¤
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>> Happy Sabbath once again,
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church family.
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Please stand as we sing
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"Mighty to Save."
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¤
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>> Our Scripture reading today
00:11:08.80\00:11:10.30
is found in Psalms 35:19-25,
00:11:10.40\00:11:14.00
and it reads,
00:11:14.10\00:11:15.77
"Do not let those gloat over me
00:11:15.87\00:11:18.24
who are my enemies
00:11:18.34\00:11:19.11
without cause.
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Do not let those who hate me
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without reason
00:11:22.14\00:11:23.51
maliciously wink the eye.
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They do not speak peaceably,
00:11:25.65\00:11:27.48
but devise false accusations
00:11:27.58\00:11:29.88
against those
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who live quietly in the land.
00:11:31.32\00:11:33.12
They sneer at me and say,
00:11:33.22\00:11:34.49
'Aha! Aha!
00:11:34.59\00:11:36.76
With our own eyes,
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we have seen it,'
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Lord, you have seen this;
00:11:39.49\00:11:41.36
do not be silent.
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Do not be far from me, Lord.
00:11:43.16\00:11:45.17
Awake, and rise to my defense!
00:11:45.27\00:11:48.14
Contend for me, my God and Lord.
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Vindicate me in your
00:11:50.37\00:11:51.94
righteousness, Lord my God;
00:11:52.04\00:11:54.11
do not let them gloat over me."
00:11:54.21\00:11:56.85
¤
00:11:56.95\00:11:58.65
[ Applause ]
00:16:15.50\00:16:17.07
>> After all that good music,
00:16:29.42\00:16:31.12
a wiser man would just sit down
00:16:31.22\00:16:32.52
and have the benediction.
00:16:32.62\00:16:35.96
But I'm not a wiser man
00:16:36.06\00:16:37.26
and I am going to preach.
00:16:37.36\00:16:40.70
My great thanks to director
00:16:40.80\00:16:42.36
Elsie and the Orion Strings.
00:16:42.46\00:16:43.40
Thank you
00:16:43.50\00:16:44.03
Many thanks to Elisabeth and her
00:16:45.23\00:16:46.63
whole crew, praise team.
00:16:46.74\00:16:48.47
Didn't they do wonderfully?
00:16:48.57\00:16:50.07
Just very, very well done.
00:16:50.17\00:16:51.01
Thank you.
00:16:51.11\00:16:51.84
Thank you very much for --
00:16:51.94\00:16:52.81
[ Applause ]
00:16:52.91\00:16:57.31
And, as always,
00:16:57.41\00:16:59.58
Dr. Logan is on the organ
00:16:59.68\00:17:01.22
and always does a marvelous job
00:17:01.32\00:17:02.52
here, as well.
00:17:02.62\00:17:03.75
[ Applause ]
00:17:03.85\00:17:05.42
Welcome to Part 2 of our
00:17:09.89\00:17:11.79
continuing series entitled
00:17:11.89\00:17:13.40
"Why We Are Here."
00:17:13.50\00:17:16.23
If you weren't here last week,
00:17:16.33\00:17:17.20
let me catch you up to speed
00:17:17.30\00:17:18.90
very quickly.
00:17:19.00\00:17:20.37
Last week, we began with
00:17:20.47\00:17:21.40
the million-dollar question,
00:17:21.50\00:17:22.64
and if you were here,
00:17:22.74\00:17:23.27
millionaire with the briefcase
00:17:25.14\00:17:26.07
offering you $1 million
00:17:26.17\00:17:28.04
if you could correctly answer
00:17:28.14\00:17:29.11
the question, "What is
00:17:29.21\00:17:31.11
the mission of the
00:17:31.21\00:17:32.78
Seventh-Day Adventist Church?"
00:17:32.88\00:17:34.78
And I shared how,
00:17:34.88\00:17:35.98
when I've asked that question
00:17:36.08\00:17:37.49
in, you know, small groups
00:17:37.59\00:17:38.95
or larger groups of Adventists,
00:17:39.05\00:17:40.96
many answers are given.
00:17:41.06\00:17:41.89
Often, they do
00:17:41.99\00:17:42.76
not agree with one another.
00:17:42.86\00:17:43.96
Finally, someone will say,
00:17:44.06\00:17:46.26
"Our mission is to fulfill
00:17:46.36\00:17:47.40
the Great Commission of
00:17:47.50\00:17:48.46
Matthew 28:18-28 -- to make
00:17:48.56\00:17:49.56
disciples," et cetera,
00:17:49.66\00:17:50.37
et cetera.
00:17:50.47\00:17:52.00
And, indeed, that is a very
00:17:52.10\00:17:54.64
important part of our mission.
00:17:54.74\00:17:55.97
We are a Christian,
00:17:56.07\00:17:57.14
Christ-centered organization.
00:17:57.24\00:17:58.67
And so we are about fulfilling
00:17:58.77\00:18:00.58
the Great Commission of
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Matthew 28:18-20.
00:18:02.11\00:18:03.61
And there is more.
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There is still more.
00:18:07.28\00:18:08.45
And I didn't tell you what that
00:18:08.55\00:18:09.92
"still more" was last week,
00:18:10.02\00:18:11.35
because we needed to do a -- lay
00:18:11.45\00:18:12.89
a little bit of a foundation.
00:18:12.99\00:18:14.16
We needed to be able
00:18:14.26\00:18:15.82
to understand what it means
00:18:15.92\00:18:17.36
to be a prophetic movement.
00:18:17.46\00:18:19.96
And to do
00:18:20.06\00:18:20.66
We looked at three lessons of
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what it means to be a prophet
00:18:22.86\00:18:24.23
and, by extension, what it means
00:18:24.33\00:18:25.80
to be a prophetic movement.
00:18:25.90\00:18:27.34
The three lessons were, number
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one, "Prophets are to say
00:18:28.67\00:18:30.51
and do what God commands them
00:18:30.61\00:18:32.67
to say and do."
00:18:32.77\00:18:33.91
This is not up to a committee.
00:18:34.01\00:18:34.94
You don't have a coin toss
00:18:35.04\00:18:36.18
at the beginning of each year.
00:18:36.28\00:18:37.35
God decides what
00:18:37.45\00:18:38.61
the prophet will say and what
00:18:38.71\00:18:39.85
the prophetic movement will say.
00:18:39.95\00:18:40.82
Number two, "God often
00:18:40.92\00:18:42.48
commands prophets to say
00:18:42.58\00:18:44.15
and do strange things."
00:18:44.25\00:18:45.89
And we looked
00:18:45.99\00:18:46.62
And number three, "Prophets say
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and do strange things
00:18:49.42\00:18:50.59
because God is trying to
00:18:50.69\00:18:51.89
rescue people from disaster."
00:18:51.99\00:18:53.36
Amen?
00:18:53.46\00:18:53.96
>> Amen.
00:18:54.03\00:18:54.96
>> It's not a hobby for God.
00:18:55.06\00:18:56.36
He's not looking
00:18:56.46\00:18:57.20
for something entertaining to do
00:18:57.30\00:18:58.17
at the end of time.
00:18:58.27\00:18:59.13
He does these things
00:18:59.23\00:19:00.27
to get people's attention
00:19:00.37\00:19:01.54
that they will be saved,
00:19:01.64\00:19:02.77
that they will be ready
00:19:02.87\00:19:03.57
when Jesus comes back.
00:19:03.67\00:19:06.64
And with that as a foundation,
00:19:06.74\00:19:09.34
let's get to it.
00:19:09.44\00:19:11.31
What is the mission
00:19:11.41\00:19:15.28
of the Seventh-Day
00:19:15.38\00:19:16.42
Adventist Church?
00:19:16.52\00:19:21.12
Well, the answer is, the mission
00:19:21.22\00:19:23.76
of the Seventh-Day
00:19:23.86\00:19:24.46
Adventist Church
00:19:24.56\00:19:26.36
is, indeed, to make mature
00:19:26.46\00:19:28.43
disciples of Christ,
00:19:28.53\00:19:29.76
and while fulfilling the
00:19:29.86\00:19:31.90
Great Commission of Matthew 28,
00:19:32.00\00:19:33.70
we take it one final
00:19:33.80\00:19:36.17
step further.
00:19:36.27\00:19:40.21
Turn, in your Bibles, please,
00:19:40.31\00:19:41.18
to Revelation 14:6.
00:19:41.28\00:19:45.08
Revelation 14:6.
00:19:45.18\00:19:47.18
It's on page 830
00:19:47.28\00:19:49.35
in your red pew Bible.
00:19:49.45\00:19:50.72
Should be sitting around
00:19:50.82\00:19:52.19
there somewhere around you.
00:19:52.29\00:19:53.52
Page 830. Revelation 14:6.
00:19:53.62\00:19:57.63
Now, I mentioned in Part 1
00:19:57.73\00:19:59.16
and I'm going to mention it
00:19:59.26\00:20:00.30
again here
00:20:00.40\00:20:00.96
and I may have to do it again
00:20:01.03\00:20:01.83
in some future parts --
00:20:01.93\00:20:03.00
in this series,
00:20:03.10\00:20:04.10
because of time constraints,
00:20:04.20\00:20:05.73
I am going to be cutting
00:20:05.83\00:20:06.80
some corners every now and then.
00:20:06.90\00:20:08.20
I'm about to do that right now.
00:20:08.30\00:20:09.57
If you're a guest with us today,
00:20:09.67\00:20:10.97
we are so glad that you're here.
00:20:11.07\00:20:12.31
You're in for a real treat.
00:20:12.41\00:20:13.88
If I say something and
00:20:13.98\00:20:15.38
you're wondering to yourself,
00:20:15.48\00:20:16.11
"How did he possibly
00:20:16.21\00:20:17.21
get there from here?",
00:20:17.31\00:20:19.05
come and see me afterwards.
00:20:19.15\00:20:20.05
I'll be somewhere down here
00:20:20.15\00:20:21.15
in the front.
00:20:21.25\00:20:22.18
And I'd love to have some time
00:20:22.28\00:20:23.55
to answer your questions on this
00:20:23.65\00:20:24.72
very, very important topic.
00:20:24.82\00:20:26.12
So, I'm going to cut a corner
00:20:26.22\00:20:27.22
right now.
00:20:27.32\00:20:29.06
The one final step further that
00:20:29.16\00:20:31.99
the Seventh-Day Adventist Church
00:20:32.09\00:20:33.29
takes beyond
00:20:33.40\00:20:34.46
the Great Commission
00:20:34.56\00:20:37.17
is the three angels' messages
00:20:37.27\00:20:40.07
of Revelation 14:6-12.
00:20:40.17\00:20:44.81
>> Amen.
00:20:44.91\00:20:45.64
>> Well, you're doing better
00:20:45.74\00:20:46.88
than first service did.
00:20:46.98\00:20:48.08
We had to struggle for one or
00:20:48.18\00:20:49.01
two.
00:20:49.11\00:20:49.71
They were still scratching
00:20:49.81\00:20:50.95
their heads a little bit.
00:20:51.05\00:20:51.81
Yes, this is true.
00:20:51.91\00:20:52.51
The one final
00:20:52.61\00:20:53.31
step further that we take
00:20:53.42\00:20:55.18
beyond the Great Commission
00:20:55.28\00:20:56.52
of Matthew 28 is, indeed,
00:20:56.62\00:20:57.75
the three angels' messages
00:20:57.85\00:20:59.05
of Revelation 14:6-12.
00:20:59.15\00:21:00.62
Now, here's
00:21:00.72\00:21:01.72
where I'm going to cut a corner.
00:21:01.82\00:21:02.42
I do not have time
00:21:02.52\00:21:03.49
to tell you the history of this.
00:21:03.59\00:21:04.53
I will say that this is
00:21:04.63\00:21:06.23
the nose on the end
00:21:06.33\00:21:07.36
of the Adventist face.
00:21:07.46\00:21:08.80
This is absolutely core
00:21:08.90\00:21:10.40
to who we are.
00:21:10.50\00:21:11.60
In fact, it is no lie whatsoever
00:21:11.70\00:21:14.00
to say, from a missiological
00:21:14.10\00:21:15.74
perspective, if you take
00:21:15.84\00:21:17.24
the three angels' messages
00:21:17.34\00:21:18.57
away from the Seventh-Day
00:21:18.67\00:21:19.71
Adventist Church,
00:21:19.81\00:21:20.74
Adventism crumbles.
00:21:20.84\00:21:24.88
That's the absolute truth.
00:21:24.98\00:21:26.45
Now, a whole bunch of people
00:21:26.55\00:21:27.38
don't know this.
00:21:27.48\00:21:28.18
There's Adventists, you know,
00:21:28.28\00:21:29.12
right now scratching their head.
00:21:29.22\00:21:30.02
"Well, how could that be?
00:21:30.12\00:21:31.29
I mean, we've got all these
00:21:31.39\00:21:32.09
other good things and what..."
00:21:32.19\00:21:34.59
Ladies and gentlemen,
00:21:34.69\00:21:35.29
this is absolutely true.
00:21:35.39\00:21:36.26
In the beginning
00:21:36.36\00:21:37.16
of the Adventist Church,
00:21:37.26\00:21:37.96
when we were beginning
00:21:38.06\00:21:38.56
to be started,
00:21:38.66\00:21:40.03
out of the Great Disappointment,
00:21:40.13\00:21:41.00
until the time, 1863, when
00:21:41.10\00:21:42.70
the official name was adopted,
00:21:42.80\00:21:44.53
God took us on a very specific
00:21:44.63\00:21:46.20
and intentional journey.
00:21:46.30\00:21:47.67
And, indeed, the three angels'
00:21:47.77\00:21:49.84
messages are our specific reason
00:21:49.94\00:21:52.51
for being -- period.
00:21:52.61\00:21:54.38
>> Amen!
00:21:54.48\00:21:55.81
>> And if we don't do that,
00:21:55.91\00:21:59.35
well, we may be doing some good
00:21:59.45\00:22:00.48
things, but we're not being
00:22:00.58\00:22:01.55
what God called us to be.
00:22:01.65\00:22:02.88
These things -- this is
00:22:02.98\00:22:04.19
absolutely indispensable,
00:22:04.29\00:22:05.62
the three angels' messages, to
00:22:05.72\00:22:06.96
who we are as
00:22:07.06\00:22:07.96
Seventh-Day Adventists.
00:22:08.06\00:22:09.12
So, what are they?
00:22:09.22\00:22:11.39
What are
00:22:11.49\00:22:13.09
the three angels' messages?
00:22:13.19\00:22:14.66
Now, I don't mean, like,
00:22:14.76\00:22:15.70
what are the words that are --
00:22:15.80\00:22:16.50
Anybody can read them.
00:22:16.60\00:22:17.43
They've been in the Bible
00:22:17.53\00:22:18.10
for quite some time.
00:22:18.20\00:22:19.10
Revelation 14:6-12.
00:22:19.20\00:22:20.40
They're all right there.
00:22:20.50\00:22:21.00
You can read them.
00:22:21.10\00:22:21.74
What do they mean?
00:22:21.84\00:22:26.64
Now, we're all okay,
00:22:26.74\00:22:29.38
but I've heard that there are
00:22:29.48\00:22:30.48
some Adventists in other places
00:22:30.58\00:22:32.05
that don't know the answer
00:22:32.15\00:22:33.08
to that question.
00:22:33.18\00:22:35.35
They're not sure what these
00:22:35.45\00:22:36.79
three angels' messages mean,
00:22:36.89\00:22:38.22
okay?
00:22:38.32\00:22:39.22
So I want us
00:22:39.32\00:22:40.46
to take some time here to unpack
00:22:40.56\00:22:42.72
what these things are and what
00:22:42.82\00:22:45.59
they mean, and to understand --
00:22:45.69\00:22:46.33
We're going to start
00:22:46.43\00:22:47.10
with the first angel here
00:22:47.20\00:22:47.73
in just a moment.
00:22:47.83\00:22:48.76
And to understand
00:22:48.86\00:22:50.57
the first angel,
00:22:50.67\00:22:51.23
the second angel,
00:22:51.33\00:22:52.00
the third angel, we need to
00:22:52.10\00:22:53.17
start with some context.
00:22:53.27\00:22:54.07
Now, that's just good
00:22:54.17\00:22:54.94
Bible study no matter
00:22:55.04\00:22:55.84
what portion of Scripture
00:22:55.94\00:22:56.77
that you're studying.
00:22:56.87\00:22:57.41
Start with
00:22:57.51\00:22:58.14
some context, understand
00:22:58.24\00:23:00.28
the context of the verses
00:23:00.38\00:23:01.78
that you are studying.
00:23:01.88\00:23:02.41
So what's the context
00:23:02.51\00:23:03.71
of the three angels' messages?
00:23:03.81\00:23:04.71
Well, as it turns out,
00:23:04.81\00:23:06.78
number one, the three angels
00:23:06.88\00:23:08.95
and their messages are the focus
00:23:09.05\00:23:12.69
of the Book of Revelation.
00:23:12.79\00:23:15.86
They are the focus
00:23:15.96\00:23:17.39
of the Book of Revelation.
00:23:17.49\00:23:18.76
Now, some of you are doing
00:23:18.86\00:23:19.89
the math in your head like,
00:23:20.00\00:23:20.63
"Oh, wait a second.
00:23:20.73\00:23:21.13
in the Book of revelation.
00:23:22.33\00:23:22.96
This is Revelation 14.
00:23:23.06\00:23:24.97
That's not the middle of it.
00:23:25.07\00:23:26.20
I mean,
00:23:26.30\00:23:27.07
this is really the focus?"
00:23:27.17\00:23:29.47
The reason why we can say
00:23:29.57\00:23:30.97
and make a very good argument
00:23:31.07\00:23:31.87
that, indeed,
00:23:31.97\00:23:32.67
the three angels' messages
00:23:32.77\00:23:33.51
are the focus
00:23:33.61\00:23:34.71
for the Book of Revelation
00:23:34.81\00:23:35.74
is because of something called
00:23:35.84\00:23:36.68
chiastic structure.
00:23:36.78\00:23:39.01
Now, I know what most of you
00:23:39.11\00:23:40.05
were thinking this morning
00:23:40.15\00:23:40.92
when you woke up.
00:23:41.02\00:23:41.82
Your eyes opened and you said,
00:23:41.92\00:23:42.95
"Oh, I hope, today, he's going
00:23:43.05\00:23:45.05
to talk about chiastic
00:23:45.15\00:23:45.95
structure."
00:23:46.05\00:23:47.86
Well, good news.
00:23:47.96\00:23:48.62
This is your lucky day,
00:23:48.72\00:23:49.52
because we're going to do that
00:23:49.62\00:23:50.33
just for a few moments here.
00:23:50.43\00:23:51.23
Now, chiastic structure --
00:23:51.33\00:23:52.66
to get an understanding
00:23:52.76\00:23:53.53
of what chiastic structure is,
00:23:53.63\00:23:54.63
you first need to know that
00:23:54.73\00:23:56.16
chiastic structure
00:23:56.26\00:23:57.57
is a way of expression
00:23:57.67\00:24:00.87
that is very often used
00:24:00.97\00:24:02.40
in Jewish apocalyptic writing.
00:24:02.50\00:24:04.64
The Book of Revelation,
00:24:04.74\00:24:05.57
while it's written in Greek --
00:24:05.67\00:24:06.41
And you might say,
00:24:06.51\00:24:07.21
"Well, that's written to
00:24:07.31\00:24:07.98
a Western audience."
00:24:08.08\00:24:08.61
No, no, no.
00:24:08.71\00:24:09.31
The audience was primarily
00:24:09.41\00:24:10.48
steeped in
00:24:10.58\00:24:12.28
Jewish apocalyptic thought.
00:24:12.38\00:24:14.22
And so chiastic structure
00:24:14.32\00:24:15.68
was something that did not need
00:24:15.78\00:24:16.79
to be explained to them.
00:24:16.89\00:24:18.02
They expected it, and, indeed,
00:24:18.12\00:24:19.55
Revelation delivers.
00:24:19.65\00:24:20.49
So, what is it?
00:24:20.59\00:24:21.76
Well,
00:24:21.86\00:24:22.82
if you are a Western thinker
00:24:22.92\00:24:25.73
and you are reading a novel --
00:24:25.83\00:24:27.13
And I'm sure it's a
00:24:27.23\00:24:28.13
Bible-based novel
00:24:28.23\00:24:29.16
and it's very healthy
00:24:29.26\00:24:30.03
and uplifting and all of that.
00:24:30.13\00:24:31.40
So, you're reading this novel.
00:24:31.50\00:24:32.70
If you want to know the
00:24:32.80\00:24:34.40
punch line,
00:24:34.50\00:24:35.60
where do you turn in the novel?
00:24:35.70\00:24:39.01
Which chapter?
00:24:39.11\00:24:40.14
The last one. That's right.
00:24:40.24\00:24:41.48
Because that's how
00:24:41.58\00:24:42.61
we Westerners think.
00:24:42.71\00:24:43.85
You know, "A" plus "B" equals
00:24:43.95\00:24:44.85
"C."
00:24:44.95\00:24:45.48
Boom, we're there.
00:24:45.58\00:24:46.45
We're at the end.
00:24:46.55\00:24:47.55
And, so, we flip to the end,
00:24:47.65\00:24:48.48
you know, cut to the chase,
00:24:48.58\00:24:49.15
that kind of thing.
00:24:49.25\00:24:49.78
Because we put
00:24:49.88\00:24:50.49
the emphasis at the end.
00:24:50.59\00:24:51.89
Not so with Jewish apocalyptic.
00:24:51.99\00:24:54.46
Not so with chiastic structure.
00:24:54.56\00:24:56.09
Chiastic structure
00:24:56.19\00:24:57.19
puts the point in the middle.
00:24:57.29\00:25:02.43
So picture a ladder leaning up
00:25:02.53\00:25:04.40
against a mirror, okay?
00:25:04.50\00:25:06.33
And it's got three steps on it,
00:25:06.43\00:25:07.74
"A," "B," and "C."
00:25:07.84\00:25:09.67
And then, in the mirror,
00:25:09.77\00:25:10.51
you can see the reflection, "C,"
00:25:10.61\00:25:11.97
"B," and "A."
00:25:12.07\00:25:13.84
To help the emphasis,
00:25:13.94\00:25:16.08
chiastic structure
00:25:16.18\00:25:17.25
points people to the middle.
00:25:17.35\00:25:18.75
So "A" might have
00:25:18.85\00:25:19.95
some themes here,
00:25:20.05\00:25:21.25
and then "B" would have
00:25:21.35\00:25:22.02
some themes here,
00:25:22.12\00:25:23.02
and that leads to this point
00:25:23.12\00:25:24.29
in the middle of the story
00:25:24.39\00:25:26.25
of what's being told here,
00:25:26.35\00:25:27.22
what's being described.
00:25:27.32\00:25:28.29
And then you go "C," "B," "A."
00:25:28.39\00:25:30.53
Well, isn't that interesting?
00:25:30.63\00:25:31.73
If you take, thematically,
00:25:31.83\00:25:33.76
the Book of Revelation,
00:25:33.86\00:25:35.20
guess what's in the middle.
00:25:35.30\00:25:38.27
The three angels' messages of
00:25:38.37\00:25:39.80
Revelation 14:6-12.
00:25:39.90\00:25:43.07
Ladies and gentlemen,
00:25:43.17\00:25:43.64
in other words,
00:25:43.74\00:25:44.87
the primary reason that the Book
00:25:44.97\00:25:46.21
of Revelation was written
00:25:46.31\00:25:47.78
was the three angels' messages
00:25:47.88\00:25:48.84
of Revelation 14:6-12.
00:25:48.94\00:25:50.01
People will look
00:25:50.11\00:25:51.25
at Seventh-Day Adventists, say,
00:25:51.35\00:25:52.71
"You guys just made
00:25:52.81\00:25:53.75
this stuff up."
00:25:53.85\00:25:54.82
No, we didn't. God did.
00:25:54.92\00:25:57.02
God put it here in the middle.
00:25:57.12\00:25:58.99
And the Jewish readers,
00:25:59.09\00:26:00.06
they would have been thinking,
00:26:00.16\00:26:00.56
Okay, that's it.
00:26:01.32\00:26:02.09
Alright, we see these other
00:26:02.19\00:26:02.79
themes.
00:26:02.89\00:26:03.29
There's these sevens
00:26:03.39\00:26:04.26
on either sides, et cetera,
00:26:04.36\00:26:05.23
things that are repeated."
00:26:05.33\00:26:06.19
In the middle are these
00:26:06.29\00:26:07.03
three angels' messages.
00:26:07.13\00:26:09.96
Context point number two.
00:26:10.07\00:26:12.17
The three angels' messages
00:26:12.27\00:26:13.90
are to be given just prior
00:26:14.00\00:26:16.00
to the Second Coming of Christ.
00:26:16.10\00:26:17.44
They are at the end of time.
00:26:17.54\00:26:20.44
You see, if we were to continue
00:26:20.54\00:26:21.24
reading in 14:14-16,
00:26:21.34\00:26:24.08
we would find there the harvest
00:26:24.18\00:26:24.88
of the Earth.
00:26:24.98\00:26:26.25
In other words,
00:26:26.35\00:26:27.02
these three angels' messages,
00:26:27.12\00:26:28.38
what they have to say,
00:26:28.48\00:26:29.58
what God is saying through them,
00:26:29.68\00:26:30.79
or whoever it is
00:26:30.89\00:26:32.05
that is the mouthpiece
00:26:32.15\00:26:33.19
for those three angels,
00:26:33.29\00:26:35.02
it is of eternal importance.
00:26:35.12\00:26:36.49
It is literally a
00:26:36.59\00:26:37.49
life-and-death matter.
00:26:37.59\00:26:39.03
What someone does
00:26:39.13\00:26:40.83
with the content
00:26:40.93\00:26:42.13
of the three angels' messages
00:26:42.23\00:26:43.70
will quite literally determine
00:26:43.80\00:26:45.73
their destiny forever.
00:26:45.83\00:26:48.90
So this is not a sideshow.
00:26:49.00\00:26:51.21
This is not a little dark corner
00:26:51.31\00:26:52.74
of Scripture that should just
00:26:52.84\00:26:53.81
kind of be brushed over, maybe
00:26:53.91\00:26:54.94
every now and then, you dust it
00:26:55.04\00:26:55.61
off.
00:26:55.71\00:26:56.18
No, no, no, no, no, no.
00:26:56.28\00:26:57.11
At this time in history,
00:26:57.21\00:26:58.68
this is front and center.
00:26:58.78\00:27:01.58
It's almost like God needed
00:27:01.68\00:27:03.25
to create an end-time movement
00:27:03.35\00:27:05.75
to emphasize
00:27:05.85\00:27:06.99
his end-time message.
00:27:07.09\00:27:11.13
So we cannot afford to take
00:27:11.23\00:27:12.23
these things lightly.
00:27:12.33\00:27:14.20
And with that said,
00:27:14.30\00:27:15.73
what are they?
00:27:15.83\00:27:17.43
Revelation 14,
00:27:17.53\00:27:18.77
beginning with Verse 6,
00:27:18.87\00:27:20.24
the first angel.
00:27:20.34\00:27:22.04
John here is speaking.
00:27:22.14\00:27:23.07
He's receiving this vision here.
00:27:23.17\00:27:24.04
He says, "Then I saw
00:27:24.14\00:27:24.87
another angel flying in mid-air,
00:27:24.97\00:27:27.11
and he had the eternal gospel
00:27:27.21\00:27:30.35
to proclaim to those who live
00:27:30.45\00:27:31.78
on the earth, to every nation,
00:27:31.88\00:27:33.18
tribe, language, and people."
00:27:33.28\00:27:34.78
Pause right there, please.
00:27:34.88\00:27:36.15
This is a global message.
00:27:36.25\00:27:37.62
It's not just to be here
00:27:37.72\00:27:38.32
in Berrien Springs.
00:27:38.42\00:27:39.19
It's not to be Saint Joe
00:27:39.29\00:27:40.26
or Benton Harbor just only.
00:27:40.36\00:27:41.56
It is to go all the world.
00:27:41.66\00:27:42.99
There is no one that you have
00:27:43.09\00:27:44.33
ever laid eyes on that should
00:27:44.43\00:27:46.09
not hear the three angels'
00:27:46.19\00:27:47.40
messages.
00:27:47.50\00:27:48.40
This is for everyone.
00:27:48.50\00:27:49.46
God is saying,
00:27:49.56\00:27:50.17
"This is for the world,
00:27:50.27\00:27:51.37
no exceptions, all the time,
00:27:51.47\00:27:52.83
everyone."
00:27:52.93\00:27:54.60
And notice what
00:27:54.70\00:27:55.54
the message is supposed to be.
00:27:55.64\00:27:57.24
It said there at the beginning,
00:27:57.34\00:27:58.27
"And he had the eternal --"
00:27:58.37\00:28:00.18
What?
00:28:00.28\00:28:02.28
Gospel. What does gospel mean?
00:28:02.38\00:28:04.71
Good news. That's right.
00:28:04.81\00:28:05.58
I mean, literally, you know,
00:28:05.68\00:28:06.82
when you translate
00:28:06.92\00:28:07.72
the Greek there, you could just
00:28:07.82\00:28:08.42
say good news, right?
00:28:08.52\00:28:09.92
And so this word gospel
00:28:10.02\00:28:11.05
became a technical term
00:28:11.15\00:28:12.29
to describe the good news
00:28:12.39\00:28:13.82
of salvation in Jesus Christ.
00:28:13.92\00:28:15.22
It is good news.
00:28:15.32\00:28:16.12
And notice
00:28:16.22\00:28:17.16
it's not just any good news.
00:28:17.26\00:28:18.59
It is eternal good news.
00:28:18.69\00:28:20.50
You can't stop it.
00:28:20.60\00:28:22.60
It just is going to go.
00:28:22.70\00:28:24.10
It's like the Energizer Bunny,
00:28:24.20\00:28:25.27
for those of you that are my age
00:28:25.37\00:28:26.20
and older, of gospel messages.
00:28:26.30\00:28:27.64
It keeps going and going
00:28:27.74\00:28:28.97
and going and going.
00:28:29.07\00:28:30.27
Eternal good news.
00:28:30.37\00:28:31.54
So, notice carefully
00:28:31.64\00:28:32.37
what that means.
00:28:32.47\00:28:33.91
Whatever the first
00:28:34.01\00:28:35.18
angel's message is,
00:28:35.28\00:28:37.95
it must be understood
00:28:38.05\00:28:39.85
as good news.
00:28:39.95\00:28:42.35
And guess what.
00:28:42.45\00:28:43.59
If I read it
00:28:43.69\00:28:44.89
and I think differently,
00:28:44.99\00:28:46.15
if I think it's bad news,
00:28:46.25\00:28:48.66
guess who has the privilege
00:28:48.76\00:28:49.92
of changing their opinion.
00:28:50.03\00:28:50.86
Me or God?
00:28:50.96\00:28:53.40
I know, tough choice, I know.
00:28:53.50\00:28:54.73
That's right.
00:28:54.83\00:28:55.96
Okay, I'm going to go with God.
00:28:56.06\00:28:56.56
I'm going to say
00:28:56.67\00:28:57.33
that God is right -- okay? --
00:28:57.43\00:28:57.90
and I'm wrong.
00:28:58.00\00:28:59.00
I'm the one that's going to have
00:28:59.10\00:29:00.07
to change my opinion on this,
00:29:00.17\00:29:01.20
and maybe you will be, too.
00:29:01.30\00:29:02.37
So, let's see
00:29:02.47\00:29:03.57
what this incredible everlasting
00:29:03.67\00:29:05.37
good news is.
00:29:05.47\00:29:07.44
Verse 7.
00:29:07.54\00:29:09.61
"He said in a loud voice --
00:29:09.71\00:29:10.88
no secrets here --
00:29:10.98\00:29:12.75
"'Fear God and give Him glory,
00:29:12.85\00:29:16.79
because the hour of his judgment
00:29:16.89\00:29:18.19
has come.
00:29:18.29\00:29:19.72
Worship Him who made
00:29:19.82\00:29:21.36
the heavens, the earth, the sea,
00:29:21.46\00:29:23.16
and the springs of water.'"
00:29:23.26\00:29:27.36
And right now,
00:29:27.46\00:29:28.06
I need to introduce you
00:29:28.16\00:29:29.00
to my next-door neighbor, Bob.
00:29:29.10\00:29:31.43
Now, Bob is your next-door
00:29:31.53\00:29:32.10
neighbor, too.
00:29:32.20\00:29:32.90
Bob is in his 20s, 30s, and 40s.
00:29:33.00\00:29:34.70
He's not much of
00:29:34.80\00:29:35.34
a religious person.
00:29:35.44\00:29:36.20
He's kind of open
00:29:36.30\00:29:36.84
to spiritual stuff.
00:29:36.94\00:29:37.81
You know, every now
00:29:37.91\00:29:38.37
something on TV, but not a real
00:29:39.24\00:29:40.31
Bible study or whatnot.
00:29:40.41\00:29:41.84
And I have just been studying
00:29:41.94\00:29:43.01
my Bible
00:29:43.11\00:29:43.95
and I've learned the good news
00:29:44.05\00:29:45.41
of the first angel's message
00:29:45.51\00:29:46.61
and I'm going to go share
00:29:46.72\00:29:47.78
the good news now with Bob.
00:29:47.88\00:29:48.88
Are you ready?
00:29:48.98\00:29:50.19
Bob? Bob, it's me, Shane,
00:29:53.92\00:29:55.89
your next-door neighbor.
00:29:55.99\00:29:57.33
Bob?
00:29:57.43\00:30:01.23
Yeah, Bob, it's me.
00:30:01.33\00:30:02.53
No, I live next door.
00:30:02.63\00:30:03.73
Yeah, I know we hardly ever
00:30:03.83\00:30:05.07
talk, but I've got something
00:30:05.17\00:30:06.47
really good for you, alright?
00:30:06.57\00:30:07.47
Okay."
00:30:07.57\00:30:08.27
And Bob, being a nice guy,
00:30:08.37\00:30:09.34
lets me in.
00:30:09.44\00:30:11.87
"Alright, hey, Bob, listen,
00:30:11.97\00:30:13.51
I've been studying my Bible.
00:30:13.61\00:30:14.44
Do you have a Bible?
00:30:14.54\00:30:15.24
No? I'll get you one.
00:30:15.34\00:30:16.58
Alright, so, listen,
00:30:16.68\00:30:17.71
I've been studying my Bible,
00:30:17.81\00:30:18.71
and as it turns out, at the end
00:30:18.81\00:30:19.91
of time -- that's like when
00:30:20.02\00:30:20.75
we're right living right now,
00:30:20.85\00:30:21.62
Bob -- there's three messages
00:30:21.72\00:30:23.72
that God wants everybody
00:30:23.82\00:30:25.29
to know about, and I've just
00:30:25.39\00:30:26.29
read the first one.
00:30:26.39\00:30:27.22
It is such good news.
00:30:27.32\00:30:28.36
You're going to like this.
00:30:28.46\00:30:29.02
Do you want to hear it?"
00:30:29.12\00:30:29.66
And Bob --
00:30:29.76\00:30:30.39
"Yeah, I'd like to hear it."
00:30:30.49\00:30:31.86
"Bob, listen, the good news that
00:30:31.96\00:30:33.86
God wants to share with you
00:30:33.96\00:30:35.10
is this.
00:30:35.20\00:30:35.86
Are you ready?
00:30:35.96\00:30:37.10
Be afraid because God's going
00:30:37.20\00:30:38.50
to judge you!
00:30:38.60\00:30:42.67
Now, do you want to come
00:30:42.77\00:30:44.04
to church with me
00:30:44.14\00:30:44.91
this week or next?"
00:30:45.01\00:30:46.57
And Bob's not sure if he ever
00:30:52.88\00:30:54.85
wants to go to church with me,
00:30:54.95\00:30:56.25
alright?
00:30:56.35\00:30:56.99
He's realizing
00:30:57.09\00:30:58.22
now he's kind of been enjoying
00:30:58.32\00:30:59.49
the low contact level we've been
00:30:59.59\00:31:00.89
having over the last decade,
00:31:00.99\00:31:02.19
right?
00:31:02.29\00:31:02.72
Okay?
00:31:02.82\00:31:03.63
Because it doesn't sound like
00:31:03.73\00:31:04.56
good news at all, right?
00:31:04.66\00:31:06.29
You know, everlasting good news.
00:31:06.39\00:31:08.13
Fear God! Judgment!
00:31:08.23\00:31:10.10
You know.
00:31:10.20\00:31:11.70
And let's be honest,
00:31:11.80\00:31:14.30
that reaction of, "Ooh,
00:31:14.40\00:31:15.84
that's not good news"
00:31:15.94\00:31:16.71
is not unique to Bob.
00:31:16.81\00:31:20.58
Even in the Seventh-Day
00:31:20.68\00:31:21.21
Adventist Church,
00:31:21.31\00:31:24.21
there's a great deal of fear
00:31:24.31\00:31:26.72
around what this angel
00:31:26.82\00:31:27.68
has just said, right?
00:31:27.78\00:31:30.49
And, yet, remember, God has
00:31:30.59\00:31:32.52
said -- God has already said
00:31:32.62\00:31:34.62
what's coming is good news.
00:31:34.72\00:31:37.69
And if we don't see it
00:31:37.79\00:31:38.93
as good news,
00:31:39.03\00:31:40.06
guess who has the privilege
00:31:40.16\00:31:41.16
of changing their opinion.
00:31:41.26\00:31:42.03
It's us, right?
00:31:42.13\00:31:44.30
If we see it as bad news,
00:31:44.40\00:31:45.90
we are misunderstanding
00:31:46.00\00:31:47.87
what God is saying.
00:31:47.97\00:31:50.07
So let's see
00:31:50.17\00:31:50.74
if we can unpack this.
00:31:50.84\00:31:51.61
How could this possibly
00:31:51.71\00:31:53.01
be good news?
00:31:53.11\00:31:54.34
Well, as it turns out,
00:31:54.44\00:31:58.81
there are actually at least
00:31:58.91\00:32:01.05
two ways that the Bible
00:32:01.15\00:32:03.25
uses the word "fear."
00:32:03.35\00:32:07.42
Okay, number one, the first way
00:32:07.52\00:32:08.69
that the Bible uses the word
00:32:08.79\00:32:09.59
"fear" is stark terror.
00:32:09.69\00:32:11.86
Okay? We're used to that one.
00:32:11.96\00:32:13.13
We know what that one is about.
00:32:13.23\00:32:14.10
In other words,
00:32:14.20\00:32:14.93
at the end of time --
00:32:15.03\00:32:15.86
Because that's the context
00:32:15.96\00:32:16.97
that the three angels' messages
00:32:17.07\00:32:17.67
are given in.
00:32:17.77\00:32:18.57
At the end of time,
00:32:18.67\00:32:19.73
those who know what is right
00:32:19.83\00:32:22.14
but defiantly do otherwise.
00:32:22.24\00:32:23.97
You know, the Bible sometimes
00:32:24.07\00:32:25.84
calls this high-handed sin.
00:32:25.94\00:32:27.48
This is somebody who knows
00:32:27.58\00:32:28.44
what God wants them to do
00:32:28.54\00:32:29.78
and just very happily like,
00:32:29.88\00:32:31.45
you know, in your face,
00:32:31.55\00:32:32.61
God, I'm going to do
00:32:32.71\00:32:33.48
what I want to do, okay?
00:32:33.58\00:32:34.72
High-handed sin.
00:32:34.82\00:32:35.82
For those people
00:32:35.92\00:32:36.99
at the end of time,
00:32:37.09\00:32:38.05
when they enter
00:32:38.15\00:32:38.95
the presence of God,
00:32:39.05\00:32:40.49
they will experience terror.
00:32:40.59\00:32:42.69
And, again, some of you are
00:32:47.03\00:32:47.73
struggling.
00:32:47.83\00:32:48.40
You think, "Well,
00:32:48.50\00:32:49.70
where is the good news?
00:32:49.80\00:32:51.43
Where's the good news in that?"
00:32:51.53\00:32:54.24
Just this.
00:32:54.34\00:32:56.50
It is, indeed,
00:32:56.60\00:32:58.44
bad news for the oppressor,
00:32:58.54\00:33:03.08
but, oh, such good news
00:33:03.18\00:33:05.88
for the oppressed.
00:33:05.98\00:33:08.72
Bad news for the oppressor,
00:33:08.82\00:33:10.92
but, oh, such good news
00:33:11.02\00:33:12.25
for the oppressed.
00:33:12.35\00:33:15.46
Now, let's dig into this
00:33:15.56\00:33:16.29
a little bit further
00:33:16.39\00:33:17.16
here, in illustration.
00:33:17.26\00:33:18.79
Use your imagination
00:33:18.89\00:33:19.53
with me, please.
00:33:19.63\00:33:20.86
So let's imagine that you leave
00:33:20.96\00:33:21.96
the paradise
00:33:22.06\00:33:23.00
that is Berrien Springs
00:33:23.10\00:33:25.87
and you move away inexplicably
00:33:25.97\00:33:27.87
to another town,
00:33:27.97\00:33:29.27
a small town somewhere out
00:33:29.37\00:33:30.57
in the middle of nowhere.
00:33:30.67\00:33:32.27
And let's say you don't have
00:33:32.37\00:33:33.61
much cash on you, whatnot.
00:33:33.71\00:33:34.61
You buy the best house
00:33:34.71\00:33:36.18
you can afford.
00:33:36.28\00:33:37.31
It's not in the worst
00:33:37.41\00:33:38.15
neighborhood or part of town.
00:33:38.25\00:33:39.05
It's not in the best.
00:33:39.15\00:33:40.32
And you move in,
00:33:40.42\00:33:41.42
and pretty soon, you hear a
00:33:41.52\00:33:42.18
rumor that
00:33:42.28\00:33:43.49
at the far end of the street,
00:33:43.59\00:33:44.82
there is a man there
00:33:44.92\00:33:46.99
that preys on children.
00:33:47.09\00:33:51.46
And you tell your little girl --
00:33:51.56\00:33:53.19
You say, "Sweetie, don't
00:33:53.29\00:33:54.73
go down that end of the street.
00:33:54.83\00:33:55.93
You stay here.
00:33:56.03\00:33:56.83
If you play with your friends
00:33:56.93\00:33:57.60
as you make friends,
00:33:57.70\00:33:58.37
you play with them over here.
00:33:58.47\00:33:59.50
You don't go down to that end
00:33:59.60\00:34:00.24
of the street."
00:34:00.34\00:34:01.14
"Okay, okay."
00:34:01.24\00:34:04.74
And then, one day, it happens.
00:34:04.84\00:34:08.48
She's late coming home
00:34:08.58\00:34:09.11
from school.
00:34:09.21\00:34:11.65
You ask the neighbors.
00:34:11.75\00:34:12.45
They haven't seen her.
00:34:12.55\00:34:14.42
You go around the neighborhood.
00:34:14.52\00:34:15.28
The sun is beginning to set.
00:34:15.38\00:34:16.05
It's getting dark.
00:34:16.15\00:34:16.48
You're
00:34:16.58\00:34:17.15
And you think to yourself,
00:34:18.12\00:34:19.35
"Please, Lord, no, no, no, no."
00:34:19.45\00:34:22.92
And you go down to the end
00:34:23.02\00:34:24.73
of the street where he lives
00:34:24.83\00:34:28.33
and you go into that house
00:34:28.43\00:34:31.53
and you are too late.
00:34:31.63\00:34:32.80
And you look over on the side
00:34:37.57\00:34:38.51
of the room,
00:34:38.61\00:34:39.24
satisfied.
00:34:42.51\00:34:45.28
"She's all yours," he says.
00:34:45.38\00:34:48.22
And I want you
00:34:50.39\00:34:51.35
to imagine something with me.
00:34:51.45\00:34:52.55
I want you to imagine
00:34:52.65\00:34:56.66
that you go up to that abuser
00:34:56.76\00:35:01.46
and you point at him
00:35:01.56\00:35:02.70
and you say -- And I want you to
00:35:02.80\00:35:04.10
imagine that this is true.
00:35:04.20\00:35:07.30
And you say,
00:35:07.40\00:35:08.34
"My God, Jesus Christ,
00:35:08.44\00:35:12.31
is walking down the road
00:35:12.41\00:35:14.18
right now to see you."
00:35:14.28\00:35:17.25
Question -- what do you want
00:35:21.68\00:35:24.65
the man's response to be?
00:35:24.75\00:35:28.92
Option A -- "Oh, Jesus.
00:35:29.02\00:35:32.69
I've heard about him.
00:35:32.79\00:35:34.23
That's no problem at all.
00:35:34.36\00:35:35.03
He'll just forgive me.
00:35:35.13\00:35:36.46
No worries at all."
00:35:36.56\00:35:38.33
Keeping my eyes open
00:35:38.43\00:35:39.20
for the next person,
00:35:39.30\00:35:40.30
the next girl.
00:35:40.40\00:35:42.87
Option B --
00:35:42.97\00:35:47.04
would you like his response
00:35:47.14\00:35:48.28
instead to be falling down
00:35:48.38\00:35:50.21
in a dead faint
00:35:50.31\00:35:51.71
because he realizes
00:35:51.81\00:35:52.95
that the judge of all the Earth
00:35:53.05\00:35:54.12
is coming to see him?
00:35:54.22\00:35:56.52
Let's be real clear about
00:36:03.53\00:36:04.19
something here.
00:36:04.29\00:36:06.80
It is a sad fact that
00:36:06.90\00:36:08.03
among many Christians,
00:36:08.13\00:36:09.00
including inside of the
00:36:09.10\00:36:10.07
Seventh-Day Adventist Church,
00:36:10.17\00:36:11.03
there is no room for justice.
00:36:11.13\00:36:13.80
God is such a doormat, you can
00:36:13.90\00:36:16.57
do whatever you want to do
00:36:16.67\00:36:18.41
to anybody as long as you want,
00:36:18.51\00:36:20.21
and God's just going to sit
00:36:20.31\00:36:21.18
there and smile.
00:36:21.28\00:36:23.75
I want you to know, the first
00:36:23.85\00:36:25.31
angel doesn't agree with that.
00:36:25.41\00:36:28.05
The first angel actually says
00:36:28.15\00:36:29.68
exactly the opposite.
00:36:29.78\00:36:31.82
The first angel makes it
00:36:31.92\00:36:33.05
very, very clear
00:36:33.15\00:36:34.69
that justice is coming.
00:36:34.79\00:36:36.83
The final judgment
00:36:36.93\00:36:38.29
of all humanity has begun.
00:36:38.39\00:36:39.96
Justice is coming.
00:36:40.06\00:36:41.20
The judge of all the Earth
00:36:41.30\00:36:42.40
really is on His way.
00:36:42.50\00:36:45.87
And notice carefully, it
00:36:45.97\00:36:47.44
is this kind of judgment,
00:36:47.54\00:36:49.24
God's perfect judgment,
00:36:49.34\00:36:51.17
the investigative judgment.
00:36:51.27\00:36:52.44
We're not talking about
00:36:52.54\00:36:53.04
human judgment here.
00:36:53.14\00:36:53.94
I mean, we give it our best
00:36:54.04\00:36:54.54
shot.
00:36:54.64\00:36:55.18
and whatnot.
00:36:55.94\00:36:56.68
But at the end
00:36:56.78\00:36:57.78
of the day, we're human beings.
00:36:57.88\00:36:58.58
We're fallible.
00:36:58.68\00:36:59.18
We make mistakes.
00:36:59.28\00:37:00.62
God doesn't. Praise the Lord.
00:37:00.72\00:37:02.15
God doesn't.
00:37:02.25\00:37:03.32
His judgment is perfect.
00:37:03.42\00:37:05.12
The verdict will be perfect.
00:37:05.22\00:37:06.39
How He executes will be perfect
00:37:06.49\00:37:07.66
because God is love.
00:37:07.76\00:37:08.86
God is perfect.
00:37:08.96\00:37:10.23
The investigative judgment
00:37:10.33\00:37:11.63
in heaven is the only judgment
00:37:11.73\00:37:13.56
that can finally
00:37:13.66\00:37:14.60
bring evil to an end such that
00:37:14.73\00:37:16.36
it will never rise again.
00:37:16.46\00:37:17.30
>> Amen.
00:37:17.40\00:37:19.40
>> Now follow me carefully here.
00:37:19.50\00:37:21.74
The first angel refers
00:37:21.84\00:37:23.64
to this final-judgment
00:37:23.74\00:37:24.91
process with a phrase.
00:37:25.01\00:37:26.24
It says, "The hour of His
00:37:26.34\00:37:27.54
judgment has come."
00:37:27.64\00:37:28.71
That is unique in all of
00:37:28.81\00:37:29.84
Scripture.
00:37:29.94\00:37:30.58
except here in the first angel.
00:37:31.78\00:37:33.31
There's other places
00:37:33.42\00:37:34.18
where it says, you know,
00:37:34.28\00:37:34.82
or "The day of His judgment."
00:37:36.02\00:37:38.59
Only one place, right here,
00:37:38.69\00:37:40.02
"The hour of His judgment."
00:37:40.12\00:37:41.16
In other words, this is
00:37:41.26\00:37:41.96
punctilio.
00:37:42.06\00:37:42.62
This is a point
00:37:42.72\00:37:43.63
in time that is relatively short
00:37:43.73\00:37:45.49
compared to the rest of history
00:37:45.59\00:37:46.96
in which this judgment hour,
00:37:47.03\00:37:49.10
this final judgment process,
00:37:49.20\00:37:50.43
begins.
00:37:50.53\00:37:51.73
This specific judgment
00:37:51.83\00:37:53.20
process began in heaven
00:37:53.30\00:37:54.70
October 22, 1844.
00:37:54.80\00:37:58.91
Now, I'm going to
00:37:59.01\00:37:59.37
cut a corner here.
00:37:59.47\00:38:00.84
This sermon is not about
00:38:00.94\00:38:01.78
the 2,300-day prophecy.
00:38:01.88\00:38:03.35
We'll save that
00:38:03.45\00:38:03.91
for another time.
00:38:04.01\00:38:05.18
But I will say this.
00:38:05.28\00:38:06.95
Because we know that Jesus came
00:38:07.05\00:38:08.85
and was baptized when He was
00:38:08.95\00:38:10.32
and died when He did
00:38:10.42\00:38:11.59
and we know when the gospel
00:38:11.69\00:38:12.72
went to the Gentiles,
00:38:12.82\00:38:14.12
the first 490 years of the
00:38:14.22\00:38:15.69
2,300-year prophecy has been
00:38:15.79\00:38:17.49
fulfilled right on time
00:38:17.59\00:38:18.43
perfectly.
00:38:18.53\00:38:19.06
Jesus is the anchor.
00:38:19.16\00:38:20.96
If we know that we got it right
00:38:21.06\00:38:22.13
because Jesus confirmed it,
00:38:22.23\00:38:23.30
we know the ending date is
00:38:23.40\00:38:24.63
right, too -- October 22, 1844.
00:38:24.73\00:38:27.50
That's when the pre-advent
00:38:27.60\00:38:28.70
investigative judgment began.
00:38:28.80\00:38:30.11
It has been going on
00:38:30.21\00:38:31.04
since that time.
00:38:31.14\00:38:33.71
And so many times,
00:38:33.81\00:38:35.78
so many times, many Christians
00:38:35.88\00:38:40.25
are fearful of this idea
00:38:40.35\00:38:42.32
of the judgment of God.
00:38:42.42\00:38:44.42
They are fearful
00:38:44.52\00:38:45.15
of the very idea
00:38:45.25\00:38:46.59
of the investigative judgment
00:38:46.69\00:38:47.79
going on right now in heaven.
00:38:47.89\00:38:50.23
I mean, the thing that says,
00:38:50.33\00:38:51.19
"Well, my name is going to come
00:38:51.29\00:38:51.93
on the judgment.
00:38:52.03\00:38:52.73
Oh, will I be able to stand?"
00:38:52.83\00:38:53.53
Et cetera, et cetera.
00:38:53.63\00:38:56.80
But did you know --
00:38:56.90\00:38:57.70
did you know that in light
00:38:57.80\00:39:00.27
of what Scripture actually says,
00:39:00.37\00:39:03.44
every person that can hear
00:39:03.54\00:39:05.17
my voice right now
00:39:05.27\00:39:06.57
would not only approve
00:39:06.68\00:39:08.11
of such a judgment process,
00:39:08.21\00:39:09.74
but actually crave it.
00:39:09.84\00:39:12.78
You say, how could that possibly
00:39:12.88\00:39:13.92
be?
00:39:14.02\00:39:15.92
At least two reasons.
00:39:16.02\00:39:17.45
Number one, when thinking of the
00:39:17.55\00:39:19.65
final judgment, always remember
00:39:19.75\00:39:21.62
this foundational fact --
00:39:21.72\00:39:23.66
God is not looking for ways
00:39:23.76\00:39:25.49
to keep you out of His kingdom,
00:39:25.59\00:39:26.83
but to get you into His kingdom.
00:39:26.93\00:39:29.66
What is the way
00:39:29.76\00:39:30.57
into the kingdom?
00:39:30.67\00:39:31.27
Who is the way into the Kingdom?
00:39:31.37\00:39:33.30
Jesus is. Absolutely.
00:39:33.40\00:39:34.47
He is our Savior and our
00:39:34.57\00:39:36.40
Redeemer.
00:39:36.50\00:39:37.51
Jesus did not die on the cross
00:39:37.61\00:39:40.24
so that he could then say,
00:39:40.34\00:39:41.38
"Na-na-na, boo-boo.
00:39:41.48\00:39:42.41
Found another way to keep you
00:39:42.51\00:39:43.65
out of the kingdom."
00:39:43.75\00:39:45.01
No, He didn't do that.
00:39:45.11\00:39:46.25
Jesus came precisely
00:39:46.35\00:39:47.98
that we might be saved.
00:39:48.08\00:39:50.22
You know, John 3:16,
00:39:50.32\00:39:52.19
probably the most famous
00:39:52.29\00:39:53.42
Bible text in the world, right?
00:39:53.52\00:39:55.62
"For God so loved the world that
00:39:55.72\00:39:56.86
He gave His only begotten son
00:39:56.96\00:39:58.03
so that whosoever believeth
00:39:58.13\00:39:59.23
in Him should not perish,
00:39:59.33\00:40:00.53
but have everlasting life."
00:40:00.63\00:40:01.60
What's Verse 17 say?
00:40:01.70\00:40:03.13
"He did not come into the world
00:40:07.77\00:40:10.57
to condemn the world,
00:40:10.67\00:40:11.87
but to save the world
00:40:11.97\00:40:12.54
through Him."
00:40:12.64\00:40:14.18
That's judgment terminology.
00:40:14.28\00:40:15.68
And Paul picks up on this.
00:40:15.78\00:40:16.85
Notice this text here.
00:40:16.95\00:40:17.65
Romans 8:1.
00:40:17.75\00:40:18.65
"Therefore, there is now
00:40:18.75\00:40:19.88
no condemnation."
00:40:19.98\00:40:20.98
How much condemnation?
00:40:21.08\00:40:22.42
No condemnation
00:40:22.52\00:40:23.85
for those who are what?
00:40:23.95\00:40:25.52
In Christ Jesus.
00:40:25.62\00:40:27.69
This is judgment language.
00:40:27.79\00:40:29.76
The root word here -- this is
00:40:29.86\00:40:31.03
very -- this is legal
00:40:31.13\00:40:31.96
terminology
00:40:32.06\00:40:32.83
that's being used here.
00:40:32.93\00:40:33.73
Paul knows exactly
00:40:33.83\00:40:35.03
what he's referring to.
00:40:35.13\00:40:36.10
This is not random.
00:40:36.20\00:40:37.00
Paul is referring
00:40:37.10\00:40:38.07
to the judgment of Jesus Christ
00:40:38.17\00:40:39.47
about the world.
00:40:39.57\00:40:41.17
And if you are in Jesus --
00:40:41.27\00:40:43.41
Remember what I said last
00:40:43.51\00:40:45.21
week?
00:40:45.31\00:40:46.21
The finest hour of the
00:40:46.31\00:40:48.24
church lies just before us.
00:40:48.34\00:40:50.48
For those that are in
00:40:50.58\00:40:51.11
Jesus Christ, this judgment
00:40:51.21\00:40:52.45
holds no fear for us
00:40:52.55\00:40:53.92
because we are in Jesus
00:40:54.02\00:40:55.15
and He will bring us
00:40:55.25\00:40:55.75
through safely.
00:40:55.85\00:40:56.42
Amen?
00:40:56.52\00:40:56.89
>> Amen.
00:40:56.99\00:40:57.42
>> Amen.
00:40:57.52\00:41:00.49
Secondly, notice this -- the
00:41:00.59\00:41:02.76
detailed nature of this judgment
00:41:02.86\00:41:04.79
process, with all the
00:41:04.89\00:41:06.56
unfallen universe looking on --
00:41:06.66\00:41:07.86
You know, this is Daniel 7.
00:41:07.96\00:41:09.20
This vision about the Son of Man
00:41:09.30\00:41:11.93
coming into -- not to this
00:41:12.03\00:41:13.84
Earth, but into this judgment
00:41:13.94\00:41:15.17
scene, being welcomed
00:41:15.27\00:41:16.10
there by "the jury,"
00:41:16.20\00:41:17.67
as it were, angels, et cetera.
00:41:17.77\00:41:19.47
You know, the detailed nature
00:41:19.57\00:41:20.71
of this judgment,
00:41:20.81\00:41:21.78
all the unfallen universe
00:41:21.88\00:41:22.91
looking on,
00:41:23.01\00:41:23.78
going through the life records
00:41:23.88\00:41:24.88
of all who have ever lived,
00:41:24.98\00:41:25.55
including us --
00:41:25.65\00:41:26.85
this is absolutely essential to
00:41:26.95\00:41:29.52
the forever abolition of evil.
00:41:29.62\00:41:32.32
I mean, can you imagine
00:41:32.42\00:41:34.19
if a judge today where -- Let's
00:41:34.29\00:41:36.42
say that you were falsely
00:41:36.52\00:41:38.39
accused of something, right?
00:41:38.49\00:41:40.23
And the judge said, "Hey,
00:41:40.33\00:41:41.30
you know what?
00:41:41.40\00:41:41.93
I've got a golf game coming
00:41:43.10\00:41:44.10
up here and I need to be there.
00:41:44.20\00:41:44.97
So I'm just going to look
00:41:45.07\00:41:46.20
at half the evidence today.
00:41:46.30\00:41:49.84
And I'll make my judgment
00:41:49.94\00:41:50.74
based on that," okay?
00:41:50.84\00:41:52.61
What would you say about that
00:41:52.71\00:41:53.04
judge?
00:41:53.14\00:41:55.41
Okay, get him off the bench.
00:41:55.51\00:41:56.58
I mean, that's not justice
00:41:56.68\00:41:57.65
at all, right?
00:41:57.75\00:41:58.68
I want you to see
00:41:58.78\00:41:59.55
all the evidence because
00:41:59.65\00:42:00.85
I am innocent of this thing.
00:42:00.95\00:42:02.58
Well,
00:42:02.68\00:42:03.25
we are innocent of His blood.
00:42:04.42\00:42:05.15
Correct?
00:42:05.25\00:42:06.29
We're covered by His blood.
00:42:06.39\00:42:07.76
We are no longer held guilty
00:42:07.86\00:42:09.22
for those things.
00:42:09.32\00:42:10.66
I want the judgment
00:42:10.76\00:42:12.56
to see every nook and cranny.
00:42:12.66\00:42:14.63
I want them to see it all.
00:42:14.73\00:42:16.30
Because if it's not all seen,
00:42:16.40\00:42:18.43
you know what the devil will do.
00:42:18.53\00:42:19.53
He will find a loophole.
00:42:19.63\00:42:21.50
"Well, you didn't look at this.
00:42:21.60\00:42:22.77
You didn't look at this thing,
00:42:22.87\00:42:23.87
Jesus, when You went through
00:42:23.97\00:42:24.61
that judgment process.
00:42:24.71\00:42:25.57
No, You didn't look over here.
00:42:25.67\00:42:26.61
I've still got some life
00:42:26.71\00:42:27.91
left in me."
00:42:28.01\00:42:28.71
I don't want any life left
00:42:28.81\00:42:29.74
in the devil
00:42:29.84\00:42:30.25
when we're all done.
00:42:30.35\00:42:31.85
I want it to be finished, all
00:42:31.95\00:42:32.81
done.
00:42:32.91\00:42:33.72
The detailed nature
00:42:33.82\00:42:35.12
of the judgment is a gift.
00:42:35.22\00:42:37.02
It is a blessing.
00:42:37.12\00:42:38.75
Because only then will evil
00:42:38.85\00:42:41.09
absolutely be forever abolished,
00:42:41.19\00:42:43.16
never to rise again.
00:42:43.26\00:42:46.63
You know, this is why David
00:42:46.73\00:42:47.46
could say what he said.
00:42:47.56\00:42:48.16
Psalm 7:6-9.
00:42:48.26\00:42:49.83
through nine David says,
00:42:49.93\00:42:51.40
"Arise, O Lord, in your anger,
00:42:51.50\00:42:53.10
rise up against
00:42:53.20\00:42:54.20
the rage of my enemies.
00:42:54.30\00:42:55.44
Awake, my God;
00:42:55.54\00:42:56.77
decree --" What?
00:42:56.87\00:42:58.34
Justice.
00:42:58.44\00:42:59.04
So notice what he's doing here.
00:42:59.14\00:43:00.24
He's not just looking for,
00:43:00.34\00:43:01.14
you know,
00:43:01.24\00:43:02.04
a little opinion here and there.
00:43:02.14\00:43:02.84
He wants justice.
00:43:02.94\00:43:04.45
"Give me something definitive."
00:43:04.55\00:43:05.81
"Let the assembled peoples
00:43:05.91\00:43:06.85
gather around you.
00:43:06.95\00:43:08.05
Rule over them from on high;
00:43:08.15\00:43:09.85
let the Lord judge the peoples."
00:43:09.95\00:43:12.99
And just in case
00:43:13.09\00:43:14.99
David was concerned
00:43:15.09\00:43:15.86
that we might miss the point
00:43:15.96\00:43:16.93
of how good this judgment is,
00:43:17.03\00:43:18.33
notice what he says next.
00:43:18.43\00:43:19.79
"Judge --" Who?
00:43:19.89\00:43:22.60
Me!
00:43:22.70\00:43:24.13
He says, "Judge me, O Lord.
00:43:24.23\00:43:25.23
Please, judge me next.
00:43:25.33\00:43:26.57
Make me your next person
00:43:26.67\00:43:27.94
that you're looking at.
00:43:28.04\00:43:28.54
Judge me." How come?
00:43:28.64\00:43:29.94
"According to my righteousness,
00:43:30.04\00:43:30.94
according to my integrity,
00:43:31.04\00:43:31.81
O Most High.
00:43:31.91\00:43:32.81
O righteous God,
00:43:32.91\00:43:34.04
who searches hearts --
00:43:34.14\00:43:35.11
minds and hearts."
00:43:35.21\00:43:36.24
Here's the reason now why
00:43:36.34\00:43:37.25
he wants God to judge him.
00:43:37.35\00:43:38.68
"Bring to an end
00:43:38.78\00:43:40.68
the violence of the wicked
00:43:40.78\00:43:42.42
and make the righteous secure."
00:43:42.52\00:43:45.39
The only way that sin
00:43:45.49\00:43:47.32
will forever be abolished
00:43:47.42\00:43:48.76
is if God goes through this
00:43:48.86\00:43:50.09
investigative-judgment part
00:43:50.19\00:43:51.33
so there are no questions
00:43:51.43\00:43:53.70
left unanswered
00:43:53.80\00:43:55.03
for the onlooking universe
00:43:55.13\00:43:56.73
and so that the devil
00:43:56.83\00:43:57.73
has no excuse to continue.
00:43:57.83\00:44:00.37
It's a gift.
00:44:00.47\00:44:03.47
With the investigative judgment,
00:44:03.57\00:44:04.41
evil is doomed.
00:44:04.51\00:44:05.84
It is bad news
00:44:05.94\00:44:06.88
for the oppressor,
00:44:06.98\00:44:08.11
but, oh, such good news
00:44:08.21\00:44:09.41
for the oppressed.
00:44:09.51\00:44:12.68
So, let me just ask you
00:44:12.78\00:44:13.48
this morning, are you an
00:44:13.58\00:44:16.85
oppressor of other people?
00:44:16.95\00:44:22.39
You say, "Pastor Shane, we're
00:44:22.49\00:44:23.09
all good people here.
00:44:23.19\00:44:24.33
I mean, this is church, right?"
00:44:24.43\00:44:27.03
It would be great
00:44:27.13\00:44:27.66
if the answer is no,
00:44:27.76\00:44:29.86
that no one here
00:44:29.96\00:44:30.57
is oppressing somebody.
00:44:30.67\00:44:31.70
If you're hearing my voice
00:44:31.80\00:44:32.70
right now and you are
00:44:32.80\00:44:34.50
an oppressor of other people,
00:44:34.60\00:44:35.70
you're using other people, you
00:44:35.80\00:44:36.94
are manipulating other people,
00:44:37.04\00:44:37.94
you are soaking up
00:44:38.04\00:44:39.41
from them for your own ends,
00:44:39.51\00:44:40.71
your own pleasure,
00:44:40.81\00:44:41.58
your own advantage,
00:44:41.68\00:44:45.21
I just want to encourage you
00:44:45.31\00:44:46.21
to think carefully in light
00:44:46.31\00:44:47.15
of what we've just read.
00:44:47.25\00:44:50.22
It is not too late
00:44:50.32\00:44:50.99
for you to turn.
00:44:51.09\00:44:53.39
God is a God of compassion.
00:44:53.49\00:44:56.02
But that compassion
00:44:56.12\00:44:56.76
will not last forever.
00:44:56.86\00:44:58.93
There is a process
00:44:59.03\00:44:59.89
going on right now.
00:45:00.06\00:45:01.96
And if I read my Bible
00:45:02.06\00:45:03.10
correctly, we may be nearing
00:45:03.20\00:45:04.10
the end of that soon.
00:45:04.20\00:45:06.00
You may or may not have
00:45:06.10\00:45:06.90
a lifetime to choose for
00:45:07.00\00:45:08.07
or against Jesus Christ.
00:45:08.17\00:45:10.14
Jesus is waiting.
00:45:10.24\00:45:11.84
There's a far better way than
00:45:11.94\00:45:12.91
you oppressing other people.
00:45:13.01\00:45:14.18
Come back.
00:45:14.28\00:45:16.11
He will hold you accountable
00:45:16.21\00:45:17.21
for your decisions.
00:45:17.31\00:45:18.95
He loves you
00:45:19.05\00:45:20.35
and He wants you back.
00:45:20.45\00:45:24.09
And secondly, are there some
00:45:24.19\00:45:25.42
of you listening this morning
00:45:25.52\00:45:28.32
that are oppressed?
00:45:28.42\00:45:31.26
Is there somebody that's using
00:45:31.36\00:45:32.29
you, that's harming you,
00:45:32.39\00:45:34.46
that's taking advantage of you,
00:45:34.56\00:45:35.53
taking from you
00:45:35.63\00:45:36.50
just for their own pleasure,
00:45:36.60\00:45:37.43
for their own advantage?
00:45:37.53\00:45:39.27
Is the devil oppressing you
00:45:39.37\00:45:40.94
these days?
00:45:41.04\00:45:43.10
If so, lift up your heads, for
00:45:43.20\00:45:47.04
your redemption draweth nigh.
00:45:47.14\00:45:49.81
Because the first angel tells me
00:45:49.91\00:45:52.05
that justice is coming.
00:45:52.15\00:45:54.22
He loudly proclaims,
00:45:54.32\00:45:55.45
"Fear God and give Him glory,
00:45:55.55\00:45:56.92
because the hour of His judgment
00:45:57.02\00:45:58.12
has come."
00:45:58.22\00:46:00.22
And the end of evil
00:46:00.32\00:46:01.49
is just over the horizon.
00:46:01.59\00:46:04.36
Bad news for the oppressor,
00:46:04.46\00:46:06.13
but, oh, such good news
00:46:06.23\00:46:08.13
for the oppressed.
00:46:08.23\00:46:12.90
So, that's the first way
00:46:13.00\00:46:15.34
that the word "fear" is used in
00:46:15.44\00:46:17.34
Scripture.
00:46:17.44\00:46:19.31
Blessedly, there is a second.
00:46:19.41\00:46:21.41
And, by the way,
00:46:21.51\00:46:23.01
both of these interpretations
00:46:23.11\00:46:24.41
of the word "fear" apply
00:46:24.51\00:46:26.75
in the first angel's message
00:46:26.85\00:46:28.48
Psalm 34:1.
00:46:28.58\00:46:30.72
Psalm 34:1.
00:46:30.82\00:46:31.99
It's on page 380
00:46:32.09\00:46:33.56
in your Red Bible.
00:46:33.66\00:46:34.39
Page 380, Psalm 34,
00:46:34.49\00:46:37.23
beginning with Verse 1.
00:46:37.33\00:46:38.76
There are a number of places
00:46:38.86\00:46:39.59
in Scripture
00:46:39.69\00:46:40.43
in which these two meanings --
00:46:40.53\00:46:41.90
to two uses of the word "fear"
00:46:42.00\00:46:43.13
are utilized.
00:46:43.23\00:46:44.73
Psalm 34
00:46:44.83\00:46:46.00
is the tightest that I know of.
00:46:46.10\00:46:47.90
This is the closest proximity
00:46:48.00\00:46:49.24
that these two senses
00:46:49.34\00:46:50.61
of the word "fear" are used.
00:46:50.71\00:46:51.87
It's incredible to see.
00:46:51.97\00:46:53.68
Psalm 34, beginning with
00:46:53.78\00:46:54.38
Verse 1.
00:46:54.48\00:46:55.84
David says, "I will extol
00:46:55.94\00:46:57.21
the Lord at all times.
00:46:57.31\00:46:58.95
His praise will always be
00:46:59.05\00:47:00.32
on my lips.
00:47:00.42\00:47:01.85
My soul will boast in the Lord.
00:47:01.95\00:47:03.59
Let the afflicted hear
00:47:03.69\00:47:04.62
and rejoice.
00:47:04.72\00:47:06.02
Glorify the Lord with me.
00:47:06.12\00:47:07.36
Let us exalt his name together.
00:47:07.46\00:47:09.09
I sought the Lord,
00:47:09.19\00:47:10.16
and he answered me.
00:47:10.26\00:47:11.33
He delivered me
00:47:11.43\00:47:12.26
from all my --" What?
00:47:12.36\00:47:14.40
"All my fears."
00:47:14.50\00:47:15.20
Okay, so, pause for just a
00:47:15.30\00:47:15.90
moment.
00:47:16.00\00:47:16.46
Notice what David
00:47:16.56\00:47:17.13
is saying here.
00:47:17.23\00:47:18.07
This is clearly -- Like, this
00:47:18.17\00:47:19.10
is terror, right?
00:47:19.20\00:47:20.24
This kind of stuff --
00:47:20.34\00:47:21.90
God has delivered him from it.
00:47:22.00\00:47:22.74
They're all gone.
00:47:22.84\00:47:23.51
All those fears are gone.
00:47:23.61\00:47:24.74
Verse 5.
00:47:24.84\00:47:26.71
"Those who look to Him --"
00:47:26.81\00:47:27.98
to God -- "are radiant.
00:47:28.08\00:47:29.51
Their faces
00:47:29.61\00:47:30.41
are never covered with shame.
00:47:30.51\00:47:31.85
This poor man called,
00:47:31.95\00:47:33.45
and the Lord heard him.
00:47:33.55\00:47:34.45
He saved him
00:47:34.55\00:47:35.35
out of all of his troubles."
00:47:35.45\00:47:36.62
Notice Verse 7.
00:47:36.72\00:47:38.22
"The angel of the Lord encamps
00:47:38.32\00:47:40.46
around those who --" What?
00:47:40.56\00:47:41.86
Fear. Wait a second.
00:47:41.96\00:47:42.92
I thought
00:47:43.02\00:47:43.89
we were all done with that.
00:47:43.99\00:47:44.96
I mean, that's what David
00:47:45.06\00:47:46.26
just said a few verses earlier.
00:47:46.36\00:47:47.56
"Took all my fears away."
00:47:47.66\00:47:48.96
And now he says, "Oh, the angel
00:47:49.06\00:47:50.30
of the Lord encamps around those
00:47:50.40\00:47:51.60
who fear Him,
00:47:51.70\00:47:53.90
and He delivers them."
00:47:54.00\00:47:55.40
Verse 8.
00:47:55.50\00:47:56.10
"Taste and see
00:47:56.20\00:47:57.11
that the Lord is good.
00:47:57.21\00:47:58.61
Blessed is the man
00:47:58.71\00:47:59.87
who takes refuge in Him.
00:48:00.04\00:48:01.88
Fear the Lord, you, His saints,
00:48:01.98\00:48:03.81
for those who fear Him
00:48:03.91\00:48:05.28
lack nothing."
00:48:05.38\00:48:07.68
Wow! Ladies and gentlemen,
00:48:07.78\00:48:11.19
this sense of fear is clearly
00:48:11.29\00:48:13.22
not stark terror.
00:48:13.32\00:48:15.09
No, no, no, no, no, no, no.
00:48:15.19\00:48:16.56
This type of fear is honor
00:48:16.66\00:48:19.06
and respect.
00:48:19.16\00:48:21.43
That's what this means.
00:48:21.53\00:48:22.60
Honor and respect.
00:48:22.70\00:48:23.93
You can see it very clearly.
00:48:24.03\00:48:24.90
It's spelled out in the context.
00:48:25.00\00:48:26.50
God is not looking for us to be
00:48:26.60\00:48:27.40
in stark terror of Him.
00:48:27.50\00:48:28.57
He doesn't like that.
00:48:28.67\00:48:29.20
He doesn't want that.
00:48:29.30\00:48:30.51
But He does want us to fear Him
00:48:30.61\00:48:32.17
in this sense -- that we honor
00:48:32.27\00:48:33.88
and respect Him, that we put Him
00:48:33.98\00:48:36.04
first in our list, that we let
00:48:36.14\00:48:36.91
Him lead in our lives.
00:48:37.01\00:48:38.65
And in exchange -- I mean,
00:48:38.75\00:48:39.98
this is incredible.
00:48:40.08\00:48:42.05
Little old us, you know,
00:48:42.15\00:48:43.42
just you're one of billions
00:48:43.52\00:48:45.05
of people that have crawled
00:48:45.15\00:48:46.09
on the planet and, you know,
00:48:46.19\00:48:47.16
billions more life-forms,
00:48:47.26\00:48:48.29
et cetera, that God could spend
00:48:48.39\00:48:49.46
time -- And He says to us, "If
00:48:49.56\00:48:51.16
you will honor and respect me,
00:48:51.26\00:48:52.83
I'll take care of your needs."
00:48:52.93\00:48:55.83
Wow! All of your spirit -- He
00:48:55.93\00:48:58.40
said, "They will lack nothing."
00:48:58.50\00:48:59.73
That's what David said.
00:48:59.83\00:49:00.90
That's what -- By the
00:49:01.00\00:49:01.80
inspiration
00:49:01.90\00:49:02.70
of the Holy Spirit of God,
00:49:02.80\00:49:03.51
they will lack nothing.
00:49:03.61\00:49:04.61
If you honor and respect
00:49:04.71\00:49:06.07
God, put Him first place
00:49:06.17\00:49:07.54
in your life, let Him lead you,
00:49:07.64\00:49:09.18
He will take care of you.
00:49:09.28\00:49:11.08
Even if you walk through the
00:49:11.18\00:49:12.05
Valley of the Shadow of Death,
00:49:12.15\00:49:13.31
He will still be with you.
00:49:13.42\00:49:14.62
He will bring you through.
00:49:14.72\00:49:16.38
Even if they take your house
00:49:16.48\00:49:18.32
and your car and your clothes
00:49:18.42\00:49:19.65
and your family, even if they
00:49:19.75\00:49:20.89
take your very life,
00:49:20.99\00:49:22.82
Jesus says, "No problem.
00:49:22.92\00:49:24.23
I'll bring him back up again.
00:49:24.33\00:49:25.13
And He will.
00:49:25.23\00:49:26.59
He will take care of you
00:49:26.70\00:49:27.83
no matter what happens
00:49:27.93\00:49:29.20
if you honor and respect Him.
00:49:29.30\00:49:31.13
No wonder David said, "Blessed
00:49:31.23\00:49:33.54
are those who fear the Lord."
00:49:33.64\00:49:35.90
Because those who fear Him
00:49:36.00\00:49:36.57
lack nothing.
00:49:36.67\00:49:38.41
Is that good news?
00:49:38.51\00:49:40.24
Yeah, that's good news.
00:49:40.34\00:49:41.78
Alright, we're 2 for 2 here
00:49:41.88\00:49:42.64
in the first part
00:49:42.74\00:49:43.58
of the first angel's message,
00:49:43.68\00:49:44.45
and we're not even done yet.
00:49:44.55\00:49:46.08
Verse 7, please.
00:49:46.18\00:49:47.68
Revelation 14,
00:49:47.78\00:49:51.79
beginning with Verse 7.
00:49:51.89\00:49:54.66
It says, "He said in a loud
00:49:54.76\00:49:55.66
voice, Fear God and give him
00:49:55.76\00:49:56.73
glory, because the hour of His
00:49:56.83\00:49:57.69
judgment has come."
00:49:57.79\00:49:58.59
We've looked at that a little
00:49:58.69\00:49:59.23
bit.
00:49:59.33\00:49:59.83
Then he finishes with this
00:49:59.93\00:50:00.86
in the first angel.
00:50:00.96\00:50:01.93
"Worship Him who --" What?
00:50:02.03\00:50:04.27
What's that word?
00:50:04.37\00:50:05.50
"Who made."
00:50:05.60\00:50:06.60
"Worship Him who made the
00:50:06.70\00:50:08.64
heavens, the earth, the sea,
00:50:08.74\00:50:10.34
and the springs of water.
00:50:10.44\00:50:11.27
Worship him who made."
00:50:11.37\00:50:16.01
You know, I see my enemy on the
00:50:16.11\00:50:16.81
wall.
00:50:16.91\00:50:19.08
As one of my professors
00:50:19.18\00:50:19.75
used to say,
00:50:19.85\00:50:20.42
In other words,
00:50:21.55\00:50:22.15
So I'm going to --
00:50:23.08\00:50:23.85
Okay, we're gonna -- There's
00:50:23.95\00:50:24.72
so much packed into
00:50:24.82\00:50:26.19
these three angels' messages.
00:50:26.29\00:50:27.29
If you write something
00:50:27.39\00:50:28.29
2,000 years in advance
00:50:28.39\00:50:30.09
and you intend for this
00:50:30.19\00:50:31.23
Christmas present to be opened
00:50:31.33\00:50:32.46
at the end of history,
00:50:32.56\00:50:33.60
1844, post, there's all kinds of
00:50:33.70\00:50:35.96
stuff crammed in there.
00:50:36.06\00:50:36.73
I don't have time
00:50:36.83\00:50:37.63
to go into it all,
00:50:37.73\00:50:38.53
but let me at least notice this.
00:50:38.63\00:50:41.74
The first angel is going
00:50:41.84\00:50:43.17
to great lengths to point out
00:50:43.27\00:50:45.74
one salient thing --
00:50:45.84\00:50:47.81
that God is our Creator.
00:50:47.91\00:50:51.95
Now, some Christians
00:50:52.05\00:50:54.08
look at a statement like that
00:50:54.18\00:50:55.15
and they go, "Well, duh.
00:50:55.25\00:50:56.45
I mean, tell me something else
00:50:56.55\00:50:57.52
that's more interesting," okay?
00:50:57.62\00:50:59.89
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.
00:51:00.06\00:51:01.52
I would gently suggest to
00:51:01.62\00:51:02.82
you that this is one of the most
00:51:02.92\00:51:03.79
overlooked facts
00:51:03.89\00:51:05.39
of God's existence in all of
00:51:05.49\00:51:08.13
human history.
00:51:08.23\00:51:10.00
And the reason I say that is
00:51:10.10\00:51:11.17
because the first angel here
00:51:11.27\00:51:12.83
is seeking to emphasize
00:51:12.93\00:51:14.54
God's creatorship, right?
00:51:14.64\00:51:16.97
There's a call to worship.
00:51:17.07\00:51:18.04
You know, fear God,
00:51:18.14\00:51:18.64
give Him glory,
00:51:18.74\00:51:19.37
Worship -- There's a call to
00:51:20.68\00:51:21.78
worship, and he wants to make
00:51:21.88\00:51:22.98
sure that we worship the right
00:51:23.08\00:51:23.78
God.
00:51:23.88\00:51:24.45
The right God is the creator.
00:51:24.55\00:51:26.31
No one else.
00:51:26.41\00:51:27.88
Now, why would he say that?
00:51:27.98\00:51:28.95
Because to say that God
00:51:29.05\00:51:30.15
is the creator
00:51:30.25\00:51:31.35
is the most important thing
00:51:31.45\00:51:33.09
we can ever say about Him.
00:51:33.19\00:51:36.49
It's more important than saying
00:51:36.59\00:51:37.99
he's our redeemer,
00:51:38.09\00:51:40.20
because only the creator
00:51:40.30\00:51:41.70
can be our redeemer.
00:51:41.80\00:51:43.60
What does David say?
00:51:43.70\00:51:44.90
"Create in me a clean heart and
00:51:45.00\00:51:47.54
renew a right spirit within me."
00:51:47.64\00:51:48.94
Salvation is an act of creation.
00:51:49.04\00:51:51.47
Only the creator can save us.
00:51:51.57\00:51:54.14
And so the first angel --
00:51:54.24\00:51:55.38
At the end of time,
00:51:55.48\00:51:57.05
all the marbles are out there.
00:51:57.15\00:51:58.18
This is for the final game.
00:51:58.28\00:52:01.55
The angel wants us to know
00:52:01.65\00:52:02.48
very clearly who it is that
00:52:02.58\00:52:03.99
we are to worship -- no one
00:52:04.09\00:52:04.65
else.
00:52:04.75\00:52:06.05
Did you notice
00:52:06.15\00:52:06.72
also the importance
00:52:06.82\00:52:07.86
that the Seventh-Day Sabbath
00:52:07.96\00:52:08.96
is given in this message?
00:52:09.06\00:52:11.66
You know, we almost have
00:52:11.76\00:52:12.26
a direct quotation
00:52:12.36\00:52:13.26
from the Fourth Commandment
00:52:13.36\00:52:14.10
in the Ten Commandments?
00:52:14.20\00:52:15.16
Some people say, "You know what?
00:52:15.26\00:52:16.00
You Adventists make too much
00:52:16.10\00:52:17.17
of the Seventh-Day Sabbath.
00:52:17.27\00:52:18.17
It's not that big of a deal."
00:52:18.27\00:52:18.97
Oh, yes it is.
00:52:19.07\00:52:19.80
God himself put it there.
00:52:19.90\00:52:21.37
God put it right here
00:52:21.47\00:52:22.47
in this first angel's message.
00:52:22.57\00:52:23.64
It's almost a direct quotation,
00:52:23.74\00:52:25.17
again, from the Fourth
00:52:25.27\00:52:26.34
Commandment of the Big Ten.
00:52:26.44\00:52:28.61
So the Sabbath here
00:52:28.71\00:52:29.68
takes on profound importance.
00:52:29.78\00:52:31.15
It reminds us of who God is,
00:52:31.25\00:52:32.51
that He is our creator.
00:52:32.61\00:52:35.05
Exactly. And at the end of time,
00:52:35.15\00:52:36.58
indeed, the Sabbath will be
00:52:36.69\00:52:37.72
extremely pertinent
00:52:37.82\00:52:38.85
and important in there.
00:52:38.95\00:52:40.79
We're going to talk more about
00:52:40.89\00:52:41.69
that in a future installment.
00:52:41.79\00:52:43.59
We could go on
00:52:43.69\00:52:44.29
about other references.
00:52:44.39\00:52:45.29
You know, the fountains of water
00:52:45.39\00:52:47.40
here, a reference to,
00:52:47.50\00:52:48.53
you know, a literal global flood
00:52:48.63\00:52:49.83
that took place because of the
00:52:49.93\00:52:50.73
fountains breaking forth there
00:52:50.83\00:52:52.17
and a six-day literal creation.
00:52:52.27\00:52:53.67
There's so much that's packed in
00:52:53.77\00:52:55.14
here to this first angel's
00:52:55.24\00:52:56.14
message.
00:52:56.24\00:52:57.51
But we're going to save that
00:52:57.61\00:52:58.24
for another time.
00:52:58.34\00:52:59.61
We are, however, ready to sum up
00:52:59.71\00:53:02.84
the meaning of the first
00:53:02.94\00:53:04.31
angel's message.
00:53:04.41\00:53:06.21
And this is just the best way
00:53:06.31\00:53:07.32
that I know how to put it down.
00:53:07.42\00:53:08.42
If you're the kind of person
00:53:08.52\00:53:09.25
that likes to write notes
00:53:09.35\00:53:10.15
or put it on your phone or your
00:53:10.25\00:53:11.02
device, whatever, you might
00:53:11.12\00:53:11.79
want to write this down.
00:53:11.89\00:53:13.12
In a nutshell -- I'm going to
00:53:13.22\00:53:14.36
do one of these for the first,
00:53:14.46\00:53:15.59
the second, and the third angels
00:53:15.69\00:53:16.56
when the time comes.
00:53:16.66\00:53:17.83
The nutshell
00:53:17.93\00:53:18.46
for the first angel --
00:53:18.56\00:53:19.26
what does the first angel's
00:53:19.36\00:53:20.23
message mean?
00:53:20.33\00:53:21.66
I believe it means to honor
00:53:21.76\00:53:23.10
and worship the Creator,
00:53:23.20\00:53:24.97
for justice is coming and time
00:53:25.07\00:53:27.54
is running out.
00:53:27.64\00:53:29.44
This is not the first judgment
00:53:29.54\00:53:30.67
that we're talking about.
00:53:30.77\00:53:31.44
It's not the middle judgment.
00:53:31.54\00:53:32.44
It's the final judgment.
00:53:32.54\00:53:34.11
We may or may not have a
00:53:34.21\00:53:35.31
lifetime to choose Jesus Christ.
00:53:35.41\00:53:38.18
Jesus may come before we die.
00:53:38.28\00:53:39.81
Wouldn't that be great?
00:53:39.91\00:53:40.98
Wouldn't that be awesome, right?
00:53:41.08\00:53:43.32
Honor and worship the Creator,
00:53:43.42\00:53:44.82
for justice is coming and time
00:53:44.92\00:53:46.86
is running out.
00:53:46.96\00:53:48.39
And I think I need to visit
00:53:48.49\00:53:49.96
Bob again.
00:53:50.06\00:53:51.86
Hey, Bob, it's me again.
00:53:56.33\00:53:58.23
Yeah, your neighbor Shane.
00:53:58.33\00:54:00.64
I know. One more chance.
00:54:00.74\00:54:02.47
I mean, you know,
00:54:02.57\00:54:03.47
just one more chance, please?
00:54:03.57\00:54:04.87
And Bob's a nice guy,
00:54:04.97\00:54:05.81
so he's going to let me in.
00:54:05.91\00:54:09.38
Hey, Bob, listen, so,
00:54:09.48\00:54:12.08
about that first message that
00:54:12.18\00:54:13.21
I shared with you last time.
00:54:13.31\00:54:14.12
I may have jumped the gun
00:54:14.22\00:54:15.12
a little bit.
00:54:15.22\00:54:16.25
I went to church
00:54:16.35\00:54:17.29
and I heard a sermon about it,
00:54:17.39\00:54:18.15
and it might be a little
00:54:18.25\00:54:18.85
different
00:54:18.95\00:54:19.45
So, actually, you know,
00:54:20.82\00:54:21.69
the first part of God's
00:54:21.79\00:54:23.39
last three messages to you
00:54:23.49\00:54:26.80
is that if you will honor
00:54:26.90\00:54:27.66
and respect Him,
00:54:27.76\00:54:30.27
He'll take care of you.
00:54:30.37\00:54:32.57
I mean, whatever it is
00:54:32.67\00:54:34.10
that you're facing now,
00:54:34.20\00:54:34.87
Bob -- I don't know all
00:54:34.97\00:54:35.57
that you're going through, but
00:54:35.67\00:54:36.47
God will take care of you.
00:54:36.57\00:54:37.97
You know, we put Him first --
00:54:38.07\00:54:40.38
I try to put him first
00:54:40.48\00:54:41.08
in my life.
00:54:41.18\00:54:41.84
I can tell you firsthand,
00:54:41.94\00:54:42.88
I mean, He provides for me,
00:54:42.98\00:54:43.95
even -- There's all kinds
00:54:44.05\00:54:44.85
of stuff against me.
00:54:44.95\00:54:46.48
He holds me in His hands.
00:54:46.58\00:54:48.32
And, you know, Bob,
00:54:48.42\00:54:49.95
when you turn on the TV
00:54:50.05\00:54:51.25
and look on your computer
00:54:51.35\00:54:53.15
on news feeds and stuff,
00:54:53.25\00:54:54.16
you know, all the carnage
00:54:54.26\00:54:54.89
and the bloodshed
00:54:54.99\00:54:56.49
and children being, you know,
00:54:56.59\00:54:58.46
beaten and treated terribly.
00:54:58.56\00:54:59.53
You know what?
00:54:59.63\00:55:00.26
Right now,
00:55:00.36\00:55:01.03
God is doing a process
00:55:01.13\00:55:02.33
that's going to stop
00:55:02.43\00:55:03.37
all of that forever.
00:55:03.47\00:55:05.07
It's never going to come back
00:55:05.17\00:55:05.90
when He's finished.
00:55:06.00\00:55:07.47
And when He's finished with
00:55:07.57\00:55:08.74
that, He's going to come back
00:55:08.84\00:55:09.50
and He's going to make
00:55:09.60\00:55:10.24
all of these things right.
00:55:10.34\00:55:13.17
What do you think, Bob?
00:55:13.27\00:55:15.28
What do you think about
00:55:15.38\00:55:16.14
that kind of a god?
00:55:16.24\00:55:17.25
And my guess is, Bob likes that
00:55:22.58\00:55:24.89
a lot.
00:55:24.99\00:55:27.09
And I hope you do, too.
00:55:27.19\00:55:30.13
Ladies and gentlemen,
00:55:30.23\00:55:30.76
we live in a world
00:55:30.86\00:55:32.03
that is filled with oppression.
00:55:32.13\00:55:34.00
Even if we live in
00:55:34.10\00:55:35.96
a somewhat peaceful country
00:55:36.06\00:55:37.50
like this one that's,
00:55:37.60\00:55:38.70
you know, relatively at peace,
00:55:38.80\00:55:40.94
every day, the devil puts us on
00:55:41.04\00:55:42.44
his list and we are oppressed,
00:55:42.54\00:55:44.44
and he comes after us with a
00:55:44.54\00:55:45.61
vengeance, like a roaring lion.
00:55:45.71\00:55:47.68
Justice is coming.
00:55:47.78\00:55:51.18
The first angel has proclaimed
00:55:51.28\00:55:52.91
it, and God is looking
00:55:53.01\00:55:54.25
and He is asking,
00:55:54.35\00:55:55.48
"Will the prophetic movement
00:55:55.58\00:55:58.69
do the things
00:55:58.79\00:55:59.95
that I've asked them to do
00:56:00.12\00:56:01.36
and say the things that
00:56:01.46\00:56:02.62
I've asked them to say?"
00:56:02.72\00:56:04.59
You know, right now,
00:56:04.69\00:56:05.26
across the planet
00:56:06.29\00:56:07.10
that have never heard
00:56:07.20\00:56:08.06
the three angels' messages.
00:56:08.16\00:56:08.93
They've never heard
00:56:09.03\00:56:09.73
the good news that's in them.
00:56:09.83\00:56:11.07
There are people even right here
00:56:11.17\00:56:12.33
within our sphere of influence,
00:56:12.43\00:56:13.90
there are thousands of them
00:56:14.00\00:56:14.87
that have never heard
00:56:14.97\00:56:16.04
God's good news for this time.
00:56:16.14\00:56:18.54
I just want to ask you,
00:56:18.64\00:56:19.84
do you want to be part
00:56:19.94\00:56:21.08
of a movement that changes that?
00:56:21.18\00:56:23.65
Do you want to be part of God's
00:56:23.75\00:56:24.95
final last-day movements
00:56:25.05\00:56:26.38
of bringing this good news to
00:56:26.48\00:56:27.58
the world and even right here?
00:56:27.68\00:56:29.12
Can you say Amen?
00:56:29.22\00:56:30.09
>> Amen.
00:56:30.19\00:56:31.02
>> Amen. May the Lord find us
00:56:31.12\00:56:32.65
faithful and joyful
00:56:32.75\00:56:34.32
with many others with us
00:56:34.42\00:56:37.39
when He soon returns.
00:56:37.49\00:56:40.80
[ Applause ]
00:56:40.90\00:56:42.40
>> Thank you for taking the time
00:56:51.14\00:56:52.11
to join us in worship today.
00:56:52.21\00:56:53.81
I'd like to spend just
00:56:53.91\00:56:55.18
another moment with you here
00:56:55.28\00:56:56.38
at the end of our program
00:56:56.48\00:56:57.58
to share a word of hope.
00:56:57.68\00:57:00.48
In fact, that's what this little
00:57:00.58\00:57:01.58
book is all about.
00:57:01.68\00:57:03.99
In these uncertain times --
00:57:04.09\00:57:05.52
and let's face it, they're
00:57:05.62\00:57:06.86
uncertain all over the planet --
00:57:06.96\00:57:08.66
this book, entitled
00:57:08.76\00:57:09.82
"The Great Hope,"
00:57:09.92\00:57:11.19
will help you understand
00:57:11.29\00:57:12.59
not just what God has planned
00:57:12.69\00:57:13.83
for your future,
00:57:13.93\00:57:15.50
but for the future of the entire
00:57:15.60\00:57:16.43
human race.
00:57:16.53\00:57:18.63
You know, light keeps shining
00:57:18.73\00:57:20.14
on this dark, old world,
00:57:20.24\00:57:21.64
and new truths,
00:57:21.74\00:57:22.74
long forgotten, are being
00:57:22.84\00:57:24.24
constantly rediscovered.
00:57:24.34\00:57:26.47
If you need a fresh dose of hope
00:57:26.57\00:57:28.11
in your life these days,
00:57:28.21\00:57:29.68
or if you know somebody else
00:57:29.78\00:57:30.55
who could sure use
00:57:30.65\00:57:31.38
that gift of hope,
00:57:31.48\00:57:32.85
then I'd like to invite you
00:57:32.95\00:57:33.72
to grab your phone
00:57:33.82\00:57:35.02
and dial our toll-free number.
00:57:35.12\00:57:36.85
877, the two words "HIS WILL."
00:57:36.95\00:57:40.26
That's 877-HIS-WILL.
00:57:40.36\00:57:43.06
And at no charge to you,
00:57:43.16\00:57:44.43
we'll get a copy in the mail
00:57:44.53\00:57:45.36
to you right away.
00:57:45.46\00:57:47.76
Till the next time we meet,
00:57:47.86\00:57:49.00
may the peace and hope
00:57:49.10\00:57:50.87
of the Lord Jesus Christ
00:57:50.97\00:57:52.33
be with you always.
00:57:52.43\00:57:53.37
¤
00:58:00.51\00:58:02.21