Well good evening and
welcome to Give Me The Bible
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with Pastor Kenneth Cox.
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And it's so good to see
those of you that are here
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in the auditorium in
Thompsonville, Illinois.
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We are at the
3ABN Worship Center,
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and we've been here now
for five meetings in a row
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where Pastor Cox has
been covering the series
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The Apple of God's Eye...
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which is talking about
the church of Jesus Christ.
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You know, it is
the apple of God's eye.
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He gave His son Jesus
Christ to die for the church.
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That's who He
died for: you and me...
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and we make up that church:
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the believers, those who
accept Him and receive Him.
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And He is going to come for
His church one of these days.
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The Bible
teaches that so clearly.
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In fact, The Church Victorious
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is the subject that we
are looking at this evening.
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Jesus coming for
the church victorious.
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Now this series... this
is the last of the five on
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the subject The
Apple of God's Eye.
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Next month will be the series
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No Other Name Like Jesus.
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Just talking to Pastor Cox, and
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he said: "I want to
end this series this year
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with the plea
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to really have a relationship
with Jesus Christ. "
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Just no other name like Jesus.
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So we'll be looking
forward to that series
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which will be next month.
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Now, tonight
before Pastor Cox comes
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it's our
pleasure to really enjoy
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an old favorite
song. First song I remember
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from going to
church as a little boy
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going into the Sabbath
School room and singing
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Jesus loves me... this I know.
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Pam and Jim Rhodes.
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Jesus loves me,
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Jesus loves me,
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loves me... this I know.
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Gave Himself to die for me
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because He loved me so.
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How often have I
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failed Him?
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Stumbling here below...
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How often have I
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stumbled
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in my distress and woe?
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I know that He will take me
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in His arms again
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and never shall forsake me
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in my alarm or pain.
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How often have I failed my Lord
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along my journey?
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How often have I stumbled
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in my struggles in
this life here below?
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And yet I know He'll take me
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in His arms again and not
forsake me in my alarm or pain
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because He loves me...
oh, yes, He loves me so!
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How often have I failed my Lord
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along my journey?
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How often have I stumbled
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in my struggles in
this life here below?
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And yet I know He'll take me
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in His arms again
and not forsake me
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in my alarm or pain
because He loves me...
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oh, yes, He loves me so!
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Amen!
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Thank you! Thank
you, Pam and Jim.
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Well, that's a little different
version of Jesus Loves Me
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than I think that Pastor
Gilley was thinking about!
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But I hope you enjoyed that.
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I did very, very much.
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We're very happy to
welcome all of you here tonight.
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Appreciate you being here.
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And all of you that are
joining us by television
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or listening to it on the radio
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we welcome you as we're
continuing with this series
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entitled The Apple of God's Eye.
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The Apple of God's Eye.
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And tonight we're taking a
look at The Church Victorious.
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Now, we've talked
about the church...
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You know, we've
talked about Why A Church?
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Why God set up the
church and so forth.
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We talked about how that
Jesus said He was the door
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and that you and I come in
through the door: Jesus Christ.
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And so we took a look at that.
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Then we looked at The
Back Door of the Church
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and how that as
members of the family of God
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that you and I are to go
out the back door as He said
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"in and out the back
door to find pasture"
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and we go out to
work for the Lord.
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That's what He calls us to do,
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and that's what the back
door of the church is for.
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And then we looked at
supporting the church.
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How that God expects
us to care for His church.
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And then tonight we're
going to bring it to a head
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and talk about
The Church Victorious.
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At the end...
what's going to happen.
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And so we hope this
series has been helpful to you
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as we've gone through it.
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Uh, our next series is entitled
No Other Name Like Jesus.
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And we're going to
start out and talk about
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Who Is Jesus?
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Just have a talk... a
sermon on Who Is Jesus.
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And then we'll do one on
Why Believe in Jesus Christ?
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Why should I believe in Him?
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And then we'll do
another one entitled
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What Makes Christ Different?
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What... why is He
different than Buddha, Mohammad?
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And we'll take a look at that.
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And then we're going to look at
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Jesus: Prophet,
Priest, and King.
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And then we're going to
close it out with a presentation
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entitled Unto You A Savior.
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So those will be the
presentations we'll do on
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the life of Christ.
We hope it will bless you
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as we take a look at it.
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We thank you for being with
us as we've gone month by month
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through these
many different series
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and taken a look at
what the Bible says.
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What says the Bible?
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This my only question be.
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The teachings of
men so often mislead us.
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What says the Word of God to me?
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That's what we want to know;
that's what we want to find out.
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So thank you for being here
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and for watching
and for staying tuned in
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month after month as we
have gone through this series.
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Tonight Pam's
going to sing for us
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a beautiful song entitled
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All He Wants Is You.
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Something more than gold for
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the Master;
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Something more than gifts to
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appease.
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There is only one thing
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that you alone can bring.
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There is only one gift
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that will please.
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All He wants
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is you,
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No one else
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will do.
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Not just a part,
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He wants all of your heart.
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All He wants
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is all of you.
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All He wants
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is you.
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Nothing less than this can
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you offer;
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Nothing less than this can
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you bring.
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It is not just your songs,
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But for you alone He longs.
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Nothing less can you give
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to your King.
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All He wants
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is you.
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No one else
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will do.
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Not just a part,
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He wants all of your heart.
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Al He wants
00:10:53.62\00:10:56.91
is all of you.
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All He wants
00:11:02.33\00:11:05.62
is you.
00:11:05.92\00:11:09.80
All He wants
00:11:10.31\00:11:14.92
is you.
00:11:15.23\00:11:18.85
No one else
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will do.
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Not just a part,
00:11:27.89\00:11:31.31
He wants all of your heart.
00:11:31.61\00:11:36.07
All He wants
00:11:36.47\00:11:39.59
is all of you.
00:11:40.09\00:11:46.04
All He wants
00:11:46.90\00:11:51.58
is you.
00:11:52.35\00:11:58.34
Our Heavenly Father,
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we come to You this evening,
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Lord, asking that You
would send Your Spirit
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to be among us.
00:12:30.78\00:12:31.86
May our hearts be
open and receptive.
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May we see and
understand Your Word.
00:12:37.59\00:12:42.06
Give us, Lord, insight.
00:12:42.36\00:12:45.82
May we comprehend spiritually
00:12:46.12\00:12:50.06
the things that You have for us.
00:12:50.36\00:12:51.97
And may we see Your hand
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as it has guided, led, directed
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in Your church
down through the ages.
00:12:59.93\00:13:02.02
For this we ask in
Christ's name, Amen.
00:13:02.32\00:13:07.03
Well tonight I'm going
to begin with a scripture
00:13:11.32\00:13:15.88
that I have
never used in a sermon.
00:13:16.18\00:13:19.57
In 50 years I have
never used this text before.
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And yet, it's a text
that has great, great meaning.
00:13:24.85\00:13:28.58
It's found in
Jeremiah and it says:
00:13:28.88\00:13:32.03
Uh, this text on
the speckled bird
00:13:44.87\00:13:48.70
a pastor by the
name of Guy Smith
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back in the early 1930s
00:13:52.70\00:13:56.48
wrote a song about it.
00:13:56.79\00:13:59.23
And that song was known
as The Great Speckled Bird.
00:13:59.53\00:14:04.78
Uh, in 1936
00:14:05.08\00:14:07.85
a country music singer
by the name of Roy Acuff
00:14:08.25\00:14:12.76
recorded this song
00:14:13.06\00:14:15.02
and it became a hit
across all the country.
00:14:15.32\00:14:19.35
But if you read the
words written in that song,
00:14:19.55\00:14:23.92
it's about God's church.
00:14:24.22\00:14:25.70
That's what it says.
00:14:26.00\00:14:27.26
And as you'll notice the words
here on the screen, it says:
00:14:27.56\00:14:30.67
So it's talking
about God's church.
00:14:52.49\00:14:54.83
And many people have
heard that song over the years
00:14:55.03\00:14:58.16
and didn't know what
it was talking about.
00:14:58.46\00:15:00.28
Didn't understand it.
00:15:00.58\00:15:01.69
But it's talking
about God's church.
00:15:01.89\00:15:03.98
And so this evening I have asked
00:15:04.18\00:15:07.20
Joe Pearles to sing
that song for you...
00:15:07.50\00:15:10.71
The Great Speckled Bird.
00:15:11.01\00:15:12.79
What a beautiful thought
00:15:22.24\00:15:26.72
I am thinking
00:15:26.92\00:15:30.21
concerning a great
00:15:31.32\00:15:35.24
speckled bird.
00:15:35.44\00:15:39.03
Remember her name
00:15:39.98\00:15:44.06
is recorded
00:15:44.26\00:15:47.61
on the pages of God's
00:15:48.29\00:15:52.42
Holy Word.
00:15:52.72\00:15:56.24
Desiring to lower her standards
00:15:57.77\00:16:03.69
they watch every move
00:16:05.96\00:16:09.53
that she makes.
00:16:10.03\00:16:13.54
They long to find fault
00:16:14.63\00:16:18.60
with her teachings
00:16:18.90\00:16:21.95
but really they find
00:16:23.41\00:16:27.00
no mistake.
00:16:27.40\00:16:31.32
I am glad I have learned
00:16:40.50\00:16:44.89
of her meekness.
00:16:45.09\00:16:47.94
I'm proud that my name
00:16:49.19\00:16:52.95
is in the book.
00:16:53.15\00:16:56.77
For I want to be one
00:16:57.34\00:17:01.65
never fearing
00:17:01.95\00:17:05.54
the face of my Savior
00:17:06.39\00:17:11.29
to look.
00:17:11.49\00:17:14.21
When He cometh
00:17:14.92\00:17:17.52
descending from heaven
00:17:17.82\00:17:22.56
on the clouds as He writes
00:17:23.24\00:17:27.65
in His Word,
00:17:27.96\00:17:31.46
I'll be joyfully
00:17:31.97\00:17:35.22
carried to meet Him
00:17:35.42\00:17:39.35
on the wings of a great
00:17:40.82\00:17:44.56
speckled bird.
00:17:44.96\00:17:48.69
Amen!
00:17:59.76\00:18:01.19
Thank you, Joe.
Thank you very much!
00:18:01.49\00:18:04.07
God takes His
church and presents it
00:18:05.50\00:18:08.33
all the way through His Word.
00:18:08.53\00:18:09.96
And in
Revelation the 12th chapter
00:18:10.26\00:18:12.75
it pictures His
church as a woman.
00:18:12.95\00:18:15.85
But what it want you to
watch is as we go through this
00:18:16.05\00:18:19.78
I want you to see the
connection that it makes
00:18:20.08\00:18:22.71
with this text in Jeremiah...
00:18:22.74\00:18:24.77
because some people
never tie those together.
00:18:25.07\00:18:27.55
So He takes this woman and says
00:18:42.08\00:18:43.70
here this woman is
standing on the moon.
00:18:43.90\00:18:47.64
Says that she is
clothed with the sun.
00:18:47.94\00:18:50.34
On her head is a crown
or a garland of 12 stars.
00:18:50.65\00:18:54.15
This represents the church.
00:18:54.45\00:18:56.31
She is standing on the moon.
00:18:56.61\00:18:59.13
That represented
the Old Testament period
00:18:59.34\00:19:01.92
she was coming out of.
00:19:02.12\00:19:03.14
It says she is
clothed with the sun
00:19:03.45\00:19:05.49
which represents the
gospel as it had been portrayed
00:19:05.59\00:19:08.64
in Christ Jesus.
00:19:08.84\00:19:09.88
And the crown of 12
stars on her head represented
00:19:10.18\00:19:12.63
the 12 disciples that
God had given the message
00:19:12.84\00:19:15.62
to go forth with.
00:19:15.82\00:19:17.38
And so it
pictures her as a woman.
00:19:17.58\00:19:19.64
And as it continues to say here
in II Corinthians 11 and verse 2
00:19:19.84\00:19:23.89
This is the church He
pictures as a woman...
00:19:33.61\00:19:37.16
Still talking about His church.
00:19:44.08\00:19:45.96
Paul continues and
says here in Ephesians:
00:19:46.16\00:19:48.60
So you have the
picture of this woman
00:19:54.52\00:19:56.81
that represents His church.
00:19:57.11\00:19:58.64
Watch as Revelation
12 takes us step by step
00:19:58.94\00:20:03.30
with the church
down through the ages
00:20:03.60\00:20:06.20
clear to the coming of our Lord.
00:20:06.50\00:20:09.23
Revelation 12 verse 3:
00:20:09.53\00:20:12.40
Now folks,
you've got to understand
00:20:21.13\00:20:23.43
that this is God's church
when it talks about the woman.
00:20:23.63\00:20:26.35
But there is another side here,
00:20:26.65\00:20:29.83
and we've got to see what
happens concerning God's Word
00:20:30.13\00:20:34.85
and the church and His people
as we go down through time.
00:20:35.05\00:20:38.67
So we have the
dragon here, and it says:
00:20:38.87\00:20:41.33
So this woman is pregnant.
00:20:53.03\00:20:54.76
She's about to
give birth to a child.
00:20:54.86\00:20:58.41
So we have a picture
here. This woman who is pregnant
00:21:07.19\00:21:11.22
about to give
birth to this child
00:21:11.52\00:21:14.34
and here this great red dragon
is standing before this woman
00:21:14.64\00:21:19.15
ready to devour that
child as soon as it is born.
00:21:19.45\00:21:23.63
Now all of you here
remember the Christmas story
00:21:23.93\00:21:27.80
well enough... because you
remember what it tells about it.
00:21:28.10\00:21:31.62
The only child... the only
child that has ever been born
00:21:31.92\00:21:36.56
that was caught up
to God and to His throne
00:21:36.86\00:21:39.93
and is to rule the
nations with a rod of iron
00:21:40.23\00:21:42.84
was Jesus Christ.
00:21:43.14\00:21:44.79
So when it
talks about this child
00:21:45.09\00:21:47.32
it's talking about Jesus Christ.
00:21:47.62\00:21:49.97
And you remember... He was born.
00:21:50.27\00:21:52.20
You remember the wise men
that came looking for Jesus?
00:21:52.50\00:21:56.26
And it says that they
got as far as Jerusalem
00:21:56.56\00:22:00.48
and the star stopped there.
00:22:00.78\00:22:03.50
And they went into the
city and began to inquire
00:22:03.80\00:22:05.92
about the child. In
fact, the scripture says
00:22:06.12\00:22:08.87
that it upset the
whole city. So much so
00:22:09.17\00:22:11.69
that Herod called them in...
00:22:11.89\00:22:13.64
asked them who
they were looking for.
00:22:13.95\00:22:15.29
And they said: "Well,
we're looking for this child
00:22:15.49\00:22:16.83
that's to be born a king. "
00:22:17.04\00:22:18.38
And Herod called in
the scribes and said:
00:22:18.68\00:22:21.20
"Where is He to be born? "
00:22:21.40\00:22:22.54
They said: "Oh, He's to
be born down in Bethlehem. "
00:22:22.84\00:22:25.27
And those wise men went
out, and you remember they
00:22:25.57\00:22:28.80
found that star that
had led them all this way
00:22:29.00\00:22:32.60
was there and it
took them to Bethlehem.
00:22:32.80\00:22:35.27
And there in
Bethlehem they found the child.
00:22:35.57\00:22:39.41
And you remember
they worshiped Him.
00:22:39.71\00:22:41.45
They offered their
gold and their myrrh
00:22:41.75\00:22:43.90
and their
frankincense to the child.
00:22:44.10\00:22:46.09
And so you remember
that Herod had told them
00:22:46.39\00:22:49.51
that when they found the
child they were to come back
00:22:49.81\00:22:52.41
and tell him that he
might go and worship Him also.
00:22:52.61\00:22:57.18
And God in a dream
told those wise men
00:22:58.12\00:23:01.60
"You go back a different way. "
00:23:01.80\00:23:03.38
They went back a different
way, and when Herod found out
00:23:03.68\00:23:06.75
they had not told him,
he had all the male children
00:23:06.95\00:23:10.58
two years of
age and under slain.
00:23:10.78\00:23:14.40
But here the
dragon was endeavoring to
00:23:14.70\00:23:17.67
take the life of the child.
00:23:17.87\00:23:19.39
Now, since the
devil was not successful
00:23:19.69\00:23:23.96
in destroying Christ, then
you find the scripture says that
00:23:24.26\00:23:28.97
now he turns his
anger upon the woman...
00:23:29.17\00:23:33.46
upon the church.
00:23:33.76\00:23:35.29
Turns his wrath upon the church,
00:23:44.83\00:23:47.71
and thus you find in history
that this is exactly what
00:23:48.01\00:23:51.58
happened. The pagan Roman Empire
00:23:51.78\00:23:54.19
turned its wrath upon the church
00:23:54.39\00:23:57.56
and began to destroy it
in every way that it could.
00:23:57.86\00:24:01.26
Persecuting the
people. Killing them.
00:24:02.69\00:24:06.15
They were hunted.
00:24:06.45\00:24:07.70
They were accused of
things that didn't take place.
00:24:07.90\00:24:11.36
They were
persecuted to great ends.
00:24:11.66\00:24:14.68
What... what was wrong here?
00:24:14.98\00:24:17.13
You see, Rome
was a pagan nation.
00:24:17.43\00:24:20.92
Rome... Rome didn't
care, folks, who you worshiped.
00:24:21.22\00:24:26.78
Rome was polytheistic.
00:24:27.08\00:24:28.41
They worshiped
all kinds of gods.
00:24:28.61\00:24:30.48
What Rome was concerned about
was your allegiance to Rome,
00:24:30.78\00:24:35.02
and so Rome had their own god.
00:24:35.33\00:24:39.59
And once a year all
that was required of you
00:24:39.89\00:24:43.99
was to come
before the magistrate,
00:24:44.29\00:24:47.10
take a few pieces of incense,
00:24:47.41\00:24:51.54
and drop it in
before this pagan god
00:24:51.84\00:24:55.14
and say "Roma" -
referring to their god.
00:24:55.44\00:25:01.21
And they would
give you a certificate
00:25:01.51\00:25:04.08
and then you could go out and
worship anybody you wanted to.
00:25:04.28\00:25:07.21
But the
Christians would not do that.
00:25:07.31\00:25:09.90
They wouldn't
worship any other god,
00:25:10.20\00:25:13.59
and because of that
they were greatly persecuted.
00:25:13.89\00:25:17.81
They were taken to arenas
00:25:18.01\00:25:19.86
and they were fed to lions...
00:25:20.16\00:25:22.34
and crucified. All
kinds of things took place
00:25:22.64\00:25:28.12
in which they were
persecuted greatly.
00:25:28.42\00:25:31.13
And today you can visit Rome
00:25:31.43\00:25:33.69
and you can go underneath
Rome and visit the catacombs...
00:25:33.99\00:25:38.75
what you're looking at there.
00:25:39.05\00:25:40.11
I have walked
through these rooms.
00:25:40.41\00:25:42.55
You see those arches?
00:25:42.85\00:25:45.19
There are rooms
down there, folks,
00:25:45.69\00:25:47.90
back in those arches
00:25:48.20\00:25:50.14
that are totally and
completely full of skulls.
00:25:50.45\00:25:54.40
I mean, all the people that died
00:25:54.70\00:25:58.92
in those catacombs
down through the years.
00:25:59.22\00:26:02.14
And so the
church was so persecuted
00:26:02.44\00:26:05.45
that she basically
had to flee. Listen:
00:26:05.76\00:26:09.33
"And the woman was given
two wings of a... " what?
00:26:09.64\00:26:14.27
Did you make the connection
with the great speckled bird?
00:26:14.57\00:26:20.06
You see, here's the connection
the scripture puts with it.
00:26:20.20\00:26:23.01
The devil had cast out
such a flood of persecution
00:26:33.83\00:26:38.54
that it looked like it was
going to wipe the church out
00:26:38.84\00:26:41.55
and so she had to
flee into the wilderness
00:26:41.85\00:26:45.14
to get away
from the persecution.
00:26:45.44\00:26:47.28
And she fled into the wilderness
00:26:47.48\00:26:48.85
and you find that those
people went up into the Alps.
00:26:49.05\00:26:52.11
They went into
different parts of the world,
00:26:52.41\00:26:55.20
and they set up their livelihood
there and they worshiped God
00:26:55.50\00:26:59.69
in those mountains
all across northern Italy
00:26:59.89\00:27:03.39
and southern
France and those areas.
00:27:03.60\00:27:05.78
But the devil wasn't happy
00:27:07.83\00:27:10.33
because there they were
and they were worshiping God
00:27:10.63\00:27:14.44
unmolested...
continuing to follow the Lord
00:27:14.54\00:27:17.76
and do what He wanted
them. And they were sending
00:27:18.06\00:27:20.14
out their people into the cities
00:27:20.34\00:27:23.70
and talking to people
about the Word of God.
00:27:24.00\00:27:26.29
And the devil was
not happy with this.
00:27:26.59\00:27:29.01
"So the serpent...
" That's the devil...
00:27:29.31\00:27:33.05
Spewed out of his mouth
such a flood of persecution
00:27:41.97\00:27:45.54
that it looked like the church
00:27:45.84\00:27:47.17
was going to be
wiped off the earth.
00:27:47.37\00:27:49.23
And what he did is he took
00:27:49.43\00:27:54.17
part of the church
and he brought it to favor
00:27:55.44\00:28:00.86
and it was
accepted by the state.
00:28:01.16\00:28:05.08
And now you find
that the church -
00:28:05.38\00:28:09.24
the recognized church - begins
to persecute God's people.
00:28:09.54\00:28:15.31
And thus you have the rise
of what is known in history
00:28:15.61\00:28:20.47
as papal Rome.
00:28:20.77\00:28:22.51
And papal Rome turned
her wrath upon these people
00:28:22.81\00:28:28.18
like the Waldensian
people, like the Huguenots,
00:28:28.38\00:28:31.51
like the... oh...
00:28:31.81\00:28:35.90
trying think of some
of the others there that
00:28:36.20\00:28:38.76
they worshiped
God and followed Him.
00:28:39.16\00:28:42.18
And these were the
people that followed the Lord
00:28:42.48\00:28:44.67
and walked with Him, and he
turned his wrath against them.
00:28:44.87\00:28:48.67
Uh, people were told
that they were too ignorant
00:28:48.97\00:28:52.43
to read the Bible, and the
Bible was taken away from them.
00:28:52.73\00:28:57.56
I told you one night when
I spoke about the Bible...
00:28:57.87\00:29:00.85
Listen to me, folks. In 500 AD
00:29:01.15\00:29:05.22
the Bible, the New Testament
and that part, had been
00:29:05.52\00:29:10.49
translated into over
500 different languages.
00:29:10.69\00:29:15.84
I mean, the Word of God
had spread with rapidity
00:29:17.28\00:29:21.15
across the whole country
00:29:21.45\00:29:22.93
and literally thousands
upon thousands of people
00:29:23.23\00:29:26.13
so by the time you reach 350 AD
00:29:26.43\00:29:31.46
half the Roman
Empire is Christian.
00:29:31.76\00:29:34.75
It had spread tremendously
00:29:35.05\00:29:37.86
and been translated into
one language after another
00:29:38.16\00:29:41.01
and people had
access to the Word of God.
00:29:41.31\00:29:43.83
The church was
recognized as a state.
00:29:47.70\00:29:52.57
The church... 538 AD.
00:29:52.87\00:29:58.83
By 600 AD
00:30:00.14\00:30:04.81
you could only
find the Bible anywhere
00:30:05.11\00:30:09.13
in the language of Latin.
00:30:09.43\00:30:12.24
All the other translations
had been taken away.
00:30:12.54\00:30:16.22
And the people,
unless you could read Latin,
00:30:16.52\00:30:20.17
you couldn't
read the Word of God.
00:30:20.47\00:30:22.69
And they were told that they
were too ignorant to read it
00:30:22.99\00:30:26.55
and it was taken away from them.
00:30:26.85\00:30:29.29
And there was a
great effort made
00:30:29.59\00:30:33.21
to persecute the church of God.
00:30:33.71\00:30:37.90
Now all this had
happened and, therefore years...
00:30:45.97\00:30:48.86
hundreds of years... the
Word of God was suppressed
00:30:49.06\00:30:54.99
but God cared for it.
00:30:55.30\00:30:57.82
By the time you reach 1500 AD
00:30:58.23\00:31:02.14
on the scene of action
came some people like...
00:31:02.44\00:31:05.36
Even before 1500, in 1300
AD you have Hus and Jerome
00:31:05.56\00:31:10.68
coming on the scene of action.
00:31:10.88\00:31:12.40
1500 AD you have Martin Luther,
00:31:12.70\00:31:15.39
and Martin Luther has
nailed his 95 Theses to the door
00:31:15.69\00:31:19.03
of the church of Wittenberg
and has told the people
00:31:19.23\00:31:21.79
that they should believe in
the Word of God and follow it.
00:31:22.09\00:31:24.88
And the people were told that
they should understand and read
00:31:25.08\00:31:28.00
the Word of God. And an
effort is now being made
00:31:28.20\00:31:31.45
to make the Word of God
available to the people.
00:31:31.76\00:31:35.08
And all of a sudden a
change begins to take place.
00:31:35.38\00:31:39.12
Listen:
00:31:39.42\00:31:40.67
The old serpent who cast out
a spew, a flood of persecution
00:31:55.42\00:32:00.67
on the church... he was
cast down. Watch what happens:
00:32:00.87\00:32:04.85
These reformers went out and
they preached the Word of God.
00:32:13.62\00:32:17.00
And they told them
that they had salvation
00:32:17.30\00:32:19.15
by the blood of Jesus
Christ and by His righteousness
00:32:19.35\00:32:22.29
and in Him they could
believe and have hope...
00:32:22.59\00:32:24.92
and the whole
thing began to change.
00:32:25.22\00:32:27.46
Men like Luther and
Knox and Zwingli and Calvin.
00:32:27.76\00:32:31.86
Luther
translated the Word of God
00:32:32.06\00:32:35.98
from Greek and
Hebrew into German
00:32:36.28\00:32:39.38
so the people could
pick it up and read it
00:32:39.58\00:32:41.80
in their own language.
00:32:42.00\00:32:43.70
And then other great
men came along like Knox -
00:32:44.01\00:32:46.68
great Scottish reformer -
and he preached the Word of God.
00:32:46.99\00:32:50.33
And John Calvin
in Geneva, France...
00:32:50.63\00:32:55.55
those different places, preached
the Word of God to people
00:32:55.85\00:32:58.83
and they responded.
And, folks, the Reformation
00:32:59.14\00:33:02.54
moved across Europe
like you can't believe.
00:33:02.75\00:33:07.34
History tells us that through
the preaching of John Calvin
00:33:10.59\00:33:16.13
500,000...
00:33:16.43\00:33:20.95
500,000 Frenchmen
accepted Jesus Christ
00:33:21.25\00:33:25.73
through his preaching. And
so the church of God moved.
00:33:26.03\00:33:30.99
But dear friend,
never does it happen...
00:33:31.29\00:33:34.53
Never does it happen
that the church of God moves
00:33:34.73\00:33:38.13
and men and women respond
00:33:38.33\00:33:40.17
that the devil doesn't
do something to stop it.
00:33:40.47\00:33:43.16
Always does.
00:33:43.46\00:33:45.53
We come to 1798 AD.
00:33:45.83\00:33:48.41
The Reformation has
had such a fantastic effect
00:33:48.71\00:33:52.34
upon the whole
world and upon Europe
00:33:52.64\00:33:56.54
that the princes of Europe
have stood up and they have said
00:33:56.84\00:34:00.11
"We will no
longer be dictated to.
00:34:00.41\00:34:02.55
Our conscience will be free. "
00:34:02.85\00:34:05.07
And you find that Napoleon
has come in and sent his general
00:34:05.37\00:34:09.99
Berthier into Rome and he
has taken the pope prisoner.
00:34:10.19\00:34:14.50
And papal Rome's
persecution has come to an end.
00:34:14.80\00:34:18.38
Now it looked like that
the Reformation had made it.
00:34:27.77\00:34:32.58
It looked like that God
has blessed and it had moved
00:34:32.88\00:34:36.35
and the Reformation was
moving ahead with great power
00:34:36.65\00:34:39.81
and authority and the Word
of God was being proclaimed.
00:34:40.11\00:34:43.41
But oh, something was happening.
00:34:43.71\00:34:46.84
Over in Europe it says in
Revelation the 11th chapter:
00:34:48.16\00:34:54.00
The two
witnesses... they had preached.
00:35:05.66\00:35:11.27
That referred
to the Reformation.
00:35:11.57\00:35:14.02
And through the preaching of
God's Word like Luther and Knox
00:35:14.32\00:35:18.50
and Zwingli and those men
00:35:18.70\00:35:20.18
had given the
people the Word of God.
00:35:20.48\00:35:22.13
It says when the Word of
God had finished its testimony
00:35:22.43\00:35:27.64
the beast that ascends
out of the bottomless pit
00:35:27.94\00:35:31.26
would kill them.
00:35:31.56\00:35:33.16
And you find that
something is happening.
00:35:33.46\00:35:36.78
A man by the
name of Thomas Paine
00:35:37.08\00:35:40.64
has written a book
called The Age of Reason.
00:35:40.94\00:35:45.65
This has spread across Europe,
00:35:45.95\00:35:50.14
and people have read this book.
00:35:50.44\00:35:53.33
And as a result of the
writing of Thomas Paine
00:35:53.64\00:35:56.86
they have taken and
cast the Bible aside.
00:35:57.16\00:36:01.34
And into mankind ushers a period
that the world went through
00:36:03.13\00:36:09.09
called rationalism.
00:36:09.29\00:36:11.14
And they said: "We will no
longer follow the Word of God.
00:36:11.44\00:36:15.00
We will live in
an age of reason,
00:36:15.11\00:36:18.58
and we will follow this
and do things on the basis
00:36:18.88\00:36:22.55
of intellect and reason. "
00:36:22.75\00:36:24.62
And thus the scripture reads:
00:36:24.92\00:36:27.31
that on January the 21st, 1793,
00:36:28.26\00:36:34.25
the French Assembly
voted to throw the Bible out.
00:36:36.03\00:36:41.93
Get rid of it. In
fact, they burned it
00:36:42.43\00:36:46.42
in the street.
Listen to what happened:
00:36:46.62\00:36:50.61
It says that it
would lie in the street
00:37:13.43\00:37:17.21
for 3-1/2 days.
And in Bible prophecy
00:37:17.51\00:37:21.07
we find that a day
simply represents a year.
00:37:21.37\00:37:25.01
And so it said the Word of
God would lie in the street
00:37:25.31\00:37:28.86
for 3-1/2 days...
or prophetic years...
00:37:29.17\00:37:33.89
and it would not be
allowed to be put in the grave.
00:37:34.13\00:37:38.88
Because something
happens. You see, France -
00:37:39.18\00:37:43.16
and by the way, folks,
France did this, but you find
00:37:43.46\00:37:46.36
nation after nation
across Europe that joined them
00:37:46.56\00:37:49.84
and sent them notes and
said how marvelous they were
00:37:50.14\00:37:52.99
and how smart they were
and intelligent they were
00:37:53.19\00:37:55.99
in what they were doing.
00:37:56.19\00:37:58.54
See what I'm telling you?
00:38:02.24\00:38:03.40
They said: "My, how
brilliant you are! "
00:38:12.10\00:38:14.54
The age of rationalism.
00:38:14.84\00:38:17.27
After 3-1/2 years,
France has sunk so low...
00:38:18.54\00:38:24.48
She has sunk so
low intellectually,
00:38:24.78\00:38:29.51
so low morally, that
she realizes that her nation
00:38:29.81\00:38:34.98
is falling apart and is
becoming totally useless.
00:38:35.29\00:38:39.79
And so the French
Assembly decided to vote back in
00:38:40.09\00:38:45.05
the Word of God. Exactly as
the scripture had prophesied,
00:38:45.25\00:38:47.99
for 3-1/2 years it
lay dead in the street.
00:38:48.29\00:38:51.03
But after 3-1/2 years
they voted it back in.
00:38:51.33\00:38:54.21
Find that the
Bible was reinstated
00:39:03.23\00:39:07.15
and the people began to have
the Word of God made available
00:39:07.45\00:39:11.66
to them and they began to be
able to read it for themselves.
00:39:11.96\00:39:14.97
Now watch what happens.
00:39:15.07\00:39:16.92
We're looking at the folks
right at the end of the 1700s,
00:39:17.23\00:39:21.84
the beginning of the 1800s.
00:39:22.14\00:39:24.14
And it states...
speaking of the Word of God...
00:39:32.17\00:39:34.06
said: "Come up here. "
Said: "their enemies saw them. "
00:39:34.37\00:39:38.19
It said that two
things would happen.
00:39:38.49\00:39:41.31
It says that the
earth opened its mouth
00:39:41.61\00:39:45.27
and swallowed up
the flood of persecution
00:39:45.57\00:39:48.36
that the devil
cast out of his mouth.
00:39:48.66\00:39:51.66
One way that the
earth opened up its mouth
00:39:51.96\00:39:54.42
and swallowed that
was the Reformation.
00:39:54.62\00:39:58.50
The other way the
earth opened up its mouth
00:39:58.80\00:40:02.28
and swallowed it was the
discovery of the United States.
00:40:02.48\00:40:05.50
You see, that's what our fore-
fathers came over here for.
00:40:05.80\00:40:09.67
They came over here because
they were wanting freedom.
00:40:09.97\00:40:13.86
They wanted to be able to
worship as they wanted to.
00:40:14.16\00:40:16.90
To not be told how to worship.
00:40:17.20\00:40:19.28
They said: "We want a
country without a king.
00:40:19.49\00:40:21.35
We want a church
without a pope. "
00:40:21.65\00:40:23.12
They said: "We want to
worship like we want to. "
00:40:23.42\00:40:25.94
And so they came over here.
But let me say this, folks:
00:40:26.24\00:40:30.06
when the devil does
this like establishing this
00:40:30.36\00:40:33.99
age of rationalism and all
of Europe turning away from God,
00:40:34.19\00:40:38.29
God again opens up a way
00:40:38.59\00:40:42.67
for His Word to be
preached and proclaimed.
00:40:42.98\00:40:46.27
And if you don't understand it
00:40:46.37\00:40:48.80
that's what the discovery
of this country had to do with.
00:40:49.10\00:40:51.68
If you don't understand that,
00:40:52.09\00:40:54.20
you need to read a book
called The Light and the Glory
00:40:54.50\00:40:57.48
by Peter Marshall Jr.
00:40:57.78\00:40:59.49
Let me tell you something...
that will show you how God led
00:40:59.79\00:41:03.53
in the discovery of this country
and what its purpose was.
00:41:03.73\00:41:06.68
And these people that
came over here - the pilgrims
00:41:06.98\00:41:09.18
that came over here - they
were called to follow the Lord
00:41:09.38\00:41:12.61
and to do His bidding.
00:41:12.81\00:41:15.11
And I want you to listen,
because there on the ship
00:41:15.41\00:41:18.72
they're ready to leave
and come over to this country
00:41:18.92\00:41:22.61
and their pastor -
who can't go with them...
00:41:22.71\00:41:26.47
John Robinson can't go
with them - but he says
00:41:26.67\00:41:29.64
these words to them. And
I want you to listen to what
00:41:29.84\00:41:31.68
he said to them:
00:41:31.89\00:41:32.98
He said: "We make
a covenant with God
00:41:46.18\00:41:48.47
that we are going to
follow the Word of God.
00:41:48.67\00:41:52.29
And whatever truth
we find in God's Word
00:41:52.59\00:41:56.30
we'll follow that. "
00:41:56.50\00:41:57.63
As those people that
came over to this country...
00:41:57.93\00:42:00.76
that's what God
called them to do
00:42:01.06\00:42:03.43
was to follow the Word
of God and walk with Him
00:42:03.73\00:42:06.50
and be obedient to His Word.
00:42:06.80\00:42:08.56
They came over
here to this country,
00:42:08.86\00:42:11.82
and that's why...
that's why the United States
00:42:12.12\00:42:14.28
has had such a fantastic
heritage of religious belief
00:42:14.48\00:42:20.23
is because what those
forefathers believed and taught
00:42:20.43\00:42:23.53
and stood for.
00:42:23.73\00:42:24.74
I run onto these people
that want to stand up and say
00:42:25.04\00:42:28.03
"Well, our leaders
like Jefferson and all these
00:42:28.23\00:42:31.14
they weren't very religious. "
00:42:31.34\00:42:32.71
They may not have
been. I'm not arguing that.
00:42:33.01\00:42:34.78
I'm saying tonight
they might not have been,
00:42:34.99\00:42:36.69
but the people were!
00:42:36.89\00:42:38.27
They were very religious
00:42:39.38\00:42:41.11
and they followed the Lord
and they desired to follow Him.
00:42:41.41\00:42:44.50
And as they came
into this country,
00:42:44.80\00:42:47.25
you find that a
great revival took place.
00:42:47.45\00:42:50.39
It was called
The Great Awakening.
00:42:50.69\00:42:52.97
And under George Whitfield
The Great Awakening took place.
00:42:53.27\00:42:57.19
And he preached
across this country...
00:42:57.39\00:42:59.14
and there was a tremendous
revival that took place.
00:42:59.44\00:43:02.42
And then you have John
Wesley and the Wesleyan movement
00:43:02.72\00:43:05.56
or the Methodist movement
00:43:05.66\00:43:07.09
in which the
people came back and said:
00:43:07.29\00:43:09.55
"We will follow the Word
of God and walk with Him. "
00:43:09.75\00:43:12.26
And there was a great, great
revival across the country.
00:43:12.56\00:43:16.48
Did you notice?
00:43:17.84\00:43:21.04
He said: "Come up here... "
and all of a sudden you find
00:43:21.34\00:43:24.93
people who had never had an
opportunity to get God's Word
00:43:25.13\00:43:28.92
1804 the British Bible Society
00:43:29.43\00:43:34.07
1816 the American Bible Society
00:43:34.37\00:43:38.67
and all of a sudden
people were able to get a Bible
00:43:38.97\00:43:42.97
and to read it for themselves.
00:43:43.27\00:43:45.22
And with this, folks,
there was such a revival
00:43:45.52\00:43:48.08
to God's Word and a
movement that all of a sudden
00:43:48.28\00:43:51.50
you had missionaries
going all over the country.
00:43:51.70\00:43:54.79
And then you have
people like William Miller.
00:43:55.09\00:43:58.18
The Midnight Cry.
00:43:58.49\00:44:01.47
And then you find God calling
- now listen to me carefully -
00:44:01.77\00:44:04.66
God calling the
people of this country...
00:44:04.96\00:44:08.34
I'm talking about
the United States...
00:44:08.64\00:44:10.39
calling the people of
this country back to His Word.
00:44:10.69\00:44:14.19
To following what it
says; to following Him.
00:44:14.49\00:44:17.87
Being obedient
to His commandments.
00:44:18.17\00:44:20.37
Keeping the Sabbath.
00:44:20.67\00:44:21.68
God was calling the
people of this nation
00:44:21.98\00:44:24.54
to stand up and say "We
will follow the Word of God. "
00:44:24.74\00:44:27.50
That's what God
was calling them to do.
00:44:27.60\00:44:30.29
And He was making this country
a place... a safe haven...
00:44:30.59\00:44:34.14
where the Word of
God could be preached.
00:44:34.44\00:44:36.87
And it went out from here.
00:44:37.17\00:44:38.79
You'll find people
like Judson went to Burma
00:44:39.09\00:44:41.47
and Carey to India,
and Morrison to China.
00:44:41.67\00:44:43.79
Moffat and
Livingstone to Africa.
00:44:44.09\00:44:45.89
And missionaries began to go
00:44:46.19\00:44:47.49
all over the world
00:44:47.69\00:44:48.73
and they were calling
people back to the Word of God
00:44:48.93\00:44:51.61
and standing on the
Word of God and following it.
00:44:51.82\00:44:54.24
This is what they
were being called to do.
00:44:54.54\00:44:57.26
But the dragon...
the dragon was enraged...
00:44:58.43\00:45:03.63
enraged with the church
00:45:05.51\00:45:07.26
that the Word of
God was being spread
00:45:07.56\00:45:10.51
and men and
women were responding.
00:45:10.81\00:45:13.35
"Was enraged with the
woman and went to make war
00:45:13.65\00:45:16.89
with... " what?
00:45:17.09\00:45:18.53
"The rest of her seed. "
Do you know what that means?
00:45:18.83\00:45:21.52
It means the
devil is mad at you.
00:45:23.34\00:45:25.76
That's what it means.
00:45:26.06\00:45:28.15
It means he's mad at you.
00:45:28.45\00:45:31.02
And particularly... listen:
"with the rest of her offspring
00:45:31.32\00:45:35.71
who keep the commandments of God
00:45:35.91\00:45:38.01
and have the
testimony of Jesus Christ. "
00:45:38.21\00:45:40.50
He said: "No! I don't want
people... I don't want people
00:45:40.80\00:45:45.32
keeping the
commandments of God. "
00:45:45.52\00:45:47.31
"I don't want them following
the Lord Jesus Christ. "
00:45:47.61\00:45:51.48
"I don't want them
becoming like Jesus. "
00:45:51.78\00:45:54.75
And thus the devil
is enraged and mad today
00:45:55.05\00:45:59.33
because men and women
today are stepping out
00:45:59.63\00:46:02.20
and saying: "Yes!
I'll follow the Lord.
00:46:02.40\00:46:05.09
I'll be obedient to Him.
00:46:05.39\00:46:06.92
I'll walk with Him.
I'll give my heart to Christ
00:46:07.22\00:46:10.48
and I'll let Him change me
00:46:10.78\00:46:12.61
and make me what
He wants me to be. "
00:46:12.91\00:46:14.71
This is what He's
called us to do and to be.
00:46:15.01\00:46:19.92
He has but a short time.
00:46:44.35\00:46:46.50
He's run out. He knows
there's not much time left.
00:46:46.80\00:46:50.89
Dear friend,
there's not much time left.
00:46:51.19\00:46:52.88
You and I are down to the end.
00:46:53.18\00:46:56.59
And sure the devil's angry.
00:46:56.89\00:46:59.03
Mad. He doesn't want
the Word of God spread.
00:46:59.33\00:47:04.35
But the church...
the church, folks,
00:47:04.65\00:47:07.95
over the years in
spite of situations
00:47:08.25\00:47:11.34
where you have had one
thing come up after another
00:47:11.54\00:47:14.71
to try to stop the
progress of the church
00:47:15.02\00:47:17.61
God has blessed
and it's gone forward.
00:47:17.91\00:47:20.54
Oh, yes, we are living
in an age of secularism,
00:47:20.94\00:47:26.91
humanism.
00:47:27.11\00:47:28.82
Today we live in
an age where people
00:47:29.12\00:47:31.48
don't think they need the Lord.
00:47:31.68\00:47:34.19
They say: "Oh well, we
can... we can do this. "
00:47:34.49\00:47:37.11
We see this
across the whole country
00:47:37.41\00:47:40.34
where they're going to
teach across the country
00:47:40.54\00:47:42.68
"Oh, you don't need God. "
00:47:42.88\00:47:44.64
That God, you know...
that this earth evolved.
00:47:44.94\00:47:49.78
They deny the Creator.
00:47:51.15\00:47:53.45
But God is calling
His people and saying
00:47:53.95\00:47:57.01
"Be faithful, be faithful. "
00:47:57.31\00:48:00.31
It will take place.
God says it will come.
00:48:00.61\00:48:06.07
And today we stand
at The Midnight Cry.
00:48:06.37\00:48:11.49
That's where we are.
00:48:11.79\00:48:13.96
John Wesley's
father - Samuel Wesley -
00:48:21.56\00:48:25.76
said to his son John...
00:48:26.07\00:48:29.51
He said: "There
will be a revival
00:48:30.01\00:48:35.53
in this kingdom" -
referring to England.
00:48:36.72\00:48:39.80
He said: "I'll never see it
00:48:39.90\00:48:43.77
but you will. "
00:48:44.08\00:48:46.17
Years later
John Wesley came back
00:48:47.69\00:48:52.74
to that church and they
would not let him preach
00:48:53.87\00:48:59.15
in his father's church.
00:48:59.45\00:49:01.81
They denied that to him.
00:49:02.11\00:49:04.73
And so he went out and he stood
00:49:05.94\00:49:09.80
on the flat
tombstone of his father's grave
00:49:10.11\00:49:14.08
and preached to a
multitude of people.
00:49:14.38\00:49:17.48
And a great
revival began to take place
00:49:17.78\00:49:21.80
across England where men
and women came back to God
00:49:22.10\00:49:25.41
and said: "Yes, we're
going to follow the Lord
00:49:25.61\00:49:28.18
and walk with Him. " Dear friend
that revival is coming today!
00:49:28.38\00:49:31.98
I can see the beginning of it.
00:49:32.48\00:49:35.69
I can see the turn in which
the revival's going to come
00:49:35.99\00:49:39.70
and it will usher in
the coming of the Lord.
00:49:40.00\00:49:42.48
The Midnight Cry saying
"Behold, the bridegroom cometh.
00:49:42.68\00:49:46.38
Go ye out to meet Him. "
00:49:46.68\00:49:48.42
It's breaking like
the dawn of the morning,
00:49:48.62\00:49:51.71
and you and I need to
be faithful to the message
00:49:52.01\00:49:54.75
that we've learned.
We need to preach it;
00:49:54.85\00:49:56.93
we need to proclaim it.
00:49:57.13\00:49:58.57
We need to be telling it
to men and women everywhere
00:49:58.77\00:50:01.30
that Jesus is coming back!
00:50:01.60\00:50:03.24
We need to get ready
for the coming of the Lord.
00:50:03.54\00:50:08.05
The church... the
church without question
00:50:08.35\00:50:11.94
will be victorious.
00:50:12.24\00:50:14.82
The question you and
I need to ask ourselves
00:50:15.32\00:50:18.45
is will you be among it?
00:50:19.70\00:50:21.89
Will you be part of it?
00:50:22.19\00:50:23.80
Will you stand
faithful and say: "Yes,
00:50:24.10\00:50:27.69
I'm going to follow the Lord.
I'm going to walk with Him.
00:50:27.99\00:50:30.83
I'm going to do His will. "
00:50:31.03\00:50:32.10
Because the Bible says it
will here in Song of Solomon.
00:50:32.30\00:50:36.50
In the 6th chapter
and verse 10 it says:
00:50:36.80\00:50:38.96
This is the church.
00:50:48.81\00:50:50.86
Fair as the morning.
00:50:51.06\00:50:53.03
Awesome as an army with banners
00:50:53.44\00:50:56.49
the church is to go forth.
00:50:56.79\00:50:58.70
And God says that He will bless
00:50:59.00\00:51:01.29
and that it will be
His people and His church.
00:51:01.49\00:51:04.94
And dear friend, I'll assure you
00:51:05.24\00:51:07.78
history shows
that time after time
00:51:08.09\00:51:12.28
when the devil has
done all that he can do
00:51:12.59\00:51:15.42
to suppress the church
00:51:15.72\00:51:17.08
it has come out and
prospered and gone forth
00:51:17.38\00:51:20.97
as an army with banners.
00:51:21.27\00:51:23.04
What a difference it makes.
00:51:23.34\00:51:25.24
The church... the church,
indeed, has one foundation.
00:51:25.75\00:51:31.14
Mid toil and tribulation
00:51:31.44\00:51:34.26
and tumult of her war,
00:51:34.56\00:51:37.17
she waits the consummation
00:51:37.48\00:51:39.72
of peace forevermore.
00:51:40.02\00:51:43.38
Till with the vision glorious
00:51:43.68\00:51:45.92
her longing eyes are blessed.
00:51:46.22\00:51:48.83
The great church victorious
00:51:49.24\00:51:51.54
shall be the church at rest.
00:51:52.04\00:51:55.53
That's God's church.
00:51:55.83\00:51:57.68
You and I have the
privilege of being part of that.
00:51:57.98\00:52:03.16
To stand... stand firm.
00:52:03.46\00:52:07.48
Don't give up. Look up and say:
00:52:07.78\00:52:10.73
"This is our God.
00:52:11.03\00:52:12.62
He will be with us.
00:52:12.92\00:52:14.54
He will care for us.
00:52:14.84\00:52:15.84
We will stand with Him
00:52:16.15\00:52:18.17
as we look for His coming. "
00:52:18.47\00:52:20.81
Let us pray.
00:52:20.91\00:52:22.38
Father in Heaven,
00:52:23.75\00:52:25.09
as we have looked at Your church
00:52:26.38\00:52:29.03
down through the ages
00:52:29.33\00:52:32.22
how time after time
00:52:32.52\00:52:36.26
effort has been
made to close it out,
00:52:36.56\00:52:41.50
to put it down,
00:52:41.80\00:52:44.10
to bring an end to it.
00:52:44.40\00:52:46.58
But, Lord, through Your Word -
00:52:46.88\00:52:51.29
through the Word of God -
00:52:51.59\00:52:54.84
you have spoken to the
hearts of men and women
00:52:55.14\00:52:58.37
and have raised up
mighty men and women
00:52:58.68\00:53:02.58
of God who loved not their
lives unto the death, Lord,
00:53:02.88\00:53:07.91
but stood firm with You.
00:53:08.22\00:53:10.47
As we who stand
here in these last days
00:53:10.77\00:53:14.48
in which the devil is angry,
00:53:14.79\00:53:19.76
may we be faithful.
00:53:20.07\00:53:23.81
Help us, Lord, to not give up
00:53:24.11\00:53:26.93
but to hang on and to go forth
00:53:27.23\00:53:31.14
and to proclaim the soon
return of our Lord and Savior.
00:53:31.44\00:53:35.96
For Your
wonderful, marvelous blessings
00:53:36.26\00:53:40.34
and for the
presence of Your Spirit
00:53:40.64\00:53:42.72
we thank you in
Christ's name, Amen.
00:53:43.02\00:53:47.25
Well, the
church... without question...
00:53:50.98\00:53:56.51
will go through.
00:53:56.81\00:53:58.80
But dear friend, it's not
00:53:59.20\00:54:04.41
so much what you know
00:54:04.61\00:54:06.81
as who you know.
00:54:07.11\00:54:09.34
And so our next series is
about No Other Name Like Jesus.
00:54:09.64\00:54:15.54
Because if you
know Him personally
00:54:15.84\00:54:18.75
and you have a
relationship with Him
00:54:19.05\00:54:21.10
nothing else matters
00:54:21.40\00:54:23.62
and you'll be right
there when Jesus comes.
00:54:23.92\00:54:26.95
So be with us as we go into
this next series. God bless you.
00:54:27.16\00:54:30.56
There's a popular movie
that depicts the complete
00:54:31.89\00:54:35.90
annihilation of the
world through earthquakes,
00:54:36.10\00:54:38.26
fires, tsunamis, and floods
00:54:38.46\00:54:40.73
in the year 2012 AD.
00:54:40.93\00:54:43.37
Jesus warns us against
setting dates in Matthew 24:36.
00:54:43.67\00:54:48.39
"But of that day and
hour, no one knows...
00:54:48.69\00:54:51.57
not even the angels of heaven
00:54:51.87\00:54:53.50
but My Father only. "
00:54:53.80\00:54:55.48
While this film
may be entertaining,
00:54:55.78\00:54:57.81
it has done nothing
but heighten the fear
00:54:58.11\00:55:00.36
of the people of this world.
00:55:00.56\00:55:02.33
For many years now, we
have seen the signs of a world
00:55:02.63\00:55:05.90
in a state of collapse.
00:55:06.10\00:55:07.76
And even unbelievers are
increasingly uncomfortable
00:55:08.06\00:55:11.55
with the way things are going.
00:55:11.75\00:55:13.51
Truly we stand on the very edge
00:55:13.81\00:55:16.13
of earth's
history. And believe me,
00:55:16.33\00:55:18.95
the $250,000,000 spent on
special effects for this film
00:55:19.25\00:55:23.56
don't even come close
00:55:23.86\00:55:25.48
to what is about to be
unleashed upon mankind.
00:55:25.68\00:55:29.25
The Bible warns of wars,
00:55:29.55\00:55:31.56
famines,
pestilence, and earthquakes
00:55:31.86\00:55:34.66
culminating in the
most spectacular upheaval
00:55:34.86\00:55:37.95
this world has ever seen.
00:55:38.15\00:55:40.09
Just listen to this description
00:55:40.39\00:55:41.90
found in
Revelation the sixth chapter.
00:55:42.20\00:55:44.72
"And behold, there
was a great earthquake
00:55:45.02\00:55:47.21
and the sun became
black as the sackcloth of hair
00:55:47.51\00:55:50.51
and the moon became like blood.
00:55:50.91\00:55:53.40
And the stars of the
heaven fell to the earth
00:55:53.64\00:55:55.52
as a fig tree
drops its late figs
00:55:55.72\00:55:58.43
when it is
shaken by a mighty wind.
00:55:58.63\00:56:01.17
Then the sky receded as a
scroll when it is rolled up
00:56:01.47\00:56:04.74
and every mountain and island
were moved out of its place. "
00:56:04.94\00:56:08.89
Friends, this will
not be a Hollywood movie.
00:56:09.75\00:56:13.36
These events will
surely take place,
00:56:13.66\00:56:15.87
and we must warn the
world as quickly as possible.
00:56:16.07\00:56:19.52
You see, there will
be no secret rapture.
00:56:19.62\00:56:23.87
Every human being alive
at the time will be affected
00:56:24.17\00:56:27.87
whether they are
wicked or righteous.
00:56:28.07\00:56:30.55
But while the fear that has
gripped the hearts of the wicked
00:56:30.85\00:56:33.69
will cause them to beg
for rocks to fall on them,
00:56:33.89\00:56:37.15
those who are righteous
will welcome these events
00:56:37.35\00:56:40.47
as signs of Christ's coming.
00:56:40.57\00:56:43.02
They will say:
"Behold! This is our God.
00:56:43.22\00:56:45.55
We have waited for
Him, and He will save us. "
00:56:45.85\00:56:49.25
Listen to these glorious words
00:56:49.55\00:56:51.64
from I Thessalonians 4:
00:56:51.84\00:56:53.56
"For the Lord Himself will
descend from heaven with a shout
00:56:53.89\00:56:57.16
with the voice of the archangel
00:56:58.24\00:57:00.09
and with the trumpet of God,
00:57:00.39\00:57:01.88
and the dead in
Christ will rise first.
00:57:02.08\00:57:04.61
Then we who are alive and remain
00:57:04.91\00:57:06.98
shall be caught up
together with them in the clouds
00:57:07.18\00:57:09.60
to meet the Lord in the air.
00:57:09.80\00:57:11.62
And thus we shall
always be with the Lord.
00:57:11.92\00:57:14.47
Wherefore, comfort one
another with these words. "
00:57:14.67\00:57:18.05
Oh friends, our burden
is to share this good news.
00:57:18.29\00:57:22.09
To bring comfort to
those who are living in fear.
00:57:22.39\00:57:24.87
That's why we continue to
preach the gospel of salvation
00:57:25.17\00:57:28.49
through Jesus Christ
to anyone who will listen.
00:57:28.69\00:57:31.97
To see a soul come to Jesus
and be saved is worth any cost
00:57:32.27\00:57:36.59
and all efforts. That's
why this ministry exists.
00:57:36.79\00:57:40.63
Won't you help us?
00:57:40.83\00:57:41.99
Please consider what you can do
00:57:42.17\00:57:43.66
for those who still
don't know about Jesus.
00:57:43.86\00:57:46.37
As the Holy Spirit impresses,
00:57:46.67\00:57:48.19
please send your
tax-deductible gifts to:
00:57:48.39\00:57:50.44
Thank you for helping us
spread the light of God's Word
00:58:02.58\00:58:04.93
through television and radio.
00:58:05.03\00:58:06.71
Your gifts help bring
the blessed hope of salvation
00:58:06.84\00:58:09.16
to millions around the world.
00:58:09.26\00:58:11.48