WEBVTT 1 00:00:12.740 --> 00:00:16.640 So, welcome back. Good to see you all. 2 00:00:17.730 --> 00:00:23.620 And today we're going to continue our discussion about 3 00:00:25.320 --> 00:00:32.590 the sign of the Son of Man. Last week we talked about what? 4 00:00:34.150 --> 00:00:39.120 Who can tell me? Ah, that's right. 5 00:00:39.530 --> 00:00:47.140 We talked about Zechariah chapter 4 and it was a vision of what kind of 6 00:00:47.140 --> 00:00:54.640 trees? Olive trees, exactly. Two olive trees and in 7 00:00:54.640 --> 00:01:02.460 between were the seven lamps and oil draining from the 8 00:01:02.480 --> 00:01:10.270 trees into the lamps. So, we saw how that corresponds to the sign 9 00:01:10.400 --> 00:01:17.260 of the Son of Man, where on the two sides we have the two clocks, 10 00:01:18.510 --> 00:01:23.480 the Horologium clock and the Orion clock. 11 00:01:24.180 --> 00:01:31.450 We've seen how that is actually an hourglass and it has a lot of significance as well 12 00:01:32.070 --> 00:01:33.900 for a different kind of clock. 13 00:01:35.930 --> 00:01:42.730 And in the middle is the dove of the Spirit, the Holy Spirit, 14 00:01:42.770 --> 00:01:46.430 and that is representing the oil. 15 00:01:49.060 --> 00:01:55.360 And of course, we saw how that is distributed to the seven churches, 16 00:01:56.510 --> 00:01:59.900 which are symbolized in different places around the sign. 17 00:02:02.570 --> 00:02:08.770 So, today we're going to talk about the oil of the Spirit a little bit more. 18 00:02:12.310 --> 00:02:19.380 So, here we have the churches and you remember how there's a path 19 00:02:21.090 --> 00:02:24.830 through these churches, just like there was on earth. 20 00:02:25.660 --> 00:02:33.840 These are towns in what today is the nation of Turkey and there's 21 00:02:33.840 --> 00:02:41.250 a path, like a mail route. Somebody would actually walk along this path connecting the different churches 22 00:02:41.800 --> 00:02:48.580 or the different towns where there was a church and then they would come back to the beginning. 23 00:02:51.150 --> 00:02:58.530 So, we see the same arrangements in heaven and in the 24 00:02:58.530 --> 00:03:05.880 middle there is the dove of the Holy Spirit, 25 00:03:06.790 --> 00:03:15.020 who is distributed to the seven churches like the seven lamps. 26 00:03:15.850 --> 00:03:18.840 Every church should be like a light to the community. 27 00:03:20.000 --> 00:03:25.330 Therefore, they are represented with the lamp with seven lights, 28 00:03:26.240 --> 00:03:30.840 burning the oil of the Holy Spirit. 29 00:03:33.100 --> 00:03:39.160 And this was explained in Zechariah, chapter 4, 30 00:03:42.080 --> 00:03:49.830 verse 6. There we go. In 31 00:03:49.830 --> 00:03:57.480 verse 6, he says, Then he answered, that's the angel, and spake unto me, 32 00:03:57.480 --> 00:04:04.010 and saying, This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, 33 00:04:04.430 --> 00:04:10.650 Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit. 34 00:04:10.700 --> 00:04:17.920 This is when he saw the olive trees, he saw that vision with the oil, 35 00:04:19.120 --> 00:04:24.310 and then the Lord said, Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, 36 00:04:25.650 --> 00:04:34.410 saith the Lord of hosts. So, God was defining what this symbol 37 00:04:34.410 --> 00:04:42.300 means. The oil is the Spirit. So, let's look 38 00:04:42.300 --> 00:04:48.140 at that a little bit more because there is another 39 00:04:50.760 --> 00:04:55.290 story in the Bible that talks about oil. 40 00:04:56.710 --> 00:05:04.300 And it's a more common one. We heard it for the scripture reading. 41 00:05:06.740 --> 00:05:10.440 So, let's look at that again. The parable of the 10 virgins. 42 00:05:12.960 --> 00:05:14.710 So, it's in the setting of a wedding. 43 00:05:17.060 --> 00:05:23.380 And in Israel, they would have the wedding hall, and then they had 44 00:05:25.060 --> 00:05:32.820 the groom, the man, would come and call the guests into 45 00:05:33.000 --> 00:05:36.750 the room where they would enjoy the evening. 46 00:05:38.900 --> 00:05:45.060 And the parable describes the virgins, part of the wedding party, 47 00:05:47.340 --> 00:05:54.720 waiting for the groom. And that's just like the church is waiting for 48 00:05:55.130 --> 00:05:58.200 Jesus. We're waiting for him to come. 49 00:06:01.170 --> 00:06:08.430 And, of course, an important symbol in the Bible is of a woman. 50 00:06:09.950 --> 00:06:17.680 She represents a church. This comes from Ephesians chapter 5 and verse 25. 51 00:06:17.680 --> 00:06:25.660 It says, Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church and 52 00:06:25.660 --> 00:06:34.020 gave himself for it. So, it compares husbands with Jesus and wives 53 00:06:34.660 --> 00:06:40.540 or women with the church. So, there's that husband-wife relationship. 54 00:06:41.620 --> 00:06:48.490 And in the parable of the virgins, it's that same relationship. 55 00:06:48.490 --> 00:06:56.200 It's a wedding environment. And the churches are represented by those virgins. 56 00:06:57.480 --> 00:07:06.330 But in the parable, it talks about there being wise and foolish 57 00:07:06.330 --> 00:07:07.770 virgins. And I'm at the wrong one. 58 00:07:09.620 --> 00:07:11.090 I want Matthew 25. There we go. 59 00:07:13.600 --> 00:07:19.220 So, there's 10 virgins. Five were wise and five were foolish. 60 00:07:20.920 --> 00:07:24.110 What was the difference between the wise and the foolish? 61 00:07:26.940 --> 00:07:34.820 One had oil and one not. So, what couldn't they do if they didn't have oil? 62 00:07:37.440 --> 00:07:44.140 What was the problem? Right. They had a lamp, but in order to make their lamp shine, 63 00:07:44.650 --> 00:07:52.370 they needed oil. In those days, their lamp was 64 00:07:52.370 --> 00:07:59.630 similar to this, except it was like a bowl, and it would hold the oil. 65 00:08:01.490 --> 00:08:04.910 And then they had a wick where they could light it. 66 00:08:05.360 --> 00:08:10.180 So, it was basically like a bowl with a flame on the end. 67 00:08:10.960 --> 00:08:17.730 We'll see it a little bit later. But without the oil, they couldn't 68 00:08:19.790 --> 00:08:21.430 burn the oil to make the light. 69 00:08:24.800 --> 00:08:27.000 Now, that was an important thing. 70 00:08:27.000 --> 00:08:30.960 You know, if it's dark, you need light. 71 00:08:31.910 --> 00:08:36.240 And God made it so that the church is the light of the world. 72 00:08:37.000 --> 00:08:44.030 That's what Jesus said. And so, we need to have the oil in order to shine. 73 00:08:46.140 --> 00:08:49.320 So, we are in the position of those virgins. 74 00:08:50.210 --> 00:08:57.030 We are the church. And the parable therefore makes a question to us. 75 00:08:58.520 --> 00:09:06.530 Are we wise virgins with oil? Or are we foolish virgins without 76 00:09:06.680 --> 00:09:14.510 oil? Now, Jesus started this 77 00:09:14.590 --> 00:09:22.480 parable saying, then shall the kingdom of heaven be 78 00:09:22.480 --> 00:09:29.830 likened unto. So, he said, this is what the kingdom of heaven is like. 79 00:09:30.280 --> 00:09:32.800 It's like these ten virgins, and then he tells a story. 80 00:09:35.370 --> 00:09:43.210 Now, when Jesus says, the kingdom is like something, today we can 81 00:09:43.210 --> 00:09:47.810 understand that in light of the sign of the son of man. 82 00:09:49.000 --> 00:09:53.170 Because in the sign of the son of man, there are many symbols. 83 00:09:54.650 --> 00:09:58.890 And they talk about, they describe the kingdom of heaven. 84 00:10:00.780 --> 00:10:07.260 So, the question is, in the sign, we have 85 00:10:08.570 --> 00:10:16.320 the seven churches, but where are the 86 00:10:16.320 --> 00:10:19.010 five virgins, the five wise virgins? 87 00:10:20.300 --> 00:10:25.500 Because the foolish virgins, well, they're not part of the kingdom. 88 00:10:26.960 --> 00:10:31.770 But there should be five wise virgins in this sign. 89 00:10:32.780 --> 00:10:35.400 Because this sign describes the kingdom of heaven. 90 00:10:36.310 --> 00:10:44.230 It illustrates it for us. Now, if 91 00:10:44.230 --> 00:10:48.300 we look at this, there's a clue. 92 00:10:51.280 --> 00:10:58.240 Because we need five of something. 93 00:10:58.240 --> 00:11:01.640 And we have seven points where we have a church. 94 00:11:03.990 --> 00:11:07.290 And there's a clue down here in the river. 95 00:11:09.100 --> 00:11:11.570 Because how many rivers are there? 96 00:11:14.240 --> 00:11:21.210 Just one river. But there's two churches illustrated by that one river. 97 00:11:22.720 --> 00:11:28.200 One church, Philadelphia, is inside the sign of the son of man, 98 00:11:29.230 --> 00:11:35.110 inside this boundary. The other church is outside. 99 00:11:37.610 --> 00:11:45.560 So, in the context of the ten virgins, which one would 100 00:11:45.560 --> 00:11:48.690 represent the wise and which one would represent the foolish? 101 00:11:51.650 --> 00:11:53.340 Inside would represent which one? 102 00:11:55.290 --> 00:12:01.430 The wise. Because they're inside, they have the oil of the Holy Spirit. 103 00:12:03.170 --> 00:12:08.810 And outside is the foolish. They're the foolish virgins. 104 00:12:11.620 --> 00:12:19.340 Exactly. And both Philadelphia and Laodicea talk about the door in Jesus' 105 00:12:19.440 --> 00:12:23.270 letter to those churches. Why don't we just look at that? 106 00:12:25.640 --> 00:12:29.920 This is in Revelation chapter 3. 107 00:12:33.230 --> 00:12:40.190 And to Philadelphia, Jesus says, he introduces himself 108 00:12:41.310 --> 00:12:46.320 in verse 8. He says, I know thy works. 109 00:12:47.130 --> 00:12:53.460 Behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it. 110 00:12:54.920 --> 00:13:00.200 For thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name. 111 00:13:01.680 --> 00:13:07.630 So, they have an open door. And then if you look down in verse 112 00:13:13.220 --> 00:13:18.400 20, Jesus speaks now to Laodicea. 113 00:13:18.520 --> 00:13:24.940 And he says, behold, I stand at the door, and knock. 114 00:13:25.480 --> 00:13:27.520 And you don't knock usually at an open door. 115 00:13:29.340 --> 00:13:33.020 If any man hear my voice and open the door, because it's closed, 116 00:13:34.050 --> 00:13:38.360 I will come into him, and will sup with him, and he with me. 117 00:13:39.430 --> 00:13:46.670 So, we see that contrast. With Philadelphia, Jesus presents an open door. 118 00:13:48.360 --> 00:13:54.730 With Laodicea, he's standing at the door, and he knocks, because it's closed. 119 00:13:58.260 --> 00:14:02.130 And Jesus didn't have anything positive to say about Laodicea. 120 00:14:04.750 --> 00:14:09.980 But for Philadelphia, he didn't have anything negative to say. 121 00:14:12.020 --> 00:14:19.900 So, this gives us a contrast between Philadelphia, like the wise virgins, 122 00:14:21.520 --> 00:14:25.400 and Laodicea, like the foolish. 123 00:14:28.390 --> 00:14:38.030 But I think there is more to it than just saying that the wise 124 00:14:38.830 --> 00:14:44.740 are in the church of Philadelphia, and the foolish are in the church of Laodicea. 125 00:14:46.870 --> 00:14:53.450 Because Jesus said there are five wise and five foolish virgins. 126 00:14:54.380 --> 00:15:02.170 So, we should see five. And we know that the virgins are our churches. 127 00:15:03.380 --> 00:15:11.590 So, we need to explore a little bit to see where those five virgins 128 00:15:11.690 --> 00:15:19.480 might be represented. First of all, when we look in the 129 00:15:19.480 --> 00:15:27.420 book of Revelation, Revelation is all talking about the revelation of Jesus Christ 130 00:15:27.680 --> 00:15:34.240 is appearing. And it leads us to the time. 131 00:15:34.240 --> 00:15:37.150 It gives us an understanding of the time. 132 00:15:37.450 --> 00:15:45.020 The whole book, the book of Revelation, is about the time of Jesus's 133 00:15:45.170 --> 00:15:52.650 appearing. And even these letters to the churches, 134 00:15:53.730 --> 00:16:03.570 they describe a time frame. And this is well understood by many 135 00:16:03.620 --> 00:16:09.100 churches of various denominations. 136 00:16:11.260 --> 00:16:18.490 They understand that since the time of Christ, these seven churches represent 137 00:16:18.960 --> 00:16:26.360 periods of time. So, there was the early church of the apostles 138 00:16:27.160 --> 00:16:29.750 and the people that they brought to the church. 139 00:16:30.730 --> 00:16:35.210 And they were described in his letter to the church of Ephesus. 140 00:16:36.550 --> 00:16:44.400 So, that means in that letter to the church of Ephesus, those things 141 00:16:44.400 --> 00:16:51.750 applied especially to those people at that time when the church was young, 142 00:16:53.540 --> 00:16:59.370 relatively speaking. It was only for a couple of hundred years or so. 143 00:17:02.570 --> 00:17:10.350 And then came the time where Smyrna, Jesus's letter to Smyrna was very 144 00:17:10.640 --> 00:17:19.160 relevant. And that was a time when there was a lot of persecution 145 00:17:19.950 --> 00:17:27.620 in the church. Christianity wasn't well liked by the Roman pagan religion. 146 00:17:30.010 --> 00:17:36.550 And so, there were many Christians who were killed just for being Christian. 147 00:17:38.550 --> 00:17:46.540 And in Jesus's letter to the church of Smyrna, that's in Revelation chapter 148 00:17:46.790 --> 00:17:54.600 2. And Jesus introduces 149 00:17:54.600 --> 00:17:59.580 himself. He says to the angel of the church in Smyrna, write: 150 00:18:00.660 --> 00:18:05.960 These things saith the first and the last, which was dead and is alive. 151 00:18:07.170 --> 00:18:15.140 So, he's identifying with their experience because many of them had died and he's giving 152 00:18:15.200 --> 00:18:23.070 them hope. He says, I know thy works and tribulation because they 153 00:18:23.070 --> 00:18:28.190 had a lot of persecution from the Romans, their poverty. 154 00:18:29.490 --> 00:18:31.800 And then he says, but thou art rich. 155 00:18:33.250 --> 00:18:36.580 Now, that's interesting. We'll come back to that in just a moment. 156 00:18:38.360 --> 00:18:41.930 And I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews and are not, 157 00:18:42.520 --> 00:18:44.840 but are of the synagogue of Satan. 158 00:18:44.840 --> 00:18:52.330 And then he encourages them and says, fear none of those things which thou 159 00:18:52.540 --> 00:18:59.760 shalt suffer. Behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison that ye may be tried 160 00:19:01.610 --> 00:19:04.940 and ye shall have tribulation 10 days. 161 00:19:06.020 --> 00:19:13.880 And indeed, in that time period that Smyrna represents, there were 162 00:19:14.950 --> 00:19:20.580 10 days or rather 10 years because it's symbolic. 163 00:19:20.910 --> 00:19:23.480 And so, a day represents a year. 164 00:19:23.880 --> 00:19:30.910 And there were 10 years, especially when the people of Smyrna 165 00:19:31.300 --> 00:19:36.670 were, or the Christians rather, were very persecuted. 166 00:19:37.820 --> 00:19:43.570 The Roman emperor had many of them executed. 167 00:19:45.710 --> 00:19:48.110 And so, there were many martyrs in that time. 168 00:19:51.880 --> 00:19:59.410 And this was actually, I believe, at the end of that period 169 00:20:00.590 --> 00:20:08.590 until about 313. In those last years, that was when they had that 170 00:20:08.590 --> 00:20:12.230 great tribulation. That's not so important. 171 00:20:12.910 --> 00:20:17.070 The important thing for what we're talking about today, it's not so important. 172 00:20:18.370 --> 00:20:23.680 For them, it was very important. And that's how it is with Jesus' letters. 173 00:20:24.280 --> 00:20:27.940 They're very important when you're going through that experience. 174 00:20:30.200 --> 00:20:35.010 So, for all of us, we can learn something from those letters. 175 00:20:36.050 --> 00:20:44.960 But for our experience, there's one or another that will reach 176 00:20:44.960 --> 00:20:52.480 us more, more closely, and be in a way more important to us than some of the 177 00:20:52.480 --> 00:21:00.210 others. And that's what it is, what it was like 178 00:21:01.590 --> 00:21:05.120 in this time frame. If you look at it in terms of just time, 179 00:21:05.690 --> 00:21:13.440 from the time of Christ until now, the letter to each church was especially 180 00:21:13.440 --> 00:21:16.960 significant to the people of that time. 181 00:21:18.770 --> 00:21:26.090 And you get all the way until today where it's the era of Laodicea, 182 00:21:26.740 --> 00:21:34.430 if you will. And it's interesting because there's kind of a progression 183 00:21:35.530 --> 00:21:43.110 through the letters. From the beginning, the apostolic church with Ephesus, 184 00:21:44.460 --> 00:21:52.180 Jesus says, He says, I know thy works, and thy labor, 185 00:21:52.870 --> 00:21:58.200 and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil, 186 00:21:59.040 --> 00:22:02.960 and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, 187 00:22:03.690 --> 00:22:08.280 and has found them liars. So, He repeats some of the good things that they did. 188 00:22:08.280 --> 00:22:12.330 And He continues there. I won't read everything. 189 00:22:12.840 --> 00:22:16.310 But then He says, nevertheless, I have somewhat against thee. 190 00:22:16.310 --> 00:22:21.770 This is verse four. Because thou hast left thy first love. 191 00:22:23.400 --> 00:22:25.250 So, they were working for the Lord. 192 00:22:25.860 --> 00:22:27.710 They were letting their light shine. 193 00:22:29.410 --> 00:22:33.440 But something happened. They left their first love. 194 00:22:33.480 --> 00:22:36.740 That means they got sidetracked. 195 00:22:37.900 --> 00:22:40.450 They went, started going on the wrong way. 196 00:22:42.670 --> 00:22:48.790 And instead of keeping Jesus in the forefront in all that they were doing, 197 00:22:50.970 --> 00:22:57.050 they started going off of that way and lost sight of Christ. 198 00:23:02.870 --> 00:23:06.840 And Jesus says, therefore, remember from whence thou art fallen, 199 00:23:07.680 --> 00:23:15.350 and repent, and do the first works, or else I will come to thee quickly and remove thy 200 00:23:15.350 --> 00:23:19.790 candlestick out of its place, except thou repent. 201 00:23:23.850 --> 00:23:29.470 Now, one of the things He mentions as we continue, He says, 202 00:23:29.520 --> 00:23:35.660 but this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, 203 00:23:36.060 --> 00:23:43.940 which I also hate. So, we see this theme coming up again in different forms 204 00:23:44.270 --> 00:23:51.890 through the churches. For example, in 205 00:23:53.710 --> 00:23:58.980 the church of Pergamos, this is now the third church. 206 00:24:01.520 --> 00:24:08.960 He doesn't have anything bad to say about Smyrna, but from Ephesus to Pergamos, 207 00:24:09.760 --> 00:24:16.170 we see this theme with the doctrine of the Nicolaitans. 208 00:24:17.820 --> 00:24:20.430 Let's start in verse 14, chapter 2, verse 14. 209 00:24:22.580 --> 00:24:25.570 He's speaking to Pergamos, the church of Pergamos, and he says, 210 00:24:26.220 --> 00:24:32.380 I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of 211 00:24:32.380 --> 00:24:38.490 Balaam, who taught Balak to cast a stumbling block before the children of Israel, 212 00:24:39.590 --> 00:24:43.790 to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication. 213 00:24:45.850 --> 00:24:52.470 So, Jesus was saying, you're teaching the people to go astray, 214 00:24:53.930 --> 00:25:01.690 just like Ephesus went astray, but even though they were starting to go astray, 215 00:25:02.830 --> 00:25:05.650 they still hated the deeds of the Nicolaitans. 216 00:25:07.250 --> 00:25:10.240 It's not entirely clear what that is, but we get some hints. 217 00:25:12.070 --> 00:25:18.000 And here, he talks about the doctrine of Balaam, casting a stumbling block. 218 00:25:18.410 --> 00:25:21.690 A stumbling block is something in your way, and you want to walk, 219 00:25:22.050 --> 00:25:24.360 and then suddenly, you trip over that. 220 00:25:25.300 --> 00:25:31.830 It's a problem that would be in the way for the children of Israel, 221 00:25:31.830 --> 00:25:33.980 or for the church, spiritual Israel. 222 00:25:36.140 --> 00:25:43.070 And that problem was eating things sacrificed to idols, and committing fornication. 223 00:25:45.770 --> 00:25:53.660 And then he says, so thou hast also them that hold the doctrine of the 224 00:25:53.660 --> 00:25:55.630 Nicolaitans. So, he connects these. 225 00:25:56.640 --> 00:26:04.040 This putting of the stumbling block in front is like 226 00:26:04.270 --> 00:26:08.820 the doctrine, or it leads to the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, 227 00:26:09.600 --> 00:26:17.420 which thing I hate. So, Ephesus hated it also, but by the time we get to Pergamos, 228 00:26:19.000 --> 00:26:26.480 they have that doctrine. And then when we look to the next church, 229 00:26:27.330 --> 00:26:31.600 it gets a little worse, maybe even a lot worse. 230 00:26:32.330 --> 00:26:38.630 Because here, in verse 20, he says again, notwithstanding these good things he mentioned, 231 00:26:40.020 --> 00:26:45.160 I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, 232 00:26:46.230 --> 00:26:48.470 which calleth herself a prophetess. 233 00:26:49.140 --> 00:26:56.870 So now, there's somebody who's speaking, a prophetess is a 234 00:26:56.870 --> 00:26:59.350 woman who speaks with whose authority? 235 00:27:02.180 --> 00:27:07.410 With God's authority. They claim to be a prophet, or a prophetess for a woman, 236 00:27:08.040 --> 00:27:10.370 and they're speaking with God's authority. 237 00:27:11.520 --> 00:27:18.550 But then Jesus says, they're teaching and seducing my servants to again commit 238 00:27:18.720 --> 00:27:23.530 fornication, and eat things sacrificed to idols. 239 00:27:26.200 --> 00:27:31.960 So now, they're teaching those false things with the authority of God, 240 00:27:32.440 --> 00:27:37.320 supposedly the authority of God, calling themself a prophet, 241 00:27:37.440 --> 00:27:45.180 calling herself a prophetess. So, that makes things worse, because in this 242 00:27:45.180 --> 00:27:52.110 church, and this church had the longest time frame. 243 00:27:54.830 --> 00:28:02.700 I don't have a timeline in history to show you, but Thyatira spanned 244 00:28:03.340 --> 00:28:10.580 hundreds and hundreds of years, during the time when the church 245 00:28:11.710 --> 00:28:19.040 was even above kings in the world, and the church, the 246 00:28:19.660 --> 00:28:25.040 pope of the church would appoint emperors and kings in different nations, 247 00:28:27.460 --> 00:28:30.620 and it was a long time that these things happened. 248 00:28:31.540 --> 00:28:35.980 Many errors came into the church during that time. 249 00:28:41.080 --> 00:28:46.970 There was idolatry that came in, there was Mary, Mary worship, 250 00:28:47.160 --> 00:28:55.100 Marian worship, indulgences, going to confession instead of confessing our sins to 251 00:28:55.130 --> 00:28:59.490 God. They would have a confessional, and you would go to the church, 252 00:28:59.490 --> 00:29:06.670 and confess to the priests. They introduced celibacy in the priesthood, 253 00:29:07.660 --> 00:29:10.090 so that the priests wouldn't marry anymore. 254 00:29:11.390 --> 00:29:19.080 Originally, that wasn't the case, but all of this came during 255 00:29:19.080 --> 00:29:23.290 this time represented by the letter to the church of Thyatira. 256 00:29:31.110 --> 00:29:38.770 So, this was a long time when many things became degraded in the 257 00:29:38.770 --> 00:29:46.770 church, and Jesus even says in 258 00:29:46.770 --> 00:29:50.890 verse 21, I gave her space to repent. 259 00:29:52.140 --> 00:29:56.530 So, that corresponds to that long time Jesus gave, a long time, 260 00:29:56.530 --> 00:30:04.890 many years of time for the church to repent of that fornication, 261 00:30:05.880 --> 00:30:11.500 of the things that, you know, spiritual fornication is when you go away from God, 262 00:30:12.150 --> 00:30:17.810 and receive all those false doctrines. 263 00:30:18.330 --> 00:30:25.250 That's included when he says fornication, and eating things sacrificed to idols. 264 00:30:27.410 --> 00:30:30.620 But despite that time, she never repented. 265 00:30:34.040 --> 00:30:38.230 So, what we see through the churches is this degradation. 266 00:30:38.230 --> 00:30:40.890 It gets worse, and worse, and worse. 267 00:30:43.390 --> 00:30:51.040 Revelation chapter 3, and verse 1, 268 00:30:53.820 --> 00:30:59.570 Jesus speaks to the church of Sardis, and at the end of the verse, 269 00:30:59.570 --> 00:31:04.380 he says, I know thy works, that thou hast the name that thou livest, 270 00:31:05.320 --> 00:31:12.300 and are dead. So, he said, you look like you live, but the reality is you're dead. 271 00:31:13.570 --> 00:31:21.200 And then in the end, he says, be watchful, in verse 2, be watchful, 272 00:31:21.660 --> 00:31:25.920 and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die. 273 00:31:26.470 --> 00:31:31.560 So, this is the picture of a church that is dead, and ready to die, 274 00:31:32.770 --> 00:31:37.620 barely hanging on. He says, strengthen the things that are left, 275 00:31:37.930 --> 00:31:43.350 what remains, because I have not found your works perfect before God. 276 00:31:44.100 --> 00:31:47.530 It's not satisfactory what they were doing. 277 00:31:50.710 --> 00:31:56.340 And finally, in the end, there's Laodicea. 278 00:31:58.730 --> 00:32:05.200 And we already looked at that, where Jesus, he stands at the door. 279 00:32:05.200 --> 00:32:09.500 Where is it? Verse 20. He stands at the door, and knocks. 280 00:32:10.600 --> 00:32:17.810 He wants to come in. Let me read in verse 281 00:32:22.000 --> 00:32:26.080 16 and 17. This is Revelation chapter 3. 282 00:32:27.400 --> 00:32:34.960 So then, because thou art lukewarm, neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth. 283 00:32:36.500 --> 00:32:41.910 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing. 284 00:32:43.210 --> 00:32:49.630 So, they were pretty satisfied with themselves, but they didn't know, 285 00:32:50.140 --> 00:32:55.490 Jesus said, and knowest not, that thou art wretched, and miserable, 286 00:32:55.990 --> 00:32:59.600 and poor, and blind, and naked. 287 00:33:01.150 --> 00:33:08.760 So, Jesus had a bit of a different perspective on their condition than they did. 288 00:33:09.870 --> 00:33:17.690 They felt pretty good about themselves, but Jesus, he had words to describe them 289 00:33:17.760 --> 00:33:25.300 that were not very nice. But he invites them also to repent. 290 00:33:29.220 --> 00:33:36.900 Now, notice this. He says, I counsel thee to buy of me 291 00:33:37.260 --> 00:33:44.840 gold. Gold tried in the fire. Now, why would they try gold in the fire? 292 00:33:45.930 --> 00:33:52.550 What does it do? They would put gold in the fire, and what would happen? 293 00:33:56.200 --> 00:34:04.030 Whatever that wasn't gold in there would get burned off, and then you would have pure gold 294 00:34:05.420 --> 00:34:11.060 in the end. So, gold tried in the fire, it's been refined. 295 00:34:11.830 --> 00:34:19.230 It's pure. And then he says, I 296 00:34:20.740 --> 00:34:27.730 counsel thee to buy of me this gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich. 297 00:34:30.220 --> 00:34:37.210 Remember when we saw that in the letter to 298 00:34:38.280 --> 00:34:45.640 the church of Smyrna? Jesus said, I know your works, 299 00:34:46.170 --> 00:34:51.820 and tribulation, those are the trials, like when you put the gold in the fire, 300 00:34:52.470 --> 00:34:55.840 from the perspective of the gold, it's very hot, it's uncomfortable, 301 00:34:55.840 --> 00:35:01.490 it's a difficult experience. And that's what Jesus is connecting that with. 302 00:35:02.720 --> 00:35:06.810 Their trials, their persecution, their poverty. 303 00:35:07.960 --> 00:35:10.320 But then he says, but you were rich. 304 00:35:11.660 --> 00:35:20.000 Why were they rich? Because they had that gold tried in the fire. 305 00:35:21.820 --> 00:35:27.660 The same gold that Laodicea was counseled to buy of Jesus. 306 00:35:30.350 --> 00:35:37.650 To get that experience, that trial, that would purify their 307 00:35:37.880 --> 00:35:41.690 character. Now, 308 00:35:46.190 --> 00:35:54.020 in the sign of the Son of Man, we see how Laodicea, here's the fish, 309 00:35:55.190 --> 00:36:01.270 and the mouth, and Laodicea is like the water spit out of the mouth. 310 00:36:03.550 --> 00:36:11.150 So that's why we put Laodicea in this place, because the imagery shows it being 311 00:36:11.350 --> 00:36:19.300 spit out of the mouth. And with Smyrna, this is the church that 312 00:36:19.300 --> 00:36:25.600 went through the trials, and that was rich, because it had that gold tried in the fire, 313 00:36:26.080 --> 00:36:33.340 that character of gold. And so it's represented by the golden fish. 314 00:36:37.030 --> 00:36:44.630 And so we see these relationships that confirm also the position 315 00:36:45.500 --> 00:36:53.350 of the churches in the sign. And then the heavens teach us a little bit more about 316 00:36:53.990 --> 00:37:00.700 those churches. So we see something interesting. 317 00:37:02.900 --> 00:37:08.260 We have seven churches in a sequence. 318 00:37:11.070 --> 00:37:18.970 In the time of Jesus, or the time of the apostles, the church of 319 00:37:19.240 --> 00:37:25.070 Ephesus, or the letter to the church of Ephesus, represented that time that began then, 320 00:37:26.300 --> 00:37:32.750 and then progressed through all the churches until our day with Laodicea. 321 00:37:35.090 --> 00:37:38.590 And we saw how that was a degradation. 322 00:37:39.450 --> 00:37:41.990 Things got worse and worse throughout. 323 00:37:43.660 --> 00:37:50.910 But there are these two churches, Smyrna and Philadelphia, that don't seem to fit the pattern, 324 00:37:52.670 --> 00:37:55.410 because Jesus had nothing bad to say about either one. 325 00:37:58.470 --> 00:38:01.920 At the beginning, Ephesus starts going the wrong way. 326 00:38:01.920 --> 00:38:09.120 They left their first love. Instead of getting worse with Smyrna, 327 00:38:12.520 --> 00:38:16.880 they're good. Jesus has nothing bad to say about them. 328 00:38:18.230 --> 00:38:24.290 But then it gets worse with Pergamos, worse with Thyatira, almost dead with Sardis. 329 00:38:25.090 --> 00:38:27.080 Then suddenly Philadelphia is good. 330 00:38:27.140 --> 00:38:31.450 He has nothing bad to say about them. 331 00:38:31.450 --> 00:38:37.570 And then comes Laodicea, where they live in complete denial. 332 00:38:38.140 --> 00:38:41.940 They imagine themselves wonderful. 333 00:38:43.440 --> 00:38:45.840 They love God. They have a good life. 334 00:38:48.250 --> 00:38:51.260 And Jesus has a completely different picture of them. 335 00:38:54.500 --> 00:39:02.310 So, the trend, that degradation, that degrading trend, skips 336 00:39:02.450 --> 00:39:09.760 over Smyrna and Philadelphia. Now, that gives us a clue, 337 00:39:10.850 --> 00:39:13.410 especially in light of the sign of the Son of Man. 338 00:39:14.660 --> 00:39:21.760 Remember, we're trying to apply this to understand where are the five virgins, 339 00:39:22.080 --> 00:39:27.940 the five wise virgins mentioned, or where do they show up in the sign. 340 00:39:33.140 --> 00:39:40.930 So, we have seven churches, but two of them have 341 00:39:41.280 --> 00:39:44.500 nothing bad that Jesus said about them. 342 00:39:45.110 --> 00:39:53.050 So, they would be, not just Philadelphia, but also Smyrna, would count 343 00:39:53.160 --> 00:39:59.870 toward the wise virgins. Because they're churches that Jesus had nothing bad to say. 344 00:39:59.870 --> 00:40:02.140 They have the oil of the Spirit. 345 00:40:02.590 --> 00:40:05.670 Many gave their lives for Jesus. 346 00:40:06.080 --> 00:40:07.710 They were faithful unto death. 347 00:40:08.770 --> 00:40:10.780 And Jesus said he would give them a crown of life. 348 00:40:14.350 --> 00:40:18.860 And this is where our clue comes from the sign. 349 00:40:19.910 --> 00:40:21.900 We see they're on the same river. 350 00:40:21.900 --> 00:40:27.820 It's one constellation. Both Philadelphia and Laodicea 351 00:40:29.990 --> 00:40:34.890 are, they're on the same river, which is all one big constellation. 352 00:40:38.430 --> 00:40:45.870 And that's similar to something else that we see with Smyrna and Ephesus. 353 00:40:47.180 --> 00:40:54.630 Now, these are two separate constellations, but they're related. 354 00:40:57.140 --> 00:41:05.000 The constellation for Smyrna, I mean Ephesus, is called 355 00:41:05.000 --> 00:41:10.170 the reticulum. Now, that's just a fancy word that means a network. 356 00:41:13.620 --> 00:41:19.060 Much like the apostles of Jesus were fishermen. 357 00:41:19.060 --> 00:41:25.960 They used a net to catch their fish, like that. 358 00:41:26.970 --> 00:41:32.320 This network is what that constellation is named after. 359 00:41:33.430 --> 00:41:41.320 It's called the reticulum because it's a little tool that has a 360 00:41:41.320 --> 00:41:48.980 network of lines in it. But really, in the context 361 00:41:49.110 --> 00:41:57.040 of the churches, it fits very well to think of it as the fisherman's 362 00:41:57.040 --> 00:42:04.940 net. Because that was the apostolic church where the fishermen, 363 00:42:05.860 --> 00:42:11.550 you know, Jesus said that he would make the apostles fishers of men. 364 00:42:12.780 --> 00:42:17.690 So they would catch people and not just fish. 365 00:42:24.620 --> 00:42:31.820 So here in the sign, we see the fisherman's net 366 00:42:33.710 --> 00:42:40.900 and the fish. The fish, is it good for him 367 00:42:41.740 --> 00:42:47.400 to be caught in the net? No? Are you sure? 368 00:42:49.950 --> 00:42:52.910 Let's look at something that Jesus said. 369 00:42:56.100 --> 00:43:02.270 Jesus liked to tell stories. And one of the stories that Jesus told, 370 00:43:02.740 --> 00:43:06.250 a different story, also about the kingdom of heaven. 371 00:43:06.250 --> 00:43:08.650 He told a parable about the kingdom of heaven. 372 00:43:09.970 --> 00:43:14.560 But in verse 47, again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, 373 00:43:16.110 --> 00:43:23.760 a fisherman's net. And they cast that net into the sea and gathered all 374 00:43:23.760 --> 00:43:26.400 kinds of fish, every kind of fish. 375 00:43:28.120 --> 00:43:35.450 Then what did they do? Which when it was full, they drew it to the shore, 376 00:43:36.120 --> 00:43:42.410 sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. 377 00:43:44.930 --> 00:43:51.740 So they had the good fish. And of course, when you use a net, 378 00:43:51.900 --> 00:43:56.100 you catch other things, maybe crab, starfish, whatever. 379 00:43:56.360 --> 00:44:00.820 Maybe you don't want those things, but so they would have to separate it. 380 00:44:02.200 --> 00:44:08.990 Now that's interesting because 381 00:44:10.240 --> 00:44:17.750 in light of the sign of the son of man, if we see these together 382 00:44:19.120 --> 00:44:26.800 as the fish and the net, Jesus likened the church 383 00:44:27.900 --> 00:44:34.890 to catching fish in the net. And in that sense, 384 00:44:35.830 --> 00:44:39.510 it's not a bad thing to be caught in the net. 385 00:44:40.380 --> 00:44:43.310 We want to be fish caught in Christ's net. 386 00:44:47.030 --> 00:44:51.520 But there is also an evil net. 387 00:44:51.520 --> 00:44:58.530 The Bible talks about an evil net of those who don't know the time 388 00:44:59.710 --> 00:45:04.560 that catches them off guard. That comes from Ecclesiastes. 389 00:45:07.800 --> 00:45:12.480 But here we see the net with the fish. 390 00:45:15.750 --> 00:45:23.050 And then also Jesus said they would bring it in and sort it out. 391 00:45:24.310 --> 00:45:26.650 And that's what we see with the comet. 392 00:45:27.800 --> 00:45:31.650 It divides through these two constellations. 393 00:45:32.810 --> 00:45:37.720 And then you sort those who are in Christ. 394 00:45:38.600 --> 00:45:41.200 Remember the sign is the sign of the son of man. 395 00:45:42.340 --> 00:45:48.100 So this is in Christ. And these are not in Christ. 396 00:45:49.530 --> 00:45:55.380 Taking the good in the vessel, casting the bad away. 397 00:45:56.530 --> 00:46:03.910 So inside is the good. This is where those who repent from each of the 398 00:46:03.910 --> 00:46:08.080 churches, they're represented as in Christ. 399 00:46:09.390 --> 00:46:14.750 Whereas those who don't repent, they're the bad fish that are cast out of the net. 400 00:46:15.280 --> 00:46:19.750 We don't want those. Those are cast out of God's kingdom. 401 00:46:23.570 --> 00:46:29.640 So what we see is that God is using these seven churches 402 00:46:31.980 --> 00:46:38.090 as an illustration. And particularly at the beginning and at the end. 403 00:46:39.710 --> 00:46:46.150 But we see a contrast between the two churches at the end. 404 00:46:47.790 --> 00:46:55.550 Laodicea in Philadelphia. And also in this side, Ephesus and Smyrna. 405 00:46:56.580 --> 00:46:58.650 Now Smyrna, they were faithful. 406 00:46:59.730 --> 00:47:02.760 Jesus said, be faithful unto the end. 407 00:47:03.630 --> 00:47:07.350 Be faithful until death, and I will give you a crown of life. 408 00:47:10.010 --> 00:47:17.150 If you're faithful to the right way, that means you haven't lost your first love. 409 00:47:17.220 --> 00:47:19.390 You haven't left. You haven't gone off of the path. 410 00:47:20.880 --> 00:47:28.640 So it contrasts with Ephesus. And these are paired 411 00:47:28.690 --> 00:47:31.650 together, the fish in the net. 412 00:47:33.960 --> 00:47:39.990 And these are paired together because they're two churches in one river. 413 00:47:43.050 --> 00:47:50.280 So in fact, what we see, like we saw before already, we have the wise 414 00:47:50.330 --> 00:47:52.800 virgins and the foolish virgins. 415 00:47:55.020 --> 00:48:01.460 Same thing on this side. The wise virgins keep their focus. 416 00:48:02.160 --> 00:48:11.440 They stay on the path. But the foolish virgins are those who leave 417 00:48:11.500 --> 00:48:13.180 the path. They leave their first love. 418 00:48:14.540 --> 00:48:21.150 And unless they repent, then they are lost. 419 00:48:24.350 --> 00:48:28.440 So for each of the churches, there's two parts. 420 00:48:30.760 --> 00:48:38.860 There's the faithful part inside and the unfaithful part outside. 421 00:48:40.680 --> 00:48:48.230 But Jesus uses these two churches to draw that 422 00:48:48.330 --> 00:48:54.250 contrast, to show us the difference between the wise and the foolish, 423 00:48:54.610 --> 00:48:56.420 between the wise and the foolish. 424 00:48:58.290 --> 00:49:06.430 But there's only two that are represented that way in this illustration 425 00:49:06.500 --> 00:49:14.480 with the seven churches. But in each case, there 426 00:49:14.480 --> 00:49:18.630 are those who repent and those who don't. 427 00:49:19.740 --> 00:49:27.220 From each church, there are those who repent and are counted in the body of Christ and those who do not. 428 00:49:27.920 --> 00:49:34.040 Those who repent from the errors that Jesus pointed out and those who do not. 429 00:49:36.060 --> 00:49:43.730 But it's illustrated in two churches for those who repent from the 430 00:49:43.730 --> 00:49:51.550 river church, if you will, this virgin, those who hold the faith and those 431 00:49:51.950 --> 00:49:59.720 who don't. So when we see the ends paired in that way, then we see 432 00:50:00.450 --> 00:50:08.030 indeed five with the river, one, two, 433 00:50:09.060 --> 00:50:16.950 three with the ship, four with the easel, and then again these two are paired because the fish is 434 00:50:16.980 --> 00:50:24.220 with the net. If we turn the sign around, 435 00:50:28.080 --> 00:50:32.370 what do you see there? It looks like a cup, right? 436 00:50:34.520 --> 00:50:41.900 Or a lamp. This is the lamp that 437 00:50:41.900 --> 00:50:46.010 burns. Let me, so you can see it a little bit better. 438 00:50:47.540 --> 00:50:54.830 Inside the lamp is the oil of the spirit and it 439 00:50:54.890 --> 00:50:58.940 burns with the light. And what is the light that is shining? 440 00:51:01.150 --> 00:51:03.730 It shines with the light of time. 441 00:51:06.900 --> 00:51:13.430 And that fits to the parable of the virgins. 442 00:51:15.110 --> 00:51:21.000 In the very end of the parable, Matthew 25 verse 13, 443 00:51:23.300 --> 00:51:31.260 Jesus says, Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour wherein 444 00:51:31.260 --> 00:51:39.470 the Son of Man cometh. Watch because right now you don't know 445 00:51:39.520 --> 00:51:42.360 the time when the Son of Man cometh. 446 00:51:44.940 --> 00:51:52.570 And when we watch in these last days and we 447 00:51:52.570 --> 00:52:00.000 see the signs, when we see the signs that 448 00:52:00.230 --> 00:52:07.770 tells us about when Jesus comes, that's the reason for 449 00:52:07.770 --> 00:52:15.750 watching. Many people take that the wrong way and they say they don't really connect it 450 00:52:15.750 --> 00:52:23.670 with the watch. But they just hold on to the other part and they say you don't know 451 00:52:23.880 --> 00:52:25.550 the time when Jesus will come. 452 00:52:27.080 --> 00:52:30.720 But Jesus said watch because you don't know the time. 453 00:52:31.740 --> 00:52:35.420 And if you don't know the time, you look at the time. 454 00:52:36.320 --> 00:52:42.730 You watch. You watch for the signs and the signs tell you the time. 455 00:52:43.810 --> 00:52:51.830 And that is the light that is illustrated in the vessel of the 456 00:52:51.830 --> 00:52:54.120 wise virgins that have the oil. 457 00:52:55.810 --> 00:53:02.880 So we want to be among those five wise virgins who have the oil of the Spirit, 458 00:53:04.250 --> 00:53:12.230 who shine with the light of time, who know the time and can share that with the world so that 459 00:53:12.250 --> 00:53:16.210 the world can see what time it really is. 460 00:53:18.500 --> 00:53:26.100 And this is a very amazing time that we live in when these things are really, 461 00:53:26.160 --> 00:53:32.120 we see them taking place. Everything Jesus said about his kingdom, 462 00:53:33.670 --> 00:53:36.930 it's all illustrated in the sign. 463 00:53:37.770 --> 00:53:43.970 The things that he said about himself, they're illustrated. 464 00:53:44.430 --> 00:53:47.920 Yeah, it's the sign of the Son of Man and he was the Son of Man, 465 00:53:48.080 --> 00:53:55.600 he is the Son of Man. And so in his sign, we see all those things all coming together in different 466 00:53:55.620 --> 00:54:01.380 ways. So with that, 467 00:54:03.940 --> 00:54:11.900 let's remember something that the Lord concluded every one of his letters 468 00:54:11.900 --> 00:54:19.520 with. To the letter of the church of 469 00:54:19.630 --> 00:54:26.440 Ephesus, he finished saying, he that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit 470 00:54:27.150 --> 00:54:33.220 says to the churches. To Smyrna, 471 00:54:34.940 --> 00:54:41.670 this is now chapter 2 verse 11, he that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit said to 472 00:54:41.670 --> 00:54:49.340 the churches. To Pergamos, he that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit said to the churches. 473 00:54:50.220 --> 00:54:53.170 Every one, he that hath an ear, let him hear. 474 00:54:55.080 --> 00:54:59.900 Each one of these churches, we have the same expression. 475 00:54:59.940 --> 00:55:06.700 All seven churches, he that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit said to the churches. 476 00:55:08.170 --> 00:55:12.750 Now, you know, God is an artist. 477 00:55:13.580 --> 00:55:19.330 And so he takes something and he likes artists like different perspectives. 478 00:55:19.720 --> 00:55:23.840 And that's why we turn it upside down and look, it's something different. 479 00:55:23.840 --> 00:55:26.860 It's the lamp. 480 00:55:33.670 --> 00:55:39.590 Yes, that's what I wanted to emphasize was that the flame is the knowledge of the time. 481 00:55:39.700 --> 00:55:42.090 It's the clock that we see right there. 482 00:55:44.020 --> 00:55:48.560 But what happens if we turn it in a different direction? 483 00:55:50.190 --> 00:55:53.590 And I've just taken the artwork out so you can see it more clearly. 484 00:55:54.940 --> 00:55:58.790 What does it look like? You give it away. 485 00:56:01.380 --> 00:56:09.050 It's an ear. He who has ears? No, it said he 486 00:56:09.050 --> 00:56:16.940 that hath an ear. He that 487 00:56:16.940 --> 00:56:22.210 hath an ear. Now, normally we have two ears. 488 00:56:22.520 --> 00:56:26.160 But Jesus said, he that hath an ear. 489 00:56:26.800 --> 00:56:30.680 Because in the sign, we see one ear. 490 00:56:32.020 --> 00:56:35.530 He that hath an ear, the single ear of the sign. 491 00:56:40.670 --> 00:56:47.480 Amen. We see the churches, the churches are around 492 00:56:48.300 --> 00:56:53.080 this circle. And that's the part that is illustrated with the ear. 493 00:56:53.490 --> 00:56:59.100 That's the part that shows us the ear is exactly where those seven churches are, 494 00:56:59.510 --> 00:57:01.430 where the five virgins are shown. 495 00:57:02.540 --> 00:57:04.820 And it's also the inside part. 496 00:57:04.930 --> 00:57:07.370 Those are the five wise virgins. 497 00:57:08.220 --> 00:57:16.010 Whereas they have the ear and the foolish virgins, they don't 498 00:57:16.110 --> 00:57:18.010 hear what the spirit is saying. 499 00:57:18.010 --> 00:57:25.580 And of course, there we see where the dove is speaking directly into 500 00:57:26.080 --> 00:57:26.870 the ear. 501 00:57:38.850 --> 00:57:43.490 Yeah, the virgins, they come back to the door. 502 00:57:43.570 --> 00:57:48.430 We've seen the door in the sign of the Son of Man. 503 00:57:49.810 --> 00:57:55.100 Here's the door. And the door is where the clock is. 504 00:57:56.640 --> 00:58:02.040 And so, the foolish virgins, they don't have the spirit. 505 00:58:05.150 --> 00:58:10.290 And they have to go away. In the parable, Jesus says to them, 506 00:58:10.450 --> 00:58:13.080 they have to go away to get their oil. 507 00:58:15.740 --> 00:58:17.650 Yeah, these are the foolish virgins now. 508 00:58:18.530 --> 00:58:21.790 They go away to get, but they go to buy oil. 509 00:58:23.620 --> 00:58:27.520 But they don't get their oil from the olive trees. 510 00:58:28.250 --> 00:58:32.080 They get some genetically modified canola oil or something. 511 00:58:33.420 --> 00:58:40.210 And so, when they come back, they come to a closed door. 512 00:58:40.960 --> 00:58:43.810 Like Laodicea, they have a closed door. 513 00:58:44.440 --> 00:58:47.710 And Jesus is knocking on that door. 514 00:58:48.840 --> 00:58:56.100 And that corresponds, I think that fits to those, there are some today who, 515 00:58:56.930 --> 00:59:02.740 they think they have more time. Because maybe not for themselves, 516 00:59:03.070 --> 00:59:05.310 they think they will go in a rapture. 517 00:59:06.520 --> 00:59:14.170 But there is, and then there would be a second opportunity later when Jesus comes. 518 00:59:16.950 --> 00:59:19.730 And so, they go during that time. 519 00:59:21.850 --> 00:59:24.800 And they think they can get oil during that time. 520 00:59:25.590 --> 00:59:31.240 But it's a warning that there is not. 521 00:59:31.450 --> 00:59:36.030 Because when they come back, Jesus doesn't recognize them. 522 00:59:36.700 --> 00:59:44.700 He doesn't know who they are. And that's a strong hint that they're not 523 00:59:44.740 --> 00:59:52.420 who he created them to be. They have been changed by accepting 524 00:59:54.150 --> 00:59:58.900 human genetics, for example. 525 01:00:02.630 --> 01:00:09.730 They didn't use, exactly, they didn't use the present time that God has given for repentance. 526 01:00:10.400 --> 01:00:14.450 And therefore, they came to the closed door. 527 01:00:14.520 --> 01:00:22.290 And so, what we see in the sign, this is the sign of the coming of the Son of Man. 528 01:00:23.110 --> 01:00:24.660 This isn't the sign of a rapture. 529 01:00:25.220 --> 01:00:32.040 I mean, it is. But at the coming of the Son of Man, not a pre-tribulation rapture. 530 01:00:33.320 --> 01:00:38.330 This is the sign of God's protection of his people. 531 01:00:39.380 --> 01:00:44.940 He wants his people in him, in his body. 532 01:00:45.970 --> 01:00:53.530 So, we see all of these signs, all of these symbols coming together that show 533 01:00:53.530 --> 01:01:01.350 us that he is coming. And it doesn't allow for 534 01:01:01.740 --> 01:01:07.990 additional time. It's the time of his coming. 535 01:01:08.780 --> 01:01:15.550 And after that, there's no opportunity for more to be rescued. 536 01:01:15.550 --> 01:01:23.080 The door is closed. So, we need to make sure that we hear the Spirit, 537 01:01:25.160 --> 01:01:32.980 and we understand the voice, his 538 01:01:32.980 --> 01:01:39.330 voice, that gives us the time, so that we can shine with the light of time. 539 01:01:41.100 --> 01:01:43.490 So, with that, let's have a word of prayer. 540 01:01:45.210 --> 01:01:51.240 Dear Father in Heaven, once again, we thank you for your faithfulness. 541 01:01:52.810 --> 01:01:55.510 You are the true and faithful witness. 542 01:01:57.320 --> 01:02:05.200 And the oil that the wise have is from the olive trees, from 543 01:02:05.200 --> 01:02:09.210 your Spirit. It's not our own. 544 01:02:12.080 --> 01:02:14.540 We shine with the light that you give to us. 545 01:02:15.230 --> 01:02:23.120 And we pray that many will be as lights in this world, with the 546 01:02:23.120 --> 01:02:28.870 oil of your Spirit to shine with the understanding of the time in which we live. 547 01:02:31.340 --> 01:02:39.140 That we may all be received into your kingdom, and 548 01:02:39.140 --> 01:02:46.350 not counted among the foolish virgins who go on their own works 549 01:02:48.210 --> 01:02:53.980 to find their own spirit, because they won't come into your kingdom. 550 01:02:57.770 --> 01:03:04.060 So, we pray for your guidance every step of this journey. 551 01:03:04.200 --> 01:03:07.240 And we thank you because we see it. 552 01:03:07.920 --> 01:03:13.950 We see your guidance in the heavens, as we understand it from your Word. 553 01:03:15.940 --> 01:03:23.880 And we pray that your children will hear your voice, and turn 554 01:03:23.880 --> 01:03:27.180 their ear toward heaven, and receive you. 555 01:03:28.270 --> 01:03:35.470 We pray these things in the name of Jesus Christ, and to Alnitak the wounded one of Orion. 556 01:03:40.090 --> 01:03:49.070 Amen.