Let's bow our heads for prayer.
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Our loving Heavenly Father,
we thank You once again for the
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privilege of being here today.
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How wonderful it is to
have Your Holy Word in a world
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that is so confused that
it doesn't know where to turn.
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Thank You for giving us
the certainty that we find
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in Your Holy Word.
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We ask, Father, that as we open
the pages of Your Holy book,
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that Your Holy Spirit will
be with us here, through the
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ministration of Your
angels, that we might be able to
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comprehend the great things
that you have in store for us
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from Your Holy Word.
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We thank You Lord for all
of those who have come to study
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Your Word, and we as
that You will bless those
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who are on their way.
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And we thank You
for hearing our prayer,
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for we ask it in
Jesus' name, Amen.
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This evening as we begin, I
would like to review what we
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studied in our last lecture,
because it's foundational
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for what we're going to
deal within our topic today.
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If you remember, we
found that God married
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Israel at mount Sinai.
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And He wanted Israel to be
His only; to obey His laws,
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and to remain absolutely
pure and uncontaminated from
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the surrounding nations.
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But we found in our study that
very early in Israel's history,
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she apostatized from God.
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And Ezekiel 16, as well as
chapter 23, tells us that Israel
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became a harlot, because
she embraced the teachings
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and practices of
the surrounding nations.
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The Bible calls these practices
the abominations of the nations.
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In other words, Israel
assimilated the abominations of
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the nations, and in
this way she became a harlot.
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She abandoned the
husband of her youth.
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As we studied, she also
fornicated with the kings
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of the earth, with the
kings of different nations,
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forming political alliances.
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And instead of depending on
God as her source of strength,
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she started depending on these
alliances with other kings.
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We also noticed in our study
that Israel covered herself,
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or decked herself, with
silver and with gold to attract
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attention to herself.
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And as a result God
spoke, in no uncertain terms,
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to His unfaithful wife in
Ezekiel 16:32, by saying these
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words: You are an adulterous
wife who takes strangers
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instead of her husband.
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You see, she was
playing the harlot.
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She was an adulteress wife, if
you please, because she had the
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kings of the nations as lovers
instead of the Lord her God.
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In Ezekiel 16:30 God
speaks even more graphically.
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He says, How degenerate is
your heart, says the Lord God,
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seeing you do all these things,
the deeds of a brazen harlot?
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That word brazen, in the
Hebrew, means to exercise
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autocratic control.
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It means to get one's
way, or to be domineering.
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In other words, Israel became
a domineering harlot wanting her
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own way, and wanting to
exercise control and dominion.
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We noticed in our study last
time that Israel had daughters;
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daughter harlots who
shared her point of view,
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and also assimilated
the pagan practices of the
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surrounding nations.
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And we studied that
Israel shed innocent blood.
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The blood of those
who opposed her agenda
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were slaughtered
and slain by Israel.
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And therefore God told Israel,
You are going to drink the cup
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of My wrath to the very dregs,
and destruction is going to come
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from the four corners of
the earth, and you will fall,
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and you will be destroyed.
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In fact God said, The very kings
that you have fornicated with;
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the kings that you have
assimilated all of these
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abominable practices
from, they are going to rise,
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and they are going to
slay you, and they're going
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to leave you naked.
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But we noticed in our study
that even in the midst of the
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apostasy, God had
a faithful remnant.
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And God placed His seal upon
this faithful remnant who sighed
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and cried because of the
abominations that were being
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committed among His people.
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And when the destruction of
Jerusalem came by Nebuchadnezzar
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we find that this faithful
remnant that was sealed on their
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foreheads, according to
Ezekiel 9, was spared from the
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destruction when the
adulterous wife was destroyed.
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God's faithful people, who
sighed and cried because of the
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abominations that
God's own people were
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committing, they were spared.
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Now it's not like God had not
warned Israel about the dangers
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that she was going to face when
she entered the promised land.
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In Leviticus 18:26-30, we
find God's warning to Israel.
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Notice what it says there.
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You shall therefore keep
My statutes and My judgments,
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and shall not commit
any of these abominations;
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either any of your own nation,
or any stranger who dwells
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among you: (For all these
abominations the men of the land
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have done, who were before you,
and thus the land is defiled;)
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lest the land vomit you
out also when you defile it,
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as it vomited out the
nations that were before you.
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You know, you get the imagery
that even the land was nauseated
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by the
abominations that were being
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committed by these nations.
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Verse 29. For whoever commits
any of these abominations,
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the persons who commit
them shall be cut off from
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among their people.
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Therefore, you shall keep My
ordinance, so that you do not
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commit any of these abominable
customs, which were committed
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before you, and that you do
not defile yourselves by them;
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I am the Lord your God.
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Time and again in this passage
God warns Israel not to partake
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in the abominations
of the nations of Canaan
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where they were going to enter.
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Notice 2 Chronicles
36:14, and this is only a
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sampling of texts.
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All throughout the Pentateuch,
or the five books of Moses,
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the first five books of Moses,
we find God warning Israel
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about not becoming defiled with
the practices and doctrines,
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which are called the
abominations of the nations.
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2 Chronicles 36:14, Moreover all
the leaders of the priests...
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Notice, it started
with the priesthood.
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...all the leaders of
the priests, and the people
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transgressed more and
more, according to all
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the abominations of the nations,
and defiled the house of the
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Lord which He had
consecrated in Jerusalem.
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In other words, time and
again God says that Israel,
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in spite of the fact that He
had warned them not to become
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defiled with the
abominations of the nations,
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they became defiled with the
practices, with the teachings
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of these pagan nations.
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Now as we noticed in our study
last time, the Christian church
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has repeated the
history of ancient Israel.
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The apostle Paul, as we
noticed in our last lecture,
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said that he had betrothed the
Corinthians, or the church to
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Christ as a virgin.
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In other words, the
church in its original state,
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as we find in the book
of Acts, was a pure church.
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It was the
bride of Jesus Christ.
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But very early in her
history, we noticed last night,
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that the apostasy
entered the Christian church.
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The man of sin sat in the temple
of God, showing himself to be
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God, and, of course, the
temple of God is the church.
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Very early in the history of
the early church, we're talking
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about even towards the
end of the first century,
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the church began assimilating
the beliefs, practices,
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and customs of the pagan nations
that they came in contact with,
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and thus the church of Jesus
Christ, the bride of Jesus,
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whom Paul had betrothed to Jesus
Christ, who was supposed to be
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a chaste virgin to
Jesus, now became Babylon.
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In other words, the church
repeated the history of God's
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Old Testament people.
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Even, as I mentioned, at the
latter part of the first century
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she allowed the
practices of the pagan nations,
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Rome and other nations,
to encroach upon herself,
00:10:06.53\00:10:11.14
and thus she lost her
simplicity and her purity.
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And in the book of Revelation
17, we find a description
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of that church that had
apostatized from Jesus Christ.
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In fact, you know, it's
interesting, I'm going to share
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with you some details
that we studied last time,
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but before I share these
details, I'd just like to say
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that a few years ago I
was speaking in Argentina,
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and I presented the
topic that I gave last night;
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a little bit different
slant, but I presented it;
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all of the
characteristics of the apostate
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church in Revelation 17.
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But at the end of the
presentation I never mentioned
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who these
characteristics applied to.
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Well, the next morning, you
know, I had interviews with the
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students in the morning,
and I preached in the evening.
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So the next morning a
student came to the office
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and wanted an interview with me.
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I said, Sure, come on in.
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She looked at me in the
eye, and she said, Pastor Bohr,
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I want you to know that
you offended me last night.
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I said, Really, I'm
really sorry I offended you.
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What do you
mean, I offended you?
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She says, Well, you
spoke badly about my church.
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And I said, Really?
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I don't remember
mentioning any church last
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night in my sermon.
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I didn't mention any church.
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I just gave a
series of characteristics.
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She says, Well, but you could
tell by the characteristics
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what church you
were talking about.
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I said, Well, if you could
tell by the characteristics what
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church I was talking
about, then you should take it
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to heart, because I
didn't even need to identify
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the church to you.
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Now let's take a look at
those characteristics again.
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The Bible is graphic
and clear about the identity
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of the harlot, or Babylon.
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First of all, I want you to
notice that in Scripture a woman
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represents the church.
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A pure woman represents the
pure church of Jesus Christ.
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A harlot woman
represents a fallen church.
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And I want you to notice in
Revelation 17:1 that it speaks
00:12:06.99\00:12:11.99
about a harlot, which
is an apostate church.
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It says there in Revelation 17:1
00:12:16.20\00:12:18.50
And, by the way, her name is
Babylon, according to verse 5.
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Now, you know, I look in
Scripture, I looked in the
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Concordance of
Scripture, and I discovered
00:12:37.62\00:12:39.35
something very interesting.
00:12:39.39\00:12:40.72
In the Old Testament Babylon
is never called a harlot.
00:12:40.76\00:12:45.83
In the Old Testament, almost in
every single case that the word
00:12:45.86\00:12:50.67
harlot is used, it
is applied to Israel.
00:12:50.70\00:12:53.57
In other words, it's
applied to God's people.
00:12:53.60\00:12:56.47
In other words, in Revelation
17, we're talking about the
00:12:56.50\00:13:00.38
Christian church
that has become Babylon.
00:13:00.41\00:13:03.35
Now I want you to notice several
other interesting details
00:13:03.38\00:13:06.82
about this church.
00:13:06.85\00:13:08.38
First of all,
it's called a harlot.
00:13:08.42\00:13:10.39
In other words, it is a church,
but it's an apostate church.
00:13:10.42\00:13:13.66
Secondly, this is a church
that has worldwide extent,
00:13:13.69\00:13:17.96
global extent. You
say, How do we know that?
00:13:17.99\00:13:20.70
Notice Revelation 17:1 again.
00:13:20.73\00:13:23.43
Then one of the seven
angels, who had the seven bowls,
00:13:23.47\00:13:26.23
came and talked with me saying
to me, Come, I will show you
00:13:26.27\00:13:30.71
he judgment of the great
harlot who sits on many waters.
00:13:30.74\00:13:34.28
Now what do the waters
that she sits on represent?
00:13:34.31\00:13:37.71
Well, let's go to verse
15, of chapter 17. It says:
00:13:37.75\00:13:42.05
Are those the same
groups that the first angel's
00:13:51.09\00:13:53.60
message goes to? Absolutely!
00:13:53.63\00:13:56.36
So what is the purpose of
the first angel's message?
00:13:56.40\00:13:59.30
It's to warn people about
Babylon, and to call people to
00:13:59.33\00:14:03.00
come out of Babylon, because
the message goes to the same
00:14:03.04\00:14:06.81
groups of people that
Babylon controls and dominates.
00:14:06.84\00:14:10.41
Are you with me on this point?
00:14:10.45\00:14:12.05
Now I want you to notice
something else that identifies
00:14:12.08\00:14:14.58
this church,
this apostate church.
00:14:14.62\00:14:16.89
Revelation 17:2 tells us:
00:14:16.92\00:14:20.32
Is that true of
Israel also? Absolutely.
00:14:24.59\00:14:27.20
We'll come back to that later.
00:14:34.27\00:14:35.60
Let me ask you, Is this church
involved with the political
00:14:35.64\00:14:39.57
powers of the world, with
the civil powers of the world?
00:14:39.61\00:14:42.78
Yes, it's not only a church, but
it's a church that is involved
00:14:42.81\00:14:47.22
in the state, or is
involved with the kings,
00:14:47.25\00:14:50.09
or rulers of the earth.
00:14:50.12\00:14:51.89
In other words, it's
a church that's involved
00:14:51.92\00:14:54.06
in political matters.
00:14:54.09\00:14:55.42
I want you to notice that this
harlot, this apostate church,
00:14:55.46\00:14:59.79
also has daughters, just
like Israel had daughters
00:14:59.83\00:15:02.93
that shared her spirit.
00:15:02.96\00:15:04.30
Notice Revelation
17:5, Revelation 17:5.
00:15:04.33\00:15:08.80
And on her forehead...
00:15:08.84\00:15:10.37
This is of the harlot.
00:15:10.41\00:15:11.77
Now if she is the mother of
harlots, must she have daughters
00:15:22.95\00:15:27.69
who are also
harlots? Absolutely!
00:15:27.72\00:15:30.56
At some point in her
history, she had daughters.
00:15:30.59\00:15:34.20
After she had existed for awhile
she had daughters that share
00:15:34.23\00:15:37.90
many of the practices,
and teachings that she
00:15:37.93\00:15:41.40
embraced, or that she has.
00:15:41.44\00:15:43.71
In other words, it's a
system that has daughters.
00:15:43.74\00:15:46.68
Notice also the colors that
this apostate church majors in.
00:15:46.71\00:15:53.52
What are the predominant colors
that are used by this religious
00:16:03.09\00:16:07.00
organization?
purple and scarlet.
00:16:07.03\00:16:10.07
I want you to notice
that she doesn't use blue.
00:16:10.10\00:16:11.43
You'll never find
blue in this system.
00:16:12.87\00:16:16.40
And you say, Why
don't you find blue?
00:16:16.44\00:16:18.74
Let's go to Numbers
15:38-41, Numbers 15:38-41.
00:16:18.77\00:16:27.65
I'm going to tell you now
why this system majors in purple
00:16:27.68\00:16:30.69
and scarlet, but
does not use blue.
00:16:30.72\00:16:34.46
It says in Numbers 15:38, Again
the Lord spoke to Moses saying,
00:16:34.49\00:16:41.00
Speak to the children of Israel.
00:16:41.03\00:16:43.26
Tell them to make tassels on
the corners of their garments
00:16:43.30\00:16:47.47
throughout their generations,
and to put a what? a blue thread
00:16:47.50\00:16:54.54
in the tassels of the corners.
00:16:54.58\00:16:56.95
Now why a blue thread?
00:16:56.98\00:16:58.31
Let's continue reading.
00:16:58.35\00:16:59.68
And you shall have the tassel
that you may look upon it,
00:16:59.71\00:17:06.09
and remember
all the commandments
00:17:06.12\00:17:09.12
of the Lord and do them.
00:17:09.16\00:17:10.76
What is the purpose of the blue?
to remember all of the what?
00:17:10.79\00:17:13.86
all of the commandments.
00:17:13.90\00:17:15.40
Would the harlot do that?
00:17:15.43\00:17:16.77
She can't wear blue.
00:17:16.80\00:17:18.20
And so it says, And you shall
have the tassel that you may
00:17:18.23\00:17:20.94
look upon it, and
remember all the commandments
00:17:20.97\00:17:23.37
of the Lord, and do them.
00:17:23.41\00:17:25.51
And notice: and that you
may not follow the harlotry...
00:17:25.54\00:17:30.15
What saves us
from harlotry? blue.
00:17:30.18\00:17:32.88
Notice, it says:... and that
you may not follow the harlotry
00:17:32.91\00:17:36.45
to which your own heart,
and your own eyes are inclined,
00:17:36.48\00:17:40.39
and that you may remember
and do all My commandments...
00:17:40.42\00:17:44.06
We're coming back to this
a little later in our series.
00:17:44.09\00:17:46.86
...and be holy, for your God.
00:17:46.90\00:17:49.46
I am the Lord your God who
brought you out of the land
00:17:49.50\00:17:52.83
of Egypt to be your God.
00:17:52.87\00:17:54.64
I am the Lord your God.
00:17:54.67\00:17:57.97
In other words, He's
saying, I am your husband,
00:17:58.01\00:18:00.01
and you are My wife.
00:18:00.04\00:18:01.51
You shall not be a harlot.
00:18:01.54\00:18:03.28
In order to
remember not to be a harlot,
00:18:03.31\00:18:05.21
and to keep My commandments,
you're going to wear this
00:18:05.25\00:18:07.95
blue thread; blue!
00:18:07.98\00:18:10.15
With this religious system
you'll never find the color blue
00:18:10.19\00:18:13.86
used, which is
very, very interesting.
00:18:13.89\00:18:16.19
Now you'll notice also that this
is a very rich apostate church
00:18:16.22\00:18:20.26
that majors in silver and gold.
00:18:20.30\00:18:22.73
Notice Revelation
17:4, Revelation 17:4.
00:18:22.76\00:18:28.64
I want you to notice
also that this church has a
00:18:46.49\00:18:49.82
history stained in blood.
00:18:49.86\00:18:51.19
In other words, it's a
church that has persecuted God's
00:18:51.23\00:18:54.26
faithful people,
and has shed their blood
00:18:54.30\00:18:56.30
throughout her history.
00:18:56.33\00:18:57.67
Notice Revelation
17:6, Revelation 17:6.
00:18:57.70\00:19:03.00
This is the harlot.
00:19:04.64\00:19:05.97
In other words,
she's a murderess.
00:19:15.15\00:19:17.45
She kills those who
don't agree with her.
00:19:17.49\00:19:21.32
Now I want you to notice also
that Revelation 17 says that
00:19:21.36\00:19:24.99
someday the kings of the
earth are going to hate her,
00:19:25.03\00:19:28.86
and they're going to make her
naked, just like happened with
00:19:28.90\00:19:32.13
Israel in the Old Testament.
00:19:32.17\00:19:33.64
Notice Revelation
17:16. Revelation 17:16.
00:19:33.67\00:19:39.24
And the ten horns
which you saw on the beast,
00:19:39.27\00:19:42.34
these will hate the harlot,
make her desolate and what?
00:19:42.38\00:19:49.15
and naked, eat her
flesh, and burn her with fire.
00:19:49.18\00:19:54.39
Is there a very clear parallel
between God's Old Testament
00:19:54.42\00:19:58.76
Israel and the
Christian church? Absolutely.
00:19:58.79\00:20:02.10
Both started out well, but both
apostatized and became a harlot.
00:20:02.13\00:20:08.70
And, therefore, God said that
He was going to destroy both.
00:20:08.74\00:20:13.44
But the particular issue that
I want to deal with today has to
00:20:13.48\00:20:18.18
do with the cup that
this harlot has in her hand.
00:20:18.21\00:20:21.95
I've left this till this moment
because it's the central focus
00:20:21.98\00:20:26.22
of the rest of
our study together.
00:20:26.25\00:20:28.49
Notice Revelation 17:4.
00:20:28.52\00:20:33.16
The woman was arrayed in purple
and scarlet, and adorned with
00:20:33.19\00:20:37.57
gold and precious
stones and pearls,
00:20:37.60\00:20:40.84
What does she have in
her hand? a golden cup.
00:20:45.17\00:20:49.54
Now let me ask you,
What's in the cup? wine.
00:20:49.58\00:20:53.52
You know, I want to share with
you an interesting pilgrimage
00:20:53.55\00:20:58.35
that I had a few years ago.
00:20:58.39\00:20:59.72
You know, I wanted to
know what wine represented
00:20:59.75\00:21:02.26
here in Revelation 17, because
we're dealing with symbols.
00:21:02.29\00:21:04.63
The woman is not a
literal woman, it's a system.
00:21:04.66\00:21:07.00
The waters are symbolic.
00:21:07.03\00:21:08.86
You know, the gold and silver
and precious stones are symbolic
00:21:08.90\00:21:12.03
of the riches that
this worldwide system has.
00:21:12.07\00:21:14.17
So we're dealing with symbols.
00:21:14.20\00:21:15.54
So I said, The wine
has to represent something,
00:21:15.57\00:21:17.07
so I went to a Bible Concordance
and I looked up every
00:21:17.11\00:21:20.28
reference to wine.
00:21:20.31\00:21:21.64
And almost without exception
I found that the references
00:21:21.68\00:21:26.58
to wine deal with literal wine.
00:21:26.61\00:21:28.38
It didn't help me
very much, you know,
00:21:28.42\00:21:30.49
to look up the word wine.
00:21:30.52\00:21:32.19
It would give you the impression
that wine simply represents
00:21:32.22\00:21:35.89
Ernest and Julio Gallo.
00:21:35.92\00:21:38.03
Ha Ha, you know,
that type of wine.
00:21:38.06\00:21:40.06
But then I went
back to Revelation 17.
00:21:40.10\00:21:44.37
I said, There has to be
some way to determine what
00:21:44.40\00:21:47.77
the wine represents.
00:21:47.80\00:21:49.14
I look up all these references
to wine in a Concordance,
00:21:49.17\00:21:51.91
and it's dealing
with literal wine.
00:21:51.94\00:21:54.34
And then I read
Revelation 17:4 carefully.
00:21:54.38\00:21:57.85
I said, Oh, now I
know what I need to do.
00:21:57.88\00:22:00.55
Notice once again verse 4.
00:22:00.58\00:22:03.08
The woman was arrayed in purple
and scarlet, and adorned with
00:22:03.12\00:22:07.56
gold and precious stones
and pearls, having in her hand a
00:22:07.59\00:22:12.23
golden cup... And we know that
the cup contains wine, right?
00:22:12.26\00:22:14.80
Having in her
hand a golden cup...
00:22:14.83\00:22:17.03
But the wine is
called something.
00:22:17.07\00:22:18.67
What is it called? a
golden cup full of abominations.
00:22:18.70\00:22:24.11
In other words, her wine
are her what? her abominations.
00:22:24.14\00:22:28.88
Because the cup has wine,
but the wine is identified
00:22:28.91\00:22:33.25
as her what?
abominations, and the filthiness
00:22:33.28\00:22:36.58
of her fornication.
00:22:36.62\00:22:37.95
Then I said, Well, I need to
look up the word abominations.
00:22:37.99\00:22:40.26
And when I looked up the word
abominations a whole scenario
00:22:40.29\00:22:45.09
opened up to view,
which I'm going to share with
00:22:45.13\00:22:47.33
you in a few moments.
00:22:47.36\00:22:48.70
Now let me ask you, What does
the harlot do with this wine,
00:22:48.73\00:22:52.07
according to Revelation 17?
00:22:52.10\00:22:53.67
She's got it in
the cup, you know.
00:22:53.70\00:22:55.34
She's got her wine, or
her abominations, in the cup.
00:22:55.37\00:22:58.74
What does she do with the wine?
00:22:58.77\00:23:00.18
Does she just drink it herself?
00:23:00.21\00:23:02.28
No, she's not the
only one intoxicated.
00:23:02.31\00:23:05.71
She uses it to intoxicate
the inhabitants of the earth.
00:23:05.75\00:23:09.38
Notice Revelation
17:2, Revelation 17:2.
00:23:09.42\00:23:14.12
Let me ask you, Are the
inhabitants of the earth made
00:23:24.73\00:23:27.14
drunk with her abominations?
00:23:27.17\00:23:28.67
Yes, because the
wine are her abominations.
00:23:28.70\00:23:32.04
Is that point
clear in your mind?
00:23:32.07\00:23:33.58
It's the abominations,
or the wine of Babylon,
00:23:33.61\00:23:35.94
that makes people drunk.
00:23:35.98\00:23:37.55
Let me ask you something, How
many of you have ever tried to
00:23:37.58\00:23:40.48
give a Bible study to a drunk?
00:23:40.52\00:23:41.85
It's impossible! I mean
because their mind is affected,
00:23:41.88\00:23:47.36
There's no way that they
can grasp or understand truth,
00:23:47.39\00:23:49.82
because they're intoxicated.
00:23:49.86\00:23:51.19
And so this religious
system has given her wine,
00:23:51.23\00:23:55.30
or her abominations to the
nations, and the nations have
00:23:55.33\00:23:58.80
drunk these abominations,
they've drunk this wine,
00:23:58.83\00:24:02.94
and as a result truth
doesn't appeal to them.
00:24:02.97\00:24:05.91
It doesn't make sense to them.
00:24:05.94\00:24:07.38
In fact, notice Jeremiah 51:7,
where there's a similar idea:
00:24:07.41\00:24:13.21
Jeremiah 51:7.
00:24:13.25\00:24:16.05
This is not God's wine.
00:24:30.20\00:24:31.77
This is whose
wine? Babylon's wine.
00:24:31.80\00:24:34.54
Do you know what the
word deranged there means?
00:24:39.64\00:24:42.14
It means the nations
are out of their minds.
00:24:42.18\00:24:45.98
They cannot think
straight, is what it's saying.
00:24:46.01\00:24:50.29
In other words, the abominations
of this system lead people to be
00:24:50.32\00:24:55.62
mentally unbalanced,
intoxicated in a way that they
00:24:55.66\00:24:59.53
cannot grasp truth.
00:24:59.56\00:25:00.90
They simply cannot
understand the truth.
00:25:00.93\00:25:03.57
It's like a drunkard.
00:25:03.60\00:25:04.93
Now let me ask you,
Why did Babylon fall?
00:25:04.97\00:25:08.60
Well, let's review
the first angel's message,
00:25:08.64\00:25:12.01
which comes before
the fall of Babylon.
00:25:12.04\00:25:14.38
The first angel's message
teaches, and listen carefully,
00:25:14.41\00:25:17.51
the first angel's
message teaches that Jesus was
00:25:17.55\00:25:20.85
sacrificed once for all.
00:25:20.88\00:25:22.95
That's the gospel.
00:25:22.98\00:25:24.52
Jesus doesn't have to
die over and over again,
00:25:24.55\00:25:27.56
because the book of Hebrews
said when He died, when He was
00:25:27.59\00:25:30.43
sacrificed, He was
sacrificed what? once for all.
00:25:30.46\00:25:34.23
We discovered also in the
everlasting gospel that Jesus
00:25:34.26\00:25:38.63
is our only and
sufficient high priest.
00:25:38.67\00:25:41.34
In other words, He is the only
one who represents us before
00:25:41.37\00:25:44.97
God, because He's
God, and He is man.
00:25:45.01\00:25:47.68
In order for an individual
to bridge heaven and earth,
00:25:47.71\00:25:50.65
He would have to be
God to link us with God,
00:25:50.68\00:25:53.58
and He would have to be
man to link us with man.
00:25:53.62\00:25:55.88
A mere man cannot be an
intercessor, cannot represent
00:25:55.92\00:26:00.32
us before God because
a man is is only a man.
00:26:00.36\00:26:03.39
In order to have an
intercessor, both sides of the
00:26:03.43\00:26:06.86
ladder have to be
there: divinity and humanity.
00:26:06.90\00:26:10.43
We also noticed in the first
angel's message that we're saved
00:26:10.47\00:26:14.00
by Christ's righteousness alone.
00:26:14.04\00:26:15.37
We studied this in our
second lecture of the series.
00:26:16.20\00:26:18.57
And that we are not
justified by our works.
00:26:18.61\00:26:21.31
We can never be
saved by pilgrimages.
00:26:21.34\00:26:23.78
We can never be
saved by doing penance.
00:26:23.81\00:26:25.75
We can never be
saved by what we do.
00:26:25.78\00:26:28.02
We're saved by the
grace of Jesus Christ.
00:26:28.05\00:26:30.95
We noticed in the first angel's
message that we need to reflect
00:26:30.99\00:26:33.96
God's character to the
world; God's character of love,
00:26:33.99\00:26:36.93
and mercy, and
goodness, and righteousness.
00:26:36.96\00:26:40.16
We noticed in the first angel's
message that we need to take
00:26:40.20\00:26:43.10
care of our
bodies, and of our minds.
00:26:43.13\00:26:45.47
We noticed in the first angel's
message that God wants us
00:26:45.50\00:26:48.57
to keep His Holy Law.
00:26:48.60\00:26:49.94
In fact He says, Fear
Me, which is linked with
00:26:49.97\00:26:52.54
keeping God's commandments.
00:26:52.57\00:26:53.91
We noticed in the first angel's
message that we are now living
00:26:53.94\00:26:57.15
in the hour of God's judgment.
00:26:57.18\00:26:58.91
We also noticed that the
first angel's message calls us
00:26:58.95\00:27:02.05
to worship the Creator,
and keep His Holy Sabbath.
00:27:02.08\00:27:04.85
We also noticed that in the
first angel's message the dead
00:27:04.89\00:27:08.79
are dead, until
they receive their reward
00:27:08.82\00:27:10.83
at the resurrection.
00:27:10.86\00:27:12.19
In other words, the
first angel's message teaches
00:27:12.23\00:27:14.56
a series of truths.
00:27:14.60\00:27:15.93
Do you know why
Babylon is fallen?
00:27:15.96\00:27:17.47
Because Babylon
rejected all of those truths.
00:27:17.50\00:27:20.50
You see, the wine of
Babylon is the opposite of the
00:27:20.54\00:27:24.81
of the first angel's message.
00:27:24.84\00:27:26.17
If Babylon had accepted
the first angel's message,
00:27:26.21\00:27:29.41
she would have the truth of God.
00:27:29.44\00:27:31.25
She would have had
unfermented wine, if you please.
00:27:31.28\00:27:34.78
Because the blood
of Jesus was pure.
00:27:34.82\00:27:37.32
It had no fermentation.
00:27:37.35\00:27:39.15
But Babylon
gives fermented wine.
00:27:39.19\00:27:41.86
It's corrupted wine.
00:27:41.89\00:27:43.29
It's abominable wine.
00:27:43.32\00:27:44.86
But because Babylon rejected
the first angel's message,
00:27:44.89\00:27:48.86
she has intoxicated wine,
and she gives it to the nations.
00:27:48.90\00:27:52.73
And that's the
reason why she failed.
00:27:52.77\00:27:54.84
Notice Revelation
14:8, Revelation 14:8.
00:27:54.87\00:27:59.51
And then it explains why.
00:28:07.18\00:28:08.98
She failed because she
gives the nations what? wine;
00:28:18.43\00:28:22.50
her false teachings,
we're going to notice.
00:28:22.53\00:28:24.63
By the way, towards the end of
time God is going to give even
00:28:24.67\00:28:30.14
a more pointed
warning to the world.
00:28:30.17\00:28:32.31
Notice Revelation 18:2, 3.
00:28:32.34\00:28:35.34
And I don't have time to get
into all of the details about
00:28:35.38\00:28:38.25
this, but if you look at the
context, where this passage is,
00:28:38.28\00:28:41.65
Revelation 18:2, 3, you're going
to find that it's right in the
00:28:41.68\00:28:45.15
middle of the passage that deals
with the seven last plagues.
00:28:45.19\00:28:48.99
It's a warning of God to
His people to get out of Babylon
00:28:49.02\00:28:53.33
before Babylon
receives the plagues.
00:28:53.36\00:28:55.43
So it's dealing
with the end time.
00:28:55.46\00:28:57.43
Notice Revelation 18:2, 3.
00:28:57.47\00:28:59.63
A mighty angel descends
from heaven, and it says:
00:28:59.67\00:29:02.37
Notice the reason why she
fell, and the reason why she's
00:29:18.45\00:29:20.59
filled with demons is:
00:29:20.62\00:29:22.02
You see, Babylon, by drinking
the wine that she acquired from
00:29:34.64\00:29:40.41
the nations, she got
drunk and then she shares her
00:29:40.44\00:29:44.61
intoxicating wine with
the world, so that they get
00:29:44.65\00:29:48.18
drunk along with her.
00:29:48.22\00:29:50.29
Because she rejected the
message of the first angel,
00:29:50.32\00:29:54.02
she rejects the Sabbath,
she rejects the law of God,
00:29:54.06\00:29:57.33
or she seeks to
change the law of God.
00:29:57.36\00:29:59.13
She says it doesn't matter
what you eat, or what you drink.
00:29:59.16\00:30:02.00
She delves into the occult.
00:30:02.03\00:30:04.07
She believes that the dead
really aren't dead, etc. etc.
00:30:04.10\00:30:08.20
Now let's look more
carefully at what this wine is.
00:30:08.24\00:30:12.01
Remember, the wine
is equal to her what?
00:30:12.04\00:30:15.14
to her abominations, biblically.
00:30:15.18\00:30:18.18
Now let's notice the meaning
of the word abominations.
00:30:18.21\00:30:21.18
The first thing that the Bible
calls an abomination is making
00:30:21.22\00:30:26.02
idols and worshipping them.
00:30:26.05\00:30:27.72
Notice Deuteronomy 7:25, 26.
00:30:27.76\00:30:32.56
And remember this system.
00:30:32.59\00:30:34.00
I know that you know what
system we're talking about.
00:30:34.03\00:30:36.13
I haven't
identified this system yet.
00:30:36.16\00:30:38.67
I'm going to do it at the end.
00:30:38.70\00:30:40.04
But I want you to
notice what the abominations
00:30:40.07\00:30:43.77
are; what the wine is.
00:30:43.81\00:30:45.71
Deuteronomy 7:25, 26. God says:
00:30:45.74\00:30:49.81
That is of the nations.
00:30:53.25\00:30:54.58
That is idols.
00:31:09.26\00:31:10.60
Let me ask you, Does God really
resent the worship of idols?
00:31:21.11\00:31:25.08
inclining yourself
before idols? Absolutely!
00:31:25.11\00:31:28.78
How could He be clearer?
00:31:28.82\00:31:30.15
He utterly detests it.
00:31:30.19\00:31:32.05
He utterly abhors it, and
He calls it a cursed thing.
00:31:32.09\00:31:35.86
Notice Deuteronomy 27:14,
15, Deuteronomy 27:14, 15.
00:31:35.89\00:31:42.26
And the Levites shall speak with
a loud voice, and say to all the
00:31:42.30\00:31:46.53
men of Israel, Cursed.
00:31:46.57\00:31:48.70
The Levites, by the
way, were the religious
00:31:48.74\00:31:50.17
teachers in Israel.
00:31:50.21\00:31:51.54
Cursed is the one who
makes a carved or molded image,
00:31:51.57\00:31:56.04
an abomination to the Lord,
the work of the hands of the
00:31:56.08\00:31:59.75
craftsman, and
sets it up in secret.
00:31:59.78\00:32:02.65
And all the people shall
answer and say what? Amen.
00:32:02.68\00:32:06.86
By the way, does the
second commandment of God's law
00:32:06.89\00:32:10.23
forbid the worship of
idols, and the making of idols?
00:32:10.26\00:32:14.50
The Bible is
absolutely, abundantly clear,
00:32:14.53\00:32:17.27
and I want you to remember
this, because when we talk about
00:32:17.30\00:32:20.24
the identity of the beast, in
our tenth lecture we're going to
00:32:20.27\00:32:23.81
deal with this
specific issue. Exodus 20:4-6.
00:32:23.84\00:32:27.74
You shall not make for
yourself what? a carved image.
00:32:31.71\00:32:36.22
Does God forbid making idols,
and bowing before those idols?
00:33:05.71\00:33:10.62
The fourth commandment
explicitly forbids it.
00:33:10.65\00:33:14.22
But do you know there's another
abomination that God calls so
00:33:14.26\00:33:17.69
in the Old Testament?
00:33:17.73\00:33:19.06
Notice what we find
in Deuteronomy 18:9-12,
00:33:19.09\00:33:23.20
Deuteronomy 18:9-12.
00:33:23.23\00:33:25.93
God is warning Israel about
something they should not do
00:33:25.97\00:33:28.40
when they entered
the land of Canaan.
00:33:28.44\00:33:30.04
What abominations?
00:33:40.02\00:33:41.98
Let's continue reading.
00:33:42.02\00:33:43.35
We'll come back to
that a little bit later.
00:33:48.79\00:33:50.26
Let me ask you, What is the
underlying doctrine behind all
00:34:13.31\00:34:15.92
of these practices?
00:34:15.95\00:34:17.29
It's the idea that the
dead are not really what?
00:34:17.32\00:34:20.52
are not really dead.
00:34:20.56\00:34:22.36
It's the immortality of the
soul that stands behind this.
00:34:22.39\00:34:26.76
And any church that tells you
that you can pray for the dead,
00:34:26.80\00:34:30.40
or you can pray to the dead,
you need to be very careful
00:34:30.43\00:34:33.20
about that church,
because that is forbidden.
00:34:33.23\00:34:36.24
It's called an abomination
in the Holy Word of God.
00:34:36.27\00:34:38.87
Notice verse 12.
00:34:38.91\00:34:40.41
Do you know what
another abomination is?
00:34:50.35\00:34:53.19
Saying that you don't
have to keep God's law
00:34:53.22\00:34:56.62
is an abomination.
00:34:56.66\00:34:58.09
You say, Where does
the Bible say such a thing?
00:34:58.13\00:35:01.43
Proverbs 28:9,
Proverbs 28:9 says:
00:35:01.46\00:35:08.07
So when you turn your ear
away from the law; you say,
00:35:17.11\00:35:19.61
We don't have to keep the law.
00:35:19.65\00:35:20.98
The law was nailed to the cross.
00:35:21.02\00:35:22.35
We're not under
law but under grace.
00:35:22.38\00:35:23.92
God doesn't expect obedience
from us, as a fruit of our
00:35:23.95\00:35:27.36
justification, or as
a fruit of His grace.
00:35:27.39\00:35:29.59
You need to be very careful,
because we're told in this verse
00:35:29.62\00:35:33.43
that the prayer of an individual
who turns away his ear from
00:35:33.46\00:35:37.30
the law is an abomination
in the sight of the Lord.
00:35:37.33\00:35:40.44
Now I want you to
notice also Proverbs 15:8, 9
00:35:40.47\00:35:44.81
relating to this same point.
00:35:44.84\00:35:47.48
The sacrifice of the wicked
is an abomination to the Lord.
00:35:47.51\00:35:51.31
What is wickedness?
00:35:51.35\00:35:52.68
Wickedness is disobeying
God's what? God's law.
00:35:53.35\00:35:57.15
The sacrifice of the wicked
is an abomination to the Lord.
00:35:57.19\00:36:01.39
So can you sacrifice and
still be abominable to the Lord?
00:36:01.42\00:36:04.53
Sure you can, if you're
disobedient, if you're wicked.
00:36:04.56\00:36:08.33
But the prayer of the
upright is His delight.
00:36:08.36\00:36:12.57
The way of the wicked is
an abomination to the Lord:
00:36:12.60\00:36:16.97
but He loves him who
follows what? righteousness.
00:36:17.01\00:36:20.98
But do you know, not only those
who turn away their ear from
00:36:21.01\00:36:25.58
hearing the law...
Is that an abomination?
00:36:25.61\00:36:28.02
But another thing that's an
abomination is thinking that you
00:36:28.05\00:36:30.89
can be saved by your good
works: by going on pilgrimages,
00:36:30.92\00:36:35.12
by paying penance, or doing
other things, thinking that you
00:36:35.16\00:36:40.73
can earn your salvation,
like the Pharisees thought.
00:36:40.76\00:36:43.63
Notice what Jesus had to
say in Luke 16:15, Luke 16:15.
00:36:43.67\00:36:49.10
Which is the idea that you
can be justified by your works.
00:36:59.48\00:37:02.05
Thinking that you don't
have to listen to the law
00:37:08.72\00:37:10.86
is an abomination, and thinking
that you can be saved by keeping
00:37:10.89\00:37:14.20
the law is also an abomination.
00:37:14.23\00:37:16.60
So we need to look out for
churches who say, Well, you
00:37:16.63\00:37:21.97
know, we don't have to worry
about the law as Christians.
00:37:22.00\00:37:24.14
Jesus kept it, you
know, we're under grace,
00:37:24.17\00:37:26.04
and we turn away our
ear from hearing the law.
00:37:26.07\00:37:28.31
We also have to fear for
churches that say that you have
00:37:28.34\00:37:31.15
to fulfill a whole bunch of
requirements in order for God
00:37:31.18\00:37:34.52
to accept you, in
order for you to be saved.
00:37:34.55\00:37:36.48
In other words, people who
say they can be saved by their
00:37:36.52\00:37:40.89
works, that's an abomination.
00:37:40.92\00:37:42.32
People who say they
can be saved in their sins,
00:37:42.36\00:37:44.29
that is also an abomination.
00:37:44.33\00:37:46.59
Do you know what
else is an abomination?
00:37:46.63\00:37:48.46
fornication or adultery.
00:37:48.50\00:37:50.93
Let me ask you, Does the
harlot practice fornication?
00:37:50.97\00:37:55.44
She most certainly does.
00:37:55.47\00:37:57.17
Is that an abomination
in the sight of the Lord?
00:37:57.21\00:37:59.34
to fornicate with the kings of
the earth? for the church to be
00:37:59.37\00:38:02.01
involved with the political
powers of the world? Absolutely.
00:38:02.04\00:38:05.68
Notice Jeremiah 13:26,
27, Jeremiah 13:26, 27.
00:38:05.71\00:38:11.15
Once again the idea of harlotry,
the idea of fornication,
00:38:35.51\00:38:40.48
is spoken of as an
abomination in the sight of God,
00:38:40.52\00:38:44.22
and the harlot, of
course, fornicates with the
00:38:44.25\00:38:46.52
kings of the earth.
00:38:46.55\00:38:47.89
Do you know what
else is an abomination
00:38:47.92\00:38:50.33
according to
Scripture? thinking that you can
00:38:50.36\00:38:52.89
eat anything and everything.
00:38:52.93\00:38:54.56
God gave certain prescriptions
about certain kinds of foods
00:38:57.27\00:39:00.70
that can be eaten, and
others that cannot be eaten.
00:39:00.74\00:39:03.17
Notice Deuteronomy
14:3, Deuteronomy 14:3.
00:39:03.20\00:39:09.38
This chapter contains the list
of the types of flesh that can
00:39:09.41\00:39:13.45
be eaten or cannot be eaten.
00:39:13.48\00:39:15.18
And notice how
the chapter begins.
00:39:15.22\00:39:17.72
Now that word detestable
is the identical word that is
00:39:22.82\00:39:25.73
translated repeatedly in the
Old Testament, abominable thing.
00:39:25.76\00:39:30.57
And then it gives the list
of the clean animals that can be
00:39:30.60\00:39:34.67
eaten, and the unclean
animals that could not be eaten.
00:39:34.70\00:39:37.87
So if you find a church that
says, You can eat anything and
00:39:37.91\00:39:40.78
everything; it doesn't
make any difference whatsoever.
00:39:40.81\00:39:43.35
The Bible calls
that an abomination.
00:39:43.38\00:39:46.35
Another thing that the
Bible calls an abomination;
00:39:46.38\00:39:49.75
part of the wine of Babylon,
is burning your children
00:39:49.78\00:39:53.56
to the god Molech.
00:39:53.59\00:39:55.39
And you say, Well, I don't know
of any church that allows for
00:39:55.42\00:39:58.13
the burning of their children.
00:39:58.16\00:39:59.49
Praise the Lord for that!
00:39:59.53\00:40:00.86
But I want you to notice that
what is important here is the
00:40:00.90\00:40:03.40
principle behind it.
00:40:03.43\00:40:04.77
Let's read the text, and
then I'll tell you what the
00:40:04.80\00:40:06.53
principle behind it is.
00:40:06.57\00:40:07.97
Jeremiah 32:35. And
they built the high places...
00:40:08.00\00:40:12.77
Speaking about Israel.
00:40:12.81\00:40:14.14
Do you know what the
principle is behind this?
00:40:33.80\00:40:35.96
Do you know why Israel,
and the ancient nations, burned
00:40:36.00\00:40:40.60
their children to God?
00:40:40.64\00:40:41.97
Because they believed
that God was a wrathful God.
00:40:42.00\00:40:45.77
God is a God who is angry,
and in order to appease Him,
00:40:45.81\00:40:53.01
you had to burn your
children to the god Moloch.
00:40:53.05\00:40:57.89
So any church that gives
the image that God is a vengeful
00:40:57.92\00:41:01.42
God, that God is waiting
to throw you into hell if you
00:41:01.46\00:41:05.29
misbehave, in principle is doing
the same thing as what Israel
00:41:05.33\00:41:11.23
did in the Old Testament,
even if we don't burn our
00:41:11.27\00:41:13.84
children to any God.
00:41:13.87\00:41:15.30
Another thing which
the Bible calls abomination
00:41:15.34\00:41:18.71
is the shedding
of innocent blood.
00:41:18.74\00:41:20.71
Does the harlot shed innocent
blood of those who don't agree
00:41:20.74\00:41:25.08
with her? Absolutely.
00:41:25.11\00:41:26.65
Ezekiel 22:2. Moreover the word
of the Lord came to me saying:
00:41:26.68\00:41:31.99
And Proverbs 17:15 says,
He who justifies the wicked,
00:41:41.86\00:41:46.90
and he who condemns the just...
00:41:46.94\00:41:49.84
So any church that in its
history has condemned the just,
00:41:49.87\00:41:53.38
and justified the
wicked, what is this?
00:41:53.41\00:41:55.74
...both of them are alike what?
an abomination to the Lord.
00:41:55.78\00:42:01.68
Another thing
that the Bible calls an
00:42:01.72\00:42:04.29
abomination is homosexuality.
00:42:04.32\00:42:06.42
And I know that it's
not politically correct
00:42:06.45\00:42:09.06
to deal with this,
but the Bible says it.
00:42:09.09\00:42:12.09
Leviticus 18:22 says, You
shall not lie with a male,
00:42:12.13\00:42:17.60
as with a woman:
it is an abomination.
00:42:17.63\00:42:21.77
Now I'd like to talk about
the greatest abomination of all
00:42:21.80\00:42:27.71
that is spoken of
in the Old Testament.
00:42:27.74\00:42:29.18
The greatest abomination
that the Bible describes,
00:42:29.21\00:42:34.72
the greatest description of
the wine, the fermented wine,
00:42:34.75\00:42:40.79
is worshipping the sun.
00:42:40.82\00:42:44.99
Notice Ezekiel
8, Ezekiel 8:16, 17.
00:42:45.03\00:42:51.93
As I mentioned in our last
lecture, God shows Ezekiel an
00:42:51.97\00:42:56.17
abomination, and Ezekiel says,
Wow, that's pretty bad, Lord.
00:42:56.20\00:42:59.27
And God says, You
haven't seen anything yet.
00:42:59.31\00:43:01.64
I want to show you a
worse abomination than that one.
00:43:01.68\00:43:03.58
He says, Really? So God shows
him an abomination that's worse.
00:43:03.61\00:43:06.61
By the way, one of those
abominations is worshipping
00:43:06.65\00:43:09.38
the sun god, and the
moon god, or the moon goddess.
00:43:09.42\00:43:13.29
Interesting. We'll come
back to that a little bit
00:43:13.32\00:43:15.76
later on in our series.
00:43:15.79\00:43:17.26
So God shows them
another abomination.
00:43:17.29\00:43:20.00
He says, Wow, this
has got to be the worst!
00:43:20.03\00:43:23.06
God says, No, no, no, there's
one that's worse than that.
00:43:23.10\00:43:25.43
And finally you get to
the worst abomination of all.
00:43:25.47\00:43:28.44
Notice what it says
in Ezekiel 8:16, 17.
00:43:28.47\00:43:31.74
These are the leaders, by
the way, the religious leaders.
00:43:43.15\00:43:45.25
Notice that sun
worship is called abomination.
00:44:02.64\00:44:05.07
In other words, they
flaunt themselves and say,
00:44:16.12\00:44:18.79
God, what are You going
to do about it? sun worship.
00:44:18.82\00:44:23.99
Let me ask you, is it just
perhaps true that at the end
00:44:24.03\00:44:27.20
of time this harlot church
is going to impose something
00:44:27.23\00:44:31.00
having to do with sun worship?
00:44:31.03\00:44:34.00
You say, Well, I don't know
any church in the world that
00:44:34.04\00:44:37.07
practices sun worship.
00:44:37.11\00:44:38.44
Well, I know some pagan
religions in the world that
00:44:38.47\00:44:42.81
practice sun worship, but, you
know, any Christian church that
00:44:42.84\00:44:45.88
openly says you
need to worship the sun?
00:44:45.91\00:44:47.95
I don't know any, but, you see,
at the end of time what happened
00:44:47.98\00:44:52.32
literally in the Old Testament,
has a symbolic meaning
00:44:52.35\00:44:56.12
at the end of time.
00:44:56.16\00:44:57.49
Is it just perhaps true
that what's going to happen
00:44:57.53\00:44:59.96
at the end of time is not
that people are going to worship
00:45:00.00\00:45:02.30
the sun, but they're going
to worship on the day of the sun
00:45:02.33\00:45:05.80
that came into the
Christian church, by the way,
00:45:05.83\00:45:09.20
from the sun worshipping Romans.
00:45:09.24\00:45:11.64
It can be proved historically.
00:45:11.67\00:45:13.38
And I'm going to show you
a quotation from John Paul II
00:45:13.41\00:45:16.75
where he says that
the church Christianized
00:45:16.78\00:45:19.61
the day of the sun; as if
you can do something like that.
00:45:19.65\00:45:23.52
You say, Well, Pastor, it's not
the same thing to worship the
00:45:23.55\00:45:26.62
sun as it is to
worship on the day of the sun,
00:45:26.65\00:45:29.02
or what people call Sunday.
00:45:29.06\00:45:31.09
Let me tell you that it is
the same thing in principle.
00:45:31.13\00:45:33.33
You say, How's that?
00:45:33.36\00:45:34.70
Let me ask you, Who
created the sun? God did.
00:45:34.73\00:45:39.20
Did He create the
sun for worship? No.
00:45:39.23\00:45:42.44
It's a secular object, right?
00:45:42.47\00:45:44.01
It's to give us light.
00:45:44.04\00:45:45.44
So He did not
create the sun for worship.
00:45:45.47\00:45:48.38
So what happens if
you convert the sun into
00:45:48.41\00:45:51.81
an object of worship?
00:45:51.85\00:45:53.18
What is that called? idolatry.
00:45:53.21\00:45:55.18
Now let me ask you, Who created
the first day of the week?
00:45:55.22\00:45:58.15
God did. Did He
create it for worship?
00:45:58.19\00:46:00.86
No, it's one of the
working days, folks.
00:46:00.89\00:46:03.22
Did He create the first
day of week for worship? No.
00:46:03.26\00:46:07.10
So what happens if you convert
it into a holy day of worship?
00:46:07.13\00:46:10.03
It is still idolatry.
00:46:10.07\00:46:12.23
It doesn't matter if it's
an object or if it's a day.
00:46:12.27\00:46:15.94
Anything that man makes for
worship, that God did not make
00:46:15.97\00:46:19.14
for worship, is idolatry.
00:46:19.17\00:46:21.34
Are you
understanding what I'm saying?
00:46:21.38\00:46:23.31
Now as we studied last
time, God is going to have a
00:46:23.35\00:46:28.08
people who are faithful to Him;
that are going to sigh and cry
00:46:28.12\00:46:32.72
because of these abominations;
this specific one that we've
00:46:32.75\00:46:35.82
talked about last.
00:46:35.86\00:46:37.86
Notice Ezekiel 9, Ezekiel 9:1.
00:46:37.89\00:46:42.53
And this is immediately after He
describes the group of leaders
00:46:44.57\00:46:47.70
that were worshipping
the sun in the temple of God.
00:46:47.74\00:46:49.90
By the way, these
are the followers of God
00:46:49.94\00:46:52.54
that are doing this.
00:46:52.57\00:46:53.91
It's not the pagans.
00:46:53.94\00:46:55.28
Immediately after that it
speaks about a group who are
00:46:55.31\00:46:57.45
going to get a
seal on their forehead.
00:46:57.48\00:46:59.05
They are
opposite. Notice verse 1.
00:46:59.08\00:47:02.48
I don't have time to prove
this, but it's Jesus Christ,
00:47:20.80\00:47:23.07
who is clothed...
00:47:23.10\00:47:24.44
In other words,
something to seal with.
00:47:26.94\00:47:29.34
Which city? Jerusalem!
00:47:46.76\00:47:50.73
Is this a
sealing of God's people,
00:47:50.77\00:47:53.44
or is it a
sealing of the pagans?
00:47:53.47\00:47:55.14
This is happening
among God's people.
00:47:55.17\00:47:57.54
They're worshipping the sun,
but there's a group that don't,
00:47:57.57\00:48:01.01
and they need to receive a seal.
00:48:01.04\00:48:02.74
Go through the midst of the
city, through the midst of the
00:48:02.78\00:48:04.11
city, through the
midst of Jerusalem,
00:48:04.15\00:48:06.11
Let me ask you, Was there
a group that sighed and cried
00:48:14.66\00:48:18.56
about the abominations,
and did not participate
00:48:18.59\00:48:21.36
in those abominations, who
refused to worship the sun god?
00:48:21.40\00:48:24.57
Absolutely! And what did
they receive? the mark where?
00:48:24.60\00:48:29.57
on their foreheads.
00:48:29.60\00:48:30.94
Is there a mark on the
forehead in Revelation?
00:48:30.97\00:48:32.41
Is it just possible
that it has something to
00:48:32.44\00:48:36.24
do with sun worship?
00:48:36.28\00:48:37.61
We'll come back
to that. Verse 5.
00:48:37.65\00:48:40.55
Are those who have the
mark protected? Yes, they are.
00:48:58.27\00:49:01.40
Where the religious
leaders were, incidentally.
00:49:05.41\00:49:07.98
And some people say, Pastor
Bohr, are you saying that those
00:49:15.35\00:49:18.25
who receive the seal,
when Nebuchadnezzar came
00:49:18.29\00:49:20.16
and destroyed the
city, they were spared?
00:49:20.19\00:49:21.92
And those individuals who were
committing the abmoninations,
00:49:21.96\00:49:25.09
those were destroyed?
00:49:25.13\00:49:26.90
That's exactly what I'm
saying, because this is the Old
00:49:26.93\00:49:29.53
Testament scenario.
00:49:29.56\00:49:30.90
And so you're saying, Pastor
Bohr, you're saying that those
00:49:30.93\00:49:32.67
who worship the sun, those
were destroyed, whereas those
00:49:32.70\00:49:36.54
who kept God's Holy
Sabbath were spared?
00:49:36.57\00:49:38.81
Are you saying that Jerusalem
was destroyed because they
00:49:38.84\00:49:41.54
didn't keep the Sabbath?
00:49:41.58\00:49:42.91
Let's let the Bible tell us.
00:49:44.25\00:49:45.58
Go with me to
Jeremiah 17:27, Jeremiah 17:27.
00:49:45.61\00:49:51.95
It's very, very clear.
00:49:51.99\00:49:53.56
God tells us why He
destroyed the city of Jerusalem,
00:49:53.59\00:49:56.73
through Nebuchadnezzar.
00:49:56.76\00:49:58.09
And He already told us in
Ezekiel 9 that those who had the
00:49:58.13\00:50:01.83
seal in their foreheads would
not be destroyed, because they
00:50:01.86\00:50:04.03
were not
practicing the abominations.
00:50:04.07\00:50:05.70
They were not
worshipping the sun.
00:50:05.73\00:50:07.67
Notice Jeremiah 17:27. God says:
00:50:07.70\00:50:11.34
That is to sanctify.
00:50:14.38\00:50:16.04
What does God
say He's going to do?
00:50:23.02\00:50:25.75
Was Jerusalem destroyed
because she was trampling
00:50:36.53\00:50:39.57
upon God's Holy
Sabbath? Absolutely!
00:50:39.60\00:50:42.50
This text needs to be
studied along with the
00:50:42.54\00:50:45.34
passage in Ezekiel.
00:50:45.37\00:50:46.71
Now I want to read you
a statement from one of my
00:50:46.74\00:50:49.68
favorite books
on Bible prophecy.
00:50:49.71\00:50:51.18
Probably my favorite book.
00:50:51.21\00:50:52.55
It's called, The
Great Controversy.
00:50:52.58\00:50:54.45
See, we've gone through
all of the Biblical material.
00:50:54.48\00:50:56.69
Now let me read a
comment from somebody who wrote
00:50:56.72\00:50:58.89
about what the wine is.
00:50:58.92\00:51:00.29
Notice what the author says,
The Great Controversy, pg. 389.
00:51:00.32\00:51:05.49
Listen to this.
00:51:27.22\00:51:28.55
And then she says this.
00:51:51.54\00:51:53.88
Powerful statement!
00:52:00.05\00:52:02.32
Very much in
harmony with Scripture.
00:52:02.35\00:52:04.89
You see, the wine represents
the counterfeit, or apostate
00:52:04.92\00:52:09.52
teachings of an
apostate Christendom.
00:52:09.59\00:52:12.73
It represents pagan practices
that have come into the church.
00:52:12.76\00:52:18.47
It represents doctrines
that are contrary to Scripture.
00:52:18.50\00:52:22.64
And, unfortunately, we live in
a world today, in a post-modern
00:52:22.67\00:52:25.81
world where truth doesn't
matter very much anymore.
00:52:25.84\00:52:29.04
People say,
Let's just get along.
00:52:29.08\00:52:31.88
You know, Let's
just love one another.
00:52:31.91\00:52:34.52
Let's not debate and
talk about truth or doctrine.
00:52:34.55\00:52:38.15
It doesn't make any difference.
00:52:38.19\00:52:39.52
God says that it makes a
difference, because He contrasts
00:52:39.55\00:52:42.76
the wine with the truth
of the first angel's message.
00:52:42.79\00:52:46.16
In fact, do you know, folks,
that the great trial at the end
00:52:46.19\00:52:49.76
of time is going to be whether
you accept the truth of God,
00:52:49.80\00:52:53.34
or whether you accept the
counterfeit and the miracles
00:52:53.37\00:52:57.01
that are
performed by the antichrist.
00:52:57.04\00:52:58.81
Notice 2 Thessalonians
2:9-12, 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12.
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It speaks about the
coming of the antichrist.
00:53:06.18\00:53:08.15
We'll deal with this
later in this series.
00:53:08.18\00:53:10.05
The coming of the lawless one is
according to the working of...
00:53:10.09\00:53:13.42
Notice that the antichrist
is going to do marvelous works;
00:53:18.93\00:53:21.26
miracles that we can't deny.
00:53:21.30\00:53:22.93
Why do they perish?
00:53:27.90\00:53:29.47
Why are those who follow the
antichrist, who accept miracles
00:53:29.50\00:53:34.08
going to perish? Notice:
00:53:34.11\00:53:36.21
It's not that God is doing
it, it's that God is allowing it
00:53:52.89\00:53:55.93
to happen because
people choose it that way.
00:53:55.96\00:53:58.57
In the Bible God is spoken of
as causing that which He allows.
00:53:58.60\00:54:02.90
And so it says in verse 11,
And for this reason God will
00:54:02.94\00:54:06.54
send them strong delusion that
they should believe a lie...
00:54:06.57\00:54:10.11
Does truth matter, my
dear folks? truth matters,
00:54:18.05\00:54:22.22
doctrine matters,
our practices matter.
00:54:22.26\00:54:26.16
Jesus said, Sanctify
them through thy truth;
00:54:26.19\00:54:30.13
Thy word is truth.
00:54:30.17\00:54:32.83
This book has objective truth.
00:54:32.87\00:54:36.17
And anyone who teaches contrary
to the objective truth of this
00:54:36.20\00:54:41.61
book is to be feared,
according to Scripture.
00:54:41.64\00:54:44.28
Because what they're
doing is sharing wine;
00:54:44.31\00:54:46.92
the wine of Babylon.
00:54:46.95\00:54:49.08
This is the reason why God
calls His people out of Babylon.
00:54:49.12\00:54:52.82
See, God doesn't want people
in the world to drink the wine,
00:54:52.85\00:54:55.76
because they're going to
get the plagues of Babylon.
00:54:55.82\00:54:58.63
God doesn't want the
plagues to fall upon the wicked.
00:54:58.66\00:55:01.43
They're going to
fall upon Babylon.
00:55:01.46\00:55:02.80
So before the plagues fall,
God says, Get out of there!
00:55:02.83\00:55:05.93
Do you think that's a message
of love? Of course it is.
00:55:05.97\00:55:09.04
Notice Revelation 18:1-5.
00:55:09.07\00:55:11.27
Babylon is an apostate
Christianity, as we've studied.
00:55:30.89\00:55:34.13
And let me close by saying
that this religious system,
00:55:59.39\00:56:02.42
represented by the harlot,
has introduced all sorts of
00:56:02.46\00:56:05.53
practices, and doctrines,
that are contrary to Scripture.
00:56:05.56\00:56:08.60
Let me just
mention some of them:
00:56:08.63\00:56:10.07
Sunday as a day of
worship, infant baptism, Lent,
00:56:10.10\00:56:15.57
venerating the saints, lighting
candles, burning incense,
00:56:15.60\00:56:19.91
bowing down before
idols, using special vestments,
00:56:19.94\00:56:24.35
Easter, doing the sign of the
cross, praying for and to the
00:56:24.38\00:56:28.28
dead, auricular confession, the
rosary, the sign of the cross,
00:56:28.32\00:56:32.19
celibacy, purgatory,
convents, pilgrimages,
00:56:32.22\00:56:36.16
penance, the mass, altars.
00:56:36.19\00:56:38.16
All of these things are
things that are not found
00:56:38.19\00:56:40.43
anywhere in Scripture.
00:56:40.46\00:56:41.80
And yet these are things that
are spoken of by this system
00:56:43.77\00:56:46.30
as saying, things
that we need to do.
00:56:46.33\00:56:48.47
And in many cases,
things that we need to do
00:56:48.50\00:56:51.54
in order to be saved.
00:56:51.57\00:56:52.91
I think you know what
system I'm talking about.
00:56:52.94\00:56:56.28
And I'll tell you,
folks, in succeeding messages
00:56:56.34\00:56:59.61
we're going to talk about
the other divisions of Babylon,
00:56:59.65\00:57:04.29
because this church that I'm
referring to is only the main
00:57:04.32\00:57:08.89
protagonist of Babylon.
00:57:08.92\00:57:10.26
There are two other
powers: the false prophet,
00:57:10.29\00:57:13.16
and the dragon. And we're
going to talk about those powers
00:57:13.19\00:57:16.06
in future lectures.
00:57:16.10\00:57:17.43
May God bless us and help us
to assimilate the truth of God,
00:57:17.47\00:57:20.64
and not the wine of Babylon.
00:57:20.67\00:57:22.54