Participants: Ron Halvorsen
Series Code: 13RVT
Program Code: 13RVT000016
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00:05 In today's troubled world,
00:08 people are wondering where are we headed? 00:13 Revelation Today presents the answers. 00:17 Bible prophecy reveals what the future holds in store. 00:22 Revelation Today. 00:37 I'm glad you're here tonight for what is a serious subject, 00:42 "Babylon Rising" 00:44 where tonight we reveal or uncover the identity 00:47 of the last day antichrist. 00:50 I think we both know that over the years 00:52 this subject has been 00:54 the subject of a lot up speculation. 00:58 Much of it rather unbiblical, 01:00 the fact that somebody invokes a text here or text there 01:03 doesn't mean they are being biblical, 01:05 it just means, it might mean 01:07 they are being careless and unbiblical. 01:10 What we're gonna do tonight is go to the Word of God. 01:13 Ron will open the Bible 01:15 and will look at scriptures that will be clear. 01:19 There's not going to be any speculating tonight. 01:21 You'll be able to leave tonight knowing that 01:26 you've been in an encounter 01:29 with the leading of the Holy Spirit. 01:32 Was the antichrist really Mikhail Gorbachev? 01:35 He had the mark on his forehead, you know. 01:38 No, but it didn't stop people from saying that it was. 01:42 Was it really Ronald Reagan because his name 01:46 Ronald Wilson Reagan had six letters, 666? 01:50 No, it wasn't former president Ronald Reagan at all. 01:54 Some of the other common targets 01:56 down through the years, guess work. 01:59 But what happens when you go to the Word of God? 02:02 We're gonna find out tonight. 02:04 Our subject is "Babylon Rising." 02:07 And the present of Revelation Today 02:09 is Ron Halvorsen. 02:19 Good Evening. Good Evening. 02:21 Let's bow our heads in word of payer as we being tonight, 02:23 every head bowed, every eye closed 02:25 we seek God's presence. 02:27 Gracious Father, I thank You for the word 02:29 because it's a light unto our feet, 02:31 a lamp unto our path. 02:33 We humbly bow in Your presence here 02:35 in Charlotte, North Carolina and around the world. 02:38 We pray God that You'll speak to us 02:40 through Your word that will be courageous enough 02:43 and will be convicted enough 02:46 to let Your word guide us and direct us. 02:48 With all said and done, 02:49 we pray for a place in Your kingdom. 02:52 In Christ name, amen. 02:55 And Amen. 02:57 Our subject tonight, "Babylon Rising, 03:01 Revelation's Antichrist." 03:04 Some years ago I was out visiting 03:06 and I was making a pastoral visit 03:08 and I visited a home 03:10 and when I walked in the living room 03:11 they were transfixed looking at the television set. 03:17 I was trying to get a word in edgewise, 03:19 you know, trying to-- but they were fixed. 03:23 And then soon I was watching it 03:27 and I was fixed. 03:30 It was a program, a TV program 03:32 where there were three contestants 03:36 and there was a expert panel. 03:39 And these three contestants introduced themselves 03:43 as the same person. 03:46 And the panel had to figure out by asking intelligent questions 03:51 who was the real Mr. Jones. 03:56 Before you know what, I was so captured by it 03:58 because I wanted to know and I'm trying to figure it out 04:02 and you know, I'm brilliant 04:07 and I said, contestant number one. 04:12 It was number three. 04:13 I mean, I was so far off. 04:16 But you know, this is about the situation 04:19 you and I find ourselves today concerning the future, 04:23 the events that work in the future. 04:26 I mean, every evangelical book 04:29 that comes out now on the antichrist, 04:31 it's someone else. 04:32 Have you noticed that? 04:34 I mean, if God is right, and God is true 04:36 and God is knowledge and the Bible is true 04:39 then it should be easy to understand. 04:42 But with every new leader there's a new antichrist, 04:46 with every new nation that becomes a superpower, 04:48 there's a new antichrist nation. 04:50 There's some wild prediction out there. 04:52 I mean, really wild predictions. 04:54 Someone said, "Antichrist is a super person 04:57 to come upon the scene in the near future." 04:59 Whatever that means, 05:01 antichrist someone already born, 05:04 growing up in the Middle East, I heard that one. 05:07 That was Jean Dixon by the way. 05:10 Someone said, antichrist is some super Jewish person 05:14 from the tribe of Dan. 05:16 By the way, there is no longer any tribe called Dan. 05:21 But the question is, just who is the antichrist? 05:25 The question we have to ask is, just why is the antichrist? 05:29 And the question we have to ask, 05:31 just what is the antichrist? 05:35 And so we turn to the Word of God. 05:37 In fact, I believe it's important 05:39 for us to understand who the antichrist is 05:41 because the Bible says he will be the final deception, 05:44 he'll deceive the nations. 05:46 And we want to be ready for that, 05:49 we don't want to be deceived. 05:51 So we want to know who the antichrist is. 05:54 Now the antichrist must be important 05:56 because much of the epistle John 05:59 is given over to the antichrist. 06:02 In fact Revelation speaks about the antichrist 06:05 and its deception and its influence on religion 06:08 and on the theology or the doctrine 06:10 of religion in the last days 06:12 and how he will deceive the nations 06:16 and deceive not only the nations 06:18 but deceive the church of today. 06:22 And you know, he's working-- he's at work already 06:25 at every level of society and our culture. 06:28 I mean, this antichrist is as real as Christ himself. 06:32 I mean, terror personification 06:34 of all that is evil in our world. 06:37 He is at work in every level of society 06:39 and every level culture 06:41 I mean, he's entered legislative halls 06:43 and he's entered classrooms, 06:45 he knocked on the doors of our churches 06:47 and climbed up into our pulpits 06:49 and climbed into our television set. 06:51 He's entered out lives to our senses of touch, 06:54 sound, sight, smell and taste. 06:58 He is the counter of all that is true 07:01 and yet he teaches at the every level in classroom, 07:04 in Sunday school, yeah even Sabbath School. 07:08 He's painted all the world gray. 07:10 No black and white, no objective truth, 07:14 everything goes, he says. 07:15 And he will intensify his work even more 07:18 so in the final days the earth's history. 07:20 So we need to be prepared, 07:22 we need to see what God says about antichrist 07:25 so that we will not be deceived in the last days. 07:28 Now for us to find a clue we must turn to the Bible. 07:32 It doesn't matter what I say about antichrist, 07:34 doesn't matter what some famous TV evangelist 07:37 says about antichrist, 07:38 it only matters what God says about antichrist. 07:40 Because there's anyone who knows about 07:42 antichrist is Christ. 07:45 So we want to hear what Christ says 07:46 about antichrist, all right. 07:48 And that's why I want to turn to the Bible together. 07:50 I first want to turn to Ephesians 07:52 to show you how deceptive this power is. 07:54 "We wrestle not against flesh and blood, 07:56 but against principalities, against powers, 08:00 against the rulers of the darkness of this world, 08:02 against spiritual wickedness in high places." 08:06 Notice, he says, that according to the Bible 08:09 the antichrist is a tyrant. 08:12 The antichrist is an impostor. 08:15 The antichrist is a diabolical dictator. 08:18 The antichrist is enemy of God and the enemy of God's people. 08:22 The antichrist is a murderer, a liar 08:26 and a miracle maker, all in one. 08:29 He tells you one thing and he means another. 08:32 He tells you're beautiful when you're ugly, 08:34 he tells you're ugly when you're beautiful. 08:35 I mean, you can't believe a word that he says 08:39 and we need to understand that because that's how serious 08:42 it is what we talk about tonight. 08:44 According to the Bible we find all these things. 08:46 In the Book of Revelation 08:48 the antichrist makes the final attack, 08:50 a final assault and that final assault 08:53 is not in the world, 08:54 it's not against the worldling it against the church, 08:58 it's the final attack against the remnant of God. 09:00 That is made clear in Revelation Chapter 12, 09:04 13 and Chapter 18. 09:08 Now it reminds me of the Greek legend, 09:10 you probably heard about it, the Trojan Horse. 09:14 I mean, John Bradshaw, 09:16 in one of his books tells about it, 09:18 I borrowed it from-- Oh, no, I stole it from him. 09:22 But I'm sure before his life ends 09:24 he's gonna steal a lot for me all right. 09:26 But anyway, I thought it was great 09:29 because I thought it really illustrated the truth. 09:31 You see, you remember the legend 09:34 the Trojan War began after Helen, 09:36 the wife of the king of Sparta left him to be 09:40 with a man name Paris to the city of Troy. 09:43 The expedition to avenge the Spartan King 09:46 was unsuccessful 09:48 so the Greek warriors got together, 09:50 sail to Troy in a thousand ships. 09:53 And the siege against Troy lasted 10 year. 09:59 They didn't get anywhere, no progress. 10:02 Nine years, no progress. 10:04 But then they got an idea, trickery, deception. 10:10 They would build a Trojan horse 10:14 and that horse, it hollow inside, 10:17 it was wooden and it was filled 10:19 with armed warriors outside the city. 10:22 A Greek spy by the name of Sinon, 10:25 he persuaded the Trojans that this horse was miraculous, 10:29 that this horse would bless their city, 10:32 that if they could put this horse in their city, 10:34 I mean, they would be invincible. 10:39 I mean, they believed it. 10:42 And so they wheeled in the Trojan horse, 10:46 locked the city gates. 10:49 And there was a Trojan horse in the city of Troy. 10:53 When night came Sinon open the back of the horse 10:57 and came out the soldiers, overcame the guards, 11:01 threw open the gates and the soldiers came in 11:05 and destroyed the city. 11:09 Wow. 11:11 It seems so harmless but did such a great damage. 11:16 The Bible talks about a Trojan horse 11:17 in Revelation 13. 11:19 I mean, the devil's plan to low the world into sleep 11:22 and false sense of security and prepare the way 11:25 for his final deadly attack 11:28 and he's going to work in these last days. 11:33 Deception at a cosmic level, deception at a human level. 11:39 We will use-- 11:40 he will use political-religious power and leaders 11:43 and a political confederacy in last days of man 11:46 that will seek to unite the whole world 11:49 under the remnant of Revelation. 11:51 And with that background, let's turn our attention 11:55 to the Bible description of antichrist. 11:58 But I'm gonna ask you to do one thing, 11:59 I want you to push out all that you've heard, 12:02 just make yourself available to what God wants to say to you 12:05 from His word tonight 12:07 and then you come to the conclusion, all right. 12:11 Try to empty that and try to just thinking 12:13 what the Word of God says. 12:14 Let's see if the Word of God is reasonable. 12:17 Remember, it doesn't matter what I say about antichrist. 12:21 I've tried to uphold what here every night? 12:23 Come on, a what? 12:24 The Bible-- come on. 12:25 Is that-- let me see your hands. 12:27 I've been preaching the Bible and Bible only, all right. 12:29 Great. 12:30 All right, I want that to be true. 12:32 Those of you who come every night know that, 12:34 that we've been preaching the Bible. 12:36 Remember, it doesn't matter what the radio evangelist says, 12:39 so what your pastor even says, 12:41 it only matters with the Word of God says, 12:42 what the Bible says 12:43 and there should be enough proof 12:45 for us to understand, for us to see. 12:48 In fact, let's go to the Bible, 12:50 let's go here to the fist epistle of John 2:18. 12:56 Many people think the antichrist 12:57 is mentioned a lot in Daniel. 12:59 It's mentioned. 13:00 Many think it's mentioned a lot in Revelation. 13:03 It's mention. 13:04 But where it really is mentioned 13:06 where it develops expositionly or exegetically 13:09 which means step-by-step 13:11 is there in the epistle of John. 13:14 In 1 John 2:18, it says, 13:18 "Little children, it is the last time 13:22 and as you heard the antichrist shall come, 13:24 even now are there many antichrists 13:28 where by we know that it is the last time. 13:30 "Notice the characteristic of Antichrist's principal 13:33 of understanding is the context word used, 13:36 use of the words or word. 13:38 If you look closely at the passage 13:40 you will notice that the word antichrist 13:44 is used sometimes singularly, in the single tense. 13:48 So in other words, when it says antichrist 13:50 it speaks in the singular tense. 13:52 Well, we want to know, 13:53 what it means antichrist ingular tense. 13:57 Then it says about the antichrists, plural. 14:01 And so we say, well, here's the antichrist 14:04 then there is antichrists 14:07 and then finally in 1 John it says, 14:09 not only is there the antichrist, 14:11 not only there are antichrists, plural 14:14 but he says there is the spirit of the antichrist. 14:20 So we need to look at those three things tonight. 14:22 We need to look at the antichrist, singular, 14:25 we need to look at the antichrists, plural, 14:27 we need to look at the antichrist 14:28 in the spirit of the antichrist. 14:32 Now that's why significant, 14:34 antichrist is sometimes used singular. 14:38 "Antichrist, when used singular," what? 14:40 "Referrers one who was at enmity with the Christ 14:43 from the very beginning. 14:45 He started the war in heaven." 14:48 You see, Antichrist was there the angel warrior, 14:52 who was called son of the morning, 14:53 who was one of the angels of heaven, 14:56 who was there leading the choirs with heaven, 14:59 who was there equal to all angels. 15:01 He was in heaven, his name was Lucifer, 15:04 son of the morning. 15:05 He was a great singer there and the great leader a music 15:10 until pride came into his heart, 15:12 until that came within his soul he wanted to be like God. 15:16 Out comes deception. 15:18 I want to be like God, 15:19 I'm gonna tell the other angels I'm God 15:21 and the other angels are going to be leave this deception. 15:24 And this is how the great controversy began. 15:27 This is how the battle began 15:28 there in the very courts of heaven. 15:31 The antichrist was there in the beginning, 15:33 it was war, the weapon was deception. 15:35 The angel warrior sought to control heaven 15:38 and later he was cast out. 15:39 Remember, he's cast out to this earth, 15:41 there came the struggle, 15:42 he had touched himself to this earth. 15:44 God was continually creating worlds. 15:47 God was continually creating places to dwell 15:50 and there He recreated human beings, 15:51 He created them from the dust to earth, 15:53 and they were tested, they had free will 15:55 just as the angels had free will, 15:57 just as son of the morning had free will, 16:00 just as the angel the choirs of heaven had free will. 16:03 He chose to sin. 16:05 He chose rebellion against God, 16:08 and their even in the Kingdom of Heaven he, 16:11 the dark angel of all. 16:13 And then in 1 John 2:14, 18, 22 it says, 16:16 "I've written unto you, fathers, 16:18 because you've known him that is from the beginning." 16:20 Antichrist is from the beginning, 16:23 not at the end, not in the last day, 16:26 the antichrist is in the beginning, 16:28 even before the words of John were written from Patmos, 16:32 he says, he was in the beginning. 16:35 "I've written unto you, young man, 16:37 because you are strong 16:38 and the word of God abideth in you 16:41 and ye have overcome the wicked one." 16:43 Now notice, he use that word, he is the wicked one. 16:46 "Little children, it is the last time, 16:49 and as ye heard the Antichrist should come 16:51 even now are there many antichrist," 16:55 many antichrist" whereby we know 16:57 that it's the last time. 16:59 Who is a liar but he that denieth 17:01 the Jesus if the Christ? 17:02 He is antichrist, 17:04 that denieth the Father and the Son." 17:09 Who is the wicked one? 17:11 It's none other than Satan himself. 17:15 Listen, 1 John 3:8, this is the whole exposition 17:19 of the passage concerning with the Antichrist. 17:21 "He that committeth sin is of the devil, 17:24 for the devil sinneth from the beginning." 17:25 Who is he? 17:26 The devil, the wicked one. 17:29 "For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, 17:32 that he might destroy the works of the devil." 17:35 My dear friend, the great enemy of mankind, 17:37 the great enemy of you and me is the devil. 17:40 Never forget it. 17:42 He is the power, pure power behind our sinning. 17:46 He is the power behind our deception. 17:48 He is the power behind our weakness 17:50 and he is the assaulting one here in 1 John 3:8. 17:54 He is antichrist, when it's singular tense. 17:59 No one else, he sins from the beginning. 18:01 Who's that? Satan. 18:03 He's an angel warrior. 18:04 Whose that? Satan. 18:06 "And every spirit that confesseth 18:07 this not Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God, 18:11 this is that spirit of antichrist." 18:12 So he says this, the antichrist is the antichrist 18:15 and that's a spirit of antichrist. 18:17 I hope to show you what the antichrist 18:20 and the antichrists are 18:21 and what the spirit of antichrist 18:24 is in the church. 18:27 1 John 4:3, "Whereof ye have heard 18:29 that it should come, 18:30 and even now already it is in the world." 18:33 You see most evangelicals and most people today, 18:36 prophetic preachers today tell us the Antichrist 18:39 is going to come down at the end of time. 18:42 You see, that is the very deception 18:43 that Satan is wanting you to believe. 18:45 He wants you to relax, chill out, 18:48 it's not here, it will come. 18:50 No, it's here, sit up, look up, it's here. 18:57 And so they tell you, 18:58 well, its way down at the end of time. 19:00 I mean, but it says no, God says, no, 19:02 it's already here the antichrist. 19:06 So we need to be ready at all times 19:09 to the deception of this the antichrist. 19:13 John 8:44, "Ye are of your father the devil, 19:16 and the lusts of your father ye will do. 19:18 He was a murderer from the beginning, 19:20 and abode not in the truth," the Bible tells us about 19:24 "because there is no truth in him. 19:25 When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own 19:28 for he is a liar, and the father of it." 19:31 You can't believe a word he says. 19:34 Now notice, "And there was war in heaven, 19:37 Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, 19:38 the dragon fought and his angels." 19:40 This is where sin first begin. 19:42 This was there at the beginning of the antichrist, 19:44 the one who was against Christ. 19:46 Antichrist is the one who was against Christ. 19:50 And who was first against Christ? 19:52 It was the angel, the choirs of heaven. 19:57 Wow. 19:58 Something for us to think about. 20:00 "He prevailed not, 20:01 neither was their place found any more in heaven." 20:03 Notice the Bible says, 20:04 "Any more in heaven and the great dragon" 20:06 Who? Satan. 20:08 Now the dragon, 20:09 "he's cast out, the old serpent." 20:11 He's cast out. 20:12 Notice the down fall of Lucifer 20:14 from an angel to a dragon to the serpent, 20:17 to the one who deceives us and he is cast out of heaven. 20:21 He's cast out and the Bible says 20:23 the "angels were cast out with him. 20:25 " By the way one-third of the heavenly hosts sin, 20:27 one-third of the heavenly host followed Satan. 20:30 They were so deceived by what he said, 20:32 and he said, come with me and I'm gonna be like God, 20:34 I will be like God, you will be with me. 20:37 And he was cast out. 20:39 You see, sin cannot be in the presence of Jesus. 20:43 Hey, listen to me, God is gonna take away your sin, 20:46 He's going to cleanse you of your sin 20:48 so you can be in the presence of Jesus. 20:51 He's gonna cleanse you of your sin 20:52 so when He comes in glory 20:53 you'll be able to look up and say, Lord, this is my God. 20:55 He has saved us, He` has saved us. 21:00 Now, no, now there are, 21:04 will be and has been the antichrist 21:07 from the very beginning and that's what the Bible says, 21:10 "How art thou fallen from heaven, 21:11 O Lucifer, son of the morning! 21:13 How art thou cut down to the ground, 21:14 which didst weaken the nations! 21:16 For thou hast said in thine heart, 21:17 I will ascend into " what? " 21:19 Into heaven, I will" do what? " 21:21 I will exalt my throne above the stars of God, 21:23 I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, 21:26 in the sides of the north, 21:27 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, 21:29 I will be like the most High. 21:31 "There is the first deception. 21:34 Follow me because I'm God. 21:37 Follow me because I'm the spokesman for God. 21:40 Follow me because my decision are equal to God. 21:44 Follow me. 21:45 And we've been following him ever since, ever since. 21:51 He's borne the war with Christ from the very beginning. 21:54 No child born in the Middle East here, 21:57 no future antichrist there, but he has been, 22:01 he is and he will be there till the end 22:04 when God will finally crush him under His foot. 22:09 He was there. 22:10 My Bible says he was there in the past, 22:12 he was there in heaven, he was there to present 22:14 and he will be here 22:16 in the near future, the antichrist. 22:18 And who is he? 22:19 The Bible says in Revelation 20, 22:21 that he is a deceiver. 22:22 Who is he? 22:24 The Bible says, he is the prince of this world? 22:26 Who is he, the Bible say he's the destroyer. 22:28 Revelation 9:11. Who is he? 22:31 He's the tempter, Matthew 4:3. 22:34 Who is he? 22:35 The Bible teaches us who he is. 22:37 He is sitting on the throne. 22:38 By the way, that's Revelation 2:13, this is Antichrist. 22:42 He says, who is he? He's the man of sin. 22:44 Who is he? He's the son of perdition. 22:46 He is Lucifer. 22:48 He is Satan. 22:49 He is Beelzebub. 22:51 He is the one 22:53 who was in enmity and antichrist. 22:56 So watch out for him. 22:58 He's no-- somebody in a little red suit with a pitchfork. 23:05 He could be a beautiful angel, 23:08 revealing himself to you. 23:11 The only safeguard is the Word of God. 23:16 Amen. 23:17 Because when he comes in that deception, 23:19 when he comes in a very form of Jesus 23:20 which he will, the Bible says, 23:22 you wouldn't be kept in the miracles he'll perform, 23:24 great miracles and signs and wonders 23:27 and people follow him. 23:29 I mean, there's the Christ. No, that is the antichrist. 23:33 So close to the real, the counterfeit. 23:37 When you look for a counterfeit bill, 23:38 when they teach people to watch for counterfeit bills, 23:41 they get the real bill. 23:44 You know the fake by the real. 23:46 Come on now. 23:47 You know, Amen. 23:48 You know the fake by the real. 23:52 And Jesus is, 23:53 Jesus is the real, He's the real one. 23:57 Antichrist, who is He? 23:58 He's the author and originator of sin. 24:02 Who is he? 24:03 He is the one 24:04 who cause sickness and pain and death. 24:06 Who is he? I'm a revealing who he is. 24:09 He is the accuser of the believer before God, 24:12 Revelation 12:10. 24:14 Satan has always been against Christ. 24:17 From times past till this very day 24:19 and to the very future until Christ destroy Satan. 24:25 You know, battles in the sky. 24:27 I mean, intrigue, high places. 24:29 I mean, heaven is the ballet ground, 24:30 the universe is conquered, the warrior gathers his armies 24:33 from the angelic host of the past. 24:35 Wow, war in heaven. 24:37 Angel, son of morning is not prince of darkness. 24:41 How can it happen? 24:43 How can an angel become a devil? 24:47 Choice. Choice. 24:51 What you choose. 24:53 Some of you here in this auditorium, 24:55 you need to make choices. 24:57 Some of the people watching on television around the world, 25:00 you've been listening to these message, 25:02 you need to make a choice 25:03 either for Christ or for antichrist. 25:07 That's God up making it available to you. 25:11 I remember I was preaching somewhere 25:13 in the north in one of the cities 25:15 and a woman came up to me after, she says, 25:17 Halvorsen, I wish I never met you. 25:19 Couldn't you imagine I'm such a nice guy. 25:21 I mean, you really should meet me. 25:24 But I said, why? 25:26 She said, well, how you taught me 25:28 everything I didn't believe 25:31 and everything I believe wasn't what was true 25:38 and now you got me in a corner. 25:40 I said, no, the Bible is given you a way of escape. 25:44 Amen. 25:47 Better be a person walking alone 25:50 then following the crowd in the wrong direction. 25:51 That's why the Bible is given to us. 25:53 Well, brother, I know you said, 25:56 I see it in Bible but I better run and ask my minister. 25:59 What is he gonna give you that the Bible can't give you? 26:02 Oh, I got to run to my priest. 26:03 What does a priest know? 26:04 For a thousand years he's been teaching things 26:09 that you know is not true. 26:10 So what am I going to go to, the one who teaches me 26:12 that's not true to find out what's true? 26:18 I tried that, I went to my minister. 26:21 I said to him, Pastor, and I said, 26:24 I just discovered that Saturday was Sunday. 26:30 He said, what do you mean? 26:31 I said, while I was reading the Bible 26:33 I just become a Christian, a born-again Christian. 26:35 He was very happy for that, 26:37 and I said-- He said, what do you mean? 26:38 I said, well, I discovered 26:39 from the reading the Bible that 26:41 Saturday is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God. 26:43 And I went to him, he said, of, it doesn't matter. 26:48 Why should I have to go to someone who says, 26:49 it doesn't matter when I could go to God 26:51 who says it matter. 26:52 Now if God says it matter and he says it doesn't matter, 26:55 who am I gonna listen to God or man? 26:59 That is the issue. 27:01 That's the issue, God or man. 27:06 Now the antichrist, singular 27:10 but secondly, follow me carefully, 27:12 secondly, the antichrist, plural. 27:18 Now there's significance here. 27:21 antichrist in the plural sense, 27:23 it's about all who align themselves with Satan. 27:27 You see, it's been used 27:29 to persecute the people of God 27:31 from the beginning down through the century. 27:34 Sometimes even using the very name of Christian, 27:36 the very name of Christ, 27:38 coming in a name of Christ 27:39 to prosecute us, they burned us 27:41 and Jerome, to burn the reformers 27:43 in the name of Christ. 27:47 Fifty million people, 27:48 50 million Protestants were burned at the stake 27:51 and persecuted to death and thrown to the lion 27:54 in the name of Christ. 27:57 History reveals the fact. 27:59 What does history reveals to us? 28:01 Let's go to history, let's go see. 28:03 "Many will say to me in that day, 28:04 Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? 28:07 And in thy name have cast out devils?" 28:09 So it doesn't matter if he speaks 28:10 in the name of Christ, who uses the name of Christ. 28:12 That doesn't necessary mean that he's a follower of Christ. 28:15 He may be a follower of the antichrist 28:19 not realizing it. 28:21 I don't think he wakes up in the morning says, 28:23 I want to follow antichrist. 28:25 But the decisions we make about God 28:28 and about the Bible and about what the Bible says 28:30 that is what makes us 28:32 whether we are followers of the antichrist. 28:35 Now notice, he says this, 28:37 "And in thy name done many wonderful works? 28:40 And then will I profess unto them, What? 28:41 I never knew you: depart from me, 28:43 ye that work iniquity." 28:44 Wow. 28:45 But Lord, have we not done these miracles in Your name? 28:48 Have we not done these great holy meetings in Your name? 28:51 Have we not bought thousands and thousands 28:53 to come worship You in Your name? 28:56 Jesus says, depart from me. 28:58 I know you not, I know you not. 29:01 How can that happen, friend? 29:03 How can that happen? 29:05 For the mystery of inequity this is how it happens. 29:08 "For the mystery of iniquity doth already work, 29:11 only he who now letteth will let, 29:14 until he be taken out of the way. 29:16 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, 29:19 and the Lord shall consume with" what? 29:23 "The spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy 29:26 the brightness of his coming." 29:28 Wow, that's serious, isn't it, friend? 29:31 I mean, that is really serious. 29:33 That's serious. The antichrist were there. 29:37 Listen to me now, they were there at Ephesus. 29:40 The antichrist was at Ephesus in the Nicolaitans. 29:44 They had lost their first love of the gospel, 29:46 they were, the antichrist at Smyrna 29:49 in a synagogue of Satan. 29:51 They were there at Pergamos and Thyatira and Laodicea. 29:55 Read the first two to three chapters 29:57 of the Book of Revelation. 29:58 They were at Laodicea, the spirit had the influence 30:02 of the Laodiceans 30:04 with the spirit of the antichrist, 30:07 down through the centuries. 30:09 Listen to me, down through the centuries 30:11 the antichrist would have work in the church and why not, 30:14 where else would Satan work and why not? 30:18 Why wouldn't he want to deceive the church? 30:21 He already has the world, 30:25 so he's gonna deceive the church. 30:28 Watch... 30:30 hey, don't believe anything you see, 30:33 anything you hear, look at the word. 30:36 And the word tells you who he is, 30:38 stay away, stay away. 30:41 They were their. 30:42 You see, the down through the centuries, 30:43 the antichrists at work in the church and why not? 30:46 Antediluvian world, pagan and perverse 30:49 so much that the judgment came 30:50 and fell upon them without mercy. 30:52 The days at Carmel, 30:53 there was the apostasy of Baal, Balaam 30:57 and the days of dark ruled the kings and the judges. 31:00 Christianity felt the onslaughts of antichrist. 31:03 The filing it with traditions and false doctrines 31:05 and patronizing the church and it became the antichrist. 31:09 They created the Dark Age. 31:13 And the Christian church was baptized into paganism 31:20 and theologies truth away. 31:23 They left their first love. 31:25 Listen, leave your first love and you're in dangerous place. 31:30 He'll suck you out of the church 31:31 faster than you can turn around. 31:35 Forsake your first love, and he'll you pull you away 31:38 from Christ faster than you could-- 31:42 that's what happened. 31:44 You see, they did their best to make non-effect 31:47 the efficacy of the Cross. 31:50 They tried to pull away the gospel from the church 31:54 and the grace of God 31:55 and the wonderful teaching of God's grace and love 31:59 and they made God mean and tough and stern. 32:06 They were the antichrist, 32:10 false prophets and priests and yeah popes. 32:13 At one time three popes call, claiming to be a pope 32:17 and all claiming absolutely authority 32:20 and power from Christ. 32:23 Down through the dark ages, 32:24 listen to me, the church was corrupted. 32:27 Leaders that had no right to lead, 32:32 theology of corruption. 32:34 John outlines not only the political stance 32:36 of antichrist in Revelation 32:37 but the theological corruption caused by the antichrist. 32:41 I mean, it was doctrinally corrupt. 32:43 First of all they denied the deity of Christ, 32:46 they tried to make Christ so human, 32:49 He was no more than a man wrapped in divinity. 32:52 Listen to me, He was God of very gods. 32:55 Listen to me, he was a God of every gods, 32:57 He was a deity, He was the Son of God 32:59 not less than the Father, He was equal to the Father, 33:02 He was equal in every sense. 33:04 And when they denied that 33:06 there came schism in the church. 33:10 Listen to this, "Who is a liar 33:12 but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? 33:15 He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son." 33:17 What is he saying here? 33:18 He that denies the trinity, the Father, Son 33:21 and the Holy Spirit is in here, too. 33:23 If he denies the Father, 33:24 Son and Holy Spirit, he is antichrist. 33:28 I'm not saying that. 33:30 Sean is saying that. 33:32 And we have a lot of them running around. 33:36 I take claming even to very name of Christ 33:39 yet deceptively teaching contrary to Christ, 33:41 deceiving to miracles and signs and wonders 33:44 and false tongues and all that. 33:46 I mean, listen, and yet denying 33:47 the very truth of the Word of God. 33:49 Listen to me, friend, it's not how high you jump, 33:52 or how loud you shout, it's how straight you walk. 33:57 Amen. Give God praise, tonight. 34:00 Give God praise. 34:02 Denying the truth, corrupting the Christian message. 34:05 I mean, listen to me, 34:07 deceiving a multitude with great signs 34:09 and wonders and miracles, Revelation 13. 34:11 And I'm gonna reveal that on Sunday night, 34:14 the real, the real beast of Revelation, 34:17 the real mark in that beast. 34:19 The centuries the tyrannical hands 34:21 of despotic system that rages 34:23 in the whole world a war against Christ. 34:26 We call those days the Dark Ages. 34:28 Read it sometime. 34:29 I mean, they were there, civil and religious power 34:31 forging its change on the conscience, 34:33 telling the world, 34:35 using the state to enforce its stigmas. 34:37 Using the state to enforce its doctrine. 34:40 Using its state to make them pray to the leader, 34:45 to pray to the hierarchy, to bow before the hierarchy. 34:50 They forced them in chain. 34:53 No wonder why we call it the Dark Ages. 34:57 He changed the laws. 34:59 And I'm gonna show you that on Sunday night, 35:03 he admits it, he thought to change times 35:06 and laws and soon the Sabbath was cast out. 35:09 I mean, some other things that was so important to Christians, 35:11 baptism by immersion, that was thrown out. 35:14 And the idea that God would destroy the wicked, 35:16 by the way, I am gonna talk on that. 35:19 Destroy, the wicked, listen to me, 35:20 and all they came up with hell and gehenna. 35:24 I mean, they came up with all these ideas of limbo 35:27 and purgatory and-- 35:29 Not in the word of God at all. 35:32 Absolution. 35:34 You could pay your way into heaven, 35:36 that's why Martin Luther stood against it. 35:39 That's why Martin Luther a monk, 35:41 went up against the wall and hammered his thesis 35:45 on the wall and rebelled against Rome, 35:48 rebelled against that darkness, 35:50 rebelled against that persecution. 35:53 And there was Huss and Jerome and Wycliffe 35:56 and-- I mean, acumensy denies 35:59 freedom of religion to minority. 36:01 They were the antichrist and in last days 36:03 they will manifest themselves again in a triple alliance. 36:06 And a cult fall in monistic, humanistic, secularist, 36:09 pagan, Protestantism and fallen faith was Romanism. 36:14 You'll see more and more corrupt of angels 36:18 parlance for the most money, 36:20 the biggest kingdoms and the Messiah complex. 36:25 I have nothing to do with your spiritual, 36:27 I can share with you the Word of God 36:29 but only Christ can make use spiritual. 36:32 Only Jesus Christ can do for you 36:34 what you need for your heart. 36:36 I can't do it for you, I can't. 36:39 I can pull the Word of God, I can preach the truth of God 36:42 but I can't in any way make you spiritual, 36:45 only God can do that. 36:47 Amen. 36:48 Don't place your faith in people, 36:51 place it in God. 36:52 Listen to me carefully, the last stage 36:55 will see a resurgence of the triple alliance. 36:58 We will speak about it in the mark of the beast. 37:00 This one thing I know and that is this triple alliance 37:02 will take control of government, 37:04 of churches, of seminaries and of the whole culture. 37:09 And John, here in the epistle warns us against antichrist, 37:12 against the antichrists which are many, 37:17 and the spirit of antichrist. 37:20 Now I know when I speak on this, 37:22 some of you will be disturbed, 37:24 that's all right 37:28 because the spirit of antichrist 37:30 is not out there, the spirit of antichrist 37:34 is in the church that claims Christ. 37:38 Yeah, men and women in the last days 37:39 will be devil inspired. 37:42 Look around, every year, every week, every day 37:46 the spirit of antichrist. 37:47 I mean listen to talk shows, 37:50 they always defend evil against good. 37:51 Have you heard them? 37:53 I mean, they make fun and ridicule spiritual people 37:55 and honesty and morality, they hate it. 37:59 Pure--talk about purity, 38:00 try to teach your teenager's purity, 38:03 try to teach them family values. 38:06 I mean, oh, they don't want to hear 38:08 nothing about that, not at all. 38:10 I mean, they preach on and on 38:12 but they don't want to really hear the talk shows 38:14 but that's the spirit of the antichrist. 38:16 That's the spirit of dishonesty in juvenile crime 38:19 and teenage murders and white supremacy 38:22 and skinheads and punkers 38:23 and rock stars to promote immorality and drug culture. 38:27 Now I know you like pretty little sermons 38:28 with bubbling books but we are at the last time. 38:32 Amen. 38:42 They try to get allies our children. 38:44 Come on, now. 38:47 Walk down the street with the bridges that-- 38:48 come on now. 38:54 God save me from prison, I am not going back. 39:01 Glorifying violence, immorality, drugs, hate, 39:08 that is the spirit of antichrist. 39:10 Music with mixed messages 39:12 and disconnected message of hell, 39:14 to hate, to make babies, get high, 39:16 lyrics written in hell and they sing it 39:20 and they claim to be Christ. 39:24 And they claim to be saved. 39:28 Saved for what? 39:32 We wonder why our culture is corrupt, 39:35 our world is doomed? 39:37 It's the spirit of Christ everywhere. 39:40 Today we hear a lot about meaningful relationships, 39:43 shadow thought short the relationship. 39:45 Listen to me, friend, God wants you to be happy, 39:48 God want you to come together, God wants to make you one, 39:52 just as He wants to make you one in Christ, 39:54 He wants to make you one. 39:55 He says, He loves the family. 39:58 I've been married 56 years. 40:02 That camera's in my way. 40:05 My girl is sitting over there. 40:07 Listen to me, you think God didn't mean her for me? 40:11 Did I down more joy by being faithful to her 40:14 and her faithful to me? 40:15 I don't have to go on a trip in worry 40:17 where she's gonna be and I don't have to go on-- 40:19 and she don't have to go on a trip 40:21 and I wonder where she's gonna be. 40:25 Oh, but we're soul mates. 40:31 He has a red car, I have a red car, 40:33 we have something in common, let's live together. 40:35 No, that's not soul mate. 40:37 You want to know what a soul mate is? 40:38 He prays with you. Amen. 40:40 That's the soul mate. 40:43 Goes to church with you, that's a soul mate. 40:47 Give's God testimony, that's a soul mate. 40:49 I mean, come on now, come on now. 40:54 Drug culture destroying our children. 40:58 Meth, terrible. 41:01 I worked with these people, I work in the inner cities, 41:05 I have an anti-drug program, 41:06 I have a race team, a motor-cross race team 41:09 and we go into the schools of the inner cities 41:11 and we talk against gangs and drugs and-- 41:14 let me tell you, it's a terrible thing. 41:18 It's ruing out nation and our boys and girls 41:21 are listening to their lies and it's a lie that Satan uses. 41:26 Oh, this is high, man. 41:28 High? 41:29 It's as high as hell is low. 41:32 It's as high as hell is low. 41:34 Turn away from it, don't be involved 41:37 and if you're involved in it now be sure to see me. 41:40 I want to anoint you in the name in the spirit 41:42 and I want to see God deliver you from it. 41:44 Listen to me, give your life to God 41:46 and He will do that for you. 41:49 Growing family values everywhere. 41:51 Listen to me, they are really partying. 41:55 I was down-- I go down in the areas 41:57 where they have nude bars, 41:58 nude restaurants, topless donut shop. 42:00 That takes the cake. 42:03 Come on now. 42:05 Exploiting women, corrupting the morals of our children 42:10 and that's the spirit of antichrist. 42:12 It pervades every area of our whole society, 42:16 condones what has been condemned 42:18 in the scripture for 2,000 years. 42:21 Wonder why we as a society 42:22 are suffering from the sins to the sodomites? 42:25 Secular press, the theatre, arts are creating 42:27 a violent immoral world and culture 42:30 and then they wonder what's wrong. 42:33 The only hope is coming of Jesus Christ 42:34 back to earth again to redeem us and free us. 42:39 And those who have no relationship 42:42 with Jesus Christ 42:43 will call anything a relationship, 42:46 not only society but the churches 42:47 that help create the spirit of antichrist. 42:50 They get up in their pulpit 42:51 and they preach against the moral law of God. 42:54 They say, the law of God is done away with 42:56 because they don't want to face the Fourth Commandment. 42:58 You're hanging from the Empire State Building 43:00 on ten link chain, every link is important. 43:04 And what God said remember, you better remember. 43:06 Amen. 43:09 You know Preacher, you don't understand, 43:10 I'm-- No, I do understand. 43:15 We created the spirit of antichrist. 43:18 And let me tell you, when a church 43:19 who think yourself so righteous, 43:22 you look your noses down on everybody, 43:25 you condemn them, you look at these new infants, 43:29 you think you are superior, 43:31 you want them to get it up to your level, 43:34 you spend all your time trying to make them like you 43:36 when they should be made 43:38 by the Holy Spirit by Jesus Christ. 43:40 Amen. 43:43 With your hardness and your legalism 43:45 you're destroying the gospel 43:47 and you're destroying the way that God saves us 43:49 and you're trying to get to heaven 43:51 on your own bootstraps. 43:52 You're not gonna make it, 43:53 you're not gonna keep enough Sabbaths 43:55 that's going to get you there. 43:56 You're not gonna do enough good things 43:57 that are gonna get you there. 43:58 You need to surrender to Jesus Christ 44:01 and uphold Jesus as Lord evermore. 44:04 That is the spirit of antichrist. 44:09 That is the spirit of antichrist. 44:11 And in the midst of all this 44:13 God is a preparing a people, do you hear me? 44:15 God is preparing a people in the midst of all this. 44:18 My Bible tells me, 44:20 "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, 44:21 but against principalities, against powers, 44:23 against the rulers of the darkness of this world, 44:26 against spiritual wickedness in high places." 44:29 Wow. 44:30 That' the Word of God. 44:32 Families. 44:34 Isn't that beautiful? 44:35 There's nothing more beautiful-- 44:37 when do I get Christmas we love it 44:38 and we get them all-- I know there's some scrooges. 44:43 You know, how paganism it is. 44:44 It's not pagan in my family, 44:46 we love each other, we gather together. 44:49 And my grandkids come and my kids come 44:54 and family gathers around. 44:56 We have the greatest time. 44:58 We go out swimming together. 45:00 The old man leading them to the manatee. 45:03 Listen to me, that's family. 45:06 Won't trade it in for nothing. 45:08 Every day my son calls me the minister of the gospel, 45:12 every day my daughter calls me, 45:13 every day my grandchildren call me. 45:18 One or two of them call, I know at least calls me everyday 45:21 and the others call me at least once a week. 45:24 And if they don't, I call them. 45:27 They rather call me that me call them, all right. 45:29 Anyway God is wonderful and God is good 45:34 and we want to know that Jesus Christ. 45:37 The three things antichrist cannot do, 45:38 he cannot penetrate the blood of Christ. 45:40 That is a fact. Put the blood on your heart. 45:43 The devil cannot only penetrate the blood, 45:45 he cannot penetrate the armor of God, 45:47 dressed in the armor of God. 45:48 In the morning, when you get up, 45:49 put the armor on. 45:50 Listen, devil try to defeat you 45:52 but he cannot defeat the one in the armor of God. 45:54 And then, well, someone said, I want to be spiritual. 45:56 There it is. And cannot read your mind. 46:00 Hey, so give God praise, 46:02 your heart today with Jesus, amen. 46:05 And God is happy, God is rejoicing with you 46:08 and the devil hates praise, he hates the name of Jesus. 46:11 Quote the name of Jesus, quote scripture. 46:13 I mean, it's all there in the Word of God. 46:15 "He shall speak great words against the most High, 46:17 and shall wear out the saints" 46:18 I am going to say more about that on Sunday night. 46:20 "To think to change times and laws 46:22 and they shall be given into his hand until the time 46:24 and times and the dividing of time." 46:26 And there it is speaking about the beast of Revelation. 46:29 "And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, 46:31 that the image of the beast should both speak, 46:33 and cause that as many as would not worship 46:35 the image of the beast should be killed." 46:37 This power, this religious power 46:39 is going to again affect 46:41 the lives of people as they did in the Dark Ages. 46:45 And it's coming, it's coming in America. 46:48 "And he that leadeth into captivity 46:49 shall go into captivity, he that killeth 46:51 with the sword must be killed with the sword. 46:53 Here is the patience and the faith of the saints." 46:55 Don't be deceived. 46:57 "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, 46:59 by the testimony-- 47:01 and they loved not their lives even unto" What? 47:04 "Death." 47:06 It was during the time of the Roman Empire 47:08 and there were Christians 47:09 and they were to be thrown to the lions. 47:11 But instead one captain or leader of the legionnaires 47:15 he decided the best thing to do was way up in the north, 47:18 Put them out on a frozen lake 47:19 and let's see how their faith would stand. 47:22 And so they cast out on this frozen lake, 47:23 it was late at night. 47:25 And the Roman soldiers built a fire on the shoreline, 47:28 hoping that it would entice them to come in 47:31 and they would sing, Forty wrestlers, 47:32 wrestling for thee O Christ 47:34 Claim for thee the victory 47:36 And ask of thee a crown Forty wrestlers, wrestling 47:39 And after late into the night, 47:42 one came running out from the lake 47:43 and fell by the fire. 47:45 And they heard 39 wrestlers, wrestling for thee O Christ, 47:50 Claim of thee a crown. 47:51 Listen, and then one of the Roman legionnaires 47:54 through off his armor and threw down his armor 47:57 and he ran out onto the lake to be with the Christian. 48:01 And you heard again, 48:02 Forty wrestlers, wrestling for thee O Christ 48:06 Claim of thee the victory 48:08 And ask of thee a crown 48:14 What is better than that, my dear friend? 48:16 Listen to me, that is good news, good news 48:19 that we can turn to this Jesus in the coldest night. 48:22 We can turn to Jesus in the hardest time. 48:26 We can turn to Jesus when men are seducing us 48:29 with their false doctrinaire, their false ideas 48:32 and trying to deceive us 48:34 like Satan himself from the beginning. 48:35 And we can look to Jesus and He says, 48:37 come son, come daughter, this is the way, walk in it. 48:40 And you can take that step by faith 48:43 and even if it means turning away, 48:45 you take that step by faith. 48:47 It's better to walk alone 48:50 than to walk in the wrong direction with the crowd. 48:52 That's what Jesus is saying here. 48:54 He's saying I'm calling the faithful 48:57 and that is good news. 48:59 Dark is the night of the antichrist, 49:01 dark is the night of the reign of the antichrist 49:05 but darker still is the spirit that pervades culture 49:10 and church in the last days 49:14 the spirit of the antichrist. 49:18 May you not be deceived but you look to Him 49:23 who is the author, 49:24 who is the finisher of your faith. 49:28 And that faith is in Jesus Christ, our Lord. 50:09 Another Bible question we'll look at, 50:10 and thank you for your Bible questions. 50:13 "If hell doesn't burn until after the millennium 50:15 and after Jesus' returns, 50:17 doesn't that take away some on the motivation 50:19 for people to be saved?" 50:23 If there's no hell burning now and I think I can add to that, 50:28 if there's no eternally burning hell, 50:31 doesn't it take away the motivation for some people? 50:35 Maybe for some, but I hope not. 50:38 Maybe that takes away the motivation 50:40 from those who don't really understand 50:42 how salvation works. 50:45 You know the truth. 50:46 Some people have what we might call 50:48 a fire escape religion. 50:51 They get religion 50:53 just so they can escape the fire. 50:55 They've been told the hell is so bad, 50:57 I know some of this preaching where hell is so hot 51:01 and sinner are going to burn there forever, 51:03 oh, it's going to be-- 51:04 I don't think hell is going to be a picnic 51:05 by any stretch of imagination 51:07 but the motivation for someone to come to Jesus 51:09 isn't to escape the fire. 51:12 You know we read in 1 John 4:19 51:14 and actually in verse 16. 51:16 It says, "God is love." 51:19 That's right in the middle of the verse. 51:21 Then verse 19, "We love him, 51:24 so that we don't go to hell." 51:27 That's not what it says. 51:28 "We love him, because" why? 51:30 "Because He first loved us." 51:32 Not because we want to escape some punishment. 51:37 If knowing that hell doesn't burn 51:39 forever takes away the motivation for some 51:41 then I don't know what to do. 51:42 We are drawn by the love of God to want to be saved. 51:46 God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son. 51:50 Whatever happens to the wicked, 51:51 that's kind of a different matter. 51:54 Our motivation for following and serving God is that 51:56 God is good, God is love. 51:58 He only wants the very best for us. 52:00 He's magnificent. Jesus is our great Savoir. 52:02 There is a perfect heaven that awaits 52:04 where we can be happy forever with God our Lord, 52:09 our maker, our best friend. 52:14 Hell fire, you don't want to go there, 52:17 that's gonna be no fun. 52:18 Will it burn forever? No, it won't. 52:20 Should that impact our motivation 52:23 for following Jesus and being saved? 52:26 No, it shouldn't impact that in any way, shape or form. 52:30 Time for one more Bible question. 52:32 And this the question we're looking at, 52:34 "do lost people burn forever for as long time lasts?" 52:38 We'll answer that quickly, no, they don't. 52:41 How do know that? 52:42 Well, there are several verses in the Bible, 52:45 many in fact that make that clear. 52:47 For the sake of time, I'll look at one. 52:50 It's in the last book of the Old Testament, 52:52 right before Matthew is the Book of Malachi. 52:55 And I'll look in Malachi 52:58 Chapter 3 sorry Chapter 4 starting in verse 1. 53:04 Malachi 4:1, " For, behold, the day comes, 53:08 that shall burn as an oven, 53:10 and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, 53:13 shall be stubble and the day that comes 53:16 shall burn them up, says the Lord of hosts, 53:19 that it shall leave them neither root nor branch." 53:22 Listen to this, verse 3, 53:24 "You shall tread down the wicked 53:26 for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet 53:31 in the day that I shall do this, 53:33 says the Lord of hosts." 53:35 The wicked turned to ashes. 53:38 Very, very clear. 53:40 You know, it says, further back in the Bible 53:42 that the wicked consume into smoke, 53:44 did you know that? 53:45 It says, there will be like the fat of lambs, 53:48 nothing left of them. 53:49 Smoke, gone, disappears into the air. 53:53 All we know that, that will be left 53:54 of the wicked is ashes. 53:56 Can they burn forever? 53:58 It's not possible that they can burn forever. 54:01 If you want to base your faith or what the Bible says. 54:05 Psalm 37:20, "The wicked shall perish, 54:08 and the enemies of the Lord shall be as the fat of lambs 54:10 they shall consume, into smoke they shall consume away." 54:15 And let me appeal for your sense 54:17 of your sense about what God is really like. 54:22 Ask yourself, what does it make God 54:26 if He would burn people forever? 54:31 Have you ever been burned? 54:34 Even a burn on your figure on your hand 54:36 and some people had terrible burns. 54:38 It's awful. 54:41 And yet God would torture people without end, 54:45 without relief for all eternity? 54:49 Well, take the Bible 54:50 then and tear out the part that says, God is love. 54:53 Take that away. 54:54 God is not a monster, God is good. 54:59 Now somebody is gonna say, 55:00 well, if God wants to burn people forever 55:02 He can, and I won't argue with them. 55:04 Fair enough. 55:07 But God doesn't want to burn people forever. 55:10 And I say, thank God for that. 55:12 Now hell doesn't burn forever and ever. 55:14 How long does it burn? 55:15 I don't know. 55:17 Well, wait, what about those passages that says, 55:19 the smoke of the atonement ascends up forever and ever. 55:22 Okay, fine. 55:23 But you know by now 55:25 that will you read forever in the Bible 55:27 it doesn't always mean forever and ever and ever without end. 55:31 John in the Bible says, 55:32 what's in the belly of the whale? Forever. 55:35 Three days and three nights. 55:37 Samuel was taken to the temple by his mother 55:39 to be there forever, as long as he lives. 55:43 Sometimes forever just means 55:45 as long as the time lasts. 55:47 Forever? 55:49 Well, however long hell burns, 55:52 it's terrible and for the lost it's too long. 55:58 They all ought to be saved. 56:00 So friend, don't delay in your decision for Jesus. 56:03 Follow Him, yield to Him, make a true surrender to Jesus. 56:07 That's the best decision you could make. 56:10 Thank for your question. 56:11 I appreciated your questions. 56:14 We'll do this again next time we are together. 56:17 God bless, you be blessed tonight. 56:26 It Is Written is dedicated 56:28 to sharing the gospel around the world. 56:30 To discover more about It Is Written 56:32 I invite you to visit our website, 56:34 www.itiswritten.com 56:36 and browse the dozens of pages that describe 56:38 what we do and how we do it. 56:40 Let's get to know each other better. 56:42 Visit our website, itiswriten.com today. 56:48 In Matthew 4:4 the Word of God says, 56:50 "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, 56:53 but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. 56:57 '" Every Word is a one minute Bible based daily devotional 57:00 presented by Pastor Jon Bradshaw 57:02 and designed especially for busy people like you. 57:05 Look for Every Word on selected networks 57:08 or watch it online everyday on our website, 57:11 itiswritten.com. 57:13 Receive a daily spiritual boost. 57:15 Watch Every Word, you'll be glad you did. |
Revised 2014-12-28