Participants: Pr. Dwight Nelson
Series Code: NP
Program Code: NP012409
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00:27 I'm alive and well,
00:30 Your spirit lives within me 00:33 Because You died and rose again 00:41 Amazing love, how can it be 00:48 That You, my King would die for me 00:55 Amazing love, I know it's true 01:01 And it's my joy to honor You 01:06 In all I do, I honor You 01:14 Amazing Love, how can it be 01:22 That You, my King would die for me 01:29 Amazing love, I know it's true 01:36 And it's my joy to honor You 01:41 In all I do, I honor You 01:49 You are my King 01:55 Jesus, You are my King 02:03 You are my King 02:08 Jesus, You are my King 02:17 Amazing Love, how can it be 02:24 That You, my King would die for me 02:31 Amazing love, I know it's true 02:38 And it's my joy to honor You 02:43 In all I do, I honor You 02:50 In all I do, I honor You 03:05 If ye love Me 03:12 If ye love Me 03:19 Keep My commandments 03:25 Keep My commandments 03:31 Keep My commandments 03:41 If ye love Me 03:47 If ye love Me 03:53 Keep My commandments 03:58 Keep My commandments 04:04 Keep My commandments 04:13 And I will pray the Father 04:20 And I will pray the Father 04:27 And He will give you 04:33 another Comforter 04:41 Even the Spirit 04:46 Even the Spirit of truth 05:03 If ye love Me 05:10 If ye love Me 05:16 Keep My commandments 05:22 Keep My commandments 05:27 Keep My commandments 05:36 Keep My commandments 05:46 If ye love Me 06:11 Oh, God we really do love you. 06:15 We seek to love you with all our hearts 06:17 and with all our minds and with all our bodies. 06:25 We want to know that truth. 06:30 We are brave enough to say that we will follow your truth 06:33 wherever it leads but it must be clear. 06:40 And so, Holy Father, over these next few moments 06:43 teach us through Holy Scripture, 06:46 we pray in Jesus' name. Amen. 06:52 Her dark cape is pulled 06:57 low over her nervous and sweaty brow. 07:07 Concealing eyes that wearily study 07:15 the three strangers crouched against her wall. 07:22 If she accedes to their midnight request, 07:24 she knows that she takes 07:29 her life in her bony hands. 07:34 But what is a witch to do but do what witches do? 07:43 And so those long narrow fingers reach out 07:47 to the vials and bowls 07:49 as she drags her instruments across the cold floor 07:55 toward the dying embers of that orange light. 07:59 And she begins the low moaning, 08:04 groaning secret incantation that will summon 08:09 from the netherworld a visitor tonight. 08:14 The three mantled strangers stare in wide-eyed silence 08:21 and suddenly the witch sCremes, 08:24 they freeze, the three men. 08:29 As out of the dark earth there begins to emerge 08:36 gray, silver, white, 08:40 an ethereal apparition of the form of an old man bent, 08:48 himself cloaked to hide his featureless face. 08:53 She has called for him, he has come and he brings 09:01 a message of terrible terror to the mantled king. 09:07 You must read that message carefully for yourself. 09:15 But the question presses upon us, 09:18 what should we do with these words from beyond the grave? 09:24 This is the only story in all of Holy Scripture 09:27 where a spirit purports to bring from beyond that grave 09:31 a momentary message 09:33 before disappearing into the netherworld again. 09:37 I need you to read this very carefully, 09:41 it's the story of the witch of En Dor. 09:43 Open your Bible please, to 1 Samuel 28. 09:47 You didn't bring a Bible? 09:48 You have got to track this story with me, please. 09:51 1 Samuel 28, grab the pew Bible in front of you. 09:54 Let me give you a page number, 208. 09:56 1 Samuel 28, pew Bible, pulpit Bible, 10:00 today, the same translation, the New King James Version. 10:05 The story of the witch of En Dor. 10:08 We'll begin in Verse 3. 1 Samuel 28:3 10:12 that will be what appears on the screen. 10:17 1 Samuel 28:3, "Now Samuel had died," 10:22 I've got to tell you, of all the Hebrew prophets 10:25 he was one of the most beloved. 10:28 "Now Samuel had died and all Israel had lamented for him 10:31 and buried him in Ramah, in his own city. 10:35 And Saul," that would be 10:36 the first king of Israel, still reigning, 10:38 "Saul had put the mediums and the spiritists out of the land." 10:43 Do you know what a medium is? 10:45 Do you know what a spiritist is? 10:48 In just a few moments I am going to tell you 10:49 about an Englishman named Benjamin Crème 10:52 and you will know what a medium is, trust me. 10:57 Verse 4, "Then the Philistines," 10:59 that would be the enemy of Israel, 11:01 "gathered together, and came and encamped at Shunem. 11:03 So Saul gathered all Israel together, 11:05 and they encamped at Gilboa. 11:07 When Saul," Verse 5, "saw the army of the Philistines, 11:10 he was afraid, and his heart trembled greatly. 11:13 And when Saul inquired of the Lord, 11:16 the Lord did not answer him." God you got to help me. 11:19 "The Lord did not answer him, not by dreams or by Urim," 11:25 that's the ephod worn by the high priests. 11:27 Two stones, one stone here the Urim, 11:29 one stone here the Thummim. 11:31 Yes, no. Light over the Urim, yes. 11:33 Shadow over the Thummim, no. No answer. 11:38 "The Lord did not answer him, 11:39 either by dreams or by Urim or by the prophets. 11:45 Then Saul said to his servants, 11:47 'Find me a woman who is a medium, 11:50 that I may go to her and inquire of her.' 11:52 And his servants said to him, 11:53 "Well, just, as a matter of fact your highness, 11:55 there is a woman who is a medium at En Dor.' 11:59 So Saul disguised himself and put on other clothes," 12:02 because it's capital offence to be caught as a medium, 12:06 "he disguised himself and put on other clothes and he went, 12:08 and the two men with him 12:09 and they came to the woman by night. 12:11 And he said, 'Please conduct a séance for me, 12:13 and bring up for me the one I shall name to you.' 12:16 Then the woman said to him, 12:18 'Look, you know what Saul has done, 12:20 how he has cut off the mediums 12:21 and the spiritists from the land. 12:22 Then why do you lay a snare for my life, 12:24 to cause me to die?'" You want to kill me? 12:27 "And Saul swore to her, the mantled king," 12:30 she doesn't no who he is. 12:31 The mantled king swears to her 12:33 by the God who is not answering him, 12:37 by the God who is not answering him, 12:39 "And so Saul swore to her by the Lord, 12:41 saying, 'As the Lord lives, 12:43 no punishment shall come upon you for this thing.' 12:45 Then the woman said, Whom shall I bring up for you?' 12:49 And he said, 'Bring up Samuel for me.'" 12:53 And in between those verses 12:55 the incantations and the moanings begin. 12:59 "And when the woman saw Samuel,' 13:03 now here comes that sCreme, 13:04 "she cried out with a loud voice. 13:06 And the woman spoke to Saul, 13:08 'Why have you deceived me? For you are Saul!' 13:13 And the king said to her, 'Do not be afraid. 13:16 What did you see?'" 13:17 Would you mark it clearly, ladies and gentlemen? 13:20 Saul sees not a thing. He sees nothing. 13:25 What are you looking at, woman? 13:27 What do you see? 13:28 Everything will be mediated through the woman to him. 13:32 He sees nothing. "What did you see? 13:37 And the woman said to Saul, 13:38 'I saw a spirit ascending out of the earth.'" 13:42 Isn't that amazing? 13:44 If you believe that when a good man dies, 13:46 he goes straight to heaven, 13:47 it should read and I saw spirit descending from heaven. 13:53 Somebody is playing a trick here. 13:58 "She said 'I saw a spirit ascending out of the earth' 14:01 and so he said to her, 'What is its form?' 14:03 And she said, 'An old man is coming up, 14:05 and he is covered with a mantle.' 14:06 And Saul perceived," he did not see, 14:08 "Saul perceived that it was Samuel, 14:11 and he stooped with his face to the ground 14:12 and bowed down to worship that spirit." 14:16 My, oh my. 14:21 And, Samuel, let me have your eyes for a moment. 14:24 "And Samuel" you know what I mean by these, doesn't you? 14:28 Quotation marks, "And Samuel." 14:32 "And Samuel said to Saul, 14:34 'Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?'" 14:37 He should have said by bringing me down. 14:40 "And Saul answered, 'I am deeply distressed 14:43 for the Philistines make war against me, 14:44 and God has departed from me and does not answer me anymore, 14:47 neither by the prophets nor by dreams. 14:48 Therefore I have called on you 14:50 that you may reveal to me what I should do now." 14:53 Oh, prophet, whom I never listen to when you were here. 14:59 Verse 16, "Then Samuel said, 'So why do you ask me, 15:05 seeing the Lord has departed from you 15:08 and has become your enemy?'" 15:10 Ladies and gentlemen, hit the pause button right there, 15:12 I need you to know beyond the shadow of a doubt 15:15 that we are now entering a bold faced lie 15:23 because that is not the truth about God. 15:25 God never becomes your enemy, 15:29 even if you reject him like King Saul did, 15:32 even if you reject him like Judas did, 15:35 He will never become your enemy. 15:37 In fact, I'll remind you, how did Jesus treat His betrayer, 15:40 after that wet kiss has been planted on bearded cheek, 15:43 what did Jesus call Judas? What did he call Judas? 15:46 Friend. Friend. 15:49 But the demon does not want 15:52 you to ever know the truth about God. 15:56 That He is not somebody to be afraid of, 15:58 He is someone to be a friend of. 16:00 And so he twists the truth and it comes out, 16:04 God is your enemy. 16:09 Verse 16 again, "Then Samuel said 16:10 'So why do you ask me, seeing the Lord 16:12 has departed from you and has become your enemy?' 16:15 And the Lord has done for Himself," 16:17 the spirit goes on, "as He spoke by me. 16:20 For the Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hand 16:22 and given it to your neighbor, David." 16:23 Samuel really did say those words once upon a time. 16:26 "Because you did not obey the voice of the Lord 16:29 nor execute His fierce wrath upon Amalek, 16:32 therefore the Lord has done this thing to you this day. 16:35 Moreover the Lord will also deliver Israel with you 16:38 into the hand of the Philistines. 16:39 And tomorrow you and your sons will be with me.'" 16:43 Come on, Samuel, you are in heaven. 16:45 Does that mean Saul is going to heaven, 16:47 who rejected god? Something's fishy here. 16:52 It doesn't smell right. 16:55 You will be with me tomorrow. 17:01 "The Lord will also deliver the army of Israel 17:03 into the hand of the Philistines." Gone. 17:05 "Immediately," verse 20, 17:06 "Saul fell full length on the ground, 17:08 and was dreadfully afraid because of the words of Samuel. 17:11 And there was no strength in him, 17:12 for he had eaten no food all day or all night." 17:15 Drop down to the ending, verse24, 17:17 "Now the woman" the witch, 17:20 "had a fatted calf in the house, and she hastened to kill it. 17:23 And she took flour and kneaded it, 17:25 and she baked unleavened bread from it. 17:26 So she brought it before Saul 17:28 and his servants, and they ate. 17:29 Then they rose and went away that night." 17:33 Isn't it interesting that the story of Saul 17:36 ends precisely the way the story of Judas does, 17:39 and he went out and it was night 17:42 because it is always night 17:44 when you step away from the light 17:45 and listen to the darkness, always night. 17:51 So here's the question, can the dead commune with us? 17:58 Now look, if you believe the serpent's hissing lie 18:03 in the garden that when you die, you do not die, 18:09 then you have only one answer you can give, 18:11 and the answer is, yes, 18:12 of course that dead can commune with us. 18:14 If however you believe the teaching of Jesus 18:17 and Holy Scriptures that when you die 18:19 you go to sleep to be awakened one day by a resurrection, 18:22 then you know that the answer is no. 18:26 No, the dead cannot commune with the human race. 18:33 Then who is this Samuel who arises out of the earth 18:40 to terrorize that desperate king? 18:44 The answer is so critical, we have to write it down. 18:47 Write it down right now, 18:48 pull out your study guide please, 18:49 pull out that study guide out of your worship bulletin. 18:52 We have got to write it down. 18:53 You didn't get a study guide, hold your hand up, 18:55 our friendly ushers will make sure 18:57 that you have a study guide 18:58 all the way up into the back of the balcony, 18:59 in the overflow, everybody gets a study guide today. 19:03 This is part three, the final piece of the trilogy 19:07 entitled "The truth about death." 19:09 I want to say to those of you watching on television, 19:11 we are glad you are here, you are-- 19:12 this piece, you need this piece. 19:15 I want to make sure you get the same study guide. 19:17 Let me put it on your screen for you right now, 19:19 our website www.pmchurch.tv. 19:24 You are looking for a series entitled 19:26 "The truth about death." 19:28 By the way this website has been brand new constructed, 19:32 it's brand new. Go back to that website. 19:35 We are very grateful for a young adult designer, 19:38 Matthew Hamilton who has re-designed that website. 19:42 You are looking for a series called "The truth about death." 19:44 You are looking for the final piece in this trilogy 19:46 and it's called "The Midnight Blitz." 19:48 When you see midnight blitz, you click on there, 19:50 you will have the study guide, 19:51 the same study guide we have and by the way, 19:53 this little trilogy ends today. 19:55 I am going to take a little two week break, 19:56 we will do other things during these two weeks 19:58 and then we are coming back 19:59 because you have got to know the truth about hell. 20:02 You can not separate them, there's another trilogy 20:04 right behind this, don't you miss it. 20:06 Come to the same website, 20:07 you'll get the same, you'll get everything there. 20:09 All right, this is the final piece on death. 20:12 Write it down in your study guide, 1 Timothy 4:1 20:15 from the today's New International version, 20:17 "The spirit clearly says that in later times 20:23 some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits 20:27 and things taught by demons." 20:30 I want you to get that crystal clear 20:32 in your heart and brain right now. 20:35 Spirits and demons interchangeable, 20:37 they are one and the same. 20:38 Who are they, keep writing, 20:39 the bible is clear spirits are demons 20:41 i.e. fallen angels loyal to Satan. 20:45 Take a look sometimes in Revelation 12:9 20:48 when Satan-- when Lucifer was expelled 20:49 from heaven the loyal angels to him, 20:52 they become the demons. 20:53 They came to earth as well, 20:54 that's who the demons are, they're all fallen angels. 20:56 Who else would be lying to Saul about God and about death? 21:00 It would have to be the deceiver and his hordes. 21:05 Note carefully now, I need you to scribble this down quick. 21:08 Note carefully these four demonic realities 21:11 that emerge out of the story of the witch of En Dor. 21:13 Jot these four down, demonic reality number one, 21:16 demons impersonate the dead. 21:19 I'll give you an extra moment 21:20 to spell that word correctly, impersonate. 21:23 Demons impersonate the dead. 21:27 Keep it on the screen for you. 21:29 Because that wasn't Samuel. 21:31 The Bible teaches, at death you simply cease to exist. 21:34 It could not have been Samuel, his body turned to dust, 21:37 the breath of life that he had 21:38 went back to the God who gave it. 21:41 The devil cannot resurrect anybody. 21:43 Do you understand that the devil 21:45 is just as dependant upon God as you and I are? 21:48 For every breath Satan breathes, 21:50 it's a loan, a gift from God. 21:53 He is dependent on the life giver. 21:55 He can't raise anybody. 21:56 So what has to do he has-- 21:58 he has to impersonate the deceased. 22:03 Guess what, you think about it, 22:05 after a lifetime of observing my idiosyncratic speech 22:10 and my quirky mannerisms, 22:11 don't you suppose the demon that has been tracking me 22:14 every day of my life pretty much has it down pat? 22:17 Come on, some time ago 22:20 there was a well-known theologian on this campus 22:22 and I was in a room where some college students 22:25 were imitating the theologian 22:27 and they head it down to a T. 22:29 I mean, if a college kid can do it, 22:32 how about somebody who's tracked you all your life? 22:34 I really thought that was funny, 22:35 until one day when into the seminary 22:36 and there were three seminaries, they didn't see me coming in 22:39 and they were imitating me 22:40 and you know what, it's not funny at all. 22:42 It is not funny. You quit doing stuff like that. 22:49 So anyway don't you suppose 22:53 the demons know how we behave, trust me. 22:56 All right, Seeing is not believing, 22:59 seeing is not believing. 23:01 All right, that's demonic reality 23:03 number one from the story. 23:04 Demonic reality number two, write it down, demons lie. 23:07 Oh, boy. 23:09 If I put it on the screen for you, 23:11 it's in your study guide, 23:12 the words of Christ himself, John 8:44, 23:14 two times ago we looked at these words, 23:16 "When the devil lies, he speaks his native language 23:20 for he is a liar and the father of lies." 23:24 Look at, ladies and gentlemen, he lied to Eve, 23:26 he lied to Saul, he is lying to you. 23:29 Don't you ever sing the song, what a friend we have in Satan. 23:33 You have no friend in him, trust me. 23:36 He is your mortal enemy, 23:38 he hates you and he lives for your destruction, 23:42 he will lie to you through his teeth 23:44 until he gets you or loses you, 23:47 whichever comes to pass. 23:52 But he's even clever in his lying, very clever. 23:55 Jot this down, demonic reality number three, 23:57 demons mix truth with their lies. Brilliant. 24:02 The demon impersonating Samuel quoted the very words 24:04 that genuine Samuel once upon a time spoke to Saul 24:07 when he had been alive, 24:08 but the demon twist in the words 24:10 in order to throttle the last vestige of hope 24:13 that might have clung to that king's demented heart. 24:18 Twist. 24:22 Leading us to demonic reality number four, 24:24 demons transact business with the currency of fear. 24:30 All the devil wants for you is for you to be afraid 24:34 and that's why the Bible declares, 24:35 he is a roaring lion. 24:39 He has to work by intimidation, 24:41 paralysis is the way the lion roars to petrify his prey. 24:49 The devil has to mask the truth of Calvary 24:53 that at the cross Jesus shattered the devil's dominion. 24:57 He has to hide it and so he intimidates you. 25:01 I was at the Sacramento once during a weekend series, 25:04 started with Friday night, 25:05 some sitting in the front of the church 25:07 and were waiting for the service to begin. 25:11 I turned around, I see a kid coming down 25:12 the center aisle of that church, the Carmichael church 25:14 where my sister and her husband are now pasturing. 25:16 It was before that day. 25:17 And this kid is coming down and he has this black t-shirt on 25:20 and in huge red letters, it says, Satan. 25:24 And I'm thinking to myself, have I come to the right place, 25:27 what's up with this? 25:29 And he had this smile on his face 25:31 and by the time he gets up to me, 25:32 he puts his hand out, so I said, well, I guess this is okay. 25:34 And when I got close enough to shake his hand, 25:36 I read that there were two more words on that black t-shirt, 25:40 also in red, tiny little words, is defeated. 25:45 You know what, if you ever decide to get a black t-shirt 25:49 with those three words on it, here's how you do it. 25:50 You put up here, Satan is defeated. 25:55 That's the message of Calvary. 25:57 Calvary was the shattering 25:59 of the demonic dominion on this planet. 26:01 The battle, the war has already been won, 26:03 the war has been won. 26:05 Look at his Revelation 12:11, 26:07 "And they, the followers of Christ overcame him," 26:09 the dragon, that would be Lucifer the fallen Satan 26:12 "by blood of the lamb," code language for Calvary, 26:14 "and by the word of their testimony, 26:16 and they did not cling to life even in the face of death," 26:19 as another translation puts it. 26:21 There is the truth. 26:23 Don't you ever let the devil intimidate you 26:25 into believing he has a right to you. 26:27 He has zero, nada, no right to you. 26:31 Calvary's blood has been shed to claim you back. 26:35 You belong to another king, 26:37 don't you ever follow that dark warlord. 26:41 So who was this Samuel who brought a message to Saul? 26:44 S-a-t-a-n, that's who. 26:50 And guess what, he's got a message for you and me as well. 26:53 In fact, the message is right here at the end of this chapter. 26:56 You got to see this, read the last two verses again. 26:59 1 Samuel 28:24, "Now the woman 27:01 had a fatted calf in the house and she hastened to kill it. 27:04 And she took flour and kneaded it, 27:05 and baked unleavened bread from it. 27:07 And so she brought it before Saul and his servants, 27:09 and they ate and then they arose 27:10 and went away and it was night." 27:12 You might say, I don't see any message there. 27:14 Well, it isn't a direct message, 27:16 it is a message cryptically tucked away in that line, 27:19 "Now the woman had a fatted calf." 27:23 Do you know why people have fatted calves? 27:27 Why do they fatten the calf? 27:29 Why do they get it plump and juicy and thick? 27:35 Because they are looking forward to the day of slaughter. 27:41 There is a fatted calf in this story, 27:44 only it's not the calf, it is the king 27:48 who is being fattened 27:50 for the day of slaughter just hours away now. 27:54 Just like you and me and the human race today, 27:59 we are being fattened. 28:01 A generation being fattened by Satan and his demons 28:05 for the impending day of slaughter. 28:08 You say I am not getting fattened. Watch. 28:13 I want you to jot down at a very partial, 28:16 this is very partial, 28:18 a very partial list of demonic deceptions today. 28:22 Jot them down, number one, The Ghost Whisperer. 28:27 Write it down, 28:28 The Ghost Whispers is a television series 28:30 starring Jennifer Love Hewitt 28:31 as a young woman in touch with the dead. 28:33 CBS has produced this program for entertainment and I saw, 28:39 I decided I am going to go to the website. 28:41 I go to the website and guess what I discover? 28:43 There is a real life at the website, 28:44 a real life what they call ghost buster. 28:47 She really is what we would call a spiritist or a medium 28:51 and she's there to answer fan mail, 28:54 fans who have questions about what happens at death. 28:57 So with your permission, I am going to put it on the screen. 28:59 This is directly from CBS Television's website 29:03 for The Ghost Whisperer. Let's go. 29:09 My name is Mary Ann Winkowowsk 29:11 and I am a consultant on the show Ghost Whisperer 29:15 and I am going to try to answer some questions for you 29:18 that come in every week about ghosts 29:20 or anything with paranormal. 29:23 This is from Denise in Chicago. 29:26 One of my aunts passed away about two years ago, 29:29 complications of surgery, leaving a three year old son. 29:34 When this first happened, 29:36 her son claimed that she was with us 29:38 because he would say that he saw her every day 29:41 and he would talk to her. 29:43 Do you think this is possible? 29:45 Absolutely, this is possible. 29:49 Now I have no way of knowing from the letter 29:51 if she is earth bound or if she has crossed over. 29:56 Unfortunately, when people die and leave young children, 30:01 that's one of the reasons why they did not go into the light. 30:06 How did you get through it? 30:08 I just knew He'd be with me. 30:13 Wherever I went, and He is. 30:20 Even when moms and dads that die do go into the light, 30:24 believe me, they do not miss a birthday, 30:27 anniversary, a holiday, they are there for all of that. 30:31 No doubt about it, Denise. 30:33 She is definitely around visiting 30:35 and staying with her son. 30:38 Please keep your questions coming, 30:39 I enjoy getting them 30:41 and we'll try to answer as many as we can. 30:45 Ladies and gentlemen, I rest my case. 30:48 In the name of American entertainment, 30:52 there is a medium, a spiritist hired 30:55 by CBS on the set 30:58 as they produce the programs to tell us, 31:01 "Oh, thank you, Mary Ann Winkowowski 31:03 for telling us the truth about death. 31:05 We knew you would." 31:09 You will not surely die. 31:12 Do you recognize the hiss of that garden serpent 31:16 who is fattening a generation for the day of slaughter? 31:23 Jot this one down, medium. 31:26 Well, that's a dead giveaway, isn't it? 31:28 NBC not to be outdone by its competitor CBS, 31:31 has its own form of demonic entertainment. 31:34 It's called the Medium. 31:35 Let me read to you the NBC promo of this hit series. 31:38 Emmy award winning, by the way, 31:40 we're talking about the artsy world recognizing, 31:42 oh, this is so good. 31:45 "From Emmy award winning executive producer, 31:46 creator and director Glenn Gordon Caron comes Medium. 31:49 A chilling drama series inspired by the real life story 31:52 of research medium Allison DuBois, 31:55 Emmy winner Patricia Arquette stars as a young wife and mother 31:58 who has gradually come to grips 31:59 with her extraordinary ability to talk to dead people." 32:06 Do you watch this for entertainment? 32:09 Do you? 32:11 Hey, Dwight, what's the big deal, it's just acting. 32:15 Oh, really? 32:16 Did Mary Ann Winkowowski, 32:23 did she make you think this was just acting? 32:28 Are they consulting the production even? 32:33 And you watch it for entertainment 32:35 because you have nothing better to do. 32:38 You say, it's not going to affect me, Dwight. 32:40 Listen, my friend, you cannot 32:42 dispassionately imbibe and not be affected. 32:46 Something is getting sown in your mind. 32:48 If you're going to Hollywood 32:49 for a Saturday night entertainment, 32:50 it's a little bit of the occult 32:52 and it's a little bit of demonism 32:53 and I know it's all fun and laughs 32:55 and you're going there to drink that drink from that 32:59 well, my friend, do you get it? 33:03 Fattened for the day of slaughter. 33:07 You say, I'll never get tricked. 33:10 Oh, really? 33:13 Play around with them long enough, 33:16 you inadvertently end up on their side. 33:19 You don't even know it. 33:21 Write this down, number four, this is a very partial list 33:23 but would you jot these two words down? 33:24 I'll leave them up so you can get the spelling correct. 33:26 Marian apparitions. 33:29 Marian apparitions. 33:33 There are sincere Roman Catholic Christians, you get that? 33:37 I'll wait just a moment. Marian apparitions. 33:41 There are sincere Roman Catholic Christians 33:43 who believe that Mary is now appearing 33:45 across the earth to select devoted adherents. 33:50 According to Johann Roten, the director 33:52 of the international Marian Research Institute 33:54 at the university of Dayton here in the United States, 33:57 most claims of messages and visions 33:59 are not investigated by the church. 34:01 Their website records 386 cases of Marian apparitions. 34:05 Mary showing up in the 20th century, 34:07 the church having made no decision 34:09 about 299 of them and of the 87 investigated, 34:12 only eight were deemed to have a supernatural character. 34:16 Eight of these are genuine, 34:20 that is Mary. 34:24 Now, ladies and gentlemen, this is part three, 34:27 we've already had the first two parts. 34:29 If what the Bible teaches about death is true, 34:32 that when Mary died, she went to sleep 34:34 and she's not in heaven, then who is this? 34:39 Who is showing up across the planet in the name of Mary? 34:44 Who is it? 34:49 I am going just give you four. 34:51 Here's number four, I call this credible source testimonies. 34:55 Write down the word testimonies. 34:57 Isn't this amazing? 34:58 Nothing turns the secular news media into believers 35:01 faster than the death of one of their own stars. 35:04 The whole nation was saddened in April, 35:08 it was April, when Tim Russert, 35:11 the famed and celebrated host of Meet the Press, 35:13 suddenly on a Friday afternoon, gone, 35:16 heart attack, just gone. 35:17 No warning, dead. 35:23 I was amazed at how NBC and the news world 35:26 were suddenly awash in testimonies that you know, 35:29 I can feel Tim is looking down upon us now. 35:33 You say, what, come on, Dwight, 35:34 what do you think they're supposed to say? 35:36 That's what the world believes. 35:37 I understand that but the very repetition of the serpent's lie 35:42 over and over and over again conditions the hearer 35:46 whether a believer or an agnostic 35:48 into at least a subconscious tacit 35:51 acceptance of the assertion as reality. 35:53 Maybe it's true. 35:56 You get enough of these in your brain, 35:59 you watch it enough times. Maybe... 36:06 Pastor Rick Warren concluded his prayer 36:08 at President Barack Obama's inauguration 36:13 with the observations, 36:15 I am sure it was more to us than to God, 36:18 that Martin Luther King Junior was looking down 36:20 upon this glorious moment with that great cloud of witnesses, 36:25 quoting Hebrews 12:1. 36:30 Again, I understand Rick Warren's misunderstanding 36:33 of the Bible truth about death 36:34 leads him to pray the way he prays, 36:37 but the point is that over and over and over again 36:40 there is a very unsubtle conditioning 36:43 taking place in the human race, 36:45 a fattening of the calf 36:48 for the day of slaughter, if you please. 36:51 Through the news media, through the internet, 36:54 through Hollywood, through television, 36:55 through the arts, through music, 36:57 through everything, everything, everything. 37:05 You say, come on, Pastor, 37:06 what's this day of slaughter thing you're talking about? 37:09 Ah, let me let the Bible describe that moment for you. 37:12 Go to one other text before we conclude, 37:14 just go to the end of the Bible, 37:15 go to Revelation, the last book of your Bible. 37:18 Take a look at this, Revelation 16. 37:21 Want to see the day of slaughter, here it is. 37:24 It couldn't be any plainer than this, 37:25 it couldn't be any clearer in my book anyway. 37:28 Revelation 16, just before the return of Christ 37:30 something's going to happen on this planet. 37:32 Revelation 16, oh, by the way 37:33 that's page 831 in our pew Bible. 37:36 Revelation 16:13, "And I saw three unclean spirits 37:41 like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, 37:47 the beast, and the false prophet." 37:48 Who's that, Dwight? 37:49 Oh, those are three allied political religious powers 37:53 that form a final coalition to stand down 37:57 against Christ himself. 38:00 It's the earth taken captive by Lucifer. 38:05 Who are these three unclean spirits? 38:07 Verse 14, "For they are spirits of demons performing signs." 38:13 Look at that, the devil can perform 38:14 any miracle except resurrection, 38:16 and he can even fake a resurrection. 38:18 He can do anything. 38:20 "They are the spirits of demons performing signs 38:22 which go out to the kings of the earth." 38:23 The highest, the most politically 38:26 powerful people on earth will be under that strategy. 38:30 "They go forth to the kings of the earth, 38:32 oh, not just them, they go forth to the whole world, 38:35 to gather them to the battle of that great day of God almighty." 38:37 Verse15, Christ interjecting his word, 38:39 "Behold I am coming as a thief, 38:42 blessed is he who watches and keeps his garments, 38:46 blessed is she lest she walk naked 38:48 and they see her shame." 38:49 I am coming, keep clothed, look out. 38:52 And the verse 16, "And the demons 38:55 gathered the human race together 38:57 to the place called in Hebrew Armageddon." 39:01 The human race fattened for the day of slaughter 39:04 in unequivocal language. 39:06 The Bible declares that there will be a demonic blitz 39:09 of unprecedented proportions across the entire planet 39:13 at the midnight of earth's history 39:15 just before the return of Christ. 39:20 From the highest and most powerful 39:21 in the governments of earth to the lowliest villager 39:24 in the farthest corner of the planet, 39:27 all will be swept into the deception. 39:31 And by the way, at that moment, 39:33 this is where this whole thing is going, 39:34 at that moment knowing the truth about death 39:39 will mean the difference between life and death for you. 39:44 Listen to me very carefully now, 39:46 I want to explain that to you. 39:48 When it comes to God's reward of eternal life 39:52 for His friends after death, 39:54 I want to tell you something 39:56 that I didn't say in the first two 39:57 but I will put it right out here now. 39:59 The fact of the matter is, it really doesn't matter. 40:03 You can say to me, Dwight, death is a sleep, 40:05 you know nothing and then boom, 40:06 resurrection, you go to heaven. 40:08 Or if Socrates is right, 40:09 the soul goes to heaven right at death, 40:11 either way just like that you're in heaven. 40:15 So what's the big deal? 40:17 Ah, here is the huge deal, write it down. 40:22 Should be in italics in your study guide because this is it, 40:25 the whole teaching here. 40:26 The towering value of God's Bible truth about death 40:29 is that it provides the only spiritual and intellectual 40:34 safeguard, protection, safeguard, 40:38 the only spiritual and intellectual safeguard 40:40 from the demonic midnight blitz 40:42 that will sweep the earth into Satan's final deception. 40:46 That's it, now let's just illustrate this, 40:48 you and me together. All right. 40:49 We will take a cue from the witch of En Dor. 40:51 We can do this. 40:52 So tonight, we're sound asleep, it's midnight. 40:54 Okay, you and I are sound asleep, 40:56 when all of a sudden in the middle of our sleep, 40:58 something is shaking us, something is moving the bed. 41:05 And then we hear a voice, 41:09 gentle and calm calling our names. 41:13 Dwight, Dwight or whatever your name is. 41:20 You know how it is, somebody wakes you up, 41:22 you're kind of groggy, it's so dark. 41:26 And then we look to the side of the bed 41:31 and in that ephemeral 41:33 shimmering light, it's a form. 41:40 And in that instant just before passing out, 41:44 we grab the covers to throw them over our head 41:46 when the form speaks, no, no, no, Dwight. 41:52 And when we hear the voice, 41:54 we know it's my dead mother, it's my dead dad. 42:00 That's my dead child, that's my dead wife. 42:03 And we look again and sure enough 42:05 in that glowing light there are the features, 42:08 the very form of one whose death has crushed our hearts. 42:14 Shh, I am sorry to startle you like this. 42:19 Dwight, I am okay. I am in heaven. 42:26 God loves you so much, 42:29 He sent me to bring you a very urgent message. 42:35 Listen carefully. 42:39 One day, ladies and gentlemen, across the entire planet, 42:47 the day of slaughter will come as a night of deception. 42:52 Mark these words. 42:54 And now, think, think, think, think. 42:56 If you believe the serpent's lie 42:58 that when you die you don't die, 43:00 you go to heaven, you have no choice, 43:03 you have no choice but to believe that 43:06 that apparition is precisely who it says it is. 43:10 You have to believe it, you have to. 43:13 I mean, how could it be possible for you 43:18 to challenge the veracity of one who speaks and thinks 43:22 and has secret code languages 43:26 and love words that only the deceased knew? 43:32 You and the deceased. 43:34 How could you possibly challenge the veracity 43:37 of what you are seeing in front of your eyes, 43:39 if you believe that when you die, 43:41 boom, you go to heaven? 43:43 Mommy, mommy. Daddy, daddy. 43:47 Jesus sent me, I am here. 43:50 He loves you so much. I am okay. 43:52 He wants you to know that it's important 43:54 that you believe and then fill in the blank. 43:57 Anything Satan wishes to deceive the planet over, 44:00 you just fill in the blank. 44:02 And by the millions and billions people will believe. 44:09 It's got to be, it's got to be. 44:14 I repeat, the towering value of God's Bible truth about death 44:17 is that it provides the only spiritual 44:20 and intellectual safeguard from the midnight blitz 44:26 of the demons of hell for the day of slaughter. 44:31 That's why this teaching is so critical. 44:34 You can quibble with me all you wish 44:37 but now you know the difference between truth and error, 44:43 will be eventually the difference 44:46 between life and death. 44:49 It really will come down to the midnight blitz. 44:57 Because if you know the truth, 44:58 come on, if you know the truth, 45:01 what's your mind going to tell you? 45:03 I know what your eyes are telling you, 45:04 that's got to be her. 45:06 I was with a heartbroken young husband 45:09 who's a widower now, just a few weeks ago. 45:12 He grieves for her so deeply. 45:18 You will have to choose between what you've seen 45:24 and what you know and it will be all up here. 45:29 That the battle will be won or lost right here. 45:35 It has to be a demon. 45:37 That will be the hardest thing you could ever say in your life, 45:39 it has to be a demon. 45:42 It can't be, the Bible says. 45:45 And by the way, if the demons of hell 45:50 will impersonate the dead as with the witch of En Dor, 45:53 do you suppose, I got to ask you this, 45:54 do you suppose the prince of darkness 45:56 himself might attempt the ultimate impersonation, 45:59 and I wonder who that would be. 46:01 Whom would he impersonate for the day of slaughter? 46:04 Two verses make my case, 2 Corinthians 11, 46:08 put it on the screen please. Verse 14. 46:10 Now if your study guide says four, 46:12 you just add a one in front of it. 46:13 All right, 2 Corinthians rather 11:14, 46:16 "And no wonder for Satan himself 46:19 transforms himself into an angel of light." 46:23 All right, put that text, 46:25 couple it with Jesus' own words, Matthew 24:24, 46:28 "For false christs at the end of time will rise 46:32 and show great signs and wonders 46:34 to deceive if possible even the elect." 46:38 Do you know what the elect are? 46:39 They are God's friends. 46:40 This test will be so, will be cut so razor sharp close 46:45 that even His friends, 46:51 what is it, even His friends. 46:56 Don't you suppose that Lucifer has it up 46:58 his nefarious sleeve one day 47:01 to impersonate Jesus Christ himself? Come on. 47:07 Have you ever heard of Benjamin Creme? 47:09 There we go now. Benjamin Creme, an Englishman. 47:13 I wan to tell you about him. 47:14 This is now CBS again, marketwatch.com, 47:17 just last month on press release. 47:20 Now marketwatch.com is not national enquirer.org. 47:24 This is the huge economic engine of the CBS, 47:29 a web services. Marketwatch.com. 47:31 I want to read this for you, last month. 47:36 "Dateline, Los Angeles. 47:38 Look now," Oh, by the way, it begins, 47:40 I am going to share this with you. 47:41 "For years the world has been filled 47:42 with miracles of all kinds," miracles. 47:44 "In April 1995, Time magazine devoted 47:46 an eight page spread to its cover story 47:48 on miracles and concluded," 47:50 listen to this, "People are hungry for signs." 47:53 Well, that's the biggest no-brainer on earth, isn't it? 47:54 Everybody's just hungry, give me a sign. 47:56 We become so visual, everything now we have to see, 47:59 screen, screen, screen, screen, screen, 48:00 screen, screen, we are now visual. 48:03 So what's on the screen 48:05 or in front of us, we go for it. 48:07 People are hungry for signs. 48:08 Listen to this, "Look now for the biggest miracle of all 48:10 in the very near future, 48:12 a large bright star will appear in this sky, 48:16 visible to all throughout the world night and day." 48:20 You Google this for yourself, watch this now. 48:22 "Unbelievable? Fantasy? 48:25 No, a simple fact, around a week later 48:28 after that sign in the sky appears, Maitreya." 48:31 I am going to spell it out for you, m-a-i-t-r-e-y-a. 48:34 It's all over, you just go check it out. 48:36 "Maitreya, the world teacher for all humanity 48:40 will began his open emergence 48:43 and though not yet using the name Maitreya 48:46 will be interviewed on a major US television program, 48:51 maybe CBS. 48:55 For over 30 years, here it goes now, 48:56 put his picture on the screen for you. 48:58 For over 30 years, artist, author 49:00 and lecturer Benjamin Creme has been preparing the way 49:04 for the emergence of Maitreya and his group, 49:06 this is a group, now there appears a group. 49:08 The masters of wisdom. 49:10 You go to Benjamin Creme's website c-r-e-m-e. 49:13 You go to his website, he tells you, 49:16 I am a medium, I am a channel for Maitreya. 49:21 The messages are coming through Benjamin Creme 49:23 who is spending his life getting the world ready. 49:25 Now watch this, "Awaited by all faiths under different names, 49:30 Maitreya is the Christ to Christians, 49:34 the Imam Mahdi to Muslims, Krishna to Hindus, 49:38 the Messiah to Jews 49:40 and Maitreya Buddha to the Buddhists 49:42 and probably Mary to Roman Catholics. 49:47 He is the world teacher for all religious or not, 49:50 an educator in the broadest sense." 49:52 Final line, "With Maitreya and his group 49:54 working openly (eventually) in the world, 49:57 humanity is assured not only of survival 50:00 but of the creation of a brilliant new civilization." 50:07 Come on, please. 50:12 Just another hoax, perhaps, 50:18 but a hoax the world will be hungry for 50:22 when the planet is plunged into a massive global crisis. 50:29 People are wide open then. 50:33 Note these words in the apocalyptic classic 50:35 "Great Controversy" you have it in your study guide. 50:37 Let me read it in your hearing, 50:39 "As the crowning act in the great drama of deception, 50:41 Satan himself will impersonate Christ, 50:44 in different parts of the earth 50:46 Satan will manifest himself among men and women 50:48 as a majestic being of dazzling brightness 50:51 resembling the description of the son of God 50:53 given by John in the Revelation." 50:56 Remember we have to impersonate, we need it, 50:58 we need something to see first and then we'll be like it. 51:02 See, keep reading, "The glory that surrounds Satan 51:05 as the impersonated Christ is unsurpassed 51:08 by anything mortal eyes have yet beheld. 51:12 The shout of triumph rings out upon the air, 51:14 Christ has come! Christ has come! 51:16 The people prostrate themselves in adoration before him 51:19 while he lifts up his hands 51:20 and pronounces a blessing upon them 51:22 as Christ blessed his disciples when He was upon the earth." 51:28 The next paragraph calls this 51:29 the strong almost over mastering delusion. 51:34 Ladies and gentlemen, I need to ask you in closing, 51:36 two questions. 51:38 Shall we believe our senses 51:42 or shall we trust His scriptures? 51:47 You can't ave both. 51:49 Will we believe what we see 51:53 or will we believe what He said? 52:00 The choice will be that stark and the stakes eternal. 52:06 In fact, Great Controversy, 52:07 jot this down, last one there, 52:09 "Only those who have been 52:11 diligent students of the scriptures 52:13 and who have received the love of truth 52:14 will be shielded from the powerful delusion 52:16 that takes the world captive. 52:18 Would we in such a crisis 52:20 cling to the Bible and the Bible only?" 52:24 Ladies and gentlemen, 52:25 I need to with all the earnestness I can muster, 52:28 make this appeal to you right now, right now. 52:31 Right now I need to appeal to you to be just like Jesus. 52:38 By the way do you understand 52:39 that Christ himself faced a midnight blitz of demons 52:45 on the burning sands of that wilderness 52:47 after 40 days of fasting? 52:49 Do you realize an angel of light 52:51 showed up pretending to be from heaven? 52:56 And when Christ defeated Satan on his own ground, 52:59 what was the weapon of Jesus? 53:01 What was His weapon of choice? 53:03 "It is written, men and women 53:07 shall not live by bread alone but by every word 53:09 that proceeds out of the mouth of God. 53:11 Thy word have I hid in my heart 53:13 that I might not sin against thee." 53:17 The Bible and the Bible only. 53:19 Ladies and gentlemen, this is it, this is it. 53:23 The test will be that close, what I see or what He says. 53:30 Look, you ever take a final exam? 53:32 You've done it a thousand times. 53:34 You know you can't wait till the night before, 53:37 you can't wait till the night before to pass this thing. 53:43 You'd have to be investing in advance 53:46 of the big final examination, 53:49 investing your time 53:51 or you will fail the final, you will fail the final. 53:56 It will be so strong that your eyes 54:00 will blitz your mind and it's over. 54:05 Calf slaughtered. 54:09 I submit to you that this book 54:11 is your only hope in Christ Jesus. 54:14 You got time, you got time. 54:18 Use the time to read from this book, 54:20 to meditate from it, seven days a week, eat the book. 54:27 It will protect you, it will be Jesus doing it 54:31 but He has to have something on the hard drive 54:34 to access in that moment crisis. 54:35 Quick, and then the word comes. 54:38 If you have not read this book you're dead meat. 54:42 You are a fatted calf and dead meat 54:46 on the day of slaughter. 54:47 I am not trying to scare you, I am trying to urge you. 54:53 Take the book again. 54:55 So here's the deal, would you be willing today to tell Jesus? 55:01 Let's do it in each other's presence. 55:02 Just tell Jesus, Jesus, by Your grace, 55:04 I know you beat the devil, hallelujah. 55:06 By your grace I want to consume this book, 55:10 I want this book to be hid in my heart 55:12 so that on the day of battle I'll stand with you, 55:16 I'll stand with you, Jesus. 55:17 You want to send that prayer to heaven right now? 55:19 Stand to your feet and standing to your feet, 55:21 you say Jesus, I take this word, 55:23 I take Your word, the Bible and the Bible only, 55:28 the Bible and the Bible only. 55:32 The Bible and the Bible only. Let's pray. 55:38 Oh, God, the Bible and the Bible only, 55:43 our master himself, the king that we worship 55:48 that was his only, 55:50 his only strategy before that angel of life, 55:54 that deceiver who was out to destroy Him, it is written. 56:01 Holy Father there are many opinions 56:06 circulating on this planet. 56:08 For the last three Sabbaths, 56:11 we've gone to Your word, Your word is truth. 56:15 Please, oh, God, let us cling to this book. 56:20 And may every man, woman and child here, 56:22 every man, woman and child listening now 56:27 may together in Christ we stand firm for the savior 56:33 on that day of slaughter when He shall return. 56:37 Let at all the people say, amen and amen. 56:43 Did you know that there's one place in cyberspace 56:46 that you can go to with the multitude of resources 56:48 that you can share with your friends? 56:51 It's our website. 56:52 Let me tell you about that website, 56:53 first let me give you the address www.pmchurch.tv. 56:58 You go to that website 56:59 and you are going to find my weekly pastor's blog 57:01 that wrestles with current events and news and topics 57:04 that are relevant to our lives today. 57:06 You can sign up also at that website number two, 57:09 and receive our podcast, no charge to you. 57:12 You go to that website, you can download our video, 57:14 download the audio of every teaching 57:16 that we share here in the Pioneer Church. 57:18 You can go to that website, 57:19 the study guides are all there 57:21 ready for you to simply print off. 57:24 That website multiple resources, 57:27 the address once again www.pmchurch.tv. 57:31 All the online media, it's free, it's free for you, 57:34 it's free for your friends, 57:35 free for their family and neighbors. 57:37 If you want something you can pass along the website. 57:40 You are saying, but wait a minute, 57:41 I'd like something a little more tangible. 57:43 You can get that at the website as well. 57:44 Order a DVD and we'll send that to you for a small fee. 57:49 Please use the website, use it, 57:51 take advantage of it, share it, pass it along. 57:54 This is the end time generation. 57:56 Now more than ever we must communicate the good news 57:59 in cyberspace and all the space around us. 58:02 God bless you as you do. I'll see you here next time. |
Revised 2014-12-17