Announcer:
Revelation. The time of the end.
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Mysterious signs.
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Strange happenings.
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Confusing numbers.
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Are we facing a new world
order and the mark of the beast?
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Are we living on a
planet in upheaval?
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Are we on the
verge of Armageddon?
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Revelation, what do all the
signs in this mysterious book
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mean? Discover real answers.
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Revelation Speaks
Peace, with Shawn Boonstra.
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+
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Tonight our subject is "The
anatomy of Evil" I'm going to
ask that you bow your heads with
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me in prayer. Father in heaven,
over the years, I've come to see
first-hand that there really is
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an enemy of souls. And tonight,
I'm asking that our focus would
not be on him, but on Jesus.
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That evil angels, the ones who
sow doubt about Your love, would
not be permitted in this
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auditorium tonight, nowhere near
anybody sitting here. I'm asking
that the only Voice we clearly
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hear tonight is Yours. Lord, let
my voice fade into the
background, and You speak to our
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hearts. Forgive my sin. Please,
again, take a coal from heaven's
altar and give me the ability to
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represent heaven faithfully. We
want to hear the Voice of Jesus
speak. Let our problems in the
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world fade away for a little
while as we open the pages of
the Bible, and may we be born
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again by the Word of God. And I
ask it tonight in Jesus' name,
amen. On Sunday night, we looked
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at what is easily the most
talked-about subject in Bible
prophecy: the second coming of
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Christ. Tonight, we're going to
look at another topic that is
widely talked-about. It gets a
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lot of attention, but not from
Christians so much. This is one
that gets attention from the
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critics and the sceptics and the
atheists. It's something they
call "the problem of evil." And
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the problem of evil runs like
this: "If God is as good as you
say He is, and if God knows
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everything and God is
all-powerful and God is really
love, then why do we have to put
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up with pain and suffering and
evil? Where did that come from?"
And the implication, of course,
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the thing that they're trying to
say is that maybe God isn't
good. If you listen to some of
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the sceptics, they sound
decidedly angry at God, or
they're trying to make a point.
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"Maybe God doesn't even exist."
This has got to be the number
one issue that the sceptics
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raise, and they raise it to
discredit the Bible and to
discredit Christianity. So
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tonight, I want to look at it.
But what we're going to do is
read the whole story. We want to
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look at the big picture and get
all the background, because
that's what the sceptics do not
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do. They don't read the whole
thing. They just cherry-pick a
little bit here and a little bit
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there, and they get the hardest
bits of the Bible, and they lift
them out of context and they
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paint an inaccurate picture.
They're cherry-pickers. So
tonight we're going to look at
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this amazing prophecy that is
found in Revelation chapter 12.
And what we're about to read
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usually comes as a surprise to
some people. Revelation 12 verse
7. The Bible says: "And there
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was war" - where? Where was the
war? It's in heaven. That comes
as a surprise to some people.
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Suffering didn't actually start
here on this planet. Pain did
not begin on earth. War did not
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start here, according to the
Bible. It all begins in the
courts of heaven. And that tells
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me something about our God. It
tells me He knows a thing or two
about suffering. He's not
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isolated somewhere out there in
the universe, living in a
bubble, sheltered from the stuff
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that hurts. God knows pain,
because the Bible says the
trouble actually started in His
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home. The Bible says: "There was
war in heaven. Michael and his
angels fought against the [who?]
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the dragon; and the dragon
fought and his angels, and
prevailed not; neither was their
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place found anymore in heaven."
The dragon gets kicked out of
heaven. Now, let's start to
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piece this story together. I
want us to really understand
what it's saying. Who exactly is
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the dragon? Who do you think the
dragon is? It's the devil, I
heard somebody say. How do we
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know it's the devil? Well, you
have to read the whole thing.
You let the Bible speak for
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itself. And in this case, you
just don't have to go very far.
The next verse spells it all
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out. It says: "So the great
dragon was cast out, that
serpent of old, called the Devil
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and Satan, who [does what?]
deceives [there's that word
again], deceives the whole
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world; he was cast to the earth,
and his angels were cast out
with him." No question about it.
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The dragon represents Satan.
Fallen angels. There are fallen
angels. And that ought to serve
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as a warning to the whole human
race. Not all angels are good.
Some of them are sinful. Some of
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them have fallen. And that
should make you pause and think
anytime somebody says they had
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an angel experience. They
might've had an experience. They
might've had an experience with
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a heavenly angel. Maybe. But you
still have to check it against
the Word of God. You have to
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check everything against the
Word of God, because there are
fallen angels. Some angels have
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been cast out of heaven. And
they make it their business to
deceive. Just because something
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looks good and sounds amazing
and seems miraculous, that
doesn't necessarily mean that it
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comes from God. And I know that
I keep kicking this horse. I
know that we keep bringing that
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up. But I can't underline this
enough in the last days. You
always, always have to check the
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Bible, because even the
appearance of an angel wouldn't
be a guarantee that you're on
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the right track. There is only
one safe place to stand: it's on
the Word of God. Paul actually
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says in Second Corinthians 11
that Satan knows how to
transform himself, masquerade as
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an angel of light. Ever since
the devil got kicked out of
heaven, he's made it his
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business to deceive the world.
But the big question is, why did
God kick them out? Maybe he just
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didn't like them anymore. "You
know, Lucifer, you stand right
here next to my throne."
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Covering cherub. Ezekiel 28:14.
"You're the covering cherub. You
stand right here every day. And
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every day, it's the same old
thing. I'm looking at the same
old angel, and you tell the same
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old stories, and I'm just tired
of it; time for a change. You
have to go." Sound like God to
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you? Some of you weren't too
sure. Does that sound like God
to you? No. That's not what
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happened. Ezekiel 28 tells the
story. God speaks to Lucifer.
"You were in Eden, the garden of
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God; every precious stone was
your covering: the sardius,
topaz, the diamond, beryl, onyx,
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and jasper, sapphire, turquoise,
and emerald with gold." He was
gorgeous. "The workmanship of
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your timbrels and pipes [he was
musical; pay attention to that.
That might come up again], the
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workmanship of your timbrels and
pipes was prepared for you on
the day you were created. 'til
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iniquity was [what?] found in
you." That's very important. It
says God found iniquity in
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Lucifer. God did not create
iniquity. He did not put
iniquity in that angel; He found
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it there, and there is a world
of difference. In the very
beginning, God created
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everything perfect, good, and
sinless. There was a smile on
everybody's face. There was
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perfect peace and happiness. God
is not the author of sin and
suffering. But still, one angel
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manages to sin against God.
Lucifer turns against Him. And
you have to wonder, in God's
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perfect universe, how is that
possible? You would think it
couldn't happen, but it does.
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And the reason it happens is
because God created His living
creatures, His living beings,
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with the freedom of choice. We
were created with the ability to
actually turn against God. And
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you think, "Why would God do
that? That doesn't make sense,"
unless you really slow down and
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think about it. The Bible
teaches God is love, First John
4 verse 8, He is love. But you
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can't have real love if it's
involuntary. You can't love if
you don't have a choice. If you
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have no choice, that's not love.
Look, when I get home from a
long trip - I've been gone for
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weeks and weeks and weeks
somewhere overseas - and I get
home and I open the door,
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there's my wife. She's still
there. She hasn't left me. She
must love me. It's so great when
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she's there. "Honey, you're
still here." "Of course, I'm
still here; I love you." What if
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I come home, though, open the
door, "Honey, you're still here.
Oh, you must love me," but she's
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chained to the wall. She can't
leave. "Well, of course I'm
still here; I'm chained to the
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wall." How satisfying is a
relationship like that? That's
not love. God created us with
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the ability to choose because
He's love. "But that's risky."
Yeah, it's risky. Why would God
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take the risk? It's not hard to
figure it out. We're made in His
image. It's not hard to figure
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it out at all. My kids say to
me, "Dad, we want a puppy." I
say, "I'll tell you what: I'll
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give you a choice. We can get a
puppy app on your iPod. That's
what we can do. We will get a
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puppy app. It's four dollars and
ninety-nine cents. And I can
turn it off at night. And you
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can feed it in the app, and you
can pet it in the app, and then
we can turn it off at night and
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everybody gets a good night's
sleep." That would be
marvellous. "Or you could have a
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real puppy." Which one do they
want? Why do they want a real
one? Because a real dog can love
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you. A real dog can have a
relationship with you. But it's
risky, isn't it? It's risky.
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That dog is going to chew on the
furniture. That dog is going to
have an accident right on the
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new doormat. And that dog is
going to get your work socks out
in the morning long before it's
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light and chew on them so that
when you pull them on in the
dark, they're full of dog
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slobber. My brother had a dog.
You want that dog, though,
anyway, don't you? 'Cause it can
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love. We're made in the image of
God; we can figure this one out.
Why do we have babies,
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right? A robot would be so much
easier. A baby app would be so
much easier. Turn it off at
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night. Plug the kids in, let
them charge. Turn it off; you
can hang out with your wife for
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the night. Right? That would be
a lot easier, but we don't want
that; we want a real baby. Why?
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'Cause it can love you; you can
have a relationship with a real
one. But that baby's going to
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make mistakes. Baby's going to
make a mess in its diaper. Oh,
is it going to make a mess in
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its diaper. Baby's going to
write on your favourite sofa
with a bright green marker.
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Trust me, it's going to happen.
One day, that baby's going to
grow up after everything you
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poured into that baby, and it's
going to walk out the door for
the last time and leave you,
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break your heart. You still want
the baby, don't you? 'Cause you
can have a relationship. God is
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a god of relationships. Don't
you understand that's what He's
after? He wants you. That's what
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He wants. And God created us
with the ability to choose so He
can have a real relationship
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with you, a real voluntary,
two-way love. It's a risk that
God is willing to take. And one
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angel suddenly exercises the
freedom of choice and walks
away. Here's how the Bible tells
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the story in Isaiah chapter 14:
"How you are fallen from heaven,
O Lucifer, son of the morning!
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How you are cut down to the
ground, you who weakened the
nations! For you have said in
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your heart: 'I will ascend into
heaven, I will exalt my throne
above the stars of God; I will
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also sit on the mount of the
congregation on the farthest
sides of the north. I will
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ascend above the heights of the
clouds, I will be like the Most
High.'" Five times, he says,
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"I." Five times, because he's
now quit trusting God and he's
turned his attention on himself,
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stopped loving God and he's
fallen in love with himself.
He's walking through heaven by
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the river of life, and at one
moment, he catches his
reflection. "Ah, am I ever
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good-looking." Falls in love
with himself. "I should have a
little more, little more
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responsibility. Maybe I should
be on a throne." It's pride. Now
he's not beautiful anymore
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because there's nothing
beautiful about pride at all. I
don't care how physically
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attractive somebody is; a proud
person isn't beautiful. It's not
beautiful. I had a good friend
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named Henry. We lost him a few
years ago. Great preacher.
Henry, when he was in college,
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fell in love with this girl, as
often happens in college. You
know, you fall in love every
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other day with somebody. And
she's beautiful. But he didn't
have the courage to talk to her,
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at all. And he'd watch her go by
in the morning. He'd wait where
she was walking so he could see
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her, and never had the courage.
He said, "You know, I'm going to
have to work up the courage." So
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he hatched a plan. He stood in
the path where she was going to
come. He knew where she would
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walk every morning. He said,
"I'm going to stand right in the
path, and she's going to have to
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stop, and then I'm going to talk
to her, finally. She'll have to
stop and talk to me." So he
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stood in the path. She came
along. She stopped. And he found
himself tongue-tied. Guys, you
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know exactly what this feels
like. You gotta think of
something smart to say right at
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that moment. And he thinks, and
he sputters, "You are the
prettiest girl I've ever seen."
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"I know it," she said. He said,
"Suddenly, Shawn, she just
didn't seem all that beautiful
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anymore." Pride is ugly. The
Bible says Lucifer developed a
pride problem. He used his
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freedom of choice to turn
against God and begin to root
for himself. And what he does is
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try to build his own empire. He
starts to sow doubts and spread
discontent in the courts of
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heaven. Little whispers. "Maybe
God doesn't really know what
He's talking about. Maybe He's
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not doing a good job. Maybe
somebody else should be on the
throne. Maybe this whole system
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is a little bit unfair. I mean,
just look at all these rules God
has." God has rules? Sure, He
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does. Ark of the covenant was a
picture of His throne. Has the
covering cherubs, it has the
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mercy seat - I love that the lid
is the mercy seat - but what's
inside? Do you know what's
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inside? Ten Commandments are
inside there. God's government
has a moral foundation. God has
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rules, and why would He have
rules? Well, why would anybody
have rules? Why do we paint a
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bright yellow line down the
middle of the freeway? Why?
Right? Why do we have to drive
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on the right-hand side of the
road? I'll tell you why. Go to a
country where they don't do that
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very faithfully. I love India.
India is one of our favourite
countries. I'll never forget -
00:15:16.48\00:15:22.32
well, they drive on the wrong
side of the road. Well, the
right side of the road. They're
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on the left, which is correct.
And here in America, we're on
the right, which is left, or
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wrong. That didn't make a lick
of sense. But there in India,
you can use whichever side of
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the road you want, if you feel
like it. In some places, I've
been driving along out on the
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freeway, and suddenly, there are
bright headlights. There's a
semi trailer coming at me on my
00:15:40.14\00:15:43.74
side of the freeway, because his
side of the freeway is too
congest- Try going to a place
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where they don't observe the
rules. You'll see it. There are
actually, in places, dead bodies
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on the side of the freeway. They
just leave them there, cover
them up with leaves. Why do we
00:15:51.75\00:15:57.39
have rules? Does God have rules?
Sure, He does. I mean, you have
to. If you want to provide
00:15:57.49\00:16:01.72
security and peace for people
who have the freedom to choose,
you gotta set up some guidelines
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and some guardrails; you just
have to. So God always warns. He
said, "If you go down this path,
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if you do this, it's going to
cause unbelievable pain." The
Bible describes the day that
00:16:12.47\00:16:17.61
Lucifer walked out. Revelation
12 and verse 3: "Another sign
appeared in heaven: behold, a
00:16:17.71\00:16:23.35
great, fiery red dragon having
seven heads and ten horns "Seven
diadems on his head [crowns].
00:16:23.45\00:16:31.85
His tail drew a third of the
stars of heaven and threw them
to the earth." What does that
00:16:31.95\00:16:37.83
mean? Well, stars in the Bible
are often used to represent
angels. Job chapter 38 and verse
00:16:37.93\00:16:44.87
7 says, "The morning stars sang
together when they saw the
creation of God; they rejoiced."
00:16:44.97\00:16:48.20
Angels. In Revelation 1 and
verse 20, the Bible says the
seven stars in Jesus' hand are
00:16:48.30\00:16:53.68
the seven angels of the seven
churches. You know what the
Bible is telling us? One-third
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of the angels go with Lucifer.
One-third. Consider the colossal
tragedy. We saw the other night
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there were still ten thousand
times ten thousand there, and
thousands and thousands, but
00:17:05.65\00:17:10.03
that's only two-thirds. Millions
left. God loses one-third of his
family. Try to imagine that
00:17:10.13\00:17:17.60
pain. Maybe you can. Maybe
you've had a child turn against
you, or you've lost a family
00:17:17.70\00:17:22.44
member. God knows how it feels.
So the question that I used to
ask as a little kid is, "Well,
00:17:22.54\00:17:28.94
why didn't God just put a stop
to it right there? They're
fallen angels. Just squash them
00:17:29.04\00:17:33.58
out of existence. Get rid of
them." Why doesn't He do that?
Nip it in the bud. Well, let's
00:17:33.68\00:17:40.56
think about this. What would you
do if you want to let everybody
have their freedom of choice?
00:17:40.66\00:17:45.09
You want them to keep it so they
can actually love. And what if
you don't want people to serve
00:17:45.19\00:17:49.50
you just because they're
terrified of what might happen
if they don't? And now you have
00:17:49.60\00:17:54.77
a rebellion and you want to fix
it so that people get to keep
the freedom of choice and they
00:17:54.87\00:17:59.34
can genuinely love, but you
never want this to happen again.
What do you do? What do you do?
00:17:59.44\00:18:04.91
Well, sometimes the only way
people will learn not to touch a
hot stove is to touch the hot
00:18:05.01\00:18:10.62
stove. Think about this. What
would happen if God just stomped
Lucifer out of existence? The
00:18:10.72\00:18:20.30
other angels have been listening
to his lies. What would they
begin to think? "You know,
00:18:20.40\00:18:24.50
Lucifer was saying God's not all
that great. And now God wiped
him out of existence; he's gone.
00:18:24.60\00:18:28.34
I wonder if he had a point. I
wonder if God is scared of
something here." What if my
00:18:28.50\00:18:33.38
brother comes into the house, my
younger brother, says, "You know
what, Shawn?" - I'm going back
00:18:33.48\00:18:37.65
in time; we're kids - comes into
the house, "You know what,
Shawn? I don't think Dad's all
00:18:37.75\00:18:41.82
that great of a Dad." "Well, why
would you say something like
that about Dad? He's a great
00:18:41.92\00:18:45.29
dad." "No, I don't think he's
all that great." My dad finds
out what he said, takes him out
00:18:45.39\00:18:49.06
back and shoots him and buries
him in the garden. Am I going to
serve my dad? You better
00:18:49.16\00:18:55.76
believe. I'm going to be on my
very best behaviour after that,
but I'm not going to love him,
00:18:55.86\00:18:58.90
and I'm going to leave home the
first chance I get. If you were
in God's shoes - and we can't
00:18:59.00\00:19:03.61
really put ourselves in God's
shoes; we don't have the mind of
God. We have the data in
00:19:03.71\00:19:08.04
scripture, though - what would
you do? God gives fallen angels
enough leash to prove to His
00:19:08.14\00:19:14.55
whole universe they don't know
what they're doing. "Go ahead,"
he says, "run your program."
00:19:14.65\00:19:19.22
"And in the end, we're going to
open the books, and the universe
will decide if I am what I say I
00:19:19.32\00:19:23.36
am, if I'm everything I've ever
claimed to be. The universe will
see whether or not I'm love and
00:19:23.46\00:19:27.86
they'll see what you are." And
that is the beginning of a
massive conflict that has been
00:19:27.96\00:19:32.77
raging in this universe for a
long time, and it didn't start
here; it starts in the courts of
00:19:32.87\00:19:37.24
heaven. And the angels are
moved, kicked out. They're not
allowed to stay in the presence
00:19:37.34\00:19:41.21
of God, because sin cannot dwell
in the presence of God. So where
do they go? They come here. And
00:19:41.31\00:19:48.08
they look at the apple of God's
eye: human creation, made in the
image of God. And they think,
00:19:48.18\00:19:53.72
"You know what? These people
made in the image of God, if we
can get them to walk away, that
00:19:53.82\00:19:58.56
would be very embarrassing to
the cause of God. We're going to
prove once and for all, nobody
00:19:58.66\00:20:03.87
would ever choose God if they
were given a viable
alternative." So the Bible talks
00:20:03.97\00:20:08.74
about this incident in the
Garden of Eden. God had set up
the human race for perfect
00:20:08.84\00:20:13.48
happiness. He said, "Go and
enjoy the garden." He just had
one rule, one rule. "The Lord
00:20:13.58\00:20:19.61
God commanded the man, saying,
'Of every tree of the garden you
may freely eat; but of the tree
00:20:19.71\00:20:27.16
of the knowledge of good and
evil you shall not eat, for in
the day that you eat of it, you
00:20:27.26\00:20:32.76
shall surely die.'" Now, you
look at that, that doesn't make
a lot of sense, that rule, at
00:20:32.86\00:20:37.97
first glance, does it? I mean,
it just doesn't. "Lord, I can't
eat from this tree?" "No, don't
00:20:38.07\00:20:41.64
eat from that tree." "Why can't
I eat from that tree? Is it
poisonous?" "No, no, it's not
00:20:41.74\00:20:45.91
poisonous. There's nothing
particularly wrong with the
fruit. Just don't eat from that
00:20:46.01\00:20:49.18
tree." Why would God do that?
Why? There's really only one
reason. If you're going to
00:20:49.28\00:20:54.28
choose to love God, if you're
going to choose to be in His
camp, if you're going to choose
00:20:54.38\00:20:58.32
to place your loyalty with your
Creator, then there's gotta be
an alternative. There has to be
00:20:58.42\00:21:03.02
a choice. There's already a
conflict going on in the
universe. This is all about a
00:21:03.12\00:21:08.26
relationship. This is all about
loyalty to God. This is about
choosing God or not choosing
00:21:08.36\00:21:14.17
God. And Adam and Eve have to
have a choice or it's not real
love. Adam and Eve have to have
00:21:14.27\00:21:20.24
a choice, or the devil can
accuse God in front of the whole
universe, "You're just keeping
00:21:20.34\00:21:24.28
them hostage. They don't have an
alternative; of course they obey
You. They don't have a choice."
00:21:24.38\00:21:31.02
So the devil takes on the form
of a serpent and he speaks to
Eve. "He said to the woman,
00:21:31.12\00:21:36.16
'Has God indeed said, "You shall
not eat of every tree of the
garden"?'" I want you to pay
00:21:36.26\00:21:41.70
attention to how the devil works
'cause he hasn't changed his
methods in thousands of years.
00:21:41.80\00:21:46.47
He doesn't contradict God; he
never does. That's too obvious.
He doesn't come out with an
00:21:46.57\00:21:51.94
outright lie; he just questions
God's credibility. Raises doubts
about what God says. He still
00:21:52.04\00:21:57.65
does that. "Did God really say
that? Really?" Still does the
same thing today. "And the woman
00:21:57.75\00:22:06.32
said to the serpent [in verse
3], 'We may eat of the fruit of
the trees of the garden; but of
00:22:06.42\00:22:11.19
the fruit of the tree which is
in the midst of the garden, God
has said, "You shall not eat it,
00:22:11.29\00:22:16.53
nor shall you touch it, lest you
die."'" What happens if she eats
it? She dies. Why? The wages of
00:22:16.63\00:22:26.68
sin? Death. "The serpent said
[verse 4], to the woman, 'You
will not surely die.'" Not
00:22:26.78\00:22:36.82
really. See, again, not an
outright contradiction; just a
little bit of doubt. Raising
00:22:36.92\00:22:42.12
doubts about the Word of God.
Verse 6: "So when the woman saw
that the tree was good for food,
00:22:42.22\00:22:47.83
that it was pleasant to the
eyes, and a tree desirable to
make one wise, she took of its
00:22:47.93\00:22:51.87
fruit and ate..." "Listen, Eve,
maybe God's holding out on you.
Maybe He's not telling you
00:22:51.97\00:22:58.67
everything there is. You could
be wiser. Maybe you don't need
to be so literal about what God
00:22:58.77\00:23:04.18
says. You're not a simpleton,
are you? Maybe you could afford
to be a little bit enlightened."
00:23:04.28\00:23:10.25
I want you to notice what the
devil's questions are about.
They're not about the tree.
00:23:10.35\00:23:14.56
They're about God. Every
question the devil raises is
about God. He's trying to
00:23:14.66\00:23:20.66
discredit God's character, he's
trying to discredit God's Word,
and sadly, Eve goes for it. And
00:23:20.76\00:23:25.77
as she bites into the fruit, the
human race moves onto very
dangerous ground. We take our
00:23:25.87\00:23:31.34
first steps in disobedience and
we sever, we damage our
relationship with our Creator,
00:23:31.44\00:23:37.98
the only source of life, and it
brings us to the saddest story
in the Bible. It says in Genesis
00:23:38.08\00:23:43.12
that God comes in the cool of
the evening to look for His
family, and they're hiding from
00:23:43.22\00:23:48.12
Him. The human race is hiding
from God. They're experiencing
fear for the very first time in
00:23:48.22\00:23:54.60
their lives. They've never felt
such an emotion. They've never
felt it before. I mean, imagine
00:23:54.73\00:23:59.53
that. You and I have lived with
fear our whole lives, so we're
used to it, but they've never
00:23:59.63\00:24:03.97
felt it. Heart racing. Throat
tight. Sick to your stomach. You
might even think you're already
00:24:04.07\00:24:14.75
dying. God comes and He weeps.
He knows what it means. He knows
what this is going to cost.
00:24:14.85\00:24:22.19
"Adam, where are you? What have
you done? Have you eaten from
the tree of which I commanded
00:24:22.29\00:24:30.87
that you should not eat? What
have you done?" There are tears
in God's eyes, probably not for
00:24:30.97\00:24:37.04
the first time; He's already
seen this happen with His
angels. Pierces His heart,
00:24:37.14\00:24:42.24
because now His family is going
to die. His family's going to
die. Now, I want you to pay
00:24:42.34\00:24:47.82
attention to what happens next,
because it says a lot about you
and me. It really does. "Then
00:24:47.92\00:24:53.92
the man said, 'The woman whom
You gave to be with me, she gave
me of the tree, and I ate.'"
00:24:54.02\00:25:01.36
He's only been a sinner for one
day and he's already blaming
somebody else. "It's my wife's
00:25:01.46\00:25:07.84
fault. Defective model. She did
this." Actually, you know who
he's blaming? He's not really
00:25:07.94\00:25:16.61
blaming his wife. Look at it
carefully. "This woman You gave
me." Blames God. You and I still
00:25:16.71\00:25:23.75
do the same thing today. We'll
look for anybody else to blame
for what we did, but what God
00:25:23.85\00:25:27.89
wants for you to do is own it.
Admit you did it so that He can
deal with it. A physician can't
00:25:27.99\00:25:32.39
treat the disease if you won't
admit that you're sick. But we
won't do it, will we? We love to
00:25:32.49\00:25:36.53
blame other people. Eve does it
too, ladies. "The woman said,
'The serpent deceived me, and I
00:25:37.30\00:25:42.24
ate.'" Now, is that true? Sure,
it is. Did the devil lead her to
do it? Sure, he did. It's not
00:25:42.34\00:25:49.48
the whole truth, though. She did
have a choice. She had a choice.
She had a warning from God. She
00:25:49.58\00:25:54.58
knew what the parameters were,
but she chose to ignore the Word
of God. Folks, you might be
00:25:54.68\00:25:58.82
tempted. And the devil has a
role in that, but you still
didn't have to do it. You still
00:25:58.92\00:26:02.89
have a choice. You're not going
to be able to tell God, "Look,
the devil made me do it." Yeah,
00:26:02.99\00:26:07.86
he did, and he'll be held
accountable. You'll see that on
a coming night. But you'll be
00:26:07.96\00:26:11.30
held accountable too because you
didn't have to do it. You can
still choose. You don't have to.
00:26:11.40\00:26:15.94
"Devil made me do it," that
doesn't cut it. Adam and Eve
have to be removed from the
00:26:16.04\00:26:20.98
garden, like the angels are
removed from heaven. And why?
Read Genesis carefully; it's
00:26:21.08\00:26:25.85
fascinating. God says, "I can't
let them keep eating from the
tree of life. I can't do that. I
00:26:25.95\00:26:30.99
can't do that because then
they're going to live forever."
And if you live forever as a
00:26:31.09\00:26:36.26
sinner, the suffering never
stops. I mean, think about it.
Think about the wickedness we
00:26:36.36\00:26:40.96
can come up with in one
lifetime, eighty, ninety years.
What if you went for three
00:26:41.06\00:26:45.30
thousand years? What would you
think of to do next? God shuts
it down; it's merciful. They're
00:26:45.40\00:26:51.97
removed from the garden, but I
want you to notice that God
never does it without hope. He
00:26:52.07\00:26:56.91
knows we were deceived. And He
offers hope. God speaks to the
serpent in the very first
00:26:57.01\00:27:02.45
prophecy mentioned in the Bible.
This is prophecy number one.
Genesis 3:15: "And I will put
00:27:02.55\00:27:07.52
enmity between
you and the woman."
00:27:07.62\00:27:10.86
I used to think, "Oh, that's why
girls are afraid of snakes." My
mom was afraid of snakes. That's
00:27:11.89\00:27:16.00
not what that means. What does a
woman represent? This is a
prophecy. Represents the church,
00:27:16.10\00:27:20.77
represents God's people. "I will
put enmity between you and the
woman, between your seed and
00:27:20.87\00:27:25.34
her seed. He shall bruise your
head and you shall bruise his
heel." "There's going to be a
00:27:25.44\00:27:31.21
conflict between you and My
people. There are going to be
people who stay loyal to Me.
00:27:31.31\00:27:35.18
She's going to have a child one
day that destroys you." The book
of Revelation tells the story,
00:27:35.28\00:27:39.75
Revelation 12 verse 1: "Now a
great sign appeared in heaven: a
woman clothed with the sun, and
00:27:39.85\00:27:46.03
the moon under her feet; and on
her head, a garland of twelve
stars." "Then, being with child,
00:27:46.13\00:27:52.33
she cried out in labour and in
pain to give birth." And we saw
there are birth pains just
00:27:52.43\00:27:57.21
before the second coming of
Christ. These are God's people
waiting for Jesus to come the
00:27:57.31\00:28:01.34
first time. It's like God's
people are pregnant. They're
waiting for Messiah to come from
00:28:01.44\00:28:06.45
their own line. And by the time
Jesus comes, they've been
waiting a long time. The Old
00:28:06.55\00:28:12.52
Testament is the story of God's
people, the woman waiting for
Jesus to come. And as God's
00:28:12.62\00:28:17.86
people wait, two sides emerge in
the human race right away. There
are those waiting for Messiah to
00:28:17.96\00:28:25.20
come - they're staking
everything on the promise of God
that Jesus will come. They're
00:28:25.30\00:28:30.04
looking forward by faith. But
unbelievably, there are those
who cast their lot with the
00:28:30.14\00:28:33.64
dragon, the serpent. You see the
two sides right away in the
story of Cain and Abel. One
00:28:33.74\00:28:39.48
brother, Abel, does exactly what
God asks. He offers a sacrifice.
He brings a lamb in sacrifice.
00:28:39.58\00:28:45.42
What does the lamb represent? "I
believe that the seed of the
woman is coming. I believe
00:28:45.52\00:28:50.33
Messiah will come." It's an act
of faith. As a kid, it bothered
me. "Why does God accept his
00:28:50.43\00:28:55.50
sacrifice?" But Hebrews tells us
why: because by faith, he
offered that sacrifice. The lamb
00:28:55.60\00:29:02.14
didn't save him; it was pointing
forward to Jesus. He does what
God asks, but Cain, he kind of
00:29:02.24\00:29:07.08
comes up with his own method. He
has a designer religion; that's
what he has. "I'm going to
00:29:07.18\00:29:11.98
follow God, sort of. I know God
asks for a lamb, but I'm a
vegetable farmer, and lambs,
00:29:12.08\00:29:18.12
they're expensive, and all that
blood is messy." "And besides
that, God's not all that
00:29:18.22\00:29:23.22
particular." No? When it comes
to faith and salvation, He is.
He doesn't fool around. He is
00:29:23.32\00:29:33.10
very particular about His
symbols. God's symbols are not
just for you; they're meant to
00:29:33.20\00:29:37.17
teach the world around you
something so that people would
come to the sacrifice, "What's
00:29:37.27\00:29:40.78
that about?" "There's a Messiah
Who's coming." He's very
particular about His symbols.
00:29:40.88\00:29:45.71
Cain didn't think so. Two sides
emerge. One side's with the Lamb
of God - they're waiting for Him
00:29:45.81\00:29:50.99
- the other side casts their
loyalty with the dragon. And the
dragon looks over here at the
00:29:51.09\00:29:55.56
faithful people and he doesn't
like it one bit. He gets angry.
"If people follow Abel's
00:29:55.66\00:30:00.26
example, if they pay attention
to this, Messiah will come, and
then if Messiah comes, I'll be
00:30:00.36\00:30:07.04
crushed." So he makes Cain
jealous, and Cain kills Abel.
It's his favourite tactic. If
00:30:07.14\00:30:12.41
deception doesn't work, he turns
to violence, every time. He's
only got the two tools:
00:30:12.51\00:30:17.18
deception and violence. Time
moves along, we get down to the
days of Noah. And in Noah's day,
00:30:17.28\00:30:23.42
the world has become very
wicked. Rebellion is spreading
across the face of the planet,
00:30:23.52\00:30:29.29
and it looks like there's nobody
left on God's side. I've seen
Bible scholars estimate there
00:30:29.39\00:30:34.73
might have been, just by the
probability and the math, as
many as two or three billion
00:30:34.83\00:30:37.60
people on the face of the earth
by that point. Two or three
billion people. A lot of the
00:30:37.70\00:30:42.74
world is on the devil's side.
He's been working very hard.
He's trying to wipe out the
00:30:42.84\00:30:46.47
woman, God's people, so Messiah
won't come. And it looks like
he's winning. He almost does it.
00:30:46.57\00:30:53.98
But then God looks down into the
earth and He sees somebody:
Noah. Because He always finds
00:30:54.08\00:31:02.99
somebody. There's always a
remnant of God's people there.
There's always a remnant. And
00:31:03.09\00:31:09.36
Noah preaches for one hundred
twenty years. He builds an ark,
and the woman survives, and they
00:31:09.46\00:31:15.57
go on. Messiah will come. You
cannot derail God's plan.
There's always somebody. And in
00:31:15.67\00:31:24.15
the last days, there will always
be somebody who will take a
stand on truth, always. Always.
00:31:24.25\00:31:27.88
We move through time, we get to
the Tower of Babel. Plains of
Shinar. Built by Nimrod, the
00:31:27.98\00:31:34.26
mighty hunter. Sounds great, but
it's not meant as a compliment.
The original language implies
00:31:34.36\00:31:39.03
"arrogant." And he builds an
arrogant city. "We'll build
something really tall." They
00:31:39.13\00:31:44.47
start working on a tower. "Try
flooding us again." These are
proud, boastful, self-sufficient
00:31:44.57\00:31:51.64
people, and the devil looks, he
laughs. "I've got them all this
time. These people are as proud
00:31:51.74\00:31:56.01
as me. I'm going to stop
Messiah." No, he's not. You
cannot derail it. If God says
00:31:56.11\00:32:03.42
Messiah will come, Messiah will
come. So God confuses the
language, stops the tower. The
00:32:03.52\00:32:08.46
devil doesn't stop. He gets an
'A' for effort, frankly. In that
place, where the tower is built,
00:32:08.56\00:32:14.46
a city grows: the city of
Babylon. Babel, Babylon. It
means "confusion." Babylon is
00:32:14.56\00:32:20.20
built in that very spot. Her
citizens are drunk on the
devil's deception. And the city
00:32:20.30\00:32:25.07
grows and it prospers and it
gives birth to all sorts of
false religion. It infects the
00:32:25.17\00:32:30.18
whole world and it's been
infecting the whole world ever
since. They gave it all to us:
00:32:30.28\00:32:35.58
astrology, the worship of
planets, solar worship, idol
worship. Babylon is all about
00:32:35.68\00:32:42.19
self-sufficiency. It's about
designer religion. It's about
building your own way back into
00:32:42.29\00:32:47.30
paradise. It's the spirit of
Cain, the spirit of doing things
your own way, finding your own
00:32:47.40\00:32:52.50
path. It's the shortcut of
worshipping false gods. You
could even have all the
00:32:52.60\00:32:58.41
trappings of religion. You might
even have a religion that looks
an awful lot like the truth; it
00:32:58.51\00:33:06.65
is so close. But there's no
personal relationship with God,
and certainly no accountability.
00:33:06.75\00:33:09.72
Babylon's influence grows and
grows and grows and the devil is
winning the whole world over
00:33:09.82\00:33:15.32
again. And God looks into the
world and He finds somebody, and
He says to that person,
00:33:15.42\00:33:19.59
"Abraham, I want you to come out
of Chaldea." Abraham lives where
Babylon is. "Come out of her. I
00:33:19.69\00:33:26.43
want you to come out of that
spot. I'm going to use you and
establish a whole country. I'm
00:33:26.53\00:33:32.14
going to put you right at the
crossroads of the whole world
where your descendants will
00:33:32.24\00:33:35.81
show, Messiah is coming. They'll
demonstrate it with the temple
and with the sacrifices, and
00:33:35.91\00:33:40.88
Messiah will come from you, and
you will have many descendants,
too many to count." So Abraham
00:33:40.98\00:33:47.42
comes out. He doesn't even know
where he's going. That's what
the book of Hebrews says. He
00:33:47.52\00:33:53.80
doesn't have job security. He
doesn't have the title deed to a
house somewhere. He just goes.
00:33:53.90\00:33:58.47
Has no idea where, the book of
Hebrews says. All he has is the
Word of God and the courage to
00:33:58.57\00:34:04.21
do what it says. Oh, that the
world had more Abrahams today.
People with the courage to just
00:34:04.31\00:34:11.45
do what God asks. Abraham's the
father of a nation, a remnant
people that build a temple. And
00:34:11.55\00:34:18.12
that's a picture of God's throne
and the real plan of salvation,
the real path back to God
00:34:18.22\00:34:22.89
through the cross of Christ. It
is a display of the real, loving
character of God. Abraham's
00:34:22.99\00:34:28.50
descendants reveal the truth.
And of course, the devil looks
at that and he hates it. "Can't
00:34:28.60\00:34:34.67
let that happen." So he does his
best to bring Israel down. An
Israelite king named Ahab
00:34:34.77\00:34:41.68
marries a pagan queen named
Jezebel. He loses his way
because it is always a disaster
00:34:41.78\00:34:46.85
when God's people compromise,
always. Always. Paganism begins
to combine with the religion of
00:34:46.95\00:34:53.02
God's chosen people. And before
you know it, people are
worshipping idols, they're
00:34:53.12\00:34:56.79
worshipping Baal, they're doing
unthinkable things. So God
raises up a prophet named Elijah
00:34:56.89\00:35:03.10
to call them back because there
is no way the devil's going to
derail His plan to bring Jesus.
00:35:03.20\00:35:08.54
Elijah calls the people back.
There's a challenge on Mount
Carmel. "If Baal is God, go
00:35:08.64\00:35:14.21
ahead, worship him, but if the
Lord is God, worship Him." You
see, the freedom of choice is
00:35:14.31\00:35:18.81
still there. God doesn't force.
He tells the truth and He calls
you to a decision. It's the same
00:35:18.91\00:35:25.22
as the last-day message that
goes to the planet. Revelation
14: "Fear God and give glory to
00:35:25.32\00:35:30.16
Him." Come home. The Bible
actually says there'll be
another last-day Elijah, another
00:35:30.26\00:35:36.00
prophetic message. "Behold, I
will send you Elijah the prophet
before the coming of the great
00:35:36.10\00:35:40.60
and dreadful day of the Lord."
Malachi chapter 4. Before Jesus
comes again, the same kind of
00:35:40.70\00:35:46.74
message goes to the world. For
Elijah, God sends fire from
heaven, and Baal worship comes
00:35:46.84\00:35:52.78
to a grinding halt. But the
devil doesn't quit, because
again - he gets an 'A' for
00:35:52.88\00:35:56.45
effort - he starts pushing
Israel toward Babylonian gods.
Babylonian gods. They actually
00:35:56.55\00:36:01.59
come to the point where they put
their babies in the white-hot
arms of a steel idol named
00:36:01.69\00:36:06.90
Molek. They're doing human
sacrifice. That's what led to
the Babylonian captivity. That's
00:36:07.00\00:36:13.07
what was going on in the days of
Daniel and Ezekiel. That was -
and follow my language carefully
00:36:13.17\00:36:18.71
- that was the abomination that
caused the desolation of the
temple. Pay attention to the
00:36:18.81\00:36:22.84
language. I'm using it on
purpose. The abomination of
Israel is what caused the
00:36:22.94\00:36:27.45
desolation of the temple. You're
going to see that in coming
nights. Listen to what was going
00:36:27.55\00:36:31.59
on in those days. "So he brought
me to the door of the north gate
of the Lord's house; and to my
00:36:31.69\00:36:36.59
dismay, women were sitting there
weeping for Tammuz." It's
Babylonian worship. They're
00:36:36.69\00:36:40.96
actually worshipping a
Babylonian fertility god tied to
the worship of the sun. That's
00:36:41.03\00:36:45.60
what they're doing. "Then he
said to me, 'Have you seen this,
O son of man? Turn again, you
00:36:45.70\00:36:50.54
will see greater abominations
than these.'" "So he brought me
into the inner court of the
00:36:50.64\00:36:54.61
Lord's house, and there at the
door of the temple of the Lord,
between the porch and the altar,
00:36:54.71\00:36:59.18
were about twenty-five men with
their backs toward the temple of
the Lord, and their faces toward
00:36:59.28\00:37:03.85
the east, and they were
worshipping the sun." I'm sure
if you went back and talked to
00:37:03.95\00:37:09.19
those people, they wouldn't
think they were doing anything
wrong. "Look, we're just trying
00:37:09.29\00:37:13.73
to be culturally relevant; all
the other nations do this."
That's the way deception works.
00:37:13.83\00:37:19.03
And you'll always fall for it if
you're not standing on the Word
of God. They're supposed to come
00:37:19.13\00:37:23.27
out of Babylon, but now they
worship like Babylon. God says,
"If you want Babylon, I'm not
00:37:23.37\00:37:28.44
going to force you. You can go
home." Nebuchadnezzar comes,
destroys the temple, and takes
00:37:28.54\00:37:33.01
them back home. It's the
abomination that desolates the
temple. Read Second Chronicles
00:37:33.11\00:37:38.65
36 tonight; it's your homework.
Wicked king after wicked king.
The abomination of this king,
00:37:38.75\00:37:43.89
the domination of that king, and
then Nebuchadnezzar comes and
desolates the temple. Devil
00:37:43.99\00:37:49.00
must've been laughing. He
actually beat Abraham. But then
of all things, as they're all in
00:37:49.10\00:37:52.67
captivity, the pagan king
himself has a dream that the
stone is coming, and by chapter
00:37:52.77\00:37:58.51
4 of Daniel, Nebuchadnezzar's a
believer in the God of Israel.
You cannot stop the seed of the
00:37:58.61\00:38:04.01
woman from coming. Cyrus
conquers Babylon. Israel goes
back home, and they rebuild the
00:38:04.11\00:38:09.15
temple and they have four
hundred ninety more years. This
time, the devil knows, they're
00:38:09.25\00:38:14.72
not going to worship Babylonian
idols; we'll have to do
something else. So he steers
00:38:14.82\00:38:17.73
them into the opposite ditch. He
has them bury the religion of
God under so much tradition, so
00:38:17.83\00:38:23.33
many man-made regulations, that
they actually grow to hate it.
And the devil laughs, but he
00:38:23.43\00:38:29.87
laughs for the last time,
because he's undone. The seed of
the woman arrives. "She bore a
00:38:29.97\00:38:35.68
male Child," Revelation 12, "Who
was to rule all nations with a
rod of iron. And her Child was
00:38:35.78\00:38:40.58
caught up to God and His
throne." Jesus finally comes,
exactly as promised. He is born
00:38:40.68\00:38:46.42
as one of us. He lives as one of
us. He dies for us. He rises
from the dead, and He goes back
00:38:46.52\00:38:54.10
to heaven to represent us in the
courts of heaven. And the cross
utterly exposes the devil as a
00:38:54.20\00:39:00.77
murderer and a liar. Undoes him.
Every angel in heaven can see it
now: Satan just killed Jesus.
00:39:00.87\00:39:11.05
Universe could see what he is.
Jesus said he's a liar and a
murderer from the beginning, but
00:39:11.15\00:39:17.89
now the angels in heaven can see
it. The cross exposes the devil.
Listen to what Jesus
00:39:17.99\00:39:22.02
says: "Now is the judgement of
the world; now the ruler of this
world will be cast out. And I,
00:39:22.12\00:39:27.30
if I am lifted up from the
earth, will draw all people to
Myself." The cross undoes the
00:39:27.40\00:39:33.47
devil. Jesus shows the world
what God is really like. The
devil may have bruised the heel
00:39:33.57\00:39:40.08
of Jesus, but at that moment,
his head is crushed. He is
finished in heaven. His
00:39:40.18\00:39:44.51
credibility is shot. He has no
excuse for what he did now. And
even the unfallen angels have no
00:39:44.61\00:39:50.25
use for him. So why do we? Why
do we? Revelation says he's
finished. "Then I heard a loud
00:39:50.35\00:40:00.96
voice in heaven saying, 'Now
salvation and strength and the
kingdom of our God and the power
00:40:01.06\00:40:07.44
of His Christ have come, for the
accuser of our brethren, who
accused them before our God day
00:40:07.54\00:40:11.87
and night, has been cast down.'"
In heaven's opinion, the devil
is finished. He's got no
00:40:11.97\00:40:18.11
audience up there. Mm-mm. They
know he's a liar. Case solved,
closed. Satan utterly fails to
00:40:18.21\00:40:26.49
stop Jesus. Jesus is now out of
his reach, raised from the dead,
back in heaven. He can't touch
00:40:26.59\00:40:32.09
Jesus. So what does he do? He
turns his attention back on the
world, verse 13: "Now when the
00:40:32.19\00:40:38.80
dragon saw he'd been cast to the
earth, he persecuted [who?] the
woman [the church, God's people]
00:40:38.90\00:40:45.77
who gave birth to the male
Child." Satan can't have Jesus,
so he turns his attention on the
00:40:45.87\00:40:49.38
church, and you know what
happened. We've studied it.
Pagan Roman empire turns its
00:40:49.48\00:40:53.72
wrath on the Christian church.
Just like he did with Cain and
Abel, the devil uses death and
00:40:53.82\00:40:59.19
persecution, but it flops. The
church actually grows faster
under persecution, so he tries
00:40:59.29\00:41:05.39
something else. He's watching
it. If he can't beat 'em, join
'em. Suddenly, the Roman emperor
00:41:05.49\00:41:17.67
kind of converts. Doesn't get
baptized 'til on his deathbed -
still murders people - kind of
00:41:17.77\00:41:22.48
converts. And the persecution
stops. That's the good news. The
bad news is, suddenly, all these
00:41:22.58\00:41:28.05
pagans start joining the church,
they're insincere, they have no
intent of coming to Jesus; they
00:41:28.15\00:41:33.56
just want the benefits that come
from the emperor. And you get
this mix in the church, and it
00:41:33.66\00:41:37.86
begins to lose steam. And the
devil has us do some horrible
things. We lock up the Word of
00:41:37.96\00:41:43.26
God and keep it in a foreign
language; we did that. We made
fortunes on religion; we did
00:41:43.37\00:41:48.77
that. We tortured people, burned
people at the stake; we did
that. It was another way to
00:41:48.87\00:41:54.58
embarrass the government of God.
The devil could point to this,
"Look, these are God's people.
00:41:54.68\00:41:59.68
Look how they're behaving." And
to this day, the world is
laughing. The atheists are
00:41:59.78\00:42:04.45
laughing at our history. It's
the devil's attempt to discredit
God. But I can tell you
00:42:04.55\00:42:10.76
something: he's still losing
because Christianity is still
spreading, and nothing is going
00:42:10.86\00:42:14.56
to stop Jesus from coming back.
Nothing is going to stop Jesus
from coming back. It is His
00:42:14.66\00:42:19.23
world now. Oh, but the devil
hasn't quit. He still lies about
God. He even gets us to shake
00:42:19.33\00:42:30.45
our fist at heaven when we're
mad. "Why did you do this to me,
God?" I can tell you, God's not
00:42:30.55\00:42:35.95
doing it. Why didn't God just
stomp out evil? Why doesn't He
just stomp it all out right now?
00:42:36.05\00:42:42.92
He could. But where would you
like Him to stop? Before He gets
to your house? The Bible says He
00:42:43.02\00:42:54.84
is long-suffering because He is
not willing that any would
perish. He's hanging in there
00:42:54.94\00:42:59.87
because you are at stake.
Interesting story in the Bible
that exposes completely what's
00:43:00.04\00:43:06.75
going on. It's the oldest book
of the Bible, the book of Job.
The Bible says there's a special
00:43:06.85\00:43:11.65
meeting in heaven. This is long
before the cross. And the devil
actually shows up. "The Lord
00:43:11.75\00:43:17.86
said to Satan, 'From where do
you come?' Satan answered the
Lord and said, 'From going to
00:43:17.96\00:43:22.46
and fro on the earth and walking
back and forth on it.'" He's not
telling God he went for a
00:43:22.56\00:43:27.60
stroll, mm-mm. The foot in the
ancient world is a symbol of
possession. Do you know what
00:43:27.70\00:43:32.74
he's saying? "I own that world."
In the temptations in the
wilderness, he said to Jesus,
00:43:32.84\00:43:36.98
"Come on, worship me. I can give
you this planet; it was
delivered to me. Adam and Eve
00:43:37.08\00:43:41.95
gave it to me." Luke 4 verse 6.
"I was out for a stroll on my
new property. Maybe you
00:43:42.05\00:43:47.32
noticed." "Human race gave me
the world. They turned against
You and they're with me." "And
00:43:47.42\00:43:52.09
the Lord said to Satan, '[Not so
fast; you don't have it all.]
Have you considered my servant
00:43:52.19\00:43:57.77
Job? There is none like him on
the earth: a blameless and
upright man, one who fears God
00:43:57.87\00:44:02.77
and shuns evil. [You don't have
it all. There's somebody down
there who loves Me.]' So Satan
00:44:02.87\00:44:09.24
answered the Lord, said, 'Does
Job fear God for nothing? But
now, stretch out Your hand and
00:44:09.34\00:44:15.48
touch all that he has, he will
surely curse You to Your face!'"
"Of course he worships You, God,
00:44:15.58\00:44:22.22
because he's got everything
going for him. You made him
rich. He's well-off. He's not
00:44:22.32\00:44:26.56
doing this out of love. He's
with You for the fringe
benefits. I guarantee, take away
00:44:26.66\00:44:30.97
his stuff, and he'll turn his
back on You." Pay attention.
"The Lord said to Satan,
00:44:31.07\00:44:37.84
'Behold, all he has is in your
power; only do not lay a hand on
his person.'" Who's the author
00:44:37.94\00:44:45.91
of pain? Who's the one itching
to cause Job harm? It's the
devil. Runs away to do his
00:44:46.01\00:44:51.09
worst. The story tells us, the
bad news starts to arrive for
Job. He doesn't see what's going
00:44:51.19\00:44:55.26
on behind the scenes, just like
we don't always see what's going
on behind the scenes. A group
00:44:55.36\00:45:00.56
called the Sabeans comes and
kills all his servants; his
staff is gone. Lightning falls
00:45:00.66\00:45:04.93
from heaven and consumes all of
his animals. You say, "Lightning
must be from God." Hmm, the
00:45:05.03\00:45:11.14
beast knows how to bring fire
down too - read Revelation
chapter 13. His house falls in
00:45:11.24\00:45:16.01
and all of his children are
dead. He loses it all, and
Lucifer rubs his hands together.
00:45:16.11\00:45:20.05
"Now watch this. He's going to
turn his back on God in two
seconds flat." Backfires. What
00:45:20.15\00:45:26.29
does Job do? He prays. "The Lord
gave and the Lord has taken
away. Blessed be the name of the
00:45:26.39\00:45:31.39
Lord." Devil says, "I'm going to
have to up the game a little
bit." Goes back to God. "Satan
00:45:31.49\00:45:38.13
answered the Lord and said,
'Skin for skin! Yes, all that a
man has he will give for his
00:45:38.23\00:45:42.54
life. [He still has his health;
that's why he's with You.] But
stretch out Your hand now, touch
00:45:42.64\00:45:47.18
his bone and his flesh, and he
will surely curse You to Your
face!'" Take away his health;
00:45:47.28\00:45:52.41
he'll walk. "The Lord said to
Satan, 'Behold, he's in your
hand, but spare his life.'" What
00:45:52.51\00:46:00.39
are you up against tonight?
God's not doing that. All of
heaven is watching us to see if
00:46:00.49\00:46:10.03
our loyalty to God depends on
gifts and favours, or if it's
because we love Him. Drives me
00:46:10.13\00:46:19.01
nuts when preachers say, "God
wants everybody rich and famous
and good-looking." That's not
00:46:19.11\00:46:25.48
the truth. Actually giving the
wrong impression. There's no
question the devil's going to
00:46:25.58\00:46:32.39
try with you; I promise you. I
can tell you from personal
experience - he's tried to kill
00:46:32.49\00:46:37.13
me. Goes after you sometimes.
That's what the prophecy says.
"For the devil has come down to
00:46:37.23\00:46:45.67
you, having great wrath, because
he knows that he has a short
time." You know what is
00:46:45.77\00:46:52.57
happening? He's panicky. He's
throwing a temper tantrum
because he's already defeated.
00:46:52.67\00:46:58.15
He was finished at the cross. A
member of the human race, God in
human flesh, took the keys to
00:46:58.25\00:47:03.18
the planet back, and the devil
is just running around
pretending like it didn't happen
00:47:03.28\00:47:07.16
and he didn't lose. But the
cross is real and Jesus is alive
and His tomb is empty and the
00:47:07.26\00:47:14.36
devil is done and there's
nothing he can do about it.
Nothing. The only place left for
00:47:14.46\00:47:22.90
him to fight right now is over
your heart. That's it. And he'll
do what it takes to make you
00:47:23.00\00:47:27.58
think that God is ruining your
life. God's not doing it. Jesus
is coming. God says, "I'm going
00:47:27.68\00:47:33.78
to put an end to it. Hang in
there; I'm coming. I'm waiting
for a few more, but I'm coming."
00:47:33.88\00:47:38.29
Revelation 21 verse 4: "God will
wipe away every tear from their
eyes. There'll be no more death,
00:47:38.39\00:47:44.93
no sorrow, nor crying. There
will be no more pain, for the
former things have passed away."
00:47:45.03\00:47:51.07
God's letting us live through
this painful world just once
because there was no other way
00:47:51.17\00:47:57.31
to give us our freedom of
choice. There's no way I'm going
to choose this place again. I'm
00:47:57.41\00:48:09.45
going to love God of my own free
will. We still will have freedom
of choice in the kingdom, but
00:48:09.55\00:48:16.59
you're not going to choose this
again. There's no way. God is
allowing this because this is
00:48:16.69\00:48:23.13
the medicine we needed. And
medicine, not always great. When
my wife was in the hospital with
00:48:23.23\00:48:37.15
our second baby [tongue clicks],
it came that quick - you were
there - I was home alone with a
00:48:37.25\00:48:46.86
two-year-old who had an eye
infection. I would call her.
"Natalie." "Yes, Daddy," she'd
00:48:46.96\00:49:00.30
come running in, one eye all red
and weepy. "It's time for your
medicine." "I don't wants
00:49:00.40\00:49:07.84
medicine." We have to put it in
there because that eye is out of
control. Daddy's got it right
00:49:07.94\00:49:13.62
here. I've got the ointment." "I
don't wants ointment." "Come
here, it's not going to hurt."
00:49:13.72\00:49:18.29
"Let me hold your eye open."
"No!" I had to get it in there.
And I had to hold her down on
00:49:18.39\00:49:30.00
the bed. "No, Daddy. I don't
like it." Push her head back
with one hand, and force her eye
00:49:30.10\00:49:41.54
open. "You have to." "You have
to." And here we are in this
world, and God's going to fix
00:49:41.64\00:50:01.63
it. He doesn't want to lose you.
Doesn't want to lose you. And I
know it hurts - I know - and we
00:50:01.73\00:50:11.34
cry out, "No, Father, no, I
can't take it." But He's going
to wipe away every tear, and
00:50:11.44\00:50:19.81
He's coming. I gotta ask you
tonight, what are you dealing
with? God's not doing it. Be
00:50:19.91\00:50:30.99
faithful, hang in there; He's
coming. I know you're dealing
with stuff. I want to pray for
00:50:31.09\00:50:39.57
you tonight 'cause I know you
are. Charles is going to sing,
and this is the moment the
00:50:39.67\00:50:44.94
ushers are going to pass out the
containers; you put the card in
it. And after he's sung for a
00:50:45.04\00:50:49.68
moment or two, I'm going to meet
you down here, because some of
you are struggling with stuff.
00:50:49.78\00:50:55.02
Some of you have incredible pain
in your life, and you've
wondered if you can trust God,
00:50:55.12\00:50:59.45
and you can. I'm going to meet
you down front for prayer. You
bring whatever it is that you're
00:50:59.55\00:51:04.96
struggling with, and you stand
up and say, "You know what? I'm
going to trust God." He ripped
00:51:05.06\00:51:11.90
back the veil of the universe to
show us what's actually going
on. You take the pain and you
00:51:12.00\00:51:16.94
come down here and pray. My
pastoral team will meet with
you. You can start coming as
00:51:17.04\00:51:21.61
soon as that container comes
through; I'll be waiting for
00:51:21.71\00:51:25.01
you. Nothing between
my soul and my Savior,
00:51:26.41\00:51:34.72
Naught of this
world's delusive dreams;
00:51:36.16\00:51:45.03
I have renounced
all sinful pleasure;
00:51:45.93\00:51:54.48
Jesus is mine,
there's nothing between.
00:51:55.61\00:52:04.69
Nothing between my
soul and my Savior,
00:52:05.72\00:52:14.63
So that His
blessed face may be seen;
00:52:15.30\00:52:24.71
Nothing preventing
the least of His favor;
00:52:25.94\00:52:34.65
Keep the way clear!
Let nothing between.
00:52:35.45\00:52:45.93
There is somebody in this
auditorium who has struggled
with trusting God. They don't
00:52:48.96\00:52:56.57
want that struggle; they want to
hold His hand. You come on out
of your seat and come down for
00:52:56.67\00:53:01.51
prayer. Just get up and come.
Someone else who knows they need
a relationship with Christ, you
00:53:01.61\00:53:08.98
come here too and pray. Tonight,
there's something that you're
holding onto that hurts. It's
00:53:09.08\00:53:18.56
time to let go of it, time to
trust God with it. I want you to
come down for prayer too.
00:53:18.66\00:53:24.23
Charles is going to sing. Don't
let anything hold you back from
Jesus tonight. You just come on
00:53:24.33\00:53:28.37
down for prayer. My pastoral
team will be waiting for you.
00:53:28.47\00:53:32.01
Nothing between,
like worldly pleasure;
00:53:35.34\00:53:44.52
Habits of life,
though harmless they seem,
00:53:45.19\00:53:54.00
Must not my heart
from Him ever sever;
00:53:54.96\00:54:04.27
He is my all,
there's nothing between.
00:54:05.27\00:54:14.62
Nothing between my
soul and my Savior,
00:54:15.32\00:54:24.63
So that His
blessed face may be seen;
00:54:25.03\00:54:34.24
Nothing preventing
the least of His favor;
00:54:34.94\00:54:45.11
Keep the way clear!
Let nothing between.
00:54:45.68\00:54:55.96
Tonight we're going to pray
together. My pastoral team is
here. Pastors, just raise your
00:54:56.99\00:55:02.23
hand wherever you are so people
can identify who you are. We're
going to linger here after the
00:55:02.33\00:55:07.74
meeting, and we'll pray with
anyone who needs prayer. We'd
ask that when we close tonight,
00:55:07.84\00:55:14.01
then, that, if you haven't come
forward, if you'd excuse us to
just pray with folks, and we'll
00:55:14.11\00:55:20.88
see you tomorrow night. Father
in heaven, when the curtain is
pulled back and see what has
00:55:20.98\00:55:28.66
happened in Your creation, we
understand that You feel the
pain. We're Your children; You
00:55:28.76\00:55:35.56
haven't missed one minute of
what's going on in our lives.
You saw what happened. You have
00:55:35.66\00:55:43.34
seen the way that fallen angels
have destroyed our lives, the
pain they've inflicted. And
00:55:43.44\00:55:49.48
tonight, we believe that when
You say You will wipe away every
tear, it is something we can
00:55:49.58\00:55:57.95
count on. The Bible says when
You made that promise right, for
these words are true and
00:55:58.05\00:56:04.69
faithful, so by faith tonight,
we believe it. Jesus died for
our sins. We are going home and
00:56:04.79\00:56:11.83
the devil is defeated. He has no
claim in our lives tonight.
Nothing. No foothold, because
00:56:11.93\00:56:18.17
our hearts belong to Jesus
Christ. So Lord, we're going to
lay what hurts in front of Your
00:56:18.27\00:56:24.65
feet. You have lived here. You
came as one of us, lived here.
You know what it's like to be
00:56:24.75\00:56:31.69
lonely, to be hurt, to be
rejected. And tonight, we know
we can trust You with that pain
00:56:31.79\00:56:39.56
and that You'll take it. Father,
You hear what's going on in
every heart here at the front of
00:56:39.66\00:56:45.30
this auditorium. Speak to each
heart. Let everybody feel just
how close You are and how close
00:56:45.40\00:56:53.68
Your coming is. And we
thank You, in Jesus' name, amen.
00:56:53.78\00:57:00.18
Today you have watched just one
in a series of "Revelation
Speaks Peace" presentations.
00:57:02.35\00:57:07.76
The entire series is available
on DVD. Find out how you can
order a copy at www.vop.com/rsp
00:57:07.86\00:57:16.16
Or Call.. 877-955-2525 Or if you
wish you may request the series
by writing to Voice of Prophecy
00:57:16.26\00:57:25.54
PO Box 999 Loveland, CO 80539
You can also find answers to
life's TOUGHEST questions, by
00:57:25.64\00:57:35.32
ordering Voice of Prophecy's
free Discover Bible Guides.
We'll take you step by step to
00:57:35.42\00:57:40.72
what you care about most. Study
online, or have us send them
straight to your mailbox.  To
00:57:40.82\00:57:47.03
order your DVD set or Discover
Bible Guides go to
www.vop.com/rsp, again that's
00:57:47.13\00:57:53.97
www.vop.com/rsp or call
877-955-2525. You may also send
us a request by mail to: Voice
00:57:54.07\00:58:05.55
of Prophecy PO Box
999 Loveland, CO 80539
00:58:05.65\00:58:11.95
+
00:58:14.56\00:58:16.22