Welcome to the 3ABN
Spring Camp Meeting:
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The Three Angels' Messages.
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Hello and welcome to
Spring Camp Meeting 2018!
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Are you happy to be here? Yes!
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Praise the Lord!
We have a good crowd.
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Just want to welcome you at
home but we have a full crowd
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here. We actually have
some of these little "air walls"
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that we call them and
we kept one of them up.
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I think we may have...
should have taken that down
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'cause there are
people still filing in.
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But we're so glad that you have
joined us via the air waves,
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the Internet, satellite,
maybe even radio hopefully.
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We're having a blessed
time here at Spring Camp Meeting
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already. I talked
to... Well I didn't talk to
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I heard this second hand.
I was in the control room...
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You've heard about the volcanoes
happening in Hawaii, right?
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I believe there is a couple
here that was actually airlifted
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out by a helicopter -
is that right? from Hawaii.
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And they're here at
Camp Meeting I understand.
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Are they here?
Somewhere... I don't know.
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Anyway I heard that they
were here. But we have been
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at 3ABN praying for you.
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We've been praying for
your safety, for good health,
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for traveling mercies as you're
making it to 3ABN Camp Meeting.
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Because we know -
because of the topic -
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that Satan is
upset, right? Amen!
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And so we've been just
praying for your protection
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and we just want to say
thank you for your prayers
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for 3ABN. We've had a
lot of technical things
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that just seem to kind of go
on, but we know what's going on:
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Satan's trying to
cause a little disruption.
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But we know who's
stronger. Who's that?
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God! God... Amen. Jesus
Christ. And we thank you for
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your prayers, though, and
thank you for your support
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of the ministry of 3ABN.
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We're definitely a team.
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You know, we have
the staff that's at 3ABN
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but then we have all of you.
And you're just a small sampling
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of course of the
world-wide audience of 3ABN.
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So thank you for your support
in coming here to Camp Meeting.
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This evening we're going
to be blessed with a sermon
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by Pastor John Bradshaw.
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He's a great speaker, isn't he?
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The Lord has given
him tremendous talents,
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and we appreciate him
taking the time to come here.
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And he is, of
course, the speaker/director
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for It Is Written and of course
has traveled around the world.
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And I am so blessed
by his messages. And just
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this whole line-up this
weekend is just phenomenal,
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isn't it? Boy, what a blessing!
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Before he speaks we
have a special music by
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Pastor John
Lomacang. And he's my pastor,
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Jill and my pastor here at
the Thompsonville SDA church.
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And he's going to be ministering
a song to us this evening
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entitled Don't You
See My Jesus Coming?
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Don't you see my Jesus coming?
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Don't you see
Him in yonder clouds?
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With 10,000 angels round Him
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see how they my Jesus crowd.
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I am bound for the kingdom.
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Will you go to glory with me?
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Hallelujah! Oh
praise ye the Lord!
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Don't you see
the saints ascending?
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Hear them
shouting through the air.
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Jesus smiling; trumpets sounding
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now His glory they will share.
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For I am bound
for the kingdom...
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will you go to glory with me?
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Hallelujah! Oh
praise ye the Lord!
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Hallelujah!
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Hallelujah!
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Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
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Hallelujah!
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Don't you see the heavens open
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and the saints
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in glory there?
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Shouts of triumph
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bursting round them!
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Glory, glory
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everywhere!
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I am bound for the kingdom.
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Will you go to glory with me?
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Hallelujah! Oh
praise ye the Lord!
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Hallelujah!
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Oh praise ye
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the Lord!
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Amen!
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Wonderful!
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Good evening
everyone! Good evening.
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I've gotta tell you something:
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it's already been a
great Camp Meeting! Amen!
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If John Lomacang opens
up with the opening song
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for Camp Meeting,
you know it's BEEN great
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not that it's going to be great.
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How're we all doing tonight?
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Great! Are we all right?
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Have we come to Camp
Meeting to be blessed?
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Amen! Me, too!
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So I'm hoping you'll be
a blessing to me tonight.
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I'm hoping you'll be a blessing.
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We are going to be discussing
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the three angels' messages
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throughout this
Camp Meeting time.
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You know what? I don't know
if we could be talking about
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anything more important
than the three angels' messages.
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I just don't.
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And so we'll go over
that a little bit tonight.
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I just think that
this is the subject
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for such a time as this.
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Amen! I really do.
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I'm convinced Jesus
is coming back soon.
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Amen! Now you don't have to be.
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There's probably somebody
here tonight who's at least
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stroking their chin
saying: "I'm not so sure. "
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But the majority of us are sure.
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I don't mean to apply
any peer pressure here
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but the most of us are sure.
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I'm certain Jesus
is coming back soon.
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And before you say
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"Didn't some Baptist preacher
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make a prediction like that back
in the middle of the 1840's? "
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BEFORE you say that
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and before you say: "Haven't
some of you all been saying
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Jesus is coming back
soon for years and for decades
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and decades and years? "
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The answer to that
is: "Yes we have! "
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Which means we're a whole
lot closer to the second coming
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of Jesus now than
we've ever been before!
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Amen! And let's
think about it like this:
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the truth of the matter is
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there are not
many of us in this room
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who could say:
"Barring the coming of Jesus
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we have a long time
left on this planet. "
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Now I don't mean to frighten ya.
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But the moment
you breathe your last
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in essence the second
coming has taken place for you
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or is about to
take place for you.
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You understand what I mean.
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So no matter how you cut this
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we are close to
the return of Jesus.
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And therefore, we want
to have our Bible open.
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We want to be on our knees.
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We want to be close to Jesus.
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We want to be praying
prayers we ought to be praying
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and believing like we
ought to be believing.
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So this is a good
place to be I am confident.
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Thank you for being here,
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and I am certain that
throughout this Camp Meeting
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you are going to be blessed.
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There are some... I was going
to say there are some wonderful
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speakers. And while that's
true I was going to try to
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find a more fitting word.
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God has spoken through
this line-up of speakers
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many many times.
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I believe He's
going to do it again
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and that each individual
is here presenting because
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God wants that individual
to share a timely message
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with you and with
whoever is watching Camp Meeting
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from wherever they're watching.
And of course we're grateful
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that you're joining
us wherever you might be.
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Well... we're going to pray
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and expect that
God will speak to us.
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Will you bow your head
with me as we pray together?
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Our Father in heaven,
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we come to You in
the name of Jesus.
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We are thankful that we can.
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Long ago David
wrote in the Psalms:
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Psalm 8: "What is
man that Thou art mindful
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of him? " In other
words, he prayed and he said:
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"Why do You bother with us? "
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'Tis a fair question.
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David understood much
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about the
sinfulness of a sinful heart.
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And yet he knew
that You in Your wisdom
00:10:01.20\00:10:04.37
and mercy love us
with an everlasting love.
00:10:04.57\00:10:07.80
And so we come to You tonight
in the confidence of that love.
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In the certainty that You
want the very best for us.
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In the assurance that You
have a future planned for us
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that stretches beyond
our time on this mortal coil
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and stretches right on into
the annals of future history.
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And so we pray:
"Speak to us tonight. "
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Lord, do not...
Please, we beseech You...
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rely on the frailty, on the
brokenness of sinful humanity
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to share Your Word tonight.
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We pray knowing
Your Spirit is here.
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This is Your house;
we know You're here.
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Lord, speak as
though You're here.
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Arrest us as though You're here.
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Get our attention and focus us
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on what we need
to be focusing on.
00:10:51.68\00:10:53.48
Bless tonight, we ask You.
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We pray knowing You are
a God who wishes to bless.
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And so speak, we pray,
and give us ears to hear.
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We know that You are here.
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Lord, let it be
that we are here.
00:11:04.83\00:11:09.23
We thank you tonight and we pray
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in Jesus' name...
please say with me... Amen
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and Amen.
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You know, my mother's father
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owned racehorses.
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My mother's
brother owned and trained
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racehorses.
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My father... he
was just a "wannabe. "
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He wanted to own racehorses.
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He never had the money for that.
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Somehow he seemed to have
money to take to the racetrack!
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Not a lot... not a lot.
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Dad was one of these
gamblers who only gambled
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what he figured he
could afford to lose.
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I don't know how my dad
could afford to lose anything
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but you understand it was
his form of entertainment.
00:12:04.39\00:12:06.32
So we had sort of racing
00:12:07.16\00:12:10.43
and racehorses in
our DNA growing up.
00:12:10.63\00:12:15.23
My earliest memories...
Or should I say I have
00:12:15.53\00:12:20.00
little or maybe even no
memories that stretch back
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further than my memories
of racehorses and racetracks.
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And you know, if you
were to visit a racetrack...
00:12:28.81\00:12:30.38
by the way, I'm not
here to recommend that...
00:12:30.58\00:12:32.45
but if you were and if
you were just to observe
00:12:32.65\00:12:34.52
you would
understand why gambling becomes
00:12:34.72\00:12:37.79
intoxicating to people.
00:12:37.99\00:12:39.35
There's the thrill of the win
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or maybe even just
the thrill of the chase.
00:12:41.62\00:12:43.73
And then there's the pageantry.
00:12:44.13\00:12:45.63
And horses are beautiful, and
if we have any horse owners here
00:12:45.83\00:12:49.43
I'm sure we do... Somebody
here owns... You must...
00:12:49.63\00:12:51.57
Now we're not going to
assume those are racehorses.
00:12:51.97\00:12:54.50
I'm going to assume
those are not. But you do,
00:12:54.70\00:12:56.04
you own horses. And you own
them because they're beautiful.
00:12:56.10\00:12:58.54
You've gotta love a
horse... just got to.
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And then you know
there's just all the pageantry
00:13:02.08\00:13:05.01
of the whole thing. So
I used to go the racetrack
00:13:05.21\00:13:06.55
when I was very small and
gambling when I was very young.
00:13:06.58\00:13:09.18
I would have a job working
in the gas station on Sunday
00:13:09.58\00:13:14.36
and then the next Saturday I
would take all of my earnings
00:13:14.56\00:13:18.13
from the gas
station to the racetrack
00:13:18.33\00:13:19.76
and lose it all.
00:13:20.16\00:13:22.10
I was a bad gambler.
00:13:22.50\00:13:24.43
I was the gambling
agency's dream gambler.
00:13:24.63\00:13:28.47
I very
infrequently won anything.
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I knew lots about horses.
00:13:32.81\00:13:36.08
Not enough to be a
successful gambler, mind you.
00:13:36.28\00:13:39.31
Just enough... And not enough to
be an accidental lucky gambler.
00:13:39.71\00:13:44.62
I knew enough so I didn't
make boneheaded decisions.
00:13:45.12\00:13:48.09
I didn't say: "Well I
want to choose that horse
00:13:48.29\00:13:50.29
because I like
the jockey's colors. "
00:13:50.49\00:13:52.26
Don't do that.
00:13:52.66\00:13:54.00
"I'm going to bet on that horse
'cause he has a nice name. "
00:13:54.06\00:13:56.97
Oh for goodness sake, you have
to apply a little more science
00:13:57.17\00:13:59.77
like I did... enough science
so that you lose everything!
00:13:59.97\00:14:02.64
That's what I did.
00:14:02.84\00:14:04.17
And I will tell you
that quitting gambling
00:14:06.68\00:14:09.34
was very difficult for
me... it was very difficult.
00:14:09.54\00:14:12.35
Well, I mean I had
plenty of motivation
00:14:12.55\00:14:14.62
because I didn't
have plenty of money.
00:14:14.82\00:14:16.15
I was sick of
pouring my money down a hole
00:14:16.35\00:14:18.39
but I realized one day I
shouldn't go on like this.
00:14:18.59\00:14:20.46
And to go off of
gambling was like what I imagine
00:14:20.66\00:14:23.29
going off of
drugs would be like.
00:14:23.49\00:14:24.99
Really... it was
really difficult.
00:14:25.19\00:14:26.59
So we had
gambling in our family.
00:14:27.43\00:14:30.17
And when you go to the
racetrack, I mean, well,
00:14:30.37\00:14:33.74
betting on the
horses... it's a gamble.
00:14:34.77\00:14:36.54
I mean it literally is.
00:14:36.74\00:14:38.07
But what you
want is a sure thing.
00:14:38.24\00:14:41.28
You want to get as
close as you possibly can
00:14:41.78\00:14:44.41
to a sure thing.
00:14:44.61\00:14:46.01
You know I had a friend.
He was a guy who knew a lot
00:14:46.21\00:14:48.45
about horses. And he would
lean on me and he would go:
00:14:48.65\00:14:50.25
"That horse
there... gonna win today.
00:14:50.45\00:14:52.09
He's gonna win.
00:14:52.49\00:14:53.82
I've heard... my father
was talking to the trainer.
00:14:53.86\00:14:56.66
My grandfather knows the owner.
00:14:56.86\00:14:59.56
That's a sure thing. "
00:14:59.76\00:15:01.10
Except for when I bet on that
horse... somehow it didn't win.
00:15:01.86\00:15:05.13
God was doing me a favor.
00:15:07.94\00:15:09.27
My uncle trained a
number of average horses
00:15:11.51\00:15:16.01
and some very good horses.
00:15:16.21\00:15:17.81
And one day he had a horse
that was... it was average.
00:15:18.95\00:15:22.22
It had done OK, but he
said: "I want to turn this horse
00:15:22.42\00:15:25.09
into a jumper. "
00:15:25.29\00:15:26.96
So the horse would end
up being a steeplechaser...
00:15:27.16\00:15:29.12
that's where they
jump over the brush fences
00:15:29.32\00:15:30.96
or a hurdler where they
jump... long distance races
00:15:31.16\00:15:34.03
and they jump the wooden fences.
00:15:34.23\00:15:35.56
Are you familiar with that? I'm
not suggesting you should be.
00:15:35.60\00:15:37.57
Probably better if you're not.
00:15:37.73\00:15:39.07
If you're not, then I
would say: "God bless you. "
00:15:39.10\00:15:40.74
Some of us we are. We've
spent some time in the rough.
00:15:40.94\00:15:44.71
And so my uncle
trained this horse.
00:15:44.91\00:15:46.57
I don't recall its name
but I sure remember the story
00:15:46.78\00:15:49.08
because my mother
told me the story.
00:15:49.28\00:15:50.61
It was her
brother, you understand.
00:15:50.68\00:15:52.01
And he had a horse that
he turned into a hurdler.
00:15:52.41\00:15:55.08
He said: "This horse
could really win some races
00:15:55.28\00:15:59.22
if we turn it into a jumper. "
00:15:59.42\00:16:01.42
And so the race began
and the horse ran well
00:16:02.32\00:16:05.06
and it became obvious
this horse was a class act.
00:16:05.26\00:16:09.73
So much so that when it
got into the home straight
00:16:10.13\00:16:12.90
it was - figuratively
speaking - miles in front.
00:16:13.10\00:16:17.31
There were two or so
hurdles in the home stretch
00:16:17.87\00:16:20.71
up near the top of the straight.
He bounded over the first one
00:16:20.91\00:16:23.65
just as clear as day.
There was a long distance
00:16:23.85\00:16:28.05
between the leading horse
and the horse coming second.
00:16:28.25\00:16:31.35
And as the horse
approached the last fence
00:16:32.22\00:16:35.49
my Aunt Gladys sitting
next to my Uncle Dudley
00:16:36.79\00:16:42.26
turned to him and said:
00:16:42.46\00:16:44.83
"The only way this
horse isn't going to win
00:16:45.03\00:16:50.04
is if it falls at that
fence and breaks its neck. "
00:16:50.44\00:16:54.68
After that mishap
00:17:02.35\00:17:04.35
Aunt Gladys declared
that she and her husband
00:17:05.62\00:17:09.36
my uncle would never own
another jumps horse again
00:17:09.56\00:17:13.60
as long as they lived.
And she kept her promise.
00:17:13.80\00:17:18.40
You want
certainty in this world...
00:17:19.33\00:17:23.14
at least in some things.
00:17:23.44\00:17:24.84
When the weather forecast
says this weekend it's going to
00:17:25.04\00:17:28.01
be fine... I used to live in a
town where there was an amateur
00:17:28.21\00:17:32.21
weather forecaster. He
kept meticulous records -
00:17:32.41\00:17:35.48
weather records - in
his homespun weather station
00:17:35.68\00:17:37.99
for decades...
literally decades.
00:17:38.19\00:17:39.65
And when people were getting
married they would call Walter.
00:17:40.06\00:17:42.26
Walter Dubonte, a Dutch
immigrant into New Zealand.
00:17:42.46\00:17:44.76
They would call Walter
and they would say: "Walter,
00:17:44.96\00:17:46.46
we are looking at
getting married in March.
00:17:46.66\00:17:48.96
What's the best weekend
in March to get married? "
00:17:49.16\00:17:51.77
He would look at his
decades of weather reports
00:17:52.17\00:17:53.84
and he would say:
"Well, I can only tell you
00:17:54.04\00:17:56.30
that the third weekend in March
there's only ever been rain
00:17:56.50\00:17:59.94
twice in the last 45
years. That's the one. "
00:18:00.14\00:18:02.81
You want a sure thing.
00:18:03.68\00:18:05.35
You'd like to believe
the weather forecast can be
00:18:05.55\00:18:07.82
believed. You remember once
upon a time the weather forecast
00:18:08.02\00:18:09.95
said: "Wednesday: fine
but with a chance of rain. "
00:18:10.15\00:18:14.72
Now they say: "Sixty
percent chance of rain. "
00:18:14.92\00:18:17.53
See I don't even
know what that means.
00:18:17.69\00:18:19.13
I think they're
just hedging their bets.
00:18:19.33\00:18:20.93
They're saying:
"Maybe... maybe not. "
00:18:21.13\00:18:22.56
But they can't say
that in the weather forecast
00:18:22.76\00:18:24.10
so they say: "60%,
70% chance of rain. "
00:18:24.30\00:18:27.40
You want sure things.
00:18:27.80\00:18:29.30
There's a lot of
uncertainty today.
00:18:29.70\00:18:31.17
I think you've notice that
we live in an uncertain world.
00:18:31.37\00:18:33.17
You can't be sure of
getting out of this world...
00:18:33.58\00:18:35.58
you can't be sure of
getting out of this world alive.
00:18:35.78\00:18:37.81
That's an obvious statement.
00:18:38.01\00:18:39.35
You can't be certain... There
are so many health challenges,
00:18:39.38\00:18:43.08
there are so
many social problems,
00:18:43.28\00:18:44.65
there are so many economic
challenges in the world today
00:18:45.05\00:18:47.76
we just don't know.
00:18:48.16\00:18:49.69
But we like
certainty. As a person of faith
00:18:49.89\00:18:53.93
there are probably times
that you wrestle with the Bible.
00:18:55.33\00:18:58.87
And there might have been times,
maybe there still are times,
00:18:59.07\00:19:02.10
that you wrestle with
the very basics of faith.
00:19:02.30\00:19:05.31
I spoke to a
young lady just recently
00:19:05.71\00:19:07.84
and she said: "I am not
even sure that there is a God. "
00:19:08.04\00:19:11.98
Wouldn't you love to
be just absolutely sure?
00:19:13.52\00:19:15.65
Well you say: "I
AM absolutely sure! "
00:19:15.85\00:19:17.45
But you're sure based on
what? You didn't meet God ever.
00:19:17.65\00:19:19.69
You never shook His hand.
00:19:19.89\00:19:21.22
You never received a
text message from God.
00:19:21.32\00:19:22.96
Christianity is
something that's based on faith
00:19:23.36\00:19:25.93
and God never removes
all the avenues for doubt.
00:19:26.33\00:19:30.83
He just doesn't.
00:19:31.23\00:19:32.57
If He did, essentially he would
be forcing you into belief.
00:19:32.63\00:19:35.34
And He doesn't because
He knows that this thing
00:19:36.30\00:19:38.71
called faith is based on faith.
00:19:38.91\00:19:41.81
When you think
about God you want to know
00:19:43.28\00:19:45.61
that what you
believe in is believable.
00:19:45.81\00:19:48.78
And I think that's fair enough.
00:19:49.38\00:19:51.25
Yea, verily, I
think that's wise.
00:19:51.45\00:19:53.02
I'd like to open
tonight by looking with you
00:19:53.22\00:19:55.69
in II Peter - looking with you -
00:19:55.89\00:19:58.59
in II Peter chapter 1.
Let's turn there, shall we?
00:19:58.79\00:20:01.93
II Peter chapter 1.
00:20:02.13\00:20:05.20
And we're going
to begin in verse 14.
00:20:06.40\00:20:09.20
We are looking as believers,
or... not wanting to presume
00:20:09.40\00:20:14.14
as prospective believers,
00:20:14.34\00:20:15.81
we are looking to see
where we can find certainty.
00:20:16.21\00:20:20.08
IF we can find certainty.
00:20:20.48\00:20:22.62
What the Bible gives
us to hang our hats on.
00:20:22.82\00:20:25.95
II Peter chapter 1 and we'll
pick it up starting in verse 14.
00:20:26.35\00:20:31.19
Notice what he says.
00:20:31.39\00:20:32.73
"Knowing that shortly I must
put off this my tabernacle... "
00:20:32.86\00:20:36.87
That's similar
language to what Paul uses
00:20:37.07\00:20:39.73
when he writes in II
Corinthians chapter 5.
00:20:39.93\00:20:42.37
You know, when he says:
"Absent from the body... "
00:20:42.77\00:20:44.17
"I would rather be
absent from the body
00:20:44.37\00:20:45.71
and be present with the Lord. "
00:20:45.77\00:20:47.11
He's talking about the
tabernacle that he's in: Paul.
00:20:47.18\00:20:49.58
Peter here now is
speaking about the tabernacle
00:20:49.98\00:20:52.68
which is his what? It's his
body... that's absolutely right.
00:20:52.88\00:20:56.18
"Knowing that shortly I
must put off this my tabernacle
00:20:56.38\00:20:59.42
even as our Lord Jesus
Christ hath showed me. "
00:20:59.62\00:21:02.12
It's getting towards
the end of Peter's life.
00:21:02.52\00:21:04.89
Peter is writing
about what matters most.
00:21:05.09\00:21:07.80
It's towards
the end of his life.
00:21:09.13\00:21:10.90
Peter realizes he does
not have a long writing career
00:21:11.57\00:21:15.27
stretching ahead of him.
00:21:15.47\00:21:16.81
"I don't have many
more opportunities to write"
00:21:16.84\00:21:19.71
is what Peter is
essentially saying.
00:21:20.11\00:21:23.24
"So being as I'm
at the end of my life
00:21:23.65\00:21:25.48
I'm going to write what counts.
00:21:25.68\00:21:28.38
I'm going to make it matter. "
00:21:28.58\00:21:29.92
He goes on to say:
"Even as our Lord Jesus Christ
00:21:30.19\00:21:33.12
hath showed me. " So... we'll
get back to this in a moment.
00:21:33.32\00:21:37.26
Peter is writing
about what matters most.
00:21:37.66\00:21:40.76
Let's understand this.
00:21:40.96\00:21:42.30
He's writing about what
he believes matters most.
00:21:42.36\00:21:46.63
So where does he go?
00:21:46.84\00:21:48.40
Verse 15: "Moreover I will
endeavor that ye may be able
00:21:48.60\00:21:51.97
after my decease... " after
I'm gone; after I have died...
00:21:52.17\00:21:55.64
"to have these things
always in remembrance. "
00:21:55.84\00:21:58.85
What he says is so important
00:21:59.05\00:22:01.45
he says: "After I am dead
00:22:01.65\00:22:05.65
I want you to remember this. "
00:22:05.85\00:22:08.59
"For we, " he
says, "have not followed
00:22:09.09\00:22:12.03
cunningly devised fables
00:22:12.23\00:22:14.53
when we made known unto
you the power and coming
00:22:14.73\00:22:17.70
of our Lord Jesus Christ. "
00:22:17.90\00:22:19.43
He wrote or writes:
"We were eyewitnesses
00:22:19.63\00:22:23.44
of His majesty. "
This was not up for grabs.
00:22:23.71\00:22:27.74
Peter was not
about to equivocate.
00:22:27.94\00:22:30.58
He is saying: "I'm
convinced, not mistaken.
00:22:30.78\00:22:34.35
What we have talked to
you about is not simply some
00:22:34.55\00:22:37.49
elaborate ruse.
" You know, one day
00:22:37.69\00:22:39.39
there was a lady and her husband
00:22:39.59\00:22:40.92
driving to
Inverness in Scotland.
00:22:40.99\00:22:42.32
She looked out to the lake
that they were driving beside
00:22:42.36\00:22:45.13
and she says:
"Aah... the monster! "
00:22:45.33\00:22:47.53
And so was born the
legend of the Loch Ness monster.
00:22:47.93\00:22:51.40
Now you do know that
the lady who cried out
00:22:51.60\00:22:54.90
"Aah, the monster! " was
the manageress of a local hotel.
00:22:55.10\00:22:58.51
That's true.
00:23:00.21\00:23:01.54
And many of the sightings
- the so-called sightings
00:23:01.91\00:23:04.58
of the Loch Ness monster -
00:23:04.78\00:23:06.11
have been made by hotel
owners in the Loch Ness area.
00:23:06.18\00:23:09.85
It's good for business.
00:23:10.45\00:23:12.75
Do you think the
Loch Ness monster exists?
00:23:13.49\00:23:15.09
I do not... I absolutely do not.
00:23:15.29\00:23:19.76
You know, I've been living
in Tennessee for far too long.
00:23:22.36\00:23:26.10
I've been living in
Tennessee for too long, ya'll.
00:23:27.80\00:23:30.44
Lord help me.
00:23:34.01\00:23:35.34
Wasn't the Loch Ness monster.
00:23:36.71\00:23:38.05
This was not a matter of UFO:
00:23:38.81\00:23:40.62
somebody claiming to have seen
something blinking in the sky.
00:23:40.82\00:23:44.49
The illusionist, the magician.
They call him a magician.
00:23:45.25\00:23:47.92
He's not a
magician... he's an illusionist.
00:23:48.12\00:23:49.52
He cuts his
lovely assistant in half
00:23:49.92\00:23:52.16
and then separates the two
halves, and the toes are still
00:23:52.36\00:23:54.66
wiggling over here. And
you said: "Oh my goodness!
00:23:54.86\00:23:58.33
How did he do that? " It's
not magic; it's an illusion
00:23:58.53\00:24:01.87
you understand. He
never cut anybody in half.
00:24:02.07\00:24:03.84
Nobody ever did... at
least not and survived again.
00:24:04.04\00:24:06.27
This was just an illusion.
00:24:06.47\00:24:07.84
What Peter is saying is that
"I have studied and I've learned
00:24:08.84\00:24:12.18
in what I'm sharing
with you my readers. "
00:24:12.38\00:24:13.98
"I'm not a snake
oil salesman" he says.
00:24:14.18\00:24:16.48
"I'm not selling anything. "
00:24:17.35\00:24:18.75
"What I'm talking to
you about is certain...
00:24:18.95\00:24:20.42
not a cunningly devised fable. "
00:24:20.62\00:24:22.66
You know there are people who
believe that the earth is flat.
00:24:23.06\00:24:25.96
You know that?
00:24:26.36\00:24:27.70
I met a man just a few weeks ago
00:24:27.73\00:24:31.20
when we were holding evangelis-
tic meetings in Rome in Italy.
00:24:31.40\00:24:33.97
Met a man... no wait a minute.
00:24:34.37\00:24:36.44
I didn't meet him; he
was pointed out to me.
00:24:36.64\00:24:38.41
I didn't have the good fortu...
I rubbed shoulders with him
00:24:38.61\00:24:41.41
literally speaking and
he believed that the earth
00:24:41.61\00:24:44.15
is flat... flat...
flatter than a pancake.
00:24:44.31\00:24:46.61
He believes it. He's
evangelistic about it.
00:24:47.08\00:24:49.65
He wants people to know.
Me? I want people to know Jesus
00:24:49.85\00:24:52.52
is coming back to the
earth. He wants people to know
00:24:52.72\00:24:55.12
the earth Jesus is
coming back to is flat.
00:24:55.32\00:24:57.23
How do you explain that?
00:24:59.86\00:25:01.76
Astronauts take photos.
00:25:02.73\00:25:05.33
Satellites get pictures.
00:25:05.73\00:25:07.44
Oh, no... he has
an answer for that.
00:25:07.64\00:25:10.71
By the way, I don't
mean to embarrass you
00:25:11.07\00:25:14.08
if you believe
the earth is flat.
00:25:14.48\00:25:15.84
I do, however, want to tell
you there's a very good chance
00:25:16.04\00:25:18.55
that you are out of your mind!
00:25:18.75\00:25:20.25
I recommend you get some help!
00:25:23.45\00:25:25.35
The earth's round,
brother, sister... it's round!
00:25:25.85\00:25:28.29
Some people believe it's flat.
00:25:28.82\00:25:30.26
If you met the man, you
wouldn't think he was crazy.
00:25:30.46\00:25:32.33
You'd think that he was
ordinary, and that would
00:25:32.53\00:25:34.13
probably bother you even more
than if he was obviously crazy.
00:25:34.33\00:25:36.97
Peter's not teaching anything
like a flat earth theory.
00:25:37.93\00:25:40.70
He says: "What I'm talking
to you about is the real deal. "
00:25:41.10\00:25:43.24
"We have not followed
cunningly devised fables. "
00:25:43.64\00:25:45.94
How do we know
that? "Because... "
00:25:46.14\00:25:47.68
No, no... do
better than that, Peter.
00:25:48.08\00:25:49.41
"Well, because
we are eyewitnesses.
00:25:49.58\00:25:52.21
We have seen...
we KNOW this Jesus! "
00:25:52.41\00:25:56.52
Peter: eyewitnesses of what?
00:25:56.72\00:25:59.55
Verse 17: "For He
received from God the Father
00:25:59.75\00:26:02.82
honor and glory when
there came such a voice
00:26:03.02\00:26:05.79
to Him from the excellent glory
00:26:05.99\00:26:07.53
'This is My beloved Son in
whom I am well pleased. ' "
00:26:07.73\00:26:11.73
Can you imagine what
it must have been like
00:26:11.93\00:26:13.27
to be on the
mountain of transfiguration?
00:26:13.30\00:26:14.80
And there is
Jesus suddenly... boom!
00:26:15.20\00:26:17.97
Transfigured before you.
00:26:18.17\00:26:19.97
And on one side is
Moses; on the other side Elijah.
00:26:20.38\00:26:23.98
And they are there
the Bible says to discuss
00:26:24.18\00:26:26.15
Jesus' decease which He
would accomplish in Jerusalem.
00:26:26.35\00:26:29.18
They're there encouraging
Jesus. Perhaps Moses is saying
00:26:29.58\00:26:31.99
"You die on that cross
and there'll be others like me
00:26:32.19\00:26:34.72
who died and were raised.
" Perhaps Elijah is saying
00:26:34.92\00:26:37.59
"You die on that cross
and there'll be so many more
00:26:37.99\00:26:40.23
like me who are taken to
heaven without seeing death. "
00:26:40.43\00:26:42.60
And they were encouraging Jesus.
00:26:43.00\00:26:44.63
And they heard the voice
of God who said: "This is My
00:26:44.83\00:26:48.00
beloved Son. " Man! Can
you imagine what that was like?
00:26:48.20\00:26:51.14
And there Peter was
along with James and John.
00:26:51.34\00:26:54.28
It was impetuous Peter who
said: "This is so much fun!
00:26:54.48\00:26:56.64
Let's build tabernacles so
that we all can camp out here
00:26:56.85\00:26:59.05
for a while. " It
was a crazy suggestion
00:26:59.25\00:27:01.15
but that was Peter.
00:27:01.35\00:27:02.68
He saw it! He heard it!
00:27:05.22\00:27:08.42
Imagine that! Wouldn't
that make a believer out of ya?
00:27:08.62\00:27:13.50
But Peter said: "We've
got something better! "
00:27:14.30\00:27:18.23
Because - and I think
this is why he said that -
00:27:19.13\00:27:21.47
only three people
saw Jesus transfigured
00:27:21.67\00:27:25.54
with the exception
of Moses and Elijah.
00:27:25.74\00:27:27.94
Just three:
Peter, James, and John.
00:27:28.14\00:27:31.35
What good was that
00:27:31.75\00:27:34.05
to people who didn't
see Jesus transfigured?
00:27:34.25\00:27:37.19
Well, you could
take his word for it.
00:27:37.39\00:27:38.79
That wouldn't be a bad thing.
00:27:38.99\00:27:40.32
You could believe them.
If you were their friends,
00:27:40.46\00:27:42.42
you probably WOULD believe them.
00:27:42.62\00:27:43.99
But what happens
to later generations?
00:27:44.19\00:27:45.59
What happens to people who've
never met Peter, James and John?
00:27:45.79\00:27:48.43
What then? They want something
they can really believe in
00:27:48.83\00:27:52.97
and trust and be certain.
And Peter says "You've got it! "
00:27:53.17\00:27:57.11
Verse 18: "And this
voice which came from heaven
00:27:57.51\00:28:00.01
we heard when we were
with Him in the holy mount. "
00:28:00.21\00:28:02.08
Fantastic! And then
verse 19 Peter says:
00:28:02.28\00:28:05.68
"We've got something
that is even better! "
00:28:05.88\00:28:09.58
Can you believe it?
00:28:09.98\00:28:11.32
"We went up onto the mountain;
00:28:11.45\00:28:12.89
we saw the
transfiguration happen;
00:28:13.09\00:28:15.09
we heard the voice of God;
00:28:15.29\00:28:16.66
we saw Jesus lifted up;
00:28:16.86\00:28:18.99
we saw Moses
there... Elijah there
00:28:19.19\00:28:21.70
but there is something
better than that" Peter says.
00:28:21.90\00:28:26.90
What could that possibly be?
00:28:27.10\00:28:28.70
He tells us in verse 19.
00:28:28.90\00:28:30.57
He said: "We
have also a more sure
00:28:30.77\00:28:35.71
word of prophecy. "
00:28:35.91\00:28:38.21
You didn't see Him
but you've got the Book.
00:28:39.01\00:28:42.22
You weren't there up on the
mountain of transfiguration.
00:28:42.42\00:28:45.15
But that's all right because
you've got the prophecies
00:28:45.35\00:28:47.76
written down. You've
got the Word. It is sure!
00:28:47.96\00:28:51.49
In fact, Peter
wrote: "It is MORE sure. "
00:28:51.69\00:28:55.30
You don't need to
go up on the mountain.
00:28:55.50\00:28:57.43
You don't need to be there to
see Jesus turn water into wine.
00:28:57.63\00:29:00.60
You don't need to be there when
the little boy gave his lunch
00:29:01.00\00:29:03.41
and Jesus divided it out
among thousands of people.
00:29:03.61\00:29:07.28
You did not need to
see somebody walk on water
00:29:07.68\00:29:10.81
like it was concrete. If
you weren't there, it is OK.
00:29:11.01\00:29:14.28
God has given you
something to build your faith,
00:29:14.48\00:29:17.99
remove your doubt,
something you can believe in.
00:29:18.19\00:29:22.29
What is it, Peter?
00:29:22.69\00:29:24.03
Peter says: "We have a
more sure word of prophecy. "
00:29:24.06\00:29:29.06
Would you say
amen tonight? Amen!
00:29:29.26\00:29:31.10
We have a more
sure word of prophecy.
00:29:31.30\00:29:33.77
Now... "whereunto you
do well that you... " What?
00:29:33.97\00:29:37.27
"take heed. "
00:29:37.67\00:29:39.07
Listen ladies and gentlemen,
00:29:39.37\00:29:40.71
if we've got it and if it's sure
00:29:40.74\00:29:42.08
we ought to be listening to it.
00:29:42.11\00:29:43.45
If we've got it
and if it is sure,
00:29:43.88\00:29:45.45
we ought to be
recognizing it, listening to it,
00:29:45.65\00:29:47.98
taking heed...
reading... studying... digging.
00:29:48.18\00:29:52.92
"Whereunto you do
well that you take heed
00:29:53.12\00:29:54.62
as unto a light that
shines in a dark place
00:29:54.82\00:29:57.53
until the day
dawn and the Daystar" -
00:29:57.69\00:30:00.53
that is Jesus -
"arise in your hearts. "
00:30:00.73\00:30:03.60
Other versions of the Bible
say something along the lines
00:30:03.80\00:30:05.97
of: "We have the
prophetic word made more sure. "
00:30:06.17\00:30:09.84
Another one talks about
the prophetic word being
00:30:10.04\00:30:13.21
totally
reliable. The inference is
00:30:13.41\00:30:16.24
the prophetic word is
certain. You can be confident
00:30:16.44\00:30:20.75
about the prophetic Word of God.
00:30:20.95\00:30:22.28
And what I love about
the prophetic Word of God
00:30:22.42\00:30:23.75
it is
validatable. "Validatable? "
00:30:23.92\00:30:27.56
It can be validated.
00:30:28.32\00:30:29.66
Come to Camp
Meeting; learn new words.
00:30:30.56\00:30:33.19
You know, I just should have
said: "Hey, back in New Zealand
00:30:36.00\00:30:38.20
validatable is
an everyday word. "
00:30:38.40\00:30:39.73
You would have said:
"Oh... how about that! "
00:30:39.80\00:30:41.14
You might have gone
back to church and said:
00:30:42.97\00:30:44.47
"Well that's validatable. "
"What are you talking about? "
00:30:44.67\00:30:46.44
"They say it in New
Zealand... it's OK. "
00:30:46.64\00:30:48.38
It's verifiable.
00:30:53.42\00:30:54.75
You can look that one
up... that's for real.
00:30:55.52\00:30:57.45
Verse 20: "Knowing
this first: that no prophecy
00:30:59.09\00:31:01.96
of the scripture is of
any private interpretation.
00:31:02.16\00:31:03.93
For the prophecy came not
in old time by the will of man
00:31:04.13\00:31:06.63
but holy men of God
spake as they were moved by
00:31:06.83\00:31:08.86
the Holy Ghost. " Let's talk
about this just a little bit.
00:31:09.06\00:31:12.70
I think it's
important that we do.
00:31:12.90\00:31:14.34
God's Spirit moved on "penmen. "
00:31:14.54\00:31:16.30
The prophets weren't his
pen they were his "penmen. "
00:31:16.71\00:31:18.51
And they wrote using
the best human language
00:31:18.71\00:31:20.84
they could access to
describe these divine thoughts
00:31:21.04\00:31:23.45
that God had
impressed upon their hearts.
00:31:23.65\00:31:26.21
As we look at the
three angels' messages
00:31:26.41\00:31:28.05
across this Camp Meeting
we are looking at prophecy,
00:31:28.25\00:31:31.39
at end-time prophecy,
00:31:31.59\00:31:32.92
a call from God
to the entire world
00:31:32.95\00:31:35.12
to repentance,
to faith in Jesus,
00:31:35.32\00:31:37.53
to understand the issues
that are about to pour forth,
00:31:37.73\00:31:40.30
burst forth on a
largely unsuspecting world.
00:31:40.50\00:31:43.77
Now I would like to suggest
to you that this is no time
00:31:44.17\00:31:46.13
for uncertainty. Listen, if what
the Bible says is halfway true
00:31:46.33\00:31:49.84
we are this close to
what the Bible says is
00:31:50.04\00:31:52.07
"a time of trouble such as never
was since there was a nation. "
00:31:52.27\00:31:55.51
Listen: when
earthly support is removed,
00:31:56.08\00:31:58.55
when trouble comes,
00:31:58.75\00:32:00.08
when winds of strife blow,
you want to know that you have
00:32:00.12\00:32:03.12
built your
house on a Solid Rock.
00:32:03.32\00:32:05.85
If you've built
on shifting sand,
00:32:06.15\00:32:07.76
man, you know
what's going to happen.
00:32:07.96\00:32:09.29
The rain will come
down, the wind will blow,
00:32:09.32\00:32:10.96
the storm will beat
against your structure
00:32:11.16\00:32:12.66
and it will be swept away.
00:32:12.86\00:32:14.40
If you build on something solid,
00:32:14.60\00:32:17.00
and the Word of God is solid,
00:32:17.20\00:32:19.00
then you will be able to
stand. Come on and say "Amen. "
00:32:19.20\00:32:21.74
Amen! It's the truth.
00:32:21.94\00:32:23.27
Do we see the signs of
the times being fulfilled?
00:32:23.47\00:32:25.51
Yes we do! Let me
tell you something:
00:32:25.91\00:32:27.64
this is no time for
doubting the Word of God
00:32:27.84\00:32:30.08
and this is no time for calling
the Word of God into question.
00:32:30.48\00:32:34.15
Of course this
is a time for study,
00:32:35.08\00:32:36.99
for inquiry, for certainty, for
digging into the Word of God.
00:32:37.19\00:32:41.26
For praying and
fasting and taking the Bible
00:32:41.46\00:32:44.53
and looking at it this way
and stretching it here and there
00:32:44.73\00:32:47.00
in an attempt to
get to the truth.
00:32:47.40\00:32:50.07
But you and I both know
that people are being drawn away
00:32:50.47\00:32:53.70
from faith in God
at an alarming rate.
00:32:53.90\00:32:56.14
Somebody once said long ago
that God would permit heresies
00:32:56.64\00:32:59.97
to come in so they
would drive us to our knees
00:33:00.18\00:33:03.04
and cause us to
study the Word of God.
00:33:03.24\00:33:04.85
Unfortunately the heresies
come and folks aren't studying,
00:33:05.05\00:33:08.15
they're not on their knees.
00:33:08.35\00:33:09.68
They're eating any old
thing like sheep and goats.
00:33:09.82\00:33:12.55
Sheep, man... they're
at least discerning eaters.
00:33:12.75\00:33:14.62
Goats will eat anything!
00:33:14.82\00:33:16.46
Goats will eat the
label off a tin can
00:33:16.66\00:33:18.39
and then try and eat the tin.
00:33:18.59\00:33:19.93
And unfortunately, there
are too many goats in the church
00:33:20.80\00:33:23.43
who are ready to eat anything.
00:33:23.63\00:33:25.30
And there are too many predators
who are looking for the weak
00:33:25.70\00:33:28.90
to share with them
false teachings to draw away
00:33:29.10\00:33:32.31
disciples unto themselves.
00:33:32.51\00:33:33.84
This is no time for re-
inventing the Word of God.
00:33:34.24\00:33:36.51
No time for
re-imagining the prophecies.
00:33:36.71\00:33:38.38
No time for taking a stand
against the faith once delivered
00:33:39.18\00:33:43.15
to the saints. I want
to say this graciously.
00:33:43.35\00:33:45.15
There's room in any church
for different ways of looking
00:33:45.55\00:33:49.02
at things if you
know what I mean.
00:33:49.22\00:33:50.56
We can't expect everybody
to be in the same place.
00:33:51.26\00:33:54.10
We shouldn't be. Folks
are in different stages
00:33:54.50\00:33:56.40
in their growth, in
their understanding,
00:33:56.60\00:33:58.47
in their capacity to understand.
00:33:58.67\00:34:00.00
But you can understand basics,
you can understand principles,
00:34:00.20\00:34:03.77
you can understand pillars.
00:34:03.97\00:34:06.21
The dead can
only be doing so much.
00:34:06.41\00:34:08.64
Hell can only be so many things.
00:34:12.11\00:34:14.92
ONE as a matter of fact.
00:34:15.32\00:34:16.65
The Sabbath is what
the Sabbath is! Amen!
00:34:17.02\00:34:20.89
There is no time for taking the
prophecies that we have built on
00:34:21.09\00:34:24.99
for decades... Now
and don't you like it
00:34:25.19\00:34:27.56
how over the last 150 years
our collective interpretation
00:34:27.76\00:34:31.33
of Bible prophecy has
essentially not changed.
00:34:31.53\00:34:34.47
I like that... I like that!
00:34:35.50\00:34:38.01
There are other
faith communities
00:34:38.21\00:34:39.71
that the moment something
gets up in the Middle East
00:34:40.11\00:34:42.04
they say: "Oh, let's go
back to the drawing board
00:34:42.24\00:34:43.88
and re-write
everything that we wrote. "
00:34:44.08\00:34:45.91
We are not dependent upon
the news for what we believe.
00:34:46.31\00:34:50.09
Amen! We are not
dependent upon the latest wind
00:34:50.29\00:34:53.29
blowing through town to
grab hold of that and say:
00:34:53.49\00:34:55.82
"Ah, this is fashionable now. "
00:34:56.02\00:34:57.49
We believe what we believe
because the Bible says it!
00:34:57.69\00:35:00.00
Because it always has!
We believe what we believe
00:35:00.20\00:35:02.43
knowing that we can always
fine-tune our belief system.
00:35:02.63\00:35:06.03
What I'm saying is: "Listen,
if you are one of those people
00:35:06.43\00:35:09.37
who want to start
drawing people away
00:35:09.57\00:35:12.14
listen... and I
say this kindly...
00:35:12.34\00:35:13.68
you can just go away. "
00:35:13.81\00:35:15.24
No... What I mean
is... I don't mean, look:
00:35:18.18\00:35:21.15
"Hey, John, I see this
obscure verse in Ezekiel
00:35:21.35\00:35:23.72
a little bit
different than you. " Oh, well,
00:35:23.92\00:35:25.42
it may even be a
good thing that you do.
00:35:25.62\00:35:27.36
But when we are starting
to "dicker" about the pillars
00:35:27.76\00:35:30.43
and the fundamentals and
you want to start dragging
00:35:30.63\00:35:33.09
people away... hey, this
is America that we're in.
00:35:33.29\00:35:35.46
In fact, wherever you're
watching from it's probably
00:35:35.96\00:35:37.67
a reasonably free country.
00:35:37.87\00:35:39.20
You could just
start your own church!
00:35:39.23\00:35:40.57
Call it the "You
Church" and carry right on...
00:35:41.07\00:35:44.01
have the time of your life.
00:35:44.21\00:35:45.54
The problem is
misery loves company.
00:35:45.57\00:35:47.34
And folks aren't happy until
they've swooped in like vultures
00:35:48.51\00:35:51.91
trying to pick away at
the weak inside God's church.
00:35:52.11\00:35:55.22
And it keeps happening
and I keep hearing about
00:35:55.42\00:35:57.72
people. Some of them I'd have
though they were solid as solid
00:35:57.92\00:36:00.42
who are getting drawn away now
00:36:00.62\00:36:03.32
by people wanting to
re-imagine and re-work
00:36:03.53\00:36:06.36
and re-write and re-interpret
positions that until this point
00:36:06.56\00:36:10.33
we had never questioned.
00:36:10.53\00:36:11.87
Study... but you
don't need to doubt.
00:36:12.83\00:36:15.44
Study... but you can be
confident in the Word of God.
00:36:15.64\00:36:18.84
Don't let the devil
drag you away from the body!
00:36:19.24\00:36:24.51
Amen!
00:36:24.71\00:36:26.05
When something is
separated from the body
00:36:26.18\00:36:28.12
we typically term
that an amputation
00:36:28.32\00:36:30.99
and we're not fond of them!
00:36:31.39\00:36:33.79
I would encourage you not to
allow yourself to be amputated
00:36:34.19\00:36:37.43
from God's church.
00:36:37.63\00:36:39.63
I would encourage
you along that line.
00:36:40.13\00:36:42.93
If you were to look at the
certainty of the Word of God
00:36:43.13\00:36:45.33
and the prophetic Word of
God, where would you start?
00:36:45.53\00:36:47.94
Oh, there's so many
places that you could start.
00:36:48.14\00:36:50.11
Why don't you turn
with me in your Bible.
00:36:50.31\00:36:51.64
We're going to come back to
II Peter, and I'll tell you why
00:36:51.81\00:36:53.58
soon. But we're going to
go now to Daniel chapter 2.
00:36:53.78\00:36:56.78
You're familiar
with Daniel chapter 2.
00:36:57.58\00:36:59.28
And I don't mind that.
00:36:59.48\00:37:00.82
I'm not about to tell you any-
thing new in Daniel chapter 2
00:37:00.85\00:37:03.05
unless of course you're
new to Daniel chapter 2.
00:37:03.25\00:37:05.29
I have no burden
to be new and unique
00:37:05.79\00:37:09.82
and "Oh my goodness! I've
never heard that before! "
00:37:10.03\00:37:12.33
You know what I like to do?
00:37:12.73\00:37:14.06
I like to tell
people the old, old story.
00:37:14.10\00:37:15.76
Amen! It's as good
today as it ever was.
00:37:15.96\00:37:18.33
And the minute you start getting
tired of the old, old story
00:37:18.53\00:37:20.70
you need to go to God and
say: "Lord help me, please. "
00:37:20.90\00:37:22.67
Daniel chapter 2 starts
with King Nebuchadnezzar
00:37:23.34\00:37:25.84
having a dream.
00:37:26.04\00:37:27.38
He explains... Well,
he can't explain the dream
00:37:27.68\00:37:30.35
but he explains the
situation to his wise men.
00:37:30.55\00:37:32.55
They say: "Hey,
tell us the dream
00:37:32.75\00:37:34.08
and we'll tell you
what you dreamed about. "
00:37:34.25\00:37:36.08
And of course that was a ruse.
00:37:36.28\00:37:38.39
That was a cunningly
devised fable right there.
00:37:38.59\00:37:40.92
There was a death decree.
"If you don't tell me what this
00:37:42.72\00:37:44.89
was, you're all dead! "
00:37:45.09\00:37:46.49
Daniel, Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego -
00:37:46.90\00:37:49.66
who evidently were not there -
00:37:49.86\00:37:51.37
when the
executioner came for them
00:37:51.57\00:37:53.27
they said: "Hey, wait on! "
00:37:53.47\00:37:55.20
"Would you please
give us the opportunity
00:37:55.40\00:37:57.71
to knock this out. " And
they were given that opportunity
00:37:57.91\00:38:01.64
and the Bible
says in Daniel 2:17
00:38:01.84\00:38:04.71
"Daniel went to his
house, made the thing known to
00:38:05.01\00:38:07.68
Hananiah, Mishael,
and Azariah his companions
00:38:07.88\00:38:09.85
that they might seek
mercies from the God of heaven
00:38:10.05\00:38:12.95
concerning this
secret. " That's what they did.
00:38:13.15\00:38:14.92
In other words, they did what?
00:38:15.12\00:38:17.43
They had a prayer
meeting, that's right.
00:38:17.63\00:38:19.03
And then the Bible
says in verse 19 that
00:38:19.23\00:38:21.40
God revealed the secret
to them in a night vision.
00:38:21.60\00:38:24.17
Wonderful! And you
get down to verse 31
00:38:24.57\00:38:27.14
and Daniel starts to
tell King Nebuchadnezzar
00:38:27.34\00:38:29.80
what the dream was.
Daniel didn't hear it.
00:38:30.01\00:38:32.11
Daniel didn't experience it.
00:38:32.31\00:38:33.64
Daniel didn't dream it.
00:38:33.74\00:38:35.08
Daniel went to God, and
he said to Nebuchadnezzar
00:38:35.11\00:38:37.78
"Here's what
you dreamed about. "
00:38:37.98\00:38:39.31
"You saw a great big statue made
of different kinds of metals.
00:38:39.51\00:38:42.45
The head was made out
of gold. " He said to him:
00:38:42.65\00:38:44.79
"YOU are the head of
gold! That's you, man! "
00:38:44.99\00:38:47.39
And Nebuchadnezzar...
the lights are coming on.
00:38:48.12\00:38:50.03
He's seeing what he dreamed
because Daniel the prophet is
00:38:50.23\00:38:53.03
explaining to him
what he dreamed about.
00:38:53.23\00:38:55.40
"Oh man, you're
right! " And then he said:
00:38:55.60\00:38:57.60
"The next part of the
statue is made out of... " What?
00:38:57.80\00:38:59.87
Silver... that's right. And
the next part was made out of?
00:39:00.07\00:39:02.77
Brass or bronze. And
the legs were made out of?
00:39:03.17\00:39:05.67
Iron. The feet were made out of?
00:39:05.87\00:39:07.51
Iron and clay.
So Nebuchadnezzar -
00:39:07.71\00:39:10.18
Babylon... the
kingdom of Babylon -
00:39:10.38\00:39:12.25
represented the head or
the head represented Babylon.
00:39:12.45\00:39:15.05
After that came the
Medes and the Persians.
00:39:15.25\00:39:18.55
And after
Medo-Persia came Greece.
00:39:18.95\00:39:20.96
And after Greece
came? Rome... that's right!
00:39:21.16\00:39:23.59
And then Rome did what?
00:39:23.79\00:39:25.53
It divided into
how many nations?
00:39:25.93\00:39:27.96
Ten. That's right... of course.
00:39:28.16\00:39:29.73
Daniel 2 doesn't
say how many nations...
00:39:29.93\00:39:32.27
it just says "divided. "
00:39:32.47\00:39:33.80
It talks about feet
and toes. I had a fella
00:39:33.84\00:39:35.97
who was a church member
00:39:36.37\00:39:39.37
and I was a young... I
mean, I'm still young...
00:39:39.97\00:39:42.51
but I was a younger...
00:39:42.71\00:39:44.65
Some of you all
could have said "Amen. "
00:39:49.88\00:39:51.42
I was a younger man
00:39:55.82\00:39:57.23
and new in the church,
and this man of experience
00:39:57.73\00:40:00.03
who worked for a church
institution, he pulls me aside.
00:40:00.23\00:40:02.46
He said: "You know, doesn't
say nothin' about 10 toes. "
00:40:02.66\00:40:05.57
"In fact, " he said,
"back then those statues
00:40:05.97\00:40:08.67
were probably built with
only 3 toes on each foot. "
00:40:08.87\00:40:11.21
I'm: "What in the world? "
00:40:11.41\00:40:12.74
"Really? " "Oh,
yeah! " So you know,
00:40:12.91\00:40:15.44
this is that
troublemaking I'm talking about.
00:40:15.64\00:40:18.11
Whispering doubt; trying to sub-
vert the faith of some people.
00:40:18.78\00:40:21.92
Not cool! It was
a statue of a man.
00:40:22.42\00:40:26.55
Typical man has
five toes on each foot.
00:40:26.96\00:40:29.56
It's reasonable to assume
that there's 10, but we don't
00:40:29.76\00:40:31.36
need to be bound
by Daniel chapter 2.
00:40:31.56\00:40:33.23
Because over there in
Daniel chapter 7 Daniel employs
00:40:33.63\00:40:37.17
a principle of
prophetic interpretation
00:40:37.37\00:40:39.17
that we would
call? Repeat and enlarge.
00:40:39.37\00:40:41.87
That's right. Now, what
you've got is Daniel saying
00:40:42.07\00:40:44.94
Babylon, Medo-Persia,
Greece, Rome. Rome divides
00:40:45.14\00:40:47.51
and then the
second coming takes place.
00:40:47.71\00:40:51.08
The stone cut out without
hands comes swooshing down
00:40:51.48\00:40:55.62
through the great
corridor of space,
00:40:55.82\00:40:57.25
lands on the feet,
smashes up that whole image.
00:40:57.45\00:41:00.42
It turns into
whatever it turns into
00:41:00.62\00:41:02.26
and the wind blows it
away. The kingdoms of the earth
00:41:02.46\00:41:04.29
are swept away
when Jesus comes back.
00:41:04.49\00:41:06.59
That's a very quick
overview of the prophecy
00:41:06.80\00:41:08.23
of Daniel chapter 2.
00:41:08.43\00:41:09.76
And I like what Daniel said.
00:41:09.96\00:41:12.33
In Daniel 2 verse 45
00:41:12.97\00:41:15.04
he said - and I'm picking
up in the middle of the verse -
00:41:15.24\00:41:17.31
"The great God has
made known to the king
00:41:17.51\00:41:19.61
what will come
to pass hereafter. "
00:41:19.81\00:41:21.41
And then he said in Daniel 2:45
00:41:21.61\00:41:23.78
"The dream is CERTAIN and
the interpretation is SURE! "
00:41:23.98\00:41:29.22
Certain and sure. And so
you get over to Daniel 7...
00:41:29.42\00:41:33.09
Daniel chapter 7 and
here Daniel has a dream.
00:41:34.26\00:41:38.96
And he says that
in his dream he saw...
00:41:39.36\00:41:41.76
I shall read it for you
right at the beginning of the
00:41:41.96\00:41:44.27
7th chapter of Daniel
he saw "four great beasts
00:41:44.47\00:41:47.97
come up from the sea.
" "Diverse, " verse 3,
00:41:48.17\00:41:51.37
"one from another. "
00:41:51.57\00:41:52.91
The first one was like
a lion; had eagle's wings.
00:41:52.94\00:41:55.94
Man, this is so common
a description of Babylon
00:41:56.34\00:41:59.55
that if you were to
go to Babylon, New York,
00:41:59.75\00:42:02.02
there's a suburb out on
Long Island called Babylon
00:42:02.22\00:42:04.89
that's right there on the water.
00:42:05.09\00:42:06.42
There's a marina
there. Go to the marina
00:42:06.49\00:42:09.19
in Babylon, New York, and you
will find a great big concrete
00:42:09.39\00:42:12.56
pillar. On top of it a
lion with eagle's wings.
00:42:12.76\00:42:16.00
It's a symbol of Babylon.
00:42:16.40\00:42:17.77
And so here in Daniel chapter
7 the lion with eagle's wings
00:42:17.97\00:42:21.27
represents
Babylon. And so the bear?
00:42:21.47\00:42:23.44
That would
represent? Medo-Persia.
00:42:23.64\00:42:26.34
And then the leopard beast.
That would represent? Greece.
00:42:26.74\00:42:30.55
And then the dreadful terrible
strong exceedingly beast
00:42:30.75\00:42:35.15
that would
represent? Rome! That's right.
00:42:35.35\00:42:37.69
And instead of the feet and toes
representing the divided nations
00:42:37.89\00:42:40.99
you've got horns on the head
00:42:41.19\00:42:42.56
representing
the divided nations.
00:42:42.76\00:42:44.33
Repeat and
enlarge. And what you love
00:42:44.73\00:42:47.46
is this is validatable.
00:42:47.66\00:42:49.86
Remember that
word from a moment ago?
00:42:50.07\00:42:51.70
Remember that?
Remember that, children?
00:42:51.90\00:42:53.34
Vaid...
valid... whatever it was.
00:42:53.54\00:42:55.10
Verifiable!
00:42:55.50\00:42:56.84
We look into history and we see
00:42:56.91\00:42:59.47
that just as Daniel prophesied.
00:42:59.67\00:43:02.14
Listen: you don't have
to go up on the mountaintop
00:43:02.34\00:43:05.31
and see Jesus transfigured
00:43:05.51\00:43:07.12
and see Moses and Elijah appear.
00:43:07.32\00:43:09.42
You can be certain
in the prophetic word
00:43:09.62\00:43:12.89
because you look at it,
you compare it to history.
00:43:13.09\00:43:15.89
you study it up one
side and down the other
00:43:16.09\00:43:18.23
and you have to
conclude "This is solid! "
00:43:18.43\00:43:21.60
Amen! Had someone
the other day claim:
00:43:21.80\00:43:24.37
"I'm an atheist. " I said:
"All right; I respect that.
00:43:24.57\00:43:26.53
You have a right to believe
that. Let me just challenge
00:43:26.74\00:43:28.27
that a moment:
what do you do with the
00:43:28.47\00:43:30.77
prophecies of the
Bible? What do you do? "
00:43:30.97\00:43:33.44
This was an atheist who was
familiar with Daniel chapter 2
00:43:33.64\00:43:36.01
and Daniel chapter 7.
00:43:36.21\00:43:37.55
"What are you
going to do about that?
00:43:37.71\00:43:39.05
No one could have
concocted that or made that up
00:43:39.35\00:43:41.98
or invented that. "
This was breathed by God.
00:43:42.18\00:43:45.52
There's no question about it!
00:43:45.72\00:43:47.89
And surely it was.
00:43:48.79\00:43:51.13
And so when you see the
prophecies of the Bible:
00:43:51.33\00:43:54.93
Micah writing that Messiah
was to be born in Bethlehem
00:43:55.13\00:43:58.37
Ephrathah. Bethlehem
Ephrathah. And He was!
00:43:58.57\00:44:01.44
Isaiah saying that Messiah
would be born of a virgin.
00:44:01.84\00:44:05.01
And He was! Isaiah
writing that Messiah
00:44:05.21\00:44:07.71
would be despised and rejected.
00:44:07.91\00:44:11.88
For goodness sake... who would
say that about the Messiah?
00:44:12.08\00:44:15.22
Isaiah did because
he was inspired by God.
00:44:15.42\00:44:20.69
And you can read
so many prophecies.
00:44:22.12\00:44:25.59
Now I'm not going to
tell you that Psalm 22
00:44:25.79\00:44:28.56
is a prophecy, but it
certainly is a Messianic Psalm.
00:44:28.76\00:44:32.53
And it starts with the
words: "My God! My God!
00:44:32.73\00:44:35.14
Why hast Thou forsaken Me? "
00:44:35.34\00:44:36.71
And it tells, hundreds of
years before the death of Jesus,
00:44:36.91\00:44:40.01
the story of the
crucifixion of Christ.
00:44:40.21\00:44:42.68
You've got all of these people
writing all of these prophecies
00:44:43.48\00:44:45.61
on different
continents, different centuries,
00:44:45.81\00:44:48.58
different cultures, and
they all coalesce to paint
00:44:48.78\00:44:51.65
a beautiful
picture of the Word of God
00:44:51.85\00:44:54.36
made sure. Daniel
says "The dream is certain;
00:44:54.56\00:44:58.16
the interpretation is sure. "
00:44:58.36\00:44:59.89
My brother, my
sister: you can be SURE!
00:45:00.10\00:45:04.37
Amen! The Bible
hasn't let you down
00:45:04.57\00:45:07.64
and it won't let you down.
00:45:07.84\00:45:09.20
Let me just editorialize
or digress for a moment.
00:45:09.40\00:45:12.27
If you're
struggling in your faith,
00:45:12.67\00:45:14.61
it's not because of the Bible.
00:45:14.81\00:45:16.88
It's not because of God.
00:45:17.08\00:45:19.45
It might be because life
has delivered you a rough hand.
00:45:19.85\00:45:24.55
That happens sometimes.
00:45:24.95\00:45:26.32
That's why we
have the book of Job
00:45:26.52\00:45:28.96
to help us to understand
there is a great controversy
00:45:29.16\00:45:31.49
going on behind the scenes
00:45:31.69\00:45:33.03
and that God encourages us
even in the midst of desperate
00:45:33.06\00:45:36.43
difficulty. "Just
trust Me" God says.
00:45:36.83\00:45:39.37
"Just trust Me!
And if you trust Me,
00:45:39.77\00:45:42.30
one day you are
going to leave this earth.
00:45:42.50\00:45:44.74
Gravity is going to lose its
hold on the soles of your feet.
00:45:44.94\00:45:47.81
You are going to go up.
" And I will promise you
00:45:48.01\00:45:49.94
my brother, I will
promise you my sister,
00:45:50.15\00:45:52.08
as you are going up
you are not going to start
00:45:52.28\00:45:56.05
worrying about how
you were foreclosed on
00:45:56.25\00:45:58.55
by your bank.
00:45:58.75\00:46:00.16
You are not going to
ascend towards heaven
00:46:03.59\00:46:06.90
angry at the way
your spouse treated you.
00:46:07.10\00:46:09.93
You know, that's over!
00:46:10.13\00:46:11.83
There won't be any
resentment in your heart
00:46:12.23\00:46:13.74
towards your
employer when you're going up.
00:46:13.94\00:46:16.64
Your eyes will be on
Jesus and you will say:
00:46:16.84\00:46:20.28
"Heaven is cheap enough! "
00:46:20.48\00:46:22.78
Amen!
00:46:22.98\00:46:25.31
Those bad days are
over. Come on, man,
00:46:25.51\00:46:27.58
if it's bad days that's shaking
you now, let it be over now!
00:46:27.78\00:46:31.29
Of course, you're going to
wake up... "Oh, John, you don't
00:46:32.32\00:46:35.46
appreciate the trouble
I've seen. " I'm sure I don't.
00:46:35.66\00:46:37.93
And maybe the reverse is true.
00:46:38.13\00:46:40.10
But I appreciate the
trouble that Jesus has seen.
00:46:40.30\00:46:43.37
And He saw it for you
so that when life gets dark
00:46:43.57\00:46:46.23
you can say:
"There is a Savior! "
00:46:46.43\00:46:48.30
When life gets tough
you can say: "There is hope
00:46:48.50\00:46:50.91
because Jesus is
coming back soon! "
00:46:51.11\00:46:53.01
How do you know
Jesus is coming back soon?
00:46:53.41\00:46:56.04
I will tell you tonight: we have
a more sure word of prophecy.
00:46:56.24\00:47:00.05
Amen!
00:47:00.25\00:47:01.78
I want to tell you this, too,
00:47:02.18\00:47:03.62
When Peter said: "We have
a more sure word of prophecy"
00:47:03.82\00:47:07.09
he was not saying: "Because
predictions have come true
00:47:07.29\00:47:11.26
you can now be a prognosti-
cator about the future. "
00:47:11.46\00:47:14.20
Prophecy was not given to us
so we could be prideful about
00:47:14.40\00:47:17.70
our knowledge of prophecy.
00:47:17.90\00:47:19.23
And let me burst your
bubble just a little bit
00:47:19.43\00:47:21.14
if it needs a
little bit of bursting.
00:47:21.34\00:47:22.67
You know, there's not
one of us here tonight
00:47:23.00\00:47:26.54
wherever here might be
00:47:26.74\00:47:29.98
who is as good at
unfulfilled prophecy
00:47:31.08\00:47:34.55
as we might be at
fulfilled prophecy.
00:47:35.05\00:47:38.32
You look at Daniel
chapter 2, Daniel chapter 7.
00:47:39.25\00:47:41.72
Hey... man... we
got an A+ on that.
00:47:41.92\00:47:43.79
And then you get to some
of the more obscure parts
00:47:44.53\00:47:46.83
of the book of Revelation.
Ah... You know I would approach
00:47:47.03\00:47:50.67
with a modicum of
humility is what I would do.
00:47:50.87\00:47:53.27
So the idea of having a
more sure word of prophecy
00:47:54.14\00:47:56.60
isn't to allow us to go
to our neighbor and say:
00:47:56.81\00:47:59.11
"Hey, man, I can tell you
everything about the last days
00:47:59.31\00:48:01.91
of this earth's history. "
00:48:02.11\00:48:03.45
God has given that
to us in broad strokes.
00:48:03.48\00:48:05.31
We know an awful lot,
but let's not ever make the
00:48:05.71\00:48:07.52
mistake of thinking we
know every last detail.
00:48:07.72\00:48:09.68
Amen. You know what I'm saying.
00:48:09.88\00:48:11.22
So prophecy isn't given to
us so we can... we can feel good
00:48:11.52\00:48:14.82
about our
knowledge of the end time.
00:48:15.02\00:48:17.06
If prophecy is only
giving you knowledge,
00:48:17.46\00:48:19.83
then it's not giving you enough.
00:48:20.03\00:48:22.53
Prophecy isn't given to us
so we can go and straighten out
00:48:23.63\00:48:27.37
those folks who don't
believe right like I do.
00:48:27.57\00:48:29.90
Hmm?
00:48:30.11\00:48:31.44
Because I would say
this and please... please...
00:48:31.64\00:48:34.01
be careful how
you hear this. OK?
00:48:34.21\00:48:36.54
I don't even really
like what I'm about to say.
00:48:37.55\00:48:39.71
So I'll say it anyway and
wonder later why I said it.
00:48:40.12\00:48:42.32
But you can have
the right theology
00:48:42.52\00:48:46.69
and the right understanding
of prophecy: past, present,
00:48:47.49\00:48:51.36
or future and be a
long way from Jesus.
00:48:51.56\00:48:54.50
You can have the wrong
understanding of prophecy
00:48:54.90\00:48:58.47
simply because you never have
been blessed with the light.
00:48:58.67\00:49:01.84
You were raised a certain
way; the lights haven't gone on
00:49:02.04\00:49:04.44
in your mind. You can
have an inaccurate view of the
00:49:04.64\00:49:07.78
prophecies of the Bible and have
an accurate picture of Jesus
00:49:07.98\00:49:10.81
and be right in the
center of His heart.
00:49:11.01\00:49:13.11
Amen! You'd better believe that.
00:49:13.31\00:49:14.78
You'd better believe that
there are people who don't have
00:49:14.98\00:49:16.72
all their
theological ducks in a row
00:49:16.92\00:49:18.35
but they are with Jesus
and they are in a saving
00:49:18.55\00:49:21.32
relationship with Him. Oh sure.
00:49:21.52\00:49:23.36
So prophecy wasn't
given to us so we can brag
00:49:23.99\00:49:27.13
about who we are, what we
know, and how smart we are
00:49:27.33\00:49:31.33
in the things of heaven.
00:49:31.53\00:49:32.87
Why was it given?
00:49:33.03\00:49:34.64
Let's go back to II Peter.
00:49:34.84\00:49:38.11
I'll start in verse 1.
I'm going to breeze through
00:49:39.04\00:49:41.14
some of the verses because
they're only introductory.
00:49:41.34\00:49:43.01
They set the scene.
"Simon Peter, a servant
00:49:43.21\00:49:45.35
and an apostle of Jesus Christ
to them who have obtained like
00:49:45.55\00:49:48.68
precious faith with us
through the righteousness of God
00:49:48.88\00:49:52.09
and our Savior Jesus Christ. "
00:49:52.29\00:49:54.19
Notice where he started.
00:49:54.39\00:49:56.79
He starts with faith and
the righteousness of God.
00:49:57.36\00:50:00.96
That, my sister, my
brother, is really important.
00:50:01.53\00:50:06.53
And so we go to verse 2:
"Grace and peace be multiplied
00:50:07.37\00:50:09.80
unto you through the
knowledge of God and our Lord
00:50:10.01\00:50:11.74
Jesus Christ. " You
know, there's a sermon there,
00:50:11.94\00:50:14.18
but we'll go on.
"According as His divine power
00:50:14.38\00:50:17.41
has given unto us all
things that pertain unto
00:50:17.61\00:50:19.78
life and godliness
through the knowledge of Him
00:50:19.98\00:50:21.85
that hath called us
to glory and virtue. "
00:50:22.05\00:50:23.92
All right... we are
now in the 4th verse.
00:50:24.12\00:50:26.49
Peter was writing "because
these are the things that really
00:50:26.89\00:50:29.56
matter to me.
I'm going to die soon
00:50:29.76\00:50:32.16
so this is my last hurrah. "
00:50:32.56\00:50:34.73
It was II Peter. He
didn't say that in I Peter.
00:50:34.93\00:50:37.77
Maybe he'd had a visit to
the doctor, and the doctor said
00:50:38.17\00:50:40.57
"Pete, it ain't looking good. "
00:50:40.77\00:50:42.10
Whatever it was, I don't
want to call this his last will
00:50:42.94\00:50:46.11
and testament for I
don't know if it was.
00:50:46.31\00:50:48.71
But he's writing in the
context of "I'm about to go
00:50:48.91\00:50:52.28
so I'm making this count. "
00:50:52.48\00:50:53.92
"So... whereby are given unto
us exceeding great and precious
00:50:54.32\00:50:59.19
promises... "
Why? "that by these
00:50:59.39\00:51:02.62
ye might be
partakers of the divine nature
00:51:02.82\00:51:05.96
having escaped the
corruption that is in the world
00:51:06.36\00:51:09.93
through lust. " Ooh...
THIS is what Peter's on about.
00:51:10.13\00:51:14.14
He says: "My readers, I want you
00:51:14.34\00:51:18.51
to be a partaker of
the divine nature. "
00:51:18.71\00:51:20.98
"I want it to be so
that God lives in you
00:51:21.38\00:51:25.21
and you live in God. "
00:51:25.41\00:51:27.42
"I want you to live a life
of increasing victory over sin
00:51:27.62\00:51:33.09
having escaped the corruption
00:51:33.86\00:51:35.39
that is in the
world through lust. "
00:51:35.59\00:51:36.93
This is victory
he is talking about.
00:51:37.13\00:51:39.69
And so we read on.
This is his emphasis.
00:51:40.30\00:51:42.96
He says: "And besides
this giving all diligence
00:51:43.57\00:51:45.93
add to your faith
virtue, to virtue knowledge,
00:51:46.13\00:51:48.27
to knowledge temperance. "
Sorry for racing through this.
00:51:48.47\00:51:50.54
"Temperance
patience, patience godliness,
00:51:50.74\00:51:52.91
godliness brotherly kindness,
00:51:53.11\00:51:54.44
brotherly kindness charity.
" Charity is the big word
00:51:54.64\00:51:57.28
that simply means love.
At the end of the line: love!
00:51:57.48\00:52:01.48
"For if these things
be in you and abound,
00:52:03.18\00:52:05.72
they make you that you
shall neither be barren
00:52:05.92\00:52:08.42
or unfruitful in the
knowledge of our Lord and Savior
00:52:08.62\00:52:11.49
Jesus Christ. " THIS
is where he's aiming!
00:52:11.69\00:52:15.43
"I want you to be like Jesus. "
00:52:16.16\00:52:19.50
"I want you, " Peter is saying,
"to possess the righteousness
00:52:19.90\00:52:24.24
of Christ. " Come on,
man... too many of us have got
00:52:24.44\00:52:27.28
our Ph.D. in whacking
other people over the head
00:52:27.48\00:52:30.28
with our strict
interpretation of prophecy
00:52:30.48\00:52:32.35
and we're getting an "F" in
the righteousness of Christ.
00:52:32.55\00:52:35.75
That cannot be!
00:52:36.22\00:52:39.62
It mustn't be so. It mustn't be.
00:52:40.22\00:52:43.76
"Wherefore the rather brethren
give diligent to make your
00:52:44.43\00:52:47.53
calling and your election...
" Oh, no, no, no, no, no.
00:52:47.73\00:52:50.07
I skipped over one.
00:52:50.27\00:52:51.60
Verse 9: "But he that
lacks these things is... " What?
00:52:51.70\00:52:54.94
"Blind, cannot see
far off and has forgotten
00:52:55.34\00:52:57.61
that he was purged
from his old sins. "
00:52:57.81\00:52:59.14
Peter is writing
about a pure heart!
00:52:59.51\00:53:01.74
Victory over sin,
forgiveness, cleansing.
00:53:02.04\00:53:04.35
"You've been washed in
the blood of the Lamb. "
00:53:04.55\00:53:06.55
This is his burden.
00:53:06.75\00:53:08.42
"Wherefore the rather brethren
give diligence to make your
00:53:09.08\00:53:11.59
calling and election
sure. For if you do these things
00:53:11.79\00:53:14.42
you shall never...
" What? "never fall. "
00:53:14.62\00:53:16.99
That's what he says, or
stumble I think somebody has
00:53:17.19\00:53:19.09
in your Bible. "For
so an entrance shall be
00:53:19.29\00:53:21.36
ministered unto you abundantly
in the everlasting kingdom. "
00:53:21.56\00:53:24.67
You know what he's saying?
00:53:25.07\00:53:26.40
"Because if you
follow this route
00:53:26.57\00:53:28.24
you'll go to heaven.
" That's what he says.
00:53:28.44\00:53:30.81
"If you follow this
route, you will be saved. "
00:53:31.01\00:53:33.64
This is where Peter is driving.
00:53:33.84\00:53:36.54
Salvation...
that's what he's after.
00:53:36.95\00:53:39.61
"You'll be saved. "
"Wherefore I will not be
00:53:39.81\00:53:42.52
negligent to put you
always in remembrance
00:53:42.72\00:53:44.55
of these things
though you know them
00:53:44.75\00:53:46.32
and be established in the
present... in the present truth.
00:53:46.52\00:53:51.06
Yea, I think it meat as
long as I am in this tabernacle
00:53:52.09\00:53:54.76
to stir you up by
putting you in remembrance. "
00:53:54.96\00:54:00.10
And shortly
afterwards he went on to say
00:54:00.30\00:54:04.81
"I want you to
remember all of this.
00:54:05.71\00:54:07.54
This is real. " How
do you know it's real?
00:54:07.74\00:54:10.08
"We haven't followed
cunningly devised fables. "
00:54:10.28\00:54:11.85
How do you know?
"We heard the voice! "
00:54:12.05\00:54:13.92
"We were with
Him in the mount. "
00:54:14.88\00:54:16.58
"We were there... we KNOW! "
00:54:16.99\00:54:19.99
"Yeah, but we
weren't... so how do we know?
00:54:20.19\00:54:24.79
Know what you're
talking about is true? "
00:54:25.19\00:54:27.16
You want to know how? "We
have also a more sure word
00:54:27.36\00:54:30.50
of prophecy. " Amen! That's why.
00:54:30.70\00:54:33.13
This is why Peter's
talking about the more sure word
00:54:33.34\00:54:35.54
of prophecy. Not
just so you can say:
00:54:35.74\00:54:38.17
"Well I understand the mark of
the beast and the United States
00:54:38.37\00:54:40.28
in prophecy and something
about the seven last plagues.
00:54:40.48\00:54:42.44
I understand the
time of trouble. "
00:54:42.84\00:54:44.18
Listen: that's good. We
need to understand that.
00:54:44.31\00:54:46.92
But if all we understand is that
00:54:47.52\00:54:49.32
and we have not
come within a bull's roar
00:54:49.52\00:54:53.89
of the
righteousness of Jesus Christ,
00:54:54.09\00:54:56.06
that great knowledge is
going to be like a millstone
00:54:56.66\00:54:59.46
around your neck!
00:54:59.66\00:55:01.00
It will rise up to
condemn you in the judgment.
00:55:01.06\00:55:03.53
Peter is saying: "I am
wanting you to be victorious. "
00:55:03.73\00:55:06.84
"I am wanting you to escape
the corruption that is in the
00:55:07.04\00:55:10.04
world through lust. I am
wanting you to be like Christ! "
00:55:10.24\00:55:12.94
"I'm wanting
Christ to possess you. "
00:55:13.14\00:55:15.04
"I want you to go to heaven.
You can believe all of this. "
00:55:15.24\00:55:18.91
How can we believe it?
00:55:19.11\00:55:20.45
"Well, I've been
up on the mountain. "
00:55:20.48\00:55:22.02
"Yeah, but I haven't. "
00:55:22.22\00:55:23.55
"Yeah, but you have a
more sure word of prophecy. "
00:55:23.59\00:55:26.19
Listen, friends: you read
Daniel. Daniel's not just about
00:55:26.99\00:55:29.36
prognostication.
Daniel is about salvation. "
00:55:29.56\00:55:32.29
That's what it is.
00:55:32.69\00:55:34.03
Revelation... The book of
Revelation is the revelation
00:55:34.16\00:55:37.03
of Jesus Christ.
That's what it is!
00:55:37.23\00:55:40.54
Sometimes we think it's
the revelation of antichrist.
00:55:40.74\00:55:43.30
It isn't. That's a very
important feature of the book
00:55:43.51\00:55:46.47
but the most important
feature of the book is Jesus.
00:55:46.68\00:55:49.41
How're we doing
with that tonight?
00:55:49.81\00:55:51.35
If you get away from
Camp Meeting this year
00:55:52.88\00:55:54.65
and you say: "Ah, I feel
like I know so much more. "
00:55:54.85\00:55:56.75
That's good... that's good.
00:55:57.15\00:56:00.52
But if you can leave Camp
Meeting this year and say:
00:56:00.92\00:56:02.86
"Ah, I know
Jesus so much better"
00:56:03.06\00:56:04.79
ah, now we're
talking... now we're talking.
00:56:04.99\00:56:07.86
I can go back to church with
my head filled with knowledge.
00:56:08.06\00:56:10.70
"I've heard these
learned folks speaking and I can
00:56:10.90\00:56:12.57
straighten some people out.
" Ooh, be careful as you go.
00:56:12.77\00:56:16.07
But if you're determined to go
back as the salt of the earth,
00:56:16.97\00:56:19.41
as the light of the world
and say: "Jesus has my heart;
00:56:19.61\00:56:22.54
Jesus has my life.
00:56:22.94\00:56:25.35
I'm representing Christ.
00:56:25.55\00:56:27.22
The Daystar is
rising in my heart. " Amen!
00:56:27.42\00:56:32.29
Then God will say: "YES!
00:56:32.82\00:56:35.36
Camp Meeting was a
success in that life. "
00:56:35.56\00:56:38.36
Let's make it a success.
We've gotta have Jesus...
00:56:39.26\00:56:41.50
that's what we've gotta have.
00:56:41.70\00:56:43.03
This more sure word
of prophecy convinces us
00:56:43.06\00:56:45.17
that God's Word is true
00:56:45.37\00:56:46.70
and that God's Son
is truly the Son of God.
00:56:46.74\00:56:49.20
And truly He is
coming back soon.
00:56:49.40\00:56:52.84
That's where prophecy leads.
00:56:53.04\00:56:54.94
That's where
prophecy must lead us.
00:56:55.14\00:56:57.61
It must lead us to being
ready for the return of Jesus.
00:56:57.81\00:57:00.35
Come on, let's
pray while we can.
00:57:00.55\00:57:01.88
Our Father in heaven,
we are thankful tonight
00:57:02.02\00:57:04.49
for the more
sure word of prophecy.
00:57:04.69\00:57:06.22
Oh Lord, we want
knowledge - and we need it -
00:57:06.42\00:57:08.09
but we want a knowledge of
Jesus, an experiential knowledge
00:57:08.49\00:57:12.13
of Your Son Jesus. We
need it and we must have it!
00:57:12.33\00:57:15.33
Make it so, and let
Your Word burn in our hearts
00:57:15.53\00:57:18.93
now and always. Make us Yours.
00:57:19.13\00:57:20.74
Give us the righteousness of
Jesus Christ we pray and plead.
00:57:20.94\00:57:24.27
In Jesus' name... come
on and say: Amen and Amen.
00:57:24.67\00:57:29.81