Participants: Jim Gilley (Host), Brian Hamilton, C.A. Murray, J.D. Quinn, Julia Outkina, Mollie Steenson, Shelley Quinn
Series Code: 14HC
Program Code: 14HC000010
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00:45 Well hello and welcome to 3ABN's Fall Camp Meeting
00:50 right here in Thompsonville, IL, at the 3ABN Worship Center. 00:54 And this morning we are going to have a mission story 00:58 from Julia Outkina. How long have you known Julia 01:01 Melody? I don't even know how long. 01:05 It's probably 22 or 3 years that she's been - something like 01:10 that - affiliated with 3ABN. 01:12 A lovely lady all the way from Russia. 01:15 And Danny is going to be the one that's hosting with her. 01:19 We're going to ask them to come out here in just a few minutes 01:21 and share the mission story. But Melody, before we 01:25 get started on this beautiful Sabbath... 01:27 Is it beautiful here in southern Illinois? Amen! 01:30 I want to say to all of our viewers 01:33 Happy Sabbath! It's a gorgeous Sabbath today 01:36 and God's Holy Spirit is already in this place. 01:39 But before we get started let's go to our Father in prayer 01:44 and just ask His presence to be with us. 01:46 We're going to be here all day today 01:48 and we want the Father to... How many of you want God 01:51 to touch your heart and change you today? 01:54 How many of you have areas in your lives 01:56 that could stand a touch from God? 01:58 So let's pray and ask the Father. 02:00 Melody, agree with me. 02:01 Holy Father, we come before You in the name of Jesus 02:04 and we praise You and we thank you, Lord, 02:06 that it is Your desire for every one of us 02:10 not to be conformed to this world but be transformed by the 02:13 renewing of our minds. That You have predestined us 02:16 to be conformed to the very image of our Lord and Savior 02:19 Jesus Christ. So holy Father, we open our hearts 02:22 and our lives up to You today 02:24 and ask You to sow Your Word deep within us. 02:27 That it would take root and it would change us 02:29 into Your image and into Your likeness. 02:32 Father, we give You this day. We invite You 02:34 into this Camp Meeting into every service and every 02:38 situation. Father, change us is our prayer today 02:41 in Jesus' name. Amen! And Melody, I wanted to ask you 02:47 too. Camp Meeting... have you seen a change in the 02:50 Camp Meetings over the last years? Yes I have. 02:54 And how have they changed in your opinion? 02:57 How have they changed? Well I think they keep getting 03:01 better and better. What do you think? Well, that's what I 03:03 wanted to hear her say... some- thing that we say around here 03:06 so often. And we don't mean to be trite in this, 03:10 but we will say before this Camp Meeting is all over 03:13 "You know, I think this is the best one we've ever been in. " 03:16 And we mean it with all of our heart! 03:18 They do keep getting better and better. 03:20 Well I'm going to ask Danny and Julia to come out now 03:23 and to share with you the mission story. 03:28 Thank you Mollody... Mollie and Melody. 03:31 Mollody... Melody. 03:33 Dobroye utro... dobroye utro... Oh, I mean 03:37 good morning. You do the Russian and I'll just do English 03:40 OK? OK. Tell them what I just said. 03:42 He said good morning. 03:44 You all didn't know I speak Russian so fluently, did you? 03:48 I know like six words, so... but I sure show it. 03:52 And sometimes he confuses them, too. 03:54 Oh, thank you. Yeah, like when I went to meet some 03:58 very important politicians in Russia 04:01 and I just got there. It was twenty-two years ago 04:03 and she said: "They'll like it if you say something 04:06 in Russian. " So I see them and I'm supposed to say 04:09 dobroye utro. That means good morning. 04:11 And I was like do svidaniya and that means good-bye. 04:18 I'm just a little hill-billy. I don't know... 04:21 I don't know how I got in front of all these people. 04:24 Julia Outkina from Russia. Twenty-two years 04:27 of the ministry since we went over with Elder John Carter. 04:30 Seems impossible, folks... twenty-two years ago. 04:34 And it really... you've heard the expression 04:36 "seems like yesterday, " right? Or just last year. 04:39 But what an incredible ministry. 04:41 Julia, we're so glad that you're here. 04:43 You've been struggling, though. You've been here 2-3 weeks. 04:45 Tell us what you've been going through. 04:47 I am going through mono the third time in my life 04:50 and this just... It drains me; it's hard. 04:53 But I praise the Lord for this experience. I know 04:56 that it is given to me for some reason 04:58 as all the experiences of each one of our lives, 05:02 each moment of our lives. There is a reason for everything 05:05 and everything brings us closer and closer to salvation. 05:09 Everything is bringing us closer and closer to a real 05:12 relationship with the Lord. 05:15 Danny, I want... I usually like when Danny leads 05:19 in a conversation, but now I want to 05:22 initiate saying how thankful I am to 3ABN for bringing 05:26 my family here. My husband and son have just been here. 05:30 They spent two weeks, and they say that there is no 05:35 prophet in your home. I am trying to witness to them 05:38 at home but they know me too well. 05:41 So probably my witnessing is not reaching their hearts 05:44 well enough. But when they came here 05:48 they saw what Christianity is really about. 05:51 They were so perceptive, and as I'm telling people 05:54 it seemed to me that the Lord was putting together 05:57 like a puzzle of different meetings, 06:00 different conversations, different testimonies, 06:02 different witnessing. It just all made a... 06:06 Sabbath School... they listened to Sabbath School 06:10 and I was translating for them. 06:12 It all made a beautiful picture of Christianity 06:14 to them and it seems to me that they left different 06:19 from what they were before they came. 06:21 Absolutely. And they went back to Russia 06:24 with cowboy boots. That's right. 06:27 That's what they really wanted was cowboy boots. 06:29 And cowboy shirts. They come from Russia 06:33 all the way to America. Before Julia and the group 06:37 even comes here, guess what they do? 06:40 They look up a western store. 06:42 Don't even come and say: "Hello. How's everybody doing? " 06:44 They look up the western store and go down and just look 06:47 around at all the things. So I thought I had a good idea. 06:50 Two or three days later I said: "Why don't we take your husband, 06:54 that's Tola and Tola Junior, down to the western store? " 06:56 She said: "That's the first thing we did before we even 06:59 saw you. " I said: "Well, we'll go back down there. " 07:02 So they love the cowboy boots 07:04 so they went home in cowboy boots. 07:06 But I saw a big difference in their attitudes - yes - 07:08 and they're wonderful people. Wonderful, wonderful men, 07:12 and I know that God has plans - yes - for their lives 07:15 for sure. Yes, yes. 07:18 And I also have six Russian people with me 07:22 this time, and shall we ask them to come up front? 07:26 Yeah, maybe they can come up quickly. 07:32 You know... I was wanting to do that in Russian 07:35 but you go ahead. You go ahead. You're doing pretty good, 07:38 actually. OK. See? They must have understood you. 07:42 Good job. Um-hmm. Come on up. 07:45 I mean... this is my Russian for come on up. 07:50 They have all come here for their vacation 07:53 and they have come here to honor 3ABN on the eve 07:58 of its 30th anniversary. Out of the thirty years of 3ABN 08:02 there has been twenty-two years of 3ABN Russia. 08:05 And we praise the Lord, Danny, for the vision that you had 08:08 twenty-two years ago to start... 08:10 Thirty years ago you had the vision to start 3ABN 08:14 and 22 years ago the Lord impressed you to start 08:16 3ABN Russia. It's as important to us 08:18 as your first vision thirty years ago. 08:21 3ABN was young and I was young back then. 08:25 Julia and I were young. She's a little younger than me 08:27 of course as you can tell. But it occurred to me: 08:30 I went over there. I think I was only 39 or something. 08:33 And has it been that long ago? Sixty three... you start 08:36 figuring that up. I said: "Maybe I just turned 08:38 40... but it's been a long time. " 08:40 But what a wonderful time. In- troduce for us your guests, OK? 08:45 So this is Daniel, and he is 3ABN Russia's video director 08:50 and cameraman, and he does editing. 08:52 We try to keep everyone versatile there. 08:54 They do multi jobs at different times when they are needed. 08:58 Lena is the general manager of 3ABN Russia. 09:01 You know her. She has been here a couple of times. 09:03 Julia is the producer of News Breaks 09:07 and she is a graphics artist. 09:09 And Tatiana is the wife of Volari, our engineer 09:13 and she is responsible for marketing at 3ABN Russia. 09:17 And we also have two more people but I don't see them. 09:20 They are Lena's daughter and her son-in-law. 09:24 They are friends of 3ABN Russia and they have come here 09:27 to enjoy the Camp Meeting, the fellowship, 09:30 but they are bashful to come up front. 09:32 Probably. They are not the workers. 09:34 Yeah, I know that. I'm bashful too a lot, so... 09:37 But anyway... thank you very much. 09:42 SpaSEEba. 09:47 SpaSEEba paZHAloosta. 09:49 He said: "Thank you; you're welcome. " 09:53 Shhh! 09:56 They won't know the difference if you don't tell them 09:58 that I'm messing up a little bit. 10:00 Well, I'm a professional translator. 10:04 You are. Julia has a Ph. D. in linguistics 10:08 and that's how we met her when we went to Russia. 10:10 She actually came out to Elder Carter's meetings 10:13 just to hear English 10:15 and from that 3ABN Russia. 10:17 We have a roll that we're going to show you. 10:20 And I haven't seen it but Julia said it goes all the way back 10:24 from the beginning. So thank you. Because of your 10:26 love and your prayers - that's right - and financial support 10:29 from around the world 3ABN Russia has been responsible 10:34 for seeing thousands and thousands of lives changed 10:37 over the last 22 years. 11:23 Right from its inception and until this very day 11:27 3ABN has been a tremendous manifestation 11:30 of the great power of the Holy Spirit 11:33 pouring out mightily in these last days 11:36 into the willing hearts of 3ABN leaders and supporters. 11:40 Almost 30 years ago in the town of Thompsonville, southern IL, 11:45 Danny Shelton was impressed to start Three Angels Broadcasting 11:49 Network. Eight years later, 3ABN founded its branch in the city 11:53 of Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. 11:55 Since then for twenty-two years now 11:57 3ABN Russia has been operating by the power of the Holy Spirit 12:02 for the salvation of the Russian people. 12:04 After the foundation in 1992 12:07 the biggest landmark in our history was the previous 12:10 Fall 3ABN Camp Meeting when by the mighty outpouring 12:14 of the Holy Spirit Pastor Jim Gilley initiated 12:17 the decision that 3ABN Russia goes on satellite. 12:21 Praise the Lord for the respon- sive hearts of the supporters 12:24 of 3ABN that have made this possible. 12:27 Since November 2013 3ABN Russia's satellite signal 12:31 has been covering all the Russian nation with the good 12:34 news of salvation in Jesus Christ. 12:37 Right after the Camp Meeting we started looking for the 12:40 rebroadcasters. 12:48 As we began establishing con- tacts with the cable companies 12:52 we realized that the Lord intended us 12:55 to reach the uttermost parts of the earth: 12:57 that is, the places that have never been reached 13:00 by public evangelism. 13:02 To tell the truth, finding cable rebroadcasters 13:05 is not easy for a number of reasons. 13:07 Each new one that agrees to broadcast us 13:10 is a miracle, and we give the Lord all the honor 13:13 and glory for thousands and thousands 13:16 of new subscribers that the Lord adds all the time. 13:28 Currently we have a tremendous task to fill our channel with 13:32 the programs taped in high definition. 13:35 After 3ABN gave us new HD equipment 13:38 we've been recording our 3 recently produced new series 13:42 Visiting with 3ABN Russia, 13:44 Seven with Spoons, 13:45 Happy School of Health, 13:46 as well as the older ones: 13:48 The Open Book, Challenging Established Beliefs, 13:51 In Other Words Revival, My Character and Me, 13:54 The Harmony of the Living Word, 13:56 Tastyland... for which we have also updated the graphics. 14:00 These programs form the core of our new program schedule. 14:11 Since 3ABN Russia's report at the previous Camp Meeting 14:15 we've added over 500 HD programs 14:18 into our TV library 14:20 of around 10,000 programs. 14:22 Also, we've made around 400 radio programs 14:26 to add to the total radio library 14:29 exceeding 6,000 programs. 14:31 We have a tremendous feedback from our viewers. 14:34 My name is Nelia and I'm 51 years old. 14:38 At the age of 20 I gave myself the first shot of a narcotic 14:43 and got addicted which continued for 30 years. 14:47 I lost everything I had. 14:49 A year ago God found and saved me. 14:52 I give praises to Him day and night. 15:02 This last Fall we received about 1,000 letters 15:06 and 3,000 e-mails. That means that the Internet is becoming 15:10 more and more available which gives people an opportunity to 15:13 take our New Life Bible study course online. 15:17 We have mailed around 10,000 different books and brochures 15:21 that include Bible study guides, Danny Shelton's Forgotten 15:25 Commandment and Does God Love Sinners Forever? 15:27 as well as several other ones. 15:30 These books enjoy tremendous popularity. 15:34 I received your Bible study guides, read them carefully, 15:37 and answered your questions. 15:39 I want to read them over again and share your lessons with 15:43 others. Reading The Antichrist Agenda 15:46 Ten Commandments Twice Removed 15:48 was a great blessing for me as well. 15:50 We are very thankful for the support of several dear 15:54 brothers and sisters in the US 15:56 that have recently made it possible for us to purchase 16:00 5,000 copies of Steps to Christ at a very good price. 16:04 Now we are in a big need to publish additional editions 16:08 of two brochures for children, three on health, and one on 16:12 gardening... 30,000 brochures all together... 16:15 for the price of 15 cents apiece. 16:18 We pray that the Lord provides for these publications. 16:21 We have been out of them since February 16:24 not being able to fulfill the requests for them. 16:27 3ABN Russia actively promotes its activities 16:30 through our website. 16:39 In March 2014 we opened a new website 16:43 that has information directly relating to our 16:46 satellite channel. It also allows an access to our 16:50 archived programs. Our previous website keeps 16:53 operating with the number of visitors and the length 16:56 of their visits growing. 16:58 Our marketing department does a tremendous job 17:02 of making 3ABN Russia known to the public through different TV 17:05 conventions, publications, and other marketing means 17:09 including church volunteers. 17:18 In January 2014 17:21 we participated in the 13th International Expo Forum 17:25 to meet the Russian TV market participants. 17:28 We plan on participating next year with our own booth 17:32 to promote our channel in the Russia TV market. 17:38 We've printed 16 articles 17:40 in different Christian publications. 17:42 In February we were inter- viewed by the secular magazine 17:46 Movie and Television Techniques about our network. 17:49 We also participate in church events held in 3ABN Russia 17:53 Evangelism Center encouraging church leaders, 17:57 pastors, and lay members to promote our channel 18:00 at their local cable companies. 18:02 We also promote 3ABN Russia by sending our best programs 18:07 to different TV contests. 18:09 Our purpose is not to lift up our good production 18:13 but to lift up the beauty of the Lord 18:16 about whom all our programs are so that everyone who sees them 18:21 may say how good God is. 18:31 We sent our program The Power of Sports to 18:34 the 14th International Television Forum. 18:37 The program is about a bicycle race across Russia 18:40 held by Christians for the sake that the orphans find 18:43 their adopted families. 18:51 In August 2013 we were awarded a diploma 18:56 at the Join In Children's Tele- vision Festival from Carousel. 19:00 A children's channel of the first nationwide government 19:03 TV channel of Russia. 19:05 This gave our Tastyland the go-ahead 19:08 to be broadcast by Russian TV companies. 19:12 Our partnership with a group of our supporters from Slovakia 19:16 continues. They keep posting our Face to Face, The Open Book, 19:20 Thus Saith the Lord, Road to Stars, Road to Happiness 19:24 as well as other social and theological programs 19:27 translated into Slovakian language on their website. 19:31 And they hear a tremendous feedback which totals in about 19:35 1,000 visits a month. 19:37 The leader of this group, Lena Polashkova, has visited 19:41 3ABN Russia to conduct a series of seminars 19:44 on management and teamwork which she is an expert in. 19:48 Our partnership with Nizhny Novgorod channel's 19:52 Dialogue and Streagen through the sponsorship of the 19:55 local conference and some Russian sponsors also continues. 19:59 The Lord wants His message to be presented to people 20:03 in the most appealing way. 20:05 For this reason He gives us new talents 20:08 and new discoveries. 20:16 I am the manager of the Radio Department. 20:18 Also I have always enjoyed producing and hosting 20:21 the political program The Harmony of the Living Word 20:25 and the historical program The God of Their Lives. 20:28 This year I've been so happy to discover 20:31 how the Lord leads me to become a host of testimonial 20:35 and social programs. Praise Him! 20:46 I am a cameraman and the video director. 20:48 The Lord gave me an idea of our new youth program 20:52 Pit Stop and video blogs. 20:54 As well as He constantly impresses me to tape different 20:58 video roll materials for 3ABN Russia 21:01 with my own camera. Now I am happy that I have been 21:05 entrusted to be in charge of coordinating in the construction 21:09 of a set for a new theological program 21:12 Face to Face With the Pastor. 21:19 I am the producer of New Break. 21:21 I am so happy to have been encouraged to develop 21:24 in graphics. I liked art before 21:27 but never got any education in it. 21:30 Now the Lord has allowed me to learn certain computer programs 21:34 and I do graphics for News Breaks and have recently made 21:37 graphics for a new children's program: Happy School of Health. 21:48 I am an editor in post-production. 21:50 I have been excited - though rather scared - 21:53 to be entrusted with producing a program - God's Gift - 21:57 about a medical missionary pro- ject in North Caucuses, Russia. 22:01 I'm so happy that the program by God's guidance and good 22:05 teamwork turned out really well. 22:08 This year two young people have joined our staff. 22:12 One of them is Serge and the other one is Sasha 22:16 who started his experience as a cameraman working at 3ABN US. 22:21 By the way, he is the son of Svetlana Christian 22:24 who even though she is a worker of 3ABN US now 22:27 being married to Jay Christian also helps us at her free time 22:31 with graphics. 22:40 I started as a host in the Parables of a Prodigal Son 22:43 and Pit Stop. Now I am happy to be involved 22:47 in production of more youth programs. 22:56 I am so glad that being a cameraman I am entrusted 23:00 with being a video director in certain series 23:03 and now I am going to be coordinating a team responsible 23:07 for finishing of the set for a new youth program. 23:11 As you can see, going on satellite has given 3ABN 23:15 Russia a tremendous impact to develop all our potential 23:19 in producing diverse, high-quality programs 23:22 and in promoting our channel as much as we can. 23:26 We have always thought that we were doing our best... 23:29 what more could be done? 23:31 But at this tremendous time when we can win the Russian 23:35 market for the Lord's truth 24/7 He lets us know 23:39 "Through your desire to serve Me with your humble hearts 23:43 and your feeble strength I will do much more through you 23:47 providing you with My omnipotent power of the Holy Spirit. 23:52 I will crush all the Satans obstacles, no matter how 23:56 insurmountable they may at times seem. " 23:59 Today we want to say these same words to you, 24:03 our dear supporters and friends. 24:05 As long as the Lord is your strength, what shall you fear? 24:09 We are so thankful to you for your prayers and tremendous 24:13 support that have made it possible to launch and continue 24:17 3ABN Russia's satellite broadcasting. 24:19 "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached 24:22 in all the world for a witness unto all nations 24:26 and then shall the end come. 24:29 Even so, come Lord Jesus. " 24:32 Amen! Amen! Ochen kha-ra-shoh. 24:36 Danny said: "Amen! Very good. " 24:39 I learned two or three words... you know. 24:42 Julia, thank you so much for what you do. 24:44 And I want to thank all of you. Yes. It costs approximately 24:47 $45,000 a month to keep this ministry going and growing. 24:52 And somehow every month ya'll seem to chip in. 24:54 And you do it, and the money comes in. So thank you. 24:57 Satellite costs a lot. 25:00 Now that we are on satellite since November 2013 25:03 this is why the budget has increased so much. 25:06 Absolutely. Thank you, Julia. I love you in the Lord. 25:09 Thank you. Praise the Lord! 25:14 We... I look out here and for Fall Camp Meeting 25:18 it looks more like the audience of Spring. Have you noticed? 25:21 We're just about filled up out here. 25:23 But every time I walk in... When we first built 3ABN, 25:27 started the first building, we used to go out every Sabbath. 25:30 Walk in just the shell of a building. 25:32 Didn't have the people, didn't have the finished walls 25:34 and all the air conditioning and all the nice things 25:37 and the carpet. We would walk out and sing 25:40 Holy Ground. Amen! 25:59 As I walked through the door 26:03 I sensed His presence 26:09 and I knew 26:13 this was the place 26:15 where love abounds. 26:21 For this is the temple 26:25 Jehovah God abides in. 26:31 We are standing 26:35 in His presence 26:39 on holy ground. 26:45 We are standing 26:51 on holy ground 26:57 and I know 27:01 that there are angels 27:05 all around. 27:09 Let us praise... 27:14 let us praise 27:16 Jesus now. 27:21 We are standing 27:24 in His presence 27:28 on holy ground. 27:32 You feel it and sense it? 27:34 Wherever God is it's holy ground. 27:43 In His presence 27:45 there is joy 27:48 beyond measure. 27:53 And at His feet 27:57 peace of mind 28:01 can still be found. 28:06 If you have a need, 28:10 my God... He has the answer. 28:17 Reach out and claim it 28:20 for child, you are standing 28:23 on holy ground. 28:29 We are standing 28:35 on holy ground 28:42 and I know 28:45 that there are angels 28:49 all around. Think about it. 28:53 Let us... let us praise 28:59 Jesus now. 29:05 We are standing 29:08 in His presence 29:11 on holy ground. 29:15 Sing it with me now: 29:17 We are standing 29:22 on holy ground. 29:27 Stand to your feet with me. 29:29 I know that there are angels 29:35 all around. Let us praise... 29:40 Let us praise... let us praise 29:47 Jesus now. 29:52 We are standing in His presence... 29:58 we are standing 30:02 in His presence... 30:04 we are standing 30:07 in His presence 30:13 on holy ground. 30:19 On holy ground. 30:26 And everybody said: "Praise the Lord. " 30:28 Praise the Lord! You may be seated. 30:32 Praise the Lord! 30:35 Wow! Am I on? 30:41 I will tell you that the first time I came here 30:45 when they were talking to me about coming to be the president 30:50 we went into the worship area. Where we meet in studio B 30:54 we just stand around together. 30:56 And they sang that song. 31:01 In one of the most emotional times of my entire life... 31:07 In fact, I slipped out of my shoes 31:11 and my feet were there on the concrete. 31:16 And I felt a whole lot like Moses felt 31:19 standing on holy ground. Amen! 31:23 When we see, my friend, what God is doing world-wide... 31:27 When we see what is happening in Russia... 31:30 You know, we hear a report and a report just does not 31:35 somehow catch the souls that are being touched. 31:40 It's a report. We hear it; we pass on. 31:45 Last November when we pulled the switch to start 31:49 satellite now in Russian around the world 31:53 we increased by $20,000 a month 31:56 what the normal operating is... 31:59 which is about $45,000. 32:02 You made those commitments. 32:07 We're coming down to the end of the year. 32:09 We're going to be moving on by faith into another year. 32:12 You see, we add these things and we had an underwriter 32:15 for last year. We're praying that the same underwriter 32:18 will come back and underwrite this year, 32:20 but we have no assurance of that. 32:23 So pray with us. Amen! Pull with us and support. 32:28 When you're supporting this you're supporting the gospel 32:31 to the world: the second coming of Jesus Christ 32:34 being proclaimed around the world. 32:37 And that is our Sabbath School lesson today: 32:40 the second coming. We couldn't have planned this better 32:44 if we'd have been planning it ourselves! 32:47 Looked down, they told me... They said: "You've got to teach 32:50 that class. " And I said: "All right. What is it? " 32:55 And when I turned and saw "The second coming" 32:57 I said: "Praise the Lord! Thank you, Lord. " That's not... 33:01 I don't think that's accidental. 33:03 I think the Lord put it there. 33:05 We have a panel. I'm going to invite them to come 33:08 and be with us. And Mollie Steenson, our general manager. 33:13 Brian Hamilton is director of finance. 33:16 C.A. Murray, our director of Proclaim! 33:20 And J.D. Quinn, 33:24 who is the director of pastoral ministries. 33:27 And our director of new programming Shelley Quinn. 33:31 And several of these are speakers also on 3ABN. 33:37 Now: our memory verse for today. 33:40 You remember when you used to go to Sabbath School 33:42 and they'd make you say the memory verse? 33:45 Some of you remember that. 33:47 Boy, if there was anything I had to remember it was that. 33:51 Sometimes in the car mother is making me go over that 33:54 memory verse, you know. 33:56 "Do you know your memory verse? " - well... and I 33:58 would start to say it. One of the first that I remembered 34:02 is the memory verse for today. 34:06 And I'm going to ask you to say it in the King James version 34:08 all right? 'Cause that's how I learned it. 34:12 Not that much different in the New King James, 34:15 but it just rolls out easier for me in the old King James. 34:20 Let's say it together: "Let not your heart 34:24 be troubled. Ye believe in God... 34:27 believe also in Me. 34:30 In My Father's house are many mansions. 34:34 If it were not so, I would have told you. 34:39 I go to prepare a place for you 34:43 and if I go and prepare a place for you 34:47 I will come again 34:51 to receive you unto Myself 34:54 that where I am 34:57 there you may be also. " Amen! 35:01 You switched over to the New King James. 35:05 All right. Well listen, 35:08 I really believe that text, don't you? 35:13 Amen! He says "I'm coming again. " 35:15 You know something? Either He's going to come again 35:18 or you can't believe anything else that He says, right? 35:23 And we believe everything that He says 35:26 so we accept the promise He's coming again. 35:31 And we've got a great panel here today, 35:35 and what I'm going to do is move along to each one of them 35:39 and ask them the question. And then the others can chip in 35:42 if they wish. And we'll try to get down to each one 35:46 before it's over. Mollie, going to start with you. 35:49 You know, He promised that He's gonna come back. 35:52 Now, what does that mean to you? This promise? 35:56 Well here in John 14:1-3 He says 36:00 "I will come again, " but the Greek promise for 36:05 I will come again is in the present tense, emphasizing 36:09 certainty. Don't you like that word certainty? 36:12 It could have literally been translated "I am coming again. " 36:17 How many of you believe that the promises that 36:20 Jesus makes He will keep? 36:22 Now I'm thinking of other promises that Jesus has made 36:26 in the Bible that will give us the foundation or the precedent 36:30 for believing that if He makes a promise He's going to keep 36:34 that promise. Remember Jairus' daughter? 36:37 What was her condition when Jesus was called to her? 36:41 Remember what her condition was? 36:44 She was dead. 36:45 But what did Jesus say to Jairus as father? 36:49 "She'll be well. " And was she well? 36:53 Did He raise her up? A condition that you look at it 36:56 from a human perspective that was a hopeless situation, 37:00 was it not? Yes. But did Jesus fulfill His promise? 37:03 Did He tell His disciples that on the third day I will 37:06 rise again? And did He come up out of that grave? 37:10 Again, humanly thinking, is that a possibility? No! 37:14 But if Jesus makes the promise, it's going to happen. 37:17 He said He would send the Holy Spirit. 37:19 Did the Holy Spirit come right on time? 37:21 How many of you received the Holy Spirit? 37:23 Is He still giving His Holy Spirit - Amen! - to His people? 37:26 See, without this promise we would be of all people 37:29 I think most miserable. 37:32 But we've got this promise. 37:33 If it wasn't for this promise do you realize that 37:37 His incarnation - His first coming - 37:39 would have no meaning. His resurrection from the dead 37:43 wouldn't have any meaning. What gives it all meaning, 37:47 what makes everything all applicable to us 37:51 and gives us such hope... Do we have hope? 37:53 We have such hope! It's because we know that 37:57 He's coming again. And if He comes again 38:00 He's going to fulfill all of those promises that He's given 38:03 us, Pastor Jim, in His Word. 38:06 Well, you know, isn't that fantastic? 38:08 I had never tied that promise 38:11 together with those other promises, Mollie. 38:14 That I feel is a beautiful beautiful and unique thought. 38:19 That because He's promised all those other things 38:22 that we see took place 38:24 we can have the assurance that He is coming back again. 38:29 Yes... amen. He IS coming back again. 38:32 Now Brian, we've got the next question which was 38:35 Monday's lesson: why is He coming? The purpose 38:39 of His... of His return. What is the real reason 38:43 He's coming back? Well, our study guide gave four reasons. 38:48 All right. One of them has to do with reward. 38:52 And when you think of reward you have to ask yourself 38:55 "Who's going to get the reward? " 38:57 "What is the reward? " 39:00 And "When is it determined that the reward... who gets 39:04 whatever reward? " The second item that the lesson 39:08 touched on was the idea of injustice. 39:11 We live in a world with a lot of injustice. 39:16 We've all been treated or had situations happen to us 39:20 in our lives that were not just. 39:23 When are the injustices going to be made right? 39:27 Part of the second coming - the purpose of the second coming - 39:30 is to begin that process of righting injustices. OK? 39:37 Third, this earth is... I would describe it 39:43 as the only federal penitentiary in all of the universe. 39:49 God has one penitentiary, sadly, in His universe. 39:54 It's not like us here on earth that have many, many 39:58 prisons and jails and penitentiaries. 40:00 He has one. And sadly to speak 40:04 that one penitentiary has a place of solitary 40:08 confinement. It's called the prison house of death. 40:13 Isn't that true? 40:14 All right. One place of solitary confinement. 40:17 Everybody that goes into solitary confinement 40:20 there is a person - a being - who intends that we would 40:25 never come out of it. We would stay in that solitary 40:28 confinement by ourself in darkness forever. 40:33 That's his intention. 40:35 We're talking about Satan. 40:36 But Jesus it says has the keys - Amen! - to the grave 40:42 and to death. 40:44 And part of the reason of the second coming, 40:46 Jim, is to open that place of solitary confinement 40:51 and open that prison house - that penitentiary. 40:54 Open the doors and let all of us inmates out. 40:59 That's a good hope for us. 41:01 And the last thing that it mentioned is - 41:07 and this touches on Mollie's particular point - 41:11 Jesus made a promise, and His promise was that 41:14 He was going to come and get us and take us 41:18 at least for a period to His home... His home. 41:23 But you know, as wonderful as that is 41:26 as I was thinking about this, Jim, that really isn't our home. 41:32 You see, this is our home. 41:34 I mean, this is where we were born. 41:36 This is where we fought our struggles. 41:40 This is where we gain our victories. 41:42 This planet is really our home. 41:46 And if you study the subject of homecoming further, 41:49 God says: "Yeah, I understand. 41:53 I'm going to move My home to be where your home was 41:58 and that's going to be our eternal home. " 42:01 Wow! What a thought. 42:03 What a thought: that He would bring heaven here! 42:08 And sometimes we forget the fact that 42:11 this whole sin problem didn't get started here. 42:14 It got started there. 42:16 And God... He's not responsible for sin. 42:20 The devil is. But He took the penalty, 42:24 He took the responsibility for it, 42:28 though it was not His responsibility 42:30 and gave His Son who volunteered. The Bible says 42:34 "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. " 42:38 We talked about the blood yesterday. 42:41 And you know something? It's not accidental. 42:43 From the foundation of the world it was planned 42:48 that He would come to redeem us. 42:50 And then He's going to move His throne here! 42:54 Wow! I mean that is really... That's a great thought. 42:58 Now a lot of people are all upset, mixed up 43:02 and concerned about how He's going to come back. 43:06 Because there are different kinds of teachings 43:09 about how Jesus will return. 43:11 And one has been very prominent in recent years. 43:17 But C.A., tell me: how will Jesus come back? 43:21 Does the Bible really clearly tell us? 43:23 The Bible is more than plain, more than clear, 43:26 on how Christ is going to return. 43:28 There are really three general options: 43:32 one... you die and go to Him, 43:36 and you go to Him immediately. 43:38 Well, Revelation 22:20 says: "Behold I am coming quickly 43:41 and My reward is with Me. " 43:43 So if the first option is true then Christ is wasting gas 43:47 because He's coming back for people that are already there. 43:49 So we know that's not true. 43:52 Amen! So then there are two other options: 43:54 one... He's going to slip in and take some people with Him 43:58 or He's going to come back and every eye will see Him 44:02 and everyone will know it. 44:03 OR! Some will slip out and we won't even know it. 44:07 So we need to deal with that. 44:09 We need to deal with the idea that either they're going to be 44:12 raptured or not. Either Christ is coming back publicly or not. 44:17 Now, if you listen to Harold Camping and some of these people 44:20 He's already come back several times 44:23 and nobody's known it. 44:24 So that cannot be an answer. 44:27 The problem comes when you half-read, Jim, a text. 44:31 If the Bible says He's coming as a thief as it does in 44:36 II Peter 3 and you stop there you get one opinion. 44:40 But if you continue to read that verse it says that 44:43 He's coming with a great noise. 44:45 If you read I Thessalonians 4:16 "Behold the Lord shall descend 44:49 from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel 44:53 and the trumpet or trump of God. " 44:55 So the idea that Christ is going to slip in or sneak in 45:00 or slide in unnoticed is not Biblical. 45:04 Even if you go to Matthew chapter 24 45:07 and the Bible talks about two being in a field, 45:09 one taken the other left. 45:10 Still, there is this idea of a great noise. 45:13 Now I'll say this real quick: several years ago 45:15 I came home from a funeral. My front door was open 45:17 and I am told I was being burglarized. 45:21 As I was coming in the house the young lady was coming out 45:24 of the house with the last of my possessions. 45:26 TV... gone. Microwave... gone. 45:28 Even my cologne from the dresser was gone. 45:30 Everything was gone. 45:32 I was being burglarized. 45:34 Now those thieves did not give me advance notice 45:37 of their coming or I'd have stayed home. 45:40 Right. They did not announce it. 45:42 So for me I was unprepared. 45:44 God wants us to be prepared for the greatest event 45:48 in the history of this world, and that is the redemption 45:51 of the saints of Christ. So Christ wants us to be very 45:54 very plain and very very sure about what is going to happen 45:58 and how it's going to happen. 46:00 The Bible says: "Christ shall come to get His own 46:03 and bring His reward at that time, and so 46:06 shall we ever be with the Lord. " Amen! 46:11 Wow! Well listen... now there's a big 46:15 movie that's coming out and books that have been written 46:20 about being left behind. And you mean there is 46:25 real adequate Biblical evidence that this is not the case? 46:30 More than adequate Biblical evidence. And by the way, 46:33 ladies and gentlemen, if you want to by a Left Behind book 46:37 you've got to go to the fiction section 46:42 of the library because it is FICTION! 46:46 It is not fact, it is not Biblical fact, 46:49 it is fiction. So you put it in the same category 46:53 as you put any other Hollywood movie, 46:55 Godzilla, or anything else: 46:57 because it's all fiction. 47:01 The Bible is the truth, the whole truth, 47:04 and nothing but the truth. 47:07 Well let me ask the panel - any of you here - 47:10 why didn't God just make this so clear 47:13 like 1, 2, 3, 4 so that there would be no misunderstanding 47:19 about how these things take place? 47:23 Help me out! See, to me, it is as clear as 1, 2, 3, 4. 47:27 Amen. I mean, it's something... and I'm speaking as someone 47:31 who has read the whole Left Behind series because 47:34 I came out of a church that believed that. 47:37 And when I began really studying... even before 47:42 watching 3ABN... the Lord showed me in His Word 47:46 the truth about death... the truth about hell 47:49 as you're studying in the Greek... and then all of these 47:53 questions that I'd had about the Left Behind 47:56 suddenly made sense. You know the Bible says in 47:59 Matthew 24 that He's coming like lightning. 48:02 It's just going to be SO visible. 48:04 And He's going to come, the Bible says, 48:07 with flaming vengeance for the wicked. 48:10 He says in II Thessalonians 1:7-10 48:14 He is coming to not just... He's going to be revealed 48:18 with mighty angels in flaming fire 48:22 to take vengeance on those that do not keep His will. 48:28 Acts 1:5-11 says that He's going to... when He was going 48:33 up, His first ascension, the angel said: 48:37 "He is coming back in the very same manner. " 48:40 And throughout the Bible it doesn't matter where we look 48:45 the Bible tells that it's going to be a loud event. 48:48 It's going to be a visible event. 48:51 That every eye shall see Him. 48:54 And I don't know how much more clear God could have made it. 48:58 Jim, I've got to agree with Shelley. 49:00 This one is pretty plain. If you're reading the Word of God 49:03 and your eyes are open and you're listening... 49:05 The challenge is: you've got to read the Word of God 49:09 because if anyone trumpets any doctrine loud enough 49:12 or long enough, you're going to get followers 49:14 in this day and age. If you put it on the Internet, 49:17 some people are going to buy it. 49:18 But you've got to compare scripture with scripture 49:20 and you've got to stay in the Word of God 49:23 so that you will not be deceived. Yeah. 49:25 Satan wants you to be deceived 49:27 but truth is here. And if you read truth 49:29 and you go with prayer, God will explain truth to you 49:33 and you will understand. 49:34 Somebody else? Brian. 49:36 Two things come to my mind really quick. 49:39 One is when we've been taught something 49:42 from our youngest years, we hang onto that tenaciously 49:47 because it unsettles us to give that up. 49:50 OK. So that's one reason why error is perpetrated 49:55 is because of our unwillingness to give something up that 49:58 we have believed from our youngest years. 50:02 But secondly, and this is the thing I find as I'm working 50:06 in prisons either there is... 50:10 We don't usually survey the whole scripture on a subject. 50:14 We often just pick 2 or 3 verses here and there. 50:18 And it's kind of like you give up the ton of evidence 50:23 for a pound of uncertainty. Um-hmm. 50:27 That's what I see happening in the world today. 50:29 And there's a ton of evidence. So in other words, 50:31 what we're looking at is "doctrine by exception. " 50:34 Yes. You've got... like Pastor Doug was talking about 50:38 the other night with a question and answer... 50:40 all these hundreds of texts that say something very clearly 50:44 and one or two texts that kind of, you'd say 50:48 "Well, what is that really saying? " 50:50 and you don't interpret them with that great amount 50:53 of evidence. You try to interpret them by themselves 50:56 and so it leads to that kind of a "misunderstanding" 51:00 of a teaching. There's another historical reason 51:04 on the rapture, and you know that this goes back 51:07 to an interpretation that the church of Rome 51:12 wanted to make sure that we understood 51:15 to change the outcome of what the prophecy really says. 51:20 Didn't want to go into that whole Alcazar thing, but I 51:24 wanted to say this: I have a friend. He's dead now. 51:27 He was the associate district attorney for Manhattan County. 51:30 He, his wife, and three children died in that Waco fire 51:33 several years ago. This was an intelligent person. 51:36 So understanding the Word of God has nothing to do with 51:39 your degrees, your intelligence, 51:41 how smart you are, how far you've gone in school. 51:43 It has to do with opening up your mind 51:45 to the will and way of God 51:47 and surrendering yourself to the will of God. 51:50 The Bible says: "If possible... IF POSSIBLE 51:52 the very elect would be deceived. " 51:54 But they will not because they will have studied 51:57 the Word of God. So it behooves each of us 52:00 to study the Word of God for ourselves 52:03 and know the Word of God for ourselves. 52:04 Mollie. You know, talking about believing things that you were 52:09 taught from early on, I was taught in the secret rapture. 52:13 Have any of you ever heard of the secret rapture? 52:16 I think I saw a movie years ago when Hal and I were in Florida 52:20 and like the captain of the plane would just be gone. 52:24 And you know, people would just... all of a sudden they 52:27 weren't there. Just secretly they had left. 52:30 And... But then I read I Thessalonians 52:33 and you know that's a very noisy book. 52:36 A lot of shouting and trumpets and things going on. 52:40 And in thinking about this you know, when Jesus came 52:43 the first time it was very quietly, was it not? 52:47 But boy, when He comes the second time 52:50 He's going to come as the King of kings and the Lord of lords 52:53 and there's not going to be any question of His coming. 52:56 You know, Shelley mentioned it. 52:57 It likens... the Bible likens to Him coming 53:00 as lightning. And you know you can't hide lightning. 53:03 Everybody sees the lightning. 53:05 And so He doesn't want to... for us not to know. 53:10 He doesn't want us to be deceived. He wants us 53:12 to know that He's coming, and He's coming to receive us 53:15 unto Himself. Now somebody says: "But look, 53:17 OK, so He's coming. We're going to know when He gets here 53:21 no matter what it is. What danger would there be 53:25 in believing in a secret return? " Shelley? 53:29 Well, let me say this thought first. I think that ties in 53:33 to it. What Mollie said just kind of launched this in me. 53:37 People used to ask me: "Are you pre-trib, mid-trib, 53:41 or post-trib? " In other words, 53:43 Do you think that you're going to heaven before the 53:46 tribulation? In the middle of the tribulation? 53:48 Which is what some... Or after the tribulation? 53:51 And I used to say: "It doesn't matter! 53:54 Just as long as I go. " 53:56 But what Mollie said about Christ's first coming 53:59 when He came so quietly 54:02 see, the Jewish nation missed the coming 54:07 of the Messiah because they had the wrong idea 54:13 of His coming. They expected Him to come in as a king. 54:18 I believe that we will miss the coming of the Messiah 54:22 if we don't understand that it's not a secret rapture. 54:27 We've got to be prepared to go through the tribulation 54:30 knowing that He will keep His... He will bring us 54:36 in like chickens... little chicks under His wing 54:38 and protect us. But if we don't understand 54:42 His second coming we'll be just like the Jewish nation 54:46 missing the first coming. But Shelley, 54:48 we won't miss it but we might not be prepared for it. 54:52 We're all going to see it, but... 54:56 Let me just give a little personal testimony here. 54:59 I think this fits in here. I was raised a SDA. 55:03 I went through our schools. 55:06 Was very well grounded, and then I don't know exactly 55:11 what happened, but then I found myself evolving from the church. 55:15 And that's a good word: evolving 55:18 because you just kind of erode into the background 55:22 somehow or the other. 55:23 And so then I find myself really not believing in anything 55:27 but yet believing in error... in all. 55:30 It's very confusing. 55:32 And then I met Shelley, and it was very important to Shelley 55:35 that she dated a Christian young man. 55:37 Well, I looked at Shelley. 55:39 "Well, I can be a good Christian young man. " 55:45 And so I bought into that, and I started going to church 55:48 with her. And at this time 55:52 I was more in years and I was more mature 55:55 and I wanted what she had 55:59 because she was very sincere. 56:03 I wanted it. And as we're going to the different churches 56:08 I tried... I tried hard to understand. 56:13 But oh, my goodness, my brothers and sisters, 56:16 that good seed that had been planted early in my life 56:22 would not let go. Amen! And something just wasn't right. 56:27 The rapture just didn't make any sense. 56:31 Not that I could explain the other perfectly 56:34 but enough good seed had been planted 56:37 that the Holy Spirit knew how to work in my heart. 56:40 And I think there's many people that grew up in the church 56:43 and evolved out of the church 56:45 and now are beginning to come back into the church. 56:48 So anyway, what I wanted to say is that if you do 56:53 want to know more "present day truth" 56:57 the thing that I didn't realize is just say "Holy Spirit, help 57:01 me. Let these things make some sense to me. 57:06 Let me be able to connect the dots. " 57:08 And I'll guarantee you, if it's a spiritual issue 57:11 God always answers. Amen. 57:16 You know, we have a real varied example here 57:20 of people who have received the truth of the three angels' 57:25 messages. I'm going to start with Mollie. 57:29 Mollie did... She was a member of another congregation. 57:33 Another group. She and her husband actually were pastors 57:37 of a charismatic church. 57:39 Now, for them to make a change 57:44 and begin to understand what the Bible teaches on these 57:48 subjects and to step out from that, folks, 57:52 you weigh that for a minute. Yes! 57:55 Some of us could not even go against our families 57:59 if it was what they were going to have for dinner 58:01 on Sabbath, you know what I mean? 58:03 And... or we couldn't stand up against things like that. 58:07 They were standing up, and this is a congregation 58:12 that they are a part of and leading and pastors. 58:16 And they could go to another congregation 58:18 even if things didn't particularly work out there. 58:21 So now we have this example. 58:23 Now Brian was raised by missionary parents: 58:28 people who loved the Lord. 58:30 But you know there came a time in his life 58:33 where he had to make his own decision as well. 58:36 But here's Brian, and he had that fortunate experience 58:42 of being raised in the church, staying in the church 58:45 all of his particular life. 58:47 Wonderful! I absolutely... 58:51 This is just another example. I am giving every example. 58:55 This is a guy who at 7 I think it was... 58:59 His folks were not members of this church or maybe any 59:03 church, and then a neighbor says "Would you like to go to 59:07 Sabbath School with us? " Aren't you glad they did that? 59:12 Amen! And they took little Clement... 59:15 What's your middle name? 59:22 to Sabbath School with them. 59:26 Listen... this guy has got... 59:29 This man's got quite a story. God has really led him through. 59:34 You know that we were talking about a little two-year-old 59:38 or three-year-old, whatever- reading Braille. 59:40 His first reading was Braille, folks. 59:43 And God gave him eyes. Were you about 7 or 8 when 59:48 He gave? He was 10 years old before he was sighted, 59:54 all right? And the devil keeps trying to take 59:57 that eyesight away. Please put him high on your 01:00:00 prayer list. We love this guy. He is so much a part of this 01:00:05 ministry and of our lives. 01:00:07 Please put him high on your list. 01:00:10 Now this is another example. This one... he had the message. 01:00:15 He went away from it 01:00:17 but the promise was always there: "If you raise up a child 01:00:21 in the way he should go, when he is old he will not depart 01:00:25 from it. " And then there's this one who 01:00:30 again - particularly like these two - 01:00:35 stands up against family, friends. People thought 01:00:40 "She's absolutely lost her mind. " 01:00:43 She had even a teaching ministry in another denomination 01:00:48 but when she found the truth 01:00:51 she said: "I've got to follow it. " 01:00:54 Not long ago my wife... We were at a funeral 01:00:58 and there were some loving, kind, wonderful people there. 01:01:02 And some of them completely totally believe 01:01:07 the message of the three angels 01:01:10 but they're so caught up in family... 01:01:15 just the ritual of going to church at a certain time 01:01:21 in a certain place on a certain day. 01:01:24 Eating certain things for Sunday dinner. 01:01:29 And the ritual of family is so strong 01:01:35 that they're not willing to pull away. 01:01:37 There may be some of you watching by television today. 01:01:40 You know the truth. My friend, I ask you 01:01:45 please have the courage to stand out. 01:01:48 Like... we see a group here that is just very reflective 01:01:53 of the opportunities, the chances... the backgrounds 01:01:59 of individuals and then the opportunity and how we address 01:02:04 truth. There's some of you that have gone all the way through 01:02:07 our schools like Brian but you have slipped away. 01:02:10 You have gotten cold. 01:02:13 Brian didn't get cold... praise the Lord! 01:02:16 But you need to come back. 01:02:20 You at home right now. You're watching on television 01:02:23 and you're thinking: "You know, I... the time of the end is 01:02:27 coming. Jesus is coming again - 01:02:31 Amen - and I must be ready. " 01:02:36 Whatever you do, my friend, please do get ready. 01:02:40 Now J.D. A lot of people are wondering. 01:02:44 We talk about Christ coming back. We talk about the manner 01:02:47 of His coming. And I remember that 01:02:52 you talk about the manner... Hal Lindsey at least 7 different 01:02:57 times gave us dates when He was going to come. 01:03:00 And Harold Camping has done the same thing 01:03:03 a couple of times. 01:03:04 Way back in our history it was not a Seventh-day Adventist... 01:03:09 William Miller was a Baptist lay preacher. 01:03:13 People sometimes say: "Well, he was a Seventh... " 01:03:15 No, he was not. He never kept the Sabbath. 01:03:17 He was a Baptist lay preacher. 01:03:20 He had the truth that Jesus is coming again 01:03:24 that had been lost sight of. 01:03:27 But he was just really wrong on this deal of when, 01:03:33 and he thought he could figure out 01:03:34 exactly when Christ was coming. 01:03:37 When IS He coming, J.D.? 01:03:40 Well I can tell you that it does make big news. 01:03:45 Yes, you can get your name in the newspaper and everything 01:03:49 if you truly think that you have the right date. 01:03:53 It does make the front page. 01:03:55 It also makes the front page the following day. 01:04:07 And as Christ is sitting there after the Lord's Supper and 01:04:12 He's talking to His disciples. And He certainly had their 01:04:14 attention because they're going to a place now 01:04:17 that they haven't really gone before, and that is 01:04:20 "What's going to happen to You, Jesus, whenever You go away? " 01:04:24 And He's sitting there and He says as they're looking 01:04:27 over Jerusalem. Here's the Mount of Olives. 01:04:31 And it's a little hill over here and then goes a little valley 01:04:35 and then here's Jerusalem and there's the temple there. 01:04:38 And I mean... If you have an opportunity to go, please go. 01:04:42 They've got stone there that's running the length of this room 01:04:45 here. How in the world they ever got one stone 01:04:48 that big and put it in place much well thousands of stones 01:04:52 like that. And as they're looking there upon Jerusalem, 01:04:57 that mighty, mighty temple, He says: "This is going to be 01:05:00 thrown down. " And they just cannot believe that. 01:05:08 And sure enough, in AD 70 it was thrown down. 01:05:13 This caught my attention because I was thinking about... 01:05:17 I was thinking about this: how in the world 01:05:21 can some man come in and pull and tear this temple down 01:05:27 when you've got stones that weigh tons upon tons 01:05:32 upon tons. And then in manuscripts in 1906 01:05:36 Mrs. White wrote this. Please listen to this because 01:05:39 this brings a big period 01:05:43 of what God can do at His time. 01:05:46 "Fate of the temple in Jerusalem: that magnificent 01:05:49 structure fell. Angels of God were sent to 01:05:54 do the work of destruction 01:05:56 so that no one stone was left upon another 01:06:00 that was not thrown down. " 01:06:02 It was time. It was prophesied 01:06:06 in AD 70 that this would come down. 01:06:08 The angels assisted at that time. 01:06:12 But now the angels are wondering themselves 01:06:15 "When are You going to get Your people? " 01:06:21 Nobody knows. Very simple. 01:06:24 Amen. Nobody knows. No. All right... thank you. 01:06:27 Now... But the last part of our lesson 01:06:30 gives us a command to what? 01:06:34 To watch and be ready. Thursday's lesson 01:06:37 uses a quote of Jesus from Matthew chapter 25 01:06:42 verses 42 and 44. 01:06:45 He says: "Watch therefore for you do not know 01:06:48 what hour your Lord is coming. 01:06:50 Therefore you also be ready for the Son of Man is coming 01:06:54 in an hour that you do not know. " 01:06:57 You know, when we think about this James tells us 01:07:01 that we must exercise patience. 01:07:04 And just like the farmer who plants the seed 01:07:07 and there's the early rain and the latter rain 01:07:10 but he says: "You also be patient. 01:07:13 Establish your hearts for the coming of the Lord 01:07:17 is at hand. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door... 01:07:21 even at the door. " 01:07:24 We must have hearts that 01:07:28 are plowed up so that when the latter rain comes 01:07:32 we will be able to soak it in. 01:07:37 We know that Jesus said He's coming as a thief, 01:07:40 but Paul wrote to the Thessalonians 01:07:42 in I Thessalonians 5 beginning with verse 1 01:07:46 he said: "Concerning the times and seasons, brethren, 01:07:49 you have no need that I should write to you 01:07:52 for you yourselves know perfectly well 01:07:54 that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. 01:07:58 For when they say 'peace and safety' 01:08:01 then sudden destruction comes upon them 01:08:04 as labor pains upon a pregnant woman 01:08:07 and they shall not escape. " 01:08:09 But then listen to what he says to the believer: 01:08:13 "But you brethren are not in darkness 01:08:17 so that this day should overtake you as a thief. " 01:08:21 We are to watch and be ready. 01:08:25 Jesus told the church of Sardis in Revelation 3 01:08:29 that they needed to repent, to turn around, 01:08:33 to watch, or else He would come upon them as a thief. 01:08:37 And we must understand this: don't be frightened 01:08:43 by it because it's the most joyous event in the world. 01:08:47 But the Bible also promises 01:08:51 that God is the One who is going to make us ready. 01:08:55 I Corinthians 1:4-9 01:09:00 says that as we: "Eagerly await the revelation of our Lord 01:09:05 Jesus Christ who will also confirm us to the end 01:09:11 so that we may be blameless in the day of our Lord. " 01:09:15 It is God Paul told the Thessalonians 01:09:19 in I Thessalonians 5:23-24... 01:09:22 He said: "May the God of peace Himself 01:09:26 sanctify you completely 01:09:29 and make your whole spirit, soul, and body 01:09:31 preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord and Savior 01:09:35 Jesus Christ. He who calls you 01:09:39 is faithful and He will also do it. " 01:09:42 So the imperative is we are to watch and to be ready. 01:09:46 What it means to be ready is that we have to surrender 01:09:51 control of our life to the Lord 01:09:53 and receive His Holy Spirit. 01:09:57 And as we receive the Spirit 01:09:59 God works in us and He's the One that makes us blameless. 01:10:03 Amen! Amen! Well listen, even when error is taught 01:10:09 God turns it for good 01:10:12 because the emphasis upon some of these teachings 01:10:16 have focused people on the fact that He is coming again. 01:10:19 And if they're really seeking truth 01:10:22 they are going to find it. 01:10:25 I want to thank our panel for each one of these 01:10:29 thoughts that they have presented to us. 01:10:31 Jesus is coming again. Let's stand and sing 01:10:36 Lift up the trumpet and loud let it ring. 01:10:44 Lift up the trumpet 01:10:46 and loud let it ring: 01:10:50 Jesus is coming again! 01:10:55 Cheer up, ye pilgrims... be joyful and sing: 01:11:01 Jesus is coming again! 01:11:07 Coming again! 01:11:11 Coming again! 01:11:14 Jesus is coming again! 01:11:20 Let's sing that verse again. 01:12:02 Father God, as we come now to the close of this 01:12:05 service and prepare our hearts for worship 01:12:07 we ask that You may prepare our souls 01:12:11 for eternal habitation with Thee. 01:12:14 You have made the salvation process 01:12:18 awfully simple: "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ 01:12:22 and you will be saved. " 01:12:25 It's awfully simple, Lord, 01:12:28 but if we neglect salvation 01:12:31 it's simply awful. |
Revised 2015-09-21