Welcome to 3ABN's
2014 Spring Camp Meeting.
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And we've got a
beautiful crowd here.
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We're sorry that you couldn't
join us if you're watching
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from home or listening on
the radio or on the Internet
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but we are glad... We're sorry
you couldn't be here in person.
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That wasn't me, I promise.
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We're sorry you
couldn't be here in person, but
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we are glad you're watching.
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If you are having a
wonderful time at Camp Meeting,
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say praise the
Lord. Praise the Lord!
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We're having a great time here
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and it has been a
time of special anointing.
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And I know that your
cups are already overflowing
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and they're
going to even more so.
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We are going to have in
this hour a beautiful message
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from Lonnie
Melashenko. Pastor Melashenko...
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You probably know him best as
the voice, the speaker/director
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of the Voice of Prophecy.
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And he was with
them for nearly 20 years
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but he was
speaker/director for 17 years.
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And now he is currently
serving as a revivalist
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for the Columbia
Union Conference.
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His message today will be He Is
Coming When You Least Expect It.
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And before that I believe
we have Pastor C.A. Murray
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who's going to be singing again.
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And somehow I got out
here on this stage live
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without knowing the title
to your song, C.A. What is it?
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Jesus Lifts Me. Jesus Lifts Me.
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He lifts my burden
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whenever I'm down;
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He gives me joy
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when I'm wearing a frown;
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He is my hope
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in the midst of despair
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and He... He is my comfort
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for He's always there.
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So I sing
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not because I feel like singing.
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And I praise Him
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though the end I may not see.
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For whenever
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I lift the name of Jesus
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Jesus reaches down
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and He lifts me.
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He is the music
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that makes my heart glad;
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He whispers peace
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whenever I am sad;
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He is the sunshine
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that brightens my day
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and He... He is the lighthouse
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to show me the way.
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So I sing
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not because I feel like singing.
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And I praise Him
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though the end I may not see.
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For whenever
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I lift the name of Jesus
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Jesus reaches down
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and He lifts me.
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So I sing
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not because I just like singing.
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And I praise Him
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though the end I may not see.
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For whenever
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I lift the name of Jesus
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Jesus reaches down,
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turns me around
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and He plants my
feet on higher ground...
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He reaches down
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and He
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lifts me.
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Hello, saints!
Hello! Welcome sinners.
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Amen. We're all here.
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Would you take your Bibles
and turn to the book of II Peter
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chapter 1.
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The flight of
Apollo 12 was normal
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for 36 seconds...
and then it happened.
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Lightning struck the spacecraft
from a Florida thunderstorm
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and immediately the
master alarm sounded
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and lights blazed all
over the control panel.
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Said Astronaut Dick Gordon:
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"In all of our training we'd
never seen so many alarm lights
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as went on
inside that spacecraft.
00:07:04.22\00:07:06.02
If they'd given us something
like that in the simulators
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we'd have said:
'What are you trying to do?
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This is impossible! ' "
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Well... they did the next
best thing possible: nothing.
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But once in orbit
everything depended on
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getting the inertial
guidance system back into shape,
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and that was
Astronaut Dick Gordon's job.
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George Vandeman
describes this in his book
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how Astronaut Gordon climbed
down into the equipment bay
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and he tried to sight some
stars in order to re-align...
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re-align the guidance platform.
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But he couldn't
see a single star.
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Nothing! He actually wondered
if the stars had gone out.
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Somebody turned them off.
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But then as his eyes adjusted
he caught sight of the bottom
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of the constellation
Orion then Rigel then Sirius
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and Apollo 12
was back in business.
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Whoever you are, wherever
you're watching right now,
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we too, today, are
on board a spacecraft
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struck by lightning.
00:08:07.74\00:08:09.96
Scientists will tell you that
we are hurtling through space
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at exactly this
moment 67,000 miles an hour
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with our guidance
system badly out of adjustment.
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As we move through the
critical 2014's and 2015's
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every single alarm on
the capsule is flashing.
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In fact, the speed with
which we're tobogganing downhill
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into the apocalypse
takes one's breath away.
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Say the thinking men
who know what's going on
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in the world
today... they're saying
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"This could be
our last chance. "
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Anybody here from Canada?
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What is Time Magazine in Canada?
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Macleans. Maclean's Magazine
in Canada says: "It's over! "
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And after 2012 the
flight on this planet is over.
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Maclean's says we should
have been done with by now.
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Way back in 1503
the psychic Nostradamus
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who claimed to be
a prophet... he said
00:09:10.65\00:09:12.76
society would last
until December 2012.
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Well... we made
it just beyond there.
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The South American Mayan
Indians for thousands of years
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have predicted that the end
of civilization would happen
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on December 21, 2012.
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How many of you have
heard of Billy Graham?
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James Dobson? Chuck
Swindall? Charles Stanley?
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Well that's the
evangelical Christian network
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called Family Radio.
It's all over North America.
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You remember just
a couple years ago
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Harold Camping on that network
predicted that May 21, 2011
00:09:44.86\00:09:50.17
would be the end.
Well I don't know about you
00:09:50.27\00:09:53.64
but I notice that
headlines every single month -
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in fact, like Fox News Network
- they trumpet unprecedented
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catastrophes
inexplicable in nature.
00:10:01.24\00:10:03.82
Like for example,
there's millions of fish
00:10:04.12\00:10:06.71
that have suddenly
washed up on the shores of
00:10:06.91\00:10:08.65
the Chesapeake
Bay... mysteriously.
00:10:08.75\00:10:10.79
Or thousand and thousands
of birds falling dead from the
00:10:11.29\00:10:14.68
skies from Manitoba -
where I'm going to be up there
00:10:14.78\00:10:17.50
in a couple of
days for Camp Meeting -
00:10:17.60\00:10:19.31
over to Sweden
clear to the Vatican.
00:10:19.51\00:10:22.12
In fact, 8,000 of these birds
00:10:22.42\00:10:24.41
fell from the skies with some
mysterious strange blue markings
00:10:24.81\00:10:28.83
on their beaks, and scientists
don't know what this is all
00:10:28.93\00:10:31.99
about. And we've had
more than ever in our lifetime
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tsunamis, tornadoes. I
drove through them last night
00:10:35.25\00:10:38.33
to try to get here.
Earthquakes. Every single month
00:10:38.43\00:10:42.20
some kind of major catastrophe.
Even in Australia, which is a
00:10:42.30\00:10:45.81
godless nation, they're calling
them of Biblical proportions.
00:10:45.84\00:10:49.76
And so the news
pundits are asking the question
00:10:50.26\00:10:52.95
what's the cause for
all of these happenings?
00:10:54.41\00:10:57.36
They're global warming.
Is that what it is, Al Gore?
00:10:57.46\00:11:00.31
Could it be maybe
we're getting colder weather
00:11:00.61\00:11:02.55
based on this last winter?
00:11:02.76\00:11:04.46
Or is it disease and toxins?
00:11:04.66\00:11:07.39
What is the outcome of
this planet's perilous mission?
00:11:07.59\00:11:11.59
Is it going to be
flaming nuclear holocaust?
00:11:11.89\00:11:14.41
When will the end come?
00:11:15.01\00:11:17.49
How can we know when that
great stone in the image of
00:11:18.09\00:11:22.46
Daniel chapter 2 is
going to strike this planet
00:11:22.66\00:11:25.78
demolishing and
crushing every earthly empire?
00:11:25.99\00:11:28.75
Put on your seat
belts. Can you do that?
00:11:30.77\00:11:33.84
Like Astronaut Dick
Gordon in the next 35 minutes
00:11:34.54\00:11:38.20
let's together attempt to climb
down into the equipment bay
00:11:38.50\00:11:43.05
and sight some
stars in the night.
00:11:43.45\00:11:47.88
Some steady, dependable check-
points: footprints in the sky
00:11:48.12\00:11:53.66
that point past our
trembling spacecraft -
00:11:54.16\00:11:56.99
strong evidence right
here - exactly where we are
00:11:59.79\00:12:05.72
and what the time is.
00:12:05.92\00:12:07.57
Because Paul tells me
in I Thessalonians 5:1
00:12:08.65\00:12:11.72
"Lonnie, Lonnie... "
00:12:11.82\00:12:13.77
You see, brothers and sisters,
00:12:33.11\00:12:34.83
write this one down: He's
coming when you least expect it
00:12:35.13\00:12:40.43
ONLY if you
don't read the manual.
00:12:40.63\00:12:44.39
Only if you choose to ignore it.
00:12:45.14\00:12:48.04
Only if you choose to make that
fatal mistaken miscalculation.
00:12:48.34\00:12:54.04
I spent most of my years
in Hollywood, in Los Angeles.
00:12:55.54\00:12:58.92
Sodom by the bay.
00:13:00.78\00:13:02.57
A lot of weirdos in California.
00:13:03.07\00:13:05.20
Well,
Hollywood's Alfred Hitchcock
00:13:06.58\00:13:09.76
with his ultimate master macabre
00:13:10.06\00:13:13.26
produced some terrifying dramas.
00:13:13.47\00:13:16.01
In fact, in college if I ever
wanted to watch a late-night
00:13:16.51\00:13:20.84
chiller on late-night TV I'd
be guaranteed I couldn't sleep.
00:13:20.94\00:13:25.57
I mean, that was the industry's
benchmark for chiller thrillers
00:13:26.07\00:13:30.53
stalking horrific
and horrified viewers.
00:13:30.73\00:13:33.67
And it was guaranteed you would
not sleep without some shivers
00:13:33.97\00:13:37.09
or nightmares or
looking over to see what was...
00:13:37.19\00:13:39.46
And often unfortunately
those stories were too true.
00:13:39.76\00:13:42.34
Like the story of one
rather wicked, two-faced
00:13:43.39\00:13:48.44
evil woman who
repeatedly got away with murder.
00:13:48.64\00:13:52.26
I mean literally as
Jesus would have defined it.
00:13:52.36\00:13:54.49
Not just wrongdoing...
she actually was found guilty
00:13:54.70\00:13:59.96
of murder and she was
sentenced to life imprisonment
00:14:00.37\00:14:04.82
even though she screamed
at the judge in the courtroom
00:14:05.12\00:14:07.90
"I'll escape... I'll
get out of any prison! "
00:14:08.30\00:14:11.46
And she shook her finger
at him but she took that final
00:14:11.49\00:14:14.01
infamous ride in the
bus down to the prison.
00:14:14.41\00:14:18.43
Well in this Hitchcock
movie while she's enroute
00:14:19.29\00:14:22.65
the camera zooms in
on this wily wretch.
00:14:22.95\00:14:26.58
Perfect exhibit A
of our human dilemma
00:14:26.78\00:14:30.04
riding down to
our final destination.
00:14:30.35\00:14:34.22
But as the bus nears the
prison she notices something.
00:14:34.81\00:14:39.19
Just outside there's an old man.
00:14:39.69\00:14:44.16
He's in his striped
suit... he's an inmate...
00:14:44.36\00:14:46.79
but he's outside the
walls and he's covering a grave.
00:14:46.99\00:14:49.53
Wow! He's going to become
part of her plan to escape.
00:14:49.93\00:14:54.50
And on the television
there's a wicked smile
00:14:55.56\00:14:58.87
and then a nod.
00:14:59.27\00:15:01.23
He's going to be her key.
00:15:02.48\00:15:04.33
He obviously assisted in the
burial of prisoners who died.
00:15:04.54\00:15:10.00
Well, if she got to know
him... And the bus arrives.
00:15:10.40\00:15:15.91
Well as you go on with the
story you find out this old man
00:15:16.89\00:15:20.04
actually builds the caskets
00:15:20.24\00:15:22.76
as well as placing
them in the ground.
00:15:22.96\00:15:25.06
The old man's job
including rolling those caskets
00:15:25.36\00:15:29.43
down an old
pathway in an old cart
00:15:29.73\00:15:34.49
to the cemetery.
And his job included
00:15:34.79\00:15:37.96
lowering those caskets into
the ground and covering them
00:15:38.16\00:15:42.43
all alone.
00:15:42.76\00:15:45.38
Well as this story unfolds
the old man is going blind.
00:15:45.68\00:15:49.33
He needs cataract surgery
00:15:49.73\00:15:51.42
but he's got no
money... he's penniless.
00:15:51.92\00:15:54.83
Well as the story unfolds
she gets acquainted with him
00:15:55.84\00:15:58.88
and she finds out he needs
cataract surgery. And she says
00:15:59.39\00:16:01.87
to him one day: "Old man,
it's going to worth your while
00:16:01.97\00:16:06.83
if you help me escape. "
"Oh no, I can't do that! "
00:16:07.23\00:16:10.50
"Yes, if you help me escape
I've got money out there. "
00:16:10.71\00:16:14.43
And she told him how much.
00:16:14.83\00:16:16.42
"And I can help you
get that cataract... "
00:16:16.52\00:16:17.93
"No, I can't do that. "
00:16:18.03\00:16:19.54
"Oh yes you can.
00:16:19.84\00:16:21.32
I have all the money
you need but it's outside.
00:16:21.62\00:16:23.73
If you hope to ever
have that operation,
00:16:23.93\00:16:25.97
you're going to
have to help me out. "
00:16:26.27\00:16:28.09
Well reluctantly as this
story unfolds he finally agrees
00:16:28.39\00:16:31.42
and the plot thickens. And
he tells her: "Well the next
00:16:31.86\00:16:34.61
time you hear toll at midnight
signaling the death of an inmate
00:16:34.71\00:16:38.68
you just wait... wait
until the prescribed time...
00:16:38.98\00:16:41.71
wait until midnight and then
in the blackness of the darkness
00:16:41.92\00:16:47.39
slip down to the
workroom there where I work
00:16:47.59\00:16:50.39
and you locate the casket.
00:16:50.59\00:16:52.07
You secretly slide
yourself inside that casket.
00:16:52.47\00:16:56.64
You pull the top
lid down tightly.
00:16:57.63\00:17:01.79
Early the next morning well the
old man would roll the casket
00:17:02.13\00:17:05.18
down with the corpse inside too
00:17:05.48\00:17:08.52
for the burial. He'd
drop the casket in the hole.
00:17:08.72\00:17:11.38
He'd cover it with dirt.
But the next day the plan was
00:17:11.58\00:17:14.76
that he would sneak
back. He'd take the dirt off,
00:17:14.87\00:17:18.32
he'd pry the top loose,
00:17:18.62\00:17:20.15
and he'd set her free...
and they would both escape.
00:17:20.35\00:17:22.98
Perfect plan.
00:17:23.29\00:17:25.21
Late one night she's on her cot.
00:17:27.47\00:17:30.83
She hears the
deep toll of the bell.
00:17:31.23\00:17:35.25
Someone has died!
Oh, this is her moment!
00:17:41.34\00:17:44.45
Secretly she slides off the cot.
00:17:45.33\00:17:48.00
She makes her way
down the eerie hallway
00:17:48.21\00:17:50.75
and finally looking
into that dimly dark room...
00:17:50.85\00:17:53.62
and you can only imagine
Alfred Hitchcock with all the
00:17:53.72\00:17:55.52
drama and the
sounds... she sees the casket.
00:17:55.62\00:17:58.09
Then she goes over
and she lifts the lid.
00:17:58.59\00:18:02.89
And yes, in the darkness
she slips inside the box...
00:18:04.40\00:18:08.14
wiggling and squeezing
in right beside the corpse.
00:18:08.34\00:18:11.22
Then she pulls the
lid down and locks it.
00:18:12.68\00:18:18.01
Well within hours, sure enough,
00:18:19.23\00:18:21.84
she feels the
wheels starting to roll
00:18:22.24\00:18:25.95
and she smiles. Oooh!
The casket is out there
00:18:26.35\00:18:31.06
and then she can sense
it must be being lowered
00:18:31.26\00:18:33.61
into that grave. And
you actually on the TV
00:18:33.81\00:18:36.62
begin to hear the clumps of
the dirt falling on the casket.
00:18:36.72\00:18:39.57
Before long she is
sealed beneath the earth.
00:18:39.97\00:18:42.51
Oh, but she's still smiling!
00:18:42.81\00:18:44.80
Silence follows
00:18:45.20\00:18:47.48
but oh, she can
hardly contain herself.
00:18:47.69\00:18:49.88
This is it! And
time begins to drag.
00:18:50.19\00:18:52.99
The next day comes and passes
00:18:53.40\00:18:56.67
and now it's night. And time
drags on without the old man.
00:18:57.07\00:19:03.05
By now her brow is
a little bit worried.
00:19:03.28\00:19:05.20
And she lays there and she kind
of breaks out into a cold sweat
00:19:05.50\00:19:09.47
and she wonders: "Where is he?
00:19:09.67\00:19:12.35
What could
possibly have gone wrong?
00:19:12.85\00:19:15.18
Why didn't he show up? "
00:19:15.58\00:19:17.68
And finally in a moment of panic
00:19:17.98\00:19:19.96
she lights a match
00:19:20.26\00:19:22.82
and she glances at
the corpse beside her.
00:19:23.03\00:19:25.81
You guessed it.
00:19:28.06\00:19:30.02
"It's the old man
himself who's died! "
00:19:30.52\00:19:34.16
And slowly the Alfred Hitchcock
movie as the movie ends
00:19:34.66\00:19:38.46
it lifts with the
camera from the gravesite
00:19:38.66\00:19:41.22
and all you hear is a
wailing cry of a woman
00:19:41.32\00:19:44.54
down there muffled who
will never get out of the grave.
00:19:44.75\00:19:48.06
Now there would
never be a more scary story
00:19:51.36\00:19:55.66
or awful climax to
the story of the Bible
00:19:56.06\00:19:59.61
than to discover that our
hopes in the second coming
00:20:00.11\00:20:03.85
return of Jesus was a hoax.
00:20:03.96\00:20:07.56
An Alfred Hitchcock horror.
00:20:07.86\00:20:10.91
That the final act in
the drama was a big lie
00:20:11.41\00:20:16.24
and Christians have made a big
miscalculation, a big mistake!
00:20:16.54\00:20:22.16
He didn't come!
00:20:22.46\00:20:24.69
We trusted in the
one Man to deliver
00:20:25.09\00:20:28.88
but we were wrong, and
we trusted in the wrong Man.
00:20:29.09\00:20:33.24
Question for you,
church: is it possible?
00:20:34.87\00:20:38.58
Is the second coming
just a fable as 90% of the
00:20:39.54\00:20:43.46
denominations and the seminaries
of the country now teach? No!
00:20:43.56\00:20:48.35
Is it coming, really?
For real? Yes! For sure? Yes!
00:20:48.48\00:20:52.77
Well is it possible that the
2nd coming is not really soon?
00:20:53.17\00:20:57.66
Hmmm? After all, scripture says
00:20:58.90\00:21:01.56
"Behold I come... "
What? "quickly. " Well!
00:21:01.86\00:21:05.05
Talk to me, church.
00:21:05.55\00:21:07.12
Since the "old man"
has obviously been delayed
00:21:07.32\00:21:11.45
what should
Christians do in the interim?
00:21:12.05\00:21:14.89
As Dr. Francis Schaeffer says:
"How should we then live? "
00:21:15.30\00:21:20.16
Well these are valid questions
and they deserve some answers.
00:21:21.12\00:21:24.86
Dilemmas that we've got to
explore here for the next few
00:21:25.36\00:21:27.81
minutes. Because the
Bible warns: "Lonnie, watch out.
00:21:27.91\00:21:31.48
There is a way that
seems right unto a man
00:21:31.68\00:21:36.42
but the end thereof are the
ways of... " What? "death. "
00:21:36.72\00:21:39.73
Oh-oh... she thought she
could escape death's jaws.
00:21:39.87\00:21:44.50
But the one person
she placed her hope in
00:21:44.90\00:21:47.87
was himself the victim of
the very thing she dreaded most.
00:21:48.17\00:21:52.12
So the big question
is: is it possible to trust
00:21:52.42\00:21:55.86
the wrong person? I
don't want to do that!
00:21:56.06\00:21:59.79
Well listen now to
II Peter chapter 1.
00:22:00.19\00:22:02.67
I hope you have
your Bibles open there.
00:22:02.77\00:22:04.32
And I'm going to
read from The Clear Word
00:22:05.16\00:22:07.41
verses 16 to 19.
00:22:07.71\00:22:10.20
Peter says: "Lon...
church... 3ABN audience... "
00:22:11.59\00:22:16.55
Peter's confessing now.
00:22:16.85\00:22:19.03
"We did not follow
00:22:19.43\00:22:23.30
cleverly-phrased
fiction when we told you about
00:22:23.60\00:22:27.41
the power and the coming
of the Lord Jesus Christ.
00:22:27.51\00:22:29.35
We saw His
majesty with our own eyes
00:22:29.75\00:22:32.00
right there on the
mountain before our very eyes.
00:22:32.21\00:22:34.88
But you have something
even more sure than our report.
00:22:35.28\00:22:40.65
You have... " What?
00:22:41.15\00:22:42.93
"the prophecies
of the Old Testament
00:22:43.33\00:22:46.72
to which you do
well... " In 2014, 2015...
00:22:47.02\00:22:49.76
"that you pay attention.
Those prophecies are like a lamp
00:22:49.96\00:22:53.97
shining in the darkness
00:22:54.27\00:22:56.91
until the day of
Christ's coming dawns
00:22:57.21\00:22:59.31
and He as the
glorious Morning Star
00:22:59.61\00:23:02.16
fills your hearts. " Is
that good news or what? Amen!
00:23:02.36\00:23:06.02
I don't know about you, but
folks I want out of that casket.
00:23:06.25\00:23:09.61
Isn't that a
relevant voice... passage?
00:23:10.39\00:23:13.92
You bet. "Listen
up, " says Peter.
00:23:14.22\00:23:15.91
You and I want to
make absolutely certain
00:23:16.21\00:23:18.14
that we don't make that kind
of a mistaken miscalculation.
00:23:18.54\00:23:22.66
Question is: how?
00:23:23.77\00:23:25.81
Well it's right here...
right in the Owner's manual,
00:23:26.21\00:23:29.79
in the Book. Because
friends, unfortunately
00:23:29.99\00:23:33.21
there are a lot of
fanatical extremes out there
00:23:33.61\00:23:36.18
about the second
coming of Jesus Christ.
00:23:36.28\00:23:37.74
You can go to any Christian
bookstore, you can see all kinds
00:23:37.84\00:23:40.16
of stuff... the second coming.
00:23:40.27\00:23:43.68
But as I read the
pen of inspiration
00:23:44.08\00:23:46.27
those are going to get
confused - even in the church.
00:23:46.48\00:23:48.84
Yes, among
Christians and God's people
00:23:48.94\00:23:51.41
in the very last days right
here especially down to the end.
00:23:51.61\00:23:54.68
Just like the first coming
of Christ they kind of got it
00:23:54.98\00:23:58.02
misqueued, some Christians
- maybe even some Adventists -
00:23:58.13\00:24:02.94
would drop right off the
end straight into the pit
00:24:03.04\00:24:06.08
on this subject:
fanatical extremes.
00:24:06.48\00:24:11.14
I will tell you
personal experiences
00:24:12.51\00:24:14.19
but I won't tell you
names or where this happened
00:24:14.29\00:24:15.73
'cause some of you
might be from there
00:24:15.83\00:24:17.03
and you might know
who I'm talking about.
00:24:17.13\00:24:18.67
Christ's coming?
Yeah, He's coming soon.
00:24:19.07\00:24:21.42
Head for the
hills... abandon ship!
00:24:21.62\00:24:23.89
I've had church members
move off somewhere in Oregon
00:24:24.19\00:24:27.24
or Washington. I
don't know where they were.
00:24:27.34\00:24:28.60
Don't pay your debts;
don't worry about college;
00:24:29.00\00:24:31.22
don't worry about your
career or ever getting married.
00:24:31.42\00:24:34.55
Don't sweat tomorrow any more;
00:24:35.42\00:24:37.12
just forget your
responsibilities.
00:24:37.43\00:24:39.22
Quit your job; go up
there and mooch off of others
00:24:39.42\00:24:42.17
waiting for the coming of Jesus.
00:24:42.47\00:24:44.48
I'm not fibbing.
00:24:45.69\00:24:47.30
Others, and I have
friends who have set dates.
00:24:47.80\00:24:51.41
In my lifetime
ministers have set dates.
00:24:51.61\00:24:54.09
"As it was in
the days of Noah... "
00:24:54.59\00:24:56.63
120 years after
1844 when we got to 1964
00:24:57.03\00:25:02.86
all kinds of
evangelists were setting dates.
00:25:02.96\00:25:04.92
It's going to be just
like in the days of Noah.
00:25:05.12\00:25:06.70
I have folders bulging
from all kinds of Adventist
00:25:08.00\00:25:11.48
prognosticators. I've
got a Southern California...
00:25:11.68\00:25:14.22
Ah, I won't say too
much... said too much.
00:25:14.42\00:25:16.67
A doctor. He
writes in his journals
00:25:16.88\00:25:20.05
"Get out of Loma Linda.
00:25:20.15\00:25:21.40
This is where the arsenals
of God are going to fall.
00:25:21.60\00:25:24.18
And you will find that in
the writings of Ellen White
00:25:24.38\00:25:26.30
in her apocryphal writings:
00:25:26.40\00:25:28.43
the back of the index to
the writings of Ellen White. "
00:25:28.63\00:25:30.89
They're all there, but
that's not what she wrote.
00:25:30.99\00:25:32.65
But he takes them as truth.
Or in Huntington, West Virginia,
00:25:32.95\00:25:35.90
165 baptized are
waiting the rapture now
00:25:36.00\00:25:40.02
and they're off in some
culture... cult some place.
00:25:40.12\00:25:42.34
In the Los Angeles Times
they've got so many articles...
00:25:42.64\00:25:45.29
One read this
headline: Apocalyptic movement
00:25:45.49\00:25:48.74
stirs social
crisis in South Korea.
00:25:48.94\00:25:51.88
People are selling their
homes and quitting their jobs
00:25:52.48\00:25:55.10
and their school,
abandoning their families
00:25:55.20\00:25:57.33
and even having abortions
to prepare for October 28
00:25:57.53\00:26:01.03
because that's the day
when 144,000 believers around
00:26:01.23\00:26:04.17
the world will be lifted
up to heaven in the rapture.
00:26:04.27\00:26:07.29
You see, beloved, the devil
loves people to go to extremes.
00:26:08.78\00:26:12.97
Get fanatical
about this... insane.
00:26:14.11\00:26:17.56
He could come
unexpectedly any moment.
00:26:17.96\00:26:20.51
Some set dates. Or of
course then the other end of the
00:26:21.58\00:26:25.62
spectrum, the
pendulum, is the other extreme:
00:26:25.82\00:26:28.96
ah, just be totally
indifferent about it.
00:26:29.36\00:26:33.05
Theological
ignorance: don't read too much.
00:26:33.65\00:26:36.58
It'll get you confused.
00:26:36.78\00:26:38.34
No reason at all
to be on the alert.
00:26:38.64\00:26:40.41
I'm going to say this carefully;
00:26:41.66\00:26:43.09
I know I'm going
to be criticized,
00:26:43.19\00:26:44.63
but an Adventist lay
journal just came out
00:26:45.52\00:26:48.86
a couple of days ago
- some of you get this -
00:26:49.06\00:26:51.92
and it says our evangelists
and all of the preachers
00:26:52.42\00:26:55.65
got it wrong. Because it says
all prophecies about the second
00:26:56.05\00:27:01.05
coming of Jesus are conditional.
00:27:01.15\00:27:03.80
Now we believe there are some
conditional prophecies don't we?
00:27:04.20\00:27:06.49
But so many people seriously
question whether there ever
00:27:07.84\00:27:10.70
will be a real second
coming... many Adventists.
00:27:10.80\00:27:13.98
And that's a 21st century
today pooh-pooh attitude.
00:27:14.22\00:27:17.43
"Well if and when your
number finally comes up... "
00:27:17.63\00:27:22.28
"Well whatever. " Have you
ever heard somebody say that?
00:27:22.49\00:27:24.70
"Whatever. "
00:27:25.00\00:27:26.51
But listen, it doesn't
take a rocket scientist
00:27:26.71\00:27:29.03
to see that something is
terribly wrong on this old
00:27:29.43\00:27:32.58
ball of mud. These are frighten-
ing times in which we live.
00:27:32.68\00:27:36.28
They're exciting times!
00:27:37.41\00:27:39.37
They're thrilling
times because all of us know
00:27:39.68\00:27:42.33
something is about to happen.
00:27:42.53\00:27:45.88
Even the pagan
pundits out there in the news
00:27:46.84\00:27:50.03
on television, they're saying:
"You know, we might need to
00:27:50.06\00:27:53.68
get... become more aware.
00:27:53.79\00:27:55.31
We need to dig into the
Bible maybe and discover
00:27:55.91\00:27:58.66
how to live our lives
just in case Christ's coming
00:27:58.86\00:28:01.04
could occur any moment. " Even
secularists are saying that.
00:28:01.24\00:28:06.38
Los Angeles Times
had an article here.
00:28:06.89\00:28:10.26
Dateline: Washington, D.C.
00:28:10.67\00:28:13.68
"The keepers of
the doomsday clock... "
00:28:14.08\00:28:17.39
Now the Los Angeles Times
is one of the most secular
00:28:17.49\00:28:20.45
newspapers in the
country. I used to get the Times
00:28:20.55\00:28:23.39
and I enrolled it just because I
wanted to see what the liberals
00:28:23.59\00:28:26.57
say. Here's what it said:
00:28:26.87\00:28:29.15
"The keepers of the doomsday
clock want to move its hands
00:28:32.93\00:28:37.69
forward in Washington,
D.C. to reflect what they call
00:28:37.89\00:28:40.62
worsening nuclear and
climate threats to the world.
00:28:40.82\00:28:43.94
The symbolic clock created
in 1947 and maintained by
00:28:44.34\00:28:47.72
the Bulletin of
the Atomic Scientists
00:28:47.82\00:28:49.80
currently is set at
seven minutes to midnight
00:28:50.10\00:28:52.52
with midnight
marking global disaster. "
00:28:52.83\00:28:56.84
The secular
world is saying this!
00:28:57.44\00:29:00.76
So we ask the question: "Well
what is the Biblical evidence? "
00:29:01.78\00:29:07.33
Is there reliable
prophecy that's not conditional?
00:29:07.83\00:29:12.10
Hmmm? Or maybe we need to
first ask another question.
00:29:12.60\00:29:16.04
Did Jesus Christ come, church,
the first time as revealed
00:29:17.06\00:29:20.61
in prophecy? Yes! You say: "Well
that's a ridiculous question,
00:29:20.71\00:29:24.00
Lonnie, because we date our
calendar B.C. - before Christ -
00:29:24.10\00:29:27.45
A.D. - anno domini,
in the year of our Lord -
00:29:27.65\00:29:31.03
or BCE - before the common era
00:29:31.14\00:29:32.63
if you're a Jewish friend.
I mean, the world knows! "
00:29:32.73\00:29:35.12
Well hundreds and hundreds
and hundreds of prophecies
00:29:35.52\00:29:39.37
foretold Jesus
would come the first time.
00:29:39.77\00:29:42.00
And you know them;
we could go over them.
00:29:42.30\00:29:43.75
Thousands of years before
Bethlehem hundreds of specific
00:29:44.25\00:29:47.56
details about every
phase of His life prophesied
00:29:47.76\00:29:51.12
like His virgin birth.
00:29:51.32\00:29:53.39
And then Micah said He
would be born in Bethlehem
00:29:54.76\00:29:58.24
even though that wasn't
His home. Nazareth was where
00:29:58.44\00:30:01.17
He grew up. And specific
prophesies saying that He would
00:30:01.27\00:30:04.42
be betrayed by how
many pieces of silver?
00:30:04.52\00:30:07.92
Twenty-six? Thirty-four?
00:30:08.12\00:30:10.32
Thirty pieces of silver... 30.
00:30:10.72\00:30:12.67
And then that He
would be mocked...
00:30:12.97\00:30:14.45
that He would be
nailed to a cross.
00:30:14.75\00:30:16.59
That a spear would be thrust
in His side instead of His legs
00:30:16.79\00:30:20.21
being broken on Calvary.
00:30:20.32\00:30:21.80
And it even prophesied
that soldiers would cast dice
00:30:22.10\00:30:25.41
for His tunic. Hundreds of
prophecies which all came true.
00:30:25.61\00:30:29.92
Not one of them was
conditional... correct?
00:30:30.12\00:30:32.23
So my question
is... listen carefully:
00:30:32.73\00:30:35.44
If all of these came true about
Christ coming the first time,
00:30:35.94\00:30:39.72
wouldn't you think ten
times as many prophecies
00:30:40.22\00:30:43.27
about His second coming
would be trying to stress
00:30:43.37\00:30:45.34
definitely that
He's coming again? Amen!
00:30:45.54\00:30:48.40
Can we count on prophecy for
the second time around? Amen!
00:30:48.54\00:30:52.02
Well, what's the
Biblical evidence?
00:30:52.22\00:30:54.04
May I suggest II Peter 1 again
00:30:54.24\00:30:56.30
verses 16-19 for starters.
00:30:56.50\00:30:58.71
Now Peter is very very
wise here because he made some
00:30:59.80\00:31:02.48
boo-boo's too, and
he says we need balance
00:31:02.58\00:31:07.63
about this whole second coming
theme that we're talking about
00:31:07.93\00:31:10.39
this weekend. But he says this:
00:31:10.49\00:31:12.97
"If there is a second coming,
00:31:14.03\00:31:17.01
it's the only answer
to this world's needs. "
00:31:18.09\00:31:21.52
Can I hear an amen? Amen!
00:31:21.92\00:31:24.08
In other words, the only escape
from the prison casket of this
00:31:24.38\00:31:29.30
world of sin and pain and
sickness and suffering and death
00:31:29.40\00:31:33.53
is Jesus' coming.
00:31:35.18\00:31:37.36
But of course many people...
the liberals don't believe that.
00:31:37.86\00:31:41.83
So for a few minutes
let's examine the evidence.
00:31:42.26\00:31:44.57
Stay with II Peter
as we unpack chapter 3
00:31:44.77\00:31:47.40
and verse 3 and 4.
00:31:47.71\00:31:50.78
Peter says: "3ABN audience... "
00:31:51.28\00:31:55.93
people looking in
whoever you are out there,
00:31:56.13\00:31:58.01
from whatever denomination...
He says: "Knowing this
00:31:58.21\00:32:01.32
first that there
shall come... " When?
00:32:01.52\00:32:05.89
"in the last
days... " right down here...
00:32:06.19\00:32:10.17
What would there come? Scoffers.
"scoffers, walking after
00:32:10.37\00:32:13.59
their own lusts and
saying: 'Where is the promise
00:32:13.69\00:32:17.27
of His coming? For
since the fathers died
00:32:17.37\00:32:20.53
all things continue as
they were since the beginning
00:32:20.73\00:32:23.90
of creation. ' "
00:32:24.00\00:32:25.47
Well there you have it right
there: today's 21st century
00:32:25.87\00:32:28.71
scientific theory
of uniformitarianism.
00:32:29.01\00:32:32.36
Some call it evolution.
00:32:33.89\00:32:35.34
You know that even our
president believes that?
00:32:35.74\00:32:38.52
And our politicians are
saying... in fact, I could name
00:32:38.63\00:32:41.66
the particular person...
She's going to run maybe
00:32:41.76\00:32:43.94
for a presidential
race. You'll know who it is.
00:32:44.04\00:32:46.00
"We're no longer a
Christian nation...
00:32:47.27\00:32:49.22
we're a global village! "
00:32:49.62\00:32:51.74
And since time began there's
been an uninterrupted flow
00:32:52.24\00:32:54.90
of events, so come weal
or woe our status is quo.
00:32:55.00\00:32:59.21
Don't get nervous about
end-time calamity howlers
00:32:59.41\00:33:02.84
like that 1844 bunch of
fanatics with William Miller.
00:33:02.94\00:33:06.53
Wrong! says Peter.
00:33:06.93\00:33:09.65
Verses 5 and 6. These
people forget about the flood.
00:33:09.75\00:33:14.16
They scoffed back
in Noah's day too!
00:33:15.29\00:33:18.44
But did it come?
Did it come? Yes. Yes.
00:33:19.47\00:33:23.73
We need to be ready
because the great God of heaven
00:33:24.06\00:33:26.02
is going to step in
again some day, only this time
00:33:26.12\00:33:28.26
verse 7 says: "But
the heavens and the earth
00:33:28.46\00:33:30.81
which are now by the
same word kept in store
00:33:30.91\00:33:34.02
reserved unto fire
against the day of judgment
00:33:34.23\00:33:37.14
and perdition of ungodly men. "
00:33:37.24\00:33:39.86
By the way, I want
you to notice something.
00:33:40.89\00:33:42.69
There's some good
news tucked in there.
00:33:42.99\00:33:44.52
Sounds like fire and
damnation... but it's not!
00:33:44.72\00:33:47.20
Notice that the
good news is in verse 9.
00:33:47.40\00:33:49.23
It's very clear it
is NOT God's desire
00:33:49.53\00:33:52.28
that anybody
should perish. Amen!
00:33:52.48\00:33:54.77
That fire is reserved for who?
00:33:55.17\00:33:57.54
The devil. Yeah,
don't say his name too loud.
00:33:57.75\00:34:00.45
And all of his hellish
demons and evil angels.
00:34:01.39\00:34:03.74
The fire was
prepared for the devil,
00:34:04.04\00:34:05.91
and this is precisely
why God is waiting today
00:34:06.31\00:34:09.32
and why He's
loitering... why He's delaying.
00:34:09.72\00:34:13.61
We don't really understand
that, but He's so longsuffering.
00:34:14.05\00:34:17.41
He's so infinitely patient.
00:34:17.71\00:34:19.97
In verse 9 Peter
tells us why God delays:
00:34:20.37\00:34:23.04
"The Lord is not
slack concerning His promise
00:34:23.34\00:34:26.79
as some men count slackness
00:34:26.99\00:34:29.10
but is longsuffering to usward
00:34:29.40\00:34:31.91
not willing that... "
What? "any should perish
00:34:32.11\00:34:34.96
but that... " How many? All.
00:34:35.16\00:34:37.02
"all should
come to repentance. "
00:34:37.13\00:34:38.61
Now that is
crystal clear, isn't it?
00:34:38.81\00:34:40.72
Is there anything
conditional about that?
00:34:41.02\00:34:42.75
No, it's specific.
It's reliable information.
00:34:43.16\00:34:45.54
It's balanced. "Lonnie, in 2015
00:34:45.84\00:34:49.65
don't mistake
your Lord's patience
00:34:49.95\00:34:52.76
in delay for
permanent absence. "
00:34:53.17\00:34:57.44
And yet so many ignore
the reality of Christ's soon
00:34:58.24\00:35:02.70
second coming. They're
somehow confused by the delay.
00:35:02.90\00:35:07.18
And I can understand.
00:35:07.32\00:35:08.47
My dear parents
just passed away.
00:35:10.43\00:35:15.00
My mother a couple
years ago at the age of 89
00:35:15.79\00:35:18.71
and dad just died at 91.
00:35:18.84\00:35:22.21
While I was at Camp
Meeting I heard the news
00:35:23.09\00:35:25.32
and five sons had
to go for a funeral.
00:35:25.52\00:35:27.22
We hated to watch my
dear parents growing old.
00:35:27.62\00:35:31.79
They were our heroes, and
the closer we all came to their
00:35:31.99\00:35:34.94
death the more we realized
that the second coming of Jesus
00:35:35.04\00:35:37.57
is the only thing to cling to.
00:35:37.67\00:35:40.29
It's the only hope to
reunite our Melashenko family
00:35:40.60\00:35:43.65
singers again.
00:35:43.85\00:35:45.59
And when I finish here
in just a couple of days
00:35:45.89\00:35:47.70
all of the five sons of
the tribe of Joseph and Anne
00:35:47.90\00:35:50.31
are going up to
Farley, Saskatchewan, Canada,
00:35:50.52\00:35:53.35
where we grew up - and
their parents and grandparents -
00:35:53.55\00:35:56.20
that little Russian...
We're going to bury their ashes
00:35:56.40\00:35:58.48
out there in the
middle of a big field -
00:35:58.78\00:36:01.10
a wheat field.
There's still a cemetery.
00:36:01.20\00:36:03.33
The church is long gone.
00:36:03.54\00:36:04.88
But we're going to
stand around in a circle
00:36:05.19\00:36:06.96
and we're going to share some
of the songs of the Blessed Hope
00:36:07.06\00:36:09.41
and sing some
Russian songs that they sang.
00:36:09.61\00:36:11.59
That's the Blessed Hope
00:36:11.99\00:36:14.24
without which Paul says we
would be "most miserable. "
00:36:15.47\00:36:19.70
Amen! Some of you here
come to this Camp Meeting
00:36:20.00\00:36:23.22
with grieving hearts because
you've recently experienced
00:36:23.52\00:36:26.02
death or tragedy
00:36:26.12\00:36:28.32
or an awful prognosis or
a diagnosis... maybe cancer.
00:36:28.52\00:36:32.18
Murder. I know some
people that are grieving deeply
00:36:32.48\00:36:36.39
with infant crib death.
00:36:36.59\00:36:38.58
Two of our dear
friends this week.
00:36:38.78\00:36:41.30
And your home and your
life suddenly just erupts and
00:36:41.84\00:36:44.04
as Ellen White says: "all
hell seems to break loose. "
00:36:44.24\00:36:47.15
And the days go into a
blur; they seem senseless,
00:36:47.55\00:36:50.48
dizzy, dark.
00:36:50.78\00:36:53.99
Like we're in a casket
and things are out of control.
00:36:54.29\00:36:57.72
And life seems just
absurd to even carry on.
00:36:58.16\00:37:01.42
But friend,
listen: there's hope!
00:37:01.72\00:37:05.08
Deep in the heart of
scripture God reminds us
00:37:05.92\00:37:08.55
"the end is not yet come. "
00:37:08.75\00:37:12.41
As my Italian friends say
00:37:13.45\00:37:16.25
"It ain't over until
the fat lady sings. "
00:37:16.35\00:37:18.83
Because one of these days,
friend, Jesus - when that little
00:37:21.18\00:37:24.43
dark cloud becomes brighter
and brighter and gets closer
00:37:24.53\00:37:27.45
and closer - He's going to put
all things back together again.
00:37:27.55\00:37:30.59
And one of these days it
will all make sense. Amen!
00:37:30.79\00:37:33.35
He'll make sense of the crazy
puzzles and enigmas of life
00:37:33.48\00:37:36.38
and the absurd abnormalities.
00:37:36.58\00:37:39.69
That's what the Bible
calls The Blessed Hope!
00:37:39.89\00:37:42.82
When is that going to happen?
00:37:43.32\00:37:44.53
Well Paul tells us in
II Thessalonians 4:16-18.
00:37:44.73\00:37:47.42
"Lon, it will happen
when the Lord Himself shall
00:37:47.62\00:37:49.92
descend from heaven
with a shout, with the voice
00:37:50.02\00:37:53.72
of the archangel,
with the trump of God.
00:37:53.82\00:37:56.31
And the dead in
Christ - your dad and mom -
00:37:56.71\00:37:59.86
will rise first
right where you put them
00:38:00.16\00:38:03.66
and we shall be caught up
together with them in the clouds
00:38:03.96\00:38:07.70
to meet the Lord in the air.
00:38:07.90\00:38:09.86
And so shall we
ever be with the Lord. "
00:38:10.16\00:38:12.80
And then these wonderful words,
00:38:13.01\00:38:14.80
I'm going to read
them in just a few days,
00:38:15.00\00:38:17.14
"Wherefore, comfort one
another with these words. "
00:38:17.44\00:38:23.18
He's coming back -
Amen! - just like He went.
00:38:23.48\00:38:27.16
He went literally,
physically, visibly,
00:38:27.49\00:38:31.09
audibly, with clouds.
00:38:31.29\00:38:35.22
Well friends, these
sacred scriptures describe
00:38:35.72\00:38:38.76
our destiny: that one of
these days death bites the dust.
00:38:39.06\00:38:44.51
No more grim reaper.
00:38:45.25\00:38:47.37
Yes, we are
all... every one of us...
00:38:47.67\00:38:50.51
on Alfred Hitchcock's cart.
00:38:50.72\00:38:52.65
We're rolling
down toward the end.
00:38:52.85\00:38:55.83
But the marvelous
good news for us is
00:38:56.23\00:38:58.66
a change is coming.
00:38:58.86\00:39:00.79
President Obama:
it's not YOUR new day.
00:39:01.30\00:39:04.46
It's God's new day
that's coming. Amen! Not maybe.
00:39:04.76\00:39:08.31
Not if you vote right in your
Congress or your Parliament.
00:39:08.54\00:39:11.80
Or if they figure it out,
the politicians over there
00:39:12.11\00:39:14.45
in the G7 Conference or G8
when Putin gets it all together.
00:39:14.55\00:39:17.27
Not if the stock market
suddenly sails off the charts.
00:39:17.58\00:39:20.89
No! Because Jesus
Christ died and rose again:
00:39:21.19\00:39:26.68
that's the secret;
that's the key that unlocks it.
00:39:26.88\00:39:31.62
He's coming again. And listen:
00:39:31.85\00:39:34.13
this change is guaranteed.
It's sure; it is absolute;
00:39:34.34\00:39:39.87
it is certain. It's fact.
It's not a conditional prophecy.
00:39:40.07\00:39:45.94
Not necessarily tonight
but it's going to be quickly.
00:39:46.97\00:39:50.75
Soon. The signs of the times
of Matthew 24 are increasing
00:39:51.05\00:39:54.65
with intensity
and with frequency.
00:39:54.75\00:39:57.90
In fact, all of the big signs
that Jesus foretold there -
00:39:58.21\00:40:02.06
He said "You watch for them"
- they've already happened.
00:40:02.36\00:40:04.44
Did you know
that? Every one of them.
00:40:04.64\00:40:06.53
He told about three
giant footprints in the sky.
00:40:07.03\00:40:11.00
First thing to look there
if you want to look in Matthew
00:40:11.41\00:40:13.71
chapter 24 verses 15-20:
00:40:13.81\00:40:16.17
"This is the first big sign.
You watch for this and you will
00:40:16.37\00:40:18.49
know that I am coming back.
It will be the destruction of
00:40:18.59\00:40:20.89
Jerusalem in 70 AD. "
Which we know, of course,
00:40:20.99\00:40:24.00
and He puts a little sign post.
00:40:24.10\00:40:25.13
He sticks it in the sand there.
00:40:25.22\00:40:26.32
The disciples: "Wow! It's
really going to happen? " "Yep.
00:40:26.42\00:40:28.58
You watch for
that. When it happens
00:40:28.78\00:40:30.11
that's the first
sign I'm coming back. "
00:40:30.22\00:40:31.63
Did it happen? Yes. Yes.
00:40:32.62\00:40:34.85
He sticks another
signpost, number 2, in the sand
00:40:35.05\00:40:37.43
and He says: "Right after that
will be an awful period of great
00:40:37.73\00:40:40.84
persecution. "
Tribulation the Bible calls it.
00:40:41.04\00:40:44.30
"Soon after
Jerusalem is destroyed
00:40:44.60\00:40:46.34
there'll be an awful
period we call it in history
00:40:46.64\00:40:49.50
The Dark Ages. Look
for it, " Jesus says,
00:40:49.70\00:40:52.68
"millions will
die. 538 AD to 1798 AD.
00:40:52.88\00:40:57.26
They'll be burned at the stake.
Some will be thrown to the
00:40:57.46\00:40:59.17
lions. They'll be boiled
in oil. They'll be torched,
00:40:59.27\00:41:01.59
sawn asunder,
thrown to the gladiators. "
00:41:01.99\00:41:04.49
Jesus said: "You look
for it. But listen, " He said
00:41:04.69\00:41:06.75
to the disciples and He
makes another little card
00:41:06.85\00:41:08.46
and sticks it in the
sand, signpost number three,
00:41:08.56\00:41:11.50
"immediately after those days -
00:41:11.80\00:41:14.36
those terrible
days, the Dark Ages -
00:41:14.56\00:41:16.55
three amazing things
will happen in the heavens
00:41:16.75\00:41:20.44
in rapid succession
like footprints in the sky. "
00:41:20.58\00:41:24.13
More amazing than the
pope's overture this year
00:41:24.23\00:41:27.99
to the charismatic's in Texas
you know, with Ken Copeland
00:41:28.19\00:41:30.68
saying "We're
coming, we're coming.
00:41:30.88\00:41:32.05
We're not going to have
the word Protestant any more.
00:41:32.16\00:41:33.80
We're all coming back
to the church of Rome. "
00:41:33.91\00:41:35.64
Or this past month the pope was
making overtures to the Jewish
00:41:36.04\00:41:39.06
world and the Muslim world.
Jesus said: "That's nothing
00:41:39.16\00:41:42.70
compared to the three cosmic
unmistakable omens you'll see
00:41:42.90\00:41:46.34
in the sky! You will
see the sun go black.
00:41:46.45\00:41:50.08
Darkened. Well as soon
as the Dark Ages were over
00:41:50.48\00:41:54.54
look for the darkening of
the sun. " Did that happen?
00:41:56.20\00:41:58.88
Dark Ages ended
about 1755 AD actually.
00:41:59.70\00:42:03.65
And any encyclopedia will
tell you if you look under
00:42:03.95\00:42:06.91
the Dark Day that that
took place on May 19, 1780.
00:42:07.02\00:42:12.34
Jesus said "immediately
after the Dark Ages. "
00:42:13.21\00:42:16.17
Then He said next "the
moon would turn to blood. "
00:42:16.57\00:42:21.81
It's no coincidence
that very next night
00:42:22.12\00:42:24.38
the moon appeared
as a clotter of blood
00:42:24.68\00:42:27.54
fulfilling Joel
chapter 2 verse 31.
00:42:27.74\00:42:29.75
But Jesus puts another
signpost in the ground there.
00:42:30.54\00:42:32.96
He says: "Immediately after
this you will see the stars
00:42:33.36\00:42:36.61
fall from
heaven. " Did it happen?
00:42:36.81\00:42:39.30
A lot of arguments about this in
some of the Adventist journals
00:42:39.70\00:42:42.58
and so forth 'cause
we've had many many major
00:42:42.68\00:42:45.53
meteoric showers. But scientific
journals continue to relate
00:42:45.63\00:42:48.95
how suddenly just 53 years
later on November 13, 1833,
00:42:49.16\00:42:53.63
the world experienced the
greatest display of celestial
00:42:53.83\00:42:56.86
fireworks ever seen. But
now watch closely with me.
00:42:56.96\00:43:00.90
Watch closely... I hope
you have your seatbelts on.
00:43:01.10\00:43:03.40
The very next big event
00:43:03.80\00:43:07.89
would be what? Verse 31.
00:43:08.09\00:43:10.41
"And then, " Jesus says, "shall
appear the sign of the Son of
00:43:11.66\00:43:16.80
Man in the heavens.
Everyone... the whole world
00:43:16.90\00:43:20.87
will see Me coming in heaven
with power and great glory. "
00:43:21.07\00:43:25.20
Folks, that is it.
That's the end of human history.
00:43:26.26\00:43:29.56
Immediately after the Dark Ages
00:43:29.86\00:43:32.93
we today - right
now, at this very moment -
00:43:33.13\00:43:35.67
are living between
verse 29 and verse 30
00:43:35.87\00:43:39.24
of Matthew 24.
00:43:39.54\00:43:40.57
Listen, those were
the last big signs:
00:43:41.66\00:43:44.81
the Dark Day, the moon turned to
blood, the falling of the stars.
00:43:45.11\00:43:49.99
To this very moment
it's been exactly 180 years
00:43:50.53\00:43:53.59
since that last big sign.
00:43:53.90\00:43:55.54
I want to tell you, friend,
that the second coming of Jesus
00:43:56.04\00:43:58.46
is long overdue.
00:43:58.66\00:44:01.25
That's why He's
coming when you least expect:
00:44:01.56\00:44:04.94
because there are
no more big signs.
00:44:05.44\00:44:08.68
Oh yes, prophecy tosses
in hundreds of others more.
00:44:09.18\00:44:11.81
We could talk about them, but I
want to tell you this afternoon
00:44:11.91\00:44:14.38
He's overdue... He's waiting.
00:44:14.58\00:44:17.33
Could He be waiting for you?
00:44:18.33\00:44:20.56
Waiting for you
to make up your mind?
00:44:21.55\00:44:23.80
Well, friend, He
won't wait forever.
00:44:24.04\00:44:26.19
He promised the
disciples, He promised us,
00:44:26.59\00:44:30.43
that His coming would
be right after 1833 AD
00:44:30.73\00:44:34.19
when the stars fell.
00:44:34.39\00:44:35.70
And He IS coming...
never doubt that for a moment.
00:44:35.90\00:44:37.88
All the signs that He
forecasted have come true.
00:44:38.38\00:44:41.26
I don't know if you noticed
this week The Weather Channel
00:44:42.29\00:44:44.88
has just said we are
now in hurricane season.
00:44:44.98\00:44:48.14
Some of you might remember
this. On September 21...
00:44:50.21\00:44:53.48
now remember the
date... September 21, 1938,
00:44:53.58\00:44:56.91
a monstrous hurricane
of enormous proportions
00:44:58.08\00:45:02.05
struck the East Coast. The
famous author William Manchester
00:45:02.25\00:45:06.25
writing in his book
The Glory and The Dream
00:45:06.46\00:45:09.25
he says, and I'm
going to be quoting here:
00:45:09.65\00:45:11.85
"The great wall of
brine struck the beach between
00:45:13.07\00:45:17.68
Babylon and
Patchogue, New York, at 2:30 PM.
00:45:17.78\00:45:21.14
So mighty was the power
of that first storm wave
00:45:21.64\00:45:24.68
that its impact registered on
a seismograph in Sitka, Alaska,
00:45:24.88\00:45:28.92
while the spray
carried northward at well over
00:45:29.32\00:45:32.32
100 miles an hour whitened
windows in Montpelier, Vermont.
00:45:32.42\00:45:35.92
As the torrential 40-foot wave
approached, some Long Islanders
00:45:36.63\00:45:41.04
jumped into their
cars and raced inland.
00:45:41.14\00:45:43.37
No one knows precisely how many
lost that race for their lives,
00:45:43.67\00:45:47.65
but the survivors later
estimated they had to keep
00:45:47.85\00:45:51.33
the speedometer well over fifty
miles per hour all of the way. "
00:45:51.43\00:45:54.66
Now for some reason, meteor-
ologists who should have known,
00:45:56.03\00:46:00.21
they should have
warned the public.
00:46:00.51\00:46:03.18
They seemed strangely
blind to the impending disaster.
00:46:03.58\00:46:07.34
I mean, either they
ignored their instruments
00:46:07.84\00:46:10.05
or they simply couldn't
believe what they indicated.
00:46:10.35\00:46:13.04
And of course, if the
forecasters were blind
00:46:13.54\00:46:16.07
the public was too.
00:46:16.27\00:46:18.15
I'm reading
again from Manchester:
00:46:18.55\00:46:20.71
"Among the striking stories
which later came to light
00:46:21.01\00:46:23.88
was the
experience of a Long Islander
00:46:24.28\00:46:26.81
who had bought a
barometer a few days earlier
00:46:26.84\00:46:30.63
in a New York store. It
arrived in the morning post
00:46:30.83\00:46:33.96
September 21. At his annoyance
00:46:34.16\00:46:37.93
the needle pointed below 29
00:46:38.13\00:46:40.80
where the dial read
hurricanes, tornadoes.
00:46:41.10\00:46:44.06
He shook it, banged
it against the wall.
00:46:44.46\00:46:47.02
The needle wouldn't budge.
00:46:47.32\00:46:48.53
Indignant, he repacked
it, drove to the post office,
00:46:48.83\00:46:52.34
and mailed it back. While he
was gone his house blew away! "
00:46:52.54\00:46:57.16
I'm saying this
with tears in my throat:
00:47:04.49\00:47:06.88
that's the way it is with us.
00:47:07.08\00:47:09.34
If we can't cope
with the forecast,
00:47:09.64\00:47:12.23
we blame the
barometer or we ignore it...
00:47:12.43\00:47:17.03
for many are
throwing away the red books.
00:47:17.67\00:47:20.83
Friend, listen to me:
only once ever in human history
00:47:22.67\00:47:27.71
was a world-wide
storm warning ever issued.
00:47:28.01\00:47:31.58
God Himself told Noah: "Warn
the world of a global flood. "
00:47:32.08\00:47:36.89
Now there were no
barometers back in those days.
00:47:37.65\00:47:40.56
But human nature then
was exactly what it is now
00:47:40.96\00:47:44.12
and people laughed at Noah.
00:47:44.42\00:47:46.49
Called him a fanatic.
00:47:46.79\00:47:48.37
"He's deranged. " In fact,
Spirit of Prophecy says they
00:47:48.57\00:47:51.23
made his boat a
tourist attraction.
00:47:51.43\00:47:53.57
Here we are now at
the end of human history.
00:47:55.13\00:47:57.10
In 2015 at the final wind-up of
human history once again Jesus
00:47:57.61\00:48:03.21
issues storm warnings of
global peril more disastrous
00:48:03.41\00:48:07.98
than any natural disaster.
00:48:08.08\00:48:09.96
And at its center are
whirling 2,500 barometric
00:48:10.36\00:48:15.41
low pressure alarm systems.
00:48:15.51\00:48:17.47
Evil winds that have
been developing for centuries
00:48:17.67\00:48:20.69
measured not by a
man-made barometer
00:48:21.10\00:48:23.97
but by God's own Word.
00:48:24.18\00:48:25.59
Revelation is God's
barometer for today. Amen!
00:48:25.80\00:48:29.14
You don't have to be a
meteorologist or a scientist
00:48:29.38\00:48:31.64
or a doctor or a
theologian to read it.
00:48:31.74\00:48:34.54
My Bible tells me in
Revelation chapter 7 verse 1
00:48:34.95\00:48:38.19
God has also commissioned
four angels to hold back
00:48:38.40\00:48:42.32
the final winds of war and
strife and self-destruction
00:48:42.72\00:48:46.47
from hurtling ourselves
into World War 3 and eternal
00:48:46.67\00:48:49.46
oblivion. Angels!
00:48:49.56\00:48:52.10
Why? They're
waiting for something.
00:48:52.40\00:48:55.72
What? Something to
happen in your life and my life.
00:48:57.59\00:49:02.60
In mercy God is stalling for us.
00:49:03.10\00:49:08.84
Gives urgency to the words of
the prophet in Amos 4 verse 12
00:49:09.04\00:49:13.55
"Lonnie, prepare
to meet your God. "
00:49:13.95\00:49:16.69
How? Simple. You can do
it now this very moment.
00:49:16.99\00:49:21.42
Accept Jesus as
the master control.
00:49:22.02\00:49:24.98
Give control of your life
to His loving capable hands
00:49:25.45\00:49:28.61
because time is
running out, friends.
00:49:28.91\00:49:30.63
Just a narrow interval
now between now and eternity.
00:49:30.93\00:49:33.57
Footprints in the
sky. We can hear them,
00:49:33.77\00:49:38.04
we can see them, we
can feel them, we can
00:49:38.24\00:49:40.07
smell a storm is coming. We
must be ready to meet Him. Amen?
00:49:40.27\00:49:43.88
Amen! Dr. H.M.S. Richards
00:49:44.08\00:49:46.17
used to tell the story
of Sir Ernest Shackleton.
00:49:46.37\00:49:49.60
Great explorer of the Antarctic.
00:49:49.90\00:49:51.77
And this is way before the
days of radios or cell phones,
00:49:51.80\00:49:54.80
or airplanes and helicopters.
Just brave intrepid men
00:49:55.00\00:49:58.15
who took out to
the sea with courage.
00:49:58.35\00:50:00.01
Well, while on one of
these dangerous expeditions
00:50:00.31\00:50:02.64
to the South Pole
Shackleton had to turn back
00:50:02.75\00:50:06.21
from his men and leave some
of his men on Elephant Island
00:50:06.41\00:50:09.16
amidst the snow and ice.
00:50:09.46\00:50:11.61
They were stranded
desperately low on supplies,
00:50:11.91\00:50:13.97
in need of food. Their
only hope was if Shackleton
00:50:14.07\00:50:17.59
personally went to get
help from the nearest settlement
00:50:17.79\00:50:21.53
in the South Pacific.
Wow! Could he? Would he?
00:50:21.73\00:50:24.60
It's an incredible
thriller-chiller story.
00:50:25.00\00:50:27.22
But by heroic efforts
Shackleton and five others
00:50:27.62\00:50:30.90
reached the island of Georgia.
And then in the worst weather
00:50:31.11\00:50:34.55
possible they began
an unbelievably perilous
00:50:34.65\00:50:37.93
trip over the snowy mountains.
And he finally came to the
00:50:38.33\00:50:41.29
little settlement. And as soon
as he had obtained the necessary
00:50:41.39\00:50:44.28
supplies he secured another
ship and he turned around
00:50:44.38\00:50:47.18
and immediately
started back for his men.
00:50:47.38\00:50:49.27
Now the weather
was worse than before.
00:50:49.67\00:50:51.60
In fact, every time he
tried to reach Elephant Island
00:50:52.10\00:50:54.85
he failed. Fog would
come in; there were storms.
00:50:55.05\00:50:58.02
Ice packs would block the way
00:50:58.12\00:51:00.10
and it seemed like an Alfred
Hitchcock doomsday macabre.
00:51:00.30\00:51:04.20
Finally one day the fog lifted
00:51:04.80\00:51:07.40
and there was a narrow narrow
opening appeared through some
00:51:07.70\00:51:10.47
ice leading
straight to the island.
00:51:10.57\00:51:12.34
And Shackleton saw a chance
and he quickly ran his ship
00:51:12.54\00:51:15.84
straight through this channel.
And he got his men on board
00:51:15.94\00:51:18.31
and they came back out
just before the ice closed up
00:51:18.51\00:51:20.71
behind them... a daring
rescue within just 30 minutes.
00:51:20.81\00:51:24.16
Well, when the
excitement was over, Shackleton
00:51:25.34\00:51:27.83
asked one of his men who
had stayed on Elephant Island
00:51:28.03\00:51:30.14
"How did it happen you
were all packed and ready
00:51:30.64\00:51:33.06
for my coming? You
were standing on the shore
00:51:33.16\00:51:35.72
ready to leave at
a moment's notice. "
00:51:36.02\00:51:37.44
"Well sir, you said
you'd come back for us
00:51:38.72\00:51:41.02
so we never gave up.
00:51:41.42\00:51:43.64
We never gave up hope.
Whenever the sea became
00:51:43.84\00:51:45.66
partly free of ice we'd
roll up our sleeping bags
00:51:45.76\00:51:48.43
and we'd pack all of our
things and we'd say: 'Well maybe
00:51:48.73\00:51:50.58
Shackleton will
come back today. '
00:51:50.68\00:51:52.51
We were always
ready for your coming. "
00:51:52.81\00:51:56.17
Always ready...
any hour, any time.
00:51:56.37\00:52:01.76
Are you ready for Jesus to come?
00:52:02.27\00:52:04.50
If you are, His
coming is not a dread...
00:52:05.71\00:52:10.79
it's a comfort.
But if you're not ready
00:52:11.09\00:52:13.41
it is a dread like an
Alfred Hitchcock terror movie.
00:52:13.61\00:52:17.18
The secret is being sure
00:52:17.68\00:52:19.44
you know the One
who can get you out.
00:52:19.55\00:52:22.01
Who can deliver
you and rescue you.
00:52:22.31\00:52:23.88
The King is coming...
He's on His way! Amen!
00:52:24.08\00:52:27.94
His coming is sure.
The question is: are you?
00:52:28.17\00:52:31.64
H.M.S. Richards, Jr. -
Harold, as I knew him -
00:52:33.65\00:52:36.04
was only 61 when I joined
the Voice of Prophecy in 1991
00:52:36.15\00:52:39.21
but he was already quite frail.
00:52:39.41\00:52:41.21
But we took Del Delker
and the old Kings Heralds
00:52:41.51\00:52:43.68
down to Brazil for
their 50th anniversary of
00:52:43.78\00:52:46.22
La Voz De La Profecia.
00:52:46.33\00:52:47.91
Jeanne and I went south
with the Arautos do Rei;
00:52:48.21\00:52:51.08
Harold went north and
took the Kings Heralds...
00:52:51.28\00:52:53.40
the old Kings
Heralds that you remember:
00:52:53.60\00:52:55.35
John Thurber, Bob Edwards,
00:52:55.75\00:52:58.74
Jerry Dill, Wayne Hooper.
00:52:59.04\00:53:01.61
They plunged into the
Amazon jungles where Harold
00:53:01.91\00:53:04.12
contracted typhoid fever twice.
00:53:04.22\00:53:06.42
He landed in a hospital
twice; almost died both times.
00:53:06.92\00:53:09.73
And we eventually got him
back at my side, and he preached
00:53:09.83\00:53:12.56
in crowded soccer stadiums
in Salvador and Rio de Janeiro
00:53:12.66\00:53:15.48
with 65,000
people in attendance.
00:53:15.59\00:53:18.16
But Harold never got well.
00:53:18.56\00:53:20.26
When we finally got him
back to Glendale, California,
00:53:20.56\00:53:22.68
he succumbed to a litany
of near-fatal health problems.
00:53:22.88\00:53:25.57
He had a leaky heart
valve; he had shingles;
00:53:25.87\00:53:27.86
half of his body was paralyzed.
00:53:27.96\00:53:29.40
He was in absolute
terrible excruciating pain.
00:53:29.60\00:53:32.40
Then Parkinson's came
in and kidney failure...
00:53:32.80\00:53:35.55
and amyloid deposits
and protein on the kidneys
00:53:35.75\00:53:37.68
and even cancer. And
finally complications
00:53:37.78\00:53:40.28
just too great to overcome came
and he died of heart failure
00:53:40.38\00:53:43.69
April 11, 2000. He
was only 70 years old.
00:53:43.99\00:53:47.16
But Harold had huge
hands and a huge heart
00:53:47.66\00:53:49.86
and he had a huge love of
preaching and giving altar calls
00:53:50.06\00:53:52.88
and a passion for Jesus. He
spent more time in the hospital
00:53:52.98\00:53:56.08
now than he did in
our broadcast studios.
00:53:56.28\00:53:58.08
The final two years
he was just too weak
00:53:58.11\00:54:00.84
to get to the office
and yet he had a dream.
00:54:02.04\00:54:03.99
And he said:
"Lonnie, I want to preach. "
00:54:04.19\00:54:05.57
Then things began to shut down.
00:54:05.87\00:54:07.76
But a serendipitous moment came.
00:54:08.85\00:54:11.41
Happened at the Glendale
Adventist Medical Center
00:54:11.71\00:54:13.75
for an anointing service
that I had with Tony Anobile,
00:54:13.95\00:54:17.25
his pastor at that
time, and Jeanne and I.
00:54:17.45\00:54:19.31
We went in, and when we finished
Harold motioned for me to come
00:54:19.41\00:54:21.85
over. He could not
speak with his vocal cords...
00:54:21.95\00:54:23.62
were half paralyzed.
"Lon, come over here.
00:54:23.72\00:54:26.85
I want to tell you
something: you're God's man. "
00:54:26.95\00:54:29.72
He was breathing very heavy
but he spoke with determination.
00:54:30.85\00:54:34.06
"I personally pray for
you. I chose you, Lon. "
00:54:34.36\00:54:37.67
We were both weeping now
and I sensed that this might
00:54:38.17\00:54:41.85
be Harold's final statement.
00:54:41.95\00:54:43.63
But his eye was steady
and his eyes riveted on me.
00:54:43.83\00:54:46.11
"Lon, if God raises me
up I want to preach again.
00:54:46.31\00:54:48.49
Even got a sermon. You
want to know the title? "
00:54:48.70\00:54:51.80
"Yeah, Harold, what is it? "
00:54:52.04\00:54:53.88
"He's On His Way. "
00:54:55.28\00:54:57.08
Not that He might be coming or
prophecy says He's coming soon.
00:54:57.59\00:55:00.46
"He's On His Way. "
00:55:00.66\00:55:02.09
Now Harold was well read.
He knew about the headlines
00:55:02.49\00:55:04.48
and he was an expert
in astronomy and physics.
00:55:04.68\00:55:06.43
And the L.A. headlines
of the Times had just stated
00:55:06.93\00:55:09.72
that on May 5, 2000, a
half a dozen planets were
00:55:09.92\00:55:13.98
lining up in conjunction. And
he said: "Astronomers can tell
00:55:14.09\00:55:16.53
that something is
going to be big out there
00:55:16.63\00:55:18.58
of cosmic import. " And
then he began his little sermon.
00:55:18.78\00:55:20.93
And he gave me a few sentences.
00:55:21.23\00:55:22.74
"Far out in space, light
years behind the great nebula
00:55:23.04\00:55:26.28
and the Pleiades
there's a great stirring
00:55:26.39\00:55:28.28
and a rush of excitement
beyond human description.
00:55:28.59\00:55:31.62
You can hear
the chariots rumble.
00:55:31.93\00:55:33.69
The thunder's rolling its
kettle drums and the lightning
00:55:33.99\00:55:36.39
is shaking its
fiery white lances.
00:55:36.49\00:55:38.60
Trumpets sound! He's on His way!
00:55:38.90\00:55:41.87
Down past unnumbered universes,
00:55:42.18\00:55:44.20
down through the
corridor of Orion,
00:55:44.51\00:55:45.89
down down to a blue
planet hanging out there
00:55:46.09\00:55:48.86
in space. Do you see it?
That lonely one out there?
00:55:49.07\00:55:51.68
One that spat upon
Him, crucified Him.
00:55:51.88\00:55:54.55
The one He couldn't
forget. He's on His way! "
00:55:54.85\00:55:58.32
And Harold laid back with a
twinkle and he heaved a sigh
00:55:58.84\00:56:01.63
and he said: "What
do you think, Lon? "
00:56:01.73\00:56:03.03
Said: "Harold, I think
it's your finest hour. "
00:56:03.13\00:56:05.88
Said: "I'm feeling sleepy now. "
00:56:06.18\00:56:08.70
I leaned in and I
prayed: "Dear God, please
00:56:08.90\00:56:10.39
hold Your servant close. "
00:56:10.59\00:56:12.28
Then Jeanne and I slipped
out of the E.R. room and went
00:56:12.48\00:56:14.38
into the hallway.
We wept like babies.
00:56:14.53\00:56:17.39
Said the prophet: "At
eventide it shall be light. "
00:56:17.89\00:56:22.77
'Cause there's always
light and joy and life in the
00:56:22.97\00:56:25.72
dwellings of God's saints. Amen?
00:56:25.82\00:56:27.48
No matter how black or stormy.
And Harold Richards believed
00:56:27.88\00:56:31.24
in the soon return of Jesus.
Filled him with zest and love
00:56:31.35\00:56:34.37
to the point it defined
him. He was passionate about
00:56:34.57\00:56:36.84
the second coming of Jesus.
00:56:36.95\00:56:38.00
The Jesus, who more than
anything else, wishes He were
00:56:38.20\00:56:40.79
your friend, too. So
for 70 years an evening star
00:56:40.89\00:56:45.43
pushed back the dark world
of night with light and joy
00:56:45.63\00:56:48.53
and radiance. And you know,
evening stars aren't always
00:56:48.63\00:56:51.06
with us, but we
love it when they are.
00:56:51.16\00:56:52.90
For now, this
evening star has set.
00:56:53.30\00:56:56.00
But soon he will rise with
the Bright and Morning Star,
00:56:56.40\00:56:59.16
this time never to set.
00:56:59.37\00:57:00.86
This time to shine for eternity
because He's on His way.
00:57:01.16\00:57:06.16
Amen!
00:57:06.46\00:57:08.04
Heavenly Father,
Lord, the secret of escape
00:57:08.24\00:57:09.90
from this casket of our world
isn't Hollywood-style macabre.
00:57:10.10\00:57:13.19
It's being sure we know the One
who can get us out of the grave.
00:57:13.39\00:57:16.39
Help us get ready
by getting to know you
00:57:16.69\00:57:19.23
one to one. Now we know
even more calamitous events
00:57:19.73\00:57:23.30
are going to come: the plagues
and the great earthquakes
00:57:23.40\00:57:25.27
where islands will
disappear and fires and floods
00:57:25.37\00:57:27.59
and our coastal cities.
Ellen White says they'll go
00:57:27.79\00:57:29.96
under water, but
we need not fear.
00:57:30.06\00:57:31.76
These are exciting times,
they're frightening times,
00:57:31.96\00:57:34.83
thrilling times. All of us know
something is about to happen.
00:57:35.03\00:57:38.62