Participants: Pr. Dwight Nelson
Series Code: NP
Program Code: NP090112A
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00:06 From the campus of Andrews University,
00:08 this is New Perceptions 00:11 with Dr. Dwight K. Nelson. 00:19 I want to tell you why I'm excited 00:21 about this opening Sabbath. 00:24 Two, first, this is the first time 00:27 in the history of Andrews University 00:29 when we have had three major worshiping communities 00:33 gathered simultaneously 00:37 on opening Sabbath. 00:38 And the second first is really cool. 00:41 This is the first time 00:43 we have had all three worship communities 00:46 linked by technology right now, 00:49 some big screens over at the seminary 00:53 and in Buller Hall, 00:54 and I'm going to ask that we switch first to New Life, 00:57 The New Life Worship Community is meeting. 00:59 There they are. 01:00 Let's give a hand to New Life, 01:02 put your hands together for New Life. 01:04 Pastor Tim, Tim Nixon, come on up here. 01:08 Chaplain Tim is the pastor of our New Life 01:11 Worshiping Community. 01:13 Hallelujah. Hallelujah. 01:15 Great to have them on the big screen. 01:17 We also have today the new kid on the block. 01:19 This is the brand new worship community just from last year. 01:23 Of course, I'm talking about one place, 01:25 I'm talking about Buller Hall. 01:26 Let's see if we have Buller Hall 01:28 on this screen as well. 01:29 There we have Buller Hall. 01:31 Come on, Pastor Jay with the alma mater. 01:35 Pastor Jay, come on up. 01:38 And, of course, 01:39 we have the Pioneer Memorial Church right here, 01:42 and I'm talking about 01:43 our own Chaplain Jose Bourget, Pastor Jose. 01:47 Come on, give a hand to the Pioneer. 01:53 So guys, take a look at that. 01:56 These are our chaplains on this campus, 01:58 just a fine team of spiritual leaders. 02:01 And I say in all sincerity, it really is an honor 02:05 to be partnered with you leaders 02:08 in this kind of a ministry. 02:09 I love every single one of these three. 02:12 They have a... 02:13 It's because you have a heart for Jesus. 02:15 That's what really has me excited, 02:16 you have a heart for Jesus. 02:18 Now listen, guys, 02:20 I'm telling them that we huddle this summer. 02:21 We were saying, man, we got to do something 02:23 that symbolizes 02:26 our shared mission on this campus 02:28 and our unity in Christ. 02:31 We're worried about the weather, 02:33 we say we can't do an outdoor event. 02:34 We were starting to plan that way, guys, 02:36 look at the weather, we could have done it. 02:38 But the next best plan was to hook up 02:41 through technology, which we are now. 02:43 We're on every screen 02:44 in these three worship communities. 02:46 And we decided like what if we, 02:48 brand new worship paradigm 11:45, 02:50 we're now beginning 75-minute worship services 02:54 except for New Life. 02:56 You can go as long as you want, Pastor Tim. 03:00 Let's start our three worship services together. 03:02 Let's have a call to praise. 03:04 Let's sing a majestic hymn, 03:06 and let's have a prayer of consecration 03:07 and then the three communities will switch 03:09 to what they have planned. 03:11 And so we're going to put... 03:12 I'm going to invite everybody to stand. 03:14 And all three worship communities stand, 03:16 would you please, 03:17 where you are gathered right now. 03:20 And on the bottom third of your screen, 03:23 on the bottom third of the screen, 03:25 you're going to see the call to worship. 03:26 And, pastors, would you lead us 03:28 in this call to worship the mighty 03:30 Psalm 95. 03:32 All right, man. 03:33 "Oh come, let us sing to the Lord! 03:37 Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation 03:42 Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving 03:46 Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms 03:51 For the Lord is the great God, 03:54 and the great King above all gods 03:58 Oh come, let us worship 04:01 and bow down, 04:02 let us kneel before the Lord our Maker 04:07 For He is our God, 04:09 and we are the people of His pasture 04:13 and the sheep of His hand." 04:16 Let all God's people say amen and amen 04:19 Let's sing together that majestic hymn 04:21 "All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name" 04:42 All hail the power of Jesus' name 04:47 Let angels prostrate fall 04:51 Bring forth the royal diadem 04:55 And crown Him Lord of all 05:02 Bring forth the royal diadem 05:06 And crown Him Lord of all 05:15 Ye chosen seed of Israel's chosen race 05:19 Ye ransomed from the fall 05:24 Hail Him Who saves you by His grace 05:28 And crown Him Lord of all 05:35 Hail Him Who saves you by His grace 05:39 And crown Him 05:42 Lord of all 05:48 Let every kindred, every tribe 05:53 On this terrestrial ball 05:57 To Him all majesty ascribe 06:01 And crown Him Lord of all 06:08 To Him all majesty ascribe 06:13 And crown Him 06:15 Lord of all 06:22 Oh, that with yonder sacred throng 06:26 We at His feet may fall 06:31 Join in the everlasting song 06:35 And crown Him Lord of all 06:42 Join in the everlasting song 06:47 And crown Him 06:50 Lord of all 06:59 Amen and amen. 07:01 We have come to crown Him 07:02 in all three worship communities this morning, 07:05 He is the Lord of all. 07:08 So I'm going to invite everybody, 07:10 all three worship communities. 07:11 All three worship communities, let us go to our knees. 07:13 It's a little tighter in Buller, but you can do it. 07:16 Let's go to our knees together, 07:17 and let us lift up our hearts collectively. 07:20 We'll kneel right here on the platform. 07:32 And so, Father, 07:33 here we are all three worship communities, 07:35 we we are on our knees. 07:37 This is a posture by which we assure you 07:42 that we desperately need all the gifts 07:45 that You have for this new year. 07:48 Oh God, You have heard these prayers. 07:50 We are praying for a mighty outpouring 07:51 of the Holy Spirit on these three leaders. 07:54 But they will have more than human wisdom this year 07:56 as they lead us 07:58 that they will be Your front edge 08:00 to the mighty outpouring of the Holy Spirit 08:02 on the campus of this university. 08:04 Please, God, do whatever it takes this new year, 08:07 fill us all, fill us to the max this year, 08:11 students, faculty, staff, community, 08:14 fill us up with the fullness of the Spirit of Christ. 08:17 And then, Father, three separate communities, 08:21 but let the word go for us 08:23 that we are one in Christ Jesus. 08:26 We share His mission, we bear His name. 08:30 And we will live out His truth 08:32 on this campus and into all the world 08:36 where you send us. 08:37 To that end, be glorified this day 08:42 in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. 08:44 Let all the people say, amen and amen. 10:31 Oh Lord our Lord. 10:33 Oh Lord our Lord 10:34 How majestic is Your name 10:37 In all the earth 10:40 Oh Lord our Lord 10:42 How majestic is Your name 10:45 In all the earth 10:48 Oh Lord our Lord 10:50 How majestic is Your name 10:53 In all the earth 10:56 Oh Lord our Lord 10:58 How majestic is Your name 11:01 In all the earth 11:03 The heavens declare Your greatness 11:07 The oceans cry out to You 11:11 The mountains they bow down before You 11:16 So I'll join with the earth 11:18 And I'll give my praise to You 11:28 Oh Lord our Lord 11:29 How majestic is Your name 11:32 In all the earth 11:35 Oh Lord our Lord 11:37 How majestic is Your name 11:40 In all the earth 11:42 The heavens declare Your greatness 11:46 The oceans cry out to You 11:50 The mountains they bow down before You 11:55 So I'll join with the earth and I'll sing 11:58 The heavens declare Your greatness 12:02 The oceans cry out to You 12:06 The mountains they bow down before You 12:10 So I'll join with the earth and I'll give my praise to You 12:17 Let's worship Him this morning. 12:23 I will worship You 12:31 I will worship You 12:39 We will worship You 12:46 We will worship You 12:54 We will worship You 13:02 We will worship You 13:09 The heavens declare your greatness 13:13 The oceans cry out to You 13:17 The mountains they bow down before You 13:21 So I'll join with the earth And I'll sing 13:24 The heavens declare Your greatness 13:29 The oceans cry out to You 13:32 The mountains They bow down before You 13:37 So I'll join with the earth 13:39 And I'll give my praise to You 13:56 I'm goin'a sing I'm goin'a sing 14:01 When Spirit says sing Yes, I'm goin'a sing 14:06 Well, I'm goin'a sing Well, I'm goin'a sing 14:10 When Spirit says sing Oh, yes, I'm goin'a sing 14:17 Yes, I'm goin'a sing Yes, I'm goin'a sing 14:20 When the Spirit says sing 14:24 I'm goin'a obey 14:28 the Spirit of the Lord 14:38 I'm goin'a sing 14:39 When the Spirit says sing 14:41 Hallelujah I'm goin'a sing 14:42 When the Spirit says sing 14:44 Yes, I'm goin'a sing 14:46 When the Spirit says sing 14:48 I'm goin'a obey 14:49 the Spirit of the Lord 14:52 I'm goin'a shout 14:53 When the Spirit says shout 14:54 Hallelujah, I'm goin'a shout 14:56 When the Spirit says shout 14:58 Yes, I'm goin'a shout 14:59 When the Spirit says shout 15:01 I'm goin'a obey the Spirit of the Lord. 15:05 Let the earth be glad 15:07 Let the earth be glad 15:08 Oh, let the sea be moon 15:10 Let the sea be moon 15:12 Let the fields be filled 15:14 Pray for the joy 15:16 Obey the Spirit of the Lord 15:19 Let the skies rejoice 15:21 Let the skies rejoice 15:22 Oh, let the mountain see 15:24 Let the mountain see 15:26 Let the heavens shine 15:28 Pray for the joy 15:30 Obey the Spirit of the Lord. 15:33 I'm goin'a sing 15:34 When the Spirit says sing 15:36 Hallelujah, I'm goin'a sing 15:37 When the Spirit says sing 15:39 Yes, I'm goin'a sing 15:41 When the Spirit says sing 15:42 I'm goin'a obey the Spirit of the Lord 15:46 I'm goin'a pray 15:48 Pray 15:50 When the Spirit says pray 15:52 I'm goin'a pray 15:53 Pray 15:55 When the Spirit says pray 15:57 I'm goin'a pray 15:59 Pray 16:00 When the Spirit says pray 16:02 I'm goin'a obey 16:05 The Spirit of the Lord 16:10 For the earth is His 16:13 The earth is His 16:15 Yes, He made the hills 16:18 He made the hills 16:21 And He sits on His heavenly throne 16:30 He sits on the heavenly 16:37 Heavenly, 16:39 Heavenly 16:41 I said a heavenly throne 16:46 On heavenly throne 16:50 I'm goin'a sing 16:53 I'm goin'a sing 16:56 When Spirit says sing 16:59 Yes, I'm goin'a sing 17:01 Well, I'm goin'a sing 17:05 I'm goin'a sing 17:07 When Spirit says sing 17:11 Oh, yes, I'm goin'a sing 17:16 Yes, I'm goin'a sing 17:19 When Spirit says sing 17:23 Yes, I'm goin'a shout Pray, 17:25 and obey I'm goin'a obey The Spirit 17:31 I'm goin'a obey the Spirit 17:38 I'm goin'a 17:43 Obey the Spirit 18:00 Let's pray. 18:02 Oh, God, You heard our desire. 18:05 You say sing, we sing, 18:07 You say pray, we pray, 18:08 You say shout, we shout. 18:11 That's the kind of year we wish 18:14 for on the cusp of this new year 18:17 here at Andrews University. 18:20 We come to this moment where holy scripture 18:22 engages our minds and addresses our hearts. 18:24 Let, let this be clear humbly we ask, 18:30 in Jesus' name, amen. 18:35 "Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates, 18:39 we do not need to write to you 18:41 for you know very well 18:43 that the day of the Lord will come like a thief 18:45 in the night, 18:47 while people are saying, 'Peace and safety,' 18:49 destruction will come on them suddenly 18:51 as labor pains on a pregnant woman, 18:53 and they will not escape." 18:57 San Francisco Chronicle 18:58 right here in my hands dated July 21. 19:05 May I read it to you? 19:07 Dateline Aurora, Colorado. 19:09 For the six friends, 19:11 the movie was to be the kickoff to a day 19:12 of celebration. 19:14 Megan Sanders was turning 20 19:16 and her best buds were home from college for the summer. 19:19 She had one particular birthday wish 19:21 that they all hit the midnight premiere 19:23 of the new Batman flick, The Dark Knight Rises 19:28 inside theater number 9 19:29 of The Century 16 Complex in Aurora. 19:31 The atmosphere couldn't have been more festive. 19:33 Little boys had done their best Batman mask, 19:36 while others are clad full on as the caped crusader. 19:39 A woman near the front was dressed as Catwoman, 19:42 when the lights dimmed at 12:05 am, 19:44 a cheer went up 19:46 followed by an even bigger shout 19:47 when Bruce Wayne appeared on the big screen. 19:51 Megan and her friends 19:52 sat side by side in the fourth row 19:54 from the front engrossed in the movie. 19:56 They had long anticipated 19:57 about a superhero facing down evil. 20:02 Then the emergency exit door burst open. 20:05 And suddenly evil was no longer 20:06 the stuff of comic books and summer blockbusters, 20:09 the man stood only feet from them clad 20:11 in black wearing goggles and a gas mask, 20:14 holding a hissing canister in one hand 20:15 and a gun in the other. 20:17 For an instant, Megan thought 20:18 maybe he was a SWAT team member. 20:20 Next to her, her 19-year-old friends, 20:22 Emma Goosen and Hannah Jackson 20:23 thought it was all just a part of the show, 20:25 some extra theatrics to help set the mood. 20:28 It would take only seconds for these childhood friends 20:30 to realize the horror 20:32 of what was about to unfold. 20:34 The man in black lob the canister into the crowd 20:37 as smoke spewed in the darkness. 20:40 He fired one shot at the ceiling, 20:42 then he started up the aisle. 20:44 Megan and her friends hit the floor 20:46 as people all around them began screaming. 20:49 Two rows in front of Megan and her friends, 20:51 22-year-old Jennifer Seeger, 20:53 studying to become a firefighter paramedic 20:55 felt bullet cases falling on her head, 20:57 burning her skin. 20:59 Behind her people moan and pleaded, 21:01 "Please don't shoot me." 21:04 In the upper section of the theater, 21:05 41-year-old Marcus Weaver, a father of two, 21:08 her children crying for their mothers, 21:10 and parents frantically crying, 21:11 "Where are you?" 21:13 All the while the gunshots kept coming. 21:15 He later said it was just pow pow. 21:18 All you saw was a light of the gun flash 21:20 between the smoke, then pow, pow. 21:26 From the ground in row 4, 21:27 Megan and Emma heard a round of 20 to 25 shots. 21:32 Then for an instant, maybe 15 seconds, 21:36 the firing stop and an eerie silence 21:39 fell over the theater. 21:42 He was simply reloading. 21:47 "Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates, 21:52 we don't need to write to you 21:54 for you know very well that the day of the Lord 21:55 will come like a thief in the night 21:58 while people are saying, 22:00 'Peace and safety,' 22:01 destruction will come on them suddenly 22:03 as labor pains on a pregnant woman, 22:04 and they will not escape." 22:08 Within hours of the Aurora massacre 22:12 in which 70 Americans, 22:13 men, women, teenagers, and children 12 of them, 22:17 70 Americans gunned down 12 of them, 22:19 their lives extinguished by a single bullet 22:22 from the hand of that 24-year-old 22:24 graduate student, 22:26 a PhD in neuroscience major at the University of Colorado. 22:32 Within hours of the massacre, 22:34 the social and moral post mortem began. 22:37 We put the words of David Poland 22:39 on the screen for you. 22:40 He writes for the blog site moviecitynews.com. 22:43 You see it there? Poland writing, 22:45 "This is someone coming into our chosen church." 22:49 Well, that was interesting language. 22:50 "Coming into our chosen church and killing people 22:53 who were sharing the communal experience 22:55 that is so much a part of so many of our lives. 22:58 It was a massacre 22:59 of some of the most enthusiastic members 23:01 of the movie-loving community." 23:06 America's chosen church, that's how he puts it. 23:10 Then what have they been showing lately in church? 23:14 The Batman trilogy 23:15 had already come under moral scrutiny 23:17 when the Dark Knight, 23:19 which is the precursor to the final piece, 23:21 The Dark Knight Rises. 23:23 When the Dark Knight was released, 23:24 in The Dark Knight, 23:26 the celebrated Hollywood actor 23:27 Heath Ledger played the Joker, 23:29 an evil protagonist described by one reviewer 23:32 this way the Joker was like the devil 23:34 personified, calmly, 23:36 and enjoyably spreading evil wherever he went. 23:40 What kind of evil? 23:42 Listen to Jenny McCartney, film critic with the Telegraph, 23:45 that's a London newspaper. 23:46 Put her words on the screen. 23:48 "The greatest surprise of all, even for me, 23:50 after eight years spent working as a film critic." 23:52 She has seen hundreds and hundreds of films, 23:56 "The greatest surprise of all for me 23:59 has been the sustained level of intensely 24:02 sadistic brutality throughout the film." 24:06 She goes on to describe the scenes, 24:08 words I can't even put, just from her description, 24:10 I can't put it on the screen. 24:11 Let me just quote a line. 24:14 Her critique continues, 24:16 "The film begins with a heist carried out 24:17 by men and sinister clown mask. 24:19 As each clown completes a task, 24:21 another shoots in point blank in the head. 24:23 The scene ends with a clown, 24:25 The Joker, stuffing a bomb 24:26 into a wounded bank employee's mouth." 24:29 And you can imagine the rest. 24:32 Later, she writes in her critique, 24:33 "A plainly terrorized child 24:35 seen on the screen, 24:36 a plainly terrorized child is threatened at gunpoint 24:41 by a man with a melted face. 24:44 All," she writes, 24:46 "It is all intensely realistic." 24:52 Hey, listen, guys. 24:54 Think, think, think with me. 24:56 Is it any wonder then 24:59 when the filming of The Dark Knight was completed, 25:01 but before it was released to the public Heath Ledger, 25:05 the actor playing the Joker 25:07 was found dead of a drug overdose. 25:13 And is it any wonder 25:15 that when the real life gunman showed up 25:19 a few minutes after midnight 25:20 this summer in Aurora, Colorado, James Holmes. 25:24 He shows up painted as the evil dark 25:28 incarnate Joker, red-dyed hair, 25:31 and all. 25:34 Could it be? 25:36 Could it be possible that the Dark Knight 25:38 is darker than anybody first thought? 25:43 One reviewer described the Dark Knight Rises 25:47 as containing, and I'm quoting now, 25:49 "One of the most memorably brutal fights 25:51 ever portrayed in the movies, disturbingly realistic, 25:54 and larger than life at the same time." 25:58 Roger Morley, 26:00 a columnist for trumpet.com exclaims, 26:02 and I put Morley's words on the screen. 26:04 "This was the movie 26:05 that people wanted to see so badly 26:07 that they took their infants with them. 26:10 Parents: Have we lost our minds?" 26:16 Could it be possible, 26:18 ladies and gentlemen, 26:19 that the Dark Knight is darker than the public realizes? 26:23 Maybe he isn't 26:25 who we thought he was. 26:30 Read it with me now. 26:33 Just been reading it to you. 26:34 Open your Bible to 1 Thessalonians Chapter 5. 26:38 1 Thessalonians Chapter 5, 26:39 a passage written for this moment 26:41 of transition in society. 26:44 This world you and I live in, this third millennium. 26:47 1 Thessalonians Chapter 5. 26:48 If you didn't bring a Bible, 26:50 just pull the pew Bible out in front of you, 26:51 it's page 796 in the pew Bible. 26:53 I'm in the New International Version today. 26:57 And I want to read these words with you, 26:59 1 Thessalonians 5:1. 27:03 Let's put it on the screen. There we go. 27:05 "Now brothers and sisters, 27:08 about times and dates 27:09 we do not need to write to you. 27:10 For" verse 2, 27:12 "You know very well 27:13 that the day of the Lord will come 27:14 like a thief in the night." 27:16 Verse 3, 27:17 "While people are saying, 'Peace and safety,' 27:20 destruction will come on them suddenly 27:22 as labor pains on a pregnant woman, 27:23 and they will not escape." 27:26 And I suppose, I need to hasten to explain 27:31 why on this tranquil moment 27:32 of a new year at Andrews University, 27:35 we would be examining this Hollywood production 27:38 that is now gross by the way as of this week, 27:40 $423 million in box office receipts. 27:45 Why talk about the Dark Knight Rises at all? 27:48 Because could it be 27:51 that the tragedy in Aurora this summer 27:55 is a dress rehearsal 27:58 for the reality on this planets soon to come. 28:00 Could it be 28:03 that what happened in that midnight theater 28:06 is a metaphor 28:07 of what is about to happen on planet earth? 28:14 Could it be for earth, a dark night is rising? 28:17 By the way, that night is not with a gate? 28:19 Could it be the darkened night is now rising 28:22 for the human race? 28:24 You remember the survey? 28:26 Those of you who are here last spring, you remember, 28:27 we took a survey in April, a couple of them. 28:30 Over my study break, 28:32 I had a chance to pray over all of those responses. 28:33 Hands down 18 to 25, 25 to 40, 40 to 60. 28:38 Hands down, 28:40 no matter the age, 28:41 the number one request was, "Pastor, 28:42 would you please preach 28:44 on the second coming of Jesus, 28:46 the end of the world, and last days." 28:49 No matter the age, the interest is piqued. 28:53 And so over my study break, 28:55 I had the opportunity to examine 28:56 just how dark the night is that is slowly hemorrhaging 28:59 across this nation and world. 29:01 A few days into the break, 29:02 the Aurora tragedy happened, 29:04 and the title to this miniseries 29:05 presented itself rather quickly. 29:08 They put the title slide 29:10 for this little miniseries only three, 29:11 only three teachings long, The Dark Night Rises One, 29:15 The Dark Night Rises Two, The Dark Night Rises Three. 29:19 Next week, we begin to disassemble the evidence 29:23 indicating we are in the thick of the dark night now. 29:28 You see a website on there 29:30 when I want to say to those of you 29:31 who are listening right now or watching on a screen. 29:32 Delighted to have you. 29:34 That website is where you can get the study guide. 29:35 We'll get to the study guide in just a moment. 29:36 The website www.pmchurch.tv. 29:40 You go to The Dark Night series, 29:41 you'll see study guide part one, 29:44 and you'll be ready to go. 29:45 Only four times, count that, one, two, three, four. 29:47 Only four times does the Apostle Paul 29:50 ever use a double negative in the Greek. 29:53 And here comes one of them. 29:54 Let's read it again. 29:57 1 Thessalonians 5:1. 29:59 "Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates 30:01 we do not need to write to you, for you know very well 30:04 that the day the Lord will come like a thief in the night." 30:07 Let's hit the pause button right there 30:08 because there's the night metaphor. 30:11 It came as a surprise to me 30:12 as I'm getting ready for this little miniseries 30:14 to discover that night time 30:16 over and over again in the New Testament, 30:19 nighttime portrays the return of Christ. 30:21 It's at nighttime. 30:22 Let me run some text. 30:24 In fact, grab your study guide right now. 30:25 Ushers, let's go. Bless your hearts. 30:28 If you didn't get a study guide, 30:29 hold your hand up and our ushers will come your way, 30:31 but I'm going to just keep moving here. 30:33 Thank you, ushers, up in the balcony as well. 30:35 Bless you. 30:36 Let's go to the study guide. 30:37 Let's go to this first text, the words of Jesus, 30:39 Matthew 24:43, Jesus says, 30:42 "His coming will be like a thief in the night." 30:46 Well, we just heard that from Paul. 30:47 Where do you think Paul got it from? 30:49 He got it from the Lord. Look at that. 30:50 Look at Jesus in Luke 12:39, 30:52 "Even if he comes in the middle of the night 30:56 or toward daybreak." 30:57 Be on the alert, there's night again, 30:59 John 9:4, "Night," write that in. 31:03 "Night is coming when no one can work." 31:09 Jesus speaking of the end. 31:11 You jump ahead in the New Testament, 31:12 you have Paul in Romans 13:12, 31:15 "The night is nearly over, the day is almost here." 31:17 By the way if you're getting your study guide a little late, 31:19 I'll give you a clue, 31:20 every blank is filled with the word night. 31:22 All right. Just to go, oh, I missed it. 31:24 No, you didn't miss it. The night is nearly over. 31:26 Paul, we just read this, 1 Thessalonians 5:2, 31:29 "The day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night." 31:31 Peter not willing, not wanting to be left out. 31:34 Here goes Peter, 2 Peter 3:10, 31:36 "The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night." 31:40 In fact, in further study, I discovered. 31:43 Get this, that the early church actually believed 31:47 that Jesus would come at midnight, at midnight. 31:53 Jerome, the church father, 31:55 he's the one that links that 31:56 that belief to a Jewish tradition that said 31:58 even as the Lord came down upon Egypt 32:02 with the mighty Passover deliverance, 32:03 even so the Messiah would also come at midnight. 32:07 Midnight in Egypt, 32:08 midnight at the Messiah's return. 32:09 And guess what? 32:11 I go to that apocalyptic classic, 32:12 Great Controversy. 32:13 I take a look in there, here's what I find. 32:15 You'll have to fill it in your study guide. 32:16 Great Controversy. "It is at midnight..." 32:19 Amazing. 32:20 "It is at midnight that God manifests His power 32:23 for the deliverance of His people. 32:25 The sun appears, shining in its strength. 32:27 Signs and wonders follow in quick succession. 32:29 In the midst of the angry heavens 32:31 is one clear space of indescribable glory. 32:34 The glory from the throne of God 32:35 seems flashing through. 32:37 The clouds sweet back, 32:38 and the starry heavens are seen unspeakably glorious 32:42 in contrast with a black 32:43 and angry firmament on either side." 32:45 Keep reading, "The glory of the celestial city streams 32:48 from the gates ajar. 32:50 Soon there appears in the east, 32:51 a small black cloud about half the size of a man's hand." 32:54 Look at, here's a man's hand right here. 32:56 Half the size of a man's hand would be to go like this. 33:00 A small black cloud in the distance, 33:02 half the size of a man's hand. 33:04 "It is the cloud which surrounds the Savior 33:06 and which seems in the distance to be shrouded in darkness. 33:09 The people of God know this is to be the sign 33:12 of the Son of man." 33:15 Dark Night Rises. 33:17 Turns out prophets from the beginning 33:19 had been seizing that metaphor 33:21 to describe the day of the Lord, 33:22 the return of Christ, 33:24 the end of the world, night time. 33:30 Pick it up again in verse 2. 33:32 "For you know very well 33:34 that the day the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 33:36 While people are saying, 'Peace and safety,' 33:39 destruction will come on them suddenly 33:40 as labor pains on a pregnant woman 33:42 and they will not escape." 33:44 There it is in the Greek, double negative. 33:46 You will no, not escape. 33:49 Just in case you missed the first one. 33:50 Paul says, let me throw another one in. 33:52 "You will no, not escape." 33:54 Boom, it'll happen, just like that, 33:56 just like Aurora by the way. 34:00 And you will no, not escape. 34:04 I have good news for you. 34:05 Paul's not writing about the friends of Jesus. 34:07 That's the good news. 34:08 He's writing, he's describing to the friends of Jesus, 34:11 how it will be for those who are not watching, 34:14 and praying, and waiting. 34:17 Maybe even in a community like this, 34:19 it can happen. 34:20 You know, people who never speak. 34:23 Have you ever met people like this? 34:25 They never speak of the end of the world. 34:29 You'll never hear them access the last day's paradigm. 34:33 You will never hear on their lips, 34:34 the second coming of Christ. 34:38 It's as if it were a non event. 34:41 And I can understand. I mean, come on. 34:47 It's no doubt they're tired of being disappointed 34:50 again and again. 34:52 So not another series, please. 34:56 But they banish that notion 34:59 with a nifty little bit of cheerful philosophy 35:01 that says, it really doesn't matter. 35:03 And it goes like this. 35:05 Here's this, it doesn't matter philosophy. 35:06 So look, "I mean, come on, 35:08 what difference does it really make? 35:10 If he comes today, I'm ready, I'm going home with Jesus. 35:13 But if He doesn't come for a long time, 35:15 hey, guess what? 35:17 I get to finish my education, 35:18 I want to marry a beautiful girl. 35:20 We're going to raise a wonderful family. 35:21 I'm going to find a glorious career, 35:24 and then I'm going to come to retirement, 35:25 and sit back, and live on the fruits. 35:28 And one day as a happy old man, 35:31 I will die, and then the end shall come." 35:35 I mean, what's not to like about that? 35:39 Hey, listen, that little bit of feel good philosophy, 35:42 why don't you tell that to the 80 million people 35:45 who this year will starve to death, 35:48 one human being every 3.6 seconds. 35:52 You go up to them, and you say, "Hey, listen, it doesn't matter 35:54 whether it comes now or forever. 35:56 Who cares?" 35:58 For whom? 35:59 These 80 million, deliverance now would be salvation, 36:02 deliverance now would be the difference 36:03 between life and death 36:06 or painful agony until death comes. 36:08 You tell that to the 80 million 36:09 who will starve to death on the planet this year. 36:11 Tell that. Keep your pen moving. 36:13 Tell that to the 46 million in the United States 36:15 who are living on food stamps. 36:16 Can you believe that? 36:18 Forty-six million Americans don't have enough money 36:20 to buy their own food, 36:22 so they're living on food stamps. 36:23 Tell that to the 1 million people 36:25 who commit suicide every single year, 36:28 30,000 in the United States alone. 36:30 "Hey, don't worry about it. 36:32 I know you're without hope, 36:33 I know you're despairing right now. 36:34 But, hey, whether Jesus comes now 36:36 or where the Jesus comes later, just hang in there, buddy." 36:38 How could you ask anybody to hang in when his life, 36:41 when her life is melting down? 36:45 It makes all the difference in the world. 36:47 Tell that. Jot this down, will you? 36:48 Tell that to those who are sexually assaulted 36:50 every two minutes in the United States. 36:54 Twenty-four hours a day, 36:55 every two minutes, male and female 36:57 sexually assaulted. 36:58 Tell them, "Just live with your guilt. 37:00 Just live with your concern, 37:02 your fear that you caused it when you didn't. 37:05 Just live with that awful wound." 37:07 If Jesus comes to the end of your life, 37:09 you got to be thankful." 37:10 Tell that to them. 37:12 Whether Jesus comes now 37:14 or 100 years from now, who cares? 37:15 God cares. That's who. 37:17 God wants to come and stop this insanity. 37:20 He wants to return and end 37:23 this midnight of despair and pain. 37:25 He wants to come. 37:27 The sooner He comes, 37:28 the less pain will be experienced 37:30 by the human race. 37:31 It's a big deal when He comes. 37:34 The problem is I'll tell you what the problem. 37:36 The glaring weakness of those who live by the... 37:39 I have a wonderful airtight world 37:40 in which I live securely in a middle class 37:42 Christian Adventist bubble philosophy, 37:45 the glaring weakness of that philosophy 37:47 is that they have totally written off 37:49 the majority world of immense suffering, 37:51 crippling, pain, heartache, and despair. 37:53 They have written it off. 37:55 How could you do that? 37:58 Of course, it matters. 38:01 Such a "Who care..." 38:02 Will you jot this down please. 38:04 "Such a, 'Who cares when Jesus will come?' 38:06 Thinking is utterly vacuous." 38:08 That's a new word. 38:09 Memorize that word. Put it on the screen. 38:11 Make sure you spell it right. 38:12 "Utterly vacuous which being interpreted means 38:14 it is airheaded, it is empty-headed." 38:17 That philosophy is worthless. 38:20 Yet people use it to assuage their consciousness. 38:23 Who cares? 38:25 We'll get there. 38:26 He'll come. 38:29 Of course, it matters 38:30 because while I'm enjoying my vegan cottage cheese loaf 38:33 every Sabbath day, 38:37 every 3.6 seconds somebody else on this miserable planet 38:41 is dying of starvation. 38:43 Don't you tell me it doesn't matter 38:45 when Jesus comes. 38:46 It matters that He comes soon. 38:47 Come soon, Lord Jesus, come soon, I beg of You. 38:51 I'm tired of divorce, I'm tired of disease, 38:54 I'm tired of destruction, I am tired of melting down. 38:59 Come and deliver me. 39:02 It's okay to wish Jesus to come. 39:04 Sometimes people make us feel selfish 39:06 for wanting Him to come soon. 39:07 You're not selfish, you're human. 39:10 And you need liberation from this concentration camp 39:14 that the dark night is holding us 39:15 in night and day. 39:17 Yeah, yeah. 39:19 We act as if the great goal of life is to enjoy the arts, 39:22 relish, beauty, bask in the heady, 39:24 while the vast majority of the world 39:26 collapses into a dark and hellish end. 39:31 That's why two emails that I received 39:32 from two young adults, 39:34 one at the beginning of the summer, 39:35 the other at the end of the summer. 39:37 Two emails have stirred up my mind. 39:39 And so, in this sermon, 39:41 I'm going to share the first one. 39:43 I'll hold the other one till next week. 39:46 Let me read this to you. 39:48 This one came at the beginning of the summer. 39:52 It's from my young friend Peter Domstake, 39:55 Andrews University student. 39:56 Student missionary right now in Bangkok, Thailand. 39:58 Peter grew up in this little village. 40:01 He went to academy with his mother. 40:04 Hello, Pastor Dwight. 40:06 He's not a member of this congregation. 40:07 Hello, Pastor Dwight. 40:08 Doing student missions over here in Thailand, 40:10 this semester has been quite eye opening. 40:12 Before I ever left, I thought to myself 40:14 that all was good out in the mission field. 40:17 Before I left, I used to think of places like North Korea 40:20 where the only locations left to be reached by the gospel. 40:22 Yet, I'm working here in Bangkok city of millions, 40:25 and there is so much need spiritually. 40:27 Even people in this what we call reached area 40:30 have no idea who Jesus is other than some word. 40:33 Maybe they've heard on the Hollywood movies 40:35 that roll through here. 40:36 Oh, sure, there are little pockets of missionaries 40:38 here and they're all over the world, 40:40 yet there is so much work to be done. 40:41 I'm doing video stuff mostly with a little graphic design, 40:44 and no, I'm not in the middle of nowhere. 40:46 There's Wi-Fi, there's mobile phone service, 40:48 food places just down the street where I live. 40:51 Yes, there are regions out in the middle of jungles 40:53 that need to be reached, but listen, 40:54 people need to realize that there are mission fields 40:57 in the cities as well. 40:59 Missions isn't the typical out in the boonies kind of thing 41:03 anymore. 41:04 Either way, I love his heart here. 41:06 Either way, middle of nowhere 41:08 or here in the middle of a busy concrete jungle, 41:10 people are dying to hear the gospel. 41:12 I suppose my point is... 41:14 He's giving a little counsel to his pastor friend. 41:16 I suppose my point is, 41:17 if you have a sermon series anytime soon 41:19 that has any reference to missions 41:21 or spreading the gospel, tell them the truth. 41:23 It's like nothing is happening out here. 41:25 We need workers. 41:27 I remember the words of Jesus 41:28 when He was looking over the fields in that city. 41:30 Jesus said, "The harvest is truly great, 41:32 but the laborers are few." 41:35 Indeed that's true today. 41:36 And there have been times that I find myself 41:38 praying for more workers. 41:40 That kid is sitting in the heart 41:41 of one of the great cities of earth, 41:42 and He's begging, "God, can you send 41:44 somebody else to help us here?" 41:46 Last line, I love this. 41:48 I'm really getting tired of this world. 41:51 Let's finish this work. 41:53 Hope you have a great weekend. 41:55 Peter. 41:57 Thanks a lot, P. 42:00 Just ruined my day. 42:03 Ain't that something. 42:04 What's going on with Peter? 42:05 Come on, think with me, what's going on with Peter? 42:07 I'll tell you what's going on. 42:08 He's living out the deep conviction 42:11 that Jesus is coming soon. 42:12 That's what He's doing. He's living with it. 42:15 He's using it to interpret the paradigm of life. 42:18 It's precisely what Paul is saying here. 42:20 Look at verse 4. Keep reading here. 42:23 "But you," this is 1 Thessalonians 5, 42:25 "But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness 42:27 so that this day should surprise you like a thief." 42:30 No, no. 42:31 Verse 5, "You are all children of the light 42:34 and children of the day." 42:36 I love that. 42:38 If I were tweeting one line from this teaching today, 42:40 at the opening of the year at Andrews University, 42:42 that would be the line I tweet. 42:43 Put it on the screen please. 42:44 "You are all children of the light." 42:47 You are all... 42:48 Doesn't matter what you are demographically your age, 42:51 you are all, I, 42:52 we are all children of the day. 42:55 Wow. 42:58 What's happening with Peter? 42:59 I'll tell what's happening. Here's what's happening. 43:02 The immensity of the need drives us to the Savior 43:05 who is the light of the world. 43:07 If you don't know Jesus, but you're hearing about Him, 43:10 you're thinking about Him every now and then, 43:12 the light penetrates your mind, 43:15 and the light exposes the darkness in you. 43:18 And it drives you hopefully, not further from the light, 43:21 but it hopefully draws you closer to the light. 43:24 So it's either the darkness in you that you sense 43:27 when you come to the light of the world 43:28 or it's the darkness in your world that you sense. 43:32 Either way, 43:34 it drives you to go to the one who is the light. 43:36 In fact, Jesus put it this way in John 8:12, 43:40 "When Jesus spoke again to the people, 43:42 He said, 'Hey, listen, everybody, 43:43 I am the light of the world. 43:45 Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, 43:48 but will have the light of life.' 43:54 " It's as if Jesus is saying, "Hey, hey, yo, yo, yo, 43:56 before you leave it, yo, yo, before you leave, 43:58 I want you to bring your darkness to Me." 44:01 You came into this place with darkness in you. 44:03 You came into this place with darkness in you, 44:05 but I'm asking you to bring your darkness to me. 44:07 Bring your darkness to me. I'll take your darkness. 44:09 If you bring darkness into the presence of light, 44:11 darkness is gone and light remains. 44:14 Bring your darkness to me. 44:15 Come to me. 44:17 The dark night has had His way in your heart too long. 44:21 Say no to the dark night, say yes to the morning star. 44:26 Come to Me. 44:27 I will give you light, 44:29 and I'll drive, I'll banish that darkness. 44:31 You are a child of the light. 44:33 You are a child of the day, come to Me. 44:36 I am the light of the world." 44:39 Wow, thank You, Jesus. 44:42 So I wrote Peter, I wrote it back. 44:44 I said, "Peter, bless you." 44:46 He replies to my reply. 44:48 And he gives me the website to a blog. 44:50 He's been keeping a blog over there, 44:52 and you can find him 44:55 just by googling his name. 44:56 But let me read to you a blog. I found a blog. 44:58 This is March 30, Bangkok, Thailand, March 30. 45:01 He's just finished a week of prayer 45:03 for little Buddhist kids, all right? 45:05 They've been singing Jesus songs, 45:06 but they're little Buddhist kids. 45:07 And his heart has been moved as he's seen them 45:10 react to the story of Jesus. 45:11 And he's going back to his room, 45:13 the week of prayer's over. 45:14 Here we go. 45:15 In walking back to the mission compound, 45:17 I could not help but shed a couple of tears. 45:19 I love the guy's heart. I love his heart. 45:22 I could not help but shed a couple of tears. 45:24 Guy's aren't embarrassed about admitting 45:26 that tears spring to our eyes when the need is immense. 45:29 I could not help but shed a couple of tears. 45:31 Here in the middle of the world, 45:32 there is so much darkness and there... 45:34 Oh, hold on, 45:36 "And the candles that could be out here 45:38 or any other dark place 45:39 shining in the darkness are wrapped up 45:42 in other lighted rooms, if you catch my drift." 45:45 Can you believe we got 3,000 candles on this campus, 45:48 and were all where we don't need lights. 45:51 And the candle is not making a flicker of a difference. 45:54 What makes a difference for candles 45:56 is if you take them out of a lighted room 45:57 and you put them in a dark room, 45:59 one candle make an immense difference. 46:02 He says, "You got all those candles. 46:04 Come on out here where it's dark. 46:08 Whoa, 46:09 there honestly so few missionaries in the world. 46:12 I'd loved to be proven wrong, but from seeing for myself, 46:15 and from talking to other missionaries, 46:16 and hearing from world church leaders, 46:17 I'm not very far off. 46:19 You think it's happening but it is not." 46:22 Last line, "Honestly, 46:24 I don't want to be here in this world anymore. 46:26 It's so messed up. 46:28 Whether or not you choose 46:29 to join the ranks of reaching others 46:31 and spreading the gospel's up to you. 46:32 But as long as I have breath in me, 46:34 there is at least one more person somewhere 46:37 that I have to reach, and I have faith 46:40 that God will lead me to that person. 46:42 As long as there is breath in me, 46:44 somebody else is alive, 46:45 and I will go to him with my candle." 46:48 What happens when you believe Jesus is coming soon? 46:53 When you believe the dark night is rising 46:55 as it has never risen in the history 46:57 of the human race. 46:59 When you realize 47:00 that if we don't get a light to some of these soon, 47:03 they will perish forever and ever. 47:06 When it hits you, 47:09 you get a few tears in your eyes, 47:11 walking back to your dormitory room, 47:13 and you say, "Oh, God, I cannot, 47:17 I cannot hold my candle where the light is so bright. 47:22 Send me to a dark room somewhere 47:25 on behalf of Him who is a light of the world." 47:28 Ladies and gentlemen, that's the truth. 47:30 Put it on the screen again. 47:31 "You are all children of the light 47:34 and children of the day." 47:37 That's the truth about you and me. 47:40 So what shall we do? Isn't this amazing? 47:42 The New Year is barely a Sabbath old, 47:44 and already our hearts have been 47:45 confronted by the Spirit of Christ, 47:46 His call to move out into this dark world for Him, 47:49 not waiting until we graduate, 47:51 but right now, not waiting until we retire, 47:55 but doing so right now, 47:57 not waiting till we're in a nursing home, 47:59 but doing so right now. 48:03 Light a candle, 48:04 go out into that darkness. 48:07 Twelve miles up the road from us, 48:09 right now, is an inner city 48:11 where we have planted a beachhead 48:13 called Harbor of Hope. 48:14 At 3:00 this afternoon, the buses will be lining up 48:17 from front of Lampson Hall, 48:18 get on a bus, drive to that inner city, 48:21 and join a band of young missionaries 48:23 who are lighting candles for the Lord Jesus Christ. 48:26 You don't have to go overseas, you can do it right here. 48:28 We've got the city for you. 48:30 The dark night is rising, 48:32 but it can still be penetrated by the children of light. 48:35 So I say, let us heed the admonition 48:37 of that ancient Chinese proverb. 48:39 Put it up please. 48:40 "Do not curse the darkness, light a candle." 48:44 Read that out loud with me. 48:45 "Do not curse the darkness, light a candle." 48:49 Light a candle. 48:51 Light a candle. 48:53 I wish on this opening Sabbath to rededicate my life 48:55 to light as many candles as Jesus asked me to light 48:58 on this planet before He comes. 49:00 How about you? 49:01 I want to light a candle for Jesus. 49:03 I won't let Satan blow it out, I'm going to let it shine. 49:06 I want to light a candle for Jesus, don't you? 49:10 Share that with me in the connect card today. 49:12 Open your worship bulletin, there's a connect card inside. 49:15 There's a connect card inside. 49:17 This is a very important moment. 49:18 There's some of you who are going to make 49:20 a life changing decision right now. 49:22 And I need you to be listening very carefully 49:23 to the Holy Spirit. 49:25 And I'm going to try not to speak over His voice 49:27 in your mind. 49:29 On the front of the card, just write your name. 49:31 Please put your email address 49:33 because some of these responses will necessitate 49:36 sending material to you through cyberspace. 49:38 So make sure you put your name here. 49:40 I'd like to know, you know, your little demographic, 49:42 and then your email address. 49:47 Turn the card over, turn the card over. 49:49 We call this my next step. 49:52 Because look, what's the point of having a teaching like this 49:54 and nobody does anything. 49:55 We all go home to that vegan cottage cheese loaf, 49:58 and we are unchanged. 50:00 We can't be unchanged. 50:02 We cannot be unchanged. 50:04 We cannot be unchanged. 50:05 Don't worry about the noise around you, 50:07 just focus right now. 50:08 Focus right now, please. 50:13 Some of you are going to make a decision right now 50:15 that's going to change your life forever. 50:16 I know it, I know it. 50:18 What are your next steps? Turn it over. 50:20 It says, "My next step today is one," 50:21 I put a checkmark here because I turned these in. 50:24 "I would like to dedicate my life today and seek to light 50:27 as many candles in this dark world 50:28 as I can until Jesus comes." 50:29 Is there anybody who says, 50:31 "No, I don't want to be a candle for Jesus." 50:32 Don't put it there if you don't want to be a candle for Jesus, 50:34 but if you are willing, put a join me, 50:36 put a checkmark right there, put a checkmark. 50:39 In just a moment, the ushers are coming by, 50:41 and then we're going to end with the glorious Lord's prayer 50:43 that ushers in the new year here 50:45 at the Pioneer Memorial Church. 50:46 There's nothing like it. 50:47 So stay right where you are. 50:49 The ushers are coming your way. 50:50 But here's the second box. 50:52 I would like to know how to become a missionary 50:53 for Christ in this dark world, 50:55 please send me more information. 50:57 We need your email address. 50:58 We will send you information. 51:00 We will put you in touch with people 51:01 who can send you anywhere on earth 51:03 you're willing to go. 51:05 Would you like more information, 51:06 put a checkmark there. 51:08 Here's box number three, 51:09 "I would like to join the Harbor of Hope Kids Zone," 51:10 that's our children's ministry 51:13 up in Benton Harbor. 51:15 "I would like to join that." 51:16 If you put your email address, 51:17 we will have the leaders there be in touch with you 51:19 and set you up for a life of holding your candle 51:22 in an inner city, holding a candle for Jesus. 51:25 Any one of those would change your life. 51:27 Any one of those will change your life. 51:28 But now I want to go to the second box right here, 51:30 the second box 51:32 because this now is where lives spiritually will be changed. 51:35 Some of you came into this room today 51:39 with darkness in your heart. 51:40 It's not an accident, you're here, 51:42 Jesus led you here. 51:43 But you came with darkness in your heart, 51:45 you're feeling a bit uncomfortable about 51:47 how the new year is beginning. 51:48 You're thinking, you know, 51:49 "I really have never gotten it together 51:52 in a friendship with Jesus." 51:54 I'm telling you what, my friend, 51:55 there are only two choices, 51:57 the morning star, the dark night, 51:58 you can't have them both. 51:59 You'll serve one or the other. 52:01 If your heart is speaking to you now, 52:03 and Jesus is saying, 52:05 "I'm the light of the world, come to Me. 52:06 Let Me grow a friendship with you." 52:07 Would you put a checkmark here? 52:09 I'm interested in beginning a relationship with Jesus. 52:11 We'll send you material through cyberspace 52:14 that will help you grow a daily friendship with Jesus. 52:17 You will never regret this decision. 52:19 We get these decisions every single week. 52:21 If you wish, 52:22 and the spirit is speaking to you right now, 52:24 put a checkmark there. 52:25 Turn it, turn it in when the offering plate comes 52:28 in just a moment. 52:30 We'll get in touch with you within 48 hours. 52:33 Why go with a dark night into a new year, 52:36 go with the light of the world. 52:38 Why not grow a friendship with Him? 52:40 Put a checkmark there, we'll help you. 52:42 We'll do everything we can. 52:43 Oh, I'm interested in baptism. 52:45 I can't think of a better way to begin a school year. 52:46 You won't be baptized today or next week, 52:48 but we'll help you to be baptized soon 52:50 if you wish, put a checkmark there. 52:53 Line up with the light of the world. 52:55 God will bless you. 52:57 Other boxes, you can check. 52:59 I want to pray with you right now. 53:01 I want to pray with you 53:02 and pray over every decision that has just been made. 53:04 Would you bow your head with me, please? 53:07 Dear, God, the dark night is rising. 53:11 Okay, and it doesn't matter, either way it's rising. 53:16 Jesus is coming soon. 53:18 We cannot live life, 53:21 business as usual, any longer. 53:25 And so on the cusp of this new year, 53:26 Father, take our decisions, our decisions to go for Christ, 53:29 our decision to light a candle in this world, 53:32 in this city nearby. 53:33 Our decision is to begin 53:35 a new relationship with the light of the world. 53:37 Take all our decisions and seal them. 53:40 Don't lose these decisions, God, 53:41 lock them in our hearts and minds. 53:44 And now as we return to your tithes and offerings, 53:46 take our humble gifts to spread the light 53:49 around the world. 53:51 We pray in Jesus' name, amen. 54:03 Let us stand together as we sing our prayer to God. 54:17 Our Father 54:26 Which art in heaven 54:37 Hallowed by 54:46 Thy name 54:55 Thy kingdom come 55:02 Thy will be done 55:09 On earth 55:13 As it is 55:18 In heaven 55:39 Give us this day 55:44 Our daily bread 55:49 And forgive us 55:52 Our trespasses 55:58 As we forgive those 56:07 And lead us not into temptation, 56:14 But deliver us from evil 56:20 For thine is the kingdom 56:27 And the power 56:31 And the glory 56:36 For ever and ever 56:46 Amen 57:18 Living as you and I are in this time 57:20 when the dark night is rising, 57:22 I believe it's absolutely critical 57:24 that we prepare ourselves for what's yet to come. 57:26 That's why I'm excited about this little book. 57:29 You can see it, "On the Edge of Time, 57:31 Preparing for the Crisis Ahead." 57:33 This is a short condensation of that apocalyptic classic, 57:37 The Great Controversy. 57:38 And I'd love to send this to you. 57:40 No charge, even the phone call is free. 57:42 So jot this number down. 57:44 It's easy to remember. Here's the number 877. 57:46 That's all you have to remember, 57:47 877 plus two words, his will, 877-His-Will. 57:53 Our friendly operators are standing by 57:54 to receive your order. 57:55 No cost to you. 57:57 I'm happy to send you this gift copy of a book 57:58 that will stir your mind and your heart, 58:01 I believe to the core. 58:02 You'll never regret reading the book for yourself. 58:05 So please call our toll free number 877-His-Will. 58:09 And until we meet again next time, 58:11 God be with you. |
Revised 2019-05-30