Habakkuk's Two Tables #70
PART SEVEN: JOSIAH
Presented by Jeff Pippenger
Invocation by Brother Jeff Pippenger: Heavenly Father, as we start our day with this morning manna, we ask that you grant us the presence of your Holy Spirit that we might understand it aright, that you would take control of my mental process that I can convey the message that you have for us and not a message corrupted with human thoughts and ideas. Please prepare our hearts and minds to hear your voice and understand it in this message. We want the Latter Rain poured out upon us. We ask that you would accomplish that for us now, in agreement with Zechariah 10, verse 1. And we thank you for another day of life, a good night's rest, and ask for a continued blessing now as we partake of your Word. In Jesus's name, amen.
BROTHER PIPPENGER: We are looking at many, many things; but, we are looking at the prophecy of Josiah as set forth to Jeroboam from the prophet from Judah that ultimately is killed by the Lion while riding upon the Ass.
And in this worship series, we have looked at several Biblical stories that illustrate the end of the world; and, we are going to throw another one into the story of Josiah to make one specific point concerning the end of the world being the Latter Rain. We want to understand that all of these prophecies are illustrating the end of the world, but more specifically they are illustrating the time period of the Latter Rain at the end of the world. And if we have that in place, then when we go into the story of Josiah and we understand that it is the Latter Rain, and we see the Book of Moses discovered, we will have more ability to identify which specific book of Moses, which curse of Moses is represented in the story of Josiah; because, it would have to be a curse of Moses that is also identified in other illustrations of the Latter Rain. As an example, Jeremiah 6:16, "Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths; . . . and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls," the rest being the Latter Rain; the walking in the old paths being the way to receive the Latter Rain.
So, when we identify the Old Paths as the Foundational Truths as represented on this [1843] Chart, we are narrowing down the options to choose from in terms of the curse of Moses. I mean, what curse of Moses is part of the testimony of the Old Paths and the Latter Rain time period? It has to be part of the curse that can be expressed in these truths [of the 1843 Chart]. That, of course, is the 2520.
Although we have proven it over and over, I want to put some additional evidence in that this is the Latter Rain time period.
In Selected Messages, book 3, beginning at page 338, certainly we have read this before in this worship series. It says,
"Each of the ancient prophets spoke less for their own time than for ours, so that their prophesying is in force for us. 'Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.' 1 Corinthians 10:11. 'Not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.' 1 Peter 1:12. . . .
"The Bible has accumulated and bound up together its treasures for this last generation."—
What is the last generation?
—"All the great events and solemn transactions of Old Testament history have been, and are, repeating themselves in the church in these last days."—
What are the great and solemn events that are the subject of prophecy? It is the events connected with the close of probation.
What is the last generation? Where is the last generation marked?
How do you know you are in the last generation? That is Luke 21, "Verily I say unto to, This generation shall not pass, till all be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away." Luke 21:32-33 (KJV).
Luke 21 says the generation that sees the budding trees of Spring is the last generation.
—"The Bible has accumulated and bound up together its treasures for this last generation. All the great events and solemn transactions of Old Testament history have been,"—
All the great and solemn events of Old Testament history that are illustrating the events connected with the close of probation.
—"and are, repeating themselves in the church in these last days." Selected Messages, book 3, 338-339.
The principle that we have dealt with before is upon the two or three a thing is established. Deuteronomy 17:6 says,
"6At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is worthy of death be put to death; but at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death." Deuteronomy 17:6 (KJV).
"1One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established." Deuteronomy 19:15 (KJV).
2 Corinthians 13:1 says,
"1This is the third time I am coming to you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established." 2 Corinthians 13:1 (KJV).
1 Timothy 5:19:
"19Against an elder receive not an accusation, but before two or three witnesses." 1 Timothy 5:19 (KJV).
So, all the prophets are speaking about the end of the world, and the truths that they are setting forth will be established when you can see those truths in two or three places.
In Revelation 10, beginning at verse 8, it says,
"8And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again, and said, Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth."—
And when commenting on this, Sister White says that Little Book is the Book of Daniel, and she says the Angel is no less than the personage than Jesus Christ.
John is here told to go take the Little Book out of the Angel's hand, and we know that this Angel descended to the Earth on August 11, 1840, with the restraint that was placed upon the Ottoman Empire by the four great European powers. In that history the restraint of Islam brings the Angel down, thus empowering the First Angel's Message by confirming the year-day principle.
In verse 8 John is told to go take that Little Book, and then in verse 9, it says,
—"9And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up, and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey. 10And I took the little book out of the angel's hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter." Revelation 10:8-10 (KJV).
We have spent a great deal of time studying what it means when a prophet eats the Word of God, whether it is from the testimony of Jeremiah or Ezekiel. It represents the prophet receiving a message that he is to carry to God's people. And the prophet is forewarned in each instance that God's people will not receive the message, and the promise is given that the Lord will give the prophet a forehead of flint, the forehead of a diamond, of an adamant; thus, the process of carrying a testing message to God's people, the shaking that it causes, the resistance that it runs into requires a strengthening of your forehead. And, of course, this is in no doubt part of the process of the sealing, for the Seal of God goes upon your forehead.
When John eats the little book here, he is eating the manna that was sent down from Heaven. The manna that was sent down from Heaven in the Old Testament, or when Jesus is referring to it in John, chapter 6, is the Word of God. And, of course, Jesus has just come down out of Heaven on August 11, 1840. He is the True Manna, and John is told to go and take the Little Book out of His hand and eat the Book of Daniel, eat the Word of God, eat the Manna.
When you eat the manna, you are receiving the Message of the Hour, you are receiving the Latter Rain.
And in this passage, one of the principles about the prophets, when the prophets become part of the prophecy, they are illustrating God's people at the end of the world; and, in this passage you can see this principle as well, for the Millerites did not understand the experience that they were going to go through from 1840 to 1844. Sister White specifically says that. They did not know what was going to happen to them.
So, although John does represent the Millerites here in Revelation 10, verses 8 through 10, for the Millerites they ate the Little Book and it was sweet in their mouth.
And when was the Little Book sweet in their mouth?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: In 1840.
BROTHER PIPPENGER: In August 11, 1840, when the year-day principle was confirmed, the year-day principle that was the primary point of reference for all these time prophecies [as illustrated on the 1843 Chart] was confirmed, then suddenly their message became very sweet; but, then at the Great Disappointment on October 22, 1844, it became bitter in their stomach.
And we understand that John here is representing the Millerites. Sister White represents this and their experience from 1840 to 1844.
But, John here primarily represents the 144,000; because, the 144,000 are required to understand this history, and John represents someone that is told in advance what is going to happen when he eats the Little Book.
So, John here is representing both Millerite Adventism and the 144,000. He is representing the beginning of Adventism and the end of Adventism; and, he is identifying the reception of the Latter Rain Message that you have to take the message, you have to take the Little Book out of the Angel's hand and eat it.
And Sister White says "the eating of the Little Book represents the glad reception and the comprehension of the message."
So, when we look at John illustrating God's people at the end of the world, he is illustrating God's people in the time of the Latter Rain, when the Angel of Revelation 18 descends and they are required then to eat the manna of the hour.
Go to Zechariah, chapter 4, for a second witness to the fact that when the prophets are illustrating God's people at the end of the world, they are primarily illustrating the Latter Rain.
In chapter 4, verse 1, it says,
"1And the angel that talked with me came again, and waked me, as a man that is wakened out of his sleep."—
This is the angel Gabriel waking up Zechariah and, in so doing, he is illustrating the wake-up time for the Millerites at the Midnight Cry in the Summer of 1844, and he is representing the wake-up time for Seventh-day Adventists at the end of the world at 9/11.
"1And the angel that talked with me came again, and waked me, as a man that is wakened out of his sleep. 2And said unto me, What seest thou? And I said, I have looked and behold a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which are upon the top thereof: 3And two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl, and the other upon the left side thereof. 4So I answered and spake to the angel that talked with me, saying, What are these, my lord?"—
Of course, this is the seven-branch candlestick right here [indicating the lower left-hand corner of the 1850 Chart], but you cannot see it, of course from the pulpit. It is illustrated on the 1850 Chart.
There is no reason why Zechariah, the prophet of the Lord, would not understand what the seven-branch candlestick is. He is a prophet of the Lord during the time of the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem. Certainly a prophet that is in that history would understand what the furnishing of the sanctuary is. But, yet, when he is awakened, he does not understand what this seven-branch candlestick is; thus, illustrating that when the Millerites were awakened in the Summer of 1844, and in just two months they were going to suffer the Great Disappointment, they understood the Earth as the sanctuary. They did not understand the sanctuary. When they woke up they did not understand what the seven-branch candlestick was. Zechariah here is representing the Millerites that are awakened in the Summer of 1844, only to find that they have a misconception about the sanctuary.
And this is emphasized. Verse 4:
—"4So I answered and spake to the angel that talked with me, saying, What are these, my lord?"—
Zechariah is putting in the record that he does not know what it is, and then in verse 5 it says,
—"5Then the angel that talked with me answered and said unto me, Knowest thou not what these be?"—
He does not give him the answer. He repeats the question so that the student of prophecy can recognize that this is something that you need to come to grips with.
—"Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord."—
"I don't know what this is. I, as a prophet, working in rebuilding the sanctuary, I do not know what the seven-branch candlestick is."
Zechariah is not Zechariah here. He is the Millerites, and he is us at the end of the world.
There is something about the seven-branch candlestick that we do not know what it is at the end of the world.
And who is the angel speaking to him? Well, upon the testimony of two or three, a thing is established, and we are told that Gabriel is the angel that spoke to Daniel, and Gabriel is the angel that talked to John, and Gabriel talked to John the Baptist's father.
Who is the angel that talks with the prophets?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: Gabriel.
BROTHER PIPPENGER: It is Gabriel. Okay? So, Gabriel is talking to him here, and in verse 6, he says,
—"6Then he answered and spake unto me, saying,"—
What is Gabriel describing here now? He is describing the seven-branch candlestick. Zechariah does not know what they are, and the angel emphasizes it, and now the angel is going to tell him what it is.
—"This is the word of the Lord"—
He could stop right there, "This is the word of the Lord."
—"This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts."—(to be continued)
Now, the outpouring of the Spirit is accomplished through the unfolding of God's Word. The Latter Rain is accomplished through a message from the Bible. The Latter Rain is a message.
In Isaiah 28, beginning in verse 9, says,
"9Whom shall he teach knowledge?"—
What knowledge needs to be taught at the end of the world? The increase of knowledge that comes when the Book of Daniel was unsealed, and it was unsealed in 1989 with the collapse of the Soviet Union, in fulfillment of verse 40 of Daniel 11.
—"9Whom shall he teach knowledge? And whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts."—
People that are not just handling truth, people that are seeking after present truth.
There are many wonderful truths in the Word of God, Sister White says. There is milk in the Word of God. There are many wonderful truths in the Word of God, but what the flock of God needs now is present truth. Those people that are studying with the intensity to find present truth are the ones that will understand the increase of knowledge.
—"10For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:"—
There is the proof-texting method of Biblical study that was discovered and put in place by William Miller.
Verse 11:
—"11For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people."—
There is a time period when He is going to speak to His people through men and women that were not the ordained speakers to His people. They speak with stammering lips and another tongue.
Verse 12:
—"12To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest;"—
There is only one group of people that are promised the Latter Rain, and that is Seventh-day Adventists. I mean the Seventh-day Adventists and the eleven-hour workers are going to experience the Latter Rain; but, the church that has been promised to be the recipient of the Latter Rain is the Church of Laodicea (the Seventh-day Adventist Church at the end of time).
And in verse 11, he is talking about "this people." "For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people." Who is this people? He is going to describe it in verse 12, "To whom he said," this people to whom He said, "This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest." This is Adventism. This is the people that has been promised the Latter Rain.
—"and this is the refreshing:"—
The Great Controversy, page 611, says the rest, the refreshing, is the Latter Rain.
—"12To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear." Isaiah 28:9-12 (KJV).
The Latter Rain is a message. It is something that you hear.
Go back to Zechariah, chapter 4.
What is the candlestick? Gabriel says in verse 6,
—"Zechariah 4 continued, verse 6Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by my might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts."—
This seven-branch candlestick is His Spirit.
When the Millerites wake up at the Midnight Cry in the Summer of 1844, they have a misunderstanding about the furnishings of the sanctuary. But, when Adventism woke up at 9/11/2001, their misunderstanding is that the candlestick also represents the Latter Rain, the power of the Holy Spirit, "Not by my might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts."
And, of course, if you drop down to verse 11,
"11Then answered I, and said unto him, What are these two olive trees upon the right side of the candlestick and upon the left side thereof?"—
For the Millerites, it was the Old and New Testaments; for Zechariah, it was the Law and the Prophets; for you and me here at the end of the world it is the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy.
Verse 12,
"12And I answered again, and said unto him, What be these two olive branches, which through the two golden pipes empty the golden oil out of themselves? 13And he answered me and said, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord. 14Then said he, These are the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth." Zechariah 4:1-6, 11-14 (KJV).
The Law and the Prophets for Zechariah; the Old and New Testaments for the Millerites; and the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy for you and me.
And this golden oil Sister White comments on is the oil that the wise virgins have and the oil that the foolish virgins do not have, and Sister White plainly says that this oil is the messages of God's Spirit; and, she says, you dishonor God when you do not receive those messages. And the messages of God's Spirit that is the golden oil is the Latter Rain.
So, in John's story in Revelation 10, verses 8 through 10, it is about the Latter Rain at the end of the world.
In Zechariah, in chapter 4, with the candlestick and the golden oil that comes through the two pipes, it is about the Latter Rain, it is about the Latter Rain.
Okay. So, I want to give a third witness to this.
Gideon
Judges 6:1-10
Judges, chapter 6. And if you were expecting to study Josiah today, we probably will not study Josiah today, but we are putting a component into the story of Josiah that we want to deal with.
Judges, chapter 6, verses 1 through 10. And we are saying that all the prophets speak about the end of the world, more than the days in which they lived. So, this story is a story about the end of the world.
In fact, for me, Judges, [chapters] 6 through 8 is perhaps the most specific illustration of Adventism in God's Word.
"1And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord: and the Lord delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years."—
So, this story takes place at the end of 2520 days.
The Millerite story takes place at the end of 2520 years that ended in 1798; and, our story here at the end of the world begins in 1989 at the end of the scattering, the seven scatterings of William Miller; and, Gideon's story takes place at the end of seven times of captivity.
Verse 1,
—"1And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord: and the Lord delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years."—
You are going to have some references here as we go down through our notes. If you remember, in Daniel 11:41, the King of the North, there are those that escape the hand of the Papacy.
Of course, as Seventh-day Adventists, it is easy for us to understand what the "hand" represents in Bible prophecy, because we are experts on the fact that the mark of the beast goes on the forehead if you believe in Sunday sacredness, and in the hand if you are just forced into observance of it. So, we understand the "hand" represents subjection.
And some people escape the Papacy's "hand" at The Sunday Law in the United States, modern Babylon (the eleventh-hour workers: Edom, Moab, and the chief children of Ammon); and, then he goes forth (the Papacy in verse 42) and he stretches his "hand" upon the countries, "and the land of Egypt shall not escape."
So, the point is, is here in this story of Gideon, you will have a reference in your notes: HAND is referenced—I forget now. It is in your notes later on—16 times. So, this is one of the places where you can come and demonstrate very conclusively that the "hand" has to do with being brought into subjection.
Verse 2:
—"2And the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel: and because of the Midianites the children of Israel made them the dens which are in the mountains, and caves, and strong holds."—
Why were they making dens in the mountains? To hide in, for fear of their enemy.
—"3And so it was, when Israel had sown, that the Midianites came up, and the Amalekites, and the children of the east, even they came up against them;"—
What is that?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: That is the threefold union.
BROTHER PIPPENGER: That is the threefold enemy that represents the Beast, the Dragon, and the False Prophet at the end of the world. When you see that threefold enemy, you will see two expressed in a singular fashion, and one in a plural fashion; and, sure enough, Midian (singular0, Amalekites (singular), and the children of the East is a plurality in God's Word.
It is by recognizing this "singular, singular, plurality" that allows you as a student of prophecy to see three tribes and understand that these three tribes represent modern Babylon at the end of the world; because, all the prophets are speaking more about the end of the world than the days in which they lived. And the part of the end of the world that they are speaking about is the part that we call the Latter Rain time period.
Okay. Verse 4:
—"4And they encamped against them, and destroyed the increase of the earth, till thou come unto Gaza, and left no sustenance for Israel, neither sheep, nor ox, nor ass. 5For they came up with their cattle and their tents, and they came as grasshoppers for multitude;"—
And grasshoppers, of course, sometimes it is translated as the Hebrew word as locusts; and, I am not counting when it is translated as locusts. But, grasshoppers and the sands of the sea, when you see those, it represents the multitude of people at the end of the world. We will show you that in a moment.
—"for both they and their camels were without number: and they entered into the land to destroy it. 6And Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites; and the children of Israel cried unto the Lord.
"7And it came to pass, when the children of Israel cried unto the Lord because of the Midianites,"—
There is a principle there that is not understood that Sister White and the Bible emphasizes repeatedly. You find yourself in trouble, cry out unto the Lord. Do not just keep going in the same direction; the trouble is only going to get worse.
So, when they did cry out unto the Lord, verse 8,
—"8That the Lord sent a prophet unto the children of Israel, which said unto them, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, I brought you up from Egypt, and brought you forth out of the house of bondage; 9And I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all that oppressed you, and drave them out from before you, and gave you their land; 10And I said unto you, I am the Lord your God; fear not the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but ye have not obeyed my voice." Judges 6:1-10 (KJV).
And we will stop there and talk about these things.
The prophet here that is sent, the emphasis of the prophetic ministry of this prophecy is to emphasize the principle of taking God's people back to the histories of the past to find their point of reference for faith: "Go back to the Lord's leading in your past history."
If you find yourself as a Christian where you understand that you have lost the presence of the Lord, Sister White tells you there is a work that you are supposed to do if you find yourself lacking the presence of the Lord. What does Sister White say to do first? Go back to the last place where you can remember that you had a genuine experience with the Lord and start there. Okay?
So, this principle is noted in here, too.
But, let us go back and go through verses 1 through 10.
The Children of Israel did Evil
In the Signs of the Times, June 3, 1881,
"Alas, that in the history of God's chosen people the sorrowful story of apostasy and its punishment must be so oft repeated! Forty years of peace elapsed after the destruction of Sisera and his host, and again 'the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years.' Heretofore the hand of the oppressor had fallen but lightly on the tribes dwelling east of the Jordan, but in the present calamities they were the chief sufferers. . . .
"Because of their sins, the protecting hand of God was withdrawn from Israel, and they were left to the mercies of their enemies." Signs of the Times, June 23, 1881.
This is the context of Judges, chapter 6.
The Multitude
GRASSHOPPER: (sands of the sea) used 19 times in the Bible—meaning: multitude.
Judges 7:12; Rev. 17:15; Isaiah 40:22; 1 Samuel 13:5; Joshua 11:4–5
And in Judges 7:12, it says,
"12And the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the children of the east lay along in the valley like grasshoppers for multitude; and their camels were without number, as the sand by the sea side for multitude." Judges 7:12 (KJV).
Revelation 17:15, we should probably know that; but, Revelation 17:15, what is "the multitudes"? But, this story of Gideon is the end of the world, during the Latter Rain time period, and verse 15 says,
"15And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues." Revelation 17:15 (KJV).
The grasshoppers are the people of the world.
Isaiah 40:22
"22It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants there are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in." Isaiah 40:22 (KJV).
And then you have a couple of other references there of grasshoppers and multitudes, 1 Samuel 13:5; Joshua 11:4-5; but, I want to read from Joel, about the multitude; because, we are saying this is the multitudes, the peoples, the seas at the end of the world during the time period of the Latter Rain. You can look up these other references on your own.
"5And the Philistines gathered themselves together to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots, and six thousand horsemen, and people as the sand which is on the sea shore in multitude: and they came up, and pitched in Michmash, eastward from Bethaven." 1 Samuel 13:5 (KJV).
"4And they went out, they and all their hosts with them, much people, even as the sand that is upon the sea shore in multitude, with horses and chariots very many. 5And when all these kings were met together, they came and pitched together at the waters of Merom, to fight against Israel." Joshua 11:4-5 (KJV).
And as we read through Joel, we have dealt with this particular little issue in this worship series, that when you see the expression (the two words), "bring again," in the Old Testament—i.e., "I will bring again the captivity of Israel," "I will bring again the captivity of Judah"—in our English, "bring again" makes us think it means, "I am going to bring them again into captivity," but actually the Hebrew means reverse. When it says, "I am going to bring again the captivity," it means, "I am going to reverse the captivity." It means they are in captivity, and I am going to end it. Where in the English it sounds like, "I am going to take them into captivity."
So, I am pointing this Hebrew word out here in your notes; because, in this passage of Joel, it is going to talk about "bring again," and we want to understand this correctly.
You see the Concordance definition of bring again.
BRING AGAIN: Strong's Concordance H7725 shûb A primitive root; to turn back (hence, away) transitively or intransitively, literally or figuratively (not necessarily with the idea of return to the starting point); generally to retreat.
Joel 2:28 – 3:17
And in Joel 2:28, we are looking at the multitudes, the grasshoppers, the enemies of Gideon at the end of the world, which is most likely an illustration of the Latter Rain.
Beginning at verse 28 of Joel, chapter 2,
"Chapter 2:28And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh;"—
So, what time period does this take place in? The Latter Rain, clearly.
—"and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: 29And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit. 30And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. 31The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the Lord come. 32And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call."—
Who quotes this? Who quotes this? Joel writes it, but who quotes it?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: Peter.
BROTHER PIPPENGER: Peter, in Acts, chapter 2, chapter 3, identifying the outpouring at Pentecost; but, Sister White tells us that the outpouring at Pentecost is prefiguring the outpouring of the Latter Rain (verse 1 of chapter 3).
—"Chapter 3:1For, behold, in those days,"—in the time of the Latter Rain—"and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem,"—
So, what does this mean? These words bring again means reverse: "When I will reverse the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem."
So, in the Latter Rain time period—just before the Latter Rain time period, what condition is Judah and Jerusalem in? They are in captivity.
What captivity is that? It is Miller's scattering, because a scattering is captivity, and it gets reversed.
Verse 2:
—"2I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land. 3And they have cast lots for my people; and have given a boy for an harlot, and sold a girl for wine, that they might drink. 4Yea, and what have ye to do with me, O Tyre, and Zidon, and all the coasts of Palestine? Will ye render me a recompence? And if ye recompense me, swiftly and speedily will I return your recompence upon your own head;"—
Who is He talking to there?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: (Indiscernible response.)
BROTHER PIPPENGER: Who is he talking to there, in verse 4?
—"4Yea, and what have ye to do with me, O Tyre, and Zidon, and all the coasts of Palestine?—
Who is He talking to there? That is the Beast, the Dragon, and the False Prophet. That is the threefold enemy: Palestine, Tyre, and Zidon.
—"Will ye render me a recompence?"—
He is talking about dealing with the Beast, the Dragon, and the False Prophet.
Verse 5:
—"5Because ye have taken my silver and my gold, and have carried into your temples my goodly pleasant things:"—
Who do that?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: Nebuchadnezzar.
BROTHER PIPPENGER: Nebuchadnezzar. This is about persecution against God's people.
Verse 6:
—"6The children also of Judah and the children of Jerusalem have ye sold into the Grecians, that ye might remove them far from their border. 7Behold, I will raise them out of the place whither ye have sold them, and will return your recompence upon your own head:"—
When does he reverse the captivity of Jerusalem and Judah? At the outpouring of the Latter Rain He is going to reverse the captivity. Right? Prior to that time, they have been captive.
And who have they been sold to, in verse 6? "The children also of Judah and the children of Jerusalem have ye sold into the Grecians, . . ."
Who sold them to the Grecians? The threefold enemy of Tyre, Zidon, and Palestine. Modern Babylon has sold God's people to the Grecians.
What does that mean?
Why did the majority of the Hebrews reject Christ as the Messiah?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: False education.
BROTHER PIPPENGER: False education.
What was their false educational system? It was the Greek educational system.
What sells out God's people? It is a false educational system. It is the technique for studying the Bible that comes from Babylon, from modern Babylon, from apostate Protestantism and Catholicism. It is the grammatical historical method of studying the Bible, which was introduced in the 1930s. And that is another story.
Verse 7:
—"7Behold, I will raise them out of the place whither ye have sold them, and will return your recompence upon your own head:"—
Okay. They have been sold. They are in captivity. The captivity is reversed at the Latter Rain. At 9/11 the captivity is being reversed. Right?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: (Affirmations.)
BROTHER PIPPENGER: And He is going to—what?—them?
What happens at 9/11? There are two messages, right?
Remember yesterday [referring to Figure No. 139]: First Message, Second Message; Elijah, Elisha; John, Christ; Shaking and Noise—what message is this?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: The First.
BROTHER PIPPENGER: It is the First Message. Where do we find this message?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: Ezekiel.
BROTHER PIPPENGER: Ezekiel 37.
And what is the Second Message in Ezekiel 37? It is the breath, but what does it do? It causes them to stand on their feet. They stand up.
And when they stand on their feet, what happens to them?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: They are lifted up as an ensign.
BROTHER PIPPENGER: They are lifted up as an ensign. The lifting up begins at 9/11, but the world sees it at The Sunday Law.
Where was I? I was not going to go into this detail. It is not my point.
—"8And I will sell your sons and your daughters into the hand of the children of Judah, and they shall sell them to the Sabeans, to a people far off: for the Lord hath spoken it.
"9Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up. 10Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruninghooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong."—
And Sister White says in the Last Days—and when Sister White says "in the Last Days," because she is a prophet that agrees with all the other prophets, the "Last Days" that she is referring to is the time period of the Latter Rain. And Sister White says in the Last Days wars will rage.
Do you see any wars and rumors or wars going on in the world today?
Okay. We are still in verse 10:
—"let the weak say, I am strong."
In connection with these wards in the Last Days, the weak are going to say they are strong. What does that mean? Well, that means that is the United States wanted to right now, it could take its nuclear arsenal and eliminate the Middle East. Okay? Islam could be gone; they could be vaporized.
Compared to the fire power of Russia, the multitudes in the army of China, or the fire power of the Europeans, or the fire power of the United States, Islam is weak. Okay? They are struggling in Iran to get together one nuclear bomb that they can send to Jerusalem, maybe two or three but that is it. They know when they fire those nuclear bombs, it is over. They are weak, and in this history the weak will say, "I am strong!" They are going to fight in any case. Okay?
—"11Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about: thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O Lord. 12Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about. 13Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come,"—
When does the harvest time begin?
What is the harvest? The Summer time; it is at the end of the world. It begins at The Sunday Law in the United States, the Summer time does.
—"13Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get your down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great."—
And here is where we are at now.
—"14Multitudes, multitudes"—
What does that tell you?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: The Second and Fourth Angels' Message. This is a marker. This is the multitudes that are gathered. The grasshoppers in Gideon's story are gathered in the Latter Rain time period when the Judgment of the Living is coming to a conclusion.
—"14Multiudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision. 15The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining. 16The Lord also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the Lord will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel. 17So shall ye know that I am the Lord your God dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain: then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers pass through her any more." Joel 2:28 – 3:17 (KJV).
What is a stranger? A Gentile. Okay? A stranger is a Gentile.
And, at the end of the world, the glorious holy mountain in verse 45 of Daniel 11, it is pure. This is the Church Triumphant. There are no people in there that are wearing the wrong apparel. They all have the right apparel on, if you know what I mean.
So, back to your notes.
The multitudes in Gideon's story are the multitudes here at the end of the world in the valley of decision, the time of the Judgment of the Living, the time of the Latter Rain when the world is being divided into two classes.
Where do you see the world divided into two classes just before probation is closed?
Seas Pope of Rome Glorious Holy Mountain
(People of the World) (Tabernacles of his Palace) (Zion)
The Multitudes Dan. 11:45 Church Triumphant
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
1798 1844
1842
1AM 2AM 3AM
Elijah's Message Elisha's Message
John the Baptist Christ
Shaking and Noise Breath comes into Dead Dry Bones
King of the North Children of the East
LION ASS
Babylon Islam
Figure No. 140.
If I was to put a mountain over here, and the seas over here, what would the seas be?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: The multitudes.
BROTHER PIPPENGER: And if I was to put the Pope of Rome right in the middle, what verse would you have? Daniel 11, verse 45. He places the tabernacles of his palaces between the seas and the glorious holy mountain. The world has been divided into two classes, and Jerusalem (Zion) will not have any strangers any longer.
The Hand (16 times in Judges 6 – 8)
Judges 6:1; 9, 13, 14, 36, 37; 7:2,7,9,11,14,15: 8:6, 7, 15, 22*
To your notes, "The Hand," in the first verse of chapter 6 of Judges, Gideon and his people were given into the hand of Midian for seven years. And these are all the verses* in this story, chapters 6 through 8 of Judges, where the hand is used to demonstrate subjection.
In Testimonies, volume 5, page 712,
"When our nation shall so abjure the principles of its government as to enact a Sunday law, Protestantism will in this act join hands with popery." Testimonies, volume 5, 712.
They are going to be brought into subject into the Papacy,
And the next quote we have read before, and it says,
"The Protestants of the United States will be foremost in stretching their hands across the gulf to grasp the hand of Spiritualism;"—
That is the Dragon power.
—"they will reach over the abyss to clasp hands with the Roman power;"—
That is the Papacy.
—"and under the influence of this threefold union, this country will follow in the steps of Rome in trampling on the rights of conscience." The Great Controversy, 588.
This threefold union is the Beast, the Dragon, and the False Prophet. It is in the story of Gideon, Midian, the Amalekites, and the children of the East; and, their joining hands is representing their agreement.
Three Enemies
Judges 6:3; 7:12
"3And so it was, when Israel had sown, that the Midianites came up, and the Amalekites, and the children of the east, even they came up against them: . . ." Judges 6:3 (KJV).
"12And the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the children of the east lay along in the valley like grasshoppers for multitude; and their camels were without number, as the sand by the sea side for multitude." Judges 7:12 (KJV).
Midian: strife. Abraham and Keturah—Amal: trouble. Esau—The children of the east: (plural.)
Midian, Amal, and the children of the East, you have several references of these three enemies in your notes.
Numbers 22:4-5
"4And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way. 5And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread." Numbers 22:4-5 (KJV).
Moab, Midian, Balaam of Pethro which is in the land of the children of his people: (plural.)
In Numbers 22:4-5, the three enemies are Moab, Midian, and Balaam.
And Sister White comments on Numbers 22. In Adventist Home, page 27, she says,
"Near the close of this earth's history Satan will work with all his powers in the same manner and with the same temptations wherewith he tempted ancient Israel just before their entering the land of promise. He will lay snares for those who claim to keep the commandments of God, and who are almost on the borders of the heavenly Canaan." Adventist Home, 327.
So, she is saying Numbers 22 is here at the end of the world.
So, who is Moab, Midian, and Balaam at the end of the world? It is this threefold union. Balaam is associated with the children of the East, a plurality.
Nehemiah 2:19
"19But when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian, heard it, they laughed us to scorn, and despised us, and said, What is this thing that ye do? Will ye rebel against the king? Nehemiah 2:19 (KJV).
Sanballat the Horonite: the moon god; sin has given life. Moab—Tobiah the Ammonite: Yaweh is good—Geshem the Arabian: born in the rainy season. (plural.) Ishmael.
In Nehemiah when they rebuilding the temple after they came out of Jerusalem, there were three enemies: Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem the Arabian; the Arabian, once again, a plurality.
And Sister White says in Christian Service, page 173,
"The experience of Nehemiah is repeated in the history of God's people in this time. Those who labor in the cause of truth will find that they cannot do this without exciting the anger of its enemies. Though they have been called of God to the work in which they are engaged, and their course is approved of Him, they cannot escape reproach and derision." Christian Service, 173–174.
Who is Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem the Arabian? The Beast, the Dragon, and the False Prophet.
John 19:19-20
"19And Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross. And the writing was, JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS. 20This title then read many of the Jews: for the place where Jesus was crucified as nigh to the city: and it was written in Hebrew, and Greek, and Latin." John 19:19-20 (KJV).
Hebrew: from the other side. Shem—Latin: Roman: I have exalted. Spiritually Ham—Greek: sons of the Ionians. Japheth (plural.)
At the cross, the sign that was placed on the top of the cross was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek. There is your threefold division; and, HEBREW is from Shem; LATIN is from Ham; and, GREEK is from Japheth (GREEK is the plurality; Japheth is the plurality).
Selected Messages, book 1, page 406,
"The trials of the children of Israel, and their attitude just before the first coming of Christ, have been presented before me again and again to illustrate the position of the people of God in their experience before the second coming of Christ—how the enemy sought every occasion to take control of the minds of the Jews, and today he is seeking to blind the minds of God's servants, that they may not be able to discern the precious truth." Selected Messages, book 1, 406.
Threefold enemy in the time of Christ; threefold enemy at the end of the world.
Revelation 16:12-13
"12And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared. 13And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet." Revelation 16:12-13 (KJV).
Beast: Catholicism—False prophet: Apostate Protestantism—Dragon: Spiritualism
And that threefold enemy is found in Revelation 16, to be the Beast, the False Prophet, and the Dragon.
Revelation 16:19; 16:13-16
"19And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath." Revelation 16:19 (KJV).
"13And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 14For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. 15Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. 16And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon." Revelation 16:13-16 (KJV).
Isaiah 11:14
"14But they shall fly upon the shoulders of the Philistines toward the west; they shall spoil them of the east together: they shall lay their hand upon Edom and Moab; and the children of Ammon shall obey them." Isaiah 11:14 (KJV).
Edom, Moab, children of Ammon. (plural.)
And then in Isaiah 11:14, you see Edom, Moab, and the children of Ammon, paralleling Daniel 11, verse 41:
Daniel 11:41
"41He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries [people (SDAs)] shall be overthrown. But these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon." Daniel 11:41 (KJV).
Edom: red. Esau—Moab: from father. Lot—The chief of the children of Ammon: paternal uncle. Lot. (plural.)
Edom, Moab, and the children of Ammon.
Prophet of History
So, under this bondage in the story of Gideon in chapter 6, the people finally cry out to the Lord; and, the Lord sends them a prophet. The prophet points them back to the deliverance of Egypt, the emphasis of the ministry.
You know, you have ministries in Adventism today that they go out and do literature evangelism, and then you have a ministry that does the Health Message, and you have ministries that emphasize what Jones and Waggoner taught in 1888; but, the ministry of this prophet in Judges, chapter 6, was to teach the people that their safety was understanding and remembering their past history. The prophet comes into this story and says, "Remember. Hey, the Lord delivered you out of Egypt." Okay? He takes them back to their past history.
And, of course, the prophet at the end of the world that has this identical ministry is Ellen White. In Life Sketches, page 196, she says,
"We have nothing to fear for the future, except as we shall forget the way the Lord has led us, and His teaching in our past history." Life Sketches, 196.
Now, in verse 8 of Judges 6, it says,
"7And it came to pass, when the children of Israel cried into the Lord because of the Midianites, 8that the Lord sent a prophet unto the children of Israel, which said unto them, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, I brought you up from Egypt, and brought you forth out of the house of bondage; . . . 9And I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all that oppressed you, and drave them out from before you, and gave you their land; . . ." Judges 6:7-9 (KJV).
The same ministry: 'You have nothing to worry about, except as you forget the Lord's teaching and our experience in our past history.'
The Upward Look, page 232m says
"The history of the children of Israel is written for our admonition and instruction upon whom the ends of the world are come. Those who would stand firm in the faith in these last days, and finally gain an entrance into the heavenly Canaan, must listen to the words of warning spoken by Jesus Christ to the Israelites. These lessons were given to the church in the wilderness to be studied and heeded by God's people throughout their generations forever. The experience of the people of God in the wilderness will be the experience of His people in this age. Truth is a safeguard in all time to those who will hold fast the faith once delivered to the saints." The Upward Look, 232.
What is the faith that was once delivered to Ancient Israel? It was the faith of the Red Sea deliverance. Their faith was premised upon their foundational experience.
What is the faith that was delivered to Adventism? It is the faith that is based upon this history here of these two Charts [the 1843 and the 1850 Charts] of Habakkuk; and, 'We have nothing to fear for the future, except we shall forget that past history.'
So, what am I saying? I am saying the prophet is Ellen White is this passage, the writings of the Spirit of Prophecy.
Let us move quickly. We have seven minutes.
Judges 6:11-16
The Angel
Verses 11 through 16 [of Judges]
"11And there came an angel of the Lord, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abiezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites. 12And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him, and said unto him, The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valour. 13And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the Lord be with us, why then is all this befallen us?"—
And this is the reason here that I added the story of Gideon to the story of Josiah. This verse here is what I want to put in the record.
Verse 13 again,
—"13And Gideon said unto him, Oh, my Lord,"—
Why is he calling an angel "Lord"?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: He's Christ.
BROTHER PIPPENGER: Because this angel is Christ.
—"13And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the Lord be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt? but now the Lord hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites. 14And the Lord looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee? 15And he said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house. 16And the Lord said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man." Judges 6:11-16 (KJV).
In your notes, Signs of the Times, June 23, 1881,
"The angel had vailed the divine glory of his presence, but it was no other than Christ, the Son of God." Signs of the Times, June 23, 1881.
And she is speaking Gideon in here.
So, this is Christ speaking with Gideon.
And I have another thought I will not throw in here.
The Harvest
What is Gideon doing? He is bringing in the harvest. Matthew 13:39:
"39The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels." Matthew 13:39 (KJV).
So, here when Gideon is bringing in the harvest and working it at the wine press, he is representing the end of the world.
Wheat
And what is Gideon doing; what is Gideon doing with this wheat? He is threshing it, is he not?
Judges 6:11, he "threshed wheat by the winepress." What does it mean, "to thresh wheat"? Beat it up where you can separate the parts of the wheat that you do not want to eat. Okay? He is going the work of separating. Right?
Fundamentals of Christian Education page 307:
"Allow no one to be brains for you, allow no one to do your thinking, your investigating, and your praying. This is the instruction we need to take to heart today. Many of you are convinced that the precious treasure of the kingdom of God and of Jesus Christ is in the Bible which you hold in your hand. You know that no earthly treasure is attainable without painstaking effort. Why should you expect to understand the treasures of the word of God without diligently searching the Scriptures?
"It is proper and right to read the Bible; but your duty does not end there; for you are to search its pages for yourselves. The knowledge of God is not to be gained without mental effort, without prayer for wisdom in order that you may separate from the pure grain of truth the chaff with which men and Satan have misrepresented the doctrines of truth. Satan and his confederacy of human agents have endeavored to mix the chaff of error with the wheat of truth. We should diligently seek for the hidden treasure, and seek wisdom from heaven in order to separate human inventions from the divine commands. The Holy Spirit will aid the seeker for great and precious truths which relate to the plan of redemption. I would impress upon all the fact that a casual reading of the Scriptures is not enough. We must search, and this means the doing of all the word implies. As the miner eagerly explores the earth to discover its veins of gold, so you are to explore the word of God for the hidden treasure that Satan has so long sought to hide from man. The Lord says, 'If any man willeth to do His will, he shall know of the teaching.' John 7:17." Fundamentals of Christian Education, 307.
What was Gideon doing? He was studying the Word of God with an intensity that allowed him to separate the wheat from the chaff.
Is Gideon an illustration of the end of the world?
Is Gideon God's people at the end of the world?
Is Gideon doing this work of separation right at a time when the Angel, who is no less than the personage of Jesus Christ, comes down out of Heaven?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: (Affirmations.)
BROTHER PIPPENGER: Okay. So, Gideon represents those people that are receiving the Latter Rain, eating the Little Book that is in the Angel's hand.
Least
Okay. He says he is the least. This connects with verse 11 of Isaiah 28, "For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people." Gideon is not the greatest in Israel; he is the least of the least.
"The experience of Gideon and his army, was designed to teach a lesson of simplicity and faith. The leader whom God had chosen occupied no prominent position in Israel."
What does Sister White say? Men from the common occupations and the plows will be called to finish the work.
Who are those men? They are Gideon. Gideon represents the least, the people that get called from the plow to finish the work.
—"The leader whom God had chosen occupied no prominent position in Israel. He was not a ruler, a Levite, or a priest. He thought himself the least in his father's house. Human wisdom would not have selected him; but God saw in Gideon a man of integrity and moral courage. He was distrustful of self, and willing to listen to the teachings of God, and carry out his purposes. The Lord is not dependent upon men of high position, of great intellect, or extensive knowledge. Such men are frequently proud and self-sufficient. They feel themselves competent to devise and execute plans without counsel from God. They separate themselves from the true Vine, and hence become dry and fruitless, as withered branches." Signs of the Times, June 30, 1881.
And in Isaiah 27:11, the women come and take those branches away and burn them.
"11When the boughs thereof are withered, they shall be broken off: the women come, and set them on fire: for it is a people of no understanding: therefore he that made them will not have mercy on them, and he that formed them will shew them no favour." Isaiah 27:11 (KJV).
Hidden
Gideon was hiding as he was doing this work, because he did not want the Midianites to see him; because, they would have come and killed him and took his food, perhaps.
So, who are the hidden ones?
What hides the hidden ones?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: The shadow of the Most High.
BROTHER PIPPENGER: The shadow of the Most High. Okay. But, who are they?
Testimonies, volume 5, pages 80 – 81:
"The days are fast approaching when there will be great perplexity and confusion. Satan, clothed in angel robes, will deceive, if possible, the very elect. There will be gods many and lords many. Every wind of doctrine will be blowing. Those who have rendered supreme homage to 'science falsely so called'"—
"Science falsely so called" is the reception of the historical grammatical method of Biblical interpretation that came in, in the 1930s.
—"Those who have rendered supreme homage to 'science falsely so called' will not be the leaders then."—
And when they accepted this historical grammatical method of Biblical study, they were rejecting William Miller's method called proof-texting, line upon line.
—"Those who have trusted to intellect, genius, or talent will not then stand at the head of rank and file. They did not keep pace with the light."—
They could not! They had the wrong Biblical—I do not even want to call them principles —the wrong Biblical approach, and it prevents them from recognizing the light.
—"Those who have proved themselves unfaithful will not then be entrusted with the flock."—
Gideon is going to be entrusted with the flock. Men from the common occupations, according to Sister White; men, according to Isaiah, that have not been trained in speaking. They speak with stammering lips and another tongue.
—"In the last solemn work few great men will be engaged. They are self-sufficient, independent of God, and He cannot use them. The Lord has faithful servants, who in the shaking, testing time will be disclosed to view."—
When is the shaking, testing time? It begins with this Message [the First Angel's Message (see Figure No. 139)] in 1989; because, the First Message in Ezekiel 37, it makes a noise and it causes a shaking.
In this time, from 1989 onward, these men and women will be brought to view.
—"The Lord has faithful servants, who in the shaking, testing time will be disclosed to view. There are precious ones now"—what?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: Hidden.
BROTHER PIPPENGER: —"hidden who have not bowed the knee to Baal. They have not had the light which has been shining in a concentrated blaze upon you. But it may be under a rough and uninviting exterior the pure brightness of a genuine Christian character will be revealed. In the day time we look toward heaven but do not see the stars. They are there, fixed in the firmament, but the eye cannot distinguish them. In the night we behold their genuine luster." Testimonies, volume 5, 80–81.
Midnight, the Midnight Cry!
Okay. So, Gideon's question to Christ (the Angel), "Oh, my Lord," verse 13 [of Judges 6], "if the Lord be with us, why then is all this befallen us?"
Prior to 9/11, why is this befallen us?
Why are we using apostate Protestant church growth techniques?
Why are we allowing men to teach in our universities that are either directly saying or insinuating that the seven days of Creation are seven periods of time?
Why are we ordaining women?
Why are we having celebration service?
Why are we letting Catholic priests come in and give week of prayers at our universities?
Why are we exchanging pulpits with these fallen denominations on the Sabbath and going to their churches on Sunday?
Why is all of this taking place?
"Why is this befalling us?" is what Gideon is asking. "Why then is this all befalling us, and where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying,"—now, he is going to define the miracles here, and I want you to see this, if you will. He in the same sentence is saying, "Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?"
What were the miracles of Egypt?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: The plagues.
BROTHER PIPPENGER: Okay. But, where does this story of the deliverance of Egypt reach its climax? Is it not at Pentecost, when the Lord delivers the Law and enters into covenant with them?
And at the mount, Sister White says there has never been a greater manifestation of the power of God than at Sinai, and that includes the Flood. So, what went on at Sinai, there was the manifestation of the power of God that was the capstone to that history. And what was it? It was Pentecost.
So, when Gideon is saying, "Where are the miracles that you promised that are prefigured by Pentecost?" what is Gideon asking about? "Where is the Latter Rain?"
Does not Pentecost prefigure the Latter Rain?
Is there going to be miracles during the Latter Rain?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: (Affirmations.)
BROTHER PIPPENGER: So, who does Gideon represent here, Brothers and Sisters?
This is a key point, because we have spent time already here demonstrating that only those that recognize the Latter Rain receive it. And in order to recognize the Latter Rain, you have got to be looking for it.
Was Gideon looking for it [the Latter Rain]? He represents a class in Adventism that knows that the purpose of Adventism was to be the group of people that receive the Latter Rain and proclaim the Last and Final Warning Message. Gideon knew this, and he is saying, "Why hasn't it happened?" He is of the class of Adventism that is looking for and can recognize the Latter Rain when it comes, because he knows the Latter Rain was prefigured in Egypt at Pentecost. He knows those old histories represent the Latter Rain.
But, that is only going to be a small minority of Adventism that has that mindset. Right?
FROM THE AUDIENCE: (Affirmations.)
BROTHER PIPPENGER: How do you know that? Because, who is Gideon? He is the least, he is the smallest, he is the weakest.
Miracles
Okay. What are the miracles?
Testimonies, volume 5, page 211—we are almost done. We are not going to read the next quote after that.
Page 211 says,
"Here we see that the church—the Lord's sanctuary—was the first to feel the stroke of the wrath of God. The ancient men, those to whom God had given great light and who had stood as guardians of the spiritual interests of the people, had betrayed their trust. They had taken the position"—
This is talking about the sealing in Ezekiel 9. These men are not going to receive the Seal of God because,
—"They had taken the position that we need not look for miracles and the marked manifestation of God's power as in former days."—
And Gideon represents a group of people that are looking and longing for those miracles, longing for the Latter Rain.
—"Times have changed. These words strengthen their unbelief, and they say: The Lord will not do good, neither will He do evil. He is too merciful to visit His people in judgment. Thus 'Peace and safety' is the cry from men who will never again lift up their voice like a trumpet to show God's people their transgressions and the house of Jacob their sins. These dumb dogs that would not bark are the ones who feel the just vengeance of an offended God. Men, maidens, and little children all perish together." Testimonies, volume 5, 211.
What is my point? My point is that when John in Revelation 10 is illustrating the end of the world, the story tells us that it is illustration the Latter Rain.
When Zechariah in chapter 4 is illustrating the end of the world, his story is emphasizing the fact that God's people at the end of the world, they do not know what the candlestick is; they do not know what the Latter Rain is.
And Gideon is placing God's people at the end of the world and, once again, he is representing a group of people that are seeking for, expecting, believing in the Latter Rain. It is about the Latter Rain.
If you do not understand that one of the background contexts to these illustrations in the Bible at the end of the world is the Latter Rain, and the issues connected with the Latter Rain, then you will miss some of the important points of the story of Josiah in connection with the Latter Rain.
Okay. The next quote is The Great Controversy, beginning at page 611, where Sister White talks about the refreshing being the Latter Rain. We are familiar with that, have read it several times.
"The work will be similar to that of the day of Pentecost. As the 'former rain' was given, in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at the opening of the gospel, to cause the upspringing of the precious seed, so the 'latter rain' will be given at its close, for the ripening of the harvest. 'Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord; his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.' (Hosea 6:3.) 'Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God; for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain.' (Joel 2:23.) 'In the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh.' 'And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.' (Acts 2:17, 21.) The great work of the gospel is not to close with less manifestation of the power of God than marked its opening. The prophecies which were fulfilled in the outpouring of the former rain at the opening of the gospel, are again to be fulfilled in the latter rain at its close. Here are 'the times of refreshing' to which the apostle Peter looked forward when he said, 'Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out [in the investigative Judgment], when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; and he shall send Jesus.' (Acts 3:19–20.)
"Servants of God, with their faces lighted up and shining with holy consecration, will hasten from place to place to proclaim the message from Heaven. By thousands of voices, all over the earth, the warning will be given. Miracles will be wrought, the sick will be healed, and signs and wonders will follow the believers. Satan also works with lying wonders, even bringing down fire from heaven in the sight of men. (Revelation 13:13.) Thus the inhabitants of the earth will be brought to take their stand." The Great Controversy, 611–612.
The Winepress
Revelation 19:11-21; 14:14-20
And I just want to put in the record, in closing here, that Gideon was by the winepress; and, the winepress, you have Revelation 19, and Revelation 14. This is the end of the world.
"11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. 12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. 13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. 15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King Of Kings, And Lord Of Lords. 17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; 18 That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great. 19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. 20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. 21 And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh." Revelation 19:11‑21 (KJV).
"14And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. 15And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe. 16And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped. 17And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle. 18And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe.
19And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. 20And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs." Revelation 14:14-20 (KJV).
This battle that Gideon is entering into is the battle that concludes between the seas and the glorious holy mountain, the battle that we call Armageddon. He is by the winepress. He is on the verge of Armageddon.
So, we want to put that point in place. We gave you three witnesses, John, Zechariah, and now Gideon, that the prophets illustrate the end of the world and, in so doing, they are illustrating the history of the Latter Rain; therefore, when we see the end of the world illustrated, we must place it in the history that is represented by the Latter Rain.
Shall we pray?
Benediction: Heavenly Father, we want the humility of Gideon. We want to understand who we are, and who we are is someone that is not qualified, not capable, not worthy of serving you; but, we know that you have the power that when combined with humanity can lift us up as you did Gideon and his 300 to finish this work. We want to maintain that humility, that understanding that we are the least of the least in our Father's House; but, we also want to see from this testimony that you are willing to take these type of people and finish the work, because we want the work to be finished not only in our lives but here on Planet Earth. We ask that you accomplish that for us. We ask that you continue to bless this study that we might understand the significance of Habakkuk's Two Sacred Tables. And we set before you this day of work and ask that you would keep us safe and let us do what we do for your glory and honor, and ask for a continued blessing upon the work that we are going here with the LiveStreaming and the DVDs. In Jesus's name, amen.