Hello friends, grab
you Bible and a friend
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and sit back as we
explore God's word together
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on this edition
of "House Calls".
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Welcome to another
edition of "House Calls"
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where we open the Bible,
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as we open our
hearts to the Lord.
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Thank you for tuning in.
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John and John are
happy that you are here
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and I am happy
that John is here.
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Good to see you, John.
And I am happy to be here.
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Man, I tell you, we have
been doing this for little bit--
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how many years we're
doing this? Nine years.
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About nine years. Wow, wow.
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And you haven't
changed very much.
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Well, you have either.
I mean little grayer hair.
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Little gray
hair but that's okay.
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We are just hanging
on in the Lord there
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and we thank you for tuning in,
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so get your friends together,
your family members together.
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Well, whoever
maybe there with you
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and sit down and get your Bibles
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because we are going to be
walking through the Bible today
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and covering your
questions as well as the topic.
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Kind of covering- would you say
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our topic today will be
covering end time events
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and sequence maybe
leading up to that.
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Yeah, what's
next? Okay. That's good.
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You know, a lot
of people wondering
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what do we expect
here in the near future.
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All right, yeah.
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Because there's a lot of
things that are on the horizon
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as it pertains
to end time events
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and sometimes people want
to know how those things fit,
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where we are in the timeline
of the end of the world.
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There are lots
of things that are,
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you know, speaking
about the end of the world,
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the end time scenarios
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and the Bible has a
lot to say about that.
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But before we do
anything like that,
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we always have prayer.
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And John is the
guy that prays on here.
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You may think I
don't pray, I pray off air.
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He always prays on air.
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So let's have that
word of prayer today, John.
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Dear Father in
heaven, thank you, Lord,
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for another day here
that we can spend in Your word
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and together learn from You.
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We invite Your Spirit
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and we ask that
he would instruct us
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the spirit of
truth in the way of God.
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And just bless us during
the special time together,
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in Jesus' name, amen. Amen.
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And friends, I know that many
of you have a Bible question,
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that's one of the reasons
why you send them here to 3ABN.
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So if you have anything
that's on your mind today
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and you want to send to us,
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send those to
housecalls@3bn.org.
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That's housecalls@3bn.org.
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That's the portal through
which we get those questions
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and the portal through which you
get the answers is the Bible.
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So thank you
for all that you do.
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John, let's dive right in.
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What do you have
today as our first question?
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Well, I got a
question from Erma.
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Erma. Yes.
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And it's not the 3ABN
Erma but Erma, nonetheless.
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She says, "Hi, John and John,
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I am truly blessed
each week by your program.
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I am having a problem with
reconciling these two texts,
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1 Thessalonians 5:17
and Mark 11:24." Okay. Wow.
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"Does daily
prayer about an issue
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show a lack of
faith or should one nag--
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"nag" God until
one gets the desired
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or an acceptable
answer to prayer?"
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Hmm, nag. Good question.
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Well, let's take a
look at the texts first.
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And I will read
1 Thessalonians5:17
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which says,
"Pray without ceasing."
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Okay, pretty simple text.
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Probably one of the most--
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one of the shortest at
least verses in the Bible.
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The one just above
it is just as shortest,
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the shortest but in words
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but less letters,
"Rejoice always." Okay.
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It's
interesting, "Rejoice always,
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pray without ceasing."
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So this is a good thing
to pray without ceasing.
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Something Paul is
admonishing the members to do,
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encouraging them to keep
themselves rejoicing, praying
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and the next
text, giving thanks.
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But let's talk about
this issue of prayer.
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Let's go to Mark 11:24. Okay.
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And we will read
that text as well.
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In fact, I am going
to start with verse 22,
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"So Jesus
answered and said to them,
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Have faith in God.
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For assuredly, I say to you,
whoever says to this mountain,
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'Be removed and be
cast into the sea,'
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and does not doubt in his heart,
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but believes that those
things he says will be done,
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he will have whatever he says.
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Therefore I say to you,
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whatever things
you ask when you pray,
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believe that you receive them,
and you will have them." Right.
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Powerful, powerful statement
of faith and trust in God
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and depending upon
Him through prayer.
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So does daily prayer about
an issue show a lack of faith?
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In another words,
day to day if we continue
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to pray about an issue,
does it show a lack of faith?
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And should we nag--
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"nag" God until we get a
desired or acceptable outcome?
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One thing these
two verses are saying,
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let's talk about were
they absolutely agree.
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Aren't just easy when
you first read them, pray.
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That's right. We
need to be praying.
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In fact, I think the issue
isn't often that we don't--
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that we pray too much
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as this issue is
that's been raised
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kind of suggest but then
we don't pray enough. True.
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I think God would
much rather have us pray
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constantly about something
than never about anything
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or never about that something.
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So it's important to pray
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and so Jesus is
encouraging us to pray,
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so is the Apostle Paul,
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when he says,
pray without ceasing.
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There's a couple of
things in this passage
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from 1 Thessalonians 5.
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Praying without ceasing
can be perceived or interpreted
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as praying
constantly about a situation.
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Praying without
ceasing can also mean
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that we are always praying
in an attitude of prayer.
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And the second,
the later is the way
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we have most often
interpreted this. Right.
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That Paul is saying that
we should always be praying.
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Even when you
are not on your knees
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as you are
walking with God, pray.
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Spend time with
Him, talk to Him.
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Praying doesn't
have to be on your knees,
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praying doesn't have to
be in a specific position.
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Praying is an attitude of
being open to God constantly
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and to be speaking
and communicating with Him
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and he with you.
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So in that respect I think
that's what Paul is saying,
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be in that attitude of prayer
always when it comes to God.
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Now I do believe
there's latitude here
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for the interpretation
that we should be praying
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persistently
about something. Right.
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And we
mentioned not too long ago
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in one question
about a parent's desire
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to see their children
saved that one of the things
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they can do is to be
constantly praying for them.
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Your praying for them might be
persistent and without ceasing
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but your prayer
might change overtime
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according to their
circumstances. Right.
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So you might be prying
for them that they be saved
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but then they are going
through a specific issue
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and you might
pray about that issue
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and then you are praying about
another aspect of their life.
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So in that respect we should
be constantly lifting people up.
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Intercessory prayer
is one of the keys there
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for lifting people
up constantly in prayer.
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But I like what Jesus is saying
here on another aspect of prayer
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and that is believe.
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You mentioned there, it
doesn't show lack of faith.
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It could show a lack of faith
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to be constantly
praying about the same thing.
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And here's where I say this.
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If we are praying
about the same thing
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because we want
Him to answer our way
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and the way that we are asking,
then that can be persistence
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and a discontent with the way
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God may be
answering your prayer. Okay.
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But if we are
praying about an issue
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and we can say in our hearts,
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"Lord, I am leaving
the final result with You,
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the way You want
to answer this prayer,
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I am leaving that with You,
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not the way that I
necessary in praying.
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I am just praying
that You be gloried."
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That is not a lack of faith
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because that's
leaving it with God.
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It says, "If
Christ was praying--"
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remember in the
Garden of Gethsemane,
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He wanted the
cup to pass from Him
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but He said in the end, not
my will but thy will be done.
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And so we have to
be willing to say,
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"Lord, answer this
prayer that I am asking.
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I may be asking
for specific answers
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but if you know a
better way to fix this issue
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or to resolve this problem,
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I want to leave this with you
to do whatever you see is best."
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And so in that respect
let's leave our confidence
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in the all knowing God
who knows what's best for us.
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So it could be a lack of faith
if we are constantly saying,
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"You need to do this.
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Next day, Lord,
you got to do this.
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Next day, got to do this."
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And in a specific
way, God may be saying
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in response to your prayer,
"Well, I got another plan.
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Just wait and see and
watch what I am going to do."
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We have to be able to say,
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"Okay, Lord,
I'll let you do that."
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And there been situations where
I prayed about the same thing.
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One of the examples
we have in the Bible
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about praying more than once.
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I often ask the question,
what did Daniel prayed for.
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He prayed
everyday three times a day.
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What did he prayed for?
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And when you look
at some of the examples
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that we have in
the Book of Daniel,
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one of the things
that was really clear,
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he was continually
praying for his people.
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The other thing
is, he is praying
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for their city to be restored.
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He was praying for
them to be returned
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to Jerusalem to be
freed from captivity
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and he even prayed so long that
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when the angel Gabriel came
during the time of his prayer,
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he says at the beginning
of your prayer, "I was sent"
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and he arrived at the
time of evening oblation.
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So he was praying
for quite some time.
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And, but, then--
then he was also told,
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well, I just want
you to know God loves you
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but He's not going
to tell you everything.
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And so you may
say, in that case,
00:09:44.73\00:09:46.97
Daniel may have persisted
beyond that moment and said,
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"Well, I am going to pray anyway
because I want to know." Yeah.
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And so we have to be
in tune with the will
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and when I say the will of God,
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ask yourself the question
what you are praying for.
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Now John, you used
some very good examples
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and I believe
this is true in my life
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and that can
apply the same to you
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because of when a child
is not living in harmony
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with God's will, a
parent would keep that child
00:10:10.92\00:10:13.83
before the Lord
morning and evening.
00:10:13.86\00:10:17.53
Father, I pray for my
son, I pray for my daughter,
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I pray for my children, I
pray that they will be saved.
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And then I refer to that
not so much as begging God
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but contending,
similar to the way that
00:10:27.36\00:10:30.48
Jacob contended with the
angel. Jacob contended with God.
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I won't let You go, I miss You.
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Unless you bless-- I
am not going to let You--
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I am not going to
stop asking you, Lord.
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And then some-- and
then when this child is
00:10:39.35\00:10:42.09
finally returned to
the God of his childhood
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the parent would say,
"I pray to you everyday.
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I've been praying for
you for the last 20 years.
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I've been praying for You
00:10:53.46\00:10:54.49
morning and
afternoon and evening.
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I've kept your name.
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I could show you my Bible,
at certain points where I write,
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Lord, I put a name in
there and I pray for my son."
00:11:00.88\00:11:03.74
And like Yvonne Lewis,
00:11:03.77\00:11:08.40
some people know
as Dr. Yvonne Lewis,
00:11:08.43\00:11:10.70
the head of Dare to Dream.
00:11:10.73\00:11:12.15
I was sitting in
her office the other day
00:11:12.18\00:11:13.39
and her phone went off at noon.
00:11:13.42\00:11:15.15
She said, "I've
set my phone at noon
00:11:15.18\00:11:17.61
everyday to pray for my sons.
00:11:17.64\00:11:19.64
Would you pray for
them for me today?"
00:11:19.67\00:11:21.85
and I said, "Sure."
00:11:21.88\00:11:23.07
So you will ask yourself,
is that a lack of faith?
00:11:23.10\00:11:25.66
No, That is in fact
keeping before the one you love,
00:11:25.69\00:11:29.91
the ones you love.
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Saying to Lord
00:11:31.38\00:11:32.82
and the Lord will
sometimes answer these questions
00:11:32.85\00:11:35.77
or these
prayers in certain ways.
00:11:35.80\00:11:37.93
Surely in some
cases, in many cases,
00:11:37.96\00:11:40.25
He says, "Wait."
00:11:40.28\00:11:42.56
And when the Bible says,
00:11:42.59\00:11:44.51
"Those who wait up on the Lord
shall renew their strength."
00:11:44.54\00:11:48.43
In time you will realize
00:11:48.46\00:11:49.73
that your prayer
has not been in vain.
00:11:49.76\00:11:52.23
But I like this 1 John 5,
00:11:52.26\00:11:56.62
the Lord gives a
wonderful admonition here
00:11:56.65\00:12:00.11
as far as guidance
in prayer is concern,
00:12:00.14\00:12:02.39
he says, 1 John 5:14,
00:12:02.42\00:12:07.68
"Now this is the
confidence that we have in Him,
00:12:07.71\00:12:12.06
that if we ask anything
00:12:12.09\00:12:13.84
according to His
will, He hears us.
00:12:13.87\00:12:17.09
And if we know that He hears us,
00:12:17.12\00:12:19.19
whatever we ask,
we know that we have
00:12:19.22\00:12:21.83
the petition that
we have asked of Him."
00:12:21.86\00:12:25.38
So He is saying, I am going
to answer you, I heard you.
00:12:25.41\00:12:29.69
But sometimes He
answers us two years from now
00:12:29.72\00:12:32.37
because that's when
the prayer is most apropo.
00:12:32.40\00:12:34.99
And then the other thing is,
00:12:35.02\00:12:36.59
this is the most
beautiful part of our prayer,
00:12:36.62\00:12:39.03
sometimes a person would,
00:12:39.06\00:12:41.49
let me use a parent
to a child illustration.
00:12:41.52\00:12:44.20
If a child comes to a parent
and say, "I need the car keys."
00:12:44.23\00:12:49.10
And he made that comment
at 10 o'clock in the morning.
00:12:49.13\00:12:51.71
And the dad looks
over shoulder like this.
00:12:51.74\00:12:55.20
Then he comes back at 1 o'clock,
00:12:55.23\00:12:57.06
"Dad I need the car keys."
00:12:57.09\00:12:59.45
And he says, "You
need the car keys, uh.
00:12:59.48\00:13:01.83
I heard you this morning."
00:13:01.86\00:13:03.34
Then he comes back at 4 o'clock
00:13:03.37\00:13:05.36
because he really
needs to leave at 4:30,
00:13:05.39\00:13:07.27
"Dad, I really
need the car keys.
00:13:07.30\00:13:09.88
You know, I promise I am
going to be extra careful.
00:13:09.91\00:13:13.88
I promise all the
counsel you have given to me,
00:13:13.91\00:13:16.96
I am going to put into--
00:13:16.99\00:13:18.02
I am going to be home on time."
00:13:18.05\00:13:19.50
You know what's
happening, his continual asking
00:13:19.53\00:13:22.82
is not changing his
dad, its changing him.
00:13:22.85\00:13:25.92
And sometimes when we
pray before God persistently,
00:13:25.95\00:13:28.86
we find that we are changing.
00:13:28.89\00:13:30.88
We get to the place
where we begin to say,
00:13:30.91\00:13:33.20
"Okay, Lord, not my
will but Yours be done."
00:13:33.23\00:13:37.78
I talked to a member yesterday
00:13:37.81\00:13:39.36
who's actually
having a surgery today
00:13:39.39\00:13:43.91
and I said, "I want to
pray for you my brother."
00:13:43.94\00:13:45.72
And he says, "I always
like to pray for healing"
00:13:45.75\00:13:48.49
he said, "but
I've learned to pray
00:13:48.52\00:13:53.38
that God will
give me the strength
00:13:53.41\00:13:55.64
to be able to go through
00:13:55.67\00:13:57.27
whatever He's
allowed to come my way."
00:13:57.30\00:14:00.01
And so he said
because I know that
00:14:00.04\00:14:02.53
if I am not healed,
I may get the answer
00:14:02.56\00:14:05.66
in your weakness my
strength is made perfect.
00:14:05.69\00:14:08.55
So we don't always know
00:14:08.58\00:14:09.73
how God's
working out our future.
00:14:09.76\00:14:11.94
We could be praying for
God to send us to anyplace
00:14:11.97\00:14:16.32
but California as
was the case with my wife
00:14:16.35\00:14:18.49
and I and then
we could just say,
00:14:18.52\00:14:20.01
"Okay, Lord, we will
go even to California."
00:14:20.04\00:14:22.13
And what happened as we
pray to get involved in ministry
00:14:22.16\00:14:24.25
and you know the story.
00:14:24.28\00:14:25.76
It was when we gave God
00:14:25.79\00:14:27.13
full control of our
lives that the answer came.
00:14:27.16\00:14:30.60
We prayed a long time
but the answer didn't come
00:14:30.63\00:14:32.62
because we were not
giving Him the full control.
00:14:32.65\00:14:35.12
So no, we could never nag God,
00:14:35.15\00:14:38.65
especially when it comes
to prayer and talking to Him.
00:14:38.68\00:14:40.72
He's not the
kind of guy that says,
00:14:40.75\00:14:42.15
"Oh, I got it." He loves
to hear from His children.
00:14:42.18\00:14:47.50
So that's a beautiful
thing. Pray without ceasing.
00:14:47.53\00:14:50.16
Anything more
for that one, John?
00:14:50.19\00:14:51.25
No. Okay.
00:14:51.28\00:14:52.31
I think you got it. Very good.
00:14:52.34\00:14:53.67
I seem to have gotten all
the esoteric questions today,
00:14:53.70\00:14:58.14
the ones that will draw out
the very fiber of an answer.
00:14:58.17\00:15:02.56
This one comes
from Lan-- and in Iowa.
00:15:02.59\00:15:07.52
I don't want to
give too much detail
00:15:07.55\00:15:09.94
because somebody may say,
"I know exactly who that is."
00:15:09.97\00:15:13.01
But if we come
down on the papacy
00:15:13.04\00:15:16.32
for changing times and laws,
00:15:16.35\00:15:18.42
how do we justify the
manipulation of the hours
00:15:18.45\00:15:22.37
on the sun down calendar
from daylight savings times
00:15:22.40\00:15:25.86
and why do we observe the change
00:15:25.89\00:15:28.17
as it directly effects
the Sabbath by one hour?
00:15:28.20\00:15:32.10
In another words
under daylight savings time,
00:15:32.13\00:15:33.91
the Sabbath occurs one hour
early in opposition to the sun
00:15:33.94\00:15:38.35
and people needlessly
observe it for that false hour,
00:15:38.38\00:15:42.53
then under daylight savings time
00:15:42.56\00:15:44.41
when Sabbath ends one hour
early in opposition to the sun,
00:15:44.44\00:15:48.06
it still actually exists
for one more hour in which
00:15:48.09\00:15:51.62
no one in that particular
time zone observes it.
00:15:51.65\00:15:54.61
Isn't this compromise on
our part end hypocritical?
00:15:54.64\00:16:00.12
Thank you for
your thoughts on this.
00:16:00.15\00:16:04.83
Let me say you this way.
00:16:04.86\00:16:05.98
You will never-- Let me
give you an illustration.
00:16:06.01\00:16:13.26
In the Pacific, I
think about a year or two ago
00:16:13.29\00:16:16.53
a shift was made in how
the time, the daylight--
00:16:16.56\00:16:21.81
how the time zone lines
were going to be marked.
00:16:21.84\00:16:26.73
For example it was--
00:16:26.76\00:16:29.28
you know, you go that
not daylight saving time
00:16:29.31\00:16:31.64
but you actually go one day.
00:16:31.67\00:16:33.88
One way or one day the other way
00:16:33.91\00:16:35.78
just depending on
how that line was drawn.
00:16:35.81\00:16:38.27
And somebody said, now
that the line has been changed.
00:16:38.30\00:16:45.62
What it does, it forces
those who used to keep Sabbath.
00:16:45.65\00:16:52.18
Now they say, "Well,
now that it's changed,
00:16:52.21\00:16:54.90
we are honoring Sunday."
00:16:54.93\00:16:57.67
And others say, "Well,
actually the way I see it,
00:16:57.70\00:17:00.68
if we keep the Sabbath,
we are honoring Friday."
00:17:00.71\00:17:04.47
And this
controversy almost split
00:17:04.50\00:17:07.92
that region in
the Adventist church.
00:17:07.95\00:17:11.59
And the change was not made
00:17:11.62\00:17:14.98
in the sense that it
was only effecting them,
00:17:15.01\00:17:19.53
excuse me, but it was
effecting the whole world.
00:17:19.56\00:17:22.94
And it was not in
the sense of we want
00:17:22.97\00:17:25.97
a new Sabbath or
new day of worship.
00:17:26.00\00:17:28.39
It was simply
the-- whoever decides to,
00:17:28.42\00:17:32.34
you know, draw the lines in
the time zones made that change.
00:17:32.37\00:17:36.68
And I would say, you
know, God sees these things
00:17:36.71\00:17:40.11
and understands carefully.
00:17:40.14\00:17:41.91
If you are struggling
with daylight savings times
00:17:41.94\00:17:46.55
and if this is
such an issue for you
00:17:46.58\00:17:48.70
that it comes down
to the word compromise,
00:17:48.73\00:17:51.27
I would simply
follow the Bible injunction
00:17:51.30\00:17:53.92
in Leviticus
23:32 which simply says,
00:17:53.95\00:17:56.63
"From evening to evening
00:17:56.66\00:17:58.11
shall you
celebrate the Sabbath."
00:17:58.14\00:18:01.06
If you feel that
its better for you
00:18:01.09\00:18:03.76
and you feel more comfortable
00:18:03.79\00:18:05.57
but let me just
give a broader picture,
00:18:05.60\00:18:07.91
because of
daylight savings time,
00:18:07.94\00:18:09.91
people are not
going to be indicted
00:18:09.94\00:18:11.22
as violating the Sabbath or
ending the Sabbath too early.
00:18:11.25\00:18:16.62
I am not seeing
the issue here that--
00:18:16.65\00:18:18.37
It's just gnat
and camel kind of--
00:18:18.40\00:18:20.45
The question is about
man's way of keeping time. Yeah.
00:18:20.48\00:18:26.37
God's way of keeping time
00:18:26.40\00:18:29.13
is from sundown
to sundown. Right.
00:18:29.16\00:18:31.42
And just because
you change a time,
00:18:31.45\00:18:34.81
it doesn't change
the sundown. Right.
00:18:34.84\00:18:37.60
The sun still sets.
00:18:37.63\00:18:39.16
I don't care we call it
three or seven or five or nine.
00:18:39.19\00:18:44.05
When the sun sets
that's when the Sabbath begins.
00:18:44.08\00:18:46.54
That's right.
00:18:46.57\00:18:47.60
So the individual
here that's writing in
00:18:47.63\00:18:50.32
seems to be gauging time
00:18:50.35\00:18:52.75
as a number rather than sundown
00:18:52.78\00:18:57.82
as the start of the Sabbath.
00:18:57.85\00:18:59.36
And that's not what
the Bible is saying.
00:18:59.39\00:19:01.62
Time isn't a factor here.
00:19:01.65\00:19:03.55
It's when the
sun goes down. Right.
00:19:03.58\00:19:06.20
And so just
whether that sun goes down
00:19:06.23\00:19:08.60
at whatever time it
is, wherever you live
00:19:08.63\00:19:11.77
that's when you
begin the Sabbath.
00:19:11.80\00:19:13.58
I think one of the other things
00:19:13.61\00:19:15.56
that is important here
is even within a region
00:19:15.59\00:19:20.06
and a same time zone,
00:19:20.09\00:19:23.35
its interesting if you
take the Pacific Time Zone
00:19:23.38\00:19:26.32
and you follow the line
00:19:26.35\00:19:27.45
when you get up
to the northwest,
00:19:27.48\00:19:29.75
it cuts over and picks up
00:19:29.78\00:19:31.51
the entire area of
Spokane and Northern Idaho.
00:19:31.54\00:19:36.91
The reason it does
that is because North Idaho
00:19:36.94\00:19:40.33
is so aligned
with the Pacific that,
00:19:40.36\00:19:42.88
that's the way they
just have picked it up
00:19:42.91\00:19:45.54
and they drew the time zone.
00:19:45.57\00:19:47.80
Well, the interesting part
of this whole thing is that
00:19:47.83\00:19:52.07
the sun will go
down so much later
00:19:52.10\00:19:55.97
because you are talking
about, you are so far north
00:19:56.00\00:19:59.98
and it's just different as
to when that sun goes down.
00:20:00.01\00:20:02.71
You can drive, I can
drive a matter of four hours
00:20:02.74\00:20:07.03
from where I live to Seattle
00:20:07.06\00:20:09.87
and the time
change is almost an hour.
00:20:09.90\00:20:14.01
Might I am still
keeping the Sabbath
00:20:14.04\00:20:15.57
when the sun goes down,
00:20:15.60\00:20:16.80
it doesn't
matter what time it is.
00:20:16.83\00:20:18.81
So each location, I
would check your sundown times
00:20:18.84\00:20:22.85
and whenever the
sundown goes down,
00:20:22.88\00:20:25.06
keep the Sabbath. Right.
00:20:25.09\00:20:27.40
Don't put that
responsibility all the time
00:20:27.43\00:20:29.79
in somebody else's hand
00:20:29.82\00:20:31.49
and say, well, they
are being hypocritical
00:20:31.52\00:20:33.78
because it really comes
down to your dedication,
00:20:33.81\00:20:36.13
to your worship, to your
observance of the Sabbath
00:20:36.16\00:20:40.54
and then people will
say as been the case,
00:20:40.57\00:20:43.68
"Well, we should guard
the edges of the Sabbath."
00:20:43.71\00:20:46.95
The attitude of the
heart is a huge heart.
00:20:46.98\00:20:51.52
And when we travel sometimes,
00:20:51.55\00:20:53.38
I know you'll put yourself
in a situation like this,
00:20:53.41\00:20:56.45
if you are
traveling from Australia,
00:20:56.48\00:20:59.07
you are coming back
to the United States,
00:20:59.10\00:21:01.13
you could actually observe
the Sabbath in Australia,
00:21:01.16\00:21:04.05
fly home and
observe the Sabbath again.
00:21:04.08\00:21:07.65
And so would you say,
"Well, wow, I've lost--
00:21:07.68\00:21:10.31
this is an eight
day week for me."
00:21:10.34\00:21:12.17
Because in
reality that's exactly
00:21:12.20\00:21:14.19
you think about it,
you have an eight day
00:21:14.22\00:21:16.16
because you'll
observe one day twice.
00:21:16.19\00:21:18.58
Or you go the opposite way,
00:21:18.61\00:21:19.66
you actually can miss
an entire day all together.
00:21:19.69\00:21:21.89
You can miss-- you go from
Friday right to Sunday, exactly.
00:21:21.92\00:21:25.31
If you left here on Friday,
00:21:25.34\00:21:27.27
you will get to
Australia on Sunday
00:21:27.30\00:21:28.59
and you will say,
"Well, what about the Sabbath?"
00:21:28.62\00:21:31.44
It will be on a plane somewhere.
Enjoy the Sabbath on a plane.
00:21:31.47\00:21:34.61
See, so you cannot
make there such a time
00:21:34.64\00:21:38.05
you know, 6:48 and 6:29 or 7:29,
00:21:38.08\00:21:43.66
just look at the sundown
00:21:43.69\00:21:45.58
and that's going to be
the most appropriate time.
00:21:45.61\00:21:47.68
And God is not going to--
that's not an issue of salvation
00:21:47.71\00:21:51.44
if you-- He knows your heart.
00:21:51.47\00:21:52.57
Yeah, He knows your heart here.
00:21:52.60\00:21:53.99
I remember one individual
said to me and I remembered it.
00:21:54.02\00:21:56.55
I remember it to this day
00:21:56.58\00:21:57.87
and this is
probably 10 years ago
00:21:57.90\00:21:59.06
and he said, you know,
00:21:59.09\00:22:00.33
we often instead of
treating the Sabbath,
00:22:00.36\00:22:05.75
you know, like
guarding the edges of it
00:22:05.78\00:22:07.23
just kind of
preparing for the Sabbath
00:22:07.26\00:22:09.42
as it comes ushering in,
we treat it like a stoplight.
00:22:09.45\00:22:14.45
You know, even
sometimes a blinking red light
00:22:14.48\00:22:17.97
where it's go and then stop.
Right, we are speeding to it.
00:22:18.00\00:22:22.63
We go 100 miles an hour
00:22:22.66\00:22:24.13
right to at sundown drop
what you are doing, stop.
00:22:24.16\00:22:27.20
Well, we really
need to be spending--
00:22:27.23\00:22:28.69
and then when sundown
happens on Saturday evening
00:22:28.72\00:22:32.08
and when its time for the week,
00:22:32.11\00:22:33.59
it's like going
from red to green,
00:22:33.62\00:22:36.30
its 100 miles an hour.
00:22:36.33\00:22:37.95
And so we need to be
a little more cautious
00:22:37.98\00:22:40.48
I think about
that because the Lord
00:22:40.51\00:22:43.04
doesn't want us to
just all of the sudden
00:22:43.07\00:22:46.38
at the end of sundown
loose our time with Him.
00:22:46.41\00:22:49.34
Yeah, I am giving you 23 hours
00:22:49.37\00:22:50.68
and 56 minutes,
Lord. Here we go.
00:22:50.71\00:22:52.56
Until I get daylight
savings times back on the clock
00:22:52.59\00:22:55.01
or the count of
flips every four years.
00:22:55.04\00:22:57.46
We have to allow it
to be a relationship
00:22:57.49\00:22:59.58
and when it's
about a relationship
00:22:59.61\00:23:01.26
you won't be-- you
won't be sweating it over,
00:23:01.29\00:23:04.88
Okay, we got three minutes kids.
00:23:04.91\00:23:07.80
It's very frustrating that way
00:23:07.83\00:23:09.21
which we have to
really get away with.
00:23:09.24\00:23:10.40
To say, try to
get all the things
00:23:10.43\00:23:11.83
done before the Sabbath
and be there as a family
00:23:11.86\00:23:14.70
welcoming the Sabbath
then rather than, in some--
00:23:14.73\00:23:19.71
there's a story about
some children in England
00:23:19.74\00:23:21.50
where the families had
made a Sabbath such a burden
00:23:21.53\00:23:25.06
that they would
dread the Sabbath coming in
00:23:25.09\00:23:29.14
and they would look out
the window toward the sunset,
00:23:29.17\00:23:31.98
couldn't wait for
the Sabbath to leave.
00:23:32.01\00:23:34.72
And as soon as the sun
disappeared over the mountain,
00:23:34.75\00:23:36.99
they just went
back into as you said,
00:23:37.02\00:23:39.94
they turned their green light on
00:23:39.97\00:23:41.12
for all the
things they wanted to do
00:23:41.15\00:23:43.51
and the red light off for all
the things that pertain to God.
00:23:43.54\00:23:46.49
It's really not the way
that Sabbath is intended.
00:23:46.52\00:23:48.87
It's a very strong relationship.
00:23:48.90\00:23:51.45
Welcome it in, it
should be such a joy
00:23:51.48\00:23:54.13
that we would look
forward to seeing it come
00:23:54.16\00:23:57.00
and be somewhat hesitant
about it leaving so quickly
00:23:57.03\00:24:01.63
in a love relationship.
00:24:01.66\00:24:02.90
What else do you
have for us here, John?
00:24:02.93\00:24:05.14
A question from Steven Karen
and they say, "Hello, Johns'.
00:24:05.17\00:24:11.63
Please explain 1 John5:16,
00:24:11.66\00:24:14.96
sin leading to death and
sin not leading to death."
00:24:14.99\00:24:17.10
Wow, I just read the verse 15.
00:24:17.13\00:24:18.75
Yeah, I know. I saw that.
00:24:18.78\00:24:21.36
Anyway, so this is a question
00:24:21.39\00:24:23.64
that's come up
from time to time.
00:24:23.67\00:24:25.16
I don't know if we really
answered it here before directly
00:24:25.19\00:24:27.54
but it's important to
read and I will go ahead
00:24:27.57\00:24:30.42
and first of all read verse 16
00:24:30.45\00:24:33.08
and I will read
verse 17 as well.
00:24:33.11\00:24:35.26
"If anyone sees his
brother sinning a sin
00:24:35.29\00:24:37.64
which does not lead
to death, he will ask,
00:24:37.67\00:24:41.09
and He, that is
Jesus, will give him life
00:24:41.12\00:24:43.82
for those who commit
sin not leading to death.
00:24:43.85\00:24:46.99
There is sin leading to death.
00:24:47.02\00:24:48.98
I do not say that he
should pray about that.
00:24:49.01\00:24:52.70
All unrighteousness is sin,
00:24:52.73\00:24:54.62
and there is sin
not leading to death."
00:24:54.65\00:24:58.36
Just a quick connection here,
00:24:58.39\00:25:01.51
John, I think the
only other place in Bible
00:25:01.54\00:25:04.50
that I've read just in
a general terms of a sin
00:25:04.53\00:25:09.49
that leads to death,
00:25:09.52\00:25:12.73
that is
difficult if not impossible
00:25:12.76\00:25:16.02
to pray for is
the unpardonable sin.
00:25:16.05\00:25:19.06
That's exactly what
this is talking about.
00:25:19.09\00:25:20.51
And so you've
got to connect this
00:25:20.54\00:25:22.68
with the unpardonable sin
00:25:22.71\00:25:24.57
which is the blasphemy
against the Holy Spirit,
00:25:24.60\00:25:28.00
which is someone
who rejects the--
00:25:28.03\00:25:31.35
knowingly rejects the influence
00:25:31.38\00:25:34.01
of the Holy
Spirit in their life.
00:25:34.04\00:25:35.08
They basically said, "Go away.
00:25:35.11\00:25:36.88
God I can here
you, don't talk to me.
00:25:36.91\00:25:39.10
I am not interested. Good bye."
00:25:39.13\00:25:41.29
There's nothing
you can do about that.
00:25:41.32\00:25:42.62
You can't even pray for someone
in that condition. Right.
00:25:42.65\00:25:45.53
Because they decided,
00:25:45.56\00:25:46.72
they do not want to have
a part in everlasting life.
00:25:46.75\00:25:50.97
In fact Jesus said, "Elsewhere
there's some who love evil."
00:25:51.00\00:25:55.25
They love evil.
00:25:55.28\00:25:56.44
That's just the
way they are inclined
00:25:56.47\00:26:00.06
and they have gone with it
00:26:00.09\00:26:01.12
and they allow that to
flourish in their life.
00:26:01.15\00:26:03.74
And so most of the time,
praise God that we commit sin,
00:26:03.77\00:26:08.31
it's the sin that
does not lead to death
00:26:08.34\00:26:10.06
because its sin that
00:26:10.09\00:26:11.70
when we are convicted
of we would repent of.
00:26:11.73\00:26:14.63
And there are
some sins that people
00:26:14.66\00:26:15.78
don't even know they are doing
00:26:15.81\00:26:17.40
that have an opportunity
to be repented of later.
00:26:17.43\00:26:19.92
We should be
always praying for that.
00:26:19.95\00:26:23.08
But I will always say,
we ought to be cautious
00:26:23.11\00:26:25.18
about judging
people as to whether or not
00:26:25.21\00:26:26.68
they have sinned
the sin leading to death
00:26:26.71\00:26:29.27
because that's something we
need to be careful of as well.
00:26:29.30\00:26:31.49
But at least topically
00:26:31.52\00:26:32.98
this is what this
passage is talking about.
00:26:33.01\00:26:34.57
That's exactly
what's it talking about.
00:26:34.60\00:26:35.87
Now let me use a
couple of illustrations
00:26:35.90\00:26:37.64
and John, thank you
for bringing that out
00:26:37.67\00:26:38.86
because this is been some
what of a quandary for people
00:26:38.89\00:26:42.62
that said-- in another words
00:26:42.65\00:26:44.04
people have said,
"Okay, so I could sin?
00:26:44.07\00:26:46.15
And this is sin
that I can commit
00:26:46.18\00:26:47.73
that doesn't lead to
death? Oh, which one is it?"
00:26:47.76\00:26:50.49
It's almost like, well, which
one of the Ten Commandments
00:26:50.52\00:26:52.49
can I violate without
being fearful of death?
00:26:52.52\00:26:56.41
That's not what this is saying.
This is what's being said.
00:26:56.44\00:26:59.80
If a person is rejecting Christ,
if a person is turning away
00:26:59.83\00:27:04.04
from the continual
pleading of the Holy Spirit.
00:27:04.07\00:27:07.45
You don't say to your children,
let me give you an example.
00:27:07.48\00:27:09.41
If a parent has a
child that's just determine
00:27:09.44\00:27:11.52
not to give his
heart to the Lord,
00:27:11.55\00:27:13.66
you don't say, pray about
giving your heart to the Lord.
00:27:13.69\00:27:17.46
That's not
something you want to--
00:27:17.49\00:27:18.70
let me pray and let me see
00:27:18.73\00:27:19.96
if God impresses me
to give my heart to him.
00:27:19.99\00:27:22.73
That's not
something-- you don't pray about
00:27:22.76\00:27:24.63
giving your heart to the Lord.
00:27:24.66\00:27:26.09
You pray about
giving up a specific sin.
00:27:26.12\00:27:28.65
You pray about turning
away from a specific way of life
00:27:28.68\00:27:31.70
but you don't pray
about whether or not
00:27:31.73\00:27:34.27
you should or should not
give your heart to the Lord.
00:27:34.30\00:27:36.40
That's not something
that God is going to say,
00:27:36.43\00:27:38.56
"Yeah, in this case,
00:27:38.59\00:27:39.84
I think you should
give your heart to the Lord
00:27:39.87\00:27:41.52
and in this case you don't need
to give your heart to the Lord."
00:27:41.55\00:27:43.93
The answer is always
going to be the same,
00:27:43.96\00:27:45.48
give your heart to the Lord.
00:27:45.51\00:27:47.46
So if you want
to say to somebody,
00:27:47.49\00:27:49.77
you are going
down the wrong path,
00:27:49.80\00:27:52.76
you have continually
rejected the Holy Spirit's
00:27:52.79\00:27:55.20
pleading to your
life, you need to pray about
00:27:55.23\00:27:57.00
giving your heart to the Lord.
00:27:57.03\00:27:58.29
No, that's where they say--
00:27:58.32\00:28:00.16
and I like the way
that it puts it here,
00:28:00.19\00:28:02.88
"If anyone sees his
brother sinning a sin
00:28:02.91\00:28:04.38
which does not lead
to death, he will ask,
00:28:04.41\00:28:08.84
and He will give him life
00:28:08.87\00:28:10.36
for those who commit
sin not leading to death.
00:28:10.39\00:28:13.88
There is a sin leading to death.
00:28:13.91\00:28:16.82
And I do not say that
we should pray about that.
00:28:16.85\00:28:19.66
In other words if you
are living the wrong way
00:28:19.69\00:28:21.52
and you continually
reject the Holy Spirit,
00:28:21.55\00:28:23.95
you don't pray
about accepting Christ.
00:28:23.98\00:28:26.40
You simply say this
is what I need to do
00:28:26.43\00:28:28.93
because the answer
will never be no for you,
00:28:28.96\00:28:31.94
yes for the other.
00:28:31.97\00:28:33.38
But that what we
should pray about is,
00:28:33.41\00:28:35.24
you know, you have been
struggling with alcohol.
00:28:35.27\00:28:37.22
You know, you have
been struggling with,
00:28:37.25\00:28:38.28
whatever the case may be,
00:28:38.31\00:28:39.80
pray for God to
give you strength
00:28:39.83\00:28:42.55
because that sin is a
sin that has a remedy.
00:28:42.58\00:28:45.31
But the sin that
leads to death is the sin
00:28:45.34\00:28:47.66
which is as John says
00:28:47.69\00:28:49.05
and as the Bible
says in Matthew 12:31,
00:28:49.08\00:28:52.29
blasphemy
against the Holy Spirit.
00:28:52.32\00:28:54.07
That's the one that's
going to really cause your life.
00:28:54.10\00:28:57.45
Like somebody who say,
00:28:57.48\00:28:58.51
that's not your
alcohol I am worried about,
00:28:58.54\00:28:59.93
if you won't give
your life to the Lord.
00:28:59.96\00:29:02.13
It's not your
cigarettes I am concerned about,
00:29:02.16\00:29:03.93
you just won't give
your life to the Lord.
00:29:03.96\00:29:06.47
See, that's really what
the issue is right there.
00:29:06.50\00:29:09.69
So anything else, John, on that?
00:29:09.72\00:29:11.62
No, that's covered it. Okay.
00:29:11.65\00:29:14.37
So you get it now?
00:29:14.40\00:29:16.55
It's not about
what you are doing
00:29:16.58\00:29:17.87
as far as and itemized sin
00:29:17.90\00:29:19.68
but it's about
rejecting the voice of God
00:29:19.71\00:29:22.59
and His constant appeal for
you to give Him this heart--
00:29:22.62\00:29:25.12
give Him your heart.
00:29:25.15\00:29:26.59
Well, I think we
maybe opened some more doors
00:29:26.62\00:29:32.06
to give you some question
but there are some of you
00:29:32.09\00:29:34.65
that are already thinking
about what you want to ask us
00:29:34.68\00:29:38.10
and we get some
really good questions.
00:29:38.13\00:29:40.73
But if you have
any questions at all,
00:29:40.76\00:29:42.50
send those to
housecalls@3abn.org.
00:29:42.53\00:29:45.38
That's housecalls@3abn.org
00:29:45.41\00:29:48.26
and we surely do appreciate
00:29:48.29\00:29:49.77
everything you
do for this network.
00:29:49.80\00:29:52.08
There are many more
programs that are preparing
00:29:52.11\00:29:54.37
people for the coming of
the Lord and this is one.
00:29:54.40\00:29:57.01
And we thank you for
being a part of our audience.
00:29:57.04\00:29:59.29
Now, John, tell us--
00:29:59.32\00:30:01.95
I know we talked about that
at the beginning of the program.
00:30:01.98\00:30:04.78
Well, let's go ahead
and give a highlight here,
00:30:04.81\00:30:06.13
an overview of what our
topic is gonna be for today.
00:30:06.16\00:30:08.75
Well, today we find the world
is uneasy about what's coming.
00:30:08.78\00:30:14.51
And I'm not saying just
about the end of the world,
00:30:14.54\00:30:16.36
just in general we
look around us and we see...
00:30:16.39\00:30:20.30
our weather is going crazy,
drastic shifts in temperatures,
00:30:20.33\00:30:26.65
we see
different kinds of storms,
00:30:26.68\00:30:28.32
different-- it's intensifying.
00:30:28.35\00:30:31.91
We've seen just evidences
00:30:31.94\00:30:33.33
that this world
is falling apart.
00:30:33.36\00:30:35.69
And yes we call
it climate change
00:30:35.72\00:30:37.79
and we call it global warming
00:30:37.82\00:30:39.31
or whatever they
want to assign it to.
00:30:39.34\00:30:41.38
But nonetheless
what its resulting in is
00:30:41.41\00:30:45.10
what seems to be a
path that is going toward
00:30:45.13\00:30:48.32
the end of the
world. That's right.
00:30:48.35\00:30:49.84
So much so, even
Hollywood has jumped on this.
00:30:49.87\00:30:52.13
Just recently you and I were
00:30:52.16\00:30:53.38
talking about
this the other day.
00:30:53.41\00:30:55.09
There is a film
called-- "The End."
00:30:55.12\00:30:58.76
"The End" or
something like that.
00:30:58.79\00:31:00.97
So it's the end and it's-
it's a comedy about at the end.
00:31:01.00\00:31:06.31
In other world, a comedy.
00:31:06.34\00:31:08.77
So they're trying to
hear and listen to the world
00:31:08.80\00:31:12.78
and--and to
people in their anxiety
00:31:12.81\00:31:14.78
and they are trying to
make fun of it or light of it,
00:31:14.81\00:31:16.75
don't worry about it.
00:31:16.78\00:31:18.52
The end is just, you know,
00:31:18.55\00:31:19.90
we talked about it
but it's just funny.
00:31:19.93\00:31:22.49
And this whole
comedy is built on that
00:31:22.52\00:31:24.41
and you've got little
demonic stuff in there,
00:31:24.44\00:31:26.66
making fun of that.
00:31:26.69\00:31:28.70
You've got other things
going on where people are just--
00:31:28.73\00:31:32.49
is just it really
gives you the sense
00:31:32.52\00:31:36.02
that people aren't
either taking it seriously
00:31:36.05\00:31:39.38
or those who do
take it seriously
00:31:39.41\00:31:40.95
are very anxious about it.
00:31:40.98\00:31:42.44
So you've got a
couple of camps there.
00:31:42.47\00:31:44.48
But we don't need to
be anxious about that
00:31:44.51\00:31:46.64
and so in light of the
fact that the end is coming
00:31:46.67\00:31:50.33
says the word of God,
it would be good for us
00:31:50.36\00:31:53.06
to take another look,
what to expect in the future.
00:31:53.09\00:31:57.47
This is kind of go through a--
00:31:57.50\00:31:59.43
not a total chronological
or secrets of events here.
00:31:59.46\00:32:02.29
But just let's talk about
00:32:02.32\00:32:03.75
the progression of
the time of the end.
00:32:03.78\00:32:06.16
Where we are now and--
00:32:06.19\00:32:08.00
and what to
expect in the future.
00:32:08.03\00:32:09.93
And I want to start
off with a text here.
00:32:09.96\00:32:11.78
Okay, which one? John 14.
00:32:11.81\00:32:15.09
Oh yeah. John 14 1-3.
00:32:15.12\00:32:22.12
This is the good one
because it kind of pose
00:32:22.15\00:32:24.29
the anxiety aspect out of it.
00:32:24.32\00:32:26.03
It does. Worrying
about the end time.
00:32:26.06\00:32:27.75
It really does.
00:32:27.78\00:32:29.76
John 14 starting with verse 1,
00:32:29.79\00:32:31.67
"Let not your
heart be troubled,"
00:32:31.70\00:32:33.60
and this is Jesus speaking.
00:32:33.63\00:32:35.64
"You believe in
God, believe also in Me."
00:32:35.67\00:32:38.26
In other words for
those that believe in God,
00:32:38.29\00:32:40.29
don't let your
heart be-- Troubled.
00:32:40.32\00:32:42.46
Troubled, don't be
anxious about this.
00:32:42.49\00:32:45.05
The time is coming
where the end will come
00:32:45.08\00:32:46.77
but if you believe in Me,
I will get you through it.
00:32:46.80\00:32:49.40
Verse 2, "In My Father's
house are many mansions,
00:32:49.43\00:32:52.39
if it were not so,
I would have told you.
00:32:52.42\00:32:55.00
I go to prepare
a place for you."
00:32:55.03\00:32:57.89
Where does He go?
00:32:57.92\00:32:59.10
To heaven to
prepare a heavenly city
00:32:59.13\00:33:02.00
for His people. That's right.
00:33:02.03\00:33:03.54
Verse 3, "And if I go
and prepare a place for you,
00:33:03.57\00:33:06.34
I will come again,
and receive you to Myself
00:33:06.37\00:33:12.48
that where I am,
there you may be also."
00:33:12.51\00:33:16.47
You see, the disciples
were anxious about the fact
00:33:16.50\00:33:18.43
that Jesus said, he was
leaving and they said well,
00:33:18.46\00:33:21.29
"Where you are
going, can we go with you?"
00:33:21.32\00:33:22.74
And He said, "No,
you can't come right now.
00:33:22.77\00:33:24.25
But I will come back
00:33:24.28\00:33:26.27
and when I come back I
will receive you to Myself."
00:33:26.30\00:33:28.67
In other words, I
will bring you up,
00:33:28.70\00:33:32.02
as--as Paul speaks,
they will be caught up
00:33:32.05\00:33:34.89
to meet Him in the air
and then Jesus will take them
00:33:34.92\00:33:37.43
to the heavenly city to
live with Him in heaven.
00:33:37.46\00:33:40.91
And so that is what Jesus is
promising here in this chapter.
00:33:40.94\00:33:46.84
But before Jesus
comes, He also speaks--
00:33:46.87\00:33:50.83
this a few
things that will happen
00:33:50.86\00:33:53.06
and I don't mean to
spend verse by verse on this
00:33:53.09\00:33:55.34
but just maybe as an overview,
00:33:55.37\00:33:57.12
John, it would be good to
take a look at Matthew 24.
00:33:57.15\00:34:03.32
And we'll start with verse 3.
00:34:03.35\00:34:04.83
It says that, as
He, that is Jesus,
00:34:04.86\00:34:07.89
sat on the Mount of Olives,
00:34:07.92\00:34:09.05
the disciples
came to him privately,
00:34:09.08\00:34:10.48
saying, tell us,
when will these things be
00:34:10.51\00:34:14.02
and what will be
the sign of your coming
00:34:14.05\00:34:18.46
and of the end of the age?"
00:34:18.49\00:34:20.98
In other words, Jesus You
said, you're gonna come again
00:34:21.01\00:34:23.83
but we want
little more information.
00:34:23.86\00:34:25.69
What will be the
sign of Your coming?
00:34:25.72\00:34:27.39
What will be happening
when You're about to come?
00:34:27.42\00:34:30.12
So that we may
know that You are coming
00:34:30.15\00:34:32.41
to take us home. That's right.
00:34:32.44\00:34:33.80
And Jesus then begins
to go through a dialogue
00:34:33.83\00:34:36.49
that last several
chapters along here
00:34:36.52\00:34:39.64
but specifically the
first chapter, Chapter 24,
00:34:39.67\00:34:42.42
about the signs of the end
of Jesus' coming. That's right.
00:34:42.45\00:34:45.51
And--but I want
to also emphasize
00:34:45.54\00:34:47.25
and I like that you read John 14
because a lot of times people,
00:34:47.28\00:34:52.40
well there,
there is a perception
00:34:52.43\00:34:53.92
or there is actually a teaching
00:34:53.95\00:34:56.02
that we talked about
this in the prior program
00:34:56.05\00:34:58.97
where people believes in
dying and going to heaven.
00:34:59.00\00:35:02.18
It's important to
understand the words of Jesus.
00:35:02.21\00:35:04.45
He says, "I will come
again and receive you to Myself,
00:35:04.48\00:35:08.40
that where I am
there you may be also."
00:35:08.43\00:35:10.93
It's important to remember
00:35:10.96\00:35:12.53
and mark the words
of Jesus, where He said,
00:35:12.56\00:35:14.97
matter of fact in
John 7:3 for he says,
00:35:15.00\00:35:17.28
'You will seek me
and you will not find me
00:35:17.31\00:35:20.28
and where I am, you
cannot come." That's right.
00:35:20.31\00:35:23.11
So He's not saying
I'll see when you get there.
00:35:23.14\00:35:25.65
He says, I'll see
you when I come back.
00:35:25.68\00:35:28.40
And He's not
saying, when I come back,
00:35:28.43\00:35:31.19
I'll receive your bodies to Me.
00:35:31.22\00:35:33.89
He's saying, "I
will receive you."
00:35:33.92\00:35:35.67
The Bible always
speaks of the whole person
00:35:35.70\00:35:38.30
body, mind, soul.
00:35:38.33\00:35:39.59
Everything is together
00:35:39.62\00:35:41.32
and if there's one
part that's missing
00:35:41.35\00:35:43.33
and you're dead,
all of it's missing.
00:35:43.36\00:35:45.56
And so Jesus is
saying when I come again,
00:35:45.59\00:35:47.44
that's when it occurs.
00:35:47.47\00:35:48.74
Right, and so this
very, it's very important
00:35:48.77\00:35:51.52
as we look at some
of the signs of the end.
00:35:51.55\00:35:53.38
We have talked about, I
think there is a problem
00:35:53.41\00:35:55.09
we did which was referring
to the most unobvious signs.
00:35:55.12\00:35:59.72
But then there are
some obvious signs.
00:35:59.75\00:36:01.54
One of the things we cannot help
00:36:01.57\00:36:03.47
and, John, you led
out by talking about this.
00:36:03.50\00:36:06.42
Is this something
really happening in our world?
00:36:06.45\00:36:12.24
Let's just say, it's a phenomena
00:36:12.27\00:36:14.48
or let's just
say it's coincidental
00:36:14.51\00:36:16.89
but if you want
to connect to it,
00:36:16.92\00:36:18.61
I believe that
creation itself is--
00:36:18.64\00:36:23.22
is groaning to be delivered.
00:36:23.25\00:36:26.02
Paul the apostle
said, he talked about that,
00:36:26.05\00:36:29.18
he's just how all
creation groaneth.
00:36:29.21\00:36:32.75
And it's like the
birth pangs creation
00:36:32.78\00:36:35.30
is expressing the birth pangs.
00:36:35.33\00:36:37.02
You wonder
what's behind all these
00:36:37.05\00:36:39.27
terrible weather
patterns, I mean we have--
00:36:39.30\00:36:42.65
these things are sometimes
00:36:42.68\00:36:45.20
we would say
seasonal but the intensity.
00:36:45.23\00:36:48.41
We did a study once and I
presented this in of my sermons,
00:36:48.44\00:36:53.29
how if you just
go back five years
00:36:53.32\00:36:56.21
and you look at the
occurrence of killer tornadoes,
00:36:56.24\00:37:00.46
how they have
exponentially increased in size
00:37:00.49\00:37:03.64
and in magnitude
and in frequency.
00:37:03.67\00:37:05.74
And you say to yourself what--
00:37:05.77\00:37:06.89
what actually is contributing
to that creation itself
00:37:06.92\00:37:10.20
is really looking to be
delivered. That's right.
00:37:10.23\00:37:13.67
In and of itself is saying,
00:37:13.70\00:37:15.25
we know that all
things cannot continue
00:37:15.28\00:37:19.89
as they are at the present time.
00:37:19.92\00:37:22.26
My former job
was in reinsurance.
00:37:22.29\00:37:25.60
Lot of people don't
know what reinsurance is
00:37:25.63\00:37:27.29
but reinsurance is
when insurance companies
00:37:27.32\00:37:30.06
actually reinsure
a book of business
00:37:30.09\00:37:33.33
or specific
policies that are very large,
00:37:33.36\00:37:36.79
which would include
catastrophe insurance
00:37:36.82\00:37:39.24
to a reinsurer at
much higher level,
00:37:39.27\00:37:41.83
so they can cap
their risk. Okay.
00:37:41.86\00:37:44.72
And so what we
had within the company
00:37:44.75\00:37:46.99
that I worked
for were actuaries.
00:37:47.02\00:37:49.52
Actuaries were once that
were very good in modeling
00:37:49.55\00:37:52.70
and predicting where
needs were in the future
00:37:52.73\00:37:56.94
for they would
attach reinsurance.
00:37:56.97\00:37:59.47
So that when a
catastrophe were to occur,
00:37:59.50\00:38:01.76
we might pay out 50 million
but then about 50 million,
00:38:01.79\00:38:04.86
we would have reinsurers
that take the rest of it
00:38:04.89\00:38:07.08
and it splits the
risk-- spreads the risk.
00:38:07.11\00:38:10.05
So actuaries would say,
well, you need to attach,
00:38:10.08\00:38:12.52
you know, at 50 or you
need to attach at 75 or a 100.
00:38:12.55\00:38:16.52
And then they would
weigh whether or not
00:38:16.55\00:38:18.28
the cost of
doing so was beneficial
00:38:18.31\00:38:21.00
and actuaries
would help with that.
00:38:21.03\00:38:23.06
But one of the things
they said, that was very--
00:38:23.09\00:38:25.90
I thought very insightful.
00:38:25.93\00:38:27.60
And this is before
I left the industry
00:38:27.63\00:38:29.25
that it happened right
around the year 2000, 2001.
00:38:29.28\00:38:34.33
The comment was
made that we understand
00:38:34.36\00:38:38.07
the ebb and flow
of-- of the world
00:38:38.10\00:38:41.55
and catastrophic
events in modeling
00:38:41.58\00:38:43.94
and that's what it's
built into for us to understand
00:38:43.97\00:38:45.73
but something has changed.
00:38:45.76\00:38:48.82
They said just in the
late 90s to the early 2000s,
00:38:48.85\00:38:53.47
it's like
somebody flipped a switch
00:38:53.50\00:38:56.22
and the world's gone crazy.
00:38:56.25\00:38:58.74
They're predicting a
future events and catastrophes,
00:38:58.77\00:39:01.88
the models won't work any more.
00:39:01.91\00:39:04.20
They were really struggling
00:39:04.23\00:39:05.74
and battling to
find accurate models
00:39:05.77\00:39:08.79
that dealt with this exponential
rise in not only catastrophes
00:39:08.82\00:39:13.32
but the dollars that it
cost to recover from that.
00:39:13.35\00:39:17.04
And if the secular
world and the business world
00:39:17.07\00:39:19.74
recognizes that, why don't we
00:39:19.77\00:39:22.72
as Christians recognize
the world's gonna end? Right.
00:39:22.75\00:39:27.38
Furthermore you
have about 20 years ago
00:39:27.41\00:39:30.22
where atheists used to say,
00:39:30.25\00:39:32.17
ah, it's just basically
cycles that we're finding,
00:39:32.20\00:39:35.74
you know, this--
earthquakes happen
00:39:35.77\00:39:38.11
and then they
don't happen for a while,
00:39:38.14\00:39:39.49
it's always been like this.
00:39:39.52\00:39:41.13
They're not
saying anything more,
00:39:41.16\00:39:42.26
you know what they're saying?
00:39:42.29\00:39:43.84
They are saying that
we're doing this to ourselves.
00:39:43.87\00:39:46.88
Right in other words--
You know, we're causing it,
00:39:46.91\00:39:48.70
it's just happening you
know and--and the ozone layers
00:39:48.73\00:39:51.90
and those things, although they
may have been playing a part,
00:39:51.93\00:39:54.23
I'm no denying some
of the influence there
00:39:54.26\00:39:56.81
but they say basically that--
00:39:56.84\00:39:59.79
that we're doing
this to ourselves,
00:39:59.82\00:40:01.97
but they're taking
God out of the equation
00:40:02.00\00:40:03.81
but regardless
of what can pure in.
00:40:03.84\00:40:06.34
We're
recognizing, we're approaching
00:40:06.37\00:40:08.51
an end time event
or series of events
00:40:08.54\00:40:12.23
that could end our
existence on this earth.
00:40:12.26\00:40:14.79
From a Christian perspective,
00:40:14.82\00:40:16.19
we believe it's
the second coming.
00:40:16.22\00:40:18.97
From an atheistic perspective,
00:40:19.00\00:40:20.54
you believe that
we're destroying our world
00:40:20.57\00:40:22.08
that cannot
sustain life anymore.
00:40:22.11\00:40:23.72
Life will cease to end.
00:40:23.75\00:40:25.29
Regardless many are
beginning to agree now
00:40:25.32\00:40:28.41
that we are
heading toward to the end.
00:40:28.44\00:40:29.97
You know Jesus even talked
about that in Matthew 16:3,
00:40:30.00\00:40:33.38
He said these words, He says,
00:40:33.41\00:40:35.42
And in the morning,
actually starts from verse 2,
00:40:35.45\00:40:37.51
let me just go and
the context to it here.
00:40:37.54\00:40:40.45
Matthew 16:2, He says,
00:40:40.48\00:40:46.11
He answered and said unto them,
00:40:46.14\00:40:47.35
"When it is evening,
00:40:47.38\00:40:48.60
you say, it
will be fair weather,
00:40:48.63\00:40:50.82
for the sky is red.
00:40:50.85\00:40:52.65
And in the morning, it
will be foul weather today
00:40:52.68\00:40:55.07
for the sky is
red and threatening.
00:40:55.10\00:40:57.82
Hypocrites says, you know,
00:40:57.85\00:40:59.54
how to discern
the face of the sky
00:40:59.57\00:41:02.54
but you cannot discern
the signs of the times."
00:41:02.57\00:41:06.54
So you see clearly, the
Lord is in essence saying,
00:41:06.57\00:41:09.06
what you just
taught pointed out,
00:41:09.09\00:41:11.34
you're able to tell
about the weather patterns,
00:41:11.37\00:41:13.34
you see, you could tell
us, it's gonna be warm today,
00:41:13.37\00:41:15.26
it's gonna be cold today.
00:41:15.29\00:41:16.59
There's gonna be a
cold front coming up
00:41:16.62\00:41:17.90
from the South
burning with the--
00:41:17.93\00:41:19.86
I mean, warm front, warm front
from the south, cold front--
00:41:19.89\00:41:24.81
that's some whether pattern--
00:41:24.84\00:41:26.00
cold front from the
north, say that 15 times.
00:41:26.03\00:41:30.11
And he said, you're--
00:41:30.14\00:41:31.23
you're able to
predict the weather
00:41:31.26\00:41:33.13
but you cannot see
the signs of the times.
00:41:33.16\00:41:35.81
And if you think of these signs
00:41:35.84\00:41:37.34
that the Bible forecast
how they are all around us.
00:41:37.37\00:41:41.27
The conditions are changing
at such a rapid progress that
00:41:41.30\00:41:45.58
it is almost impossible to say
00:41:45.61\00:41:47.03
that there's not
something behind that.
00:41:47.06\00:41:48.95
I like Luke 21
00:41:48.98\00:41:50.37
and we could spend a
little time here in Matthew 24
00:41:50.40\00:41:53.12
but I want to point
out something that Luke 21
00:41:53.15\00:41:55.46
brings to the table
00:41:55.49\00:41:57.65
about the conditions
of what people are seeing
00:41:57.68\00:42:00.60
happen in the world around us.
00:42:00.63\00:42:03.07
Luke 21 and verse
starting with verse 25
00:42:03.10\00:42:07.84
and then we'll
go down to verse 28.
00:42:07.87\00:42:11.29
Luke says, "There
will be signs in the sun,
00:42:11.32\00:42:14.62
in the moon and in the
stars and on the earth."
00:42:14.65\00:42:18.44
Notice how it's
gonna impact the world,
00:42:18.47\00:42:20.39
"distress of nations."
00:42:20.42\00:42:22.37
So we could look
at this right away
00:42:22.40\00:42:23.94
and somebody was talking
about this just the other day
00:42:23.97\00:42:27.19
and said, man we've got
the fastest rising stock market
00:42:27.22\00:42:30.21
we've seen in six years.
00:42:30.24\00:42:33.47
I was kind of a guy in
the water holding my breath
00:42:33.50\00:42:35.96
because I thought all it takes
is for one nation to sneeze
00:42:35.99\00:42:39.63
and everybody
else catches a cold.
00:42:39.66\00:42:41.72
And then after about a two
or three week continual arise,
00:42:41.75\00:42:44.82
everybody is getting
happy in the stock market
00:42:44.85\00:42:46.53
and people are singing--
singing in the glee club,
00:42:46.56\00:42:49.66
their money is
really maturing very well.
00:42:49.69\00:42:52.18
And all the
sudden there is a concern
00:42:52.21\00:42:54.91
in China over the issues
00:42:54.94\00:42:57.47
that are
happening in the Middle East
00:42:57.50\00:42:58.60
and boom it starts
just cascading down.
00:42:58.63\00:43:01.75
And it seems like
this distress of nations
00:43:01.78\00:43:04.74
that will happen on a
broader scale in the future
00:43:04.77\00:43:07.29
because of the signs
that are talked about here.
00:43:07.32\00:43:09.66
There's a--
there's a general distress
00:43:09.69\00:43:12.84
that's happening in the world.
00:43:12.87\00:43:14.05
People are not as
and we call this in--
00:43:14.08\00:43:16.62
in America we call
this consumer confidence.
00:43:16.65\00:43:19.49
Now we know
there's a comeback on the,
00:43:19.52\00:43:21.27
on the real estate market,
00:43:21.30\00:43:22.70
we know that a lot of
people are spending more money.
00:43:22.73\00:43:24.81
But if you-- if you were to say,
00:43:24.84\00:43:26.43
are you generally
really comfortable
00:43:26.46\00:43:28.87
and confident about
the future of our society.
00:43:28.90\00:43:31.52
Most people will say,
00:43:31.55\00:43:32.58
"No, I'm really
holding my breath
00:43:32.61\00:43:33.95
to find out what's gonna next."
00:43:33.98\00:43:36.40
Read the rest of this,
this is just really insightful.
00:43:36.43\00:43:39.44
It says, distress of nations
verse 25 of Matthew--Luke21,
00:43:39.47\00:43:44.62
"With perplexity sea
and the waves roaring."
00:43:44.65\00:43:48.43
Okay, let's stop
there for a second.
00:43:48.46\00:43:50.26
The distress of nations
00:43:50.29\00:43:51.65
puts them in a
state of perplexity
00:43:51.68\00:43:53.47
as to what do
we do? Yeah, right.
00:43:53.50\00:43:56.63
And the sea and
the waves roaring.
00:43:56.66\00:43:58.59
In other words, they're
gonna past their borders.
00:43:58.62\00:44:01.31
That's right. They're
gonna come up upon land.
00:44:01.34\00:44:03.40
You know one of
the interesting things
00:44:03.43\00:44:04.46
I heard the other day,
00:44:04.49\00:44:05.52
John, and this
just comes to mind.
00:44:05.55\00:44:08.50
One of the scientist got
on to one of the newscast
00:44:08.53\00:44:11.17
and they were talking
about the rising seas.
00:44:11.20\00:44:13.54
The seas could very well rise
00:44:13.57\00:44:15.21
over the next 30 to 50
years upwards of 2 to 3, 4 feet.
00:44:15.24\00:44:20.00
And then he made the statement,
00:44:20.03\00:44:21.11
he said, "And not
all this is happening
00:44:21.14\00:44:23.36
because of the ozone
layers and global warming."
00:44:23.39\00:44:27.07
He commented, he
said, in fact most of it
00:44:27.10\00:44:29.92
more that he
shed, he said, I believe
00:44:29.95\00:44:32.58
could be happening because
the continents are sinking.
00:44:32.61\00:44:37.45
I've never heard that before.
I don't know anything about it.
00:44:37.48\00:44:40.88
I'm just saying for
the first time they said,
00:44:40.91\00:44:42.22
you know, also
what's contributing to this
00:44:42.25\00:44:44.73
significantly is that
our continents are settling.
00:44:44.76\00:44:48.96
So while the
seas and the ice caps
00:44:48.99\00:44:51.20
and glaciers are melting,
the continents are settling.
00:44:51.23\00:44:54.54
So they both together are
causing the seas to rise up
00:44:54.57\00:44:58.45
and threaten coastlines.
00:44:58.48\00:45:00.61
The seas and waves are roaring
00:45:00.64\00:45:02.09
with perplexity,
nations are distressed,
00:45:02.12\00:45:04.34
what do we do about
this? There's no solution.
00:45:04.37\00:45:07.74
I think they did,
they did the actual model
00:45:07.77\00:45:09.93
and I used a word model earlier.
00:45:09.96\00:45:12.24
They did some model,
00:45:12.27\00:45:13.75
some demographic models to see
00:45:13.78\00:45:16.42
what the new shape of
the United States would be
00:45:16.45\00:45:19.49
if this were to happen.
00:45:19.52\00:45:20.87
How far, how much of Florida
would actually disappear?
00:45:20.90\00:45:24.24
How much of the Southern
States would actually disappear?
00:45:24.27\00:45:26.49
And how far, how much further
north the water lines would be?
00:45:26.52\00:45:31.76
And I thought to myself
wow, that's serious and--
00:45:31.79\00:45:35.85
and you know
these prognostications
00:45:35.88\00:45:37.85
are not without
some kind of percentages
00:45:37.88\00:45:41.21
one way or the other but still
what is actually being said,
00:45:41.24\00:45:44.07
it's for the
first time in history
00:45:44.10\00:45:46.85
meteorologists, scientists
and people that are studying
00:45:46.88\00:45:50.67
the behavioral
patterns of the weather
00:45:50.70\00:45:52.81
are beginning to say,
you know we've got to stop--
00:45:52.84\00:45:55.86
we got to begin
to look at the future
00:45:55.89\00:45:57.73
with some forethought in mind
as to what are we going to do,
00:45:57.76\00:46:02.45
when these scenarios
begin to manifest themselves
00:46:02.48\00:46:04.73
because we know that,
00:46:04.76\00:46:06.40
the-- the pieces
that will make this
00:46:06.43\00:46:09.18
a reality are already in motion.
00:46:09.21\00:46:12.95
See it's like what do
we do when a train arrives?
00:46:12.98\00:46:15.19
We know, it's coming.
00:46:15.22\00:46:16.62
And that's one
of the perplexities
00:46:16.65\00:46:17.97
that the world is
locked down by right now.
00:46:18.00\00:46:19.95
And then notice
what happens here
00:46:19.98\00:46:21.45
and the rest of this,
look at verse 26. Yes.
00:46:21.48\00:46:23.82
"Men's hearts
failing them from fear
00:46:23.85\00:46:26.36
and the
expectation of those things
00:46:26.39\00:46:28.82
which are coming on the earth,
00:46:28.85\00:46:31.82
for the powers of the
heavens will be what? Shaken.
00:46:31.85\00:46:35.95
Then they will
see the Son of Man
00:46:35.98\00:46:38.01
coming in a cloud
with power and great glory.
00:46:38.04\00:46:43.39
Now when these
things begin to happen,
00:46:43.42\00:46:45.40
look up and lift up your heads
00:46:45.43\00:46:47.07
because your
redemption draws near." Right.
00:46:47.10\00:46:50.11
See that's the
real, the good response,
00:46:50.14\00:46:51.85
the Christian response
the one following Christ says,
00:46:51.88\00:46:54.53
when these things happen,
Lord you are coming soon.
00:46:54.56\00:46:57.22
Right. You're near.
00:46:57.25\00:46:58.59
In fact I-- I
believe in Matthew.
00:46:58.62\00:47:01.34
He says, "I'm at
the doors of coming."
00:47:01.37\00:47:03.56
Now here is one of the
things he doesn't say, John.
00:47:03.59\00:47:05.30
And we're gonna open up
00:47:05.33\00:47:06.42
different issues as
we come through here.
00:47:06.45\00:47:08.01
I agree we probably don't have
time go through all the signs
00:47:08.04\00:47:10.23
because that's not
what this program is about,
00:47:10.26\00:47:12.28
it's more of a
sequential thing or events
00:47:12.31\00:47:14.36
but, but some say before
all these things really get bad,
00:47:14.39\00:47:20.24
all the Christians
will be rapture out.
00:47:20.27\00:47:23.06
You won't even be here.
00:47:23.09\00:47:25.10
In the sequence here
we're not finding any of that,
00:47:25.13\00:47:27.11
nor do we find that in Matthew.
00:47:27.14\00:47:29.20
We find repeatedly
that these signs occur
00:47:29.23\00:47:32.08
and then we look up and
see Jesus. That's right.
00:47:32.11\00:47:37.07
Visibly, audibly
we see His presence
00:47:37.10\00:47:40.87
coming to take us home.
00:47:40.90\00:47:43.35
Not we're gone
00:47:43.38\00:47:45.23
and then the
earth is left in chaos
00:47:45.26\00:47:47.04
for the wicked to have
a second chance. Right.
00:47:47.07\00:47:50.06
And what I am happy about
is I'm seeing more and more
00:47:50.09\00:47:52.93
on some of these
chat forums in regard tom
00:47:52.96\00:47:55.70
you know, Bible questions,
00:47:55.73\00:47:56.79
people
disbelieving the rapture theory.
00:47:56.82\00:47:59.03
There is- now, I'm not saying
00:47:59.06\00:48:01.30
how, to how much of
a degree I don't know.
00:48:01.33\00:48:03.30
I'm seeing some out
there basically say,
00:48:03.33\00:48:05.14
I don't really necessarily agree
with that whole rapture thing.
00:48:05.17\00:48:08.55
Which praise God
00:48:08.58\00:48:09.86
because it's not in
Scripture? It's a theory.
00:48:09.89\00:48:12.17
But yeah, it's
very much a theory
00:48:12.20\00:48:14.91
but what we're saying
here is look at the sequence.
00:48:14.94\00:48:17.62
Signs happening,
earth is in distress,
00:48:17.65\00:48:20.15
men don't know what to do
00:48:20.18\00:48:21.90
and then they look
up and Jesus comes.
00:48:21.93\00:48:24.41
It is definitely a time of
distress that Jesus appears.
00:48:24.44\00:48:27.43
And so what's being
suggested here as in Luke 21:28.
00:48:27.46\00:48:34.68
When you see these
things begin to happen
00:48:34.71\00:48:37.70
look up and lift up your heads.
00:48:37.73\00:48:39.47
Matthew 24 going back
there right now very quickly.
00:48:39.50\00:48:43.42
Matthew 24 speaks about
the parable of the fig tree.
00:48:43.45\00:48:49.78
Now the fig tree
is not a common tree
00:48:49.81\00:48:53.11
all throughout
the United States.
00:48:53.14\00:48:55.08
It's more of a tree that will
be found in the Middle East.
00:48:55.11\00:48:57.89
We had a fig tree in
our backyard in New York.
00:48:57.92\00:49:00.00
I don't know if you
ever had a fig tree before.
00:49:00.03\00:49:01.75
Yeah, we did,
had a couple of them.
00:49:01.78\00:49:03.40
And--but the Lord
has given this sign
00:49:03.43\00:49:07.15
and we could--we could
associate this with flowers
00:49:07.18\00:49:09.61
that begin to blossom
when the weather is changing.
00:49:09.64\00:49:12.92
And he talks about this
in verse 32 of Matthew 24.
00:49:12.95\00:49:17.74
"Now learn this
parable from the fig tree.
00:49:17.77\00:49:21.44
When its branch has
already become tender
00:49:21.47\00:49:23.91
and puts forth leaves,
you know that summer is near.
00:49:23.94\00:49:27.68
So you also when you see
all these things know that
00:49:27.71\00:49:30.86
it is near at the very door."
00:49:30.89\00:49:32.44
And you pointed
out that a moment ago
00:49:32.47\00:49:34.21
and this is the
encouraging part about it.
00:49:34.24\00:49:36.43
You see, when we see these signs
coming together collectively.
00:49:36.46\00:49:39.64
When we see men's
hearts failing them for fear.
00:49:39.67\00:49:42.57
When we see the
sea and waves roaring.
00:49:42.60\00:49:45.12
When we see the powers
of heaven being shaken.
00:49:45.15\00:49:47.36
When we see
perplexity of nations
00:49:47.39\00:49:50.32
because, you know, in the past
there was some phenomena events
00:49:50.35\00:49:53.82
that occurred like
the falling of the stars.
00:49:53.85\00:49:58.28
The great
earthquake, Lisbon earthquake,
00:49:58.31\00:50:00.38
these things
happened on a localized scale.
00:50:00.41\00:50:03.35
The falling all the
stars upward northeast
00:50:03.38\00:50:06.32
but it hadn't happened
00:50:06.35\00:50:07.93
where the whole
world was in perplexity
00:50:07.96\00:50:10.85
and where the seas
and the waves were roaring
00:50:10.88\00:50:13.52
and we're generally
in over the whole world,
00:50:13.55\00:50:16.07
men's hearts were
failing them for fear.
00:50:16.10\00:50:17.80
Nations it says plural,
00:50:17.83\00:50:19.20
which means more
than one local place.
00:50:19.23\00:50:21.53
Right, so we
believe that these events
00:50:21.56\00:50:23.67
are gonna occur
again on a grand or larger,
00:50:23.70\00:50:26.16
more momentous scale
and that's why the Lord says
00:50:26.19\00:50:29.87
when it does, this
generation verse 34,
00:50:29.90\00:50:32.75
will by no means pass away
00:50:32.78\00:50:35.16
until all these
things are fulfilled,
00:50:35.19\00:50:38.66
heaven and earth--heaven
and earth will pass away
00:50:38.69\00:50:41.36
but my word will
by no means pass away.
00:50:41.39\00:50:44.65
So what does this
generation mean in that is,
00:50:44.68\00:50:46.26
the generation
that sees these events
00:50:46.29\00:50:49.11
all take place is the
generation to see Him coming.
00:50:49.14\00:50:51.80
That's what
it's saying. I agree.
00:50:51.83\00:50:53.10
That's exactly what it's saying.
00:50:53.13\00:50:54.33
And since He hasn't come yet,
00:50:54.36\00:50:56.19
there's a generation
yet either in our day
00:50:56.22\00:50:58.96
or not too far distant from us
00:50:58.99\00:51:00.65
that's gonna
witness all these things
00:51:00.68\00:51:02.21
happening in a
collective manner.
00:51:02.24\00:51:04.11
But now the other thing I
want to point out that he--
00:51:04.14\00:51:05.86
that we cannot
get too hung up on
00:51:05.89\00:51:08.82
because there are certain signs
00:51:08.85\00:51:09.92
that we repeat pretty much
over and over and over again.
00:51:09.95\00:51:13.54
That are also included in the--
00:51:13.57\00:51:15.69
in the smorgasbord
of signs for the end
00:51:15.72\00:51:18.29
but we can't single them out.
00:51:18.32\00:51:21.11
But we'll also notice
as Jesus points them out,
00:51:21.14\00:51:23.89
He also mentions a
transitionary period
00:51:23.92\00:51:26.99
between the things that
have continued to happen
00:51:27.02\00:51:30.09
and then all of a sudden a shift
00:51:30.12\00:51:31.64
from things that you cannot--
00:51:31.67\00:51:33.28
things that do not
directly affect you,
00:51:33.31\00:51:35.37
to things that
directly affect you.
00:51:35.40\00:51:37.55
Look at Matthew 24.
00:51:37.58\00:51:39.51
John, why don't
you start with verse 4?
00:51:39.54\00:51:42.13
Matthew 24:4, and
then go to verse 8.
00:51:42.16\00:51:45.35
"And Jesus
answered and said to them,
00:51:45.38\00:51:47.71
take heed that
no man deceives you.
00:51:47.74\00:51:49.50
For many will come in My name,
00:51:49.53\00:51:50.85
saying, I am the
Christ and will deceive many.
00:51:50.88\00:51:54.44
And you will hear of
wars and rumors of wars,
00:51:54.47\00:51:56.97
see that you are
not troubled for the--
00:51:57.00\00:51:58.84
for all these
things must come into pass,
00:51:58.87\00:52:00.37
but the end is not yet.
00:52:00.40\00:52:02.44
For nation will
rise against nation,
00:52:02.47\00:52:04.11
and kingdom against kingdom.
00:52:04.14\00:52:05.17
And there will be
famines, pestilences,
00:52:05.20\00:52:06.96
and earthquakes
in various places."
00:52:06.99\00:52:08.79
And look at verse 8.
00:52:08.82\00:52:09.85
"All these things are
the beginning of sorrows."
00:52:09.88\00:52:12.68
That means they're not the end.
00:52:12.71\00:52:14.33
That they're beginning
of what we see is sorrows.
00:52:14.36\00:52:16.74
But then look at
the turn of the table.
00:52:16.77\00:52:19.25
"Then they will
deliver you up to tribulation
00:52:19.28\00:52:22.36
and kill you and you'll be hated
00:52:22.39\00:52:23.92
by all nations
for My name's sake."
00:52:23.95\00:52:26.34
Now when you pause there,
you ask yourself the question.
00:52:26.37\00:52:30.73
What will possibly happen,
what could possibly happen,
00:52:30.76\00:52:36.25
that the nations will
be angry at the Christians.
00:52:36.28\00:52:40.45
It could-it's saying to me
that some condition will occur.
00:52:40.48\00:52:44.95
That the condition
that the Christians
00:52:44.98\00:52:47.23
will be blamed for
00:52:47.26\00:52:50.79
to bring about the
hatred of all nations.
00:52:50.82\00:52:55.55
And you ask yourself,
what could that possibly be?
00:52:55.58\00:52:58.13
Could it be--and let me just
build some scenarios in hand,
00:52:58.16\00:53:01.20
we could talk about this vacuum,
00:53:01.23\00:53:03.03
could it be that the conditions
of the world are gonna become
00:53:03.06\00:53:05.70
so dire that there is gonna be
00:53:05.73\00:53:07.38
some kind of universal
plan were people will say,
00:53:07.41\00:53:10.67
God is angry with us,
00:53:10.70\00:53:12.06
if we do what
God wants us to do,
00:53:12.09\00:53:14.81
then these calamities or
these judgments will cease.
00:53:14.84\00:53:20.14
But then there are
others that will say,
00:53:20.17\00:53:21.37
wait a minute, wait a minute.
00:53:21.40\00:53:23.44
We're not buying into that
00:53:23.47\00:53:24.67
because what you're suggesting
00:53:24.70\00:53:26.00
is in direct
violation to God's Word,
00:53:26.03\00:53:28.44
so we're
standing with God's Word.
00:53:28.47\00:53:31.21
We're not gonna do that. Yeah.
00:53:31.24\00:53:32.80
And the nation said,
well, then you're the cause
00:53:32.83\00:53:34.31
of this bickering,
we hate you for the fact
00:53:34.34\00:53:36.30
that you're not
choosing to stand with us
00:53:36.33\00:53:38.07
to avert these
continued calamities.
00:53:38.10\00:53:40.78
Well, Jesus seems to imply
that's exactly what will happen
00:53:40.81\00:53:44.37
and here's how we
that, so if you go on,
00:53:44.40\00:53:46.31
read on in this, it
picks up in verse 21
00:53:46.34\00:53:49.21
in regard to the tribulation,
a great tribulation it says,
00:53:49.24\00:53:52.29
"Such as not been since
the beginning of the world
00:53:52.32\00:53:54.54
until this time nor
no, nor shall ever be,
00:53:54.57\00:53:58.95
unless those
days were shortened,
00:53:58.98\00:54:00.14
no flesh would even be saved,
but for the elect's sake."
00:54:00.17\00:54:03.53
In other words
there is a elect group,
00:54:03.56\00:54:06.69
that will be saved by the
shortening of these events
00:54:06.72\00:54:10.13
but notice what
it connects it with.
00:54:10.16\00:54:11.72
There seems to be a
struggle indicated here
00:54:11.75\00:54:14.21
between two groups.
00:54:14.24\00:54:16.19
It says, "Then if
anyone says to you,
00:54:16.22\00:54:17.79
'Look, here is the Christ!'
or 'There!' do not believe it.
00:54:17.82\00:54:24.11
For false christs and
false prophets will arise
00:54:24.14\00:54:26.37
and show great signs
and wonders to deceive,
00:54:26.40\00:54:29.02
if possible, even the elect.
00:54:29.05\00:54:31.89
See, I have told you beforehand.
00:54:31.92\00:54:33.49
Now notice what
this verse is saying,
00:54:33.52\00:54:35.10
John, this is powerful.
00:54:35.13\00:54:37.33
There will be people who
follow this false christ,
00:54:37.36\00:54:41.35
who profess faith in a christ
that isn't Jesus. That's right.
00:54:41.38\00:54:45.85
And because of that
and the signs and wonders
00:54:45.88\00:54:48.75
he performs, fake miracles,
00:54:48.78\00:54:50.81
they will side with
him against the elect.
00:54:50.84\00:54:55.49
It's not heathen
versus Christian.
00:54:55.52\00:54:58.28
It is supposed a Christian
00:54:58.31\00:54:59.70
who follow this false christ
versus elect true Christian.
00:54:59.73\00:55:04.29
The battle at the end of times,
the spiritual battle is not
00:55:04.32\00:55:07.27
this what supposed it
many Christians believe
00:55:07.30\00:55:09.47
which is the
heathen are going to,
00:55:09.50\00:55:11.24
the atheists are gonna somehow,
00:55:11.27\00:55:12.70
you know, it is
not about us and them.
00:55:12.73\00:55:15.27
It's about what
the enemy has done,
00:55:15.30\00:55:16.81
doing or going to do through
a false system of worship,
00:55:16.84\00:55:20.30
a false christ who
sets himself up with power
00:55:20.33\00:55:23.62
because of the great
miracles he performs,
00:55:23.65\00:55:25.81
they will be deceived
by those, side with him
00:55:25.84\00:55:28.14
and persecute God's
true people known here,
00:55:28.17\00:55:30.72
referred to here as the elect.
00:55:30.75\00:55:32.74
One of things, John, and you
and I talked about this it is--
00:55:32.77\00:55:35.65
it is Satan is diabolical
in how he setting this up
00:55:35.68\00:55:38.72
because with
all these continual,
00:55:38.75\00:55:42.03
thirsty audiences
for these demonic movies,
00:55:42.06\00:55:45.66
he's making people think,
00:55:45.69\00:55:47.02
he's some hideous gargantuan
00:55:47.05\00:55:50.39
and ugly awful looking creature
00:55:50.42\00:55:52.94
but when he shows up,
00:55:52.97\00:55:54.00
the Bible gives us
evidence to let us know
00:55:54.03\00:55:57.36
that when he shows up,
00:55:57.39\00:55:59.27
the reason why people are gonna
be deceived is how he shows up.
00:55:59.30\00:56:02.38
He's setting
everybody out today,
00:56:02.41\00:56:03.97
that he wants to do
exact opposite tomorrow.
00:56:04.00\00:56:06.57
They're gonna say
that he cannot be seen
00:56:06.60\00:56:07.89
because he doesn't look--
look he doesn't have horns,
00:56:07.92\00:56:10.38
he doesn't look
like a crazy being,
00:56:10.41\00:56:11.91
he doesn't look some--some
beast from the 20,000 fathoms.
00:56:11.94\00:56:15.43
But the Bible gives us
00:56:15.46\00:56:16.49
this warning here
in 2 Corinthians 11:14,
00:56:16.52\00:56:20.37
"No wonder, for Satan himself,
00:56:20.40\00:56:24.04
transforms himself
into an angel of light."
00:56:24.07\00:56:28.84
Not just transforms himself
as in the transformation,
00:56:28.87\00:56:32.19
he transforms even what
people appear or thought he was,
00:56:32.22\00:56:36.13
into this new being
which is a false christ.
00:56:36.16\00:56:39.24
That's right and
so this angel of light
00:56:39.27\00:56:41.54
that people are
gonna be believing,
00:56:41.57\00:56:43.13
its Christ and we'll know
00:56:43.16\00:56:45.31
because he's gonna be walking
on the earth that is not Him.
00:56:45.34\00:56:48.05
What we're gonna do?
00:56:48.08\00:56:49.11
Well we know he's
walking on the earth
00:56:49.14\00:56:50.92
because he's walking on
the earth that is no Him
00:56:50.95\00:56:52.63
because Jesus said,
"that when he comes down
00:56:52.66\00:56:54.73
that we will
meet Him in the air."
00:56:54.76\00:56:57.37
So He will not touch the ground.
00:56:57.40\00:56:59.48
So that's why he
says in verse 26,
00:56:59.51\00:57:02.54
"Therefore if they said you,
00:57:02.57\00:57:03.60
'Look, He is in the desert!'
00:57:03.63\00:57:04.70
do not go out, or he's in
the interims do not believe it.
00:57:04.73\00:57:08.80
And then we'll see
00:57:08.83\00:57:09.90
as we will continue
in this particular topic.
00:57:09.93\00:57:12.90
One of the things that is--
00:57:12.93\00:57:14.06
one of the unobvious
signs of the coming of the Lord,
00:57:14.09\00:57:16.72
is all these things
that are happening around us,
00:57:16.75\00:57:18.64
preparing the world for things
00:57:18.67\00:57:20.17
that mankind are
not even aware that's--
00:57:20.20\00:57:24.14
So we want to stoke the fires
00:57:24.17\00:57:25.43
and let people know
here at House Calls,
00:57:25.46\00:57:27.36
yes the call is coming
00:57:27.39\00:57:28.80
and we pray that
as your knowledge
00:57:28.83\00:57:30.54
of the Word of God increases,
00:57:30.57\00:57:31.70
when the call
comes, you'll be ready.
00:57:31.73\00:57:34.27