Hello friends, grab
your Bible and a friend and
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sit back as we
explore God's word together
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on this edition of House Calls.
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Well, welcome to
another House Calls program,
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I'm so glad you've
chosen to tune in and
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this is a good time to
hit the record button because
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this program you
don't wanna miss.
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Sometimes we go
off on tangent getting
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excited about God's
word but if that's what
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we're guilty for,
praise God for it.
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My name is John Lomacang.
I have in the studio with
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me my very good
friend John Stanton.
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It's good to be here
again studying the word.
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That's right. You
know it's always a good day
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when you can open
God's word and not be
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persecuted for it. That's right.
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And sometimes we get
emails that sound like
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they're trying to
bring on persecution soon.
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But that's okay, we
don't mind you sending those
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emails and those comments.
We'll let you know what
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that address is
in a few moments.
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But John we have just
really enjoyed walking
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through the Bible, I
think we did a program on
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current events of
what's happening in our world
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and I think we're gonna
stretch that for one more
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program today because
we are living in a very
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exciting hour of
earth's history. That's right.
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And we have Bible
questions also but before
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we do any of that why
don't you have prayer for us.
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Let's do that.
Dear Father in heaven,
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we always want
to be sure that when
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we opened your word
and we talk about things
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that we know are critical
to this world and important
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to you in reaching
all people with the gospel
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that we need your Holy
Spirit to lead and guide,
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and so we pray for
his presence here today.
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We pray that he will
not only open our hearts
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and minds, but all
those who are hearing and
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are viewing this program here,
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we pray in Jesus
name, amen, amen.
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And friends as you
know your questions,
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your Bible questions
make a major difference,
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so if you have any
Bible questions send them
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to housecalls@3abn.org, that's
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housecalls@3abn.org.
And we will download them
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and hopefully
upload them to the world
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that is through
our answering bank.
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But John has some
questions and while I
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clear my nostrils, my
nose feels clogged up today.
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We're living in the
beautiful Midwest where
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everything is
budding it seems, yeah.
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But why don't we
clear up some misconceptions
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in Bible first, and
worry less about my nostrils.
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That sounds good. We
have a couple of good
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questions here,
one is in regard to
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Isaiah chapter 14.
Isaiah 14. And the mention of
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Lucifer's name there,
okay. And the question
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is from Javi, okay.
And it goes as follows,
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is God talking about
the King of Babylon in
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Isaiah 14 verse 4
and then 16 and then he
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backs up here 14 verse
12, if God is talking about
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a man why people say
that this is the devil.
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Can you please answer
or clear this up for me.
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Well let's take a look
at Isaiah chapter 14, okay.
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Actually a very
good chapter to know
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with regard to
what would I say the MO
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of the enemy Satan
himself. Now we use that
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term MO frequently
pertaining to other things
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but it's good to
know what Satan's MO is,
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what is his goal, what
is his objective is at the
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very end of time,
right. Of course we know
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that it's to deceive,
but it says here as we
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pick it up in verse
12 actually I think they
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mentioned verse
4 here first of all
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and it says verse 3,
it shall come to pass
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in the day of the
Lord gives you rest
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from your sorrow,
and from your fear and
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the hard bondage
in which you were made
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to serve that you
will take up this proverb
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against the King of
Babylon and say and it
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goes on to talk about
the king of Babylon, right.
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And then in verse 12 it says,
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How you are fallen
from heaven, O Lucifer,
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son of the morning!
How you are cut down
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to the ground, You
who weakened the nations!
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For you have said in your heart:
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I will ascend to the heavens,
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I will exalt my throne
above the stars of God;
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I will sit on the
mount of the congregation
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on the farthest
sides of the north;
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I will ascend above
the heights of the clouds,
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I will be like the
Most High. That's right.
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Yet you shall be
brought down to Sheol,
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to the lowest depths of
the Pit. And in verse 16,
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Those who see
you will gaze at you,
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And consider you,
saying: 'Is this the man,
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who made the earth tremble,
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Who shook the kingdoms?
Well a question none of us
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want to be asked. But if
we take a look at this text,
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clearly it begins by
starting off with the King
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of Babylon, a
reference to the King of Babylon
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and then it goes to Lucifer.
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So somehow we
got to merge the two
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and we find that they
very easily can be merged
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as far as the
thoughts, okay. Now we know that
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the prophets of old as
they wrote their words,
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they wrote for two audiences,
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they wrote for Israel
in their day and they wrote
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for spiritual Israel
at the end of time. Okay,
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that is very clear,
right. So many of their
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references speak
about events that were
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happening in those
days, but many references
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also speak about
spiritually what happens
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to Israel at the
end of time. Right,
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a double
application. Yes, and we find,
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we find that
throughout the prophets
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or the writings of
the prophets in the
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Old Testament. So when
someone or anybody tells
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you this is side note
here, if anybody tells you
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the Old
Testament is not something
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you need to read.
That's why I always have
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a problem with these
Bibles that are just the
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New Testament. I know
it. So they're getting very,
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very, a very small
portion of the scriptures
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but anyway, anyone
tells you don't read the Old,
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don't listen to them,
the Old is just as important
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as the New
Testament. But now back to our
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subject, how we reconcile this,
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I believe and I
believe the Bible supports this
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clearly that the King
of Babylon was not only
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Nebuchadnezzar in a
literal sense of old,
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but the King of
Babylon is Satan himself in
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spiritual Israel
today. That's right.
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So that's how we reconcile both,
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it is talking about
the King of Nebuchadnezzar,
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and there's good
application for a lot
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of the things that
he did at that time,
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prior to his
conversion. But we also see that
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this is in its fulfillment,
and in it's application
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to spiritual
Israel at the end of time,
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he is talking
about Satan himself.
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And in fact
Revelation gives us one of those
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identifiers as
far as the fulfillment
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of this prophesy
that we just read.
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And we can look to
Revelations chapter 9,
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John I think you
know where I'm going. And
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you know the other
thing is in this very chapter
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in Isaiah 14 verse 12
the Lord makes it clear
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that he is not talking
about the literal King of
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Israel, right, because
he uses a very name Lucifer,
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yeah. So this is a
proverb you really look at that,
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that's why verse 4
says take up this proverb,
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that's right. You see a proverb,
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has a proverbial
meaning here. That's right.
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It's, it's more than just
the literal King of Israel
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like whatever King
reigned in Israel but
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it's also talking
about Christ, yeah.
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You know the King of Israel.
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It's not talking
about literal Israel,
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the sons of Jacob but
it's talking about Israel
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the overcomers of
Christ and you find lot
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of proverbial
language in the scriptures.
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That's right,
yeah, that's right.
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I'm reading from
Revelation chapter 9,
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okay, good, and
verse 11, good comparison.
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And they had as
King over them the angel
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of the bottomless
pit, whose name in Hebrew
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is Abaddon, but in Greek
he has the name Apollyon.
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Both of all in fact
all three references
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to Satan himself. So
the angel over this army
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and we know
Revelation calls this army from
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Babylon itself, it's an
army connected to Babylon.
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This angels of
reference has been an angel
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from the bottomless
pit, and we know of course
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that angel
refers to Satan himself.
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So the connection
clearly is there when you go
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from Isaiah's prophecy to
the prophecy of Revelation.
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Yeah, you see the
unmistakable connection
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between one and the other,
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and that's a good
analysis, a good deduction
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that whenever you
read the Bible look at the
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obvious meaning and
also look at the unobvious
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meaning. Ask the
question what is,
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where do I se
Christ in this verse,
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where do I see the
enemy, the adversary Satan,
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the devil, and
what message is God
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communicating to me.
And so clearly Isaiah
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is talking about
the fall of Lucifer,
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because this fall
has prescribed and talked
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about throughout
scripture. Luke 10:18,
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Revelations chapter
12, and number of other
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references. I have
a question here today,
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let me see which
one I'm gonna pick here.
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I like to download
these questions instead
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of printing lot of
paper I just go ahead and
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ask the questions
based on what we receive
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from the people
that are writing to us,
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appreciate it very
much. This is a question from
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a man by the name of Andy.
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Years ago you know
just that very name
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reminds me of the
song that little boy says;
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I don't know that
God's name was Andy.
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Remember that you
heard that before.
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He says Andy walks
with me, Andy talks with me,
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but this is not
that Andy by the way.
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It says hi Johns;
this is my first time
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writing to you.
However let me first say that
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your program has
been a blessing to me.
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Preachers always
teach that to become a
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Christian you need
to surrender to God and
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trust him. My
question is, how do you do
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that and how do
you obey without trying
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to gain your
salvation with your works?
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That's a very,
very good question.
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I think that when
people come to Christ what
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we wanna know is
that we have surrendered
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to Christ. You
know the Lord first,
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one of the most
familiar passages of the
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scripture is First
John 1:9, we are gonna start
00:10:00.09\00:10:03.43
with that one if
you turn there John,
00:10:03.44\00:10:04.72
maybe I have you
read that for me.
00:10:04.73\00:10:06.24
First John 1:9 when
we talk about giving
00:10:07.53\00:10:11.02
ourselves to Christ, I
believe that one of the
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first things we have to
do is admit that we need
00:10:13.69\00:10:15.89
him and in that
admission we're confessing
00:10:15.90\00:10:19.05
our utter inability
to cleanse ourselves from
00:10:19.06\00:10:23.21
unrighteousness,
that's right. And so matter
00:10:23.22\00:10:26.48
of fact I told John
to turn there and while
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you're there, why
don't you read verse 8 and 9,
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John, oh yes. This is
from First John chapter 1,
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it says, if we say
that we have no sin,
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we deceive ourselves,
and the truth is not in us.
00:10:38.94\00:10:41.36
If we confess our
sins, He is faithful and
00:10:42.66\00:10:44.96
just to forgive us
our sins and to cleanse us
00:10:44.97\00:10:47.87
from all unrighteousness.
So one of the first things
00:10:47.88\00:10:51.28
we do as we come to
him in confession. Lord,
00:10:51.29\00:10:52.94
I confess I'm a
sinner, I need your salvation,
00:10:53.54\00:10:58.52
I need your grace.
And then we have to keep
00:10:58.53\00:11:01.15
in mind that this part
of surrender is not a daily,
00:11:01.16\00:11:04.59
it's not a daily
battle with anything other
00:11:05.30\00:11:08.49
than yourself. You
have to daily surrender your
00:11:08.50\00:11:14.83
life to Christ, as Paul
the Apostle makes it clear,
00:11:14.84\00:11:17.46
I die daily. And so to
not make it difficult for
00:11:17.47\00:11:21.55
you it's just simply
comes down to surrendering
00:11:21.56\00:11:24.39
say daily. As you
wake up in the morning
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my wife and I do this,
we roll out of our bed,
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get on to our
knees and we say Father.
00:11:29.29\00:11:31.56
Just invite him, and
come into my life today
00:11:32.59\00:11:34.64
because I know that if
I live my life according
00:11:35.83\00:11:37.49
to my own agenda,
these other things that
00:11:37.50\00:11:39.60
I would do, come
into my life today Father.
00:11:39.61\00:11:41.91
And then the next
thing you must do in order
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to sustain that
surrendered life is you
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have to nourish
that surrendered life.
00:11:47.46\00:11:49.74
You have to eat
on the word of God,
00:11:50.35\00:11:52.28
you have to increase your faith.
00:11:52.77\00:11:53.98
One of the ways to
increase your faith
00:11:54.75\00:11:55.95
is Romans 10
verse 17 which goes back
00:11:55.96\00:11:58.45
to the word of
God. Romans 10 verse 17,
00:11:58.46\00:12:00.87
faith comes by
hearing. But how you are gonna
00:12:01.45\00:12:03.16
hear? Hearing
by the word of God.
00:12:03.17\00:12:05.35
The word of God has
to be a daily element
00:12:05.96\00:12:07.73
in your life. It has
to be your daily food,
00:12:07.74\00:12:10.38
it has to be your
daily bread. It has to be at
00:12:10.93\00:12:13.46
some point even
more important than just
00:12:13.47\00:12:15.75
physical sustenance;
although we're not going
00:12:15.76\00:12:18.09
to stop eating
physical food, unless we don't
00:12:18.10\00:12:20.27
have anything to
eat. The word of God has
00:12:20.28\00:12:22.26
to be that
particular point of nourishment.
00:12:22.27\00:12:24.41
Two very, very quick
points, surrender your
00:12:25.18\00:12:27.96
life to Christ
admitting that you can't do it
00:12:27.97\00:12:29.57
on your own. And then
you have to allow Christ
00:12:29.58\00:12:32.87
to come in, but how do
you allow him to come in.
00:12:32.88\00:12:34.37
You've got to die to
you and realize that when
00:12:35.30\00:12:37.56
you invite him in he's
the one at work. I think
00:12:37.57\00:12:39.63
its Galatians 2:20, I
am crucified with Christ;
00:12:40.31\00:12:45.69
it is no longer I who
live, but Christ who lives
00:12:46.64\00:12:49.52
in me; and the life
I now live in the flesh
00:12:49.53\00:12:51.50
is still on this
earth, I live by faith in the
00:12:52.22\00:12:54.57
Son of God, who love me
and gave Himself for me.
00:12:54.58\00:12:57.42
So here it is again
and I know John is gonna
00:12:57.99\00:12:59.99
register on these too.
One, admit that we can't
00:13:00.00\00:13:02.41
do it on our own
and confess our sins.
00:13:02.42\00:13:04.50
He'll forgive us
but then invite him in;
00:13:05.02\00:13:06.86
he will live within
us, Galatians 2:20, right.
00:13:07.47\00:13:10.12
Then nourish that
new life, and that is by
00:13:10.35\00:13:14.42
eating more freshly on
the word of God everyday,
00:13:14.43\00:13:16.28
Romans 10 and verse
17. Just continue feeding
00:13:16.29\00:13:18.89
yourself, and then
lastly but most importantly
00:13:18.90\00:13:22.01
you have to know
that the one who began
00:13:22.60\00:13:23.74
the work in you is
going to finish it.
00:13:23.75\00:13:26.94
And I believe it's
first, let me look this up
00:13:26.95\00:13:29.65
very quickly, I believe
while I'm looking this up
00:13:29.66\00:13:32.95
you wanna register on this John.
00:13:32.96\00:13:34.06
You know it was specifically how
00:13:36.08\00:13:37.92
do you obey without
you know trying to achieve
00:13:37.93\00:13:41.03
salvation by your work.
That's a great question.
00:13:41.04\00:13:43.64
And I think one of the
things that is a challenge
00:13:44.25\00:13:47.68
for Christians
today is this word,
00:13:47.69\00:13:49.81
you know legalism,
legalist, that we are so
00:13:49.82\00:13:52.27
concerned about
being a legalist that were
00:13:52.28\00:13:55.04
afraid that by doing
good somehow we're trying
00:13:55.05\00:13:57.68
to achieve
salvation and I know that even
00:13:57.69\00:14:00.22
Seventh-day
Adventist Christians you know
00:14:00.23\00:14:02.18
we get this label
sometimes where you know
00:14:02.19\00:14:03.81
while you're keeping
the Sabbath day because
00:14:03.82\00:14:05.49
you're trying to be
saved. But here's the issue
00:14:05.50\00:14:07.64
you know prior to you
giving your life to Christ,
00:14:08.21\00:14:11.08
we're talking
about the surrender now.
00:14:11.09\00:14:12.36
Confessing your life and
giving your life to Christ,
00:14:12.88\00:14:14.23
prior to that if
you're doing good works
00:14:14.47\00:14:17.15
so God will accept
you, that's legalism.
00:14:17.16\00:14:19.58
But after you're saved
once your life is in Christ
00:14:20.93\00:14:23.21
you're obeying
because you are saved.
00:14:24.55\00:14:26.69
That's the
difference. That's right.
00:14:28.12\00:14:29.79
Or you are obeying
because you wanna be
00:14:29.80\00:14:31.24
saved or you're
obeying because you are
00:14:31.25\00:14:33.28
saved and you see if
you are doing good works
00:14:33.29\00:14:35.96
because you are
saved, that's never legalism.
00:14:35.97\00:14:39.00
That's because you love Christ,
00:14:39.82\00:14:40.79
in fact Jesus said it
all we often emphasize
00:14:40.80\00:14:42.41
the front of this
text but not the end of it.
00:14:42.42\00:14:44.28
Oh no we
emphasize the end of it,
00:14:44.88\00:14:46.21
but not the front of it, okay.
00:14:46.75\00:14:47.72
If you love me
keep my Commandments.
00:14:48.19\00:14:50.02
You see those who
don't love God and don't have
00:14:50.71\00:14:52.40
a relationship
with him can't keep the
00:14:52.41\00:14:53.92
Commandments.
That only comes through
00:14:53.93\00:14:56.07
a relationship of
love so the keeping of the
00:14:56.08\00:14:58.20
Commandments, the
following of God's ways
00:14:58.21\00:14:59.71
is a result of our
loving relationship that
00:14:59.72\00:15:03.46
we have with Christ.
We want to follow him,
00:15:03.47\00:15:06.31
we want to obey
him. And there's one text
00:15:06.32\00:15:08.58
it really tells us
this order of things when it
00:15:08.59\00:15:11.65
comes to salvation
first and then the sanctified
00:15:11.66\00:15:14.51
life or becoming
sanctified in Christ
00:15:14.52\00:15:16.71
by doing good works
and following his ways.
00:15:16.72\00:15:18.95
Ephesians 2 verses 8-10, okay.
00:15:19.76\00:15:22.65
For by grace you have
been saved through faith,
00:15:22.66\00:15:24.77
and that not of yourselves;
it is the gift of God.
00:15:25.58\00:15:28.19
So first of all
we notice that there,
00:15:28.93\00:15:30.35
we're saved by grace
through faith, right.
00:15:30.51\00:15:32.45
Not of works, lest
anyone should boast.
00:15:33.24\00:15:35.11
So there's nothing
you can do to work your
00:15:35.12\00:15:36.66
way into God's
grace or to be saved.
00:15:36.67\00:15:39.03
And don't even boast
about it. Don't even,
00:15:39.04\00:15:40.72
yeah, don't boast about
it. And in verse 10 though,
00:15:40.73\00:15:42.86
here is a transition.
Now we are saved let's
00:15:43.19\00:15:45.17
see what happens. For
we are His workmanship,
00:15:45.18\00:15:48.16
created in Christ
Jesus for good works,
00:15:49.08\00:15:51.82
that's right,
they come afterward.
00:15:51.83\00:15:53.08
Which God
prepared beforehand that
00:15:53.73\00:15:55.05
we should walk in
them. So here the salvation
00:15:55.06\00:15:57.93
experience happens
first, we're justified
00:15:57.94\00:16:00.47
by the blood of Christ
then we walk in his ways,
00:16:00.48\00:16:03.40
we obey him because
we are saved and that's
00:16:04.05\00:16:06.42
not legalism, that's
a loving relationship
00:16:06.43\00:16:09.29
in following Christ
as he has asked us to do.
00:16:09.30\00:16:11.11
And you know our
works verify our saving
00:16:11.72\00:16:13.92
relationship. If you
see that somebody you love
00:16:13.93\00:16:15.84
them but do
nothing for them at all,
00:16:15.85\00:16:17.85
they would instantly
question your loyalty or
00:16:19.54\00:16:21.92
your love. They will
say well I thought you said
00:16:21.93\00:16:23.87
you love me, how
come, there's some evidences
00:16:23.88\00:16:26.13
to that and when we
look at James the Bible
00:16:26.14\00:16:29.06
talks about how
Abraham, his faith,
00:16:29.07\00:16:31.26
his works were
accounted to him as evidence of
00:16:31.80\00:16:35.26
his faith, yeah. It
says here in James chapter 2
00:16:35.27\00:16:38.36
and verse, oh yeah
verse 23. And the scriptures
00:16:39.78\00:16:44.35
were fulfilled which
says, "Abraham believed God,
00:16:45.02\00:16:47.94
and it was accounted
to him for righteousness."
00:16:48.72\00:16:50.70
And he was
called a friend of God.
00:16:50.71\00:16:52.21
You see then that a
man is justified by works,
00:16:52.82\00:16:56.61
and not by faith
only. And it goes down to
00:16:56.62\00:17:00.97
verse 26, "For as the
body without the spirit
00:17:00.98\00:17:03.83
is dead, so faith
without works is dead."
00:17:03.84\00:17:07.28
We sometimes say well
I've a lot of faith but
00:17:08.09\00:17:10.91
the Lord says,
well prove it, yeah.
00:17:10.92\00:17:12.84
That is not the
proving of it is not to gain
00:17:12.85\00:17:14.77
salvation, the
proving of it as you said
00:17:14.78\00:17:16.92
we are saved, we are
in a saving relationship,
00:17:17.50\00:17:20.19
saved how? Saved
from the penalty of sin,
00:17:20.70\00:17:24.61
daily saved from the
power of sin and when
00:17:25.28\00:17:28.58
he comes back
we'll be saved from
00:17:28.59\00:17:30.29
the presence of sin.
You know looking even
00:17:30.30\00:17:32.04
at the judgment,
typical judgment you know
00:17:32.05\00:17:34.71
the laws and courts of our land,
00:17:34.72\00:17:36.23
and how they processed,
go through the process
00:17:36.24\00:17:37.97
of judging
somebody. You know when
00:17:37.98\00:17:40.75
someone confesses or gives a,
00:17:40.76\00:17:42.73
what do you call it a testimony,
00:17:45.25\00:17:46.58
a testimony but know they plead,
00:17:46.59\00:17:47.74
they plead guilty or not guilty.
00:17:47.75\00:17:49.11
You know even if
you plead not guilty,
00:17:49.74\00:17:50.97
the court says
prove it, yeah, right.
00:17:51.79\00:17:54.86
I mean so we go
through this court procedure
00:17:55.57\00:17:57.09
of proving that
we are not guilty.
00:17:57.10\00:17:58.73
When we're
saying I'm not guilty,
00:17:59.26\00:18:00.36
but basically that
proving it is does my life
00:18:00.95\00:18:03.82
reflect in this
relationship with Christ.
00:18:03.83\00:18:07.51
You know the
innocence that Christ has given
00:18:08.60\00:18:10.15
me now, the new
life I have in Christ,
00:18:10.16\00:18:11.96
does my life reflect
that. And that's the process
00:18:11.97\00:18:14.56
we go through when
we say I'm in Christ.
00:18:14.57\00:18:16.80
You know it's not
me, my works would show
00:18:17.51\00:18:18.97
that I'm guilty as
all get up, but you know
00:18:18.98\00:18:21.68
what because of
Christ, because of what
00:18:21.69\00:18:23.40
he's done I can
walk in his ways,
00:18:23.41\00:18:25.32
I can keep the faith as it says,
00:18:25.33\00:18:27.18
and I can be
counted as innocent,
00:18:27.76\00:18:29.69
because of Christ
and those works that
00:18:30.29\00:18:32.29
I do are evidence of my
salvation. That's right,
00:18:32.30\00:18:34.67
that's right. Thank
you for that question Andy.
00:18:34.68\00:18:37.12
Do you have one
more for us to go?
00:18:37.63\00:18:38.73
Yeah we've got
one more here, okay.
00:18:38.74\00:18:39.71
It says it's about
the Sabbath but a unique
00:18:39.72\00:18:42.10
perspective, it says
does God work on the Sabbath.
00:18:42.11\00:18:44.96
Does he answer his
prayers such as on the Sabbath?
00:18:46.74\00:18:49.42
And so a good question there.
00:18:51.12\00:18:52.64
God doesn't work in
the sense that he labors
00:18:53.91\00:18:57.81
for wages. He doesn't
have secular activities.
00:18:57.82\00:19:03.39
God is always
working for our behalf,
00:19:04.14\00:19:07.28
and so when you're
talking about God's work,
00:19:08.38\00:19:10.13
everything is
spiritual for the redemption
00:19:10.86\00:19:13.76
of this world. And
when we are talking about,
00:19:14.32\00:19:17.17
when the Bible talks
about breaking the Sabbath,
00:19:17.18\00:19:19.02
how we as human beings
can get into this thing
00:19:19.03\00:19:21.91
of breaking the
Sabbath day, it's usually
00:19:22.82\00:19:24.34
in the context of
allowing that day,
00:19:24.35\00:19:25.90
a sacred day to go
secular, okay. In fact
00:19:25.91\00:19:28.85
if you look at
Isaiah 58, yes let's go for.
00:19:28.86\00:19:32.48
Verse 13, beginning
with verse 13, it says,
00:19:32.49\00:19:35.87
if you turn away your
foot from the Sabbath,
00:19:35.88\00:19:37.88
from doing your
pleasure on My holy day,
00:19:38.91\00:19:41.93
and call the Sabbath a delight,
00:19:43.32\00:19:44.29
the holy day of
the Lord honorable,
00:19:44.47\00:19:45.81
and shall honor Him,
not doing your own ways,
00:19:46.33\00:19:48.59
nor finding your own pleasure,
00:19:49.60\00:19:50.85
nor speaking your own words.
00:19:51.41\00:19:52.59
You see how
everything is selfish here,
00:19:52.60\00:19:54.48
focused on themselves.
Then you shall delight
00:19:54.49\00:19:57.51
yourself in the Lord;
And I will cause you to ride
00:19:57.52\00:19:59.69
on the high hills of the earth,
00:19:59.70\00:20:00.92
and feed you with
the heritage of Jacob
00:20:01.50\00:20:03.35
your father, the mouth
of the Lord has spoken.
00:20:03.36\00:20:05.99
So here we see that we
can often get distracted
00:20:06.48\00:20:11.21
on God's Holy Sabbath
day by our own pleasures,
00:20:11.22\00:20:14.12
by own words, by
own secular activities,
00:20:14.13\00:20:16.39
God never has that
issue. No, he doesn't.
00:20:16.40\00:20:18.63
God is always
working his laboring for the
00:20:18.64\00:20:21.61
salvation of men. If
you look at some people say,
00:20:21.62\00:20:24.38
have said John, you
referred this before,
00:20:24.98\00:20:25.95
I know it's an
argument to not, the Sabbath
00:20:25.96\00:20:27.97
command not being
enforced. Well Jesus broke
00:20:27.98\00:20:30.12
the Sabbath
deliberately to show that the
00:20:30.13\00:20:31.79
Commandment is
not binding anymore,
00:20:31.80\00:20:33.19
but what Jesus did
was he showed the way
00:20:34.45\00:20:36.14
to keep it. Right,
he showed how it should
00:20:36.15\00:20:38.19
be honored. Okay, it's
not the system of rigid
00:20:38.20\00:20:40.49
rules and regulations
of how many steps you
00:20:40.50\00:20:42.55
can take in a day or
what you can and can't do.
00:20:42.56\00:20:44.57
It's just a list of
obligations but the Sabbath
00:20:45.13\00:20:48.09
is intended for us to
engage in a time with God
00:20:48.10\00:20:51.84
as either communing
with him or working for him,
00:20:51.85\00:20:55.12
in his behalf for
the benefit of others.
00:20:55.13\00:20:58.15
And that's why often we say,
00:20:58.98\00:21:00.20
you know Sabbath
afternoon shouldn't
00:21:00.21\00:21:01.55
be a time that you just
you know rest physically,
00:21:01.56\00:21:04.06
but often it's more of
a time of going to meet
00:21:05.32\00:21:08.48
with people who need
some who are shut-ins,
00:21:08.49\00:21:10.71
you know who need
a visit from someone,
00:21:10.72\00:21:12.67
who knows that so they
know that they're cared
00:21:12.68\00:21:14.79
for still, we go to
rest homes, we sing,
00:21:14.80\00:21:16.99
we do other things
like that. That's for,
00:21:17.00\00:21:19.17
that's laboring for
the salvation of souls.
00:21:19.84\00:21:22.03
You know as a
matter of fact John,
00:21:23.97\00:21:25.10
I'm glad you made
that point about the types
00:21:25.66\00:21:27.24
of work; because God
is not, I'm gonna use
00:21:27.25\00:21:29.79
this in a very basic
sense, he doesn't work
00:21:29.80\00:21:33.13
for Kmart, doesn't
work for the government.
00:21:33.14\00:21:35.88
He is never
unrighteous, never involved in
00:21:36.69\00:21:40.63
unrighteous activity.
So there's never a time
00:21:40.64\00:21:43.87
when God is not
doing godly things, right,
00:21:43.88\00:21:48.02
because he doesn't
like sometimes people say
00:21:48.03\00:21:50.26
to us well that
was a very godly,
00:21:50.27\00:21:52.04
you live a very godly
life. Well is there ever
00:21:52.71\00:21:55.60
a time that God
doesn't live the godly life?
00:21:55.61\00:21:57.54
I mean it's all
originated from him.
00:21:58.29\00:22:00.87
It isn't, yeah. You
know is there time that God
00:22:00.88\00:22:03.22
is not righteous, I mean
there is no righteousness
00:22:03.23\00:22:05.97
apart from him.
That's right. Is ever a time
00:22:05.98\00:22:07.94
that he is love not
lovely, well love could not
00:22:07.95\00:22:11.57
exist apart from
him. So you find the very
00:22:11.58\00:22:14.58
principle of what the
Lord does on the Sabbath
00:22:14.59\00:22:17.07
exemplifies his very
character. We have in
00:22:18.00\00:22:20.44
Matthew 12 and verse 12 it says,
00:22:20.45\00:22:21.87
how much more
valuable then man is sheep,
00:22:22.36\00:22:25.42
Therefore it is lawful
to do good on the Sabbath.
00:22:26.05\00:22:28.76
So can you imagine
we pray on the Sabbath
00:22:29.41\00:22:31.39
morning, and I
remember oh you know what,
00:22:31.40\00:22:35.97
I forgot I
should pray on Sunday,
00:22:36.45\00:22:37.66
because God doesn't
hear our prayers on Sabbath,
00:22:37.67\00:22:39.34
and that's work. I
think that some of the things
00:22:39.35\00:22:42.14
we do in our society
today alludes to the fact,
00:22:42.15\00:22:45.06
somebody told me
this once, this very
00:22:45.07\00:22:49.08
irreverent movie, it
was entitled Bruce Almighty,
00:22:49.09\00:22:55.34
where they said that
one of the actors in there
00:22:56.43\00:23:00.11
who played the role
of God, so to speak was
00:23:00.99\00:23:04.50
having to respond to
all these emails of prayers.
00:23:04.51\00:23:07.89
And getting bogged down,
they said he just hit yes,
00:23:09.11\00:23:14.22
he answered yes to all
of the prayer requests.
00:23:14.23\00:23:16.26
Oh yeah, yeah. And
the whole world just
00:23:16.27\00:23:18.48
started falling
apart. And so what happens
00:23:18.49\00:23:20.77
is we have a God
that the Bible says never
00:23:20.78\00:23:23.57
sleeps, and never
slumbers, but he never involves
00:23:23.58\00:23:26.77
himself in things that
will violate his own law,
00:23:26.78\00:23:28.93
right, because he
can't. Right, he can't.
00:23:28.94\00:23:31.41
His law is his
character, that's who he is.
00:23:31.42\00:23:35.05
Yeah, God is not a
man that he should lie,
00:23:35.06\00:23:37.07
he can't even lie. That's right.
00:23:37.87\00:23:41.41
So I think on that
note maybe we should
00:23:42.03\00:23:44.92
segue over, I have
one very quick question,
00:23:44.93\00:23:47.10
anything else you
wanna add to that one John,
00:23:47.63\00:23:49.01
no, that's good.
We have one very quick
00:23:49.02\00:23:51.09
question about whether
or not Jesus was born yet,
00:23:51.10\00:23:56.52
it says Dear
John, John and John,
00:23:57.51\00:23:59.28
I think she means
all three of us from the
00:23:59.86\00:24:02.34
person name Connie.
I just read this verse
00:24:02.35\00:24:05.92
this morning, that I
am the Lord your God,
00:24:05.93\00:24:08.70
who brought you out of Egypt.
00:24:08.71\00:24:10.04
You acknowledged
no other God but me,
00:24:10.84\00:24:13.46
no savior except
me. And then she put,
00:24:14.25\00:24:16.87
now I'm gonna just
read as it's put here,
00:24:17.35\00:24:19.53
verbatim. I realized
that Jesus wasn't born
00:24:19.54\00:24:22.24
yet she says but
God certainly knew that
00:24:22.76\00:24:25.09
he was coming, so,
why would God say things
00:24:25.10\00:24:27.91
like this. Does it
also apply to the throne
00:24:27.92\00:24:32.41
or the time before
Christ, or is it because Jesus
00:24:32.98\00:24:36.33
and God are on the
same, are one and the same.
00:24:36.34\00:24:39.30
If they truly are
one and the same why does
00:24:40.23\00:24:43.03
the Bible say Jesus
is sitting at God's right
00:24:43.04\00:24:46.32
hand? Lot of
oppositions in this question,
00:24:46.95\00:24:48.43
one of them is there
is never a time that Jesus
00:24:48.91\00:24:50.97
wasn't born. I
know you suggested there
00:24:50.98\00:24:53.84
that Jesus wasn't
born yet, I think what you
00:24:53.85\00:24:55.84
may mean is that he
didn't come into the world
00:24:55.85\00:24:58.35
through Mary yet,
but he had pre-existence.
00:24:58.36\00:25:01.36
Matter of fact Isaiah
44 verse 6 and the other
00:25:01.99\00:25:04.95
part is God and Jesus
not one and the same as
00:25:04.96\00:25:09.04
far as person is
concerned. But they are one and
00:25:09.05\00:25:11.86
the same as far as will,
the salvation of humanity,
00:25:11.87\00:25:16.96
creation; they're
one in the same that way.
00:25:16.97\00:25:20.39
But again example
is when Jesus was being
00:25:21.31\00:25:23.97
baptized in Matthews
chapter the Bible says,
00:25:23.98\00:25:26.33
the heavens open
and a dove descended but
00:25:26.34\00:25:30.15
that was the Holy
Spirit. And then Jesus heard
00:25:30.16\00:25:32.38
a voice from heaven
saying this is my beloved son,
00:25:32.39\00:25:35.35
he is here, voice is
coming from heaven in whom
00:25:35.96\00:25:38.35
I'm well pleased. But
Isaiah 44 verse 6 says,
00:25:38.36\00:25:41.40
thus says the
Lord, the King of Israel,
00:25:42.18\00:25:44.94
and his Redeemer,
the Lord of hosts:
00:25:45.50\00:25:48.26
I am the First
and I am the Last;
00:25:50.60\00:25:52.63
Besides Me there is
no God. Saying this about
00:25:53.52\00:25:56.90
the Father and the
Son, besides me there
00:25:56.91\00:25:58.37
was no God, singular.
That's the beauty of the
00:25:58.38\00:26:01.28
mystery of the
godliness, the God head and
00:26:01.29\00:26:03.80
for us to just try to
narrow it down like we do
00:26:04.58\00:26:06.36
one person to the
next would minimize the
00:26:06.37\00:26:09.01
blessing of what that
all, what that all means.
00:26:09.02\00:26:11.03
But yes, Jesus will be
sitting at the right hand
00:26:11.99\00:26:14.40
of his Father
because he will be sitting
00:26:14.41\00:26:16.57
at the place of
authority which is due him
00:26:16.58\00:26:19.16
because he is the
lamb that was worthy,
00:26:19.79\00:26:21.82
because he was the
lamb that gave his life
00:26:22.39\00:26:23.49
to save our souls. That's right.
00:26:24.01\00:26:25.90
Now let's segue
John to the topic because
00:26:26.45\00:26:27.82
this is a very
exciting one I understand.
00:26:28.30\00:26:29.70
And by the way
before we do that if
00:26:30.17\00:26:31.84
you have any
questions friends don't forget
00:26:32.34\00:26:34.04
to send those questions
to housecalls@3abn.org,
00:26:34.52\00:26:37.75
that's housecalls@3abn.org
and we will hopefully
00:26:37.76\00:26:42.05
get back to you either
by email or by answering
00:26:42.06\00:26:45.67
them on the air.
That's right. What do you have
00:26:45.68\00:26:48.36
for me John? Well
I'll tell you we've been
00:26:48.37\00:26:50.78
in the last part
one of this two-parter,
00:26:50.79\00:26:53.66
we've been talking
about the world in crisis
00:26:54.29\00:26:56.83
and the world is in
crisis and we see economically
00:26:57.88\00:27:00.22
it's in crisis,
disastrous. We've talked about
00:27:00.70\00:27:02.32
those how that has brought
the crisis upon this world.
00:27:02.33\00:27:04.72
But yet we still I
don't believe or to the time
00:27:05.43\00:27:07.58
of trouble that great
incredible crisis that will
00:27:07.59\00:27:09.95
come upon the world, but
it's building up to that,
00:27:09.96\00:27:12.11
right. And so, you
know we're talking about
00:27:12.93\00:27:15.33
you know what should be
the response of Christians.
00:27:16.90\00:27:20.34
What should be our
response as a church
00:27:21.35\00:27:24.64
to these things going
on? What is God's will for us
00:27:25.66\00:27:28.12
as we see these
things happening,
00:27:28.13\00:27:29.57
do we just go on
with life as usual,
00:27:29.58\00:27:31.42
and do we look at
these disasters in China
00:27:32.04\00:27:34.53
and in Myanmar, in
Burma? Do we just say well
00:27:35.04\00:27:37.98
it's a good
thing it wasn't here,
00:27:37.99\00:27:39.19
it didn't happened to
me, or do we say something
00:27:39.20\00:27:41.86
about it, you know. A
lot of times people do that,
00:27:41.87\00:27:44.16
they say well look
what's happening around
00:27:44.17\00:27:45.72
the world but it
doesn't resonate here.
00:27:45.73\00:27:47.60
And then when we
have like September 11th,
00:27:48.35\00:27:50.33
that's not the only
example, when we have any
00:27:51.11\00:27:52.70
kind disaster
hurricane, when we have the
00:27:52.71\00:27:54.82
New Orleans, you
know the hurricanes that
00:27:54.83\00:27:58.25
devastated there. We
often realize that we're
00:27:58.26\00:28:00.86
vulnerable too, yeah.
We're not the shielded
00:28:00.87\00:28:03.96
nation with the wall of
protection around us like
00:28:03.97\00:28:05.84
this constitution of
no bad weather, you know.
00:28:06.74\00:28:10.46
It does come here
and I think the more it
00:28:11.22\00:28:13.38
visits here I
don't wanna say this way;
00:28:13.39\00:28:16.67
we don't need more
disasters here to realize
00:28:16.68\00:28:18.69
how bad it is outside
of the United States, yeah.
00:28:18.70\00:28:21.44
But it's becoming more
and more frequent even here.
00:28:21.45\00:28:23.56
Well I asked a
question last time what will it
00:28:23.57\00:28:25.07
Take, and how much
more do we need disasters
00:28:25.08\00:28:27.77
in the world to know
that Christ appearing,
00:28:27.78\00:28:29.86
his second coming
is very, very near.
00:28:30.37\00:28:31.59
But, so the
question is what do we about
00:28:32.21\00:28:33.63
it and I think
Ezekiel, it's not just Ezekiel,
00:28:33.64\00:28:37.25
Isaiah talks about
this as well and there's
00:28:37.26\00:28:40.63
a reference
clearly in Revelation
00:28:40.64\00:28:41.87
to a special group
of people who proclaim
00:28:41.88\00:28:44.15
a message of the last
days, in the last days
00:28:44.16\00:28:46.44
during the calamities,
during this crisis that
00:28:46.45\00:28:49.05
has come upon
the world. And in the
00:28:49.06\00:28:52.31
Old Testament those,
gives a label specific
00:28:52.32\00:28:54.61
title to these individuals
who see the calamity,
00:28:54.62\00:28:58.28
who see the crisis
coming up on the world and
00:28:58.88\00:29:01.02
say something about
it, who give a message
00:29:01.03\00:29:02.82
to the world awake
them up, because Jesus
00:29:02.83\00:29:05.36
is about to come
back, right. And we're gonna
00:29:05.37\00:29:08.28
turn to Ezekiel, first
of all Ezekiel chapter 33
00:29:08.29\00:29:11.14
and will see that
these individuals who
00:29:12.41\00:29:15.66
are going to sound
the call when they see
00:29:15.67\00:29:17.86
the crisis coming,
when they see the disasters
00:29:17.87\00:29:19.63
coming, they're
called watchmen, watchmen.
00:29:19.64\00:29:23.58
And now if you go
back to Old Testament times
00:29:24.34\00:29:28.60
and you know all of
these cities that they built
00:29:29.15\00:29:30.68
had these walls to
provide a hedge of protection
00:29:31.34\00:29:35.01
from them and
those who were their
00:29:35.51\00:29:36.88
enemies outside. And
these walls usually on top
00:29:36.89\00:29:39.60
of them had a place
for guards to stand post
00:29:39.61\00:29:42.60
and to watch and
the watchmen were those
00:29:42.61\00:29:45.41
who were looking for
the attacks of the enemy,
00:29:45.42\00:29:47.92
they were looking for
the opposition coming or
00:29:47.93\00:29:50.69
any signs of potential
destruction to the city
00:29:50.70\00:29:52.91
and would sound or
cry the alarm that attack
00:29:53.61\00:29:58.78
or some kind of
doom is impending.
00:29:59.42\00:30:01.41
And so these are
called watchmen and
00:30:02.12\00:30:04.12
let's see what
Ezekiel talks about or what
00:30:04.13\00:30:06.38
God talks about
through the prophet Ezekiel
00:30:06.39\00:30:08.21
that these
watchmen are to do when they
00:30:08.72\00:30:10.16
see these things
coming. It says in verse 1,
00:30:10.17\00:30:13.37
again the word of
the Lord came to me,
00:30:14.08\00:30:15.71
saying, "Son of man,
speak to the children of
00:30:15.72\00:30:17.86
Israel your people, or
the children of your people,
00:30:17.87\00:30:21.17
and say to them: When
I bring the sword upon
00:30:21.66\00:30:24.34
a land, and the
people of the land take a man
00:30:24.35\00:30:27.13
from their territory
and make him their watchman.
00:30:27.60\00:30:29.83
When he sees the
sword coming upon the land,
00:30:31.36\00:30:33.73
if he blows the
trumpet and warns the people,
00:30:34.19\00:30:36.73
then whoever hears
the sound of the trumpet
00:30:37.59\00:30:39.44
and does not take
warning, if the sword comes
00:30:39.45\00:30:42.26
and takes him
away, his blood shall
00:30:42.27\00:30:44.32
be on his own head.
Now that word sword there
00:30:44.33\00:30:47.69
by the way isn't
literally a sword, it could be
00:30:47.70\00:30:49.54
anything that is a
type of sword, right,
00:30:49.55\00:30:53.30
that could be
disaster, it could be the army
00:30:53.31\00:30:55.57
is attacking or
maybe some opposing city.
00:30:55.58\00:30:58.61
There could be
any kind of things,
00:30:59.28\00:31:00.30
but its something
coming upon that kingdom.
00:31:00.31\00:31:01.90
Verse 5 it says, He
heard the sound of the trumpet,
00:31:02.91\00:31:06.39
but did not take
warning; his blood shall be upon
00:31:07.05\00:31:09.30
himself. But he who takes
warning will save his life.
00:31:09.31\00:31:12.92
But if the watchman
sees a sword coming and
00:31:13.95\00:31:16.39
does not blow the
trumpet, and the people
00:31:16.40\00:31:18.47
are not warned,
and the sword comes and
00:31:18.48\00:31:21.40
takes any
person from among them,
00:31:21.41\00:31:22.93
he is taken away
in his iniquity; but
00:31:23.54\00:31:25.09
his blood I will
require at the watchman's hand.
00:31:25.73\00:31:28.50
So not only the one who
doesn't hear is destroyed,
00:31:28.61\00:31:31.54
doesn't say that he
gets relief, because he
00:31:32.22\00:31:33.95
wasn't warned,
right. But also the watchman
00:31:33.96\00:31:36.92
who didn't sound the
trumpet, who didn't sound
00:31:37.46\00:31:39.58
the warning is also
the blood for that person
00:31:39.59\00:31:42.81
is required at his
hand. Then to end it all here
00:31:42.82\00:31:45.92
at verse 7, so you son of man:
00:31:45.93\00:31:47.69
I've made you a watchman
for the house of Israel;
00:31:47.70\00:31:50.99
therefore you shall
hear a word from My mouth
00:31:51.00\00:31:53.48
and warn them for
Me. Now we're gonna see
00:31:54.02\00:31:57.23
here is there's
some other references to
00:31:57.71\00:31:59.93
watchman in the Old Testament,
00:31:59.94\00:32:01.15
that God has called a watchman,
00:32:01.16\00:32:03.64
or a group of
watchmen, MEN plural,
00:32:04.67\00:32:06.99
at the end of time
when they see this trumpets
00:32:07.51\00:32:10.05
blow, when they see
this sounding happen,
00:32:10.06\00:32:12.08
and the calamities
coming, that they are to sound
00:32:12.54\00:32:14.01
that warning to
warn the people that the
00:32:14.02\00:32:15.93
end is near. And
so John you know what
00:32:15.94\00:32:18.87
I want to say here
just to kind of start this
00:32:18.88\00:32:20.79
off today is, if you
and I as preachers of God's
00:32:20.80\00:32:26.19
word as
proclaimers of the gospel,
00:32:26.20\00:32:29.29
those who study
prophecy and see what is coming.
00:32:30.46\00:32:33.27
If we see these
events, this calamity coming,
00:32:33.28\00:32:35.73
these things
happening and we just sit there
00:32:35.74\00:32:37.70
with our lips closed
and not say a word. That
00:32:38.40\00:32:40.45
as watchmen the
blood of others who aren't
00:32:41.65\00:32:44.73
warned is required at our hand.
00:32:44.74\00:32:46.22
So don't, what is it,
don't kill the prophet,
00:32:47.67\00:32:50.43
you know not the old prophets,
00:32:50.44\00:32:52.13
don't stone the
prophets, but don't kill us
00:32:52.14\00:32:53.94
for sounding the
warning because I believe
00:32:53.95\00:32:56.51
the Bible is very
clear that John and I,
00:32:57.01\00:32:59.00
John and John can not
sit idly and quiet and
00:32:59.50\00:33:02.31
not sound the
warning. Oh I'll tell you John
00:33:02.32\00:33:04.50
what's exciting to me and
actually giving me energy,
00:33:04.51\00:33:06.79
I wish I had like a
huge sandwich right now.
00:33:08.43\00:33:10.15
but what gets me excited
is, the spiritual energy,
00:33:10.92\00:33:14.30
spiritual energy, what
gets me excited when we
00:33:14.31\00:33:15.36
talk about things
that really interests me,
00:33:15.37\00:33:16.78
and this is the
topic that really,
00:33:17.29\00:33:18.37
really interests me
and gives me the as it
00:33:18.38\00:33:20.61
were that adrenaline
boost to say that yes
00:33:20.62\00:33:23.39
we are called as
watchmen. We are not called
00:33:23.43\00:33:26.04
as men to just
watch but we are called to
00:33:26.41\00:33:29.42
watch and warn. You
know blowing the trumpet,
00:33:29.43\00:33:31.77
the cities are
surrounded and the walls are
00:33:32.26\00:33:34.08
there and you'll find
the walls are somewhat
00:33:34.09\00:33:36.64
like a fence, a gate
around us and you'll read
00:33:36.65\00:33:39.24
in Isaiah that the
Commandments of God
00:33:39.25\00:33:41.09
are like the
gate, a fence around us.
00:33:41.10\00:33:42.73
But sometimes
people are coming to breach
00:33:43.65\00:33:45.01
that wall, to break
through the gates and
00:33:45.02\00:33:47.13
the watchman has
to warn the people,
00:33:47.14\00:33:49.22
so that when the sword
comes they will be ready,
00:33:49.23\00:33:51.87
and they would make
sure that their walls
00:33:52.87\00:33:54.16
are not are broken
through. In this prophecy
00:33:54.17\00:33:58.63
we just read that God
says he would bring a sword,
00:33:58.64\00:34:01.29
so now that's
something we ought to think
00:34:02.52\00:34:04.01
about because
there's this theory out there
00:34:04.02\00:34:06.19
that only the
devil causes disasters.
00:34:06.20\00:34:08.04
But yet God in many
respects out of his justice
00:34:09.19\00:34:12.90
but also out of his
desire to wake people up
00:34:13.38\00:34:15.62
from our lethargy, our
sleep, he will send these
00:34:15.63\00:34:19.67
calamities and allow them
to get us back into action,
00:34:19.68\00:34:22.03
so God does send
these things as well.
00:34:22.04\00:34:23.77
As a matter of fact
Jeremiah is the passage,
00:34:25.15\00:34:29.60
we read that this
morning in Jeremiah where
00:34:29.61\00:34:31.93
the Lord said I will
send, let me read this
00:34:31.94\00:34:34.01
right here, the
passage I believe that,
00:34:34.02\00:34:35.50
listen to this,
Jeremiah 6 and verse 19.
00:34:35.51\00:34:39.75
Start with verse 17
too, that's very good.
00:34:40.11\00:34:41.79
Okay, well I
actually wrote down,
00:34:41.80\00:34:42.92
typed down verse 17
I'm gonna turn to it
00:34:43.52\00:34:45.09
and you turn with us
to the book of Jeremiah,
00:34:45.10\00:34:47.29
Jeremiah 6 and
verse 17, and I'm there,
00:34:48.34\00:34:52.66
okay here I am,
Jeremiah 6 and verse 17 it says,
00:34:53.16\00:34:56.22
Also, I set
watchmen over you, saying,
00:34:57.76\00:35:00.62
listen to the sound of
the trumpet, but they said,
00:35:00.63\00:35:04.33
we will not listen.
That's amazing, yeah. Verse 18:
00:35:04.34\00:35:08.67
Therefore hear you nations,
and know O congregation,
00:35:08.68\00:35:12.80
what is among them.
Hear, O earth! Behold,
00:35:13.62\00:35:17.31
I will certainly bring
calamity on this people,
00:35:17.32\00:35:20.33
the fruit of their
thoughts, because they have
00:35:21.40\00:35:24.69
not heeded My words,
nor My law, but rejected it.
00:35:24.70\00:35:30.22
So God is saying
here's the reasons why these
00:35:30.89\00:35:32.51
calamities are going
to come. Matter of fact,
00:35:32.52\00:35:34.34
go with me to Isaiah
now, let's turn to Isaiah 24.
00:35:34.87\00:35:37.33
Connect that first
real quick the watchmen and
00:35:37.34\00:35:39.57
the calamity
coming. The watchmen have to
00:35:39.58\00:35:41.24
watch for the calamities
and to sound the warning,
00:35:41.25\00:35:42.91
that's right. So
there's a clear connection here,
00:35:42.92\00:35:44.73
yeah. The
watchman, the calamity,
00:35:44.74\00:35:46.40
sounding of the
warning of the trumpet,
00:35:46.41\00:35:48.87
if you go to verse
17, so you have calamity
00:35:49.45\00:35:51.49
of the watchmen,
you have the trumpet.
00:35:51.50\00:35:52.74
Yeah, altogether
there. All together there,
00:35:53.29\00:35:55.76
so you are saying
that when the calamity,
00:35:55.77\00:35:57.71
the calamity will be
evaded or we could escape
00:35:57.72\00:36:02.14
the calamity, if we
listen to the watchmen
00:36:02.15\00:36:04.28
as he blows the
trumpet. I like that.
00:36:04.82\00:36:06.54
You see, and so
let's go to Isaiah 24 now,
00:36:06.55\00:36:10.23
I want you to see this one,
00:36:10.72\00:36:11.69
and the reason why the
trumpet has to be blown
00:36:11.70\00:36:13.92
is because the earth is
in a devastating condition.
00:36:13.93\00:36:16.66
Not just devastating
with all the things that
00:36:17.35\00:36:18.96
we talked about like
the earthquakes, the fires,
00:36:18.97\00:36:20.48
the floods, the
disasters, but the earth is
00:36:20.49\00:36:24.18
in a very sad condition morally.
00:36:24.19\00:36:27.42
The earth is in a
very sad condition morally.
00:36:28.68\00:36:31.80
Look at Isaiah 24,
Behold the Lord makes the earth
00:36:32.52\00:36:37.99
empty and makes it
waste, Distorts its surface as
00:36:38.00\00:36:42.97
the King James
Version says scatters abroad,
00:36:42.98\00:36:45.32
And scatters abroad
it's inhabitants. Who's
00:36:46.07\00:36:48.51
gonna escape? Listen
to what verse 2 says.
00:36:49.33\00:36:51.43
And it shall be:
As with the people,
00:36:52.43\00:36:54.25
so with the priest;
As with the servant,
00:36:54.67\00:36:57.03
so with his
master; As with the maid,
00:36:57.63\00:36:59.44
so with her
mistress; As with the buyer,
00:36:59.96\00:37:01.99
so with the
seller; As with the lender,
00:37:02.49\00:37:04.74
so with the
borrower; As with the creditor,
00:37:05.23\00:37:08.59
so with the debtor.
The land shall be utterly,
00:37:09.07\00:37:12.02
entirely emptied
and utterly plundered;
00:37:12.66\00:37:15.24
For the Lord has
spoken this word.
00:37:15.75\00:37:17.45
And he makes it very
clear the reason why.
00:37:18.18\00:37:19.69
Verse 4: The earth
mourns and fades away;
00:37:20.42\00:37:22.77
the world
languishes and fades away;
00:37:22.78\00:37:24.69
the haughty or
high minded proud people
00:37:25.42\00:37:27.86
of the earth languish.
The earth also is defiled
00:37:27.87\00:37:31.87
under its
inhabitants, because they have
00:37:31.88\00:37:34.82
transgressed the
laws, changed the ordinances
00:37:34.83\00:37:38.57
and broken the
everlasting covenant.
00:37:39.15\00:37:40.83
So what's the
problem John, the problem is
00:37:41.45\00:37:42.98
with us not with God.
Okay, so these calamities
00:37:42.99\00:37:45.41
are gonna come
not because God did
00:37:45.42\00:37:47.00
anything bad,
that's right, but because
00:37:47.01\00:37:49.02
we've removed
ourselves from his protection
00:37:49.03\00:37:51.12
and now God moves
to urge upon man the
00:37:51.13\00:37:55.83
urgency of the hour,
so they can come back,
00:37:55.84\00:37:57.89
that's right. Now
you mentioned something
00:37:57.90\00:37:59.66
a moment ago, I would
like you to expand on.
00:37:59.67\00:38:01.09
People think that God
never sends calamities
00:38:01.61\00:38:03.44
or judgments, yeah.
What do you think that
00:38:03.45\00:38:06.61
comes from? Well,
well I think that you know
00:38:06.62\00:38:09.33
people they see you
know this is old adage
00:38:09.34\00:38:12.95
of what the Jesus
you know you hear the
00:38:12.96\00:38:15.01
statement, well I like
the God of the New Testament
00:38:15.02\00:38:16.75
through Jesus, but
not the one of the Old.
00:38:16.76\00:38:18.40
But what you don't
realize is that the IM of the
00:38:19.07\00:38:21.65
new Jesus is the IM
at the burning bush with
00:38:21.66\00:38:24.40
Moses of the Old,
it's Jesus both ways, amen,
00:38:24.41\00:38:26.14
that's right. So
you are seeing the same
00:38:26.15\00:38:27.75
thing or the same
Christ both in the Old and
00:38:27.76\00:38:31.69
in the New Testament.
But what you're seeing
00:38:31.70\00:38:33.63
also is a merciful
side of God and the just
00:38:33.64\00:38:37.80
side of God. And who
among us don't appreciate
00:38:37.81\00:38:42.49
the justice of
the laws of our land,
00:38:42.50\00:38:44.42
and what if when
someone committed murder
00:38:45.23\00:38:47.72
or stole from you or whatever,
00:38:47.73\00:38:49.34
what if all they
did was call them up and
00:38:49.87\00:38:51.18
they say you know
you shouldn't that.
00:38:51.19\00:38:52.58
But I'll just you
know we'll let you go,
00:38:54.01\00:38:55.43
what if that's all
we do, we'll let you go,
00:38:56.26\00:38:57.57
we'll let you
go, we'll let you go.
00:38:57.58\00:38:58.82
Do you think, do you
think crime will increase
00:39:00.34\00:39:02.39
or will decrease? I
think it would increase
00:39:02.91\00:39:05.44
because people
wouldn't be held accountable,
00:39:05.93\00:39:07.12
right. So God in
a way when he says
00:39:07.13\00:39:09.84
I send this sword
among the land or I'll send
00:39:09.85\00:39:12.08
calamity upon this
people. He is saying
00:39:12.09\00:39:13.81
I'm holding them
accountable now for their
00:39:14.78\00:39:16.96
decisions, and that's
not bad. Yeah I like the
00:39:16.97\00:39:20.44
fact that he says
I'm giving you what you
00:39:20.45\00:39:22.65
deserve pretty much,
because if we don't get
00:39:22.66\00:39:24.68
God's mercies we get
God's judgments, yes.
00:39:24.69\00:39:26.81
You see, God is a
God of mercy but God
00:39:27.54\00:39:28.98
is also a God of
justice and judgment.
00:39:28.99\00:39:30.77
And if we refuse one,
we get the other, yeah.
00:39:31.23\00:39:33.95
You know like in
Second Thessalonians where
00:39:33.96\00:39:35.70
it says God will send
them strong illusion that
00:39:35.71\00:39:37.92
they will believe a
lie because they believe
00:39:37.93\00:39:40.29
not the truth but had
pleasure in unrighteousness,
00:39:40.30\00:39:42.94
yeah. You see. Now
the part I disagree with
00:39:42.95\00:39:45.20
is God doesn't have
pleasure in his judgments
00:39:45.74\00:39:47.81
that he sends at
all. No not at all.
00:39:47.82\00:39:49.68
In fact he says why
won't you turn and live,
00:39:49.69\00:39:53.38
right. And he says
why won't you just follow
00:39:53.94\00:39:56.11
my ways, so you can
live and finally he says
00:39:56.12\00:39:58.12
oh I've got to send
these judgments like
00:39:58.13\00:39:59.92
a parent making
a child you know.
00:39:59.93\00:40:01.23
If you do it the
right way you don't really
00:40:01.89\00:40:03.40
want to inflict pain
but you do that because
00:40:03.41\00:40:06.45
they were disobedient
and they will turn them
00:40:07.08\00:40:08.51
from their ways and
that's what God is doing,
00:40:08.52\00:40:10.66
he chastises us
sometimes through calamities.
00:40:10.67\00:40:13.20
Somebody once said
he is not going to move
00:40:13.67\00:40:15.11
until you set a fire unto him.
00:40:15.12\00:40:16.41
You know and sometimes
God sets a fire under us,
00:40:17.28\00:40:19.83
not to destroy
us but to awaken us.
00:40:20.39\00:40:23.09
And I refer back to a
commentary that almost
00:40:23.59\00:40:28.57
sounds like it's
just contemporary.
00:40:28.58\00:40:30.26
It sounds like it is
amazingly accurate to the
00:40:30.89\00:40:34.68
day in which we
live. Because we're looking
00:40:35.17\00:40:37.17
at it now and let's
just go back briefly John
00:40:37.18\00:40:39.61
we talked about
these last day disasters.
00:40:39.62\00:40:41.39
Let's just rewind
the tape to the Tsunami
00:40:41.94\00:40:44.55
that hit the Pacific
rim, and the number of
00:40:45.05\00:40:47.74
countries and a number
of cities along the coast
00:40:47.75\00:40:49.96
that were destroyed, and
the number of communities,
00:40:50.45\00:40:53.37
and a number of lives
over 300,000 that were taken
00:40:53.38\00:40:56.22
in that single event,
yeah. It just exponentially
00:40:56.23\00:41:01.73
grew and grew and
grew and it was not so much
00:41:01.74\00:41:03.99
just the actual
disaster itself but aftermath
00:41:04.00\00:41:06.84
that continued to
promulgate the fact that
00:41:07.44\00:41:09.61
when disaster comes, it
brings with a costly result.
00:41:10.28\00:41:13.87
We find that in the
last days we are told that
00:41:15.32\00:41:18.40
many other cities. Now let's
just set this up correctly.
00:41:18.92\00:41:21.86
I'm not a proponent
of those who say that
00:41:25.24\00:41:31.76
the reason why this
terrible hurricane came to
00:41:31.77\00:41:34.21
New Orleans is
because God was upset with the
00:41:34.22\00:41:38.76
fact that they were
about to have the largest gay
00:41:38.77\00:41:40.69
parade in history. That's right.
00:41:40.70\00:41:42.33
I'm not a proponent
of those who say that,
00:41:43.04\00:41:45.12
I'm not saying God was
gonna kill innocent lives
00:41:46.31\00:41:48.61
for people that guilty.
Because he says the guilty
00:41:49.18\00:41:51.67
will bear their guilt,
the innocent will benefit
00:41:51.68\00:41:54.75
from their innocence.
But when we look back now
00:41:54.76\00:41:59.36
at Sodom and
Gomorrah, when we look back at
00:41:59.37\00:42:02.77
the cities of the
plain in the Old Testament,
00:42:02.78\00:42:05.65
these sister cities
that were visited by the
00:42:06.28\00:42:09.94
judgments of God.
You'll notice two things,
00:42:09.95\00:42:12.70
one, the Lord make
sure that Lot and his
00:42:12.71\00:42:15.74
daughters were out
of the city and then the
00:42:15.75\00:42:18.37
judgments came. And I
think that in these last days,
00:42:18.38\00:42:21.56
we will be wise not for
everybody to get into their
00:42:22.52\00:42:25.66
cause and evacuate
the city that's not what
00:42:25.67\00:42:27.66
I'm saying. But the
cities are becoming so polluted,
00:42:27.67\00:42:30.42
so destroyed by it's
lifestyle that it's not too
00:42:30.92\00:42:35.03
long from now that the
judgments of God are gonna
00:42:35.04\00:42:37.33
come to these
places. As it did to Sodom,
00:42:37.34\00:42:39.69
as it did to many of
the cities of the plain,
00:42:40.19\00:42:41.93
as it did to many
cities in the Old Testament,
00:42:42.23\00:42:44.24
even among the
people of God that decided
00:42:44.25\00:42:46.42
to ignore his voice. So
the world is setting itself up
00:42:46.43\00:42:50.66
for the right, right
judgments of God, where
00:42:51.00\00:42:53.12
I would say
thousands of cities could be
00:42:53.41\00:42:56.14
destroyed, yeah. And
we have some references
00:42:56.59\00:42:58.54
actually too, yeah. And
we'll read some of these
00:42:58.55\00:43:00.32
here in a little bit
here. We've got you know
00:43:00.33\00:43:05.76
we read in the
words of Jesus himself, he
00:43:06.14\00:43:07.98
said this several
times, he said to his disciples
00:43:08.33\00:43:10.56
who were living in
the last days watch, watch
00:43:11.27\00:43:13.01
and pray, often watch
and pray but sometimes
00:43:14.76\00:43:16.81
it just says watch
and that is a reference
00:43:16.82\00:43:20.71
I believe to the
disciples in the last days who
00:43:20.72\00:43:22.78
are watchmen,
don't watchmen to watch.
00:43:22.79\00:43:25.81
Well if they don't, they
shouldn't have that title.
00:43:26.82\00:43:28.62
Well I wanna just bring
up one last text on this,
00:43:29.80\00:43:31.81
so we can
understand the import of what
00:43:32.26\00:43:33.67
we're called to do
here, Isaiah 21:6-10.
00:43:33.68\00:43:36.65
Okay, I'm there. It says
the following here for thus,
00:43:37.12\00:43:40.11
it says: For thus
has the Lord said to me:
00:43:40.12\00:43:42.73
"Go, set a watchman, let
him declare what he sees."
00:43:43.64\00:43:46.96
And he saw a chariot
with a pair of horsemen,
00:43:47.87\00:43:49.89
a chariot of donkeys,
and a chariot of camels,
00:43:49.90\00:43:52.11
and he listened
earnestly with great care,
00:43:52.12\00:43:54.06
then he cried, a lion,
my Lord! I stand continually
00:43:54.54\00:43:58.10
on the
watchtower in the daytime;
00:43:58.11\00:44:00.24
I have sat at my post
every night, and look,
00:44:01.01\00:44:03.00
here comes a chariot of
men with a pair of horsemen!
00:44:03.44\00:44:06.00
Then he answered and
said, "Babylon is fallen,
00:44:06.69\00:44:09.45
is fallen." And all the
carved images of her Gods
00:44:10.50\00:44:14.34
He has broken to the ground. Oh!
00:44:15.11\00:44:17.12
My threshing and
the grain of my floor,
00:44:17.13\00:44:19.36
that which I have
heard from the Lord of hosts,
00:44:20.09\00:44:22.46
the God of Israel, I
have declared to you.
00:44:22.47\00:44:24.30
The watchmen are
part of the message is,
00:44:24.92\00:44:27.15
Babylon has fallen, right.
And it's brought with what
00:44:27.86\00:44:31.28
the judgment says too as
you look at Revelation 18.
00:44:31.29\00:44:33.72
It says that they
stand far off and they see
00:44:34.76\00:44:36.61
Babylon come to
nothing within a short hour.
00:44:36.62\00:44:39.32
And Babylon we know
in this particular is
00:44:40.30\00:44:43.28
referring to all the
false systems of the earth,
00:44:43.29\00:44:45.50
not just one but all the
false systems of the earth
00:44:45.51\00:44:48.35
that were erected to
fight against the people of
00:44:48.36\00:44:50.78
God to try to
destroy the people of God.
00:44:50.79\00:44:52.95
And condemned
false worship, yeah.
00:44:52.96\00:44:54.32
I'll tell you and John
I would never think in my
00:44:54.33\00:44:58.46
lifespan that I
would be living out in the
00:44:58.47\00:45:00.21
country as I'm now.
When I was living in the city
00:45:00.22\00:45:02.65
of New York, I didn't
think of moving out to
00:45:02.66\00:45:04.74
you know where I'm
living now. But now that
00:45:04.75\00:45:08.35
I am living out here I'm
thinking this is the city
00:45:08.36\00:45:11.73
where God can
communicate with us better
00:45:11.74\00:45:13.93
than in the cities
because when I go back
00:45:13.94\00:45:15.92
to the cities whether New York,
00:45:16.43\00:45:17.74
or California
whatever city it maybe,
00:45:17.75\00:45:19.57
there is this voice
calling you from every direction
00:45:20.78\00:45:23.77
you're hearing
things you don't wanna hear.
00:45:23.78\00:45:25.27
You're seeing
things you don't wanna see.
00:45:26.49\00:45:27.92
But these cities that
are setting themselves up
00:45:29.27\00:45:33.03
in this transgressive
way are setting themselves
00:45:33.56\00:45:37.20
up for the judgments of
God that are soon to come.
00:45:37.21\00:45:39.83
And I believe that's
what inspired Ellen White
00:45:40.31\00:45:41.95
to make the statement.
In 1903 she wrote in the
00:45:41.96\00:45:46.65
Review and Herald,
September 10th, 1903:
00:45:46.66\00:45:49.35
All that God's
people have a sense of the
00:45:50.22\00:45:52.29
impending destruction
of thousands of cities,
00:45:52.30\00:45:55.97
now all thousands of
cities, now almost given
00:45:55.98\00:45:59.58
to idolatry. And are our
cities given to idolatry?
00:46:01.10\00:46:04.33
Oh yeah, idolatry
everywhere, its not just
00:46:04.34\00:46:06.74
bowing down to
carved images, right.
00:46:06.75\00:46:08.60
It's all those things
that we worship in the way
00:46:08.80\00:46:10.71
that we give them
attention and our devotion.
00:46:10.72\00:46:14.78
It could be anything
that comes between us and God.
00:46:16.32\00:46:17.89
Massive access is
another way of saying it.
00:46:18.49\00:46:20.72
Some of the cities and
I want you to register on
00:46:21.20\00:46:23.15
this, some of the
cities and you know this,
00:46:23.16\00:46:24.54
are you go to cities
and you could just spend
00:46:25.35\00:46:27.42
your whole day, your
entire week doing nothing
00:46:27.43\00:46:29.93
but going from store
to the next to the next,
00:46:29.94\00:46:31.79
to the next, to the
next, comparing items that
00:46:31.80\00:46:34.84
in and of
themselves are not evil, right.
00:46:34.85\00:46:37.79
But are, but we are
drawn by the idolatry
00:46:38.34\00:46:41.25
of the moment. We have
to get this and get that
00:46:41.26\00:46:43.52
and get this and get
that and doing essential
00:46:43.53\00:46:46.35
things but failing to
realize that the moments
00:46:46.36\00:46:50.74
of eternity are just
sliding through the hour
00:46:50.75\00:46:53.29
glass of time.
Yeah, and you know and to
00:46:53.30\00:46:56.08
give this a little
balance to the statement
00:46:56.09\00:46:58.09
we just read. She
also has quoted elsewhere
00:46:58.10\00:47:00.94
saying we need to as the
people of God as watchmen,
00:47:00.95\00:47:04.13
we need to work the
cities. Oh yes. So as
00:47:04.67\00:47:06.84
far as living, lit
out of them but let's work
00:47:07.24\00:47:09.67
them because the salvation
of souls is at stake here.
00:47:09.68\00:47:12.48
And just like the
prophets of old like Jonah,
00:47:13.17\00:47:15.87
he went into the city
preached the message and
00:47:15.88\00:47:18.32
then left the city, yes.
Right, and so that's what
00:47:18.33\00:47:21.28
God is calling us to
do, we should look carefully
00:47:21.79\00:47:24.61
at where we are
living and our families,
00:47:25.07\00:47:26.49
what they're
exposed to, and then counsel
00:47:26.50\00:47:29.15
would be then whenever
as best we can find time
00:47:29.16\00:47:32.06
to do that, get away from there,
00:47:32.07\00:47:33.77
to get out of there.
But then lets continue
00:47:33.78\00:47:35.35
to work those cities to
share the gospel and call
00:47:35.36\00:47:37.20
other people out, you
know they're being called
00:47:37.21\00:47:39.19
we just read a text
where they're calling people,
00:47:39.20\00:47:41.65
want to call people
out of Babylon, right,
00:47:41.66\00:47:42.94
which is a city, well
why not literally let's call
00:47:42.95\00:47:45.18
people out of the
cities where they are exposed
00:47:45.19\00:47:47.29
to Babylon's tactics,
and other things that are
00:47:47.30\00:47:50.46
part of Babylon. I want
to read this real quick,
00:47:50.47\00:47:54.52
its a quote from
Ellen White as well from
00:47:54.53\00:47:57.56
Testimonies 9, of page 19
it says in a special sense:
00:47:57.57\00:48:00.44
Seventh-day
Adventists have been set in the
00:48:01.34\00:48:03.62
world as watchmen
and light bearers.
00:48:03.63\00:48:05.46
To them has been
entrusted the last warning
00:48:06.28\00:48:08.26
of a perishing
world. On them is shining
00:48:08.27\00:48:10.97
wonderful light
from the word of God.
00:48:10.98\00:48:12.64
They have been
given a work of the most
00:48:13.48\00:48:15.02
solemn import, the
proclamation of the first,
00:48:15.03\00:48:17.59
second, and
third angels messages.
00:48:17.60\00:48:19.25
By the way the
messages that are given,
00:48:19.26\00:48:21.85
they are the
first, second and third in
00:48:21.86\00:48:23.29
Revelation is in the
midst of calamity occurring
00:48:23.30\00:48:25.03
all around it by
the way. That's right.
00:48:25.04\00:48:26.40
So there is no other
work of so great importance
00:48:27.33\00:48:29.46
they're to allow
nothing else to observe
00:48:29.47\00:48:31.47
their attention,
but being watchmen
00:48:31.48\00:48:33.50
proclaiming that
message. We've read some things
00:48:33.51\00:48:37.61
here today John
that people have probably
00:48:37.62\00:48:39.22
scratching their heads on, yeah.
00:48:39.23\00:48:40.69
And the reason I say
this because we stepped
00:48:41.26\00:48:43.02
outside of just the
Bible and have included extra
00:48:43.03\00:48:46.03
biblical
resources from Ellen White.
00:48:46.04\00:48:48.35
And when you
hear if you go past,
00:48:48.89\00:48:50.92
if you go past the
author, some people will be
00:48:50.93\00:48:55.60
able to hear what is being said,
00:48:55.61\00:48:57.05
because these
statements that are being made
00:48:57.60\00:48:59.78
if we were living in
the 1800's or the 1700's
00:49:00.65\00:49:05.16
we would say well
that doesn't really sound
00:49:05.99\00:49:11.07
kind of too
accurate for the day and age
00:49:12.36\00:49:14.75
in which it's applying
to. But if you listen to them
00:49:14.76\00:49:17.97
in the light of
today, listen to this I mean
00:49:17.98\00:49:20.96
this is just, it
just amazes me how God can
00:49:20.97\00:49:23.34
inspire someone
to be so accurate,
00:49:23.35\00:49:24.84
and then you could
see these things that
00:49:25.19\00:49:27.43
are talked about or
prognosticated or forecasts
00:49:27.44\00:49:30.42
coming to pass,
right in front of our eyes.
00:49:30.43\00:49:34.33
Here's another one
this is from the book
00:49:35.08\00:49:38.25
called Country
Living, page 7 paragraph 4:
00:49:38.26\00:49:42.04
I'm bidden to declare
the messages that cities
00:49:42.70\00:49:47.19
full of transgression
and sinful and the extreme
00:49:47.86\00:49:50.84
will be destroyed by
earthquakes, by fire,
00:49:51.63\00:49:54.34
by flood. All the world
will be warned that there
00:49:55.25\00:49:58.33
is of God who will
displace authority as God.
00:49:58.34\00:50:00.93
His unseen agencies
will cause destruction,
00:50:02.06\00:50:04.22
devastation, and death.
All the accumulated riches
00:50:05.14\00:50:09.43
will be as nothingness.
So now you get that,
00:50:09.44\00:50:12.37
why would God allow
these things to happen and
00:50:13.35\00:50:15.25
what would he allow,
destroyed by earthquakes,
00:50:15.26\00:50:17.61
fire, flood. Now John
when we think of cities what
00:50:18.19\00:50:21.16
big city comes to your
mind. Well a few of them,
00:50:21.17\00:50:25.58
New York City is the
biggest city in America.
00:50:25.59\00:50:27.38
Okay, I was hoping
you will say California,
00:50:27.39\00:50:29.05
since you are
Californian. Well I mean,
00:50:29.06\00:50:30.54
I think New York is
the biggest city but then
00:50:30.55\00:50:32.49
I think it's San Francisco,
that's where I live closest
00:50:32.50\00:50:34.12
to. Yeah, look at
these coastal cities,
00:50:34.13\00:50:36.71
now the reason I
mentioned those, the
00:50:36.72\00:50:38.00
reason I was
pushing for those two names,
00:50:38.72\00:50:40.33
we could look at, look
at the big cities and it
00:50:40.89\00:50:42.92
seems like it just seems
like to me that the cities
00:50:42.93\00:50:45.82
that are closest to
the ocean seem to be some
00:50:45.83\00:50:48.30
of the most wicked,
yeah. I mean look at the
00:50:48.31\00:50:51.38
just outline that. San
Francisco, Los Angeles,
00:50:51.39\00:50:55.50
San Diego, let's go
down to the East Coast,
00:50:56.89\00:50:59.35
Miami, New York, you
find these cities that are
00:50:59.89\00:51:05.10
huge and along the
coasts, it seems like there's so
00:51:05.11\00:51:08.76
much access but also
there's so much excess, yeah.
00:51:08.77\00:51:12.41
They just seem to do
everything in the extreme
00:51:12.98\00:51:14.84
and they have kind
of as the Bible says
00:51:15.39\00:51:17.41
they've cast off
restraint. And my wife have a
00:51:17.42\00:51:21.41
number of times
commented how she loved
00:51:21.42\00:51:23.67
to live in Miami, and
my brother-in-law lives
00:51:23.68\00:51:25.93
down there. We have a
lot of friends that live
00:51:25.94\00:51:27.25
down there but I look
at every time we take off
00:51:27.26\00:51:29.81
from an airplane out of
Miami I look at that place
00:51:29.82\00:51:32.41
and I think, it's
just flat as a pancake,
00:51:32.42\00:51:36.30
it's ripe for any kind
of destruction that would
00:51:37.31\00:51:41.14
come whether by flood,
whether by rising water,
00:51:41.15\00:51:44.85
whether by tidal
wave, whether by Tsunami.
00:51:44.86\00:51:46.95
I mean this, and
everything there built is built
00:51:47.50\00:51:49.89
primarily on sand
and you think wow what
00:51:49.90\00:51:53.02
would happen? How would people,
00:51:53.03\00:51:54.55
now this is amazing,
how would people evacuate
00:51:55.10\00:51:57.29
in an orderly manner.
Yeah, yeah in fact there
00:51:57.30\00:52:01.92
will be mass confusion,
they had that situation
00:52:01.93\00:52:03.23
where hurricanes were
coming or something and
00:52:03.24\00:52:05.15
people waited too
late and they were just,
00:52:05.16\00:52:06.66
you know, keep so
many people on the road,
00:52:06.67\00:52:09.65
you couldn't get out
quick. They turned both,
00:52:09.66\00:52:12.03
they turned both
North and South 95,
00:52:12.04\00:52:14.90
295 both going North
and still not enough to get
00:52:15.81\00:52:20.21
out quickly enough,
yeah. Listen to this,
00:52:20.22\00:52:22.12
you know I am reading
that from Revelation chapter
00:52:22.13\00:52:24.28
7 because the Bible
does say clearly that there
00:52:24.29\00:52:27.22
is gonna come a
time that these things
00:52:28.00\00:52:29.99
will just be let
loose, the message that I
00:52:30.00\00:52:34.19
appreciate fairly
recently was called no longer
00:52:34.20\00:52:36.31
life as usual. Oh
that's a good title.
00:52:36.32\00:52:38.86
And there is a time
where there will be no longer
00:52:39.86\00:52:41.28
life as usual. There
won't be some calamity
00:52:41.29\00:52:43.41
that happened somewhere and you
00:52:43.42\00:52:44.39
can say well life
goes on, that's kind of how
00:52:44.40\00:52:45.95
we recover. There
will come at time where all
00:52:45.96\00:52:48.35
of a sudden life
will not go on, as usual,
00:52:48.36\00:52:52.39
will not go on as
usual. And listen to that time
00:52:52.40\00:52:54.81
here foretold in the
Book of Revelation chapter 7
00:52:54.82\00:52:58.26
verse 1, After these
things I saw four angels
00:52:58.27\00:53:01.56
standing at the four
corners of the earth,
00:53:01.57\00:53:03.71
holding the four
winds of the earth,
00:53:04.60\00:53:06.43
that the wind should
not blow on the earth,
00:53:06.44\00:53:08.47
on the sea, or on any
tree. Then I saw another angel
00:53:08.48\00:53:12.31
ascending from the
east, having the seal
00:53:12.32\00:53:13.79
of the living God. And
he cried with a loud voice
00:53:13.80\00:53:16.58
to the four angels
to whom it was granted
00:53:16.59\00:53:18.41
to harm the earth,
the sea, and the trees,
00:53:18.42\00:53:20.20
or the earth and the
sea, excuse me, saying,
00:53:20.21\00:53:22.75
do not harm the earth, the sea,
00:53:23.26\00:53:24.65
or the trees till we
have sealed the servants of
00:53:24.66\00:53:27.08
our God on their
foreheads. And of course we know
00:53:27.09\00:53:30.35
that is a 144,000
that were sealed, right.
00:53:30.36\00:53:33.09
The same 144,000 in
chapter 14 that are,
00:53:33.10\00:53:35.24
they have the Three
Angels messages to proclaim,
00:53:35.84\00:53:37.83
that's right. So then the
work is set for the 144,000
00:53:38.30\00:53:43.26
prior to those four
wings being released.
00:53:44.27\00:53:46.09
So the question
is at a time today,
00:53:46.69\00:53:48.22
are we being ready,
are God's workers getting
00:53:49.34\00:53:52.31
ready to be sealed for
the work of proclaiming
00:53:52.32\00:53:55.00
that final last
message as watchmen on the wall
00:53:55.01\00:53:58.39
that the coming of
Christ, is at hand.
00:53:59.30\00:54:02.25
And if we don't believe we
are living in the last days,
00:54:03.33\00:54:06.53
then when is the last
days? If we don't live,
00:54:06.54\00:54:09.89
if don't believe we're
living in the end time then
00:54:09.90\00:54:11.46
when is the end
time? Yeah, like I said,
00:54:11.47\00:54:13.34
what more does it
take, what more you need as
00:54:13.85\00:54:16.49
evidence? Second Timothy
says to us this know also
00:54:16.50\00:54:20.95
that in the last
days peerless time,
00:54:21.48\00:54:24.21
Second Timothy chapter
3, I'm quoting this off the
00:54:24.69\00:54:26.65
top of my head. This now
also that in the last days
00:54:26.66\00:54:29.86
perilous times
will come. John, friends
00:54:29.87\00:54:33.24
we're living in perilous times.
00:54:33.25\00:54:34.91
The Bible makes it clear
what those perilous times
00:54:35.47\00:54:37.64
are all about. It
says men will be lovers of
00:54:37.65\00:54:41.05
themselves
boasters, proud, blasphemers,
00:54:41.06\00:54:47.13
yeah, what about children,
disobedience to parents,
00:54:47.75\00:54:50.15
unthankful, unholy.
Without natural affection the
00:54:50.69\00:54:55.01
King James Version
says, New King James unloving,
00:54:55.02\00:54:58.08
unforgiving, slanderers,
without self control,
00:54:58.58\00:55:02.33
brutal, I mean some
of the crimes that are
00:55:03.06\00:55:06.24
perpetrated, the
violence. The violence that
00:55:06.25\00:55:09.10
if we even mention it
sometimes the news cast
00:55:09.58\00:55:11.28
is now having to
say more than not,
00:55:11.29\00:55:13.46
what you're about to
see, we apologized what
00:55:13.47\00:55:17.71
you about to see, you
may not want to look at,
00:55:17.72\00:55:19.21
if you're sensitive
you may want to turn away,
00:55:19.22\00:55:21.23
yeah. So, I mean
where we're heading?
00:55:21.74\00:55:24.00
That's where we are heading,
00:55:24.01\00:55:24.98
and it's not like
you know people who want
00:55:24.99\00:55:27.02
to say well Jesus
say that you know,
00:55:27.03\00:55:29.11
you are reading the
Bible you're reading the
00:55:29.12\00:55:30.28
Old Testament, you know
you are reading Revelation,
00:55:30.29\00:55:32.06
you know that's
your interpretation.
00:55:32.07\00:55:33.09
I want to hear what
Jesus said chapter 24 verse 21:
00:55:33.68\00:55:37.23
For then there will
be great tribulation,
00:55:38.66\00:55:40.15
such as has not
been since the beginning
00:55:40.16\00:55:41.74
of the world, the worst
ever seen, until this time,
00:55:41.75\00:55:45.89
nor ever shall be.
And unless those days were
00:55:46.40\00:55:49.87
shortened, no
flesh would be saved.
00:55:49.88\00:55:52.88
In other words not
just the people of God
00:55:52.89\00:55:54.55
but no one, right,
could be saved unless
00:55:54.56\00:55:56.86
those days were
shortened, they are so bad. But
00:55:56.87\00:55:58.35
for the elect sake
those days will be shortened.
00:55:59.24\00:56:01.18
They will come and
they will be rapid,
00:56:01.64\00:56:02.85
they will be quick,
they will be severe.
00:56:03.55\00:56:04.96
And we somehow think
and here's the deceptive
00:56:05.67\00:56:08.24
part, the devil has
brought in this doctrine that
00:56:08.99\00:56:11.36
if you believe in
God you won't be here.
00:56:11.43\00:56:13.13
Oh yeah. Don't worry
about it you won't be here,
00:56:14.59\00:56:16.14
you will be ruptured
out. We're telling you today
00:56:16.15\00:56:18.13
that is one of the
worst heresies ever known
00:56:18.80\00:56:21.06
to Christendom, the
secret rapture theory.
00:56:21.07\00:56:23.39
It's teaching you to
not be ready for the time
00:56:24.02\00:56:25.94
that's coming to
look around of these signs
00:56:25.95\00:56:27.71
and say, oh we
will be gone anyway.
00:56:27.72\00:56:29.12
No, that's not
where this is headed.
00:56:29.63\00:56:31.35
Or they will say
well if it happens and
00:56:31.84\00:56:33.51
we're still here,
we'll have a second chance,
00:56:33.97\00:56:35.14
a second chance.
That's the deception,
00:56:35.15\00:56:36.73
that's the deception
as well. There are two
00:56:36.74\00:56:38.57
things very
deceptive about that teaching.
00:56:38.58\00:56:40.30
Because when
the doors of the Ark
00:56:40.62\00:56:41.59
were closed John,
there was no second chance.
00:56:41.60\00:56:43.16
No, if you were
not inside of that,
00:56:43.71\00:56:44.78
your umbrella wouldn't work.
00:56:45.80\00:56:46.78
Yes, that's right. You
know there is no mutable,
00:56:48.17\00:56:49.14
there's no
mutable situation here.
00:56:49.43\00:56:50.63
But so let's wrap this
up, where are we headed?
00:56:51.25\00:56:52.93
Well, you know
we don't know where
00:56:53.59\00:56:55.21
we're headed, we
don't know how fast this
00:56:55.68\00:56:56.65
is gonna wrap up. We
are not here to tell you
00:56:56.66\00:56:58.21
even an opinion
as to when we think
00:56:58.82\00:57:00.59
the Lord is coming.
All we can say is that
00:57:00.60\00:57:02.12
Jesus when you see
things know that it's near
00:57:02.13\00:57:04.54
even at the door.
So what we're saying
00:57:04.55\00:57:07.37
here today is with
the stuff that's happening
00:57:07.38\00:57:09.28
around us lately,
it seems like Jesus
00:57:09.29\00:57:12.21
is about to come,
wow, let's look for him.
00:57:12.22\00:57:15.04
That's right and
friends you know what we
00:57:15.36\00:57:16.39
are urgent about
this and I guess you can
00:57:16.40\00:57:18.27
sense that in our
voices today and in the
00:57:18.28\00:57:21.20
word of God and
even some of the extra
00:57:21.21\00:57:22.78
Bible resources and
references that we made
00:57:23.35\00:57:25.28
today but we believe
that the House Call is coming,
00:57:25.29\00:57:26.99
it's coming and we
pray that by God's grace you
00:57:27.55\00:57:30.25
will be ready to make
that preparation today.
00:57:30.26\00:57:33.38