Let's pray. Our Beloved Heavenly
Father, what a joy it is to be
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in Your presence once again.
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As we speak today about
keeping the commandments of God
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we ask for the
guidance of Your Holy Spirit.
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We realize that there are many
in this world, people who claim
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the name of Jesus even, who
believe that it's not necessary
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to keep the ten
commandments, or that they were
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nailed to the cross.
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I ask, Lord, that You
will help us understand this
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very important subject, and that
we might understand that You
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will have a people
in the end time who keep
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the commandments of God.
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We thank You for hearing
our prayer, for we ask it in the
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precious name of Jesus, Amen.
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The expression, keep
the commandments of God,
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appears three times in
the book of Revelation.
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It appears in Revelation
12:17, Revelation 14:12,
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and Revelation 22:14.
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I'd like to begin by reading the
reference from Revelation 14:12,
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and then we'll read 22:14, and
then we'll take a closer look
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at Revelation 12:17.
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Revelation 14:12
comes immediately after the
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third angel's message.
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The third angel's message says,
beware of worshipping the beast,
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his image, or
receiving his mark.
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And then in the very
next verse, Revelation 14:12,
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we find these words:
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So you'll notice that those
who keep the commandments of God
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are in contrast to
those who worship the beast,
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and his image,
and receive the mark.
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Because Revelation 14:11
speaks about those who worship
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the beast, his
image, and receive the mark.
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Revelation 14:12, in contrast,
speaks about those who keep
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the commandments of God, and
have the patience of the saints.
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The second reference
that I would like to read is
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Revelation 22:14.
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There is a problem
of translation here.
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Some versions read, Blessed
are those who wash their robes.
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However, I believe,
and I can't get into all of
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the reasons right now, I believe
that the best translation
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is the one that
I'm going to read now.
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Revelation 22:14. Blessed are
those who do His commandments.
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Other versions
say, wash their robes,
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but I believe this is
the correct translation.
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It's the same expression:
keep the commandments.
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I don't know why the New King
James uses do instead of keep,
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but it's the same
identical expression.
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You'll notice here that we're
not told that there's a group of
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people who believe
in the commandments.
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It doesn't say that there's
a group of people who have the
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commandments, or who
teach the commandments,
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or who preach the commandments.
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We're told
explicitly in Revelation 14:12,
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and Revelation 22:14, that there
will be a group of people who
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keep the commandments of God.
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So I guess that if anybody
teaches you that no one can
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keep the
commandments, they're lying.
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And not only are they lying,
but they're making God a liar,
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because God says that
there will be a people who keep
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the commandments of God.
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Those are God's words.
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And if any minister gets up,
or any priest gets up and says,
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Nah, the
commandments; Jesus kept them.
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They were for the Jews.
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They were nailed to the cross.
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Nobody can keep them.
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Beware, because God says that
He will have a people who keep
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the commandments of God.
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Now the third
reference where this expression,
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keep the commandments of God,
is found is Revelation 12:17.
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I want us to take a closer
look at this specific reference.
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It says there in
Revelation 12:17,
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Who's the dragon? Revelation
12:9, earlier in the chapter,
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says that the dragon
represents Satan. So,
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What does the woman represent?
the church. That's right.
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I like better the way the King
James says, went to make war
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with the remnant of her seed.
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Now what
characteristics do they have?
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Once again, is God going
to have a people who keep
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the commandments
of God? Absolutely.
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This text is explicit.
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This text is clear.
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God will have a remnant that
keep the commandments of God.
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Is the devil going to hate these
people because they keep the
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commandments of God?
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This verse says that the
Devil hates those who keep
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the commandments of God, which
means that he must also hate
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the commandments of God.
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Now in order to understand
Satan's hatred for the
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ten commandments, we
need to go back to the origin
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of sin in the universe.
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And so we're going to pay
a visit to heaven before sin
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entered this
world, in fact before this
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world was even created.
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You see, in heaven
there was a covering cherub
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whose name was Lucifer.
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And the Bible tells us that he
was in the very presence of God.
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Notice Ezekiel
28:14, Ezekiel 28:14.
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It speaks about the
function of this being.
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It says there, You were
the anointed cherub who covers.
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Now don't forget that: the
anointed cherub who covers.
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I established you.
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You were on the
holy mountain of God.
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You walked back and forth
in the midst of fiery stones.
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The fiery stones
represent angels.
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So we have here an
anointed cherub who covers.
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Now what does that mean?
an anointed cherub who covers?
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Covers what? Well, in Exodus 25:
17-20, we have a description of
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the most holy place
of the earthly sanctuary,
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and specifically of
the ark of the covenant.
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And, by the way, the earthly
sanctuary was a shadow of
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the real sanctuary in heaven.
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So if there's an ark on
earth, with the ten commandments
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inside, there must also
be the originals in heaven.
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Notice what Exodus 25:17-20
has to say about the angels
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that were placed on
the ark of the covenant.
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God says to Moses, You shall
make a mercy seat of pure gold.
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Two and a half
cubits shall be its length,
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and a cubit and
a half it's width.
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And you shall make
two cherubim of gold.
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See there, you have the
cherubim of hammered work.
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You shall make them at the
two ends of the mercy seat.
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In other words, they were at
either end of the mercy seat.
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Make one cherub at
one end, and the other
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cherub at the other end.
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You shall make the cherubim at
the two ends of it of one piece
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with the mercy seat.
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And the cherubim, notice this,
shall what? stretch out their
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wings above, doing
what? covering the mercy
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seat with their wings.
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And they shall face one another.
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The faces of the cherubim
shall be toward the mercy seat.
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So you have
cherubim, and they cover.
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What did they cover?
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They covered the mercy
seat, which represented
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the very throne of God.
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Now do you know what was
inside the ark of the covenant,
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below that which
represented the throne of God?
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Do you know what was the
foundation of God's government?
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The foundation of any
government is its laws.
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Now I want you to notice that
after that ark had been made
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God instructed Moses to
take the ten commandments
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and place them inside the ark.
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This is the earthly sanctuary.
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But the earthly is a
shadow of the heavenly.
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Notice Deuteronomy 10:4,
and we'll also read verse 5.
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Deuteronomy 10:4, 5.
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Speaking about God,
it says, And He wrote...
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That is God wrote.
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...on the tablets
according to the first writing,
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the ten commandments,
which the Lord had spoken to you
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in the mountain from
the midst of the fire in the
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day of the assembly.
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And the Lord gave
them to me, says Moses.
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Then I turned and came
down from the mountain,
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and put the tablets
in the ark which I made.
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And there they are, just
as the Lord commanded me.
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So where was this
majestic being, Lucifer?
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He was in the
very presence of God.
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He was next to the
ark of the covenant.
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His wings
covered the mercy seat.
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And below the seat
was the holy law of God,
00:10:03.10\00:10:07.04
just like in the
earthly sanctuary.
00:10:07.07\00:10:09.57
The Bible tells us that at
some point this majestic being
00:10:09.60\00:10:14.04
shows that he would
rebel against the law of God.
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Notice Ezekiel 28:16,
and this verse you will find
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here on your
list: Ezekiel 28:16.
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We're told there,
speaking about Lucifer:
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We'll talk about
that in a few moments.
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What? That's important.
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So we find here,
according to this passage,
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that this majestic being sinned.
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Now the
question is, what is sin?
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Well, before we answer that
question, let's emphasize with
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another verse this same
point that the Devil sinned
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at the very beginning.
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Notice 1 John 3:8, 1 John 3:8.
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Explicitly, the Bible
tells us, that the Devil sinned,
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not from Mount Sinai on, because
some people think that the law
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started at Mount
Sinai with Moses. No.
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Sin originated in heaven before
this world was even created.
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So it says in 1 John 3:8,
He who sins is of the devil,
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for the Devil has
sinned from Mount Sinai.
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That's not what it says, right?
00:11:41.36\00:11:43.63
But you say,
Pastor Bohr, what is sin?
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You say, Okay, it says in
Ezekiel, and it says in 1 John,
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that the Devil sinned in heaven.
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Lucifer sinned and
he became the Devil.
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What is sin? Notice 1
John 3:4, 1 John 3:4. It says:
00:12:05.05\00:12:13.09
I like the way the
King James expresses it.
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Sin is the
transgression of the law.
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In other words, sin is
breaking God's holy law.
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So let me ask you something,
Did the law have to exist
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in heaven in order
for Lucifer to sin?
00:12:36.15\00:12:39.85
I mean all you have to do is
add two plus two equals four.
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I mean if he's sinned,
there must have been a law,
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because sin is the
transgression of the law.
00:12:47.86\00:12:51.67
But you know, he
didn't sin by himself.
00:12:51.70\00:12:54.44
In fact the Bible says that
he started bad mouthing God.
00:12:54.47\00:12:59.64
He started talking to
the angels and saying,
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God's laws are unjust.
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We're very developed beings.
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We don't need
any law to govern us.
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In fact, notice Ezekiel
28:16 once again. It says there:
00:13:10.42\00:13:15.86
Now what does
that word trading mean?
00:13:22.20\00:13:24.90
By the abundance of your trading
you were filled with violence
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within, and you sinned.
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Well, we need to look at
some other verses that use that
00:13:31.61\00:13:35.38
same root Hebrew word.
00:13:35.41\00:13:37.55
So let's look at a couple of
statements in the Old Testament
00:13:37.58\00:13:41.58
that use the same
root as that word trading
00:13:41.62\00:13:45.75
that is found in Ezekiel 28:16.
00:13:45.79\00:13:48.46
Go with me a little earlier
in Ezekiel to chapter 22,
00:13:48.49\00:13:52.26
and verse 9. Ezekiel 22:9.
00:13:52.29\00:13:55.56
Remember this is the same
root word, and it says there:
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That's the same
root word, by the way.
00:14:04.14\00:14:06.14
So, notice, God says,
In you are men who slander,
00:14:15.45\00:14:20.36
to cause bloodshed.
00:14:20.39\00:14:22.22
That word slander is the
same root word that is used for
00:14:22.26\00:14:26.39
trading in Ezekiel 28:16.
00:14:26.43\00:14:30.07
Notice another verse
that uses the same root word.
00:14:30.10\00:14:32.93
Leviticus 19:16,
Leviticus 19: 16. It says there:
00:14:32.97\00:14:39.14
You shall not go about as
a talebearer. Interesting!
00:14:39.17\00:14:45.31
The same root word.
00:14:45.35\00:14:47.32
How is it
translated? talebearer.
00:14:47.35\00:14:51.95
You shall not go about as a
talebearer among your people.
00:14:51.99\00:14:56.02
Nor shall you take a
stand against the life
00:14:56.06\00:14:58.56
of your neighbor. I am the Lord.
00:14:58.59\00:15:01.60
And so what did Lucifer do?
00:15:01.63\00:15:04.13
It says that he began trading.
00:15:04.17\00:15:08.04
He began to slander; he began
telling tales, if you please.
00:15:08.07\00:15:14.28
In fact, Jesus alluded to this
in John 8:44, if you go with me.
00:15:14.31\00:15:19.98
John 8:44. Jesus is speaking to
the Jews who want to kill Him.
00:15:20.02\00:15:25.15
And He says, You
are of Your father...
00:15:25.19\00:15:26.99
What is the Devil? a liar.
00:15:47.58\00:15:50.51
From when is he a liar?
00:15:50.55\00:15:52.11
He is a liar from
when? from the beginning,
00:15:52.15\00:15:55.48
according to this text.
00:15:55.52\00:15:56.85
Now you say, But Pastor, what
does trading have to do with
00:15:56.89\00:16:00.59
tale bearing, and with
slander, and with lying?
00:16:00.62\00:16:04.69
Well, you know, we
still use, in modern English,
00:16:04.73\00:16:08.83
certain idiomatic
expressions that show
00:16:08.86\00:16:12.30
the meaning of this word.
00:16:12.33\00:16:13.94
You know, if somebody tells you
something, and you don't believe
00:16:13.97\00:16:18.44
it, we often
say, I don't buy that.
00:16:18.47\00:16:22.21
Don't we say it?
I don't buy that.
00:16:22.24\00:16:25.65
Or, You can't sell me that
one, we say, because it's trying
00:16:25.68\00:16:30.25
to trade in what? in lies.
00:16:30.29\00:16:33.39
Now the question is,
Who did the Devil lie to?
00:16:33.42\00:16:37.96
The fact is that the
book of Revelation tells
00:16:37.99\00:16:40.80
us who he lied to.
00:16:40.83\00:16:42.16
Go with me to Revelation
12:3, Revelation 12:3.
00:16:42.20\00:16:48.50
It's speaking about the
dragon, who represents Satan.
00:16:48.54\00:16:51.27
It says, His tail drew a
third of the stars of heaven,
00:16:51.31\00:16:57.01
and threw them to the earth.
00:16:57.05\00:16:59.05
What was it that threw the
stars to the earth? his what?
00:16:59.08\00:17:03.18
his tail. You say, Now
that's kind of strange.
00:17:03.22\00:17:06.09
What do the stars represent?
00:17:06.12\00:17:07.86
The stars, we're going
to notice, represent angels.
00:17:07.89\00:17:11.09
But why with the tail?
00:17:11.13\00:17:12.89
The Bible has the explanation.
00:17:12.93\00:17:15.10
Go with me to Isaiah 9:15,
16, Isaiah 9:15, 16. It says:
00:17:15.13\00:17:22.17
The elder and
honorable, he is the head;
00:17:22.20\00:17:25.64
the prophet who teaches
lies, he is what? the tail.
00:17:25.67\00:17:32.55
For the leaders of this
people cause them to err;
00:17:32.58\00:17:35.52
and those who are led
by them are destroyed.
00:17:35.55\00:17:39.29
So what does the tail represent?
00:17:39.32\00:17:41.26
The tail represents
lies, according to Scripture.
00:17:41.29\00:17:45.53
Now how many of the angels
was he successful in lying to
00:17:45.56\00:17:49.56
and recruiting?
The Bible says a third.
00:17:49.60\00:17:52.30
Revelation
12:9, Revelation 12:9.
00:17:52.33\00:17:56.77
It says: So the great dragon was
cast out, that serpent of old,
00:17:56.81\00:18:01.31
called the Devil, and Satan,
who deceives the whole world:
00:18:01.34\00:18:04.71
he was cast to the
earth, and his angels were
00:18:04.75\00:18:08.88
cast out with him.
00:18:08.92\00:18:10.79
You know, there's a couple
of books that I have alluded to
00:18:10.82\00:18:15.36
before, and I'd like to
read just a couple of statements
00:18:15.39\00:18:18.46
from these two books.
00:18:18.49\00:18:19.83
One of them is the
book, Patriarchs and Prophets,
00:18:19.86\00:18:22.46
which tells, basically, the
history of the world from the
00:18:22.50\00:18:27.44
inception of sin, all
the way till the time of
00:18:27.47\00:18:31.74
the Hebrew monarchy.
00:18:31.77\00:18:33.38
And here we have a reference
to what happened in heaven.
00:18:33.41\00:18:37.31
I want you to listen carefully.
00:18:37.35\00:18:38.68
This is Patriarchs
and Prophets, Page 37.
00:18:38.71\00:18:41.45
Speaking about Lucifer, it
says: Leaving his place in the
00:18:41.48\00:18:45.85
immediate presence of the
Father, Lucifer went forth
00:18:45.89\00:18:50.03
to diffuse the spirit of
discontent among the angels.
00:18:50.06\00:18:55.83
He worked with mysterious
secrecy, and for a time
00:18:55.86\00:19:01.34
concealed his real
purpose under an appearance
00:19:01.37\00:19:06.21
of reverence for God.
00:19:06.24\00:19:07.58
Is that the way the antichrist
is going to do at the end,
00:19:07.61\00:19:09.84
under the appearance of God?
00:19:09.88\00:19:11.35
He's going to do
exactly the same thing.
00:19:11.38\00:19:13.38
Because the antichrist is
the emissary of the Devil.
00:19:13.42\00:19:16.62
Now notice what she continues
saying: He began to insinuate
00:19:16.65\00:19:21.22
doubts concerning the laws
that governed heavenly beings,
00:19:21.26\00:19:25.96
intimating that though
laws might be necessary for the
00:19:25.99\00:19:30.50
inhabitants of the worlds,
angels, being more exalted,
00:19:30.53\00:19:34.90
needed no such
restraint, for their own
00:19:34.94\00:19:38.37
wisdom was a sufficient guide.
00:19:38.41\00:19:40.81
In other words, angels don't
need laws and restrictions.
00:19:40.84\00:19:43.78
They should know,
through their own wisdom,
00:19:43.81\00:19:46.38
what's right and what's wrong.
00:19:46.41\00:19:48.05
Their heart will
tell them what's right.
00:19:48.08\00:19:50.15
In another statement in that
classic book on Bible prophecy,
00:19:50.19\00:19:54.29
The Great Controversy, Page 499,
we find this very significant
00:19:54.32\00:19:59.03
statement speaking about
Lucifer: He reiterated his claim
00:19:59.06\00:20:03.40
that angels needed no control,
but should be left to follow
00:20:03.43\00:20:08.97
their own will, which
would ever guide them right.
00:20:09.00\00:20:13.07
In other words, the
source of ethics would be where?
00:20:13.11\00:20:16.14
from outside or
from inside? from inside.
00:20:16.18\00:20:19.18
That's
important! Don't forget it.
00:20:19.21\00:20:20.65
Now notice: He denounced the
divine statutes, that is the law
00:20:20.68\00:20:24.92
of God, as a restriction
of their liberty, and declared
00:20:24.95\00:20:29.52
that it was his purpose to
secure the abolition of law.
00:20:29.56\00:20:33.56
What did he want to do?
00:20:33.60\00:20:34.93
He wanted to get rid of the law.
00:20:34.96\00:20:36.63
Beware of any minister who wants
to get rid of the law of God
00:20:36.67\00:20:39.40
by saying that it
was nailed to the cross,
00:20:39.43\00:20:42.54
or it was for the Jews,
or Jesus kept it so that
00:20:42.57\00:20:45.91
I don't have to keep it.
00:20:45.94\00:20:47.28
Beware of that, because that's
what Lucifer said in heaven.
00:20:47.31\00:20:50.55
And so he said, He denounced
the divine statutes as a
00:20:50.58\00:20:54.48
restriction of their liberty,
and declared that it was his
00:20:54.52\00:20:57.29
purpose to secure
the abolition of law,
00:20:57.32\00:20:59.45
that freed from this restraint,
the hosts of heaven might enter
00:20:59.49\00:21:04.43
upon a more exalted, more
glorious state of existence.
00:21:04.46\00:21:11.13
Do you know that the Devil
used the same temptation on Eve?
00:21:11.17\00:21:15.30
Go with me to Genesis 3, and
you're going to see that what
00:21:15.34\00:21:20.28
this author, what Ellen White
says in Patriarchs and Prophets,
00:21:20.31\00:21:23.51
and The Great Controversy,
is corroborated by Scripture,
00:21:23.55\00:21:26.68
by all of the texts that we
already read, plus what we're
00:21:26.72\00:21:29.25
going to notice from Genesis 3.
00:21:29.28\00:21:31.25
Genesis 3:1-5. Now the serpent
was more cunning than any beast
00:21:31.29\00:21:37.19
of the field, which
the Lord God had made.
00:21:37.23\00:21:39.13
And he said to the
woman, Has God indeed said,...
00:21:39.16\00:21:44.70
Or as it says in the
New International Version,
00:21:44.73\00:21:46.84
Has God really said?
00:21:46.87\00:21:48.90
That's what it means.
00:21:48.94\00:21:50.77
Has God really said,
You shall not eat of every
00:21:50.81\00:21:54.74
tree of the garden?
00:21:54.78\00:21:56.18
What is he taking issue
with? with what God said.
00:21:56.21\00:22:00.25
He's taking issue with
God's word, and he's saying,
00:22:00.28\00:22:03.18
Did God really say this?
00:22:03.22\00:22:04.65
And, of course, he knows
that Eve is going to respond.
00:22:04.69\00:22:07.52
Because God did not say they
could not eat from every tree
00:22:07.56\00:22:10.76
of the garden, but from one.
00:22:10.79\00:22:12.16
And so he's trying
to find Eve to respond.
00:22:12.19\00:22:15.80
And notice what
it says in verse 2.
00:22:15.83\00:22:20.07
And the woman said to the
serpent, We may eat of the fruit
00:22:20.10\00:22:23.24
of the trees of the garden: but
of the fruit of the tree which
00:22:23.27\00:22:26.14
is in the midst of the
garden, God has said,...
00:22:26.17\00:22:30.11
Do you have a controversy
here between two words?
00:22:30.18\00:22:33.28
the word of God, and
the word of the serpent?
00:22:33.31\00:22:36.08
That's where the issue is.
00:22:36.12\00:22:37.82
Is that going to be the
issue at the end of time also?
00:22:37.85\00:22:40.49
Absolutely. And so
notice once again verse 3.
00:22:40.52\00:22:46.46
But of the fruit of the tree
which is in the midst of the
00:22:46.49\00:22:49.26
garden, God has said, You
shall not eat it, nor shall you
00:22:49.30\00:22:53.87
touch it, lest you die.
00:22:53.90\00:22:55.27
Then the serpent said to the
woman, You will not surely die.
00:22:55.30\00:23:00.88
Let me ask you, When
the Devil said that to Eve,
00:23:00.91\00:23:06.65
what was the immediate
thought that came to her mind?
00:23:06.68\00:23:09.98
I'll tell you what came to her
mind, because the Devil plants
00:23:10.02\00:23:12.45
thoughts because he knows what
we're going to think in reaction
00:23:12.49\00:23:14.72
to the thought that he planted.
00:23:14.76\00:23:16.32
God said, If you eat
from the tree, the day you eat
00:23:16.36\00:23:20.70
you're going to die.
00:23:20.73\00:23:22.06
Now the serpent says,
You're not going to die.
00:23:22.10\00:23:24.13
So the first thought that comes
to Eve's mind is, Then why did
00:23:24.23\00:23:28.17
God say we were going to die?
00:23:28.20\00:23:29.94
If we're not going to die, why
did God say that we were going
00:23:29.97\00:23:34.14
to die if we ate from the tree?
00:23:34.18\00:23:35.78
And the Devil planted
that question in her mind,
00:23:35.81\00:23:38.88
and immediately he
tries to answer it.
00:23:38.91\00:23:40.82
Notice verse 5. For God knows...
00:23:40.85\00:23:45.05
Now he says, Do you
want to really know?
00:23:45.09\00:23:46.42
It's not because
you're going to die.
00:23:46.45\00:23:47.82
You know what God
really has in mind?
00:23:47.86\00:23:51.46
Notice: For God knows
that in the day you eat of it,
00:23:51.49\00:23:57.80
your eyes will be opened,...
00:23:57.83\00:23:59.70
God wants you to be what?
00:23:59.73\00:24:01.07
If their eyes need to be opened,
it's because they're what?
00:24:01.84\00:24:04.51
they're blind. God
wants you to be blind.
00:24:04.54\00:24:07.71
He wants blind obedience.
00:24:07.74\00:24:09.14
For God knows that in
the day you eat of it,
00:24:09.18\00:24:11.78
your eyes will be opened,...
00:24:11.81\00:24:13.78
Eyes represent wisdom.
00:24:15.15\00:24:16.95
In other words,
you'll have wisdom.
00:24:16.99\00:24:18.62
You'll have knowledge beyond
what God wants you to know.
00:24:18.65\00:24:21.09
Now what didn't
God want them to know?
00:24:21.12\00:24:22.99
Notice what it continues saying.
00:24:23.02\00:24:25.03
For God knows that in the day
you eat of it, your eyes will be
00:24:25.06\00:24:28.13
opened, and you
will be like God.
00:24:28.16\00:24:30.13
In a certain sense.
00:24:30.17\00:24:31.60
Notice, You will be like
God how? knowing good and evil.
00:24:31.63\00:24:36.64
Who is it that
defines good and evil folks?
00:24:36.67\00:24:38.87
God defines what is
good and what is evil. Right?
00:24:38.91\00:24:44.08
And what,
specifically, is written that
00:24:44.11\00:24:46.35
defines good and
evil? It's His law.
00:24:46.38\00:24:49.42
Is it a law outside of
man, or is it a law inside man?
00:24:49.45\00:24:54.59
It's actually an
objective law outside of man.
00:24:54.62\00:24:58.16
In other words, God
lays down the rules.
00:24:58.19\00:25:00.60
But what is the Devil saying?
00:25:00.63\00:25:02.46
The Devil is saying, The
day that you eat of the tree,
00:25:02.50\00:25:06.10
your eyes will be opened,
and you will be like God,
00:25:06.13\00:25:08.74
knowing good and evil.
00:25:08.77\00:25:10.17
In other words, You're not
going to need God to define
00:25:10.21\00:25:12.91
what is good and evil.
00:25:12.94\00:25:14.28
You yourself will be
able to define what is good,
00:25:14.31\00:25:18.15
and what is evil,
without God telling you what is.
00:25:18.18\00:25:22.12
By the way, this was
the first post-modern
00:25:22.15\00:25:25.22
argument in human history;
the idea that you could be your
00:25:25.25\00:25:29.29
own source of ethics.
00:25:29.32\00:25:31.13
Is that exactly what
happened to Lucifer in heaven,
00:25:31.16\00:25:33.63
according to what we read
in Patriarchs and Prophets,
00:25:33.66\00:25:36.10
and also in The
Great Controversy?
00:25:36.13\00:25:38.33
The identical thing.
00:25:38.37\00:25:39.70
You can be your own
source of decisions,
00:25:39.73\00:25:41.70
your own source of
ethics, truth is relative,
00:25:41.74\00:25:44.77
right and wrong is
just a matter of opinion.
00:25:44.81\00:25:47.71
And that's what the
world is teaching today.
00:25:47.74\00:25:51.01
And now the question is, Can
we be sure that the expression,
00:25:51.05\00:25:57.95
keep the commandments, in
these verses in Revelation,
00:25:57.99\00:26:02.22
refer to keeping
the Ten Commandments.
00:26:02.26\00:26:05.53
Well, I want to go to several
passages from Scripture to show
00:26:05.56\00:26:11.80
that the expression,
keep the commandments,
00:26:11.83\00:26:14.60
keep the commandments of God,
refers to the ten commandments.
00:26:14.64\00:26:19.67
Notice Matthew
19:17-22, Matthew 19:17-22,
00:26:19.71\00:26:26.11
because some people just
generalize Revelation 12:17.
00:26:26.15\00:26:28.98
They say, Well, God commands us,
for example, to go out into all
00:26:29.02\00:26:32.32
the world and preach the gospel.
00:26:32.35\00:26:33.69
That's one of the commandments.
00:26:33.72\00:26:35.06
That is not the
commandments that are being
00:26:35.09\00:26:36.76
spoken of in Revelation.
00:26:36.79\00:26:39.09
The expression, keep
the commandments of God,
00:26:39.13\00:26:41.16
or keep the law of God,
refers to the ten commandments.
00:26:41.20\00:26:45.00
Notice Matthew 19:17.
00:26:45.03\00:26:47.24
This is the story of
the rich young ruler.
00:26:47.27\00:26:48.80
Jesus says to
this rich young ruler,
00:26:50.84\00:26:54.24
Is that the same expression we
find in Revelation? Absolutely.
00:27:02.98\00:27:07.46
Keep the commandments.
00:27:07.49\00:27:08.82
What did Jesus
mean when He spoke about
00:27:11.63\00:27:14.20
keeping the commandments?
00:27:14.23\00:27:15.56
Let me ask you, Are those
part of the ten commandments?
00:27:26.57\00:27:29.18
They most certainly are.
00:27:29.21\00:27:30.78
So what does the expression,
keep the commandments, mean?
00:27:30.81\00:27:33.55
It means to keep
the ten commandments.
00:27:33.58\00:27:36.28
And then notice verse 20.
00:27:36.32\00:27:38.19
What? There's the word again.
00:27:41.19\00:27:42.92
We're going to come back to
this story in our next subject,
00:27:47.26\00:27:50.77
because we're going to
notice that he really wasn't
00:27:50.80\00:27:52.73
keeping the ten commandments.
00:27:52.77\00:27:54.10
So what does the expression,
keep the commandments,
00:28:11.19\00:28:14.29
refer to in this story?
00:28:14.32\00:28:15.79
It refers to keeping
the ten commandments.
00:28:15.82\00:28:19.46
By the way, the word commandment
is used many times in the
00:28:19.49\00:28:22.36
New Testament to refer
to specific commandments
00:28:22.40\00:28:24.63
from the ten commandments.
00:28:24.67\00:28:26.00
Notice Luke 23:56.
00:28:26.03\00:28:28.00
It's speaking about the
women who prepare the spices,
00:28:28.04\00:28:32.74
and then they do something
because the sun is setting.
00:28:32.77\00:28:35.58
Notice Mark 7:9, 10.
00:28:49.92\00:28:52.76
By the way, that's
the fourth commandment.
00:28:52.79\00:28:54.46
That's the
commandment that says,
00:28:54.50\00:28:55.83
Remember the
Sabbath day to keep it holy.
00:28:55.86\00:28:57.57
Now we're going to notice a
passage where it speaks about
00:28:57.60\00:29:01.34
the fifth
commandment. Mark 7: 9, 10.
00:29:01.37\00:29:05.31
Interesting, the
same expression: keep the
00:29:11.15\00:29:13.42
commandments of
God. Here it says:
00:29:13.45\00:29:14.78
Notice: You reject the
commandment of God that you may
00:29:18.35\00:29:21.09
keep, instead of
the commandments, what?
00:29:21.12\00:29:23.02
Now which
commandment is He referring to?
00:29:24.39\00:29:26.70
Is that one of the ten
commandments? Most certainly.
00:29:29.73\00:29:32.83
So the commandment of God
here, and the word keeping,
00:29:36.91\00:29:40.68
refers to the ten commandments.
00:29:40.71\00:29:42.98
Notice Romans 7:7-12.
00:29:43.01\00:29:45.91
Here's another commandment.
00:29:45.95\00:29:47.28
This is the commandment that
says, Thou shalt not covet: #10.
00:29:47.32\00:29:51.29
It says in Romans 7:7,
What shall we say then?
00:29:51.32\00:29:54.69
Is the law sin? Certainly not.
00:29:54.72\00:29:57.56
On the contrary, I
would not have known sin
00:29:57.59\00:30:00.80
except through the law.
00:30:00.83\00:30:02.46
For I would not have known
covetousness unless the law had
00:30:02.50\00:30:06.07
said, You shall not covet.
00:30:06.10\00:30:08.30
Is this law that
Paul is speaking about
00:30:08.34\00:30:10.61
the ten commandments?
00:30:10.64\00:30:11.97
Of course, he's
quoting, Thou shalt not covet.
00:30:12.01\00:30:13.84
Now notice verse 8.
00:30:13.88\00:30:15.21
But sin, taking
opportunity, by what?
00:30:15.24\00:30:18.78
By the commandment, produced
in me all manner of evil desire.
00:30:18.81\00:30:22.92
For apart from
the law sin was dead.
00:30:22.95\00:30:25.25
Does the apostle Paul use
the word law and commandment
00:30:49.48\00:30:53.95
to refer to the commandment
that says, Thou shall not covet?
00:30:53.98\00:30:58.05
He most certainly does.
00:30:58.09\00:30:59.42
Notice James 2:10-12.
00:30:59.45\00:31:02.79
You won't have
this verse on your list.
00:31:02.82\00:31:04.89
I added it afterwards.
00:31:04.93\00:31:07.36
James 2:10, 11. Listen
carefully to what it says.
00:31:07.40\00:31:11.70
For whoever shall
keep the whole law...
00:31:11.73\00:31:14.40
That's a parallel expression:
keep the commandments,
00:31:14.44\00:31:18.91
keep the whole law, and
yet stumble in one point,
00:31:18.94\00:31:22.81
he is guilty of all.
00:31:22.84\00:31:24.25
Now what law is James
talking about here when he says,
00:31:24.28\00:31:28.45
Keep the whole law?
00:31:28.48\00:31:32.09
For he who said, Do not commit
adultery, also said do not what?
00:31:32.12\00:31:37.89
Do not murder. Are those
two of the ten commandments?
00:31:37.93\00:31:40.63
Most certainly. Now, if
you do not commit adultery,
00:31:40.66\00:31:44.97
but you murder, you have
become a transgressor of what?
00:31:45.00\00:31:48.90
of the law. So what
does it mean to keep the law,
00:31:48.94\00:31:51.41
or to keep the commandments?
00:31:51.44\00:31:52.77
It means to keep
the ten commandments,
00:31:52.81\00:31:56.38
according to the New Testament.
00:31:56.41\00:31:57.88
Now somebody might say, Well,
Pastor Bohr, are the words law
00:31:57.91\00:32:04.25
and commandments
used interchangeably
00:32:04.29\00:32:06.76
in the New Testament?
00:32:06.79\00:32:08.12
And I'm trying to
make a point here.
00:32:08.16\00:32:09.49
We're going to come to
something very important,
00:32:09.52\00:32:11.36
and what I want to show you
is that in the New Testament,
00:32:11.39\00:32:14.33
the word law, and the word
commandment, or commandments,
00:32:14.36\00:32:17.17
are used interchangeably.
00:32:17.20\00:32:18.70
Notice Exodus 16:28,
Exodus 16:28. It says here:
00:32:18.73\00:32:26.41
This is speaking about the manna
episode, where God wanted to
00:32:28.31\00:32:31.41
teach the
observance of the Sabbath.
00:32:31.45\00:32:32.78
Notice Exodus
24:12, Exodus 24:12.
00:32:42.29\00:32:46.49
Once again, interchangeable;
commandments and law.
00:32:46.53\00:32:49.20
It says in verse 12,
Then the Lord said to Moses,
00:32:49.23\00:32:53.23
Come up to me on the mountain
and be there: and I will give
00:32:53.27\00:32:57.14
you tablets of stone, and the
law, and what? and commandments
00:32:57.17\00:33:02.54
which I have written.
00:33:02.58\00:33:03.91
What was the only thing in the
Bible that God wrote Himself?
00:33:03.95\00:33:06.18
It was the ten commandments.
00:33:06.21\00:33:08.52
So are the words law and
commandments used synonymously
00:33:08.55\00:33:13.09
in this verse? Yes.
00:33:13.12\00:33:15.26
It says, And I will give you
tablets of stone, and the law,
00:33:15.29\00:33:19.09
and commandments,
which I have written,
00:33:19.13\00:33:22.16
that you may teach them.
00:33:22.20\00:33:24.20
In fact, we find in
Deuteronomy 4:13 that God gave
00:33:24.23\00:33:28.70
the ten commandments.
00:33:28.74\00:33:30.07
Notice what it says there.
00:33:30.11\00:33:31.44
In the covenant it says:
00:33:35.98\00:33:37.51
So it says here that God
wrote the ten commandments
00:33:41.95\00:33:46.59
with His own
finger on tables of stone.
00:33:46.62\00:33:49.22
But I want you to notice that
Deuteronomy 33:2 says that God
00:33:49.26\00:33:55.10
didn't give the ten
commandments, although He did,
00:33:55.13\00:33:57.70
but it says rather
that He gave a fiery law.
00:33:57.73\00:33:59.97
So commandments and
law are interchangeable.
00:34:00.00\00:34:02.47
Notice Deuteronomy 33:2.
00:34:02.50\00:34:05.07
So does the Old
Testament use the word law,
00:34:19.85\00:34:22.22
and the word commandments
interchangeably? Absolutely.
00:34:22.26\00:34:26.19
The New Testament does also.
00:34:26.23\00:34:28.36
Notice Romans 7:7-12.
00:34:28.40\00:34:30.77
This might all appear to be
academic, but I'm going to make
00:34:30.80\00:34:33.34
a very important
point in a few moments.
00:34:33.37\00:34:35.40
Romans 7:7-12.
What shall we say then?
00:34:35.44\00:34:39.81
Is the law sin? There
you have the word law.
00:34:39.84\00:34:43.88
Certainly not. On the
contrary, I would not have known
00:34:43.91\00:34:47.68
sin, except through the
law: for I would not have known
00:34:47.72\00:34:52.35
covetousness... Is that one of
the ten commandments? Certainly.
00:34:52.39\00:34:56.02
I would not have known
covetousness unless what?
00:34:56.06\00:34:58.99
the law had said,
You shall not covet.
00:34:59.03\00:35:02.63
But sin, taking
opportunity by the...
00:35:02.66\00:35:05.33
Oh, now it's the
word commandment.
00:35:05.37\00:35:07.74
...taking opportunity by the
commandment, produced in me all
00:35:07.77\00:35:11.17
manner of evil desire.
00:35:11.21\00:35:12.54
For apart from
the law sin was dead.
00:35:12.57\00:35:17.05
Is the word commandment, and is
the word law used synonymously
00:35:39.43\00:35:43.84
in the Old and New
Testaments? Absolutely!
00:35:43.87\00:35:46.84
Notice Romans
13:8-10, Romans 13:8-10.
00:35:46.88\00:35:52.91
Here the apostle Paul says:
00:35:52.95\00:35:54.68
See, has fulfilled the law.
00:36:06.16\00:36:08.33
And what is in the
law? the commandments.
00:36:08.36\00:36:11.53
So, are the words
law and commandments used
00:36:32.49\00:36:35.66
interchangeably in the
New Testament? Absolutely.
00:36:35.69\00:36:38.46
Now the question is,
How did Jesus consider
00:36:38.49\00:36:41.16
the ten commandments?
00:36:41.20\00:36:42.53
Did Jesus believe that
He was going to do away with
00:36:42.56\00:36:45.07
the ten commandments
when He died on the cross?
00:36:45.10\00:36:46.94
Did He believe that
Christians have no need to keep
00:36:46.97\00:36:49.60
the ten
commandments? Absolutely not.
00:36:49.64\00:36:51.74
Notice John 14:15, John 14:15.
00:36:51.77\00:36:55.88
Jesus says, If you love
Me, keep My commandments.
00:36:55.91\00:36:59.81
And I will pray to the Father,
and He will give you another
00:36:59.85\00:37:02.32
helper, that He may
abide with you forever.
00:37:02.35\00:37:05.12
Jesus says, If you love Me,
you will keep My commandments.
00:37:05.15\00:37:08.66
John 15:10, Jesus says,
If you keep My commandments,
00:37:08.69\00:37:13.73
you will abide in My love.
00:37:13.76\00:37:15.73
So what do we need to do
in order to abide in His love?
00:37:15.76\00:37:19.00
keep the
commandments it says here.
00:37:19.03\00:37:21.50
...just as I have kept
My Father's commandments,
00:37:21.54\00:37:24.77
and abide in His love.
00:37:24.81\00:37:26.94
In fact, in 1 John the beloved
disciple of Jesus, he who was
00:37:26.98\00:37:31.45
closest to Jesus, had some very
interesting things to say about
00:37:31.48\00:37:35.28
keeping the commandments.
00:37:35.32\00:37:36.65
1 John 2:3, 4. Now by this
00:37:36.69\00:37:41.42
How do we know that
we know Him? If we what?
00:37:43.69\00:37:47.53
So if he's a liar, who is
he following after? Satan.
00:38:01.14\00:38:05.31
Because the Devil is a
liar from the beginning.
00:38:05.35\00:38:07.52
So if you have someone who
tells you, Oh, you can't keep
00:38:07.55\00:38:10.05
the ten commandments.
00:38:10.09\00:38:11.42
God doesn't expect you to
keep the ten commandments.
00:38:11.45\00:38:13.36
They were nailed to the cross.
00:38:13.39\00:38:15.12
They're impossible to
keep, because the flesh is weak.
00:38:15.16\00:38:17.89
Any of those excuses that are
given, are making God a liar.
00:38:17.93\00:38:22.00
Because here it clearly
says, He who says I know Him,
00:38:22.03\00:38:26.63
and does not keep His
commandments is a liar,
00:38:26.67\00:38:28.87
and the truth is not in him.
00:38:28.90\00:38:31.41
1 John 5:3, 1 John 5:3.
00:38:31.44\00:38:35.04
Some people say, Oh the law!
00:38:41.85\00:38:43.39
That was a yoke of bondage.
00:38:43.42\00:38:45.22
Nobody can bear it!
00:38:45.25\00:38:46.59
But we, as Christians, are free.
00:38:46.62\00:38:48.52
The fact is that 1 John
says that if we love God,
00:38:48.56\00:38:52.69
we will keep His commandments,
and His commandments
00:38:52.73\00:38:55.26
are not burdensome.
00:38:55.30\00:38:56.77
Now I want to tell you why
I used the verses that speak
00:38:56.80\00:39:01.80
of the interchangeability
of the word law,
00:39:01.84\00:39:04.67
and the word commandments.
00:39:04.71\00:39:06.04
You see, in Bible prophecy,
Listen to what I'm going to say.
00:39:06.07\00:39:09.18
The little horn, and the
man of sin of 2 Thessalonians 2.
00:39:09.21\00:39:17.15
explicitly the Bible says that
they would attempt to tamper
00:39:17.19\00:39:22.29
with God's holy law.
00:39:22.32\00:39:23.69
I want you to notice
that in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-8.
00:39:23.73\00:39:29.36
The little horn,
which represents the papacy,
00:39:29.40\00:39:32.03
despises the law of God, because
the law of God was changed.
00:39:32.07\00:39:38.97
You say, Well, they say we're
supposed to keep the law of God.
00:39:39.01\00:39:42.34
Yes, but they
changed the law of God.
00:39:42.38\00:39:45.21
And that's the reason why this
man of sin, who appears in the
00:39:45.25\00:39:48.85
temple of God, which is
the church, I want you to
00:39:48.88\00:39:51.62
notice what he's called.
00:39:51.65\00:39:53.76
2 Thessalonians 2:3.
00:39:53.79\00:39:55.86
That is the day of
the coming of Jesus.
00:40:01.10\00:40:02.56
That is the apostasy.
00:40:05.60\00:40:07.14
What is sin according
to what the Bible says?
00:40:09.07\00:40:11.67
Sin is the
transgression of the law.
00:40:11.71\00:40:13.78
So this is a man who
is characterized by what?
00:40:13.81\00:40:16.44
by transgression of the law.
00:40:16.48\00:40:18.25
The man of sin is
revealed, the son of perdition.
00:40:18.28\00:40:21.65
Do you not remember that
when I was still with you,
00:40:31.29\00:40:34.10
I told you these things?
00:40:34.13\00:40:35.63
Which we've already
discussed was the Roman empire.
00:40:38.63\00:40:41.10
And now notice this:
00:40:43.47\00:40:44.81
Does this man of sin have
anything to do with lawlessness?
00:40:48.41\00:40:51.91
Absolutely.
00:40:51.95\00:40:53.28
That is the Roman empire.
00:40:58.85\00:41:00.19
And, by the way, the Roman
empire was taken away to give
00:41:03.02\00:41:05.89
place to the
Roman Catholic Papacy.
00:41:05.93\00:41:08.16
And then it says: And then
the what? the lawless ones...
00:41:08.20\00:41:12.00
See, the antichrist is
characterized by being opposed
00:41:12.03\00:41:15.77
to what? by being opposed to
the law of God. And so it says:
00:41:15.80\00:41:20.04
Notice what the Bible
says about the little horn.
00:41:27.55\00:41:30.62
Daniel 7:25, Daniel 7:25.
00:41:30.65\00:41:35.96
Speaking about the
same as the man of sin.
00:41:35.99\00:41:38.29
All theologians are agreed that
the little horn, the man of sin,
00:41:38.33\00:41:41.86
and the beast
represent the same power.
00:41:41.90\00:41:43.80
I want you to notice what
it says about the little horn.
00:41:43.83\00:41:46.33
Once again the idea of tampering
with God's holy law. It says:
00:41:46.37\00:41:50.34
For how long was this little
horn going to carry on his
00:42:05.85\00:42:09.56
work of attempting to change
the times and the law? for time,
00:42:09.59\00:42:13.50
times, and the
dividing of time, which,
00:42:13.53\00:42:15.73
by the way, is 1,260 years.
00:42:15.76\00:42:20.50
Now I'm going to tell you
why I use those verses to speak
00:42:20.54\00:42:25.24
about the
interchangeability of the word
00:42:25.27\00:42:27.58
commandments, and the word law.
00:42:27.61\00:42:29.58
Go with me to
Revelation 12, Revelation 12:13,
00:42:29.61\00:42:35.55
Revelation 12, and we'll
read only through verse 14,
00:42:35.58\00:42:40.12
and then we'll jump to verse 17.
00:42:40.16\00:42:41.72
It says in verse 13: Now when
the dragon saw that he had been
00:42:41.76\00:42:45.79
cast to the earth, he persecuted
the woman who gave birth
00:42:45.83\00:42:49.83
to the male child.
00:42:49.86\00:42:51.20
Who did the little horn
persecute? the saints, right?
00:42:51.23\00:42:54.67
Here it says that the dragon
persecutes whom? the woman.
00:42:54.70\00:42:58.64
So the woman is what?
the saints, or the church.
00:42:58.67\00:43:03.11
And so it says, He persecuted
the woman, who gave birth
00:43:03.14\00:43:06.85
to the male child.
00:43:06.88\00:43:08.22
But the woman was given
two wings of a great eagle,
00:43:08.25\00:43:11.85
Is that the same period that the
little horn ruled? Absolutely.
00:43:20.50\00:43:23.70
Now let me ask you, Do you think
that at the end of this period
00:43:23.73\00:43:26.90
God was going to raise up a
people to correct the intended
00:43:26.94\00:43:30.97
change in God's
holy law? Absolutely.
00:43:31.01\00:43:34.04
Immediately, I want you to
notice, that Daniel 7:25 speaks
00:43:34.08\00:43:38.01
about the little horn, thinking,
or intending to change God's
00:43:38.05\00:43:41.98
law for time, times,
and the dividing of time.
00:43:42.02\00:43:45.69
Now we're going to notice,
immediately after speaking about
00:43:45.75\00:43:48.26
the woman
fleeing to the wilderness
00:43:48.29\00:43:50.19
for the same time period.
00:43:50.23\00:43:52.06
At the end of that time
period God raises up a remnant.
00:43:52.09\00:43:55.40
And what
characterizes that remnant?
00:43:55.43\00:43:58.53
They do the opposite of what
the little horn wanted to do.
00:43:58.67\00:44:02.14
The little horn wanted to change
God's law, but what does the
00:44:02.17\00:44:05.64
remnant do after the 1260 years?
00:44:05.67\00:44:08.31
Notice verse 17.
Very clearly it says:
00:44:08.34\00:44:11.51
Is that the antidote to the
intended change in God's law?
00:44:24.99\00:44:29.56
Yes. See the little
horn thought that he could
00:44:29.60\00:44:31.87
change God's law, but at the
end of that period of the time,
00:44:31.93\00:44:35.17
times, and the dividing of
time, God raises up a remnant
00:44:35.20\00:44:38.44
of people who keep
the commandments of God;
00:44:38.47\00:44:42.14
a group of people that do not
accept this change in the law.
00:44:42.18\00:44:46.41
And as I mentioned at
the beginning of our study,
00:44:46.45\00:44:48.88
you remember
that the expression,
00:44:48.95\00:44:52.35
keep the commandments of
God, in Revelation 14:12 is an
00:44:52.39\00:44:56.73
antithesis to worshipping
the beast, his image,
00:44:56.79\00:45:00.86
and receiving his mark.
00:45:00.90\00:45:02.23
In other words, those who
worship the beast, his image,
00:45:02.26\00:45:04.30
and receive the mark, are
in opposition to those who keep
00:45:04.33\00:45:08.60
the commandments of God.
00:45:08.64\00:45:10.34
Now I want to show you another
couple of verses from Revelation
00:45:10.37\00:45:15.48
that speak about
keeping the commandments of God.
00:45:15.51\00:45:17.95
We read them at the
beginning of our study.
00:45:17.98\00:45:22.12
Revelation 22:14,
15, Revelation 22:14, 15.
00:45:22.15\00:45:26.29
You know, some of you might
be thinking, Well, Pastor Bohr,
00:45:26.32\00:45:28.99
what you're
preaching is really legalistic:
00:45:29.02\00:45:31.89
keeping the commandments,
keeping the commandments.
00:45:31.93\00:45:35.10
Well, folks, take heart.
00:45:35.16\00:45:37.03
In our next lecture we're going
to talk about faith in Jesus.
00:45:37.07\00:45:41.10
We're going to talk about
the other side of the coin.
00:45:41.14\00:45:44.57
We're going to talk
about how we receive the power
00:45:44.61\00:45:48.04
to keep the ten commandments.
00:45:48.08\00:45:49.41
But for this evening we're
studying what it means to keep
00:45:49.44\00:45:52.98
the commandments of God.
00:45:53.01\00:45:54.35
Revelation 22:14. Blessed are
those who do His commandments,
00:45:54.38\00:46:00.16
Who are the ones who have
a right to the tree of life?
00:46:05.79\00:46:07.53
What does God say? not
Pastor Bohr, the Bible says.
00:46:08.53\00:46:12.70
It's the same word.
00:46:15.27\00:46:16.60
Is keeping the commandments a
prerequisite for eating of the
00:46:24.25\00:46:27.65
tree of life, and entering
the gates to the holy city?
00:46:27.68\00:46:30.19
Absolutely. And
some people say you're
00:46:30.22\00:46:32.09
annulling God's grace.
00:46:32.12\00:46:33.46
No we aren't. Just
don't miss the next lecture,
00:46:33.49\00:46:37.36
because we're going to balance
this with the grace of God,
00:46:37.39\00:46:41.46
and what faith
means in Scripture.
00:46:41.50\00:46:43.97
Now I want you to
notice the following verse.
00:46:44.00\00:46:47.24
I'm going to show you that those
who are in the city keep the
00:46:47.27\00:46:49.84
commandments, whereas
those who are outside the city
00:46:49.87\00:46:52.04
disobey the ten commandments.
00:46:52.07\00:46:53.81
It says there in
verse 15: but outside...
00:46:53.84\00:46:57.08
in other words, inside
are commandment keepers,
00:46:57.15\00:46:58.98
those who kept the
commandments. It says:
00:46:59.01\00:47:00.88
Are those all violations of the
ten commandments? Absolutely.
00:47:13.86\00:47:17.77
Inside are commandment
keepers, and outside are those
00:47:17.80\00:47:21.90
who insisted on
being commandment breakers.
00:47:21.94\00:47:24.07
Notice also Revelation 21:7, 8.
00:47:24.11\00:47:28.94
Once again the contrast between
those inside and those outside.
00:47:28.98\00:47:32.71
It says in Revelation
21:7, He who overcomes...
00:47:32.75\00:47:37.89
That's a key word.
00:47:37.92\00:47:39.25
He who overcomes shall inherit
all things; and I will be his
00:47:39.29\00:47:43.96
God, and he shall be My son.
00:47:43.99\00:47:46.03
Now who are the over comers?
00:47:46.06\00:47:48.06
What did they overcome?
00:47:48.10\00:47:49.43
Notice verse 8. But...
See the contrast? those inside
00:47:49.46\00:47:54.74
overcame those outside.
00:47:54.77\00:47:56.57
Is the contrast clear, crystal
clear, that those who are inside
00:48:13.05\00:48:18.43
kept God's commandments; those
outside refused to keep God's
00:48:18.46\00:48:23.83
commandments and
continued committing their sins?
00:48:23.87\00:48:27.50
Now I'd like to end this study
today by saying that what we're
00:48:27.54\00:48:33.88
discussing is not legalism.
00:48:33.91\00:48:36.01
In other words, we're
not saying here that we keep
00:48:36.04\00:48:39.65
the commandments of
God in order to be saved.
00:48:39.68\00:48:41.85
We're talking about
keeping the commandments out of
00:48:41.88\00:48:45.55
love for Jesus Christ.
00:48:45.59\00:48:46.96
I want you to notice Revelation
14:1, Revelation 14:1.
00:48:46.99\00:48:53.73
It speaks about the
end time generation.
00:48:53.76\00:48:55.80
It speaks about those who follow
the Lamb wherever the Lamb goes,
00:48:55.83\00:49:00.20
those who have no
lie in their mouth,
00:49:00.24\00:49:02.14
those who are without
spot before the throne of God.
00:49:02.17\00:49:05.71
Notice they had a
special characteristic.
00:49:05.74\00:49:07.84
Revelation 14:1. Then I looked,
and behold a Lamb standing
00:49:07.91\00:49:14.72
on mount Zion, and with
Him 144,000 having His Father's
00:49:14.78\00:49:21.56
name written
where? in their foreheads.
00:49:21.59\00:49:26.29
What is written in the foreheads
of that end time generation
00:49:26.33\00:49:30.23
who keep the commandments
of God? the name of God.
00:49:30.27\00:49:33.27
Now the question is, What does
the name represent in Scripture?
00:49:33.30\00:49:37.71
I want to read you a
statement from the Interpreter's
00:49:37.74\00:49:40.41
Dictionary of the Bible,
Volume 3, Pages 500, 501.
00:49:40.44\00:49:45.68
In Biblical thought
a name is not a mere
00:49:45.71\00:49:50.39
label of identification; it is
an expression of the essential
00:49:50.42\00:49:55.66
nature of its bearer.
00:49:55.69\00:49:57.43
In other words, your
name indicates who you are.
00:49:57.46\00:50:00.43
A man's name
reveals his character,
00:50:00.46\00:50:04.33
says this Interpreter's
Dictionary of the Bible.
00:50:04.37\00:50:07.20
Adam was able to give names
to the beasts and birds because,
00:50:07.24\00:50:12.61
as Milton says, He
understood their nature.
00:50:12.67\00:50:17.18
In other words, Adam was able to
understand the character of the
00:50:17.21\00:50:20.12
beasts, therefore he
was able to name them.
00:50:20.15\00:50:22.68
In fact, in the Bible the
name stands for the character.
00:50:22.72\00:50:25.65
Let me give you a couple of
verses to illustrate that point:
00:50:25.69\00:50:28.59
Genesis 27:36, Genesis 27:36.
00:50:28.62\00:50:34.30
This is the story
of Jacob and Esau.
00:50:34.33\00:50:35.90
And Esau said, speaking about
his brother, Is he not rightly
00:50:35.93\00:50:41.00
named Jacob, for he has...
00:50:41.04\00:50:44.07
Jacob means
supplanter, by the way.
00:50:44.11\00:50:45.87
...for he has
supplanted me these two times.
00:50:45.91\00:50:48.68
He took away my
birthright, and now look,
00:50:48.71\00:50:51.45
he has taken away my blessing.
00:50:51.51\00:50:53.25
In other words,
he is rightly named.
00:50:53.31\00:50:55.08
He is the supplanter.
00:50:55.12\00:50:56.45
Notice 1 Samuel
25:25, 1 Samuel 25:25.
00:50:56.48\00:51:03.06
This is speaking about Nabal.
00:51:03.09\00:51:07.00
The name Nabal means fool.
00:51:07.03\00:51:10.87
And so it says, Please let not
my lord, regard this scoundrel
00:51:10.90\00:51:16.84
Nabal, for as his
name is, so is he.
00:51:16.87\00:51:22.54
Nabal is his name,
and folly is with him.
00:51:22.58\00:51:25.81
In other words,
he's rightly named fool.
00:51:25.88\00:51:28.88
In other words, his
name indicates his what?
00:51:28.92\00:51:31.89
his character. The name
represents the character.
00:51:31.92\00:51:35.06
And, by the way, where is
the character of God revealed?
00:51:35.09\00:51:38.66
Where is the character of
God described in written form?
00:51:38.69\00:51:43.47
The character of God is
described in written form
00:51:43.50\00:51:48.20
in the ten commandments.
00:51:48.24\00:51:49.57
The ten commandments
show what God is like.
00:51:49.60\00:51:52.24
And, by the way, this is
the reason why in the Bible,
00:51:52.27\00:51:55.44
time, after time, after
time, sin is against God.
00:51:55.48\00:51:58.61
Breaking the commandments
is actually sinning against the
00:51:58.68\00:52:02.62
person; against God.
00:52:02.65\00:52:03.99
The prodigal son says, I
have sinned against heaven,
00:52:04.02\00:52:07.29
and against You, and I'm not
worthy to be called Your son.
00:52:07.32\00:52:11.93
And you remember that David
said, Against You, only You,
00:52:11.99\00:52:16.56
have I what? have I sinned.
00:52:16.60\00:52:18.10
So when we break the ten
commandments we're sinning
00:52:18.13\00:52:20.90
against the law, because
the law is a reflection of what?
00:52:20.94\00:52:24.87
is a reflection of
the ten commandments.
00:52:24.91\00:52:30.65
Notice Exodus 33:18,
19, Exodus 33:18, 19.
00:52:30.68\00:52:35.08
Here Moses is on the
mountain and he asks God:
00:52:35.15\00:52:39.52
What was the glory
that God showed him?
00:52:45.53\00:52:47.63
God's goodness is His name.
00:52:54.90\00:52:56.74
It's His character.
00:52:56.77\00:52:58.11
You see, folks, when the
Bible says that this end time
00:53:05.65\00:53:09.38
generation is going to have the
name of God on their foreheads,
00:53:09.42\00:53:12.99
that means that they're
going to have God's character.
00:53:13.02\00:53:15.06
And God's character
is reflected in His what?
00:53:15.09\00:53:18.33
is reflected in His law.
00:53:18.39\00:53:20.66
They're going to have the law
of God, not on tables of stone,
00:53:20.70\00:53:24.43
but they're going to
have the law written on the
00:53:24.47\00:53:26.77
tables of their hearts.
00:53:26.80\00:53:28.37
They're going to have the
law written in their minds.
00:53:28.40\00:53:30.61
Now listen up, it doesn't
do any good to post the ten
00:53:30.64\00:53:35.48
commandments in
courtrooms if they're not
00:53:35.51\00:53:38.91
engraved in the heart.
00:53:38.95\00:53:40.28
Because righteousness
comes from inside out.
00:53:40.32\00:53:44.75
It does not
come from outside in.
00:53:44.79\00:53:47.32
It does no good to legislate
morality, because you don't
00:53:47.36\00:53:52.39
change someone from outside.
00:53:52.43\00:53:53.93
In order to make a lump of dough
grow, you have to put the leaven
00:53:53.96\00:53:57.37
inside, and
then the dough grows.
00:53:57.40\00:54:00.57
You know, I find it interesting
that this week in Newsweek,
00:54:00.64\00:54:04.84
there's an article that
says that there's less and less
00:54:04.87\00:54:09.01
Christianity in this country,
in the United States of America.
00:54:09.04\00:54:12.81
And this has caused an uproar
among conservative Christians.
00:54:12.85\00:54:15.55
They say, What do you mean
this isn't a Christian nation?
00:54:15.58\00:54:18.25
This is a Christian
nation. You think so?
00:54:18.29\00:54:22.06
By looking out there it
sure wouldn't appear like it.
00:54:22.09\00:54:25.19
Christians eat what others
eat, they listen to what others
00:54:25.23\00:54:29.66
listen to, they watch television
and movies that everybody else
00:54:29.70\00:54:33.54
watches, they get divorced
on the same level as others,
00:54:33.57\00:54:37.74
they're filled with greed,
and accumulating possessions for
00:54:37.77\00:54:41.64
themselves, they dress like
the world, everything they do
00:54:41.68\00:54:45.48
is like the world.
00:54:45.51\00:54:46.85
So how is it that we say that
we're a Christian nation when
00:54:46.88\00:54:50.52
really, the United States
reflects just the opposite?
00:54:50.59\00:54:54.19
And people who are unbelievers,
they look at us and say,
00:54:54.22\00:54:58.03
Hey, if that's Christianity,
I don't want anything to do
00:54:58.06\00:55:01.86
with Christianity.
00:55:01.90\00:55:03.23
The fact is that if the churches
preached the law of God,
00:55:03.26\00:55:06.57
the need to have a conversion
experience, and to have God
00:55:06.60\00:55:10.04
write His law on our minds, and
in our hearts, you wouldn't have
00:55:10.07\00:55:13.01
all of the social problems
that we have in the world today.
00:55:13.04\00:55:16.88
In fact, allow me to read
you a statement in Psalm 40:6-8,
00:55:16.91\00:55:20.72
Psalm 40:6-8. After saying that
God has loved righteousness,
00:55:20.75\00:55:25.15
and He has hated iniquity,
notice what is it that instills
00:55:25.19\00:55:29.59
that hate in the heart?
00:55:29.62\00:55:30.96
It says in Psalm 40:6, Sacrifice
and offering You did not desire.
00:55:30.99\00:55:35.90
My ears You have opened.
00:55:35.93\00:55:38.03
Burnt offering, and sin
offering You did not require.
00:55:38.07\00:55:41.40
By the way, this is
Jesus speaking Messianically
00:55:41.44\00:55:43.81
a thousand years
before He was born.
00:55:43.87\00:55:46.11
Then I said, Behold I come.
00:55:46.14\00:55:48.48
In the scroll of Your
book it is written of Me.
00:55:48.54\00:55:52.41
I delight to what? I
delight to do Your will.
00:55:52.45\00:55:56.28
Why did He
delight to do God's will?
00:55:56.32\00:55:58.72
I delight to do Your will, O
My God, and Your law is written
00:55:58.75\00:56:04.99
where? within My heart.
00:56:05.03\00:56:08.40
Did Jesus need all
kinds of external laws
00:56:10.37\00:56:12.57
to keep Him in line? No, because
He had the law of God written
00:56:12.60\00:56:16.91
No, because He had the law of
God written where? in His heart.
00:56:16.97\00:56:21.84
And God will have a group of
people in the end time who have
00:56:21.88\00:56:26.72
the name of God
written in their forehead.
00:56:26.75\00:56:30.09
They will have God's character.
00:56:30.12\00:56:32.19
And God's character is
written in the ten commandments,
00:56:32.25\00:56:36.06
in God's law. And the
Bible says that they will keep
00:56:36.09\00:56:39.89
the commandments of
God, including the fourth
00:56:39.93\00:56:42.23
commandment, the
Sabbath commandment that says,
00:56:42.26\00:56:44.57
Remember the
Sabbath day to keep it holy.
00:56:44.60\00:56:46.74
When the beast and his
image are imposing the mark upon
00:56:46.77\00:56:50.11
the world, God's people
will say like Shadrach, Meshach,
00:56:50.17\00:56:53.48
and Abednego, No way!
00:56:53.51\00:56:55.24
We obey the God of heaven.
00:56:55.31\00:56:58.08
We keep His holy Sabbath,
and we're willing to die
00:56:58.11\00:57:01.48
in order to be loyal to God.
00:57:01.52\00:57:03.85
That's what God's
people are going to be
00:57:03.89\00:57:06.49
like in the end time.
00:57:06.52\00:57:07.86
They will serve God
because they love God
00:57:07.89\00:57:11.33
with all of their hearts.
00:57:11.39\00:57:12.73
Because the law of
God is written upon their
00:57:12.76\00:57:15.93
minds, and their hearts.
00:57:15.96\00:57:17.53
And I pray to God that
that will be our experience;
00:57:17.57\00:57:20.90
that God will write
His law on our hearts.
00:57:20.94\00:57:25.11