Hello, friends, grab
your Bible and a friend
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and sit bit as we
explore God's word together
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on this edition of House calls.
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Hello, friends, welcome
to the best Bible program
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this time of the day
anywhere on the planet.
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And my friend, John
agrees. Don't you John?
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Hey, it is--
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I wouldn't be
here. That's right.
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If we didn't
believe that to be true,
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we really would be sitting
here with our two laptops,
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our Bible questions, our Bibles,
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and with you
tuning as an audience.
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So we thank you so
much for tuning in.
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Get your Bibles
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because this is the program
that you've been waiting for.
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And, John, what are we
gonna be discussing today,
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just you can give us a tease.
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God's character, you know
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it's really come
under fire of light,
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and it's time that
we see with the word
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has to say about it.
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Okay.
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And as you know,
friends, we don't do anything.
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We're gonna gone to
our Bible questions.
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When we get back
in just a moment,
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we'll tell you where to
send your Bible questions.
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And but before
we do any of that,
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we're gonna have prayer.
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And John is always the one
designated to have our prayer.
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So, John, lead us
before the throne of grace.
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Happy to do that.
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Father in heaven,
we're thankful again
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to open your word
and to have that word
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that we can trust and
you too about reveal truth
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and reveal yourself through.
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We pray that you'd
send your spirit, Lord,
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to help along this
program and to be with each here
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so that we might
understand not only that truth
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but who you are
more deeply in our heart.
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In Jesus' name, amen. Amen.
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As you know, friends,
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many of you send
your Bible questions.
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We thank you for those of you
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who are still
sending in the letters,
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we still accept them.
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I know that many of
you know the address,
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PO box 220, West
Frankfort, IL 62896.
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Attention: House calls.
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But some of you send the email,
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the question, which
we appreciate those also.
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But if you have
any questions at all,
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you can send those questions
to housecalls@3abn.org.
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That's housecalls@3abn.org.
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Keep them coming because we
really enjoy your questions.
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And even thank you for
those who repeat questions
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because sometimes
we answer questions,
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we may leave something out,
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and if you want
for the clarification
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you can send those
questions us again.
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But, John, what
do we have today?
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Well, we've got
several questions.
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I think we're gonna
start off with the couple
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little, a little faster.
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And then we can
get to a question
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that may take a little longer.
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So I'm gonna
mention here a one question
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that is a little more
brief, just a request by Cathie.
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And she is asking us to
elaborate on Psalm 45:11.
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So lets take a
look at Psalm 45:11,
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and I'll read that here for you.
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In fact, why don't
we back of few verses
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just so we get the context.
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All right.
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Psalm 45, let's
start with verse 6.
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Okay.
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"Your throne, O God,
is for ever and ever,
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scepter of righteousness
is a scepter of your kingdom.
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You love righteousness
and hate wickedness,
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therefore, God, your God,
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has anointed you
with the oil of gladness
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more than your companions
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All Your garments
are sainted with myrrh,
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and aloes, and cassia
out of the ivory palaces
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by which they
have made you glad.
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Kings daughters are
among your honorable women.
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At your right hand stands
the queen in gold from Ophir.
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Listen, O daughter,
consider and incline your ear
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forget your own people
also and your father's house".
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And here is the verse
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"So the king will
greatly desire your beauty
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because he is your
Lord, worship him."
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Okay.
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And I think probably
one of the questions,
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a part of the question
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that they are asking
us to elaborate on is,
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is what's kind of a
depth they meaning here
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because we need to
know who the king is.
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And we also need to
know who's this daughter is
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that is been
spoken of in this passage.
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First of all if the king
is the one that is the Lord
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and to worship him, we
know that only can be Jesus.
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That's right.
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Jesus throughout the
Bible is clearly the king.
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The other part, the daughter
is also revealed in that
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the Bible depicts a
woman, daughter often,
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as one that is
the wife of the Lord
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or he is the husband and
the daughter is his wife.
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And so his church
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is really what he is
talking about here, his people.
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If you look else
for in scripture as well
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you'll find such as Isaiah 61.
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Isaiah talks about how
the Lord ornaments are puts,
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for beautiful
things on his woman,
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on the daughter.
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And of course, we knows
those beautiful ornaments
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are not true rings, and
necklaces, and ear rings,
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and in all that kind of stuff.
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It's the beauty of
holiness, it's serving the Lord,
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it's walking in God's ways.
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And so he's asking,
his to saying here really,
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this is a prophecy
about the king desire
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that desire for
his wife, the church,
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to walk in that beauty, to
walk in the holiness of God,
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to worship their
king and their king alone,
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and to serve him.
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And that's really the
deeper meaning of this.
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There may some other things
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that people have some
different prospective on,
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but at the heart of
it that's the message.
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And truly you know,
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you talked about the
Lord ornamenting his church,
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he uses the
illustration of the Asian bride.
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If you go to India, you
see ornamentation is opulent
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when you see the bride.
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So much of the wedding in Asia
is indicative of Christ saying,
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"Do you see that bride?
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Hey, a picture of
the beauty of my church."
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Not the false externals
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but the beauty
that he gives her,
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he's weighing far greater
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than the beauty that is seen
in the external Asian wedding.
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But that was
pretty clear to the point,
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I don't think there's
as much of explanation
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that needs to be there.
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Question we have
here, Luke 22:36-38.
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I am gonna go
ahead and read those.
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And I am reading in the
end New King James version.
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And the question is,
"Would you kindly explain
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what does the sword in
these verses stands for?
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I have not seen
them used anywhere
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after the Lord told
them to go and get swords,
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and to sell what they
have, and buy one if necessary."
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Think you joy, and it
puts you a servant in Christ.
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And they are from Trinidad.
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So, hey, we got some questions
coming from the West Indies.
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So that's the wonderful thing.
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Lets read the
verses, Luke 22:36-38.
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And by the way,
the lady who raised me
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was from Trinidad, that's why
I can't did that little thing.
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You identified
with that. Exactly.
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"Then He said," that is Jesus
in verse 36, He said to them,
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"By but now, he who has a
money bag, let him take it,
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and likewise a knapsack,
and he who has no sword,
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let him sell his
garment and buy one.
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For I say to you
that this which is written
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must be accomplished in Me.
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And he was numbered
with the transgressors
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for the things
concerning Me have an end."
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And verse 38, "So they said,
'Look, Lord, or Lord, look,
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here are two swords,
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and He said to
them, 'It is enough.'"
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And I think those the verses
that they referring to there.
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Now the question is I believe,
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is the Lord advocating violence?
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Because you know, we think
at the context of the sword.
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What's actually happening here
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is when Jesus
began his ministry,
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what was closely
associate with his ministry
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was the tension that
builds on the announcement
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that another king has risen.
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He could possibly be the messiah
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or he could be the king
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that overthrows
the Roman government.
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And the tensions here
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are not any tension
that we can take lightly,
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so we must "protect ourselves."
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So when Jesus referred to
the disciples needing a sword,
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and they say,
look we have two swords
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and Lord says,
well, that's enough.
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He was not
advocating, you take that sword
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to use a sword, he was
simply recognizing the tension
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that the atmosphere in
which his ministry began
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shifted so much to violence.
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And if you notice
further on, matter of fact,
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I'll give you a
couple of text here
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just to bring this
to, bring this point home.
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Jesus wasn't
saying to the disciple,
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when the time comes,
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if you need the
sword, kill them.
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Right. Right.
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He wasn't saying that
this is, arm yourself.
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But the visibility of the sword
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was not the
advocacy of violence.
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Let me give you a
couple of examples,
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Mathew 10:34.
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Look at the ways
that Jesus uses the sword.
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He says "Do not think
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that I came to
bring peace on earth.
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I did not come to
bring peace but a sword".
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He is saying a
lot of people think
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that my mission is going
to be a peaceful mission.
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Well, if I was living at
the time that Jesus arrived
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and I was apart of
the Judeo-Christian church
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at the time or the
before it became the Christian,
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the movement of Judaism.
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And then the messiah showed up
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and I was told about my
leaders, that's not him.
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And then the Romans
were told by the Jews,
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that's not him.
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And we both have
something to fear,
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this man is gonna
overthrow our government,
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he's gonna upset our
religion, so you got be careful.
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And then now there is
search looking for him.
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You can see the
tension of the atmosphere,
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but Jesus made it very clear.
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And Mathew
10:34, and Luke 12:51,
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he talked about he
didn't come to bring peace
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but He brought
a sword in Mathew,
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and then He equated
that sword to division.
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But to show that He
did not support violence,
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when they came and
arrest the Jesus in the garden,
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Peter took out his sword
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and he cut off the
ear of one of the solders.
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And Jesus made it very
clear in Mathew 26:52, he said,
00:10:03.87\00:10:08.14
"Put your sword in its place,
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for all who take the
sword will perish by the sword."
00:10:10.87\00:10:16.28
So now the question you
ask, okay, Peter probably said,
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"Lord, didn't you
tell me to get a sword?"
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He said, "I didn't tell
you to use it to hurt anybody.
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Just, it has a visible
representation of protection
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but do not take that sword
out because if you'll use it,
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it's gonna be
the same instrument
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by which you're gonna perish."
00:10:35.60\00:10:37.17
And then finally
the reiteration of that
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and the apostle
John in Revelation 13:10,
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"He who leads into captivity
shall go into captivity.
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He who kills with the sword
must be killed with the sword."
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So then what's the obvious
stipulation for the sword?
00:10:52.18\00:10:58.05
Well, Paul the apostle
brings the sword into full view
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when he speaks about the sword.
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Not of the solder,
not of the murderer,
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but the sword of the
spirit is the word of the God.
00:11:09.86\00:11:13.44
And so the sword, that's most
likely talked about here is,
00:11:13.47\00:11:15.57
Jesus saying, the reasons
00:11:15.60\00:11:17.11
why there is going to be
such tension in my arrival
00:11:17.14\00:11:20.54
is because they see me
as one who brings division.
00:11:20.58\00:11:23.81
And truly, my
doctor more cause division
00:11:23.85\00:11:26.48
but the reason why
its gonna cause division
00:11:26.51\00:11:28.38
is because I come
not with the Roman sword
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but I come with the
sword of the spirit,
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which is the word of God.
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And the
proclamation of that sword,
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the spiritual sword,
division become the result.
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Its amazing, you
know, when Jesus comes back
00:11:39.66\00:11:41.66
a sword is gonna be
proceed from his mouth,
00:11:41.70\00:11:43.70
which is the word of God.
00:11:43.73\00:11:45.07
So this is not the
advocacy of violence
00:11:45.10\00:11:47.14
but in fact,
talking about the fact
00:11:47.17\00:11:48.97
that my mission will
be accompanied by tension
00:11:49.00\00:11:52.24
on both the side of
the Jews and the Romans,
00:11:52.27\00:11:55.81
but we need to show ourselves
ready for this atmosphere,
00:11:55.84\00:11:59.48
but I am not advocating
that you take that sword
00:11:59.51\00:12:01.65
and even cut any one with it,
00:12:01.68\00:12:03.39
as it's the case
when Peter used it.
00:12:03.42\00:12:05.49
And you know, to
elaborate on that further
00:12:05.52\00:12:07.32
I like which you
mentioned here with Paul,
00:12:07.36\00:12:09.22
how he talks about
the sword of the spirit
00:12:09.26\00:12:10.99
as the word of God.
00:12:11.03\00:12:12.39
We even have to be careful
when we wield the sword of,
00:12:12.43\00:12:15.93
the word of God.
00:12:15.96\00:12:17.70
Because remember that
it's the sword of the spirit,
00:12:17.73\00:12:20.64
it's the spirit
that wields the sword.
00:12:20.67\00:12:23.81
Sometimes we can take the
sword and we can start cutting,
00:12:23.84\00:12:27.84
and then we assume
the position of a spirit,
00:12:27.88\00:12:30.01
and no longer it's
the sword of the spirit,
00:12:30.05\00:12:32.15
it became the sword of John.
00:12:32.18\00:12:33.82
Like the sword of Peter, right.
00:12:33.85\00:12:35.18
And so we can do that
even with the word of God.
00:12:35.22\00:12:38.15
We need to make
sure that the Holy Spirit
00:12:38.19\00:12:40.29
is the one wielding that sword,
00:12:40.32\00:12:42.46
He is the one
that's on the offensive
00:12:42.49\00:12:43.89
in their heart.
00:12:43.93\00:12:45.36
We present the message,
00:12:45.39\00:12:46.73
we present in
loving and care for others
00:12:46.76\00:12:48.43
but the Holy Spirit
does the convicting.
00:12:48.46\00:12:50.67
You know I like
that you bring that out.
00:12:50.70\00:12:52.73
One of the things is
we both think alike a lot,
00:12:52.77\00:12:55.47
that's why I
decided to give him my name.
00:12:55.50\00:12:58.01
His name is John also.
00:12:58.04\00:13:00.08
But in the reality,
00:13:00.11\00:13:02.74
that same note fits in
to the beauty of God's word,
00:13:02.78\00:13:06.41
it's a lamp and a light.
00:13:06.45\00:13:08.52
And when the Lord says,
let your light so shine,
00:13:08.55\00:13:11.65
He didn't say to turn
on your halogen head lights
00:13:11.69\00:13:14.39
and go blinding other
people with the light,
00:13:14.42\00:13:16.59
he wanted us to
shine forth like a candle.
00:13:16.62\00:13:18.99
And a candle is not offensive.
00:13:19.03\00:13:20.43
You could look at it
00:13:20.46\00:13:21.83
and it begins to illuminate
the surroundings that we're in.
00:13:21.86\00:13:24.70
So, yes, don't use
the word of God as a sword
00:13:24.73\00:13:27.17
to cut people up,
00:13:27.20\00:13:28.54
don't use it as
light to blind individuals.
00:13:28.57\00:13:31.24
Allow God's glory to be seen,
00:13:31.27\00:13:33.24
and the word of
God let be heard,
00:13:33.27\00:13:34.64
and let the spirit of
the God do the cutting.
00:13:34.68\00:13:37.55
What you have next for us, John?
00:13:37.58\00:13:39.18
I have a question
that comes here from,
00:13:39.21\00:13:42.52
lets see, Jo.
00:13:42.55\00:13:45.42
And I think it's
short for Joanne.
00:13:45.45\00:13:48.12
Okay.
00:13:48.16\00:13:49.49
And she says, "Thank you
for the House Calls program.
00:13:49.52\00:13:51.66
Its help me to understand
and grow in God's word.
00:13:51.69\00:13:55.36
I have a question
about the 2520 prophecy."
00:13:55.40\00:13:58.87
"Please clarify what
this is and why it is,
00:13:58.90\00:14:01.90
or it's not true.
00:14:01.94\00:14:04.17
Is it gaining momentum
00:14:04.21\00:14:05.54
or it's just
another end time deception
00:14:05.57\00:14:07.78
that enemy uses to
divide and concur?"
00:14:07.81\00:14:10.51
And then she just wants to
know little more about this.
00:14:10.55\00:14:13.38
Now, I would say
that this topic, John,
00:14:13.42\00:14:16.69
can fill up in entire
in two or three programs.
00:14:16.72\00:14:19.55
So we can't cover this
question with any kind of depth.
00:14:19.59\00:14:23.53
But just a quick
synopsis here, the 2520,
00:14:23.56\00:14:27.50
in those that
advocate that "prophecy"
00:14:27.53\00:14:32.57
are taking it
from William Miller
00:14:32.60\00:14:36.00
and the 1843 chart,
00:14:36.04\00:14:37.97
that was first
used by the Millerites
00:14:38.01\00:14:40.68
to proclaim the
last Advent message.
00:14:40.71\00:14:43.75
And so we are the
first, second angles,
00:14:43.78\00:14:45.45
and third angles message
that came over that period
00:14:45.48\00:14:47.78
of about 1840
through 1844, 1845.
00:14:47.82\00:14:52.95
During that period
Ellen White writes about that
00:14:52.99\00:14:56.69
and she speak of this chart
00:14:56.73\00:14:58.46
as being a significant impieties
00:14:58.49\00:15:01.40
for helping through advent
that message by William Miller.
00:15:01.43\00:15:04.17
William Miller use that
chart and it was a real great,
00:15:04.20\00:15:07.14
a great tool for
helping that message go forward.
00:15:07.17\00:15:10.87
Now the top right
corner of the message,
00:15:10.91\00:15:12.31
you'll see that the
most significant part of it
00:15:12.34\00:15:15.54
was the 2300 days prophecy,
which we knows the 2300 years.
00:15:15.58\00:15:20.52
And that has been advocated.
00:15:20.55\00:15:22.32
We share that
message to this very day
00:15:22.35\00:15:24.42
as Seventh-day Adventist.
00:15:24.45\00:15:27.42
But there is
another prophecy there
00:15:27.46\00:15:30.03
that William Miller advocating
00:15:30.06\00:15:31.53
which was called 2520
day prophecy, 2520 years.
00:15:31.56\00:15:37.50
And so this group has
come together, saying,
00:15:37.53\00:15:40.20
this is kind of
the last prophecy
00:15:40.24\00:15:41.80
within Adventism,
00:15:41.84\00:15:43.17
although it was not
an Adventist prophecy,
00:15:43.20\00:15:44.54
it never was.
00:15:44.57\00:15:45.91
It was very much William Miller
and the Millerites at the time.
00:15:45.94\00:15:49.58
So they advocated,
it's the last prophecy
00:15:49.61\00:15:51.81
that's need to be
brought back to the forefront
00:15:51.85\00:15:53.45
because it
provides a second witness
00:15:53.48\00:15:55.28
to key dates in
our prophetic timeline,
00:15:55.32\00:15:58.49
those being 1798 and 1844.
00:15:58.52\00:16:02.16
Essentially what they're
saying with the 2520 prophecy
00:16:02.19\00:16:05.69
is that it is
given in Leviticus 26,
00:16:05.73\00:16:10.97
its in regard to seventh
times, that is indicated there,
00:16:11.00\00:16:15.20
specifically in the King James
and New King James version.
00:16:15.24\00:16:19.07
And if that seven time
it's used prophetically,
00:16:19.11\00:16:22.04
it add up to 2520 years.
00:16:22.08\00:16:24.88
And you get that
by a time is a year,
00:16:24.91\00:16:28.02
so seven times
means seven years,
00:16:28.05\00:16:30.49
which equal 2520 days,
00:16:30.52\00:16:33.86
and then convert it
into years, its 2520 years.
00:16:33.89\00:16:36.52
Right, if you
use the number 360.
00:16:36.56\00:16:38.23
Right, if 360 days per year,
00:16:38.26\00:16:41.23
which is the way the Jews system
00:16:41.26\00:16:43.47
always used a year in prophecy.
00:16:43.50\00:16:46.50
So what they do is,
they take that number
00:16:46.53\00:16:48.44
and miller himself
believe that the date started
00:16:48.47\00:16:52.67
when Manasha was
taking in chains to Syria.
00:16:52.71\00:16:58.28
He was ultimately
released and came back to power,
00:16:58.31\00:17:00.32
but for a time he was taken.
00:17:00.35\00:17:01.68
And that was in 677 BC.
00:17:01.72\00:17:04.62
Counting forward
that time period,
00:17:04.65\00:17:06.35
you arrive at the 2520 days,
00:17:06.39\00:17:09.19
which is 1844, 2520 years.
00:17:09.22\00:17:14.73
Now during that time also
Hiram Edson also came into play
00:17:14.76\00:17:18.83
and disagreed fairly
significantly with Millerite,
00:17:18.87\00:17:21.44
in fact, if you
go into our history,
00:17:21.47\00:17:23.41
he took an adamant view
against Miller's starting date.
00:17:23.44\00:17:26.84
And he advocated the date
of 722, which was the time
00:17:26.88\00:17:33.65
that the
Assyrians sat and destroyed
00:17:33.68\00:17:38.55
the Northern Kingdom
of Samaria, the key city.
00:17:38.59\00:17:43.93
And so he advocates that
00:17:43.96\00:17:45.39
that day the 2520
period run to 1798.
00:17:45.43\00:17:50.20
Well, this
group is come together
00:17:50.23\00:17:51.83
and used both to show that,
00:17:51.87\00:17:54.70
hey, this is the second witness,
00:17:54.74\00:17:56.20
sort of speak in the
Bible for those two dates.
00:17:56.24\00:17:59.41
And the 2520 year period
00:17:59.44\00:18:02.58
is seen as a time of scattering.
00:18:02.61\00:18:06.25
Yeah, scattering,
a scattering period
00:18:06.28\00:18:08.35
where by the Jews
and those in the earth
00:18:08.38\00:18:12.42
were under a curse that
they called curse of Moses
00:18:12.45\00:18:15.69
for the disobedience
that happened back then.
00:18:15.72\00:18:18.59
So that curse then began
in 677 under Miller's view
00:18:18.63\00:18:22.53
and continued on through 1844,
00:18:22.56\00:18:24.50
then after the
Great Disappointment
00:18:24.53\00:18:26.10
you had a gathering period,
00:18:26.13\00:18:27.50
which is when
God's people would gather
00:18:27.54\00:18:29.14
under the Adventist message,
00:18:29.17\00:18:30.51
the three angles
message is to proclaim it.
00:18:30.54\00:18:32.61
That in essence is the 2520.
00:18:32.64\00:18:34.38
Here's some
significant problems with this.
00:18:34.41\00:18:38.71
Number one, Leviticus
26, the seventh times there,
00:18:38.75\00:18:43.08
Leviticus is not
a apocalyptic book.
00:18:43.12\00:18:45.95
It's not a book to
be read prophetically.
00:18:45.99\00:18:48.36
So, there's no
reason to formulate
00:18:48.39\00:18:53.53
or take the word seven times
00:18:53.56\00:18:55.06
and say, hey,
that means prophetic,
00:18:55.10\00:18:57.77
that's prophetic time.
00:18:57.80\00:18:59.53
Number two, the word time
00:18:59.57\00:19:01.10
isn't even in the
original text, okay.
00:19:01.14\00:19:04.17
James White came up
pretty clearly on this in 1863,
00:19:04.21\00:19:07.18
where he shared and he said it
00:19:07.21\00:19:09.48
in the all
inclusive we as a church,
00:19:09.51\00:19:12.58
he said that we believe
00:19:12.61\00:19:14.02
if there is no
prophecy existing here at all.
00:19:14.05\00:19:17.02
Therefore, all this
arguing about start dates,
00:19:17.05\00:19:19.02
and finish dates, and
all those are the things,
00:19:19.05\00:19:20.56
they're just a
bunch of nonsense.
00:19:20.59\00:19:22.72
So we as a church at
that point left it behind.
00:19:22.76\00:19:25.43
Now this group says, we didn't.
00:19:25.46\00:19:27.00
They tried to kind of read
into Ellen White's writings
00:19:27.03\00:19:29.26
and try to bring it
back, saying, she advocated it.
00:19:29.30\00:19:31.83
But there is no
evidence of that whatsoever.
00:19:31.87\00:19:35.04
All the evidence points to
how the church had rejected
00:19:35.07\00:19:38.61
that part of
William Miller's prophecy
00:19:38.64\00:19:41.21
and his message
and we move forward
00:19:41.24\00:19:43.65
slowly focused on
the 2300 year prophecies.
00:19:43.68\00:19:48.45
There's couple other issues
00:19:48.48\00:19:49.82
that are significant
here with this prophecy.
00:19:49.85\00:19:51.25
Number one, occurs.
00:19:51.29\00:19:52.75
How does occurs last
through the apostolic era?
00:19:52.79\00:19:57.03
How does Christ who came to
deliver and set people free,
00:19:57.06\00:20:02.40
how are we
operating under a curse
00:20:02.43\00:20:05.10
as we transition from
that old covenant experience
00:20:05.13\00:20:07.04
to a new covenant,
00:20:07.07\00:20:08.40
conversion experience in Christ.
00:20:08.44\00:20:10.61
Another thing
you have to ask is,
00:20:10.64\00:20:12.37
is this church, is this curse
then just handed it to church?
00:20:12.41\00:20:15.18
No.
00:20:15.21\00:20:16.54
What do the gentiles
had to do with the curse
00:20:16.58\00:20:18.05
that was brought on "by Israel"
way back went for disobedience?
00:20:18.08\00:20:24.19
Several other issues too.
00:20:24.22\00:20:25.55
You have the, Leviticus 26
00:20:25.59\00:20:28.72
is clearly a
conditional prophecy.
00:20:28.76\00:20:31.93
It's a prophecy that
indicates the increasing--
00:20:31.96\00:20:36.67
correction, chastisement
of God upon to people
00:20:40.60\00:20:43.44
for continue disobedience.
00:20:43.47\00:20:45.37
He repeatedly, it says
00:20:45.41\00:20:46.74
if you turn from
that this won't happen.
00:20:46.78\00:20:49.04
And so we do say
that when God issues
00:20:49.08\00:20:51.61
some kind of a
judgment upon his people
00:20:51.65\00:20:53.11
that he would not relent.
00:20:53.15\00:20:54.55
Clearly through out the
Bible he relents many times.
00:20:54.58\00:20:56.42
Its right.
00:20:56.45\00:20:57.79
But the other
things here is that
00:20:57.82\00:20:59.15
indication are that they
did experience the curse.
00:20:59.19\00:21:03.06
And Daniel spoke of
that experience in Daniel 9,
00:21:03.09\00:21:06.33
where he says curse
within the Law of Moses
00:21:06.36\00:21:08.53
has come upon us as a people.
00:21:08.56\00:21:11.23
Which means that Israel
was experiencing the scattering
00:21:11.27\00:21:15.10
and this curse of Moses during
the era they were in Babylon.
00:21:15.14\00:21:21.31
And as God brought
them out of Babylon,
00:21:21.34\00:21:24.18
he gathers them
together again as a people.
00:21:24.21\00:21:27.68
So you have the
context of the scattering
00:21:27.72\00:21:29.82
and the gathering
within that seven year period
00:21:29.85\00:21:31.65
and then afterward.
00:21:31.69\00:21:33.15
Furthermore too, you have
other examples that there,
00:21:33.19\00:21:37.49
in fact, the
pioneers use the terminology
00:21:37.53\00:21:39.26
scattering and gathering,
00:21:39.29\00:21:40.63
Ellen White
herself did the same thing,
00:21:40.66\00:21:42.00
but she spoke of it
in regard to scattering
00:21:42.03\00:21:46.00
that occurred after
the Great Disappointment.
00:21:46.03\00:21:48.84
Not up to the
Great Disappointment.
00:21:48.87\00:21:50.57
And she said then,
the pioneers agreed
00:21:50.61\00:21:52.77
that the gathering period
00:21:52.81\00:21:54.14
actually began
more like 1848 to 50.
00:21:54.18\00:21:58.21
And history
actually clearly shows that
00:21:58.25\00:22:00.75
and establishes that
they wrote on that basis.
00:22:00.78\00:22:02.98
James White says its wonderful
during this gathering time,
00:22:03.02\00:22:06.45
and he spoke
about the 1848, 1849,
00:22:06.49\00:22:09.39
Sabbatarian or
Sabbath conferences
00:22:09.42\00:22:11.86
that were happening around
the north east at that time
00:22:11.89\00:22:14.86
that people were
being gathered together.
00:22:14.90\00:22:16.46
So one other things
we get from all of this
00:22:16.50\00:22:20.14
is the Millerite movement, I
refer to it is Neo-Millerite,
00:22:20.17\00:22:24.11
it's a new version of
the Millerite movement.
00:22:24.14\00:22:26.68
Okay.
00:22:26.71\00:22:28.04
This Millerite
movement, Neo-Millerite movement
00:22:28.08\00:22:30.21
is really a revisionist
prospective of history.
00:22:30.25\00:22:33.75
They're taking what history is
00:22:33.78\00:22:35.12
and revise
according to a picture
00:22:35.15\00:22:37.95
they've put together,
that is fraught with error,
00:22:37.99\00:22:41.09
and problems, and issues.
00:22:41.12\00:22:42.82
And when looked at,
it's very complicated,
00:22:42.86\00:22:45.56
but when looked at very
deeply you can see fairly quick,
00:22:45.59\00:22:49.13
if you're looking
in the right place,
00:22:49.16\00:22:50.73
how problematic it truly is.
00:22:50.77\00:22:52.47
Wow. True. And it
is a causing division.
00:22:52.50\00:22:55.54
Coming to the
churches where goes,
00:22:55.57\00:22:57.21
the fruit is
division and separation,
00:22:57.24\00:22:59.21
division among the people
00:22:59.24\00:23:01.04
when we're called
to press together.
00:23:01.08\00:23:03.91
Right. This message is dividing.
00:23:03.95\00:23:05.65
It takes us away from
our message to the world,
00:23:05.68\00:23:07.95
it focuses on us, that's
another problematic area.
00:23:07.98\00:23:10.32
So there are all kind
of issues related to this.
00:23:10.35\00:23:14.22
I wish we had time to
going into them in detail.
00:23:14.26\00:23:16.39
But my counsel will
be stay away from it,
00:23:16.42\00:23:20.53
don't let it
get into the church,
00:23:20.56\00:23:21.90
and make sure you stand clearly
on the true present truth,
00:23:21.93\00:23:25.90
not that rendition of it.
00:23:25.93\00:23:27.57
You know, I like
the fact that you,
00:23:27.60\00:23:29.30
expounded the way you did,
putting into proper context.
00:23:29.34\00:23:32.54
The fact of the matter is
this is not the original text
00:23:32.57\00:23:37.51
in Leviticus
26:18, 21, 24, and 28.
00:23:37.55\00:23:42.45
It's not a prophecy at all.
00:23:42.48\00:23:44.99
So the very foundation is
it's not a prophecy at all.
00:23:45.02\00:23:49.72
In the sense of symbolic time,
00:23:49.76\00:23:52.16
then you have a difficulty there
00:23:52.19\00:23:53.63
because you're taking something
00:23:53.66\00:23:55.00
that's not symbolic at
all and making it symbolic.
00:23:55.03\00:23:59.03
It was never
intended to be symbolic.
00:23:59.07\00:24:01.40
It was talking about,
00:24:01.44\00:24:02.77
and let me just
use an example here,
00:24:02.80\00:24:04.67
these verse is
talking about the intensity
00:24:04.71\00:24:08.04
of the God's punishment.
00:24:08.08\00:24:09.61
Not the duration
of God's punishment.
00:24:09.64\00:24:12.01
In fact, modern translationist
interrupt seven times
00:24:12.05\00:24:14.85
as seven folds.
00:24:14.88\00:24:16.22
Right.
00:24:16.25\00:24:17.59
And so when you begin to
add to something in the Bible
00:24:17.62\00:24:21.12
that does not exist
then you have problems.
00:24:21.16\00:24:23.99
Let me give you an example
I will use this illustration,
00:24:24.03\00:24:28.30
Mike Tyson can hit you
seven times harder than I can.
00:24:28.33\00:24:33.84
That's not hitting
him for seventy days
00:24:33.87\00:24:37.37
or seven weeks or--
00:24:37.41\00:24:39.24
Or even in seven times.
00:24:39.27\00:24:40.61
Or seven times,
00:24:40.64\00:24:41.98
that's just the intensity
of the hit is much greater.
00:24:42.01\00:24:44.21
And if I read the text,
00:24:44.25\00:24:45.58
and I'll just go
through this very quickly,
00:24:45.61\00:24:46.95
and I will make one comparison.
00:24:46.98\00:24:48.62
I am gonna lead
in to this by saying
00:24:48.65\00:24:50.02
this is not
referring to duration
00:24:50.05\00:24:52.72
but the intensity
of God's punishment.
00:24:52.75\00:24:55.09
Listen to this Luke
26, Leviticus 26:18,
00:24:55.12\00:24:59.79
"And after all this,
if you do not obey Me,
00:24:59.83\00:25:03.40
then I will punish
you seven times more
00:25:03.43\00:25:06.77
for your sins."
00:25:06.80\00:25:08.20
It's clear seven times more,
00:25:08.24\00:25:10.41
not seven years or
seven periods longer.
00:25:10.44\00:25:14.94
And verse 21, "Then, if
you walk contrary to Me,
00:25:14.98\00:25:19.41
and are not willing to obey Me,
00:25:19.45\00:25:21.02
I will bring on you
seven times more plagues
00:25:21.05\00:25:25.09
at intensity over and over"
00:25:25.12\00:25:27.79
And then verse 24,
00:25:27.82\00:25:29.52
"then I also will
walk contrary to you,
00:25:29.56\00:25:36.03
I will punish you yet
seven times for your sins,
00:25:36.06\00:25:40.44
then I also will walk
contrary to you in fury
00:25:40.47\00:25:43.91
and I even I will chastise
you seven times for your sins."
00:25:43.94\00:25:48.51
And in all four categories
we're seeing intensity
00:25:48.54\00:25:51.51
rather than duration.
00:25:51.55\00:25:53.45
Now one example in a
book that is prophetic
00:25:53.48\00:25:56.79
is the punishment
of Nebuchadnezzar.
00:25:56.82\00:26:00.62
In Daniel 4:16, and by the way,
00:26:00.66\00:26:03.53
a lot of time
people read the text
00:26:03.56\00:26:05.03
but they don't understand
00:26:05.06\00:26:06.39
that the word
there in the Hebrew
00:26:06.43\00:26:07.80
is the word Sheba,
00:26:07.83\00:26:09.76
which does not
delineate time but duration.
00:26:09.80\00:26:14.34
Seven times, its not
delineating and the word Sheba,
00:26:14.37\00:26:19.41
they can be used in
the context of seven weeks.
00:26:19.44\00:26:22.34
But that has
not even implemented
00:26:22.38\00:26:24.65
in this particular verse,
not even suggested slightly,
00:26:24.68\00:26:27.45
but it is referring to
00:26:27.48\00:26:28.98
'you don't
understand my punishment
00:26:29.02\00:26:30.95
until you disobey me.'
00:26:30.99\00:26:32.85
That's what it
is being said here.
00:26:32.89\00:26:34.59
Look at the same word in
Hebrew here in Daniel 4:16.
00:26:34.62\00:26:41.13
Speaking of Nebuchadnezzar
not humbling himself.
00:26:41.16\00:26:44.83
He says," Let his heart be
changed from that of a man,
00:26:44.87\00:26:48.27
let him be given
the heart of a beast,
00:26:48.30\00:26:50.27
and let seven
times pass over him".
00:26:50.31\00:26:54.18
That is referring to
duration not intensity.
00:26:54.21\00:26:57.78
So there's a difference
one is intensity not duration
00:26:57.81\00:27:00.25
one is duration not intensity.
00:27:00.28\00:27:02.22
So after seven years
00:27:02.25\00:27:04.02
the reasoning of
Nebuchadnezzar was returned.
00:27:04.05\00:27:06.96
But after Israel's rebellion
00:27:06.99\00:27:09.06
the intensity of
God's judgment increased.
00:27:09.09\00:27:12.13
That's simply that,
00:27:12.16\00:27:13.50
never intended to be a prophecy.
00:27:13.53\00:27:15.20
So if the foundation is
not what people are suggesting,
00:27:15.23\00:27:18.77
don't even worry about
00:27:18.80\00:27:20.14
explaining anything beyond that.
00:27:20.17\00:27:22.77
Now, I was say here that
there are churches that have,
00:27:22.80\00:27:26.57
the way in which
they advocate this
00:27:26.61\00:27:28.94
is to come into churches
00:27:28.98\00:27:30.31
and they began to hand DVDs out,
00:27:30.35\00:27:31.71
they pull people aside,
00:27:31.75\00:27:33.08
and they talk to
them about the stuff.
00:27:33.11\00:27:34.45
They usually say, often
they come in and they say,
00:27:34.48\00:27:36.65
"Hey, anybody want to stay
after potluck for Bible study?"
00:27:36.69\00:27:39.95
And then this is
what's advocated.
00:27:39.99\00:27:41.32
So this is how they come
in, in a very sneaky way.
00:27:41.36\00:27:44.13
And its not overtly open
and nor is it transparent.
00:27:44.16\00:27:49.63
Its very secret.
00:27:49.66\00:27:51.00
So even the fruit
of this is really,
00:27:51.03\00:27:55.07
its really demonic.
00:27:55.10\00:27:56.54
It's very
divisive. Very divisive.
00:27:56.57\00:27:58.87
What I will do to say this.
00:27:58.91\00:28:00.51
I've actually had an opportunity
00:28:00.54\00:28:01.88
to go to different places
00:28:01.91\00:28:03.24
and help them work
through this issues.
00:28:03.28\00:28:04.81
So I have done
this several times.
00:28:04.85\00:28:06.18
And if you have people,
your church is hit by this,
00:28:06.21\00:28:09.65
and kind of stuck
in muck and mire this,
00:28:09.68\00:28:11.55
feel free to contact
me because I do have,
00:28:11.59\00:28:13.89
if I have a schedule
that can do it, I can go.
00:28:13.92\00:28:16.49
In fact, I am going
to Philadelphia here
00:28:16.52\00:28:18.43
in a few weeks
00:28:18.46\00:28:19.79
to help them work
through this issue as well.
00:28:19.83\00:28:21.70
And so, let me know
00:28:21.73\00:28:23.16
and I'm happy to
help you through it,
00:28:23.20\00:28:25.47
whether it be send
you information on it
00:28:25.50\00:28:27.20
or come out and
actually do a presentation,
00:28:27.24\00:28:29.24
I'm happy to do that.
00:28:29.27\00:28:31.17
Great, invite John, and
he'll represent both of us.
00:28:31.21\00:28:36.14
Appreciate that very much.
00:28:36.18\00:28:37.51
Well, I know our time has
come and gone for our questions,
00:28:37.55\00:28:39.71
but if you have
any more questions
00:28:39.75\00:28:41.35
or any further
clarification is needed,
00:28:41.38\00:28:44.45
send those questions
to housecalls@3abn.org.
00:28:44.49\00:28:48.29
That's housecalls@3abn.org,
00:28:48.32\00:28:51.93
and we surely do
appreciate your prayers
00:28:51.96\00:28:54.30
and your financial
support of this network.
00:28:54.33\00:28:58.33
John, we have a
dynamic topic today,
00:28:58.37\00:29:02.14
that we're gonna
talk about is that,
00:29:02.17\00:29:04.31
and I'll let you lead into it.
00:29:04.34\00:29:06.24
I got this
little bug in my throat.
00:29:06.27\00:29:07.61
Kindly lead into it.
00:29:07.64\00:29:08.98
Yeah, well, you know, we--
00:29:09.01\00:29:10.75
in this day and age, one
of the challenges we have,
00:29:10.78\00:29:14.15
Christians have in
general, is sharing their faith
00:29:14.18\00:29:17.59
to an increasing
world that is secular.
00:29:17.62\00:29:21.22
I'm not talking about the just
those who don't believe in God,
00:29:21.26\00:29:24.26
but the God that
is being advocated
00:29:24.29\00:29:26.19
by Christians at large
00:29:26.23\00:29:27.56
isn't necessarily the
God of the scriptures.
00:29:27.60\00:29:30.10
And one of the biggest
challenges there with that
00:29:30.87\00:29:32.93
and would keep,
00:29:32.97\00:29:34.30
I keep using the
word challenge here
00:29:34.34\00:29:35.67
because it's creating that,
00:29:35.70\00:29:37.77
is that the God
that's advocated is harsh,
00:29:37.81\00:29:41.18
exacting, judgmental,
00:29:41.21\00:29:43.24
one that is not
merciful, and kind,
00:29:43.28\00:29:46.11
and loving as
the bible portrays.
00:29:46.15\00:29:48.52
And so you have
Christians out there with signs,
00:29:48.55\00:29:52.19
'God hates' and add whatever
you want to do that sign.
00:29:52.22\00:29:55.19
God hates this, God
hates that, God, you know.
00:29:55.22\00:29:57.93
And Christians
are becoming known
00:29:57.96\00:30:00.83
for more of what
they disagree with
00:30:00.86\00:30:04.63
than they are for who they
are, the love that they have,
00:30:04.67\00:30:08.37
the love of Christ in them.
00:30:08.40\00:30:10.34
And so, what's that doing is
00:30:10.37\00:30:12.41
it has a negative
effect on sharing the Gospel.
00:30:12.44\00:30:16.44
People don't want
to hear about that God.
00:30:16.48\00:30:18.81
And I don't blame them.
John, I would want to either.
00:30:18.85\00:30:22.52
But the God of the Bible
00:30:22.55\00:30:23.95
and his character is not
being portrayed accurately.
00:30:23.99\00:30:28.82
By I would even say
most Christians today,
00:30:28.86\00:30:31.66
they don't even
understand the true God
00:30:31.69\00:30:33.46
and His character in the Bible.
00:30:33.50\00:30:35.56
And so I think it's good
we spend a program or two,
00:30:35.60\00:30:39.40
going through that and kind
of maybe it's defending God,
00:30:39.43\00:30:43.41
maybe defending his character,
00:30:43.44\00:30:44.77
but truly what we're doing
00:30:44.81\00:30:46.14
is trying to reveal
God's true character
00:30:46.17\00:30:48.44
to the world through his word.
00:30:48.48\00:30:50.31
That's the good
word to talk about
00:30:50.35\00:30:51.68
because God is misunderstood.
00:30:51.71\00:30:53.55
There are so
many doctrines today,
00:30:53.58\00:30:55.32
when you think about
00:30:55.35\00:30:56.72
how God's
character is being maligned
00:30:56.75\00:30:59.35
in a very terrible way.
00:30:59.39\00:31:01.59
One of those is the doctrine
of the eternally burning hell.
00:31:01.62\00:31:05.19
God is seen as
this tyrannical God
00:31:05.23\00:31:06.73
that just cannot
get a peace that all
00:31:06.76\00:31:09.26
and he's gonna
torment, and rotisserie,
00:31:09.30\00:31:12.23
people that have lived 30, 40,
50, 60, 70 maybe even 90 years.
00:31:12.27\00:31:16.57
Trying to make
God a torturer. Yeah.
00:31:16.60\00:31:18.27
Because you have
to keep someone alive
00:31:18.31\00:31:20.01
to torture them for eternity.
00:31:20.04\00:31:21.61
So he
deliberately keeping them alive
00:31:21.64\00:31:23.65
to torture them?
00:31:23.68\00:31:25.11
And this is what
is being advocated.
00:31:25.15\00:31:26.78
And let me tell you why I'm so--
00:31:26.82\00:31:28.58
Passionate.
Passionate about that.
00:31:28.62\00:31:31.55
Yes, one of the answers
is, one of the reasons why,
00:31:31.59\00:31:35.49
or even evangelical
friends, don't like the view
00:31:35.52\00:31:38.99
that hell is about
fire coming from heaven
00:31:39.03\00:31:41.90
and consuming the
wicked and it's done.
00:31:41.93\00:31:44.20
They don't like that.
00:31:44.23\00:31:45.57
Because what they say is,
00:31:45.60\00:31:46.94
well, you're taking
away a key motivator
00:31:46.97\00:31:50.21
for someone
excepting the Gospel.
00:31:50.24\00:31:52.87
And I think to myself
00:31:52.91\00:31:54.34
what kind of God do
you picture him to be
00:31:54.38\00:31:57.91
if your motivator
needs to be torment
00:31:57.95\00:32:01.85
or you know, except Christ
00:32:01.88\00:32:03.42
or you're burnt
forever and ever.
00:32:03.45\00:32:05.69
What part of that motivates
anybody to wanna follow God?
00:32:05.72\00:32:09.02
It's fire escape religion.
00:32:09.06\00:32:10.39
When the fire is out, I
don't love you any longer.
00:32:10.43\00:32:12.06
Yeah, and it's like God
holding a gun at your head
00:32:12.09\00:32:15.00
and saying, "Love me
or I'm gonna kill you."
00:32:15.03\00:32:18.23
I mean who would
respond favorably to that?
00:32:18.27\00:32:20.87
You might say,
"Okay, I love you."
00:32:20.90\00:32:22.80
But would you really?
You know, that's amazing.
00:32:22.84\00:32:25.77
And we haven't even
gone to the first verse yet
00:32:25.81\00:32:27.58
in our study,
00:32:27.61\00:32:28.94
but we're just kind of
laying some foundation here,
00:32:28.98\00:32:30.85
'cause have the blessing
of the maybe extending this
00:32:30.88\00:32:33.21
to a second program.
00:32:33.25\00:32:35.28
To show that God is love,
who would out of anyone else,
00:32:35.32\00:32:39.15
who would be the
most likely person
00:32:39.19\00:32:40.89
that God should have
killed a long time ago.
00:32:40.92\00:32:42.92
Who is it? Satan.
00:32:42.96\00:32:44.39
But he's still around.
00:32:44.43\00:32:45.89
Showing that God
is not only loving,
00:32:45.93\00:32:48.26
but God is allowing
sin to run its course.
00:32:48.30\00:32:52.07
God is not saying,
"Boy, I should have killed him
00:32:52.10\00:32:54.57
a long time ago, I'm gonna--"
00:32:54.60\00:32:55.94
In his mercy, he's
letting sin run its course.
00:32:55.97\00:32:58.57
So that his
character would be vindicated
00:32:58.61\00:33:01.54
so that people will never
come with the idea that, see,
00:33:01.58\00:33:04.68
exactly what he was
accused, that was being unjust,
00:33:04.71\00:33:08.55
and exacting, and tormenting,
is prove him by the fact
00:33:08.58\00:33:12.62
that he outed Satan the
moment he stepped out of line.
00:33:12.65\00:33:15.86
Well, he didn't, you know.
00:33:15.89\00:33:17.53
So we're gonna talk
about that today in the program
00:33:17.56\00:33:19.96
and what we're hoping to do,
00:33:20.00\00:33:21.33
and I know John is gonna
chine in on this too, is where,
00:33:21.36\00:33:24.37
we in our finite understanding,
in our limited view,
00:33:24.40\00:33:28.90
only through the
revealed word of God,
00:33:28.94\00:33:30.64
we want to say, if you
really know who God is,
00:33:30.67\00:33:33.94
you would fall in love with him,
00:33:33.98\00:33:35.41
and you would want to
be in his relationship,
00:33:35.44\00:33:38.05
you would want
to be in his will.
00:33:38.08\00:33:39.41
You wouldn't think of
anybody more appropriate
00:33:39.45\00:33:43.49
to dedicate your
life completely to,
00:33:43.52\00:33:46.35
except the God that we're
gonna talk about here today.
00:33:46.39\00:33:48.96
We're gonna use some
of the hard versus too,
00:33:48.99\00:33:50.59
because they're
versus in the Bible
00:33:50.63\00:33:52.19
that talks about God's justice.
00:33:52.23\00:33:54.23
But it still doesn't take
away from the character of God.
00:33:54.26\00:33:57.47
And a God who is God of justice
is also the God of mercy.
00:33:57.50\00:34:01.20
Every aspect of his
judicial system must be intact
00:34:01.24\00:34:04.77
in order of his character to
be fully formed in our sight.
00:34:04.81\00:34:07.78
There's so many directions
00:34:07.81\00:34:09.24
and things we need to
talk about on these things,
00:34:09.28\00:34:10.88
I could just
launce in the stuff here,
00:34:10.91\00:34:12.31
but we really need to
start with a Bible verse--
00:34:12.35\00:34:16.18
Sure.
00:34:16.22\00:34:17.55
That talks about how--
00:34:17.59\00:34:21.16
I mean, we're
finite human model beings.
00:34:21.19\00:34:24.56
Can we really know God? Okay.
00:34:24.59\00:34:27.30
And so there's a verse
in the Bible, Job 11:7.
00:34:27.33\00:34:30.70
Okay.
00:34:30.73\00:34:32.07
And it says this,
"Can you search out
00:34:32.10\00:34:33.77
the deep things of God?
00:34:33.80\00:34:36.20
Can you find out the
limits of the Almighty?"
00:34:36.24\00:34:39.57
Can we truly know
to the fullest extent
00:34:39.61\00:34:42.08
God and what he's doing?
00:34:42.11\00:34:43.98
God and his plans.
00:34:44.01\00:34:46.01
We can't see beyond
00:34:46.05\00:34:47.45
what's right in
front of us that day.
00:34:47.48\00:34:49.32
Right.
00:34:49.35\00:34:50.69
And, so what we talk about here
is just what the word gives us.
00:34:50.72\00:34:56.02
There two terms,
there's general revelation
00:34:56.06\00:34:58.89
and there's a
special revelation.
00:34:58.93\00:35:00.66
General revelation is what
we see in nature, around us.
00:35:00.70\00:35:04.30
It reveals God
in a general sense.
00:35:04.33\00:35:07.94
If there is a creator,
00:35:07.97\00:35:09.40
it goes beyond just a big bang--
00:35:09.44\00:35:12.91
By the designer.
God designed this world.
00:35:12.94\00:35:15.14
He put into
effect, he created us,
00:35:15.18\00:35:17.58
and the life that we
have is because of him.
00:35:17.61\00:35:19.75
And the things around us reveal
who he is in a general sense.
00:35:19.78\00:35:25.25
Special
revelation is the scriptures.
00:35:25.29\00:35:27.59
It reveals to us
specifically more detail
00:35:27.62\00:35:31.66
than just the general
we see around this nature.
00:35:31.69\00:35:34.10
Reveals details
about the character of God.
00:35:34.13\00:35:36.60
But even John said at
the end of the his book,
00:35:36.63\00:35:40.34
that if you had to write
all the things that Jesus did,
00:35:40.37\00:35:43.14
and he represented and
he brought to this world,
00:35:43.17\00:35:45.97
the world
couldn't house the books
00:35:46.01\00:35:47.74
that would be written about it.
00:35:47.78\00:35:49.68
So we can only
scratch the surface here
00:35:49.71\00:35:53.11
to reveal what God's
characters will be like,
00:35:53.15\00:35:55.15
but there's plenty there
00:35:55.18\00:35:56.92
to demonstrate the God
is so much more loving,
00:35:56.95\00:35:59.92
and kind, and good to us
00:35:59.95\00:36:02.09
than what is
being advocated today.
00:36:02.12\00:36:04.39
That's right.
00:36:04.43\00:36:05.76
The Bible is the distillation
00:36:05.79\00:36:07.13
of all that God's so
necessary to reveal to humanity.
00:36:07.16\00:36:11.67
But, sufficiently enough
00:36:11.70\00:36:13.44
to know that God
is the God of love.
00:36:13.47\00:36:15.57
1 John 4:8, I
believe is the wonderful one,
00:36:15.60\00:36:17.94
"He who does not
love does not know God
00:36:17.97\00:36:19.94
for God is love."
00:36:19.97\00:36:21.94
And that is so often,
00:36:21.98\00:36:25.35
yeah, let me show
you how it's handled.
00:36:25.38\00:36:27.62
God is love.
00:36:27.65\00:36:28.98
Yeah, but he's gonna
burn you forever and ever
00:36:29.02\00:36:31.45
and ever and ever and
ever and ever and ever--
00:36:31.49\00:36:33.19
If I sat here for
the next four years
00:36:33.22\00:36:34.79
and just kept
saying "forever and ever!"
00:36:34.82\00:36:37.03
I haven't even
tapped the duration
00:36:37.06\00:36:38.99
of how long people say
"God is gonna torment people."
00:36:39.03\00:36:41.56
That's just so
contra to God is love,
00:36:41.60\00:36:45.80
that it doesn't even make sense.
00:36:45.83\00:36:47.17
So one of the points I'd
like you broad out of the fact
00:36:47.20\00:36:49.27
that yeah, we can't really
search the deep things of God.
00:36:49.30\00:36:52.57
So the knowledge of God,
00:36:52.61\00:36:53.94
the first thing
we wanna bring out
00:36:53.98\00:36:55.31
is the knowledge of
God is so limitless.
00:36:55.34\00:36:58.18
It's like trying to
measure the universe
00:36:58.21\00:36:59.91
with the 36 inch tape measure.
00:36:59.95\00:37:02.18
We could never do it.
00:37:02.22\00:37:03.59
We could not
reach the extensions
00:37:03.62\00:37:05.29
that are beyond
human understanding,
00:37:05.32\00:37:08.32
the other thing
I want to point out
00:37:08.36\00:37:09.69
is the exclusiveness
of God, in Isaiah 45:22.
00:37:09.72\00:37:14.53
John, you have that
one there, Isaiah 45:22?
00:37:14.56\00:37:18.60
Lets share that one.
00:37:18.63\00:37:20.77
Isaiah 45:22, "Look
to me, and be saved,
00:37:20.80\00:37:25.07
all you ends of the
earth, for I am God,
00:37:25.11\00:37:27.94
and there is no other."
00:37:27.98\00:37:30.15
And then it says, "I'm
God and there's none like me."
00:37:30.18\00:37:34.15
So exclusive,
unique, you cannot copy him,
00:37:34.18\00:37:39.72
he's the
original, he's the first,
00:37:39.75\00:37:41.79
the last, the alpha, the
omega, the beginning, the end.
00:37:41.82\00:37:44.53
There is other
to compare with him.
00:37:44.56\00:37:46.73
And so when you see
in the Old Testament,
00:37:46.76\00:37:49.16
the many, many Gods
that were constructed,
00:37:49.20\00:37:51.67
each one was the failed attempt
to duplicate who God really is.
00:37:51.70\00:37:56.60
I believe Isaiah said,
00:37:56.64\00:37:57.97
they have eyes
but they can't see,
00:37:58.01\00:37:59.34
ears but they can't hear,
hands but they can't touch,
00:37:59.37\00:38:01.24
feet but they can't walk.
00:38:01.28\00:38:02.74
And no matter how
elaborately they are painted,
00:38:02.78\00:38:06.08
it's still doesn't
indent who God really is.
00:38:06.11\00:38:11.55
"There is none like me,
00:38:11.59\00:38:13.59
look to me and be saved
all you ends of the earth
00:38:13.62\00:38:16.52
for I am God and
there is none like me".
00:38:16.56\00:38:21.20
I remember watching a video,
00:38:21.23\00:38:23.06
somebody actually
linked this to me in my email,
00:38:23.10\00:38:25.73
and you know, we live in a
very technical world today.
00:38:25.77\00:38:27.97
Somebody linked this to
my email and there was a--
00:38:28.00\00:38:31.24
evidently it was
happening in a church,
00:38:31.27\00:38:33.21
and there were four men
carrying on a shoulder stand
00:38:33.24\00:38:37.98
this great image.
00:38:38.01\00:38:39.55
Obviously, that they were
gonna inaugurated or something,
00:38:39.58\00:38:41.52
you may have seen the video.
00:38:41.55\00:38:42.88
No, I-- I gotta send it to you.
00:38:42.92\00:38:44.45
It was taller than a human
but it was made out of plaster
00:38:44.49\00:38:48.72
and it was
painted so elaborately,
00:38:48.76\00:38:50.23
and so beautifully, and
the audience stood in awe
00:38:50.26\00:38:53.36
as it was
walking down the aisle.
00:38:53.40\00:38:55.16
They were gonna, obviously,
they were gonna maneuver
00:38:55.20\00:38:57.83
and lower the stand
00:38:57.87\00:39:00.30
and put it in
its rightful place.
00:39:00.34\00:39:02.94
And one of the man miss-stepped.
00:39:02.97\00:39:06.57
You should have seen this.
00:39:06.61\00:39:08.18
And as this
statue begin the tether,
00:39:08.21\00:39:10.55
you heard the 'Ah!'
00:39:10.58\00:39:11.91
in the crowd and then it fell
00:39:11.95\00:39:13.65
and crashed into
thousands of pieces.
00:39:13.68\00:39:17.69
And the gasp
from the congregation
00:39:17.72\00:39:19.79
was almost like God just died.
00:39:19.82\00:39:23.32
And I said, I didn't
send them an email or anything
00:39:23.36\00:39:27.40
but I said, "God
was just really upset
00:39:27.43\00:39:30.40
that you're putting
this porcelain painted figure
00:39:30.43\00:39:32.97
to bow down to and
worship and inveterate,
00:39:33.00\00:39:35.84
and he cannot ever be
duplicated by anything
00:39:35.87\00:39:38.14
that man can
design with his hands".
00:39:38.17\00:39:40.64
And you find
examples in the scripture
00:39:40.68\00:39:42.04
where you know, they dig on,
00:39:42.08\00:39:44.51
he cut off his
hands, and cut off his feet,
00:39:44.55\00:39:46.41
and cut off his head, and
the fellow seems realized,
00:39:46.45\00:39:48.72
wait a minute, whose doing this?
00:39:48.75\00:39:51.95
God is not to be
mocked, not to be duplicated.
00:39:51.99\00:39:54.72
But anyways, so God is unique,
that's the point I wanna make.
00:39:54.76\00:39:56.42
And taking that story,
00:39:56.46\00:39:57.79
when we're talking
about God's character,
00:39:57.83\00:39:59.19
I believe that in the last days
00:39:59.23\00:40:00.70
it' gonna be
more about the Gospel.
00:40:00.73\00:40:02.86
Going to all the worlds
00:40:02.90\00:40:04.23
can be more about destroying
the first character of God
00:40:04.27\00:40:08.34
and revealing the
true character of God.
00:40:08.37\00:40:10.54
Very good the way you put it.
00:40:10.57\00:40:11.91
And so he's going to tear down,
00:40:11.94\00:40:13.27
he's gonna break
down this false image
00:40:13.31\00:40:15.11
that he's been set
up of his character.
00:40:15.14\00:40:17.51
And give instead
through his people
00:40:17.55\00:40:21.15
a true perspective of who he is.
00:40:21.18\00:40:23.28
You know the answer,
00:40:23.32\00:40:24.65
what book is best
describing the fact
00:40:24.69\00:40:26.62
that unless he's,
00:40:26.65\00:40:27.99
the true character of
God is gonna be revealed.
00:40:28.02\00:40:30.36
The Book of
Revelation. Yeah. Revelation.
00:40:30.39\00:40:32.09
See, Revelation is
the book of revealing,
00:40:32.13\00:40:34.90
what people need to
see more than anything else
00:40:34.93\00:40:37.37
in these last days is the truth
about the character of God.
00:40:37.40\00:40:40.57
Amen, amen.
00:40:40.60\00:40:42.14
You know one of the
things too that I wanna mention
00:40:42.17\00:40:44.41
at the start of this program
00:40:44.44\00:40:45.77
is God's ways
are not light always.
00:40:45.81\00:40:50.98
Okay, so when we think,
we can't think like God.
00:40:51.01\00:40:55.88
Okay, we can only think
like a mortal human being,
00:40:55.92\00:40:59.82
a limited, a mind and
perspective in thoughts.
00:40:59.85\00:41:03.53
Whatever we
think about, in fact,
00:41:03.56\00:41:05.06
I believe that's inspired,
it's not inspired by us,
00:41:05.09\00:41:08.40
it's inspired the
Holy Spirit, right?
00:41:08.43\00:41:11.03
And one of the
things that is difficult
00:41:11.07\00:41:13.60
that I think really
Christians in general
00:41:13.64\00:41:16.91
have a tough time which is what
I call a parent dichotomies--
00:41:16.94\00:41:23.04
Okay. With the in scripture.
00:41:23.08\00:41:24.91
Stuff that doesn't
seem to go together.
00:41:24.95\00:41:26.88
But when it comes
to God's character,
00:41:26.92\00:41:28.85
it is both pertinent for God.
00:41:28.88\00:41:31.99
Okay. It both is
important for God.
00:41:32.02\00:41:34.16
Let give you few
of them. All right.
00:41:34.19\00:41:35.92
Love and wrath. Okay.
00:41:35.96\00:41:39.93
Faith, obedience. Freedom, law.
00:41:39.96\00:41:45.73
Grace,
judgment. Humanity, power.
00:41:45.77\00:41:50.14
You see, these things are
both, they come together in God.
00:41:50.17\00:41:54.41
In fact, I think
the psalmist said--
00:41:54.44\00:41:59.21
What is it?
00:41:59.25\00:42:00.58
"Justice and mercy."
00:42:00.62\00:42:02.88
And truth have
kissed, have to come together.
00:42:02.92\00:42:06.59
And it's not in a way
00:42:06.62\00:42:07.96
that we
understand justice and mercy,
00:42:07.99\00:42:09.32
it's the way the God
has brought them together
00:42:09.36\00:42:10.76
at the cross.
00:42:10.79\00:42:12.39
And so when we look at the cross
00:42:12.43\00:42:14.30
and what Jesus is doing there,
00:42:14.33\00:42:16.13
he's there because of
his love but he's also there
00:42:16.16\00:42:18.23
because of the
justice that was necessary
00:42:18.27\00:42:21.20
to work out the
redemption of all mankind.
00:42:21.24\00:42:24.67
So God's love and his justice,
00:42:24.71\00:42:27.31
and these apparent dichotomy,
it isn't one or the other.
00:42:27.34\00:42:31.01
Right. It's both.
00:42:31.05\00:42:33.42
And unless we understand in
the context of both together
00:42:33.45\00:42:36.79
we're gonna miss
God's true character.
00:42:36.82\00:42:39.75
And so maybe a
good place to start
00:42:39.79\00:42:41.32
when we're talking about this,
00:42:41.36\00:42:42.69
another place to
start would be Exodus 34.
00:42:42.72\00:42:46.39
Okay.
00:42:46.43\00:42:47.76
Remember the story of Moses,
he comes up to the Mountain,
00:42:47.80\00:42:50.60
God calls him up there,
00:42:50.63\00:42:52.23
he's to receive
the Ten Commandments.
00:42:52.27\00:42:54.54
And what does he
asked for God to do?
00:42:54.57\00:42:57.07
"Show me yourself."
00:42:57.11\00:42:58.57
He says, show me who
you are, show me your--
00:42:58.61\00:43:00.58
He used the word
Glory. Show me your Glory?
00:43:00.61\00:43:03.28
Do you have that passage
00:43:03.31\00:43:04.65
and what he's
specifically said in that?
00:43:04.68\00:43:07.22
Let me go there. Exodus 34?
00:43:07.25\00:43:09.08
Yeah, Exodus 34.
00:43:09.12\00:43:10.45
Let me go there--
And what God did--
00:43:10.49\00:43:11.99
I have verse 6,
00:43:12.02\00:43:13.42
and I wanna just go to
the full context of this.
00:43:13.46\00:43:15.49
That's a beautiful
way to illustrate that
00:43:15.52\00:43:16.86
because when you think
about God revealing himself.
00:43:16.89\00:43:20.60
I wanted to comment
00:43:20.63\00:43:22.26
on something you
said a moment ago,
00:43:22.30\00:43:24.40
about these dichotomies,
the apparent contradictions.
00:43:24.43\00:43:28.47
Yeah.
00:43:28.50\00:43:29.84
And apparent is
the operative word.
00:43:29.87\00:43:31.87
Yeah, apparent contradictions.
00:43:31.91\00:43:33.27
The reasons why they
seem to be contradictory
00:43:33.31\00:43:35.58
is because of the perspective
00:43:35.61\00:43:36.95
from which we begin to weight
everything that we talk about.
00:43:36.98\00:43:39.95
And this is
huge, this is kind of,
00:43:39.98\00:43:41.85
if I could said, "I'm gonna
get a little intellectual here
00:43:41.88\00:43:44.45
for a brief moment".
00:43:44.49\00:43:45.82
Whenever I discuss
any particular topic,
00:43:45.85\00:43:47.62
I always approach it
from the basis of what I know.
00:43:47.66\00:43:50.79
That's the knowledge I have.
00:43:50.83\00:43:52.49
Can you imagine
God approaching a topic
00:43:52.53\00:43:55.26
and discussing from the
basis of the knowledge he has?
00:43:55.30\00:44:00.50
My mind just got hurt.
00:44:00.54\00:44:02.84
The basis of the
knowledge he has?
00:44:02.87\00:44:06.27
Is there any weakness
in the knowledge of God--
00:44:06.31\00:44:09.94
Job ran into that problem.
00:44:09.98\00:44:11.45
Can you, if you know of
anyone who knows it all?
00:44:11.48\00:44:15.92
God knows it all.
What did God say to Job?
00:44:15.95\00:44:18.09
Hey, hey, were you
there when I form the heavens?
00:44:18.12\00:44:21.82
Were you there when I lay
the foundations of the world?
00:44:21.86\00:44:24.59
Were you around,
can you understand that?
00:44:24.63\00:44:26.49
Were you there when I
told the ocean to go this far
00:44:26.53\00:44:28.53
and no further?
00:44:28.56\00:44:30.00
And Job began to
understand how small he was,
00:44:30.03\00:44:32.50
and he said, "Okay, God."
00:44:32.53\00:44:33.87
He said, "No, God,"
he said, "No, no, no.
00:44:33.90\00:44:35.24
Now it's my turn,
you take it like a man."
00:44:35.27\00:44:37.94
And he laid it out for
the next three chapters
00:44:37.97\00:44:39.77
in Job with just a gasp--
00:44:39.81\00:44:41.34
And he said, I
would just shut my mouth.
00:44:41.38\00:44:43.71
That's what Job's
response to all that.
00:44:43.75\00:44:45.48
So the intellectuality
of people that we know,
00:44:45.51\00:44:47.25
we talk about
Aristotle, Socrates,
00:44:47.28\00:44:48.98
and great minds and--
00:44:49.02\00:44:50.35
Philosophers.
00:44:50.39\00:44:51.72
Sir Isaac Newton, philosophers,
00:44:51.75\00:44:53.09
these men operated maybe seven
to ten percent of their brains.
00:44:53.12\00:44:55.32
Ten percent is huge.
00:44:55.36\00:44:57.03
These men operated
on the limitlessness
00:44:57.06\00:44:59.33
of their short life span.
00:44:59.36\00:45:01.40
And surely, they
don't have access
00:45:01.43\00:45:02.83
to the names of all the stars.
00:45:02.86\00:45:05.17
They can't count the
numbers of hairs in my head.
00:45:05.20\00:45:07.70
They cannot understand--
00:45:07.74\00:45:09.07
Good thing for me.
00:45:09.10\00:45:11.17
I resisted that, but
you fell into the trap.
00:45:11.21\00:45:14.68
They don't have
the understanding
00:45:14.71\00:45:16.04
of everything.
00:45:16.08\00:45:17.41
Yet, when God speaks to
us, if you stand before God,
00:45:17.45\00:45:19.78
the judge of all the
universe, one of the reasons
00:45:19.81\00:45:22.58
why this point comes
to me so well, is in--
00:45:22.62\00:45:25.85
What story that you
always illustrate very well?
00:45:25.89\00:45:27.66
Mathew 25, the
parable of the 10 virgins.
00:45:27.69\00:45:30.99
Oh, but the other
one is unjust judge,
00:45:31.03\00:45:32.66
I think, Mathew 26.
00:45:32.69\00:45:34.30
So what happens is
when the Lord comes in
00:45:34.33\00:45:36.40
to examine the guests
in the wedding, he says,
00:45:36.43\00:45:40.27
"How did you get in here
without a wedding garment?"
00:45:40.30\00:45:42.14
And what was the
response? He was speechless.
00:45:42.17\00:45:44.64
He was speechless,
00:45:44.67\00:45:46.01
'cause what excuse
could he give to God.
00:45:46.04\00:45:48.58
He looked down and--
00:45:48.61\00:45:52.05
God, what could he
say to God when God says--
00:45:52.08\00:45:55.98
Nothing.
00:45:56.02\00:45:58.39
What, before you
call, I will answer.
00:45:58.42\00:46:01.36
And while you're yet
speaking, I will hear.
00:46:01.39\00:46:04.43
This is the God
who is foreknowledge,
00:46:04.46\00:46:06.39
far supersedes any
intellect that we have.
00:46:06.43\00:46:08.83
And this is the God
whose love is so unsurpassing
00:46:08.86\00:46:12.50
that he would say,
00:46:12.53\00:46:13.87
and we try to
reveal that by saying,
00:46:13.90\00:46:16.14
"While you were still
sinners, Christ dies for you."
00:46:16.17\00:46:21.24
I mean, that was
Paul's revelation of love.
00:46:21.28\00:46:24.51
Before, I know we
would probably get to that
00:46:24.55\00:46:26.05
at some time, but
let me read this here.
00:46:26.08\00:46:27.82
I'm gonna start with Exodus
33, it says there in verse 18,
00:46:27.85\00:46:32.52
Moses asking the Lord
to show him his glory.
00:46:32.55\00:46:36.96
And then he says in verse 19,
00:46:36.99\00:46:38.36
"I will make all my
goodness pass before you
00:46:38.39\00:46:40.63
and I will proclaim the
name of the Lord before you.
00:46:40.66\00:46:43.57
I will be gracious
to who I would gracious
00:46:43.60\00:46:45.20
and have compassion on
whom I'll have compassion."
00:46:45.23\00:46:48.20
But he said, "You
cannot see my face
00:46:48.24\00:46:49.74
nor man shall see me and live."
00:46:49.77\00:46:53.11
Or "no man."
00:46:53.14\00:46:54.48
"No man shall see me and live."
00:46:54.51\00:46:55.84
Because of he's
intensity and his glory,
00:46:55.88\00:46:59.91
no man can stand
that is a mortal.
00:46:59.95\00:47:01.82
Mortal man can't
stand-- But what is this--
00:47:01.85\00:47:03.65
Immortal God.
00:47:03.69\00:47:05.02
Then he connects his glory,
00:47:05.05\00:47:06.39
in his revelation
he's about to give Moses
00:47:06.42\00:47:07.76
with the Ten Commandments.
00:47:07.79\00:47:09.12
Right.
00:47:09.16\00:47:10.49
And he asked them, he said,
00:47:10.53\00:47:11.86
"Go ahead and cut
two tablets of stone,"
00:47:11.89\00:47:16.03
Exodus 34:1,
"like the first one."
00:47:16.06\00:47:18.93
So he said, remember,
he smashed the first one
00:47:18.97\00:47:20.70
when he came down
off of the mountain.
00:47:20.74\00:47:22.90
So he says, "Cut two
more tables of stone,
00:47:22.94\00:47:25.64
I'll write on those tablets,
00:47:25.67\00:47:27.41
and be ready in the
morning and come up to me."
00:47:27.44\00:47:30.58
And so Moses does that, verse 4.
00:47:30.61\00:47:33.85
And the Lord then
descends upon him, verse 5.
00:47:33.88\00:47:37.55
And then the lord
proclaims his glory.
00:47:37.59\00:47:39.62
So see, this is all
part of one passage here.
00:47:39.65\00:47:42.39
And he says in verse 6,
00:47:42.42\00:47:43.79
listen to the
character of God here.
00:47:43.83\00:47:46.29
"And the Lord pass before
him and proclaimed the Lord,
00:47:46.33\00:47:49.43
the Lord God
merciful and gracious.
00:47:49.46\00:47:54.00
Long suffering or patient
00:47:54.04\00:47:56.07
and abounding in
goodness and truth,
00:47:56.10\00:47:58.07
keeping mercy for thousands,
00:47:58.11\00:48:00.18
forgiving iniquity
and transgression and sin
00:48:00.21\00:48:02.34
by no means,
clearing the guilty."
00:48:02.38\00:48:04.61
So now you have a
little bit of a shift.
00:48:04.65\00:48:06.25
But it's still
the character of God.
00:48:06.28\00:48:08.12
We have an apparent dichotomy,
00:48:08.15\00:48:09.82
but it's not a
dichotomy with God.
00:48:09.85\00:48:11.52
Right. It's a full disclosure.
00:48:11.55\00:48:14.09
Of who he is, his wholeness.
00:48:14.12\00:48:15.89
And this is by not
clearing the guilty,
00:48:15.92\00:48:18.26
visiting the
iniquity of the fathers
00:48:18.29\00:48:19.93
upon their children and
their children's children
00:48:19.96\00:48:21.96
to the third and
fourth generation.
00:48:22.00\00:48:23.60
So he is a God of
Justice and he's God of mercy.
00:48:23.63\00:48:27.47
And he can be both
those things through Jesus.
00:48:27.50\00:48:30.47
And I wanna go ahead
and have you read verse 9
00:48:30.51\00:48:32.71
because look how beautiful--
00:48:32.74\00:48:34.08
Well, I'm gonna
read verse 8 and 9.
00:48:34.11\00:48:35.81
"And so Moses made haste,
00:48:35.84\00:48:38.45
bowed his head toward
the earth and worshiped."
00:48:38.48\00:48:41.75
And look at what he said,
00:48:41.78\00:48:43.18
we think that verse 9 is
just a New Testament verse.
00:48:43.22\00:48:46.12
Listen what he says.
00:48:46.15\00:48:47.56
"Then he said, I now,
00:48:47.59\00:48:50.13
If now I have found
grace in your sight,
00:48:50.16\00:48:53.19
O Lord, let my Lord, I pray,
00:48:53.23\00:48:56.50
go among us, even though
we are a stiff-necked people,
00:48:56.53\00:49:01.34
and pardon our
iniquity and our sin,
00:49:01.37\00:49:04.11
and take us as
your inheritance."
00:49:04.14\00:49:06.37
He referred to God in
the grace of God, see.
00:49:06.41\00:49:10.21
One of the greatest
examples of a powerful person,
00:49:10.25\00:49:14.15
one of greatest
examples of the God of love
00:49:14.18\00:49:15.92
is to have the
ability to kill us,
00:49:15.95\00:49:20.42
every reason to
kill us, and he doesn't.
00:49:20.46\00:49:25.03
Have all the power to abuse us,
00:49:25.06\00:49:27.60
has every reason not to
even show us mercy, yet he does.
00:49:27.63\00:49:32.57
How do you show a person
who's completely born in sin,
00:49:32.60\00:49:37.37
develop shape in an
iniquity is the sinner,
00:49:37.41\00:49:41.24
nothing good in him.
00:49:41.28\00:49:42.68
Even his best righteousness
is like filthy rags,
00:49:42.71\00:49:45.41
and he come before God and says,
00:49:45.45\00:49:47.52
"Have mercy on me," and he say,
00:49:47.55\00:49:48.88
"You know what, you
deserving of just death.
00:49:48.92\00:49:51.45
But you know what, I'm
gonna give you eternal life."
00:49:51.49\00:49:54.72
You know, and the, and God,
00:49:54.76\00:49:57.29
this is the part
that's we need to clarify.
00:49:57.33\00:49:59.86
It's not that God
wants to administer justice
00:49:59.89\00:50:03.13
against the wicked, he
loves all of his creation.
00:50:03.16\00:50:06.60
That's right.
00:50:06.63\00:50:07.97
He's not
sitting there and going,
00:50:08.00\00:50:09.34
"Oh, I wish I can just
pour out my judgment upon them."
00:50:09.37\00:50:11.47
He's not doing that.
00:50:11.51\00:50:12.87
He is open with his arms
wide, wanting to embrace you.
00:50:12.91\00:50:18.81
In fact, if there is
any anxiety in him in all
00:50:18.85\00:50:21.05
it's because he wants
a sinner turn and live.
00:50:21.08\00:50:24.45
Right.
00:50:24.49\00:50:25.82
Judgment from God is
the natural consequence
00:50:25.85\00:50:30.13
from rejecting grace and mercy.
00:50:30.16\00:50:34.30
It's our
willingness to hold on to sin
00:50:34.33\00:50:36.97
and on to the life we have,
00:50:37.00\00:50:38.63
that is meaningless without him
and a determination to be lost.
00:50:38.67\00:50:43.30
It is only those
that retain their sin
00:50:43.34\00:50:45.57
and refuse to embrace the
love that God has for them,
00:50:45.61\00:50:50.41
that experience is
justice in the end.
00:50:50.45\00:50:53.38
And this is what we
need to remember about God
00:50:53.42\00:50:55.35
that he doesn't
want to destroy anyone.
00:50:55.38\00:50:58.15
No.
00:50:58.19\00:51:00.32
But he has compassion
and he has love for us,
00:51:00.36\00:51:03.46
and the
greatest thing he desires
00:51:03.49\00:51:05.93
is for you to
turn your heart to him,
00:51:05.96\00:51:08.13
for him to pour that love
into you, to change your life,
00:51:08.16\00:51:11.17
and then make you
everything he wanted you to be.
00:51:11.20\00:51:13.10
He knows you can
be if you let him.
00:51:13.13\00:51:17.24
When Peter talks about God,
00:51:17.27\00:51:19.91
when Peter talks about the Lord,
00:51:19.94\00:51:22.11
he says, not willing
that anyone should perish.
00:51:22.14\00:51:26.88
That's right.
00:51:26.92\00:51:28.25
When I think about, now
let's go back and appeal,
00:51:28.28\00:51:31.42
let's talk about our humanness.
00:51:31.45\00:51:33.86
When you think about the
people that have done you wrong,
00:51:33.89\00:51:37.69
have incessantly
maligned your name,
00:51:37.73\00:51:41.96
stolen from you,
made attempts to kill you,
00:51:42.00\00:51:44.60
poisoned you,
destroy your character,
00:51:44.63\00:51:49.07
you say, I can't
wait till they move.
00:51:49.10\00:51:51.91
I can't wait till they leave,
00:51:51.94\00:51:53.41
I can't wait to get rid of them.
00:51:53.44\00:51:54.94
If I was--
00:51:54.98\00:51:56.31
this is what I would do.
00:51:56.34\00:51:57.68
If God, in all those examples
of the things that humanity
00:51:57.71\00:52:01.42
has done and is guilty of,
00:52:01.45\00:52:04.35
he desires so much
that we be with him.
00:52:04.39\00:52:07.39
He says, I'm going to get ready,
00:52:07.42\00:52:08.86
I'm gonna go
prepare a place for you,
00:52:08.89\00:52:10.29
and I'll come again
to receive it to myself."
00:52:10.33\00:52:12.26
So we're talking right now
00:52:12.29\00:52:13.63
the part they would exemplifying
00:52:13.66\00:52:15.00
is long suffering of God,
00:52:15.03\00:52:16.36
the character of
God, that's gracious,
00:52:16.40\00:52:18.57
a bounding in
goodness and truce.
00:52:18.60\00:52:21.44
See, showing mercy to thousands.
00:52:21.47\00:52:23.51
And so when we think about that
00:52:23.54\00:52:25.94
we think, well, who
could be like that person?
00:52:25.97\00:52:28.41
And God's
character doesn't change.
00:52:28.44\00:52:29.78
No.
00:52:29.81\00:52:31.15
Even in administration
of justice in the end,
00:52:31.18\00:52:32.81
the judgment, the fire
that comes out of heaven,
00:52:32.85\00:52:35.05
devour the
wicked and devour Satan
00:52:35.08\00:52:36.79
and his angels.
00:52:36.82\00:52:38.15
Even in that fire,
00:52:38.19\00:52:39.52
he will extend mercy
by allowing it to consume
00:52:39.55\00:52:43.02
and burn up and be done.
00:52:43.06\00:52:44.39
That's right.
00:52:44.43\00:52:45.76
That is still
God's mercy at work.
00:52:45.79\00:52:48.73
And let me say that,
there are differences.
00:52:48.76\00:52:50.30
I hear often when I'm
listening to preachers,
00:52:50.33\00:52:52.47
I just, I don't know why.
00:52:52.50\00:52:53.84
There's something's
we tune into with our ear
00:52:53.87\00:52:55.57
that kind of
become our hot button
00:52:55.60\00:52:57.67
or something like that.
00:52:57.71\00:52:59.04
I don't know how to call
it, what to call it but--
00:52:59.07\00:53:00.41
You pick it up.
I just pick it up.
00:53:00.44\00:53:01.84
And grace and mercy
are two different things.
00:53:01.88\00:53:08.65
Grace, I would say in general,
00:53:08.68\00:53:10.52
grace is giving us
something we don't deserve.
00:53:10.55\00:53:15.72
Mercy is withholding
something we deserve.
00:53:15.76\00:53:20.60
Very good point.
00:53:20.63\00:53:21.96
So grace is giving
when you don't deserve it,
00:53:22.00\00:53:25.43
mercy is
withholding that judgment,
00:53:25.47\00:53:27.70
that sensing what we deserve.
00:53:27.74\00:53:31.41
And, so, they're
different things.
00:53:31.44\00:53:33.21
So sometimes grace is
kind of this catch all thing.
00:53:33.24\00:53:36.28
But the mercy of God
is new every morning.
00:53:36.31\00:53:39.48
That's beautiful.
00:53:39.51\00:53:40.95
And the grace of God is
always been extended to us.
00:53:40.98\00:53:43.49
He's doing both at the same time
00:53:43.52\00:53:45.59
that the writers of
the apostles often use this
00:53:45.62\00:53:50.83
as an
introduction to their letters.
00:53:50.86\00:53:52.33
'Grace and mercy to you,'
usually adding piece to that,
00:53:52.36\00:53:56.70
'cause grace and
mercy equals peace.
00:53:56.73\00:53:58.93
So those three words are
commonly brought together.
00:53:58.97\00:54:01.20
We shouldn't just mould
them all together and say,
00:54:01.24\00:54:02.97
oh, the grace of God.
00:54:03.00\00:54:04.51
Yeah, the grace of
God is everything to us
00:54:04.54\00:54:06.24
but he is
merciful to us as well.
00:54:06.27\00:54:08.38
And sometimes there's question,
00:54:08.41\00:54:09.74
we talk in a way that doesn't
give God credit for mercy.
00:54:09.78\00:54:14.48
And I wish we had more time,
00:54:14.52\00:54:16.52
I can see things are just
slowly wrapping up to an end.
00:54:16.55\00:54:18.75
We'll have to a
second program on this,
00:54:18.79\00:54:20.12
but we need to get into
that merciful side of God.
00:54:20.16\00:54:23.49
The other thing I
wanna point out is,
00:54:23.53\00:54:26.26
I'm going back to the
all knowingness of God.
00:54:26.29\00:54:31.70
I talked about a
moment ago, my laptop, John,
00:54:31.73\00:54:36.44
recently I put a one
terabyte hard drive in here,
00:54:36.47\00:54:38.77
the solid state drive
that may not mean anything
00:54:38.81\00:54:41.48
to those of you
watching the program.
00:54:41.51\00:54:43.08
Meaning, no moving parts.
That's one terabyte of storage.
00:54:43.11\00:54:47.05
So whatever I wanna
access, I can get it,
00:54:47.08\00:54:49.88
because it's
pretty much on my laptop.
00:54:49.92\00:54:52.45
I think of the
storage capacity that God has.
00:54:52.49\00:54:56.83
And I think of
this little tiny planet
00:54:56.86\00:54:58.49
that we think we have a,
00:54:58.53\00:54:59.86
you know we
something now called the cloud.
00:54:59.89\00:55:04.40
Another technical term
that may not make a difference
00:55:04.43\00:55:06.37
to those
listened to the program.
00:55:06.40\00:55:08.34
A technical
place to store things
00:55:08.37\00:55:10.54
out there somewhere.
00:55:10.57\00:55:11.91
You know when you wanna
store important documents
00:55:11.94\00:55:14.24
that you don't wanna lose,
it's on the cloud, or pictures,
00:55:14.28\00:55:17.41
it's on the cloud.
00:55:17.45\00:55:18.78
It's out there somewhere.
00:55:18.81\00:55:20.15
And somebody once asked
me, well, where is the cloud?
00:55:20.18\00:55:21.95
And because I
couldn't answer that,
00:55:21.98\00:55:23.32
I said, I'm not
storing anything in the cloud.
00:55:23.35\00:55:26.39
I don't know what happens
to it when it goes to cloud
00:55:26.42\00:55:29.16
because I don't
even know where that is.
00:55:29.19\00:55:30.83
So that's the term
that's used nowadays,
00:55:30.86\00:55:32.43
not just Mac and PC,
00:55:32.46\00:55:33.80
everybody is into
this storing in the clouds.
00:55:33.83\00:55:35.16
I think the cloud is
higher than the clouds, right?
00:55:35.20\00:55:38.40
When you think of
that as high as the heavens
00:55:38.43\00:55:41.24
are above the earth so
are my ways above your ways,
00:55:41.27\00:55:45.84
and my thoughts
above your thoughts.
00:55:45.87\00:55:48.78
His way beyond the clouds.
00:55:48.81\00:55:50.65
And so this God,
that were talking about,
00:55:50.68\00:55:52.88
Isaiah 46:9-10, I
wanna just share this one
00:55:52.91\00:55:56.52
before we wind up.
00:55:56.55\00:55:57.95
"Remember the
former things of old.
00:55:57.99\00:55:59.62
For I am God, and
there is no other I am God,
00:55:59.65\00:56:01.49
and there is none like me.
00:56:01.52\00:56:03.56
Declaring,"
verse 10 of Isaiah 46,
00:56:03.59\00:56:05.56
"the end from the beginning,
and from ancient times,
00:56:05.59\00:56:09.66
things that are
not yet done, saying,
00:56:09.70\00:56:11.83
my counsel shall stand,
and I will do all my pleasure."
00:56:11.87\00:56:16.20
In other words, God says,
hey, I got it, I'm in control.
00:56:16.24\00:56:19.24
And the reason why this topic
is so widely important, John,
00:56:19.27\00:56:21.64
is this, in this day and
age there are very few things
00:56:21.68\00:56:24.41
you can still trust,
and rely on, and hold on to,
00:56:24.45\00:56:27.15
and dedicate yourself fully to,
00:56:27.18\00:56:28.88
and find comfort
and compassion in,
00:56:28.92\00:56:31.02
you can still find that in God.
00:56:31.05\00:56:32.92
That's right, that's right.
00:56:32.95\00:56:34.89
You know this whole thing,
00:56:34.92\00:56:36.93
we talk about the
grace and mercy of God,
00:56:36.96\00:56:38.83
and we'll elaborate
on this little more.
00:56:38.86\00:56:40.23
But I wanna give a
definition of grace here.
00:56:40.26\00:56:42.50
Because I know that sometimes
you say, "Oh, what is grace?"
00:56:42.53\00:56:44.93
And what is the classic answer?
00:56:44.97\00:56:46.67
Unmerited
favor. Unmerited favor.
00:56:46.70\00:56:48.27
And it's becomes such a
term that we hear all the time
00:56:48.30\00:56:50.14
but we're not
really diving into this.
00:56:50.17\00:56:52.47
And so, here's my
definition of grace.
00:56:52.51\00:56:54.74
And this came few years
ago and I've used ever since.
00:56:54.78\00:56:57.18
But grace, the grace of God
00:56:57.21\00:56:59.25
is any time the God
reaches his hand down
00:56:59.28\00:57:02.12
to do something for us
00:57:02.15\00:57:03.49
that we cannot do for ourselves.
00:57:03.52\00:57:04.92
Beautiful.
00:57:04.95\00:57:06.29
It is to save us, but it's also
to deliver us from temptation,
00:57:06.32\00:57:10.33
it's to provide
power and strength,
00:57:10.36\00:57:11.73
it's to meet our needs,
00:57:11.76\00:57:13.26
all these
things are God's grace.
00:57:13.29\00:57:14.90
He's giving something,
he's doing something for us
00:57:14.93\00:57:16.93
that we cannot do for ourselves.
00:57:16.97\00:57:18.53
That's the God that
we're love and we serve.
00:57:18.57\00:57:20.47
And, friends, that's
why we talk about that God
00:57:20.50\00:57:22.20
here at House Calls.
00:57:22.24\00:57:23.57
So keep trusting the lord,
00:57:23.61\00:57:24.94
because one day he's
going to make a house call,
00:57:24.97\00:57:26.57
and when he does
00:57:26.61\00:57:27.94
you're gonna meet the
God of grace and mercy.
00:57:27.98\00:57:29.64
God bless you,
until we see you again.
00:57:29.68\00:57:32.15