Shall we pray?
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Father in heaven, we come
before Your throne once again,
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to continue this
very important series
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on Matthew 24 and 25.
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We need the special
guidance of Your Holy Spirit.
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So we ask that You
will be present here
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through the Spirit
that we might understand,
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and we might apply the
teachings that we learn.
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I ask, Lord, that
You will take away
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every obstacle from our hearts
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that would keep us
from embracing the truth.
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And we thank You
for hearing our prayer,
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for we ask it in Jesus' name.
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Amen.
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The title of our ninth study
in this series is Matthew 24,
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and the False Prophet.
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No, it's not a typo.
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It's not the false prophets.
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It is the false prophet.
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And you'll see the reason why.
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Matthew 24
refers to false prophets
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twice in the chapter.
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The first time in verse 11
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and the second time in verse 24.
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But there's a difference.
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Whereas the
reference in verse 11 says that
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God's people
would have tribulation,
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in verse 24,
actually, verse 21 through 24,
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it refers to Great Tribulation.
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So the first
tribulation is just tribulation,
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the second tribulation
is the Great Tribulation.
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Now, in order to
understand these references
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to false prophets in
verse 11 and in verse 24,
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we need to take
into account two things.
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First of all, we need
to look at the context
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in which these
false prophets appear
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in Chapter 24 of Matthew.
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And secondly, we need to
look at the Mosaic legislation
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concerning false prophets.
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I want to read
the two references
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in Matthew 24 to false prophets.
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And then we will
continue our study
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by looking at
these two contexts.
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Matthew 24:9-11
reads as follows.
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Then, notice, then
is used three times.
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"Then they will deliver you
up to tribulation and kill you,
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and you will be hated by
all nations for My name's sake.
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And then many will be offended,
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will betray one another,
and will hate one another.
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Then many false prophets
will rise up and deceive many."
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Three sequential events,
tribulation for God's people,
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some will die,
because they're being blamed
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for all of the
calamities that are mentioned
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in verses 6 through 8.
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Then when persecution
comes, many are offended,
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and they abandoned the faith.
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And number three,
then, many false prophets
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who really are those who
were offended by the message
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will rise up and deceive many.
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The second
reference in Matthew 24
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to false
prophets is in verse 24.
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This is in the context
of the Great Tribulation.
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It says,
"Therefore false christs,
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and false prophets
will rise and show,"
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listen now carefully,
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"will show great signs
and wonders to deceive,
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if possible, even the elect."
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So notice the false prophets
show great signs and wonders
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to deceive, if
possible, the very elect.
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Now in our study,
we're going to find
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that these false prophets
do not appear in a vacuum.
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Neither are
they secular prophets
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that prognosticate silly things
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that have nothing to
do with Bible prophecy.
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What kind of false prophets
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are these in Matthew Chapter 24?
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Are they the Jeane
Dixon or David Koresh types
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that deceive practically
no one or is there deception,
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more deceptive, so to speak?
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So let's examine first
of all the biblical concept
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of what a false prophet is.
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We have to go back to
the Mosaic legislation
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to the writings of Moses.
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So let's go back to
Deuteronomy Chapter 13:1-5,
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and I'm reading from
Today's English Version,
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which I like this
particular translation.
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Says the following,
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"A prophet or an
interpreter of dreams
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may promise a
miracle, or a wonder,"
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same words that we
found in Matthew 24,
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"in order," now notice
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what the miracle
or wonder is for,
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"in order to lead you
to worship and serve gods
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that you have not
worshiped before."
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In other words, that
leads you into false worship.
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"Even if what he
promises comes true,"
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that is the prophet
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who performed a
miracle or wonder,
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"do not pay any
attention to him.
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The Lord your God is
using him to test you,
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to see if you," now
notice several synonymous ideas,
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"to see if you love the
Lord with all your heart.
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Follow the Lord and honor Him,
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obey Him and keep His commands,
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worship Him and
be faithful to Him."
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Now, this was very
serious in the Old Testament,
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because verse 5 continues,
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"However, put to death
any interpreter of dreams
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or prophet that tells you
to rebel against the Lord,
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who rescued you from
Egypt, where you were slaves.
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Such a man is evil and
is trying to lead you away
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from the life that the
Lord has commanded you to live.
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He must be put to death
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in order to rid
yourselves of this evil."
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Wow, solemn false
prophets, according to this
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were to suffer
the death penalty.
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This is during
the Hebrew theocracy.
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Now let's summarize
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the characteristics
of false prophets
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according to the
Mosaic legislation.
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First of all, both the
true and the false prophet
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rise among the people of God.
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They are not foreigners,
they claim to serve the Lord.
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Secondly, the false
prophet is able to perform signs
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and wonders as evidence
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that what this false
prophet is saying is true.
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Number three, the false
prophet encourages God's people
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to practice false worship.
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Number four, the false prophet
seeks to entice God's people
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to break the
commandments of God.
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Next, the false prophet entices
the faithful from the way
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that the Lord
commanded His people to walk.
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And finally, the
true prophet rebukes sin
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and teaches the people to
walk after the Lord their God,
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to fear him, to
keep His commandments.
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Remember this
because Revelation 12:17
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speaks of a remnant who keep
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the commandments of God,
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and to obey His
voice and to serve
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and hold fast to him.
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So the false
prophets are not outsiders,
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they are insiders.
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They claim to serve the Lord.
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They claim the name of the Lord,
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but they lead
God's people astray.
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They tell them to
break God's commandments,
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and to practice false worship.
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Now, in contrast to the
false prophets in Israel,
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true prophets were
the conscience of Israel.
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They were not
revolutionary innovators,
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bringing in new truths
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that had not been taught before.
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Rather true
prophets were the restorers
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of the old landmarks.
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They took people
back, so to speak,
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to the old time religion.
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In fact, they were God's
attorneys in divorce court,
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because they had
followed other gods,
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they were
disobeying God's commandments.
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They were
practicing false worship.
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So the prophets,
the true prophets
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were God's attorneys
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in divorce court saying,
I want to divorce Israel.
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Elijah is a prime example
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of the
quintessential true prophet.
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He called God's
people back to the way
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that they had forsaken.
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He repaired the
altar of the Lord
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that the sun worshipping
Baal priests had torn down.
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Notice how we find
the mission of Elijah
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in 1 Kings 18:37.
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Here he is on Mount Carmel
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and he's making
a plea to Israel.
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"Hear me, O Lord," in
fact, he's praying to the Lord
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in the presence of the people.
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"Hear me, O Lord, hear
me that this people may know
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that You are the Lord God,
and that," now the key part,
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"and that you have
turned their hearts
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back to You again."
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In other words,
Elijah turns the people
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back to the Lord their God
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because they've
gone astray from him.
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Jesus also spoke of
Elijah as the great restorer.
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Elijah did not come
to bring new truths,
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but to bring people
back to the old landmarks
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that they had forsaken back
to keeping God's commandments,
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back to true worship.
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Matthew 17:10,
Jesus said, "Indeed,
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Elijah is coming first
and will restore all things."
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In other words, he's going
to restore what already existed
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because the
people had gone astray
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from the
religion of their fathers.
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When Elijah sought to
restore the truth of God,
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enemies arose against him.
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Probably the
best known is Jezebel,
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who was the leader
of the false prophets.
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Jezebel by using
her false prophets
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persecuted Elijah mercilessly.
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It bears noting that
Jezebel had this group
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of 400 false prophets
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that did the bidding of Jezebel,
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and we know this
because we are told
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that the false prophets
ate from Jezebel's table.
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And, of course, you don't
bite the hand that feeds you.
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I want you to
remember the story of Elijah,
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because in the
Book of Revelation,
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we're going to find
a counterfeit Elijah.
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You see the true Elijah
brought fire from heaven,
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but the counterfeit
prophets of Baal could not,
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but at the end of time,
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the deceitfulness is
going to be far greater,
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because we're told
that the false prophet
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will bring fire down from heaven
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in the sight of men.
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He will do what
the prophets of Baal,
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the sun worshiping prophets
of Baal were not able to do.
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Now it's helpful for
us to examine the message
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of the false prophets
that arose immediately
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before the first
destruction of Jerusalem
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in the year 586.
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It bears noting that
Jeremiah, the prophet Jeremiah
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was God's prophet immediately
00:12:10.76\00:12:13.50
before the Babylonian captivity.
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And as we examine
the Book of Jeremiah,
00:12:16.50\00:12:19.57
we find that
repeatedly Jeremiah denounces
00:12:19.60\00:12:23.97
the false
prophets, whose main trait
00:12:24.01\00:12:27.34
was to tell the people,
00:12:27.38\00:12:29.34
"Peace, peace,
Jerusalem will not fall,
00:12:29.38\00:12:33.65
everything will be well."
00:12:33.68\00:12:36.42
And they did not
rebuke the people
00:12:36.45\00:12:38.69
for disobeying
God's commandments,
00:12:38.72\00:12:41.32
and for
practicing false worship.
00:12:41.36\00:12:45.06
They arose among God's
people to deceive the people
00:12:45.09\00:12:48.90
into thinking that they could
00:12:48.93\00:12:50.37
continue to
practice false worship,
00:12:50.40\00:12:52.53
they could break
the commandments of God,
00:12:52.57\00:12:54.90
and still
everything would go well.
00:12:54.94\00:12:58.61
You see, Jerusalem
was full of abominations,
00:12:58.64\00:13:01.88
and yet the false
prophets cried peace, peace,
00:13:01.91\00:13:05.85
and predicted that Jerusalem
00:13:05.88\00:13:08.08
would never fall
because it was God's city.
00:13:08.12\00:13:12.55
Notice Jeremiah 6:13-15,
00:13:12.59\00:13:17.53
"Because from the least of them,
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even to the greatest of them,
00:13:20.30\00:13:22.70
everyone is
given to covetousness,"
00:13:22.73\00:13:25.17
here we find a description
of what was happening
00:13:25.20\00:13:27.30
among the people,
"and from the prophet
00:13:27.34\00:13:30.74
even to the priest,
everyone deals falsely."
00:13:30.77\00:13:35.04
Wow!
00:13:35.08\00:13:36.41
So where was this taking place?
00:13:36.44\00:13:39.78
The prophet and the priest,
everyone was dealing falsely,
00:13:39.81\00:13:44.09
even the religious leaders.
00:13:44.12\00:13:45.65
Verse 14,
00:13:45.69\00:13:47.22
"They have also
healed the hurt of My people
00:13:47.26\00:13:49.62
slightly,
saying, 'Peace, peace!'
00:13:49.66\00:13:54.13
when there is no peace.
00:13:54.16\00:13:56.30
Were they ashamed
00:13:56.33\00:13:57.67
when they had
committed abomination?
00:13:57.70\00:13:59.73
No, remember he's talking
about the false prophets.
00:13:59.77\00:14:02.90
"They were not at all ashamed,
nor did they know how to blush.
00:14:02.94\00:14:07.64
Therefore they shall
fall among those who fall,
00:14:07.68\00:14:10.88
at the time I punish them,
00:14:10.91\00:14:12.88
they shall be cast
down, says the Lord."
00:14:12.91\00:14:17.95
Saw the false
prophets promised peace, peace
00:14:17.99\00:14:21.72
to those who despise the Lord.
00:14:21.76\00:14:24.39
They assured those
who followed the impulse,
00:14:24.43\00:14:26.56
Paul says of their own hearts,
that no evil would befall them.
00:14:26.59\00:14:30.37
Let's read that
in Jeremiah 23:17.
00:14:30.40\00:14:35.10
Here God speaks,
00:14:35.14\00:14:36.64
"They continually say
to those who despise me,
00:14:36.67\00:14:40.71
'The Lord has said,
'You shall have peace,'
00:14:40.74\00:14:44.61
and to everyone who
walks according to the dictates
00:14:44.65\00:14:47.22
of his own heart, they say,
00:14:47.25\00:14:49.45
'No evil will come upon you.'"
00:14:49.48\00:14:52.75
So those who are
following their own heart
00:14:52.79\00:14:55.39
and those who wanted
peace and disobedience to God,
00:14:55.42\00:14:58.43
we are told that
the false prophet said,
00:14:58.46\00:15:01.16
"No evil shall come upon you."
00:15:01.20\00:15:04.37
Jeremiah wrote
that the false prophets
00:15:04.40\00:15:06.80
spoke in God's name,
00:15:06.84\00:15:09.80
and yet they were liars.
00:15:09.84\00:15:11.67
They assured the
people that no evil
00:15:11.71\00:15:13.48
would come upon Jerusalem.
00:15:13.51\00:15:15.71
Notice Jeremiah 14:13-16.
00:15:15.74\00:15:19.61
And I'm reading many texts
from Jeremiah to make a point,
00:15:19.65\00:15:23.59
because this is
dealing with the false prophets
00:15:23.62\00:15:26.96
immediately before the
destruction of Jerusalem
00:15:26.99\00:15:29.09
the first time.
00:15:29.12\00:15:30.46
False prophets
are also mentioned
00:15:30.49\00:15:32.33
before the
destruction of Jerusalem
00:15:32.36\00:15:33.73
at the second time.
00:15:33.76\00:15:35.10
And we know that
at the end of time,
00:15:35.13\00:15:37.23
there will also
be false prophets.
00:15:37.27\00:15:38.73
So we need to look
at all three events.
00:15:38.77\00:15:41.07
Jeremiah 14:13-16,
00:15:41.10\00:15:44.57
"Then I said, 'Ah, Lord!
00:15:44.61\00:15:47.41
Behold, the
prophets say to them,
00:15:47.44\00:15:50.31
'You shall not see the sword,
nor shall you see, have famine,
00:15:50.35\00:15:55.42
but I will give you
assured peace in this place.'
00:15:55.45\00:15:59.45
And the Lord said to me,
00:15:59.49\00:16:01.12
'The prophets
prophesy lies in My name.'"
00:16:01.16\00:16:04.79
See that problem, they
claim to serve the Lord.
00:16:04.83\00:16:07.76
"The prophets
prophesy lies in My name.
00:16:07.80\00:16:11.63
I have not sent
them, commanded them,
00:16:11.67\00:16:14.80
nor spoken to them,
00:16:14.84\00:16:16.60
they prophesy to
you a false vision,
00:16:16.64\00:16:19.91
divination, a worthless thing,
and the deceit of their heart.
00:16:19.94\00:16:25.51
Therefore thus says the
Lord concerning the prophets
00:16:25.55\00:16:28.42
who prophesy in
My name once again,
00:16:28.45\00:16:31.45
whom I did not send,
00:16:31.49\00:16:33.05
and who say, 'Sword and famine
shall not be in this land.
00:16:33.09\00:16:37.73
By sword and famine,
00:16:37.76\00:16:39.36
these prophets
shall be consumed,'
00:16:39.39\00:16:41.23
says the Lord.
00:16:41.26\00:16:42.63
And the people to whom
they prophesy shall be cast out
00:16:42.66\00:16:46.27
in the streets of Jerusalem,
00:16:46.30\00:16:48.14
because of the
famine and the sword."
00:16:48.17\00:16:50.81
Two things mentioned
in Matthew Chapter 24.
00:16:50.84\00:16:53.31
"They will have no
one to bury them, them,
00:16:53.34\00:16:57.08
nor their wives, their
sons nor their daughters,
00:16:57.11\00:17:00.75
for I will pour
their wickedness on them."
00:17:00.78\00:17:05.49
You see, the prophets
prophesied to the people
00:17:05.52\00:17:07.46
what the people wanted to hear.
00:17:07.49\00:17:09.29
They lied and
told the people of God,
00:17:09.32\00:17:12.63
that they should
trust their word,
00:17:12.66\00:17:15.40
that everything would be fine.
00:17:15.43\00:17:17.60
Jeremiah 27:9-10 and verses
14 and 15 says the following.
00:17:17.63\00:17:22.97
"Therefore, do not
listen to your prophets,
00:17:23.00\00:17:25.37
your diviners, your
dreamers, your soothsayers,
00:17:25.41\00:17:29.04
or your sorcerers
who speak to you, saying,
00:17:29.08\00:17:32.21
'You shall not serve
the king of Babylon.'
00:17:32.25\00:17:35.35
For they prophesy a lie to you,
00:17:35.38\00:17:37.99
to renew, move you
far from your land,
00:17:38.02\00:17:41.72
and I will drive you
out, and you will perish."
00:17:41.76\00:17:44.99
Therefore do
not, this is verse 14,
00:17:45.03\00:17:47.23
"Therefore do not listen
to the words of the prophets
00:17:47.26\00:17:49.86
who speak to you saying,
00:17:49.90\00:17:51.43
'You shall not serve
the king of Babylon,'
00:17:51.47\00:17:53.67
for they prophesy a lie to you.
00:17:53.70\00:17:56.60
For I have not sent
them, says the Lord,
00:17:56.64\00:17:59.14
yet they
prophesy a lie in My name,
00:17:59.17\00:18:02.08
that I may drive you
out, and that you may perish,
00:18:02.11\00:18:06.01
you and the prophets
who prophesy to you.'"
00:18:06.05\00:18:09.55
Once again the same
idea, they prophesied a lie.
00:18:09.58\00:18:12.72
God had said to the, to Israel,
you need to accept the idea
00:18:12.75\00:18:17.06
that you're going to
serve the king of Babylon,
00:18:17.09\00:18:18.99
Nebuchadnezzar, that's my plan.
00:18:19.03\00:18:21.76
But the false
prophet said, "Forget it.
00:18:21.80\00:18:24.27
We're not going to serve
Babylon and Nebuchadnezzar.
00:18:24.30\00:18:27.90
This city is
never going to fall.
00:18:27.94\00:18:29.60
God is going to
intervene to deliver us."
00:18:29.64\00:18:32.84
Notice Jeremiah 23:14,
00:18:32.87\00:18:35.58
where we're told
that the false prophets
00:18:35.61\00:18:37.45
actually strengthened evildoers.
00:18:37.48\00:18:40.75
In other words,
they turned a blind eye
00:18:40.78\00:18:42.92
to what was happening.
00:18:42.95\00:18:44.29
It says there, "Also I
have seen a horrible thing
00:18:44.32\00:18:47.56
in the prophets of Jerusalem.
00:18:47.59\00:18:49.99
They commit
adultery, and walk in lies,
00:18:50.03\00:18:52.96
they also strengthen
the hands of evildoers,
00:18:52.99\00:18:56.67
so that no one turns
back from his wickedness.
00:18:56.70\00:19:01.07
All of them are
like Sodom to Me,
00:19:01.10\00:19:03.64
and her
inhabitants like Gomorrah."
00:19:03.67\00:19:07.21
So far astray from
the Lord had they gone.
00:19:07.24\00:19:11.01
The prophet wrote
that the false prophets
00:19:11.05\00:19:12.88
did not turn the
wicked from their evil ways
00:19:12.91\00:19:15.32
back to the Lord.
00:19:15.35\00:19:16.75
Jeremiah
23:20-22 reads like this,
00:19:16.79\00:19:22.12
"The anger of the
Lord will not turn back
00:19:22.16\00:19:24.99
until He has
executed and performed
00:19:25.03\00:19:27.36
the thoughts of His heart.
00:19:27.40\00:19:29.30
In the latter days, you
will understand it perfectly.
00:19:29.33\00:19:32.40
I have not sent these
prophets, yet they ran.
00:19:32.43\00:19:36.24
I have not spoken to
them, yet they prophesied.
00:19:36.27\00:19:39.84
But if they had
stood in my counsel,
00:19:39.87\00:19:42.64
and had caused My
people to hear My words,
00:19:42.68\00:19:45.88
then they would have
turned them from their evil way
00:19:45.91\00:19:50.55
from and from the
evil of their doings.
00:19:50.59\00:19:53.56
In other words, a true
prophet turns people away
00:19:53.59\00:19:56.02
from their evil doings,
from their evil practices
00:19:56.06\00:19:58.56
and brings them back to
obey the commandments of God,
00:19:58.59\00:20:01.96
and also keeps them away
from practicing false worship.
00:20:02.00\00:20:07.94
The false prophets did not turn
people from their wickedness.
00:20:07.97\00:20:12.47
Notice Jeremiah 23:14.
00:20:12.51\00:20:15.88
And then we'll
read verses 31 and 32.
00:20:15.91\00:20:19.45
"Also I have
seen a horrible thing
00:20:19.48\00:20:21.12
in the prophets of Jerusalem."
00:20:21.15\00:20:23.12
Notice what the
prophets were doing.
00:20:23.15\00:20:25.02
"They commit
adultery and walk in lies."
00:20:25.05\00:20:28.19
These are the
religious leaders, folks,
00:20:28.22\00:20:30.43
the people who
claim to serve the Lord,
00:20:30.46\00:20:32.29
the people who claim
to speak in God's name.
00:20:32.33\00:20:35.03
"They commit
adultery and walk in lies,
00:20:35.06\00:20:37.40
they also strengthen
the hand of evildoers,
00:20:37.43\00:20:40.30
so that no one turns
back from his wickedness.
00:20:40.34\00:20:43.54
All of them are
like Sodom to Me,
00:20:43.57\00:20:45.74
and her
inhabitants like Gomorrah.
00:20:45.77\00:20:47.88
Behold, I am
against the prophets,
00:20:47.91\00:20:49.58
says the Lord, who
use their tongues and say,
00:20:49.61\00:20:53.28
"He says,' Behold,
00:20:53.31\00:20:55.28
I am against those
who prophesy false dreams,
00:20:55.32\00:20:58.29
says the Lord, and tell them
00:20:58.32\00:21:00.86
and cause My people to prophesy,
00:21:00.89\00:21:03.06
and cause my people
to err by their lies,
00:21:03.09\00:21:06.63
and by their recklessness.
00:21:06.66\00:21:08.66
Yet I did not send
them or command them,
00:21:08.70\00:21:11.30
therefore they shall not
profit this people at all,
00:21:11.33\00:21:14.64
says the Lord.'"
00:21:14.67\00:21:16.77
Jeremiah even mentioned
00:21:16.81\00:21:18.27
a single prophet
that is called Hananiah
00:21:18.31\00:21:21.48
who taught lies and rebellion.
00:21:21.51\00:21:24.08
The story is in Jeremiah
00:21:24.11\00:21:25.85
28:15-17.
00:21:25.88\00:21:30.49
"Then the Prophet Jeremiah
said to Hananiah the prophet,
00:21:30.52\00:21:34.32
'Hear now, Hananiah,
the Lord has not sent you,
00:21:34.36\00:21:38.13
but you make this
people trust in a lie.'
00:21:38.16\00:21:41.03
Therefore thus says the Lord:
00:21:41.06\00:21:42.80
'Behold, I will cast you
from the face of the earth.
00:21:42.83\00:21:46.03
This year you shall die,
00:21:46.07\00:21:48.17
because you have taught
rebellion against the Lord.'
00:21:48.20\00:21:51.54
So Hananiah the
prophet died the same year,
00:21:51.57\00:21:55.08
in the seventh month.'"
00:21:55.11\00:21:57.55
Those who profess
to be the people of God
00:21:57.58\00:22:00.22
practiced abominations
in the house of the Lord,
00:22:00.25\00:22:03.49
that was called by God's name.
00:22:03.52\00:22:05.72
And they set up high
places for the worship
00:22:05.75\00:22:08.62
of the sun god Baal.
00:22:08.66\00:22:11.06
In other words, they were
claiming to serve the Lord,
00:22:11.09\00:22:13.13
but they were
telling people to serve
00:22:13.16\00:22:15.10
and to worship the sun god Baal,
00:22:15.13\00:22:17.47
which would be a violation
of the commandment that says,
00:22:17.50\00:22:19.77
you shall have no
other gods before Me.
00:22:19.80\00:22:21.84
Also, you shall not
make any graven images.
00:22:21.87\00:22:24.57
Also the commandment says,
00:22:24.61\00:22:26.04
Remember the
Sabbath day to keep it holy,
00:22:26.07\00:22:28.11
which shows that
there's only one true God,
00:22:28.14\00:22:30.65
the Creator of the
heavens and the earth.
00:22:30.68\00:22:32.88
Notice Jeremiah 32:31-35.
00:22:32.91\00:22:38.22
Notice what the prophets,
the false prophets were doing.
00:22:38.25\00:22:41.29
"For this city has been to
Me a provocation of My anger
00:22:41.32\00:22:45.09
and My fury from the
day that they built it,
00:22:45.13\00:22:48.20
even to this day.
00:22:48.23\00:22:49.73
So I will
remove it from My face,
00:22:49.76\00:22:52.57
because of all the evil
of the children of Israel,
00:22:52.60\00:22:55.20
and the children of Judah,
00:22:55.24\00:22:56.67
that they have done
to provoke Me to anger."
00:22:56.71\00:22:59.41
They, now notice who
was involved in this.
00:22:59.44\00:23:02.01
"They, their kings,
their princess, their priests,
00:23:02.04\00:23:07.12
their prophets,
the men of Judah,
00:23:07.15\00:23:09.78
and the
inhabitants of Jerusalem."
00:23:09.82\00:23:11.19
No one was excluded.
00:23:11.22\00:23:12.85
Notice, they, their kings,
their princes, their priests,
00:23:12.89\00:23:16.76
their prophets,
the men of Judah,
00:23:16.79\00:23:18.39
the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
00:23:18.43\00:23:19.79
Verse 33,
00:23:19.83\00:23:21.36
"And they have
turned to Me the back,
00:23:21.40\00:23:24.00
and not the face,
00:23:24.03\00:23:25.60
though I taught them rising
up early and teaching them,
00:23:25.63\00:23:30.31
yet they have not
listened to receive instruction.
00:23:30.34\00:23:33.34
But they set their abominations
00:23:33.38\00:23:35.88
in the house that is
called by my name to defile it."
00:23:35.91\00:23:39.08
They were defiling
even the holy temple of God.
00:23:39.11\00:23:42.62
Verse 35, "And they
built the high places of Baal,"
00:23:42.65\00:23:46.02
who was the son
God, incidentally.
00:23:46.05\00:23:48.32
"So they built the
high places of Baal,
00:23:48.36\00:23:51.03
which are in the
Valley of the Son of Hinnom,
00:23:51.06\00:23:53.63
to cause their
sons and their daughters
00:23:53.66\00:23:55.23
to pass through
the fire to Molech,
00:23:55.26\00:23:57.40
which I did not command them,
00:23:57.43\00:23:59.13
nor did it come into my mind
00:23:59.17\00:24:01.10
that they should
do this abomination
00:24:01.14\00:24:03.41
to cause Judah to sin."
00:24:03.44\00:24:06.24
On the other hand,
there were true prophets
00:24:06.27\00:24:08.44
that called Judah
to walk in the law,
00:24:08.48\00:24:11.18
to heed the words
of the true prophets,
00:24:11.21\00:24:13.78
and to turn from
their wicked ways.
00:24:13.82\00:24:16.12
Jeremiah 26:4-6.
00:24:16.15\00:24:20.02
"And you shall say to
them, 'Thus says the Lord:
00:24:20.06\00:24:23.83
'If you will not listen
to Me, to walk in My law
00:24:23.86\00:24:27.50
which I have set before you,
00:24:27.53\00:24:29.36
to heeds the words of
my servants the prophets,
00:24:29.40\00:24:33.60
whom I sent to you,
00:24:33.64\00:24:35.10
both rising up
early and sending them,
00:24:35.14\00:24:37.67
but you have not heeded,
00:24:37.71\00:24:39.21
then I will make
this house like Shiloh,
00:24:39.24\00:24:42.04
and will make this city a curse
to all nations of the earth."
00:24:42.08\00:24:47.88
Jeremiah 35:15-16.
00:24:47.92\00:24:50.09
You see while you're
reading all these verses,
00:24:50.12\00:24:52.12
I want you to catch the picture
00:24:52.15\00:24:53.79
of what the false
prophets were saying
00:24:53.82\00:24:56.06
leading up to the siege
and destruction of Jerusalem
00:24:56.09\00:24:59.63
the first time in the
days of Nebuchadnezzar.
00:24:59.66\00:25:02.93
Jeremiah 35:15-16,
00:25:02.96\00:25:05.90
"I have also sent to you
all my servants the prophets,
00:25:05.93\00:25:10.37
rising up early and
sending them saying,
00:25:10.41\00:25:13.38
'Turn now everyone
from his evil way,"
00:25:13.41\00:25:16.21
see, it's to return to the Lord,
00:25:16.24\00:25:18.75
"amend your doings,
00:25:18.78\00:25:20.95
and do not go after
other gods to serve them,
00:25:20.98\00:25:24.29
then you will dwell in the land
00:25:24.32\00:25:26.02
which I have given
you and your fathers.
00:25:26.05\00:25:28.39
But you have not
inclined your ear,
00:25:28.42\00:25:30.99
nor obeyed Me.'"
00:25:31.03\00:25:33.63
The Prophet Ezekiel,
00:25:33.66\00:25:35.56
who was somewhat of a
contemporary of Jeremiah,
00:25:35.60\00:25:40.24
and wrote his book just
a few years after Jeremiah
00:25:40.27\00:25:44.11
also had some words
for apostate Israel.
00:25:44.14\00:25:48.78
In Ezekiel 22:25-26.
00:25:48.81\00:25:53.05
God spoke through his Prophet
00:25:53.08\00:25:54.75
Ezekiel these very strong words.
00:25:54.78\00:25:57.12
"The conspiracy of
her prophets in her midst
00:25:57.15\00:26:01.02
is like a roaring
lion tearing the prey,
00:26:01.06\00:26:04.76
they have devoured
people," that's the prophets,
00:26:04.79\00:26:07.60
the false prophets,
"they have devoured people,
00:26:07.63\00:26:10.10
they have taken
treasure and precious things."
00:26:10.13\00:26:12.37
In other words, they
were in it to make money
00:26:12.40\00:26:15.20
to make precious things,
00:26:15.24\00:26:16.57
a prosperity
gospel, if you please.
00:26:16.60\00:26:19.24
"They have made many
widows in her midst."
00:26:19.27\00:26:22.21
Her priests,
notice who is doing this,
00:26:22.24\00:26:24.75
her priests, that's
a religious leaders.
00:26:24.78\00:26:26.72
"Her priests
have violated My law
00:26:26.75\00:26:29.28
and profaned My holy things,
00:26:29.32\00:26:32.65
and they have not distinguished
between the holy and unholy,
00:26:32.69\00:26:36.42
that is not holy and the common,
00:26:36.46\00:26:38.53
"nor have they made known
00:26:38.56\00:26:40.90
the difference
between clean and unclean,
00:26:40.93\00:26:44.50
and they have hidden
their eyes from My Sabbaths,
00:26:44.53\00:26:47.90
so that I am
profaned among them."
00:26:47.94\00:26:51.17
So they were even
profaning the Sabbath.
00:26:51.21\00:26:53.34
They were making no distinction
00:26:53.38\00:26:54.74
between the holy and the common,
00:26:54.78\00:26:56.91
between the
regular secular things,
00:26:56.95\00:27:01.98
and the sacred things of life.
00:27:02.02\00:27:04.62
Let me just make
a short parenthesis.
00:27:04.65\00:27:06.96
Has God established
a holy day of worship?
00:27:06.99\00:27:09.46
Yes, He has.
00:27:09.49\00:27:10.83
The seventh day is the
Sabbath of the Lord your God.
00:27:10.86\00:27:13.90
But what does most of
the Christian world say?
00:27:13.93\00:27:15.90
No, it's not Sabbath.
00:27:15.93\00:27:17.60
It's Sunday.
00:27:17.63\00:27:19.03
So let me ask you
this, is Sunday a holy day?
00:27:19.07\00:27:22.97
Of course not.
00:27:23.00\00:27:24.34
Sunday is a work day,
six days you shall labor.
00:27:24.37\00:27:27.84
So how does look up...
00:27:27.88\00:27:29.21
God look upon the idea
that religious leaders say
00:27:29.24\00:27:32.68
Sunday is holy, and
the Sabbath is not holy.
00:27:32.71\00:27:36.52
That is what the Prophet
Ezekiel is talking about.
00:27:36.55\00:27:41.29
They have violated My
law, profaned My holy things,
00:27:41.32\00:27:44.69
and not distinguish
between the holy and the unholy,
00:27:44.73\00:27:48.30
which means the holy and
the common or the secular.
00:27:48.33\00:27:51.00
Ezekiel 8:16, tells us
00:27:51.03\00:27:53.54
what the greatest abomination
was that was being practiced
00:27:53.57\00:27:56.87
in the city of Jerusalem.
00:27:56.91\00:27:59.34
"So He brought me into
00:27:59.37\00:28:00.71
the inner court of Lord's house,
00:28:00.74\00:28:02.74
and there at the door
of the temple of the Lord,
00:28:02.78\00:28:05.65
between the porch and the altar,
00:28:05.68\00:28:07.65
were about 25
men," now notice this,
00:28:07.68\00:28:10.69
"with their backs
toward the temple of the Lord,
00:28:10.72\00:28:14.66
and their faces toward the east,
00:28:14.69\00:28:17.16
and they were worshiping
the sun toward the east."
00:28:17.19\00:28:20.80
This was just a few years
00:28:20.83\00:28:22.16
before the
destruction of Jerusalem.
00:28:22.20\00:28:23.93
Instead of keeping
God's holy Sabbath,
00:28:23.97\00:28:26.27
they were teaching the
people to worship the sun
00:28:26.30\00:28:29.37
by turning their back
to the temple of Lord.
00:28:29.40\00:28:32.51
Daniel, after the
captivity reminisced
00:28:32.54\00:28:35.58
about what happened with Israel,
00:28:35.61\00:28:37.61
and how the false
prophets deceived the people.
00:28:37.65\00:28:40.32
Daniel 9:10,
00:28:40.35\00:28:42.35
Daniel is praying to
the Lord and he says,
00:28:42.38\00:28:44.19
"We have not obeyed the
voice of the Lord our God,
00:28:44.22\00:28:47.09
to walk in His laws,
00:28:47.12\00:28:48.82
which He set before us by
His servants the prophets."
00:28:48.86\00:28:52.46
So notice the prophets told
Israel to walk in God's laws.
00:28:52.49\00:28:57.70
The Prophet Zechariah
also had something to say
00:28:57.73\00:29:01.50
about the apostasy of Israel.
00:29:01.54\00:29:03.37
The refusal of the people
00:29:03.41\00:29:06.47
to listen to God's
true former prophets.
00:29:06.51\00:29:10.38
It says in
Zechariah, 7:12, "Yes,
00:29:10.41\00:29:16.05
they made their
hearts like flint,"
00:29:16.08\00:29:18.72
in other words, hard,
00:29:18.75\00:29:20.09
"refusing to hear the law
00:29:20.12\00:29:23.06
and the words which the Lord
of hosts had sent by His Spirit
00:29:23.09\00:29:27.40
through the former prophets.
00:29:27.43\00:29:29.50
Thus great wrath came
from the Lord of hosts."
00:29:29.53\00:29:33.34
So they refused to
listen to the law and the words
00:29:33.37\00:29:36.64
of the true prophets,
00:29:36.67\00:29:38.24
because they
were teaching people
00:29:38.27\00:29:39.77
that they could
break God's commandments,
00:29:39.81\00:29:42.04
and they did not
necessarily need to follow
00:29:42.08\00:29:45.45
what God had taught them.
00:29:45.48\00:29:47.88
So you say,
well, most of the blame
00:29:47.92\00:29:49.52
then was with the
religious leaders,
00:29:49.55\00:29:52.02
with the kings, with the priests
00:29:52.05\00:29:53.76
and with the
theologians of the day,
00:29:53.79\00:29:55.56
who were telling the
people that they were okay,
00:29:55.59\00:29:58.06
that there was
going to be peace.
00:29:58.09\00:29:59.49
They didn't need
to keep God's laws,
00:29:59.53\00:30:01.83
and that they
confirmed that these people
00:30:01.86\00:30:04.30
are in their wickedness.
00:30:04.33\00:30:06.17
But you see, the
people had a lot of blame too,
00:30:06.20\00:30:09.20
because in Jeremiah
5:31, we find these words.
00:30:09.24\00:30:12.67
"The prophets prophesy falsely,
00:30:12.71\00:30:15.98
and the priests
rule by their own power,
00:30:16.01\00:30:19.21
and My people
love to have it so.
00:30:19.25\00:30:23.02
But what will
you do in the end?"
00:30:23.05\00:30:25.89
So the people were not guiltless
00:30:25.92\00:30:28.42
because they
piled up false prophets
00:30:28.46\00:30:30.53
with because they
had itching years.
00:30:30.56\00:30:32.93
And they got
prophets that would tell them
00:30:32.96\00:30:35.86
what they wanted to hear.
00:30:35.90\00:30:37.83
I wonder whether
in the Christian world
00:30:37.87\00:30:39.57
the same type of
thing is happening today.
00:30:39.60\00:30:42.50
The Prophet Isaiah
explained that the reason
00:30:42.54\00:30:44.57
why the false
prophets prophesied falsely,
00:30:44.61\00:30:48.34
is that they
imbibed intoxicating drinks
00:30:48.38\00:30:52.21
that did not allow
them to think straight.
00:30:52.25\00:30:55.02
You see, drunk people
cannot think straight.
00:30:55.05\00:30:58.69
Everything becomes blurry.
00:30:58.72\00:31:00.29
The distinction between
right and wrong is gone.
00:31:00.32\00:31:03.63
Notice what we
find in Isaiah 28:7.
00:31:03.66\00:31:08.36
"But they also
have erred through wine,
00:31:08.40\00:31:12.07
and through intoxicating
drink are out of the way,
00:31:12.10\00:31:15.74
the priest and the prophet
00:31:15.77\00:31:18.51
have erred through
intoxicating drink,
00:31:18.54\00:31:22.11
they are swallowed up by
wine," and what is the result?
00:31:22.14\00:31:26.25
"They are out of the way
through intoxicating drink,
00:31:26.28\00:31:29.78
they err in vision, and
they stumble in judgment."
00:31:29.82\00:31:35.42
That's why God told the priest
00:31:35.46\00:31:36.79
not to drink intoxicating drink.
00:31:36.83\00:31:38.29
Now, the big problem at
the end we're going to notice
00:31:38.33\00:31:41.20
is not drinking
intoxicating alcohol literally,
00:31:41.23\00:31:45.73
but drinking the wine
of the harlot Babylon,
00:31:45.77\00:31:49.17
which does not
allow them to discriminate
00:31:49.20\00:31:51.37
between right and
wrong, good and evil,
00:31:51.41\00:31:53.98
between what God calls holy
00:31:54.01\00:31:57.05
and what God calls common.
00:31:57.08\00:31:59.88
Matthew 24,
returning once again,
00:31:59.91\00:32:02.68
now that we've seen
00:32:02.72\00:32:04.05
the Mosaic
legislation and the prophets,
00:32:04.09\00:32:06.15
the false prophets before
00:32:06.19\00:32:07.52
the first
destruction of Jerusalem.
00:32:07.56\00:32:09.42
Matthew 24 describes the
work of the false prophets
00:32:09.46\00:32:12.69
who spoke their false message
00:32:12.73\00:32:15.33
before the second
destruction of Jerusalem.
00:32:15.36\00:32:19.10
So you see, before
the second destruction,
00:32:19.13\00:32:20.87
there were also false prophets.
00:32:20.90\00:32:22.80
These prophets like those
before the first destruction,
00:32:22.84\00:32:26.68
were comforting the people
00:32:26.71\00:32:28.81
with the idea that
Jerusalem would never fall
00:32:28.84\00:32:31.88
because it was God's city,
00:32:31.91\00:32:33.82
and they could
continue rejecting the Messiah
00:32:33.85\00:32:37.09
who had come to them.
00:32:37.12\00:32:39.45
Matthew 23:37
00:32:39.49\00:32:43.66
through 24:3,
00:32:43.69\00:32:45.89
directly links the
destruction of Jerusalem
00:32:45.93\00:32:49.06
with the
rejection of the Messiah.
00:32:49.10\00:32:51.37
Instead of receiving the Messiah
00:32:51.40\00:32:53.07
during the 40 years
after the crucifixion,
00:32:53.10\00:32:55.57
they continued their
conduct of rejecting the Messiah
00:32:55.60\00:33:01.54
and persecuting those who
were preaching the gospel.
00:33:01.58\00:33:05.88
Ellen White wrote in
Great Controversy, page 22.
00:33:05.91\00:33:09.68
And we've noticed this before.
00:33:09.72\00:33:12.02
The great sin of the Jews
was their rejection of Christ.
00:33:12.05\00:33:16.49
The great sin of
the Christian world
00:33:16.52\00:33:18.39
would be the
rejection of the law of God,
00:33:18.43\00:33:20.90
the foundation of His government
00:33:20.93\00:33:22.70
in heaven and in earth.
00:33:22.73\00:33:24.57
And you say, "Well,
those are two different sins
00:33:24.60\00:33:26.40
to reject Christ,
and to reject His love.
00:33:26.43\00:33:28.94
Those are two different things."
00:33:28.97\00:33:30.47
They're not two
different things.
00:33:30.51\00:33:32.61
The law, as I've
mentioned before,
00:33:32.64\00:33:34.14
is a transcript
of God's character.
00:33:34.18\00:33:36.81
It's a transcript
of what God is like.
00:33:36.85\00:33:39.35
So how can you say
that you accept Jesus
00:33:39.38\00:33:41.82
but you reject the transcript?
00:33:41.85\00:33:44.32
You see, the problem
with the Jews in Christ's day
00:33:44.35\00:33:47.09
is that they claim to
love the law or the transcript,
00:33:47.12\00:33:50.76
but they despised the Lord
revealed in the transcript.
00:33:50.79\00:33:55.30
On the other hand,
00:33:55.33\00:33:56.67
professed
Christians at the end of time
00:33:56.70\00:33:58.53
will claim to love the Lord,
00:33:58.57\00:34:00.60
but they will
reject the transcript.
00:34:00.64\00:34:03.67
As I mentioned
before, the Jewish nation
00:34:03.71\00:34:05.51
thought that by
getting rid of Christ,
00:34:05.54\00:34:07.94
they would save their nation,
00:34:07.98\00:34:10.15
but they caused what
they wished to prevent.
00:34:10.18\00:34:13.35
The Romans did come
and destroy their nation.
00:34:13.38\00:34:16.85
Likewise, at the end,
00:34:16.89\00:34:18.22
we're going to find
that the United States
00:34:18.25\00:34:20.46
by the influence of
apostate Protestantism
00:34:20.49\00:34:24.29
will think that by
getting the getting rid
00:34:24.33\00:34:26.70
of those who keep the Sabbath,
they will save the nation,
00:34:26.73\00:34:31.00
but the result
will be national ruin.
00:34:31.03\00:34:34.90
They will cause what
they wished to prevent
00:34:34.94\00:34:37.77
by persecuting those
who keep God's holy Sabbath.
00:34:37.81\00:34:41.71
Now let's take a look
at what Jesus had to say
00:34:41.74\00:34:44.15
about false prophets
because it is relevant here.
00:34:44.18\00:34:48.18
Matthew 7:15-16, and
then verses 21 to 23.
00:34:48.22\00:34:54.19
And, of course,
this has to be in harmony
00:34:54.22\00:34:56.26
with the Mosaic legislation,
00:34:56.29\00:34:58.16
and what was
happening leading up
00:34:58.19\00:35:00.13
to both
destructions of Jerusalem,
00:35:00.16\00:35:03.43
Jesus had some very
important things to say
00:35:03.47\00:35:05.73
about false prophets.
00:35:05.77\00:35:07.80
When we put all
the evidence together,
00:35:07.84\00:35:10.34
we find that the false
prophets of the New Testament
00:35:10.37\00:35:13.58
bear the same characteristics
00:35:13.61\00:35:15.88
as the false
prophets in the Old.
00:35:15.91\00:35:18.61
The foundational
passage I mentioned,
00:35:18.65\00:35:20.82
Matthew 7:15-16,
and verses 21-23.
00:35:20.85\00:35:24.79
Here Jesus said,
"Beware of false prophets,
00:35:24.82\00:35:29.62
who come to you
in sheep's clothing."
00:35:29.66\00:35:33.29
Don't think that
they're going to come,
00:35:33.33\00:35:34.70
you know, and say
I'm a false prophet.
00:35:34.73\00:35:37.13
They're not going to be obvious.
00:35:37.17\00:35:38.67
They're going to be deceptive.
00:35:38.70\00:35:40.27
"Beware of false prophets
00:35:40.30\00:35:41.64
who come to you
in sheep's clothing,
00:35:41.67\00:35:43.64
but inwardly they
are ravenous wolves.
00:35:43.67\00:35:46.98
You will know
them by their fruits."
00:35:47.01\00:35:49.18
And then notice verse 21.
00:35:49.21\00:35:51.18
"Not everyone who says to Me,
00:35:51.21\00:35:53.38
'Lord, Lord,'"
they must be Christians,
00:35:53.42\00:35:54.75
because they're
saying, Lord, Lord.
00:35:54.78\00:35:56.28
"Not everyone who
says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,'
00:35:56.32\00:35:58.65
shall enter the
kingdom of heaven,
00:35:58.69\00:36:00.49
but he who does the
will of My Father in heaven.
00:36:00.52\00:36:03.59
Many will come to
Me in that day and say,
00:36:03.63\00:36:05.69
'Lord, Lord.'"
00:36:05.73\00:36:07.26
These are individuals
00:36:07.30\00:36:08.63
who claim to be
Christians, folks,
00:36:08.66\00:36:10.27
"Many will say to me
in that day, 'Lord, Lord,
00:36:10.30\00:36:13.10
have we not
prophesied in Your name,
00:36:13.13\00:36:16.81
cast out demons in Your name,
00:36:16.84\00:36:19.74
and done many
wonders in Your name?'"
00:36:19.77\00:36:24.31
So is it possible that
people will utter prophecies
00:36:24.35\00:36:27.32
and cast out demons
and also perform miracles
00:36:27.35\00:36:31.09
whom Jesus is not
going to recognize?
00:36:31.12\00:36:33.42
Absolutely.
00:36:33.46\00:36:34.79
Verse 23, "And then
I will declare to them,
00:36:34.82\00:36:38.09
'I never knew you,
00:36:38.13\00:36:39.96
depart from Me,
you who practice,"
00:36:40.00\00:36:42.83
listen carefully, "lawlessness."
00:36:42.86\00:36:45.27
In other words you
who transgress the law
00:36:45.30\00:36:48.34
is a better translation.
00:36:48.37\00:36:50.44
So summarizing, false prophets
00:36:50.47\00:36:52.81
give the appearance
of being true prophets,
00:36:52.84\00:36:55.58
and yet they are ravenous wolves
00:36:55.61\00:36:57.51
in this passage.
00:36:57.55\00:36:58.98
False prophets
prophesy in the name of Jesus,
00:36:59.01\00:37:02.42
so they must
claim to be Christians.
00:37:02.45\00:37:04.99
False prophets do not do
the will of a Father in heaven.
00:37:05.02\00:37:10.36
They even
perform signs and wonders
00:37:10.39\00:37:12.53
to try and prove that
their message is true.
00:37:12.56\00:37:15.86
And yet the false
prophets teach people
00:37:15.90\00:37:18.37
to transgress God's law.
00:37:18.40\00:37:22.30
We immediately see in this
list that I just shared with you
00:37:22.34\00:37:25.77
a parallel to the
Mosaic legislation,
00:37:25.81\00:37:28.64
in Deuteronomy 13.
00:37:28.68\00:37:30.78
In His Olivet Discourse,
00:37:30.81\00:37:32.91
Jesus warned about
the deceptive character
00:37:32.95\00:37:36.38
of the false prophets,
00:37:36.42\00:37:38.02
and one salient
characteristic is lawlessness,
00:37:38.05\00:37:42.62
comforting the people and
leaving them in their sins.
00:37:42.66\00:37:47.66
Let's read now Matthew 24:11-12.
00:37:47.70\00:37:52.73
This is the
reference to false prophets
00:37:52.77\00:37:55.54
in Matthew Chapter 24.
00:37:55.57\00:37:59.51
"Then many false
prophets will rise up
00:37:59.54\00:38:03.91
and deceive many."
00:38:03.95\00:38:05.95
And now listen carefully,
00:38:05.98\00:38:07.52
and because
lawlessness will abound,
00:38:07.55\00:38:09.68
so what are the false
prophets teaching in Matthew 24?
00:38:09.72\00:38:12.75
Lawlessness, folks, the
same thing that we found
00:38:12.79\00:38:15.89
the Mosaic legislation,
00:38:15.92\00:38:17.63
the false prophets
before the first destruction,
00:38:17.66\00:38:19.93
the false prophets
before the second destruction,
00:38:19.96\00:38:22.30
the false
prophets in the end time,
00:38:22.33\00:38:24.17
they teach lawlessness.
00:38:24.20\00:38:25.53
They teach people to transgress
in some way the law of God,
00:38:25.57\00:38:29.47
saying that it was
nailed to the cross,
00:38:29.50\00:38:31.41
that it applied
primarily to the Jews,
00:38:31.44\00:38:33.61
that we no longer
have to keep the Sabbath
00:38:33.64\00:38:35.54
because the Sabbath
is Jewish, et cetera.
00:38:35.58\00:38:38.48
Verse 12, "And because
lawlessness will abound,
00:38:38.51\00:38:41.95
the love of
many will grow cold."
00:38:41.98\00:38:46.45
And in Matthew 24:24,
00:38:46.49\00:38:49.12
we're told that
the false prophets
00:38:49.16\00:38:50.89
will even perform
signs and wonders,
00:38:50.93\00:38:52.99
as we noticed in
the Mosaic legislation.
00:38:53.03\00:38:55.40
It says there in Matthew
24:24, "For false christs
00:38:55.43\00:39:00.20
and false prophets
will rise and show great,"
00:39:00.24\00:39:03.54
here it is, "signs and
wonders to deceive if possible,
00:39:03.57\00:39:08.34
even the elect."
00:39:08.38\00:39:10.95
So all these things,
lawlessness, signs and wonders,
00:39:10.98\00:39:14.12
et cetera all are in the
course of all of Scripture,
00:39:14.15\00:39:17.19
Old Testament and New Testament.
00:39:17.22\00:39:19.85
In Luke 6:26,
00:39:19.89\00:39:21.79
Jesus warned the
religious leaders
00:39:21.82\00:39:24.33
that prophesied
like their fathers,
00:39:24.36\00:39:27.36
in the days of the
Old Testament prophets,
00:39:27.40\00:39:29.93
these prophets spoke what
the people wanted to hear,
00:39:29.96\00:39:33.54
and the people
loved to have it so.
00:39:33.57\00:39:36.74
Notice what we
find in Luke 6:26,
00:39:36.77\00:39:40.08
"Woe to you when all
men speak well of you,
00:39:40.11\00:39:45.11
for so did their
fathers to the false prophets."
00:39:45.15\00:39:49.22
So what does a false prophet do?
00:39:49.25\00:39:50.89
He speaks well to
be everything is fine.
00:39:50.92\00:39:54.09
You know, just get
along with everyone,
00:39:54.12\00:39:55.79
doesn't matter what you believe.
00:39:55.82\00:39:57.16
It doesn't matter
what you practice.
00:39:57.19\00:39:59.76
Everything is okay, peace,
peace when there is no peace.
00:39:59.79\00:40:03.80
So if you find a
preacher that is very popular,
00:40:03.83\00:40:05.90
every person
loves that preacher.
00:40:05.93\00:40:07.90
You know, he's
probably not doing his job,
00:40:07.94\00:40:10.17
because true
prophets ruffle feathers
00:40:10.21\00:40:13.41
because they tell the truth.
00:40:13.44\00:40:14.84
They tell people what
they don't want to hear.
00:40:14.88\00:40:18.25
The Bible
commentator Albert Barnes
00:40:18.28\00:40:20.38
wrote the following words.
00:40:20.42\00:40:22.72
Men who pretended to be of God,
00:40:22.75\00:40:25.95
who delivered
their own doctrines
00:40:25.99\00:40:28.56
as the truth of God
00:40:28.59\00:40:30.63
and who accommodated themselves
to the desires of the people.
00:40:30.66\00:40:34.33
He's describing
the false prophets
00:40:34.36\00:40:36.26
that are spoken of in Scripture.
00:40:36.30\00:40:38.77
Of this number were
the prophets of Baal,
00:40:38.80\00:40:42.30
the false prophets who appeared
in the time of Jeremiah.
00:40:42.34\00:40:47.78
In the Bible Commentary,
Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown,
00:40:47.81\00:40:50.55
we find these words.
00:40:50.58\00:40:52.25
"Woe unto you when all
men shall speak well of you!
00:40:52.28\00:40:55.42
For so did their
fathers to the false prophets,
00:40:55.45\00:40:58.95
paying court to them
because they flattered them
00:40:58.99\00:41:03.43
with peace when
there was no peace."
00:41:03.46\00:41:06.80
There is no peace for those
who transgress God's holy law.
00:41:06.83\00:41:10.93
There is no peace for those
who do not make a distinction
00:41:10.97\00:41:14.74
between good and evil,
between right and wrong,
00:41:14.77\00:41:17.37
between the holy and the common.
00:41:17.41\00:41:20.11
In the Old
Testament professed people,
00:41:20.14\00:41:22.44
the professed people of
God loved the false prophets,
00:41:22.48\00:41:25.28
because they told them
what they wanted to hear.
00:41:25.31\00:41:28.65
But true prophets are
politically incorrect.
00:41:28.68\00:41:32.65
In John 15:19,
00:41:32.69\00:41:34.99
Jesus explained the reason why
false prophets or true prophets
00:41:35.02\00:41:39.39
are hated by false
prophets and by the people.
00:41:39.43\00:41:42.66
Jesus said there in john 15:19,
00:41:42.70\00:41:45.57
"If you were of the world,
the world would love its own."
00:41:45.60\00:41:50.24
In other words, "If
you were of the world,
00:41:50.27\00:41:52.64
if you just accepted
everything that the world does,
00:41:52.67\00:41:55.28
the world would love you.
00:41:55.31\00:41:57.51
Yet because you
are not of the world,
00:41:57.55\00:42:00.15
but I chose you
out of the world,
00:42:00.18\00:42:02.35
therefore the world hates you."
00:42:02.38\00:42:04.39
True prophets were never loved.
00:42:04.42\00:42:07.06
True prophets were despised
because they told the truth.
00:42:07.09\00:42:11.63
Ellen White wrote in
volume four of the Testimonies,
00:42:11.66\00:42:14.00
page 185 these
very significant words.
00:42:14.03\00:42:17.53
"Those who cloak sin,
00:42:17.57\00:42:20.04
and make it appear
less aggravating to the mind
00:42:20.07\00:42:22.67
of the offender
00:42:22.70\00:42:24.21
are doing the work
of the false prophets,
00:42:24.24\00:42:27.28
and may expect the
retributive wrath of God
00:42:27.31\00:42:30.45
to follow such a course.
00:42:30.48\00:42:32.38
The Lord will never
accommodate His ways
00:42:32.41\00:42:35.25
to the wishes of corrupt men.
00:42:35.28\00:42:37.42
The false prophet
condemned Jeremiah
00:42:37.45\00:42:39.82
for afflicting the people
with his severe denunciations,
00:42:39.85\00:42:43.59
and he sought to reassure them
00:42:43.63\00:42:45.79
by promising them prosperity,
00:42:45.83\00:42:49.63
thinking that the poor
people should not be continually
00:42:49.66\00:42:53.10
reminded of their sins,
and threatened with punishment.
00:42:53.13\00:42:57.24
This course
strengthened the people
00:42:57.27\00:42:59.51
to resist the
true prophet's counsel,
00:42:59.54\00:43:01.88
and intensified
their enmity toward him.
00:43:01.91\00:43:05.98
Today, you have
these great evangelists
00:43:06.01\00:43:07.65
who are popular,
multitudes follow them.
00:43:07.68\00:43:11.09
The question is,
00:43:11.12\00:43:12.82
why do people love them so much?
00:43:12.85\00:43:14.92
Is it perhaps because
they're toeing the line
00:43:14.96\00:43:17.56
of what the people want?
00:43:17.59\00:43:19.36
The Apostle Paul spoke about
before the close of probation,
00:43:19.39\00:43:22.96
those who would be
saying peace, peace,
00:43:23.00\00:43:25.27
but sudden
destruction would come.
00:43:25.30\00:43:27.30
In 1 Thessalonians
5:2-3, the Apostle Paul wrote,
00:43:27.34\00:43:30.87
"For you
yourselves know perfectly
00:43:30.91\00:43:32.94
that the day of the
Lord so comes as a thief
00:43:32.97\00:43:35.01
in the night.
00:43:35.04\00:43:36.38
For when they say,
'Peace and safety!'
00:43:36.41\00:43:41.08
Then sudden
destruction comes upon them,
00:43:41.12\00:43:43.52
as labors upon a pregnant woman,
00:43:43.55\00:43:45.55
and they shall not escape.
00:43:45.59\00:43:48.59
Now we need to get
dedicate the rest of our time
00:43:48.62\00:43:51.69
to the Book of Revelation.
00:43:51.73\00:43:55.40
We must now turn to this book
00:43:55.43\00:43:57.00
because it is the
testimony of Jesus Christ.
00:43:57.03\00:44:00.37
The Book of
Revelation, listen carefully,
00:44:00.40\00:44:03.27
without exception
uses the plural word
00:44:03.30\00:44:06.71
prophets to
refer to true prophets.
00:44:06.74\00:44:10.71
On the other hand,
00:44:10.75\00:44:12.08
it uses the singular
word prophet three times,
00:44:12.11\00:44:16.72
and only three times to
describe the false prophet.
00:44:16.75\00:44:21.19
Interesting.
00:44:21.22\00:44:22.92
Four questions
face us at this point
00:44:22.96\00:44:25.29
when we read from Revelation.
00:44:25.33\00:44:27.30
Is the false
prophet a single individual
00:44:27.33\00:44:31.37
or a system in the
Book of Revelation?
00:44:31.40\00:44:34.30
Second, who is
this false prophet?
00:44:34.34\00:44:37.94
Third, does the false
prophet claim to be Christian?
00:44:37.97\00:44:42.78
And number four,
00:44:42.81\00:44:44.18
what characteristics
does the false prophet have?
00:44:44.21\00:44:48.78
First of all, I would like
to say that the false prophet
00:44:48.82\00:44:51.42
of Revelation, prophet
singular is not an individual,
00:44:51.45\00:44:56.29
but it is rather
a prophetic system
00:44:56.32\00:44:59.13
composed of many individuals
who are false prophets.
00:44:59.16\00:45:02.90
You say, "How do you know that?"
00:45:02.93\00:45:04.77
Well, simply because
Revelation Chapter 16 mentions
00:45:04.80\00:45:09.00
three enemies of God's
people at the end of time.
00:45:09.04\00:45:12.21
I want to read that verse.
00:45:12.24\00:45:13.58
And you'll notice that Babylon,
00:45:13.61\00:45:14.94
the end time system
that is alienated from God,
00:45:14.98\00:45:18.38
and at enmity with
God has three parts.
00:45:18.41\00:45:21.68
It says in Revelation 16:13,
00:45:21.72\00:45:24.29
"And I saw three
unclean spirits like frogs,"
00:45:24.32\00:45:28.36
now notice this, "coming
out of the mouth of the dragon,
00:45:28.39\00:45:32.79
out of the mouth of the beast,
00:45:32.83\00:45:35.46
and out of the
mouth of a false prophet.
00:45:35.50\00:45:38.60
For they are spirits of demons,
performing signs," notice,
00:45:38.63\00:45:43.24
"which go out to
the kings of the earth
00:45:43.27\00:45:44.94
and of the whole world,
to gather them to battle
00:45:44.97\00:45:47.74
of that great
day of God Almighty."
00:45:47.78\00:45:51.15
So you have a trilogy
of powers mentioned here.
00:45:51.18\00:45:53.88
You have the
dragon, you have the beast,
00:45:53.92\00:45:56.82
and the false prophet
that are going to perform signs
00:45:56.85\00:45:59.59
through spiritualism,
00:45:59.62\00:46:00.96
and they're going to
gather the entire world
00:46:00.99\00:46:03.19
against God's
people, against God.
00:46:03.22\00:46:06.19
Now, in order to understand
this trilogy of terror,
00:46:06.23\00:46:10.23
we must go back to
Revelation 12 and 13.
00:46:10.27\00:46:13.70
In Revelation Chapter 12 and 13,
00:46:13.74\00:46:16.24
we have this
same threefold power.
00:46:16.27\00:46:19.64
You have, first of all,
in Revelation 12, the dragon,
00:46:19.67\00:46:23.21
the dragon tried to slay
the male child when he is born,
00:46:23.24\00:46:26.75
that is Satan
trying to slay Christ
00:46:26.78\00:46:29.78
by using the power of Rome.
00:46:29.82\00:46:32.29
In other words,
Satan working through
00:46:32.32\00:46:34.99
the civil power of Rome.
00:46:35.02\00:46:37.66
And then you
have in Revelation 13,
00:46:37.69\00:46:39.59
the very next
chapter, you have the beast,
00:46:39.63\00:46:43.03
from the sea,
00:46:43.06\00:46:44.57
the beast from the
sea rules then 42 months,
00:46:44.60\00:46:49.34
which is 1260 years,
00:46:49.37\00:46:53.41
and that beast represents
the Roman Catholic papacy.
00:46:53.44\00:46:57.55
So you have the dragon,
which represents Satan working
00:46:57.58\00:47:00.92
through the civil power of Rome.
00:47:00.95\00:47:03.22
Then you have next, the papacy,
00:47:03.25\00:47:06.09
the beast that
rises from the sea,
00:47:06.12\00:47:08.49
persecutes the saints,
00:47:08.52\00:47:09.92
speaks blasphemies
against the Most High,
00:47:09.96\00:47:12.39
things that can
change God's law,
00:47:12.43\00:47:14.53
etc, very significant detail.
00:47:14.56\00:47:16.87
This represents the
Roman Catholic papacy.
00:47:16.90\00:47:19.70
And then, at the
end of Revelation 13,
00:47:19.73\00:47:22.40
the second half of the chapter,
00:47:22.44\00:47:24.01
you have a beast
that rises from the earth.
00:47:24.04\00:47:27.01
This beast that
rises from the earth
00:47:27.04\00:47:28.94
has two horns like a lamb,
but it speaks like a dragon.
00:47:28.98\00:47:32.25
It's deceptive because the lamb
is a symbol of Jesus Christ.
00:47:32.28\00:47:35.88
This is a deceptive power,
whereas it professes one thing,
00:47:35.92\00:47:40.16
the two horns like a lamb,
00:47:40.19\00:47:41.62
it actually
speaks like the dragon.
00:47:41.66\00:47:44.59
What power is represented
by this particular beast
00:47:44.63\00:47:48.43
that rises from the earth?
00:47:48.46\00:47:50.23
This beast represents
apostate Protestantism
00:47:50.27\00:47:54.37
in the United States of America.
00:47:54.40\00:47:56.47
Now, I don't have time to
prove all of these points here.
00:47:56.50\00:47:59.31
I've done it in another series
called God's prophetic chain.
00:47:59.34\00:48:03.31
So if you go to our
website, secretsunsealed.org
00:48:03.35\00:48:07.32
and you go to the section
that has the study notes,
00:48:07.35\00:48:10.29
you'll find an
entire set of study notes
00:48:10.32\00:48:13.19
on God's prophetic chain.
00:48:13.22\00:48:15.42
In there, I studied
this threefold power,
00:48:15.46\00:48:17.73
the dragon, the
beast, and the false prophet.
00:48:17.76\00:48:20.26
So this trilogy of
terror at the end of time
00:48:20.30\00:48:22.86
that is going to gather
the whole world against God
00:48:22.90\00:48:25.33
are Satan working through
the civil powers of the world,
00:48:25.37\00:48:29.27
the Roman Catholic
papacy that has resurrected
00:48:29.30\00:48:31.74
from its deadly wound,
and apostate Protestantism,
00:48:31.77\00:48:35.58
as represented
00:48:35.61\00:48:36.95
in the United States of America.
00:48:36.98\00:48:38.35
But now there's a
very important point.
00:48:38.38\00:48:41.12
If you compare
Revelation 12 and 13
00:48:41.15\00:48:44.09
with Revelation 16:13,
00:48:44.12\00:48:46.49
and with Revelation 19:20,
00:48:46.52\00:48:48.99
you'll find a
variation in the details.
00:48:49.02\00:48:51.53
In Revelation 12 and 13,
you'll notice the dragon,
00:48:51.56\00:48:55.53
the sea beast,
and the earth beast.
00:48:55.56\00:48:59.23
In Revelation
16:13, you have the dragon,
00:48:59.27\00:49:02.67
the sea beast,
and the false prophet.
00:49:02.70\00:49:06.01
So who is the earth beast?
00:49:06.04\00:49:07.98
The earth beast
is the false prophet.
00:49:08.01\00:49:10.31
And then you have
in Revelation 19:20,
00:49:10.35\00:49:12.91
it speaks not of the
dragon it says the kings,
00:49:12.95\00:49:16.75
the sea beast,
and the false prophet.
00:49:16.79\00:49:20.29
So you'll notice here
that you have a variation
00:49:20.32\00:49:23.53
in the
description, dragon, sea beast,
00:49:23.56\00:49:26.13
earth beast in
Revelation 12 and 13.
00:49:26.16\00:49:28.40
Dragon, sea beast, false prophet
00:49:28.43\00:49:30.57
in Revelation 16:13,
00:49:30.60\00:49:32.37
and kings, sea
beast and false prophet
00:49:32.40\00:49:35.17
in Revelation 19:20.
00:49:35.20\00:49:38.21
This means that
in Revelation 19:20,
00:49:38.24\00:49:40.94
the dragon represents the kings
00:49:40.98\00:49:43.28
or the political
powers of the world.
00:49:43.31\00:49:45.65
It also means
that the earth beast
00:49:45.68\00:49:47.88
in Revelation 12 and
13 is the false prophet
00:49:47.92\00:49:51.65
because it is
called the false prophet
00:49:51.69\00:49:53.96
in Revelation
16:13, in Revelation 19:20.
00:49:53.99\00:49:58.26
You say, "Well, doesn't
the dragon represent Satan?"
00:49:58.29\00:50:01.03
Yes, it does represent Satan.
00:50:01.06\00:50:02.96
But it's Satan working
through the civil powers
00:50:03.00\00:50:05.23
of the world.
00:50:05.27\00:50:06.60
Let me read you this statement
00:50:06.63\00:50:07.97
from Testimonies
to Ministers, page 39.
00:50:08.00\00:50:10.71
Kings and rulers and governors.
00:50:10.74\00:50:13.61
These are
political leaders, right?
00:50:13.64\00:50:15.54
Kings and rulers and governors
have placed upon themselves
00:50:15.58\00:50:19.31
the brand of antichrist,
00:50:19.35\00:50:21.58
and are
represented as the dragon
00:50:21.62\00:50:24.82
who goes to make
war with the saints,
00:50:24.85\00:50:27.52
with those who keep
the commandments of God
00:50:27.56\00:50:29.72
and who have the faith of Jesus.
00:50:29.76\00:50:33.09
So you'll notice
here that the dragon
00:50:33.13\00:50:35.60
represents kings,
rulers and governors.
00:50:35.63\00:50:37.67
Satan working through the
civil powers of the world.
00:50:37.70\00:50:41.14
Now, there's a
very important point.
00:50:41.17\00:50:43.84
In Bible prophecy, a beast
00:50:43.87\00:50:46.64
does not represent
a single individual.
00:50:46.68\00:50:49.48
So this false prophet
that is mentioned here,
00:50:49.51\00:50:52.45
which is the same
as the earth beast
00:50:52.48\00:50:54.88
cannot be a single individual
because a beast represents
00:50:54.92\00:50:58.69
a kingdom or a nation
00:50:58.72\00:51:00.26
that has a succession of
individuals that rule in it.
00:51:00.29\00:51:04.16
For example, a lion in Daniel
7 is not just Nebuchadnezzar,
00:51:04.19\00:51:08.46
a single king, it represents
the whole dynasty of kings
00:51:08.50\00:51:10.67
of Babylon.
00:51:10.70\00:51:12.03
The same with Medo-Persia,
00:51:12.07\00:51:13.40
and Greece, and Rome.
00:51:13.44\00:51:15.20
So this false prophet
of Revelation Chapter 13,
00:51:15.24\00:51:18.54
and Revelation Chapter
16, and Revelation Chapter 19
00:51:18.57\00:51:23.68
is not a single false prophet,
00:51:23.71\00:51:26.21
it is a beast
which represents the fact
00:51:26.25\00:51:28.78
that it is going to be a
nation that has many individuals
00:51:28.82\00:51:33.96
who share this
false prophetic scenario.
00:51:33.99\00:51:38.03
The false
prophet, in other words,
00:51:38.06\00:51:39.46
must claim to be Christian,
00:51:39.49\00:51:41.40
and yet acts
contrary to its profession.
00:51:41.43\00:51:45.10
After all, as I mentioned,
it has two horns like a lamb,
00:51:45.13\00:51:49.50
which is always
a symbol of Christ
00:51:49.54\00:51:51.24
in the Book of Revelation.
00:51:51.27\00:51:52.81
But it speaks like the
dragon, which is Satan working
00:51:52.84\00:51:56.01
through the civil
powers of the world.
00:51:56.04\00:51:58.68
The earth beast,
00:51:58.71\00:52:00.42
you'll notice
very important point,
00:52:00.45\00:52:02.25
is actually the false prophet
of the beast, of the sea beast.
00:52:02.28\00:52:06.89
You say, "Now, wait a minute,
00:52:06.92\00:52:08.42
you're saying
that the false prophet,
00:52:08.46\00:52:10.49
or also called the beast
that rises from the earth?
00:52:10.53\00:52:14.30
You're saying that that beast
is actually a false prophet
00:52:14.33\00:52:18.00
for the previous beast?"
00:52:18.03\00:52:19.93
Absolutely.
00:52:19.97\00:52:21.30
You say, "How do we know that?"
00:52:21.34\00:52:22.84
Listen, folks, the sad thing is,
00:52:22.87\00:52:24.84
that is that the
United States of America
00:52:24.87\00:52:27.41
is going to serve
as the false prophet
00:52:27.44\00:52:29.94
of the papacy of the
beast that rose from the sea.
00:52:29.98\00:52:33.42
And you say, "Well,
where do you get that from?"
00:52:33.45\00:52:36.18
Let me just share with you
00:52:36.22\00:52:37.62
from Revelation
Chapter 12 and 13,
00:52:37.65\00:52:40.12
the details of
this particular beast
00:52:40.16\00:52:42.76
that rises from the
earth, the false prophet,
00:52:42.79\00:52:44.93
which I repeat, once again,
00:52:44.96\00:52:46.59
it's not a single individual,
because it's a beast,
00:52:46.63\00:52:49.70
it's a nation.
00:52:49.73\00:52:51.47
It is a nation that is
composed of many false prophets,
00:52:51.50\00:52:54.60
just like
Babylon had many kings.
00:52:54.64\00:52:57.94
Everything that this
beast from the earth does,
00:52:57.97\00:53:00.54
it does to
please the first beast
00:53:00.58\00:53:02.88
to return power
to the first beast.
00:53:02.91\00:53:05.41
You say, really?
00:53:05.45\00:53:06.95
Well, let me give
you the characteristics.
00:53:06.98\00:53:09.02
You can read it in
Revelation Chapter 12 and 13.
00:53:09.05\00:53:11.75
We don't have time
to read all the verses,
00:53:11.79\00:53:13.89
because there's so much material
00:53:13.92\00:53:15.79
in Matthew Chapter 24
that we need to cover.
00:53:15.82\00:53:19.09
First of all, we
find in Revelation 13,
00:53:19.13\00:53:23.13
that we are told that this beast
00:53:23.16\00:53:25.53
exercises all of the
authority of the first beast.
00:53:25.57\00:53:29.94
In other words, the
authority of this beast
00:53:29.97\00:53:31.67
that rises from the earth,
00:53:31.71\00:53:33.38
exercise the
authority of the first beast.
00:53:33.41\00:53:36.48
We are also told that
this beast from the earth,
00:53:36.51\00:53:39.28
the false prophet,
00:53:39.31\00:53:40.65
actually commands
every person to worship
00:53:40.68\00:53:44.25
the first beast.
00:53:44.29\00:53:46.15
We're also told that
this beast from the earth,
00:53:46.19\00:53:49.62
this false prophet
performs actions in the presence
00:53:49.66\00:53:55.03
of the first beast.
00:53:55.06\00:53:56.97
We are also told that
this beast from the earth,
00:53:57.00\00:53:59.60
this false prophet,
00:53:59.63\00:54:00.97
composed of many false prophets,
00:54:01.00\00:54:02.34
I might say, makes an
image of the first beast
00:54:02.37\00:54:05.94
in its honor.
00:54:05.97\00:54:07.41
And we are told that
this beast from the earth,
00:54:07.44\00:54:10.11
the false prophet,
00:54:10.15\00:54:12.81
imposes the mark
of the first beast,
00:54:12.85\00:54:15.88
so everything
this beast is doing
00:54:15.92\00:54:17.75
is to please the first beast.
00:54:17.79\00:54:19.55
Folks, the
United States of America
00:54:19.59\00:54:21.52
is going to ally
itself with the papacy.
00:54:21.56\00:54:24.09
It's going to heal
the wound of the papacy,
00:54:24.13\00:54:26.96
and is going to
bring out persecution
00:54:27.00\00:54:28.93
against those who
are faithful to the Lord.
00:54:28.96\00:54:31.50
Apostate
Protestantism will join in this
00:54:31.53\00:54:35.67
uttering false prophecies
that the day of worship
00:54:35.70\00:54:37.94
is Sunday instead
of God's holy Sabbath.
00:54:37.97\00:54:41.21
Another interesting detail is,
00:54:41.24\00:54:43.31
that we are told
in Revelation 19:20,
00:54:43.35\00:54:46.48
that this beast from the
earth, this false prophet
00:54:46.51\00:54:49.15
worked signs and wonders
00:54:49.18\00:54:52.02
in the presence
of the first beast.
00:54:52.05\00:54:54.89
And the purpose was
to deceive the people
00:54:54.92\00:54:57.66
who worshiped the
image of the beast
00:54:57.69\00:54:59.59
and received the
mark of the beast.
00:54:59.63\00:55:02.86
We remember once again,
00:55:02.90\00:55:04.37
the false prophet
in the Old Testament
00:55:04.40\00:55:06.20
perform signs and wonders.
00:55:06.23\00:55:08.50
We find in Matthew Chapter 24,
00:55:08.54\00:55:10.67
that the false
prophets at the end of time
00:55:10.71\00:55:13.17
will perform signs and wonders
00:55:13.21\00:55:15.34
to deceive if
possible, the very elect.
00:55:15.38\00:55:18.15
So if you're expecting
a false prophet, saying,
00:55:18.18\00:55:20.72
well, the false
prophet is Islam,
00:55:20.75\00:55:22.98
like many are saying, folks,
00:55:23.02\00:55:24.82
that's not someone who is within
00:55:24.85\00:55:27.12
the
congregation of Christianity.
00:55:27.16\00:55:29.46
This is not an
individual who claims
00:55:29.49\00:55:31.86
that Jesus Christ is God.
00:55:31.89\00:55:33.40
No, it can't be.
00:55:33.43\00:55:35.16
False prophets arose
among God's own people.
00:55:35.20\00:55:39.23
They claim to
prophesy in God's name.
00:55:39.27\00:55:42.00
Yet they taught
the children of Israel
00:55:42.04\00:55:44.37
not to distinguish
between good and evil,
00:55:44.41\00:55:47.24
between right and wrong,
00:55:47.28\00:55:48.81
and between what is
holy and what is common.
00:55:48.84\00:55:51.75
Is that happening today?
00:55:51.78\00:55:53.62
Once again, folks, I return
00:55:53.65\00:55:55.38
to what we've been
talking about previously.
00:55:55.42\00:55:58.05
There is a big
test for the world
00:55:58.09\00:56:00.09
at the end of time.
00:56:00.12\00:56:01.66
God has said that
His holy day of worship
00:56:01.69\00:56:04.99
is the seventh day Sabbath.
00:56:05.03\00:56:07.43
Six days you shall
labor and do all your work,
00:56:07.46\00:56:09.86
but the seventh day is a
Sabbath of Lord your God.
00:56:09.90\00:56:13.94
As I've studied
before, we're going to see
00:56:13.97\00:56:16.20
that the United
States of America,
00:56:16.24\00:56:18.41
through its legislative
powers is going to mandate,
00:56:18.44\00:56:22.94
is going to proclaim
a national Sunday law
00:56:22.98\00:56:26.58
that everyone has
to rest on Sunday,
00:56:26.61\00:56:29.68
everybody back to church.
00:56:29.72\00:56:31.65
You say, "Well, that
would be unconstitutional."
00:56:31.69\00:56:33.86
Of course, that
would be unconstitutional.
00:56:33.89\00:56:35.92
But in times of crisis,
what is unconstitutional
00:56:35.96\00:56:39.76
many times is
proclaimed to be constitutional.
00:56:39.79\00:56:43.13
And that's exactly
what's going to happen.
00:56:43.16\00:56:45.70
It's seen in this beast
has two horns like a lamb,
00:56:45.73\00:56:50.37
but it speaks like a dragon.
00:56:50.41\00:56:52.44
In other words, its conduct
00:56:52.47\00:56:54.34
contradicts the principles
upon which it was built,
00:56:54.38\00:56:57.41
civil and religious liberty.
00:56:57.45\00:56:59.91
And so this is a time, folks,
00:56:59.95\00:57:01.55
when we need to
lift up the truth of God,
00:57:01.58\00:57:04.62
not be politically correct.
00:57:04.65\00:57:06.52
Yes, we need to do it in love.
00:57:06.55\00:57:08.36
In fact, the
prophet spoke these things
00:57:08.39\00:57:10.23
because they loved the people.
00:57:10.26\00:57:11.59
They knew that the
people would be destroyed
00:57:11.63\00:57:13.83
if they did not
listen to the counsel
00:57:13.86\00:57:16.20
of the true prophets.
00:57:16.23\00:57:17.57
So this is a time
when we need to come back
00:57:17.60\00:57:19.90
to worshiping the
Creator God, to worship Him, Him
00:57:19.93\00:57:23.41
who made the
heavens and the earth,
00:57:23.44\00:57:24.97
and to keep the sign
00:57:25.01\00:57:26.54
that He has
established of His worship,
00:57:26.57\00:57:29.44
which is the
seventh day Sabbath.
00:57:29.48\00:57:31.75
As the fourth commandment says,
00:57:31.78\00:57:33.78
it gives a reason
for keeping the Sabbath.
00:57:33.82\00:57:35.95
It says that God
created the world in six days,
00:57:35.98\00:57:40.06
rested on the seventh day,
00:57:40.09\00:57:42.02
and therefore we are
supposed to work six days
00:57:42.06\00:57:45.09
and rest the seventh day,
00:57:45.13\00:57:47.73
following the example
of our wonderful Creator.
00:57:47.76\00:57:51.17
So I trust that what
we studied is useful.
00:57:51.20\00:57:53.34
We did it in the context
of the totality of Scripture,
00:57:53.37\00:57:56.37
and that we will
choose not to follow
00:57:56.40\00:57:59.27
what false prophet say,
but we will choose to follow
00:57:59.31\00:58:02.48
what God's true prophets
have to say in this time.
00:58:02.51\00:58:05.61