Participants: Pr. Stephen Bohr
Series Code: SMTF
Program Code: SMTF000012
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00:34 Shall we bow our heads for prayer?
00:38 Father in heaven, what a joy it is to be in Your presence. 00:44 There's no better place to be than in Your presence. 00:48 And there's nothing more important to study 00:50 in this time of history than Your holy word 00:54 because we know that it's a sure guide 00:57 in a world that is totally confused. 01:00 We ask, Father, that as we study 01:02 today about The Final Abomination, 01:05 that your Holy Spirit will be with us 01:07 guiding our thoughts. 01:09 Not only guiding our thoughts but softening hearts. 01:14 I not only ask for those who are gathered here, 01:16 but also for those who are watching on worldwide broadcast. 01:22 I ask, Lord, that You will open their hearts as well. 01:25 And we thank You for the promise of Your presence. 01:28 Where two or three are gathered in the name of Jesus, 01:32 Jesus will be there. 01:33 And we claim that promise in His holy name. Amen. 01:39 As I mentioned in my prayer 01:41 the title of our study today is "The Final Abomination." 01:47 And basically, what we're going to do 01:49 is compare the condition of Israel 01:52 before the destruction of Jerusalem, 01:55 in the year 586 BC 01:59 with the final destruction of the world 02:02 shortly before the second coming of Jesus in power and glory 02:08 because the sign of the Son of Man 02:10 is gonna be seen in the heavens, 02:12 and there's gonna be earthquakes and calamities 02:15 before Jesus actually arrives on planet earth. 02:19 So let's go back to the Old Testament 02:22 to the story of Israel before the Babylonian captivity. 02:27 And there are several details that we're gonna study 02:29 that I want you to remember 02:31 because we're gonna come back to them 02:33 in the second half of our study together. 02:35 We're going to go to the Book of Revelation 02:37 and we're going to see a striking parallel 02:40 between what was and what will be. 02:44 Now what we're gonna be studying 02:46 is about God's professed people. 02:49 We're not gonna be studying 02:51 about the pagans that surrounded Israel. 02:53 Everything that we are going to study are things 02:56 that were happening among the people of God. 02:59 This is what makes what we're gonna study 03:02 all the more striking because Israel 03:04 was in a gigantic apostasy. 03:08 Now I'd like to begin by turning in my Bible 03:11 and I invite you to turn in yours 03:13 to the Book of Jeremiah 31:32. 03:18 Jeremiah 31:32. 03:22 Here we're going to find God describing 03:25 what took place at Mount Sinai. 03:28 In fact, Jeremiah is gonna tell us, 03:31 he's quoting God that God married Israel at Mount Sinai. 03:37 In other words, the covenant between God and Israel 03:40 at Sinai was a marriage ceremony. 03:43 And God wanted Israel to belong only to Him. 03:47 Notice Jeremiah 31:32. 03:51 God is speaking about making a new covenant, 03:53 not like the one at Sinai. 03:55 "Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers 03:59 in the day that I took them by the hand 04:02 to lead them out of the land of Egypt," 04:06 notice, "My covenant which they broke, 04:10 though I was a" what? 04:12 "Though I was a husband to them, says the Lord." 04:18 So you see God was the husband 04:20 and Israel was his wife. 04:23 And they got married at Mount Sinai. 04:25 That was the covenant. It was a marriage covenant. 04:29 And God wanted Israel to conserve herself 04:32 only for Him and for no one else. 04:36 But we find in the Book of Ezekiel, 04:38 a sad description of the condition of Israel 04:42 shortly before the Babylonian captivity. 04:45 In fact, the condition of Israel was one of apostasy 04:49 for approximately 800 years after Mount Sinai, 04:52 one apostasy right after another. 04:56 Now I want you to notice Ezekiel 16:1, 2. 05:00 We're going to read a lot of text 05:02 from Ezekiel 16 and Ezekiel 23 05:05 not exclusively but many we will read from there. 05:09 Ezekiel 16:1, 2 and I want you to remember 05:13 a key word in these verses. 05:16 It says there in 16:1 05:20 "Again the word of the Lord came to me, 05:24 saying, 'Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her,'" 05:32 what? "Abominations." 05:35 Is that a keyword that we find in Matthew Chapter 24 05:39 that speaks about the destruction of Jerusalem? 05:41 Most certainly. 05:43 And so God is saying to Ezekiel, 05:48 "I'm gonna show you the abominations 05:51 that are taking place among My people." 05:56 He's not describing what is happening 05:59 among the Philistines, or the Babylonians, 06:01 or the Egyptians, or any other nation. 06:04 These are His professed people whom He married at Mount Sinai. 06:09 Now the greatest abomination 06:10 that was being committed was sun worship. 06:15 If you read Ezekiel Chapter 8, 06:16 you're gonna notice that Ezekiel describes 06:20 several abominations that were taking place in Jerusalem. 06:23 Actually, God is describing these abominations to Ezekiel. 06:28 And God shows Ezekiel an abomination. 06:30 And Ezekiel says, "Well, that's pretty bad." 06:32 God says, "You haven't seen anything yet. 06:34 I'm gonna show you a greater abomination than this one." 06:37 So then God shows Ezekiel another abomination 06:40 that's taking place among God's own people, 06:42 even in the temple. 06:44 And Ezekiel says, "That's terrible." 06:45 God says, "You haven't seen anything yet. 06:47 I'm gonna show you an abomination 06:49 that's worse than that." 06:50 And so then God shows Ezekiel another abomination 06:53 that's taking place among His people. 06:56 And Ezekiel says, 06:58 "There can't be anything worse than that." 06:59 And God says, "You haven't seen anything yet. 07:01 I'm gonna show you an abomination 07:03 that is worse than that." 07:06 And at the very, very top of the list 07:11 is this abomination that's described in Ezekiel 8:15, 16. 07:17 It says there, "Then He said to me, 07:22 'Have you seen this, O son of man? 07:25 Turn again, you will see greater abominations than these. 07:30 So He brought me into the inner court of the Lord's house, 07:35 and there, at the door of the temple of the Lord, 07:39 between the porch and the altar, 07:41 were about twenty-five men with their backs 07:44 toward the temple of the Lord and their faces toward the east, 07:48 and they were worshiping the sun toward the east.'" 07:53 That is the last abomination in the list. 07:56 That is the greatest of all abominations 07:59 that Israel is committing, worshiping the sun, 08:03 with their backs to the Lord. 08:07 Now I want you to notice 08:09 what Israel is called in Ezekiel 16:15. 08:13 You know, this is an incredible language 08:15 that God uses here in Ezekiel 16. 08:17 You really need to read the whole chapter. 08:19 Notice Ezekiel 16:15, two keywords that we find here. 08:25 "But you trusted in your own beauty," 08:28 God is speaking of His people "played the" what? 08:33 There is a keyword. 08:34 "Played the harlot because of your fame, 08:39 and poured out your harlotry." 08:41 By the way, the King James Version 08:44 translates this word "harlotry," fornications. 08:49 We need to remember that because really 08:51 the word "harlotry" means adulteries or fornications. 08:57 So God says, "But you trusted in your own beauty, 09:00 played the harlot because of your fame, 09:02 and poured out your fornications 09:04 on everyone passing by who would have it." 09:09 Primarily, the fornication that was being committed 09:12 was with the surrounding nations. 09:14 In other words, Israel was mixing 09:17 with the surrounding nations and adopting their pagan practices. 09:22 Notice Ezekiel 16:28-30. 09:26 Ezekiel 16:28-30 describes this fornication 09:33 between Israel and the kings that surrounded Israel 09:37 and the assimilation of these pagan practices. 09:41 It says there beginning in verse 28. 09:44 "You also played the harlot with the Assyrians, 09:49 because you were insatiable. 09:52 Indeed you played the harlot with them 09:56 and still were not satisfied. 09:58 Moreover you multiplied your acts of harlotry 10:02 as far as the land of the trader, Chaldea, 10:08 and even then you were not satisfied. 10:11 'How degenerate is your heart!' says the Lord God, 10:15 'seeing you do all these things, the deed of a brazen harlot.'" 10:22 Isn't that strong language that God uses 10:24 to describe His own people? 10:26 You see, they had forsaken 10:27 their love relationship with their husband. 10:30 And they were going after the nations 10:33 and after the gods of the nations. 10:35 They were assimilating the pagan practices 10:38 of the surrounding nations. 10:40 And, therefore, God describes 10:42 what they're doing as fornications, 10:44 as harlotry and calls His people a harlot. 10:49 Now I want you to notice how Israel was garbed 10:54 according to the Book of Ezekiel. 10:57 Notice Ezekiel 16:17. 11:00 And please remember all of these details 11:02 because we're gonna come back to them again. Ezekiel 16:17. 11:09 It says here, God speaking about His people. 11:12 "You have also taken your beautiful jewelry 11:17 from My gold and My silver," 11:20 remember that, they've taken 11:21 the gold and the silver which belonged to God. 11:25 "Which I had given you, and made for yourself 11:29 male images and played the harlot with them." 11:36 Notice also Ezekiel 23:40. Ezekiel 23:40. 11:43 It speaks about Israel garbing herself. 11:46 Of course, this is symbolic language. 11:48 Israel is represented as an apostate woman. 11:52 Notice what we find in Ezekiel 23:40. 11:56 "Furthermore you sent for men to come from afar, 12:01 to whom a messenger was sent, and there they came. 12:06 And you washed yourself for them, painted your eyes, 12:11 and adorned yourself with ornaments." 12:16 In other words, Israel was decked with gold and silver 12:21 and precious stones that God had created 12:24 for His glory not for her glory. 12:29 Notice also Ezekiel 16:32 12:33 where Israel is described as "God's unfaithful wife." 12:38 It says there, "You are an adulterous wife, 12:44 who takes strangers instead of her husband." 12:50 Do you see that there's fornication going on here? 12:53 You see, they are assimilating 12:55 the practices of the nation's paganism 12:58 including the worship of the sun. 13:00 And they have these illicit relationships 13:02 with the kings of that time period. 13:06 Also, we're told 13:11 that Israel was trampling on the sanctuary 13:15 and they were trampling upon God's holy Sabbath. 13:20 By the way, in case you're wondering, 13:22 the Book of Ezekiel was written approximately the year 597 BC. 13:29 This is several years before Jerusalem was destroyed. 13:32 So everything we're reading from Ezekiel 13:34 is describing the condition of Israel 13:36 before the destruction of Jerusalem. 13:39 We're not taking anything out of context. 13:41 God is simply describing what was taking place. 13:44 Notice Ezekiel 23:28, 13:47 "Trampling on the sanctuary and on the Sabbath. 13:50 Moreover they have done this to Me. 13:54 They have defiled My sanctuary on the same day 13:58 and profaned My Sabbaths." 14:03 So you notice that they're trampling on the sanctuary 14:05 and they're profaning the Sabbath of the Lord. 14:09 By the way, Israel was also shedding 14:13 innocent blood in her midst. 14:15 She had become a persecutor against those 14:19 who did not agree with her apostate religion. 14:23 Notice Ezekiel 16:38, Ezekiel 16:38 14:29 and I'm reading this text from the New International Version 14:32 because it's slightly clearer than the New King James Version. 14:36 It says there, "I will sentence you 14:40 to the punishment of women who commit adultery 14:44 and who do" what? "Who shed blood. 14:48 I will bring upon you the blood vengeance 14:52 of my wrath and jealous anger." 14:56 And so Israel was guilty 14:59 of shedding the blood of the innocent. 15:02 In fact, Jesus referred to this 15:04 in Matthew Chapter 23 where He says, 15:06 "How many of the prophets 15:08 and the holy men of old did you not kill?" 15:12 Jesus was speaking about this period, 15:15 before the Babylonian captivity. 15:17 He also referred to it in the parable, you remember, 15:21 of the vineyard that we already studied where, 15:24 you know, messengers were sent, they were killed. 15:27 Further messengers were sent 15:29 after the captivity, they were killed. 15:31 Finally, God sent His Son and He said, 15:35 "They'll respect my son, but they killed Him also." 15:38 In other words, Israel was guilty 15:40 of the blood of God's faithful people. 15:44 And how did the people look upon this apostasy? 15:48 Who was really to blame for this apostasy? 15:51 It was the leaders, but the people 15:54 were very well satisfied with it. 15:56 By the way, Jeremiah also wrote 15:59 right before the Babylonian captivity. 16:01 Notice Jeremiah 5:31. Jeremiah 5:31. 16:07 We read this in another context 16:09 in a previous lecture, but let's read it again. 16:12 It says there, 16:14 "The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests," 16:21 they would be called ministers by the way, today. 16:24 "And the priests rule by their own power." 16:28 And then the sad part of the verse says, 16:31 "And My people love to have it so." 16:36 So the religious leaders were actually 16:39 to blame for the apostasy of the people. 16:42 But the people also had blamed 16:44 because they love to have it so. 16:46 They didn't mind. Now because Israel was in this apostasy, 16:51 she had broken her wedding vows, God said, 16:55 "I am going to pour out upon you My wrath." 17:00 Notice Ezekiel 23:32. 17:04 Ezekiel 23:32, God is speaking about Israel 17:09 drinking the cup of His wrath. It says there, 17:13 "You have walked in the way of your sister, therefore," 17:18 it's speaking about Samaria by the way here. 17:20 The sister of Judah was Samaria. 17:23 And Samaria had already been destroyed at this point. 17:26 "You have walked in the way of your sister. 17:29 Therefore, I will put her cup in your hand. 17:33 "Thus says the Lord God, 17:35 'You shall drink of your sister's cup, 17:39 the deep and wide one. 17:42 You shall be laughed to scorn and held in derision. 17:48 It contains much.'" 17:50 Notice that they were gonna drink 17:52 the cup of the wrath of God because of their apostasy. 17:57 And God promised that the destruction 17:59 was going to come from the four corners of the earth. 18:02 That's important. Notice Ezekiel Chapter 7 18:05 and we're gonna read a rather extensive passage here. 18:08 Ezekiel 7:1-8, where God is describing 18:12 what's going to happen to Jerusalem 18:14 because of her apostasy. 18:16 It says there in Ezekiel 7:1, 18:21 "Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, 18:24 saying, 'And you, son of man, 18:27 thus says the Lord God to the land of Israel, an end! 18:33 The end has come upon the four corners of the land.'" 18:37 I want you to remember that expression. 18:39 The end is coming upon what? The four corners of the land. 18:44 "Now the end has come upon you, 18:46 and I will send My anger against you. 18:48 I will judge you according to your ways, 18:51 and I will repay you for all your," 18:54 there's the keyword, "abominations." 18:57 My eye will not spare you, nor will I have pity. 19:00 But I will repay your ways, and your," 19:04 there is the keyword again, 19:05 "abominations, will be in your midst. 19:08 Then you shall know that I am the Lord. 19:12 Thus says the Lord God, 19:13 'A disaster, a singular disaster, 19:16 behold, it has come. 19:18 An end has come. The end has come. 19:20 It has dawned for you. Behold, it has come. 19:24 Doom has come to you, you who dwell in the land. 19:27 The time has come, a day of trouble is near, 19:30 and not of rejoicing in the mountains. 19:32 Now upon you I will soon pour out My fury, 19:36 and spend My anger upon you. 19:38 I will judge you according to your ways. 19:40 I will repay you for all your abominations." 19:45 There's the word again. 19:46 Interesting, three times in this passage 19:49 God says that the judgment is going to come 19:52 because of Israel's abominations. 19:56 And we notice that the destruction is gonna come 19:59 upon the four corners of the land. 20:03 Very, very important details 20:04 for what we're gonna look at in a few moments. 20:08 But before the destruction would come, 20:10 something had to be done. 20:14 There needed to be a sealing before the destruction 20:18 because not everyone was practicing 20:21 the abominations in the city. 20:23 There was a faithful remnant. 20:25 And so God needed to separate the faithful remnant 20:28 from the unfaithful before the destruction came 20:31 so that He could preserve His people 20:34 in the midst of destruction. 20:36 Is this exactly what happened at the time of the flood? 20:39 When God closed the door, did He seal that door? 20:43 And God's people were safe and sound from the destruction 20:47 and from the anger of their enemies? Absolutely. 20:50 And in Ezekiel, not everyone is committing these abominations, 20:54 so God is gonna say, "Before the destruction comes 20:57 upon the four corners of the land, 20:59 I'm going to seal my faithful people on their foreheads." 21:04 Does that ring a bell? 21:06 Notice Ezekiel 9:1-6. Ezekiel 9:1-6. 21:13 "Then He called out in my hearing 21:15 with a loud voice, saying, 21:18 'Let those who have charge over the city draw near, 21:21 each with a deadly weapon in his hand.'" 21:25 This is speaking about the angels. 21:27 "And suddenly six men came 21:29 from the direction of the upper gate, 21:31 which faces north, each with his battle-axe in his hand. 21:36 One man among them was clothed with linen." 21:39 By the way, this is Jesus Christ. 21:41 "And had a writer's inkhorn at his side. 21:44 They went in and stood beside the bronze altar. 21:48 Now the glory of the God of Israel had gone up 21:50 from the cherub, where it had been, 21:53 to the threshold of the temple. 21:55 And He called to the man clothed with linen, 21:58 who had the writer's inkhorn at his side, 22:01 and the Lord said to him, 22:03 'Go through the midst of the city,'" 22:05 which city? Is this dealing with the pagans? 22:10 Is this sealing taking place? 22:12 Is it sealing God's people and not sealing the pagans? 22:16 No, it's dealing with the sealing of God's people 22:21 that are among people who claim to be God's people. 22:25 Are you following me? 22:26 Notice, "Go through the midst of the city, 22:29 through the midst of Jerusalem, 22:32 and put a mark on the foreheads of the men 22:38 who sigh and cry over all the," there is again, 22:44 "the abominations that are done within it. 22:50 So to the others He said in my hearing, 22:53 'Go after him through the city and kill. 22:57 Do not let your eye spare, nor have any pity. 23:01 Utterly slay old and young men, 23:03 maidens and little children and women, 23:08 but do not come near anyone on whom is the mark. 23:14 And begin at My sanctuary.' 23:18 So they began with the elders who were before the temple." 23:22 Who did the angel begin with? 23:26 They began with the leaders, 23:29 the spiritual leaders of the people 23:32 that ministered in the sanctuary. 23:34 Those individuals that had mislead Israel. 23:36 And, of course, Israel loved to have it so. 23:41 Now it's interesting to notice 23:42 that God had told Israel through Jeremiah, 23:46 that if they kept the Sabbath, Jerusalem would never fall. 23:50 It's said very clearly in Jeremiah Chapter 17. 23:53 But He also warned them 23:55 that if they did not keep His holy Sabbath, 23:58 Jerusalem would be destroyed. 24:01 Notice Jeremiah 17:27. Jeremiah 17:27. 24:09 Here God is speaking about Israel and He says this 24:15 "But if you will not heed Me to hallow the Sabbath day, 24:21 such as not carrying a burden 24:23 when entering the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, 24:27 then I will kindle a fire in its gates, 24:31 and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, 24:35 and it shall not be quenched." 24:39 Was the destruction of Jerusalem directly 24:42 due to Sabbath desecration, according to Jeremiah? 24:46 Among other things, yes, 24:47 but this was one of the main reasons. 24:50 And a little earlier in this chapter, 24:52 God says, "If you keep my Sabbath, 24:55 the gates of Jerusalem will remain open 24:57 and this city will remain forever," is what God said. 25:02 In fact, in Ezekiel 20:12, 25:05 we find God saying to Israel 25:08 that He gave them the Sabbath as a sign 25:12 that He is the God who sanctified them 25:15 and that He was their true God. 25:17 Notice Ezekiel 20:12, 25:20 "Moreover I also gave them My Sabbaths 25:25 to be a sign between them and Me." 25:29 What was the sign? The Sabbath. 25:33 "That they might know 25:34 that I am the Lord who sanctifies them." 25:39 So God gave the Sabbath as the sign 25:42 between Him and His people. And He said, 25:45 "Keep my Sabbath and Jerusalem shall stand forever." 25:50 But instead we read that Israel trampled upon the Sabbath. 25:54 And as a result, instead of worshiping the Creator, 25:58 they worshiped the sun with their faces to the east, 26:03 and with their backs to the Lord. 26:05 You see, to worship the sun 26:07 is to turn your back to the Lord, 26:09 according to what Ezekiel has to say. 26:12 Now it's interesting to notice how God said 26:15 Israel was gonna come to an end 26:16 at the Babylonia captivity. 26:18 Notice Ezekiel 16:39. Ezekiel 16:39. 26:26 What we're told is that the kings 26:29 with which Israel fornicated, 26:31 were gonna be the very ones who would turn against her, 26:34 and they would make her naked, 26:36 and they would burn her with fire, 26:38 and they would destroy her, 26:40 the very kings that she was committing fornication with. 26:44 Notice Ezekiel 16:39. 26:48 God says, "I will also give you into their hand." 26:53 That is into the hand of the kings. 26:55 "And they shall throw down your shrines 26:58 and break down your high places. 27:00 They shall also strip you of your clothes, 27:04 take your beautiful jewelry, 27:07 and leave you naked and bare. 27:13 Does that kind of ring a bell? 27:15 Is there anything in Revelation about the kings of the earth 27:19 turning against the harlot and making her naked 27:22 and burning her with fire? Absolutely. 27:26 Now we've noticed the Old Testament story. 27:29 Now we need to go to the end time 27:32 because we're discussing The Final Abomination 27:34 in the light of what happened in connection 27:37 with the first destruction of Jerusalem. 27:41 I want us to go now 27:42 to the Book of Revelation 12:1. Revelation 12:1. 27:50 Here the church of Jesus is described as a woman 27:54 who is clothed with the sun and the moon is under her feet. 27:58 Notice what it says there. 28:00 "Now a great sign appeared in heaven, 28:03 a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet," 28:09 and then it says, that she has 28:10 "on her head a crown," with what? "With twelve stars." 28:15 What does this woman represent? 28:18 At this point, she represents the Old Testament church 28:21 because she's with child 28:22 and the child hasn't been born yet. 28:24 And the child is Jesus. 28:26 Obviously, you can't have 28:27 the New Testament church before Jesus is born. 28:29 So at this stage we have 28:31 the Old Testament church from which Jesus was born. 28:35 But in verse 6, the church has transitioned 28:38 from the Old Testament church to the New Testament church. 28:42 Notice after Jesus ascends to heaven, according to verse 6. 28:46 "Then the woman fled into the wilderness, 28:50 where she has a place prepared by God, 28:52 that they should feed her there 28:54 one thousand two hundred and sixty days." 28:58 This is the period of papal oppression. 29:01 This is the period which we know as the dark ages. 29:04 When the woman or the church had to flee to the desert 29:08 to escape being destroyed and blotted out 29:12 from the face of the earth. 29:14 So the woman here represents the church. 29:17 In fact, in Ephesians 5:25 if you go there with me. 29:21 Ephesians 5:25, God describes His relationship 29:26 with His people with the symbol of marriage. 29:29 Notice Ephesians 5:25. 29:34 "Husbands, love your wives, 29:38 just as Christ also loved the church 29:42 and gave Himself for her." 29:45 Do you see the comparison here? 29:47 Husbands are to love their wives, 29:50 even as Jesus the husband loved what? Loved the church. 29:55 So once again the relationship between Jesus and His church 29:59 is illustrated by marriage 30:01 just like in the Old Testament story. 30:05 However, the Book of Revelation speaks of the fact 30:09 that apart from a small remnant, 30:12 the church at the end of time 30:14 is gonna be in the same condition 30:16 that it was before Babylon came to destroy Jerusalem. 30:21 Notice Revelation Chapter 17. Revelation 17:1. 30:27 And you tell me if this is similar terminology 30:30 to what we've already studied. 30:31 Revelation 17:1, "Then one of the seven angels 30:38 who had the seven bowls came and talked with me, 30:41 saying to me, 'Come, 30:43 I will show you the judgment of the--'" 30:48 Excuse me, what does it say next? 30:51 "Of the great harlot who sits on many waters." 30:56 What is this woman called? The great, what? Harlot. 31:01 Well, I suppose that this great harlot 31:05 has to represent the Muslims. 31:11 Well, it probably represents the Hindus then. 31:16 How about the Buddhists? 31:18 No, what does this harlot represent? 31:22 It represents the church of Christ 31:25 that has become what? Corrupted. 31:30 We're gonna notice a series of parallels 31:32 that makes that unmistakable. 31:34 That this is talking about the Christian church 31:36 in the end time that has become a harlot 31:40 for the same reasons that Israel became a harlot. 31:44 Notice Revelation 17:1, once again, 31:47 another detail that we need to take a look at. 31:49 Not only is this woman called a great harlot, 31:53 but we're told that she sits where? 31:56 On many waters. It says, "Then one of the seven angels 31:58 who had the seven bowls came and talked with me, 32:00 saying to me, 'Come, 32:02 I will show you the judgment of the great harlot 32:04 who sits on many waters.'" 32:07 Now what does the act of sitting mean? 32:09 The act of sitting means that she what? 32:12 She rules over the many waters. 32:15 Sitting is an act of rulership. 32:19 Now what do the waters represent? 32:21 Notice Revelation 17:15. 32:24 Revelation 17:15, "Then he said to me, 32:30 'The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, 32:35 are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues.'" 32:41 Let me ask you, is this harlot church, 32:44 a universal church at the end of time? 32:47 Yes, because she has dominion over every nation, 32:53 kindred, tongue, and what? 32:56 And people. And, by the way, 32:57 do you know that in the Book of Revelation, 32:59 God has a message to counteract her rulership? 33:02 He also sends a message to people of every nation, 33:06 kindred, tongue, and people to warn them about the system. 33:11 Notice Revelation 14:6, 7. Revelation 14:6, 7. 33:18 "Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, 33:21 having the everlasting gospel to preach 33:23 to those who dwell on the earth, 33:24 to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people, 33:27 saying with a loud voice, 33:29 "Fear God and give glory to Him, 33:31 for the hour of His judgment has come. 33:33 And worship Him who made heaven the earth, 33:36 the sea and the springs of water." 33:40 Is this a universal message? 33:42 Does it go to the same group of people 33:44 over which the harlot rules? 33:46 Yes, the same terminology every nation, 33:49 tribe, tongue, and people. 33:52 And so you this-- you have this universal, 33:54 this worldwide apostate church 33:57 represented by a woman who is a harlot. 34:00 She sits upon the multitudes of the world. 34:03 In other words, she's in every country of the world 34:06 and she commits a particular sin which is very offensive to God 34:10 because the church is to be married 34:11 only to whom? To Jesus. 34:14 The church is only to carry out the will of Jesus 34:18 through the power of Jesus. 34:19 The church is not supposed to get the state 34:22 to do the biddings of God. 34:24 The church is supposed to have Jesus 34:26 perform the mission of the church not the state. 34:29 Notice Revelation 17:2, 34:32 one of the problems with this harlot. 34:35 It says there in verse 2 speaking about the harlot, 34:40 "With whom the kings of the earth committed--" What? 34:47 Did we find that word before in Ezekiel? Yes. 34:53 "With whom the kings of the earth 34:55 committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth 34:59 were made drunk with the wine of her," 35:02 there it is again, "with the wine of her fornication." 35:07 Is this church in the end time 35:09 also going to fornicate with the kings, 35:11 the political powers of the earth? 35:13 Is she going to assimilate many of the religious pagan practices 35:18 that are out there among all of the nations? Absolutely. 35:22 Now I want you to notice 35:24 another interesting detail about this harlot. 35:26 Revelation 17:5. Revelation 17:5. 35:31 She's not the only harlot. She has companions. 35:36 Notice Revelation 17:5, "On her forehead 35:41 a name was written mystery, Babylon the great." 35:46 Notice this. "The mother of harlots." 35:50 How many of you know a mother that's never had children? 35:56 I know women who have never had children, 35:58 but I don't know the first mother that never had a child. 36:02 Now if this is the mother of harlots, 36:05 it must mean that she has what? 36:08 Daughters that were born to her that share her fornication 36:14 and that want to fornicate with the kings of the earth. 36:17 Want to get involved, 36:18 in other words, in the political process. 36:21 Notice the last part of the verse. 36:23 "And on her forehead a name was written mystery, 36:26 Babylon the great, the mother of harlots and of the?" 36:31 There is the word again 36:33 "of the abominations of the earth." 36:38 By the way, 36:41 amplifies about these abominations. 36:44 Notice what we find, 36:46 "And on her forehead a name was written mystery, 36:48 Babylon the great, the mother of harlots 36:50 and of the abominations of the earth." 36:52 And if you read verse 4, 36:54 you're gonna notice that these abominations 36:56 are found in a cup. 37:00 And what is that the cup contains? 37:03 The cup contains wine. 37:05 So the wine is composed of her abominations. 37:10 Now you say 37:12 what are the abominations of the end time Babylon? 37:14 We don't have time to read all of the verses 37:16 so I'm just gonna share them with you. 37:19 In the Bible, "idolatry" is called 37:22 an abomination to the Lord, many times. 37:25 For example, Deuteronomy 7:25 and 26 37:28 speaks of idolatry as an abomination to God. 37:30 So any church that would have idols 37:33 before which people bow would fit within this category. 37:38 Another thing that is spoken of as abomination 37:41 is claiming to be able to speak with the dead. 37:45 So it has to be a church that says 37:47 that you can communicate with the dead, 37:50 even if it means in prayer. 37:54 Have you ever heard of praying to the saints? 37:57 Praying to Mary. Absolutely. 38:01 Now Deuteronomy 18:9-12 forbids the idea 38:05 of communicating with the dead 38:07 because the Bible says that the dead know nothing. 38:12 So it has be a worldwide church that is-- 38:16 that believes that the dead are not dead. 38:18 That they actually survive at the moment of death. 38:21 A church that practices idolatry. 38:24 Also, in Proverbs 28:9, 38:28 we are told that those who turn away 38:31 their ear from hearing the law, 38:34 their prayer is an abomination to God. 38:37 So to try and get rid of God's law is an abomination. 38:42 By the way, also the Bible says that fornication, 38:46 spiritual fornication is an abomination, 38:50 according to Jeremiah 13:26, 27. 38:54 According to Luke 16:16, 38:57 thinking that you can be saved by your works 39:00 is an abomination to God. 39:01 So any church that says that you have to go on pilgrimages 39:04 or you have to pay indulgences 39:06 or you have to do this and you have to do that 39:08 in order to not suffer eternal damnation, 39:14 is violating the fact that Jesus said 39:16 that he who says that he can be saved by his works, 39:19 this is an abomination. 39:20 Deuteronomy 14:3 says that when people say 39:25 that you can eat any old thing, 39:27 even the foods that God has forbidden, 39:30 that is an abomination to God, 39:31 eating things that God has forbidden. 39:34 Shedding innocent blood is an abomination 39:38 according to Ezekiel 22:2. 39:41 And of course, the greatest abomination 39:43 that we already studied is worshiping what? 39:48 Worshipping the sun. 39:52 So we have to look for a worldwide church 39:54 that fits within all of these categories. 39:57 These are the abominations that are in the cup. 39:59 The abominations are the wine. 40:01 And what does this universal church do? 40:04 It gives its wine to whom? To all of the nations. 40:10 In other words, it gives her 40:12 false teachings to all other nations. 40:15 She gives wine to the kings of earth 40:18 and to the inhabitants of the earth. 40:20 And as a result, they become drunk. 40:24 Have any of you ever tried 40:25 to give a Bible study to a drunkard? 40:31 I tried once. 40:33 I haven't tried again because their mind can't comprehend, 40:37 can't comprehend what you're talking about. 40:40 Now apply that spiritually. 40:42 You know, when I talk to people about the Sabbath, 40:44 I show it clear as day in Scripture. 40:47 They say, "Well, that's not what my preacher says. 40:50 Or why does everybody then keep Sunday? 40:52 Can everybody be wrong? 40:54 Well, didn't Jesus resurrect on the first day of the week?" 40:56 You have all of these arguments. 40:58 Rational arguments that they use. 41:02 Are any of these arguments biblical? 41:05 They're not biblical. 41:06 And yet no matter how much Scripture you present, 41:11 they fall on deaf ears. 41:13 The reason why is because they are drunk 41:16 with the wine of Babylon. 41:18 And trying to get the truth into their minds 41:20 that are drunk with the wine of Babylon 41:23 is a very difficult thing. 41:26 Now I want you to notice 41:28 how this harlot is garbed in Revelation 17. 41:32 Notice verse 4 "The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet." 41:39 See those two interesting colors purple and scarlet. 41:44 Did any of you watch the funeral of John Paul the II? 41:49 How could you have not watched it? 41:52 It's the only thing that was on for 2 weeks. 41:55 Did you see how the leaders of the Roman Catholic Church 41:58 were garbed in purple and what? 42:01 Scarlet and notice, "And adorned with" what? 42:06 "Gold and precious stones and pearls." 42:12 Does that sound like Ezekiel? Certainly. 42:16 And it says here, "Having in her hand 42:19 a golden cup full of abominations 42:23 and the filthiness of her fornication." 42:27 Let me ask you, are the hands of this woman stained in blood? 42:32 Yes, they are. 42:34 Notice Revelation 17:6. Revelation 17:6. 42:39 It says there, "I saw the woman, 42:43 drunk with the blood of the saints 42:47 and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. 42:50 And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement." 42:56 Is there any doubt as to which church 43:00 this is pointing to when we look at the characteristics? 43:04 Absolutely not. Daughters were born from her. 43:08 She's decked with gold and silver. 43:11 She uses purple and scarlet. 43:15 She gives her false teachings to the world. 43:20 There's just too many characteristics 43:21 to not be able to identify this system 43:25 which is spoken of in Bible prophecy. 43:28 And yet it is a church that claims to be what? 43:31 Claims to be Christian. 43:33 And yet it is full of abominations and fornications 43:37 and illicit relationships with the kings of the earth. 43:42 Therefore God said, 43:44 "I am going to come and I'm going to destroy." 43:48 Notice Revelation 6:14-17. Revelation 6:14-17. 43:55 It's speaking about the coming of Jesus. 43:56 It says, "Then the sky receded 43:58 as a scroll when it is rolled up, 44:00 and every mountain and island was moved out of its place. 44:03 And the kings of the earth, the great men, 44:05 the rich men, the commanders, 44:06 the mighty men, every slave and every free man, 44:09 hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, 44:13 and said to the mountains and rocks, 44:15 "Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him 44:18 who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. 44:21 For the great day of His wrath has come, 44:23 and who is able to stand?" 44:27 So there's destruction coming. 44:30 But before destruction comes, what is God going to do? 44:35 What did He do in the Book of Ezekiel? 44:38 He separated His people by placing a seal on their what? 44:44 On their foreheads because they sighed and cried 44:48 because of the abominations they were being committed 44:51 among God's professed people. 44:54 Notice that immediately after this picture of destruction 44:57 that I just read from Revelation 6, 45:00 you have the sealing. 45:03 Notice Revelation 7:1-3. 45:06 Revelation 7:1-3. 45:11 "After these things I saw four angels 45:14 standing at the four corners of the earth." 45:15 Does that ring a bell, the four corners of the earth? 45:19 See when the angels release the winds 45:20 from the four corners what comes? 45:22 A cataclysm, destruction, just like it says in Ezekiel. 45:28 It says that they were "Holding the four winds of the earth, 45:30 that the wind should not blow on the earth, 45:32 on the sea, or on any tree." 45:34 This is before the destruction. 45:36 "Then I saw another angel ascending from the east." 45:39 This is the man clothed in linen by the way. 45:41 "Having the seal of the living God. 45:43 And He cried with a loud voice to the four angels 45:46 to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, saying, 45:49 'Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed 45:55 the servants of our God in their foreheads.'" 45:59 So is God going to separate His people 46:02 and seal them before the destruction comes? 46:05 Absolutely, so that when the general rule ruin comes, 46:09 they will not be destroyed. 46:14 Now the question is what is this mark? 46:17 Well, let's notice Revelation 13:16. 46:22 Revelation 13:16, I want you to notice 46:25 that the mark of the beast is in contrast 46:27 to the seal of God. 46:29 Both of them are placed on the forehead. 46:31 Now notice Revelation 13:16. 46:35 Speaking about the mark of the beast it says, 46:38 "He causes all, both small and great, 46:42 rich and poor, free and slave, to receive," 46:48 A what? 46:49 "A mark on the right hand or on their foreheads." 46:56 Now is this in contrast to the seal 46:59 that God places on the forehead? 47:00 Yes. Notice in Chapter 14:1. 47:04 Right after this verse, we find the other group. 47:08 It says in Revelation 14:1, 47:10 "Then I looked, and behold, a Lamb standing on Mount Zion, 47:15 and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, 47:19 having His Father's name written" 47:22 Where? "Written on their foreheads." 47:27 So whatever the mark of the beast is, 47:29 it is in contrast to what? 47:32 To the seal of God 47:33 because they're spoken of one right after the other. 47:37 Now going back to the Book of Ezekiel, 47:40 what came immediately before Ezekiel 9:1 47:44 where the sealing is spoken of? 47:47 You go to the previous chapter to verse 16 and 17. 47:51 Don't miss this point. 47:52 You go back to the previous chapter verses 16 and 17 47:56 immediately before the sealing of God's people 47:59 on their foreheads and what does it speak about? 48:02 It speaks about the leaders of God's house 48:08 kneeling and worshiping the sun to the east 48:13 with their backs to God. 48:15 In other words, the seal is in contrast 48:19 to the abomination of worshiping what? 48:22 Of worshiping the sun. 48:24 Now you say, "Now, wait a minute. 48:26 There is no Christians today who worship the sun." 48:31 True enough, but there are Christians 48:34 who worship on the day of the sun. 48:37 And you say, "Pastor, it's not the same thing." 48:39 Yes, it is. You say, "How is that?" 48:42 Well, let me ask you. 48:44 Who made the sun? God did. 48:47 Did He make it for worship? 48:49 So what happens if you make it into an object of worship? 48:51 What is that called? Idolatry. 48:54 Who made the first day of the week? 48:57 Did He make it for worship? 48:59 So what happens if you make it a day of worship? 49:01 It's idolatry. 49:03 It doesn't matter whether it's an object 49:05 or whether it's a day. 49:07 Whatever man makes for worship 49:08 in place of what God established for worship is idolatry. 49:14 And so in the Old Testament, it was the literal sun. 49:17 At the end of time, as we've studied before, 49:19 the eagle and the sun of the United States, 49:22 the abomination that we found in Matthew Chapter 24, 49:25 it's not gonna be the literal sun 49:26 because the devil is not gonna convince Christians to kneel 49:30 and worship the sun towards the east. 49:32 He's more sophisticated. 49:34 By the way, I want you to notice a very interesting contrast here 49:38 between Revelation 14:7 and Revelation 14:9. 49:42 The final issue is about worship. 49:43 Notice Revelation 14:7. 49:46 It says, "saying with a loud voice, 49:48 'Fear God and give glory to Him, 49:52 for the hour of His judgment has come.'" 49:55 And now notice "and worship Him 49:59 who made heaven and earth, 50:01 the sea, and the springs of water." 50:04 In other words, worship God who is the what? 50:08 Who is the creator. 50:11 But in verse 9, God denounces the worship of the beast. 50:17 Is that in contrast to the worship of the creator? 50:20 Absolutely. Notice verse 9. 50:22 It says, "Then a third angel followed them, 50:24 saying with a loud voice, 50:25 'If anyone worships the beast and his image, 50:29 and receives the mark on his forehead or on his hand, 50:32 he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, 50:36 which is poured out full strength 50:38 into the cup of His indignation." 50:41 Did we read about the cup in the Old Testament 50:43 that God was going to empty His cup 50:45 upon His professed people? 50:47 Absolutely. 50:48 So you see the contrast is between 50:50 worshiping God, the Creator and worshiping the beast 50:53 and receiving his mark. 50:55 Now what is the mark of God? What is the sign of God? 50:58 The Sabbath is His sign or His seal. 51:01 What is the mark of the beast? 51:03 It must be an opposite mark. 51:06 By the way, have you ever noticed 51:07 that the final crisis has to do mainly 51:09 with the first four commandments? 51:12 The beast claims to be God. 51:15 He raises up an image, the image to the beast. 51:20 He has a false prophet who speaks in the name of God. 51:24 He uses the name of God in vain. 51:26 And he claims to exercise the power 51:29 and prerogatives of the creator 51:32 because he claims worship in contrast to the creator. 51:36 Now what is God going to do with this system 51:38 and those who choose to remain within the system? 51:41 Notice Revelation 17:16. Revelation 17:16. 51:49 Speaking about the kings, 51:50 the ten horns represent the kings of the world. 51:53 The number 10 represents global extent. 51:57 I don't have time to get into that, 51:58 so you have to accept that by faith. 52:01 And I know that some of you are gonna e-mail me 52:03 and you're gonna ask me about that 52:04 and I'm gonna give you the evidence. 52:06 It says there Revelation 17:16, 52:09 "And the ten horns which you saw on the beast, these will" 52:14 what? "Hate the harlot." 52:17 Before they loved her, right? 52:19 But what are they gonna do? 52:21 They are going to hate the harlot and make her what? 52:26 Oh, is that a word that we found in Matthew? 52:29 The abomination of what? Desolation. 52:32 They will make her desolate and what? 52:35 Naked, eat her flesh, and burn her with what? Fire. 52:43 Is that what happened with Jerusalem 52:46 when Jerusalem was destroyed 52:47 both the first and the second time? 52:49 Yes, we have studied this. 52:52 Now, folks, God is not going to leave 52:55 His sincere people in this system 52:58 either in the mother or in her daughters. 53:01 He is calling them out today just like in the Old Testament, 53:06 God wanted to seal His people before the destruction 53:09 just like he gave a sign to those who were in Jerusalem 53:11 so that they could flee and not be destroyed. 53:14 God today is making a call by those who sigh and cry 53:20 because of the abominations 53:22 that are taking place in Christendom. 53:25 Notice Revelation 18:1. 53:28 This is the sighing and crying part in the end time. 53:32 Notice Revelation 18:1, 53:34 "After these things I saw another angel 53:36 coming down from heaven, having great authority, 53:41 and the earth was illuminated with His glory." 53:45 And notice verse 2, 53:46 "And he cried mightily with a loud voice." 53:49 Is this the sighing and the crying 53:51 because of the abominations that are being committed 53:53 among those who profess God's people? 53:55 Yes, "Saying, 'Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, 54:01 and has become a dwelling place of demons, 54:04 a prison for every foul spirit, 54:06 and a cage for every unclean and hated bird.'" 54:10 In other words, Babylon has been filled with what? 54:14 With demons, with the occult. 54:18 And notice verse 3, several key terms. 54:22 "For all the nations have drunk 54:25 of the wine of the wrath of her fornication." 54:27 There's the keyword. 54:29 "The kings of the earth had committed fornication with her, 54:32 and the merchants of the earth have become rich 54:35 through the abundance of her luxury." 54:38 And then we have this beautiful call of Revelation 18:4 54:44 just like there was a sighing and crying in Jerusalem 54:46 so that God's true people 54:48 would not participate in the abominations. 54:51 As the sealing was taking place, there was a sighing and crying 54:55 because of what was happening 54:56 among those who profess to be God's people. 54:58 At the end time, there's gonna be a sighing and crying 55:01 because of the condition of the church 55:03 and God is going to give a call 55:05 to His faithful people to come out. 55:07 So I guess Christendom is filled with God's people. 55:11 You know, many people think that the Adventist Church 55:13 believes that only Adventists are gonna be saved. 55:16 Far from it, we believe that most of God's true people 55:20 are outside the Seventh-day Adventist Church. 55:22 We believe that they belong to 55:24 this universal church that we've talked about. 55:26 They belong to the daughters. They are out there. 55:29 They don't know the truth as it is in Jesus. 55:32 But we believe that when this message is proclaimed, 55:35 they will heed the call of Jesus, 55:37 and they will come out, and not participate 55:39 in the abominations of this end time religious system. 55:43 Notice Revelation 18:4, 55:47 "And I heard another voice from heaven saying, 55:52 'Come out of her, my people.'" 55:57 Does God have people there? 55:58 Oh, yes, He does. Praise the Lord. 56:00 "Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, 56:05 and lest you receive of her plagues." 56:10 Is there an amazing parallel between both of these stories? 56:14 It's unbelievable. 56:16 Now allow me to finish by saying this, 56:19 the final controversy is not primarily about 2 days, 56:26 it is about two authorities. 56:30 And the days are the way in which God tests you to see 56:34 whose authority you accept. 56:36 You see, when you keep the Sabbath, you're saying, 56:39 "I accept God's authority." 56:41 He says, "Keep the seventh day Sabbath as a sign of Myself." 56:45 Therefore, I keep the Sabbath. 56:46 In this way, I show that I accept God's authority." 56:51 However, those who worship the beast and receive his mark, 56:54 they keep the first day of the week 56:56 which is the sign of the authority of the beast 56:59 because the beast is the one 57:00 who changed the day from Sabbath to Sunday. 57:03 So those who choose to follow the beast and receive the mark 57:06 are actually accepting the authority of the beast. 57:11 So the issue of the days is really 57:14 the issue of which authority will you accept, 57:19 the authority of God, 57:21 the Creator of the heavens and the earth, 57:24 or the authority of the beast. 57:26 I pray to God that it will be the authority of God. |
Revised 2014-12-17