes symbolic on a larger scale of the end of time.

For example in the days of Daniel the beast, By the way Nebuchadnezzar lived for a while as a beast didn't he?

He raises an image, he commands everyone to worship the image, and whoever does not worship the image will be killed.

Can you think of any other chapter in the Bible that has something similar to that?

Revelation 13, the beast raises an image, commands everyone to worship the image, whoever does not worship the image will be killed.

But what happens at the end happens on a global scale, it's not in a little valley over in Endura, and the furnace is not a literal furnace of fire, the furnace of fire becomes symbolic.

You're dealing with spiritual global Babylon, you're dealing with a spiritual symbolic image, you're dealing with a symbolic beast, you're dealing with a symbolic mark.

In other words everything that's literal in Daniel 3 becomes symbolic at the end of time, becomes global at the end of time, that's the principle.

Now let's go to Daniel Chapter 3 and examine some elements of this story which will be repeated once again at the end of time on a global scale so we better learn from this story.

Let's begin our study of the chapter in Daniel Chapter 3 verse 15.

You know the king raised up an image, he commanded everyone to worship the image, and whoever would not worship the image would be thrown into a fiery furnace, heated 7 times hotter than ever before.

Now there are 3 young men which is the faithful remnant that refused to worship the image, and so the king is filled with wrath.

In fact Ellen White says that when these 3 young men refused to worship the image and Nebuchadnezzar gave them another chance, and they said we don't have to respond to you we already have our minds made up.

She says that the face of Nebuchadnezzar looked like the face of a demon, he was demon possessed.

Now I want you to notice Chapter 3 and verse 15, do you remember the key word that we noticed yesterday, the word deliver?

Those of you who were here deliver, remember Jacob he said deliver me.

Remember Daniel 12 verse 1, Your people shall be delivered, everyone who is found written the book.

That's a key word when we find the passages on the time of trouble.

The king says to the young man, But if you do not worship, you shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace, and now notice the challenge, and who is the God who will deliver you from my hand?

Notice once again what God is going to deliver you from my hands?

Back to Menu

The Good News in the Time of Trouble- Part 2

Transcript

Description

Parent Conference

Sponsor

Recorded

Sound Doctrine