WEBVTT 1 00:00:16.158 --> 00:00:19.370 Welcome and Happy Sabbath to everyone. 2 00:00:21.690 --> 00:00:29.000 What day is it today? As of this recording, it is Sabbath, 3 00:00:29.500 --> 00:00:36.360 May 25th, 2024. And that 4 00:00:37.400 --> 00:00:43.530 is a memorial date for what special event? 5 00:00:44.590 --> 00:00:47.500 The crucifixion of Jesus. Exactly. 6 00:00:48.290 --> 00:00:55.890 Jesus' crucifixion was on May 25th, as we understand it from God's calendar, 7 00:00:56.300 --> 00:01:01.760 in the year A.D. 31. So today, in honor of that anniversary, 8 00:01:02.410 --> 00:01:06.740 we will be talking about Jesus' crucifixion. 9 00:01:07.420 --> 00:01:15.300 And I titled this, If I Be Lifted Up, quoting Jesus when 10 00:01:16.000 --> 00:01:23.130 he was referring to that event of his crucifixion. 11 00:01:24.780 --> 00:01:32.310 So what comes to mind when you see 12 00:01:32.830 --> 00:01:39.800 pictures such as these? Yeah, the sacrifice of Jesus. 13 00:01:39.840 --> 00:01:47.570 And why? Why do you associate that with a picture of two pieces of wood? 14 00:01:47.570 --> 00:01:55.360 The cross of Jesus' foot. So it 15 00:01:55.360 --> 00:02:02.660 was the cross where Jesus was crucified. 16 00:02:03.790 --> 00:02:09.510 But these are not the same pieces of wood that Jesus was crucified on. 17 00:02:11.590 --> 00:02:20.270 So, but it's something similar that brings our mind back to that 18 00:02:20.370 --> 00:02:25.310 event where Jesus was crucified. 19 00:02:27.230 --> 00:02:30.460 And this is the essence of the symbol. 20 00:02:30.460 --> 00:02:37.550 That's what makes the symbol, is when we have something that is similar in some respect, 21 00:02:38.020 --> 00:02:44.250 and it brings our minds back to that which it symbolizes. 22 00:02:47.290 --> 00:02:55.230 So in John 12, verses 32 and 33, Jesus says, And 23 00:02:55.230 --> 00:03:00.960 I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. 24 00:03:02.420 --> 00:03:06.550 This, he said, signifying what death he should die. 25 00:03:08.310 --> 00:03:13.080 So the people in that time understood what he meant when he said, 26 00:03:13.080 --> 00:03:21.010 I, if I be lifted up. That was an expression that they all understood meant he would be crucified on a 27 00:03:21.010 --> 00:03:28.270 cross, exactly. They understood that in their context. 28 00:03:30.110 --> 00:03:35.170 Notice he says, I will draw all men to me. 29 00:03:36.450 --> 00:03:39.700 Now, how should that be understood? 30 00:03:41.010 --> 00:03:48.650 Should we expect that he would then be the center of attention and everybody in the world would 31 00:03:49.120 --> 00:03:56.260 be in a big crowd around him? Or is he speaking in a more figurative 32 00:03:56.830 --> 00:04:04.820 sense? So it's clearly figuratively spoken, whereas being 33 00:04:04.820 --> 00:04:09.230 lifted up from the earth was more literal. 34 00:04:10.750 --> 00:04:18.650 Now, maybe we can come back to this later and see if that's the only way 35 00:04:18.720 --> 00:04:26.670 to understand that expression, what he said there, that he would draw all men to 36 00:04:26.670 --> 00:04:34.430 himself. Because I think we will see there's 37 00:04:34.430 --> 00:04:37.930 also that literal application. 38 00:04:38.780 --> 00:04:46.570 Because in Jesus' time, when he came the first time, he spiritually drew 39 00:04:47.100 --> 00:04:54.880 people to himself. As he is lifted up on the cross, all throughout Christian history, 40 00:04:55.440 --> 00:04:59.700 people have looked back on the cross, on the stories of the Bible, 41 00:05:00.130 --> 00:05:05.700 and spiritually were drawn in their hearts to Jesus. 42 00:05:06.430 --> 00:05:09.980 But Jesus is coming back the second time. 43 00:05:11.590 --> 00:05:17.940 And this time, what is he doing? He comes as the king this time, 44 00:05:18.040 --> 00:05:22.550 and he literally draws all of those who accepted him, at least, 45 00:05:23.110 --> 00:05:30.830 to himself. So then it becomes a more literal fulfillment of that aspect. 46 00:05:33.910 --> 00:05:40.530 Now, let's look at this symbol of the cross. 47 00:05:41.170 --> 00:05:48.800 There are many different ways to illustrate a cross, and they all give us that 48 00:05:48.800 --> 00:05:54.070 same idea, the same basic concept. 49 00:05:54.360 --> 00:06:02.270 If you saw any one of those, you would still be brought back to the crucifixion 50 00:06:02.490 --> 00:06:04.760 of Jesus. They all represent the same thing. 51 00:06:05.060 --> 00:06:10.500 Some focus on different aspects, some maybe in different contexts, 52 00:06:10.920 --> 00:06:18.500 some we're used to seeing maybe within a certain religious body. 53 00:06:19.810 --> 00:06:27.560 But still, we recognize them as a symbol of the crucifixion of Jesus. 54 00:06:28.030 --> 00:06:31.040 It brings our mind back to that. 55 00:06:31.590 --> 00:06:36.360 What is the common element in all of these pictures? 56 00:06:38.520 --> 00:06:40.310 What is it that points to the cross? 57 00:06:41.240 --> 00:06:48.850 There's a common shape in it. There's two lines of some sort, 58 00:06:49.160 --> 00:06:56.470 whether drawn as a rough brushstroke, or a beam, or a 59 00:06:56.580 --> 00:07:04.010 decorative element. But there's a horizontal and a vertical crossing line 60 00:07:05.000 --> 00:07:12.910 in the symbol. So, that has the basic shape of the cross that Jesus 61 00:07:12.910 --> 00:07:19.480 was crucified. It's the shape that brings our attention back to the cross. 62 00:07:20.180 --> 00:07:27.560 Likewise, also, the chief priests mocking him with the scribes and elders said, 63 00:07:28.000 --> 00:07:30.840 he saved others, himself he cannot save. 64 00:07:31.620 --> 00:07:37.440 If he be the king of Israel, let him now come down from the cross. 65 00:07:37.480 --> 00:07:42.750 Even the name is representing that shape, that form. 66 00:07:43.990 --> 00:07:51.640 And we will believe him. So, the shape of the cross 67 00:07:52.450 --> 00:07:56.230 brings our attention back to that historical event. 68 00:07:56.230 --> 00:08:03.960 Is that the only thing that is used as a symbol for Jesus' crucifixion? 69 00:08:05.500 --> 00:08:09.400 Is there anything else that would bring, okay, a crown of thorns? 70 00:08:10.550 --> 00:08:18.060 Something like that. This also points to Jesus' crucifixion. 71 00:08:18.580 --> 00:08:23.050 It brings back our mind to the same event. 72 00:08:24.490 --> 00:08:32.140 Perhaps a different aspect, focusing on the pain 73 00:08:32.250 --> 00:08:39.390 inflicted from the thorns, focusing on the mocking that he endured, 74 00:08:40.230 --> 00:08:45.860 because it says, and when they had plaited a crown of thorns, 75 00:08:45.860 --> 00:08:51.280 they put it on his head, and a reed in his right hand, and they bowed the knee before him, 76 00:08:51.520 --> 00:08:54.160 and mocked him, saying, hail, king of the Jews. 77 00:08:55.100 --> 00:09:03.060 They had also given him a royal robe, purple robe, and presented 78 00:09:03.060 --> 00:09:10.950 him to the people. And this was all in mockery, that he endured all of 79 00:09:10.950 --> 00:09:18.680 that mocking, and part of that was this crown, not a noble crown of 80 00:09:18.680 --> 00:09:24.040 gold, but a crown of the worthless thorns 81 00:09:26.440 --> 00:09:30.270 forced on his head, piercing his brow. 82 00:09:32.440 --> 00:09:40.380 What other symbols? There's the nail scars in his hands, for 83 00:09:40.380 --> 00:09:44.130 example. Those point also to his crucifixion. 84 00:09:45.300 --> 00:09:49.830 Just last night, we celebrated the Lord's Supper. 85 00:09:52.190 --> 00:09:58.060 What symbols did we use? Bread and wine, exactly. 86 00:09:58.580 --> 00:10:06.480 And these also represent that which Jesus gave on the 87 00:10:06.480 --> 00:10:10.580 cross. And when he had given thanks, he break it, the bread, 88 00:10:11.250 --> 00:10:16.750 and said, take, eat, this is my body, which is broken for you. 89 00:10:17.890 --> 00:10:25.710 This do in remembrance of me. After the same manner, also, he took the cup, 90 00:10:26.480 --> 00:10:32.600 and when he had supped, saying, this cup is the New Testament in my blood. 91 00:10:33.380 --> 00:10:38.360 This do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. 92 00:10:39.210 --> 00:10:46.710 So, Jesus himself said, when you break the bread, when you drink the grape juice, 93 00:10:48.620 --> 00:10:56.490 do it in remembrance of me. So, he defined that as a symbol of his body and his blood 94 00:10:57.390 --> 00:11:00.020 that would be given on the cross. 95 00:11:01.330 --> 00:11:07.400 And that is what we do in our Lord's Supper services. 96 00:11:07.790 --> 00:11:15.700 We reflect on his gift on the cross of his body and his blood. 97 00:11:18.270 --> 00:11:25.380 So, all of these are different symbols that are used in the Bible 98 00:11:27.400 --> 00:11:35.400 to point to that crucifixion event when Jesus was lifted up on the 99 00:11:35.400 --> 00:11:42.230 cross. But there are other symbols also, even in nature, 100 00:11:43.830 --> 00:11:51.830 not specifically something described per se 101 00:11:51.880 --> 00:11:58.820 in the Bible, at least not in so many terms, but it's interesting. 102 00:12:00.780 --> 00:12:04.990 Have you ever seen this variety of flower? 103 00:12:06.750 --> 00:12:09.170 I don't know what it's called in German. 104 00:12:09.850 --> 00:12:13.990 A crying heart. Okay. In English, it's similar. 105 00:12:13.990 --> 00:12:15.490 It's called the bleeding heart. 106 00:12:16.580 --> 00:12:24.450 So, this flower also, by its name, brings 107 00:12:24.450 --> 00:12:31.910 our attention to a bleeding heart or a crying heart, a broken heart. 108 00:12:32.680 --> 00:12:39.160 And that is like in Psalm 69. Reproach hath broken my heart, 109 00:12:40.430 --> 00:12:45.160 and I am full of heaviness, and I looked for some to take pity, 110 00:12:45.530 --> 00:12:49.770 but there was none, and for comforters, but I found none. 111 00:12:50.180 --> 00:12:57.180 Now, this is David speaking, but it's prophetic of what Jesus endured on the cross, 112 00:12:57.180 --> 00:12:59.780 and that's brought out in the next verse. 113 00:13:01.550 --> 00:13:08.170 They gave me also gall for my meat, and in my thirst, they gave me vinegar to drink. 114 00:13:08.560 --> 00:13:13.800 You remember when Jesus was on the cross, he said, I thirst, 115 00:13:14.180 --> 00:13:19.740 and they gave him vinegar or gall to drink. 116 00:13:21.800 --> 00:13:28.100 So, and the reproach that broke Jesus' heart was what? 117 00:13:29.070 --> 00:13:30.790 What was that reproach and from whom? 118 00:13:33.170 --> 00:13:35.520 It was on account of our sins. 119 00:13:36.210 --> 00:13:43.140 It was placed on Jesus by God himself because that was the plan, 120 00:13:43.690 --> 00:13:51.420 to put the sins on Jesus, to bear our reproach, the reproach 121 00:13:51.550 --> 00:13:58.960 of our sin. So, this points to Jesus on the cross, and 122 00:13:59.540 --> 00:14:06.570 even in something like a flower in nature, our mind can be brought back 123 00:14:07.440 --> 00:14:13.490 through that symbolism, thinking of the bleeding, the broken heart of Jesus 124 00:14:15.270 --> 00:14:18.090 as we look at the things of nature. 125 00:14:22.070 --> 00:14:29.860 What else could be used as a symbol and is used as a symbol to point 126 00:14:30.800 --> 00:14:38.420 to Jesus? We've talked about the shape of the cross, different things 127 00:14:38.500 --> 00:14:45.920 that were used in that scene, 128 00:14:46.450 --> 00:14:49.550 the crown of thorns, for example, or the nails in his hands, 129 00:14:49.960 --> 00:14:56.360 the stone on the grave that would point to his burial and potentially his resurrection. 130 00:14:56.640 --> 00:15:00.540 There was also the sign on the cross that said, this is Jesus, 131 00:15:00.540 --> 00:15:08.290 the King of the Jews. Yes, all of these things are different aspects that bring our attention back 132 00:15:08.590 --> 00:15:15.790 to the cross. Now, there's one other element that I want to talk about in particular 133 00:15:17.670 --> 00:15:24.340 that directs our attention to the cross, and it comes from, 134 00:15:24.810 --> 00:15:29.560 well, it's in all the Gospels, actually, but I'll be reading here in Matthew 27, 135 00:15:29.610 --> 00:15:34.550 and about the ninth hour, Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, 136 00:15:34.800 --> 00:15:39.260 Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani, that is to say, my God, my God, 137 00:15:39.260 --> 00:15:46.760 why hast thou forsaken me? So, Jesus was on the cross, and these were some of his last 138 00:15:46.760 --> 00:15:52.140 words that he cried out, and it specifies in the ninth hour. 139 00:15:54.630 --> 00:16:02.430 So, the ninth hour in the Bible actually 140 00:16:02.460 --> 00:16:05.550 is what we would see as three o'clock. 141 00:16:06.960 --> 00:16:14.190 So, first of all, let's just understand biblical reckoning of the time, 142 00:16:14.690 --> 00:16:22.550 because they didn't have a 24-hour cycle exactly divided the same 143 00:16:22.600 --> 00:16:30.270 way that we do it, two cycles of 12 equal hours, but they divided the night separately from 144 00:16:30.570 --> 00:16:36.510 the daytime, and there were 12 hours in the daytime, and what time 145 00:16:38.390 --> 00:16:40.780 was sunrise? That would begin the day. 146 00:16:40.880 --> 00:16:43.190 That was around six o'clock, right? 147 00:16:43.490 --> 00:16:49.330 So, and in Matthew 27, verse one, when the morning was come, 148 00:16:49.860 --> 00:16:56.760 that is sunrise, all the chief priests and elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death. 149 00:16:57.210 --> 00:17:03.860 So, this was the morning, the sunrise on May 25th of AD 31. 150 00:17:04.780 --> 00:17:09.670 They took counsel, and it's mentioned this hour of the day. 151 00:17:09.670 --> 00:17:14.090 It's mentioned in the Bible when they took counsel and said, 152 00:17:14.090 --> 00:17:19.290 we have to put this criminal, as they considered him, to death, 153 00:17:22.300 --> 00:17:25.570 but that's not the only hour that's mentioned. 154 00:17:26.280 --> 00:17:32.060 We already saw the ninth hour, but also it says, and it was the third hour, 155 00:17:32.650 --> 00:17:38.930 and they crucified him. So, there was morning, and then they counted the hours from the morning, 156 00:17:39.420 --> 00:17:47.250 from six at morning, then about seven would be the first hour there, 157 00:17:47.600 --> 00:17:53.110 the second hour, and then the third hour would point to nine o'clock. 158 00:17:53.750 --> 00:17:59.730 What we would look at as nine o'clock, they considered that the third hour of the day. 159 00:18:00.910 --> 00:18:06.800 So, that is when he was crucified. 160 00:18:07.650 --> 00:18:15.070 It took them three hours to go from taking counsel to put him to death 161 00:18:16.330 --> 00:18:22.000 to lifting him up on the cross at nine o'clock. 162 00:18:24.420 --> 00:18:30.860 But the Bible mentions other times also in connection with his crucifixion. 163 00:18:32.710 --> 00:18:40.290 In Luke chapter 23, beginning in verse 44, it says, and it was about the sixth hour, 164 00:18:41.450 --> 00:18:44.920 and there was darkness over all the earth. 165 00:18:44.980 --> 00:18:51.020 So, the sixth hour, we have from morning, count six hours, and you get noon, 166 00:18:51.290 --> 00:18:58.750 what we would call noon. And there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. 167 00:18:59.650 --> 00:19:04.470 So, it was dark from noon until three o'clock. 168 00:19:06.340 --> 00:19:14.240 The ninth hour, and the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was 169 00:19:14.240 --> 00:19:18.480 rent in the midst. And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, 170 00:19:18.480 --> 00:19:22.650 he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit. 171 00:19:23.260 --> 00:19:26.370 And having said thus, he gave up the ghost. 172 00:19:27.360 --> 00:19:35.070 So, Jesus died at the ninth hour, what we would count as three 173 00:19:35.070 --> 00:19:42.240 o'clock. So, here we see 174 00:19:42.880 --> 00:19:50.130 various times around the clock that the Bible specifically mentions in connection with Jesus' crucifixion. 175 00:19:51.200 --> 00:19:57.800 And there's even one more. In Matthew 27, again, in verse 57, 176 00:19:57.800 --> 00:20:05.720 it says, when the evening was come, that is, sunset, there came a rich man of Arimathea named 177 00:20:05.720 --> 00:20:10.160 Joseph, who also himself was Jesus' disciple. 178 00:20:11.860 --> 00:20:15.110 He went to Pilate and begged the body of Jesus. 179 00:20:15.970 --> 00:20:18.220 Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered. 180 00:20:18.950 --> 00:20:26.110 And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth and laid it in his own 181 00:20:26.240 --> 00:20:29.930 new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock. 182 00:20:30.790 --> 00:20:35.390 And he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulcher and departed. 183 00:20:36.550 --> 00:20:41.710 So, that brings us then back to the evening, to the end of the day. 184 00:20:41.710 --> 00:20:49.630 So, we see every three hours through the day, the Bible specifically mentions an event 185 00:20:49.630 --> 00:20:53.280 that took place with respect to his crucifixion. 186 00:20:53.820 --> 00:21:01.690 From the morning when they took counsel to crucify him to what we would call 187 00:21:01.690 --> 00:21:06.600 nine o'clock, or the third hour of the day when they put him on the cross. 188 00:21:07.260 --> 00:21:15.120 Then the darkness that came over the land at noon and his death at three o'clock, 189 00:21:15.120 --> 00:21:17.460 or what the Bible calls the ninth hour. 190 00:21:18.420 --> 00:21:25.080 And then by evening when he was buried or put in the tomb. 191 00:21:25.830 --> 00:21:30.770 What do you notice about those periods of time? 192 00:21:32.530 --> 00:21:37.920 They're three hours apart, and when we look at them on the clock, 193 00:21:39.260 --> 00:21:45.650 it's like a cross. If you look at each of those hands, they form a cross. 194 00:21:47.000 --> 00:21:55.530 All right? So, in this way, we see how the hours of the time itself 195 00:21:56.580 --> 00:22:02.600 point not just to those events, but even in their shape, they point to the cross. 196 00:22:02.680 --> 00:22:07.010 It reminds us of Jesus' crucifixion. 197 00:22:09.620 --> 00:22:16.280 In Genesis, now we transition a little bit, 198 00:22:17.730 --> 00:22:25.360 because I want to take us now with that background and 199 00:22:26.230 --> 00:22:32.780 see how we can see this representation of the time 200 00:22:34.350 --> 00:22:38.230 in the heavens, and how the cross can be seen in the heavens. 201 00:22:40.320 --> 00:22:46.700 So, in Genesis 1, 14, God gives a principle, and he says, God said, 202 00:22:47.070 --> 00:22:51.570 Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night, 203 00:22:52.010 --> 00:22:58.430 and let them be for signs, and for seasons and for days, and years. 204 00:22:59.930 --> 00:23:05.990 Now, what he says those lights in the heavens are for, which would include the sun, 205 00:23:06.100 --> 00:23:12.330 the moon, the stars, they're for giving the time, 206 00:23:14.730 --> 00:23:21.520 whether it be seasons, days, or years, all those things come from the lights in the heavens. 207 00:23:21.990 --> 00:23:24.290 And he also mentions the signs. 208 00:23:25.140 --> 00:23:31.730 The signs also are in connection with the time. 209 00:23:32.990 --> 00:23:39.910 So, if we want to see or understand God's time, 210 00:23:41.470 --> 00:23:43.860 we need to look in the heavens. 211 00:23:44.300 --> 00:23:52.140 And he will show us signs, that is, symbols that represent certain things that 212 00:23:52.140 --> 00:23:55.160 give us information about the time. 213 00:23:59.400 --> 00:24:04.440 Now, looking in the heavens, you just see some stars. 214 00:24:05.550 --> 00:24:12.960 Where do you go from there? Well, that's where the constellations come in. 215 00:24:13.580 --> 00:24:18.070 Because throughout history, when men have looked at the stars, 216 00:24:19.810 --> 00:24:24.080 like children connecting the dots, you make the constellations, 217 00:24:24.510 --> 00:24:31.750 and then you think, well, what does that look like? 218 00:24:33.740 --> 00:24:41.730 And so, in 1755, an astronomer looked 219 00:24:42.030 --> 00:24:48.930 in the stars in the south, southern hemisphere, and he wanted to 220 00:24:50.080 --> 00:24:52.940 document the southern constellations. 221 00:24:53.500 --> 00:24:59.620 And there weren't so many that had been identified in any way, 222 00:24:59.620 --> 00:25:07.350 and so he looked at them and said, what does that 223 00:25:07.450 --> 00:25:12.250 look like? What it brought to his mind was a pendulum clock, 224 00:25:13.560 --> 00:25:21.710 something like that, because it has this long arm like a pendulum 225 00:25:23.020 --> 00:25:27.290 and then like the hand of a clock. 226 00:25:28.270 --> 00:25:35.470 Now, notice what hour it would be pointing to. 227 00:25:37.250 --> 00:25:45.010 That's 3 p.m., and in the context of the story of Jesus, what event took 228 00:25:45.070 --> 00:25:50.250 place at 3 p.m.? That was when he died, exactly. 229 00:25:50.920 --> 00:25:59.040 And so, here, we see a clock in the heavens that points to the 230 00:25:59.070 --> 00:26:06.740 hour when Jesus died, and therefore, God uses that as a symbol 231 00:26:07.370 --> 00:26:14.940 in the heavens to teach us about his crucifixion, to bring our minds back 232 00:26:15.590 --> 00:26:23.030 to the cross of Jesus. So, God knows the end 233 00:26:23.910 --> 00:26:32.820 from the beginning, and he knew from ancient times that Jesus 234 00:26:32.860 --> 00:26:40.210 would be crucified on a cross, and therefore, even in 235 00:26:41.230 --> 00:26:48.640 the Hebrew alphabet, the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet in ancient times looked just like 236 00:26:49.400 --> 00:26:54.270 a cross, and that was the symbol of a covenant. 237 00:26:55.330 --> 00:26:59.010 They would cross two sticks for a covenant. 238 00:27:00.020 --> 00:27:07.550 So, all of these symbols, they came through history, and in God's 239 00:27:07.550 --> 00:27:13.100 foreknowledge of the history, he wrote those things into the prophecies, 240 00:27:14.420 --> 00:27:21.700 and that continues even into modern times when he 241 00:27:23.790 --> 00:27:31.660 inspired an astronomer to imagine a clock in the 242 00:27:31.660 --> 00:27:38.810 arrangement of those stars. God knew that that would be how it would be viewed 243 00:27:39.780 --> 00:27:47.740 from ancient times, and these things then form symbols that apply especially in the last days, 244 00:27:48.040 --> 00:27:55.800 especially in the time since 245 00:27:56.570 --> 00:28:00.930 these stars have been identified as a clock. 246 00:28:02.170 --> 00:28:09.550 I mentioned that this was, that the astronomer 247 00:28:10.580 --> 00:28:13.290 noted this as a clock in 1755. 248 00:28:14.790 --> 00:28:18.560 Who can tell me what else happened in 1755? 249 00:28:21.520 --> 00:28:22.990 There was an earthquake where? 250 00:28:24.130 --> 00:28:31.920 In Lisbon, Portugal. That was a very significant and prophetically significant 251 00:28:32.100 --> 00:28:39.440 earthquake relating to the classical sixth seal, the great earthquake, 252 00:28:39.830 --> 00:28:46.900 because that earthquake in Lisbon in 1755 was felt throughout a 253 00:28:47.570 --> 00:28:55.550 very large area, and it had a lot of lasting ramifications that affected 254 00:28:55.550 --> 00:29:03.290 the world thereafter. So it was a very significant earthquake and was considered the 255 00:29:03.290 --> 00:29:11.010 fulfillment of the great earthquake of the sixth seal, and indeed that is a legitimate interpretation 256 00:29:11.910 --> 00:29:18.900 that builds until our time now. 257 00:29:19.230 --> 00:29:25.130 We have a different layer of interpretation for those seals as well, 258 00:29:25.540 --> 00:29:32.330 but this marks in a sense the time of the end, that great earthquake of the sixth seal. 259 00:29:32.650 --> 00:29:39.880 In the classical sense, it marks the end times, and there in that same year is when 260 00:29:40.500 --> 00:29:45.950 the Horologium was identified as a pendulum clock in the heavens. 261 00:29:48.070 --> 00:29:55.330 The end time clock, exactly. Connecting that with the 262 00:29:57.440 --> 00:30:05.240 last days, I'll say, our end times, because there's a big difference between 1755 and our time, 263 00:30:05.310 --> 00:30:12.580 that's what, 270 years? So there's 264 00:30:14.120 --> 00:30:21.650 often God, you know, when we look at nature, we see things 265 00:30:22.530 --> 00:30:30.440 in kind of a fractal pattern. You know, you take a leaf and it has a broad 266 00:30:30.620 --> 00:30:36.660 shape, but then on a smaller scale, you see a similar shape as well, 267 00:30:37.200 --> 00:30:40.460 and that's called a fractal representation. 268 00:30:40.820 --> 00:30:48.350 It is self-similar. One shape on a larger scale is 269 00:30:48.350 --> 00:30:56.280 similar on a smaller scale, like, and we see this in many examples in nature, 270 00:30:56.950 --> 00:31:01.400 and it's also so, it's the case with time. 271 00:31:03.030 --> 00:31:07.090 History repeats in a way that is self-similar. 272 00:31:08.060 --> 00:31:15.630 So the end times began in 1755, but that was the big end 273 00:31:15.630 --> 00:31:22.070 times. You know, on the scale of 6,000 years, the end times fits for 274 00:31:22.070 --> 00:31:29.720 270 years, that works. But now we see a 275 00:31:29.720 --> 00:31:37.460 smaller scale end times, and it's interesting that 276 00:31:38.160 --> 00:31:45.160 in 2014, there was discovered 277 00:31:46.420 --> 00:31:53.710 an object in the heavens, an asteroid, and it was nothing 278 00:31:53.960 --> 00:31:59.130 especially significant until 2021. 279 00:32:00.410 --> 00:32:07.990 In 2021, it was discovered that it wasn't just any old asteroid, 280 00:32:08.530 --> 00:32:13.750 but this was actually a comet, and this was a remarkable discovery, 281 00:32:14.960 --> 00:32:22.250 the comet Bernardinelli-Bernstein, because it made it 282 00:32:22.780 --> 00:32:30.430 the biggest comet ever known. When they realized that this was actually a comet, 283 00:32:30.430 --> 00:32:38.350 it was the first time that they had observed this coma around the object signifying that it was a 284 00:32:38.350 --> 00:32:40.530 comet and not just an asteroid. 285 00:32:41.040 --> 00:32:47.770 This was in 2021. It was around June when they discovered that. 286 00:32:48.420 --> 00:32:52.970 The mega comet Bernardinelli-Bernstein is the find of a decade, 287 00:32:53.720 --> 00:32:59.080 and this space.com article describes its discovery. 288 00:33:00.400 --> 00:33:04.320 But the point being, it was a very newsworthy comet. 289 00:33:05.250 --> 00:33:13.160 It was in many different articles around that time in 2021, especially because of the fact that it was the 290 00:33:13.160 --> 00:33:17.290 biggest comet ever discovered and still is today. 291 00:33:18.870 --> 00:33:26.690 And here's the very interesting aspect, is that when it was discovered to be a 292 00:33:26.690 --> 00:33:33.530 comet, its location was exactly at the cross beam 293 00:33:34.760 --> 00:33:41.230 in the Horologium clock, pointing again to that 294 00:33:42.530 --> 00:33:50.240 crucifixion time of Jesus. Looking at that time, this would be the 295 00:33:50.690 --> 00:33:56.300 nine o'clock hour when he was lifted up on the cross. 296 00:33:56.920 --> 00:34:04.160 It's the biggest comet in the smallest, one of the smallest constellations of the sky. 297 00:34:04.930 --> 00:34:11.960 So that's a remarkable coincidence that this 298 00:34:13.400 --> 00:34:20.290 newsworthy comet, taking the title of the mega comet, the biggest comet ever discovered, 299 00:34:21.380 --> 00:34:23.250 and it's in this tiny little constellation. 300 00:34:23.250 --> 00:34:25.620 This part wasn't so much in the news. 301 00:34:25.820 --> 00:34:33.730 You had to look up the location of this comet, and then in 302 00:34:33.730 --> 00:34:40.180 Stellarium you could see, oh wow, that is exactly in the clock constellation, 303 00:34:40.600 --> 00:34:42.820 the Horologium, this pendulum clock. 304 00:34:43.050 --> 00:34:50.930 And when we understood that, later as we recognized the cross in 305 00:34:50.930 --> 00:34:57.890 this constellation, then we could see that it was pointing to the 306 00:34:59.220 --> 00:35:04.340 time that he was lifted up on the cross, that third hour of the day. 307 00:35:06.970 --> 00:35:14.940 So this coming together, bringing 308 00:35:14.940 --> 00:35:22.450 these things together, how it's pointing literally by its location to Jesus 309 00:35:22.970 --> 00:35:30.850 on the cross. We began to see some other aspects that related to 310 00:35:31.340 --> 00:35:37.870 Jesus. And I want to show you a short video that we prepared. 311 00:38:38.200 --> 00:38:45.410 All right, so what were some of the things that the video portrayed as being connected 312 00:38:45.930 --> 00:38:53.910 with the Son of Man? There was perihelion. 313 00:38:54.690 --> 00:39:01.470 When was the perihelion, or when will be the perihelion of Comet 314 00:39:01.470 --> 00:39:09.370 Bernardinelli-Bernstein? In 2031 is when this comet will 315 00:39:09.370 --> 00:39:16.200 be closest to the sun. And not just in 2031, but right at 316 00:39:16.890 --> 00:39:24.760 Passover time. And so this is pointing again exactly to 2,000 317 00:39:24.760 --> 00:39:29.800 years after Jesus' crucifixion, even to the same time in the calendar year. 318 00:39:31.610 --> 00:39:38.980 What else was there? It was discovered on Jesus' birthday in 2014. 319 00:39:39.240 --> 00:39:44.250 On the Hebrew calendar, his birthday was on October 20th. 320 00:39:44.250 --> 00:39:51.890 And that was the very day when they first identified this comet in an 321 00:39:51.890 --> 00:39:55.970 astronomical photograph before realizing that it was a comet. 322 00:39:56.750 --> 00:39:58.920 But that was when it was first discovered. 323 00:39:59.540 --> 00:40:07.200 Jesus' birthday. And it comes from the 324 00:40:07.870 --> 00:40:14.940 Oort cloud, just like Jesus, when he returns, comes with the clouds as well. 325 00:40:15.710 --> 00:40:22.910 So all of these things led us to understand that this was the Son of Man, 326 00:40:23.380 --> 00:40:25.790 or rather the sign of the Son of Man. 327 00:40:26.790 --> 00:40:34.630 And indeed, what we have seen is that it was at least 328 00:40:34.960 --> 00:40:38.980 the introduction to the sign of the Son of Man. 329 00:40:39.690 --> 00:40:45.960 When we have, as we have been studying it over the last months, 330 00:40:47.550 --> 00:40:53.560 we've recognized how it all began at the Horologium. 331 00:40:53.980 --> 00:41:01.950 And that was when this comet Bernardinelli-Bernstein entered into the Horologium 332 00:41:02.820 --> 00:41:10.580 constellation, when the comet was in the Horologium, and then 333 00:41:11.360 --> 00:41:19.180 in time we understood more and more, and we began to see how the whole sign of 334 00:41:19.520 --> 00:41:24.920 the Son of Man came out of that understanding. 335 00:41:25.370 --> 00:41:29.380 So this was the introduction to the sign of the Son of Man. 336 00:41:29.790 --> 00:41:37.770 God leads us step by step, and this was the first step in the discovery of the sign 337 00:41:37.770 --> 00:41:43.600 of the Son of Man, recognizing that it's talking about the Horologium. 338 00:41:44.000 --> 00:41:51.490 It begins in the Horologium, looking at the comets, specifically this one identified with different 339 00:41:51.490 --> 00:41:56.210 characteristics of Jesus and his return. 340 00:41:57.610 --> 00:42:05.200 So that is just an overview 341 00:42:05.490 --> 00:42:13.460 of how we can see in the heavens the symbols 342 00:42:14.020 --> 00:42:21.740 that point to Jesus' crucifixion, that we have a memorial of today, 343 00:42:22.130 --> 00:42:28.260 as of the time of this recording, and also it points to his return, 344 00:42:29.250 --> 00:42:35.140 as we see in the comets. It points in general to the time of the end, 345 00:42:35.900 --> 00:42:43.120 and that's the time that we are living now in, in the last moments of that time. 346 00:42:43.880 --> 00:42:48.930 And so as we go forward, we will talk more about those themes, 347 00:42:49.230 --> 00:42:56.650 but I just wanted to introduce that with how we can see 348 00:42:57.620 --> 00:43:05.610 the cross in the heavens. And even when we look up into the night sky and 349 00:43:05.610 --> 00:43:13.350 we see the constellations with the mind's eye, God, in so many different aspects of 350 00:43:13.350 --> 00:43:21.130 life, brings our attention back to the gift that he gave to humanity to 351 00:43:21.130 --> 00:43:29.070 give freedom from sin. And then, just as we saw in the beginning, 352 00:43:29.550 --> 00:43:37.870 how he has been drawing all people to himself in a spiritual, 353 00:43:37.870 --> 00:43:45.800 heartfelt connection since his crucifixion, and now he comes the second time, 354 00:43:46.320 --> 00:43:53.210 this time he will literally be drawing all men to himself, and 355 00:43:54.780 --> 00:43:59.840 he also draws our attention to his cross. 356 00:44:00.090 --> 00:44:08.070 If I be lifted up doesn't just mean erecting the wooden cross on the earth so that he is 357 00:44:08.070 --> 00:44:13.240 suspended above the earth, but if I be lifted up to the heavens, 358 00:44:14.010 --> 00:44:16.370 he will draw all men to himself. 359 00:44:16.650 --> 00:44:22.520 As we look to the heavens, Jesus said, when you see these things begin to come to pass, 360 00:44:22.520 --> 00:44:26.030 then look up for your redemption, draweth nigh. 361 00:44:26.410 --> 00:44:31.600 And that's what we see when we look up and we see Jesus lifted up, 362 00:44:32.230 --> 00:44:37.250 then we know that our redemption is near. 363 00:44:37.970 --> 00:44:43.160 Everyone, in some way, is drawn to Jesus. 364 00:44:43.430 --> 00:44:48.190 It's just a question of will you accept him or will you reject him. 365 00:44:48.190 --> 00:44:51.370 In the end, everybody will see. 366 00:44:53.140 --> 00:45:00.860 It doesn't speak of the relationship that we have to him, but everyone will be drawn 367 00:45:01.370 --> 00:45:04.700 to see what he is doing in the heavens. 368 00:45:05.060 --> 00:45:08.650 Sooner or later, all will be known by all men. 369 00:45:08.930 --> 00:45:16.480 So it is literally all men, but of course those who he literally draws to himself is not 370 00:45:16.750 --> 00:45:20.570 all of humanity, but those who accept him. 371 00:45:21.640 --> 00:45:25.050 So with that, let's stand for a word of prayer. 372 00:45:26.240 --> 00:45:34.210 Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you for this time that we have and that 373 00:45:34.210 --> 00:45:42.120 you have marked on your clock as a memorial of what you have done in the earth and the 374 00:45:42.120 --> 00:45:44.230 gift that you have given to humanity. 375 00:45:45.310 --> 00:45:49.500 The most precious gift that you could give, the gift of your son, 376 00:45:49.630 --> 00:45:57.410 your only begotten son, that you gave because you loved the world and you 377 00:45:57.410 --> 00:46:03.100 didn't want that any would perish, but that all would come to everlasting life. 378 00:46:04.090 --> 00:46:06.420 And so we thank you for making that possible. 379 00:46:07.930 --> 00:46:15.900 We thank you for the body and the blood of Jesus that he gave willingly 380 00:46:16.750 --> 00:46:24.650 for our salvation, that we may be united with you, both physically 381 00:46:24.890 --> 00:46:32.200 and spiritually. And we look forward to that time not far off from now 382 00:46:32.810 --> 00:46:35.860 when we can see you face to face. 383 00:46:37.060 --> 00:46:42.830 And like David said in the Psalms, when we awake in your likeness, 384 00:46:43.370 --> 00:46:51.190 then we will be satisfied. And that is our heart's desire, and we 385 00:46:51.190 --> 00:46:58.130 thank you because we know that we can trust you to bring us to that time 386 00:46:59.160 --> 00:47:03.080 in peace. And we praise your name in all that you do. 387 00:47:03.080 --> 00:47:07.230 In the name of Jesus Christ, Alnitak of Orion. 388 00:47:08.170 --> 00:47:13.150 Amen. Thank you, and we'll see you again later.