Participants: Pastor Stephen Bohr
Series Code: CGC
Program Code: CGC000025
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01:12 Let's pray.
01:14 Our Father in heaven, thank you for bringing us 01:16 once again to Your house. 01:19 We anticipate great blessings from Your hands 01:23 as we open with reverent hands Your holy Word. 01:28 As we study about Armageddon, earth's last great battle, 01:32 we ask for the guidance of Your Holy Spirit 01:35 and we ask also that You will help us to be on the right side 01:38 in this final conflict. 01:41 We pray this in the precious name of Jesus, 01:44 Your beloved Son, Amen. 01:49 There is no battle 01:53 in the history of the world that has received more publicity 01:57 than the Battle of Armageddon. 02:00 I'd like to begin by reading the passage which deals with 02:04 the Battle of Armageddon. 02:05 It's found in Revelation chapter 16 02:09 and verses 12 through 16. 02:13 This is the sixth plague 02:18 of the seven plagues of Revelation. 02:22 And it says this: 03:18 Now in our lecture today we are not going to study 03:21 everything relating to the Battle of Armageddon. 03:26 Many many books have been written on this battle. 03:30 And by the way, most of what has been written 03:32 about this battle is flat wrong. 03:36 But as I read the books 03:39 that have been written about the 03:41 Battle of Armageddon 03:42 I am amazed to see 03:44 that the writers comment on everything in this passage 03:50 abundantly, but there's one verse which seems 03:55 to be shuffled under the rug and very little is said 03:59 about that specific verse. 04:01 You see, as I have read books 04:03 from many different denominations about the 04:06 Battle of Armageddon they have very much to say about 04:09 the waters of the Euphrates drying up 04:12 and the kings from the east and the dragon, the beast, 04:15 and the false prophet and the three evil spirits like frogs. 04:19 There's very much exposition when it comes to this, 04:23 but the verse which rarely receives much of a comment 04:29 is verse 15. 04:32 In fact, you know the interesting thing 04:34 is that this is the only time 04:37 between Revelation 3:21 and Revelation chapter 21 04:43 that Jesus clearly speaks in Revelation. 04:49 So if this is the only verse where Jesus explicitly speaks 04:55 between Revelation 3:21 and Revelation chapter 21, 04:59 it must be a very important verse. 05:04 Let's notice this verse again 05:07 because it deals with the issues involved 05:10 in the Battle of Armageddon. 05:11 It says once again in chapter 16 and verse 15, 05:16 here Jesus is speaking: 05:34 The Battle of Armageddon has everything to do 05:38 with the way in which we are dressed. 05:41 The way in which we are garbed. 05:44 You see, in the Battle of Armageddon there are going to be 05:46 two different groups of people: 05:49 those who are found with their garments on 05:54 and those who are found naked. 05:57 Now the question is: what does it mean to be 06:00 covered with the garments and what does it mean 06:04 to be naked? 06:06 We need to go back, of course, to the book of Genesis. 06:10 So go back with me to Genesis chapter 2 06:13 and I'm going to read very quickly verses 15 through 17. 06:19 Genesis chapter 2 and verses 15 through 17. 06:25 We've read this many times before, but let's read it again. 06:46 Did God give a clear commandment to Adam and Eve? 06:49 He most certainly did. 06:51 Of course here it's given to Adam, but Eve repeats it 06:53 in chapter 3... so they both understood the command of God. 06:57 Now the Bible tells us that before Adam and Eve sinned 07:03 in their state of innocence while they were still obedient 07:06 to God, there was something very interesting that 07:10 characterized them. Go with me to Genesis chapter 2 07:13 and verse 25. Genesis chapter 2 and verse 25. 07:17 And remember, this is describing Adam and Eve 07:19 while they were still obedient to God's commandment. 07:23 And we've already studied that in this one commandment 07:26 are contained all of the Ten Commandments in principle. 07:29 But I want you to notice the condition they were in 07:32 while they were obedient to God's commandments. 07:35 It says in Genesis 2 verse 25: 07:45 Now is there any connection between that verse 07:48 and Revelation 16 verse 15? 07:50 Very clearly there's a connection. 07:52 There's the idea of nakedness 07:54 and there's the idea of shame. 07:56 Two words that we noticed in Revelation 16 verse 15. 08:01 So when they are in this con- dition of obedience to God's law 08:04 the Bible tells us that they were naked and they were not 08:07 ashamed. Now after they sinned 08:10 they noticed that they were naked. 08:12 Where was the change? 08:14 Allow me to go through it very quickly. 08:17 Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden 08:19 were naked with respect to human, man-made garments. 08:24 But the Bible makes it very clear that they were originally 08:27 covered with the glory of God. 08:30 They were covered with a glorious light. 08:32 And you say: "How do we know that? " 08:33 I'm only going to mention the verses because we've already 08:36 read them previously. 08:38 In Psalm 8 verses 5 and 6 we're told that when man was 08:41 created God crowned him with glory and splendor. 08:47 In other words, man was covered with God's glory. 08:51 He was covered with God's splendor 08:53 in his state of innocence. 08:55 Incidentally, the true church in Revelation 12 and verse 1 08:59 is described as a woman who is clothed with what? 09:03 She is clothed with the sun. 09:05 In other words, her garments are not artificial human garments, 09:08 they are garments of light. 09:11 We also noticed that when Jesus 09:13 was on the Mount of Transfiguration 09:15 He was transfigured. And the Bible says 09:17 that His garments glowed or shone like the light. 09:23 And by the way, the Bible tells us that the white garments 09:26 that God has are really garments of light. 09:30 Allow me to read just this one text to prove this point. 09:33 Psalm 104 and verses 1 and 2. 09:37 Psalm 104 and verses 1 and 2. 09:40 Notice how God is garbed. 09:43 What the clothing of God is when it speaks about Him 09:45 being covered with white raiment. 09:47 It says there in Psalm 104 verses 1 and 2: 09:50 "Bless the Lord, O my soul... " 10:10 So what are the white garments of God? 10:12 The white garments of God are light. 10:16 And so Adam and Eve, while they were obedient to God's law, 10:19 as they stood in their innocence the Bible says 10:22 that they were covered with a glorious robe of light. 10:27 They were naked with respect to human garments 10:29 but they were covered with the glory of God. 10:32 But then came sin. 10:34 Go with me to Genesis chapter 3 and verse 7 10:37 and notice the change that took place in Adam and Eve 10:40 when they sinned. the first consequence of their sin. 10:43 It says in Genesis 3 verse 7: 10:52 So what was the first result? 10:54 They now noticed that they are what? Naked. 10:57 So it must have been that the glorious robe of light 11:00 that covered them had left them. 11:03 And now they don't have human garments, 11:06 and they don't even have the garments of light. 11:08 And so they see that they are naked. 11:10 And notice how they try to solve the problem. 11:12 It says in verse 7... the last part of the verse: 11:23 They tried to cover their disobedience to God's law, 11:26 they tried to cover the shame of their nakedness, 11:31 with fig leaves. 11:33 With garments made by themselves. 11:37 But it's interesting to notice 11:38 that Genesis tells us that even after they covered 11:41 themselves with the fig leaves they still felt naked. 11:44 Which shows that their nakedness was not nakedness of body. 11:47 Their nakedness was nakedness of soul. 11:50 They had sinned against God. 11:52 They had broken the law of God. 11:54 The glory had left them 11:55 because they were now transgressors of God's holy law. 11:59 Notice verses 9 and 10 of Genesis 3. 12:14 At this point he wasn't naked with respect to human garments. 12:17 He had the fig leaves on him 12:20 and yet he's saying at this point that he still feels naked. 12:24 Obviously the garments that are made by human beings 12:27 could not cover the nakedness because only the glory of God 12:32 could cover the nakedness. 12:35 So as Adam and Eve stood obedient to God's law 12:38 they were covered with God's glory. 12:40 When they disobeyed God's law 12:42 they were now destitute of the glory of God. 12:46 But as we found in our study God promised them 12:49 that He was going to give them another opportunity. 12:52 The famous verse of Genesis 3 verse 15. 12:55 Let's read that again. Genesis chapter 3 and verse 15. 12:59 God promises to send a Seed to the world to restore that 13:02 which was lost. It says there in Genesis 3 13:06 and verse 15, God speaking to the serpent: 13:25 In other words, there's going to be a battle here 13:27 between Satan and the Seed of the woman. 13:29 Satan is going to bruise the Seed of the woman's heel 13:33 whereas the Seed of the woman is going to strike 13:36 and He's going to bruise the head of the serpent. 13:41 Now the question is: how was this Seed going to 13:46 give the serpent the bruise on his head? 13:50 Genesis 3:21 makes it very clear. 13:53 In order to bruise the head of the serpent, Adam and Eve 13:56 had to be restored to their original condition. 13:58 How could Adam and Eve be restored to their 14:01 original condition where they were covered, where the shame 14:05 of their nakedness was truly covered? 14:07 Notice Genesis 3 and verse 21. 14:10 Here is the secret. 14:12 It says in verse 21: 14:13 "Also for Adam and his wife 14:19 the Lord God made... " What? "tunics of skin 14:24 and clothed them. " 14:28 Who made the garments? 14:30 God did. 14:31 What did God do with the garments? 14:34 He clothed them. In other words, He covered their what? 14:38 He covered their nakedness. 14:40 What was the only way in which the nakedness of Adam and Eve 14:44 and their descendants could be covered once again 14:46 with the glory of God? 14:48 Only by the death of the Lamb of God 14:53 who takes away the sins of the world. 14:55 By the way, it says "skins" - plural - 15:01 which means that there was more than one animal involved. 15:04 There were two sinners incidentally. 15:07 In order to get the skin of an animal, 15:09 the animal has to be what? 15:11 The animal has to be slain. 15:13 In other words, there was an animal sacrifice. 15:16 And the impression you get from the Bible is that this 15:18 took place in the very Garden of Eden. 15:20 Before God cast Adam and Eve out 15:22 He said: "There's hope; I'm going to send a Seed. 15:25 He's going to bruise the head of the serpent, 15:26 and the way that He's going to do it is by dying 15:29 as the Lamb of God so that your nakedness can once again 15:33 be... " What? "so that your nakedness can be covered. " 15:37 Wasn't this a marvelous promise? 15:40 Now you say: "What does this have to do with the Battle 15:42 of Armageddon? " Well, this evening we are going to study 15:47 the story that we find in the first half of Genesis chapter 4 15:53 because it has a very close relationship with what we just 15:56 talked about: how the nakedness of man was going to be covered 15:59 by the death of lambs to cover the shame of their nakedness. 16:04 God was telling Adam and Eve: "This is the only way 16:07 in which sin can be dealt with; the head of the serpent 16:11 can be bruised; and you can be restored 16:14 to your original condition. " 16:16 Now go with me to Genesis chapter 4 and verses 1 and 2. 16:20 Genesis chapter 4 and verses 1 and 2. 16:23 This is the story of 2 brothers. 16:25 Very well known. Their names? Cain and Abel. 16:30 And in this story we're going to see 16:32 the first Battle of Armageddon in history. 16:35 In fact, it gives us an illustration of what the final 16:39 battle is all about. 16:40 Let's go to Genesis 4 verse 1. 16:56 By the way, that's a mis-translation. 16:58 The Hebrew says: "I have acquired a man... the Lord. " 17:04 What had God promised? 17:06 That He was going to send a Seed of the woman. 17:08 And so Even now thinks that this is the Seed of the woman. 17:12 And so she says: "I have acquired a Seed... the Lord. " 17:16 Little did she realize that this seed was not going to be 17:20 the Messiah. This seed was going to be the devil's seed. 17:25 Incidentally, this story shows beyond any shadow of a doubt 17:30 that the seed that you are is not determined 17:35 by your genetic makeup. 17:38 It's not determined by your birth. 17:40 It's not determined by the place you live. 17:43 It's not determined by your national identity. 17:46 Because both brothers were born from the same woman. 17:50 What this shows - this story - is that whose seed you are 17:55 depends on your character. 17:58 It does not depend on what nation you belong to, 18:01 whether you are a Jew or an Arab, 18:04 whether you are a citizen of the United States or Mexico 18:07 or wherever. The way that you determine 18:10 which seed you belong to is by the character that you possess. 18:15 Now notice Genesis chapter 4 18:18 and let's continue reading at verse 2. 18:21 It says: "Then she bore again... 18:26 this time his brother Abel. " 18:29 By the way, the name Abel means vapor. 18:33 It's the same word that is translated in Ecclesiastes 18:37 vanity. 18:39 I won't get into that any more. 18:42 It says: "Then she bore again... this time his brother Abel. " 18:56 Now is there anything wrong with being a tiller of the soil? 19:00 No. Is there anything wrong with being a keeper of sheep? 19:03 Absolutely not. 19:05 Did Cain and Abel know that God required them to offer 19:10 an animal sacrifice to take care of their sins? 19:13 Do we have that in the previous chapter? Yes! 19:17 Had God said: "The only way that sin can be dealt with, 19:21 the only way in which man can be restored 19:24 to cover his nakedness is by the death of the Lamb of God 19:28 who takes away the sin of the world. " And of course, 19:30 the animals represented the coming Messiah in the future. 19:34 Did they know it? They must have 19:36 because Genesis 3:21 speaks about that. 19:40 And now I want you to notice, however, what happens here. 19:43 Genesis chapter 4 and verse 3. 19:47 Genesis 4 and verse 3. It says here: 20:04 Is that what God has asked for? 20:07 Had God asked for the fruit of the ground? 20:11 Absolutely not. What had He asked for 20:13 that could remove sin? 20:15 The sacrifice of the lamb. 20:18 So let me ask you: did Cain 20:23 bring an offering to God? Yes he did. 20:26 Did he raise an altar to God? 20:28 Did he claim to be a worshiper of God? 20:31 Yes he did. 20:32 Was he obedient to God? No! 20:36 Did he worship God on God's terms? 20:39 Did he worship God the way God said? Or did he worship 20:42 God the way he wanted to? 20:44 You see he worships as he wants. 20:46 He disobeys God and he refuses 20:50 to offer an animal. 20:52 And the Bible says that only the shedding of blood 20:56 can remit what? Only the shedding of blood 20:59 can remit sin. 21:02 And so Cain is the disobedient one. 21:06 Cain is the one who worships God as he wishes... 21:10 not as God has commanded. 21:11 Cain is the one who claims to serve the true God 21:14 but rejects the blood of the lamb. 21:17 Cain is Abel's brother. 21:21 It's not like Cain is some outsider 21:24 and Abel, his brother, is some insider 21:27 and this outsider comes to kill his brother. 21:29 They both claim to worship God. 21:31 They both raise up an altar. 21:33 They both bring an offering. 21:35 They both claim to serve God 21:38 and yet they have radically different characters 21:41 even though they claim to serve the same God. 21:44 Now you know there are some scholars, 21:46 and of course I've read lots of books on this story, 21:48 that say that the reason why God didn't accept Cain's 21:52 offering is because Cain had a nasty attitude. 21:57 It wasn't so much the offering that he brought that made 22:01 the difference, but he just had a lousy attitude 22:04 when he came to worship God. 22:06 Listen, that flies in the face of the evidence that we find 22:09 in all of scripture concerning Cain. 22:12 It was not his attitude 22:14 which led God to reject his sacrifice. 22:17 It was the act of offering the sacrifice that he did 22:21 in disobedience to God. 22:23 Worshiping God on his own terms and rejecting 22:27 the fact of shedding the blood which will ultimately cover 22:32 the nakedness of his sin. 22:34 You say: "How do we know that? " 22:35 Let me go through the evidence. 22:37 First of all, Genesis 3:21 shows us that they knew 22:41 about the sacrifice of animals to cover the nakedness. 22:44 Impossible that Adam and Eve did not tell them that. 22:48 In fact, from the point that these sacrifices were made 22:51 there's no doubt that sacri- fices were offered after this. 22:56 Furthermore... and I'm not going to read these texts, 22:58 I'm just going to mention them... 23:00 God tells Cain in chapter 4 and verse 7: 23:03 "You know, if you do good... " 23:06 Notice... not if you have a good attitude. 23:08 "If you do good, won't you be accepted? 23:12 Won't your sacrifice be accepted? 23:13 But if you do evil, sin lies at the... " What? 23:18 "Sin lies at the gate or at the door. " 23:21 In other words, clearly in Genesis 4 and verse 7 23:25 it tells us that Cain did not do good 23:29 by bringing the offering that he did. 23:31 By the way, the Bible says in James 4 verse 17 23:33 that sin consists of knowing what you're supposed to do 23:38 and not doing it. It's he who knows how to do good 23:41 and does not do it that is sin. 23:43 So was sin lying at the gate of Cain's door? 23:47 It most certainly was. 23:49 Furthermore Hebrews 11 and verse 4 23:52 very very clearly tells us that the difference was in the 23:55 sacrifice that they offered. 23:58 Notice Hebrews chapter 11 and verse 4. 24:01 This is an important verse that we need to read. 24:04 It says here in Hebrews 11 and verse 4 24:07 about the sacrifice that was made by Abel: 24:40 Where was the difference? 24:42 It was not a difference in attitude. 24:43 It was a difference in offering or in sacrifice. 24:47 Furthermore, in I John chapter 3 and verse 12 24:50 which we have read previously in other contexts 24:53 it says: 25:08 So where was the problem? 25:10 Was it with the attitude or with the actions? 25:13 The problem was with the actions. 25:17 And by the way, we're going to notice in a moment 25:19 in verse 4 that Abel offered the firstlings of his flock 25:24 and their fat. 25:26 That's very significant 25:28 because some people say: "It doesn't say in Genesis 4 25:30 that Abel offered a sacrifice. " 25:33 But it's very clear that he did, and we're going to notice that. 25:37 But what I want you to notice for now is that Cain did not 25:39 offer the firstlings or the first fruits of his flock 25:43 and he did not offer their fat to God. 25:45 Now... let's go back to Genesis chapter 4 25:48 and read verse 4. We're contrasting the attitude 25:52 of these two brothers. 25:53 Genesis chapter 4 and verse 4. It says: 26:03 Now why would Abel bring the firstborn 26:08 of his flock and why would he bring their fat? 26:13 Where would he get such an idea that he was supposed to 26:15 offer God the firstborn of his flocks 26:18 and that he was supposed to offer their fat? 26:21 Do you think he just said: "Oh, I think it would be nice 26:22 to offer God the firstborn and to offer their fat? " 26:25 Of course not. 26:27 We know very clearly from the later sacrificial service - 26:30 listen to what I'm going to say - 26:32 from the later sacrificial service in the sanctuary 26:35 that every firstborn animal 26:38 was the property of God 26:42 and was to be brought to the temple for God. 26:45 And we also know... and I'm going to mention the verses 26:48 in a moment... you can read them at your leisure, 26:50 they're on the list... 26:51 We also know that when the animal was sacrificed 26:54 the fat was separated from the animal 26:57 and was burned upon the altar. 26:59 By the way, you could not get the fat of the animal 27:01 unless you what? Unless you killed the animal. 27:04 So very clearly, God was the One who told Abel 27:08 "You should offer the firstlings or the firstborn of your flocks 27:12 and you should offer their fat. " 27:15 Because there's no way that Abel would have simply guessed that. 27:17 And besides, the later sanctuary service shows us 27:20 that God required that. Are you understanding what I'm saying? 27:24 In other words, Cain did not bring the firstborn 27:27 of his flock. Cain did not bring the fat. 27:32 Cain did not bring what God said. 27:34 He worshiped God on his own terms 27:37 and he disobeyed God. He refused to bring the blood. 27:42 Now in Hebrews 9 verse 22 it says: 27:54 So was there any satisfaction for the sins of Cain 27:58 just by bringing the fruit of the ground? 28:01 Absolutely not. 28:03 And so we find three characteristics about Cain. 28:06 Number one: he rejected Jesus by not offering an animal. 28:11 Secondly: he disobeyed God's explicit order. 28:14 He was disobedient. And number three: 28:16 he worshiped God, he brought an offering, 28:19 he raised an altar... but he worshiped God 28:21 not as God had commanded but he worshiped God 28:25 as he pleased. 28:28 Are you starting to catch a picture of the difference 28:30 between Cain and Abel? 28:32 Let me ask you: did Abel obey God's specifications 28:35 exactly? Yes he did. 28:38 Did Abel obey God, did he worship God the way 28:42 God commanded that He should be worshiped? 28:44 Absolutely! Did Abel accept the blood of Jesus 28:49 to save him from his sins? 28:51 Sure, because in Hebrews 11 verse 4 it says: 28:54 "By faith Abel offered a more excellent sacrifice. " 28:57 He looked by faith to the sacrifice of Jesus, the Messiah. 29:02 Now I want you to go back with me to Genesis chapter 4 29:05 and you're going to notice something very interesting here 29:08 in... We'll read verse 4 for the context again 29:10 and then we'll go on to verse 5. It says: 29:27 Did God accept the offering of Cain? 29:29 Why didn't He accept the offering of Cain? 29:32 Didn't Cain come to worship Him? 29:34 Didn't Cain raise an altar? 29:36 Didn't Cain place the fruit of the ground upon the altar? 29:40 Didn't he claim to worship the true God? 29:43 He most certainly did. 29:44 So why did God reject the offering of Cain? 29:48 For three reasons. 29:50 Number one: because without shedding of blood there is no 29:54 remission of sins. Number two: 29:57 Cain was disobedient to God's specific command. 30:01 And number three: Cain offered a substitute in place of what 30:04 God had asked for. 30:07 And God can take no substitutes. 30:10 When we substitute for worship 30:12 something that God has not 30:13 commanded us to offer, that is unacceptable to God. 30:18 Now how did God show that He approved Abel's sacrifice 30:22 and He did not approve of Cain's sacrifice? 30:25 You know, I find it very interesting the way some 30:27 scholars think. As I studied for this subject 30:30 I noticed that some scholars said that the way Cain knew 30:36 that Abel's sacrifice had been accepted and his not 30:39 is that the smoke from Abel's sacrifice went up 30:43 whereas the smoke of Cain's sacrifice went down. 30:46 That sounds so interesting. 30:49 But we don't have to speculate. 30:51 How did God show in the Bible that He accepted a sacrifice? 30:57 The Bible tells us how God showed that He accepted 31:01 a sacrifice. Allow me just to mention 31:03 four examples from the Old Testament. 31:06 I'll just mention them. Leviticus 9:24. 31:09 When the sanctuary was established in the wilderness - 31:12 the sanctuary service - the Bible says that the animals 31:14 were placed upon the altar of sacrifice 31:16 and God showed His acceptance by raining fire from heaven 31:20 that consumed the sacrifices. 31:23 In I Chronicles chapter 21 and verse 26 31:28 David invoked the name of the Lord and offered a sacrifice. 31:32 And God showed His approval of David's sacrifice by raining 31:35 fire from heaven and consuming the sacrifice. 31:38 When Solomon's temple was dedicated 31:41 II Chronicles chapter 7 and verse 1 31:43 Solomon prayed to God and God rained fire from heaven 31:47 and consumed the sacrifice. 31:49 In the days of Elijah, Elijah invoked the name of the Lord. 31:52 And the Bible tells us that God responded to the prayer 31:56 of Elijah by raining fire from heaven. 31:58 So what happened originally when Abel invoked the name 32:02 of the Lord... what happened is that fire came down from heaven 32:07 and consumed the sacrifice of Abel. 32:09 And the sacrifice of Cain remained on the altar without 32:14 any fire. 32:16 God was saying: "I do not accept a disobedient sacrifice. 32:20 I do not accept worship on your terms. 32:23 I do not accept an offering that does not have blood 32:26 because without the shedding of blood there is no remission 32:28 of sin. " And now we find 32:32 that Cain becomes very angry. 32:36 Notice once again Genesis chapter 4. 32:38 Genesis chapter 4 32:40 and let's read verse 5 again. 32:44 "But He did not respect Cain and his offering. " 32:55 You know in the Hebrew... Hebrew is very descriptive. 32:57 When that says that his countenance fell 33:00 it says that he became "long faced. " 33:04 He started to pout. 33:07 He was angry. 33:08 He was angry at God 33:10 because God had accepted the worship of his brother 33:14 and He had not accepted his worship. 33:17 Now folks, I want to underline again the importance of this 33:20 story. Certain points that we need to keep in mind. 33:24 They were both brothers. 33:27 This is a conflict between brothers. 33:31 They were both religious. Yes or no? 33:35 They both worshiped. 33:37 They both raised an altar. 33:40 They both brought an offering. 33:42 They both claimed to worship the true God. 33:46 Where was the difference? 33:48 Blood, obedience, and worship 33:53 on God's terms. 33:56 Now notice Genesis 4:6-7. 33:59 God tries to reason with Cain. 34:02 It says in Genesis chapter 4 and verse 6: 34:14 See... there it is: "If you do well... " 34:16 In other words, "If you bring the sacrifice that I said. 34:19 If you obey Me; if you worship on My terms... " 34:36 In other words, sin is personified here. 34:38 This is the idea of a beast that is crouching, 34:41 ready to pounce on someone. 34:43 What the Lord is saying is that "If you do well 34:45 your offering will be accepted, 34:47 but if you don't sin is lying at the door 34:50 ready to pounce of you. " And so it says: 34:53 "Its desire is for you. " In other words, 34:56 sin desires to have you but you should rule over it. 35:02 You should have sovereignty over sin by doing good, 35:06 by obeying God and worshiping God on His terms. 35:09 Then we find in verse 8 35:12 the tragic climax of this story. It says: 35:17 It looks like they got into an argument. 35:20 We don't know exactly what they talked about 35:22 but it's not hard to imagine. 35:24 I can imagine Abel saying to Cain: "Cain, 35:27 you know what God has told us that we're supposed to bring. 35:31 You know that we're supposed to worship God on His terms. 35:34 You know that we're supposed to obey God. 35:38 If you brought the right sacrifice... " 35:39 See, he's using the same logic that God did. 35:41 "If you brought the same sacrifice, 35:43 your offering would be accepted just as well as mine. " 35:47 And what does this do with Cain? 35:49 It fills him with further fury. 35:52 He says: "Who are you, my little brother, to teach me? 35:56 I'm your older brother and you should do what I say. " 35:59 And Abel says: "I do what God says. " 36:02 And so it says in verse 8: 36:15 First Battle of Armageddon in history. 36:20 The false worshiper is killing the true worshiper. 36:24 The disobedient is killing the obedient. 36:29 The one who really and truly has accepted Jesus 36:34 is rising against he who claims to serve Jesus 36:39 but does not. 36:41 Are you catching a picture of what we have here? 36:44 The first Battle of Armageddon in history. 36:49 Now I want you to notice what we find in the following verses. 36:54 Verse 9: 36:55 "Then the Lord said to Cain: 'Where is Abel your brother? ' " 36:59 By the way, the word brother is used... in the first eleven 37:02 verses is used seven times. 37:04 I think God is trying to empha- size that they were brothers. 37:07 Is it just possible that the final war is going to be 37:09 among brothers? 37:12 People who claim to worship the same God? 37:17 People who go to church? 37:21 People who worship, but one group is characterized 37:25 by worship on God's terms and by obedience to God 37:29 and by truly receiving Jesus 37:31 while the others worship God on their terms 37:34 and thus disobey God? 37:37 And though they claim to receive Jesus they are truly 37:39 rejecting Him? 37:41 The final war is going to be among brothers. 37:43 You say: "How is this possible? " 37:45 Listen folks, this is the way it's been all throughout human 37:48 history. What makes you think that it's going to be any 37:51 different at the end? 37:53 You know, we usually as Christians think: "Oh yeah. 37:56 We need to be careful about the Arabs and the Muslims 37:59 and the Russians because they're going to be the ones that are 38:01 dangerous to us. " 38:04 Scripture does not corroborate that idea. 38:06 Scripture tells us that our greatest enemies 38:10 Jesus said will be those of our own household. 38:14 The greatest enemy of Abel was his brother! 38:18 The greatest enemy of the prophets in the Old Testament 38:21 were the very people that they were sent to: religious people. 38:26 Those that crucified Christ were religious people. 38:30 Those who persecuted God's people during the 1,260 years 38:34 was the church that claimed to follow Jesus Christ. 38:38 Of course, in the end time it's going to be different. 38:40 Our enemies at the end of time are going to be the Chinese 38:43 and the Russians. Now how spiritual is that? 38:47 Let me ask you: are there good and bad Russians? 38:50 Yes. Are there good and bad 38:52 US people? Yeah. 38:54 So if you say that the battle 38:55 is between Russia and China 38:57 and the United States, you're saying the battle is 38:59 the good bad against the good bad. 39:03 The fact is that the book of Revelation shows 39:06 that the final battle will be two different kinds of people 39:09 who claim to worship the true God. 39:12 One group worships on God's terms 39:15 and obeys God to the letter. 39:17 The other group disobeys God and worships 39:21 as they wish. 39:25 Now notice Genesis 4:9-10. 39:28 Genesis chapter 4 verses 9 and 10. 39:30 We're told here this: 39:37 "Then the Lord said to Cain: 'Where is Abel your brother? ' 39:40 He said: 'I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper? ' " 39:46 Is he repentant? 39:48 No... he is defiant. 39:49 Verse 10: 40:01 What was crying out? 40:05 The voice of his brother's what? 40:07 Of his blood. Was crying from where? 40:10 Was crying from the ground. 40:14 Now, notice Genesis 4:11 and then I'm going to explain 40:16 to you what this means. Genesis 4 and verse 11. 40:20 Let's add the testimony of that verse. 40:22 It says, God is speaking: "So now you are cursed 40:25 from the earth which has opened its mouth to receive 40:28 your brother's blood from your hand. " 40:31 What received the brother's blood? 40:33 The earth. By the way, this is an allusion 40:37 to the sanctuary service. 40:38 Do you know that when an animal was sacrificed 40:41 the blood was taken out of the animal 40:43 and it was poured on the ground next to the altar? 40:48 By the way, it was innocent blood 40:49 because the blood of the lamb represented the blood of Jesus. 40:53 It was poured out on the ground. 40:55 And in that sense, the ground was crying out for what? 40:59 Was crying out for justice. 41:01 By the way, when it says here that the blood of Abel is 41:04 crying out, we need to understand that blood doesn't 41:08 literally cry out. What's happening here? 41:11 What does that mean that the "blood of your brother 41:13 cries out? " It is crying out for what? 41:16 For justice. 41:18 By the way, that expression "crying out" is a legal term 41:21 in the Old Testament. 41:22 It refers to an individual who has been wronged 41:25 and who is crying out so that his case is righted by God. 41:31 Had a great injustice been performed here? 41:34 The true worshiper and the obedient one dies 41:37 and the false worshiper and the one who is disobedient 41:41 to God lives! Must justice be meted out? 41:45 Yes! That's why the blood is crying from the ground. 41:48 Because the blood has been spilt on the ground 41:50 and the blood of Abel is demanding justice 41:54 because an injustice has been committed. 41:56 And then I want you to notice what happens in Genesis 4:15. 42:01 This is where the story gets particularly interesting. 42:04 Genesis chapter 4 and verse 15. It says: 42:27 What was placed on Cain? A mark. 42:30 Was that a mark of preservation of life? 42:34 Yes it was! It says here it was a mark 42:37 to preserve his what? To preserve his life. 42:41 Now is there in the book of Revelation a mark that is placed 42:46 on the forehead and the hand which preserves life? 42:50 I'm not talking now from the perspective of God. 42:53 I'm talking from the perspective of man. 42:55 Let me ask you: what is going to happen with those - 42:58 humanly speaking - who refuse the mark of the beast? 43:01 It says in Revelation 13 that they will be what? 43:04 Killed! So what the beast is saying is: 43:07 "You receive the mark and your life will be... " What? 43:11 Your life will be spared. 43:13 And so we find in the story of Cain and Abel 43:16 a prefiguring of the mark of the beast... 43:20 the beast giving his mark to those who want their lives 43:24 preserved who don't want to die in the final crisis. 43:27 Of course, eventually the same is going to happen 43:30 with the wicked as happened with Cain. 43:32 Cain died a lost man, 43:35 and he will resurrect in what the Bible calls 43:37 the second resurrection to suffer second death. 43:42 In other words, his life was spared 43:44 only for a period of time. 43:46 Just as at the end of time those who have the mark of the 43:49 beast: their lives will be spared for a short period 43:52 of time. Now I'd like to make a brief application of this 43:57 story as we find it in the book of Revelation. 44:00 Listen, folks, the conflict in the book of Revelation 44:05 will be exactly the same as in Genesis with one difference. 44:09 And that is that in Genesis you have two individuals 44:14 that have different characters, different styles of worship, 44:18 one obedient and one disobedient. 44:20 The only difference with the end of time is that at the end of 44:23 time you are going to have two world-wide groups 44:27 who have the same characters as these two individuals 44:30 at the beginning of history. 44:31 Are you understanding what I'm saying? 44:33 In other words, these two characters will have 44:35 proliferated and filled the world 44:37 and you will have two different kinds of worshippers. 44:42 By the way, do you know that the controversy in the book of 44:44 Revelation is identical to the controversy in Genesis? 44:47 It's over the blood, it's over worship, 44:49 and it's over obedience. 44:51 You say: "How do you know that? " 44:53 Go with me to Revelation chapter 7 and verse 14. 44:56 Let's notice the blood first. 44:57 Those who are saved... What characterizes those who are 45:00 saved according to the book of Revelation? 45:02 It says in Revelation chapter 7 and verse 14 45:05 speaking about that great multi- tude which no man can number. 45:07 It says: "And I said to him: 45:09 'Sir, you know. ' So he said to me... " 45:22 Are God's true people going to have white garments made white 45:25 in the blood of the Lamb? Just like at the beginning 45:29 will the shame of their nakedness be covered 45:32 by the blood of Jesus? Yes! 45:34 But these people will be characterized by something else. 45:37 Not only because they accept the blood of Jesus 45:40 but accepting the blood of Jesus is manifested in obedience 45:44 and true worship. Notice Revelation chapter 14 45:48 verses 6 and 7... the first angel's message. 45:51 Revelation chapter 14 and verses 6 and 7. 45:54 It says: "Then I saw another angel flying in the midst 45:57 of heaven having the everlasting gospel 46:00 to preach to those who dwell on the earth. 46:02 To every nation, tribe, tongue, and people 46:05 saying with a loud voice 46:07 'Fear God and give glory to Him... ' " 46:09 Is this a world-wide message? It sure is. 46:12 "Fear God and give glory to Him for the hour of His judgment 46:17 has come. " And then what does it say? 46:19 "And worship Him who made heaven and earth, 46:23 the sea, and the springs of water. " 46:25 Will God have a people at the end of time 46:27 who listen to this call and worship the Creator? 46:31 Absolutely. And what is the sign of the Creator? 46:35 The sign of the Creator is what? 46:38 The Sabbath. 46:41 Do you see why this issue is important? 46:43 The whole Christian world with- out any Biblical authority... 46:47 I shouldn't say the whole Christian world... 46:49 most of the Christian world 46:50 without any authority - any divine authority - 46:53 they say: "It's OK to worship God on the first day 46:58 of the week. " Is that acceptable in the sight of God? 47:02 That's not any better than the worship of Cain. 47:05 You say: "Why not? " 47:06 For the simple reason that Cain worshiped God on his terms 47:11 and he disobeyed God's explicit instructions. 47:14 Is not keeping the Sabbath and worshiping on a different day 47:18 the same principle as what happened with Cain? 47:22 Absolutely! Because it's being disobedient to God 47:25 and it's worshiping God on our terms instead of 47:28 on the basis of the terms that God Himself has established. 47:32 And so Revelation calls for people to worship the Creator. 47:36 Revelation speaks about those who have made their garments 47:39 white in the blood of the Lamb. 47:41 They're like Abel. They have sacrificed an animal so to speak 47:44 and their lives have been 47:45 covered with the blood of Jesus. 47:47 But they also worship the Creator. 47:49 By the way, do they also 47:51 keep the commandments of God? 47:52 Notice Revelation chapter 12 and verse 17. 47:56 Revelation chapter 12 and verse 17. 47:59 It says: "And the dragon... " 48:01 By the way, the same four elements of Genesis 3:15. 48:03 We're kind of going quickly here. 48:05 But if you notice the story of Cain and Abel 48:07 the story of Cain and Abel is actually an amplification 48:10 of Genesis 3:15. 48:12 Because that story... Do you have enmity in the story 48:14 of Cain and Abel? Yes you do. 48:16 Do you have two seeds? Yes you do. 48:19 Do you have a woman? Yes. 48:21 Do you have a serpent? Cain was of the "wicked one" 48:25 it says in I John 3. 48:26 So do you have the same elements of Genesis 3:15 48:29 in the story of Cain and Abel? Absolutely. 48:32 Do we have the same elements in the final battle? 48:34 Of course. Now if the same elements are present in the 48:37 final battle, must this final battle 48:39 be like the original battle between Cain and Abel? 48:42 Absolutely. Notice Revelation 12:17. 48:45 "And the dragon was enraged with the woman... " 48:47 See, dragon... that's the serpent. 48:49 "With the woman... " There's the woman. 48:50 "He went to make war... " That's the enmity. 48:53 "With the remnant of her seed. " There you have the seed. 48:55 And what characteristic do they have? 48:57 They keep the commandments of God 49:00 and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. 49:03 Notice the end of the third angel's message. 49:06 Revelation chapter 14 and verse 12. 49:08 This is the last message that God gives to the world. 49:11 It says in Revelation 14 and verse 12: 49:14 "Here is the patience of the saints; 49:17 here are those who keep the commandments of God 49:20 and the faith of Jesus. " So much for the idea 49:23 that the commandments were nailed to the cross. 49:25 If they were nailed to the cross, why does Revelation say 49:28 that there's going to be a people who keep 'em? 49:33 You're not with me. 49:34 Why does Revelation condemn people who practice false 49:37 worship? Why is it wrong to worship the image to the beast? 49:43 That's idolatry. You say: "Because there's a commandment 49:45 that says thou shalt not make a graven image. " 49:48 "Thou shalt have no other gods before Me. " 49:51 So if that's true, then the com- mandments must still be binding. 49:54 They weren't nailed to the cross if the conflict at the end 49:56 of time has to do with worship and so on. 49:59 Are you understanding what I'm saying? 50:00 The trouble is - and I need to be frank here - 50:05 what Christians are willing to say is that God crucified 50:08 the Ten Commandments and then He uncrucified nine. 50:13 Or they'll say that Christ crucified one. 50:16 You see it's the Sabbath that people want to get rid of. 50:19 And it's because the devil hates the Sabbath. 50:22 In the Old Testament he led Israel to break the Sabbath 50:24 time and again. In the times of Christ 50:27 he twisted the meaning of the Sabbath. 50:29 The Pharisees disfigured the Sabbath. 50:32 At the end of time the conflict is going to be also 50:34 over the Sabbath because the devil hates the Sabbath 50:37 because the Sabbath points to the fact that there's only one 50:40 true God: the Creator of the heavens and the earth. 50:42 And if people keep the Sabbath the devil can have nothing 50:45 to do with them because they're recognizing that there's only 50:48 one true God. Raise your hand if you understand what I'm saying. 50:53 It's an issue of whose authority you accept. 50:57 Now... let's go to Revelation 6. 51:01 This is going to get even more interesting. 51:04 Revelation 6. Remember the blood of Abel crying out? 51:09 Is that going to happen at the end of time also? 51:12 Did that happen during the 1,260 years? 51:14 Did a lot of people during the 1,260 years 51:17 die unjustly? 51:19 What did the little horn do? He persecuted whom? 51:21 The saints of the Most High. 51:23 The woman was persecuted in the wilderness. 51:25 Many of them were killed. Was there any justice in that? 51:29 No. How about the martyrs who will die near the end of time 51:32 before probation closes? 51:34 Is there any justice in that? Absolutely not. 51:38 And I want you to notice what happens as a result. 51:40 Revelation chapter 6 and verse 9. 51:42 This is the fifth seal. I wish we had the time 51:44 to study the specific context but let's notice. It says: 51:48 "When he opened the fifth seal I saw under the altar 51:50 the souls of those who have been slain 51:53 for the Word of God and for the testimony which they held. " 51:56 Some people say: "See, the souls are under the altar. " 51:58 Well, this problem can be resolved very easily. 52:01 You see the word soul, as we studied in one of our previous 52:04 lectures, is really... It says in Leviticus 17:14 52:08 that the nefesh of man is his blood. " 52:11 The word nefesh is translated many many times in the 52:14 Old Testament: soul. 52:15 In other words, the soul of man is his blood. 52:19 What it means is that the life of man is his blood. 52:22 So these souls that are crying out under the altar 52:25 they are the blood that was shed, they are the life 52:29 of these individuals that are crying out to God. 52:31 Are you understanding what I'm saying? 52:33 Don't put into the text immortal souls that are in heaven. 52:37 You know, people like to add to the text. 52:39 The text does not say that. 52:41 Now notice: they're under the altar. 52:43 Remember the blood that was poured next to the altar? 52:45 And then notice verse 10: 52:47 "And they cried with a loud voice saying: 52:50 'How long, O Lord, holy and true, 52:54 until You judge and avenge... ' What? 52:56 'our blood on those who dwell on the earth? ' " 52:59 Are they crying out for the same thing that Abel's blood 53:02 cried out for? Absolutely! 53:04 And by the way, there's two groups of martyrs. 53:06 These that are crying out are the ones who died 53:08 during the 1,260 years. 53:09 But there's going to be another group of martyrs. 53:11 Notice verse 11. It says: 53:13 "Then a white robe was given to each of them. " 53:16 Isn't that interesting? 53:17 They died overcomers. A white robe is given to each 53:20 of them. "And it was said to them 53:23 that they should rest a little while longer. " 53:26 Well I guess if they're resting then they must not be alive 53:29 under the altar. 53:32 What's crying out is their blood! 53:35 And so it says that they should rest a little while longer. 53:38 And now notice: "until both the number 53:41 of their fellow servants and their brethren 53:43 who would be killed as they were was completed. " 53:47 Is there going to be another group of martyrs that are 53:48 going to be killed? Yes. And do you know why? 53:51 Because the beast has two stages of existence. 53:55 He killed during the 1,260 years 53:57 but his deadly wound is going to be healed 53:59 and he is going to kill again. 54:02 Are you with me or are you not with me? 54:04 By the way, who are the powers that are going to try and 54:07 destroy God's people at the end time? 54:09 This is the amazing thing. 54:10 The beast represents the Roman Catholic papacy. 54:14 The false prophet represents Protestantism 54:18 as it's found in the United States of America. 54:20 You say: "How is it possible 54:22 that you could say such a thing? " 54:24 Well Abel and Cain were brothers. 54:28 And that's exactly what's going to happen at the end of time: 54:31 two kinds of worshipers... 54:33 obedient and disobedient. 54:36 Both are going to come before God. 54:39 Both attend church. 54:41 But one group are like Abel. 54:44 They follow the worship of God to the letter. 54:46 They obey God and they truly receive Jesus 54:50 as their Savior and as their Lord. 54:54 Is there going to be a mark of protection 54:56 that is placed on those who follow the beast? 55:01 The ones who have the character like Cain? 55:03 Yes. Is it a sign of preservation? 55:06 Is it a mark of preservation? Yes it is. 55:09 See, the beast and his image will say: 'Hey, folks, 55:11 you know, as long as you follow us, 55:15 as long as you worship the way we say, 55:18 as long as you obey our commands, 55:20 your life is going to be preserved. 55:23 Nobody will be able to kill you. " 55:25 But as Cain ultimately died and he will resurrect 55:29 and will be outside the Holy City, 55:31 so will be also with those who are not faithful to God. 55:37 Now do you understand what the issues are 55:39 in Revelation 16 verse 15? 55:41 Jesus said: "Behold I come as a thief. 55:45 Blessed is he that watches 55:49 and keeps his garments 55:51 lest he be found naked and they see his shame. " 55:56 You see, the issue at the end of 55:57 time is the same issue 55:58 as existed at the beginning 56:00 of time: whether you receive 56:02 the blood of Jesus, whether you are obedient to Jesus, 56:06 and whether you worship the way Jesus has commanded 56:09 that we're supposed to worship. 56:11 By the way, our final text - Matthew chapter 7- 56:15 speaks about the two kinds of Christians in the end time. 56:18 And I pray to God that we'll be the right type of Christians. 56:22 Jesus spoke in Matthew chapter 7 and verses 21-23 56:27 the following words. He says: 57:05 Are there going to be two kinds of Christians in the end time? 57:09 Yes. What type of Christian are you going to be? 57:13 The kind that worships God the way God has specified? 57:16 Those who obey God and who truly receive Jesus 57:19 or otherwise? I pray to God that you will be the right kind. |
Revised 2014-12-17