Participants: John Lomacang
Series Code: 11POFCM
Program Code: 11POFCM000022
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00:47 Welcome back to the Pillars of our Faith.
00:50 And we've had a great weekend, haven't we? 00:52 Actually starting from Wednesday night. 00:54 And wow! You're still energetic. 00:57 You've still got a lot of energy left. OK! 01:00 All right. So Wednesday night, all day Thursday, 01:02 all day Friday, Friday evening, all day today Sabbath. 01:06 And so we have two more sermons. 01:10 And so it's been such a blessing and we got to meet quite a few 01:13 of you. Some of you we haven't gotten to meet you 01:16 or see you. Maybe afterwards... the services 01:19 are over we'll see you out in the foyers or out 01:21 by where the 3ABN booth and all of that is after Sabbath. 01:25 And for those of you at home thank you for joining us again 01:29 as you do each and every day. 01:31 And thank you for your love and prayers and financial support 01:33 of 3ABN as we endeavor to take this gospel of the kingdom 01:37 into all the world. This hour we'll be... you'll be hearing 01:41 from our own pastor John Lomacang. 01:43 He's the pastor of this church here: the Thompsonville 01:46 Seventh-day Adventist church. 01:48 Volumes could be written about John. In fact, 01:51 there is a book about the story of his life. 01:53 But John is an incredible human being. 01:56 He's an incredible pastor, a wonderful brother in the Lord. 01:59 He and his wife Angie are such an addition 02:02 to Three Angels Broadcasting Network and to the local area. 02:06 So we're so thankful that he's going to be bringing us 02:09 the Word of God tonight. But before he comes 02:11 we have some special guests. 02:13 We have Reggie and Ladye Love Smith and they're going to be 02:16 doing a song from the Pillars I, right? 02:19 Entitled Marvel Not. 04:43 Amen. 04:54 I don't know if there's any significance to it, 04:56 but the last time I preached last year that was 04:59 the song sung right before I spoke. 05:05 To get an opportunity to speak about the second coming of Jesus 05:08 is a privilege. 05:10 It is the single most anticipated event of all time 05:15 and I can't wait till Jesus comes. What about you? 05:19 Amen. Tonight I'm going to ask you to bow your heads with me 05:22 as I ask the Lord to give me the ability 05:25 and the power that is needed to communicate a message 05:28 for His honor and for His glory. 05:30 Father in heaven, this is Your time... 05:33 I am Your servant. 05:37 Use me, Lord, for Your glory. 05:41 In Jesus' name, Amen. 05:45 There is a very short passage in scripture 05:48 found in the book of Hebrews 05:50 that really pulls all the pieces together 05:56 when we wonder whether or not Jesus is going to come. 05:59 It's found in Hebrews chapter 10 and verse 37. 06:03 If you don't have your Bibles tonight, I praise the Lord 06:06 for our 3ABN production crew. They're going to have the slides 06:11 on the screen for you to follow along 06:13 if you just did not remember your Bible. 06:15 It's a very short but very potent passage 06:18 and it reads as follows: 06:31 It was anticipated to be the biggest celebration ever. 06:37 Magnificent preparations were being laid for the ushering in 06:42 of the 21st century. 06:46 No expense was too great. No expense was spared 06:49 as January 1, 2000, quickly became the focus. 06:56 From Times Square to Tokyo frenzy was building. 07:00 I got on the Internet and began to read the records 07:03 of... about this magnificent anticipation of the ushering in 07:08 of the year 2000. 07:10 Of particular interest was what happened in Orlando, Florida. 07:15 In Orlando, Florida - the experimental prototype city 07:19 of tomorrow, also known as Epcot - was chosen as 07:22 one of the venues. 07:23 At 7:30 AM on December 31, 1999, 07:28 Epcot began sending busses to the Millennium Hotel 07:32 to begin to transport all of the elite annual pass holders 07:37 to the countdown venue. 07:40 Only those who were elite holders were being transported 07:46 to the countdown venue there at Epcot Center. 07:50 They said there was a pulse. The world began to pulse 07:53 in unison as they all began to focus on the midnight hour. 07:58 The record goes on to say at the International Gateway 08:02 entrance the park was so packed there was an unprecedented 08:06 long line forming there. 08:09 It was soon announced that the park was closed to everyone 08:12 except the annual pass holders. 08:15 However, shortly past noon Epcot was also closed 08:19 to even the annual pass holders. 08:23 They go on to say that every full-service restaurant 08:28 was booked. Fast food lines were so long, 08:31 they say, that people cheered when someone got served. 08:38 Crowds were eagerly anticipating the approach... 08:42 the approach of the midnight hour 08:44 when the largest pyrotechnic display ever done at Epcot 08:49 would be unleashed over the heads of adrenalin-pumping 08:53 humanity. One report said that people were so hyped 08:57 as 11 PM passed that some of the fainted from the sheer 09:01 realization that they made it into the park 09:04 for the celebration. 09:06 On the other hand, there was pandemonium on the outside 09:09 as traffic jams formed and people stood on the roofs 09:13 of their cars hoping that their cheers would be heard 09:17 over the explosion that ignited the Orlando sky. 09:21 What a night it was. 09:22 Anticipation of the highest order. 09:25 On the heels of that... Y2K. 09:27 Joy on one side... fear and "intrepidation" 09:32 on the other. 09:33 People looking forward to getting excited about something. 09:37 But everybody in the back of their minds thought 09:40 that the world would come to a screeching halt 09:42 as time would take us back to antiquity. 09:45 Money would disappear. 09:47 Bank accounts would end up at zero balance. 09:49 It's amazing how people can frighten themselves. 09:53 Months and years before people made preparation 09:56 stocking up food. Kind of like what they're doing now. 09:58 Do you know that right now there is such fear about 2012 10:02 that underground apartments are being sold 10:06 for extraordinary amounts of money. 10:09 I watched just the other day on National Geographic. 10:11 There are old bomb shelters that are no longer being used 10:15 by the military. People are building apartments 10:18 14 and 18 feet... 40 feet below the ground. 10:21 Architects are building these apartments below the ground 10:25 selling for $100,000 to $700,000. 10:29 If you want an entire level, that's $1.5 million. 10:33 And they say they are stocking food for a 4-year supply 10:36 if the world 10:40 would receive what those who prognosticated said it would. 10:45 Brethren, when Jesus comes I'm not going down... 10:47 I'm going up. What do you say? Amen! 10:51 Mark Mitten, the president of Bilennium, said: 11:04 What he means by that is when midnight hits 11:07 you're going to see things you never thought were possible. 11:10 I remember being in New York City one New Years Eve. 11:12 My wife and I put our lives in our hands 11:14 as we went to Times Square. 11:16 Being native New Yorkers, that was not a stretch of the 11:19 imagination. But when midnight hit, you know, everybody 11:22 gathers together and they hug each other and they 11:24 greet each other. I turned around to greet my wife 11:26 and a Mexican man kissed her 11:28 before I got to her. 11:33 If it wasn't midnight, it would have been a different set 11:36 of circumstances. 11:41 Bill Mitten said: "When midnight hits 11:43 on December 31, 1999, you're going to see 11:47 a display of human affection and human 11:51 actions that are unimaginable. " 11:56 An Asian young lady by the name of Syndy Ng... 11:59 she said that she wanted to do something different: 12:02 she was going to feed everyone. 12:04 So she got together and appealed to international businessmen 12:07 and businessmen in Seattle. 12:08 She was from the University of Washington. 12:10 She created something called Mealennium 12:13 and she said on January 1 she's going to create a miracle 12:17 for the poor people of the city of Seattle, Washington. 12:21 Listen to her words. She said: 12:47 Time Magazine as far back as 1992 talks about the millennium. 12:51 They said: 13:05 And time would fail me to talk about the global sing-along 13:09 that they plan for January 1, 2000. 13:11 How on earth can you sing around the globe all together? 13:14 I don't know... it just never happened. 13:16 I guess that's some indication of the planning stages. 13:19 Way back in 1997, Royal Caribbean was already 13:23 sold out as they advertised millennial cruises 13:26 for January, 2000. 13:30 One man in New Jersey said that when he contacted them 13:32 in December, 1996, they told him only one space was left 13:36 that was on the bottom deck of the ship 13:38 and would cost him nearly $4,000 for one night. 13:41 It was sold out by January, 1997. 13:45 People wanted to party. 13:47 And the most requested and played song was 13:49 by a man by the name of Prince: 13:51 We're Going to Party Like It's 1999. 13:53 The second most requested song was I'm Going to Wait 13:57 Till the Midnight Hour. 13:59 Bill Clinton, the president at the time... 14:03 he put together a millennial speech that read as follows: 14:06 He said... as he looked to the new millennium, he said: 14:28 I've got a different prayer for 100 years from now, 14:30 what about you? Amen. He said: 14:58 That was all the anticipation for 2000, 15:01 but let me tell you tonight the reality is this: 15:03 just 11 years ago what they thought was bad 15:06 is a whole lot worse now. 15:08 The 21st century brought to the stage 15:11 what was bad in 1999 and back is much worse now. 15:16 2001 dawned. The 21st century was invited and welcomed 15:20 by the worst terrorist attack on US soil in history. 15:24 2002... natural disasters. 15:27 On the property loss alone, $70 billion. 15:30 Just 2002 with $115 billion in economic loss. 15:35 300,000 livestock were killed in South Korea 15:40 in floods and torrential rain. 15:42 2002. Have you heard about that? 15:44 In western China, 600,000 homes were destroyed and swept away. 15:49 In northern India, 100,000 homes were destroyed 15:52 just in the year 2000. If you count all the property loss, 15:56 all the homes destroyed between 2000 and now 15:59 you have more than a million homes destroyed. 16:02 But even more frightening than that, more than a million lives 16:06 taken in natural disasters in just the last 11 years. 16:10 And those of us who live in the Midwest 16:12 killer tornadoes have increased in number, frequency, 16:16 and intensity since the year 2000. 16:18 At the hint of severe weather in the Midwest 16:21 where we live, men's hearts are failing them for fear. 16:25 My wife and I just went out and bought a weather radio. 16:28 You've got to get one of those when you live where tornadoes 16:31 like to visit. 16:34 But I want to say "praise the Lord. " 16:36 Every time a tornado stuck up its ugly head 16:39 the Lord re-routed it around 3ABN. Can you say Amen? 16:42 Amen. Last year... a couple years ago we had a 16:45 120 mile an hour winds go through here. 16:47 And I want to say this: with all of those satellite dishes 16:49 those dishes did not move an iota. Amen. 16:53 "The angel of the Lord encampeth round about those 16:56 that fear Him and delivers them. " 16:58 When God is done those dishes will come down. 17:00 Until then, this place is divinely protected. 17:04 What do you say? Amen. 17:05 Entire lifetimes were destroyed in tornadoes in just 17:09 the last two months. 17:11 My friend and his wife were visiting with us. 17:13 My wife's cousin. They were in their home in Huntsville, AL, 17:16 praying. He said for 9 hours straight 17:19 lightning was flashing, thunder was rolling. 17:22 And he stood at his window and counted every minute. 17:24 He said in just one minute over 20 lightning strikes 17:26 with thunder shaking their home. They huddled 17:29 in the innermost sections of their home. 17:31 All they had to hide in was the bathroom. 17:34 And his neighbor said they saw that his roof was lifting 17:36 but praise the Lord, when the tornadoes were done - 17:39 128 in all within a 10-mile radius - 17:42 his house was unmoved. 17:45 Did not even overturn his flower pot. Amen. 17:51 Praise the Lord? Praise the Lord! 17:55 But I want to pray for those that did lose their homes. 17:58 Lots of Christians and non-Christians alike 18:01 their homes were destroyed. In an instant 18:03 lifetimes were evaporated and wiped out. 18:07 On top of that, the earth is shifting with an angry force. 18:11 We always say that. And recently in the media 18:13 they say that Japan was the most devastating earthquake. 18:17 Did you forget December 26, 2004, in Sumatra? 18:21 A 9.1 earthquake 18:23 and 300,000+ lives destroyed in the ensuing tsunami. 18:28 And then Chile... an 8.8 earthquake. 18:30 It seems as though the word tsunami was re-introduced 18:35 in the 21st century. 18:36 When I was being raised I never heard of the word tsunami. 18:40 Over the last 4 or 5 years tsunami has become a common word 18:45 in our vocabulary. 18:48 To add to the list, volcanic eruptions have interrupted 18:52 Europe's travel... interrupted the air traffic of Europe... 18:55 two years in a row. 18:57 Clouds are furious 19:00 as torrential rains have wreaked havoc on this planet. 19:03 Swollen rivers have inundated entire towns. 19:06 And by the way, whether you know it or not, 19:08 man is at the mercy of the forces of nature. 19:11 But more particularly, praise God for His mercy, 19:15 what do you say? Amen. 19:17 Paul the apostle puts this entire scenario together 19:21 in these words in Romans 8 and verse 22. He said: 19:32 Not only do we want to be delivered but even nature 19:35 wants to be delivered. Sin did a job on nature 19:37 and they are praying for Jesus to come. 19:39 I think that's why there is so much. 19:42 And there is no time that I even have to talk about all the 19:45 fish coming up on seashores and birds falling out of the skies. 19:49 Just recently, just a few days ago, 19:50 they said there is an inordinate amount of jellyfish 19:54 wrapping around the southern coast of Florida. 19:57 Unexplainable. They still have not found the reason why 20:01 birds have fallen out of the skies 20:04 and fish are coming up on the shores. 20:08 Elder Brooks told me something today that was really 20:09 astounding. I want to borrow it from him. 20:11 He said "do you know that in the flood... in the flood 20:17 the animals were wiser than humanity? " 20:22 When these floods... when the waters receded 20:26 in Asia... people were found dead 20:31 not animals. 20:33 Kind of like the days of Noah, what do you say? 20:37 Ellen White has been given a vision about these times. 20:40 She says in the book Education page 179 paragraph 5, she said: 21:28 Who in their right mind would doubt those words? 21:34 And then there's the issue of real estate. 21:36 It's now become unreal estate 21:38 as property values begin to plummet. 21:40 Just earlier this week they said 21:42 property values are at the lowest it's ever been 21:45 in US history. 21:47 The world is more financially unstable than at any other time 21:50 in history. Somebody may say: "What about the depression? " 21:52 That was the United States but this time it's the entire world. 21:57 Each week another nation makes the news 21:59 as nations are rising against nation. 22:02 And right now, national and international security 22:05 still lists terrorism as its number one concern. 22:09 But I want to tell you today it is no surprise to Jesus. 22:12 What do you say? Amen. 22:13 Matthew 21 and verse 7 Jesus predicted this would happen 22:16 just before He came. He said: 22:31 2004 I believe it was 22:33 or maybe about 3 or 4 years ago my wife and I woke up to a 22:36 4.4 earthquake in Thompsonville. 22:40 I lived in California 18 years... never felt one. 22:47 But historically the worst earthquake ever recorded 22:50 was in the Midwest... the New Madrid fault. 22:54 They said if one hits the Midwest right now 22:56 it will extend from southern Tennessee all the way up 22:59 to Chicago. Because unlike the west coast where mountains 23:02 pad the ripple, there's nothing to stop it from rippling 23:05 here in the Midwest. 23:06 Are we ready? 23:08 Only by the grace of God. 23:11 More important than the State of the Union address is 23:14 the State of the Union address by God 23:15 or the State of the World address by God. 23:17 We listen to our president, but let's take time 23:20 tonight to listen to what God says is the reason 23:23 for the condition of the world the way it is today. 23:26 Isaiah the prophet faithfully writes: 23:51 Somebody may have forgotten... For every action 23:54 there is an equal and opposite reaction. 23:57 And then there's this thing about traditional family values. 24:02 I came up with the idea this week: it's not about 24:04 traditional family values... it's about Biblical values. 24:09 Because tradition changes with the time. 24:13 We're not fighting to sustain traditional family values. 24:17 We're fighting to sustain Biblical family values, 24:20 what do you say? Amen. 24:22 But they're being redefined 24:24 on the altar of political correctness. 24:27 I was raised in New York City where they had 24:29 alternate side of the street parking. 24:31 On one day you parked on this side... 24:34 on the other day you parked on that side. 24:36 Then I found out another alternate... an alternate route. 24:38 So when I'm in a traffic jam I hit my GPS and it gives me 24:42 an alternate route. 24:43 They make movies now with alternate endings. 24:46 If you don't like one ending, play it again... 24:48 there's another ending. 24:50 And with all of that 24:52 the devil threw one in there... alternate lifestyles. 24:55 He makes a... he wants us to accept alternative lifestyles 24:59 like we accept alternate routes. 25:01 And brethren, let me tell you something: 25:02 as long as I can preach against anything that defies God's 25:06 truth, I'm going to preach against it. What do you say? 25:09 Amen. I'm not preaching against people... 25:10 I'm preaching against sin. 25:13 Jesus said just before His return 25:16 people will be preoccupied with self-interest. 25:20 People love themselves nowadays. 25:22 Dr. Luke has given us a prognosis of the condition 25:26 of the world. He says in Luke 17 beginning with verse 26: 25:50 Ellen White says in Great Controversy 1888. She says: 26:29 We've got to be ready for Jesus IS going to come back. 26:32 Amen. 26:34 Another sign of the nearness of the coming of Jesus 26:36 is that the world is applauding everything that is rebellious, 26:40 disgusting, filthy, vile, and anti-Christian. 26:45 And they're challenging Christians to stand up 26:47 and speak against it. 26:48 You watch the talk show hosts. When somebody stands up 26:51 to trumpet moral values they get booed. 26:54 But that's all right. If you're unpopular to the world 26:57 you're popular to God. What do you say? 26:59 Dr. Luke once again tells us why it is so. He says: 27:10 People no longer care what God thinks. 27:14 Listen to the analogy of apathy as Timothy tells us 27:19 about the condition. When I read this text 27:21 it sounds like Timothy was living in our time. 27:25 It sounds like God gave Timothy a glimpse of 2011 27:29 and said: "write this down long before it occurs. " 27:32 Listen to have amazingly accurate his description is 27:35 about our present day. He says in II Timothy 3:1: 28:41 I got brave and went on the Internet. 28:43 You've got to be brave to go on the Internet nowadays 28:47 'cause stuff pops up that you don't want to pop up. 28:51 I'm so glad that 3ABN has a wonderful filter. Amen. 28:55 Helps the workers get their work done. That's the real reason. 29:01 Spending time on FaceBook 29:03 forgetting that one day we're going to have to face the book. 29:07 But you know... 29:13 We often just go right over this passage that's in verse 6 29:17 but I want to just spend a minute there. 29:19 And ladies, understand me that I'm not speaking against women 29:22 at all. I have a lovely wife and I respect women. 29:25 But that phrase "silly women" really has taken center stage 29:29 nowadays. You look at the television. 29:33 I went to the Internet just this afternoon. 29:35 I just typed that phrase in there 29:37 and this is what I came up with. 29:39 Silly women: Desperate Housewives. 29:42 Silly women. 29:45 Who on earth cares what Paris Hilton does next? 29:49 The Kardashians... famous for nothing. 29:52 The Bad Girls Club. 29:55 There's another series about teenage girls called 29:59 Pretty Little Liars. 30:01 And then there's this overwhelming one: 30:03 The Real Housewives of Atlanta, of Miami, of New York, 30:07 of New Jersey. It's like we care about what all the real 30:09 housewives are doing. You'd better take care of 30:11 your own wife, what do you say? Amen. 30:13 It seems like there is this overwhelming fascination about 30:16 women on television. And you know I had to stop 30:18 because it started taking me to areas that I was uncomfortable. 30:22 Silly women are being led down laden with diverse lusts. 30:26 And people are being fascinated. 30:29 It's like we have new Elizabeth Taylors nowadays. 30:33 They say also that marriage has decreased 30%. 30:39 People are not getting married. 30:40 They want to do like the movie stars and live together. 30:43 Try each other out and if it doesn't work they move on 30:45 to the next person. 30:46 Brethren, I thank God that there are still people today that 30:49 believe that God's way is the best way. Can you say Amen? 30:52 Amen. He set it up in the very beginning. 30:54 And they also say by the way... this is added, 30:56 not in the sermon but this is extra credit... 30:58 they say that when people live together it's highly unlikely 31:02 that they'll ever get married. 31:05 No commitment. They could get up on any morning and 31:08 hit the road! 31:10 But movie stars and shows are saying to our young people 31:14 "Don't get married... just live together. 31:16 If you don't like it, if it doesn't work, 31:17 just hit the road. " 31:19 We're trading people in like used cars nowadays. 31:23 "Ever learning and never able 31:25 to come to the knowledge of the truth. " 31:26 Which brings me to the next phrase 31:28 which brings us to the Word of God 31:30 where the truth about the method of the second coming of Jesus 31:34 is not being told. 31:35 Jesus said in Matthew 23:3-4... 31:38 The disciples came to Him and said: 31:46 I've got to ask the question... If you're watching, 31:48 just consider the question very quickly. 31:50 How long do you have to study the Bible before you accept 31:55 the fact that "no one knows the day nor the hour 31:58 not even the angels of heaven but My Father only. " 32:02 Amen. How long do you have to read the Bible? 32:04 How old do you have to get? 32:07 And if you follow me carefully, how old do you have to get 32:10 is in particular reference to Harold Camping. 32:14 We've been beating that man up but he's one in a group of many. 32:19 I told you my wife and I went out there. 32:21 Now consider this: even if Harold Camping was an angel 32:26 he wouldn't know. 32:32 I don't know if any man on earth is an angel. 32:34 Ladies: don't say "Amen" to that. 32:41 The problem with all these predictions is when they don't 32:44 come to pass that is the material by which 32:47 scoffers are being created. 32:50 And when the prevailing opinion is that Jesus is not returning 32:53 THEN He's going to come. 32:55 Listen to the apostle Peter and what he said. 32:57 He says in II Peter 3 beginning with verse 3... he says: 33:18 Paul chimes in in II Thessalonians 33:21 chapter 2. He says: 33:33 If you've been putting your ear to the door 33:35 or the stethoscope to the heart of humanity, 33:38 you know that the falling away has started. 33:41 And I hate to say it... even in some our churches. 33:47 I have not yet gotten to the place where I can preach 33:50 without the Bible 33:52 because I believe that human philosophy is of no value 33:54 when it comes to communicating what God has said. 33:57 Amen. 34:01 When we favor intellect over God's Word 34:04 we begin to meet Satan as he met Eve 34:07 at the Tree of Knowledge. 34:08 We can't even worship or admire intellect 34:11 because there's nobody outside of God that's more intellectual 34:14 than Satan himself. 34:16 So people nowadays want to question what God has said. 34:19 A lot of people say: "Ellen White just had a 3rd grade 34:21 education. " That's all right... but God didn't. 34:22 God has all the knowledge He needs. Amen! 34:25 Amen somebody. Amen. 34:27 They said: "She didn't know very much. " 34:29 But God knew everything. 34:30 If I don't know anything and God knows everything, 34:32 how much can I know if God wants to talk to me? 34:35 Anything He wants me to know. 34:37 And the Bible says: "Surely the Lord God will do nothing 34:39 except He reveals His secrets to His servants the prophets. " 34:43 Last I checked, if you're a servant of God 34:45 God's got some secrets to reveal to you 34:47 before the media even finds out. 34:54 Another reason why I knew the Lord wasn't coming on May 21st, 35:02 my wife had a beautiful weekend planned for us. 35:05 I know she's in here somewhere. 35:06 My sweetheart. Twenty-eight years of marriage. 35:08 Can you give me a hearty "Amen" to that? 35:10 Amen. 35:11 I even succeeded in getting my wife to say 35:14 "I do" a second time 35:15 three years ago when we celebrated our 25th anniversary. 35:19 But we... we had a wonderful weekend to celebrate. 35:23 And if Harold Camping had called me 35:26 I would have told him that our anniversary was the 22nd 35:30 so Jesus was not going to come on the 21st. 35:44 Have people ignored the mark of the beast? 35:47 Have people ignored the appearing of Satan? 35:53 Church and state coalescing together. 35:57 There's so much to happen, but let me tell you something: 36:00 don't concentrate on the so much to happen 36:02 because the final movements will be rapid ones. 36:06 Don't say "there's so much to happen before Jesus comes. " 36:08 He can sew this thing up in a month if He wanted to. 36:12 But He didn't pick May 21st. 36:14 Any time you pick a date it's not going to happen. 36:20 Amen. 36:23 Let no one deceive you by any means. 36:28 Going back to the story of Epcot... 36:31 They say that the final week of December, 1999, 36:34 in New York air traffic poured into New York City like 36:37 the thundering waters of the Niagara Falls. 36:39 People wanted to be there in Times Square. 36:41 Every nation, kindred, tongue, and people were represented 36:44 in that immense crowd. When Auld Lang Syne 36:47 reverberated off of the buildings in Times Square 36:50 everybody wanted to be there. 36:52 Every nation, every kindred, every tongue, every people. 36:56 That's why we are committed to getting people ready: 36:58 every nation, every kindred, every tongue, and every people. 37:02 I don't want to be in Times Square, I want to be in heaven. 37:04 What do you say? Amen! 37:06 And by the way, heaven is also square. 37:13 Which by the way, if somebody ever calls you square say: 37:16 "That's all right. I'm planning on fitting into heaven. " Amen. 37:22 I read the record. They said at midnight 37:24 in Times Square there was laughter, shouting, 37:26 and tears of joy as the vociferous celebration 37:29 all of the people got together. 37:31 There were also tears of sadness as some help up pictures 37:34 of those who had been laid to rest 37:37 just days and months prior to the new century. 37:41 In New York City just 500 days before December 31 37:44 a New Millennium Committee was formed 37:47 to plan the celebration. 37:48 But tonight let me just tell you 37:50 2,000 years ago Jesus established a New Millennium 37:52 Committee. Amen. You didn't get that, did you? 37:55 Two thousand years ago Jesus put a committee together 37:59 to plan the New Millennium Celebration. 38:01 And He began that celebration by giving us a message 38:05 saying to us: "Let not your hearts be troubled. 38:08 You believe in God? Believe also in Me. " 38:27 For decades people have waited for Dick Clark to welcome 38:30 the New Year's Eve celebration. 38:32 But brethren, this time everybody's waiting for Jesus. 38:34 Can you say "Amen? " Amen. 38:36 This time when it happens the Bible says: 38:43 I'm not waiting for Dick Clark, I'm looking forward to Jesus. 38:46 Can you say "Amen? " Amen. 39:02 Those that were crippled in wheelchairs 39:04 could not get to the gates of Disney fast enough 39:07 to enjoy the celebration. 39:08 But this time I've got new for those who are amputees 39:12 bound by wheelchairs... you can hardly move: 39:15 the Bible says when Jesus comes this time... 39:30 When the 21st century dawned on January 1, 2000, 39:33 a pyrotechnic display of historical proportions 39:38 circled this planet. But not everyone saw it. 39:42 When the bands reached the fever pitch 39:44 with the celebration, not everyone heard it. 39:46 But this time... I said this time... 39:52 Can you say "Amen? " Amen. 39:54 And I said to you last night but I'm going to repeat this again 39:56 the band is going to be so big 39:59 that there is not a stage on this planet big enough 40:04 for the band that's practicing for the second coming of Jesus. 40:08 Amen. When they take those trumpets out of that sheath 40:12 and approach this planet 40:16 at divinely-anointed light speed 40:20 and circle this globe and blow those trumpets 40:25 everybody is going to hear Jesus coming. Amen. 40:28 So God has made a contract. 40:30 He's not building a stage for the band down here. 40:33 He's going to let the band just hover over the entire planet 40:36 and play the song: "Lift Up The Trumpet and Loud Let It Ring: 40:40 Jesus Is Coming Again. " 40:42 Jesus ain't sneakin' back, 40:45 tiptoeing back, 40:46 or coming back as a babe in a manger. 40:49 This time He said: 41:00 Peter says: 41:10 Anything but secret. 41:13 You could put it in a book... it doesn't change God's plan. 41:17 Now why would God want to come back secretly anyway? 41:22 Who's He sneaking up on... the devil? 41:29 I mean, why would God want to come back secretly? 41:32 Let me tell you something. 41:36 I've never been to a quiet celebration. 41:43 I have never been to a quiet party. 41:48 I have never been to a quiet World Series. 41:51 I have never been to a quiet basketball finals championship. 41:56 I have never been to a quiet parade. 41:59 And I want to say this: Jesus can make more noise 42:02 than all of those combined together. What do you say? Amen. 42:05 He wants everybody that has been looking forward 42:08 to the coming of our Lord. You know, He is coming back. 42:10 Brethren, I'm looking forward to Jesus coming back. 42:12 What about you? Amen. 42:14 Coming back to eradicate sin and suffering. 42:18 I told you about that. I've got two mothers. 42:20 I'm looking forward to Jesus coming back. 42:21 And the reason why He's going to blow the trumpet 42:23 is because he's going to get others ready. 42:25 The Bible says in Matthew: 42:34 This time none of the saints are going to be excluded 42:37 from the celebration. 42:39 You see, until the resurrection takes place 42:41 the celebration is not complete. 42:47 From Cain... from Abel all the way up to the time that Jesus 42:51 comes, all the saints that have ever died 42:53 are going to be waiting for Jesus to come back. 42:55 He is not going to celebrate without the resurrection. 42:58 What do you say? Amen. 43:00 You think about somebody that you've loved and lost. 43:03 Somebody that's been laid to rest. 43:05 Kind of like the 2000 celebration, there were people 43:08 that were laid to rest. But the Lord's servant said 43:10 that there are those that have died under the proclamation 43:13 of the third angel's message. 43:15 They're going to come forth to see this message triumph. 43:18 What do you say? Amen. 43:21 This three angels' message... this unpopular message... 43:27 This message is circling the globe as we sit here tonight. 43:31 Amen. 43:32 There are people that are getting ready for the 43:33 coming of our Lord. There are people that are saying 43:35 "I didn't understand the truth but I understand it now. " 43:38 Praise God. What do you say? 43:39 Amen. People are getting ready. 43:41 People of every race, every class, 43:44 every standing in life... people are getting ready. 43:47 By the way, my wife and I have traveled to about 46 countries 43:50 so far. You know what? I haven't seen any place 43:52 on this planet that I would give away for heaven. 43:57 I've seen some nice places. 43:59 But as nice as the Virgin Islands are and 44:02 I praise the Lord for the Virgin Islands, 44:04 I'm not trading them for heaven. 44:06 There's some clear water in the Virgin Islands 44:10 but in heaven there's a sea of glass. 44:12 Amen. 44:14 When you go to the West Indies you get some mangoes, 44:16 but I think they're going to be some big mangoes around 44:18 the Tree of Life. 44:20 Amen. Amen. 44:22 I've been in some beautiful hotels, but you tell me about 44:25 any hotel that could top a golden city. 44:29 Walls so pure and clear they're like transparent glass. 44:34 And they don't have tile. They have foundations of 44:36 twelve precious stones. Amen. 44:38 And when you open the gate, the doormen are angels. 44:42 Ellen White says that when you get to the gate of the 44:44 New Jerusalem... she talks about this in the book 44:46 Great Controversy... she says there's a golden card 44:50 that when you get to the gate you have to present 44:52 the golden card or the angels won't let you in. 44:56 That's Jesus' credit card. Can you say "Amen? " 44:59 Amen. And when you walk... 45:01 Have you ever seen a gate so big that it's made of one pearl? 45:04 Like Pastor Doug Batchelor said: 45:06 "I wonder what oyster that came from? " 45:10 I tell you, this time the Lord is going to... 45:12 He's not coming back quietly. 45:14 The Bible says "the Lord Himself... " 45:16 "The Lord Himself... " 45:17 He's not sending anybody back, He's coming back for us. 45:46 Finally immortality will be swallowed up... 45:49 Finally death will be swallowed up with immortality 45:53 and finally we'll all be looking like Jesus. 45:56 And then the celebration's going to begin. 45:58 You know they said they call it Rocking New Year's Eve. 46:00 I wonder what they're going to call it when Jesus 46:02 steps out on the cloud to call His children. 46:04 This time the Bible says: 46:10 John in Revelation faithfully pens these words: 46:18 Can you imagine seeing that? 46:20 Can you imagine seeing the sky just break and unfurl? 46:29 I went back to the account of what happened there 46:31 at Epcot Center. They said that the International 46:33 Gateway entrance to Disney World was closed 46:36 on New Year's Eve because there was only room for 46:39 the elite crowd. Not this time. 46:41 Isaiah says this time there's going to be a proclamation 46:46 from Jesus Himself as follows: 46:53 Can you say "Amen? " Amen. Everyone who has made a covenant 46:56 with God is going to be in that crowd. 46:58 I plan on being there. What about you? 47:09 There's going to be a millennium force that's going to 47:11 embrace this universe this time. 47:13 This entire universe is going to be embraced 47:16 with a millennial force. 47:18 And you know what? I wasn't there 47:21 when Jesus laid the foundations of the world. 47:25 You weren't there either. 47:28 I wasn't there when Jesus bowed His head on the cross 47:31 and said: "It is finished. " 47:33 But let me make an agreement with you - 47:36 don't worry... the baby's rejoicing - 47:42 It just sounds different. 47:52 One of the reasons I'm looking forward to the coming of Jesus 47:56 I've been praying for a long time 47:58 for my family members to be there. 48:03 I've been praying for my sister. 48:05 I hope you're watching. 48:07 For my brother down in the Virgin Islands. 48:10 For my aunts and uncles who don't know this truth yet. 48:16 I've been pleading with the Lord every day: 48:18 "Lord, do whatever you need to do to save my family. " 48:20 I believe that God is faithful. What do you say? Amen! 48:23 He says: "I am not willing that any should perish. " 48:26 He's made a greater commitment than the devil has made. 48:29 The devil wants to destroy everybody but the Lord says 48:31 "Ah, ah, ah, ah. I'm not willing that any should perish 48:34 but that all should come to repentance 48:36 and the knowledge of the truth. " I'm praying 48:38 that those who are watching that have loved ones 48:40 who have not yet embraced this message 48:42 or that don't know Jesus as their Savior... 48:44 Keep on praying because I tell you what: 48:46 there's something else that's true about the second coming. 48:48 It's going to be filled with miracles that will dazzle 48:51 even your mind. 48:52 They're going to be folk in heaven that will shock you 48:54 that they got there. And there'll be people in heaven 48:58 that are shocked that you got there. 49:05 Oh, yeah. I've decided not to worry about who's getting there. 49:09 I'm going to make up my mind that I'm going to be there. 49:11 What about you? Amen. 49:13 If we never meet again this side of heaven, 49:15 the songwriter says, let's make up our minds 49:16 that when sin is forever erased... 49:19 And I'm going to say something about this whole idea. 49:21 There was this idea floating around. 49:23 I don't know if you heard it before but I don't think 49:24 you have. If you haven't, don't even worry about it. 49:26 But the idea that sin would ever rise up a second time 49:30 in heaven is a farce. It will never rise up again. 49:33 You know why? Because the sacrifice and the pardoning 49:36 grace and the power of the blood of Jesus is GREATER 49:41 than the ability of sin to rise up the second time. 49:45 How is sin going to rise up again if there's going to be 49:48 no devil? Amen. 49:53 No more devil. 49:57 No more sinners. 50:00 No more drug dealers. Good! Amen. 50:05 No more pornography and murder 50:08 and liars and bank robbers and terrorists. 50:13 It's going to be a pleasure to go to bed at night 50:15 and not have to lock your doors. Amen. 50:21 This time when Jesus comes 50:24 there's going to be a great big dinner. 50:28 Now those of you who like to eat, you're looking forward 50:31 to the coming of Jesus for a different reason. 50:34 Ellen White says the table is going to be so long that... 50:37 but our eyes are going to be able to stretch over 50:40 the entire expanse of that table. 50:44 And she says no matter where we sit 50:47 we're going to feel like we're sitting right next to Jesus. 50:50 Is that all right? 50:52 Oh my brother, my sister... sometimes you've got to imagine 50:54 when things get rough and life becomes hard to carry on 50:58 you've got to sit down and think about heaven. 51:00 I was so enraptured... You know, I was so enraptured 51:03 earlier this week. I told you about that. 51:05 I was walking through the kitchen 51:07 and my wife was sitting there. And I had to take deep breaths. 51:09 I was heaving over the reality of what God had been 51:12 giving me about the second coming of Jesus. 51:14 See this sermon has already blessed me two days ago. 51:16 Three days ago. 51:19 But I tell you what: more than just receiving a blessing 51:22 from this message about the second coming of Jesus 51:25 is this idea that when Jesus comes I plan on being there. 51:28 Anybody else? Amen. 51:30 Would you do something? I'm going to do something 51:31 quite differently now. I haven't done this before. 51:33 I've never done this before. I'm just going to a cappella 51:35 sing a song and I want you to join me. 51:37 Is that all right? Can I do that? 51:40 You know When We All Get To Heaven. 51:42 Have we got a pianist anywhere nearby? 51:44 I just wish we could just sing that song. 51:46 Maybe just do it like when we get to heaven. 51:50 Sing the wondrous love of Jesus, 51:56 sing His mercy and His grace. Think about it! 52:03 In the mansions bright and blessed 52:09 He'll prepare for us a place. 52:14 When we all get to heaven, 52:20 what a day of rejoicing that will be! 52:26 When we all see Jesus 52:32 we'll sing and shout the victory! 52:39 Onward to the prize before us, 52:45 soon His beauty we'll behold. Sing about it! 54:42 I want to pray right now. 54:45 Amen. I want to pray right now because I want this to be 54:48 more than a sermon. Praise the Lord! 54:51 3ABN Camp Meeting is not a time to get together and eat 54:54 good food, listen to good sermons. 54:57 It's a time to get ready for Jesus' coming. 55:00 Amen. We labor every day. We produce programs 55:03 on television and radio. We produce materials 55:06 and magazines. It's not just to use our skills 55:08 but to get ready for the coming of Jesus. 55:12 We pray and we worship together. 55:14 We have our disagreements but God has kept us together. 55:17 Can you say "Amen? " Amen. 55:18 One day even everybody at 3ABN is going to be completely 55:21 harmonized and unified. 55:23 But we're working together because we have a common goal: 55:26 that's to get ready for Jesus to come. 55:29 Brothers and sisters, don't save up your money waiting for some 55:32 rainy day. Use it for the coming of our Lord. 55:35 Amen. Don't let your bank account be racked up 55:39 as a witness against you. Use it to get people ready 55:43 for the coming of Jesus Christ. 55:45 Every month we get together and pray: "Lord, 55:47 will you provide? " And God has been faithful for 26 years 55:50 because we're getting ready for the coming of Jesus. 55:53 And so today you may be thinking well family members. 55:56 Somebody that you know, somebody that may have walked away 55:58 from God. If their name comes to your mind right now, 56:03 I want to pray for them. Just raise your hand 56:05 if there's somebody that you know 56:06 that you want to pray for that will be ready when Jesus comes. 56:09 Is somebody here praying for their children? 56:12 They can't fathom heaven being without their son or daughter. 56:18 That person that you raised and you prayed for 56:20 and you labored for in the kingdom 56:23 and for some reason the devil has pulled them away. 56:24 But let me tell you something: God says "I will contend with 56:27 those who contend with Me and I will save their children. " 56:29 This time there's going to be somebody's son and daughter 56:33 in that multitude when we ascend to meet the Lord 56:36 in the air. He's going to call them from the crowd 56:39 and they're going to say: "Mama, I'm here. " 56:42 "Papa, I'm here. " "I made it... I held... I made it in the last 56:45 moment but I'm on the inside. " 56:48 Don't let your heart fail because you think they won't 56:51 make it. Leave it to Jesus. 56:52 Keep them before Him in prayer. 56:53 Right now our heads are bowed, our eyes are closed. 56:55 Gracious Father in heaven, 56:58 You paid the price for us to enter into the gates 57:01 into that glorious city called the New Jerusalem. 57:05 Our eyes have not seen, oh, but Father, 57:08 there are moments when we get a glimpse of glory. 57:11 Tonight Your people are standing. 57:14 We wish You'd come this week, Jesus. 57:17 Amen. There's so many more souls to be saved, 57:19 and we recommit ourselves 57:21 to the power and the working of Your Holy Spirit. 57:24 Get us ready. |
Revised 2014-12-17