(uplifting theme music)
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(music ends)
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>>Welcome to "Sabbath School,"
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brought to you by It Is Written.
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We're delighted to have you
back with us again this week
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as we continue our study
of the three angels' message,
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one of the most
significant messages
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that you will find in the
Bible and certainly one of them
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that most
especially applies to our day.
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This is week number two.
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We are going to be looking
at "A Moment of Destiny."
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Let's begin with prayer.
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Father, we wanna thank You
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for bringing us
together again this week
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as we continue our study
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of this incredible
series of messages.
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We ask that You'll
bless our time together today,
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that we may understand it better
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and apply it to our
lives in a very significant
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and meaningful way. We
thank You in Jesus' name.
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Amen. >>Amen.
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>>Well, our guest this
week, just like last week
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and for the
remainder of the 13 weeks,
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is Pastor Mark Finley.
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He is an international
speaker and evangelist.
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Pastor Mark, we're delighted
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that you could
join us again this week.
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>>I'm happy to be
back with It Is Written.
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You know, I spent 14
happy years here at the ministry
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and have such regard
for John, for you, Eric,
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and we are just delighted.
Thank you for the privilege.
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>>We've got a big topic
we're looking at this week.
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We're looking at
"A Moment of Destiny,"
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and as I just mentioned, this
is part of a 13-week journey
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that we're going on with you,
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learning more about this
significant series of messages.
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Now, we mentioned last
week that the book of Revelation
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is divided into
three major parts.
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Could you review that
with us just a little bit?
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>>Sure. If you
look at Revelation,
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we have three major
parts in the entire book
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and then three major
parts in Revelation 14 as well.
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In Revelation, you
have an introduction
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in the first chapter
that introduces Jesus
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as the divine Son of God.
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Christ is the one
who's going to return.
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Jesus is the one who is present
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with us today
as our High Priest.
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So you have that
introduction in chapter 1.
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Then you have sequences of seven
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from about
chapter 2 to chapter 11.
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You have the seven
churches, the seven seals,
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the seven trumpets. That
would be the second part.
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Then from 12 to 22,
you have that third section
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that really deals
with end-time events.
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When you come to
Revelation, chapter 14,
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it is also divided
into three sections.
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Revelation 14 is
our special study
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during our
"Sabbath School" time.
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Verses 1-5 talk
about the 144,000,
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a group of people who
stand on the sea of glass.
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Now, this may seem strange
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for modern
interpreters of the Bible
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or modern readers of the Bible,
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but it's really
not strange at all
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when you come to
the ancient times.
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Often the ancients
gave you the conclusion
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before they gave you
what led up to the conclusion.
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So you have that,
Pastor Eric, in Revelation 14.
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The first part is verses 1-5
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where you see this scene
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with the people
on the sea of glass,
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the people that are with
the Lamb, with Jesus Christ.
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Then you have the message that
prepares them for that event,
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Revelation 14:6-12.
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Then you have the event
for which they're prepared,
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Revelation,
chapter 14, verse 14-20.
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So you have 1-5,
Revelation 14:1-5, a people,
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Revelation,
chapter 14:6-12, a message,
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Revelation, chapter 14,
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verses 14-20, an event.
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And that kind of summarizes
the entire chapter of 14.
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>>So we've got the threes
in several different places.
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We've got a
summary of chapter 14.
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Why is it here?
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I mean, if we were to
look at where we stand
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in the scheme
of earth's history,
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we are today living in
Revelation, chapter 14.
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We see the people.
We see the message.
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What's...why is it
there? What's the purpose of it?
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>>Revelation, chapter
14 is to prepare people
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for the coming of Jesus.
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There is no chapter in the Bible
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that is as
definitive and as clear
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in a message to prepare people
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for the coming of Jesus
as Revelation, chapter 14.
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As we look back through history,
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we see that when God
has had a major event
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to impact the world, He
has always had a message
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to prepare for that event,
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as it says, for
example, in Amos 3:7,
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"Surely the Lord
God will do nothing,
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but He [reveals] His secret
to His servants the prophets."
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Before the destruction of
the world by fire, God sent--
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rather, by water
(laughs)--God sent Noah
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to prepare for the
Flood; 120 years he preached.
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Before John
the--before Jesus came,
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John the Baptist
was raised up by God
00:05:08.64\00:05:11.41
to prepare a message for
the first coming of Christ.
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And when the world is going
to be destroyed at the end time,
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and God's gonna come
to deliver His people,
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He has sent a
message to prepare us.
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And Revelation, chapter 14,
pastor, is given to us in love.
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It's a message that
is saturated in love
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to prepare a people for
the return of Jesus Christ.
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>>So Revelation
14, a message of love,
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I think that's significant
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because a lot of times
you'll run into people--
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and I know we'll get
into this a little bit later
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in more depth--who
say, you know, "Especially
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"the book of Revelation
is a book filled with fear,
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and we're worried about this
vengeful God," and so forth.
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And we don't wanna
jump too far into that,
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but this is a
message of love, isn't it?
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>>It really is.
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You know, I had an
interesting experience.
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Many years ago, we were
living in Hinsdale, Illinois.
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My wife took our
son to the barber,
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and he was just a young
lad, you know, 5 years old.
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And she came
back and said to me,
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"Mark, you gotta
go to a haircut."
00:06:07.60\00:06:09.20
I said, "What are
you talking about?
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My hair looks pretty good."
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She said, "No, that
barber is really interested
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in spiritual things."
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She said, "Just
before our son was going
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"to go get his
haircut, there was a man sitting
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"in the barber
chair reading the paper.
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"And as the man
read the paper, he said,
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"'Boy, everything
in the paper is scary.
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"Everything in
the paper is scary.'
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"He said, 'You read about
war. You read about crime.
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"It's scary to read the paper.'
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"And the barber said to
him, 'You think that's scary?
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You should read the book
of Revelation.'" (chuckles)
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"He said, 'Last night I
read the book of Revelation,
00:06:38.16\00:06:39.93
"'all about these beasts
and the mark of the beast
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"and war, conflict.'
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And he said, 'I
could hardly sleep.'"
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My wife said, "You've
gotta go help that barber.
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Go get a haircut." So I
went down and sat there,
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and I prayed, "Lord,
help me to know what to do."
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And I pick up the newspaper
as I sat in the barber's chair,
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and I said, "Boy,
you know what, sir?
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Everything you read in the
newspaper is scary." (laughs)
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And the barber said,
"You think that's scary?"
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He took the bait, you know?
00:07:01.85\00:07:02.95
He said, "You
should read Revelation."
00:07:02.95\00:07:04.55
I said, "I read
it a little bit."
00:07:04.55\00:07:06.32
We talked about Jesus,
the Lamb of God in Revelation.
00:07:06.32\00:07:09.59
We talked about a loving
God who wants to prepare people
00:07:09.59\00:07:12.23
for the coming of Christ.
00:07:12.23\00:07:13.90
We talked about
the return of Jesus.
00:07:13.90\00:07:16.30
And this barber and
I began Bible studies,
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and we eventually baptized him.
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>>Oh, wow.
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>>So, Revelation, you've
mentioned scary. It's only scary
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if you don't see the
central theme of Revelation.
00:07:24.67\00:07:27.21
And you remember
last week we talked
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about the theme of
Revelation, chapter 1:
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Jesus wins; Satan loses.
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So the theme of
the book of Revelation
00:07:35.48\00:07:37.42
is the all-conquering,
triumphant Christ.
00:07:37.42\00:07:40.82
Jesus triumphed over
the principalities in hell
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in His life on earth
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as He defeated Satan
when Satan tempted Him
00:07:46.29\00:07:48.40
in the wilderness
and throughout His life.
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Jesus defeated the
principalities and powers of
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hell on the cross when He
provided salvation for humanity.
00:07:52.90\00:07:56.60
Jesus is defeating the
principalities and powers of
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hell now as His High Priest
ministry in the sanctuary.
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And Jesus will
defeat the principalities
00:08:02.28\00:08:04.41
and powers of hell
when He comes again
00:08:04.41\00:08:05.71
in the clouds of glory.
That's the theme of Revelation.
00:08:05.71\00:08:08.72
>>So, less a
theme of worry and fear,
00:08:08.72\00:08:13.02
more one of hope
and encouragement.
00:08:13.02\00:08:15.22
>>Exactly. >>And
that's phenomenal.
00:08:15.22\00:08:17.73
We're in Revelation,
chapter 14 this week.
00:08:17.73\00:08:19.86
You mentioned the
several portions of it,
00:08:19.86\00:08:22.80
three different
portions of it here.
00:08:22.80\00:08:24.47
One section,
chapter 14, verses 14-20,
00:08:24.47\00:08:28.77
talks about some harvests.
00:08:28.77\00:08:31.64
Unpack those harvests a
little bit for us, if you would.
00:08:31.64\00:08:34.28
>>There are two harvests there.
00:08:34.28\00:08:35.61
And let me just read
through Revelation 14,
00:08:35.61\00:08:40.48
and we're gonna take a
look at some amazing things.
00:08:40.48\00:08:44.79
You know, when I prepared
these Sabbath school lessons,
00:08:44.79\00:08:49.42
you think you know a
great deal about something
00:08:49.42\00:08:52.26
until you start
studying it in depth.
00:08:52.26\00:08:54.93
I would always talk about
the three angels' messages
00:08:54.93\00:08:57.97
in Revelation 14,
00:08:57.97\00:08:59.33
but actually there are
six angels in Revelation 14.
00:08:59.33\00:09:01.77
And so let me just read through
it. If you have your Bible,
00:09:01.77\00:09:05.77
and you are watching the
program, get out your Bible.
00:09:05.77\00:09:08.78
Get out a pen and
underline some passages
00:09:08.78\00:09:12.21
and take some notes. So here
we go, Revelation 14, verse 14.
00:09:12.21\00:09:16.69
John says, "Then I looked"--
00:09:16.69\00:09:18.32
well, why do you
have "then" there?
00:09:18.32\00:09:20.02
Because it's after
the message that prepares,
00:09:20.02\00:09:22.62
and we're gonna
go into that message
00:09:22.62\00:09:23.83
in depth in future lessons.
00:09:23.83\00:09:25.13
"Then I looked, and
behold, a white cloud,
00:09:25.13\00:09:28.06
and on the cloud sat
One like the Son of Man."
00:09:28.06\00:09:31.43
Why is it that when
Jesus is mentioned here
00:09:32.50\00:09:36.20
in Revelation, chapter 14, He's
mentioned as the Son of Man?
00:09:36.20\00:09:39.61
It's the favorite
title that Jesus had.
00:09:39.61\00:09:43.01
John, who wrote the Gospel
of John, is writing Revelation,
00:09:43.01\00:09:48.02
and he wants us to know
00:09:48.02\00:09:49.38
that the One that walked
the dusty streets of Galilee,
00:09:49.38\00:09:52.72
the One that walked
the cobblestone streets of
00:09:52.72\00:09:55.69
Jerusalem, the One that
touched the eyes of the blind,
00:09:55.69\00:09:57.39
and they were opened,
00:09:57.39\00:09:58.76
and the years of the
deaf, and they were unstopped,
00:09:58.76\00:09:59.83
the One that
touched withered hands,
00:09:59.83\00:10:01.66
the One that healed the sick,
00:10:01.66\00:10:03.50
and the One that ministered
love and raised the dead
00:10:03.50\00:10:06.27
and the One that forgave sins
00:10:06.27\00:10:08.20
and delivered the demoniacs
with power, the Son of Man,
00:10:08.20\00:10:11.54
the One that identifies with us,
00:10:11.54\00:10:13.14
He is the One that's coming
again to redeem us and save us.
00:10:13.14\00:10:16.88
It says He has "on
His head a golden crown."
00:10:16.88\00:10:19.61
This crown is "stephanos."
00:10:19.61\00:10:22.68
It is the crown of victory.
It's the victor's crown.
00:10:22.68\00:10:26.39
So Jesus Christ,
the Son of Man, comes
00:10:26.39\00:10:29.06
with the victor's crown. "In
His hand [is] a sharp sickle,"
00:10:29.06\00:10:32.63
that is to say that He
comes to reap the harvest.
00:10:32.63\00:10:36.03
It says, "And another
angel came out of the temple,
00:10:36.03\00:10:39.60
"crying with a loud voice
to Him who sat on the cloud,
00:10:39.60\00:10:42.44
"'Thrust in
Your sickle and reap,
00:10:42.44\00:10:44.41
"'for the time has
come for You to reap,
00:10:44.41\00:10:46.34
for the harvest of
the earth is ripe.'"
00:10:46.34\00:10:48.01
Now, look, when I read
this, I just stood back,
00:10:48.01\00:10:51.65
and I hadn't seen
it before, Pastor Eric.
00:10:51.65\00:10:55.68
It says, "Another
angel came out of the temple,
00:10:55.68\00:10:58.22
crying with a loud voice
to Him who sat on the cloud."
00:10:58.22\00:11:01.02
So here you have
Jesus, He's ready to come,
00:11:01.02\00:11:03.93
and an angel comes
from the presence of God
00:11:03.93\00:11:07.86
with the
iridescent glory of God,
00:11:07.86\00:11:09.80
and he says,
"Jesus, the time is ripe.
00:11:09.80\00:11:12.43
"Jesus, the time is
ripe. Go, deliver your people.
00:11:12.43\00:11:16.00
And the harvest is
ripe." Those who are righteous
00:11:16.00\00:11:20.64
have made their
final, irrevocable decision.
00:11:20.64\00:11:23.24
Nothing can move
them. Those that are wicked
00:11:23.24\00:11:25.71
and unrighteous have made their
final, irrevocable decision.
00:11:25.71\00:11:28.42
Nothing can move them.
Both harvests have come to bear.
00:11:28.42\00:11:31.72
The time is ripe.
00:11:31.72\00:11:34.02
And then it says:
"'Thrust in your sickle...,
00:11:34.02\00:11:36.16
"'...the time has
come for You to reap,
00:11:36.16\00:11:38.36
"for the harvest
of the earth is ripe.'
00:11:38.36\00:11:40.36
"So He who sat on
the cloud thrust in
00:11:40.36\00:11:43.73
His sickle on the earth,
and the earth was reaped."
00:11:43.73\00:11:46.60
What does it mean that the
harvest of the earth was reaped?
00:11:46.60\00:11:50.61
What is this harvest?
00:11:50.61\00:11:51.91
If you go back to
Mark, chapter 4, verse 26-29,
00:11:51.91\00:11:56.68
Mark 4, verse 26-29,
00:11:57.45\00:12:00.05
you notice what the
harvest is all about.
00:12:00.05\00:12:04.29
And here it's the
parable of the growing seed,
00:12:04.29\00:12:08.96
Mark, chapter 4, verse 26-29.
00:12:08.96\00:12:11.23
Pastor, do you
wanna read those for us?
00:12:11.23\00:12:12.69
>>Sure, Mark 4,
starting in verse 26:
00:12:12.69\00:12:15.00
"And He said,
'The kingdom of God is
00:12:15.00\00:12:16.26
"as if a man should
scatter seed on the ground,
00:12:16.26\00:12:18.80
"and should sleep by
night and rise by day,
00:12:18.80\00:12:21.74
"and the seed
should sprout and grow,
00:12:21.74\00:12:23.51
"he himself does not know how.
00:12:23.51\00:12:25.41
"For the earth
yields crops by itself:
00:12:25.41\00:12:27.88
"first the blade, then the head,
00:12:27.88\00:12:29.71
"after that the
full grain in the head.
00:12:29.71\00:12:31.95
"But when the grain ripens,
00:12:31.95\00:12:33.25
"immediately he
puts in the sickle,
00:12:33.25\00:12:35.15
because the harvest has come.'"
00:12:35.15\00:12:36.85
>>So the seed, of course,
represents the Word of God.
00:12:36.85\00:12:39.62
So since Jesus' death and
resurrection and ascension,
00:12:39.62\00:12:44.16
the disciples went out
00:12:44.16\00:12:45.29
and spread the Word
of God to the world.
00:12:45.29\00:12:47.00
Jesus says in
Matthew 24, verse 14,
00:12:47.00\00:12:49.53
"This gospel of the
kingdom [shall] be preached
00:12:49.53\00:12:51.53
"in all the world as a
witness to all...nations,
00:12:51.53\00:12:54.34
...then the end [shall] come."
00:12:54.34\00:12:55.84
So the maturing of the
gospel seed takes place
00:12:55.84\00:12:59.24
when every living human
being has had an opportunity
00:12:59.24\00:13:03.55
to accept or reject the gospel.
00:13:03.55\00:13:05.71
And we are seeing that
today through television,
00:13:05.71\00:13:08.02
through the
internet, through social media,
00:13:08.02\00:13:10.62
through the printed
page, through preachers.
00:13:10.62\00:13:13.72
We are living in the time of
the fulfillment of the harvest.
00:13:13.72\00:13:17.86
>>And that's encouraging.
00:13:17.86\00:13:19.19
If that doesn't encourage
you, I don't know what could.
00:13:19.19\00:13:22.10
But we're gonna come
back in just a moment
00:13:22.10\00:13:23.53
and continue looking
at these two harvests
00:13:23.53\00:13:25.57
and the depth of
Revelation, chapter 14.
00:13:25.57\00:13:29.10
But if you're enjoying
this study of Revelation 14,
00:13:29.10\00:13:31.87
and you want to
get more out of it,
00:13:31.87\00:13:33.74
I want to encourage
you to pick up this book
00:13:33.74\00:13:36.21
called "Three Cosmic
Messages" by Pastor Mark Finley.
00:13:36.21\00:13:40.98
This book will
give you greater depth,
00:13:40.98\00:13:43.02
deeper insight into
what we are studying
00:13:43.02\00:13:45.29
and add an immense
value to your understanding
00:13:45.29\00:13:48.82
of the three angels' messages.
00:13:48.82\00:13:50.56
To pick that up, you
can go to itiswritten.shop.
00:13:50.56\00:13:54.10
Again, that's itiswritten.shop,
00:13:54.10\00:13:56.70
and look for the book
"Three Cosmic Messages"
00:13:56.70\00:13:59.47
by Mark Finley.
00:13:59.47\00:14:00.87
We're going to come
back in just a moment
00:14:00.87\00:14:02.20
as we continue looking
at "A Moment of Destiny."
00:14:02.20\00:14:05.64
We'll be right back.
00:14:05.64\00:14:06.91
(uplifting theme
music swells and ends)
00:14:06.91\00:14:09.71
>>[John
Bradshaw] It's everywhere,
00:14:11.11\00:14:13.11
adorning
churches, adorning people.
00:14:13.11\00:14:16.22
There's a season every
year commemorating the cross,
00:14:16.22\00:14:20.22
but beyond eggs and
rabbits, there's a power,
00:14:20.22\00:14:23.43
the power of a sacrifice,
the power of the love of God.
00:14:23.43\00:14:27.83
Be sure you see "At the Cross"
00:14:27.83\00:14:30.70
and learn about the single event
00:14:30.70\00:14:32.50
that changed the
course of history,
00:14:32.50\00:14:35.00
the event that can
change your life forever.
00:14:35.00\00:14:38.61
Predicted by prophets and
foretold by Jesus Himself,
00:14:38.61\00:14:42.24
what happened at the
cross was a demonstration
00:14:42.24\00:14:45.05
of God's love like no other.
00:14:45.05\00:14:47.62
Humanity's fall into sin
00:14:47.62\00:14:49.32
in the Garden of Eden
brought upon Adam and Eve
00:14:49.32\00:14:51.82
and their descendants
inescapable consequences,
00:14:51.82\00:14:55.56
but into that
turmoil stepped Jesus,
00:14:55.56\00:14:57.56
promising the
planet a way of escape.
00:14:57.56\00:15:01.00
Don't miss "At the Cross,"
00:15:01.00\00:15:03.80
brought to you
by It Is Written TV.
00:15:03.80\00:15:07.27
(uplifting theme music)
00:15:11.67\00:15:14.58
>>[Eric] Welcome
back to "Sabbath School,"
00:15:16.21\00:15:17.71
brought to you by It Is Written.
00:15:17.71\00:15:19.28
We're taking a look
at lesson number two,
00:15:19.28\00:15:21.48
"A Moment of Destiny."
00:15:21.48\00:15:23.92
Now, Pastor Mark, a
moment ago, you were mentioning
00:15:23.92\00:15:26.45
from Wednesday's
lesson the victor's crown.
00:15:26.45\00:15:28.86
That's "stephanos."
00:15:28.86\00:15:30.29
There's an
interesting quote in the middle
00:15:30.29\00:15:31.99
of Wednesday's lesson that comes
00:15:31.99\00:15:34.23
from a book called
"Christ's Object Lessons"
00:15:34.23\00:15:36.13
on pages 65 and 66.
00:15:36.13\00:15:38.13
It's a powerful
quote, and part of it says,
00:15:38.13\00:15:40.17
"The plant must
either grow or die.
00:15:40.17\00:15:43.41
"As its growth is silent and
imperceptible, but continuous,
00:15:43.41\00:15:46.94
"so is the development
of the Christian life.
00:15:46.94\00:15:50.15
"At every stage of development
our life may be perfect;
00:15:50.15\00:15:53.55
"yet if God's
purpose for us is fulfilled,
00:15:53.55\00:15:56.45
"there will be
continual advancement.
00:15:56.45\00:15:59.09
Sanctification is
the work of a lifetime."
00:15:59.09\00:16:02.39
That's, it's an
interesting statement.
00:16:02.39\00:16:03.99
It's a very profound statement
00:16:03.99\00:16:06.09
and one that I
think a lot of people,
00:16:06.09\00:16:07.83
even a lot of Christians,
don't quite understand.
00:16:07.83\00:16:10.47
Could you elaborate on that a
little bit, open it up for us?
00:16:10.47\00:16:13.07
>>Sure, I'm interested
in this particular sentence:
00:16:13.07\00:16:17.07
"At every stage of development,
our life may be perfect;
00:16:17.07\00:16:20.91
yet if God's
purpose for us is fulfilled,
00:16:20.91\00:16:23.41
there will be
continual advancement."
00:16:23.41\00:16:25.75
There are many
people that have the idea
00:16:25.75\00:16:27.68
that perfection is a
state that we arrive at,
00:16:27.68\00:16:30.89
and that if we arrive at that
state, there's no more growth.
00:16:30.89\00:16:34.82
But yet this statement says that
00:16:34.82\00:16:38.03
at every stage
we may be perfect,
00:16:38.03\00:16:40.13
and there's
continual advancement.
00:16:40.13\00:16:41.73
So how do you
harmonize those two?
00:16:41.73\00:16:43.73
It's a definition of perfection.
00:16:43.73\00:16:45.50
In this context and in
the Bible, what is perfection?
00:16:46.90\00:16:49.44
Perfection is total commitment.
00:16:49.44\00:16:52.27
Perfection has to do with
my commitment to Christ first.
00:16:52.27\00:16:56.85
So, as the Holy
Spirit touches my heart,
00:16:56.85\00:17:00.15
and I make a
decision to follow Jesus,
00:17:00.15\00:17:03.39
the Holy Spirit
then works in my life
00:17:03.39\00:17:06.49
to lead me to a
commitment to Christ.
00:17:06.49\00:17:09.02
Now, I can only commit
the things that I know.
00:17:09.02\00:17:11.33
So as it says in
John, chapter 8, verse 29,
00:17:11.33\00:17:15.16
Jesus said, "I do [all]
those things that please Him."
00:17:15.16\00:17:18.80
So what is perfection?
00:17:18.80\00:17:20.20
Perfection is the
desire in every aspect
00:17:20.20\00:17:23.34
of my life to please Jesus.
But the more I study and grow,
00:17:23.34\00:17:28.31
the more the seed of the Word
of God is developed within me,
00:17:28.31\00:17:32.05
the more I see things in my life
00:17:32.05\00:17:33.72
that I've never seen before.
00:17:33.72\00:17:35.65
I may recognize that
I've had a critical tongue.
00:17:35.65\00:17:38.55
I may recognize
that there's pride.
00:17:38.55\00:17:40.49
I may recognize that there is
00:17:40.49\00:17:43.12
in my life times
when I'm not 100% honest
00:17:43.12\00:17:47.30
in the statements that I make.
00:17:47.30\00:17:49.26
As I recognize those and am
convicted by the Holy Spirit,
00:17:49.26\00:17:52.27
because all I
wanna do is please Jesus,
00:17:52.27\00:17:54.20
I surrender those things.
00:17:54.20\00:17:56.14
So perfection is not a
state that we enter into.
00:17:56.14\00:18:00.98
It's rather an attitude
of commitment to Christ,
00:18:00.98\00:18:04.41
and in that
attitude of commitment,
00:18:04.41\00:18:06.31
there is constant growth as
Jesus is revealing to me things
00:18:06.31\00:18:09.78
in my life that are not
in harmony with His will.
00:18:09.78\00:18:11.82
>>So this involves a word
00:18:11.82\00:18:13.56
that a lot of times people
don't wanna come up against,
00:18:13.56\00:18:16.22
and that's surrender.
00:18:16.22\00:18:17.56
You know, we have to completely
surrender our wills to Him.
00:18:17.56\00:18:20.43
And as you mentioned, He
continues to reveal things to us
00:18:20.43\00:18:23.93
that we then have the
opportunity to either surrender
00:18:23.93\00:18:26.30
or not to surrender.
00:18:26.30\00:18:28.27
I think I had somebody
share it with me this way.
00:18:28.27\00:18:31.91
The closer we get to
the light that is Jesus,
00:18:31.91\00:18:34.88
the closer we get to know Him,
00:18:34.88\00:18:37.18
the more distinct
becomes our own shadow.
00:18:37.18\00:18:39.41
We realize how
far we fall from Him.
00:18:39.41\00:18:43.79
But by His grace,
we continue to grow
00:18:43.79\00:18:47.92
and make advancement day by day.
00:18:47.92\00:18:49.59
>>And when we come
to this final harvest--
00:18:49.59\00:18:51.73
and that's exactly right--we
come to this final harvest--
00:18:51.73\00:18:53.83
you know, in
Philippians 1 it says that
00:18:53.83\00:18:56.83
"He that has begun a good
work in you" is gonna finish it.
00:18:56.83\00:19:00.30
In Hebrews 12,
it says God is the--
00:19:01.44\00:19:03.71
Jesus--"the author and
finisher of our faith."
00:19:03.71\00:19:06.88
So what we believe is this:
00:19:06.88\00:19:09.74
that right now I'm not
everything that God wants me to
00:19:09.74\00:19:13.52
be, but He's working in my
life through His Holy Spirit
00:19:13.52\00:19:16.25
because I want my will--
00:19:16.25\00:19:17.55
I've surrendered my
will totally to Him.
00:19:17.55\00:19:20.46
Do I know how God Himself
00:19:20.46\00:19:23.86
is gonna bring me to
the state of final harvest
00:19:23.86\00:19:26.49
where He could say
it's finished in my life?
00:19:26.49\00:19:28.66
I don't know how
that's gonna be accomplished,
00:19:28.66\00:19:30.67
but it's accomplished by faith,
00:19:30.67\00:19:32.63
faith in the
Christ that redeemed me,
00:19:32.63\00:19:34.77
faith in the grace that
is working in my life now,
00:19:34.77\00:19:38.07
faith in the belief that through
the intercession of Jesus,
00:19:38.07\00:19:41.24
He's gonna get me to
where He wants me to be.
00:19:41.24\00:19:44.45
And I like this illustration.
00:19:44.45\00:19:46.18
When I was just a
young boy, seven years old,
00:19:47.42\00:19:52.49
I went to school;
I was in first grade.
00:19:53.62\00:19:56.36
I didn't know that
when I was in college,
00:19:56.36\00:19:59.43
I would be taking
Greek, for example,
00:19:59.43\00:20:02.33
(chuckles) my theology.
00:20:02.33\00:20:03.93
I didn't know that I would
be studying various aspects
00:20:03.93\00:20:07.30
of philosophy.
00:20:07.30\00:20:08.70
I didn't even know how to read
back then in the first grade,
00:20:08.70\00:20:10.57
and I was just learning to read.
00:20:10.57\00:20:13.01
But I stayed in school,
and my teachers prepared me
00:20:13.01\00:20:16.18
for what I
didn't know I could be.
00:20:16.18\00:20:18.35
If a child goes
in the first grade,
00:20:19.45\00:20:21.18
and they're learning one
and one is two, (laughing)
00:20:21.18\00:20:23.39
and two and two is four,
and three and three is six,
00:20:23.39\00:20:26.22
they don't know
00:20:26.22\00:20:27.89
that one day they're
gonna take trigonometry.
00:20:27.89\00:20:30.29
They don't know one
day they'll take calculus.
00:20:30.29\00:20:32.09
They don't know that one day
they'll be a famous scientist.
00:20:32.09\00:20:34.83
But if they stay in school
00:20:34.83\00:20:36.60
and allow the
teacher to teach them,
00:20:36.60\00:20:38.50
they're gonna
come to that state.
00:20:38.50\00:20:40.34
It's like that in
the Christian life.
00:20:40.34\00:20:42.50
We are committed to
stay in the school of Christ,
00:20:42.50\00:20:45.67
who will work in our life
and finish what He has started
00:20:45.67\00:20:49.21
and bring us to
that final harvest
00:20:49.21\00:20:51.01
so that we're
ready for His coming.
00:20:51.01\00:20:52.61
>>And that continual
advancement is a part of that.
00:20:52.61\00:20:55.42
>>[Mark] Amen, amen.
00:20:55.42\00:20:56.69
>>So this harvest
that you mentioned,
00:20:56.69\00:20:58.79
we mentioned that there
were two different harvests.
00:20:58.79\00:21:00.52
We've kind of delved
into one of the harvests.
00:21:00.52\00:21:02.69
What about that,
the other harvest?
00:21:02.69\00:21:05.03
>>The other harvest,
let's read about it here.
00:21:05.03\00:21:07.66
The other harvest is
called the harvest of grapes,
00:21:08.96\00:21:12.57
the grapes of wrath.
00:21:12.57\00:21:14.27
It's in
Revelation 14, verse 17-20.
00:21:14.27\00:21:19.01
It says, "Then another
angel came out of the temple
00:21:19.01\00:21:21.74
which is in heaven, he
also [had] a sharp sickle."
00:21:21.74\00:21:24.88
So this is another
reaping that takes place.
00:21:24.88\00:21:27.82
We had first the
reaping of golden grain,
00:21:27.82\00:21:30.45
now the reaping of gory grapes.
00:21:30.45\00:21:32.69
"And another angel
came out from the altar,
00:21:32.69\00:21:35.29
"who had power over fire,
and he cried with a loud cry
00:21:35.29\00:21:39.59
to him who had the
sharp sickle, saying"--
00:21:39.59\00:21:42.20
so you have
another angel coming out--
00:21:42.20\00:21:44.10
"'Thrust in your
sickle and gather the clusters
00:21:44.10\00:21:46.97
of the vine of the earth,
for her grapes are fully ripe.'
00:21:46.97\00:21:51.24
"So the angel thrust in
his sickle into the earth
00:21:51.24\00:21:53.94
"and gathered the
vine of the earth,
00:21:53.94\00:21:55.98
"and threw it into the
winepress of the wrath of God.
00:21:55.98\00:21:58.68
"And the winepress was
trampled outside the city,
00:21:58.68\00:22:01.42
"and blood came
out of the winepress,
00:22:01.42\00:22:03.39
"up to the horses' bridles,
00:22:03.39\00:22:05.72
[about] one thousand
six hundred furlongs."
00:22:05.72\00:22:08.22
So let's try to unpack that.
00:22:08.22\00:22:09.56
First, the purpose of
the three angels' messages
00:22:09.56\00:22:13.83
in Revelation 14:6-12
that begins with the statement,
00:22:13.83\00:22:18.60
"I saw another angel
fly in the midst of heaven
00:22:18.60\00:22:20.57
"having the
everlasting gospel to preach
00:22:20.57\00:22:23.00
"to them that
dwell on the earth,
00:22:23.00\00:22:24.31
to every nation,
kindred, tongue, and people."
00:22:24.31\00:22:26.47
The purpose of the
gospel is to provide salvation
00:22:26.47\00:22:29.61
and redemption and freedom
00:22:29.61\00:22:31.75
from the
condemnation and guilt of sin
00:22:31.75\00:22:33.65
and the power and dominion
of sin for every human being.
00:22:33.65\00:22:37.39
So when you come to
the final two harvests
00:22:37.39\00:22:39.85
in Revelation, chapter 14,
00:22:39.85\00:22:42.36
every human being on earth
has had a reasonable opportunity
00:22:42.36\00:22:46.76
to accept or reject Christ,
00:22:46.76\00:22:48.60
to accept or reject
His last-day message.
00:22:48.60\00:22:51.70
In the last days
of earth's history,
00:22:51.70\00:22:53.40
when the final climax comes,
00:22:53.40\00:22:58.14
God Himself will
pour out His Holy Spirit
00:22:58.14\00:23:02.74
to give
everybody that opportunity.
00:23:02.74\00:23:05.05
Nobody is lost
because they didn't know.
00:23:05.05\00:23:08.18
They will only be lost
00:23:08.18\00:23:09.32
because of what
they knew and didn't do.
00:23:09.32\00:23:11.35
They didn't take
advantage of the opportunity,
00:23:11.35\00:23:14.32
and there was
rebellion in the heart.
00:23:14.32\00:23:16.16
There was self-centeredness
and egotism and pride,
00:23:16.16\00:23:19.13
which led to
Satan's fall, of course.
00:23:19.13\00:23:21.73
So the final
harvest of gory grapes
00:23:21.73\00:23:24.87
is the harvest of the lost.
It's like Revelation 22 says--
00:23:24.87\00:23:29.74
and maybe we
should turn to that--
00:23:29.74\00:23:32.61
Jesus is coming with His reward.
00:23:32.61\00:23:35.71
So the final
decisions take place
00:23:35.71\00:23:39.61
just before the coming of Jesus.
00:23:39.61\00:23:44.29
And if you can look there
00:23:44.29\00:23:45.42
and maybe read
for us Revelation 22,
00:23:45.42\00:23:49.22
and we're going to look there.
00:23:50.29\00:23:52.49
It talks about Christ
coming, and He's coming quickly.
00:23:52.49\00:23:55.83
Revelation 22, we're gonna
start with verse 10, and read,
00:23:55.83\00:24:00.57
go ahead and read 10-12, pastor.
00:24:00.57\00:24:03.07
>>It says, "And he said to me,
00:24:03.07\00:24:04.47
"'Do not seal the words
of the prophecy of this book,
00:24:04.47\00:24:07.11
"'for the time is at hand.
00:24:07.11\00:24:09.01
"'He who is unjust,
let him be unjust still;
00:24:09.01\00:24:12.18
"'he who is filthy,
let him be filthy still;
00:24:12.18\00:24:14.68
"'he who is righteous,
let him be righteous still;
00:24:14.68\00:24:17.49
"'he who is holy,
let him be holy still.
00:24:17.49\00:24:20.46
"'And behold, I
am coming quickly,
00:24:20.46\00:24:22.62
"'and my reward is with me,
00:24:22.62\00:24:24.23
to give to every one
according to his work.'"
00:24:24.23\00:24:27.76
>>So here we have
very clearly two classes
00:24:27.76\00:24:30.87
that are developed: the
righteous and the unrighteous,
00:24:30.87\00:24:33.87
the holy and the unholy,
00:24:33.87\00:24:36.87
the filthy and the clean.
00:24:36.87\00:24:40.24
And it says that every human
being will make that decision,
00:24:40.24\00:24:44.31
and then Jesus will
come to give out His reward.
00:24:44.31\00:24:47.25
Human probation does not
close because Christ's love
00:24:47.25\00:24:51.62
or mercy or grace has
run out. It only closes
00:24:51.62\00:24:55.22
because everybody has
already made their decision.
00:24:55.22\00:24:57.89
And if people would
have had further opportunity
00:24:57.89\00:25:02.50
to make a decision for Christ,
00:25:02.50\00:25:04.07
He would've kept
the door of mercy open.
00:25:04.07\00:25:06.20
So we never have
to worry, Pastor Eric,
00:25:06.20\00:25:08.60
that sometime the door
of mercy's gonna be shut,
00:25:08.60\00:25:12.04
and I may wanna be
saved, but I can't.
00:25:12.04\00:25:14.24
That's not true at
all. God's grace is there.
00:25:14.24\00:25:17.05
God's mercy is there.
God's goodness is there.
00:25:17.05\00:25:19.28
But the door of mercy will shut
00:25:19.28\00:25:21.15
because everybody has
already made their decision.
00:25:21.15\00:25:24.02
They've made their--they've
decided, and keeping the door
00:25:24.02\00:25:27.82
of mercy open wouldn't
make any difference at all.
00:25:27.82\00:25:29.86
>>Two significant and
very different harvests,
00:25:29.86\00:25:32.39
one that you would
want to be a part of
00:25:32.39\00:25:34.23
and one that you
absolutely would not want
00:25:34.23\00:25:36.30
to be a part of. >>Exactly.
00:25:36.30\00:25:37.43
>>And the Bible makes
that very, very clear.
00:25:37.43\00:25:39.83
Speaking of contrast--
00:25:39.83\00:25:40.97
we just have a couple
of minutes left here--
00:25:40.97\00:25:42.34
what are other contrasts we
see in the book of Revelation?
00:25:42.34\00:25:45.67
Two significantly
different harvests,
00:25:45.67\00:25:48.08
what else do we see in
the book of Revelation?
00:25:48.08\00:25:49.51
>>In Revelation,
we see two leaders:
00:25:49.51\00:25:51.45
the Lamb and the dragon.
00:25:51.45\00:25:53.45
We see two signs: the seal of
God and the mark of the beast.
00:25:53.45\00:25:57.59
We see two women: the woman
in white, pure, true church;
00:25:57.59\00:26:02.66
the woman in scarlet,
the false church system.
00:26:03.76\00:26:06.36
We see the two classes: the
righteous and the unrighteous.
00:26:06.36\00:26:10.60
We see two cities:
Babylon, the city of confusion;
00:26:10.60\00:26:13.94
Jerusalem, the city of truth.
And we see these two harvests.
00:26:13.94\00:26:18.31
And really the appeal
of this particular chapter
00:26:18.31\00:26:23.38
is an appeal to
your heart and mind.
00:26:24.45\00:26:27.02
The appeal of this
lesson is the appeal
00:26:27.02\00:26:30.05
to make daily decisions
prompted by the Holy Spirit
00:26:30.05\00:26:34.29
to have Christ's grace fill
our hearts and change our lives.
00:26:34.29\00:26:39.36
The appeal is to be in
the harvest of golden grain
00:26:40.73\00:26:44.47
and not the
harvest of gory grapes.
00:26:44.47\00:26:47.30
The Spirit of God works in
our hearts to lead us to Jesus,
00:26:47.30\00:26:50.47
to accept His
grace, His forgiveness,
00:26:50.47\00:26:52.74
His mercy, and His
power in our lives.
00:26:52.74\00:26:55.91
Grace delivers us
from the guilt of the past
00:26:55.91\00:26:59.85
and the power of
sin in the present.
00:26:59.85\00:27:02.42
>>The good news is you
and I have an opportunity.
00:27:02.42\00:27:05.15
We have an opportunity
00:27:05.15\00:27:06.29
and a privilege to
be in the right harvest.
00:27:06.29\00:27:09.62
And that's why the
book of Revelation,
00:27:09.62\00:27:10.93
and especially
Revelation 14, is given to us,
00:27:10.93\00:27:14.30
to prepare us for
the return of Jesus.
00:27:14.30\00:27:17.70
And one of the best
ways that you can prepare
00:27:17.70\00:27:19.77
is to get to know
Him personally yourself.
00:27:19.77\00:27:22.60
The more time you
spend in His Word,
00:27:22.60\00:27:24.07
the more time you
spend with Him in prayer,
00:27:24.07\00:27:26.37
the more time you allow His
Spirit to work on your heart
00:27:26.37\00:27:29.28
and choose not to resist
the moving of the Holy Spirit,
00:27:29.28\00:27:33.42
the closer you are
to the return of Jesus,
00:27:33.42\00:27:35.48
being ready for it.
00:27:35.48\00:27:36.62
And that's something
we all wanna be ready for.
00:27:36.62\00:27:38.45
Thank you again for
joining us this week.
00:27:38.45\00:27:40.02
Pastor Mark, thank
you for joining us again
00:27:40.02\00:27:41.92
this week. >>Thank you, Pastor.
00:27:41.92\00:27:43.22
>>And we've got 11 more
weeks, 11 more lessons to go.
00:27:43.22\00:27:47.13
So we will look forward
to seeing you again next week
00:27:47.13\00:27:49.66
on "Sabbath School,"
brought to you by It Is Written.
00:27:49.66\00:27:52.73
(uplifting theme music)
00:27:52.73\00:27:56.14
(music ends)
00:28:26.90\00:28:28.97