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00:35 Jean Ross: Good morning, friends, 00:37 welcome again to "Sabbath School Study Hour" here at the Granite 00:39 Bay Seventh Adventist Church in Sacramento, California. 00:43 I'd like to welcome our online members who are joining us, 00:45 as well as those who are part of our study time across the 00:48 country and around the world. 00:51 I'd like to also welcome our regular Sabbath School members 00:53 who are here, as well as those of you who are visiting for the 00:56 first time this morning. 00:59 A very warm welcome to all of you. 01:01 Over the past few weeks, we have been studying through the book 01:03 of Daniel. 01:05 Today, we find ourselves on lesson number nine. 01:09 And it's actually--the title of the study is "From Contamination 01:14 to Purification." 01:16 And we're looking at Daniel chapter 9 for our study. 01:19 But before we get to our study, we'd like to let you know about 01:21 our free gift for those who are joining us online. 01:24 It's one of the Amazing Facts study guides entitled "God Drew 01:27 the Plans." 01:29 And we'd be happy to provide this to anyone. 01:31 All you'll need to do is call the number, 01:32 866-788-3966 and ask for offer number 129, 01:39 and we'll be happy to send that to you. 01:41 Or if you'd like, you can text the code "SH135" to the number 01:46 40544 and you'll be able to get a digital download of this 01:52 study, and you'll be able to study right online. 01:55 Again, it's called "God Drew the Plans," 01:57 and we'll be happy to send this for free to anyone who 02:00 contacts us. 02:02 Well, this morning, we have a real treat. 02:04 We've got the Weimar College Choir that is with us this 02:07 morning, and they're going to be bringing us a special musical 02:09 item at this time. 02:12 ♪♪ 02:19 ♪ Because of the Lord's great love ♪ 02:23 ♪ We are not consumed ♪ 02:29 ♪ His compassions never fail ♪ 02:34 ♪ His compassions never fail ♪ 02:39 ♪ They are new every morning ♪ 02:45 ♪ New every morning ♪ 02:50 ♪ Great is God's faithfulness ♪ 02:59 ♪ Because of the Lord's great love ♪ 03:04 ♪ We are not consumed ♪ 03:10 ♪ His compassions never fail ♪ 03:14 ♪ His compassions never fail ♪ 03:20 ♪ They are new every morning ♪ 03:25 ♪ New every morning ♪ 03:30 ♪ Great is God's faithfulness ♪ 03:39 ♪♪ 03:45 ♪ When morning gilds the skies ♪ 03:50 ♪ My heart awaking cries ♪ 03:54 ♪ May Jesus Christ be praised ♪ 04:00 ♪ Alike at work and prayer ♪ 04:05 ♪ To Jesus I repair ♪ 04:09 ♪ May Jesus Christ be praised ♪ 04:19 ♪♪ 04:22 ♪ The night becomes as day ♪ 04:27 ♪ When from the heart we say ♪ 04:32 ♪ May Jesus Christ be praised ♪ 04:37 ♪ The powers of darkness fear ♪ 04:41 ♪ When this sweet chant they hear ♪ 04:46 ♪ May Jesus Christ be praised ♪ 04:54 ♪♪ 05:06 ♪ Be this, while life is mine ♪ 05:12 ♪ My canticle divine ♪ 05:17 ♪ May Jesus Christ be praised ♪ 05:23 ♪ Sing this eternal song ♪ 05:26 ♪ My song through all the ages long ♪ 05:31 ♪ We'll sing the one eternal song ♪ 05:37 ♪ May Jesus Christ be praised ♪ 05:46 ♪ May Jesus Christ be praised ♪ 06:04 Jean: Amen, thank you for that beautiful song, Weimar Choir. 06:08 Again, we'd like to welcome all of you to our "Sabbath School 06:10 Study Hour" here at the Granite Bay Church. 06:13 And as we mentioned in our introduction, 06:15 we're looking at Daniel chapter 8 is going to be the main focus 06:18 of our study this morning. 06:21 It's actually lesson number 9 in your lesson quarterly, 06:24 but it actually focuses on Daniel chapter 8, 06:27 very important study today. 06:29 But before we get to our study, let's just begin with a word 06:31 of prayer. 06:33 Dear Father, once again we are grateful that we have this 06:35 opportunity to gather together in your house and open your Word 06:37 and study a very important prophecy, 06:40 something that is in particular relevant for us and for the time 06:43 in which we are living. 06:45 We do ask that the Holy Spirit would come and guide our hearts 06:47 and our minds. 06:49 Help us to understand these very important prophetic truths, 06:51 for we ask this in Jesus's name, amen. 06:56 Well, we're looking at lesson number 9, 06:59 and it's entitled "From Contamination to Purification." 07:03 And we have a memory verse. 07:05 And if you have your lesson quarterlies or your Bibles, 07:07 you can turn to our memory text, it is Daniel chapter 8 and 07:12 verse 14. 07:14 It's a famous, well-known verse in Scripture, 07:17 especially to Adventists. 07:19 Daniel the 8th chapter and verse 14, it says, 07:22 "And he said unto me for 2,300 days, 07:26 'Then the sanctuary shall be cleansed.'" 07:31 Daniel 8, verse 14. 07:33 Now, we'll be getting to this cleansing of the sanctuary here 07:34 in just a few moments, but by way of an introduction as we 07:38 lead into to our study, we're going to be looking at Daniel 07:41 chapter 8. 07:42 Now, Daniel chapter 8 reveals the fact that there is an 07:46 attempt to undermine the work that Jesus does for us in the 07:52 heavenly sanctuary. 07:54 Now, the Bible makes it clear that Jesus is our high priest 07:57 ministering in the heavenly sanctuary, Hebrews chapter 8, 07:59 verse 1 and 2. 08:01 The Bible tells us that Jesus is the new and living way into the 08:05 presence of the Father, that's Hebrews chapter 10. 08:09 The Bible tells us that Jesus is the one mediator between God and 08:13 man, that's 1 Timothy 2, verse 5. 08:16 He's also the author and the finisher of our faith, 08:20 and you read about that in Hebrews 12. 08:23 And John 14:6, He's the only means of salvation. 08:27 So, the Bible makes it clear that Jesus is our High Priest. 08:30 He's our mediator, He's the one that represents us before 08:33 the Father. 08:35 Salvation comes in and through Christ. 08:37 But in Daniel chapter 8, we are introduced to an entity that 08:42 tries to usurp the position of Jesus as high priest 08:47 and mediator. 08:48 And that's really the focus of our study in Daniel chapter 8. 08:54 Now, Daniel chapter 8 is divided up into four parts. 08:58 The first, which is from verse 1 through to verse 12, 09:01 describes what Daniel saw in vision. 09:05 And then you've got verse 12 and 13 that tell you what Daniel 09:09 heard, and that's where our memory text came from in 09:12 verse 14. 09:14 Then in verse 15 through to verse 25, 09:17 you have the interpretation of the vision that Daniel had seen, 09:21 that's the angel Gabriel that comes to explain the meaning of 09:24 the symbols. 09:25 And then in verse 26 and 27, you've got the explanation or 09:30 the interpretation given by Gabriel interrupted. 09:35 And then, of course, you read about the last part of that in 09:38 Daniel chapter 9, when Gabriel comes back to give a clear 09:41 understanding of the 2,300 days. 09:44 So, we're not going to be getting into Daniel 9, 09:46 but we are going to be looking at Daniel chapter 8 09:48 this morning. 09:51 So, with that as the background, we're going to begin. 09:53 And if you have your Bibles, you can turn to it, 09:56 it's Daniel chapter 8, and we're going to start reading here in 09:59 verse 2. 10:01 Daniel chapter 8, verse 2, and this is what it says. 10:05 Daniel is describing what he sees in vision, 10:07 "I saw in vision, and it so happened while I was looking 10:10 that I was in Shushan." 10:13 Now, as you'll remember, Daniel was in Babylon, 10:15 but here it's nearing the end of the Babylonian reign, 10:19 and Medo-Persia is soon to conquer Babylon. 10:21 Shushan was about 230 miles east of the city of Babylon. 10:27 It served as the summer palace for some of the Babylonian kings 10:31 as well as the Persian kings that came later on. 10:34 So he says, "I was in Shushan, the citadel." 10:38 The word "citadel" is just fortified palace, 10:41 and that's where it was located. 10:42 "Which is in the province of Elam, 10:44 and I saw in the night visions that I was by the river Ulai." 10:49 Now, Ulai was an artificial canal that was connecting two 10:53 rivers, and it was used primarily for irrigation. 10:57 Now, where did the four living creatures that we studied 11:00 previously in Daniel chapter 7, where did they come from? 11:04 The four living creatures came from the--the four beasts came 11:06 from the sea, right? 11:10 And what does water represent in Bible prophecy? 11:13 People, multitudes, and nations. 11:15 It's interesting to note that what we read in Daniel chapter 8 11:18 also takes place close to water. 11:21 Daniel sees these visions and he's by the river. 11:26 In Daniel 7, these creatures come out of the sea. 11:29 So again, it represents multitudes and nations. 11:32 All right, looking then at verse 3, it says, 11:34 "Then I lifted up my eyes and I saw there standing beside the 11:37 river, there was a ram that had two horns." 11:41 Now, the ram with the two horns represents Medo-Persia, 11:44 as we'll find out in just a few moments. 11:46 Of course, animals in Bible prophecy represents kingdoms 11:49 or nations. 11:51 We have this ram, it's got two horns, 11:54 the two horns represent the two parts of the kingdom, 11:57 the Medes and the Persians. 11:59 It's also interesting to note that in Daniel chapter 7, 12:03 the animals that's described coming up from the sea are what 12:06 we would refer to as wild animals or unclean animals. 12:11 But the animals described in Daniel chapter 8 would be 12:15 considered clean animals. 12:17 You've got a ram, you've got a goat. 12:20 Now, rams and goats were very important to the sanctuary and 12:23 to the sacrificial system. 12:25 In Daniel chapter 7, you have a lion, an unclean animal, a bear, 12:30 a leopard, and then a dragon-like beast. 12:33 So, in Daniel chapter 8, the focus is on the sanctuary and on 12:37 something relating to the plan of redemption or the plan 12:40 of salvation. 12:42 You'll see that unfold as we go. 12:44 So, the imagery that we find in chapter 8 is sanctuary imagery, 12:48 sanctuary language. 12:49 Now, of course, our memory text in verse 14 of Daniel 8 talks 12:52 about the cleansing of the sanctuary. 12:54 So, you can see that, that, all of the images here are 12:57 connected together. 12:59 Okay, then it says that this ram had two horns and the larger 13:04 horn came up last. 13:06 This is the last part of verse 3. 13:08 Even though the Medes came before the Persians, 13:11 the Persians, which came up later, grew to dominance. 13:14 And so, that's the horn that is larger and comes up. 13:18 Then we look at verse 4, it says, 13:19 "I saw the ram pushing westward and northward and southward so 13:24 that no animal could stand before him." 13:26 This is a description of Medo-Persia. 13:29 It expanded from the east, it expanded to the west. 13:33 Cyrus, who was the general that led the conquest of Medo-Persia, 13:36 he conquered Babylon, he conquered Syria, in Asia Minor. 13:41 He pressed up towards the north to conquer Armenia all the way 13:45 up to the Caspian Sea region, and south all the way down to 13:49 Egypt and Ethiopia. 13:51 So, Medo-Persia comes from the east, 13:52 and it's moving towards the west, 13:54 and it's conquering this land. 13:56 And the middle of verse 4 says, "Nor was there any that could 13:59 deliver from his hand, but he did according to his will, 14:02 and he became great." 14:04 The Medo-Persian empire conquered and occupied more land 14:08 than Babylon. 14:10 So, notice you have Babylon followed by Medo-Persia, 14:12 Medo-Persia controls more land than Babylon, 14:15 but then Medo-Persia falls to Greece, 14:18 and Greece controls more land than Persia did. 14:21 And then Rome controls even more land and territory than Greece. 14:25 So, each time these kingdoms that arise, 14:27 they have more power and they control more territory, 14:31 and that's the pattern that we can see established. 14:33 Now, of course, we don't have to guess as to who this power is 14:38 because the angel Gabriel comes and explains the meaning of 14:41 the symbol. 14:43 And if you look in verse 20, Daniel chapter 8, verse 20, 14:45 the angel Gabriel comes and it's very clear as to who the ram is. 14:50 Verse 20 says, "The ram which you saw having the two horns are 14:54 the kings of Medo-Persia." 14:56 No question about that. 14:57 So, here we see a parallel beginning to develop between 15:00 what we looked at in Daniel 7 and what we've read in Daniel 15:04 chapter 2. 15:06 It's important for us to remember the context of these 15:08 visions in the book of Daniel. 15:10 Daniel chapter 2 is, you know, Nebuchadnezzar has a dream. 15:13 And in the dream, he sees this giant image made of these 15:16 different metals. 15:18 And each of these metals represent a different kingdom. 15:21 The head of gold in Daniel chapter 2 represents the kingdom 15:24 of Babylon. 15:25 The chest and arms of silver represent what kingdom? 15:29 Medo-Persia. 15:31 And then, of course, you've got the belly and the thighs of 15:32 brass, representing Greece; the legs of iron, representing Rome; 15:36 the feet of iron and clay representing Western Europe even 15:39 as we know it today. 15:41 And then the stone that comes and strikes the image upon 15:43 its feet. 15:44 Now, if you can just picture this giant image in Daniel 15:47 chapter 2, and then you parallel that to Daniel chapter 7, 15:52 you'll notice the kingdoms are described, 15:54 but using different symbols. 15:56 Instead of the head of gold that you find in Daniel chapter 2, 15:59 Babylon in Daniel 7 is represented as a lion that has 16:04 eagle's wings. 16:05 And we studied this last week. 16:07 Medo-Persia in Daniel 2 is the chest and the arms of silver. 16:11 In Daniel 7, it's represented as a bear that is raised up on one 16:15 side and he has three ribs in his mouth. 16:18 Now, we mentioned this last week, 16:20 the arms of the image of Daniel 2, there are two arms, 16:24 and there's two parts. 16:26 Medo-Persia consists of two parts, 16:29 the Medes and the Persians. 16:31 And just like the right arm is typically stronger than the 16:34 left, so the Persians were stronger than the Medes. 16:37 Thus the bear was raised up on the one side. 16:40 And then you've got the kingdom of Greece represented by the 16:43 belly and the thighs of brass in Daniel chapter 2. 16:46 And now, we find in Daniel chapter 7 that's the leopard 16:49 with four heads and four wings. 16:52 Rome are the legs of iron in Daniel 2. 16:55 In Daniel 7, it is a nondescript beast that has ten horns, 17:01 and a little horn that comes up, and he has iron teeth. 17:05 So, you can see the parallel here. 17:06 Now, Daniel chapter 8, nothing is said about Babylon because 17:10 Babylon was at the point of being conquered by Medo-Persia 17:13 when the vision was given to Daniel in Daniel chapter 8. 17:16 So, the vision begins in Daniel 8, not with Babylon, 17:21 but with Medo-Persia. 17:22 So, this ram with two horns the angel tells us is Medo-Persia. 17:27 Well, what power conquered Medo-Persia? 17:30 Well, we know it was the power of Greece. 17:33 The Greeks conquered the Medes. 17:35 And so, we find here in verse 5, it introduces us to another 17:38 symbol, and it is the he goat. 17:41 Daniel chapter 8 beginning then in verse 5, it says, 17:45 "And as I was considering, suddenly a male goat," 17:49 that would be the kingdom of Greece, "came from the west." 17:53 So, if you think of the map of the Mediterranean, 17:56 Medo-Persia came from the east conquering towards the west, 18:01 but Greece would be to the west conquering to the east. 18:06 So, this power came from the west, this is Greece. 18:09 And it says, "It came across from the west across the surface 18:13 of the whole earth without touching the ground," 18:16 representing the speed with which Alexander the 18:19 Great conquered. 18:21 It says, "The goat had a notable horn between its eyes." 18:25 Now, the Bible tells us what this notable horn is, 18:28 it says it's the first king, and we know that from history as 18:31 being Alexander the Great, he was a great military prodigy. 18:34 He was able to understand and come up with some great 18:37 military strategies. 18:39 So, this notable horn is Alexander the Great. 18:42 He launched his first attack against Persia in 334 BC. 18:47 And in essence, by 330, just four years later, 18:50 he had pretty much fully conquered the Persian Empire. 18:55 Verse 6 says, "Then he came to the ram that had the two horns, 19:00 which I'd seen standing before the river, 19:02 and ran at him with fury and power." 19:06 So, here he's referencing the power and the conquest of 19:10 the Greeks. 19:11 Verse 7 says, "And I saw him confronting the ram, 19:14 and he was moved with rage against him, 19:16 and attacked the ram and broke his two horns. 19:19 And there was no power in the ram to withstand him, 19:22 but he cast him down to the ground and trampled upon him, 19:25 and there was no one that could deliver out of his hand." 19:29 So again, this is a reference to the Greeks and Alexander 19:31 the Great. 19:33 Probably one of the more decisive battles that occurred 19:36 took place in 331, October the 1st, 331, 19:41 known as the Battle of Arbela. 19:43 The Persians had gathered together sort of their last 19:45 stand against Alexander and his forces. 19:49 They had about 200,000 soldiers in the Persian army. 19:53 In addition to the footmen, they had their horses, 19:56 and they had chariots, they even had elephants that were prepared 20:01 for battle. 20:02 And they would take these elephants into war. 20:04 So, 200,000 soldiers is what was on the side of the Persians, 20:08 Alexander the Great had, well, about, let me see, 20:12 he had a total of 47,000 men. 20:16 So, 200,000 Persians and 47,000 Greeks. 20:21 Well, in the battle, these were all footmen, 20:24 Alexander didn't have horses or chariots. 20:26 But based on his military ability to figure out battles 20:31 and his strategy and the speed with which his men could move, 20:34 at the end of the battle, which of course the Greeks won, 20:38 the Persians had lost 50,000 men in the battle 20:42 and the Greeks had lost 500. 20:45 And that was the deciding battle, 20:46 which really gave the upper hand to Alexander the Great. 20:50 And of course, the Greeks conquered Medo-Persia. 20:53 Now, as to the identity of this he goat, 20:55 the Bible tells us clearly in verse 21, Daniel chapter 8, 20:59 verse 21, it says, "And the male goat is the kingdom of Greece, 21:03 and the large horn that is between his eyes is the 21:05 first king." 21:07 So, no question as to who this goat represents, 21:10 it represents Greece, and the big horn between its eyes is 21:13 Alexander the Great. 21:15 Now, we come to the next symbol that we find, 21:17 and that's these four horns that we read about, 21:20 starting in verse 8. 21:22 If you have your Bibles and following along, 21:24 we're looking in Daniel chapter 8, beginning in verse 8. 21:27 And it says, "Therefore, the male goat grew very great. 21:31 But when he had become strong, the large horn was broken." 21:35 This prophecy indicates that Alexander the Great, 21:38 that he would fall while his empire was at the height of 21:41 its power. 21:43 And this is, of course, exactly what happened. 21:45 At the age of 32 while back at Babylon, 21:48 Alexander the Great fell ill, some think it's the result of a 21:51 drinking spree that he had gone on, 21:54 a fever that he had picked up, and he died at the age of 32. 22:00 His kingdom then was divided up amongst his four generals. 22:04 And you notice the rest of the verse there, it says, 22:06 "And in the place of it, that is this notable horn," 22:09 Alexander the Great, "four notable ones came up towards the 22:12 four winds of heaven." 22:15 So, when Alexander the Great died, 22:17 his kingdom was divided up amongst his four generals. 22:20 And you have Ptolemy, one of the generals, 22:23 who took control of Egypt and Palestine. 22:26 Cassander took control of Macedonia, 22:29 Lysimachus took over Turkey and a large part of Asia Minor, 22:33 and Seleucus had the northern Syria, 22:36 Mesopotamian eastern part of the empire. 22:39 Thus the kingdom of Greece was divided into four, 22:42 just as the prophecy says. 22:45 Now, as to the meaning of these symbols, 22:47 again we don't have to guess, the angel Gabriel gives 22:50 the explanation. 22:51 And you'll find in verse 22, Daniel chapter 8, verse 22, 22:54 the angel says, "As for the broken horn and the four that 22:58 stood up in its place, four kingdoms shall arise out of this 23:01 nation, but not in its power." 23:05 And so, when Alexander the Great died, his kingdom is divided up. 23:08 Now, we get to a very interesting symbol, 23:11 it's the little horn power that we read about now in Daniel 23:14 chapter 8. 23:16 And this starts in verse 9. 23:18 So, what does it say about this little horn power? 23:20 And most of what this chapter talks about is the little 23:24 horn power. 23:25 So, we begin in verse 9, it says, "And out of one of them." 23:29 Now, I want to just spend a few moments on this, 23:31 there is some confusion as to who the them is in this verse. 23:36 Is it referring to the four winds, 23:39 or is it referring to the four horns? 23:42 Now remember, the kingdom was divided up into four parts, 23:45 but it says, "Out of one of them," 23:47 talking about the four points of the compass, the four winds. 23:51 Let me back up just to make sure you understand. 23:53 If you notice over here where it says in verse 8, 23:58 it says four notable, this is the end of verse 8, 24:02 "And in its place, there were four notable horns that came up 24:05 towards the four winds of heaven." 24:08 So, you have four horns and you have four winds. 24:12 Then it says, "And out of one of them arose a little horn." 24:16 So, the question is, is it referring to the four horns or 24:19 is it referring to the four winds? 24:20 Why is that important? 24:22 Well, because the next power that we're going to be looking 24:23 at, the little horn power, represents the kingdom of Rome. 24:26 Rome did not really grow out of one of the four divisions of the 24:31 Grecian empire. 24:32 Rome, of course, came way over from the west and it conquered 24:36 towards the east. 24:37 So, it's brought some confusion. 24:39 Actually, some people have come up with some interesting views 24:41 as to try and identify who this little horn power is. 24:44 But if you look at the actual Hebrew in which this passage was 24:48 written, the different Hebrew words are either masculine or 24:52 feminine, or in a neuter form. 24:55 And when it's talking about these four them that we find in 24:59 verse 9, it's actually given in the masculine form. 25:03 Now, horns are always given in the feminine form, 25:07 winds are always given in the masculine form. 25:10 Horns can also sometimes be used in the feminine form, 25:13 but--or winds can be either, but horns are always in the 25:16 feminine form. 25:18 So, when it says them, it's in the masculine form, 25:21 it's relating to the winds and not the horns just from the 25:25 grammatical study of the text itself. 25:28 So, when he says, "From one of them arose a little horn," 25:31 the them there is not the four horns, 25:33 but from one of the four points of the compass, 25:36 one of the four winds. 25:38 Now, with that, it makes perfect sense when we talk about Rome 25:42 coming up because Rome didn't really arise from one of the 25:45 four horns, but it did arise from one of the four points of 25:47 the compass. 25:49 It actually came from the west and then moved to the east. 25:51 And you'll see why that's important here in just a 25:54 few minutes. 25:55 We're going to be talking about Antiochus Epiphanes and some of 25:57 the misunderstanding about that. 26:00 So it says, "From one of them," that would be one of the four 26:02 points of the compass, "came a little horn, 26:05 which grew exceedingly great towards the south, 26:08 towards the east, and towards the glorious land." 26:12 So, if you're picturing in your mind the Mediterranean and Rome, 26:16 which came up in Italy, it did grow towards the west, 26:21 or it came from the west, but it expanded towards the east, 26:24 towards the south, that would be Egypt, 26:26 and towards the pleasant land, that would be Palestine 26:30 or Israel. 26:31 And that's exactly what happened, 26:33 Rome did expand in that direction. 26:35 And then verse 10 says, "And it grew up to the host of heaven." 26:39 And verse 24 calls it the mighty and the holy people. 26:42 "And it cast down some of the hosts and some of the stars to 26:45 the ground, and trampled upon them." 26:48 This, of course, is a reference to the persecution that came 26:50 against the Jews by the Romans, and even to some degree speaks 26:54 of the persecution that came against Christ. 26:57 Remember Jesus was crucified on a Roman cross, 27:00 and that's what's brought to view here a little later 27:02 as well. 27:04 Verse 11 says, "He even exalted himself to the Prince of 27:06 the Host." 27:08 Now, who do you suppose the Prince of the Host would be? 27:11 That would be Jesus. 27:13 And it says, "By him the daily sacrifice was taken away and the 27:16 place of his sanctuary was cast down." 27:20 Now, when we're talking about Rome, 27:22 we're talking about this little horn power, 27:23 we're describing Rome both in its pagan phase and also in its 27:27 papal phase. 27:29 Remember Medo-Persia, it had two arms in Daniel chapter 2, 27:32 representing the Medes and the Persians? 27:34 And the legs in Daniel 2, there were two legs representing pagan 27:39 Rome and papal Rome. 27:41 The little horn power in Daniel chapter 8 describes both pagan 27:45 Rome and what pagan Rome would do, 27:47 as well as what papal Rome would do because papal Rome is really 27:50 an extension of pagan Rome. 27:53 So, when it talks about raising himself against the Prince of 27:55 the Hosts, it's talking not only about pagan Rome persecuting and 27:59 crucifying Christ, but it's also talking about something that 28:02 papal Rome would do as time goes on. 28:05 And we'll see how that comes together in just a minute. 28:08 Okay, verse 12, Daniel chapter 8, verse 12, it says, 28:10 "Because of transgression, an army was given over to the horn 28:13 to oppose the daily sacrifices. 28:16 And he cast the truth to the ground, 28:18 and he did all of this and prospered." 28:21 Now, verse 12 is referring to the papal power more than the 28:24 pagan power. 28:26 And we'll explain what the daily sacrifices is and how it was 28:29 cast down to the ground here in just a minute. 28:31 Now, as an explanation of this little horn power, 28:34 if we go to verse 23 of the same chapter, Daniel chapter 8, 28:38 verse 23, this is what the angel says. 28:41 He says, "In the latter time of their kingdom," 28:43 that is the division of the four parts of the Grecian 28:46 empire, "when transgression has reached their fullness, 28:49 a king shall arise having fierce features, 28:52 who's understanding sinister schemes." 28:55 Verse 24, "His power shall be mighty, 28:57 but not by his own power. 28:59 He shall destroy fearfully, and shall prosper and thrive. 29:04 He shall destroy the mighty and also the holy people." 29:08 Verse 25 says, "Through his cunning, 29:10 he shall cause the seed to prosper under his rule, 29:13 and he shall exalt himself in his heart. 29:16 He shall destroy many in their prosperity. 29:19 He shall even rise against the Prince of Princes, 29:22 but he shall be broken without human means." 29:26 So, who then is this little horn power? 29:28 I've mentioned it, it's referring to Rome both in its 29:31 pagan form as well as its papal form. 29:34 Now, I'd like to look at some characteristics that we find of 29:37 this little horn power, and maybe they could put this on the 29:40 screen for us, identifying marks of the little horn power of 29:43 Daniel chapter 8. 29:45 First of all, in verse 9, it says, 29:46 "It grew exceedingly great." 29:49 So this power, Rome, would be greater than Greece, 29:52 greater than Medo-Persia, and greater than Babylon. 29:54 And of course, that refers to Rome. 29:56 Point number two, it would rise towards the south, the east, 29:59 and the glorious land. 30:01 Rome arose in the west and conquered south and east. 30:05 It had fierce features. 30:07 Rome was fierce and war-like. 30:11 It exalted himself in his heart. 30:14 Rome was proud and arrogant. 30:15 Now, this is not only referring to the Roman emperors, 30:17 but as we see, it also refers to the papal power and the popes 30:21 during the 1260 years of papal supremacy. 30:25 Verse 5 says, "He shall destroy the mighty and the holy people," 30:28 that's verse 24. 30:30 Rome is a persecuting power of God's true people. 30:34 Again, that's referring to pagan Rome and the papacy. 30:37 Verse 11 says, "He shall exalt himself as high as the Prince of 30:40 the Host." 30:42 This is clearly a reference to the papal power. 30:45 "And it will cast down Christ's truth and the sanctuary," 30:49 that's verse 11 and 12. 30:51 That would pervert the truth of the sanctuary and the high 30:54 priestly ministry of Jesus, and that's what we find happened 30:57 during the time of papal supremacy. 30:59 Point number 8, "By him the daily sacrifice was taken away," 31:03 and that's verse 11. 31:04 Took away the original gospel provisions that we find in 31:09 Scripture, and that again is the papal power. 31:11 "Practiced and prospered till the time of the end." 31:14 This power would continue right up till the last days, 31:18 longer than any other power in history. 31:21 We know that the papacy ruled from 538 till 1798, 31:25 1260 years of supremacy, which is much longer than any of the 31:29 other kingdoms or powers that we have described in Daniel 2, 31:33 Daniel 7, and Daniel chapter 8. 31:36 Now, one of the questions that people have when talking about 31:39 this little horn power, they ask, "Well, 31:42 could this little horn represent Antiochus Epiphanes?" 31:46 Let me explain a little bit about who Antiochus 31:49 Epiphanes is. 31:50 If you look at the verse, it says, 31:53 "Out of one of them arise a little power, a king," 31:57 and the them is the horns. 31:59 People began to look around the divisions of the Grecian empire 32:02 after Alexander the Great died, and they looked for a king or a 32:06 power that would arise from one of those four divisions. 32:09 And they tried to identify that power as the little horn, 32:12 thus moving the focus away from pagan Rome and even moving away 32:17 from the papal power. 32:19 And one of the suggestions that has been made is, well, 32:21 this little horn power, could it be Antiochus Epiphanes? 32:24 Now, he was a king that did arise from one of the four 32:27 divisions of the Grecian empire, but he does not fit into 32:32 the prophecy. 32:34 And we'll see here a few points on the screen. 32:36 First of all, Antiochus Epiphanes did not become 32:38 exceedingly great as the prophecy says he would have 32:42 to be. 32:43 Matter of fact, there's not much said about Antiochus Epiphanes. 32:47 Alexander the Great is far greater than he. 32:50 And of course, you have the various other powers like 32:53 Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, much greater than Antiochus 32:56 Epiphanes. 32:57 So no, he did not become exceedingly great. 32:59 Number two says he did not rule in the latter time, 33:02 nor the end of the Seleucid kingdom as the 33:05 prophecy requires. 33:07 Verse 23 says, "He shall rule till the latter time." 33:11 This king obviously did not rule even to the end of the Grecian 33:15 empire, nor does he have any reference to today. 33:19 Number three, those who teach that Antiochus Epiphanes is the 33:22 little horn power take the 2,300 days literal instead 33:26 of prophetic. 33:28 It says of 2,300 days in verse 14, 33:31 then shall the sanctuary be cleansed. 33:33 So, if they're going to apply this to this king, they say, 33:35 "Well, you've got to take this time period literal, 33:38 not prophetic." 33:39 But even in taking it literal, it doesn't fit 33:41 with Antiochus Epiphanes. 33:43 If taken literally, it would be about six years. 33:46 Antiochus Epiphanes was not born until 215 BC, 33:50 some 242 years later, so he doesn't even fit with the 2300 33:56 year time period. 33:58 Verse 4 or point number four says the little horns still 34:01 exists at the time of the end. 34:03 And of course, Antiochus died in 164 BC. 34:08 It does not exist till the end of time. 34:10 The little horn was to become exceedingly great in the 34:12 southeast and in Palestine, according to verse 9. 34:16 Although Antiochus Epiphanes did rule Palestine for a while, 34:19 he did not rule in Egypt, which is to the south, 34:22 nor in Macedonia, which is to the east. 34:26 The next point says, "The little horn throws down the place of 34:30 God's sanctuary," according to verse 11. 34:33 Antiochus Epiphanes did not destroy the temple in Jerusalem, 34:36 he did profane it. 34:38 Apparently, there was a rebellion amongst the Jews, 34:41 and he marched into the temple in Jerusalem and he offered a 34:43 pig on the altar, so he definitely profaned the temple 34:49 and made many of the Jews upset. 34:51 But he did not destroy Jerusalem, 34:53 nor did he cast down the sanctuary, the temple. 34:56 That, of course, did not happen until 70 AD by the Romans, 35:00 who finally destroyed the temple as well as the city 35:03 of Jerusalem. 35:06 Point number seven, Christ applies the abominations of 35:09 desolation, which we read about in Daniel 9, 35:13 to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. 35:17 This is a rather important point. 35:19 And maybe if you have your Bibles, you can just turn to it. 35:22 Matthew chapter 24, this is this famous passage where Jesus is 35:26 talking to the disciples, and he refers to the abomination of 35:30 desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet. 35:33 And it's important for us to understand this because there 35:34 are a number of modern interpretations of Daniel 35:38 chapter 8, and they apply the abominations of desolation to 35:41 Antiochus Epiphanes, who sacrificed the pig on the altar. 35:45 But this is not what Jesus did. 35:47 Jesus applies the abomination of desolation not to a historical 35:52 occurrence, but rather to something that was to be in the 35:54 future from his time. 35:57 And here you find in Matthew chapter 24, 36:00 this is when the disciples came and asked Jesus, 36:02 "When shall these things be, when will Jerusalem be 36:04 destroyed, and what are the signs of Your second coming?" 36:08 And Jesus responds in verse 15, and He says, "Therefore, 36:11 when you see," this is Matthew 24:15, 36:13 "when you see the abomination of desolation," there it is, 36:17 "spoken of by Daniel the prophet, 36:20 'Stand in the holy place. 36:22 Whoever reads, let him understand. 36:24 Then let those who are in Judea flee into the mountains.'" 36:29 So, is Jesus talking about the abomination of desolation as a 36:32 historical event that already occurred before His time? 36:36 Or does Jesus still put it in the future? 36:39 He puts it in the future. 36:41 He says, "When you see the abomination of desolation stand 36:43 in the holy place." 36:45 Jesus can't be referring to Antiochus Epiphanes, 36:47 who died 100 years before Christ. 36:50 He must be referring to a future event. 36:52 Now, verse 16 says, "Let them that--let them or those that be 36:56 in Judea flee to the mountains." 36:59 Now, you want to keep that in mind and take a look at another 37:02 verse where Jesus is talking about the same event in Luke 37:06 chapter 21. 37:08 So, turn in your Bibles to Luke chapter 21 and we're going to 37:10 look here at verse 20. 37:12 Jesus says when you see the abomination of desolation 37:15 stand in the holy place, then flee to the mountains. 37:19 Now, he words it differently in Luke chapter 21, verse 20. 37:25 Starting in verse 20, we'll read through to verse 22. 37:28 Luke chapter 21, starting in verse 20, Jesus says, 37:31 "But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, 37:36 then know that its desolation is near." 37:38 Notice the word there desolation, 37:41 paralleling with Matthew 24, the abomination of desolation? 37:44 Verse 21, "Then let those who be in Judea flee to the mountains, 37:47 let those who are in the midst of her depart, 37:49 and let those who are in the country enter her--or not 37:53 enter her." 37:55 Verse 22, "For these are the days of vengeance, 37:58 that all things which are written may be fulfilled." 38:02 Now, in Matthew 24, Jesus says it's something 38:05 that Daniel wrote. 38:07 And when he says, "When you see this abomination of desolation, 38:09 flee to the mountains," clearly here Jesus is not talking about 38:12 a historical event, he's talking about a future event from 38:14 his time. 38:16 When you see armies surrounding Jerusalem, 38:17 that occurred in 70 AD, it brought the destruction 38:20 of Jerusalem. 38:22 So, from Christ's own words, you can't apply this abomination of 38:25 desolation or this little horn power to Antiochus Epiphanes. 38:29 It has to be the Roman power, pagan Rome followed then by 38:33 papal Rome. 38:35 So, hopefully you understand that because, as mentioned, 38:37 it is a popular teaching today that the little horn is not Rome 38:41 or the papacy, but it's Antiochus Epiphanes. 38:45 All right, the next question we want to consider then is, 38:48 what is meant by the daily sacrifice? 38:52 It says, "The little horn power would remove the daily 38:54 sacrifice." 38:55 If you have your Bibles, look now at verse 11. 38:57 Talking about this little horn power and it says this, 39:03 "He even exalted himself as high as the Prince of the Host." 39:07 Who's the Prince of the Host? 39:09 Jesus. 39:10 "And by him," that is the little horn power, 39:13 "the daily sacrifices were taken away and the place of his 39:17 sanctuary was cast down." 39:19 Now, one of the things that the Roman power would do, 39:22 the papacy in particular, would cast down the sanctuary and the 39:29 daily sacrifices. 39:30 Verse 12, "Because transgression, an 39:32 army was given over to the horn to oppose the daily 39:35 sacrifices, and he cast the truth down to the ground, 39:39 and he did all of this and he prospered." 39:42 Again, we're talking about the papal power. 39:44 Verse 13, "Then I heard one speaking to the other, 39:49 of one of the holy ones who said, 39:51 'How long will be the vision concerning the daily sacrifices 39:55 and the transgression of desolation to be given both the 39:59 sanctuary and the host to be trampled underfoot?'" 40:03 So, what then are the daily sacrifices? 40:05 Got to understand that remember the context of Daniel chapter 8 40:08 is in sanctuary language or imagery. 40:11 In the Old Testament sanctuary, a daily sacrifice is offered, 40:14 a lamb was brought in the morning and in the evening, 40:17 and it represented the atonement or forgiveness 40:20 through a substitute. 40:22 It pointed to Jesus, the Lamb of God that would take away the 40:25 sins of the world. 40:26 So, when it says the little horn power would try and do away 40:30 with the daily sacrifice, it's referring to what this horn 40:34 power would do to try and remove an understanding of the ministry 40:39 of Jesus of his sacrifice for us on Calvary. 40:43 He's talking about the papal power. 40:45 It would misrepresent the gospel and the work that Jesus is doing 40:49 for us. 40:51 Hebrews chapter 8 makes it very clear as to where the sanctuary 40:54 is today and what Jesus is doing as our high priest. 40:58 Hebrews chapter 8, verse 1 says, "Now this is the main point of 41:01 the things that we are saying. 41:03 We have such a high priest who is seated at the right hand of 41:06 the throne of the majesty of the heavens, 41:09 a minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle, 41:12 which the Lord erected, not man." 41:15 So, in Hebrews, it tells us that Jesus is in heaven and He's 41:18 ministering in the heavenly sanctuary, not the earthly. 41:22 Number 3, verse 3 of Hebrews 8 says, 41:25 "For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts 41:27 and sacrifices, therefore it was necessary that this one also has 41:31 something to offer. 41:34 For if He was on the earth, He would not be a priest, 41:36 since there are priests who offer gifts according to the 41:38 law, who serve as a copy and a shadow of the heavenly things, 41:42 as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make 41:45 the tabernacle. 41:47 For he said, 'See that thou make all things according to the 41:50 pattern that was showed you in the mount.'" 41:53 Verse 6 says, "But now He has obtained a more excellent 41:56 ministry in as much as He is also the mediator of a better 42:00 covenant, which was established on better promises." 42:04 So, Hebrews chapter 8 makes it very clear that there is a 42:06 heavenly sanctuary. 42:08 Jesus is a high priest who ministers for us, 42:11 and it's his sacrifice that brings salvation. 42:14 The little horn power would try to misrepresent what Jesus is 42:20 doing in heaven, would take the truth of his sacrifice and his 42:25 atonement and cast it down to the ground. 42:29 Misrepresented, that's what's being described here. 42:32 So, how did this daily sacrifice get taken away? 42:37 How did the papacy remove this daily sacrifice? 42:40 First of all, we noticed that there 42:42 was a counterfeit sanctuary. 42:44 The Roman Catholic church on earth has usurped the place of 42:48 Christ's true tabernacle in heaven. 42:51 In other words, the Roman church says that salvation is found in 42:54 the church. 42:56 And if you're outside the church, 42:59 you don't have access to salvation, 43:01 thus you have excommunication. 43:03 When the church would banish someone from the church, 43:07 in essence they were saying, "You don't have salvation." 43:10 Well, where is our sanctuary, where we find salvation today? 43:14 It's not on the earth, it's not the church, but it's in heaven, 43:17 where Jesus ministers as the high priest. 43:20 Point number two, a counterfeit sacrifice. 43:22 The sacrifice of the mass has been given to usurp the place of 43:26 Christ's true, once for all sacrifice, 43:29 His atoning sacrifice on Calvary. 43:31 There is a counterfeit priesthood, where you 43:33 have human priests who can't forgive sins. 43:37 Who only can forgive sins? 43:39 That's Jesus. 43:40 So, we go directly to Jesus to obtain forgiveness, 43:43 we don't go to a human priest. 43:45 There is a counterfeit mediator. 43:47 Not only is Christ our mediator, but according to the papal 43:51 power, Mary is declared to, in some cases, 43:54 even be more compassionate and accessible as a mediator. 43:59 She is a co-mediator with Christ. 44:02 Point number five, there is a counterfeit vicar of Christ or 44:05 representative of Christ. 44:08 The pope has usurped the place of the Holy Spirit as the 44:12 infallible teacher of divine truth and the true successor of 44:16 Christ on the earth. 44:18 Jesus said to His disciples, "I'm going to leave you, 44:21 but I will not leave you orphans, 44:22 but I will send the Holy Spirit. 44:25 He will represent Me, He will speak of Me." 44:28 But in the papal power, the pope takes the place of the 44:32 Holy Spirit, he is the one that speaks for God or at least 44:35 claims to speak for God. 44:37 There is also a counterfeit way of salvation. 44:40 Salvation by works through prayers and penances, 44:43 this has usurped the place of salvation by God's free grace. 44:47 And of course, that was the point in particular that sparked 44:49 the Protestant Reformation. 44:51 Well, the Bible makes clear that we are saved by grace through 44:54 faith in Jesus, not through a church or not by asking 44:59 forgiveness from a priest, but we go directly to Jesus, 45:03 our high priest, who ministers for us in the 45:05 heavenly sanctuary. 45:07 So, what Daniel chapter 8 is doing, 45:09 it's identifying a power that would rule right till the very 45:12 end of time that would try to misrepresent the truth of 45:16 Christ's sacrifice and His high priestly ministry. 45:20 And that's what's been highlighted here. 45:23 But then the verse says in verse 14, "Until 2,300 days, 45:27 then the sanctuary shall be cleansed." 45:31 So, what is this cleansing of the sanctuary mean? 45:34 Well, when we talk about the cleansing of the sanctuary, 45:36 there are two parts to this cleansing work. 45:39 There is a cleansing that takes place in heaven, 45:43 as well as a cleansing that takes place on the earth. 45:46 When it talks about a cleansing in heaven, 45:48 this will be accomplished by the commencement of the great 45:50 heavenly day of atonement, when the confessed sins of God's 45:54 children are blotted out of the heavenly record. 45:58 Now, verse 14 of Daniel 8 says, "Until 2,300 days, 46:01 then the sanctuary shall be cleansed," 46:03 that announced the beginning of this heavenly ministry, 46:07 where Jesus is cleansing the record of the sins of those who 46:10 have confessed, those who have exercised faith in Jesus. 46:14 And that work is going on right now. 46:17 But in addition to the work of cleansing that takes place in 46:19 heaven in the heavenly sanctuary, 46:21 there is also a work of cleansing that takes place on 46:25 the earth. 46:26 Now, I've asked you this before, how many different types of 46:29 sanctuaries are described in the Bible? 46:33 Well, we got the obvious ones, we've got the sanctuary in 46:36 heaven, and that is the work of cleansing that Jesus is doing 46:39 for us in heaven. 46:41 But the Bible also speaks of a sanctuary on the earth during 46:44 the days of Moses. 46:45 God told Moses to build a sanctuary, 46:47 so we have the heavenly sanctuary, 46:49 we have the earthly sanctuary. 46:51 But then the Bible also speaks of Jesus being the temple of 46:55 the sanctuary. 46:57 Jesus said, "Destroy this temple and in three days, 46:59 I will raise it up again." 47:01 And He was speaking of Himself, so that would be the third. 47:04 And then the Bible also speaks of the believer as being the 47:07 temple or the sanctuary. 47:09 "Know you not that your body is the temple of the 47:11 Holy Spirit," right? 47:12 That dwells in you. 47:14 And so there's four, and then the fifth would be the church. 47:18 The Bible speaks of the church as being the sanctuary or the 47:21 temple, and we're living stones built upon Jesus, 47:25 the chief cornerstone. 47:27 So, when it talks about a work of cleansing, 47:29 not only is he referring to a cleansing of the record of sin 47:32 in heaven, but it's also referring to a work of 47:36 cleansing, a reestablishment of truth on the earth through the 47:40 church, through the believer, a cleansing in the heart and in 47:44 the life, a reflecting of the character of Jesus to the world. 47:50 So, this work of cleansing in heaven is paralleled by a work 47:53 of cleansing that takes place on the earth. 47:56 And when the work of cleansing is complete in heaven, 47:59 there will be a work of cleansing that'll be complete on 48:02 the earth. 48:04 And when Jesus is finished, this high priestly ministry, 48:07 this work of cleansing, then he says, "He that is holy, 48:11 let him be holy still. 48:13 He that is filthy, let him be filthy still." 48:16 Probation closes, and then Jesus removes his priestly robe, 48:20 puts on his kingly robe, and Jesus comes back as King of 48:23 kings and Lord of lords. 48:26 His work of high priest is finished, 48:28 and now He's coming as a king to take us home. 48:32 So, what's brought to view then in Daniel chapter 8 is not only 48:36 Medo-Persia and Greece and Rome, but it's also identifying a 48:41 power that would rule or be around all the way to the time 48:44 of the end that would try to misrepresent the sacrifice 48:48 of Jesus. 48:50 But at the same time, it says at the time of the end, 48:52 the truth of what Jesus is doing as our high priest will be 48:55 revealed, and the work of cleansing that Jesus is doing in 48:59 heaven through the antitypical day of atonement will be 49:02 experienced amongst His people on the earth, 49:05 a special work of cleansing or revival that takes place in the 49:10 hearts and the lives of believers. 49:13 So, from Medo-Persia through Greece, Rome, the papal power, 49:20 the cleansing of the sanctuary, we come to where we are today. 49:25 We are living in this final phase of Christ's high priestly 49:28 ministry, an entire panorama of history to show us where we 49:33 are today. 49:35 That's what we find in Daniel 2, Daniel 7, 49:38 and in particularly here in Daniel chapter 8. 49:41 Now, Daniel chapter 8 doesn't talk about this 2300 days as to 49:44 when it begins. 49:45 The answer to when the 2300 days begins you find in Daniel 49:48 chapter 9, and that'll be our study next week. 49:52 But just at this point, we understand what this cleansing 49:54 is all about, the cleansing of the sanctuary. 49:56 And next time, we'll find out when exactly this begins. 50:00 Again, we'd like to thank our friends for joining us for our 50:03 "Sabbath School Study Hour." 50:04 We'd like to remind you about our free offer today, 50:07 it's entitled "God Drew the Plans." 50:09 If you'd like to receive the lesson, 50:10 the number to call is 866-788-3966. 50:15 And ask for offer number 129, and we'll send it to you. 50:19 Or you can text the code SH135 to the number 40544 and you'll 50:26 be able to get a digital download of the study guide, 50:29 "God Drew the Plans." 50:31 Again, we want to thank you for joining us for our Sabbath 50:33 School study time. 50:35 We look forward to studying with you again next week. 50:40 male announcer: Don't forget to request today's life-changing 50:42 free resource. 50:43 Not only can you receive this free gift in the mail, 50:45 you can download a digital copy straight to your computer or 50:47 mobile device. 50:49 To get your digital copy of today's free gift, 50:52 simply text the key word on your screen to 40544, 50:56 or visit the web address shown on your screen. 50:59 And be sure to select the digital download option on the 51:01 request page. 51:03 It's now easier than ever for you to study God's Word with 51:06 Amazing Facts wherever and whenever you want, 51:09 and most important to share it with others. 51:18 announcer: Amazing Facts, changed lives. 51:27 Kip Johnston: I was raised very spoiled, very lucky, 51:29 very blessed. 51:31 I was raised in the church, actually. 51:33 As a child, God was presented to me as vindictive, 51:37 so it didn't interest me very much. 51:39 When I got much older, I was told by a friend of mine that I 51:42 wasn't even a Christian. 51:44 I said, "I'm a good person, I don't steal, I don't cheat, 51:46 I don't kill." 51:48 And it was told to me that, "No, in order to be a Christian, 51:51 you must be born again." 51:53 The next day, I went and appropriated a Bible, 51:55 I read the New Testament. 51:57 I just set the Bible down and said, "God, if you're real, 52:00 deal me in." 52:02 I went to a Christian college to study theology and about God. 52:06 But when I left college, I took a job selling Christian 52:09 literature and Bibles door to door, and I went flat broke. 52:14 I stopped in to play poker in a place in LA. 52:17 I was an instant success. 52:19 My life became poker, and I got books, and I read poker books. 52:22 I had my Bible in one hand and a poker book in the other. 52:24 I was a Christian poker player. 52:25 I thought that the Lord was blessing me. 52:27 The amount of money that I made playing poker was so big, 52:31 it would scare you. 52:32 I was very self-indulgent, I did not deny myself anything that I 52:35 thought would make me happy, but I was still empty. 52:39 I went to all the Christian churches, 52:42 gave them all a fair shot. 52:43 Some of them three months, some of them two years. 52:46 Unimpressed. 52:47 Saturday morning, I happened to be traveling from one poker 52:50 place to another, I just happened to have a little TV in 52:53 my truck, and Doug Batchelor came up on there. 52:57 And I was like, "This guy makes sense." 52:59 I knew Doug Batchelor was in Sacramento, 53:01 so I came to meet him. 53:03 I told him, I said, "I am a Christian doing God's work, 53:07 and I make a living playing poker. 53:08 And I am giving away these great converses to players, 53:12 I go to church and help the community, 53:13 and don't tell me that I'm not doing what's right." 53:16 And he said, "No, you got to get out of that casino, period." 53:20 I said, "I'm making good money." 53:22 And he says, "I know that you know what I'm telling you 53:24 is right." 53:26 And I did. 53:28 I recognized that through it all, I wasn't happy. 53:32 I said, "Lord, my life is a disaster. 53:35 I'm selfish, I'm empty. 53:37 I've tried to do what you wanted me to do so many times, 53:41 and I've always failed. 53:43 Why do I always fail? 53:45 Why do I always lose my way?" 53:51 And the Lord spoke to me, says, "You got to be involved. 53:57 You got to be involved in my work." 54:00 And that's when I said, "I need to dedicate my life fully to 54:02 God's work." 54:05 I, by the grace of God and my wife, we went to India. 54:10 Until the Lord tells me otherwise, 54:11 we're going to build orphanages in India so that children can 54:14 grow up and hear about Jesus, and they can go tell the 1.3 54:19 billion people in their country. 54:21 God had a plan for me, and now I just want to be fully dedicated 54:26 to the Lord's cause. 54:29 I am Kip Johnston, and God used Amazing Facts to change my life. 54:38 ♪♪ 54:55 Doug Batchelor: On Christmas Eve, 1971, 54:57 17-year-old Juliane Koepcke boarded LANSA flight 508 with 55:02 her mother in Lima, Peru. 55:04 They intended to join her father for Christmas at his research 55:07 station in the Amazon rainforest. 55:10 After crossing the Andes at about 21,000 feet, 55:13 their aircraft was enveloped by large, dark thunder clouds, 55:17 and it encountered severe turbulence. 55:19 Lightning was flashing everywhere and the plane was 55:22 shaken violently, which naturally terrified 55:24 the passengers. 55:26 Then a bolt of lightning struck the plane's engine and tore off 55:30 a wing. 55:32 As the doomed airliner hurdled towards the earth, 55:34 the cabin came apart, and the next thing she knew, 55:37 Juliane found herself strapped alone to a row of seats falling 55:41 and spinning silently from over 10,000 feet 55:44 above the rainforest. 55:46 She plummeted through the jungle canopy and slammed on the 55:49 forest floor. 55:50 When she awoke the next day, Juliane was amazed to realize 55:54 she had survived the two-mile fall with just a broken 55:57 collarbone and a bad gash in her arm. 56:00 After failing to find any other survivors, 56:03 Juliane relied on what her father had taught her, 56:05 that walking downstream will always lead to civilization. 56:09 So, with a bag of candy that had fallen from the plane and one 56:13 sandal, she started walking. 56:16 For ten days, Juliane hobbled, swam, or floated downstream. 56:20 Her wounds became infected and she was plagued by maggots while 56:23 having to dodge crocodiles, piranhas, 56:26 and relentless insects. 56:28 Eventually, she came to a shack, where she slept, 56:32 and she was soon discovered by Peruvian loggers. 56:35 Eventually, Juliane was united with her amazed father. 56:39 It's hard to imagine a 17-year-old girl surviving such 56:42 a fall, and then hiking alone out of the world's 56:45 largest rainforest. 56:47 You know, the Bible talks about some who survived an even 56:50 greater fall than Juliane. 56:52 In fact, according to the Scriptures, 56:54 when Adam and Eve fell in the garden of Eden, 56:56 it brought the whole human race down. 56:58 But Jesus came to redeem the world from sin. 57:02 Perhaps you're thinking to yourself, "Well, 57:04 that's okay for the world, but I've fallen too far." 57:08 Well, if the Lord can save Juliane, God can save you. 57:11 You've not gone farther than Moses, who was guilty of murder, 57:14 or David, who was guilty of adultery, or Peter, 57:17 who denied Jesus. 57:19 And all of them were saved and restored from their fall. 57:22 Or maybe you're thinking, "I've fallen too many times." 57:25 Be of good courage. 57:27 It says in Proverbs chapter 24, verse 16, 57:29 "A righteous man falls seven times and rises again." 57:32 And Jesus cast seven devils out of Mary Magdalene. 57:35 So, don't get discouraged, friend, if you've fallen, 57:38 get back up again. 57:39 The same way that He could save Juliane, 57:42 lead her from that lost condition in the rainforest, 57:45 and restore her to her father, Jesus can lead you from your 57:48 lost condition and restore you to your heavenly Father. 57:52 ♪♪ |
Revised 2020-02-24