Participants: Sandy Smith (Host)
Series Code: FC
Program Code: FC000301
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00:09 Beautiful
00:17 Music 00:30 Welcome to Faith Chapel. My name is Sandy Smith. 00:34 I am founder, speaker and 00:35 director for 00:36 Laymen for a Finished Work 00:37 I'm also the Recreation Director 00:41 for the Atlantic Union College, 00:43 South Lancaster, Massachusetts. 00:45 My sermon today is about a famous army general, 00:49 one I'm sure you'll recognize when I mention his name. 00:54 The sermon today is entitled, "Satan's Final Stand. " 01:00 Let us pray. Father, we pray that you might 01:04 manifest yourself here this day 01:06 in Jesus name we pray. Amen. 01:09 General George Armstrong Custer was a soldier's soldier. 01:15 He was a man amongst men. But he was rash, reckless 01:20 rebellious, head strong and loved to live on the edge. 01:25 Custer's name became famous for the battle he fought 01:31 with the Sioux, Cheyenne and other Indians 01:35 out west in the state of Montana. 01:37 Custer had received orders to wait until 01:44 General Terry arrived. That order was given June 24th 01:49 And he was told to remain there until June 26th. 01:52 But Custer became head strong 01:55 and thought Chief Sitting Bull 01:58 would not expect a surprise attack 02:01 at his village and he decided to leave on the 25th 02:05 instead of the 26th and wait for the general. 02:09 Chief Sitting Bull had a dream 02:12 that his village was going to be invaded 02:16 and prepared his 1500 warriors for the attack. 02:20 When Custer arrived and invaded the Indian village 02:24 to his deadly surprise and horror 02:26 they were waiting and ready for him. 02:29 Custer and his 260 soldiers 02:33 were massacred with no survivors 02:36 what a sad story, what a sad commentary. 02:39 This infamous battle is known in history as 02:44 as 'Custer's Last Stand. ' 02:47 Satan is like Custer in many ways. 02:51 He too is rash, reckless and rebellious, 02:56 head strong and lives on the edge. 02:59 Satan is fighting against Christ 03:03 in a great controversy between Good and evil. 03:06 It is the fight of his life. 03:08 This last battle is truly Satan's 'Last Stand. ' 03:14 Satan unlike Custer has strategically planned 03:19 his battle against God and His people. 03:22 He's not taking anything for granted. 03:25 In fact, Satan is such a selfish individual, 03:29 one whom thinks only about himself 03:33 and in laying this battle plan 03:35 he didn't even consult with his angels 03:38 but he went off by himself, 03:40 planned this battle and came back 03:43 and gave them the battle plan. 03:45 Satan is full aware that his time is nearly expired. 03:51 It's almost curtain time for Satan. 03:54 And he is like a wounded serpent, very, very dangerous 03:59 out to get whoever he can get. 04:01 the Bible says in 04:04 that Satan's time is very, very short. 04:07 The Bible says: 04:27 Satan knows that his time is very, very short. 04:31 And therefore he is all out to capture and destroy 04:37 as many unexpecting people as possible. 04:42 Jesus, when living on this earth nearly 2000 years ago warned us 04:46 of Satan's final attacks on the population of earth. 04:50 In fact there are many texts that help us understand 04:54 some of the final events in earth's history. 04:57 The first one is found in Matthew 24 05:01 beginning at verse 4. Matthew 24:4-13 06:13 And so we see in the Bible some of the signs of the end. 06:17 Then in Revelation 2:10 tells us 06:44 Then beginning at Revelation 3:11 07:03 Be aware, beware... 07:06 The final episode between Christ and Satan 07:12 is about to conclude. 07:14 The celestial glory of Christ 07:18 will be pitted against that of Satan's hellish powers. 07:23 I know there are all types of movies, 07:26 Star Wars and all these other movies 07:29 but this is going to be a scene that even Hollywood 07:33 script writers could not write. 07:34 When God's glory, God the Father and the Son 07:39 and the Holy Ghost and all the holy angels 07:41 come back to the earth to receive their children 07:45 and their people 07:46 and Satan with all of his evil imps 07:49 try to counter against Christ coming back 07:51 to receive His people. 07:53 This is going to be a battle that no pen can describe. 07:57 But the sad thing is that 08:00 the majority of earth's inhabitants 08:05 are not ready for this most unusual stupendous event. 08:10 Most people, spiritually speaking, are in a comma. 08:13 They're asleep. They are asphyxiated. 08:16 They are spiritually dead. 08:18 Satan has almost, almost captured the world. 08:24 He has many of the people in the world 08:29 all over the world so busy 08:31 with so many things, even good things 08:34 that they have very little time for the Bible, 08:37 for studying and prayer and witnessing. 08:40 There are many people in the world who've never heard 08:45 the name of Christ. 08:48 Many are still living in paganism. 08:51 They're living in all types of situations 08:54 where they're just trying to survive, 08:56 trying to eat. 08:57 The Bible tells us in Luke 17:26, reading verse 26 10:16 As it was in the days of Noah 10:18 when God informed Noah to build an ark 10:24 120 years it took Noah to build that ark. 10:28 And the sad thing though is that there were many, many people 10:33 who helped Noah build the ark 10:35 For 120 years many people helped him 10:39 to build that ark plank by plank. 10:42 But when the day came in which God instructed Noah, 10:46 his family and the others to go into the ark 10:49 many who had helped to build the ark 10:52 because they were perhaps afraid to be laughed at 10:56 by the onlookers and they refused to go into the ark 11:01 until the ark was sealed 11:04 and then when the rain came for the first time 11:07 and they realized that Noah was telling the truth 11:11 and it was raining and the rain flooded the earth 11:15 and they were destroyed. It was too late. 11:17 Good intentions are not enough. 11:20 We can have good intensions and say, 11:22 "Well, I really love God and " 11:25 "I really want to do what's right " 11:26 "and I'm following " 11:27 "the traditions of my " 11:28 "grandmother and grandfather " 11:30 "and my parents " 11:32 "And I'm doing what " 11:33 "I think is right " 11:34 "I'm really sincere " 11:35 But many people as it was in the day of Noah 11:40 will be found to be sincerely wrong. 11:43 So was it in the day of Lot. 11:46 When Lot informed his children 11:49 to leave Sodom because the Lord was going to 11:52 rain down fire on Sodom and destroy it. 11:54 Even his own children with the exception of 11:58 his two daughters and his wife 11:59 refused to believe his message and they stayed there 12:04 until fire came down and destroyed Sodom. 12:08 And the sad thing is even though his wife left with him 12:12 escaping the fires of Sodom 12:15 her heart was still in Sodom. 12:17 She had been instructed as had been Lot and his two daughters 12:22 not to look back to Sodom. 12:24 And because she probably had so much stuff back there in Sodom 12:28 she looked back 12:29 and the Bible says she became a pillar of salt. 12:32 And so Jesus leaves on record these two stories 12:35 to inform us, as it was in the day of Noah 12:38 and the day of Lot, 12:41 so shall it be in the coming of the Son of Man. 12:44 People are going to be lost 12:46 because they didn't believe the word of God. 12:48 People are going to be lost because they're concerned 12:50 about what people will think of them if they 12:53 follow the Word of God. 12:54 So Jesus has left on record the final events. 12:59 The first warning He gives us 13:02 even before He gives us the signs of war, 13:05 famine and pestilence, He says that the first warning is 13:08 that you be not deceived. 13:11 Satan again is keeping everybody so busy. 13:16 The Second Coming of Christ is going to come on us unawares 13:20 my brothers and sisters. 13:21 All around us things are happening. 13:23 We see these things happening and we take it for granted 13:26 that it's just another occurrence. 13:28 All these are signs from the Lord Jesus Christ warning us. 13:32 God sends curses, not to punish us, 13:35 but He sends curses to warn us. 13:38 To let us be aware of our danger 13:41 so that we will turn to Him repent and be saved. 13:44 It's going to be a sad, sad day for God 13:48 to finally have to destroy His creatures 13:52 that He has created to live with Him forever and ever. 13:56 But the Bible tells us that Hell was not meant for human beings. 14:01 But Hell was meant for Satan and his evil imps. 14:05 But those of us who refuse to follow the Bible 14:08 and we rather accept tradition and our own knowledge 14:16 unfortunately we'll have to share the fate of Satan 14:18 and have to be lost. 14:20 Read with me in the Bible, Hebrews 2:1-3 15:11 My brother, my sister, the Bible says 15:14 with all the knowledge that we have 15:17 if we neglect it and let these things slip 15:21 how sad it will be that we will have to be lost 15:24 because we didn't take advantage of the knowledge God gave us. 15:28 Satan has just a few more pieces to put in place. 15:33 And when he does so he's going to launch an all out attack 15:39 on human beings to make sure 15:41 that they don't receive eternal life. 15:44 Are you ready? That's the most important thing. 15:47 The most important thing is not are you ready for retirement 15:51 it's not if you are ready for your new home 15:55 the most important thing in this world for us is 16:00 Are you ready to meet God? 16:04 Have you prepared yourself to meet God? 16:08 When all has been said and done 16:10 the only thing that will matter is 16:12 what have you done for Jesus? 16:15 I often tell young folk when I do basketball camps 16:21 you know I think Michael Jordan is one of the 16:23 greatest players who ever lived. 16:25 But if Michael Jordan does not accept Jesus Christ 16:29 as his Lord, Savior and Master 16:32 and he comes up to the judgment and he stands 16:35 before the throne of God 16:36 with all of the holy angels and they say 16:40 "Who are you? " And he says, 16:42 "I'm Michael Jordan, I'm the famous basketball player " 16:45 "everybody knows me. I've broken all the records. " 16:47 "I'm the greatest player to ever live. " 16:49 If he has not accepted Jesus Christ 16:52 my brother, my sister, the angels will say to him 16:55 "We don't know you, we never heard of you. " 16:58 "Depart from us into outer darkness. " 17:01 Again, the only thing that will matter in the end 17:04 is do you know Jesus Christ? Have you accepted Him? 17:09 How many more signs will it take or must we witness 17:15 before you and I will believe 17:18 that Jesus is coming and we'll wake up? 17:20 The whole world almost has become a cesspool. 17:24 For in fact the Bible says in 2 Timothy 3:1-5 18:07 So we find here that in these last days 18:10 these things are being fulfilled. 18:12 It seems like even with our children 18:15 it seems like you try your best and 18:18 ask your children to do some things and they just 18:20 don't want to do it. 18:23 And so we see that the Bible in many cases 18:26 is being fulfilled to the letter 18:28 Men and women are doing things that are 18:31 unheard of in this earth. 18:33 And so we turn, we move on and say how many more things 18:38 have to happen in this world before we believe 18:41 that Jesus is coming soon? 18:43 When we see the racism and the bigotry 18:46 the hatred and sexism and elitism and nationalism 18:50 politicizism and egotism, when we see spiritualism 18:53 lesbianism and homosexuality on the increase. 18:56 Metro sexual, now that's a new one where men are 19:00 having sex with both homosexuals and women. 19:04 A new thing on the scene that Satan invented. 19:06 On demand abortions, epidemic of heinous murders and violence. 19:12 Unprecedented record breaking weather, 19:15 hot, cold, rain, snow, hail. 19:18 Even in Boston we had 24 inches one day 19:23 and then the next day it was sunny. 19:26 Unheard of! Numerous mudslides and forest fires. 19:30 150,00 people died in the earthquake not too long ago. 19:37 260 died in the tsunami. 19:40 Then we have the bird flu, mad cow disease. 19:43 It's almost like every day something is being added. 19:46 The daily increase of gas prices. 19:51 Satan was directly involved in the death of the 86 people 19:57 who died in the compound in Waco, 19:59 in the Oklahoma bombing. 20:00 He was involved in the 911 twin tower collapsing 20:05 and the airplane crashing in. 20:07 To my surprise and maybe to your surprise 20:11 things are happening in this world they just confound us. 20:14 Did you know that Gorbachev, the former president of Russia 20:18 is in charge of closing down our military bases? 20:22 Unheard of! 20:24 Wiretapping of U.S. citizens. The Patriot Act 20:28 where you can be arrested without a lawyer 20:31 your loved ones don't have to be 20:34 notified and torture can be used 20:37 I'm told and read. 20:38 We are told the National Guard 20:42 will quarantine whole cities if there's a bird flu epidemic. 20:48 And then the New World Order 20:49 is right on the verge of happening 20:51 my brothers and my sisters. 20:52 I want you to take this home for homework. 20:56 To my surprise I found some time ago 21:01 a dollar bill, a dollar bill that we use all the time. 21:04 Now I want you to let this be your homework project. 21:07 I ask you on the dollar bill 21:09 why is there a picture of a pyramid with an eye over it 21:13 and numeral letters and messages written in Latin? 21:16 You'll be very surprised my brother, my sister. 21:19 One more major catastrophe in this world 21:22 might cause martial law in this United States. 21:27 It might bring on the Sunday Blue Laws. 21:30 When I was attending church in Baltimore 21:34 the pastor's wife told an interesting story. 21:36 She works for the government and she told an interesting story 21:39 that during the 911 episode 21:41 that they were giving gas masks 21:44 because they expected an attack from the terrorists. 21:47 She and the people who worked with her were told 21:50 that if you during that time 21:54 were on the south side of the Capitol building 21:58 that you would not be permitted to travel 22:00 north of the Capitol building and vice-versa. 22:02 You see plans are heavily laid my brothers and sisters 22:06 for this end time. 22:07 I say to you, don't believe everything 22:10 that you read in the newspaper. 22:11 Don't believe everything that comes on television. 22:14 For Satan has laid his plans very deeply 22:17 and in places that you'd be very, very surprised. 22:20 This 6000 year controversy between Christ and Satan, 22:25 good and evil is quickly coming to an end. 22:28 The final events will be rapid. 22:31 For the Bible tells us in Matthew 24:14 22:46 People say, "but with 6 billion people " 22:48 "and many of them not even ever heard of Jesus Christ " 22:52 "how can this happen? " 22:53 With the invention of satellites and the internet and cell phones 22:59 this Gospel could go around the world in 30 days. 23:02 This could be over. 23:03 It's not going to be a long drawn out ordeal. 23:06 It's going to be an event that's 23:08 going to take place very rapidly. 23:10 People will have to make their decisions for or against Christ. 23:13 And then the Bible says the end will come. 23:16 Be aware, beware. 23:19 Where do you stand today? 23:21 If Jesus were to come today would you be saved? 23:24 God is searching for men and women, boys and girls 23:28 who will stand for the right though the heavens fall. 23:32 He's looking for modern day Enoch's 23:34 and Josephs and Daniels and Elijah's and John the Baptists. 23:39 God is searching for people 23:42 who'd rather die that lie. 23:45 Do you fit that description? 23:48 Satan very soon is going to push the envelope. 23:52 He will impersonate the Second Coming of Christ. 23:57 Now I need to let you know the word impersonate means 24:00 he will make people think that he is Christ. 24:03 To personate means that you let people know that 24:08 you are not that person but that you are pretending. 24:11 Satan will impersonate Christ. 24:13 He'll make people think that he is Christ. 24:15 The Bible says that he will serenade all over this earth 24:18 telling people that he is Christ, he has come back to 24:21 save them and he will pronounce all these great blessings 24:25 that Jesus did when he was here on the earth. 24:27 But the only one thing the Bible tells us in 24:29 Revelation 1:7 is that every eye will see Jesus. 24:34 So if anybody comes back to this earth 24:36 and they proclaim to be Jesus 24:37 and they say come out to the desert 24:40 or come here or come there 24:42 you can know that they are an imposter 24:45 because Jesus warns us that when He comes 24:48 Everybody on this earth will know it because 24:50 it'll be such a loud noise. 24:52 For the Bible says it will be like loud trumpets. 24:56 That every eye shall see Him. 24:58 It will not be a secret rapture. 25:00 Know that when Jesus comes back to this earth 25:02 there'll be nothing secret about His Second Coming. 25:05 The whole world will know that He is here. 25:07 For we are told in the Bible that 25:10 the wicked will run to the mountains 25:13 and the rocks and cry, "Fall on us! " 25:15 to hide us from Him that sitteth upon the throne. 25:18 And so when we think of what's coming on this earth 25:22 We know that our time is short. 25:24 Jesus is soon to come. 25:26 Jesus is looking for individuals 25:30 who are willing to make that sacrifice for Him, 25:33 individuals who don't mind being ridiculed. 25:36 They don't mind being spectacles to the world. 25:38 They don't mind people calling them, "Holy Rolly's, " 25:42 and calling them Christians. 25:45 They don't mind carrying their Bibles to let people know that 25:47 "Yes I am a Christian and I'm happy " 25:49 "to be serving the Lord Jesus Christ. " 25:51 Jesus tells us, "If you deny me in front of sinful, " 25:54 "wicked, evil people then I will " 25:57 "deny you in front of my Holy Father and the holy angels. " 26:01 So God is making up His number. 26:03 He's looking for a people this very moment, 26:06 who are preparing to live with Him throughout 26:09 the ceaseless ages. 26:10 If you miss Heaven you will have missed it all. 26:14 If you were to live 100 years on this earth 26:19 with all of the crime and all the sadness 26:21 deaths and sickness, what would you gain? 26:25 What will it profit a man or a woman if they gain 26:27 the whole world and lose eternal life? 26:30 What will you give in exchange for eternal life? 26:32 Jesus wants you to live with Him forever. 26:36 After living a million years 26:39 and coming up to Jesus and saying, 26:41 "Jesus, we've lived a million years " 26:43 "and we are so happy that we have decided to follow You " 26:46 Jesus will say to them, with a smile on His face, 26:50 "Hey, let's start another million. " 26:52 This thing is not going to end. 26:53 It's going to go forever and ever and ever. 26:56 And so today we have to make that decision. 26:59 Will it be the world, or will it be Christ? 27:04 Will I live for Him now, or will I deny Him? 27:09 If you don't accept Jesus Christ and you're not living for Him 27:13 sadly to say, you are living for that other power on this earth. 27:17 In Heaven, it's going to be what we cannot afford to miss. 27:24 My brothers and my sisters 27:26 Why don't you decide today to accept Jesus Christ 27:30 as your Lord and Savior. He loves you so much! 27:32 God bless you. |
Revised 2014-12-17