Welcome to Anchors Of Truth
from the 3ABN Worship Center
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and the Fresno Central Church.
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Truths That
Matter with Stephen Bohr.
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Hello and welcome to
another Anchors Of Truth.
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And this is a series
that began early in this year
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and has continued and has
been extremely well received.
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It's such a pleasure for us
to come into your living rooms,
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into your homes, and into your
cars by radio and by television
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and to bring you the beautiful
message of the gospel of
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Jesus Christ as it is contained
in the three angels messages
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of the book of Revelation.
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And so we are excited
about this particular series
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with Pastor Stephen Bohr.
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This series is
entitled, Truths That Matter.
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And we have some real
truths that are so important
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for people to understand
and to look at it in a more
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detailed manner
for these last days.
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Pastor Stephen Bohr is
the head of the ministry
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entitled, Secrets Unsealed.
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He is also pastor of the
Seventh-day Adventist Church
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in Fresno California.
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This is a man who has
been extremely well prepared
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to do a series like he is
going to be doing this week.
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He has been a
teacher, he's a pastor,
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he's been an administrator,
and now he heads up
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a ministry that is
totally dedicated to preaching
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the prophecies of the Bible
throughout all of the world.
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Pastor Bohr is a much sought
after speaker for camp meetings
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and for series in all
different parts of the world.
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And we are so happy
that he can join with us.
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He's going to be presenting this
series in English and Spanish.
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So if you get 3ABN Latino and
you'd like to hear this series
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in Spanish, you can turn to
3ABN Latino and watch it there.
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Before he comes, we're so
privileged that Melody Firestone
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can be with us.
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Melody has been a gifted singer.
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God has used her through
all these many many years.
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We appreciate so much her
dedication to this ministry
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and to the Lord Jesus Christ.
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And right now, she's going
to sing for us a song entitled,
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Change Me Now.
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You were denied, then crucified,
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yet You prayed to
Your Father to forgive us.
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We caused You
pain time and again,
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still You laid down Your
life because You loved us.
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I was guilty
then, here I am again.
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Against You only have I sinned.
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So change me now,
never let my heart grow cold.
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Change me somehow,
purify this needy soul.
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Look into my heart
and tell me what You see.
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Cleanse me when You
find any wicked way in me.
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With Your tender touch,
Lord, I need You so much
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to change me now.
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The seeds I've
sown, the deeds I've done,
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by the power of Your
blood please remove them.
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Restore my joy, I need You Lord.
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I need more of Your
love so You can use me.
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Will You search my
heart with Your holy light?
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Take every wrong
and make it right,
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Lord hear my cry.
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Please change me now,
never let my heart grow cold.
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Change me somehow,
purify this needy soul.
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Will You look into my
heart and tell me what You see.
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Cleanse me when You
find any wicked way in me.
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This very hour
fill me with Your power.
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I want to be so
close to You Jesus,
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that nothing stands between us.
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With Your tender touch,
Lord, I need You so much
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to change me now.
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Lord change me now.
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Let's pray.
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As we come into Your
presence today, Father,
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and as we study this
very important subject,
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we ask for the
presence of Your Holy Spirit.
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We realize that we're living
in the last remnant of time.
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The devil's deceptions
are stronger than ever before.
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And we want to understand
how to stand on the solid rock,
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the solid rock of truth.
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And so we ask that You'll
be with us in our study today.
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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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About 9 years ago, a
gentleman attended some meetings
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that I led out for in a
very large European city.
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Now last year, about 9 years
later, this same individual
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attended a series of meetings
that I did in the same place.
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I remember
distinctly he attended, this was
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last December, he
attended on a Wednesday evening.
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And after we had preached, he
came to the door, shook my hand
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and said, "Pastor,
when are you going to speak
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about what happens
with people when they die?"
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I wondered why he
would ask me this question
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because I hadn't planned to
address this specific issue.
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I later found out that the
pastor who organized this event
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had prepared a
brochure, a publicity brochure,
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without my advice and it
placed some general topics
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that I was going to speak on.
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And among those topics was
what happens when a person dies.
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So the pastor had placed
this in the advertizing brochure
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but I didn't know
anything about it.
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Well I told this gentleman,
I said, "You know, I'm not
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going to address this issue
specifically in this series
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of meetings because we're
dealing with Bible prophecy.
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However if you wish, I'll
be glad to come and visit you
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in your home and we can
discuss this particular issue,
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which I see is very
very important in your mind."
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He said that would be good.
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And so we set a day and a time.
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It was actually two days later.
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And the pastor and I
went to visit this gentleman
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in his home.
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We soon discovered that
this person had very individual
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personal reasons why
he wanted to talk about
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this specific subject.
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He told us the story of
what had happened in his life
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in recent months.
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See, he and his
wife had attended a
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non Seventh-day
Adventist Church.
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His wife had been baptized
in that church, but he had
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never been baptized even
though he attended with her.
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And for many many years, they
both had attended this church.
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After a few years in attendance,
they had a falling out
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because of a bad example
that was given by one of the
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elders of the church.
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And they quit attending
that particular church.
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Five months before my
visit to this European country,
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this individual lost his
wife due to a devastating
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bout with cancer.
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He had been
married for 22 years.
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And as we sat there at
his kitchen table, he was
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overwhelmed with
sorrow and grief at her death.
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In fact, he cried his eyes
out as he sat there at the table
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telling us the story
of the loss of his wife.
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He told us that after his
devastating loss of his wife
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to cancer he had searched for
literature that would help him
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to deal with the grief,
the deep grief that he felt.
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A friend of his recommended
that he read some material
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written by a very famous Swiss
psychiatrist, which you might
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recognize the name
of this individual.
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Her name is
Elisabeth Kubler-Ross.
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Now Elisabeth Kubler-Ross,
for those of you who are
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not acquainted with her works,
dealt extensively with the issue
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of the phenomenon of dying.
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In fact, she wrote
a very famous book.
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The title of the book
is, On Death And Dying,
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which was published in 1969.
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In this book, she
proposed that people who are
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terminally ill, they go through
five stages as they prepare
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for the moment of death.
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Those five stages are;
denial, anger, bargaining,
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depression, and acceptance.
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Now according to those who
have studied the phenomenon
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of death, they say that people
don't go through any particular
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order of these stages,
but everyone to a greater or
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lesser degree goes
through these five stages.
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I personally remember
Dr. Kubler-Ross because
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I was at Andrews
University in the year 1972
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and she was invited to
speak at a Nursing Symposium
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there at Andrews University.
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And I saw the advertisement
and I knew that she was a
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famous figure, and so I decided
that I would go and I would
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listen to her lecture,
which was very very interesting.
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Now Dr. Kubler-Ross, in the late
1970's, developed a very keen
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interest in out-of-body
experiences, in spiritualism,
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necromancy, which means
the attempt to communicate
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with the dead.
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She also came to believe
that Christianity teaches the
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doctrine of reincarnation.
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This 72 year old gentleman that
I was visiting with the pastor,
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who had lost his wife,
described how he believed
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that after death souls of dead
people go through a dark tunnel
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and come out on the other side
on a glorious sphere of light
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with an incomparable
feeling of peace and love.
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In fact, he told me that
his friend had assured him
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that he had
actually been contacted by
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this individual's wife.
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And according to his friend,
his wife had the same appearance
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and the same tone of voice,
and told him several things
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about their history together.
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Now how do you respond
to something like this?
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Well the fact is, as
Seventh-day Adventists,
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we know that there is no such
thing as a soul that leaves the
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body at the moment of death.
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So we had our
work cut out for us.
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Now I said to this gentleman,
"I believe, and you correct me
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if I'm wrong, but there's
nothing in the world that
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you would like more than
to see your wife and know
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that she's doing well.
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Is that right?"
00:14:36.95\00:14:37.95
He said, "Of course,
that goes without saying."
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Then I went to the Bible and
I showed him several passages
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from the Bible that speak
about the state of man in death.
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I read passages where the devil
told Eve that she would not
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surely die, when God had said
that if they ate from the tree
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they would surely die.
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I also told him about the
experience of the witch of Endor
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and how the appearance
of Samuel appeared to Saul
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through the work of this witch.
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In other words, I gave him a
study on the state of the dead.
00:15:09.18\00:15:12.68
Also reading the passage
where says that Satan is able to
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transform himself
into an angel of light.
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After going through the Biblical
evidence as well as I could
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within the time constraints
that we had, I presented
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to him a hypothetical case.
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I said to him, "Let's
suppose that at any given moment
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your wife, or what
appears to be your wife,
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should appear in that doorway,
and speak with the same voice,
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and have the same physical
appearance, and tell you
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things that only she knew
about her relationship with you.
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And she told you that she's in
a better place where all is love
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and where all is
peace and all is joy."
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And then I asked him, "Would
you feel like you would like
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to be with her?"
00:16:03.54\00:16:04.85
Then I said, "This would
be a most trying experience,
00:16:06.18\00:16:08.56
wouldn't it.
00:16:08.59\00:16:09.64
Your reason, your
eyes, your heart, your mind,
00:16:10.26\00:16:16.45
your feelings, your emotions,
your intuition, all tell you
00:16:16.48\00:16:23.30
that this is your wife.
00:16:23.33\00:16:25.56
Would you be willing to believe
what the Bible says instead of
00:16:26.43\00:16:30.11
what your senses and
your reason, and all of these
00:16:30.14\00:16:33.14
other things, are telling you?
00:16:33.17\00:16:34.82
Would you be willing to
say, 'The living know that they
00:16:35.13\00:16:38.17
will die, but the
dead know not anything.'
00:16:38.20\00:16:41.16
What would your
choice be in this case?
00:16:41.44\00:16:44.78
Would you go by what the
Bible says or would you go
00:16:44.81\00:16:48.24
by what appearances say?"
00:16:48.27\00:16:50.81
It appeared to be an eternity,
but this individual's eyes
00:16:52.08\00:16:55.22
opened wide, and for a
few moments he was speechless.
00:16:55.23\00:17:01.54
We had prayer and we left.
00:17:03.12\00:17:06.65
It really is too bad that
this individual did not attend
00:17:08.31\00:17:11.53
any of the other meetings
that were left during that week.
00:17:11.56\00:17:15.44
Which leads me to believe
that he had been so persuaded by
00:17:15.97\00:17:21.19
this friend of his and by what
he had read in the writings of
00:17:21.22\00:17:24.88
Elisabeth Kubler-Ross that
he could not believe that the
00:17:24.91\00:17:29.58
Biblical testimony was more
trustworthy that the testimony
00:17:29.61\00:17:33.87
of his senses, his feelings,
his intuitions, his reason,
00:17:33.90\00:17:38.02
and his senses.
00:17:38.05\00:17:39.70
Now the title of our
study today is, The Acid Test.
00:17:40.35\00:17:44.57
Now why would I
call it The Acid Test?
00:17:44.60\00:17:47.30
Well, we use that expression
very frequently, don't we.
00:17:47.33\00:17:52.00
Let me explain the reason why.
00:17:52.03\00:17:53.83
You see, when individuals
want to test precious metals to
00:17:54.16\00:17:59.84
see if they're really precious
or not, what they do is they
00:17:59.87\00:18:03.65
take a small drop of a
very powerful acid, nitric acid
00:18:03.68\00:18:09.92
for example, and they put
it onto the metal surface.
00:18:09.95\00:18:13.46
Now when the metal
is not a precious metal,
00:18:13.49\00:18:16.77
what happens is that the
acid fizzles on the metal.
00:18:16.78\00:18:23.46
But when it's a precious
metal, like gold for example,
00:18:23.49\00:18:26.62
you can put the acid on
it and it doesn't bubble,
00:18:26.65\00:18:29.94
it doesn't fizzle because this
is a genuine precious metal.
00:18:29.97\00:18:34.67
In other words, there is an
external test that you can apply
00:18:35.07\00:18:38.61
to gold to see if it really
is gold because your eyes can
00:18:38.62\00:18:43.17
certainly deceive you into
believing that gold is gold
00:18:43.20\00:18:46.92
when it really isn't.
00:18:46.95\00:18:48.26
It other words, this external
test is a decisive immediate
00:18:48.29\00:18:52.76
cheap and simple way
of testing metals to see
00:18:52.77\00:18:56.68
if they are genuine or not.
00:18:56.71\00:18:59.22
You can't rely on
what people tell you.
00:18:59.25\00:19:01.91
You can't rely on the
fact that it looks like gold.
00:19:01.94\00:19:06.03
You can't rely on the
idea that it tastes like gold.
00:19:06.06\00:19:09.52
I don't know if you can
really taste gold, but you see
00:19:09.55\00:19:12.61
in the movies, you know,
they kind of bite the gold.
00:19:12.64\00:19:15.49
I suppose there's something
in the consistency that will
00:19:15.52\00:19:17.87
help them decide
whether it's true gold or not.
00:19:17.90\00:19:20.07
Now you can't go, in
other words, by anything
00:19:20.80\00:19:23.39
that your senses tell you
to determine whether the gold
00:19:23.42\00:19:27.02
is really gold or not.
00:19:27.05\00:19:28.88
If you do not apply an
external test to the metal,
00:19:28.91\00:19:32.71
you might just come to the
point of buying fool's gold
00:19:32.74\00:19:37.88
instead of real gold.
00:19:37.91\00:19:39.29
The Bible tells us, folks, that
the devil has huge deceptions
00:19:39.60\00:19:43.87
planned for the human
race in these last days.
00:19:43.90\00:19:47.07
I'd like to read some texts
from Scripture where we find
00:19:47.10\00:19:50.62
a description of how Satan has
planned tremendous deceptions
00:19:50.63\00:19:55.19
in this world, particularly
at the very end of time.
00:19:55.20\00:19:58.44
The first passage
is Matthew chapter 24
00:19:58.84\00:20:01.68
and verses 23 through 25.
00:20:01.71\00:20:04.00
Here Jesus is speaking and
He's warning His followers,
00:20:08.81\00:20:11.87
He's warning His
disciples and He says this,
00:20:11.90\00:20:14.48
"Then if anyone says to
you, 'Look, here is the Christ!'
00:20:15.29\00:20:20.59
or 'There!' do not believe it.
00:20:20.60\00:20:23.52
For false christs and
false prophets will rise..."
00:20:23.55\00:20:28.38
And now notice this.
00:20:28.41\00:20:30.13
"...and show great
signs and wonders to deceive,
00:20:30.16\00:20:33.34
if possible, even the elect."
00:20:33.37\00:20:37.37
Did you catch that?
00:20:37.78\00:20:39.09
Even the elect.
00:20:39.12\00:20:41.84
And then He says in verse 25,
00:20:41.87\00:20:43.87
"See, I have
told you beforehand."
00:20:43.90\00:20:47.16
In other words, "I've warned
you that the devil's deceptions
00:20:47.19\00:20:49.87
are going to be so
great that he will deceive
00:20:49.90\00:20:52.69
even, if possible..."
00:20:52.72\00:20:53.79
Although the expression really
means that he's not going to
00:20:54.16\00:20:57.39
be able to, but
it'll be a trial.
00:20:57.42\00:20:59.36
"...he will deceive
even the elect, almost."
00:20:59.39\00:21:03.46
Another passage is Revelation
chapter 16 and verses 13 and 14.
00:21:03.49\00:21:08.05
Once again, underlining
the devil's deceptions
00:21:10.48\00:21:13.18
in the last days.
00:21:13.21\00:21:14.68
It says there, "And I saw
three unclean spirits like frogs
00:21:14.69\00:21:20.32
coming out of the
mouth of the dragon,
00:21:20.35\00:21:22.27
out of the mouth of the beast,
00:21:22.30\00:21:24.03
and out of the mouth
of the false prophet.
00:21:24.06\00:21:26.33
For they are
spirits of demons..."
00:21:26.36\00:21:29.02
And notice what they do.
00:21:29.05\00:21:30.49
"...performing signs, which
go out to the kings of the earth
00:21:30.52\00:21:34.82
and of the whole world,
to gather them to the battle
00:21:34.85\00:21:37.86
of that great
day of God Almighty."
00:21:37.89\00:21:41.03
So we're told here
that spiritualism will play
00:21:41.46\00:21:44.69
a huge role in
deceiving the kings of the earth
00:21:44.72\00:21:47.90
and the whole
world in the last days.
00:21:47.93\00:21:50.79
Another interesting
passage that shows that there is
00:21:50.82\00:21:53.74
going to be much deception,
even in the Christian world
00:21:53.77\00:21:56.67
at the end of time, is
found in Matthew chapter 7
00:21:56.70\00:21:59.76
and verses 21 to 23.
00:21:59.79\00:22:01.79
Matthew chapter 7
and verses 21 to 23.
00:22:01.82\00:22:05.74
And by the way, this passage
is speaking about Christians.
00:22:05.77\00:22:09.30
Don't believe that
every miracle and every sign
00:22:09.33\00:22:11.76
is performed by God even
when Christians are doing it.
00:22:11.79\00:22:14.77
Because Scripture makes
it absolutely clear that even
00:22:14.80\00:22:18.51
Christians will counterfeit
the true at the end of time.
00:22:18.54\00:22:21.63
"Not everyone who says
to Me, 'Lord, Lord...'"
00:22:25.00\00:22:29.71
Are these Christians?
00:22:29.74\00:22:30.90
Of course, they wouldn't
be calling Him, "Lord, Lord"
00:22:31.34\00:22:33.61
unless they were Christians.
00:22:33.64\00:22:35.22
"Not everyone who
says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,'
00:22:35.25\00:22:38.49
shall enter the kingdom
of heaven, but he who does
00:22:38.52\00:22:41.68
the will of My Father in heaven.
00:22:41.71\00:22:43.89
Many will say to Me in that
day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not
00:22:43.92\00:22:49.61
prophesied in Your name,
cast out demons in Your name,
00:22:49.62\00:22:55.02
and done many
wonders in Your name?'"
00:22:55.05\00:22:57.68
These are Christians,
right, because they're doing it
00:22:57.71\00:22:59.62
in the name of Jesus.
00:22:59.65\00:23:00.98
And what is Jesus going to say?
00:23:01.01\00:23:02.42
"Oh yea, you cast out devils
and you prophesied and you
00:23:02.43\00:23:05.74
did many signs and wonders.
00:23:05.77\00:23:07.37
Yea, you're Mine."
00:23:07.40\00:23:08.38
Is that what Jesus says? No.
00:23:08.41\00:23:10.53
Verse 23, "And then
I will declare to them,
00:23:10.56\00:23:13.65
'I never knew you;
depart from Me, you who
00:23:13.68\00:23:18.23
practice lawlessness.'"
00:23:18.26\00:23:20.05
So the Bible tells us that
the devil's deceptions at the
00:23:20.64\00:23:23.61
end of time are
going to be huge.
00:23:23.64\00:23:25.24
They're going to be so
great that he will deceive even,
00:23:25.27\00:23:29.12
if possible, although it
isn't, even the very elect.
00:23:29.13\00:23:33.42
And of course, the question that
begs to be answered is this.
00:23:33.45\00:23:36.78
How can we keep from being
deceived in these last days?
00:23:36.81\00:23:42.23
The answer, folks, is that
we need an external standard
00:23:42.71\00:23:46.87
to compare everything with.
00:23:46.90\00:23:49.04
We cannot trust
anything inside of us.
00:23:49.34\00:23:52.09
We can't trust our mind,
we can't trust our heart,
00:23:52.12\00:23:54.98
we can't trust our reason.
00:23:55.01\00:23:56.42
We need an external standard
that can apply, so to speak,
00:23:56.45\00:24:00.47
the acid test.
00:24:00.50\00:24:01.99
Something not in us,
but something outside of us.
00:24:02.02\00:24:06.19
And what is that standard?
00:24:06.59\00:24:07.96
Folks, the only standard,
the only external trustworthy
00:24:08.59\00:24:12.03
standard to detect the
difference between error
00:24:12.06\00:24:15.27
and truth is found
in the holy word of God;
00:24:15.30\00:24:19.64
the Bible, the Holy Scriptures.
00:24:19.67\00:24:21.55
You know, the devil, at the
very beginning of human history,
00:24:22.33\00:24:26.30
used different methods to
lead Adam and Eve into sin.
00:24:26.31\00:24:30.77
I'm not going to amplify
this point very much because
00:24:31.33\00:24:34.72
in Cracking the Genesis Code
series, I have a whole lecture
00:24:34.75\00:24:37.93
on the five methods that the
devil used in the Garden of Eden
00:24:37.96\00:24:41.57
to deceive Adam and
then to deceive Eve.
00:24:41.60\00:24:44.31
Basically what the
devil did was, first of all,
00:24:44.34\00:24:47.34
perform a counterfeit miracle.
00:24:47.37\00:24:49.54
And he did that by
giving the snake the apparent
00:24:50.15\00:24:52.99
ability to, what?
00:24:53.02\00:24:54.42
To speak.
00:24:54.45\00:24:55.68
Secondly, he
misquoted Scripture.
00:24:55.71\00:24:58.43
He left out an expression
that totally changed the
00:24:59.09\00:25:02.27
meaning of the text.
00:25:02.30\00:25:03.65
He tried to lead Eve into
following her reasoning powers
00:25:03.68\00:25:08.23
independently of God.
00:25:08.26\00:25:09.71
He got Eve to follow
the testimony of her senses.
00:25:10.31\00:25:13.35
She saw that the
fruit was good to eat
00:25:13.38\00:25:16.15
and it looked like it
was going to taste good.
00:25:16.55\00:25:19.21
And to her ears, it sounded like
it was going to give her wisdom.
00:25:19.51\00:25:23.14
All of her senses are involved.
00:25:23.15\00:25:25.39
And then of course, we
know that the devil used Adam,
00:25:25.42\00:25:28.70
he used Eve, another
person to tempt Adam into sin.
00:25:28.73\00:25:34.74
So the devil uses
people also to tempt people.
00:25:34.77\00:25:37.88
And so at the very beginning,
the devil tried to use,
00:25:37.91\00:25:41.71
and he was successful; miracles,
misquotation of Scripture,
00:25:41.74\00:25:45.37
reason, the senses, and other
people, to lead people into sin.
00:25:45.40\00:25:50.96
Now I believe that those
are the same methods that
00:25:51.71\00:25:53.84
the devil is going to
use at the end of time.
00:25:53.87\00:25:56.03
And folks, what was the
protection of Adam and Eve
00:25:56.06\00:25:59.36
when the devil came
with all of these methods?
00:25:59.39\00:26:01.47
They had only one protection.
00:26:01.50\00:26:03.01
And that was, God said
that if we eat from the tree
00:26:03.04\00:26:06.74
we're going to die.
00:26:06.77\00:26:07.80
And we live by every
word that proceeds out of
00:26:07.83\00:26:09.93
the mouth of God.
00:26:09.96\00:26:10.95
You know, the fruit looks good.
00:26:11.43\00:26:13.09
It sound like it's
going to give me wisdom.
00:26:13.12\00:26:15.45
You know, and it looks
like it's going to taste good.
00:26:15.48\00:26:18.36
And your reasoning seems
persuasive and you seem to
00:26:18.39\00:26:22.04
know somewhat
something about the word of God.
00:26:22.07\00:26:24.14
You know, you use all of
these arguments, but we live by
00:26:24.17\00:26:28.02
every word that proceeds
out of the mouth of God.
00:26:28.05\00:26:30.25
Their only protection
was found in strictly obeying
00:26:30.28\00:26:34.63
the word of God.
00:26:34.64\00:26:35.94
And that is the only
test at the end of time.
00:26:35.97\00:26:39.65
Those who do not
follow what the Scriptures say
00:26:39.68\00:26:42.68
ultimately will be deceived.
00:26:42.71\00:26:45.14
Yet today, people
accept all sorts of standards
00:26:45.52\00:26:49.53
other than the Bible.
00:26:49.56\00:26:50.67
They go by reason, by science,
by philosophy, by feelings,
00:26:50.70\00:26:55.24
by emotions, by
signs and wonders,
00:26:55.27\00:26:57.84
by what the experts say.
00:26:57.87\00:27:00.19
And even within our own
Seventh-day Adventist Church
00:27:00.69\00:27:03.14
we have theologians who
say, "Well you know, the Bible
00:27:03.17\00:27:06.19
was good for a pre-scientific
simplistic society.
00:27:06.22\00:27:09.50
But today we have
far more knowledge
00:27:09.51\00:27:11.62
and we're far more
educated and sophisticated
00:27:11.65\00:27:14.80
than in Biblical times."
00:27:14.83\00:27:16.78
I'd like to read you
some statements from the
00:27:16.79\00:27:19.00
pen of Ellen White on
the importance that she gives
00:27:19.03\00:27:22.16
to the Bible in
distinguishing truth from error.
00:27:22.19\00:27:24.97
Because folks, we're
going to read in a few moments
00:27:25.00\00:27:28.20
that the Spirit of Prophecy
tells us that in the last days
00:27:28.23\00:27:31.79
the devil is going to
perfectly counterfeit people who
00:27:31.82\00:27:36.27
passed away and is
going to make them appear to
00:27:36.30\00:27:39.06
people who are alive.
00:27:39.07\00:27:40.11
They are not the relatives,
they are the not friends.
00:27:40.53\00:27:43.01
But they look exactly the same,
they speak exactly the same.
00:27:43.04\00:27:46.21
The counterfeit is
absolutely perfect.
00:27:46.24\00:27:48.98
And unless we are willing to
answer, "I see you, I hear you.
00:27:49.01\00:27:53.35
What you say is
logical. I feel you.
00:27:53.38\00:27:55.86
The Bible, however, says 'The
living know that they will die,
00:27:56.84\00:28:00.74
but the dead know nothing.'
00:28:00.77\00:28:02.39
You are not my relative
and you are not my friend."
00:28:02.42\00:28:05.43
Ellen White had this to
say in the devotional book,
00:28:06.15\00:28:08.55
That I May Know Him, page 195.
00:28:08.58\00:28:11.40
So she says that the
"claimed enlightenment of the
00:28:43.67\00:28:46.41
Spirit within must be
tested by the word of God
00:28:46.44\00:28:49.62
which is the
detector of the pure wheat."
00:28:49.65\00:28:52.60
In the book, Christ
Triumphant, page 331, she says:
00:28:52.63\00:28:56.80
And by the way, we have
the example of Jesus Christ.
00:29:24.46\00:29:26.96
When the devil came at Jesus
in the mount of temptation,
00:29:27.49\00:29:31.35
Jesus didn't say, "Well,
it doesn't exactly feel right,
00:29:31.38\00:29:34.30
it doesn't really make sense.
00:29:34.33\00:29:36.48
You know, my senses
tell me that it's wrong."
00:29:36.51\00:29:40.80
No.
00:29:40.83\00:29:41.86
When the devil came at
Christ, what did Jesus say?
00:29:41.89\00:29:44.39
He said, "It is written."
00:29:44.42\00:29:47.68
And if you look in the
gospels, all four gospels,
00:29:47.71\00:29:50.34
you'll find that constantly,
Jesus, whenever He met His
00:29:50.37\00:29:53.57
enemies and His
enemies came with arguments,
00:29:53.60\00:29:56.23
Jesus said, "But what
sayeth the scriptures?
00:29:56.26\00:29:59.48
What is it that is written?"
00:29:59.51\00:30:01.18
In other words, the external
standard that Jesus applied to
00:30:01.21\00:30:05.01
everything was, what is
written in the word of God.
00:30:05.04\00:30:09.94
That was His only
protection against the devil.
00:30:09.97\00:30:12.23
In her classic book on
prophecy, The Great Controversy,
00:30:12.91\00:30:16.76
Ellen White made
this remarkable statement.
00:30:16.79\00:30:19.27
Notice she says it's not
the "opinions of learned men,
00:30:57.00\00:31:00.00
the deductions of science,
the creeds or decisions of
00:31:00.03\00:31:02.87
ecclesiastical
councils, or the majority."
00:31:02.90\00:31:05.19
She says none of these
individually or together is to
00:31:05.20\00:31:09.44
determine whether a point of
religious faith is true or not.
00:31:09.45\00:31:12.68
She ends by saying this:
00:31:12.69\00:31:14.35
In the same book, The
Great Controversy, page 593,
00:31:25.34\00:31:28.68
Ellen White had this to say.
00:31:29.28\00:31:31.02
Now I want you to
listen carefully to what I'm
00:31:40.99\00:31:42.79
going to read next.
00:31:42.82\00:31:43.91
She has just said the
antichrist is going to perform
00:31:43.94\00:31:47.23
marvelous works in our sight.
00:31:47.24\00:31:48.64
Now what are those marvelous
works going to be like?
00:31:48.67\00:31:50.56
She says:
00:31:50.59\00:31:51.59
What is a perfect counterfeit?
00:32:04.67\00:32:06.22
It's when a counterfeiter
makes a S100 bill that even the
00:32:07.24\00:32:10.39
government can't
determine that it's counterfeit.
00:32:10.42\00:32:12.80
That is a perfect counterfeit.
00:32:12.83\00:32:14.93
She's saying:
00:32:15.04\00:32:16.06
Several years ago, I
was teaching theology in the
00:32:32.98\00:32:35.94
city of Medellin Colombia.
00:32:35.97\00:32:37.33
I spent six years
there as a missionary.
00:32:38.36\00:32:41.44
And one day I went to a store
to pay for some merchandise
00:32:42.24\00:32:46.46
that I'd bought and I
took out a 10,000 peso bill.
00:32:46.49\00:32:50.40
And I gave it to the
lady at the cash register
00:32:50.43\00:32:54.43
to pay for the merchandise.
00:32:54.46\00:32:55.99
She took the 10,000 peso
bill and she put it in the light
00:32:56.02\00:33:02.78
and then she
wrinkled the bill in her hand.
00:33:02.81\00:33:05.95
And I knew I was in trouble when
she said to one of the policemen
00:33:06.15\00:33:10.38
that was nearby, "Come here.
00:33:10.41\00:33:12.33
This man just gave me a
counterfeit 10,000 peso bill."
00:33:14.10\00:33:18.06
I said, wow.
00:33:19.20\00:33:20.49
So the policeman came,
another policeman joined him.
00:33:20.91\00:33:24.13
One took me by one arm and the
other took me by the other arm
00:33:24.16\00:33:26.83
and they led me to a
room in the back of the store.
00:33:26.86\00:33:30.07
And one of them said
to me, "Sir, where do you
00:33:30.56\00:33:35.58
have the machinery?"
00:33:35.61\00:33:36.75
I said, "What machinery?"
00:33:37.86\00:33:38.86
He said, "For
making counterfeit bills?"
00:33:38.89\00:33:40.46
I said, "I don't
make counterfeit bills.
00:33:40.49\00:33:42.53
You know, I don't look at a bill
every time I'm going to pay."
00:33:42.54\00:33:46.62
He said, "Well, you should."
00:33:46.65\00:33:48.05
He said, "Where do
you work? What do you do?"
00:33:48.08\00:33:50.38
I said, "Well, I'm a
teacher of theology."
00:33:50.41\00:33:52.93
And I named the
name of our school;
00:33:52.96\00:33:55.18
Instituto Colombo Venezolano.
00:33:55.19\00:33:57.19
And when I said that, his face
totally changed to the positive.
00:33:57.49\00:34:01.98
He said, "Oh, you
teach at that school?
00:34:02.01\00:34:03.74
That's a good school."
00:34:03.84\00:34:04.85
I was feeling better now.
00:34:04.88\00:34:05.94
"It's a good
school with good people.
00:34:06.24\00:34:08.64
They're very very
honest. They're good citizens."
00:34:08.65\00:34:10.91
He said, "Now, I know that
you're not a counterfeiter.
00:34:11.40\00:34:15.59
But let me show you for
the future what you need to do
00:34:15.62\00:34:19.16
in order to know if
a bill is counterfeit
00:34:19.19\00:34:21.08
or whether it's genuine."
00:34:21.11\00:34:22.37
And so the first thing is,
he asked that the lady at the
00:34:22.87\00:34:25.83
cash register give him
the counterfeit bill and to
00:34:25.86\00:34:27.83
give him a genuine bill.
00:34:27.86\00:34:28.99
He placed the
counterfeit bill in the light
00:34:29.29\00:34:31.90
and he said, "Look at
the face of Simon Bolivar,"
00:34:31.93\00:34:35.32
who was the
liberator of Colombia.
00:34:35.35\00:34:37.43
It was kind of
blurry, it wasn't clear.
00:34:37.44\00:34:40.62
He took the genuine bill
and he put it in the light
00:34:40.65\00:34:42.83
and the face was
absolutely clear.
00:34:42.86\00:34:44.89
He said, "See, on the
counterfeit bill his face
00:34:44.90\00:34:47.47
is just blurry, it's not clear."
00:34:47.50\00:34:49.11
I said, "Oh okay, now I
have one idea of how to do it."
00:34:49.14\00:34:51.99
He said, "Also
look in the light.
00:34:52.00\00:34:54.03
The counterfeit bill has no
brown line running through it.
00:34:54.06\00:34:57.70
But look, the genuine bill has
a brown line running through it
00:34:57.73\00:35:00.58
when you look at
it in the light."
00:35:00.61\00:35:01.78
I said, "Oh that's
right, you know I hadn't
00:35:01.81\00:35:03.39
noticed that before."
00:35:03.40\00:35:04.40
Then he took the counterfeit
bill and he wrinkled it.
00:35:04.41\00:35:06.66
And when he wrinkled
it, it stayed wrinkled.
00:35:07.53\00:35:10.13
But when he took the
genuine bill, he wrinkled it
00:35:10.53\00:35:14.00
and then, it was made
out of a kind of paper that
00:35:14.01\00:35:16.08
just kind of
started opening on its own.
00:35:16.11\00:35:18.93
And then he took
the counterfeit bill and
00:35:19.81\00:35:22.32
he put it under a black
light that he had there.
00:35:22.35\00:35:24.56
And you know, it was
like nothing happened.
00:35:24.59\00:35:26.77
And he took the genuine bill
and he put it under the light.
00:35:26.80\00:35:29.65
And sure enough, the circles on
the bill shown in bright purple.
00:35:29.68\00:35:35.21
So he said, "Whenever you
get a bill, you make sure that
00:35:36.11\00:35:39.73
you put it up in the light
and that you do everything that
00:35:39.76\00:35:42.27
I've told you to do.
00:35:42.30\00:35:43.29
Because that way you
can distinguish between a
00:35:43.32\00:35:46.15
counterfeit and a genuine."
00:35:46.18\00:35:48.06
Now to me, the counterfeit
bill looked pretty genuine
00:35:48.63\00:35:52.57
just to the naked eye.
00:35:52.60\00:35:54.19
But I needed to apply
external standards to make sure
00:35:54.22\00:35:58.51
that it was a genuine bill
and not a counterfeit bill.
00:35:58.54\00:36:01.20
So every time I went to
the cash register after that,
00:36:01.23\00:36:04.27
I would make sure
that the bill was genuine.
00:36:04.30\00:36:07.86
And I would give it to
the lady at the cash register
00:36:07.89\00:36:10.57
and she would take it and
she would put it in the light.
00:36:10.58\00:36:12.52
She would apply all the tests.
00:36:12.53\00:36:13.78
And then when she gave me
a large bill back, I would
00:36:13.81\00:36:16.99
take those large bills and
I would put them in the light
00:36:17.02\00:36:19.22
and look at them also.
00:36:19.23\00:36:20.49
And one day, one of the ladies
at the cash register said,
00:36:20.52\00:36:23.07
"What, don't you trust me?"
00:36:23.10\00:36:24.39
I said, "I trust you
just as much as you trust me."
00:36:24.42\00:36:27.88
Are you understanding my point?
00:36:28.96\00:36:30.38
You know, things can look like
the real thing, but they're not.
00:36:30.88\00:36:35.74
They only way you can
know that something is genuine
00:36:36.11\00:36:39.43
is by applying an external test.
00:36:39.46\00:36:42.58
And the same is true with
the issue of our feelings,
00:36:42.61\00:36:46.74
our emotions, our reason.
00:36:46.77\00:36:48.24
They all have to be subjected
to the external clear authority
00:36:48.27\00:36:53.58
of the word of God.
00:36:53.61\00:36:54.79
In other words, the best
way to detect a counterfeit
00:36:54.82\00:36:57.16
is to know the genuine.
00:36:57.17\00:36:58.76
Now Satan has some
incredible deceptions planned
00:36:59.81\00:37:03.24
at the end of time.
00:37:03.27\00:37:04.31
You know, in just the
last couple of days as I was
00:37:04.34\00:37:07.41
watching television, I saw
two individuals on two different
00:37:07.44\00:37:10.65
programs saying that they
had out-of-body experiences,
00:37:10.68\00:37:15.87
that they had, you
know, supposedly they were
00:37:15.90\00:37:17.99
clinically dead and
they saw their body on the
00:37:18.02\00:37:23.03
operating table as the soul
was flying off into the air.
00:37:23.06\00:37:26.45
And then they went
through a dark tunnel and they
00:37:26.48\00:37:28.75
came into a sphere
of light and peace where
00:37:28.78\00:37:31.11
everything was tranquility.
00:37:31.14\00:37:32.59
And then they were so sorry that
they were forced to come back
00:37:32.62\00:37:35.60
through the dark tunnel,
and the soul once again was
00:37:35.63\00:37:39.09
made to
incorporate itself in the body.
00:37:39.12\00:37:41.56
This is something
that is becoming very very
00:37:42.04\00:37:44.25
prevalent in the world today.
00:37:44.26\00:37:45.67
Some, even Pat Robertson,
believes that this is proof
00:37:45.70\00:37:48.68
that there is life after death.
00:37:48.71\00:37:50.48
But the questions is, is this
a proof of life after death?
00:37:50.51\00:37:55.45
People might feel
it, people might see it,
00:37:55.48\00:37:58.66
people might
think that it's true.
00:37:58.69\00:38:00.78
But to our experience,
we always have to apply
00:38:01.19\00:38:05.29
the testimony of Scripture.
00:38:05.32\00:38:06.95
You know, Ellen White had a
very interesting vision once.
00:38:07.14\00:38:09.62
She had many interesting
visions, but this is one of
00:38:09.65\00:38:11.74
her more
particularly interesting.
00:38:11.75\00:38:13.83
She saw this train going
at the speed of lightening.
00:38:13.84\00:38:18.31
And it seemed to her that the
whole world was on the train.
00:38:19.21\00:38:22.22
And the angel that was giving
her this vision sometimes would
00:38:23.52\00:38:27.22
speak in the vision to her, and
said, "Look at the conductor."
00:38:27.25\00:38:31.42
And Ellen White said
she looked at the conductor.
00:38:32.56\00:38:34.67
He appeared to be a
very dignified charismatic
00:38:34.70\00:38:37.39
individual that all of the
people on the train admired
00:38:37.42\00:38:41.89
and looked up to.
00:38:41.92\00:38:42.96
And she herself says
that she was confused.
00:38:43.42\00:38:45.86
She said to the angel,
she said, "Who is that?"
00:38:46.19\00:38:50.36
The angel said, "It's Satan
disguised as an angel of light.
00:38:51.09\00:38:55.97
He has deceived
practically the whole world.
00:38:56.27\00:38:59.09
And the world is going
at the speed of lightening
00:38:59.12\00:39:02.26
to perdition."
00:39:02.29\00:39:03.42
Now she was talking
about the tremendous
00:39:05.38\00:39:07.29
growth of spiritualism, the
tremendous growth of the occult.
00:39:07.32\00:39:11.27
Now she wrote this
shortly after the Fox sisters
00:39:11.30\00:39:15.82
went through their
phenomena in New York.
00:39:15.85\00:39:19.69
What would she write
if she was writing today?
00:39:19.99\00:39:22.43
What she wrote has
been proved absolutely true.
00:39:22.46\00:39:25.04
Now notice what she
said immediately after
00:39:25.07\00:39:27.53
that train vision.
00:39:27.56\00:39:28.58
She talks about what
the saints need to know,
00:39:30.13\00:39:33.19
what God's people need to know.
00:39:33.22\00:39:34.91
This is what she says.
00:39:34.94\00:39:36.25
So what do God's people
need to know in these last days,
00:40:35.89\00:40:39.21
those who are
faithful to the Lord?
00:40:39.24\00:40:40.66
They need to know their Bibles.
00:40:41.13\00:40:42.61
They cannot follow their feels,
their emotions, their senses,
00:40:42.64\00:40:45.97
their intuitions, what
others say, the majority.
00:40:46.00\00:40:49.01
They simply have to go by
what God says in His holy word.
00:40:49.04\00:40:53.27
And God's word says, "The
living know that they will die,
00:40:53.30\00:40:56.43
but the dead know nothing."
00:40:56.46\00:40:58.52
In The Great Controversy
page 552, Ellen White
00:40:58.87\00:41:02.98
once again speaks about
how the devil is going to
00:41:03.01\00:41:05.22
attempt to use
spiritualism in the last days.
00:41:05.25\00:41:08.03
She says about Satan:
00:41:08.05\00:41:09.58
Now, how close is the
counterfeit to the genuine?
00:41:17.75\00:41:21.57
Wow, the counterfeit is perfect.
00:41:34.01\00:41:37.27
That's an amazing statement.
00:42:01.44\00:42:03.21
The counterfeit is what?
00:42:03.24\00:42:04.82
The counterfeit is perfect.
00:42:05.28\00:42:07.54
What is a perfect counterfeit?
00:42:07.57\00:42:09.64
It is when a counterfeit
$100 bill is identical
00:42:09.67\00:42:14.77
to the naked eye to
the genuine $100 bill.
00:42:14.80\00:42:19.71
Satan has incredible deceptions
prepared for the human race,
00:42:19.84\00:42:23.65
particularly in the
area of the state of the dead
00:42:23.85\00:42:26.56
and spiritualism.
00:42:26.59\00:42:27.87
In the book Maranatha page
209, Ellen White constantly
00:42:29.09\00:42:33.17
warned about this.
00:42:33.18\00:42:34.55
She said, speaking
about the Christian world
00:42:34.58\00:42:37.32
at the end of time.
00:42:37.35\00:42:38.37
Now, it's interesting
here that she says that the
00:43:03.38\00:43:06.94
Christian world said that, what?
00:43:06.97\00:43:09.07
That angels talked with them.
00:43:09.53\00:43:12.95
Now you need to understand
what people understand about
00:43:12.98\00:43:15.13
angels these days.
00:43:15.16\00:43:16.18
You know, we know
that angels were created
00:43:16.58\00:43:18.43
before this world existed.
00:43:18.46\00:43:19.95
The angels
preexisted planet earth.
00:43:20.36\00:43:23.03
But do you know what the
idea is in the world today,
00:43:23.36\00:43:25.76
even in the Christian
world today in many circles?
00:43:25.79\00:43:28.59
It's the idea that
angels are people who died
00:43:28.87\00:43:33.41
and went to heaven, and now
they come back to this earth
00:43:33.44\00:43:37.12
to comfort and to help those
who still walk on this earth
00:43:37.15\00:43:40.53
in a human body.
00:43:40.56\00:43:41.83
And that is what she's
addressing when she says here
00:43:41.86\00:43:45.27
that "they declared that they
had the truth, that miracles
00:43:45.30\00:43:48.68
were among them, that angels
from heaven talked with them,
00:43:48.71\00:43:52.42
and walked with them, that great
power and signs and wonders
00:43:52.45\00:43:56.50
were performed among
them, and that this was the
00:43:56.53\00:43:59.82
Temporal Millennium..."
00:43:59.85\00:44:01.24
In other words, the
millennium of peace.
00:44:01.27\00:44:02.99
"...which they had
been expecting so long."
00:44:03.02\00:44:05.45
And then she says:
00:44:05.48\00:44:06.74
She's speaking
there about God's remnant
00:44:20.87\00:44:22.67
people at the end of time.
00:44:22.68\00:44:23.68
How can this little group of
people say that they're right
00:44:23.69\00:44:26.55
and everybody else, the
great majority of people
00:44:26.58\00:44:29.77
on planet earth are wrong?
00:44:29.80\00:44:32.42
Did you know, by the way,
that the devil is going to
00:44:33.00\00:44:35.34
attempt to counterfeit
the second coming of Christ?
00:44:35.37\00:44:37.96
You know, the Biblical text for
this is found in 2 Thessalonians
00:44:38.38\00:44:41.64
chapter 2, and you can
read it at your leisure,
00:44:41.65\00:44:44.74
2 Thessalonians chapter
2 and verses 9 through 12.
00:44:44.77\00:44:48.56
Now if you read this passage,
the whole of the passage
00:44:48.95\00:44:53.03
beginning with
verse 1 through verse 12,
00:44:53.06\00:44:55.55
you're going to find that
two comings are referred to.
00:44:55.58\00:44:58.34
The first coming is
the coming of Jesus Christ.
00:44:59.64\00:45:02.65
In 2 Thessalonians
chapter 2 and verse 1,
00:45:02.68\00:45:04.98
the apostle Paul speaks
about the coming of Christ.
00:45:05.01\00:45:07.76
The word that is used
is the word, parousia.
00:45:07.79\00:45:10.46
Later on in the passage
in verse 9, speaking about
00:45:11.27\00:45:14.96
the devil's counterfeit second
coming, it says the lawless one,
00:45:14.99\00:45:19.21
his coming, it's
the same word, parousia,
00:45:19.24\00:45:23.11
his coming will be
with many signs and wonders.
00:45:23.14\00:45:26.98
In other words, what
this passage is saying
00:45:27.01\00:45:30.03
is that the devil is
going to try to counteract the
00:45:30.06\00:45:33.54
second coming of
Christ by having a counterfeit
00:45:33.57\00:45:36.79
second coming of Christ
before Jesus actually comes.
00:45:36.80\00:45:40.20
I'd like to read
from The Great Controversy
00:45:40.23\00:45:42.34
page 625 where Ellen White
describes what the devil is
00:45:42.37\00:45:46.36
going to do in these last days.
00:45:46.39\00:45:48.59
This will be at the
last remnant of time.
00:45:48.62\00:45:50.85
The Great Controversy page 625.
00:45:51.25\00:45:54.07
This is the devil doing this.
00:46:53.17\00:46:54.41
You see, he's even
going to speak some of the
00:47:19.06\00:47:20.18
truths that Jesus spoke.
00:47:20.21\00:47:21.32
Now here, more people are going
to detect that it's the devil.
00:47:29.17\00:47:32.36
These are words from 2
Thessalonians chapter 2.
00:48:02.07\00:48:05.70
What is the litmus test?
00:48:21.23\00:48:22.85
The Scriptures.
00:48:23.30\00:48:24.94
It's not what your eyes
see, what your ears hear,
00:48:24.97\00:48:28.00
what your heart feels,
what your intuition says,
00:48:28.03\00:48:30.65
what your reason
says, what other say,
00:48:30.68\00:48:32.76
what philosophy
says, what science says.
00:48:32.79\00:48:34.94
It is what God's word says.
00:48:34.97\00:48:37.85
She says:
00:48:40.52\00:48:41.71
Do you know why the devil really
wants to use spiritualism,
00:48:54.80\00:48:57.49
why he wants to convince people
that the dead are not dead,
00:48:57.52\00:49:00.65
that they can come back and
communicate with the living?
00:49:00.66\00:49:03.26
There's a very simple reason.
00:49:03.29\00:49:04.66
When people believe
that, they have absolutely no
00:49:05.80\00:49:08.67
protection from error.
00:49:08.70\00:49:11.15
Because whatever these entities
come as, disguised as relatives
00:49:11.37\00:49:15.89
and disguised as friends,
they are going to believe that
00:49:15.92\00:49:18.35
this is their
relative, this is their friend,
00:49:18.38\00:49:20.41
send from heaven and
they will buy any teaching
00:49:20.44\00:49:23.33
that these entities give.
00:49:23.36\00:49:24.74
No matter how
contrary it is to Scripture.
00:49:25.24\00:49:27.92
So the devil knows that
this is a method that is
00:49:27.95\00:49:30.03
totally under his control.
00:49:30.06\00:49:31.46
But if God's people
are based on Scripture,
00:49:32.24\00:49:34.76
and they
understand the Scriptures,
00:49:35.30\00:49:37.20
and they're willing to answer,
00:49:37.23\00:49:38.65
"I see you, I
hear you, I feel you.
00:49:38.68\00:49:41.41
But the Scriptures say,
'The dead know nothing.'
00:49:42.63\00:49:46.55
Depart from me, for
you are not my relative."
00:49:46.56\00:49:49.77
That's the only safety
that we're going to have.
00:49:50.26\00:49:52.34
This is a very
important doctrine;
00:49:52.64\00:49:54.72
the doctrine of
the state of the dead.
00:49:54.75\00:49:56.38
I'd like to read in closing,
one more statement that we find
00:49:57.40\00:50:00.77
in Signs Of The
Times, May 18th 1882,
00:50:00.80\00:50:04.44
where she's referring once again
to 2 Thessalonians chapter 2.
00:50:04.47\00:50:07.92
By the way, all of the
statements that I've read
00:50:07.95\00:50:10.57
can be corroborated by
passages from Scripture.
00:50:10.60\00:50:13.51
Can the devil make individuals
or purported individuals
00:50:13.91\00:50:19.73
who died, reappear?
00:50:19.76\00:50:21.39
You remember the
story of the witch of Endor?
00:50:22.03\00:50:24.36
Yea, the witch of Endor
supposedly brought Samuel
00:50:24.87\00:50:28.59
to speak with Saul.
00:50:28.62\00:50:30.29
So we see that the devil
can counterfeit relatives
00:50:30.69\00:50:37.13
and friends, and have
them come and speak to those
00:50:37.16\00:50:39.82
who are yet alive.
00:50:39.83\00:50:41.07
Now Ellen White, in
commenting on 2 Thessalonians
00:50:41.10\00:50:43.39
chapter 2, says this.
00:50:43.42\00:50:44.99
Have you ever read where it says
that God shall send upon them
00:51:00.44\00:51:02.84
a strong delusion that
they should believe the lie?
00:51:02.87\00:51:05.06
You know, so people
say, "See, God goes around
00:51:05.09\00:51:07.24
deluding people."
00:51:07.27\00:51:08.27
No, they want to be deluded
so God says, "I'm not going to
00:51:08.30\00:51:11.40
force the truth on you.
00:51:11.43\00:51:12.46
I'll just step back, I'll
let you make your choice."
00:51:12.47\00:51:14.81
That's what she's saying.
00:51:14.84\00:51:15.82
And the reason is because
they rejected the Scriptures.
00:51:16.64\00:51:18.88
She says, "Because the children
of men reject the plainest
00:51:18.91\00:51:21.26
teachings of His word,
and trample upon His law,
00:51:21.29\00:51:24.33
God leaves them to
choose that which they desire."
00:51:24.34\00:51:27.30
"They spurn the
truth," that's the key.
00:51:27.33\00:51:31.38
"They spurn the truth, and He
permits them to believe a lie.
00:51:31.41\00:51:36.37
They refuse to yield to the
convictions of the Holy Spirit,
00:51:36.77\00:51:41.41
and Satan, transforming
himself into an angel of light,
00:51:41.44\00:51:45.69
leads them captive at his will."
00:51:45.72\00:51:49.45
And then she gives
this very important counsel.
00:51:49.48\00:51:53.30
She says, "If men were but
conversant with the word of God,
00:51:53.33\00:51:58.10
and obedient to its teachings,
they could not be thus deceived;
00:51:58.13\00:52:06.09
but they
neglect," listen carefully,
00:52:06.10\00:52:09.20
but they neglect the
great detector of fraud..."
00:52:09.23\00:52:13.73
What is the great
detector of fraud?
00:52:14.76\00:52:16.76
The Bible.
00:52:17.32\00:52:18.37
"...they neglect the
great detector of fraud..."
00:52:18.40\00:52:21.48
And she says what
the consequences are.
00:52:22.89\00:52:24.80
"...and the mind
becomes confused and corrupted,"
00:52:24.81\00:52:29.34
by two things, "corrupted
by the deceptive arts of men,
00:52:29.37\00:52:34.72
and the secret power
of the father of lies."
00:52:35.53\00:52:39.52
In other words, deceived by men
and deceived by Satan himself.
00:52:40.53\00:52:45.93
So how important is it
to understand the Scriptures
00:52:46.64\00:52:50.49
when it comes to the
issue of the state of the dead?
00:52:50.52\00:52:52.57
It's a matter of life and death.
00:52:53.10\00:52:54.82
Now coming back once
again to the illustration I gave
00:52:55.15\00:52:57.58
at the very beginning.
00:52:57.61\00:52:58.89
I've prayed for this individual,
00:52:58.92\00:53:01.44
this individual who claims that,
you know, his wife's soul is
00:53:02.40\00:53:07.77
in a better land and has come
to believe these ideas that were
00:53:07.80\00:53:11.71
shared by the psychiatrist
Elisabeth Kubler-Ross.
00:53:11.74\00:53:14.38
I pray that the Lord will
open his eyes and that he'll
00:53:14.41\00:53:16.99
be able to see the deception.
00:53:17.00\00:53:18.64
But it's so difficult to see it
when you're caught up within it.
00:53:18.67\00:53:22.85
Now in our next two studies
together, we're going to analyze
00:53:24.20\00:53:27.27
a passage from Scripture that
has been greatly misunderstood.
00:53:28.58\00:53:31.34
You know, several years ago,
I presented a series called,
00:53:31.37\00:53:34.75
Misunderstood Texts
On The State Of The Dead.
00:53:34.76\00:53:37.17
And you're going to be
seeing a little bit about this
00:53:37.20\00:53:39.71
at the end of this presentation.
00:53:39.72\00:53:41.69
And I studied several
texts that can be misconstrued
00:53:42.60\00:53:46.70
and misunderstood
about the state of the dead.
00:53:46.71\00:53:48.85
People say, "Well, what
about the thief on the cross?
00:53:48.86\00:53:51.01
Jesus said, 'Today you
will be with Me in paradise.'"
00:53:51.04\00:53:53.12
What about the apostle Paul
who wanted to be absent from
00:53:53.15\00:53:56.01
the body and
present with the Lord?
00:53:56.04\00:53:57.48
What about the rich man who went
to burn in the fires of hell
00:53:57.88\00:54:01.34
in the story of the
rich man and Lazarus?
00:54:01.37\00:54:02.97
What about the fire
that never goes out?
00:54:03.37\00:54:05.36
What about Paul's desire to
depart and be with the Lord?
00:54:05.88\00:54:09.01
What about the souls that are
crying out from under the altar?
00:54:09.04\00:54:11.59
What about the dead
who stand before God?
00:54:12.03\00:54:14.26
What about where Jesus
said, 'Don't fear those who can
00:54:14.29\00:54:17.20
kill the body but
can't kill the soul?'"
00:54:17.23\00:54:19.35
What do you do
with all those texts?
00:54:19.78\00:54:21.72
The fact is folks, that all
of those texts, if you study
00:54:21.92\00:54:24.57
them carefully, none of
them are teaching that the dead
00:54:24.60\00:54:26.75
are not dead or that man
has a soul inside that flies off
00:54:26.76\00:54:29.88
at the moment of death.
00:54:29.91\00:54:30.91
The problem is, people are
many times careless in their
00:54:30.94\00:54:34.18
study of Scripture.
00:54:34.21\00:54:35.24
They study Scripture in the
light of their own preconceived
00:54:35.64\00:54:38.50
ideas and preconceived notions.
00:54:38.53\00:54:40.13
Now the passage that we're
going to study in the next two
00:54:40.16\00:54:42.99
sessions together,
it's going to take us two,
00:54:43.02\00:54:44.86
is that phrase in the book
of Hebrews chapter 12 where it
00:54:44.89\00:54:49.67
speaks about "the spirits
of just men made perfect."
00:54:49.70\00:54:53.53
I didn't deal with
that particular topic in
00:54:54.42\00:54:56.80
the State Of The Dead series.
00:54:56.81\00:54:57.80
There are several texts
that I didn't deal with.
00:54:57.81\00:54:59.87
But I decided that I would deal
with this one specifically in
00:55:00.80\00:55:04.81
detail, studying the historical
context, studying the grammar,
00:55:04.84\00:55:09.44
studying the syntax, where
it appears within the book,
00:55:09.47\00:55:12.09
studying the
vocabulary that is used.
00:55:12.10\00:55:14.86
In other words, exhausting
every resource possible to
00:55:14.89\00:55:18.32
see what this expression
really means, "the spirits of
00:55:18.35\00:55:22.42
just men made perfect."
00:55:22.45\00:55:24.14
I believe that when
we study this passage,
00:55:25.15\00:55:27.41
you're going to say, "Wow."
00:55:27.44\00:55:28.82
How this passage has
been greatly misconstrued
00:55:28.83\00:55:32.06
by most Christians
in the world today.
00:55:32.09\00:55:34.05
It's amazing when the passage
is so clear when you study it
00:55:34.08\00:55:37.94
carefully within the
context of Scripture.
00:55:37.97\00:55:40.32
So we have several very
interesting things to study.
00:55:40.86\00:55:44.02
And in this series also,
we're going to be dealing in the
00:55:44.03\00:55:46.46
last two lectures,
it's a series of five,
00:55:46.49\00:55:48.54
we're going to be dealing with
the question of the Sabbath.
00:55:48.57\00:55:52.00
And we're going to do it from a
different perspective, you know.
00:55:52.60\00:55:55.03
Ellen White says that the
Sabbath is the seal of God.
00:55:55.54\00:55:59.29
But when you read the
writing of the apostle Paul,
00:55:59.32\00:56:02.21
it says there that the
Holy Spirit is the seal of God.
00:56:02.24\00:56:04.77
Some people say, "Well, Ellen
White contradicted the Bible
00:56:04.80\00:56:07.36
because the Bible says the
Holy Spirit and Ellen White
00:56:07.39\00:56:09.76
says that the
Sabbath is the seal of God."
00:56:09.79\00:56:11.77
Well once again, we're going
to notice that when we study
00:56:12.17\00:56:14.73
things very carefully,
there is no contradiction.
00:56:14.83\00:56:18.19
There's only a contradiction
within our own thought patterns
00:56:18.22\00:56:20.76
because we have not searched
the Scriptures carefully enough.
00:56:20.79\00:56:24.88
So I hope that we'll all
continue tuning into these
00:56:24.91\00:56:27.76
programs, and that this
will be a blessing to us,
00:56:27.79\00:56:30.44
and make us stronger in
the faith, make us build on
00:56:30.47\00:56:33.32
the solid rock so that when the
wind of the devil's deceptions
00:56:33.35\00:56:36.92
come, we can remain firm
in the midst of the storm.
00:56:36.95\00:56:41.46
Let us pray.
00:56:42.02\00:56:43.08
Father in heaven, we
thank You for the privilege of
00:56:44.01\00:56:46.82
doing this series on the state
of the dead and on the Sabbath;
00:56:46.85\00:56:51.59
two cardinal issues in this end
time period of human history.
00:56:51.62\00:56:56.98
I just ask, Father, that
You will bless these lectures.
00:56:57.20\00:57:00.80
That not only will they
bless us who are gathered here,
00:57:00.83\00:57:04.17
but that You will reach
millions upon millions of people
00:57:04.20\00:57:07.27
in the world who are deceived
on these very important issues
00:57:07.28\00:57:11.00
and who are making
decisions, even as I speak now,
00:57:11.01\00:57:13.91
either for or against the truth.
00:57:13.94\00:57:16.02
I ask, Lord, that
You will reach many souls
00:57:16.05\00:57:18.53
with the truth of Your word.
00:57:18.54\00:57:20.40
And that You will continue
to bless our studies together.
00:57:20.43\00:57:23.17
We pray in Jesus' name, amen.
00:57:23.20\00:57:26.31